#eagle the archer icons

[malsfefanfics]

OC Profile: Rosamund

art by @/nessiemccormick, edited down to icon size by me

"You wish to know more about Rosamund? She's rather easy to talk to, once you get past that Vestra pride. Though I honestly don't know her that well, given how Hubert didn't even tell me of her existance until recently. She also tends to keep people at dog's length from her at all times. Yes, I mean 'dog'." -- Edelgard, about Rosamund.

Full name: Rosamund von Vestra Nicknames: Rosa (Raphael, Mercedes, Caspar, Constance, Claude), Rosebud (Hapi), Rosie (by Dorothea), Petal (For Hubert Use Only), Little Rose Wolf (Yuri) Birthday: Day 6 of the Harpstring Moon, 1165 Age: 15-16 (Pre-TS), 20+ (Post-TS) Crest: None Family: Marquis Iason von Vestra (Father, Deceased), Medee (Mother), Hubert (Older Brother), Tancred (Younger Brother), Rigel (Best Hound) Nationality: Adrestia Titles: Master of the Hounds, The Thorn Huntress, Devoted Bloom Voice Claim: Jeannie Tirado (leaning more towards Rose from Resident Evil Village in tone)

Interests: Hunting, History of Fódlan and surrounding nations, Weapons and training, Singing Likes: Sweets, Dogs, Her brothers, Fish, Healthy Competition, Saint Cichol Dislikes: Her father, The Church, Saint Seiros, Noble Society, Liars, Formal Dresses, Herself

Favorite Meals: Super Spicy Fish Dango, Pheasant Roast with Berry Sauce, Pickled Rabbit Skewers Liked Meals: Saghert and Cream, Sweet Trio Bun, Grilled Herring, Sautéed Jerky, Small Fish Skewers, Fried Crayfish Disliked Meals: Daphnel Stew, Bourgeois Pike, Cheesy Verona Stew, Gautier Cheese Gratin

Tea Preferences: Lavender Blend, Almyran Pine Needles, Mint Tea, Rose Petal Blend

Liked Gifts: Hunting Dagger, The History of Fódlan, Fishing Float, Smoked Meat, any flower, Stylish Hair Clip Disliked Gifts: Gemstone Beads, Goddess Statuette, Blue Cheese, Book of Crest Designs

Lost Items:

Book of Hunters' Fables: A hand written book of fables and folk songs shared by hunters from across the continent. Looks well read.

Family Dagger: A dagger with a pink blade and a green handle. Reminds you of primroses.

Children's Music Box: A silver music box that plays an unfamiliar lullaby. There's the coat of arms of an Adrestian Family on the lid.

Starting Class: Noble Preferred Class Path: Noble --> Fighter/Myrmidon --> Archer/Thief --> Sniper/Assassin Strength: Bow, Sword Weakness: White Magic, Black Magic, Dark Magic Budding Talent: Authority Personal Skill: 'Howling Shot', increases power against Demonic Beasts by +5.

Weapons Starting Levels:

Sword: D Lance: E+ Axe: E Bow: B Brawling: E Reason: E Faith: E Authority: C Heavy Armor: E Riding: E+ Flying: E

Base Stats:

HP: 25 Str: 7 Mag: 1 Dex: 8 Spd: 6 Lck: 7 Def: 6 Res: 7 Cha: 9

Learned Faith Spells: ??? Learned Reason Spells: ???

Recruit Requirements for Canon-Compliance AUs: Crimson Flower requires C-support with Hubert and Edelgard, and B-support with Petra or Bernadetta. Verdant Wind requires B+ Rank or Higher of Flying, Faith, and Reason, and must have majority of Black Eagles and Ashen Wolves recruited. Cannot be recruited on Blue Lions or Silver Snow.

Potential Supports:

Byleth

Hubert

Tancred

Medee

Edelgard

Petra

Linhardt

Caspar

Dorothea

Bernadetta

Ferdinand

Jeritza

Mercedes

Felix

Sylvain

Ashe

Annette

Claude

Leonie

Raphael

Lysithea

Yuri

Hapi

Constance

Seteth

Flayn

Shamir

Hanneman

Manuela

Crit Quotes:

You wish!

For my brothers!

How annoying.

I'll never lose!

You call that a shot?

I thought you'd be a challenge.

I'll cut you down!

Time for the hunt!

No goddess can save you.

Defeat Quotes:

I can't fall here. Best to pull back for now.

That...could have gone better.

I'm sorry, brother. I failed you.....

Your Majesty, please....look after my family.....

I guess I truly am....the weakest Vestra.....

Skill Level Increase Quotes:

I can use this on the hunt.

This is easy as pie.

Another day, another lesson.

I can do that? Explains a lot. (Budding Talent)

I....I actually do that? (Magic)

Level Up Quotes:

As to be expected of a Vestra.

Excellence comes with hard work.

Getting stronger and wiser.

Missed the mark, it seems.

I can hear the old man scoffing from the grave.

Not sure I have much left to learn.

Gift Quotes:

Liked Gifts: Oh, I love this! How did you know?

Neutral Gifts: Thanks. This will be useful for later.

Disliked Gifts: You might have better luck elsewhere.

[re-re-redline]

—Mehmed II 1st Ascension— (Fanmade)

After ≈ 27 hours, I did it! I finished my hypothetical 1st ascension artwork and expressions for the boi.

Why yes, yes I did stitch the saber card frame and the archer icon together to make this make more sense, how’d you know? The font on the cards is Palantino, by the way.

That aside, let’s get into the making of this and my design choices before I put down the expressions I made.

Aight so. Running trend with newer servants is wearing modern clothing as an ascension, right? I decided to employ that here by having our favorite sultan wearing crocs, sweats, a neato t-shirt and some cool pins to give off that casual look. I originally wanted to have this give off the vibe of a college student, since Mehmed’s grand achievement of taking Constantinople occured when he was 21 years old and it’d be pretty a funny subversion for the kind of guy he’s remembered as. I will say though that the jacket I gave him miiiiight be too regal. I based it off of a painting of him wearing something exactly like it but closed so as to keep him recognizable as Mehmed II if you’ve seen the painting. The shirt is based of Gentile Bellini’s portrait of Mehmed with the six crowns in the left and right sides of the painting above his head. The pins are references with the top left being the Roman double headed eagle (poorly drawn), the Turkish flag, a flag from the Ottoman empire and the top right being a rose (referencing him holding a rose in Himuro’s World and a painting of him doing the same thing), the big cannon he had commissioned to destroy the Theodosian walls and finally a cat pin (ref. Himuro’s World.) The bouquet of roses is resent for the same reason that the rose pin is but it also serves to make him look more, y’know, casual with the way he has it in his arm. The scroll just kinda hanging off his arm serves the same purpose as well. The three feathers were supposed to be—from left to right— Gray Heron, Northern Bald Ibis, and Goldcrest but my artistic abilities couldn’t quite meet the mark on that one, though I tried my best. Finally, for the background, I wanted to paint the bridge that was named after him but it seems like it came out looking more like the Golden Gate bridge in California, much to my chagrin.

Now, as for two things I am aware of… Yes, I am aware his hand looks like the hecking Hamburger Helper hand, I hate it too (: And yes the position of the crocs looks like it’s copy and pasted because it is, drawing that second croc was a nightmare and I eventually just gave in and copied the first one.

Now, I hope you enjoyed looking at those. I’ll be putting the expressions down under the Read More for the sake of keeping things tidy. Let me know what you think.

—Redline, over and out.

P.S. I have so many more but I’ll leave it at this for now. And if you’re gonna use these for some reason, let me know and credit me, thanks.

[theemporium]

i wanted to gatekeep but honestly a lot of hockey books suck to us hockey fans because the authors just don't get it but here's some with opinions:

vancouver storm series by stepanie archer (2 books so far) - readable, not super believable but not off putting

sidelined love by emery paige - would not recommend if you're looking for anything beside brainless filler, very surface level everything

vancouver agitators series by meghan quinn (4 books so far) - started okay but got worse, was looking forward to the 4th book so well and it ended up being so bad

jacksonville rays by emily rath (2 books, 3 novellas so far) - this series could have been so much shorter, can be summed up with "there was an attempt", i don't like saying this word but jesus there was so much cringe

playing for keeps by becka mack (3 books so far) - probably the highest rated series so far which is to say something because this wasn't a good series, so many pages yet so forgettable

mile high by liz tomforde (3 books in the series so far, only one hockey book) - solid reads but not must reads iykwim, like you probably won't regret it if you read it but the folks saying you have to are exaggerating, wait now that i think about it most hockey books are worse so yeah go for it it's good

elle kennedy (problematic author but honestly sometimes you just gotta)

off campus (5 books) - the OGs, read the first 4 books twice, their iconic-ness makes up for the flaws which there are but yolo, book 5 the legacy was a cute idea that could have been better executed

briar u (4 books) - not as good as off campus but i just checked and i rated them higher? why? eh whatever, no matter what people say you have to read this before the legacy to understand all the cameos and jokes

campus diaries (1 or 2 books so far) - a worthy continuation so far that hopefully won't disappoint because i just want more hockey books

brother puckers series by kayla grosse (2 novellas so far) - skip, skip, skip, can this even count the first one has no real hockey just a hockey agent twin brother of a player, could have been a wonderfully kinky book if it hadn't done literally everything wrong

totally pucked series by maren moore (6 books so far + 2 standalones) - they're all connected but there was no info on when the standalones fit in and overall it's just a mess and not a a fun mess just like messy all around, very heavy on calling women puckbunnies for no reason i think this author needs to talk to somebody about her biases tbh

off the ice series by bal khabra (1 book so far) - starts out eerily similiar to icebreaker but like... if it was good, very good alternative

d.c. eagles hockey series by leah brunner (2 or 3 books so far, 1 novella) - not super terrible but also just one of those books that you pick up because you can't find anything else and you don't feel anything about them afterwards like okay moving on

maple hills series by hannah grace (2 books so far) - i did not hate it, did i like it? uhm... next question

same time next year by tessa bailey - tessa bailey saw everybody on booktok thirsting over hockey players and thought "oh i can make some money with this", i don't think she googled even a singular thing for this, inaccurate as fuck

mendell hawks series by deanna grey (2 books so far) - very underrated series that deserves more love, good quick reads with likable characters and great friendships

ooooh thank you for sharing!!

[miss-3625]

Soooo I got all the Assassin's Creed games for the XBox360 (AC1 - AC Rogue) and because I can't talk to anybody about my new fandom, I'm gonna post my thoughts during my plays on Tumblr, because maybe someone can relate :D

SPOILERS (obviously)

Assassin's Creed 1

(25.12.22)

- I like the trailer :) Altaïr is looking BADASS

- kinda confused about the colours (social status icon), but I guess I'll figure it out as I go

- I like how they made the eagle vision (the way you just get teleported into them and see the world from their eyes)

---

- sorry Malik and Kadar :(

- You dare attack Masyaf?! >:O YOU'RE GONNA REGRET IT!!

(Maaaannn, I'm bad at fighting...)

- I'm dead?!

---

- "The Farm"?! O.o What happend to the Assassins?

- Warren is a creep

---

- Oh no, I'm not dead.

- Why am I losing my learned abilities when I get deomoted? Like I get why I lose my armour (health) but my abilities? :/

- Why are there just women in the garden? (And why is it closed if there is a flag?)

- FLAGS!

- 20 Flags? Where?!

- I like Masyaf :)

- well, that's a clear interrogation I guess ...

- Oh your students don't know how to wield a blade? Do I look like I can it better?!

(-> I couldn't do it better...)

---

- why am I suspicious when I'm galloping my horse? O.o

- I kinda hate the guards ...

- who are these 60 Templars?

---

- Damascus look very pretty :)

- YOU DARE HARM INNOCENT PEOPLE?! >:O

- Awww the people I save, help me in return <3

- I should've gone to the Bureau first, before "starting" the pickpocket mission ...

- I just need 2? I'LL DO ALL 6!

- woah Tamir is ... aggressive....

- AHH THERE'S A CITY ALERT! THEY'RE CHASING ME! :O (man they are very persistent)

---

- Warren is losing his things all the time? Why is that so relatable...

---

- ohhhh new knife :D (and more lives)

- the garden is open! I have all 20 flags! :D

- You again, with your students?

  (-> Oh, I was better this time ^^)

---

- aahhh, the 60 Templars are the lonely ones, that wear white and protect a chest you CAN'T EVEN LOOT

---

- Acre is not looking good from the first glance ...

- Those people are just SLEEPING! Right?!

(26.12.22)

- the Rafiq of Acre kind of looks like Al Mualiam .... doesn't he?

- archer's on the roof - I repeat ARCHERS ON THE ROOF

- it's funny that I'm surrounded by dead people, I'm the only person around who wears weapons, but the guards still can't see me, because I look down... but I'm definitely not complaining

- the parkour is satisfying :)

- I can jump through those lonely market stalls? O.o

- Altaïr can't swim...

- An Informant? I'LL HELP YOU :D

- I hate those beggar women - CAN'T YOU SEE I'M TRYING TO ESCAPE?!

- the people who hold their hands weirdly in front of them, just push you away for no reason?

- another Informant :D

- I NEED TO RACE :O

- I did it with 1:56 to spare B)

- his information was pretty unhelpful.... but thanks anyway

- the guard with a helmet can jump away from your attacks

- I hate Garnier >:(

- Bye Acre, I'm not gonna miss you

---

- Throwing Knives :D

- Oh so this time I'm not supposed to show my new skills to anyone?

---

- Helloo Jerusalem, you're looking better then Acre :)

- archers!

- 100 FLAGS?!

- the guards are wearing AMOUR

- MALIK :D

(27.12.22)

- those 60 Templars are also in the cities! (So far, I've seen 2 in Jerusalem and THERE IS AT LEAST ONE IN THE FORTRESS OF WILLIAM IN ACRE :O)

- I really hate archers -_-

- I'm sooo baaad at fighting, help

- THEY HELPED ME CHATCH HIM! I LOVE THE CITIZENS

- Bye Malik :D

---

- the closet is open O.o

(-> code: helps you unlock the door)

- well there is the pen of Warren

(-> time to stalk Lucy's e-mails :D)

- I STOLE HIS PEN :O

(-> he's so distracted by his coffee he forgets everything - relatable)

- fun fact: he gets annoyed, if you don't immediately get into the Animus ^^

---

- aannd the guards are more suspicious - nice -_-

- NEW ABILITIES :D (and life)

- aahh so now I'm supposed to help you(r students) again .. OKAY I'LL DO IT

- THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN HELPFUL IN THE FIGHT AGAINST TALAL'S MEN >:O

---

- I can immediately travel to Acre/Damascus/Jerusalem without having to ride through all of the Kingdom?! AMAZING:D

- I guess I'll go to Acre first, so that I'll never have to see the city again

- How many guards are here?!

- HELLO ACRE (I didn't miss you)

- those people are still just sleeping

- ARCHERS

- why can't I see where I'm supposed to go? O.o

(-> I'm supposed to go to the rich district)

- why are all the people in the rich district white?

- it is always day (there is never night)

- William's hair is UGLY

- BYE ACRE, HOPE TO NEVER SEE YOU AGAIN

---

- as an Assassin you're supposed to ask questions, but also to not ask questions and trust your master (without question)...?

- "no true peace without order"

- NEW ABILITIES :D

- and of course I'm helping you(r students) again ^^

- the fast travel across the world is so nice

---

- HELLO DAMASCUS, you're looking as gorgeous as last time :D

- "Altaïr my FRIEND HELLOOO, whose life do you come to collect today? :D" .... O.o (I like the Rafiq :))

- Awww Altaïr thanked the Rafiq! :)

- and again, I don't see where I'm supposed to go

(-> It's the rich district again)

(--> at least they're not all white this time)

- ARCHERS >:/

- I was so distracted by the skyline of Damascus, that I jumped from the view point without synchronizing first...

(-> and it was the biggest tower of Damascus...)

- killing 2 guards with TIME?! :O

- I did it! (Also I love the informant :))

- MAN RUNNING! MAN IS RUNNUNG FAST :O Abu'l is a fast man!!!

---

- Altaïr is asking QUESTIONS DEMANDING ANSWERS! HE SPEAKS AGAINST THE MENTOR!!! THE BABY IS GROWING UP :D

- more throwing knives :)

---

- HELLOO JERUSALEM (and hello Malik :))

- where are all those people going? O.o

- Malik is nice :) (he is slowly forgiving his bf ;) )

- and again, I don't know where to go...

(-> this time it was the poor district)

(28.12.22)

- I love this informant and if something happens to him, I will kill all responsible :)

(-> even if I already knew his information)

- "Novice" :D

- I have to save a BROTHER?! :O no pressure, right?!

- well that was the fastest assassination ever XD

(-> I tried to blend in with the scholars, but a man pushed me right into the arms of the guards. They of course became alert and attacked me. Addin walked right into my arms..)

- BYE MALIK :D

---

- the Assassin's are trying to save me

- Abstergo is a Templar Organisation

- everything is normal, I'd say :)

- "the answers [...] are right in front of you"

(-> time to stalk Lucy's e-mails again :D)

- naw. someone (Warren) is grumpy >:)

---

- why is he petting the Apple like a super villain would a cat?

- ACRE AGAIN?!

- they fear me >:D

- NEW ABILITY (and live - just one more and I have all) :D

- Oh and again I'm not supposed to help you(r students) >:/

---

- HELLO ACRE, I STILL HAD TO COME BACK BUT I SWEAR AFTER THIS, YOU'LL NEVER SEE ME AGAIN

- still as ugly as ever

- and those people are still just sleeping

- hello second Al Mualim

- Altaïr thanks the Rafiq! He is growing up :)

- THE GUARDS DRESSED IN WHITE ARE STRONG

- I LOVE the ability to grab/hold onto ledges (so you don't fall)

- I also love the throwing knives (sadly there are only 10 :/)

- GUARDS! A LOT OF (ANNOYING) GUARDS! >:O

- full synchronisation! :D

- so much water! Altaïr hates water! HE DIES!

- I don't want to tell you how long it took me to finish the informant mission (5 targets in 4 minutes) - I HAD TO RESTART AGAIN, SO.MANY.TIMES

- "William and Garnier were too confident" - well you're too scared

- naawww the Rafiq is concerned :)

- and Altaïr is feeling things

- I love the bonds between Altaïr and the Rafiqs <3

---

- damn Altaïr is getting poetic

- he has grown so much <3

- NEW ABILITY

- and again I'm not supposed to help you(r students) ... :(

---

- HEELLLOOO DAMASCUS

- STILL AS BEAUTIFUL AS EVER

- AND I LOVE THE MUSIC!

- it's so adorable that your horse follows you (at least until you actually get into the city) <3

- "the Hero of Damascus"

- They're burning all the books! The WISDOM!!

- and now I did all the 5 targets on the first try ...

- OH YOUR back hurts?! I've been running around all day, fighting dozens of guards! And I'm supposed to kill the boss! What about MY BACK? MY EVERYTHING?!!

(just joking, I love all the informants - they're SO definitely going to be in a fanfic)

(29.12.22)

- on my way to kill the last person before de Sable ^^

- THE BOOKS! THE WISDOM >:O

- I found him on the second try :)

---

- "Oh Desmond, you have no idea." YES, I DON'T, SO WHY DON'T YOU TELL ME SOMETHING USEFUL LUCY?!

- ok not gonna lie, the advertisement e-mail caught me off-guard, but I get it - "we will be there soon" (I felt like a spy - or should I say, like an assassin ;))

- OH I CAN ALSO LOOK AT WARREN'S COMPUTER! OF COURSE I CAN, I STOLE HIS PEN! HOW STUPID AM I!??! (Well If I were an assassin, I would be a novice...)

---

- NEW ABILITY :)

- MORE THROWING KNIVES :D

- and for the last time I'm not supposed to help you(r students) :/ Ok then...

---

- ON MY WAY TO THE LAST TARGET OMG

- WHERE EVERYTHING BEGAN

- HELLOOOO JERUSALEM

- Hi Malik :3

- ARCHERS!!

- the informants are scared of Malik XD

- "Just to be in your presence is a gift from god" <3

- ALTAÏR APOLOGIZED!!!! 

- AND MALIK FORGAVE HIM!!!!

- <3

- Well, time to kill de Sable I guess...

- SUPRISE SURPRISE - SEEMS LIKE ROBERT CHANGED GENDER

- Awww Malik is concerned

- FIGHTING! A LOT OF FIGHTING!!!

- the fight with Robert was easier then all the fights I had to do before XD

- NO AL MUALIM, NOO

- "Why? Why travel all this way? Risk you life a thousand times, all to kill a simple man?"

-> because he is a good man, a man that does everything for freedom and his believe

---

- Desmond haven't had any contact with the Assassins for YEARS. How is it his fault, that they come to rescue him? (Even though, at this point we know that it was Lucy (from her e-mails))

- NO MORE ASSASSINS?! WHAT O.o ("in the last YEAR" WHAT?!)

- Warren: Desmond you're gonna die soon, all the assassins are dead, you are completely alone and after we're gonna put you in the Animus tomorrow, we'll kill you. Sleep tight :)

Me: O.o ... >:(

Lucy: It's not as bad as it seems :/

Desmond:  >:O

---

- the village is looking so dark and sad :/

- HE HAS BEWITCHED THEM

- AL MUALIM IS A TRAITOR >:O ALTAÏR (and all the others) TRUSED YOU

- I HAVE TO FIGHT MY BROTHERS :O

- AHHH I'M SORRY

- AAHH NEARLY DEAD

- MALIK! :D

- "Your presence here will deliver us both" <3

- oh shit, here we go

- the doors closing behind me and a group of (innocent) people staring at me - welcome to the new horror game

- what did he do with all the women?!

(and why is the guarden called "Paradise" O.o)

- OH GOD, NICE TO SEE YOU ALL AGAIN I GUESS?!!

- AAHH HE MULTIPLIES (he glows golden!)

- HE TRIED TO BEWITCH ALTAÏR?!!!

- me the whole time during the end boss and after I killed him:  :O

- the apple is a giant compass? O.o Ah it shows where all the Pieces of Eden are (but it is weird that the Apple shows them a map from our time. (I don't think, this is what the world looked like in the 12. century (at that time they thought that the earth is flat)))

- Malik :D

---

- strange people watching Desmond behind the glass!

- Lucy saved me :)

- O.o What is happening? Invisible inc?

- 12212017 ? Is it gonna be important? We'll see..

- the door doesn't close behind me!

- nothing interesting in the bathroom

- blood?!

- THAT WAS IT?! O.O

---

- hey someone from the gameplay integrators is also named Malik :D

- a lot of testers

- Philip Shahbaz you did a great job in voicing Altaïr :D (they all did)

(-> even if it's weird that Altaïr doesn't have an accent)

- so Nolan North, the voice actor of Desmond, is also the voice actor of Abbas AND also the voice of Nathan Drake of Uncharted (seriously look at how much he has done!)

---

- "We are all books containing thousands of pages and within each of them lies an irreparable truth"

- "I've entered the Abyss and never returned"

- new e-mail at Warren's computer...

(-> subject 16, bleeding effect, THE WHOLE PUPULATION OF AFRICA IS NEARLY GONE?!)

Feedback:

- I liked it :) It is rather simple, but I like that. I liked the (way they did the) cities and I loved the parkour. There were times where I would get from one side of the town to the other just with using the rooftops (or the beams and poles sticking from the roofs), which I greatly enjoyed. I don't know why, but Damascus especially was a beautiful city form me. I spend many minutes on top of towers just looking across the city and remembering the rooftops.

Also, I liked the way they portrayed Altaïr's "road of forgiveness" - In the beginning Altaïr is an arrogant man, who assumes that everyone will do as he says, because he is better then them. That shows in the way he talks to the people in the beginning and the way he demands the answers of the Rafiqs and Informants at the beginning. He doesn't ask questions and simply follows orders blindly. In the middle of the game, Altaïr is beginning to see his mistakes and his arrogance. He begins to question, rather than demand and he apologizes. He is getting respectful. At the end of the game, the arrogant man from the beginning is gone. In his place stands a man, who questions things and wants answers, but doesn't demand them. He sees his mistakes and even begs for forgiveness. He is respectful to those around him and he is showing emotion (before the fight with Al Mualim, he said that he had to be careful not to hurt the innocent people). He is an honorable man now.

(Also I like the way, how the people around him, basically show his process. In the beginning they are rather short with him (especially Malik). Than in the middle, they begin to become friends (even Malik is getting nicer, but still isn't friendly towards him). In the end, all the Rafiqs and Informants respect Altaïr again and even Malik considers him a friend and brother again.)

I also appreciate the fast travel option. While I liked the horse riding, it annoyed me greatly that simply riding my horse can make me suspicious to the guards. In the cities, I could understand the near constant suspicion of the guards (especially towards the end), but that was it.

Another point towards the guards: you have to give it to them, they wouldn't give up. You either have to me miles away from them or hide.

All in all, I liked the game. It has it's points that frustrated me, but in general I really liked it. Can't wait to play Assassin's Creed 2.

THE END OF ASSASSIN'S CREED 1

[robinbuild]

Mastering the Art of Archery: A Comprehensive Robin Build Guide

Introduction: Welcome, fellow adventurers, to the world of archery! Whether you're a seasoned marksman or just starting your journey, mastering the Robin in your arsenal can turn the tides of any battle. In this comprehensive guide, we'll delve into the intricacies of building the perfect Robin, from skill allocation to gear selection. So string your bow, sharpen your arrows, and let's embark on this adventure together!

Understanding the Robin: Before diving into the specifics of building your Robin, it's crucial to understand the essence of this iconic archer. Robin excels in long-range combat, utilizing precision and agility to dispatch foes from a distance. With a diverse array of skills at your disposal, you can tailor Robin to suit your preferred playstyle, whether it's focusing on damage output, crowd control, or support abilities.

Skill Allocation: The foundation of any successful Robin build lies in skill allocation. Here, we'll explore the core skills that will empower your Robin to reign supreme on the battlefield:

Arrow Barrage: This skill forms the backbone of your offensive arsenal, unleashing a flurry of arrows upon your enemies. Invest in upgrading Arrow Barrage to increase its damage output and reduce its cooldown, allowing you to rain devastation upon your foes with relentless precision.

Evasive Maneuvers: As an archer, mobility is key to your survival. Evasive Maneuvers grants you the agility to evade incoming attacks and reposition yourself for optimal vantage points. Maximize this skill to outmaneuver your adversaries and maintain your advantage on the battlefield.

Hawk's Eye: Precision is the hallmark of a skilled archer, and Hawk's Eye embodies this ethos. By enhancing your accuracy and critical hit chance, Hawk's Eye ensures that each arrow finds its mark with deadly precision. Invest in this skill to amplify your damage potential and strike fear into the hearts of your enemies.

Scout's Insight: Knowledge is power, and Scout's Insight provides you with valuable reconnaissance capabilities. By revealing enemy positions and weaknesses, Scout's Insight empowers you to strategize and adapt to any situation with foresight and precision. Maximize this skill to stay one step ahead of your foes and lead your team to victory.

Gear Selection: Equipping the right gear is essential for maximizing your Robin's potential. Here's a breakdown of the key equipment you should prioritize:

Bow of the Eagle: As the primary weapon of choice for any aspiring archer, the Bow of the Eagle offers unparalleled accuracy and damage output. Seek out bows with high critical hit chance and damage bonuses to amplify your offensive capabilities on the battlefield.

Quiver of the Hunt: A well-stocked quiver is essential for any archer looking to maintain a steady barrage of arrows. Look for quivers that increase your arrow capacity and reduce reload times, allowing you to sustain your onslaught without interruption.

Cloak of Shadows: In the heat of battle, staying unseen can be your greatest asset. The Cloak of Shadows grants you the ability to vanish into the shadows, evading detection and setting up devastating ambushes. Invest in cloaks that enhance your stealth capabilities and provide bonuses to critical hit damage for maximum effectiveness.

Boots of Agility: Speed and agility are essential for maintaining your edge on the battlefield. Equip boots that increase your movement speed and dodge chance, allowing you to maneuver with unparalleled finesse and evade incoming attacks with ease.

Conclusion: Congratulations, you've now mastered the art of building the perfect Robin Build! By carefully allocating your skills and selecting the right gear, you can unleash the full potential of this legendary archer and dominate the battlefield with unrivaled precision and finesse. So gather your arrows, hone your skills, and embark on your next adventure as the ultimate master of archery!

#robinbuild

[newtsbloodygf]

!!NEW STORY UNLOCKED!!

Man I'm so excited

(It's a Fantasy Au btw)

Story cover:

(made by me)

Main Characters (Part 1):

Maeve Raven

Full name: Maeve Raven

Nicknames: Mae, Vee/V, MM

Other nicknames: baby/babe/bae (Hyunjin, Ni-ki, Lisa), love(Hyunjin, Ni-ki, Lisa), darling(Hyunjin, I.N.), baby (Jennie, I.N.), sunshine (Felix), cutie (Felix, Bangchan), hottie (Hyunjin, Bangchan), gorgeous (Hyunjin), goddess (Hyunjin), dear (Hyunjin, I.N.)

Name meaning: Maeve means "intoxicating" or "she who rules"

Other names: (Shining) Star, Moonlight, Best Dancer, Icon, Legend, World's favourite, Hyunjin's bitch/girl, Fearless Warrior, Eagle, Raven, (Love) Witch, Love Spell/Drug, Siren

Born in: 22 August 1780

Age: 20 years (1st appearance, as of 1800)

Sexuality: Pansexual/Bisexual

Zodiac sign: Leo

Species: Cupid, Siren

Citizenship: Switzerland, St. moritz

Height: 5'9" (175cm)

Occupations: Archer/Warrior

Singer-songwriter

Dancer

Rapper

Best friends: Hwang Yeji, Shin Ryunjin, Lia (Choi Jisu), Hwang Hyunjin, Lee Felix, Kim Seungmin, I.N. (Yang Jeong-in), Kim Jennie, Lisa Manoban, Ni-ki (Nishimura Riki)

Ex Relationships: Lisa Manoban (1st girlfriend), Nishimura Ni-ki (1st boyfriend), Bang Christopher Chan (2nd boyfriend), Jeon Jungkook (arranged marriage)

Love Interests: Hyunjin, Bangchan, Ni-ki, Lisa, Yeji, Ryujin, Jennie, Felix

Albums: Wars in A Wonderland (originally by Neoni)

Hell is a teenage girl (originally by Nessa Barrett)

WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP WHERE DO WE GO? (originally by Billie Eilish)

GUTS (originally by Olivia Rodrigo)

Thank u, next (originally by Ariana Grande)

Young forever (originally by Nessa Barrett)

Hwang Hyunjin

Full name: Hwang Hyunjin

English name: Sam Hwang

Nicknames: Hyun, jin, jinnie

Other nicknames: baby/babe/bae (Maeve), honey (Maeve), my boy/baby (Maeve), hottie (Maeve), cutie pie (Maeve), drama queen (Maeve), (my) pretty boy (Maeve), baby (Felix)

Born in: March 20, 1780

Age: 20 (1st appearance, as of 1800)

Sexuality: Bisexual

Zodiac Sign: Pisces

Species: Vampire

Citizenship: Switzerland, St. moritz

Height: 5'10" (179 cm)

Occupations: Warrior

Singer-songwritter

Model

Best friends: Maeve Raven, Hwang Yeji, Shin Ryujin, Shin Yuna, Lia, Chaeryeong, Lee Felix, Seo Changbin, Bang Christopher Chan, Kim Seungmin, I.N. (Yang Jeong-in), Lee Know (Minho), Kim Jennie, Lisa Manoban, Ni-ki (Nishimura Riki)

Ex relationships: Kim Jennie (1st girlfriend), Lee Felix (friends with benefits)

Love Interests: Maeve, Bangchan, Yeji, Ryujin, Jennie, Felix

Albums: Starboy (originally by the Weeknd)

Dead or Alive (made by me)

Phases (originally by Chase Atlantic)

Paradise (originally by Chase Atlantic)

Lee Felix

Full name: Lee Yongbok

English name: Felix

Nicknames: Fee, fel/fill, lix, lee, flix

Other nicknames: baby (Hyunjin, Maeve), angel (Hyunjin, Maeve), pretty baby/boy (Maeve), sunshine (boy) (Maeve)

Born in: 15 September, 1780

Age: 20 (first appearance, as of 1800)

Sexuality: Bisexual

Zodiac Sign: Virgo

Species: Wizard

Citizenship: Switzerland, St. moritz

Height: 5'7" (171 cm)

Occupation: Warrior

Singer-songwritter

Rapper

Best friends: Maeve Raven, Hwang Hyunjin, Hwang Yeji, Shin Ryujin, Shin Yuna, Lia, Chaeryeong, Lee Felix, Seo Changbin, Bang Christopher Chan, Kim Seungmin, I.N. (Yang Jeong-in), Lee Know (Minho), Kim Jennie, Lisa Manoban, Ni-ki (Nishimura Riki)

Ex Relationships: Kim Jennie (1st girlfriend)

Love Interests: Maeve Raven, Hwang Hyunjin, Shin Yuna

Albums: Tell me about Tomorrow (originally by Jaden Hossler)

[dkomaran]

Bing composed this

Hey, LEGO fans! Have you heard about the latest set that celebrates 90 years of LEGO history? It's the Lion Knights' Castle (10305), an amazing tribute to the original castle set from 1984 and one of the most requested builds by fans for years. If you love medieval themes, knights, castles, and dragons, you won't want to miss this one!

The Lion Knights' Castle is a new interpretation inspired by the classic LEGO Castle System, which was first introduced in the late 1970s and lasted until 1997. The Castle System was one of the core themes of LEGO, along with Town and Space, and it featured different factions of knights, such as Crusaders, Black Falcons, Forestmen, Wolfpack, Dragon Masters, Royal Knights, Fright Knights, and more. The Castle System also included many iconic sets like 375 Castle (the Yellow Castle), 6080 King's Castle (the Grey Castle), 6074 Black Falcon's Fortress (the Blue Castle), and 6086 Black Knight's Castle (the Black Castle).

The Lion Knights' Castle is a homage to all these sets and more. It has over 4500 pieces and measures over 15 in. (39 cm) high, 18 in. (46 cm) wide and 13 in. (34 cm) deep. It features a stunning castle with four towers connected by walls and gates, a drawbridge that can be raised and lowered with a crank, a secret entrance behind a waterfall, a dungeon with a skeleton prisoner, a throne room with stained glass windows and banners, a treasure room with gold coins and jewels, an armory with weapons and armor racks, a library with books and scrolls, a fireplace with light brick function that flickers when pressed down on it.

The castle also comes with 21 minifigures: six Lion Knights (including King Leo), six Dragon Knights (including Lord Vladek), four Forestmen (including Robin Hood), two Wolfpack Renegades (including Wilfred Wolfpack), two peasants (a farmer and his wife), an archer girl who can be either Maid Marian or Princess Storm from Nexo Knights theme depending on how you swap her hairpiece. There are also three animals: a horse for King Leo to ride on his jousting tournament against Lord Vladek; an eagle for Robin Hood to send messages; and of course - what castle would be complete without one -a dragon for Lord Vladek to unleash on his enemies!

The set is packed with surprises around every corner. You can recreate epic battles between Lion Knights and Dragon Knights using catapults that fire projectiles; you can explore hidden passages behind bookcases or paintings; you can find secret compartments under floor tiles or inside statues; you can discover ancient relics like Excalibur or Nexo Power Shields; you can even make your own stories using stickers that let you customize your minifigures' faces or shields.

The Lion Knights' Castle is not only an awesome display piece but also an incredible playset that will spark your imagination for hours. It's available now at LEGO.com for $299.99 USD / $399.99 CAD / £249.99 GBP / €279.99 EUR / $499 AUD / $549 NZD   . Don't miss this chance to own this piece of LEGO history!

What do you think of this set? Are you going to buy it? Which faction do you support? Let me know in the comments below!

[tuppencetrinkets]

Sorted screencaps from The Boys, S1-3. Found HERE.

A-Train / Jessie T. Usher #16,800

Actress (Stormfront) - Charlize Theron #500

Adam Bourke - P.J. Byrne #1,370

Alastair Adana - Goran Visnjic #1,800

Also Ashley - Sabrina Saudin #900

Anika - Ana Sani #1,300

Annie January / Starlighter - Erin Moriarty  #78,000

Ashley Barrett - Colby Minifie #14,700

Becca Butcher - Shantel Van Santen  #7,800

Billy Butcher - Karl Urban #64,800

Black Noir - Nathan Mitchell #183

Blue Hawk - Nick Wechsler #1,600

Cameron Coleman - Matthew Edison #1,300

Carol Manning - Jessica Hecht #915

Cassandra - Katy Breier #3,500

Cherie - Jordana Lajoie  #1,000

Connie Butcher - Lesley Nicol  #248

Crimson Countess - Laurie Holden  #1,700

Donna January - Ann Cusack  #3,200

Eagle the Archer - Langston Kerman  #1,400

Elena - Nicola Coccia-Damude  #2,900

Ezekiel - Shaun Benson  #1,000

Frenchie -  Tomer Capone  #30,000

Gecko - David W. Thompson #357

Grace Mallory - Laila Robins  #7,500

Gunpowder - Sean Patrick Flanery / Joel Gagne #950

Homelander - Antony Starr #80,000

Hugh Campbell - Simon Pegg #1,300

Hughie Campbell - Jack Quaid  #82,800

Janine - Liyou Abere / Nalini Ingrita #1,300

Jonah Vogelbaum - John Doman #1,500

Judy Atkinson - Barbara Gordon #400

Kenji Miyashiro / Mouse - Abraham Lim #1,800

Kevin Moskowitz / The Deep - Chace Crawford #22,174

Kimiko Miyashiro - Karen Fukuhara #20,000

Lamplighter - Shawn Ashmore #4,300

Lenny Butcher - Jack Fulton #800

Little Nina - Katia Winter #2,200

Madelyn Stillwell - Elisabeth Shue #12,400

Maggie Shaw / Maeve - Dominique McElligott #23,600

Mesmer - Haley Joel Osment / Aram Avakian #3,700

Mindstorm - Ryan Blakely #411

Monique - Frances Turner / Alvina August #1,500

Mother’s Milk - Laz Alonso #25,000

Nathan - Christian Keyes #2,500

Popclaw - Brittany Allen #3,300

Robert Singer - Jim Beaver #1,800

Robin - Jess Salgueiro #800

Ryan - Cameron Crovetti #8,000

Sam Butcher - John Noble #500

Soldier Boy - Jensen Ackles #8,900

Stan Edgar - Giancarlo Esposito #6,400

Stormfront - Aya Cash #15,400

Supersonic - Miles Gaston Villanueva #3,400

Susan Raynor - Jennifer Esposito #2,900

Tessa (TNT) - Kristin Booth #600

The Legend - Paul Reiser #1,800

Todd - Matthew Gorman #1,200

Tommy (TNT) - Jack Doolan #600

Translucent - Alex Hassell #800

Victoria Neuman -  Claudia Doumit #7,500

Young Butcher - Luca Villacis / Josh Zaharia #300

Young Lenny - Bruno Rudolf #800

Young Mallory - Sarah Swire #1,600

Young Nadia - Elisa Paszt #200

Young Sam Butcher - Brendan Murray #150

Young Stan Edgar - Justin Davis #800

Young Starlight - Maya Misaljevic #500

This content is free for anyone to use or edit however you like; if you care to throw a dollar or two my way for time, effort, storage fees etc you are more than welcome to do so via my PAYPAL.  Please like or reblog this post if you have found it useful or are downloading the content within.  If you have any questions or you have any problems with the links or find any inconsistencies in the content, etc. please feel free to drop me a politely worded message via my ASKBOX (second icon from the top on my theme!)  

[omegatheunknown]

AEW Double or Nothing 2021

In which the spirit of WCW is alive in confusing and delightful ways and we are left to parse whether overbooking and extracurriculars are offset by having actually very good wrestling happening at the same time.

- Lessons learned from Revolution on the production side? Maybe just cool it on pyro, though the rappelling adventure in the Stadium Stampede showed some of that now-characteristic 'trust us it'll look better on TV' flair. Hot crowd tends to paper over most woes, and the crowd was pretty hot. My one gripe is that the casino theme is hanging around like yesterday's takeout containers. Nothing wrong with clinging to a theme, I just think it's time for season 2. My suggestion? Under the Sea.

*Pre-Card Serena Deeb (C) v Riho for the NWA Women's Championship (***1/2) - Serena Deeb's star has finally risen. She's a remarkably consistent technician and she can get a match out of anyone at this point. She's working at the level of Mercedes Martinez or Madison Eagles at this point, it's amazing that she was overlooked or considered fit only to be a coach for so long. With the NWA belt she has this new swagger, she's basically everything Tessa Blanchard might bring to the table with none of the downsides (Serena has a lot of friends and seems like a lovely person, even!) - Riho's back and here to stay. Her time in Stardom didn't do much for my evaluation of her, which is that there are many better wrestlers that would be better representatives of the joshi style and she's merely pretty good. - The match was very good. Serena showcased a champion's aggression against a sympathetic Riho, they really work well against each other, Deeb's technical prowess against Riho's flexibility led to a very dynamic finish.

*Main Card Hangman Adam Page v Brian Cage (***1/2) - Here the shenanigans start. Brian Cage is on Team Taz, Team Taz has nothing else much to do tonight, so why wouldn't Team Taz flex their muscles, bait us with HOOK, etc? (Because it would be nice to have some variety in the card in terms of a match where one competitor stands across from another competitor?) - Hangman is (checking notes) yeah, still over as fuck, as befits the Anxious Millennial Cowboy. Cage terrifies me, he's a child's drawing of a body builder. He do be very agile for a man of his immense musculature tho. They match up well, Page is biggish for a flyer, Cage loves to play catch. Nothing much to write home about, other than Hangman's beautiful moonsault to the floor and what was overall a very good curtain jerker. - Okay fine, I am curious about Cage's reluctance to lean on the goons, Starks can't come back soon enough.

The Young Bucks v Jon Moxley & Eddie Kingston (***) - I will not be referring to Mox & Eddie as (The) Wild Things because it gives me 'he calls it the wacky line' flashbacks for some reason. - The Bucks have to cheat and abuse Rick Knox's attention span constantly to be on even footing with Mox & Eddie, which is a clever sort of thing that gets washed out by the appearance of LG and Karl Anderson, which again, is cool in a vacuum but was the story of the evening. - Pace was weird - repetitive in eliminating Eddie, then Mox fights back, failed hope spot, Bucks team up, Eddie saves x2/3 in a row. - Mox, unlike Cody (in so many ways,) will probably actually be taking some time off with Renee, which is the kind of thing I would prefer not to know in terms of booking, but they really uh, put him down on the canvas here, and it felt pretty finale-esque.

Casino Battle Royale (n/r, but on the balance pro) - Any changes to the theme of the PPV would likely include changing up the nonsense suit format of these largely joyless slogs. - Obviously anticipating a NJPW talent, or... I dunno, actually -- Lio Rush was a surprise. Got in a quick demonstration of his otherworldly quickness, and you know what, there's probably a fun place for him in AEW. He'll need some friends, of course, feel like Team Taz might fit his temperament. I wonder if he was aware of the Mark Henry news... - Christian does not need to win this kind of match to get a title shot, obviously, but that said it was super lovely to use him to give Jungle Boy the shine. Jungle Boy would be a license to print money if he was even as big as Hangman. - Could register some continued griping about how Penta is not getting his due in AEW but he also literally was dressed as the Joker so I'm low on sympathy on this one particular night.

Anthony Ogogo v Cody Rhodes (*) - I did not like this. It's hard for me to read jingoism as a face move to begin with, and Cody's was egregiously tone deaf and kinda silly yet delivered without a trace of irony because Cody doesn't do irony on purpose, ridiculous neck tattoo aside. - Great argument to be made that Ogogo just isn't experienced enough to be winning matches against Cody. But like, what are we doing here? Cody needs to take some time off, maybe. I thought that's what was happening when he had his mini feud with Penta that really just ended in quick decisive Cody win. I though maybe Cody was being turned when QT and The Factory snapped-- sure, they're a group of impotent player 2s, but Cody is an out of touch elitist with a callous and manipulative streak. Alas, also no. America #1. - Cody is approximately 8 times as tough as Billy Gunn based on his weathering of the one punch man. Match ran a bit long given how little there was to go on. Cody gigged? Quelle surprise. - Cody had the best match on the card like, 3 out of the first 4 AEW events or something, and that was all booking and storytelling. I do hope Cody follows Moxley's lead into a little sabbatical.

Miro (C) v Lance Archer for the TNT Championship (**1/2) - Card's hossiest hoss match, a quick burst reminiscent of a car wreck. Absolutely hit on what it should've hit on but a little slow moving considering it went all of 10 minutes. - I will not complain about Jake the Snake, who I love. And also the gimmick spot, with Miro very astutely yeeting what was definitely a snake in a bag (surely.) back down the tunnel.

Dr Britt Baker, DMD v Hikaru Shida (C) for the AEW Women's Championship (***) - Picked up a lot of steam toward the end but seemed a little toothless (heh) until the last five. - Shida 'deserved' some more time as champion in front of crowds but also it's time to let heel Britt reach her peak, I can't even imagine how obnoxious she can be as the champ, it's going to be great.

Sting & Darby Allin v Ethan Page & Scorpio Sky (***1/2) - Such is the power of STING that I feel like I might be underrating this match... I mean it was an okay match about very simply getting some revenge and the sixty year old man did a very subdued Code Red and a slightly less subdued dive. He's also Sting. They missed an opportunity in calling it the 'Scorpio' Death Drop, but the main takeaway here is you see something like this where it's The Icon and you start to understand why WWE trots out their legends to come out of incredibly still kick ass without bending their knees. - The difference, I guess, is that Sting is absolutely being used to build up Darby Allin, whereas it's not like the fed brought back Goldberg and his attendant aura to pump up... anyone but Goldberg?

Kenny Omega (C) v PAC v Orange Cassidy for the AEW World Championship (****) - Off the top I have to say I'm very sad that the rest of the Galaxy's Greatest Friends were seen only very briefly, nice of them to bring OC's backpack. - Also have to point out that PAC's promo featured one of my favourite jokes, that Kenny must be short for Kenneth as a sort of legal/birth name belonging to a professional wrestler. (See also: Samoa Joseph) - And Mr Cassidy certainly did try in this match, ragdoll sells and all. Kenneth and PAC are absurd talents who bring aerial, power and technical maneuvers in equal measure and OC is not doing any of those on the same level, but he picked his spots, showed his genre savvy and hung in there to the point that he wasn't just the fall guy. - The extracurriculars continue in a match that was already a little overboard for silliness due to asymmetry... I think if you're the Invisible Hand it would've made sense to save up all your tricks for this match, but who am I to question the golden goose? - Sure, Kenny and Don ran the classic heel manager interference spot and taking out the ref in desperation spot but having to take out the ref because PAC wouldn't break the hold is fun, as is the stupid/inspired sense in running the 'smash opponent with the belt' spot four times so as none of your heavy gold prizes feel left out. (I love that AAA Mega Championship, they weren't on TV so we get to see it?) - "Fuck You, Don," indeed.

The Inner Circle v The Pinnacle in 'Stadium Stampede II' (***1/2) - This one had to grow on me for two reasons, first that it's usually pretty unforgivable to co-opt the main event spot from the championship match, and second to law of diminishing returns on dumb gimmick matches. - But grow it did. There's a full on meat locker? Commentary will refer to a cardboard cut-out of Shahid Khan as Tony Khan's father (that's canon now,) and Jericho will lovingly pat it? Konnan happened to be the DJ at whatever night club there is a Jaguar Stadium? Spears surrounds himself dramatically with chairs and his hoisted by his own petard? - Ultimately it comes down to letting Sammy shine. His involvement with the Inner Circle has sometimes come at the cost of being able to showcase that prior to AEW he was an ascendant talent in PWG, on his way to Ricochet level feats of acrobatic excess. Still feel like Sammy could've/should've been the one tossed off the cage a few weeks ago, but even better is being the guy getting the pin in the ring.

[dndeed]

Crit Role Miniature Rollout: C2E123

With Andrew Harshman

An archive and review of the minis used on CR.

I often worry that the format of this post series is not clear. That format being: I list all the miniatures and terrain components and then analyze/review any new miniatures. With that being reiterated, there’s not much to talk about in this stress laden sesh.

As we learned this episode, game mats deliver the much needed tabletop contrast needed to see miniatures from across the room. Save yourself the eye strain, head to the Mats by Mars website and use my code: DNDEED0321 for 10% off your MBM order. All mat designs are now printed on zero shine vinyl material. 

The List

Mats by Mars: Winter’s Wrath Tabletop Wargaming Play Mat

Dwarven Forge Caverns Deep Natural Bridge

Dwarven Forge Caverns Deep Stairway To Violence

Dwarven Forge Stalagmite

Steamforged Mighty Nein Miniatures

Reaper Miniatures Familiars Cat painted by Iron Tusk Miniature Painting

Pathfinder Battles Iconic Heroes Set 4 Jirelle half-elf swashbuckler

Dragoneye #09 Stonechild

Axe N Shield Single Flyer Risers - Clear Mithril

Axe N Shield 3D Combat Risers – Deluxe Set – Clear Mithril

D&D Spell Effects: Arcane Fury & Divine Might Mage Hand

Tomb of Annihilation #021b Tabaxi Hunter

Crown of Fangs #010 Halfling Archer

Deadly Foes #032 Giant Eagle

Monster Menagerie 2 #043 Androsphinx

D&D Icons - Gargantuan White Dragon

Icewind Dale Rime of the Frostmaiden #032 Mammoth

Model Snow Found at Hobby Shops

The Villains and Terrain

I discussed the Icing Death 4x4 dragon way back in Episode 75. Predictably, my opinion has not changed, it is an amazing figure. As for the terrain, many of the Dwarven Forge cavern pieces are available in both a cavern and ice cavern color scheme. Due to the strong studio lighting, I’m not sure which are being used here. 

Closing Thoughts and Predictions

The forthcoming meetup with Essek suggests there will be an Essek miniature. Perhaps we’ll get to see a production prototype from the Wizkids Critical Role miniatures line. FACTIONS OF WILDEMOUNT - KRYN DYNASTY & XHORHAS Dark Elf Rogue would make for a pretty accurate Essek if you ask me.

Preview photo sourced from CritRole.com

#critroleminiaturerollout

[cindysnuts]

I was thinking about how there are currently only two Golden Deer reps in ALL of FEH... So I took it upon myself to Fan Design a Golden Deer Banner, with the works! Including a Tempest Trials and GHB unit, because 6 units on one banner is a lot, lol. More Info and Characters under the break: 

Lysithea: Magical Prodigy

Hades Omega: Grants Atk +3. At the start of combat, if unit’s Atk > Foe’s Atk, Grants Special Cooldown Charge +1 per hit, reduces damage taken by 30% and prevents Foe from making a follow up attack. 

Brazen Atk/Res 4: If unit’s HP < 80%, grants Atk +9/ Res +10.

I was torn between Dark Spikes T and Hades Omega, but decided on the latter because even tho its iconic, just being effective against horses isnt that interesting, lol. I tried to reflect how she plays with Thysus, reducing the damage she takes, but I thought extending her range would be broken, so I just prevented follow ups instead.  I also just want her to be the biggest mage bomber in feh, so I gave her like 41 atk, because its what she deserves. Thats also what the Chill and Wave skills are for, just adding on raw damage while letting her get her special charged. Also its Luna not Iceberg b/c she also gets Luna in 3h.

Marianne: Cursed Maiden

Silence+: After combat, inflicts [Isolation] on target and foes within two spaces.  [Isolation] Target cannot use or be the target of Assist skills through its next action. (Target can neither use nor be the target of skills like Dance and Sing, skills that neutralize penalties, like Restore and Harsh Command+, etc.)

Windflood Balm+: Grants Spd/Res+6 to all allies when triggered.

I really wanted her to reflect her shy and isolated personality, which translated to spd/ res solo and Silence, a skill very few 3h units can use. I also made her a Healer and not a sword unit with Blutgang because I designed all of these with the idea that they will eventually receive timeskip Alts, and that would just seem more fitting for her then.

Blessed Lance: Grants Res +3. Restores 5 HP per unit’s attack. If unit’s HP>50%, disables Foe’s skills that enable follow up attacks or disable’s unit’s follow up attacks. 

Atk/ Res Form 3: Its just like Atk/ Def Form, but with Resistance! I dont wanna type it out! 

I tried to make Lorenz as unique as possible, considering how many lance calvs there are, so giving him null follow up, a skill Calvary units normally cant use, and a lot of healing potential was important to set him apart, and hint at his magical abilities. Also his Form skill was a hint at his Personal Skill in 3h, which made him stronger with a battalion equipped, and if he’s near his allies, thats like a battalion, right?

Watchful Bow: Grants Spd +3. If unit’s Spd > foe’s Spd, reduces damage by Unit’s Spd- foe’s Spd (maximum of 8), and inflicts Special Cooldown charge -1 on foe.

Brazen Spd/Res 4: If unit’s Hp < 80%, grants Spd/ Res +10.

I was unsure how to translate Ignatz into a gen 4 bow unit, especially because low attack high speed archers have been done to death, but I like how Null disrupt can be like his Hit +20, and how Iceberg can be a reference to his Blizzard and Fimbulvetr spells. Also Atk Smoke is like his Seal Atk skill, but better lol.

Renewal Axe: Restores 6 HP after combat. At the start of every second turn, restores 10 HP.

He’s Literally just a good boy. This is the Tempest Trials Reward unit I envisioned, with QR 3 being his 4star skill, so that its FINALLY available at a 4 star rarity after THREE YEARS. I also wanted to reflect how mf beefy he is by giving him by far the highest HP stat for an infantry unit in the game. I just hope this wouldn’t make Sudden Panic broken, but he’ll give you some Brotein Bowder if you wanna beef up bro, don’t panic bro just hit the gym :).

Breaker Bow+: If unit is in combat against a Sword, Lance, or Axe user, unit makes a follow up attack and foe cannot.

And here is the GHB unit! Lorenz would probably fit better thematically, but Im tired of mediocre free lance units, so I decided to mix it up! Bows units are a little stifled for utility, usually its just brave or guard bow depending on the build, I figured one with mixed defensive and offensive capabilities would be nice! It also plays into Leonie’s role as Jeralt’s (aka the Blade Breaker) apprentice. She has reprisal so that if she takes a counter attack, then she adds that damage to her final hit, and Fury to supplement her stats as well as her reprisal damage. Atk opening is just for fun :).

Thanks for reading to the end! I put a lot of thought into this, but feedback is appreciated! Or you can just tell me about how Lysithea actually ended up with Dark Spikes T instead, or whatever, lol. I like the Golden Deer the best, but if anyone else wants to see more build ideas I’d be willing to do the same for Black Eagles, Blue Lions, Church Staff, or even timeskip alts! 

[anamelessknight]

Black Eagles Act 1, Chapter 12 Plot, Paralogues and on to Act 2!

-Well, the Hilda/Cyril paralogue kinda makes me realize why they have to hide them both so deep on the Eagles.  Because the BE-E has a damn near similar one in Act 2.

-Also there was a rare battle and Level 27?  What the christ that’s higher than everyone I have!

-None of them were remotely interesting.

-Siege actually was.  That poor priest almost survived a turn this time!

-I have to repost it again because it’s glorious.

-I wonder if all the reinforcements are Church NPCs if you don’t recruit them?  But Catherine is auto-recruited on the route so hmmmm.

-The Swordmaster NPC actually could have diced the boss easy but the damage was way, way lower than it should be when she attacked.  Bosses get NPC protection, I guess?

-Just barely managed to get all the DB barrier items.

-It was actually really annoying getting the kill with Byleth considering...

-TIME FOR!  TIMESKIP!  POWER RANGERS! GO!

-She remembered...  These aren’t tears it’s just raining!  Inside my house!

-Literally, my ceiling leaks, it’s a pain in the ass.

-Hi Seteth.  You’re my new... House Leader I guess.

-Two wyverns makes this so much easier since I can snipe all the archers.  Also both of them are invincible to all the chaff.

-Oh crap, my reinforcements aren’t gonna be the Church...

-God dammit now I have to babysit the boys!

-I am so glad the girls all made it to wyvern rider beforehand...

-Byleth made it to 30, Master comes!

-What the shit.  The one chest I missed last time had a Saint Relic in it!?

-Oh, the bandit boss was a monastery merchant.  That’s sad...

-Huh, wasn’t expecting that for the new save icon.

-Alois passed the wyvern rider test.  Only Catherine (oh god) and Cyril left.

-Ugh, there’s no path-specific battalions?  That’s craaaaap.

-13 Support conversations to go!

Relevant stuff.

The hell does fighting El get a proper cutscene but siding with her only get you a still?

Aw man, Ferdinand actually tried to make a stand against Edelgard and got rocked.  Harsh.

Don’t worry my poor children (and me), we’ll be right and proper siding with El soon.

[blueinkblot]

*internally screaming*

So, thanks for @ofvisitorsthefairest for asking about and letting me spill about Signs of Change a little bit.

The main idea of SoC is that it’s the formation of the (Western) Zodiac as a super-team of people who eventually become immortal. They do start out mortal, with their own parents and siblings, but they are soon chosen by gods and made immortal. The main plotline of the story is as cultures grow and clash, the Zodiac are meant to fight one another like overpowered chess pieces as the different pantheons clash along with their cultures to keep their dominance. (Oof, now I’m not sure how I’m going to handle Judeo-Christian religions - maybe they stay immortal, but they fade in power as the gods did) They get their Zodiac moniker (and their individual signs) when the different pantheons come together and recognize that they’re no longer the powerhouses they used to be (as the world comes into the “modern” age) and the Signs are allowed to be as they please. They part ways for a while, but the end of the saga comes when they find each other once again and settle down together.

But I’m having trouble getting started with it since I’m starting back in Ye Olde Classic Days (like the ancient days) and having to have all the people come together.

The basic ideas I have for the characters so far are:

Aries: Southern American. Incan/Mayan/Aztec? Not really sure. SHORT. Wields a bullwhip and some sort of knife

Taurus: Mongolian. Dark hair, green eyes. Stubborn. (They’re one of the ones I did the ask on). Gender fluid, pansexual. Uses a blunt force weapon like a mace or a bat. They were Turkish at one point, I think, and I think I had named them Yagmur (which, as I found it, is pronounced “yah-moor”, I think - it’s a feminine name and I had made them female at that point in development)

Gemini: Twins. Literally, Victoria (brown hair and green eyes) and Elizabeth (blonde hair and blue eyes). They’re from somewhere in Britain (or pre-Britain, think the tribes before the Romans got there. Would be cool if they could interact with Boudicca, if everything works out) Victoria runs with the punk crowd towards modern history, and Elizabeth tends to stray more posh.

Cancer: Irish. Big, reddish hair (no, stop it, she’s not Merida). Trans woman, lesbian

Leo: Ethiopia? Nigeria? Libya? Tunisia? Algeria? (The last three are sort of where Carthage was in the ancient world unless I’m wrong, and Queen Dido is another awesome ancient figure that it would be cool to include). She becomes a fashion designer/model/icon in the modern day

Virgo: Marie! (She’s the other one I did for my ask) French, very prototypical blonde hair blue eyes. Can do parkour and is especially skilled with throwing knives. Tends to be the one that the other signs come to for relationship/love/sex advice, but her real advice is just “tell them how you feel” and when she’s asked how she’s so good it’s just “luck, really.”

Libra: MAAAAAAGIC. Literally she’s the “mage” of the group. Not sure of her origins yet. She’s got white hair and violet eyes (pale, though, not super dark, and I swear I thought of this before I knew of the A Song of Ice and Fire series/GOT show). Has a weapon that ties into her magic but she can also use for melee if she “overheats” her magic. (Has narcolepsy?)

Scorpio: Middle-Eastern, probably Iranian. Dark hair, fuchsia/deep purple-red eyes. Eventually (i.e. once the team assembles) she’s going to wield a khopesh, I think, because of how the sword resembles a scorpion’s tail. Has to be once the team has assembled or once she has personally gone through Egypt since khopeshes (is that how you make that plural?) are Egyptian. (There will also be a lot of weapon cross-over with other Zodiac characters as well).

Sagittarius (Oh, hey, that’s my sign!): She’s an archer of some sort. Demi-ace or grey-ace, not sure, and pansexual. At first I had her as Ancient Greek, or Roman, but they felt too easy. Then there was “The Eagle Hunter,” which is about a Kazakh girl training to become an eagle hunter, but I’m still not super sure where she’s going to hail from. I might even take a closer look at Native North American people since I know some of them hunted with bows.

Capricorn: She hails from India! At one point she wielded a staff, fun fact. She’s a polyglot and has a propensity for learning (especially literature), fuzzy sweaters, and general coziness. Likes warm drinks (esp. fall-flavored drinks, although she won’t turn down a peppermint mocha or latte or hot chocolate), and piles blankets on herself to go to sleep. Lesbian.

Aquarius: I’m still doing research into Pacific Islanders and Polynesians to better understand their cultures (since they're all fascinating and I want to choose them all but she can only be raised in one culture). Lives to be around the ocean. Passionate mathematician and physicist (likes all the sciences but those are her favorites). Will, at one point in the story, have a Samoyed and will, at another point, dye the end of her hair teal.

Pisces: She is Japanese! I at one point named her Sakura but wasn’t sure of the name. She will, at one point in the story, wield sais (fun fact, they’re the original weapons I envisioned for her). Also a polyglot (like Capricorn, they’re study buddies), she enjoys history and religious studies. She has brown eyes and black hair somewhere between her chin and her shoulders. When she was mortal she had an older brother (who in one writing either was in the military or was going to become a samurai, I can’t remember).

So! Info dump, I know, but I’d love to hear people’s thoughts/ideas.

This is also like one of the ideas I’ve had the longest (and the most sustained interest in getting published) and it’s really precious to me.

[strawberry-sticky-autism]

Trans Faves 4

Strawberry Cookie (Transgender Girl)

Knight Cookie (Transgender Man)

Blackberry Cookie (Transgender Girl)

Muay Thai Cookie (Transgender Man)

Kumiho Cookie (Transgender Woman)

Peach Cookie (Transgender Girl)

Tiger Lily Cookie (Transgender Girl)

Wind Archer Cookie (Transgender Boy)

Plum Cookie (Transgender Boy)

Captain Ice Cookie (Transgender Woman)

Amber Sugar Cookie (Transgender Boy)

Lilac Cookie (Transgender Man)

Millennial Tree Cookie (Transgender Man)

Espresso Cookie (Transgender Man)

Latte Cookie (Transgender Woman) 

Madeleine Cookie (Transgender Man)

Parfait Cookie (Transgender Girl)

Red Velvet Cookie (Transgender Man)

Pure Vanilla Cookie (Transgender Man)

Libra (Transgender Man) (FTM)

Henry (Transgender Boy) (FTM)

Kikunojo (Transgender Woman)

Sakura Minamoto (Transgender Girl)

Ai Mizuno (Transgender Girl)

Lily Hoshikawa (Transgender Girl)

Amy Rose the Hedgehog (Transgender Girl)

Espio the Chameleon (Transgender Man)

Charmy Bee (Transgender Boy)

Geo (Transgender Boy)

Yukari Matsuoka (Transgender Girl)

Cody (Transgender Man)

Sierra (Transgender Woman) (MTF)

B (Transgender Man)

Grenda Grendinator (Transgender Girl)

Miyao Mitake (Transgender Boy)

Bacon (Transgender Woman)

Zoe Blecher (Transgender Girl)

Jun Watarase (Transgender Girl) (MTF)

Mariandel (Transgender Woman) (MTF)

Tohko Kirisaki (Transgender Girl) (MTF)

Katsuki Bakugou (Transgender Boy)

Tsuyu Asui (Transgender Girl)

Yawara Chatora (Transgender Man)

Lynn Jr. Loud (Transgender Girl)

Plum Pudding (Transgender Girl)

Sweet Grapes (Transgender Girl)

Hinae Arimura (Transgender Girl)

Miki Naoki (Transgender Girl)

Mei Tatebayashi (Transgender Girl)

Satori Iwaoka (Transgender Woman)

Anthony Rosales (Transgender Boy)

Vasundhara “Vash” Mwamba (Transgender Girl)

Hanami (Transgender Man)

Ao Manaka (Transgender Girl)

Marika Aoki (Transgender Girl)

Pipp Petals (Transgender Mare)

Centaur Man (Transgender Man)

Terra (Transgender Man)

(art by Dan-Dark on deviantart)

Splash Woman (Transgender Woman)

Hornet Man (Transgender Man)

Bounce Man (Transgender Man)

Zero (Transgender Man)

Iris (Transgender Girl)

Storm Eagle (Transgender Man)

Flame Mammoth (Transgender Man)

Commander Yammark (Transgender Man)

Cinnamon (Transgender Girl)

Angie (Transgender Boy)

(edit by Eliloha on Twitter)

Sweet P/Shizuka Nijoin (Transgender Woman)

Charlotte Wiltshire (Transgender Girl)

(icon by snowy-san on deviantart)

Haru Mizuki (Transgender Woman)

Cuphead (Transgender Boy)

King Dice (Transgender Man)

Cagney Carnation (Transgender Man)

Grim Matchstick (Transgender Man)

Dr Kahl (Transgender Man)

Crow (Transgender Man)

Sallie May (Transgender Woman)

[nana-of-light]

Brand New Bard

Hi guys! 

Nana is still firing away~ She got to level 44, and had not touched her bard soul crystal. She's been more focused on her MSQ and side quests, and her archer quests kinda took a back seat. I’d remind her a few times, but didn’t feel it was too urgent. Recently, I had mentioned that she was close to being able to get the lvl 45 gear from the bard quests once she got caught up  with them. After asking me where to go for those, I brought her to Quarrymill and lead her over to the guy. Apparently, she actually had been all caught up on her archer quests, but hadn’t started the bard ones yet. When she told me it was telling her that “it was red” and she wasn’t able to do it, we talked about the soul crystal and how that worked with switching from a class to a job. After she found hers, she put it on, and told me she had “less weapons”. I was confused at first, but found out she was talking about the skills on her bar. I didn’t think of it at the time, but i’m wondering as I type this if she thinks each skill is a different type of arrow, since a lot of  the icons tend to be a bunch of pictures of arrows on them, and that’s why she’s referring to them as weapons rather than skills. I’ll have to ask her about that later. 

I explained how she still had all her skills, but changing from a class to a job was kinda funky, and she needed to arrange her bard ones herself. I had written up a guide on how to do that previously for her and relinked that. Since I was planning on visiting her relatively soon, I suggested that if she had any trouble with it, I can help her with that when I come by, and she could play on archer when we ran her dungeons. I had thought that’s what we were going to do soon since she told me which ones she unlocked. However, she seemed determined to figure this bard stuff out first and said she wanted to hold off on them for the day. After that, she ran around, shooting stuff, trying out the default bard skill arrangement, seeing how it was. She entered in a fate, which synced her down, and unfortunately, a nearby squirrel thing, which was considerably higher leveled, decided to join in her death parade she built (she still jumps right into mobs when it’s not in a dungeon), which promptly destroyed her. As she laid on the ground, she says to me, “my archer would have whipped those guys”. Ahhh! I tried to explain what happened to prevent her from thinking her bard was that under powered. It was late in the day, however, and she decided to call it a night. Before she logs, she tells me she’s going to get stronger tomorrow.

The next day, she decides she’s ready to do her two new dungeons, Stone Vigil and Dzemael Darkhold. Sometime before we go though, she asks me how to switch back to archer and if she can go back and forth. It doesn’t seem like she’s fixed her bar yet, which is fine, for now. As I’m waiting for the boyfriend guy to log in to tank for us, she reminds me that Stone Vigil is part of her MSQ and that it’s in Coerthas. I smile every time she tells me little things like this. It was then, however, that I suddenly realized she had been leading me to the spot on the map right outside the actual dungeon before telling me she’s good to go, so I let her know we didn’t have to do that as long as it was unlocked.

After the boyfriend joins up with us, I queue us up for Stone Vigil first since it’s part of her MSQ. Our 4th ends up being a quiet, yet friendly, level 40 something dragoon. (thank you, random drg) The boyfriend decides to make huge pulls for the run since I’m healing. Oh! I ended up parsing this run to see how Nana’s doing. For some reason, I never thought to try up until this point. But lo and behold, she was 1st or 2nd throughout nearly all of the dungeon! Omg I am so proud. Lol!

Things went pretty smoothly though. We got extra exp/mobs for the leveling dps and only had 1 death. While Nana is quick to dodge the red stuff, she didn’t realize the blue icy patches on the ground for the last boss was a threat to her. In the end though, she got a level. Yay, 45! \o/

For Dzemael Darkhold, someone from FC tagged along as our other dps. Since the previous run went so smoothly, we decided to pull large here too. But unfortunately, it got fudged and we dropped.. Lol. Round two went great though. \o/ For the 1st boss, I explained how the purple light from the crystal worked for Nana, but I guess she didn’t see it and stood outside of it. D8 She eventually stood in it though after a couple times of relocating the boss. The rest of the dungeon was big pulls as well. For the 2nd boss, which I think might be the most dodging you have to do in a fight up until this point, she did pretty well and dodged everything. @_@ Then on the last boss, i’m not sure if she was attacking the crystals when the boss would tether to them, but she avoided all the other bad stuff, despite standing a bit too close to the boss and getting whacked by his spin move. Another level was gained from the run and she got to 46! Huzzah! 

After we exit, she says that run was scary. She does her usual of telling me she’s done playing, but ends up talking to me or runs off to do side quests before logging off. This time, it was asking me where I got my eagle (Rose Lanner) and if I could fly. I’m slowly keeping track of the mounts she gets interested in so i can help her with them later. I can’t wait til she gets close to wrapping up ARR and starting up Heavensward. I really want to know how she feels about the direction of the story. I also really want to see how she does when she gets to fly for the first time.

[spiceblog552]

Age Of Empires 2 Definitive Edition Tech Tree

Nov 15, 2019

Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition (PC) Game Hotkeys. Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition (PC) Game Hotkeys. F2 = Show Tech tree. F3 = Show Chat dialog.

More AoE II Guides:

All Cheat Codes.

Chronological Order of Campaigns.

How to Enable Enhanced Graphics Pack.

Simple Fast Castle Build Order.

For Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition on the PC, GameFAQs has 24 cheat codes and secrets. Hey, can u add under Invite a player the Tech tree in ranked? That would be really great!:) Just to take a look. Login Store Community Support Change language View desktop website. Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition General Discussions Topic Details-MRL Jan 4 @ 9:02am. G'day, As a noob I quite often check the tech tree for the exact strengths and weaknesses of my unique units and unique techs. However, to have the full info you always have to scroll all the way to the castle to hover your cursor over the related icons. My idea would be to make the unique tech/units in the overview on the left clickable such that it would automatically scroll towards the. One thought on “ Age of Empires II Definitive Edition: Build Order Sheets ” Diego Montes December 1, 2020 Reply Cool stuff man, could you add the times to click to next age, that would be very nice:+1.

A complete guide to get you started with the Civs of Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, their respective Tech Trees, and their individual counters.

Aztecs

Special Civilisation Bonuses:

Villagers carry capacity +5

All Military Units are created 15% faster

Monks gain 5 HP for every tech researched at the Monastery

Loom Tech free

No Gunpowder or Cavalry Units

Scout Cavalry is replaced by Eagle Warrior (or Eagle Scout depending on game version i.e Conquerors/Forgotten/African/Rajas)

Team Bonus: Relics generate +33% Gold Unique Tech: Garland Wars - Increases Infantry attack by +4 Unique Unit: Jaguar Warrior (Anti-Infantry Unit) Jaguar Warriors are one of the strongest infantry units in the game due to their improved attack bonus granted by Garland Wars. They are able to hold their own against every infantry unit in a 1v1 situation, including the Teutonic Knight, provided the Jaguar Warrior manages to make the first blow. Their main weakness is lack of pierce armor, making them vulnerable to archers and heavy cavalry. Tips: 'Military units created 15% faster' It also concerns Monks, which are not considered like military units. In short this bonus concerns all units except Villagers, Fishing Ships and Trade Carts/Cogs. And the real figure is: 1/(1*0.85) = 1.176 17.6% faster. Aztec fully upgraded Champions are, with Elite War Elephants and Elite Teutonic Knights, the only melee units which can kill villagers in two strikes...

Britons

Special Civilisation Bonuses:

Town Centers cost -50% Wood from the Castle Age

Foot archers (except Skirmishers) have +1 range in Castle Age, +1 in Imperial Age (+2 range total)

Shepherds work 25% faster

Team Bonus: Archery Ranges work 20% faster Unique Tech: Yeomen - (+1) Range for Foot Archers, (+2) Attack for towers Unique Unit: Longbowman (Long-range foot Archer) The Longbowman boasts the greatest archer range in the entire game. Starting off at a base of 5, upgrades from the blacksmith, researching Elite Longbowman and Yeomen at the Castle will bring the Longbowman's max range up to 12, thus out-ranging Castles, Towers, Mangonels, and Scorpions including rival Unique Archer units from other civilisations. They also have a higher attack than normal archers. Tips: The best strategy for using Longbowmen is in a group of at least 15. Using them in base defence behind walls with locked gates is another useful tactic. When on the battlefield, protect your Longbowman contingents with a combination of Infantry and Cavalry. Being archer units, Longbowmen won't last long against as little as 5 knights . 'Yeomen: Foot archers have +1 range' It also concerns Skirmishers, which make them pretty good (though Aztecs ones and Incas with their unique tech are arguably a bit better): even without Thumb Ring, Skirmishers actually don't get a faster rate of fire from Thumb Ring, only an accuracy boost from 90% from 100% which is overshadowed by Briton's +1 range. Warwolf give Trebuchets a very small Blast Radius of 0.5 (same splash area as Logistics or Druzhina), but also 100% accuracy (on immobile units/buildings) as a secondary effect. Longbowmen have less accuracy than standard archer-line:

Archer: 80% accuracy

Crossbowman: 85% accuracy

Arbalest: 90% accuracy

Longbowman: 70% accuracy

Elite Longbowman: 80% accuracy

Byzantines

Special Civilisation Bonuses:

Buildings gain +10% HPs in Dark Age, +20% Feudal Age, +30% Castle Age, +40% Imperial Age

Camels, Skirmishers, Pikemen, Halberdiers are cost -25%

Fire Ships +20% Attack

Advance to Imp Age costs -33% (667 Food and 536 Gold instead of 1000 Food and 800 Gold)

Town Watch Tech free

Team Bonus: Monks heal 50% faster Unique Tech: Logistica - Cataphracts do trample damage Unique Unit: Cataphract (Anti-Infantry Cavalry) The Cataphract is the unit with the fewest weaknesses. They have a bonus attack against infantry units, making them an ideal defence force. Despite having a disadvantage when it comes to facing Heavy Camels and Mamelukes, the Cataphracts are effective against all units, making them a force to be reckoned with. Still, keeping some infantry with them would be wise seeing as Halberdiers can still be a threat to Cataphracts. The Persian War Elephant will be able to defeat Cataphracts with ease thanks to their high attack and HP. Just make sure not to attack with less than 10. A large force of cataphracts can take down 5 war elephants without much difficulty, especially if there are several castles and monks in the general vicinity. Archers, Hand Cannoneers and Scorpions also have a slight advantage thanks to a lower pierce armour on the Cataphracts part. Tips: 'Logistica: Cataphracts cause trample damage' Also adds +6 to the Cataphract bonus against infantry (9 to 15 for non-elite/12 to 18 for elite); a fully upgraded Elite Cataphract kill a FU Gothic Halberdier in only two hits. It is worth noting Cataphracts/Elite Cataphracts got 12/16 bonus defense against anti-cavalry/anti-unique units, making them immune against non-heavy Camels, Mamelukes, Samurais...and only taking small bonus damage from Heavy Camels and Pikemen. Though it's not a good idea to face large groups of Halberdiers with FU Elite Cataphracts as they still suffer from 16 bonus damage from halbs, go with Archers/Skirms or Hand Cannoneers to deal with them. 'Elite Cataphract upgrade: Upgrades your Cataphracts and lets you create Elite Cataphracts, which are stronger and better armored' Both got exactly the same base armor: 2/1.

Berbers

Special Civilisation Bonuses:

Villagers move +10% faster

Stable units cost -20% (starting in castle age)

Ships move +10% faster

Team Bonus: Genitour availible at Archery Range Unique Techs

Kasbah: Team castles work +25% faster

Maghrabi Camels: Camel troops regenerate

Unique Units

Camel Archer: Cavalry Archer with bonus against cavalry archers

Genitour: Mounted Skirmisher

Camel Archers - The Berbers have the Camel Archer for their unique castle unit. Being a camel unit, it has an advantage against cavalry, but only of the archer variety i.e. Mangudai and Cavalry Archers. The best strategy would be to use them in small, quick battalions alongside anti-pikemen units. However, I'd recommend a contingent of heavy cavalry to deal with any units with high pierce armor as well as pikemen to deal with camels.

Genitour - Like the Italians, Vikings, and Koreans, the Berbers have two units specific to their civ, the first being the Camel Archer. The second, the Genitour, is a mounted skirmisher, a unit that's effective against archers, mounted and cavalry. Best used in small battalions to utilize their speed, I'd suggest matching them with heavy cavalry to prevent problems with units possessing high pierce armor, or infantry and archers to deal with pikemen and your own pikemen to counter camels. Tips: The Berbers have one of the most powerful Castle Age Knight rushes in the game due to their 15% reduced cost. Their Camels and Hussar are also affected by this bonus and are backed up by full upgrades, giving a powerful advantage against other cavalry civilisations. Notably, the Berber Hussar line is cheaper than the Magyars, allowing the Berbers to go toe-to-toe effectively in 'trash unit' wars. This Stable discount eclipses those of other civs while also affecting more units, and is not to be underestimated. Genitours are also a great asset in Trash Wars.

Burmese

Special Civilisation Bonuses:

Free Lumber Camp Upgrades

Infantry +1 Attack per Age (Starting in Feudal Age)

Monastery techs 50% cheaper

Team Bonus: Relics are visible on the mini map Unique Techs

Howdah (Castle Age): Battle Elephants get +1/+2 armor

Manipur Cavalry (Imperial Age): Cavalry and Arambai get +6 attack versus buildings

Unique Units

Arambai: (A powerful, but inaccurate cavalry)

The Burmese Arambai is a cavalry archer with a powerful attack that is unfortunately negated by their horrendous accuracy. Through trial and error (with the assistance of Hardfoil), we decided that the best strength of the Arambai is served in small, quick cohorts that can engage and retreat swiftly from any entanglements they may encounter. Because of their pitiful accuracy, it is best to use them to attack large blocks of troops in order to maximize the damage they do across an area of effect. By far the simplest way to counter the Arambai is with excessive amounts of pikeman. Some of the infantry will certainly fall whilst moving to engage, but if enough, the pikemen will rip the Arambai to shreds. Tips: Their Monks are also exceptionally strong, with access to all Monastery technologies available (save for Heresy in order to give their Battle Elephants a more fleshed out counter) and they even get a 50% discount on them. Their team bonus also helps their Monks by revealing the locations of all Relics on the map, allowing the Burmese player and their teammates to quickly collect them and have a gold lead in the late game. This is especially useful on Arena maps, where the Burmese can quickly advance to the Castle Age behind the safety of their walls.

Bulgarians

Special Civilisation Bonuses:

Militia line units are upgraded for free.

Town Centres cost -50% stone.

Can build Krepost.

Team Bonus: Blacksmiths work 50% faster. Unique Tech: Can build Krepost. Unique Unit: Konnik: Cavalry that keeps on fighting as a dismounted infantry when killed. The strength of this unit relies on their durability, as they have to be killed twice, while they can also mess with the possible opponents' response to cavalry. They can be created at Kreposts, which are a fortification similar to a Castle, but weaker and cheaper (about half the price of a Castle). The attack speed of the Konnik can be improved with their Castle Age unique technology Stirrups, who also improves the attack speed of the Scout Cavalry line. Regarding the Stable they have full upgrades for both the Paladin and the Hussar. Unique technologies:

Stirrups

Bagains

Tips: They are great at rushing, since their Militia-line infantry automatically upgrades upon advancing to the next age, while their team bonus enables their blacksmith to rapidly upgrade their units. Also, these units retain their value as their unique technology Bagainsgives their Militia-line Infantry +3 melee armour. They have most upgrades available for infantry, only lacking the Champion upgrade.

Celts

Special Civilisation Bonuses:

Lumberjacks work 15% faster

Infantry move 15% faster

Siege weapons fire 20% faster

Sheep cannot be converted if in 1 Celt Unit's line of sight

Team Bonus: Siege Workshops work 20% faster Unique Tech: Furor Celtica - Siege Units have +40% HP Unique Unit: Woad Raider (Fast-moving Infantry) The Woad Raider is the fastest non-hero infantry in the game, making it an excellent rushing unit and about the same speed as a scout cavalry. They're best used against low-level, non-unique infantry and most archers, but become chow food against stronger infantry variants and cavalry. Woad Raiders are also effective against siege weapons and have a bonus against buildings, making them ideal for destroying wonders. Tips: 'Siege Weapons fire 20% faster' Actually all the AoE rate of fires are calculated using an 'attack reloading time' thing. Setting this value to 0.8 means that the Celtic Siege fire 1/(1*0.8) = 1.25 25% faster, associated with their +40% HP bonus, it makes Celts particularly overpowered on closed choky maps like Black Forest. 'Woad Raider: Celtic unique unit. Exceptionally quick infantry.' A FU Elite Woad Raider moves at 1.2 base speed + 15% civ bonus = 1.38 speed, whereas an Elite Eagle Warrior moves at 1.3 base speed + 10% civ bonus = 1.43 speed. So that 'exceptionally quick infantry' is slower than Elite Eagle Warriors contrary to popular beliefs.

Chinese

Special Civilisation Bonuses:

Start Game with 3 extra villagers but -200 Food and -50 Wood

Town Center supports 10 population instead of 5

Technologies cost -10% in Feudal Age, -15% Castle Age, -20% Imp Age

Demolition Ships have +50% HP

Team Bonus: Farms start with +45 food Unique Tech: Rocketry - Chu Ko Nu (+2) attack, Scorpions (+4) attack Unique Unit: Chu Ko Nu (Rapid-fire Archer) The Chu Ko Nu is the only archer in the game that fires multiple shots with each attack. A normal Chu Ko Nu fire 3 arrows per attack while an Elite Chu Ko Nu fire 5 arrows. However, only the first arrow does full damage while the following do only 3. Their large attack and quick fire rate is offset by their low health, lack of base armor, and a base range of 4. Several successful tactics for using Chu Ko Nu is mingling them with Arbalests and Infantry: Arbalests for clearing away most anti-archer units and Infantry for fending off cavalry and mopping up after the Arbalests. Another tactic is garrisoning them inside Castles and Towers, thus greatly increasing the building's firepower.The most ideal way of defeating Chu Ko Nu is with longer ranged archers, large numbers of heavy cavalry and siege weapons with splash damage.

Cumans

Special Civilisation Bonuses:

Can build an additional Town Center in the Feudal Age.

Siege Workshop and Battering Ram available in the Feudal Age.

Cavalry moves 10% faster starting in the Feudal Age.

Unique Techs:

Steppe Husbandry: Scout Cavalry line and Cavalry Archers are trained 80% faster.

Cuman Mercenaries: Team members can create 10 free Elite Kipchaks in the Castle.

Unique Units: Kipchak: Multi-shot cavalry archer. Essentially a mounted Chu Ko Nu (Chinese unique unit). It's stats aren't spectacular, but makes up for it in it's cheap cost and speed. Very micro-intensive. Tips:

Age Of Empires 2 Definitive Edition Tech Tree Experts

My personal favourite Civ since Conquers, what the Cumans lack in Dark Age bonuses, they make for in absurd booming capacity. You will be in a very good spot right out of the gate with the Feudal Age Town centres, which no one will be able to keep up with. Alternatively, the Siege Workshop and Battering Ram being available in the Feudal Age means you will be able to mount brutal attacks on slower economy enemies. Missing Bracers for cavalry is a little annoying, but Steppe Husbandry more than makes up for it.

Ethiopians

Special Civilisation Bonuses:

Archers move +15% faster

Receive +100 gold, +100 food when advancing to the next age

Pikemen and Halberdier upgrades free

Age Of Empires 2 Definitive Edition Tech Tree

Team Bonus: Towers and Outposts +3 LOS Unique Techs:

Royal Heirs: Shotel Warriors are created nearly instantly

Torsion Engines: Siege workshop units blast radius increase

Unique Units: Shotel Warrior - The Ethiopians' Shotel Warrior is a cheap, quick-to-build infantry unit with devastating attack power, allowing it to compete with the Teutons' Teutonic Knight and the Aztecs' Jaquar Warrior for strongest infantry (disallowing heroes). Because of their low cost and quick build time, I suggest creating Shotel Warriors in bulk to simply swarm any enemies. However, their high attack rating is offset by their squishyness. Providing an escort of cavalry and archers would be a wise course of action, particularly to deal with siege weapons with splash damage. Mangonels can be devastating. Tips: The extremely high attack of the Shotel warrior makes him a great unit for razing, but they are very weak as well. They are fearsome when rushing enemy castles in large numbers. They start on castle age and have 1+2 pierce armour, so they like to fight archers or non armoured units the most. If nobody in your team needs your help, get your razes fast and start producing crossbowmen as soon as possible, which can be fully upgraded once you reach imperial age. Archer line of units fires +15% faster so take this in consideration. If facing Persians, Huns or goths you should use the same strategy as Celts and rush their castles asap. Ethiopian siege rams have an impressive area of effect, so count on them as well.

Franks

Special Civilisation Bonuses:

Castles cost -25%

Cavalry +20% HP

Farm upgrades free

Foragers work 25% faster

Team Bonus: Knights have +2 LoS Unique Tech: Bearded Axe - (+1) Range for Throwing Axeman Unique Unit: Throwing Axeman (Infantry with Ranged Attack) - The most interesting thing about the Throwing Axeman is the classification. Even though it's an infantry unit, it has a ranged attack that makes them useful when dealing with Anti-Archer units with high pierce armour. In addition, Throwing Axemen have an attack bonus against buildings and are prime for destroying Battering Rams from behind walls without compromising defences by opening gates. But, their inferior range makes them vulnerable to Cavalry, Scorpions and hit-and-run tactics by archers. The Franks lack of the Squire tech makes the Throwing Axeman slow and not as maneuverable as other infantry. Tips: Fast Castle into Knights /thread

Goths

Special Civilisation Bonuses:

Infantry cost -35% starting in Feudal Age

Infantry have +1 attack bonus vs buildings

Villagers have +5 attack bonus vs boars

(+10) population cap in Imperial Age

Unable to build Stone Walls

Team Bonus: Barracks work 20% faster Unique Tech:

Anarchy(Castle Age) - Huskarls can be created at Barracks

Perfusion(Imp Age) - Barracks create units 100% faster

Unique Unit: Huskarl (Anti-Archer and Arrow-Resistant Infantry) The Huskarl has decent attack and reasonable speed, but the main asset of the Huskarl is their 6 pierce armor, making them an ideal archer deterrent and allowing them to attack a castle with ignorance. In general, they are well-rounded units that can deal with most threats. However, they are a bit short coming when pitted against cavalry and mounted archers (I.E. Cavalry Archers, Mangudai, & War Wagons). Tips: Fear the Goth wave. Everyone knows that you cannot let a Goth player get to imperial age. They will almost undoubtedly try and rush you down, or at least cripple you to stop the inevitable Huskarl tide. Use this to your advantage. Let them break themselves upon you. Alternatively, attempt an early game rush with your superior infantry.

Huns

Special Civilisation Bonuses:

Don't need Houses, but start game with -100 wood

Cavalry Archers cost -10% Castle Age, -20% Imperial

Trebuchets +30% Accuracy

Team Bonus: Stables work 20% faster Unique Tech: Atheism - (+100) years for Relic & Wonder Victories, Spies/Treason cost -50% Unique Unit: Tarkan (Anti-Building Cavalry) The Tarkan's basic role is that of building destruction. Best categorized as a medium cavalry, having HP, Armour, and Attack somewhere between Light Cavalry & Knights. In addition to destroying buildings, Tarkansm are reasonably effective against most ranged units and light cavalry. Their Pierce Armour is substantial enough to withstand attacks from defensive structures, so they are capable of taking down towers and castles, depending on the size of the contingent. They best serve as hit-and-run raiders, destroying a building or two and retreating before a counter-attack can be realized. They also are able to survive pitched battles if the need arises. Being classified as medium cavalry, Tarkans are less capable of surviving against infantry, heavy cavalry and camels. Despite having a 20 HP advantage and a slight advantage in armor, Cataphracts can beat Tarkans by a narrow margin. Tips: Tarkans (elite) are created in 14 (14) seconds from Castles, whereas - with Marauders Castle Age Tech researched - Tarkans (elite) are created in 26 (24) seconds from Stables. Tarkans rate of fire is very slow for a non-trash melee unit: 2.1. (Infantry except Spear-line, Scout and Light Cav at 2.0, Paladins and Hussars at 1.9, rest at 1.8 or more rarely 1.7, 1.95...). In short: They only excel at taking out buildings and villas.

Incas

Special Civilisation Bonuses:

Start with a free llama

Villagers affected by Blacksmith upgrades

Houses support 10 population

Buildings cost -15% stone

Scout Cavalry is replaced by Eagle Warrior (or Eagle Scout depending on game version i.e Conquerors/Forgotten/African/Rajas)

Team Bonus: Farms built 50% faster Unique Techs: Couriers: Eagle Warriors, Slingers and Kamayuks +1/+2 armor Andean Sling: Skirmishers and Slingers have no minimum range Unique Unit(s): Kamayuk - The basic idea of the Kamayuk is to be the Incan version of the Greek Phalanx. Their primary ability is their bonus against cavalry, but because of a massive spear, the Kamayuk is capable of attacking from behind units and keeping its distance from infantry and archers. This also means that the Kamayuk can attack through walls. A good tactic when using Kamayuks would be to have a decent size contingent in front of the Incas' other unique unit, the Slinger. Slinger - Slingers are anti-infantry archers that can be built from the archery range. Despite having a less than average range, the Andean Sling tech can cancel that weakness out. Their significant bonus against infantry is a decent deterrant for infantry with the intent of breaking up a contingent of Kamayuks. Being archers, they're vulnerable to cavalry and mounted units. But when matched up with the Incas' other unique unit, a solid tactic is created. Like the Italian's Condottiero, the Slinger has no elite upgrade. Tips: 'Villagers affected by Blacksmith upgrades' - Only by Forging, Iron Casting, Blast Furnace and infantry defense ones. (Elite) Kamayuks' receive (12) 8 bonus attack against mounted units, making them devastating even against Paladins when patrolled tight to bunch them up - indeed, they got 1 range - Moreover, they don't get any bonuses against Eagles or even buildings, making them really a one-of-a-kind infantry. Slingers' receive 10 bonus attack against infantry, +1 bonus against Spear-line, and also 1 bonus against Rams.

Indians

Special Civilisation Bonuses:

Villagers cost -10% Dark, -15% Feudal, -20% Castle, -25% Imperial

Fishermen work 15% faster and carry +15

Camels +1/+1 armor

Team Bonus: Camels +5 attack vs. buildings Unique Techs:

Sultans: All gold income +10%

Shatagni: Hand Cannoneers get +1 Range

Unique Units: Elephant Archer - Same as the Persian War Elephant, the Elephant Archer has a significant amount of HP and Pierce Armor and does the same amount of damage as a Cavalry Archer with a lower rate of fire. However, being mounted on an elephant, movement speed is significantly reduced compared to a cavalry archer. The best way to counter an Elephant Archer would be simply this: Pikemen. Bleeding carploads of pikemen. Or camels. Those work too. Imperial Camel - An upgrade from the Heavy Camel, the Imp Camel is a harder hitting anti-cavalry unit. With a high HP count, decent attack, high speed, and augmented armor, the Imp Camel can easily take Paladins on 1v1 and, when in a group, can defeat War Elephants with relative ease. Being a cavalry unit, Pikemen are an ideal defense against them. Tips: (Elite) Elephant Archers have (4) 3 bonus attack against buildings, and even a (+4) +3 additional bonus on 'Stone Defenses' (Towers, Stone Walls & Gates); it's the only archer unit which deal bonuses against buildings (except Mayan Archers, but they need Obsidian Arrows Castle Age unique technology). Because of some bug, Elephant Archers are not affected by the +2 bonus against Spearmen that Parthian Tactics should give to them.

Italians

Special Civilisation Bonuses:

Advancing to next age costs -15%

All dock techs cost -50%

Fishing ship cost -15 wood

Gunpowder units cost -25%

Team Bonus: Condottiero also available in allies' barracks in Imperial Age (once you have built a castle) Unique Techs:

Pavise: Foot Archers +1/+1 armour

Silk Road: Trade units cost -50%

Unique Units: Genoese Crossbowman - This crossbowman is the only archer unit in AoEII(Eds note:except in some cases Plumed Archer) with some kind of edge of cavalry units. Despite having a shorter range, the Genoese Crossbowman has a +5 attack against cavalry, +4 against Camels and Mamelukes, and a whopping +10 against War Elephants and Elephant Archers. The obvious usage for the Genoese Crossbowman is to counter cavalry. Condottiero: Infantry with bonus against gunpowder units. Boring! Tips: (Elite) Genoese Crossbowmen receive (5) 4 bonus damage against Camels/Mamelukes, (14) 10 bonus against Elephants, and (7) 5 bonus against all other mounted units. Elite Genoese Crossbowmen are created 3 sec faster than normal ones (22s to 19s), and also fire 50% faster (3 to 2s reload rate). Condotierro receive 10 bonus attack against gunpowder units, and 10 bonus defence against anti-infantry units. They also don't get any bonuses against Eagles, which is unusual for a non-trash infantry unit.

Japanese

Special Civilisation Bonuses:

Fishing ships have x2 HP, +2 piercing armor, work rate +5% Dark, +10% Feudal, +15% Castle, +20% Imperial

Mills, Lumber/Mining Camps cost -50%

Infantry attack 25% faster starting in Feudal Age

Team Bonus: Galleys have +50% LoS Unique Tech: Kataparuto - Trebuchets fire & pack faster Unique Unit: Samurai (Infantry Unit with Bonus against other Unique Units) At a glance, Samurai seem to be weaker in combat than their Barracks counterparts (the Long Swordsman in the Castle Age and Champion in the Imp Age). When it comes to the late game when Unique Units are in abundance, the Samurai plays a bigger role, having an attack bonus against other Unique Units. Samurai are very effective against heavy infantry and can be deadly against civilisations who rely on their Unique Units towards endgame. The only units they aren't cost effective against are Cataphracts, War Elephants and Teutonic Knights. Tips: 'Infantry attack 25% faster starting at Feudal Age' - Actually all the AoE rate of fires are calculated using an 'attack reloading time' thing. Setting this value to 0.75 means that the Japanese infantry strikes 1/(1*0.75) = 1.33... 33% faster, which makes them really devastating; in a 1v1 Champion War, a Japanese Champ can even kill a fully upgraded Aztec Champ with Garland Wars +4 attack, or a Viking one with +20% HP. Their Samurais are even more devastating with a rate of fire of 1.9 instead of typical 2 of swordmen infantry: in Fact Samurais are the fastest striking melee unit in the whole game. Last but not least, of course Halberdiers which fires 33% faster makes Japanese halbs arguably the best, maybe tie with Slav (Splash damage) and Celtic ones (5% faster). AoF: Yasama make the Towers fire three extra arrows for a total of four when ungarrisoned, the same number as an ungarrisoned Castle. Kataparuto allows Trebuchets to pack/unpack four times faster - 2.75 s instead of 11 s - and make them fire 33% faster. Fun fact: A fully upgraded Japanese Halberdier slay a fully upgraded Byzantine Paladin.

Koreans

Special Civilisation Bonuses:

Villagers have +3 LoS

Stone Miners work 20% faster

Tower Upgrades free (Chemistry still required for Bombard Tower)

Towers Range +1 Castle Age, +2 Imp Age

Fortifications are built faster

Team Bonus: Mangonels minimum range reduced

Unique Tech: Shinkichon - (+1) Range for Mangonels & Onagers Unique Unit: War Wagon - The War Wagon possesses a high pierce armor, making it an ideal anti-archer unit. It's more powerful and resilient than a cavalry archer, but is more expensive and not as fast. They're more effective in numbers and should be used alongside a contingent of Halberdiers/Pikemen for protection against cavalry and camels, which can destroy War Wagons with ease. Turtle Ship - The Turtle Ship can be used for multiple purposes. It can either be used in ship-to-ship conflicts or to provide devastating cover for the first stage of a land attack. Being heavily armored makes the Turtle Ship slow and subject to hit-and-run tactics as well as heavy demolition ships. Because of the short range the Turtle Ship possesses can bring it close to the shoreline, thus making it subject to attacks from Mangonels & Onagers which Turtle Ships are weak against. Tips: AoF: Korean Team Bonus reduces the Mangonel-line minimum range from 3 to 1 (same as a Skirmisher), which is simply huge. Use it! War Wagons recieve a 5 bonus attack against all buildings. They are also the only bolt-firing unit in the Cavalry Archer class. Fun fact: Turtle Ships are the only unit/building which fire iron bullets with a base minimum range of 0.

Khmer

Special Civilisation Bonuses:

Prereq buildings aren't required to advance to further ages or unlock other buildings (i.e., a castle is not required to advance to the Imp age or a blacksmith is not required to build a siege workshop)

Battle Elephants are +15% faster

Villagers can garrison in Houses

Team Bonus: Scorpions have +1 range Unique Techs:

Tusk Swords (Castle Age): Battle Elephants get +3 attack

Double Crossbow (Imperial Age): Ballista Elephants and Scorpions shoot two projectiles

Unique Units: Ballista Elephant: First off, the term 'cavalry siege unit' is a major misnomer. In testing, it was discovered that the Ballista Elephant's only true strength is in defense. They're best against infantry and archers due to the Elephant's piercing attack (like the scorpion's), especially when said troops are in large blocks. In regard to their efficiency against buildings, there's a major drop. Ballista Elephants do very little damage against buildings and suffer greatly when faced with anything anti-cavalry like halberdiers and camels. Best course of action, use the Ballista Elephants to soften up enemy troops instead of using them as front-line fighters.

Lithuanians

Special Civilisation Bonuses:

Start with +150 food.

Spearman line and Skirmishers move 10% faster.

Cavalry get +1 attack for each Relic garrisoned in the Monastery, up to +5.

Team Bonus: Walls cost -50% Unique Tech:

Hill Forts: Town Centres +3 range.

Tower Shields: Spearman line and Skirmishers +1 pierce armour.

Unique Unit: The Leitis: A Cavalry unit whose attack ignores armour. Scary stuff. Fast Castle into Knight or Leitis Rush will be VERY strong with this Civ. Their 150 extra food and their attack bonus makes up for this. In this case, the player should take their Dark Age normally (advancing at 22 population) and save the extra food for the Castle Age upgrade, while also saving at least 200 gold (preferably 300) for making Monks, which will be used for retrieving Relics. Once in the Castle Age, Lithuanians should strike with Knights and Leitis and focus on the search for Relics with their Monks. If the player gets lucky and claims 5 Relics, they will get the upper hand, since their cavalry will surpass even the attack of Malian cavalry With Farimba (which is an Imperial Age technology), but even with just one Relic, a Knight rush with Lithuanians is very viable. Tips: The Lithuanians' Civ bonus is one of the scariest in the entire game. Imagine 10 paladins crashing down on you.. with 5 extra attack. Yeah, the enemy want that. The Lithuanians almost play like a more micro intensive version of the Goths. 1)Get relics/Boom 2)Fend off attackers 3)Profit? Hill Forts allows Town Centres to maintain a good defence in the Castle Age. Considering that they also have almost all the relevant defensive technologies, except for Arrowslits and Hoardings. Also, two of their core units - the Spearman line and the Skirmisher - are also used mostly for defending (against cavalry and archers, respectively). Considering their Imperial Age technology Tower Shields, which improves the Spearmen line's and Skirmishers' pierce armour, while both unit lines are also faster, they are a strong civilisation in trash wars. Their Skirmishers in particular become even more effective against archers. As already stated, if a Lithuanian player has at least 2 or 3 relics, considering they also have all improvements for Paladins and Hussars, and their unique unit,the Leitis, they will be force to fear in the late game.

Mayans

Special Civilisation Bonuses:

Starts with +1 Villager but -50 Food

Resources last 15% longer

Archery Range Units cost -10% Feudal Age, -20% Castle Age, -30% Imp Age

No Gunpowder or Cavalry Units

Scout Cavalry is replaced by Eagle Warrior (or Eagle Scout depending on game version i.e Conquerors/Forgotten/African/Rajas)

Team Bonus: Walls cost -50% Unique Tech: El Dorado (+40% HP for Eagle Warriors) Unique Unit: Plumed Archer (Fast, well-armoured foot archer) The prominent differences between normal archers and the Plumed Archer is the Plumed Archer's lower range and attack, but possesses a higher HP count and has exceptional speed, thus allowing them to keep up with most cavalry. A preferable tactic when using the Plumed Archer is hit-and-run, allowing them to effectively replace the Cavalry Archer. They do have an attack bonus against infantry, making them ideal for taking out long swordsman. However, they are vulnerable to cavalry, which means they should be accompanied by an contingent of Pikemen/Halberdiers. They are made less expensive by the Mayan Unique Bonus, making them the least expensive Unique Unit except in Full Tech Tree matches. Tips: To nerf them, their farmers work 22% slower (theoretically, the real effect is around 5% slower) than the ones of the other civs, which makes their infantry spam (either Halberdiers, Two-Handed Swordsmen) mediocre in the late game. Fortunately, their elite units (Plumed Archers, Elite Eagle Warriors, Siege Rams) are little to no food intensive. Plumed Archers/Elite also get 1/2 bonus attack against all infantry (2/2 bonus for Spearmen, 2 minimum damage against Huskarls for Elite Plumed Archers), making them great against infantry. Obsidian Arrows Castle UT give +4 attack against buildings (and an additional +4 to 'Stone Defenses, aka Stone Walls, Towers and Stone Gates) to Archers, Crossbowmen and Arbalests...but not Plumed Archers.

Magyars

Special Civilisation Bonuses:

Villagers can kill wolves with 1 strike

Forging, Iron Casting, Blast Furnace free

Scout Cavalry, Light Cavalry, Hussar cost -15%

Team Bonus: Foot Archers +2 LOS Unique Techs:

Mercenaries: Magyar Huszar costs no gold

Recurve Bow: Cavalry archers get +1 range, +1 attack

Unique Unit: Magyar Huszar - With a high attack and a bonus against siege weapons, the Magyar Huszar is an ideal unit for countering siege units. The best way for using them would be in blocks of 10-20, depending on if Pikemen accompany the advancing siege equipment. Being a Cavalry unit, the Huszar is obviously vulnerable to masses of Pikemen. Bringing infantry along to protect the Huszars is a wise plan. Tips: You should try to raze yourself asap (ie: against an archer Civ) or be set by your allies. Be careful against Incas, Saracens or Italians, as they will try to farm on you. Your gates are quite weak so the enemy may try to focus on you to let their 1-raze Civs get villagers. Once you get villagers and taking advantage of the castle age already researched, you should start producing knights and cavalry archers, as you will be able to fully upgrade them once on imperial age. They represent a force to be reckoned due to the mixture of paladins and cavalry archers (who get +1 range and +1 attack). Try to build kills against archers to get to imperial age fast. (Elite) Magyar Huszar get (8) 5 bonus attack against Siege Weapons, and strike slightly faster than a 'normal' Hussar: only 1.8 ROF (compared to the 1.9 for Hussars)

Mongols

Special Civilisation Bonuses:

Cavalry Archers fire 20% faster

Light Cavalry, Hussar have +30% HP

Hunters work 50% faster

Team Bonus: Scout Cavalry line has +2 LoS Unique Tech: Drill - Siege Units move 50% faster Unique Unit: Mangudai (Anti-Siege Weapon Cavalry Archer). Mangudai are almost a carbon copy of Cavalry Archers except for their bonus against Siege Equipment, their +1 Attack and +10 HP, making them slightly superior to ordinary Cavalry Archers. Mangudai are cheaper than cavalry archers in terms of Gold but cost more in terms of Wood. When it comes to tactics, Mangudai are most effective against slow moving units such as Monks, Villagers, Siege Weapons, Infantry, and unsuspecting Archers. However, when attacking Scorpions and Mangonels it is preferable to attack with multiple Mangudai instead of 1v1. The main threat to Mangudai are Camels, Skirmishers and Spearmen, although Mangudai are fast enough to avoid the latter. Of the two (Cavalry Archers & Mangudai), the Mangudai is the more logical combat choice. Tips: 'Cavalry Archers fire 20% faster' Actually all the AoE rate of fires are calculated using an 'attack reloading time' thing. Setting this value to 0.8 means that the Mongol Cavalry Archers fire 1/(1*0.8) = 1.25 25% faster, which just make other civs Cavalry Archers obsolete, except the Hunnic ones which are worth getting as they are so cheap, the Magyar ones with their +1 range and the Turk ones with +20 HP. On top of that, when Thumb Ring is researched their Mangudai fire even faster than their Cavalry Archers, making them one of the best raiding units of AoE 2.

Malians

Special Civilisation Bonuses:

Buildings cost -15% wood.

Barracks units +1 pierce armor per age (starting from Feudal Age).

Gold mining upgrades free.

Team Bonus: University researches +80% faster. Unique Techs:

Tigui: Town Centers fire arrows (they are able to fire without being garrisoned with villagers/archers).

Farimba: Cavalry +5 attack.

Unique Units: Gbeto: Infantry with a ranged attack. The Malians' Gbeto is reminiscent of the Franks' throwing axeman, an infantry unit with a ranged attack. Their armor is negligible, offsetting their high attack rating and high speed. Being infantry, they are susceptible to cavalry and heavy infantry. That being said, I recommend small battalions escorted by pikemen and heavy cavalry to counter archers, cavalry, and infantry. Be aware of mangonels and the like. Also, the Gbeto is the only female military unit, sans heroes.

Malay

Special Civilisation Bonuses:

Advancing to Ages +80% faster

Fish Traps cost -33%

Fish Traps provide unlimited food

Battle Elephants 25% cheaper

Team Bonus: Docks get +100% Line of Sight Unique Techs:

Thalassocracy (Castle Age): Docks are upgraded to Harbors that fire arrows

Forced Levy (Imperial Age): Militia Line costs no gold

Unique Units: Karambit Warrior: Cheap, fast infantry. At first glance, the Karambit Warrior seems like a rather useless unit. At least, they did for me. They're exceptionally cheap to produce and one Karambi Warrior costs half a population, meaning that 100 Karambit Warriors only takes up 50 population. However, they are also a quick unit that are almost as fast as a light cavalry (both being fully upgraded) and can strike fast and hard. Finally, for tactics, Karambit Warriors are best used in a swarm. Their speed really allows them to surround an enemy force and chip away at all sides. Karambit Warriors are good raiders and distraction units to draw your opponent away from your main force.

Persians

Special Civilisation Bonuses:

Start Match with +50 Food and +50 Wood

Town Center, Docks x2 HP, work rate +10% Feudal, +15% Castle, +20% Imp

Team Bonus: Knights have +2 Attack against Archers Unique Tech: Mahouts - War Elephants move 30% faster Unique Unit: War Elephant (Slow yet strong and devastating). The Persian War Elephant has one prime role: Destroy ALL of the things. There aren't many Units that can economically take down the War Elephants. However, being a cavalry unit, Pikemen/Spearmen have an extra bonus against War Elephants, but a large number of Pikemen/Spearmen would be required to do so. Due to their lack of speed, Cavalry Archers are capable of defeating War Elephants, albeit not as effectively as Mamelukes would be able to with their high speed and Anti-Cavalry bonus. Other counters include siege weapons (particularly Mangonels) and Monks. An escort for the War Elephants will be able to fend off Monks seeking to convert the Elephants. Tips: Town Centers and Docks faster work rate affects units creation time, but also technologies...including age-ups! Persian Castle Age research is around 15 seconds faster than the other civs, Imperial around 25 seconds faster. Boiling Oil gives Castles +9 attack against Rams.

Portuguese

Special Civilisation Bonuses:

All units cost -15% gold

Ships +10% HP

Can build Feitoria in Imp Age (The Feitoria is a building that requires 20 pop, 250 stone and gold. An economic building, it generates resources without the need of villagers)

Team Bonus: Free cartography from dark age. Unique Techs:

Carrack: Ships +1/+1 armor

Arquebus: Gunpowder units benefit from Ballistics tech

Unique Units: Caravel - The Caravel is a ship unit proficient at demolishing entire fleets of enemy warships. Each short fired can damage multiple units as it can penetrate multiple units like the Scorpion siege unit. Thus, firing on tightly pack ships is an effective course of action. However, they are vulnerable to fire ships and demolition ships. Avoiding those ships would be wise. Organ Gun - Units with area of effect attacks seems to be a trend for the Portugese. Like the Caravel, the Organ Gun is a siege weapon that fires projectiles that are highly effective against large groups of units. Being a siege unit, the Organ Gun is vulnerable to infantry and cavalry, so escorting a group of them with pikemen and anti-infantry units would be wise. Another tactic against the Organ Gun is the skirmisher formation or whatever the formation is called that spreads units out.

Saracens

Age Of Empires 2 Definitive Edition Lithuanians Tech Tree

Special Civilisation Bonuses:

Market trade cost is 5% of goods (Instead of 30%)

Markets cost -75 wood

Transport Ships have x2 HP & x2 carry capacity

Galleys attack 20% faster

Cavalry Archers have +3 attack against buildings

Team Bonus: Foot Archers have +1 Attack against Buildings Unique Tech: Zealotry - Camels, Mamelukes +30 HP Unique Unit: Mameluke (Anti-Cavalry Camel w/ Ranged Attack). Like the Frank's Throwing Axemen, the Mameluke is a melee Cavalry that throws scimitars with a Range of 3. Their high speed and bonus against Cavalry makes Mameluke one of the best units in the game which is offset by their high cost. Mamelukes are well rounded and suited for most combat, but can be taken down by a higher number of Archers due to the lack of Pierce Armor on the Mameluke's part. Tips: 'Galleys attack 20% faster' Actually all the AoE rate of fires are calculated using an 'attack reloading time' thing. Setting this value to 0.8 means that the Saracen Galley-line fire 1/(1*0.8) = 1.25 25% faster, which - eco bonuses aside - makes the Saracen naval warfare at the top in Feudal and Castle age warfare; though in Imperial age their lack of Shipwright can hurt a little bit. Their galley-line is so good that even Saracen War Galleys/Galleons can defeat one in one a Viking Longboat/Elite Longboat. Cavalry Archers have +3 attack bonus vs buildings' It's clearly +4 in the game data. Team Bonus: Foot archers have +1 attack bonus vs buildings' It's clearly +2 in the game data. Despite being a melee unit with a ranged attack, Mamelukes are classed as Cavalry Archers, meaning they get 3 (4) damage from Skirmishers (elite), making them one of the easiest units to counter (recieve extra damage from all anti-cavalry units, Samurais and also big damage from building arrows as they are primarly Camels). They also suffer from the Archer bonus of Huskarls.

Spanish

Special Civilisation Bonuses:

Builders work 30% faster

Blacksmith upgrades cost no Gold

Cannon galleons benefit from Ballistics (fire faster, more accurately)

Gunpowder units fire 15% faster

Team Bonus: Trade units generate +25% gold Unique Tech: Supremacy - Increased Attack, Armor and HP for Villagers Unique Unit: Conquistador - Conquistadors are basically a mounted form of the Hand Cannoneer. They play the same way, but with the advantage of mobility. Being a gunpowder unit, being closer to the target causes more damage while being less accurate as they move away. Conquistadors are best used in large controllable groups ranging from 20-30 for hit-and-run tactics and included in Knight formations where the Knights soak up incoming attacks from Archers as well as hit the target after the Conquistadors have softened it up. The main threats to Conquistadors are Cavalry contingents and Halberdiers, provided the Halberdiers can catch them. Groups of Eagle Warriors are also capable to taking out Conquistadors. Missionary - Being mounted, Missionaries are capable of keeping up with Cavalry to convert and are better at escaping from pitched battles. However, their shorter range of 7 (Monks 9) and inability to pick up relics make them less useful in the earlier stages of the game while in the endgame, Missionaries are more valuable, seeing as the relics are already picked up an no longer an objective. Tips: 'Builders work 30% faster' Except for Wonders, where the bonus is reduced to 20% (same effect as Treadmill Crane): you won't get any bonuses by taking Spanish over Vikings for example in a Wonder Race. 'Cannon Galleons benefit from Ballistics (fire faster, more accurately)' Actually they get the Ballistics effects even when Ballistics is not researched. 'Hand Cannoneers and Bombard Cannons fire 15% faster' Actually all the AoE rate of fires are calculated using an 'attack reloading time' thing. Setting this value to 0.85 means that the Spanish Hand Cannoneers and Bombard Cannons fire 1/(1*0.85) = 1.176 17.6% faster. With that being said, it is worth noting that their Conquistadors got a low rate of fire 'built-in', which means that their Conquistadors fire only a hair slower than their Hand Cannoneers (2.90 vs 2.85). Missionaries heal two times slower than Monks.

Slavs

Special Civilisation Bonuses:

Farmers work 15% faster

Siege Weapons 15% cheaper

Tracking free

Team Bonus: Military buildings provide +5 population Unique Techs:

Orthodoxy: Monks extra armor

Druzhina: Infantry damage adjacent units

Unique Unit: Boyar: Heavy Cavalry with High Armor. Another simple unit, the Boyar is like a beefed up Paladin with a high attack damage, HP and armor count. The best option for using such a heavily armed and armored unit would be against gunpowder units and archers. Pikemen are a viable counter for the Boyar, but it will require a significant amount of them to take down even a group of 10 Boyars. A more potentially successful option would be to use Camels or the Italian's Genoese Crossbowman. Aside from that, pray they end you soon. Tips: 'Farmers work 15% faster' It's only theoretical, in practise your farmers will collect for a same time around ~7% more food compared to an other civ with identical economical/farm upgrades, depending on your farm layout. Druzhina Imperial Age unique technology is very poweful from small skirmishes to mass melee battles, as the splash damage actually does 5 bonus damage to all adjacent units (like Cataphracts with Logistica), making Slav Champions the best in the game, even winning against Japanese ones in mass battles. Though, remember than Goth Champs are still the best cost-effectively in the game: for 52 Slav Champs you get exactly 80 Goth Champs, which is largely enough to finish off all the Slav ones, even with the lack of Plate Mail Armor; finally, Celt (+4.5% speed) and Viking (+20% HP) Champs are still the best against foot archers.

Teutons

Special Civilisation Bonuses:

Monks have x2 Heal Range

Towers garrison x2 more units

Murder Holes Tech free

Farms cost -33%

Town Centers garrison +10

Team Bonus: Units resist conversion Unique Tech: Crenellations - (+3 range for Castles: garrisoned infantry fire arrows) Unique Unit: Teutonic Knight (Slow yet strong Infantry) Teutonic Knights are the most powerful Infantry Unit in the game and are tough enough to defeat every melee unit in the game with the exception of the Persians' War Elephant and the Byzantines' Cataphract. With all upgrades from the Blacksmith, an Elite Teutonic Knight boats 100 HP, 21 Attack, 13 Armour, and 6 Pierce Armour, making them difficult to defeat. However, they are at a disadvantage against Monks, Archers and Mangonels due to their lack of speed. They're also vulnerable to double teaming from Infantry who attack quickly, namely the Japanese Samurai, and the Celt's Woad Raider. This can be negated by increasing the number of Teutonic Knights travelling in the contingent. Tips: Towers X2 capacity doesn't mean X2 max arrows: the maximum number of arrows jumps only from 5 to 9. 'Town Centers +2 attack' It has always been +1 attack and it can be verfied in game data or by testing. Note that in AoF this bonus has been replaced by Town Centers can garrison +10 units and fire +5 arrows. 'Monk healing range 2X' Don't ask me why but in practise it don't seem to work all the times. (Works fine in AoF) AoF: Ironclad gives 4 melee armor to all Siege Weapons. Fun fact: Garrisoning at least 9 Hand Cannoneers/7 Elite Janissaries make a Teutonic Bombard Tower fire 2 bullets at the same time; go up to 10 Elite Janissaries and it will fire 3 bullets in unison! (Though it's useless as Bombard Towers don't do splash damage anyway)

Turks

Special Civilisation Bonuses:

Gunpowder units have +25% HP

Gunpowder techs cost -50%

Chemistry tech free

Gold miners work 20% faster

Light Cavalry and Hussar upgrade free

Team Bonus: Gunpowder Units created 20% faster Unique Tech: Artillery - (+2 Range for Bombard Towers, Bombard Cannons, and Cannon Galleons) Unique Unit: Janissary (Hand Cannoneer w/ Increased Range). Janissaries are similar to play style as Hand Cannoneers but possess superior stats. Although fragile, Janissaries have devastating attack and in groups can fire a crippling volley capable of killing or severely slowing down an advancing enemy. The Janissary is capable of killing almost all units, but are vulnerable to Cavalry due to their speed and ability to close the distance between them quickly. Up close, Janissaries can be defeated easily because of their low HP. A single shot from one Mangonel is capable of devastating a Janissary contingent.

Tatars

Special Civilisation Bonuses:

Herdables contain +50% food.

Units do +50% damage when attacking from higher elevations (instead of +25%).

Parthian Tactics are free.

Team Bonus: Foot Archers +2 LOS Unique Techs:

Silk Armour: Scout Cavalry line and Cavalry Archers +1 pierce armor.

Timurid Siegecraft: Trebuchets +1 range.

Unique Unit: Magyar Huszar - With a high attack and a bonus against siege weapons, the Magyar Huszar is an ideal unit for countering siege units. The best way for using them would be in blocks of 10-20, depending on if Pikemen accompany the advancing siege equipment. Being a Cavalry unit, the Huszar is obviously vulnerable to masses of Pikemen. Bringing infantry along to protect the Huszars is a wise plan. Tips: The Keshik's ability to generate gold from raiding parties is a very useful skills, esp in the early/mid game, but is heavily handicapped by the 80 gold you will need to make one. You will NEVER get your monies worth from their ability alone. I suspect this unit was heavily play tested and found to be incredibly OP, so more testing is going to have to be done to figure out how to optimally utilise the Keshik. For scale, 10 Keshik's generated 59 Gold before death, verses 3 Elite War Elephants. Post imperial, the Huszar's extra amour is very useful and is potentially game winning if fielded properly. The lack of Halberdier, Champion, and their armour upgrades also hurts a little.

Vikings

Special Civilisation Bonuses:

Warships cost -15% Feudal Age, -15% Castle Age, -20% Imperial Age

Infantry +10% HP Feudal Age, +15% Castle Age, +20% Imperial Age

Wheelbarrow, Hand Cart techs free

Team Bonus: Docks cost -15% Unique Tech: Berserkergang - Berserk's regenerate faster Unique Unit: Berserker - The Berzerker is the only unit in the game besides Heroes that can regenerate over time. This ability allows them to survive longer in combat and make them effective in pitched battles. They're also effective against enemy buildings and Cavalry, but are vulnerable to Archers and Siege Weapons like Scorpions and Mangonels. Longboat - Like the Chinese Chu Ko Nu, the Longboat is capable of firing multiple arrows with each attack and can defeat war galleys in 1v1 combat. Longboats are best used in large numbers against multiple enemy vessels and are effective at shore bombardment against infantry. Mangonels and Demolition Ships are the prime deterrents when engaging Longboats. Tips: AoF: Chieftains gives +4 attack against Cavalry. Berserkergang makes Berserkers self-healing 2X faster - 1 HP per 1.5 s instead of 1 HP per 3 s -. Longboats are created in 25s: 11s faster than War Galleys/Galleons. Longboats fire a set of four arrows, the first one doing full damage, the three others doing only 1 attack. They are also the only War Ship to get a specific +4 bonus against...Rams.

Vietnamese

Special Civilisation Bonuses

Aoe2 Definitive Edition Tech Tree

Reveals enemy positions at game start.

Archery Range Units have +10% HP in Feudal Age, +15% in Castle, and +20% in Imperial (does not stack).

Free Conscription.

Team Bonus: Have access to Imperial Skirmisher Upgrade Unique Techs

Chatras (Castle Age): Battle Elephants get +30 HP

Paper Money (Imperial Age): Tributes 500 gold to each ally

Unique Units Rattan Archer: Archer with high pierce armor. When I did testing for the Rattan Archer, (Eds note: This is Bulwark's/Hardfoils' analysis, not mine) I wasn't really going in expecting anything impressive. I primarily thought that they'd be an anti archer unit due to their higher than average pierce armour. However, after sending in contingents numbering 25 cavaliers and 25 champions only to see them both shattered, I started to believe that the Rattan Archer had no real weakness aside from the obvious ones of skirmishers and huskarls. As it turns out, skirmishers weren't very effective against the Rattan Archer. Thus, I'd recommend countering with high numbers of units with high pierce armour or Mangonels. Other than that, defensive buildings like castles or garrisoned towers are a reasonable defence. Tips The Rattan Archer's massive pierce armour makes farming kills quite easy against archer Civs. They will need help to get their raze on the other hand. Help your teammates to defend while they set for you. If facing Britons or Mayans apply pressure to them and try not to let them raze, as they only need a single one as well. If everything went correctly you should reach imperial age soon. Once there, start making arbalests if the enemy makes cavalry, but switch to imperial skirmishers if there are many enemy archers on the field. You wont have many other choices, but the +20% HP bonus for the units created in archery range can compensate for this. Your melee units are nothing special. Although your cavaliers cannot be fully upgraded, they will still give you some protection against rams. Recommended for You:

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