The Ballista Elephant is countered by Monk, Hussar and Halberdier. It is a Siege / Unique unit of the Siege Elephants, available to the Khmer.
- Class
- Siege / Unique
- Line
- Siege Elephants
- Available to
- Khmer
- Elite upgrade
- Elite Ballista Elephant
- Cost
-
100 
80
Ballista Elephant stats
The Elite Ballista Elephant upgrade changes the values marked below. Everything else — cost, class and the civilization bonuses that apply — stays the same.
| Stat | Ballista Elephant | Elite |
|---|---|---|
 Hit points | 250 | 280 |
 Melee attack | 0 | 0 |
 Pierce attack | 9 / 2.5s | 10 / 2.5s |
 Range | 5 | 5 |
 Melee armour | 0 | 0 |
 Pierce armour | 3 | 3 |
 Speed | 0.8 | 0.8 |
 Line of sight | 7 | 7 |
 Training time | 25s | 25s |
What counters the Ballista Elephant?
The Ballista Elephant is weak against Cavalry and Siege Weapons.
Hard counters deal bonus damage against this unit — they beat the Ballista Elephant even at a cost disadvantage. Soft counters win the fight through cost-efficiency or mobility, without a dedicated bonus.
| Counter | Type | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
 Monk | hard | Conversion – expensive and effective |
 Hussar | hard | Fast – siege weapons have almost no melee armor |
 Halberdier | soft | Attack bonus vs. cavalry |
What does the Ballista Elephant counter?
The Ballista Elephant is strong against Infantry and Ranged Soldiers.
Civilizations that improve the Ballista Elephant
18 civilizations have a bonus or unique technology that affects this unit.
Britons
- Warwolf (unique tech): Trebuchets deal blast damage and are more accurate
Bulgarians
- Blacksmith and Siege Workshop technologies cost -50% food
Celts
- Siege Weapons attack +25% faster
- Furor Celtica (unique tech): Siege Weapons +40% HP
Cumans
- Siege Workshop and Battering Ram available in Feudal Age; Capped Ram available in Castle Age
Dravidians
- Siege Weapons cost -33% wood
Ethiopians
- Torsion Engines (unique tech): Siege Workshop Units' blast radius increased
Huns
- Trebuchets fire more accurately at units and small targets
Japanese
- Kataparuto (unique tech): Trebuchets attack and pack/unpack faster
Jurchens
- Siege Engineers available in Castle Age
- Siege and Fortification upgrades cost -75% wood and research +100% faster
Khmer
- Double Crossbow (unique tech): Ballista Elephants and Scorpions fire an additional projectile
Mongols
- Drill (unique tech): Siege Workshop Units move +50% faster
Saracens
- Counterweights (unique tech): Trebuchets and Mangonel-line +15% attack
Shu
- Siege Weapons and Siege Warships move +10/15% faster in Castle/Imperial Age
Slavs
- Siege Workshop Units cost -15%
Tatars
- Timurid Siegecraft (unique tech): Trebuchets +2 range
Teutons
- Ironclad (unique tech): Siege Weapons +4 melee armor
Wei
- Traction Trebuchets and Lou Chuans cost -25%
Wu
- Sitting Tiger (unique tech): Traction Trebuchets and Lou Chuan trebuchet weapons fire additional projectiles
The Siege Elephants
-
Armored Elephant -
Siege Elephant - Ballista Elephant
-
Elite Ballista Elephant
For the strategy behind these matchups — when to build counters, how to mix them and which civs do it best — see the Elephant Counters guide.
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