AoE2 DB

Farming & Economy Upgrades

Your gather rate is set by your economy upgrades and your civilization. Here's every upgrade with its exact cost and effect, plus the civs that gather faster.

Farming

Horse Collar75 food, 75 wood

Research Horse Collar (New Farms provide +75 food. Existing Farms provide a smaller food amount.)

Heavy Plow125 food, 125 wood

Research Heavy Plow (New Farms provide +125 food. Farmers +1 carry capacity. Existing Farms provide a smaller food amount.)

Crop Rotation250 food, 250 wood

Research Crop Rotation (New Farms provide +175 food. Existing Farms provide a smaller food amount.)

Villager carry & speed

Wheelbarrow175 food, 50 wood

Research Wheelbarrow (Villagers +25% carry capacity and move +10% faster)

Hand Cart300 food, 200 wood

Research Hand Cart (Villagers +50% carry capacity and move +10% faster)

Wood

Double-Bit Axe100 food, 50 wood

Research Double-Bit Axe (Villagers gather wood +20% faster)

Bow Saw150 food, 100 wood

Research Bow Saw (Villagers gather wood +20% faster)

Two-Man Saw300 food, 200 wood

Research Two-Man Saw (Villagers gather wood +10% faster)

Gold

Gold Mining100 food, 75 wood

Research Gold Mining (Villagers gather gold +15% faster)

Gold Shaft Mining175 food, 75 wood

Research Gold Shaft Mining (Villagers gather gold +15% faster)

Stone

Stone Mining100 food, 75 wood

Research Stone Mining (Villagers gather stone +15% faster)

Stone Shaft Mining175 food, 75 wood

Research Stone Shaft Mining (Villagers gather stone +15% faster)

Trade & fishing

Caravan200 food, 200 gold

Research Caravan (Trade Units move +20% faster)

Banking300 food, 200 gold

Research Banking (Tributes to other players are free)

Gillnets100 food, 125 wood

Research Gillnets (Fishing Ships gather +10% faster and carry +5)

Civilizations that boost gathering

These civilizations carry an economy or gather-rate bonus — the biggest lever on how fast your villagers fill your stockpile.

Armenians

  • First Fortified Church receives a free Relic

Athenians

  • Policy style can be changed between Economic, Naval, and Military at the Town Center
  • Changing Policy becomes progressively more expensive, up to a maximum of 50 gold
  • Lumberjacks slowly generate food
  • Eisphora (50% of the Hoplite gold cost is replaced with an additional food cost)

Aztecs

  • Start with +50 gold
  • Villagers carry +3
  • Relics generate +33% gold

Bengalis

  • Town Centers spawn 2 Villagers when the next Age is reached
  • Trade Units generate +10% food in addition to gold

Berbers

  • Villagers move +5% faster in Dark Age, +10% faster starting in Feudal Age

Bohemians

  • Mining Camp technologies free
  • Blacksmiths and Universities cost -100 wood
  • Fervor and Sanctity affect Villagers
  • Hussite Reforms (Monks and Monastery technologies gold cost is replaced by food cost)

Britons

  • Town Centers cost -50% wood starting in Castle Age

Bulgarians

  • Blacksmith and Siege Workshop technologies cost -50% food
  • Town Centers cost -50% stone

Burgundians

  • Economic upgrades available one age earlier and cost -40% food
  • Burgundian Vineyards (Farmers slowly generate gold in addition to food)
  • Flemish Revolution (All existing Villagers are transformed to Flemish Militia)
  • Relics generate food in addition to gold

Burmese

  • Lumber Camp technologies free
  • Relics visible on the map at the start of the game

Celts

  • Lumberjacks work +15% faster

Chinese

  • Start with +3 Villagers, but -50 wood and -200 food
  • Farms +10% food

Cumans

  • Archery Ranges and Stables cost -75 wood

Dravidians

  • Fishermen and Fishing Ships carry +15
  • Receive +200 wood when advancing to the next Age
  • Siege Weapons cost -33% wood

Ethiopians

  • Receive +100 gold and +100 food when advancing to the next Age
  • Outposts +3 line of sight and cost no stone

Franks

  • Foragers work +15% faster

Georgians

  • Fortified Churches provide Villagers in a 9 tiles radius with +10% work rate

Gurjaras

  • Start with 2 Forage Bushes
  • Can garrison livestock in Mills to passively produce food
  • Kshatriyas (Military Units cost -25% food)

Hindustanis

  • Villagers cost -8/13/18/23% in Dark/Feudal/Castle/
  • Grand Trunk Road (All gold income +10% faster; Market trading fee reduced to 10%)

Huns

  • Do not need houses, but start with -100 wood

Inca

  • Buildings cost -15% stone
  • Military Units cost -15/20/25/30% food in Dark/Feudal/Castle/Imperial Age
  • Villagers affected by Infantry Blacksmith upgrades starting in Castle Age

Italians

  • Fishing Ships cost -15%
  • Silk Road (Trade Units cost -50%)

Japanese

  • Mills, Lumber- and Mining Camps cost -50%
  • Fishing Ships work +5/10/15/20% faster in Dark/Feudal/Castle/Imperial Age; +100% HP

Jurchens

  • Siege and Fortification upgrades cost -75% wood and research +100% faster

Khitans

  • Pastures replace Farms

Khmer

  • Farmers don't require Mills or Town Centers to drop off food
  • Villagers can garrison in Houses

Koreans

  • Stone miners work +20% faster
  • Ranged Soldiers and Infantry cost -50% wood
  • Warships cost -20% wood
  • Villagers +3 line of sight

Lithuanians

  • Each Town Center provides +100 food
  • Each garrisoned Relic provides +1 attack to Knight-line and Leitis (maximum +4)

Magyars

  • Villagers defeat wolves with one strike

Malay

  • Fish Traps cost -33% and provide +200% food

Malians

  • Buildings cost -15% wood
  • Villagers drop off +10% more gold

Mapuche

  • Foragers drop off +25% food
  • Mounted Units generate +3 gold when defeating military units

Maya

  • Start with +1 Villager, but -50 food

Muisca

  • Advancing to the next Age costs -50% gold
  • Natural gold sources last +15% longer

Persians

  • Start with +50 wood and +50 food
  • Kamandaran (Archer-line gold cost replaced by additional wood cost)

Poles

  • Villagers regenerate 10/15/20 HP in Feudal/Castle/Imperial Age
  • Stone Miners generate gold in addition to stone
  • Bloodlines and Scout Cavalry-line upgrades cost -50% food
  • Szlachta Privileges (Knight-line costs -60% gold)

Portuguese

  • Foragers generate wood in addition to food
  • All units cost -20% gold

Puru

  • Villagers gathering from Stone slowly gain food
  • Stone mines last 30% longer
  • Villagers and Fishing Ships gather from Oysters 15% faster
  • Vedic Teachings (Each technology researched at the Academy increases villager work rate by 2% [max 20%])
  • Trade Carts move 15% faster

Romans

  • Villagers gather, build, and repair +5% faster
  • Scorpions cost -50% gold

Saracens

  • Market trading fee only 5%; Markets cost -100 wood

Shu

  • Lumberjacks generate food in addition to wood

Sicilians

  • Start with +100 stone
  • Farm upgrades provide +125% additional food

Slavs

  • Farmers work +15% faster

Spanish

  • Receive +20 gold for each technology researched
  • Blacksmith upgrades cost no gold
  • Supremacy (Villagers +40 HP, +6 attack, +2 melee/+2 pierce armor)
  • Trade Units generate +25% gold

Spartans

  • Villagers and Fishing Ships drop off 10% more food
  • Helot Levies (Spearmen, Skirmishers, and Villagers train 50% faster)
  • Peloponnesian League (Monoreme-line +5 attack vs Galleys and Forts slowly generate gold)

Tatars

  • New Town Centers spawn 2 Sheep starting in Castle Age

Teutons

  • Farms cost -40%

Thracians

  • Forts and Towers increase the workrate of nearby Miners and Lumberjacks, and serve as resource dropsites
  • Shepherds and Hunters slowly generate gold while gathering from animals
  • Odomantian Raiders (Infantry and cavalry gain gold from killing enemies)
  • Dii Plunderers (Spearman-line, Levy/Hoplite-line, and Rhomphaia Warriors gain wood/food/gold respectively from damaging enemy buildings)

Tupi

  • Villagers can garrison in Settlements
  • Archery Range and Barracks upgrades cost -50% food

Turks

  • Gold miners work +25% faster

Vietnamese

  • Economic upgrades cost no wood and research +100% faster
  • Paper Money (Lumberjacks slowly generate gold in addition to wood)

Vikings

  • Chieftains (Infantry +5 attack vs. Cavalry, +4 vs. Camel Units; generate +5 gold when defeating Villagers, Trade Units and Monks)

Wei

  • Receive one free Villager for each economic upgrade researched
  • Tuntian (Soldiers passively produce food)

Wu

  • Military production buildings and Docks provide +55 food