Build Orders

Optimized opening strategies for every playstyle

Build orders are the foundation of competitive Age of Empires II. A good build order ensures efficient resource gathering and smooth age advancement. Practice these builds against AI before using them in ranked games.

Fast Castle

Medium
~16:00

Reach Castle Age quickly for knights or unique units

  1. 6 villagers to sheep
  2. 4 villagers to wood
  3. 1 villager lure boar
  4. 4 more to boar/sheep
  5. 3 villagers to berries
  6. 2 villagers to boar/sheep
  7. 3 villagers to farms
  8. 5 villagers to gold
  9. Click Feudal Age (28 pop)
  10. Build barracks while advancing
  11. Click Castle Age immediately

Scout Rush

Easy
~10:00 Feudal

Early aggression with scout cavalry

  1. 6 villagers to sheep
  2. 4 villagers to wood
  3. 1 villager lure boar
  4. 3 more to boar/sheep
  5. 3 villagers to berries
  6. 2 villagers to boar
  7. Build 2 houses then mill
  8. 4 villagers to farms
  9. Click Feudal Age (21 pop)
  10. Build stable while advancing
  11. Produce scouts immediately

Archer Rush

Medium
~10:30 Feudal

Fast Feudal with archers for early pressure

  1. 6 villagers to sheep
  2. 4 villagers to wood
  3. 1 villager lure boar
  4. 4 more to boar/sheep
  5. 1 villager to gold
  6. 3 villagers to berries
  7. 3 more to gold (4 total)
  8. Click Feudal Age (22 pop)
  9. Build 2 ranges while advancing
  10. Produce archers continuously
  11. Add more wood villagers for farms

Men-at-Arms Rush

Medium
~9:30 Feudal

Early infantry aggression transitioning to archers

  1. 6 villagers to sheep
  2. 3 villagers to wood
  3. 1 villager lure boar
  4. 4 more to boar/sheep
  5. 3 to gold
  6. 2 to wood
  7. Build barracks with 1 sheep villager
  8. Queue 3 militia
  9. Click Feudal Age (21 pop)
  10. Research Men-at-Arms immediately
  11. Build archery range, transition to archers

Drush Fast Castle

Hard
~17:00 Castle

Militia rush to delay opponent then boom

  1. 6 villagers to sheep
  2. 4 villagers to wood
  3. 1 villager build barracks then gold
  4. 1 villager lure boar
  5. 4 more to food
  6. Queue 3 militia from barracks
  7. 3 villagers to berries
  8. 5 more villagers to gold
  9. Click Feudal Age (27 pop)
  10. Rush with militia, harass economy
  11. Fast Castle for knights

Tower Rush

Hard
~10:00 Feudal

Aggressive tower placement in enemy base

  1. 6 villagers to sheep
  2. 4 villagers to wood
  3. 1 villager lure boar
  4. 4 more to food
  5. 3 to stone
  6. 3 to berries
  7. Click Feudal Age (22 pop)
  8. Send 4 villagers forward
  9. Build towers near enemy resources
  10. Continue pressure with more towers
  11. Transition to army or boom

General Tips

  • Never stop producing villagers in Dark Age and Feudal Age
  • Use hotkeys to speed up your gameplay
  • Push deer with your scout for extra food
  • Keep your Town Center busy at all times
  • Build houses proactively to avoid being housed
  • Scout your opponent early to adapt your strategy
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