= Evolution of AoE Strategy =

Explore the evolution of Age of Empires IV strategy, from early Tool Rushes to Bronze Age tactics and beyond. Learn how the meta has changed over time.

This guide details the evolution of Age of Empires (AoE) strategy from its release in October 1997 to early 1998.

Phase 1: What to do?
When AoE was first released, many players were unfamiliar with real-time strategy (RTS) games. The initial dominant strategy was the "Tool Rush," where players quickly advanced to the Tool Age and attacked the enemy with a Tool army. Civilizations like Shang and Assyria were favored for their Tool Rush capabilities. This led to widespread complaints about the rush being "unstoppable."

Phase 2: Envelopment
To counter the Tool Rush, a new strategy called "envelopment" or "locusting" emerged around November 1997. This involved spreading villagers across the map and delaying advancement to the Tool Age. When the enemy attacked with Tool units, their resources were wasted attacking a dispersed economy. The next step was to quickly advance to the Bronze Age to produce powerful Cavalry units, which could easily defeat Tool-Age units. Despite the effectiveness of this counter-strategy, the Tool Rush remained prevalent in about 95% of games until December 1997/January 1998, when the "spread out and build" strategy became more widely adopted, making the Tool Rush a tactic for less-skilled players.

Phase 3: The Bronze Rush
As players adopted the "spread out and build" strategy, the focus shifted to advancing to the Bronze Age as quickly as possible. The "Bronze Rush" became the dominant strategy, emphasizing rapid advancement to produce effective Bronze Age units. Civilizations like Assyria and Yamato (with Shang as a secondary choice) were popular. Elite players aimed for Bronze Age advancement times under 16 minutes, with top players achieving times in the low 15s. The optimal number of villagers was determined to be around 18-24, with Yamato being favored for its fast villagers and cheap Cavalry.

Phase 3a: A Revolutionary Discovery
A significant discovery was made regarding food gathering: foraging for berries and hunting were more efficient than farming. This led to a drop of about a minute in Bronze Age times, with top players now achieving times close to 14 minutes. Some Assyrian players developed strategies using Chariot Archers to counter Yamato's Cavalry, exploiting Assyria's need to research Wheel upon reaching the Bronze Age.

Phase 3b: Another Breakthrough!
The next breakthrough involved utilizing shore fishing for food gathering, which was found to be twice as fast as foraging. This further reduced Bronze Age times, with top players now achieving around 13 minutes.

Phase 3c: Digging In
Assyrian players, needing extra time to develop Chariot Archers, began experimenting with walling techniques to counter Cavalry. This marked a shift towards defensive strategies to gain an advantage.