Meteor Hammer
Meteor Hammer is Chinese Heavy Cavalry available from the Fortress Age. Its recorded bonus against Artillery gives it a mounted role in reaching and pressuring enemy guns, while its hand and trample attacks support close combat.
Recorded values
- Cost
- 180 Coin
- Available
- Fortress Age
- Training
- 40 sec · 2 population · 18 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 217 hit points · 30% ranged resistance · 6.5 speed · 14 line of sight
- Hand attack
- 29 damage · 1.5 attack interval · bonuses: 1.34x vs. Artillery
- Siege attack
- 13 damage · 6 range · 3.0 attack interval
- Trample attack
- 19 damage · 2.0 attack interval · bonuses: Same as hand attack
Role, availability & values
It has 217 hit points, moves at 6.5 speed and has 30% ranged resistance. It occupies two population, costs 180 Coin and takes 40 seconds to train. Its attacks are 29 hand, 13 siege and 19 trample damage, with a 1.34× bonus against Artillery.
Matchup & timing
Use Meteor Hammers to threaten exposed artillery or exploit a flank, but protect them from anti-cavalry and concentrated ranged fire. Their artillery bonus is most useful when the army can reach the guns safely. Pair them with units that handle targets outside their specialist role.
Chinese access and statistics
The Meteor Hammer is Chinese Heavy cavalry introduced in The Asian Dynasties. It is recruited as part of the Forbidden Army or Black Flag Army rather than trained as an individual unit. The current profile lists a 180 Coin cost, a 40 second training time, 217 hit points, 30 percent ranged resistance, speed 6.5, and two population. Its 29 damage hand attack has a range of four and strikes every 1.5 seconds, allowing it to hit targets from farther away than ordinary melee cavalry. It also has a 13 damage trample attack over an area of three and a 16 siege attack. Its unusual ranged melee strike makes it effective in crowded battles where a frontline would normally block other cavalry from reaching a target.
Artillery counter and formation role
Meteor Hammers are specialists against Artillery. Their attack carries a 1.34 multiplier against artillery in the current profile, and the range-four strike can reach guns through gaps in a crowded formation. This makes them useful for protecting Chinese ranged infantry and artillery from enemy cannons. They are still Heavy cavalry and can be countered by anti-cavalry units; their 217 hit points are not enough to charge through a prepared line without support. Use the mixed army banner to field them alongside infantry that can absorb attacks, then direct Meteor Hammers around the side toward artillery. Against a compact infantry formation, the ranged melee attack may let them deal damage without fully entering the front line, but the unit remains vulnerable to focused fire.
Recruitment through banner armies
Because Meteor Hammers arrive as part of a banner army, the player chooses them through army composition rather than a dedicated Stable queue. The Forbidden Army and Black Flag Army have different combinations, so consider the full group before spending resources. A banner army has a longer commitment than training a single replacement cavalry unit and can include other troops the player may not need in the current matchup. Meteor Hammers are valuable when the enemy has artillery or when crowded fights prevent ordinary cavalry from reaching its target. If the opponent fields strong anti-cavalry infantry, use a different banner or add support that can clear those counters.
Upgrades and patch changes
Chinese age upgrades and Home City cards can improve the Meteor Hammer as part of its banner army. The current cost is 180 Coin, increased from 175 in update 14.43676, and the unit's attack range was reduced from five to four in that update. Definitive Edition changed its recruitment so that it appears in the Black Flag Army; older Asian Dynasties guides may describe the Forbidden Army route or different statistics. An earlier profile listed a 2.0 multiplier against Artillery, while a later update reduced it to 1.34. Use the current value when evaluating whether the unit can counter a gun line.
Practical use
Send Meteor Hammers when the Chinese force needs an artillery answer or a melee unit that can contribute from behind the first rank. Protect them from enemy anti-cavalry and avoid wasting their mobility on Villagers, which are not their main target. Their two population cost competes with other units in the banner, so plan army size before training. If artillery is exposed, focus the Meteor Hammers on the guns and let the rest of the army hold the infantry. If no artillery is present, their attack range can still help in crowded fights, but a different cavalry unit may be a more efficient investment.
Banner army and role selection
The Meteor Hammer is selected through a Chinese banner army, so its cost and timing are part of a group rather than a separate unit order. Review the other units included in the banner and decide whether the whole formation fits the enemy composition. If the opponent relies on artillery, the Meteor Hammer is a strong reason to choose the relevant army; if the opponent fields extensive anti-cavalry infantry, the same banner may need more support than the player can afford. Keep the Hammers behind the infantry until the guns are identified, then use their ranged melee reach to avoid congestion at the front. Their attack can pass through a narrow gap more effectively than ordinary cavalry, but they still need a route to the target.
Survivability and support
The Meteor Hammer's 217 hit points are lower than many Heavy cavalry units, and its ranged resistance does not reduce hand attacks. Keep it behind a screen while the army approaches artillery, then use its reach to attack from the side. If enemy Heavy infantry intercepts the Hammers, withdraw and let Chinese infantry or ranged units remove the counter first. The unit is at its best when it can choose a narrow approach and strike a high value target, not when it is surrounded in the center of a melee.
Population and target value
Each Meteor Hammer occupies two population, so the banner's cavalry component must be balanced against the infantry needed to guard it. Preserve the Hammers for artillery or high value targets rather than exchanging them for ordinary units. Their rapid attack interval and ranged reach can clear a gun quickly, but replacing a lost group depends on choosing another Chinese army banner.
When not to choose the banner
If the opponent fields little artillery and has a large anti-cavalry force, a Meteor Hammer banner may give too much value to a unit that cannot reach its intended targets. Choose another Chinese army composition and use infantry to protect the artillery line. The Hammers are a matchup choice, not a default cavalry mass.
Chinese heavy cavalry with a ranged hand attack
Meteor Hammers are a distinctive Chinese Heavy Cavalry unit: their attack deals hand damage but can strike from a range of four. This lets them reach targets through crowded battles where ordinary melee Cavalry might struggle to make contact. They remain a close-combat unit in damage type and should not be treated as a ranged Dragoon. Use them to engage appropriate ground targets while supporting infantry protects them from counters.
Control the approach and protect the cavalry
The Meteor Hammer’s unusual reach is most useful when the front line is dense, but ranged infantry and artillery can still punish a group that remains exposed. Keep the cavalry moving, choose a target and avoid chasing units into defensive fire. Pair them with Chinese Banner Armies or allied support that answers enemy counters, and consult the current Chinese unit upgrades for exact attack values. Their distinctive mechanic rewards careful positioning rather than automatic frontal charges.