Age of Empires II’s Varangians Build Around Gold, Cavalry, and Quick-Firing Ships
The civilization's Varangian Guards earn gold in battle, while the Jarl and Vendel Legacy technology push its cavalry toward anti-infantry attacks.
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition’s Varangians are built to turn commerce and mobility into military pressure. The civilization focus details an economy that earns gold from shepherding, fishing, and hunting, alongside faster ships, aggressive cavalry, and Varangian Guards that generate income while fighting.
The Age DE Team’s official Varangians overview places the civilization between Scandinavia and eastern Europe, where Varangian adventurers traveled through the Baltic Sea and the rivers of Russia toward the Black and Caspian Seas. That history comes through in a faction that can fund its army through trade and raiding while keeping pressure on both land and water.
Gold turns the Varangian economy into military pressure
Food production does more for the Varangians than simply keep villagers supplied. Shepherding, fishing, and hunting also provide gold, giving the civilization several ways to build its economy around map resources. Bloodlines and Caravan effects are increased as well, supporting both mounted units and trade-focused play.
The team bonus gives the knight line more damage against infantry, which makes the Varangians especially dangerous when cavalry can reach vulnerable foot soldiers. It is a straightforward bonus with a clear battlefield purpose, and it pairs naturally with the civilization’s focus on fast attacks and movement.
Varangian Guards and Longships lead the assault
Varangian Guards are shock infantry trained at the Barracks. They generate gold while fighting, attack faster than their standard counterparts, and can periodically throw axes. The unit is designed for close-range pressure, making it useful for raids as well as direct melee engagements.
Their axe attacks come from the Gothikon technology, which gives Varangian Guards a periodic ranged strike. The unit’s gold generation also improves through the civilization’s bonuses, so successful fights can help finance the next wave instead of merely trading resources for damage.
At the Dock, Varangian Longships fire their volleys faster. The ships are described as a threat to enemy warships, soldiers, and buildings, giving the civilization a naval option that can move quickly between coastlines and waterways. The Varangian bonuses also increase the attack speed of Catapult Galleons.
The Mounted Crossbowman is another part of the military focus. Trained at the Archery Range, it fires more slowly than a nomadic horse archer but delivers heavier armor-piercing attacks. Most European civilizations can field Mounted Crossbowmen in place of Cavalry Archers, so the unit gives the Varangians another way to pressure armored targets from horseback.
The Jarl gives Varangian cavalry a clear target
The Jarl is an axe-wielding cavalry unit that performs best against infantry. It is hardy and fast, but the faction overview recommends using it alongside other soldiers rather than sending it into battle alone. That combination of mobility and anti-infantry strength gives the Varangians a way to punish armies that rely too heavily on foot troops.
Vendel Legacy adds trample damage to the knight line. Together with the team bonus against infantry, the technology gives Varangian cavalry more value when it charges into groups of enemy soldiers. The result is a mounted force that can threaten formations instead of simply hunting isolated units.
Varangian buildings draw from eastern Europe
The Varangian Castle combines elements of Varangian forts with the Golden Gate of Kyiv. The civilization’s Wonder takes a different historical reference, depicting a jarl’s ship burial mound described by Ibn Fadlan in the 10th century CE.
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The Varangians have a toolkit that rewards players for keeping resources moving and attacks active, whether that pressure comes from cavalry, ships, or Guards earning gold in the middle of a fight. Tell us what you think in the comments, and follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.
