We’re going to focus on winning Ranked multiplayer matches as that’s the truest test of skill in my opinion, but you can take everything I say and apply it to beating the AI if that’s your jam. Instead, every bit of information included for you here is a mix of mathematically-proven strategies, along with effective tactics utilized by the top pros playing the game today, such as The Viper, Hera and Daut.

That said, what I’m sharing in this guide is not my advice. And now, my with age approaching 30, I can say that my love for the Definitive Edition version of the game is stronger than ever. I returned to playing the game with my friends as a young teenager. I did my first ever “all-nighter” playing Age of Empires 2 when I was 9-years-old. I really wanted to make sure I did this game justice. I’m fairly confident what you’re reading is the most detailed strategy guide to Age of Empires 2 ever created in one place. This guide is going to teach you a huge amount about Age of Empires 2 strategy and includes hundreds of tips throughout. It’s much more complicated, however, to figure out the right move at the right time and be able to remember the really fine details when the pressure is on.

Like chess, it’s easy to learn what the pieces do. The beautiful thing about Age of Empires 2 - other than the fact that it was first released in 1999 and is still going strong - is that the basics of the game are extremely simple.

Age of empires 2 buildings