Paladin

Overview

The final standard Knight-line upgrade, bringing high durability and melee power.

Availability and investment

Paladin becomes available in Imperial Age. Its listed production context is Stable. The listed cost is 60 Food, 75 Gold and the training time is 30 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: Knight → Cavalier → Paladin

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.

• Melee attack: 14
• Hit points: 160
• Melee armor: 2
• Pierce armor: 3
• Line of sight: 5
• Reload time: 1.9 seconds
• Movement speed: 1.35

Field use

Use its mobility to choose the engagement: pressure exposed economy, reinforce quickly, or withdraw from a prepared counter. Avoid trading its movement advantage for a stationary fight unless the target justifies it.

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: Cavalry

Related unit plan: Paladin decisive-charge plan

Paladin: Paladins can deliver a powerful mobile strike when a large force is ready, but their food and gold cost makes each engagement consequential. Use them to break a weak flank or reach a key objective, not as disposable scouts Build the upgrade and supporting economy around a clear timing, then attack in a group with enough numbers to overwhelm the target before reinforcements arrive. Use Paladins to raid exposed economy or cover siege, and pull them back when the opponent gathers a counter force Halberdiers and Heavy Camel Riders trade favorably against Paladins, while Monks threaten the expensive units through conversion. Do not judge a fight only by the number of enemy units killed; preserve the force when the exchange costs too much gold