Fire Ship

Overview

An upgraded fire vessel for close combat against opposing fleets.

Availability and investment

Fire Ship becomes available in Castle Age. Its listed production context is Dock. The listed cost is 75 Wood, 45 Gold and the training time is 27 seconds. This tells you when it can first join an army and which resources must be reserved alongside Villager production, upgrades, and other military lines.

• Upgrade path: Fire Galley → Fire Ship → Fast Fire Ship

Combat profile

The available combat values are included here so the numbers can be read as a profile rather than an isolated list. Hit points and armor describe how long the unit can remain exposed; attack and any bonus damage describe what it threatens; range, reload, accuracy, and movement describe how reliably it can engage or disengage. A value shown for a whole upgrade line applies to the listed stages as recorded, so compare the stage names instead of treating the line as one base unit.

• Hit points: 120
• Melee armor: 2
• Pierce armor: 4
• Range: 2.5
• Line of sight: 5
• Reload time: 0.25 seconds
• Movement speed: 1.47
• Accuracy: 0%

Field use

Use the unit where water control matters: protect fishing and transport routes, contest enemy ships, or support a landing. Its impact depends on the map’s shore access and the rest of the fleet.

Armor classes and counters

Armor-class bonuses are separate from base attack and the target’s melee or pierce armor. The class list below shows the unit’s documented combat categories and bonus-damage relationships; use it to judge matchups instead of relying on the unit label alone.

• Armor class: Ship
• Armor class: Fire ship
• Fire Ship deals +2 bonus damage to units in the Capital Ships class
• Fire Ship deals +2 bonus damage to units in the All Buildings class
• Fire Ship deals +3 bonus damage to units in the Fishing Ship class

Related unit plan: Fire Ship close-water engagement

Fire Ship: Fire Ships are effective against many warships because they deliver damage quickly at close range. The War Galley upgrade improves the line and is usually important when the fleet depends on Fire Ships Use Galleys or terrain to hold the enemy fleet’s attention, then bring Fire Ships into close contact. Keep them concentrated so they can remove a target before the opponent retreats, and use them to protect transports or Fishing Ships from a direct naval push The Hulk line is a poor matchup, and Fire Ships must close to deal damage. Do not send them alone into a ranged fleet or pursue a retreat into a defended Dock