Missionary
MonkBase values, before Blacksmith upgrades. The Blacksmith raises attack and armour for infantry, cavalry and archers — Blast Furnace, for instance, gives "+2 Attack for infantry & cavalry". Late in a game, the real numbers are higher.
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Missionary
CastleThe coach's briefing
Commander, the Missionary is Spain's mobile conversion unit. At 1.1 speed, he keeps pace with cavalry, allowing frontline conversions during combat. His 7 range is shorter than regular monks (9), but his mobility compensates. Use Missionaries to convert enemy knights mid-battle. They're especially effective when your opponent invests heavily in cavalry.
STRONG AGAINST
You win these trades cost-effectively.
WEAK AGAINST
Avoid these fights or bring support.
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Strategic Analysis
Tactical Identity
Mobile conversion unit for frontline support
Tactical Playbook
Cavalry Speed
At 1.1 speed, Missionaries can keep up with your cavalry. Position them behind your knights for conversion opportunities.
Hit and Convert
Use their mobility to dart in, start a conversion, and retreat before enemy archers can target them.
Conqueror Support
Pair with Conquistadors for a highly mobile army that converts and kills simultaneously.
Critical Point
Only 30 HP and no armor. They die instantly to focused fire. Keep them protected behind your main army.
Understanding The Stats
Missionaries trade range (7 vs 9) for speed (1.1 vs 0.7). This makes them better for aggressive play but worse for defensive conversions.
High Speed
Matches light cavalry speed, enabling mobile warfare
Shorter Range
Less safe than monks but still effective
Fragile
Same health as regular monks - very vulnerable
Gold Only
Same cost as monks, pure gold investment
Coach's Tip
1.1 speed is incredible for a monk. Use this to stay alive and convert high-value targets.
Mechanics & Bonuses
Attack Bonuses
| Target | Bonus Dmg |
|---|---|
| No damage bonus: this unit deals the same damage to every target. | |
Armor Classes
Monk
Vulnerable to units with bonus damage vs this class.
Cavalry
Takes heavy bonus damage from Pikemen/Halberdiers and Camels.
Key Upgrades
Castle Age
Civilizations
* 1 civilizations have access to this unit.
Other Units
AoE Coach analysis
Context & meta
The Missionary is the Spanish mounted Monk: a 100-gold support unit with 30 HP, zero attack, zero armor, 7 range, 1.1 speed and 9 line of sight. Its job is conversion, healing and relic work, not damage. The official help says it is faster than a Monk but has less sight and range, can collect Relics, and is strong versus slow non-ranged units. That mobility gives Spanish armies a moving layer of sustain, yet the tiny HP pool and lack of an attack make every exposed Missionary a high-priority target. Treat it as a strategic tool that happens to be mounted.
History & balance
The Missionary extends the Spanish Monk identity without turning it into cavalry combat. The design trades the standard Monk's longer reach and sight for movement speed, allowing relic retrieval and conversion pressure to follow a Spanish army. The official help keeps the boundaries visible: it still heals, converts and works with Monastery upgrades, but it cannot suddenly become a fighting horseman. Its 51-second train time and 100-gold cost preserve the value of each individual unit. The result is a support piece for a civilization that already values timing and technology, with mobility used to create safe conversion windows rather than to win direct melee fights.
In pro play
Use Missionaries behind cavalry or Infantry, moving them with the army instead of leaving them in a monastery corridor. Their 1.1 speed follows pressure and retreats from a failed conversion, while 7 range still requires a careful approach. Escort them on relic routes and target expensive, slow units that cannot simply run away. Each costs 100 gold and takes 51 seconds, so queue them before the push rather than after the first Monk falls. A Spanish composition can use Missionaries to heal the front line and threaten conversion whenever the opponent overextends. Their value comes from surviving long enough to support the fight, not from collecting kills.
How to counter it
The classic mistake is fighting a Missionary with the main army while ignoring the unit converting the expensive core. The official help gives the vulnerability categories: Scout Cavalry-line, Eagle Warriors and Ranged Soldiers. Scout Cavalry and Light Cavalry have +6 and +10 versus Monks, while Slingers add +4 versus the Monk class. Do not send slow Infantry alone: the Missionary is strong against slow non-ranged units and can heal behind a screen. Split the pressure, remove the escort, then focus the 30-HP Missionary. If you keep losing to Missionaries without knowing what to produce or when, AoE Coach reads your match-up and gives you the counter composition and timing.