18 Vils Scouts into Cavalry Archers

The objective here is to play it safe with Scouts in Feudal Age and get your walls up in decent time, then switch into Cavalry Archers instead of adding more Stable units. This can catch your opponent off guard, since they won't see the Archery Ranges going up behind your walls, and it lets you mass a strong DPS unit for the late game. Going Scouts first, rather than straight into Cavalry Archers off a fast Castle, buys you time to build up economy and stay safe early. Going Archers in Feudal Age and transitioning into Cavalry Archers isn't ideal either, since it lets your opponent go Skirmishers too early.

  1. [Dark] Send 6 villagers to sheep (pop 6)
  2. [Dark] Send 2 villagers to wood (pop 8)
  3. [Dark] Send 1 villager to boar (pop 9)
  4. [Dark] 1 to make a house then mill (pop 10)
  5. [Dark] [Recommended] Lure deer once you’ve found all sheep
  6. [Dark] Next 6 vils to hunt under TC (get the second boar when needed) (pop 16)
  7. [Dark] Send 2 villagers to wood (pop 18)
  8. [Dark] Research loom
  9. [Dark] Research Feudal Age (perfect landing time: 8:50) (pop 18)
  10. [Feudal] Move 5 vils from hunt to wood, and make a second lumber camp (pop 18)
  11. [Feudal] Move 5 vils from hunt to berries (pop 18)
  12. [Feudal] Move 1 vils from hunt to make barracks (pop 18)
  13. [Feudal] Make a stable with 2 vils (pop 18)
  14. [Feudal] Research double bit axe
  15. [Feudal] Note: Skip horse collar if scared of aggression. Always get on closed maps
  16. [Feudal] Use the 2 vils that build the stable to wall opposite sides of your base
  17. [Feudal] Start seeding farms as soon as you have extra wood in the bank
  18. [Feudal] Keep adding scouts and use them to attack your opponent or defend
  19. [Feudal] [Optional] Make 1-4 spears if you are scared of enemy scouts
  20. [Feudal] Farm until you have around 15 farms (+-2 depending on situation)
  21. [Feudal] Send 5 vils to gold and make a mining camp
  22. [Feudal] Make a blacksmith
  23. [Feudal] When berries expire move to gold/wood/farms depending on your needs
  24. [Feudal] Make sure to be fully walled by this point
  25. [Feudal] Research Castle Age
  26. [Castle] Redistribute your economy
  27. [Castle] Make 2 ranges
  28. [Castle] Research gold mining
  29. [Castle] Get Fletching and Bloodlines
  30. [Castle] Start making cavalry archers
  31. [Castle] Research bow saw
  32. [Castle] Get Bodkin Arrow and Husbandry

What next: If you can't fully wall during Feudal Age, abandon this plan, make more Scouts and get Bloodlines, or switch into Archers/Skirmishers instead. A tower is always an option, and Town Watch helps with defense too. In early Castle Age, decide between adding Town Centers or investing in a Monastery, Ballistics, or Siege, it depends entirely on the state of the game. If you want to go all-in, start Castle Age with 3 Ranges, 2 Ranges is more for scaling and light pressure. As the game goes on, transition into the strongest late-game composition: Cavalry Archers with Hussar, or Cavalry Archers with Halberdier, adding the appropriate Siege in either case. Both of these compositions win almost every late game when played correctly, they're the best Imperial Age compositions on Arabia.

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