Onager

Overview

An upgraded mangonel with heavier projectiles and wider battlefield impact.

Availability and investment

Onager becomes available in Imperial Age. Its listed production context is Siege Workshop. The listed cost is 160 Wood, 135 Gold and the training time is 46 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: Mangonel → Onager → Siege Onager

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.

• Attack: 55
• Hit points: 60
• Melee armor: 0
• Pierce armor: 8
• Range: 8
• Line of sight: 10
• Reload time: 6 seconds
• Movement speed: 0.6
• Accuracy: 100%

Field use

Protect the siege engine while it closes on its target. Its value comes from creating pressure against structures or clustered forces, so give it an escort and a clear objective instead of sending it forward alone.

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: Siege weapon
• Onager deals +12 bonus damage to units in the Siege weapon class
• Onager deals +45 bonus damage to units in the All Buildings class
• Onager deals +50 bonus damage to units in the Heavy siege class

Related unit plan: Onager escort and ground-fire plan

Onager: Onagers can devastate grouped Archers and slow-moving units, but they are vulnerable to melee units and can damage their own army if shots are careless. They need both an escort and an attentive operator Advance behind Halberdiers or another screen and wait until enemy ranged units group in a firing lane. Use ground targeting only when you can predict their movement, and keep friendly melee units clear of the impact area. Retreat the Onager as soon as cavalry begins to close A missed shot can damage allied units, while a melee dive can destroy the Onager quickly. Do not leave it unattended or push beyond the screen’s ability to protect its retreat