The Anniversary Edition is Age of Empires IV one year on from its October 2021 launch, adding the Ottomans and the Malians to the original eight civilisations for a roster of ten. Every civilisation ages up by building Landmarks rather than clicking a generic button, so the choice between two Landmarks per age is a real strategic fork instead of a formality. Matches run to a 200 population cap across four ages, and you win by Landmark destruction, by holding Sacred Sites, or by finishing a Wonder and surviving the countdown.
This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Progression Summary
| Phase | Area | Focus | Build | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Start | Dry Arabia | Landmark ageing up basics | French | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | Black Forest | Relics and Sacred Sites mastery | French | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | Mountain Pass | Counter unit triangle + gear | English or French | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | Danube River | Build optimization | English | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | Lipany | Min-max | English or Malians | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (Dry Arabia)
The open standard map and the ranked default. Almost no natural chokepoints, so early aggression is always live and the player who scouts first usually decides where the game happens.
Level/Difficulty: 1v1 ranked, all civilisations Key Rewards: Open expansion room, contested gold and stone
What to Do in Dry Arabia
- Learn Landmark ageing up. Advancing an age means choosing and constructing one of two Landmarks, each with a different bonus. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick French as your starting build. See our builds guide for why.
- Send your scout on a loop the moment the game starts and keep it moving. Sheep found in the first two minutes go straight under the Town Center and save your villagers from walking, which is worth more than any Dark Age upgrade.
- Acquire your first equipment upgrade: Royal Knight or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Landmark ageing up fundamentals
- French selected and functional
- Dry Arabia main content cleared
- Ready for Black Forest
Phase 2: Early Game (Black Forest)
Dense forest with narrow lanes between players, which turns the early game into a walling contest. Booming civilisations and heavy siege thrive here while cavalry raids struggle.
Level/Difficulty: Team games and defensive 1v1 Key Rewards: Safe economy, long build up before the first fight
What to Do in Black Forest
- Work on Relics and Sacred Sites. Religious units collect Relics from ruins and garrison them in a Monastery, Mosque or Prayer Tent for a steady gold trickle. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for Royal Knight if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- The Town Center should never sit idle in the first ten minutes. A single missed villager compounds through the whole game, and the difference between a good and a bad opening is usually five or six villagers, not army composition.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to Mountain Pass.
- Consider whether English might suit your playstyle better than French.
Phase 2 Checklist
- Relics and Sacred Sites integrated into gameplay
- Royal Knight acquired
- Black Forest fully cleared
- Ready for Mountain Pass
Phase 3: Mid Game (Mountain Pass)
High ground and narrow passes split the map into defensible pockets. Control of the passes matters more than raw army size, and siege has an outsized effect on choke fights.
Level/Difficulty: 1v1 and 2v2 Key Rewards: Chokepoint control, strong defensive holds
What to Do in Mountain Pass
- Master Counter unit triangle. Spearmen beat cavalry, cavalry beat archers and ranged units, archers beat infantry, and handcannoneers such as the Ottoman Janissary punch through armour. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Longbowman. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
- Choose Landmarks for what you plan to do, not for what looks strongest. The English Council Hall only pays off if you actually mass Longbowmen, and the French School of Cavalry is wasted if you never leave your base.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in Siege engines and walls for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Counter unit triangle mastered
- Longbowman acquired or in progress
- Mountain Pass fully cleared
- Ready for Danube River
Phase 4: Late Game (Danube River)
A river splits the map, adding naval play and bridge crossings to a standard land game. Fishing boats supplement early food and crossings become the flashpoints.
Level/Difficulty: 1v1 and team games with naval play Key Rewards: Fish food income, naval map control
What to Do in Danube River
- Finalize your build. You should be running English or French with optimized gear.
- Longbowman should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- Bring springalds to any fight where the enemy has mangonels or bombards. Melee units die to siege before they close the distance, and an army with no anti siege answer loses to a smaller one that has it.
- Civilisation specific economies optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Lipany.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Longbowman upgraded to max
- Danube River fully cleared
- Ready for Lipany
Phase 5: Endgame (Lipany)
An open map with a central hill and clear resource distribution, popular in tournaments because it rewards clean build orders rather than map tricks.
Level/Difficulty: 1v1 ranked Key Rewards: Central high ground, straightforward expansion
What to Do in Lipany
- Lipany tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- Collect Relics early with a religious unit and garrison them for gold. That trickle funds gold hungry units like Knights and Janissaries without adding a single villager to the gold seam.
- The endgame loop: run Lipany, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Malians for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where Civilisation specific economies mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.
Phase 5 Checklist
- Endgame content on farm
- Best-in-slot gear acquired
- Lipany fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- Picking the wrong Landmark for your plan, then playing a strategy the Landmark actively does not support.
- Fighting with a single unit type and losing an entire army to a smaller mixed force that has the counter.
- Letting the Town Center idle while microing an early raid, which quietly costs six or seven villagers of economy.
- Building an army with no springalds or anti siege cover, then losing it to two mangonels at a chokepoint.
- Ignoring Relics and Sacred Sites in a long game, which hands the opponent free gold income and a countdown victory path.
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- Send your scout on a loop the moment the game starts and keep it moving. Sheep found in the first two minutes go straight under the Town Center and save your villagers from walking, which is worth more than any Dark Age upgrade.
- The Town Center should never sit idle in the first ten minutes. A single missed villager compounds through the whole game, and the difference between a good and a bad opening is usually five or six villagers, not army composition.
- Choose Landmarks for what you plan to do, not for what looks strongest. The English Council Hall only pays off if you actually mass Longbowmen, and the French School of Cavalry is wasted if you never leave your base.
- Bring springalds to any fight where the enemy has mangonels or bombards. Melee units die to siege before they close the distance, and an army with no anti siege answer loses to a smaller one that has it.
- Collect Relics early with a religious unit and garrison them for gold. That trickle funds gold hungry units like Knights and Janissaries without adding a single villager to the gold seam.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
More Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition Guides
- Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition Overview
- Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition Best Builds
- Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition Tier List
- Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition Beginner's Guide
- Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition Tips & Tricks
- Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition Weapons Guide
- Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition Combat Guide
- Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition Boss Guide
- Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition Maps & Locations
- Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition Crafting Guide
- Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition Classes & Characters
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