The Chinese civilization is one of the 8 civilizations you will come across when playing Age of Empires 4 (AoE). This particular civilization is the best builder civilization in the game. This is because of the Chinese ability to build multiple buildings and forts in really quick time, helping them advance even more quickly to later ages. These traits help the Chinese gain an upper hand over their counterparts in the game, making them a great pick when playing AoE 4. If you are new to the game and do not know much about the Chinese civilization, we’ve got just the guide for you. Keep reading to learn all you need to know about this civilization, and what makes it so special in AoE 4.
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Age of Empires 4 (AoE) Chinese Civilization Guide
What makes the Chinese civilization in Age of Empires 4 different than the rest is because of the fact that they go through Ages and Dynasties. The difference here is that you only need to build one landmark for an Age, but Dynasties require both landmarks. When playing in this civilization, if you aim to go quickly through the Ages, you will only need to build one landmark per Age.
The advantage here is that your villagers will also be much faster when it comes to building structures. You will be able to build defenses upto 50% quicker. Everything else will be built upto 100% quicker. Adding to the advantages is the fact that you will also be able to receive the Chemistry technology for free as soon as you enter the Imperial Age. You will also gain access to a maximum of 5 special military units as well as three buildings.
Age of Empires 4 Chinese Civilization Dynasties
When you first start AoE 4 in the Chinese Civilization, you will find yourself beginning with the Tang dynasty. However, as you progress, you will be able to move on to three more dynasties. Let us check what you need to do to succeed in each of these dynasties.
Tang Dynasty
In this dynasty, you will need to focus on building a layout that will help enhance the efficiency of your tax collection. At the same time, you will need to make sure your scout is looking out for trading posts and sheep, while the collection of your resources is expanding.
Song Dynasty
After you are done with the Tang Dynasty, you will find yourself progressing into the Song Dynasty. You can begin this particular age by either building the Barbican of the Sun or the Imperial Academy.
Building the Barbican of the Sun will see it function as a keep. It will also inflict extra damage whenever it comes under garrison. Meanwhile, building the Imperial Academy will enhance the taxation of buildings that are located within a certain radius. This will help you acquire more gold.
When in this particular Age, we also recommend you spend time and effort in strengthening your empire with the help of stone walls. You should also continue to build an economic relationship with traders.
Another bonus of entering the Song Dynasty is Villagers. These act as a more upgraded version of a house. The construction of a village will also help you increase your population cap by 40. This will also result in an increase in the production speed of your village.
Yuan Dynasty
In order to enter the third Age of the Chinese Civilization in AoE 4, you will need to build either the Astronomical Clocktower or the Imperial Palace. Building the Astronomical Clocktower will result in the creation of a siege workshop with an extra 50% health for your siege units. Meanwhile, the Imperial Palace will provide you with a bigger radius. It will let you view enemy villagers anywhere on the map. This is quite advantageous when you are plotting a siege. This makes it a great choice for your first landmark.
In this dynasty, you will also be able to build a Granary, boosting your food production capacity. Additionally, you will also be able to unlock the Fire Lancer unit.
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty is the fourth and final age in the Chinese Civilization in AoE 4. It will require you to build the Great Wall Gatehouse or the Spirit Way. Building the Great Wall Gatehouse will enhance the strength of your stone walls. The Spirit Way seems to be a better choice, especially because of the fact that it will allow you to build a unit from the previous unit for a 30% reduction in cost. The Spirit Way basically tides over the usual phenomenon of the loss of Dynasty units when you switch Dynasties.
In the Ming Dynasty, you will also have the ability to build the Pagoda building. Inserting a relic inside this Pagoda will result in you getting 50 units of gold, food, wood, and stone at an interval of 30 seconds. You will also be able to get your hands on the Grenadier unit along with a health bonus.
Now that we know the Dynasties, let us take a look at the civilization’s unique units.
Unique Units in the Chinese Civilization
- Grenadier: As the name suggests, this unit will hurl grenades that have the capability of causing effect damage
- Zhuge Nu: This is a repeater crossbowman that is effective against light units.
- Fire Lancer: The Fire Lancer is a light cavalry unit that is effective against buildings.
- Nest of Bees: This unit fires a load of rockets, inflicting area damage.
Now that we know all the unique units in this civilization, let us take a look at the landmarks in AoE 4.
Chinese Civilization Landmarks
- Imperial Academy: This is a landmark of economic importance. Buildings in it vicinity will generate a 100% tax of gold.
- Barbican of the Sun: This is a landmark of defensive importance. It will fire a long-range hand cannon. Whenever garrisoned, it will add arrowslits too. It also helps offer good vision when inside stealth forests.
- Astronomical Clocktower: The Astronomical Clocktower is a Siege Workshop. It produces siege engines that have an increased 50% of health.
- Imperial Palace: The Imperial Palace is also a landmark of economic importance. It offers you a large sight radius. You can even activate it to see the locations of enemy villagers for a period of 10 seconds.
- Great Wall Gatehouse: This is a defensive landmark. It needs to be made out of a stone wall. It enhances the health of stone walls as well as gates by 100%. Troops on nearby walls receive damage of 50%.
- Spirit Way: This is a military landmark. As we mentioned earlier, this landmark eliminates the phenomenon of losing dynasty units when switching dynasties. Any buildings in its vicinity produce dynasty units at a 30% reduction in costs.
So there you have it. This was our comprehensive, detailed guide of the Chinese civilization in Age of Empires 4. As you can see, there is a lot that makes this civilization very appealing to players. With the right steps, you will be able to easily establish control over your enemies with the help of the Chinese.
Now that you know all about the Chinese, check out our AoE 4 Delhi Sultanate Civilization Guide.