Civilization Match-up Discussion Round 3 Week 4: Saracens vs Turks

The battle for Arabia!... (Historically speaking, they are both pretty bad for the AoE2 map Arabia 11)

Hello and welcome back for another Age of Empires 2 civilization match up discussion! This is a series where we discuss the various advantages, disadvantages, and quirks found within the numerous match ups of the game. The goal is to collectively gain a deeper understanding of how two civilizations interact with each other in a variety of different settings. Feel free to ask questions, pose strategies, or provide insight on how the two civilizations in question interact with each other on any map type and game mode. This is not limited to 1v1 either. Feel free to discuss how the civilizations compare in team games as well! So long as you are talking about how the two civilizations interact, anything is fair game! Last week we discussed the Burmese vs Franks, and next up is the Saracens vs Turks!

Saracens: Camel and Naval civilization

• Market trade only costs 5%; Markets cost -75w
• Transport Ships 2x hit points; +5 carry capacity
• Galleys fire +25% faster
• Cavalry Archers +4 attack vs buildings

• TEAM BONUS: Foot Archers +2 attack vs buildings

• Unique Unit: Mameluke (Powerful, expensive Camel unit with ranged attack)

• Castle Age Unique Tech: Madrasah (Killed Monks return 33% of their cost)

• Imperial Age Unique Tech: Zealotry (Camels +30 hit points)

Turks: The best civilization

• Gunpowder units +25% hit points
• Researching gunpowder techs costs -50%; Chemistry free
• Gold miners work +20% faster
• Light Cavalry and Hussar upgrades free

• TEAM BONUS: Gunpowder units created +25% faster

• Unique Unit: Janissary (Powerful, all-purpose hand cannoneer)

• Castle Age Unique Tech: Sipahi (Cavalry Archers +20 hit points)

• Imperial Age Unique Tech: Artillery (Bombard Cannons, Bombard Towers, and Cannon Galleons +2 range)

Below are some match up-specific talking points to get you all started. These are just to give people ideas, you do not need to address them specifically if you do not want to!

• Both of these civilizations feel somewhat similar in that they have deadly Imperial Age armies, but have a crippling weakness that prevents them from seeing frequent high-level play. Which civ has the better post-Imp army? Which is more crippling in your opinion: the Turks' lack of trash units or the Saracens' lack of powerful eco/military bonus?
• When playing team games on any open land map, not knowing whether you'd get pocket or flank, would you rather have a Saracen teammate or a Turk teammate?
• Despite being fairly mediocre on most maps, both of these civs are considered strong Arena picks. In my head, I consider Turks to be a bit better than Saracens as Saracens do not have a fantastic answer to a Castle drop into Jannies. Thoughts?

Thank you as always for participating! Next week we will continue our discussions with the Berbers vs Japanese. Hope to see you there! :)

Links to previous discussions:

Part 1 Part 2