Well it's about time that someone got into making a guide about the one unit most people take for granted, the Norse Ox Cart. This guide will cover the Ox Cart, which I think is the single most important Norse unit in the game. Stats (Stats of Loki's Ox Carts with a breakup of how the bonus affects the original unit ): Some important points to note- 1. Ox Cart Bonuses: Is Mobile Cost: 50F 50W 1 Pop (Loki: 25F 25W 1 Pop) If you thought Odin and Thor Ox Carts were good, then Loki's are just uber. With his Cheaper cost, and better speed of course, it becomes an excellent economic unit. Although the HP decrease is a bit of a set back, it really doesn't affect it unless you let your opponent raid you. However, Odin and Thor can do something that Loki can never do with Ox Carts, as I will show you in my tests. 1. 2. In Conclusion, an Ox Cart meat shield can amplify the effectiveness of the weak TA. As you've seen the adding in an Ox Cart is more beneficial than adding in a TA in it's place, and more Pop effective. 3. You really don't need any suggestions to say that this unit must be used for its economic reasons. Combat wise- vs Greeks- Use along with TA for countering Toxotes. Also very good vs Hoplites in conjunction with TA. vs Norse- Excellent vs TA. One Ox Cart can draw the fire of a whole group of TA, which can turn the tide in your favor. vs Egyptians- MUs/Ox Carts is great. As Manticore said in his Valkyrie post, only use Valks with Human back up. Well here is your back up. Send in the Ox Carts and flank the priests, the Valk will own them before the Priests get a chance to retarget. vs Atlanteans- I can't really explain how effective these are vs Chieros and Turma. TA actually beat Chieros and Turma when a Ox Cart meat shield is added. It's just priceless. Vote- I hope you enjoyed my guide and I hope you found it to be informative. Have A Nice Day!!!
Ox Cart (Norse Archaic age Economic unit)
Drop point with capability to move on any passable land terrain
Available directly at the start of the game to players who choose Norse (Odin/Thor/Loki).
Have no upgrades
Loki gets 50% Cheaper, 50% Faster, and 25%
HP: 180 (135 Loki's Ox Cart)
Hack Damage: 0
Hack Armour: 30%
Pierce Armour: 45%
Crush Armour: 99%
Speed: 2.90 (4.35 Loki's Ox Carts (That's uber fast.))
Special Ability: Can move from resource to recource, unlike other civs drop points, and can be used for dropping of ALL 3 resources.
2. Damage dealt to a Ox Cart does not affect how much of the resources are actually receive (ex: if Ox Cart has only 90% of it's HP left, that doesn't mean you will only get 90% of your resources at that Cart.)
3. Fishing Ships can not drop off at an Ox Cart.
4. Ox Caravans can not drop off at an Ox Cart.
Note: all human units have full classical upgrades (Medium All and Copper All)
This test just stupified me. It was a massacre. The Ox Carts provided a meat shield to draw the Toxote fire while the TA killed off the Hoplites. Once the Hoplites were dead the TA picked off the Toxotes one by one. In the end,
TA/Ox Cart won. This is amazing. I wasn't expecting results like this but I'm sure that this piece of information will definitely help me vs those Oranos and Kronos players. The Ox Cart Meat shield strategy definitely owns all.
The Ox Cart is very underestimated, and it's usefulness far exceeds the fact that it's a mobile economic unit. It is an invaluable combat unit on the field, providing cover from ranged units for the vulnerable TA. And at 1 pop 50F 50W, you just can't go wrong. All I can say is that I hope this guide will help encourage you to think twice about whether to kill Ox Carts or Villagers in a raid, it may comeback to haunt you later on when he has 20 Ox Carts surrounding his TA from your Cavalry and forcing you to intensively micro your ranged units because they keep attacking Ox Carts rather than TA.
Fishing Ships
Dwarves
Ox Caravan
Archaic Ulfsark
Archaic Hersir