The AOE4 Civilization Tier List is a great way to rank the strengths and weaknesses of each civilization in Age of Empires 4. The list ranks civilizations on their strength, how easy it is to defend themselves, and how quickly they can grow an empire due to population growth bonuses. If you’re looking for tips on which civilizations are best suited for different playing styles or what your opponents may be using against you, this tier list will provide that information. We hope that by reading this article about the AOE4 Civilizations Tier List, you’ll have been able to find out more information about these powerful ancient empires – who knows? You might even get inspired enough with some new strategies!
AOE4 Tier List features eight civilizations: Mongols, French, English, Rus, Abbasids, Delhi, Chinese, and the Holy Roman Empire. The tier list is composed based on each civilization’s unique traits or abilities in-game, which will help them better their chances in single-player or multiplayer games against other players. Tier lists are often seen in video games where a game’s best and unfavorable capabilities are ranked. Some key features to note about each civilization’s unique ability will be listed below.
Also, make sure to check out our AOE2 tier list if you plan on playing through the games!
Table of Contents
Best Age of Empire 4 Civilization
France is a jack-of-all-trades civilization and is considered the best Age of Empires 4 Civilization.
France excels at anything perfectly. They’re great for beginners to AOE4 because they’re powerful and balanced and still provide variety with their unique units and buildings. France is also known for having some of the best defensive buildings. You can see their castle up top, which is one of the best in the game. They have a solid economy and great defensive buildings/units.
But what about that power curve? While good in the early game, France’s bonuses fall off later on when facing other civilizations. This means that you’ll need to play a very different French match depending on the map size and where you’re located. On a smaller map, where it becomes more important for France to maintain an early-game production advantage, you’ll want to rush the military units as fast as possible. Above all, the French civilization is one of the longest-lasting best civilizations in AOE4.
S-Tier Civilizations
The Mongols
The Mongols‘ main advantage is their ability to move their headquarters at any time; as a result, they are a highly unpredictable opponent in any game, whether against human opponents or AI. The Mongols are one of the most influential civilizations in the Age of Empires 4, but they’re also challenging to master.
With Springalds and Ram pushes ruling the meta, Genesis has proved that you don’t need Mangudai Horse Archers to win. The Improved Siege Engineering and the Oovo also allowed the Mongols to produce some powerful siege weapons right before their opponent’s base, which was beneficial since they could not research with a Blacksmith. It allows for very fast-paced offensive play when combined with their Yam Network technologies. A combination that resulted in a fantastic 11-2 playoff performance during Genesis.
The Mongols are challenging to fight when they use a hit-and-run tactic. The Mongols can be tolerably unstoppable if you can correctly execute a hit-and-run strategy. It’s also possible to fracture your town to make it easier for you to attack multiple civilizations from different angles. It also helps you avoid losing your ability to withstand a loss of territory at your primary location.
That is not to suggest that the Mongols are an easy pick for beginners. Their gameplay may appear strange to those accustomed to “classic” RTS factions, but the benefits are plentiful once you learn how it works. This implies no need to burn wood in creating shelters, and you don’t have to waste resources on building structures any time soon. Furthermore, the Mongols already had the highest population, so there was no need to build houses out of wood.
On the throne sits a new ruler in Age of Empires IV. The Mongols were already recognized as one of the finest civilizations when the game was first released, with their full mobility, double production through the Oovo and Khan special abilities. Mongols have one of the best early economies in Age of Empires 4; No other civilizations possess the ability to mine on their own in AOE4.
The French
Consider the French’s powerful cavalry and research bonuses and their excellent cavalry units, which make them a good civilization for both new and experienced gamers. For the first weeks of the game, the French threatened ladders, but their prominence has encouraged many gamers to develop specific counters and exposed particular vulnerabilities. Nonetheless, in today’s meta, the French are still ranked second.
The French are fantastic at producing deadly military units, and they’re straightforward to learn. Playing as this civilization provides the most outstanding overall bonuses, and there’s no better way to get military might than with them. With insane cavalry, strong crossbows, access to culverins in the late game, and an insanely strong water presence, it’s no wonder that it remains as powerful as ever. It has all of its previous strengths, including insane cavalry, strong crossbows, access to culverins in the late game, and an insanely strong water presence.
The French people also had an economic advantage because they developed years faster when establishing a Town Center. As a result, it has one of the most extensive resource trading choices available for this tier list. While they were no longer the most powerful nation, the French continued to hold a commanding lead in popularity, with 24 appearances throughout Genesis’ postseasons.
A new unit is generated for every two divisions of the same type already owned by the same civilization. If a Keep is near Stables and Archery Ranges, the French have a unique mechanism to produce units faster. This is particularly advantageous in establishing an early military because of the French’s unique civilization trade mechanics.
A-Tier Civilizations
The English
The English are the most “uncomplicated” and “balanced” culture in Age of Empires 4, but this isn’t negative. The English are currently ranked third, and there is even a case to elevate them. They’re undoubtedly the most outstanding defensive pick right now, with their inability to go farther being offset by their durability.
Even though this nation lacks distinctive features, its bonuses reward excellent fortification wall protection and longbowman range. The English are the best turtle-like faction because of their bonuses to Keeps and Town Centers, which improve attack speed by 25%. While both may make conquering English outposts a difficult prospect, it certainly helps.
Longbows are a dependable standby that people may quickly switch to should the situation demand it. While they are excellent defenders in the Late Feudal Age, the English Ram assault late in the game is exceptionally potent owing to early access to Men at Arms. Overall, they’re just a civilization with a few weak points and intense compositions across all phases of the game.
The English have access to notable landmarks that further cement their defensive mentality, and they may build Farms for a lesser wood cost. Furthermore, Settlements built within the yellow footprint of Mills receive a higher food gathering rate, making food collection much easier and more efficient than it is for other civilizations.
The Rus
Rus are still an excellent choice, even though they might find it challenging to survive the early to late Feudal invasions of more powerful civilizations. Rus has possibly the greatest Imperial Age army with its enhanced Springalds and Streltsy unique troops, which is a plus. The Rus civilization also has a few distinctive units that can help it gain an edge. The bigger your tribe, the greater your bonuses. The more animals you hunt, the higher your civ’s Bounty score becomes.
While the Bounty system limits a portion of their financial gains, most situations lead to you reaching the second tier of bonuses. This fortifies them considerably when combined with their early access to Knights in the Feudal Age. Food gathering and automatic income from Hunting Cabins improve as Bounty rises. The Warrior Monk is a good cavalry unit with the ability to heal and buff allies, although its true power lies in its capacity to heal and buff allies. The Streltsy is a powerful ranged gunpowder unit that can take care of itself up close as well.
The Rus might be tough, to begin with, but they may soon become one of the most powerful by the game’s conclusion. As a member of the Rus, it’s critical to take advantage of Bounty features. With end-game enhancements like Chemistry, which boosts gunpowder unit damage by 20%, and Biology, which improves cavalry health by 20%, the Rus come into their own. If you utilize chemistry or biology, play them and advance if you wish to benefit from it.
B-Tier Civilizations
The Abbasid Dynasty
Their legendary bonuses are slow to acquire, and their numerous unique discoveries sound appealing on paper until you consider the time and resources necessary to get them. The Abbasid Dynasty might take some time to get used to, but once you’ve learned its unique units and House of Wisdom improvements, it’s a force to be reckoned with.
The Abbasid Dynasty is notable for its anti-cavalry camel units, forcing opponents to adjust their strategies around other troops such as men-at-arms, archers, and spearmen. The Ram approach’s increased popularity among the Abbasids was evident in recent weeks, as it has grown to be a more familiar and successful technique. Since they may freely construct siege weapons like the Springald across the map, such as Castle Crashers, they’ve become quite popular since they’re an excellent choice for performing a Feudal Ram Push.
Overall, the Abbasids are an excellent choice for consistent play. They do, however, have some weapons to combat cavalry-heavy forces that still exist. The Abbasids lack the “oomph” of more powerful civilizations, but they provide a strong foundation. The Abbasid Dynasty is a civilization that constructs the House of Wisdom, which has additional wings added to it with each era. These wings provide special bonuses in the areas of resource gathering, unit production, and research. It’s worth noting, though, that constructing these improvements to the House of Wisdom does not require villagers. They may be installed in the same manner as technology or units might be. You may concentrate on producing other vital structures and gathering resources while they are being built.
The Delhi Sultanate
Honed Blades & Forced March transforms you into fast-slaying machines able to surprise opponents with their superior technologies. In previous tier lists, Delhi was one of the bottom feeders in the community. However, Genesis has shattered that notion. Delhi was one of the worst tier-eight cities in previous tier lists throughout the community. While they are still complicated, effective timings for their early access to Sacred Sites and influential Men at Arms enable them to utilize forced marches and honed blades while upgrading their weapons at home.
While the end-game is still complicated, players such as VortiX have discovered good timings surrounding their early access to Holy Sites and influential Men at Arms. It’s a shame that the company’s legendary Elephants aren’t very effective. Still, Delhi has demonstrated that even less developed countries can compete with more powerful nations if they put in the required effort and acquire knowledge.
C-Tier: Chinese And Holy Roman Empire
The Chinese
In today’s Ram-heavy meta, it’s not a very appealing option. The Chinese civilization has a lot of potentials if players can get through the early stages of the match. However, most of their benefits require later Imperial or Dynasty eras, which means Chinese gamers must fight for their lives for most of the game because they do not have them.
The Chinese are challenging people to play with because of their over-reliance on gold. This empire has a lot of research available, but how technologies and Landmarks work with this faction’s unique Dynasty system might be difficult.
Players must build both of the available landmarks for each age to progress. To proceed to the next generation (or dynasty), players must construct both accessible landmarks for each period. Unfortunately, going from one dynasty to another wipes out all prior research efforts.
The Chinese are the greatest gold-gathering civilization. They not only can extract gold from the ground, but they can do it passively from basic structures with the Imperial Official unit. The difficulty is that there’s a lot of stuff you can spend gold on.
The Chinese might be a unique slow-burn culture in Age of Empires 4, but they can find themselves at a disadvantage against particular more aggressive creatures that can advance quicker than the Chinese.
The Chinese may develop into a powerhouse in team matches, with the opportunity to advance while sheltered by another ally country. But because you must have the intricacies of your civilization down pat before attempting solo confrontations, this faction is a tough sell for single-player fights.
The Holy Roman Empire
The Landsknecht, the unique HRE melee unit, has a lot of punch but lacks adequate protection, making its use quite specialized. Overall, the HRE needs more enhancements to make it competitive and distinguish it from other civilizations.
The HRE is near the bottom of our rankings. They’re in the wrong way these days, unfortunately. Other civilizations’ Priests have overshadowed their claims on heavy infantry, and their Prelate bonuses aren’t enough to compensate. Other people may achieve the same as the HRE while excelling in various areas.
The Holy Roman Empire’s major vulnerability is its preoccupation with defense and relics, which may prevent it from competing in other areas. The Prelate is a one-of-a-kind unit that players must utilize prudently since it may enhance the productivity of villagers. The English, for example, may make Men at Arms in the Dark Age and have additional enhancements for them later while still enjoying all of their defensive and economic bonuses.
The Holy Roman Empire is a religious civilization. Playing this nation necessitates an immediate focus on relics and the strengthening of your spiritual authority. Historical ruins in towers or outposts can improve a civilization’s defense, range, and attack values, while housing them within a dock may improve the assault speed of all ships, increasing an already formidable navy.
Conclusion
The AOE4 Civilization Tier list begins with the most robust civilization at number S-tier and ends at the weakest. Some civilizations are ranked higher because of their strengths in defending against specific enemy units or their ability to grow an empire quickly. In contrast, other civilizations are ranked lower due to weaknesses that harm their gameplay. If you’re planning on doing a lot of fighting in Age of Empires 4, you might consider choosing a civilization that is ranked high on the AOE4 Civ Tier List. If you want to build a strong empire quickly with many population growth bonuses, you should choose one of the civilizations listed near the top of this list.
