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The Koreans


Military Analysis

The Barracks

The Koreans have all the Barracks upgrades except for those dealing with the Eagle Warrior, since they are not one of the Meso-American civilizations. Halberdiers to protect their Onagers, and Champions to protect their War Wagons are extremely useful and cheap. The big fault lies in the fact that the Korean are lacking Blast Furnace, giving their infantry a disadvantage against other civilizations that receive this technology, not to mention allowing enemy units to sometimes live with few hit points left, instead of killing them.

The Archery

The Koreans also have a pretty good range of units to choose from the range. The only technology that benefits archers of any sort that they are missing is Parthian Tactics, which isn't a big deal. This means you can expect to see Korean players using Crossbowmen/Arbalests, or Hand Cannoneers, as either will do a good job protecting their War Wagons from Pikemen/Halberdiers. Heavy Cavalry Archers are nice to have, but the Koreans are missing a key technology for those units, and don't receive a bonus of any sort for them.

The Stable

The Koreans have a decent stable, but will find their stable units lacking against other civilizations' stable units, since they lack the last attack and armor upgrade, not to mention Bloodlines. They do not get to build the camel line, or upgrade their cavalry line to Paladins. They do get Hussars however, which can be a very effective unit for raiding. A Korean player would most likely not build much else out of the stable, since their main unit, the War Wagon, is vulnerable to Pikemen, meaning the enemy will probably have some waiting for any mounted unit built. A few Knights or Light Cavalry could be useful in early Castle Age for raiding, but because of the War Wagon, these aren't needed as mainstays.

The Siege Workshop

The Korean Siege Workshop is an important part of their military, thanks to the bonuses they receive for the Onager line. It is a little cost prohibitive to go heavy on siege units in the Castle Age, given the likelihood that a Korean player will be spending most of the wood and gold collected on War Wagons at the castle. Later on in the game, in late Castle Age and Imperial Age, expect to see some Mangonels or Onagers, since they are the best siege workshop units in the game, range-wise. Some players might use Mangonels to help their War Wagons take down Town Centers, but Rams are probably more effective (and cheaper).

The Monastery

The Korean Monastery is not the best in the game, not by a long shot. They are missing a little under half the technologies, and do not have any bonuses for their Monks. One good technology that they lack is Redemption, which allows the conversion of buildings and siege units. However, not many civilizations have this, so it is not too big a deal. Monks can heal War Wagons however, and would be put to good use for that purpose.

The Dock

The Koreans excel on water, not only due to the behemoth ships they have called Turtle Boats, but also because they will have the resources for Towers and Castles on the shore before just about anyone. If they can hold their own against a galley rush, then once they get to Castle Age their Turtle Boat will dominate the seas. They are missing Demolition Ships and Elite Cannon Galleons, but the Turtle Boat more than makes up for both losses.

Technology Analysis

The Koreans have an excellent technology tree, only missing mainly unimportant technologies.

Economic Technologies

Economically the Koreans are missing only one technology, Crop Rotation. They don't have any big boosts to their economy however, except for the stone bonus, but while it helps in the building of Town Centers, it is not key to the expansion of the economy.

Military Technologies

While they have excellent War Wagons and Siege Onagers, their infantry and cavalry are not up to par with other civilizations. As long as they are able to build those two units they are fine, but if the game starts to come down to the cheaper gold units, the Koreans are in trouble, since they have some of the worst in the game.

The only technologies they are missing here is Sappers and Hoardings. Neither is a technology that is a must-have, so it is no big deal. Sappers is next to useless unless a player is just looking to have some fun and watch villagers tear down buildings. Hoardings can be useful, but it will only make a difference in a very small amount of situations.