Age of Empires 4: 10 beginner tips and tricks to lead you to victory

Age Of Empires 4 Source: Windows Primal

Age of Empires 4 is a deep game with plenty of viable strategies, so jumping in bullheaded tin can be a flake overwhelming. If y'all're new to the Historic period series or the RTS genre in general, some beginner tips and tricks tin become a long manner to helping you lot become your outset victory. I've already laid out a guide on Age of Empires 4 civilization bonuses and units, but these general tips and tricks should apply no matter how you lot're playing.

Never let your Town Middle sit idle

Age Of Empires 4 Source: Windows Key

This is a archetype Historic period of Empires maxim that continues to be important in Age 4. Villagers — your nigh valuable assets in well-nigh matches — are the courage of your economy. You should always presume that your enemy will exist constantly creating villagers, and y'all don't want to autumn backside.

Non having enough Villagers to job with gathering resources and building new structures volition issue in your enemy pulling ahead economically and militarily. Once the ability becomes available, consider also building new Town Centers to improve Villager cosmos speed.

This maxim too applies when playing through the campaign. Despite receiving, in many missions, a huge regular army to work with, play is set up in a way that requires you to build upwardly an economy and add to any granted units.

Apply fishing boats to repair armed services vessels

If you lot're on a water map and take a dock built to wage naval warfare, chances are y'all're also going to have a armada of fishing ships on the go (see the side by side tip). Because warships are so expensive, it's smart to cycle out the damaged ones equally you fight.

Bringing them back to your shoreline for repairs past Villagers was necessary in Age 2, but Historic period 4 has changed things upwards a fleck. Fishing ships tin now repair warships, so seeding a few in with your military fleet is not a bad idea. Just be certain they're protected since they get downwardly fast if focus-fired. If need be, know that Villagers can yet repair ships that are well-nigh land.

Don't ignore shoreline and abyssal fishing

Age Of Empires 4 Source: Windows Central

If your Boondocks Center is dropped near a shoreline, be sure to watch out for fishing spots along the coast. These offer a ton of food without much investment, and they're a quick way to boost your economy if domestic sheep and wild deer tin't be found. Villagers can drop off nutrient at docks, speeding up the process even more.

Deep-body of water fishing spots are also plentiful on water maps. Unlike in Age of Empires ii where these spots ran out and were not replenished, they tin now exist fished (in moderation) throughout a game. In that location are no more Fish Traps requiring wood to be replenished, which is a huge deal on some maps where copse are deficient.

Pay attention to areas of influence around buildings

Age of Empires 4 does something interesting with areas of influence effectually many of its buildings. Take the English Mill, for example. Farms built in a tight radius around it price 50% less wood and are harvested 15% faster. Similarly, Rus Hunting Cabins congenital in the range of copse generate more than gilded.

Each civilization has some sort of influence mechanic at play, and understanding how to exploit each ane will be a huge boon.

Inquiry the Textiles technology

Like Loom in Historic period of Empires 2, Textiles in Age 4 is a technology that makes your Villagers harder to kill. It's fairly cheap, it becomes available in the Feudal Historic period, and information technology should be a priority for pretty much any histrion.

If y'all have a strategy that requires the resources elsewhere you lot might have to delay its research, but otherwise, the earlier you get Textiles the better.

Mount units on your stone walls

Age Of Empires 4 Review Source: Windows Fundamental

Rock walls play a bigger role in Age 4 than e'er before. For the first time in the series, units tin can actually be mounted atop them. This can be done at an fastened Tower, Gate, or ruined portion of the wall. One time units are on the wall, they can traverse the entirety every bit long as it remains unbroken.

Units on walls receive less damage from ranged attacks, and friendly ranged units can fire farther and deal more impairment to enemies below. Be conscientious with mounting just Archers on your walls though as a Siege Tower or alienation in the wall can lead to enemy infantry swarming them. Mixing in some Homo-at-Arms or other infantry that deal good melee damage is recommended.

Add weapon emplacements to your defenses

Age of Empires four separates Outposts and Towers. Outposts, which start equally bones standalone structures with extra line of sight, can be upgraded quite extensively. In this regard, something like a tower blitz from older Age games is nevertheless possible.

Towers, on the other hand, must be built onto an existing stone wall. Once built, you can upgrade them with weapon emplacements and other techs that help eternalize your defense force. Some civs have actress options if you research the proper techs at other buildings, like the Siege Workshop.

Use the fire mechanic to your reward

New to Age of Empires four is a burn mechanic for buildings. Once a building drops below 25% hitpoints — no thing the type of damage that reduces it that low — it catches fire. A flame emblem appears in a higher place it to signify that it's ablaze.

At this point, you lot as an attacker can motion on to another building. Left unrepaired by a Villager, a building that is on fire volition eventually burn downward to nothing. You can certainly destroy each building completely, but it's not entirely necessary.

If yous're playing equally the Mongols, know that setting buildings on fire grants you lot costless resources. Happy raiding! And if you're playing against the Mongols (or merely desire extra protection) in that location are technologies available that add fire armor.

Brand proficient use of siege equipment

Age Of Empires 4 Review Source: Windows Central

Siege equipment is a crucial part of sieging an enemy, especially now that stone walls play such a big office. Infantry can build Battering Rams and Siege Towers, both effective tools used to breach an enemy'southward defenses. Siege Towers are substantially elevators to the top of your enemy'southward walls, while Battering Rams can take downward any building while soaking upwards arrows.

If yous want to keep your distance, something like the Trebuchet or Bombard makes more sense. These units should be protected at all cost due to high resource requirements.

Find yourself falling quickly to enemy siege equipment? Springalds are effective ranged tools that bargain extra damage confronting other siege engines. They can even exist built as emplacements in Keeps and Towers.

Understand the Age of Empires combat triangle

Age Of Empires 4 Source: Windows Central

As with previous Historic period games, Historic period of Empires 4 employs the classic combat triangle. Ranged units like Archers are weak against cavalry, mounted units like Knights are weak against Spearmen, and infantry similar Spearmen are weak confronting Archers. It'due south this system of counters that combat revolves around, and understanding it properly volition lead to more than wins on the field.

Information technology'southward never a bad idea to have a mix of units available to protect confronting whatever the enemy throws your way. Skilful scouting is also crucial, as you'll have an thought of what you need to make to best counter your enemy. If the enemy is massing Knights, you'll no doubt want to upgrade your Spearmen.

Yous tin use this to your reward as well. If you know the enemy has scouted your base of operations and discovered what you lot're up to, quickly changing tactics (and barring any Scouts from getting close once more) can set the enemy dorsum.

Wrapping up

There are undoubtedly countless other tips and tricks for Age of Empires four, only these ten should get you off to a not bad get-go. If you're worried that your current PC might not be able to run the game, be sure to take a expect at our Historic period of Empires 4 system requirements guide. And if you exercise need a new PC, our collection of the best gaming laptops should accept something suitable.

Age Of Empires 4

Historic period of Empires 4

Age of Empires 4 hasn't reinvented the RTS genre, but it has perfected many aspects of information technology. The campaign is arresting, the multiplayer is competitive, and the visuals and sound are a near-perfect fit. If you're a fan of the Age of Empires series, this is an easy recommendation.

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