Did you know that in your Age of Empires IV installation folder you can find an image that serves as a guide to check the units and their corresponding counter- units ( counters ) that are in the game? However, as simple as it may seem, this one is not so easy to interpret, especially if you are a new player.
To explain quickly, it shows a series of base units (as there are many more) and how much damage they do to certain types of enemy units. In this order, spearmen, men-at-arms, archers, crossbowmen, horsemen, and knights can be seen interacting with the other types.
In descending order: spearmen, men-at-arms, archers, crossbowmen, horsemen, and knights.
The reason for this behavior is that Age of Empires IV has a new armor-based counterunit system. There are certain types of units that fight better against enemies in light armor, while there are others that can deal great damage to those in heavy armor . For example, archers do very little damage to knights, so crossbowmen are a better option, as they pierce armor.
Below, you can see a slightly larger guide on what choices to make against most units in the game:
Counterunits ( counters ) in Age of Empires IV : spearmen
Lightly Armored Melee Infantry.
- Very effective against:
- Weak against:men at arms, crossbowmen, siege weapons with attack in area (mangoneles).
- Very weak against:
Men at arms
Melee infantry with heavy armor.
- Very effective against:spearmen, archers (especially invading walls).
- Weak against:knights, archers on horseback, siege weapons with area attack (mangoneles).
- Very weak against:crossbowmen.
Archers
Ranged infantry in light armor.
- Very effective against:spearmen, crossbowmen (the lower price must be abused. In a fight with equal numbers, archers lose because of their lower damage).
- Weak against:gentlemen, men-at-arms.
- Very weak against:horsemen, siege weapons with attack in area (mangoneles).
Crossbowmen
Ranged infantry with light armor and high attack capable of piercing armor.
- Very effective against:men at arms, knights (it is recommended anyway to have melee troops taking the blows for them).
- Weak against:archers.
- Very weak against:horsemen, siege weapons with attack in area (mangoneles).
Counterunits ( counters ) in Age of Empires IV : horsemen
Melee cavalry in light armor.
- Very effective against:ranged units (archers, crossbowmen), siege weapons.
- Weak Against:Any Armored Unit (Men-at-Arms, Knights).
- Very weak against:spearmen, camel riders.
Knights (and other heavy cavalry equivalents)
Melee cavalry in heavy armor.
- Very effective against:archers, horsemen, men at arms, siege weapons.
- Weak against:spearmen (although they hold up longer than expected) and crossbowmen (they can win if they are taken by surprise or have no melee defending units).
- Very weak against:camel riders, war elephants.
Manual gunners
Ranged infantry with very high attack.
- Very effective against:infantry, heavily armored units.
- Weak against:archers (when outnumbered) and area attack siege weapons (mangoneles).
- Very weak against:
Counter units ( counters ) in Age of Empires IV : camel jockeys
Melee cavalry specialized in defeating other cavalry
- Very effective against:
- Weak against:men at arms, archers.
- Very weak against:spearmen, war elephants.
Horse archers
Ranged cavalry.
- Very effective against:infantry (don’t let the spearmen touch you).
- Weak against:archers, knights (you can win if you can shoot and run effectively).
- Very weak against:riders, camel riders.
Elephant towers
Slow and expensive ranged cavalry.
- Very effective against:small groups of spearmen, ranged units.
- Weak Against:Bombards, Camel Riders.
- Very weak against:horsemen, large groups of spearmen.
War elephants
Very slow and expensive melee cavalry capable of razing buildings and units around them.
- Very effective against:cavalry, buildings (they are capable of breaking down stone walls).
- Weak Against:Bombards (if they fire from a safe distance these cannons do a lot of damage), Crossbowmen.
- Very weak against:Enough spearmen, monks with a relic (mass conversion).
Counterunits ( counters ) in Age of Empires IV : espringaldas y cullebrins
Siege weapons capable of taking down other siege weapons at a safe distance.
- Very effective against:mangoneles, bombardas, trebuchets.
- Weak against:
- Very weak against:
Mangoneles
Siege weapons specialized in dealing damage to groups of units.
- Very effective against:slow grouped units (melee and ranged infantry).
- Weak against:
- Very weak against:espringaldas, culverins.
Trebuchets and bombards
High damage siege weapons that destroy buildings.
- Very effective against:
- Weak against:
- Very weak against:espringaldas, culverins.
Do you want to know more about Age of Empires IV ? You can read our review , take a look at our build order guide, and check out our essential note .
