The English are one of many different civilizations in Age of Empires 4. Moreso than the French, the English are a defensive powerhouse and have an unmatched strength in defensive capabilities. As a result, the English are one of the easiest civilizations to play as and a great one to start with if you are a beginner.
The English have a great set of strengths that make them tough to fight. Their defensive strengths help in most types of victories. In Skirmishes, they can do an incredible job defending a wonder or when securing Sacred Sites. The English are a powerful civilization and can dominate on any map.
Civilization Bonuses For The English
- Construct Farms for 50 percent less Wood, Farms near mills gather 15 percent faster.
- Vanguard Man-at-Arms is available in the Dark Age (I).
- Stronger Villagers who wield short bows.
- Town Centers, Outposts, Towers, and Keeps provide the Network of Castles bonus, giving 25 percent attack speed to all affected units.
- Town Centers fire twice as many arrows.
- Military Ships have a +1 range.
All of these bonuses share a common theme - the English are always well prepared for war. Even their Villagers are better fighters. What you'll want to do with these abilities is constantly think about your defenses. Moreover, think about how you will expand to dominate more of the map. For example, setting up town centers and military buildings near a sacred site and fortifying it with a wall plays heavily into these bonus strengths.
The English are an aggressive Civilization but not in a direct way. The English can easily take control of the map and maintain that control. You could attempt to siege control of your opponent's land, and perhaps you might have to. However, trying to run a siege against your opponents should not be your primary objective, nor is it playing into the English's strong suit. Instead, you'll want to act fast and try to claim as much territory as quickly as possible. Just be sure that you can defend whatever land you claim.
Military Units And Bonuses For The English
- Longbowman: Longer range archer that can deploy defensive palings, making them more effective against cavalry.
The unique military unit for the English is the Longbowman. A perfect military unit for tower defense as it has a much farther range than regular archers. Archers should make up a significant part of your army as they will be responsible for a lot of your defensive capabilities.
What To Do Throughout The Ages As The English
Here's what you need to focus on at different points in the game if playing as the English.
Age One
In the first age, the English should focus on building a resource economy. You'l want to continually make villagers and create a strong foothold for your future empire. Use your scout to quickly get a lay of the land and find sacred sites.
Age Two
The feudal age has two landmarks to choose from, the Abbey of Kings and the Council Hall. The Abbey of Kings heals all nearby units that are out of combat. The Council Hall produces Longbowmen at +100% speed and contains Longbowman upgrades.
Start the second age by building the Council Hall. Additionally, build barracks, archery ranges, and stables. Start making an army capable of defending your lands. Meanwhile, begin allocating some villagers (with army support) to branch out your empire. Ideally, you will start targeting sacred sites or strategic resources.
Age Three
The castle age has two landmarks as well, either the King's Palace or The White Tower. The King's Palace acts like another town center, and the White Tower functions as a keep.
Start the third age with the construction of the White Tower. This tower will let you upgrade your defensive capabilities. The name of the game in this age is making your empire well fortified. At this age, you should aim for a majority of control over sacred sites. You will not necessarily need to capture these sites, but you should be ready to do so shortly. Keep building up your military, and building keeps near defense areas.
Age Four
To start the imperial age, construct either the Berkshire Palace or the Wynguard Palace. The difference between the two is significant, so choose carefully. Berkshire Palace will act like another keep with 50 percent more range while the Wynguard Palace produces the Wynguard army, a powerful combination of Man-Aat-Arms, Spearman, Longbowman, Knight, and Trebuchet.
One landmark is defensive, and the other is better for siege victories. If you cannot decide, build the Berkshire Palace near your most critical area of defense. Now you will want to make a play either for complete sacred site dominance or building a wonder. Either way, your fortifications should be impenetrable.