26+2 Vils Armenian Spear Rush Into Fast Castle Relic Control

The goal here is to harass your opponent in Dark Age with a unit that outruns villagers and destroys Scouts. Wall up behind that pressure and stay safe until Castle Age, where you immediately put up a defensive building that also produces a strong army to defend yourself. The Warrior Priest is extremely strong against any Feudal Age army, so the Monastery makes defending easy. From there, grab up to 6 relics and coast into an easy late game.

  1. [Dark] Send 6 villagers to sheep (pop 6)
  2. [Dark] Send 4 villagers to wood (pop 10)
  3. [Dark] Send 1 villager to boar (pop 11)
  4. [Dark] Send 2 more vils to boar under TC (pop 14)
  5. [Dark] [Optional] Lure deer
  6. [Dark] Send 1 vil to get second boar (pop 15)
  7. [Dark] Send 2 more vils to boar under TC (pop 17)
  8. [Dark] Make 2-3 spears from barracks and send them to harass with your scout
  9. [Dark] Send 6 vils to berries and build a mill (pop 23)
  10. [Dark] Move 2 vils from hunt to wall (3 total, make sure opponent can’t get in)
  11. [Dark] Send 3 villagers to gold (pop 26)
  12. [Dark] Send 5 vils from food to wood (9 total)
  13. [Dark] Start making farms as sheep run out
  14. [Dark] Research loom
  15. [Dark] Research Feudal Age (perfect landing time: 12:10)
  16. [Feudal] Send walling vils to straggler trees when they are done
  17. [Feudal] Make sure to micro mule cart to keep the woodline as efficient as possible
  18. [Feudal] Feudal buildings with 3 straggler vils (Recommend to do market + blacksmith)
  19. [Feudal] Send 2 villagers to gold (pop 28)
  20. [Feudal] NOTE: If you can’t afford Castle Age, make 1-2 more vils or use the market
  21. [Feudal] Research Castle Age (perfect landing time: 15:40)
  22. [Castle] Research double bit axe
  23. [Castle] Research horse collar
  24. [Castle] Make fortified church in a great defensive location
  25. [Castle] Spam warrior priests to get relics ASAP
  26. [Castle] Research bow saw

What next: Place your Monastery where it best defends your base, remember it starts shooting arrows right away once you hold 1 relic. If you're under heavy pressure, consider armor upgrades for your Warrior Priests, and definitely get Squires as soon as possible. Once you've dealt with the enemy army, go pick up all the relics on the map and start developing your economy, add Town Centers and build up from there. Use any leftover priests to harass your opponent after collecting the relics, or to help defend. Don't overcommit to attacking in early Castle Age, the main goal is to out-boom your opponent and win in late Castle Age or early Imperial Age, and you'll always have the relic advantage if the game goes long into Imperial Age.

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