Hera (2753) vs Nicov (2715) | Malians vs Armenians | Age of Empires II

Cast of Empires
18 Apr 202439:46

TLDRIn this thrilling match-up of Age of Empires II, Hera and Nicov face off in a battle of wits and strategy. Hera, playing as Malians, showcases their infantry strength and unique unit capabilities, while Nicov, as Armenians, utilizes their early infantry availability and unique units like the Warrior Priest and Composite Bowman. The game is a seesaw of engagements, with both players demonstrating impressive micro-management and tactical prowess. The tide turns as Hera's economic advantage and relentless bombardment with trebuchets and bombard cannons wear down Nicov's defenses. Despite Nicov's valiant efforts and clever maneuvers, Hera's superior resource management and military pressure ultimately secure victory in this intense game of attrition.

Takeaways

  • 🎮 The game is a high-low battle in Age of Empires II between Hera (Malians) and Nikov (Armenians), both known for their infantry civilizations.
  • 🏰 Each player begins by exploring and quickly advancing to the Feudal Age, with a focus on utilizing their unique civilizational strengths.
  • ⚔️ Malian units gain extra Pierce armor, and their unique unit, the Gabo, is a quick infantry unit with a strong ranged melee attack.
  • 🛡️ Armenian infantry has extra line of sight and is available earlier, with the ability to upgrade for a significant HP boost.
  • 🤴 The Warrior Priest is a unique Armenian unit that can heal friendly units and gather relics, providing support on the battlefield.
  • 🏞️ Both players start with 16 villagers, offering a balanced opportunity to develop their bases and military.
  • 🏠 Hera's base has better forest coverage, while Nikov's base has more secure starting primary resources.
  • 🔄 Throughout the game, both players engage in various skirmishes, with Nikov showing early aggression and Hera relying on his units' armor.
  • 🏹 The unique units and military upgrades play a crucial role in the battle, with the Malian Cavalier and the Armenian composite Bowman being particularly noteworthy.
  • 🏛️ Castles and fortified structures are used strategically for defense and to control the map, with both players building multiple castles.
  • 🛤️ The game's outcome is heavily influenced by economic management and attrition, with Hera ultimately winning through superior resource allocation and military pressure.

Q & A

  • What is the main theme of the video?

    -The main theme of the video is a high-low game of Age of Empires II featuring a battle between two infantry civilizations, Malians and Armenians, represented by players Hera and Nikov.

  • What are the unique units of the Malians and Armenians in the game?

    -The Malians' unique unit is the Gabo, a quick infantry unit with a strong ranged melee attack, while the Armenians' first unique unit is the Warrior Priest, an infantry unit that can heal friendly units and gather relics.

  • What is the strategic advantage of the Malians' cavalry?

    -The Malians' cavalry can be upgraded to receive a massive plus five attack boost, making the Malian cavalier have a higher attack than a paladin without the need for access to HS or paladins.

  • How do the Malians' buildings help in training units?

    -All Malian buildings, except for Farms, cost 15% less wood, and their gold miners drop off 10% more gold, allowing for faster military buildup.

  • What is the advantage of the Armenians' infantry units?

    -Armenian infantry units come with extra line of sight and are available an age earlier. They also have the option to upgrade to receive a significant plus 30 boost to their HP.

  • What is the strategic importance of the second unique unit of the Armenians, the Composite Bowman?

    -The Composite Bowman is a foot archer whose attack ignores the armor of all land units except for Siege, providing a significant advantage in battles against heavily armored infantry.

  • What is the significance of the players starting with 16 villagers each?

    -Starting with 16 villagers provides a decent opportunity for both players to establish their base and economy without being overly advantaged or disadvantaged.

  • How does Nikov's initial strategy of attacking with melee units affect Hera's strategy?

    -Nikov's initial aggression with melee units, which are effective against Hera's loomless villagers, forces Hera to be more cautious and eventually leads to Hera training a Spearman and archers for defense.

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  • What is the impact of the players' decisions to build castles in forward positions?

    -Building castles in forward positions allows both players to control key areas of the map, surround the center map area, and potentially cut off their opponent's access to resources or mobility.

  • How does the game's outcome reflect the players' management of resources and military strategy?

    -The game's outcome is a result of a war of attrition, where Hera wins by successfully pushing away raids and maintaining a superior economy, particularly in food production, which allows for a continuous production of units despite military losses.

  • What is the role of the Bombard Cannon in the game's final stages?

    -The Bombard Cannon plays a crucial role in the game's final stages by providing long-range support and causing significant damage to the enemy's military and infrastructure, particularly when used in conjunction with light Cavalry units.

Outlines

00:00

🏰 Game Introduction and Civilization Overview

The video begins with a high-low game of Age of Empires, featuring a battle between the Malians and Armenians. The Malians are infantry-focused with unique units like the Gabo and enhanced Cavalry, while the Armenians have early infantry access and unique units like the Warrior Priest and Composite Bowman. Both civilizations have economic advantages and military strategies that are explored.

05:02

🏞️ Base Layouts and Early Game Strategies

The players' base layouts are analyzed, with Hera (Malians) having a triangular forest cover and Nikov (Armenians) having a more secure primary resource location. Early game strategies include Hera's risky villager pull and the players' attempts to reach the Feudal Age quickly. Nikov takes an aggressive approach, achieving several kills and establishing an early lead.

10:02

🛡️ Feudal Age Combat and Unit Engagements

The gameplay intensifies as both players advance to the Feudal Age, with Hera leveraging the Malians' extra Pierce armor from the Barracks. Despite this advantage, Nikov's aggressive tactics with melee units continue to put pressure on Hera. The players engage in several skirmishes, with Nikov's Town Center playing a significant role in the fights.

15:03

🏰 Castle Age Developments and Military Build-up

As the game progresses into the Castle Age, both players focus on building up their military and economy. Hera constructs a castle in a strategic location to disrupt Nikov's resources. The players engage in more skirmishes, with Hera managing to even the kill count and Nikov responding with a fortified Church and additional unique units.

20:04

🏺 Relics and Economic Management

The importance of relics in the game is highlighted, as both players compete to control them. Economic management becomes crucial, with Hera investing in food to fuel his military and Nikov focusing on monk upgrades. The players' strategies and resource management are compared, showcasing the differences in their economic approaches.

25:06

🏺 Late Game Military Actions and Siege Weapons

The video describes the late game military actions involving siege weapons like trebuchets and bombard cannons. The players engage in a battle of attrition, with Hera's bombard cannons proving particularly effective against Nikov's forces. The importance of high ground and the use of light cavalry and unique units are discussed.

30:07

🏆 Conclusion and Final Analysis

The game concludes with a final analysis of the players' strategies, economy, and military actions. Hera emerges victorious through a game of economic and military attrition. The video ends with a call to viewers to share their thoughts on the game and to subscribe for more content.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Age of Empires II

Age of Empires II is a real-time strategy video game developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios. It is the second game in the Age of Empires series. The game allows players to explore different civilizations and their unique units and technologies. In the context of the video, it is the setting for the battle between Hera and Nicov, showcasing their strategic gameplay and the game's mechanics.

💡Hera

Hera is one of the players in the video, controlling the Malians civilization in the game Age of Empires II. The Malians are characterized by their infantry and cavalry units, which receive bonuses such as extra armor. In the video, Hera's gameplay strategies and interactions with the opponent, Nicov, are a central focus.

💡Nikov

Nikov is the opposing player in the video, playing as the Armenians. The Armenians are another infantry-focused civilization with unique units like the Warrior Priest and the Composite Bowman. Nicov's tactics and decisions throughout the match are compared and contrasted with Hera's, highlighting the competitive nature of the game.

💡Infantry

Infantry refers to a class of units in Age of Empires II that primarily engage in ground combat. Both Malians and Armenians are infantry civilizations, meaning their infantry units receive special bonuses or abilities. In the video, the use of infantry units by both players is a key element of their strategies.

💡Unique Unit

Each civilization in Age of Empires II has a unique unit that is not available to other civilizations. For example, the Malians' unique unit is the Gabo, while the Armenians have the Warrior Priest. These units often provide strategic advantages and are showcased in the gameplay between Hera and Nicov.

💡Feudal Age

The Feudal Age is one of the game's progression stages in Age of Empires II, following the Dark Age and preceding the Castle Age. It is a period where players can train units and upgrade technologies to strengthen their civilization. In the video, players are seen advancing to the Feudal Age to unlock new units and strategies.

💡Military Industrial Complex

In the context of the video, the term 'military industrial complex' refers to the infrastructure a player builds to support their military forces, such as barracks, stables, and archery ranges. The development and efficiency of this complex are crucial for a player's ability to wage war effectively, as seen with Nicov's strategy to quickly build up his military capabilities.

💡Relics

Relics in Age of Empires II are objects that provide bonuses to the civilization that controls them. They are often the focus of strategic gameplay as controlling a certain number of relics can provide significant advantages. In the video, the players compete to gather and protect relics, influencing the outcome of their battle.

💡Trebuchet

The Trebuchet is a siege weapon in Age of Empires II that can launch projectiles over walls and into enemy structures. It is a key unit for attacking fortified positions. In the video, the use of trebuchets by both players is a significant part of their military strategy, particularly in the destruction of buildings and enemy units.

💡Composite Bowman

The Composite Bowman is the Armenians' unique ranged infantry unit. It has the ability to ignore the armor of all land units except for siege weapons, making it a powerful offensive unit. In the video, the Composite Bowman is used by Nicov to engage in combat, highlighting its effectiveness against certain types of units.

💡Economic and Military Attrition

Economic and military attrition refers to the gradual wearing down of an opponent's resources and military strength through sustained conflict. In the video, this concept is central to the match's outcome, as Hera wins by outlasting Nicov, who runs out of critical resources needed to continue fighting effectively.

Highlights

Hera and Nicov are playing as Malians and Armenians respectively in a high-low game of Age of Empires II.

Malians have extra Pierce armor for units produced in the Alan Barracks and their unique unit is the Gabo, a quick infantry unit with a strong ranged melee attack.

Malian Cavalry can get a massive +5 attack boost, and their light Cavalry and heavy camel riders are some of the strongest in the game.

Armenians have infantry with extra line of sight and are available an age earlier, including unique units like the Warrior Priest that can heal friendly units.

Armenians also have the Composite Bowman, a foot archer whose attack ignores the armor of all land units except for Siege.

Both players start with 16 villagers, providing a decent opportunity for expansion and resource gathering.

Hera's base has a bit of a triangle-shaped smallish Forest cover, offering a chance to wall off his settlement.

Nik's base has forests closer together with primary gold and stone secured to the back, but some resource patches are exposed.

Nikov gains early kills by targeting exposed Malian villagers, showcasing the effectiveness of Armenian infantry.

Hera's Malians use their extra Pierce armor to their advantage during feudal age, despite early losses.

Both players advance to Castle Age, with Hera doing so first, indicating a potential shift in the game's dynamics.

Nikov's Armenians build their first fortified Church, receiving a free Relic and enhancing their military capabilities.

Hera makes strategic use of his resources, opting for a Castle location that lames Nikov's resources.

The game sees a transition to Imperial Age, with unique units like the Malan Gabos and Armenian Composite Bowman becoming pivotal.

Nikov's Armenians employ a military strategy involving bombard cannons, demonstrating their love for the unit's mobility.

Hera's Malians utilize their economic advantages, particularly in food production, to outpace Nikov's military industrial complex.

The game concludes with a war of attrition, where Hera's Malians win out due to superior resource management and strategic military engagements.