Age of Empires IV
Age of Empires IV

Feudal Age Strategy

Build a dominant economy and military presence during the Feudal Age in Age of Empires IV. Master early priorities for a strong Castle Age power spike.

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Feudal Age Strategy

The Feudal Age in Age of Empires IV is a pivotal stage where you transition from basic resource gathering to establishing military presence and economic dominance. A strong Feudal Age sets the foundation for your Castle Age power spike. This guide will walk you through critical steps to ensure your early game success.

Early Feudal Priorities

Upon reaching the Feudal Age, your immediate focus should be on expanding your economy and initiating military production. Don't delay these crucial steps:

  • Economic Expansion:
    • Second Town Center (TC): For most civilizations, building a second Town Center is a top priority. This dramatically boosts your villager production and economic growth. Aim to place it on a new resource patch, preferably near additional gold, stone, or a second food source like berries or deer.
    • Farm Transition: As your initial sheep and boar dwindle, begin transitioning your villagers to farming. Construct Farms around your Town Centers. Researching Horse Collar at the Mill is essential to increase farm efficiency.
    • Lumber Camps & Mining Camps: Ensure you have sufficient villagers on Wood and Gold. Build additional Lumber Camps if your woodline is distant, and Mining Camps on new gold/stone deposits.
  • Military Production:
    • Barracks & Archery Range: These are your foundational military buildings. Construct at least one of each early in the Feudal Age.
    • Stable: Depending on your civilization and strategy, a Stable might be your next military building for early Knight or Scout harassment.
    • Blacksmith: Crucial for early military upgrades. Research Melee Armor and Ranged Armor for your infantry and archers, respectively. Forging and Iron Casting are also vital for increasing attack power.

Scouting and Map Control

Your Scout remains invaluable in the Feudal Age. Continue to use it effectively:

  • Opponent's Base: Identify your opponent's key resource locations (gold, stone, woodlines) and Town Center placements. This information is critical for planning raids and understanding their economic vulnerabilities.
  • Sacred Sites: Locate any Sacred Sites on the map. Capturing and holding these can provide a slow but steady stream of gold, and serve as a potential victory condition.
  • Neutral Resources: Scout for additional berry bushes, deer, or even neutral gold/stone piles that you can expand to later.

Feudal Age Military Strategies

Your choice of military units will depend heavily on your civilization and your opponent's strategy. Here are some common approaches:

Early Aggression (Feudal Rush)

This strategy aims to put pressure on your opponent early in the Feudal Age, disrupting their economy and potentially securing an early victory.

  • Spearmen & Archers: A common and effective early Feudal army composition. Spearmen counter early cavalry (Scouts, Knights), while Archers provide ranged damage against villagers and other light units.
    • Production: Train continuously from your Barracks and Archery Range.
    • Upgrades: Prioritize Melee Armor for Spearmen and Ranged Armor for Archers at the Blacksmith.
    • Execution: Send a small force (e.g., 5-7 Spearmen, 5-7 Archers) to harass your opponent's exposed villagers, particularly those on gold or wood. Be prepared to retreat if met with strong resistance.
  • Horsemen/Knights (Civilization Dependent): Civilizations with strong early cavalry (e.g., French Knights) can use them for quick raids.
    • Production: Train from the Stable.
    • Upgrades: Focus on Cavalry Armor and Cavalry Attack at the Blacksmith.
    • Execution: Use their mobility to pick off isolated villagers or raid unprotected resource lines. Avoid direct engagements with large groups of Spearmen.

Defensive Feudal

If you anticipate an early rush or prefer to focus on booming your economy, a defensive Feudal approach is viable.

  • Walls & Outposts: Construct Palissade Walls to protect vulnerable resource lines and Outposts to provide vision and early warning of enemy attacks. Place Outposts near key chokepoints or resource patches.
  • Small Garrison: Maintain a small force of Spearmen and Archers near your Town Centers to deter raids.
  • Economic Focus: Prioritize building additional Town Centers and maximizing villager production. Research economic upgrades like Wheelbarrow at the Town Center and Horticulture at the Mill.

Key Technologies and Upgrades

Don't neglect your research! Strategic upgrades can give you a significant edge.

  • Town Center:
    • Wheelbarrow: Essential for increasing villager carrying capacity and movement speed, boosting overall resource collection.
  • Mill:
    • Horse Collar: Increases farm food production rate.
    • Horticulture: Further increases farm food production rate.
  • Lumber Camp:
    • Double-Bit Axe: Increases wood gathering rate.
    • Bow Saw: Further increases wood gathering rate.
  • Mining Camp:
    • Mining Camp Upgrade 1: Increases gold and stone gathering rate.
    • Mining Camp Upgrade 2: Further increases gold and stone gathering rate.
  • Blacksmith:
    • Forging: Increases melee unit attack.
    • Iron Casting: Further increases melee unit attack.
    • Melee Armor: Increases melee unit armor.
    • Ranged Armor: Increases ranged unit armor.
    • Cavalry Armor: Increases cavalry unit armor.
    • Cavalry Attack: Increases cavalry unit attack.

By diligently following these steps, you will establish a robust economy, a capable military, and a strong foundation for advancing into the Castle Age, ready to dominate your opponents.