Mounted Trebuchet
Unique UnitBase 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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Mounted Trebuchet
ImperialThe coach's briefing
Commander, the Mounted Trebuchet is Khitan siege cavalry — not a Trebuchet. It shoots from 10 tiles and cannot fire at all inside 3, and its projectiles leave fire burning on the ground where they land. With 75 HP and 30 attack for 175 food and 175 gold, it is expensive and it does not survive contact. The official help names siege weapons and tight groups as its targets, and anything that reaches close range as its weakness. Fire from the back, move before the answer arrives, and let the lingering fire hold the ground you just shot.
STRONG AGAINST
You win these trades cost-effectively.
WEAK AGAINST
Avoid these fights or bring support.
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Your coach names the counters during the match — not once the game is over.
Strategic Analysis
Tactical Identity
Khitan unique siege cavalry
Tactical Playbook
The fire is the point
Projectiles leave lingering fire where they land — shooting a position denies it for a while, even after the volley.
Three tiles is a wall
It cannot fire inside 3 tiles. A single unit that closes that gap makes it useless until it walks away.
It answers siege
The official help names siege weapons among its targets: it outranges most of them from a mounted body that can leave.
Critical Point
Seventy-five HP for 175 food and 175 gold. Losing one to a raid is losing a Castle-Age army budget.
Understanding The Stats
75 HP, 30 attack, 2/4 armor, range 10 with a minimum of 3, for 175 food and 175 gold in 46 seconds.
Attack
Plus lingering fire where the shot lands
Range
And nothing at all inside 3 tiles
HP
It does not survive being reached
Speed
Mounted, but slower than an army
Coach's Tip
Range 10 with a minimum of 3 — the whole unit lives in that gap. Screen it or lose it.
Mechanics & Bonuses
Attack Bonuses
| Target | Bonus Dmg |
|---|---|
| No damage bonus: this unit deals the same damage to every target. | |
Armor Classes
Unique Unit
Vulnerable to units with bonus damage vs this class.
Camel
Takes specific bonus damage from Pikemen.
Civilizations
* 1 civilizations have access to this unit.
AoE Coach analysis
Context & meta
The Mounted Trebuchet is the Khitan unique siege cavalry, a 175-food/175-gold mobile siege piece with 75 HP, 30 attack, 2/4 armor, 10 range, 0.8 speed and 13 line of sight. The official help gives the categories: strong versus Siege Weapons and tight groups of units, weak versus units at close range; its projectiles also leave lingering fire on the ground. The game places it with the Khitans, despite a stale civilization label in the derived unit entry. It is powerful because it can reposition as a mounted siege unit, but the price makes every lost body painful.
History & balance
The Mounted Trebuchet turns the traditional siege rhythm into a cavalry rhythm. Instead of packing, unpacking and waiting for a fixed firing position, the Khitan design gives the trebuchet a mobile body that can threaten a second angle or retreat from a response. The official help keeps its role narrow: it is still a siege weapon, and the lingering fire rewards area denial rather than reckless chasing. Khitan melee upgrades and faster Spearman, Skirmisher and Scout lines create the screen that lets the expensive piece operate. Its trade-off is deliberate : 75 HP, 0.8 speed and 46 seconds of training mean mobility improves positioning, not survivability.
In pro play
Use Mounted Trebuchets from behind a moving screen, firing at a building or enemy siege line before sliding to a new angle. Ten range and 13 line of sight let the unit work from outside many responses, while the fire left on the ground discourages a straight chase. Never send one forward without vision: a 75-HP, 0.8-speed unit is still vulnerable once melee reaches it. Khitan players can pair the siege cavalry with faster Skirmishers or Spearmen, then use the support army to buy the time needed for a second shot. The best timing is after the opponent commits to fixed defenses or massed siege; the mobility then creates value every time the enemy must turn around.
How to counter it
The classic mistake is answering a Mounted Trebuchet with slow siege and allowing it to choose every angle. The official help gives the categories: strong versus Siege Weapons and tight groups, weak versus close-range units. Pikemen carry +18 versus its Camel class and Halberdiers +26, so cheap melee can close behind vision and deny retreat. Spread your army, make contact from several paths and ignore the temptation to chase with Mangonels. If you keep losing to Mounted Trebuchets without knowing what to produce or when, AoE Coach reads your match-up and gives you the counter composition and timing.