Jurchens

[ AOE2 CIVILIZATION ]

Jurchens

Heavy cavalry plus oversized Scorpions — a pocket civ with a unique siege-line twist.

Tier B cavalry heavy cavalry siege scorpion

[ IDENTIDAD ]

The Jurchens are a cavalry + siege civilization. Their UU, the Iron Pagoda, is a heavy mounted lancer with very high armor — effectively a cavalry-line unit that serves where other civs would use paladin mass. Their second UU (Castle Age, Aobing) is a dismounted heavy infantry option that shows up rarely. The civ's most distinctive economic/military wrinkle is the Scorpion line: Jurchen Scorpions gain bonus damage (and the civ reaches Heavy Scorpion), making the Scorpion a legitimate primary siege unit — not the fallback it is for almost every other civ. Combine Iron Pagoda + Heavy Scorpion and you get an unusual composition: tanky cavalry screen in front, range-18 bolt-thrower spam behind. They lack full Paladin (stop at Cavalier) and Champion (stop at Two-Handed Swordsman), so their Imperial identity is Iron Pagoda + Heavy Scorpion + Hussar. They have Bloodlines and Husbandry and a competent stable, so knight rush is viable but Iron Pagoda timing — when the UU arrives from castles — is the true power spike.

Datos clave

Mejor mapa
Arabia and Nomad (open-ground cavalry scaling)
Peor mapa
Team Islands / pure water maps (no naval identity)
Estrategia firma
Knight rush → Iron Pagoda castle drop → Heavy Scorpion Imperial
Pro icon
[VERIFY — several pros have sampled Jurchens since Nov 2024; no single flag-bearer yet]

⚡ Civ bonuses

Team bonus

Cavalry units regenerate HP slowly while out of combat.

Unique bonus #1

Scorpions (regular + Heavy Scorpion) gain bonus attack vs archer-line units.

Scorpions become a primary counter to archer masses, not just a building-clearer. Combined with Heavy Scorpion availability (rare), Scorpion is a main-line unit for Jurchens.

Unique bonus #2

Heavy cavalry (Knight line, Iron Pagoda) gain additional pierce armor.

Makes Iron Pagoda particularly resistant to archer fire; Cavalier tank more volleys before falling.

Unique bonus #3

Stable cavalry upgrades (Bloodlines, Husbandry, blacksmith armor/attack) are cheaper or researched faster.

Smoother progression through the Knight tree into Iron Pagoda + Cavalier.

Unique bonus #4

Villagers carry +2 wood and +2 stone (or similar resource capacity bonus on wood/stone).

Accelerates castle and siege workshop placement, compounding with the civ's Scorpion/castle orientation.

⚠️ Key tech the civ DOES NOT have
  • · PaladinStops at Cavalier — the Iron Pagoda is the late-game cavalry unit, not a paladin. A civ-defining omission.
  • · ChampionStops at Two-Handed Swordsman — infantry is a supplementary line, never a main one.
  • · ArbalestStops at Crossbowman — Foot archer is a secondary option; no late-game archer line.
  • · Siege Onager[VERIFY] — likely stops at Onager; Jurchens rely on Heavy Scorpion instead of Siege Onager for AoE clearing.
  • · Bombard Cannon[VERIFY] — if missing, Imperial push vs walls must rely on Heavy Scorpion + Trebuchet.
  • · Elite Cannon Galleon / Fast Fire ShipWater tree is limited. Jurchens are a land civ.
  • · Redemption / Block Printing[VERIFY] — monastery likely limited; conversion wars weak.
🛡️ Unique unit · Castle Age

Pagoda de Hierro

heavy mounted lancer with exceptional armor; serves the paladin-role for Jurchens

  • · Tank archer civ volleys where a normal knight would fold
  • · Front-line for Heavy Scorpion push — Pagoda soaks, Scorpion erases
  • · Castle Age power spike at ~22-25min (one castle producing)
🛡️ Unique unit · Castle Age

Aobing

heavy dismounted infantry with niche uses; second unique unit

  • · Fills the missing-Champion gap when infantry is needed
  • · Niche pick in matchups where Halberdier + Two-Handed is insufficient
  • · Rarely seen in 1v1 pro; occasional team-game anti-meta choice
⚗️ Unique tech · Castle Age

[VERIFY]

[VERIFY — Castle Age UT for Jurchens has been reported as either a Scorpion accuracy buff or a cavalry-line eco discount. Current patch requires confirmation.]

When: [VERIFY]

⚗️ Unique tech · Imperial Age

[VERIFY]

[VERIFY] — Imperial UT is reported to enhance either the Iron Pagoda (additional armor or attack) or Heavy Scorpion (projectile speed, area damage). Confirmation required for the exact effect in patch 169123.

When: [VERIFY]

🎯 Recommended build order

Castle Drop Iron Pagoda + Scorpion Transition

Bracket 1300-1600

Decide castle placement based on scouting: forward if opponent is booming, defensive if opponent is aggressing.

Alternativa

Scorpion-Forward Castle AgeOpponent scouted as archer civ (Mayans, Britons, Ethiopians, Vietnamese)

❌ Common mistakes playing Jurchens

  • Not building a castle → no Iron Pagoda

    Iron Pagoda is the civ's defining unit. Without a castle, you play a worse generic cavalry civ.

    fix:Always build a castle by 24-26min. Mine stone during Feudal Age.

    Trying to commit to Scorpion at this bracket

    Scorpion micro is hard; at low ELO the unit dies before trading well.

    fix:Stick to Knight + Iron Pagoda at 0-1000. Add Scorpion only when comfortable.

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⚔️ Which civ will you face?

Jurchens vs Britons

favored

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🛡️ Cuidado con estas unidades

Halberdier (any civ) HIGH

Anti-cavalry specialist; counters Iron Pagoda mass.

Heavy Camel / Imperial Camel HIGH

Bonus damage vs cavalry; Jurchens have limited camel to mirror.

Leitis (Lithuanians) HIGH

Ignores armor — nullifies Iron Pagoda's main strength.

Kamayuk (Incas) HIGH

Anti-cavalry specialty + speed; Iron Pagoda dies to it.

Siege Onager (Celts, Ethiopians, Mongols, Khmer) HIGH

AoE damage on clumped Scorpion + Iron Pagoda; Jurchens lack own Siege Onager.

Hussite Wagon (Bohemians) MEDIUM-HIGH

Tanks Scorpion + Iron Pagoda; protects gunpowder behind it.

🗺️ Performance por mapa

arabia
B

Jurchens on Arabia are a B-tier pick — viable but not optimal. Iron Pagoda timin…

runestones
B

Similar to Arabia — open-map cavalry identity translates, but Runestones' stone …

arena
C

Arena is a weaker map for Jurchens. Walls neutralize knight pressure, and the FC…

nomad
B

No specific Nomad bonus (no pre-TC resource advantage), so scrappy early game. O…

black forest
B

Trash + Iron Pagoda wall-break works, but lack of Paladin and Siege Onager hurts…

fortress
B

Pre-walled base suits a cavalry commit. Castle drop outside walls for Iron Pagod…

hideout
B

Partial walls + boom favors the Iron Pagoda-from-castle plan. B-tier behind dedi…

four lakes
C

Mixed water/land — water weakness hurts; land side intact.

team islands
D

Avoid. No naval identity; pick another civ if given the chance.

islands
D

Avoid.

migration
D

Transport phase is brutal; land game comes online too late.

mediterranean
C

Water split; land bonus intact but water is given up.

megarandom
B-

Variance favors less specialized civs; Jurchen siege-cav identity needs specific…

socotra
B

Hybrid; Jurchen land game reasonable, cede water to opponent.

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