Build Orders

Optimized opening strategies for every civilization

Build orders in Age of Empires IV are tailored to each civilization's unique bonuses and landmarks. Unlike AoE2, you must choose landmarks to advance ages, which defines your strategy. Here are the most effective builds for competitive play.

Fast Feudal

Easy
All ~4:30

Quick Age II advancement for early aggression

  1. Queue 2 villagers immediately
  2. 6 villagers to sheep
  3. 3 villagers to gold
  4. 4 villagers to wood
  5. Age up with 13 villagers
  6. Build landmark

English Longbow Rush

Easy
English ~5:00 Feudal

Fast Feudal into longbowmen pressure

  1. 6 villagers to sheep
  2. 4 villagers to wood
  3. 3 villagers to gold
  4. Age up with Council Hall
  5. Produce longbowmen constantly
  6. Add archery ranges as economy grows
  7. Pressure opponent with longbow army

French Knight Rush

Easy
French ~5:30 Feudal

Fast stable for knight harassment

  1. 6 villagers to sheep
  2. 2 villagers to gold
  3. 5 villagers to wood
  4. Age up with School of Cavalry
  5. Build stable during age up
  6. Produce knights immediately
  7. Raid enemy villagers and gold

Chinese Song Dynasty Rush

Hard
Chinese ~6:30

Double landmark into Zhuge Nu swarm

  1. Build Imperial Academy first
  2. Assign officials to buildings
  3. 6 villagers to food
  4. 4 villagers to wood
  5. 3 villagers to gold
  6. Build second landmark for Song Dynasty
  7. Mass produce Zhuge Nu
  8. Use Song Dynasty 35% production bonus

Mongol Tower Rush

Medium
Mongols ~4:30 Feudal

Aggressive tower placement with mobile base

  1. Pack base and move forward
  2. 5 villagers to sheep
  3. 3 villagers to wood
  4. 2 villagers to gold
  5. Age up with Deer Stones
  6. Build stone tower near enemy
  7. Produce mangudai from Ovoo
  8. Harass while towering

Delhi Free Upgrades Boom

Hard
Delhi Sultanate ~8:00 Castle

Efficient boom using free technology

  1. Build mosque first
  2. Research village fortresses
  3. 6 villagers to berries
  4. 4 villagers to wood
  5. Build second mosque
  6. Age up with Dome of the Faith
  7. Research all free military upgrades
  8. Mass elephants in Castle Age

General Tips for AoE IV

  • Each civilization has unique villagers - learn their mechanics
  • Landmark choice defines your strategy - plan ahead
  • Use rally points efficiently to minimize idle time
  • Scout actively - professional scouts are essential
  • Sacred Sites provide victory condition - control them
  • Walls are strong in AoE4 - wall early against aggression
  • Stone is more valuable - mine it strategically
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