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Age of Empires 2: The Conquerors Tactics & Guides -> Civilization -> The Mayans -> Page 1

The Mayans

One of two meso-american civilizations introduced in the expansion pack for Age of Kings, the Mayans bring with them a new look and a new style of play. They are similar to the Aztecs in that they have no access to cavalry units, giving them a substantially different flavor to other civilizations from Age of Kings, and indeed others introduced in the expansion pack. In contrast to the powerful Aztec infantry though, the Mayans excel in archery. But how do they compare with other civilizations?

Civilization Bonuses:

The bonuses that the Mayans receive are as follows:

• Starts with one additional villager and Eagle Warrior (not Scout Cavalry) but less 50 food
• Resources last 20% longer
• Archery Range units cost -10% Feudal Age, -20% Castle Age, -30% Imperial Age
• Team Bonus: Walls cost -50%

Additional Villager

The first bonus causes the Mayans to begin at their population limit since the town center only supports five units (4 villagers + eagle warrior). In other words, they cannot instantly create another villager and are best off researching the loom right away. This brings their villager count into alignment with those of competing civilizations until the point where the other civilization researches loom. From this point on, the Mayan will have an extra villager which, as was proven by the Chinese in Age of Kings, equates to a significant economic advantage over time. An extra villager allows the Mayans the opportunity to rush enemies early, or match them in advancing through the ages but with a stronger economy.

Resources last 20% longer

The longevity of resources affects the Mayans throughout the game. Extension of natural food sources (which gather faster and do not require an investment like farming does) allows the Mayans more flexibility when it comes time to running a fast early build for a rush. It means they require less natural food for early attacks as that food lasts longer making their reliance on specific conditions less stringent (where other civilizations have needed a certain number of sheep by a certain time to rush well, the Mayans can be more relaxed about this since their resources last longer). When dealing with gold and stone mines, the bonus gives the Mayan player a significant boost in the late game as their gold and stone mines last far longer than others. This not only gives them extra resources, but it also means they are not forced to trade other resources for gold as early or worry about extensive trade routes. Finally, there is also a slight efficency in the gathering of wood, gold and stone at earlier stages as villagers do not work through resources as fast and are therefore not made to walk as far when dropping off.

Cheaper Archery Units

Cheaper archers are a boon throughout the game and have serious implications at each stage. The cheaper cost in Feudal means earlier rushes are viable as less resources are required to build a substantial archer force, allowing the Mayan to either reach Feudal with less villagers (equating to raw speed) or reassign a villager or two to other tasks (strengthening their economy). Cheaper crossbows in Castle Age allows more wood and gold to be spent on siege, a significant part of the Mayan Castle Age force due to the lack of knights. Cheaper arbalests in Imperial Age make the Mayan archer hordes more affordable and much more economical against tactics such as champion floods where, even though arbalests counter champions, the champions have come out economically ahead because of the champions low cost. This also provides an alternative to the slightly more costly unique unit of the Mayans, the Plumed Archer.

Walls -50% cost

The team bonus of the Mayans is only a convenience, and will likely be dismissed by many players. Half price walls is a nice thing to have, but is hardly beneficial compared to the Mongol scouting bonus and the Viking cheap dock bonus.