Loom

Overview

art_loom

Many new players wonder if 50 gold for a silly tech to give your villagers extra HP, is really worth it. Let’s see!

Basics

In short: yes, it’s very much worth it. There are some maps and situations where it’s less of an issue, but let’s first see why it’s an essential technology.

 

Loom Icon in Age of Empires IIWithout loomWith loom
Wolf Icon in Age of Empires IIVillagers die to a wolf!Unless you deal the first strike, but that’s quite hard.You easily survive one wolf.
Wild Boar Icon in Age of Empires IIVillagers die in 4 strikes.Villagers die in 7 strikes.
Scout Cavalry Icon in Age of Empires IIWith a puny 25 HP, any stray villager is an easy prey.The scout is still stronger, but you may hold out until reinforcements arrive.
Skirmisher Icon in Age of Empires IIVillagers die in 13 strikes.Villagers die in 40 strikes.

In short, it might take your enemy twice as long to destroy your economy with loom researched. Well worth the 50 gold!

When to research it?

Generally, players will research it right before taking their first boar. Sometimes, when players want to wall off a small gap (in Black Forest for example), you can do loom straight away, to make sure you can kill off any wolves you might encounter. However if you’re playing Magyars, this is no problem.

If you’re playing with the Mayans or the Chinese, you will have to research loom straight away! Mayans won’t have population room for a villager and Chinese won’t have food to make one. It’s best to not waste time waiting and get loom right off the bat.

When to not research it?

Loom is not always necessary. It is perfectly possible to lure a boar without loom or to even play a full game without it. However, these are exceptional cases!

  • Arena: Since you are walled from the start, you will have a safe economy for a reasonably long time. If you combine this with a very aggressive forward, it’s possible your enemy won’t ever come near your fortified town. This saves you 50 gold throughout the game which you can invest in your forward
  • Islands: If your economy is not too close to the coast, you might not even need loom on this map until a landing takes place. It’s a good saving of 50 gold which you then can spend on your first navy or landing party.

Wolfs, Jaguars and Bears?

When we talk about wolfs, we also mean jaguars and bears. There is absolutely no difference between these units except their appearance.

wolf_jaguar_bear