Persians overview (Aoe2) - updated for 2023!

Go to squarespace.co... to get a free trial and 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.
1:05 Knights +2 attack vs "archers"
1:40 TC + Dock boost
4:06 Parthian tactics in castle age
4:28 Gold generated by cavalry
5:05 Caravanserai (deep dive video: • Caravanserai (AoE2 uni... )
6:00 War Elephant
8:22 Savar (deep dive video: • The Savar (new unit fo... )
9:55 Kamandaran
10:23 Citadels
TECH TREE
11:17 Archers B+
11:50 Infantry C+
12:10 Cavalry A+
12:40 Siege B
13:00 Navy A-/B
12:45 Monks C-
13:45 Defenses C+
14:23 Trash units A
14:50 Strategies and final thoughts
15:40 Sponsor
Original Persian overview (2015): • Persians Civilization ...
___________________________________________________________
Patreon: / spiritofthelaw
Background music from Epidemic Sound: www.epidemicsou...
Game: Age of Empires II Definitive Edition

[@LiusNation]

I ate at a Persian restaurant once. Their food had an amazing plate presentation! Unfortunately, it lacked Bracer, it hindered the flavor.

[@CyrusVorazan]

As someone who likes both Persians and archers in aoe2, a part of my soul dies every time he mentions bracer.

[@tyranitararmaldo]

I would honestly prefer Persians not getting crossbowmen and getting Bracer, than as it is now.

[@The-jy3yq]

@@tyranitararmaldo *que the Ontage*

[@bananan7]

11 times LOTR has mentioned it 11

[@micahbush5397]

For anyone who's curious, he mentions Bracer 14 times in this video, with one honorable mention.

[@jakoboka]

And what was your top 3 bracer comments in this video?

[@MadnessTW]

Thank you for your service.

[@helllife0210]

I was counting too, you are awesome

[@WikiHL]

Just having unique knights made me enjoy playing them even more

[@heroesonline7046]

I always thought it's weird for a non-christian civ to have access to paladins. Even when I knew it was referencing Persian heavy cavalry.

[@matheusbianquincera3104]

So true for both comments

[@Ahmadabdal_]

​@@matheusbianquincera3104so true for all 3 of these comments

[@francopereyra6659]

Its a reskin..

[@smaoproducts]

They should do unique skins and more unique units for every Civ. Would make them all stand out more.

[@Salnax]

Take a shot every time Bracer is mentioned. Even if it lacks the range you’d expect.

[@Artyvision]

Fix the typo, because this is an absolute banger pun.

[@SvanTowerMan]

Oh look, it's Salnax! I know you from the wiki. This is UnofficialGameExpert78. You can tell by my total obsession with Georgian Svan Towers.

[@Salnax]

@@SvanTowerMan Yeah, that checks out. Hello!

[@purpletylenol7787]

I do love this joke, a shame it wont go so far

[@OPiguy35]

“Brace for it” Rating: A+ pun

[@TheCrocodilhunter]

Always a big fan of those Elephant facts.

[@Hardcore_Remixer]

They don't randomly lack Two-Handed Swordsman. It's been like this since Age of Kings and for an interesting reason. Persians seem to be inteded to offer you the chance to defend with infantry untill you build a large enough army of War Elephants after which you are supposed to deal with most Cavalry Counters without using a melee unit at all. Kind of an interesting mechanic since it forces you to not engage with cavalry counters while you have to engage with the enemy ranged units specifically with cavalry since your ranged units lack the last range upgrade. It almost feels like fighting from the back foot in Imperial Age.

[@tinkywinky1238]

It's also a reference to ancient Persian infantry being made of cardboard, specially in comparison to Greek hoplites and Roman legionaires.

[@xXTheKingEmothXx]

​@@tinkywinky1238 Exactly. It's not for any game design I feel, but a nod to Persia's historic specialty of highly mobile archers and cavalry, it was also partly why they had difficulty dealing with Greece and, eventually Macedonia, as they focused so hard on archery that Alexander's shock cavalry techniques eviscerated the infantry lines and routed them. Later on, they developed a lot more like the Mongols, with a focus on cavalry archers and mobility.

[@Sivzram]

Didn't they have the IMMORTALS tho So I would love AOE II designers can reskin the HALBERDIERS to IMMORTALS who do decent against champions ig (compared to HALBERDIERS) and serve as a good staple for PERSIAN players who like a bit of INFANTRY

[@Hardcore_Remixer]

@@Sivzram It is a difficult task because halbs are supposed to pount cavalry and get pounded by almost everything else. Trash infantry which still pounds cavalry like halbs do and does better against champions? Lets see how this could and couldn't be done: - NOT by giving them 1 range - NOT by giving them bonus damage against infantry (spear line units are supposed to get countered by infantry with no way of fighting back decently) - NOT by increasing their health and lowering their already small damage in exchange. Considering all the upgrades, Halbs need 10 hits to kill a champion and can take 5 hits from a champion - NOT by increasing their damage in exchange for damage. If they had 7 instead of 6 damage, then they would need 9 hits to kill a champion, but lowering their health below 57 would mean they can only take 4 hits from a champion (considering all the upgrades) - Increasing attack speed would be an interesting mechanic, but it WILL involve lowering their bonus damage against cavalry. I don't think it's a good idea to do this because Cataphracts exist - The argument of having a unique unit which works different falls because Persians already have 2 unique units. Not to mention it would be a trash unit It's hard to compare them to the Roman Legionary since Romans have a different model for their militia line, already reaching +4/+4 armor upgrades in Castle Age and their castle unique unit not being nearly as much of a tank like the War Elephant is.

[@The-jy3yq]

@@Sivzram first off, Immortals were not, well, immortal, they were elite forces, yes; but their main feature was the fact that their number always stayed the same - hence the illusion of them being immortal Also they had extra rapid replenishment Also you'd probably be a few centuries late with them However, an Eastern Swordsman reskin'd be funny Upd: Gurjaras have 3 unique units + Mill

[@ThatElephantSeal]

Im very happy to see Persians get some love after all these years, makes me hopeful to see some revamps on some of the other base game civs to help then out a bit. (It actually proves you dont need to tweak much to turn previously mediocre units into powerhouses)

[@danielrusso4468]

A lot of the base game civs honestly don't need buffs! They're all relatively balanced tbh.

[@peterisawesomeplease]

I was not a big fan of what they did. They mostly just made them stronger. I was hoping for more differentiation. Many of the base game civs could do with some changes to make them more unique. There is always a trade off where adding uniqueness makes balance more difficult. And aoe2 is known for being conservative about uniqueness compared to other RTS games. That has served it well generally. But as the team has gotten much better at balance through experience and data collection I think they can now start safely adding more uniqueness. I would really like to see more region themed units, buildings, and techs applied to the older civs. Similar to what they have done with some of the newer civs.

[@dirkauditore8413]

100% agree withu bro. I want more regional infantry units, and new unique units/bonuses for the older civs. @@peterisawesomeplease

[@ThatElephantSeal]

@@peterisawesomeplease I agree with uniqueness being needed for some of the OG civs. And theres also debate to be had over units that make little sense like Woad Raider, but the nostalgia side of me would prefer that they are kept as they are.

[@david10808]

Speaking of things that Persians lack that aren't Bracer, I was hoping they'd add riders to the war elephants

[@124085]

No! I like my strong independent War Elephants.

[@a.nonimus6705]

It is weird that they don't have riders. Elephants were occasionally released without riders to run amok on a battlefield or to besiege a city, but most usage of them was for mounted warfare, and especially mounted with archers. So it's also weird that the Persians don't get elephant archers either, as that was how they were primarily used. But then again, they lack bracer, so their elephant archers would likely be the worst in the game if they did get them

[@nemou4985]

I was hoping they wouldn't and I am happy they didn't

[@matthewmcrobie6703]

Hey, elephants are smart. They will even change their allegiance when presented with a sufficiently compelling argument by a monk.

[@raynightshade8317]

Savar HCA feels so fun to play. Full Sassanid now

[@michaeltulus4582]

Maybe Italian teammate contribute to Persian team winrate by giving them alternative to champion

[@The-jy3yq]

why do they need Condos tho

[@Blitz_Shorts]

I am curious how mass composite bowman army will do against persian cavalry , considering it ignores all extra armor of Persians

[@david_oliveira71]

Go watch Mike_Empires aoe He(?) does such battles mainly

[@MastaChafa]

They counter each other. It could go either way.

[@CrnaStrela]

Savar wins, not as dominant though. It is still stable cavalry vs castle archer uu, they won't win.

[@cammyshill3099]

Interesting video, but I feel that you forgot to mention how Persians lack Bracer, thus having 1 less attack and range for their ranged units and buildings. It's a small thing, but I think it's worth remembering. /s

[@SM853]

I completely forgot about the new gold from kills bonus. Yesterday I played the Bukhara historical battle and I spammed savars against that endless mongol army. There was no gold left on the map and while I had a bunch of trade carts, I really couldn't figure out how or why I kept having so much gold.

[@DCdabest]

Elephant Facts continuing to show up make me happy

[@terrilloliphant5783]

War elephants buff against building (which doesn't increase with the elite upgrade) gives them a purpose in castle age as an alternative to siege.

[@MajesticOak]

It's so nice to see that there are no sacred cows in AoE2 that's immune to overhaul due to nostalgia.

[@Pangui008]

I like the part when SotL says that Persians lack bracer ;D

[@bristleback3614]

Persian is my favorite civ back in AoK since they had the most unique looking unique unit before Korean war wagon in AoC

[@TheBikeOnTheMoon]

as much as I love the new persian, the nerf will definitely happen considered their over the top winrate at the moment.

[@karonteazt3286]

They sux in 8 games i losed 7 they NEED ti be buffed

[@blinky101]

skill issue@@karonteazt3286

[@HotShotZX]

Nah you just have a skill issue.

[@karonteazt3286]

@@HotShotZX being top 100 of the world in EW? I srsly doubt It...

[@raphaelantoine7331]

​@@karonteazt3286still skill issue 😂, also 8 is a small sample , it doesn't mean anything

[@seyproductions]

I love how all there's an elephant trivia sprinkled into every elephant related video ;)

[@mingelcoac]

Thanks square space for giving us The Spririt of Nobracer

[@LordRavensong]

Gonna have to go back and see if the Persians old overview is the one with the bracer joke thats been living rent free in my head for the last few years.

[@SvanTowerMan]

Yes it is, I can tell you right now.

[@S.I.217]

Did he mention Persians lack bracer?

[@timothycasey2907]

I'm beginning to think that The Persians lack Bracer, but I could be wrong though. 😂

[@wiej007]

*Me watching* Ok lets see what we got here. *SOLP intro starts playing* *happines noises*

[@Davtwan]

Throwing us a curveball with a rhyme rather than something starting with L this time. Gotta love the Squarespace gags.

[@roym2185]

Hmmm... I also wonder if the Persians have bracer. Good video as always SOTL

[@ahbraveconscript997]

imagine if they Persians DID have bracer. that’d be wild not gonna lie.

[@raphaelantoine7331]

I love how strong these changes made Persians now they are to be highly respected

[@therockmanxx]

Thats a nice overview, but are they missing bracer??

[@btarczy5067]

This looks like it could become one of my favorite civs now. Great eco, cavalry focus with decent late game options for counterplay? Perfect! (If there was Bracer to make Heavy Cav Archers more viable but some concessions have to be made) Throughout the game it’s likely more consistent than my previous favorite, the Berbers. Hopefully possible future revamps won’t alter civs into unrecognizability but this was a fine job!

[@Arviragus13]

I'm loving the intros to the sponsored sections

[@nooneinparticular5256]

Take a shot, every time Spirit says " they lack bracer."

[@fiddleriddlediddlediddle]

In the case of the Savar people woefully underestimate the cool factor of unique skins. If they put more effort into giving generic units regional skins, and even unique skins for super unique civs like the Romans or Japanese, I feel like it would massively improve the game.

[@apan990]

completely agree, they did it with meso monks, trade carts, light cav (poles/lithuania), now id love to see them do it with other units. however there are mods so if its something of a deal breaker now you can find something you like there.

[@rainawareness1495]

love the elephant facts

[@Metaretru]

Ah yes, Earth's Kirin favorite civs!

[@estellebright2579]

For all Persian fans out there, you should never forget Persian doesn't have Bracer when SOTL mentions it 14 times in one video.

[@brianmayabella5992]

Nailbiting

[@kwdblade4683]

Persians used to have bracer, but then they took an arrow to the knee.

[@prathamesh5497]

New Friday game Take a shot every time SoTL says Bracer.

[@firemyst9064]

I saw 300, I know what to expect. Black out the skies with my arrows!

[@7636kei]

8:11 here comes the elephant (fact) in the room~

[@pavlotverdokhlib7627]

This video needs a re-up with a counter of how many times missing bracer tech is mentioned.

[@kkagari]

squarespace should hire your as their marketing director

[@kpkajander]

Time to update the into with new and improved Demos

[@H8Sd94]

I really like this video but it was difficult to brace myself.

[@evancarlson5805]

I wish the Persians were given a reason to use war elephants more often instead of continuously getting new stuff everywhere else. In the original game, war elephants were arguably the most truly unique unit in the game. Now there's rarely a reason to make one.

[@devangnivatkar2649]

Even in 1v1s, you can use them as an alternate Ram. Ofc I'm not saying they'll be a primary unit, but they now have a purpose. The Elite upgrade doesn't increase the anti-building bonus, so don't even need that

[@CrnaStrela]

In closed map team game, elephants is the ultimate game winning unit. Regular military units has no chance against them and if they go monk, your ally basically has more breathing room. Hell if your ally is American civ, they can't even go monk.

[@spyrofrost9158]

This is a pretty good video for a KZbinr who doesn't have access to Bracer.

[@captainchaos4432]

je suis Français, j'aime tes vidéos, merci beaucoup, heureusement il y a les sous titres😀

[@tomascostanzo3673]

Elephants are amongst the noblest animals ever created.

[@polly_pasta]

Just want to explode with big thanks for the egg-ceptional content 🥚🥚!!!!!

[@xaviercoursol7929]

i've been back on aoe2 and seeing this old intro makes me nolstagic

[@iceee420]

Spirit of the WAAAAAAGH!!

[@furkansaryerli]

Ah it flew over my head, do Persians get bracer again?

[@Barzonius]

07:54 "The only thing worse than losing your 250 Resource Elephant unit is immediately having to fight it after a conversion". Spirit showering us with wisdom as ever. And there is the thick AI in campaigns, sending us waves of beasts...

[@se6369]

Do elephants have extra bonuses vs kreposts?

[@SirPraiseSun]

still waiting for spirit of the lure website, im hooked.

[@mannypardo1080]

Lets go, Ismailbros.

[@alastairlocke4621]

I really like the outro music btw

[@YOUTY209]

New drinking game - take a drink every time SotL says "they don't have bracer"

[@ImieNazw]

Does the Citadels tech for castles works with Ballistics? If not (like for hand canoneers) then it might be a big downside or a nerf in that faction, even with all other upgrades the tech provides

[@CrnaStrela]

It works with ballistic

[@The-jy3yq]

It is just a visual thing, wonder if it'll break with Chemistry Ah, yes, bullets can have fletching and hand cannons can easily shoot arrows(although Crossbows shoot arrows in this game, so who knows)

[@DrewHengy]

_Did I mention they don't get bracer? I feel like I did..._

[@shiryu22]

the return of elephant facts!!

[@maledikt]

I love the new update for the Persians! The only thing that could have made it better was if they were given the Central Asian set, but I'll take the Savar as a good alternative.

[@HazmanFTW]

if there's one thing i learnt from this vid, is that persians are missing bracer.

[@HiyokoSupiritto]

I never hear Spirit saying Bracer a lot in a video

[@FuelDropforthewin]

Meta stat as Persians: Rush Bracer.

[@fredq6118]

I wish AoE didn't have all those unit-specific bonuses and weird interactions between said bonuses. Would make it so much easier to understand and get people into. Like I don't mind a few types of defences and unit types, but all those hidden bonuses for all units and different civs is just an absolute mess.

[@Captain_Cinnamon]

Honestly, i know they sound strong but MAN bracer, sieg engineers AND fortified walls - that does hurt hard

[@Astigos]

Theres an error in the late game navy section you circle dromon when you mean shipwright

[@dukefleed4280]

I hope they add parthian civ to the game too. I really liked parthians in total war series. they're really a strong horse archer civilization.

[@fall4sleepfall4sleep26]

always love the intro.

[@apex9806]

The dentist told I am not a good candidate for Braces since I'm persian. 😢

[@gettingcomfy]

excellent video as usual! wondering why you didnt mention that they miss bracer though

[@nicejob1589]

They unique tech with bracer would be OP though;)

[@thedededeity888]

I'm just watching these videos for the cool elephant facts 🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘

[@Palmite1]

Do the Persians get Bracer? Important detail that got glossed over.

[@robinhauschild-nocker6380]

Have you any plans on covering the new AoE4 Civs as well?

[@anonnymousperson]

For most KZbin channels I skip the sponsorship. For SOTL I watch videos FOR the sponsorship.

[@haydarnoel8467]

I have mained them since launch and I am finally rewarded

[@MrDonosoi]

Lacking Bracers Yep, Lacking bracers Yep , Lacking Bracers Yep

[@brianmaday9227]

So, Spirit sure said 'Bracer' a lot, but it has me wondering (and forgive me for being a bit of a n00b), how many civs are missing it? I feel like, as an Imperial Age upgrade, it's far from a given, but I can't recall Spirit saying 'Bracer' near so much in any other overviews. Is Bracer generally available and I've just errantly assumed otherwise?

[@theOGSG]

elephant facts are back!

[@tommig1995]

They took a middle-of-the-road civ and completely over-buffed them. I don't understand why

[@The-jy3yq]

*Mahouts*

[@lonewolforigin]

Brace for impact!!! 404 Bracer not found

[@chewbaccasaw5232]

I’ve mained Persians for 20 years … Always loved elephants and trashbows it’s brutal And I play a lot of nomad

[@45esora510]

While I do like most of the rework, I think the devs really messed up on this one reverting the dark age bonus and the 5g per military kill. The civ was good before and now it is criminally overpowered. Hopefully some stuff gets walked back in a few months when the WR/Ban% in tournaments shatters records.

[@EresirThe1st]

He literally shows the win rates at the start of the video. If that’s your idea of overpowered then your balancing expectations are absurd.

[@CrnaStrela]

Bohemians say hi

[@Mattroid99]

I think the faster TC and docks should have never been removed, and yeah the gold bonus is an overbuff. Especially in trash war is completely silly I think the civ needs to remove that and the Savar should have 1 less melee armor and a bit less HP so it becomes more specialized and not just better vs archers (And higher cost. Persian's eco is incredible so they can afford it). Also I think they should remove Halbs from their tech tree as they have Camels and Trashbows for a reason.

[@45esora510]

@@EresirThe1st Why don't you actually go to the website and look what happens to the winrate when Elo increases instead of echoing a video we've all seen.

[@The-jy3yq]

@@CrnaStrela bloody NASCAR over 'ere

[@civ-fanboy2137]

Elephant facts are back ❤

[@Soviless99]

i just won a 4v4 with them and lead the team with my elephants slowly pushing the enemy bases with crossbows covering them. couldn’t help but imagine circus music playing while my elephants marched to victory

[@Dehninator]

"Missing shipwright" [circles Dromon]

[@paulmustermann8398]

Hi Great Video, I was wondering if you could do new Video Guide on how to counter unique units, since the last one is 3 years old and there had been many changes and new civs with new units.

[@AxelPaul307]

So many new civs and buffs centered around the world of the Byzantines. First it was Romans, then it was Georgians and Armenians, and now it's Persians. Yet no modifications to the Byzantines...just left in the dust.

[@numbawan9527]

Wait. You changed the ending music. The old one always wakes me up😂😂

[@Mortality90]

Spirit of the Wah got me.

[@tH4ttUs]

the new persians are fun to play

[@mmmhorsesteaks]

Remind me, do the persians get bracer? Not sure if it was mentioned.

[@JohnSmith-us9fv]

UUUUUUUUU 🐘

[@chamberiradda77]

The rumbling, sapling 🐘🐘🐘 TOOT

[@nelsonmejiaslozada9362]

I rememebered the first overview when he said 328 times that Persian missed bracer, the good old times!

[@jesusrubiomaldonado27]

Hey, Spirit of the Law. A guy here. I don't know if it is just me, or does Citadel's proyectiles and rate of fire are faster than generic castles?