Best Defensive Civilizations In Age Of Empires 3

Highlights

Age of Empires 3 is a popular real-time strategy game that is still played today, showcasing its enduring appeal.
The game offers a variety of civilizations with unique strengths and weaknesses, allowing players to adapt their playstyle.
Defensive strategies can be highly effective in the game, with civilizations like the British, Russian, Ottoman, Aztec, Portuguese, and Japanese excelling in defensive play.

Age of Empires 3 is one of the best real-time strategy games out there. The game is still played to this day, which speaks volumes considering how old it is. The Age of Empires series lets players take control of a civilization and advance it through the decades, focusing on building up fortifications, developing science and technology, and of course, war. Players have access to their own home cities and can build up their political prowess as the game progresses.

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Age of Empires 3 gives players access to tons of different and unique civilizations. Each of these civilizations has its own strengths, unique traits, and weaknesses. Players can adapt their playstyle depending on a multitude of factors: how they like to play the game, what civilization they're using, and what their opponents are doing. Age of Empire 3 has a lot of strategic options; one of the best is playing defense and building up strength. Every Civilization can be used for defensive play, but some are much better at it than others.

Updated January 21st 2023 by Musaab Ahmed: Age of Empires 3 will always stand out as one of the best strategy games of all time, and it has tons of different playstyles for players to try out. With the release of the new expansion pack for Age of Empires 4 (The Sultans Ascend), lots of new fans of the series were introduced to the Byzantine and Japanese Civilizations, both of whom have also had an excellent history in Age of Empires 3 as solid defensive classes. Moreover, the 2023-2025 window is promising to be a great one for strategy game fans with upcoming releases such as D.O.R.F, and Homeworld 3. Any player waiting for either of these anticipated RTS game would do well to check out Age of Empires 3 to kill the waiting time, and try out some defensive strategies.

7 British

A Flexible Economic Powerhouse

The British civilization is an economic powerhouse in Age of Empires 3. Through this position, it also happens to be a very flexible civilization as players can adapt to any playing style they want with it. A more defensive approach works well for a few reasons. The first is that the civilization has a reason to be defensive; the Manor House perk encourages as much development and economic focus as possible. Players can use the early-game economic boost to build up their defenses in tandem with the Frontier Outposts attribute, which grants access to stronger outposts with more HP.

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The British also have access to longbow-man infantry units. These archers outrange every other ranged attacker in the early game. Players can use these effectively, especially with faster building walls through the British church and tankier melee units through the Thin Red Line tech. Overall, these abilities make the British civilization very effective at defensive maneuvers and playing keep away.

6 Russian

Blockhouses Make Turtling Effective

The Russian civilization in Age of Empires 3 is all about military might. It's extremely powerful in both offensive and defensive combat. Its defense shines for a few reasons. Firstly, Russia has access to Blockhouses; these act as high HP defensive structures that also produce combat units, making them a very useful building to mass produce. The Russian Boyar church also increases the hit points of some of the best Russian units, such as Musketeers and Cossacks, which are both easily produced. Players can simply swarm combat units around their fortifications and make a defensive wall.

Coupled with these traits, Russia has the cheapest to produce combat units in the game. This allows players to quickly create a large army and use it however they please. Player freedom and expression are what make this series so successful, and the level at which AoE 3 does it with Russia is difficult to emulate.

5 Ottomans

Underrated Yet Effective

The Ottomans are an underrated defensive civilization, while it might not be their primary strength, they're surprisingly good at it. They have really strong long-ranged artillery units; the Abus gun and the Great Bombard. Both can be easily utilized behind fortifications, or simply to hinder and dwindle down approaching enemies. Combining this with Ottoman blockhouses and forts can lead to effective results.

Ottoman units also have high hitpoints, and are effective at most types of skirmishes. They can easily be positioned around their artillery to prevent any upcoming attacks. Ottoman ability to build Mosques, and to spawn free of cost settlers can also be used to support the purchase of these expensive artillery units.

4 Aztecs

Excellent At Turtling

Age Of Empires 3 A Well Developed Early City

The Aztecs are actually excellent at turtling, they can stay inside their base and build up resources with relative ease. The Aztecs have excellent access to blockhouse buildings, both the war huts, which are their premier military units, and the noble huts are excellent defensive fortifications. War huts can be placed in areas where players want to protect vulnerable assets, as they also produce combat units.

Aztecs also have excellent at sustaining combat, as they have priests that can heal their units through healing dances. Along with their access to tons of great defensive buildings and healing options, they also have mobile and long-ranged units. Their strong economy coupled with all of these factors make them great at turtling.

3 Portuguese

Powerful Civilization With Useful Blockades

The Portuguese are one of the best civilizations in all of Age of Empires 3. They are also tailored for a defensive play style. Players have access to one of the best navies in the game with the Portuguese civilization, which is amazing on water-dense maps, and regardless, it can offer strong protection from invaders and even be used to create blockades. Since the Portuguese also have access to an extensive spy network, players will know everything going on in their surroundings with accuracy, which is important to improve at AoE3. They can leverage this information and prepare fortifications or train more units accordingly.

Portuguese-covered wagons are incredible for map control and creating a stable and sustainable empire as well. Since players have a steady influx of wealth, they can quietly bide their time and build their forces with some of the best units in the game.

2 Japanese

This Civilization's Attributes Work Well With A Defensive Playstyle

The Japanese Ashigaru unit in Age of Empires 3

The Japanese civilization was added in the Asian Dynasties expansion, and it's one of the most fun civilizations to play as for sure. The Japanese excel at swift offense, and their defense is one of the best in the game. The key thing about being defensive in AoE3 is whether the civilization has an incentive to be more passive. Japan does; the Japanese shrines attract animals and allow players to gather resources easily.

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In a perfect complement to the shrines, the Japanese can upgrade their walls to make them stronger and have access to building castles, easily one of the best defensive structures in the game. Japanese Yumi Archers are extremely powerful, too, and they're even more effective inside a castle. Overall, the Japanese civilization is excellent at playing passive and defensive, and it has good reason to do so as well.

1 Dutch

Artillery Makes Turtling Exceptionally Powerful

Age of Empires 3 Definitive Edition Gameplay

The Dutch civilization is entirely built around playing passive, getting rich, and amassing resources at minimum risk. The Dutch have access to banks; these allow players to have a consistent in-flow of gold for the entirety of the game. There's simply no need to go out of the way and engage in battles when there are banks back in the home city. Most of the Dutch upgrades are built around this more measured playstyle. Envoys are excellent scouts and can signal danger well in advance. Moreover, the Dutch have access to both Skirmishers and Ruyters early in the game, excellent combat units that specialize in facilitating a 'turtling' playstyle.

On top of this, the Dutch have access to some of the best artillery units in the game, allowing them to sit behind fortifications and bombard aggressors with ease. Alongside this, players will have access to upgraded walls earlier in the game than most civilizations. Everything is perfectly set up for this civilization to play defensively.