There are different civilizations in Age of Empires 4 and they all play differently. The French civilization is a classic and it might feel a bit familiar if you have played the previous games. In this Age of Empires 4 guide, we are going to go over everything that you need to know about the French civilization.
French Civilization In Age Of Empires 4
The following is what you need to know about the French and how you should play the civ through the ages.
Civilization Bonuses And Unique Units
The French are a defensive civ and the perks of the civilization reflect that. The French gain a boost in production speed for villagers and scouts as they progress through the ages. In the first age, the production speed is increased by 10%. This is increased to 15 and then 20 in the later ages. Economic technology is 30% cheaper for the civilization as compared to other civs in the game.
Resource drop-off buildings cost 25 less wood. Trade Posts can be seen on the mini-map at the start of the game. Traders can bring back any resource that you want, not only gold like other civs in the game. Melee damage technologies are researched for free. Trade Ships bring back 20% more gold.
The French have some unique units such as the Royal Knight, which gets a bonus for 3 seconds after a charge. The Arbalétrier can create defenses that provide 5 ranged armor for 30 seconds. The Galleass is a large ship that has cannons at the front.
Progressing Through The Ages
As the French civ is focused on resources, getting started is pretty easy. You need to have your scout look for sheep and bring them back to the town center for your villagers to gather food from them. You should spend your time building drop-off buildings that are going to make resource gathering much faster. Once you have enough resources, you can advance to the next age.
Age 2
During this age, you need to build the Chamber of Commerce. You will also benefit from building a large number of traders. This is also the time in which you should start building defenses around your town and train an army to protect it from invaders. During this age, the enemy is going to try and attack you. So be ready for that.
Age 3
At this point in the game, you should have plenty of resources and walls around your city. Build the Royal Institute so that you can unlock the tech that is unique to the French civilization in Age of Empires 4. This will allow you to upgrade your units and make them stronger.
Furthermore, you should build stone walls around your town and have archers on them for protection. Stone towers can be made for additional protection.
Age 4
During this age, you need to focus on upgrading your troops and training more of them. Especially if you are interested in dominating the enemy. As the French are defensive, you can go for a Wonder victory as well. Do make sure that you have enough fortifications to defend the Wonder.
You should build the College of Artillery in order to gain access to gunpowder units which are going to be very helpful on the battlefield.
This is what you need to know about the French in Age of Empires 4. If you are interested in learning more about the game then you can check out our article on the best civilizations in the game.