There are plenty of different civilizations that you can play as in Age of Empires 4 but the English civilization is one of the best for beginners. In this Age Of Empires 4 guide, we are going to go over how you should play as the English civilization.
English Civilization In Age Of Empires 4
The following is everything that you need to know about the English civilization in Age of Empires 4:
Civilization Bonuses
Just like other civilizations in the game, the English empire has different bonuses that give it an edge over other civilizations. For starters, the civ can build farms for 50% less wood and the gathering rate from farms next to mills is increased by 15%. Vanguard Man-at-Arms are available to train from the start of the game.
The civilization has stronger villagers that can use bows and arrows to fire at enemies from a distance rather than using melee weapons like other civilizations in the game. Town Centers, Outposts, Towers, and Keeps increase the attack speed of units under their influence by 25%. Furthermore, Town Centers fire twice as many arrows, and the ships have +1 range. The English also have access to longbowmen, which have additional range and can be very effective against cavalry due to the palings ability.
With all these bonuses in mind, English are very defensive and the aim of the game with this civ is to take control of as much territory as possible and build defenses around it. Pair the longbowmen with walls, keeps, and towers in order to defend your land against enemy invaders.
Progressing Through The Ages
When you start a new game there is not much that you can build or do. At this stage of the game, you need to create villagers and gather resources in order to progress to the next age as soon as possible. Use the scout to see what is around you and bring back sheep for you to gather food from.
Constantly create villagers in order to develop your economy. You will need to have the majority of your villagers gather food and a few of them mine gold so that you can progress to the next age. When progressing to the next age you can pick between two landmark buildings; The Council Hall and The Abbey of Kings. The Abbey of Kings heals all units near it that are not in combat while the Council Hall produces longbowmen at an increased speed.
As you are progressing to the next age, you can use your scout to look for relics and sacred sites.
Age 2
During the 2nd age, you need to build barracks, archery ranges, and stables in order to have defensive and offensive forces. Use the Council Hall to produce Longbowmen that are going to defend your lands from enemy invaders. You can start mining stone to build walls around your settlement to improve your defenses. Longbowmen can stand on top of the walls and fire from there.
When progressing to the next age, you can pick between the King’s Palace or The White Tower. The King’s Palace acts like a town center while the White Tower acts like a keep. We recommend going with the White Tower in order to improve your defenses. Placement of the Tower is going to be very important as it should be behind your walls but be able to fire upon invaders.
Age 3
During this time period, you need to fortify your defenses and train more troops for protection and attacking enemies. You should also have pinpointed sacred sites, even if you are not planning on taking control over them. You should be ready to attack them in case the enemy takes control of one.
When progressing to the next age, you can pick between Berkshire Palace or the Wynguard Palace. The Berkshire Palace is another keep but it has more range. The Wynguard Palace produces a small army with all kinds of different units including Man-Aat-Arms, Spearman, Longbowman, Knight, and Trebuchet. Either one is going to make your defenses stronger and will help you get a wonder victory if that is what you are going for.
This is what you need to know about the English civilization in Age of Empires 4. If you are interested in learning more about the game then you can check out our guide on how relics work in the game.