There are plenty of different civilizations that you can play as in Age of Empires 4. All of them have different strengths and perks. But which ones are the best? In this Age of Empires 4 guide, we are going to go over the best civilizations that you should try your hand at.
Best Civilizations In Age Of Empires 4
The following are some of the best civilizations that we recommend checking out in Age of Empires 4:
S Tier Civilizations
The S Tier civilizations are the best of the best. The following are the ones that we think belong in the top-tier:
The Mongols
The Mongols are simply the best but they are hard to play and harder to master. They cannot build stone walls so defense is not as great as some other civilizations in the game but they make up for it by being able to move around and never staying in a single place.
The Mongols can literally pack everything and move to another location. This is ideal for a hit-and-run strategy. You can split your resources and sneak up on enemies from multiple sides. You can also have a backup base to fall back on if your primary one is destroyed.
A perk that helps the Mongols excel is that they have max population and you do not need to build houses, saving you not only time but wood as well. Another interesting aspect of the civ is the Ovoo, which can mine stone on its own. So you can have your villagers that would have been mining stone on gathering other resources instead.
The French
The French civilization is also in our S tier. This is an ideal civ to play as a beginner. The French have an influence mechanic that allows stables and archeries to produce units much faster if they are under the influence of a keep. This is also the only civ in the game which can choose which resource the traders bring back.
So they will not only be bringing back gold but any resource that you want. This will help you balance out your economy. Not to mention that the French town centers produce units much faster than other civilizations in the game.
The French also have access to strong cavalry and special research bonuses that give them an edge over other civs in the game. All this combined makes the French great for beginners.
A Tier Civilizations
The following are some of the other civilizations that we can also recommend if you find the Mongols too hard to play:
The English
The English are another great civilization that is worth checking out if you are new to the game. Older players of the franchise might find this civ boring but it has great defensive capabilities. The English can build stone walls around them and heavily fortify them, which can come in handy if you are interested in a wonder victory.
This civ also has access to Longbowmen that have increased range compared to other archers in the game. Keeps and Town Centers fire arrows much faster, compared to other civs and villagers fire arrows rather than use melee weapons when attacked.
Furthermore, farms cost less to build and produce food faster when under the influence of a mill. This will help you get your economy up and running fairly quickly.
The Rus
The Rus are a bit hard to get used to as they shine later on in the game. Early on the civilization is a bit hard to play. With this civilization, you need to take advantage of the bounty mechanics. The more you hunt the more gold you earn. As the bounty increases, so does the food that you get from these animals.
The Rus have access to unique units such as the Warrior Monk, that can heal and buff units around it. The Streltsy is a gunpowder unit that performs well in combat, even when on its own. In the late game, the civ shine with the use of research such as Chemistry (20% increase in gunpowder units damage) and Biology (20% cavalry HP increase).
The Abbasid Dynasty
The last civ that we can recommend is the Abbasid Dynasty. The civ has anti-cavalry camel units that will force enemies to create infantry and spearman rather than cavalry. This makes the civ a great counter for cavalry-focused civs like the French.
The civ also has a unique way in which it progresses through the ages. Instead of building a new landmark each time you need to advance age, you simply build a new wing in the House of Wisdom. This does not require any builders to upgrade, so you can save some manpower and allocate it elsewhere. This does take some getting used to but once you do, this is one of the best civilizations to play as in Age of Empires 4.
While there are other civs in the game, these are the best. Note that you might like some other civ that suits your playstyle but these are the best in our opinion. Let us know which civilization you like to play as in Age of Empires 4. If you are interested in learning more about the game then you can check out our guide on the different victory conditions by which you can win a game.