The Mangudai: The Mongol unique unit is the Mangudai, a super horse archer. The Mangudai is an impressive cavalry archer with strength comparable to a heavy cavalry archer. However, it also has an excellent bonus against siege weapons, doing more damage against those deadly machines. The Mongols are the only civilization that can reliably take out enemy siege with fast ranged units. Note, too, that when the siege shoots back, the speed of the Mongol horse archers means you can often dodge its shots." The mangudai isn't too expensive and is actually better than the heavy cavalry archer. You needn't build the heavy cavalry archer if you are a Mongol player because the mangudai can do everything the other unit can do and is better in many respects. Designer Greg Street says, "I don't bother making a whole army of cavalry archers; they just can't cut it against high-end archers or cavalry. Instead, I make many mangudai and back them up with infantry or scorpions. Mangudai are good at killing units, really good at killing siege, but poor against buildings. If my siege weapons can't keep up with the mangudai, then I count on my teammates to mop up."

Historical and Game Information

The Mongols are well known in history and infamous for their conquests. They were nomads from Central Asia and were split into various clans that roamed the steppes. They were master horsemen, which later allowed them to create the most awesome mounted army the world had ever seen. Like their ancestors, the Huns, before them, the Mongols were united under a charismatic leader and turned into a powerful force of conquest. At its height, the Mongol empire included nearly all lands from Korea to the Baltic Sea coast. The Mongols held Asia Minor, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tibet, northern India, parts of Burma, China, and northern Vietnam. The one who made all this possible by uniting the Mongol clans was Temujin, who was called Genghis Khan, although that name is more like a title, as it means "mighty ruler." In the early 13th century, he united the clans and embarked on his campaign to create an empire that stretched from the Pacific to the Atlantic. Some estimates place his initial army at 25,000, although the number was bolstered by adding more nomads under his command. He attacked China in 1211 and captured Beijing in 1215, slaughtering perhaps 30 million Chinese. Even as he continued to capture all of China, Genghis Khan turned westward and destroyed the city of Bukhara on the Silk Road. He burned the city to the ground and murdered all inhabitants. Undoubtedly, word of his deeds spread further west, and those who met his horde were thus more inclined to surrender than to tempt such a fate. Genghis Khan's son, Ogodei, took control of the Mongols in 1227 when the great Khan died. Under Ogodei, the Mongols completed the conquest of northern China and charged into Europe, where the Mongols were later known as the Golden Horde. Kiev was destroyed in 1240 and Hungary was next. With Eastern Europe already under control, the Mongols were poised to strike at the vulnerable Western Europeans, who undoubtedly would not have been able to fend off such an efficient war machine. The Westerners were spared, though, when Ogodei died in 1241. The Mongols stopped their advance into Europe, and his sons were called back to Mongolia to elect a successor. From that point on, the Mongols turned their attention back to Asia and the Middle East. One of Genghis Khan's grandsons, Hulegu, attacked Iraq, taking the Muslim capital of Baghdad in 1258, exterminating the Muslim "assassins" order in the process. In 1260, with the Mongols pressing into the Middle East and Egypt, an army of Egyptian Mamluks did what almost no one had done before: defeat the Mongols in battle. The Mongols at that point halted their advance in that direction.

Mongol Bonuses

The Mongol civilization is built of speed. They aren't a bruising, methodical civilization that will grind you into the ground, like the Teutons or Goths. Nor are they multidimensional technology-driven civilizations like the Chinese or Byzantines. Instead, the Mongols are designed around fast horse archers that will whittle you down and wear you out. Says Sandy Petersen, "The Mongols are a civ of the lightning strike, not the slow measured assault wave."


All the Mongol's cavalry archers fire 50 percent faster than other horse archers. This bonus makes the Mongol horse archers deadly killers that can destroy slow-moving infantry and annihilate villagers in incredibly quick fashion. Here is what Petersen says: "Mongols typify the horse archer. He is their emblem, their symbol, so to speak. Their horse archers get the single best bonus possible of any archer unit - a faster fire rate. This means they win archery duels, kill advancing infantry before they can close, and zip into a town and quickly nail a bunch of villagers before their enemies' defenses can make an impact on the horse archers themselves."

Tougher Light Cavalry

The light cavalry for the Mongols have +30-percent hit points. That makes them more durable and more viable than the normal light cavalry, which really aren't more than glorified scouts with armor. The light cavalry and horse archers are the game's fastest units, and by making them better - faster attacking and more durable - the Mongols get the game's best fast-shock troops. No one can match the Mongol's ability to rush into towns, wreak havoc, and then flee before reprisals can be mounted. The light cavalry are still too weak to go toe-to-toe with heavy infantry and cavalry, but in combination with the horse archers and the unique unit, the mangudai, they become a deadly unit. Petersen says the hit point bonus "is the single best bonus possible to this unit! Though even Mongol light cavalry can't stand up to enemy knights, this means they are much more effective at killing priests, villagers, and archers." .

Hunting Bonus

The Mongols have an insane hunting bonus that makes them the only civilization that can really turn to hunting as a viable and preferable means of food gathering and age advancement. The Mongol hunters have a +50-percent hunting and gathering rate. That means they gather meat much faster than any other civilization. In the time it takes another civilization to gather 200 food, the Mongol has already gathered 300. Petersen says, "Mongols get a huge hunting bonus (+50-percent work rate). This is so massive that they are well-advised to range the map for herds of deer, to pull in the food. When properly utilized, a Mongol player can use this bonus to rocket through the Dark and Feudal Ages, thus reaching Castle as fast as or faster than any other civilization. And of course once they're in Castle Age, they can start producing their horse archers and light cavalry."

The Pros

The Mongols are a strong civilization, and they are fast. Their bonuses and play style favor and require use of the game's fastest units, and they have the fastest food production to support a quick and prolific military. They also support their excellent mobile ranged support with a good siege and infantry line. Like all the other raider civilizations, they lack strong defenses and are poorer than other civilizations when it comes to technological advances. The Mongols definitely have a play style that requires more micromanagement.

The Cons

"Mongols do have drawbacks. Their bonuses are high-maintenance - to get the most out of light cavalry, horse archers, or hunters, you have to micromanage them and watch them every second. If your horse archers are being attacked by infantry, you have to keep backing up and shooting. If you're raiding a foe's villagers with light cavalry, you have to keep dodging the arrows from the enemy town center or towers. If you're hunting, you have to carefully control your villagers, especially when hunting boars. The Mongols are not for the lazy minded. You get out of them what you are willing to put into them."