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Idle Villager
On this page
  1. What it does
  2. Strengths
  3. Weaknesses
  4. Strong counters
  5. Situational counters
  6. What it counters
  7. Why matchups work
  8. Line, cost, and age
  9. Upgrades
  10. Mistakes
  11. Supporting units
  12. Civ exceptions
  13. Related

Counter finder

Scorpion

Verified

siege · Siege Workshop · castle Age

A Castle Age bolt thrower that hits several units in a line. Best against clumps of infantry, weak if cavalry or farther siege reach it.

Idle Villager is current for Update 177723, with minor updates through 180059. Facts on this page were checked on 2026-09-19. Counters are not unconditional. Numbers, upgrades, terrain, and micro change the fight.

What it does

The Scorpion is a Siege Workshop unit that fires a bolt in a straight line. It is an anti-army weapon, not a building wrecker. Use it to punish militia, pikes, and other slow clumps. Do not expect it to win a 1v1 against a Knight.

Strengths

  • Bolts pass through units, so packed infantry melt.
  • High pierce armor, so arrows tickle them.
  • Cheap compared with Onagers, and easier to mass from one workshop.

Weaknesses

  • Minimum range of 2. Melee units that close the gap ignore the bolt.
  • Slow. Cavalry catch them in the open.
  • Onagers and Bombard Cannons outrange or one-shot packs.
  • Friendly fire on your own infantry if you fire through a messy fight.

Strong counters

Strategic advice built on verified armor classes and unit access. Not unconditional.

  • Knight · cost-effective · can win in equal numbers

    Knights close the gap, ignore most of the pierce armor, and delete Scorpions in melee. This is the default land answer.

    • Packed Scorpions with Ballistics still hurt if you charge in a line.
    • Pikes in front of the Scorpions make the charge expensive.

  • Scout Cavalry · cost-effective · needs numbers, surround, or micro

    Light Cavalry and Hussars are the cheap dive. They are cost-effective, not an equal-number duel vs a huge pack.

    • Without Ballistics the Scorpions miss more. With Ballistics, approach from multiple angles.
    • Halberdiers next to the Scorpions stop a naked Hussar dive.

  • Mangonel · cost-effective · can win in equal numbers

    Onagers one-shot clumps. If both packs fire, the wider blast usually wins.

    • Range and micro decide it. Khmer Scorpions can outrange generic Onagers after Siege Engineers plus the team bonus.
    • Do not fire through your own army.

  • Bombard Cannon · cost-effective · can win in equal numbers

    BBC outranges Scorpions and has bonus vs siege. Guard it.

    • Khmer cannot make BBC.
    • Hussars still delete unprotected cannons.

  • Mangudai · cost-effective · needs numbers, surround, or micro

    Mangudai carry bonus damage vs siege. A Mongol Castle is a direct answer to a Scorpion plan.

    • Needs Castle production.
    • Skirmishers still threaten Mangudai.

Situational counters

  • Battering Ram · cost-effective · needs numbers, surround, or micro

    Rams shrug off bolts and crush Scorpions in melee. Best when you can walk them in.

    • Melee cavalry around the Scorpions kill rams.
    • Slow. Not a raid answer.

What it counters

  • Spearman

    Bolts farm pike blobs. This is why Khmer Scorpions pair with elephants.

  • Militia

    Infantry blobs are Scorpion food.

Why matchups work

Scorpions deal pierce damage and keep firing through the first target. Infantry have low pierce armor and walk in blobs, so each bolt pays for itself. Cavalry have more HP, close quickly, and strike the Scorpion's low melee armor. Mangonels ignore the pierce armor and hit several Scorpions at once.

Line, cost, and age

Verified fact from the aoe2techtree dat extract. Base stats, no civ bonuses.

Scorpion line stats
UnitAgeHPAttackRangeArmorCost
Scorpioncastle4011 pierce70/775w 75g
Heavy Scorpionimperial6014 pierce71/875w 75g
  • Scorpion: Dat extract: +3 vs buildings, +7 vs elephants, +1 vs infantry, +1 vs high pierce-armor siege.
  • Heavy Scorpion: Dat extract: +6 vs buildings, +10 vs elephants, +2 vs infantry, +2 vs high pierce-armor siege.

Upgrades

  • Heavy Scorpionimperial Age

    Imperial upgrade: more HP, attack, and armor.

  • Ballisticscastle Age

    Bolts lead moving targets. Huge for hitting cavalry that strafe.

  • Chemistryimperial Age

    +1 attack.

  • Siege Engineersimperial Age

    +1 range and more damage vs buildings.

Common mistakes when fighting it

  • Making two Scorpions with no spears or cavalry in front. They get sniped.
  • Firing into a mixed fight and killing your own pikes.
  • Ignoring Ballistics. Without it, moving Knights dodge for free.
  • Trying to snipe Onagers without numbers or range advantage.

Supporting units

Civilization-specific exceptions

These sit on top of the generic matchup, not inside it.

  • Khmer

    Team bonus is Scorpions +1 range. Double Crossbow adds a second projectile. With Siege Engineers, Khmer Scorpions can reach range 9, which outranges Arbalesters.

    verified fact

  • Celts

    Siege weapons attack 25% faster. Furor Celtica adds 40% HP. Team bonus is Siege Workshops 20% faster. Celt Scorpions hit harder per minute than generic ones.

    verified fact

  • Byzantines

    Byzantines train Scorpions but do not get Heavy Scorpion or Siege Engineers.

    verified fact

Base stats and Khmer or Celt modifiers are verified. Exact Double Crossbow secondary-bolt damage is not reprinted here because official text only says an additional projectile.