[ AOE2 CIVILIZATION ]
Byzantines
The defensive all-rounder — full tech tree plus -25% on counter-units, built for Imperial trash wars and Arena turtle-and-scale.
[ IDENTIDAD ]
Byzantines are the canonical defensive all-rounder. Their headline bonus is -25% cost on Pikemen (Spearman line), Skirmishers (both tiers), and Camel Riders. This turns the standard "counter-unit trio" into an Imperial trash-war powerhouse: mass Halberdier vs cavalry, mass Elite Skirmisher vs archers, mass Heavy Camel vs cavalry archers and paladins. Imperial Age ("last age") research is also 33% cheaper — a unique bonus that makes the final-tier trash upgrades (Halberdier, Elite Skirm, Heavy Camel) affordable on a depleted-gold economy. Buildings have +10% HP starting Dark Age, scaling to +20% in Feudal, +30% in Castle, +40% in Imperial (the iconic "walls of Constantinople" effect), making siege pushes against a Byzantine base notoriously expensive. Fire Ships get +25% attack (critical on water pre-Naval Overhaul; partially neutralized post-169123 by Hulk-line counters). The Cataphract is a heavy cavalry UU with bonus vs infantry (the "anti-infantry knight"), and Logistica (Imperial UT) adds trample damage. Byzantines LACK almost nothing meaningful — they have full Paladin, full Arbalest (without Thumb Ring), full Halberdier, full gunpowder (BBC + HCC), full monastery, full siege with Siege Ram + Bombard Cannon (but no Siege Onager, no Heavy Scorpion), full trash units. Their weakness is bonus-less aggression: no eco bonus, no military production bonus, no early military boost. They arrive at each age on time, not early. The ladder tells the resulting story: 2.61% pick rate (top-10 popular) but 46.98% win rate (bottom-5 win rate) on 1v1 Arabia, per aoestats Q1-2026. Byzantines are a civ for players who want their civ to function in Imperial and are willing to pay for that in Feudal/Castle weakness.
Datos clave
⚡ Civ bonuses
Monks heal 50% faster.
Pikemen, Skirmishers, and Camel Riders cost -25%.
This is the defining identity bonus. Pikeman: 25f 25w → ~19f 19w. Elite Skirm: 25f 35w → ~19f 26w. Heavy Camel: 55f 60g → ~41f 45g. Opponent's main unit (Knight/Archer/Cav Archer) is answered by Byzantine counter-unit at a 25% gold-and-food discount. Across a game this compounds into a 20-30% economic edge in trash wars.
Buildings have +10% HP in Dark Age, +20% Feudal, +30% Castle, +40% Imperial.
A standard TC has 2400 HP; a Byzantine Imperial TC has 3360 HP. A castle at 4800 HP becomes 6720 HP. Walls, towers, and houses all tank more siege before falling. This is the literal "Walls of Constantinople" bonus — Byzantines are notoriously hard to push.
Imperial Age (last age) research costs 33% less.
Imperial click is 800 food + 200 gold for Byzantines vs 1000f + 800g standard. That saves 200 food + 600 gold — effectively a free Castle or 8-10 free villager seconds worth of timing.
Fire Ships fire +25% faster (attack bonus; actual wording may be +20% in some sources).
Byzantine Fire Ships have historically been the best in the game, particularly pre-Naval Overhaul. Post-169123, the Hulk-line counters Fire Ships, so the bonus is less dominant but still meaningful.
Town Watch is free (researched automatically at Feudal or Dark Age).
Saves 75 food and ~25 research seconds; grants +4 LOS on buildings from the start. Minor but meaningful for scouting information and defensive positioning.
- · Thumb Ring — Byzantines lack Thumb Ring — their Arbalester has 85% accuracy and slower fire rate. Arbalest plays are not viable as a main line; Byzantines use archers as support only.
- · Siege Onager — Byzantines stop at Onager — no Siege Onager. Late-game AoE siege is limited vs massed units. Mitigated by BBC and Heavy Camel/ Cataphract positioning.
- · Heavy Scorpion — Stop at Scorpion — limits late-game positional siege options.
- · Bloodlines — [VERIFY] — Byzantines historically lack Bloodlines. Without it, Cataphracts and Knights/Paladins are 20 HP short of the full-bonus competition. Cataphract still wins many mirrors due to UU profile, but the Paladin mirror underperforms.
- · Sappers — [VERIFY] — Byzantines believed to lack Sappers; limits late-game villager-assisted building demolition.
- · Herbal Medicine — [VERIFY — believe Byzantines HAVE Herbal Medicine; confirm.]
- · Supplies — [VERIFY — believe Byzantines HAVE Supplies; most base civs do.]
Catafracto
heavy anti-infantry cavalry (castle unique unit)
- · Hard counter to infantry masses — bonus damage vs infantry line dismantles Goth/Aztec/Viking infantry pushes
- · Anti-unique-unit menace: Jaguar Warriors, Samurai, Teutonic Knights, Huskarls all melt
- · Imperial composition with Logistica: splash damage on infantry clumps + high HP = unkillable anvil
Fuego Griego
Fire Ships gain +1 range (from 5 to 6).
When: Castle Age on water maps as soon as Fire Ship production begins.
Logística
Cataphracts gain trample damage (splash vs adjacent units) and additional attack bonus vs infantry. [VERIFY exact numbers — commonly listed as +6 attack vs infantry + trample effect]
When: Imperial Age, after the first Cataphract batch is in production and Elite Cataphract upgrade is researched or imminent. Prioritize if facing infantry-heavy opponents (Goths, Aztecs, Japanese, Vikings).
🎯 Recommended build order
Map-Dependent Flex
Bracket 1300-1600On Arabia: Scouts or Archers feudal with tight walling + Pike+Skirm response, Castle Age Knight+Xbow, Imperial counter-army. On Arena: FC + 2TC boom + Cataphract + Logistica Imperial push.
Alternativa
Anti-Meta Cheap Imperial Rush — Arena; opponent booms to standard Imperial
❌ Common mistakes playing Byzantines
-
▸
Turtling too early expecting the defensive bonus to carry
Byzantines have no early defensive bonus worth leaning on. Turtling while opponent booms means you fall behind eco and never reach your Imperial trash-war identity.
fix:Play standard Scouts or Archers feudal; wall only when under attack; focus on eco + second TC by 17-18min.
▸Massing Cataphracts in Castle Age
Cataphract is gold-heavy and slow to produce. Without Logistica (Imperial tech), Cataphract is just an expensive Knight. Castle-age Cataphract mass drains gold and loses to equivalent Knight production.
fix:Produce Knights in Castle Age (accept no Bloodlines); save Cataphract for Imperial when Logistica is available.
Want to know which ones YOU made in your last match?
📲 Send your replay, I'll tell you💬 This is how wolo.gg coaches you
Tu Byzantines en Arena (walled boom + counter-unit scaling) · Open with standard Scouts or Archers (map-dependent); transition to Knight + Xbow + Halb m...
✅ Buen scout en min 3 — vista temprana del rival
⚠️ Not using the 33% cheap Imperial click
→ Aim for Imperial at 28-30min; let the cheap research pay your tempo.
❌ Producing crossbows without Thumb Ring (because Byzantines lack it)
Next match: Open with standard Scouts or Archers (map-dependent); transition to Knight + Xbow + Halb mix in Castle Age; plan Imperial around the opponent's main unit. If they go Paladin, mass Camel; if they go Arbalest, mass Skirm; if they go infantry, mass Cataphract + Logistica. The civ rewards reading the opponent.
This lands on your WhatsApp after every match
📲 Mandar mi rec ahora⚡ Pregame brief — antes que termine el countdown
As soon as we detect you started a ranked match, a strategic brief lands on you in ~10 segundos. We tell you who your rival is, what they usually do on that map,and what to adapt in your Byzantines build order.
Free. Doesn't cost credits. You get it as long as you have the app running.
Activar pregame briefs →Your rival picked Aztecs.
Defensive wall-and-Pike; exploit cheap Camel in Castle Age; Imperial trash war.
⚔️ Which civ will you face?
Byzantines vs Aztecs
favoredFavored on open map — Aztec no-cavalry hurt; Cataphract anti-infantry shines.
Want a specific plan for THAT match?
📲 Pedile un plan a wolo.gg vs Aztecs🛡️ Cuidado con estas unidades
AoE damage on clumped Byzantine counter-army; Byzantines lack Siege Onager mirror.
Byzantine archers lack Thumb Ring; CA mass kites and wins archer mirror.
Byzantines have no Feudal bonus; opposing cav arrives before Cheap Camel mass scales.
Byzantines lack Siege Onager counter-siege; BBC + HCC out-ranges Byzantine army.
Byzantine army value is high (Cataphract + Elite Skirm); conversion losses hurt.
🗺️ Performance por mapa
Byzantines are bottom-5 WR on Arabia per aoestats Q1-2026. The civ has no early-…
Byzantines are A-tier on Arena per community consensus and the tier_list.yaml pl…
Byzantines are D-tier on Nomad per tier_list.yaml. Defensive civ identity requir…
Reasonable on BF — walls + counter-units + Imperial scaling fit the defensive ma…
Defensive civ on defensive map; solid but not top. Same logic as BF.
Walls + boom favor the civ; Imperial trash war strong; still below S-tier boom c…
Hybrid with fire-ship usage; post-Naval Overhaul less decisive. Land side is sta…
Fire Ship bonus (+25% attack) + Greek Fire (+1 range) + team bonus (Monks heal +…
Fire Ship civ; same logic as team_islands. Pre-Naval Overhaul S-tier; post-patch…
Migration phase favors faster early-eco civs; Byzantines stabilize but arrive la…
Hybrid water map favoring Fire Ship civ + defensive land. Solid, not elite.
Variance punishes civs that depend on reaching a specific tech window. Byzantine…
Open map like Arabia; same early-game weakness applies.
Hybrid; Fire Ship + counter-units solid.
[ START CLIMBING ELO ]
Send your Byzantines replay.
We tell you what to change next match.
Each AI analysis = 1 credit. We give you 2 for free when you sign up.No subscription, credits never expire.