FIELD GUIDEAGE OF EMPIRES IIBrowse entries ↗
01 — DARK AGE✦02 — FEUDAL AGE✦03 — CASTLE AGE✦04 — IMPERIAL AGE

THE ENCYCLOPEDIA

Bonus damage

GUIDES, MAPS & GAME SYSTEMS · AGE OF EMPIRES II ONLY

GUIDE · COMBAT MECHANICS

Bonus damage

Bonus damage is added when an attack meets a target armor class, making unit counters more effective than ordinary damage alone.

Attack Age of Empires II game guide artwork
Related game artwork: Attack

Overview

Bonus damage is added when an attack meets a target armor class, making unit counters more effective than ordinary damage alone.

How this system affects decisions

Combat results depend on more than the printed attack number. Compare the attacker’s damage with the target’s armor and armor class, then account for range, reload, accuracy, and any class-specific bonus; a counter bonus is separate from a unit’s ordinary attack. This is why the same unit can trade well into one target and poorly into another.

How to use this reference

Bonus damage is added when an attack meets a target armor class, making unit counters more effective than ordinary damage alone. Bonus attacks use the target’s armor class and are added separately from ordinary attack damage. Check the target’s listed classes before comparing units: one unit may belong to several classes and receive more than one bonus.

Focus
Combat mechanics
Signature / category
How it works
Release / context
Age of Empires II system
Region
Combat mechanics
Classification
Game systems
Ⅱ

ABOUT THIS FIELD GUIDE

Built for the next question.

A growing English-language encyclopedia for Age of Empires II. Browse civilizations, stories, armies, architecture, research, editions, and strategic systems.