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= Rush =
Age of Empires IV

= Rush =

Master the Age of Empires IV Tool Rush for fast, offensive warfare. Learn attack timings, villager counts, and defensive strategies.

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Master the Age of Empires IV Tool Rush for fast, offensive warfare. Learn attack timings, villager counts, and defensive strategies.

Walkthrough
  1. 1
    Begin with 16 Villagers.
  2. 2
    Collect food and wood, switching Villagers to food once the first two Stone Age buildings are complete.
  3. 3
    After clicking the Tool Age upgrade, switch Villagers back to wood as needed, then distribute them between food and wood.
  4. 4
    If using food-based units (Axers or Scouts), prioritize food collection. For Bowmen, maintain some wood chopping.
  5. 5
    Launch a full-scale attack in the Tool Age, relentlessly producing military units.
  6. 6
    Continue the attack until all enemy Villagers are eliminated or your assault is repelled.
  7. 7
    Even a failed Tool Rush can significantly weaken the enemy, buying time to advance to the Bronze Age, though Bronzing is not the primary objective.
  8. 8
    To execute "The Kiss of Death" when attacking: research the wall, ensure no enemy Villagers or military are near their Town Center (TC), and have a surviving Villager near the enemy. Build a wall directly around and adjacent to the enemy's TC to prevent them from training new Villagers.
Tips
  • A perfectly executed Tool Rush with ample shore fish can be completed in just under seven minutes; anything over nine minutes is considered slow.
  • The primary objective is to attack while the opponent is still undefended, likely rushing to the Bronze Age.
  • Recognize an enemy Tool Rush by their stopping Villager production around 16, rapid Tooling, high exploration, and immediate research of additional technologies after Tooling.
  • If your opponent gains the "largest military" bonus before about 9 1/2 minutes, a Tool Rush is highly probable.
  • To defend against a Tool Rush, do NOT advance to the Bronze Age immediately.
  • Research either the Tower or Wall upgrade first.
  • If lumberjacks are in an easily wallable area, wall them off immediately.
  • If walling is not feasible, have lumberjacks build a tower, which is effective against most Tool units except large numbers of Axers.
  • If the enemy stops at 16 Villagers, consider making no more than about 18-20 Villagers before Tooling yourself.
  • If enemy units appear before you reach the Tool Age, check for defensive upgrades.
  • If there are only one or two enemy units without defensive upgrades, attack them en masse with all available Villagers.
  • If enemy units have defensive upgrades, scatter and "ride it out" until you reach the Tool Age, especially if playing as Yamato or Assyria.
  • Upon reaching the Tool Age, build an Archery Range near your lumber and begin training Bowmen.
  • If the enemy attacks with Scouts, research Leather Archer Armor.
  • Aim for a group of six to eight archers kept close together to repel most Tool-Aged attacks.
  • The classic successful Tool Rush ends with the enemy unable to build Bronze-Age units due to a lack of resources and Villagers.

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