Age of Empires IV
Age of Empires IV

Castle Age Strategy

Master Age of Empires IV's pivotal Castle Age by consolidating your economy and preparing for mid-game power plays.

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Castle Age Strategy

Welcome, seasoned commanders, to the pivotal Castle Age in Age of Empires IV! This era marks a significant shift from early game development to mid-game power plays. Your focus here will be on consolidating your economy, establishing map control, and preparing for decisive engagements. A well-executed Castle Age transition can set you up for Imperial Age dominance.

Initial Castle Age Priorities

Upon reaching the Castle Age, your first few minutes are critical. Prioritize these actions:

  • Economic Upgrades: Head straight to your Town Centers and research Wheelbarrow and Hand Cart if you haven't already. These are foundational for resource gathering efficiency. At your Lumber Camps, research Double-Bit Axe and Bow Saw. For mining, get Stone Mining and Gold Mining upgrades from the Mining Camp.
  • Additional Town Centers (TCS): Aim for a total of 3-4 Town Centers, depending on your civilization and map. Place them strategically on additional resource patches, especially gold and stone, or in areas that provide good defensive coverage. This boosts your villager production significantly.
  • Military Production Buildings: Assess your immediate military needs. If you're facing early aggression, build additional Barracks, Archery Ranges, or Stables. If you're planning an offensive, ensure you have sufficient production capacity.
  • Castle Construction: A well-placed Castle can be a game-changer. Consider building it on a strategic choke point, near your gold mines, or to protect a forward position. Castles provide powerful defensive fire and allow for the training of unique units.

Economic Management in Castle Age

Your economy needs to be a well-oiled machine to support your military ambitions.

Villager Distribution

A balanced villager distribution is key. A general guideline for the Castle Age is:

  • Food: 35-40% (Farms, Berries, Hunting)
  • Wood: 25-30% (Lumber Camps)
  • Gold: 15-20% (Mining Camps, Relics, Trade)
  • Stone: 5-10% (Mining Camps, for Castles and additional TCs)

Adjust these percentages based on your civilization's bonuses and your current strategy. For example, if you're playing as the English and relying on Longbowmen, you'll need more wood. If you're the French and spamming Knights, more food and gold are essential.

Trade and Relics

  • Trade Routes: If the map allows, establish trade routes with allied markets or neutral trade posts. Build Markets and send Trade Carts to generate a steady income of gold. Protect these routes diligently.
  • Relic Collection: Send your Monks or Scholars to collect any available Relics on the map. Each Relic garrisoned in a Monastery provides a continuous gold income, which can be substantial over time. Scout aggressively to locate them early.

Military Strategy and Engagements

The Castle Age is where unit compositions become more diverse and tactical engagements more complex.

Unit Composition

Avoid relying on a single unit type. A balanced army counters a wider range of enemy units.

  • Core Units: Continue producing your civilization's strong core units. For example, English Longbowmen, French Royal Knights, or Holy Roman Empire Men-at-Arms.
  • Counter Units: Scout your opponent's army composition and build appropriate counter units.
    • Against heavy cavalry: Spearmen, Crossbowmen.
    • Against archers: Horsemen, Knights, Mangonels.
    • Against infantry: Archers, Knights.
  • Siege Weapons: The Castle Age introduces crucial siege units.
    • Mangonels: Excellent for dealing with massed archers and destroying buildings. Research Siege Engineering at the Blacksmith for increased damage.
    • Springalds: Vital for countering enemy siege weapons. Position them carefully to snipe enemy Mangonels or Bombards.

Defensive Structures

  • Walls: use Stone Walls to funnel enemy attacks, protect vulnerable resource lines, and create strong defensive perimeters. Research Fortified Outposts at the Outpost for increased durability.
  • Towers: Upgrade your Outposts to Keeps where possible, especially on key defensive positions. Keeps offer significantly more health and attack power. Garrison archers or crossbowmen inside for even greater firepower.

Aggression and Map Control

Don't be afraid to be aggressive in the Castle Age. Proactive play can deny your opponent resources and slow their development.

  • Forward Outposts/Keeps: Build forward defensive structures near enemy resource lines or potential attack paths to exert pressure and gain vision.
  • Raiding: Use fast units like Horsemen or Knights to raid enemy villager lines. This forces your opponent to react, diverting their attention and resources.
  • Securing Sacred Sites: If your civilization has a bonus for Sacred Sites (e.g., Delhi Sultanate), prioritize securing and holding them with Monks/Scholars. This provides a steady gold income and can lead to a Religious Victory.

Advancing to Imperial Age

As the Castle Age progresses, keep an eye on your resource accumulation for the transition to the Imperial Age. You'll need a substantial amount of food and gold, along with a Landmark to advance. Ensure your economy is robust enough to support this costly upgrade while maintaining military pressure or defense.