Temple Guard
InfantryBase 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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Temple Guard
Castle
Elite Temple Guard
ImperialThe coach's briefing
Commander, the Temple Guard is the sacred protector of the Muisca temples. Armed with a tumbaga war pick, this heavy infantry unit channels battle fervor — each consecutive hit reduces their attack cooldown by 0.2 seconds for 5 seconds, down to a minimum of 1.4 seconds. They deal bonus damage to cavalry, camels, and elephants. In prolonged melee engagements, Temple Guards become a whirlwind of destruction. Pair them with Guecha Warriors: the Guechas handle archers while Temple Guards demolish anything that gets close.
STRONG AGAINST
You win these trades cost-effectively.
WEAK AGAINST
Avoid these fights or bring support.
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Strategic Analysis
Tactical Identity
The Temple Guard is a **ramping melee powerhouse** that grows stronger the longer a fight lasts. Its attack speed acceleration makes it devastating in sustained engagements.
Tactical Playbook
Sustained Combat
Temple Guards need time to ramp up. Engage, hold position, and let the attack speed acceleration kick in. After 3-4 hits, they attack nearly 50% faster.
Anti-Cavalry Wall
+5 vs Cavalry, +4 vs Camels, +5 vs Elephants makes Temple Guards versatile anti-mounted infantry. They fill a similar role to the Pikeman but with much higher base damage.
Dual Training
Uniquely, Temple Guards can be trained at both Barracks and Monastery. Use both production buildings to flood the field with them.
Anti-Ship Utility
+4 vs Ships may seem niche, but when defending shorelines, Temple Guards can deal solid damage to beached or close ships.
Critical Point
0.95 speed is very slow — faster units can kite them endlessly. Archers are particularly dangerous as Temple Guards have only 1 pierce armor and no way to close the distance quickly.
Understanding The Stats
The Temple Guard has strong base stats for infantry (100 HP, 12 attack) but the real power is in the attack speed ramping mechanic that turns sustained fights into one-sided massacres.
Attack Acceleration
Each hit reduces reload by 0.2s for 5 seconds. From 2.0s base to 1.4s minimum — that's a 30% DPS increase after ramping.
Anti-Cavalry
Combined with 12 base attack, Temple Guards deal 17 damage per hit to cavalry. With ramped speed, that's devastating DPS.
Solid HP
100 HP with 1/1 armor is decent for Castle Age infantry. They can tank enough hits to ramp up their attack speed.
Slow Movement
Slower than most infantry (1.0). Cannot chase, cannot retreat. Positioning before engagement is critical.
Coach's Tip
Your 12 attack with ramping speed means you deal more DPS than a Champion in prolonged fights. The key is STAYING in combat — don't let enemies kite you.
Mechanics & Bonuses
Attack Bonuses
| Target | Bonus Dmg |
|---|---|
| Cavalry | +5 |
| Camel | +4 |
| War Elephant | +5 |
| Ship | +4 |
Armor Classes
Infantry
Takes bonus damage from Hand Cannoneers, Slingers, and anti-infantry unique units.
Unique Unit
Vulnerable to units with bonus damage vs this class.
Key Upgrades
Feudal Age
Castle Age
Civilizations
* 1 civilizations have access to this unit.
AoE Coach analysis
Context & meta
The Temple Guard is the Muisca unique Shock Infantry, a 70-food/45-gold melee unit with 100 HP, 12 attack, 1/1 armor, 0.95 speed and 5 line of sight. The official help gives the categories: strong versus buildings and Mounted Units, weak versus the Militia-line. Its attack accelerates the longer it remains in combat, so the unit becomes more dangerous when a player allows a clean, uninterrupted engagement. The 28-second train time and Infantry class make it a front-line investment, not a fast raider. Its value is the pressure of sustained contact: it threatens cavalry and structures while asking the opponent to answer before the attack speed ramps.
History & balance
The Temple Guard gives the Muisca roster a durable melee identity beside its ranged and Monk profile. The official description frames it as Shock Infantry, with damage that rises while it remains in combat; its strong categories are buildings and Mounted Units, while the Militia-line is the weakness. Muisca bonuses to Archery Range units and Champi Warriors help create a combined army in which ranged support covers the approach while Guards hold the center. The design is deliberately binary: a stable fight makes the Guard more efficient, but range or the Militia-line makes its food-and-gold cost harder to justify.
In pro play
Place Temple Guards where the fight must stay in contact: a choke, a forward Settlement or beside Muisca ranged units. Their 0.95 speed is not a raiding tool, and the attack-speed ramp means the first seconds should secure the engagement instead of switching targets. They are useful against Knights, Camels and buildings, matching the official strong categories. Add ranged support to punish the Militia-line and stop the Guards being surrounded. The right timing is a planned Castle-Age pressure with enough bodies to survive the first volley; a tiny group dies before its mechanic matters.
How to counter it
The classic mistake is sending Cavalry into Temple Guards because they look like ordinary slow Infantry. The official help gives the categories: strong versus buildings and Mounted Units, weak versus the Militia-line. Hand Cannoneers have +10 versus Infantry and Slingers have +4; these answers attack the correct layer instead of feeding the Guard a sustained melee. Keep the fight at range, focus one unit before its attack speed ramps and use terrain to deny a permanent front line. If you keep losing to Temple Guards without knowing what to produce or when, AoE Coach reads your match-up and gives you the counter composition and timing.