It's been almost a quarter of a century since Age of Empires 2: The Age Of Kings launched to critical acclaim from critics and players alike. Thanks to remasters that have launched since the millennium, Age of Empires 2 still maintains an active community.

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The most recent version of the RTS masterpiece is the Definitive Edition, which added new civilizations, updated the graphics, and kept the game relevant. As a result, it's a great time to jump into Age of Empires 2 and let those trebuchets fly. If you're playing the game for the first time or if you're getting back into the swing of things, here are some things you need to know.

Updated March 13, 2022, by Christopher Argentino: Age Of Empires 2 Definitive Edition has one of the most active gaming user bases. If you were ever curious to join this Real Time Strategy game, you might find the first steps a little overwhelming. Don't worry, though, because we've ensured you found an updated version of everything you need to take care of when starting your new journey. From finding the right resources to giving you an edge against your opponents on the field. Now start off your new reign, and conquer the lands of your foes.

14 It's Chess, Not Cities: Skylines

Age of Empires 2 Definitive Edition Monastery, Monk, and Relic

If you're looking for a relaxing city-building game to while away a lazy Sunday, you'd best look elsewhere. Age of Empires 2 is a competitive game, and there are many things to keep in mind. Throughout the game, you'll progress through four ages: Dark, Feudal, Castle, and Imperial.

You begin with a Town Center and a few Villagers. How can you gather enough resources to advance to the Feudal Age while also spending resources to create more Villagers needed to get said resources? If you're spending so much on Villagers, how do you manage to build an army and not end up open to obliteration? You'll need to answer these questions to ensure you don't lose the game in the Castle Age, when you may start seeing the first waves of your enemy's attacks.

13 Learn The Hotkeys

Age of Empires 2 Ships Firing On East Asian Castle

Age of Empires 2 has a complex hotkey system that you can maximize to ensure you're creating units, erecting buildings, and gathering resources most efficiently. Want to go directly to your Town Center? There's a hotkey for that.

Age of Empires 2 has much to keep up with, and you can't spend the whole game moving your mouse to the edge of the screen searching for idle Villagers. Even learning a few basic hotkeys can save you precious time in trying to keep up with your enemies.

12 Maps Make A Difference

Age of Empires 2 korean Turtle Ships Destroying Docks

Some maps are better to play than others. This could depend on your experience level, civilization, and whether your opponents are CPU or real humans. Two good maps for beginners are Arena and Black Forest because they get your defenses up early. Arena begins with your Dark Age settlement surrounded by a stone wall. The Black Forest features innumerable trees that can act as buffers against enemy invasions.

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Choosing a map best suited for the civilization you want to play is also important. For example, if you're playing on a map with no water, you would think twice before selecting the Koreans since one of their best units is the Turtle Ship. Finally, gimmick maps are best played with real players instead of the CPU. Migration requires you to relocate to a bigger island once your initial resources run out, and this concept can be lost on the game's AI.

11 Upgrade Your Unit's Armor And Weapons

all the various blacksmith style in age of empires 2 definitive edition

In Age of Empires 2, you might find all the structures you unlock a little overwhelming after reaching the feudal age. Still, if you've correctly allocated your resources, you'll have nothing to worry about in the grand scheme of the game.

One of the most important buildings you will want to prop up is the Blacksmith. With this building, you'll be able to ensure that your units have the best armor and weapons they can have. This military technological advantage is crucial to have an edge over your opponents on the field. So remember to build it, and most importantly, revisit it every time you pass to a new age.

10 Use (And Don't Lose) Your Scout

Beginning of Age of Empires 2 Dark Age with dense fog of war

Upon starting a new game of Age of Empires 2, your sole military unit will most likely be a Scout. The Scout is invaluable to your early-game efforts. Since the Dark Age begins with the map covered in a black fog of war, you'll be unable to see where any enemies are. Resources and Relics may also be in the fog.

Enter the Scout. You can manually control where the Scout goes or set him off via the game's Auto Scout feature. Avoid putting him in any danger because he'll likely die easily. And while he's not the only Scout you'll be able to recruit, it could be some time before you build a Stable to get another one.

9 Control Key Resources, Such As Gold Mines And Relics

monks bringing relics back to the monastery in age of empires 2 definitive edition

Things change from map to map in Age of Empires 2, but one thing that is a constant in the game is that gold is the least common material. Other than that, relics are few and far-fetched.

Ideally, you want to get your Villagers picking at that gold as soon as possible, but you probably need more of them to start doing that immediately. A good practice is having your scout find a new gold ore, and have a Villager build a tower next to it. But once the gold ends, you will need those Relics. Once you have your monastery, bring them back immediately. Thanks to Relics, you get free gold.

8 Put Your Town Center To Work

Age of Empires 2 Town Center In Snow with many farms

One piece of advice you'll see online frequently is to keep your Town Center busy. Your Town Center is, by default, your starting building. You create Villagers at the Town Center, where you advance to the next age throughout the game.

In the Dark Age, create as many Villagers as you can. If you run out of food to do so, immediately take some to the Town Center to create more. If you still can't create more Villagers, upgrade to Loom to make your Villagers harder to kill. Then create more Villagers. The point is never to let your Town Center idle. It should always be working on something.

7 Knowledge Is Power

expansion pack monasteries in age of empires 2 definitive edition

On the topic of building Monasteries, you shouldn't just make them for your relic collection, but because of the advantages, it gives you as a player. In addition, the building has a whole set of knowledge advancements to improve your chances of beating your opponent.

The same goes for Universities. Here you'll find some technological advancements to help your units deal with that sweet extra damage you love. As usual, the idea is to have enough resources to pay for all the improvements you want, so don't rush into every upgrade; start slow and see what you need to do most.

6 Don't Waste Your Food

Age of Empires 2 Definitive Edition Khmer Blacksmith, Barracks, Towers, and Houses

One of the costliest things you can do in the Dark Age is waste Food. You'll start the game with herdable animals that are slaughtered easily, and harvesting their meat efficiently is important. When your Villagers gather enough meat from an animal, they will walk to the nearest place to accept it. At the start, this is your Town Center. Walking somewhere takes time, however, and the animal's carcass goes bad in that time, which means you're harvesting less food from it.

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Fix this problem by slaughtering your animals immediately beneath the Town Center, so your Villagers need only stand up to deliver the meat to where it needs to go. Put multiple Villagers on one animal, so they can all get meat from it simultaneously.

5 Build Farms ASAP

vast fields of farms in age of empires 2 definitive edition

This is one of the most important things to remember when starting Age of Empires 2. You need to build those farms immediately, even before you finish all the food resources you find around your town center. Farms will give you a virtually endless food supply, and even though it might be a little slower than berry collection early on, trust us once you start investing in all the farm investments you find at Mills.

Remember to ensure you re-seed your farms because they will wither and die if you don't. Worry not. It's a quick process, and once you reach the final ages of the game, it takes a little less than ten seconds to re-seed a farm.

4 Don't Waste Your Wood Either

Age of Empires 2 Fire Galleys Firing On Docks

Farms are one way to get food, but they require Wood to build. To avoid wasting Wood, follow a chain that implements Farms last. After your herdable animals, hunt some boars. They'll chase you as soon as you start firing arrows at them, so you can lead one back to your Town Center with one Villager and have your other Villagers gang up on it to slaughter it under your Town Center.

After that, go for other nearby animals you can hunt. Once you've hunted them, go for the berries. If you can build a Mill close to the animals and the berries, do it. Start building Farms in the berry phase.

3 Get Out Of The Feudal Age Fast

Age of Empires 2 Definitive Edition Aztec Castles and Archery Ranges

In a well-played game, the second age is where you'll spend the least amount of time. The success of your Castle Age can make or break your game, and it's important to get there quickly.

You'll need 800 Food, 200 Gold, and two Feudal Age buildings to reach the Castle Age. You should have your Food taken care of through the aforementioned chain. You can have enough Gold to move to the Castle Age if you set one Villager to exclusively mine Gold throughout the Dark Age. Make the Market one of your two required buildings because this allows you to gain resources through trade.

2 Make A Beeline To Your First Castle

Age of Empires 2 Mediterranean Castle in front of docks

Once you're in the Castle Age, you can build Castles, which are easily the best things you can build in Age of Empires 2. Castles provide your civilization with excellent defense, provide your attack with powerful Trebuchets, and deliver your civilization's unique unit.

The problem is, at 650 Stone, Castles are expensive. But, if you enter the Castle Age with some Stone, a Market, and a surplus of one or two resources, it shouldn't take too long to build your first one.

1 Don't Underestimate Trash Units

Age of Empires 2 Definitive Edition Asian Architecture

In Age of Empires 2 jargon, a "trash unit" is any military unit that doesn't require Gold to build. Spearmen, Skirmishers, and Scouts are three of the main ones with real benefits. Spearmen are powerful against cavalry. Skirmishers are an effective defense against Archers. Scouts explore the map and have an attack bonus against Monks, who can convert your units to the enemy side.

Just because trash units are cheap doesn't mean they can't be effective. You won't go far if you opt exclusively for expensive unique units.

NEXT: Age Of Empires 4: Beginners Guide & Tips