How to Get Into The Imperial Age on Age of Empires 2

Immediately build a Town Center with at least three lumberjacks. Building another Town Center is an important step towards not only a good economy, but also makes the Imperial Age requirement easier to achieve. During the Castle Age, more Town Centers should be built to further increase villager production.Play As the Goths in Age of Empires 2 Step 10Bullet2.jpg

Research Heavy Plow. This is found at the mill and makes farms last longer. This makes it easier on the lumberjacks, as wood is in great demand in the Castle Age. Additionally, you need to create more farms. More farms should be built around the first Town Center, and farms should be created around the second (and subsequent) Town Center. Farms can also be created around the mill, although this is less safe, as the villagers are more vulnerable to rushers.Make Your Economy Boom in Age of Empires 2 Step 18Bullet1.jpg Also research Bow Saw and Gold Mining.Make Your Economy Boom in Age of Empires 2 Step 8Bullet1.jpg

Allocate villagers to stone. Castles are expensive (650 stone) and it is important that in the Castle Age that you build a castle. A mining camp should be built next to a stone mine and Stone Mining should be researched. This does not mean that you should ignore your other villagers, however. Along with farms being built, villagers should also be allocated to wood and especially gold.Make Your Economy Boom in Age of Empires 2 Step 12Bullet1.jpg

Build the required building(s). If you are not building a castle as the Imperial Age requirement (but perhaps in the future), two good buildings to build are the University and the Siege Workshop (which cost a combined 400 wood, 200 each). Also good are the University and the Monastery (375 wood total). Building more barracks is highly recommended, even if you are not an infantry civilization. Upgrade to Pikemen and Long Swordsmen.Play As the Goths in Age of Empires 2 Step 12Bullet2.jpg

Prepare to defend yourself against rushers. There are two main categories of rushers in the Castle Age: early Castle rushers and late Castle rushers. Early castle rushers typically send knights and a few battering rams early in the castle age (before 22:00). Knights dominate in the Castle Age and there is no other unit that can kill it one on one (assuming default armor and attack, full HP).Pikemen, infantry that counter cavalry, are the answer to the knight problem. While pikemen cannot take on knights one on one, they find strength through numbers. Initially, the knights will be winning, but as you continue to create more and more pikemen, they will eventually prevail because of the consequences for the rusher of losing too many knights. Research Squires if you can, as it helps with defending a lot.Play As the Goths in Age of Empires 2 Step 8.jpg Long Swordsmen can take down the battering rams, but not the Town Center garrison by themselves due to the ram's virtual immunity to arrows.Camels are another unit that counter cavalry but are expensive. They will also lose in a one on one with knights. They generally should be avoided as a defensive unit.Play As the Goths in Age of Empires 2 Step 10Bullet1.jpg The main disadvantage with the knights is of their high cost: 60 food, 75 gold. Prominent is the 75 gold requirement. Losing too many knights would be food and gold wasted that could've gone into researching the Imperial Age.Win in Age of Empires II Step 18.jpg Late castle rushers are much more varied. As it is pretty late into the game where the military starts to dominate, armies can very dramatically. It is important to take advantage of your civilization's strong points, as well as creating more pikemen to fend off the knights. Other units that you could create are long swordsmen, mangonels, crossbowmen, and cavalry archers (created at the Archery Range, not the Stable).Win in Age of Empires II Step 19.jpg Knights of your own should also be created to attack your enemy's lumberjacks, miners, etc. in an effort to slow down their economy.Scorpions can be useful support weapons in defending against a late castle rush. As the bolts penetrate multiple layers of units, their damage can be amplified.Play As the Goths in Age of Empires 2 Step 12Bullet4.jpg

Trade resources in the market. Use the market to your advantage - you can brute force the 1000 food or 800 gold requirement.

Once you have the necessary resources, click on the Imperial Age button in your Town Center. The research takes a few minutes. A common goal in researching the Imperial Age that neglects your military (Wonder Race) is 25:00. Consider this an absolute zero - if you develop your military in any way, you will miss this goal. It takes practice to shorten the time you reach Imperial Age. The times can vary from 25:00 to 31:00, and that is what you should be aiming for.