Celts

🛡️ Celts

Overview

The Celts are one of the most overpowered civilizations in AoE2. Their siege and infantry bonuses create overwhelming land pressure with no exploitable weakness. Combined with full Paladin access, they dominate through brute force, requiring minimal tactical diversity.

Strengths

• Siege: +40% HP and +25% fire rate → strongest and most durable siege in the game.

• Infantry: +15% speed → fast reinforcement and siege support.

• Cavalry: Full Paladin access removes their intended mobility weakness.

• Economy: Faster lumberjacks sustain constant siege and infantry output.
  
  

Weaknesses

None. Their siege, infantry, and cavalry are all top-tier, leaving no clear counter option.

Proposed Fixes

1. Remove Paladin upgrade.

   • Cavalier becomes the highest cavalry tier available.

   • Restores intended vulnerability to heavy cavalry civilizations.
     
     

2. Remove +25% siege fire rate bonus.

   • Keep the +40% HP bonus for durability identity.

   • Slows their siege output and reduces instant-kill splash spam.
     
     

Design Reasoning

The Celts are meant to embody relentless land power — siege and infantry overwhelming defenses through endurance, not speed.
Removing Paladin restores that design by forcing reliance on infantry and siege.
Removing siege fire rate prevents complete dominance over every land matchup and restores counterplay for opponents.

Together, these changes reestablish the Celts as ground-pressure specialists, not all-purpose juggernauts.