Age of Empires is one of the most beloved RTS games of all time and for good reason. Combining military tactics and base building with resource collection, management, exploration, and a feeling of historical authenticity, Age of Empires 4 continues the tradition in a largely medieval setting, spanning from the Dark Age to the Imperial Age.
With each progression through to the next Age, players will unlock new buildings and units. It is important to try to advance age at a faster pace relative to any opponents, since this will unlock more powerful units and technologies earlier in the game, providing a significant strategic advantage on the field. The aging-up process in Age of Empires 4 has undergone some changes from previous iterations in the series, though the basic elements are still the same. Players must reach certain thresholds with the amount of resources they have gathered in order to construct special buildings that will advance the age of the civilization as well as provide unique bonuses and benefits.
Advance To The Next Age Requirements
In order to advance to the next age, players will need to have gathered a certain number of resources to meet the requirements of building a Landmark. Resources can be collected by assigning villagers to them within the game world. Typically, these advances will only require food and gold to unlock, though the landmarks themselves are likely to deduct additional resources including wood.
Each age will require an increasingly high demand for resources in order to unlock the construction of the next Landmark, so ensuring that resources are coming in at increased rates with every advancement is a good way to guard against being trapped in a regressive or stagnant age. The requirements for advancement are the same for each age, regardless of the player's civilization, and are as follows:
Feudal Age (II):
- Resources: 400 Food, 200 Gold
- Build Time: 3m 10s.
Castle Age (III):
- Resources: 1200 Food, 600 Gold
- Build Time: 3m 40s.
Imperial Age (IV):
- Resources: 2400 Food, 1200 Gold
- Build Time: 4m 10s.
Landmarks
Landmarks can be constructed once the minimum resource threshold for advancement has been reached. To do this, players should simply click on a villager and assign them to the task of constructing a Landmark or select the Advance Age button in the lower center of the screen. The button will display the current age number of the player's civilization in Roman numerals and will illuminate when the Advance to the Next Age option is available.
Once selected, players will have a choice of which Landmark to construct, with each one offering unique bonuses and coming at varying expenses. Each nation will also have entirely unique Landmarks, which can help to differentiate one society aesthetically from another. It will take time for the villagers to construct the Landmark, and the advancement of age will only be achieved once the building is fully constructed. At this point, all units and buildings in the settlement will receive noticeable upgrades, and the bonus effects of the selected Landmark will begin to take effect.
Age of Empires 4 is available now on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.