Advertisement
Popular Now
Age of Empires IV, the latest installment in the classic real-time strategy (RTS) series, offers players a deep, intricate mix of resource management, military strategy, and empire-building. Whether you are a beginner or a veteran of the series, mastering the game requires understanding its various mechanics and the strategies involved. This guide will walk you through how to master combat, resource management, and strategic planning to dominate in Age of Empires IV.
Understanding the Basics of Age of Empires IV
Before jumping into advanced strategies, it’s crucial to grasp the basics of Age of Empires IV, including economy management, military training, and technological upgrades.Building Your Economy
In any RTS game, a strong economy is the foundation of your success. Your economy in Age of Empires IV revolves around gathering resources, including food, wood, gold, and stone.- H3: Villager Assignment: Assigning villagers to gather resources efficiently is key to maintaining a steady flow of materials for building and upgrading.
- H4: Balancing Resources: As you progress through the ages, resource needs will shift. Ensure that your villagers are gathering resources based on your current needs, whether it’s building an army or constructing defenses.
Advancing Through the Ages
Progression in Age of Empires IV happens through technological advancement. Each age brings new buildings, units, and technologies that can give you a competitive edge.- Start by focusing on gathering enough resources to advance from the Dark Age to the Feudal Age quickly.
- Keep upgrading through the Castle Age and Imperial Age to unlock stronger units and advanced technologies.
Building a Strong Military
A powerful military is essential to both defense and offense in Age of Empires IV. Understanding how to build, manage, and deploy your military units is critical to success.Training Units
Each civilization in Age of Empires IV has unique units, but they all fall into basic categories such as infantry, cavalry, archers, and siege weapons.- H3: Infantry: These units are your basic foot soldiers, ideal for early-game defense and offense.
- H4: Cavalry and Archers: Cavalry are fast-moving units that can deal with archers and siege units, while archers provide ranged attacks that can wear down enemy forces from a distance.
Balancing Your Army Composition
A balanced army is the key to overcoming a variety of enemy strategies. Avoid relying too heavily on one type of unit, as your opponent may counter you with the appropriate units.- Combine infantry, cavalry, and archers to create a versatile army.
- Incorporate siege units for late-game destruction of enemy defenses.
Mastering Micro and Macro Management
Age of Empires IV is a game of both micro (unit control) and macro (resource management and production) management. Excelling at both will allow you to dominate your opponents.Micro Management
Micro involves controlling individual units to maximize their effectiveness in combat. This includes positioning your units, using their abilities, and making quick decisions in battle.- H3: Flanking: Use cavalry to flank enemy archers or siege units.
- H4: Focus Fire: Target specific high-value units (like enemy siege weapons or high-damage units) to eliminate threats quickly.
Macro Management
Macro management involves managing your economy, military production, and technology upgrades on a larger scale. Without a solid macro game, even the best micro skills won’t save you.- Make sure you’re constantly training new units, upgrading technologies, and expanding your economy while also keeping your population at maximum capacity.
Expanding and Defending Your Territory
In Age of Empires IV, controlling more territory gives you access to more resources, but it also increases the area you need to defend. Strategic expansion and fortification are key to maintaining control.Expanding Early
Early-game expansion is crucial for securing resources and creating new forward bases.- H3: Forward Bases: Establish military bases closer to your enemy to shorten travel time for your units and apply constant pressure.
- H4: Strategic Outposts: Use outposts and towers to secure important resources like gold mines and relics.
Building Strong Defenses
Your buildings, walls, and defensive units can hold off enemy attacks while you prepare a counterattack. In later stages of the game, your defenses are your lifeline.- Build walls and fortify key locations to delay enemy advances.
- Place archers or siege units on walls to take advantage of the high ground.
Understanding Civilization Strengths and Weaknesses
Each civilization in Age of Empires IV has its unique strengths and weaknesses. Knowing how to play to your civilization's strengths while exploiting your opponent’s weaknesses can give you a decisive advantage.Popular Civilizations and Their Strengths
- English: Known for their powerful longbowmen, the English excel in defensive strategies and ranged combat.
- Mongols: A highly mobile civilization that specializes in cavalry and hit-and-run tactics.
- French: The French have a strong economy and powerful knights, making them excellent for both early-game economy building and late-game military domination.
Adapting to Your Civilization
Tailor your strategy to your civilization’s strengths. For example, if you’re playing as the English, focus on building archery ranges and using longbowmen to dominate early skirmishes. As the Mongols, use your mobility to harass enemies and avoid direct confrontations until you’re ready to strike.
Developing Winning Strategies
Winning in Age of Empires IV isn’t just about reacting to your opponent—it’s about setting the pace of the game and executing a well-thought-out strategy.Rush Strategies
Rushing involves attacking your opponent early in the game before they have time to build up their economy or defenses.- H3: Scout Early: Send scouts to gather information on your opponent's location and build order.
- H4: Timing is Key: Time your attack when your opponent is vulnerable—usually while they’re still gathering resources and building their first structures.
Defensive Strategies
If you prefer a more methodical approach, defensive strategies focus on building strong defenses while advancing your economy and technology.- H3: Turtling: This strategy involves fortifying your base with walls, towers, and castles, and slowly expanding outward while defending key areas.
- H4: Counterattack: Wait for your opponent to deplete their forces in an attack, then strike back when they are weakened.
Utilizing Advanced Tactics
As you become more experienced in Age of Empires IV, you can begin employing advanced tactics to outwit and outmaneuver your opponents.Ambushes and Sneak Attacks
Use terrain and fog of war to your advantage by setting up ambushes or launching surprise attacks on your enemy’s economy.- Hide units in forests or behind buildings, waiting for the right moment to strike.
- Attack your opponent’s villagers and resource lines to cripple their economy.
Siege Warfare
In the later stages of the game, siege units like trebuchets and bombards become essential for breaking through enemy defenses. Use these powerful units to destroy walls, towers, and castles, allowing your army to march into the enemy base.Controlling the Map and Key Resources
To gain the upper hand in Age of Empires IV, controlling key resources and map locations is essential.Resource Control
Certain resources like gold and stone are finite, meaning that control of these can make or break your game in the later stages.- H3: Map Control: Send scouts or small groups of units to secure gold mines, stone quarries, and relics around the map.
- H4: Relic Control: Monks can collect relics, which give you a steady income of gold when placed in a monastery. Securing relics can give you a massive economic advantage.
Securing Trade Routes
Trading posts and trade routes are another way to boost your economy, especially when natural resources are running low.- Establish trade routes between your markets and allies to generate extra gold.
