AOE2 Definitive Edition Celts guide: Best units & strategies

If you’re dipping your toes into Age of Empires 2 Definitive Edition, one of the first civilizations you might familiarize yourself with is the Celts. Here’s everything you need to know about this faction in AOE2.

The Celts in AOE2 are a Western Europe civilization inspired by Ireland and Scotland during the medieval period. As the main playable civilization in the tutorial William Wallace campaign, they are one of the first factions you may start playing as.

Here are some of the best units, techs, and strategies you’ll want to utilize when playing as the Celts in Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition.

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AOE2 Celts: best units & strategies

The Celts’ main battle strategy is focused on siege and infantry combat, with some usage of ships and Castles as well to help with defense.

Building up your economy as the Celts is especially decent in the early to mid-game, as one of the civilization’s main bonuses allows Lumberjacks to work 15% faster, which means you’ll accumulate wood faster.

Because of this, it’s a good idea to build up a small navy in the early game if your base is located near a large body of water. Ensure you’ve built up some ships by the Castle Age to aid in your defense against any would-be attackers. 

The Celts’ unique unit is the Woad Raider, which can be trained at any castle during the Castle Age. They cost 65 Food and 25 Gold, so make sure you have plenty of farms on the go to train an army of these units.

For the best offensive strategies while playing as the Celts, you’ll want to train Woad Raiders and Halberdiers as foot soldiers. Their best advantages are their speed and attack strength. When preparing to assault an enemy base, you’ll want to make sure you have both of these units available.

Additionally, the Celts’ siege weapons are among the best in the game. The Siege Workshop will build siege weapons faster, and they have a 25% faster attack speed bonus during combat. Researching Furor Celtica at any Castle also grants an extra 40% health bonus to siege weapons, which is especially useful for Siege Rams when attacking heavily fortified buildings.

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AOE2 Celts weaknesses

On the other hand, the Celts have some weaknesses that may put you at a disadvantage. Their cavalry and archers are lacking, as essential technologies like Bloodlines and Plate Barding Armor cannot be researched. 

The Celts’ late-game navy is also lacking compared to some other civilizations. Galleons will be weaker due to the lack of the Bracer technology. Fast Fire Ships also cannot be built. It’s generally better to use whatever ships you have for defense rather than offense.

Overall, you’ll want to play with an infantry-heavy army, backed up with siege weapons. We recommend using Halberdiers and Woad Raiders for general attacks, and then using Siege Rams for buildings and Siege Onagers for fighting large clusters of enemies.

When defending, it’s a good idea to build some Towers and Castles to protect your villagers if you can afford the Stone. Use your Lumberjack bonus to build some Palisade Walls around the base too. They’re far from the strongest defense your base will have, but they do provide a small relief from enemy attackers and are efficient at creating turtling strategies if you’re on a Random Map such as Black Forest, where there already isn’t much room to maneuver.

And those are our best strategies for using the Celts in Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition. Be sure to let us know about any other AOE2 strategies that work best for you.