Imperial Age Strategy

Welcome, seasoned commanders, to the pinnacle of technological and military might in Age of Empires IV: the Imperial Age! This is where your carefully laid plans from the Dark, Feudal, and Castle Ages truly bear fruit. The Imperial Age is not just about having bigger numbers; it's about leveraging advanced technologies, powerful unique units, and devastating siege weaponry to crush your opponents decisively. A well-executed Imperial Age transition and strategy can turn the tide of even the most desperate battles.

Transitioning to Imperial Age

The journey to Imperial Age requires a significant investment of resources and careful planning. Don't rush it if your economy isn't ready, as you'll find yourself with powerful units you can't afford to produce or upgrade.

Resource Management: Aim for a strong economy with at least 100-120 villagers. Prioritize Gold and Food income, as these are crucial for researching Imperial Age technologies and training advanced units. Wood and Stone are still important for fortifications and siege, but often less critical than the former two.
Landmark Selection: Each civilization offers unique Imperial Age Landmarks. Choose the one that best complements your current strategy and the state of the game.
- Example (English): The Berkshire Palace provides an incredibly strong defensive position and a constant stream of free Villagers, bolstering your economy and defense simultaneously. Alternatively, the King's Palace offers a powerful healing aura for your units, excellent for sustained pushes.
- Example (Abbasid Dynasty): The House of Wisdom's Wing of Culture offers powerful global economic bonuses, while the Wing of Military can provide unique unit upgrades or production speed boosts.
Pre-Imperial Upgrades: Ensure you've researched key Castle Age upgrades before hitting Imperial. This includes economic upgrades like Wheelbarrow and Hand Cart, and military upgrades for your core army composition.

Imperial Age Economic Boom

Once in the Imperial Age, your economic focus shifts from mere survival to overwhelming production. Maximize your resource income to sustain a powerful army and continuous research.

Trade Routes: Establish secure trade routes with neutral markets or allies using Caravans or Cogs. The Imperial Age trade income can be immense, especially on larger maps. Protect your Traders with outposts and military escorts.
Relics and Sacred Sites: Continue to control and protect any Relics you've secured in your Monasteries, as their passive Gold generation is invaluable. Holding Sacred Sites provides a steady stream of Gold, often forcing your opponent to engage you on your terms.
Advanced Technologies: Research all available economic upgrades at your Town Centers, Mills, Lumber Camps, and Mining Camps. These include:
- Banking (Market): Increases trade income.
- Fertilization (Mill): Increases farm food production.
- Crosscut Saw (Lumber Camp): Increases wood gathering rate.
- Pitched Excavation (Mining Camp): Increases gold and stone gathering rate.
Additional Town Centers: If your population cap allows and you have secure locations, building additional Town Centers can further boost your villager production and resource gathering efficiency.

Military Dominance and Siege Warfare

The Imperial Age unlocks the most powerful units and siege engines in the game. Your military strategy should revolve around leveraging these advantages to break enemy defenses and secure victory.

Unit Composition

Focus on a balanced army that counters your opponent's composition while incorporating your civilization's unique strengths.

Heavy Cavalry: Units like the Lancer (French) or Knight (English) are excellent for raiding and engaging enemy ranged units. Upgrade them with Chivalry (French) or Plate Barding (Blacksmith) for maximum effectiveness.
Elite Ranged Units: Longbowmen (English), Crossbowmen, and Arbalesters are crucial for dealing with heavily armored units. Ensure they have all relevant upgrades from the Archery Range and Blacksmith.
Unique Units: Don't forget your civilization's unique Imperial Age units.
- English: Elite Longbowmen with their Volley ability are devastating against infantry and light cavalry.
- Holy Roman Empire: Elite Landsknechte provide powerful area-of-effect damage against clustered units.
- Rus: Streltsy offer high ranged damage and a defensive bonus when stationary.
Monks/Imams: Essential for healing your expensive Imperial Age units, converting enemy units, and securing Relics. Research Herbal Medicine and Sanctity at the Monastery.

Siege Warfare

Siege units are the backbone of any Imperial Age push. Without them, even the strongest army will struggle against fortified positions.

Trebuchets: The ultimate long-range siege weapon, ideal for destroying Keeps, Town Centers, and Walls from a safe distance. Always protect your Trebuchets with a strong frontline army.
Bombards: Powerful anti-building and anti-unit siege, effective against both structures and slow-moving armies. They are more vulnerable than Trebuchets but can be devastating in direct engagements.
Mangonels/Springalds: While not as powerful as Trebuchets or Bombards against buildings, upgraded Mangonels are excellent for clearing clustered enemy units, and Springalds are crucial for countering enemy siege weapons.
Siege Engineering (University): This technology is vital for increasing the health and armor of your siege units, making them more resilient to enemy fire.

Defensive Posture

Even when on the offensive, maintaining a strong defense is crucial to protect your economy and production facilities.

Keeps and Walls: Upgrade your Keeps with technologies like Boiling Oil and garrison them with ranged units for maximum defensive power. Fortify key chokepoints and resource areas with Stone Walls.
Outposts: Place Outposts strategically to provide vision and early warning of enemy attacks. Upgrade them with Arrowslits and Embrasures for increased damage.
Map Control: Maintain map control through a network of Outposts and scout units. Knowing your enemy's movements allows you to react effectively.

Victory Conditions

In the Imperial Age, you're typically aiming for one of three victory conditions:

Conquest: Destroy all enemy Landmarks. This is the most common and direct path to victory.
Sacred Site Victory: Control all Sacred Sites on the map for a set period. This often requires a strong military presence to defend the sites.
Wonder Victory: Construct and defend a Wonder for a set period. This is a high-risk, high-reward strategy that requires immense resource investment and a formidable defense.

Adapt your Imperial Age strategy to the specific victory condition you are pursuing and the strengths and weaknesses of your opponent.