Camello

The Camel Rider has an attack of 15 against cavalry (before armor), which is notably high for a Castle Age unit. Camel units are the third fastest land unit type in Age of Empires II, only superseded by light cavalry and Shrivamsha Riders. Cavalry can more easily escape from Pikemen than they can from Camel Riders because of their speed, meaning that whilst Pikemen can often just scare cavalry away, Camel Riders can pursue them and finish them off. Using Camel Riders against civilizations that revolve around mounted units, such as Berbers, Franks, Mongols, Persians, and Saracens often lands great results. Upgrading to Heavy Camel Rider in the Imperial Age helps them keep pace. Camel Riders are best used only against melee cavalry or to ambush groups of mounted archers. Although Pikemen and Elite Skirmishers can deal heavy damage to mounted archers, only Camel Riders can force a fight with them. Due to the Camel Riders' weak armor and base attack, they are at a disadvantage against infantry and foot archers. They also lose their bonus against the resilient Cataphract, which has a special defense against anti-cavalry attack bonuses. It should be noted that although Pikemen cost-effectively defeat melee cavalry, Camel Riders can successfully duel most melee cavalry, winning a battle of equal numbers. Camel Riders tend to fare better than Pikemen against cavalry by landing more attacks due to superior attack speed and hit points. However, if gold is scarce, Pikemen should be used instead.