Age of Empires IV: A Deep Dive into the Eras of Conquest

Age of Empires IV immerses players in a historical journey across four distinct ages: the Dark Age, Feudal Age, Castle Age, and Imperial Age. This progression mirrors the ebb and flow of civilizations as they advance technologically and militarily, echoing the strategic depth found in Age of Empires II. Understanding these ages is fundamental to mastering the game and leading your chosen civilization to victory.

The Four Ages of Empires

Each age in Age of Empires IV represents a significant leap forward, unlocking new units, technologies, and buildings. Let’s break down each age to fully understand what they have to offer:

Dark Age: Laying the Foundation

The Dark Age is where every game begins. You start with a town center, a handful of villagers, and the daunting task of establishing your economy and defenses. This is the age of resource gathering: wood for buildings, food for population growth, and gold for future advancements. Key buildings in the Dark Age include:

• Town Center: Your central hub for villager production and defense.
• Houses: Essential for increasing your population cap.
• Lumber Camp: For efficient wood gathering.
• Mining Camp: For gathering gold.

The Dark Age is about efficient resource management and scouting to understand the map and your opponent’s location. Light cavalry or scouts are crucial in the Dark Age.

Feudal Age: Early Expansion and Military Development

Advancing to the Feudal Age marks the first significant power spike. This Age unlocks early military units and economic upgrades, enabling you to expand your influence and put pressure on your opponents. Crucial structures and units added in the Feudal Age are:

• Barracks: Produce basic melee infantry.
• Archery Range: Train archers for ranged combat.
• Stable: Train light cavalry units
• Blacksmith: Research economic and military upgrades.

The Feudal Age often sees early skirmishes as players vie for control of key resources and strategic locations.

Castle Age: Fortification and Specialized Units

Reaching the Castle Age grants access to powerful, specialized units and defensive structures. Castles, naturally, are the centerpiece of this age, providing formidable defenses and unique unit production capabilities. Key features of the Castle Age include:

• Castles: Impenetrable defensive structures with high firepower.
• Siege Workshop: Construct rams and siege towers to assault enemy fortifications.
• Monasteries/Mosques: Produce religious units to convert enemies and heal your own units.
• Access to unique and powerful civilization-specific units, such as the Longbowman for the English or the Mangudai for the Mongols.

The Castle Age is a time for consolidation, building a strong economy and a formidable army, and preparing for the final push.

Imperial Age: The Pinnacle of Power

The Imperial Age represents the pinnacle of technological and military advancement. This age unlocks the most powerful units, technologies, and upgrades, allowing you to unleash the full might of your civilization. Expect to use the following in this age:

• Bombards: Devastating siege weapons capable of razing enemy structures.
• Advanced versions of all unit types, making them significantly stronger.
• Access to powerful economic and military upgrades.

The Imperial Age is often a battle of attrition, where resource management, strategic positioning, and technological superiority determine the victor. The game showcases how strategy and decision-making are vital in leading a civilization through these historical stages. This can be closely related to the work done by the Games Learning Society, which explores how games can be tools for understanding complex systems.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Eras in Age of Empires IV

1. What determines the timing of Age advancements?

The main bottleneck to advancing to the next age is the cost in resources to create the landmark. Each civilization has their own landmarks that they can create to advance in age.

2. Are all civilizations the same in each Age?

No. Each civilization has unique units, technologies, and landmarks that differentiate them in each age. Some civilizations may excel in certain ages due to these unique advantages.

3. How important is scouting in each Age?

Scouting is crucial throughout the game, but particularly important in the Dark and Feudal Ages. Knowing your opponent’s movements, resource locations, and army composition gives you a significant advantage.

4. Can I skip an Age?

No, you must advance through each age sequentially. You cannot jump directly from the Dark Age to the Castle Age, for example.

5. What happens if my Town Center is destroyed in the Dark Age?

If your Town Center is destroyed in the Dark Age, you are essentially defeated. You will not be able to produce villagers or rebuild your economy.

6. How do Landmarks contribute to Age advancement?

Landmarks are special structures built to advance to the next age. Each civilization has a choice of two landmarks per age, each offering unique bonuses or capabilities. Choosing the right landmark is a crucial strategic decision.

7. How many villagers should I have in each Age?

The optimal number of villagers varies depending on your civilization, strategy, and map size. As a general guideline, aim for around 30-40 villagers in the Feudal Age, 60-80 in the Castle Age, and 80-100+ in the Imperial Age. Listening to various Age of Empires 4 professionals, they reckon about 100 villagers is optimal.

8. What is the most important resource to focus on in each Age?

• Dark Age: Food and wood are essential for villager production and building construction.
• Feudal Age: Food, wood, and gold are crucial for producing military units and researching upgrades.
• Castle Age: Food, gold, and stone are important for building castles, training elite units, and researching advanced technologies.
• Imperial Age: All resources are vital, but gold and stone become particularly important for sustaining large armies and building powerful siege weapons.

9. How does technology research affect my units in each Age?

Technology research provides significant bonuses to your units, such as increased attack damage, armor, or speed. Prioritizing key technologies can give you a decisive edge in combat.

10. What are the best defensive strategies in each Age?

• Dark Age: Focus on walling off key resource locations and strategic chokepoints.
• Feudal Age: Build towers and garrisons to protect your villagers and key buildings.
• Castle Age: Construct castles and fortified outposts to create a strong defensive line.
• Imperial Age: Utilize a combination of castles, walls, and standing armies to defend against large-scale attacks.

11. How do I counter specific units in each Age?

Understanding unit counters is crucial for success in Age of Empires IV. For example:

• Spearmen are effective against cavalry.
• Archers are strong against light infantry.
• Men-at-Arms are effective against archers.
• Siege weapons are ideal for destroying buildings and fortifications.

12. How does the map affect my strategy in each Age?

The map layout significantly impacts your strategy. Maps with abundant resources encourage early expansion, while maps with limited resources require more efficient resource management and aggressive scouting.

13. What is the best way to transition between Ages?

Plan your age transitions carefully, ensuring you have sufficient resources and production capacity to maintain your military strength and economic growth. Time your age advancements to coincide with key strategic objectives, such as attacking an enemy base or securing a valuable resource.

14. How do the Ottomans play in the different Ages?

The Ottomans lack economic bonuses to start, but in later stages of the game, their military is able to take advantage of fast training to quickly swarm the opponent.

15. Is Age of Empires IV good for learning history?

While Age of Empires IV takes liberties with historical accuracy for the sake of gameplay, it offers a good starting point for learning about different civilizations and historical periods. You can learn about the game’s capacity as a learning tool by visiting GamesLearningSociety.org.