The Mayans

Maximizing Strengths and Minimizing Weaknesses

The Mayans are an interesting civilization in AoE2. While they have no Cavalry and no Chemistry units, they have excellent Archers, very good Infantry, and despite the lack of Cannon Galleons and Elite Cannon Galleons and no standard warship past war galley, a very good Navy. Mayan Archers are cheaper than any other civilization's Archers, and they have access to important technologies like the Fletching and Leather Archer Armor lines at the Blacksmith. The cheapness of these Archers is one of the most useful attributes of any civilization. With only a trivial amount of resources, you can produce very large numbers of powerful ranged units. In the Imperial Age, an Arbalest costs a mere 19 Wood and 23 Gold, and the Mayan's special unit, the Plumed Archer, is the cheapest of any in the game, at 35 Wood and 35 Gold. The Mayans are also excellent Stone miners, allowing them to gather enough Stone to create multiple Castles and pour out many of these units. The Mayans don't skimp on Infantry either, as one of only two civilizations with access to Eagle Warriors and Elite Eagle Warriors. The Mayan's Eagle Warriors have superior hit points to those of the Aztecs, however, because their special technology, El Dorado, raises the HP of their Eagle Warriors by 40, giving the Mayan's Elite Eagle Warriors a grand total of 100 HP, not a number to be scoffed at, for an Infantry unit, at the very least. The only other Infantry unit in the game with hit points that high is the Elite Teutonic Knight. This high HP, along with high speed and a wide line of sight, make the Mayan Eagle Warrior an excellent "hit and run" unit, and very good at chasing down and taking out groups of retreating units. They also have very good armor, a fair amount of attack points, a bonus attack against Monks, Cavalry, and Siege Weapons, and are more resistant to conversion than other units. The Mayans also have access to all Blacksmith technology (other, of course, than the Scale Barding Armor line), and although they do NOT get Champions, the only civilization other than the Persians and Huns that doesn't, the Eagle Warriors more then make up for this deficiency, and they still get the full Spearman line. Another boon is that in team play, Mayan Walls cost only 50% their normal resources, meaning that you can construct a Palisade Wall for 1 Wood, and a Stone Wall for just 3 Stone. This may not seem like much, but it can save a lot of resources in the long run. Overall, the Mayans have a good variety of units at their disposal, but the things they lack can make them difficult to play in certain situations.

How Changes Through the Ages Effect Tactics

Despite the fact that they have no Chemistry or Cavalry units - considered by most to be two of the most important types of unit - the Mayans can definitely hold their own in battle. Because of their reduced cost and increased strength for many units and buildings, they can use even a meager amount of resources to field large armies and towns. Since their Monks are quite powerful as well, don't leave them out of your armies for healing purposes. Their numerous and impressive strengths more then make up for their seemingly huge weaknesses.

Dark Age

The Mayans start with an additional villager, bringing their starting total to four, so as soon as you start the game have two build a Mill, two build a Barracks (which you will need later for your Eagle Warriors) and then research Loom at your Town Center. Send your Eagle Warrior scout out to find the enemy territory, and more importantly, resources. Focus on Wood and Gold to pay for the Archers that you will be producing in the next age. As soon as you've finished Loom, and your two Dark Age buildings, advance to the Feudal Age. Remember, Archers are your strength, so you want to get to the age where you get them as soon as possible.

Feudal Age

The instant you reach this age, build an Archery Range or two and start making Archers and a few Skirmishers. Also make an additional Eagle Warrior or two, and send them out to scout as well. Make between 16-21 new villagers, and send most of them to gather more resources. Send a few of your Villagers to build a Blacksmith, and research Fletching and Leather Archer Armor. Don't forget Town Watch and Wheelbarrow at the Town Center either. If you've located your opponent, bring a few Villagers to build Outposts around the perimeter of their town, and Watch Towers near any resources near the outside of their town. Send some of your Archers to take out their Villagers and military production buildings. Once you have enough resources, advance to the next age.

Castle Age      

Build a Castle ASAP. Research Bodkin Arrow and Padded Archer Armor at the Blacksmith. Continue gathering resources, but start gathering more Food and less Stone. Start making Plumed Archers once your Castle is finished, and upgrade your Archers to Crossbowmen. Build a University, and upgrade your Watch Towers to Guard Towers. You need to get as much of a technological advantage over your opponent as possible, because this is when the Mayan's key weaknesses start to show, for example, their complete lack of heavy Cavalry (or any other Cavalry, for that matter). Because of this, you must accentuate your strengths as much as you can, lest your opponent gain the upper hand. This age would be a good one to start serious raids on your opponent in (i.e., include siege equipment).

Imperial Age

Now is when the going gets REALLY rough. Although you have some of the most powerful (and cheapest) Archers in the game, and an Infantry to be reckoned with, your opponent also likely has a number of strengths over you, such as Chemistry units, powerful Cavalry, and some important technologies. Research as many Infantry and Archer upgrades as you can. Build up a massive army consisting of Elite Plumed Archers, Arbalests, Elite Skirmishers, Elite Eagle Warriors, Onagers, Monks, and Trebuchets. Your cheap walls would make this an excellent time to build some around your city, especially if your opponent is a siege-heavy civilization, such as the Mongols or Saracens. On the inside of the wall, build Keeps and Outposts to warn you of an impending attack by your opponent. Use your Archers as a raiding force against your opponent's villages, but be sure to bring along some Monks to heal damaged units. Your Plumed Archers are very fast moving, so you can use them with Eagle Warriors to chase down retreating forces. When you see an attack coming, take advantage of your Eagle Warrior's bonus attack against Siege Weapons by sending them out to take down Trebuchets, Rams, and Onagers within your enemy’s ranks. Although defensive tactics are important, don't let up on the offense either: create not one, but two armies, keep one at home for defense, and send one to raze the opposition's town. If you keep up on the resource collection, remember to keep your own city protected, and never let up on the offensive (in other words, if you are totally relentless) victory is all but assured.

Unique Unit Tactics: Plumed Archer

The Plumed Archer is a very interesting unit: It combines the main strengths of Cavalry, Infantry, and, of course, Archers, all into one special unit. It's fast moving, and has good HP and armor, but its range and attack power is slightly sub-par to that of most other Archer units. You should try to add some other Archer types to your Plumed Archer formations, so as to balance your attack power and range. Plumed Archers also work nicely with Eagle Warriors. Their increased HP and armor give Monks more of a chance to heal them, so include some of those, too. If you scatter small groups of Archers with one or two Monks in strategic areas, you’ll be able to keep your opponent off guard while you build a larger force for a full-out assault with.