Tatars

[ AOE2 CIVILIZATION ]

Tatars

Steppe cavalry-archer civ with a gold-regenerating Keshik and an elevation bonus that rewards map-reading.

Tier B cavalry archer steppe nomad hybrid cavalry hill terrain bonus

[ IDENTIDAD ]

Tatars are a cavalry-archer civilization with a hybrid economic twist. Their herdable and hunting bonuses accelerate the early game, their Keshik (Castle Age unique cavalry unit) regenerates gold while attacking — up to half its gold cost — which makes a Keshik mass self-funding under sustained pressure. Military units gain +25% damage when attacking from elevation, rewarding players who fight uphill in their favor. Their Trebuchets have +1 range (+2 with Timurid Siegecraft), which combines with a unique Tower bonus: Towers train Skirmishers AND Keshiks, turning defensive structures into mobile military producers. Tatars have a full cavalry archer line (with Parthian Tactics), Hussar, full camel line, and Hand Cannoneer + Bombard Cannon for gunpowder, but they stop at Cavalier (no Paladin) and Pikeman (no Halberdier). They lack eagles and elephants. The result is a B-tier open-map civ with a high skill ceiling — players who master hill positioning and Keshik gold management outperform the civ's raw statistics.

Datos clave

Mejor mapa
Arabia, Lowland, Steppe, Graveyards
Peor mapa
Arena (40.1% WR — one of the worst civ-map pairings in the game)
Estrategia firma
Scouts → Keshik mid-Castle → Cav Archer + Keshik hybrid imperial
Pro icon
Hera, Liereyy on Tatars in occasional Arabia picks; Yo and Villese in tournament flex picks

⚡ Civ bonuses

Team bonus

Consorts (Flaming Camel) available to all allies — Castle-age suicide anti-elephant unit produced at Castle when available.

Unique bonus #1

Herdable animals (sheep, goats, turkeys, cows) contain +50% food.

Sheep carry 150 food instead of 100, effectively extending the early-game food supply and reducing time spent luring additional sheep.

Unique bonus #2

Hunters (villagers on deer/boar/wild animals) work 50% faster.

Boar/deer lures and wild food collection complete roughly 33% quicker — measurable impact on Feudal timing.

Unique bonus #3

Military units deal +25% damage when attacking from higher elevation.

On hills and ramps, any Tatar military unit (melee or ranged) deals 25% extra damage to targets below them. Stacks with the standard base-game elevation bonus (33% damage) for a combined effect.

Unique bonus #4

Trebuchets gain +1 range (from 16 to 17).

Base Tatar Trebuchet fires one tile farther than standard. With Timurid Siegecraft, stacks to +2 (range 18).

Unique bonus #5

Towers (Watch Tower, Guard Tower, Keep) can train Skirmishers and Keshiks.

Towers gain a unique production queue: Skirmisher line (feudal/castle/imperial variants) and Keshiks (castle onward). The tower garrison+production synergy gives defensive structures mobile counter-attack potential.

⚠️ Key tech the civ DOES NOT have
  • · PaladinStop at Cavalier — cavalry caps below the top tier. Tatars are NOT a Paladin civ despite having knights; plays Keshik + Hussar instead.
  • · HalberdierStop at Pikeman — vulnerable to Paladin mirrors and elephant civs despite having full camel line as partial mitigation.
  • · Eagle lineN/A — steppe civ; no eagles expected.
  • · Battle Elephant lineN/A — no elephant option; Flaming Camel is the anti-elephant tool.
  • · Siege Onager[VERIFY] — Tatars believed to stop at Onager. Siege limited to Onager + BBC.
  • · Heavy Scorpion[VERIFY — Tatars may lack Heavy Scorpion; confirm.]
  • · Plate Mail Armor / Plate Barding Armor[VERIFY — full armor list pending confirmation.]
  • · Bracer[VERIFY — believe Tatars have Bracer given CA identity; confirm.]
🛡️ Unique unit · Castle Age

Keshik

Castle-age cavalry that regenerates gold while attacking; anti-cavalry hybrid raider

  • · Core Castle-age raiding unit — regen gold funds continuous production
  • · Anti-cavalry specialist in mirror matchups (vs Franks, Magyars, Lithuanians)
  • · Trained from Towers + Castle — flexible production sites
🛡️ Unique unit · Castle Age

Camello Llameante

Team-unique suicide anti-elephant unit; explodes on contact, dealing massive area damage to elephants

  • · Suicide charge into massed elephant pushes — one Flaming Camel can trade positively vs 2-3 Elephants
  • · Team game anti-elephant tool — Khmer, Bengali, Dravidian, Vietnamese BE matchups
  • · Niche 1v1 use — occasionally deployed vs Persian War Elephant pushes
⚗️ Unique tech · Castle Age

Armadura de Seda

Scout Cavalry line (Light Cav/Hussar) and Cavalry Archers gain +1 melee armor and +2 pierce armor.

When: Mid-Castle Age once Cavalry Archer production is online, or late Castle if planning a Hussar-heavy Imperial. On Arabia at 1500+ ELO, Silk Armor is a high-priority tech after Bloodlines + Forging + Thumb Ring.

⚗️ Unique tech · Imperial Age

Poliorcética Timúrida

Trebuchets gain +2 range (stacking with the civ bonus for a total of +3 range over default, reaching range 18). Villagers can construct Bombard Towers (if Chemistry + Tower prerequisites met).

When: Imperial, when transitioning to siege-heavy pushes or when defending behind walls. Not researched in pure-raid Tatar games.

🎯 Recommended build order

Scouts → Keshik + Castle Drop Option

Bracket 1300-1600

Decide at ~15-16min between standard Keshik Castle or forward Castle drop based on map elevation.

Alternativa

M@A Archer HybridOpponent scouted as archer civ (Britons, Mayans) — 56.7% WR small-sample bump per aoe2meta.com

❌ Common mistakes playing Tatars

  • Not luring boars early — wasting the 50% faster hunter bonus

    Tatars' best early-game bonus is hunter speed; ignoring it means Feudal is slower than it should be.

    fix:Lure both boars by minute 10 at latest. The bonus demands active food collection.

    Attempting Cavalry Archer play without micro practice

    CA kiting requires advanced micro; at 900 ELO it routinely fails.

    fix:Stick to Knight + Keshik until 1100+ ELO. Simpler is better.

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⚔️ Which civ will you face?

Tatars vs Burgundians

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🛡️ Cuidado con estas unidades

Halberdier (any civ with it) HIGH

Anti-cavalry specialist; Tatars rely on Keshik/Hussar/Camel, all cavalry-typed.

Paladin (Frank, Lithuanian, Byzantine, Persian, Teuton, Burgundian) HIGH

No Paladin mirror; only camel + Keshik covers.

Genoese Crossbow (Italian) HIGH

Bonus damage vs cavalry shreds Keshik and camel.

Urumi Swordsman (Dravidian) HIGH

High damage output shreds Tatar cavalry; hard counter to Keshik.

Mangonel/Onager (siege civs) HIGH

AoE on Keshik/CA clumps; Tatars lack Siege Onager to mirror.

Arbalester with range bonus (Britons, Vietnamese) MEDIUM

Out-ranges Tatar CA; Bracer + Yeomen out-micros Silk Armor.

🗺️ Performance por mapa

arabia
B

Standard open map play. Hills bonus active on most Arabia rolls. Hunters + herda…

arena
D

One of the worst Arena civs. No Paladin, no Halberdier, hills bonus inactive beh…

nomad
B

Herdables bonus helps early TC food; hunters bonus helps on forested maps. Caval…

black forest
C

Hills bonus irrelevant in corridor fights; no Paladin/Halberdier hurts late game…

fortress
C

Similar to Arena — closed map disadvantages Tatars' open-field identity. Bombard…

four lakes
B

Hybrid map — cavalry archer play on land sides works. Tatar navy is weak but lan…

team islands
D

Weak navy; no water-specific bonus. Avoid.

migration
C

Transport phase hurts cavalry civ. Land game arrives too late.

mediterranean
C

Mixed water/land; naval weakness limits impact.

megarandom
B

Variance — on hilly rolls Tatars thrive; on flat rolls they underperform.

lowland
B

Open map with elevation favors Tatars' hill bonus. One of the civ's best maps.

graveyards
B

Plays like Arabia with more terrain variance; Tatars' hill bonus active; favored…

steppe
B

Natural cavalry map; sparse woodlines reward raiders. Tatars thrive with Keshik …

runestones
B

Open map similar to Arabia — cavalry archer identity works.

socotra
C

Hybrid map; Tatars fine on land, weak on water.

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