Feudal pressure · Raiders — Ayyubids AoE4
Mill, gold, age-up (0:00–4:15)
Click the age-up around 2:10 by forcing the food and gold drop-off, rebalance the villagers to 5 on berries and 5 on gold, then reach Age II at 4:15 with 18 villagers, 8 of them on wood.
- 0:00 — 2 villagers build a Mill on the berries, 4 go to the berries.
- — Rally on gold; the first 2 new villagers build a House and a Mining Camp.
- 1:25 — 2 new villagers on sheep; the first builds the House of Wisdom next to the Mill, then goes to sheep.
- 2:00 — 1 more villager to gold, and the new villager to sheep.
- 2:10 — Rally on straggler trees, spread out. As soon as 100 gold is mined, force the food and gold drop-off: age up with Culture Wing: Logistics - I.
- 2:25 — Rebalance: 5 villagers on berries, 5 on gold, the rest on wood until 8 on wood, then rally on sheep. Research Wheelbarrow.
Non-stop raiders, then Military Wing (4:15–10:20)
Get 4 Desert Raiders out from 4:33, place a second then a third Stable, then start Age III through Military Wing: Reinforcement - II at 8:20 to reach it at 10:20 with 35 villagers.
- 4:15 — Age II: 5 gold villagers build a Stable. Send a Dervish with the Scout, or use it to defend the villagers against early cavalry.
- 4:33 — Desert Raiders in production as soon as the Stable is done, up to 4.
- — Rally on sheep, 6 villagers on wood; one more House for Golden Age tier 1, then a second Stable.
- — Adapt production: one more Stable at some point; if the opponent masses Horsemen, add a few Spearmen.
- 8:20 — Age up with Military Wing: Reinforcement - II. Rebalance: 12 villagers on food, 10 on gold, the rest on wood; Blacksmith and Iron Undermesh; keep producing Desert Raiders, and add a third Stable.
Veteran raiders, relics, Mosque (10:20)
Enter Age III at 10:20 with 35 villagers (12 on food, 13 on wood, 10 on gold): veteran Raiders, Camel Lancers and a Mosque to go for 4 to 5 relics.
- 10:20 — Upgrade the Desert Raiders to veteran, Steeled Arrow, and produce Camel Lancers. A Mosque for the relics, which you drop off near the base until it is done; one more Dervish to take the 3 sacred sites.
Tips
- Non-stop Desert Raiders and villagers. To play Age II, add a Stable or an Archery Range; to go up to Age III quickly, keep just one.
- A micro-heavy build: the Raiders harass from 4:33, the Dervishes bring back the relics; the author aims for 4 to 5 relics.
- If the opponent masses Horsemen, a few Spearmen come in as reinforcement.
- Take the 3 sacred sites with the Dervishes, and drop the relics near the base until the Mosque is done.
- Variant: Gissa777 (team games) opens with 2 Stables and, from the 8th Desert Raider, dives the enemy Town Center.
Source: AoE4 Guides