Sometimes you start the game on a map that does not allow early aggression. Maybe there is a river in the middle, or perhaps the spawning area is not that easy to access. There is even a chance that you saw the enemy going for a slower, more dangerous build.
You have the option of going for a slower build yourself. This is a way for you to have a robust mid-game economy. Instead of trying to immediately take action against that enemy, you go for an early expansion, possibly doubling your resource gathering and influence.
When it comes to the English civilization, it also means that the attack speed bonuses provided to your archers for staying close to the buildings work in more areas too.
Whatever the reason, there is a way to have a second Town Center built within seven minutes in a way that your economy will be pretty strong, and you will quickly be able to produce units to protect yourself once this is finished correctly.
So if you want to know the fast English Town Center boom build order, check out our guide:
The Fast English Town Center Boom
- Start Queuing Villagers
- 5 Villagers to sheep
- 1 Villager to House, then Gold
- 2 Villagers to Sheep, making 7 in total
- 1 Villager to Gold
- 3 Villagers to Wood
- Research Forestry
- 4 Villagers to Stone
- Build a Council Hall
- All new Villagers from the Town Center to Wood
- Build a House with a villager that’s building something else
- Build a House
- New Villagers to Berries
- At 300 Stone, take the Villagers from Stone and send them to Berry
- At 400 Wood, build your second Town Center with 8 villagers
This might be a bit complicated at first, but you can get the hang of it with time. Following this build order will make your Town Center come up in about seven minutes.
Once that is done, you will also have your Council Hall ready to produce Longbowmen. Keep your scout checking the enemy when possible once you have gathered some Sheep. You must keep an eye on what is to come in order to expand and safely make your second Town Center.
It might be wise to go for a Stable or Barracks in case you feel like the enemy is about to come at you. Some Longbowmen can also help.
Although it can slow down your build a little, it’s a small price to pay if it repels the enemy attack. You want to expand so you can have an advantage, so you can’t allow them to hinder you at the beginning of the game.
Booming is one of the most important things that players can do to have an ever-growing Economy in Age of Empires, and it is a strategy that helps you win more games.
With that being said, it is important to know when you’re overdoing something. The English have Landmarks that work as a Town Center, so booming is natural to the progression of this Civilization.
However, if you do go for a proper Town Center instead, you can use their other Landmark — the one that behaves exactly like a keep. That way, you will have a Town Center that is protected by a Landmark, and both structures will provide bonuses to your Longbowmen when you need to defend them.
What to Do Next
With your second Town Center ready, chances are you might be a bit vulnerable against attacks. Hopefully, you will have structures besides your Town Center nearby and a bunch of Longbowmen.
If you know How to Play as the English, you know that having a few Longbowmen out is probably a good idea. You will want them to defend your Villagers, especially if you know how to micro in Age of Empires 4.
Longbowmen are really useful during the early game with that Attack Speed Bonus, but they have a counter: mounted units. You should have some Spearmen to protect your Longbowmen from a Cavalry — their most significant problem during the early to mid-game.
Note that the English Civilization is incredibly powerful when playing defensively because of how its buildings provide an Attack Speed bonus to your archers. That happens due to the English passive ability called Network of Castles, and it does make the English incredibly hard to invade.
However, if you do not have structures nearby, you won’t be able to take advantage of that bonus, which is why this build has to be carefully executed. Even if you do have some archers to protect your new Town Center, chances are you will be a bit vulnerable nonetheless.
Once you manage to expand and start building new structures, things will become much more manageable.
As I said, the English are excellent at turtling, so you might want to go for many Longbowmen and many structures to have a huge bonus to attack speed. Build a market, mills, and whatever else you need to quickly advance to the next era.
If you can hold your ground, your economy should be much better than the enemy’s, granting you a huge advantage that significantly increases your chances of winning.
