How do I change my age in Age of Empires 4?
In all the games of the series Age of EmpiresIn this game, you evolve your civilisation from age to age. With this opus, you will discover a new way of changing age through the construction of unique buildings. Whether you're completely new to Age of Empires 4 or have already played a few games, you'll find useful information to help you understand the age changes.
Essential information
If you played previous versions of Age of Empires, you may remember how ages work. Well, forget it. In Age of Empires 4, you will not need to go through the forum to make a change, nor to choose between two politicians like in Age of Empires 3; you simply select a villager and click the "age" button. You can also press the T key after selecting it.
When changing, you will need to choose between the two building proposals. In the case of the Chinese civilisation you can build everything if you have the necessary resources. In the case of the Abbasids, there is only one monument: the House of Wisdom, which you can build with a system of wings added in the order you wish.
Whether you play Abbasid, Rus' or English, the prices of the monuments are the same for each age:
- Cost of passage to age II: 400 food + 200 gold. Duration: 3min10s.
- Cost of passage to age III: 1200 food + 600 gold. Duration: 3min40s.
- Cost of passage to age IV: 2400 food + 1200 gold. Duration: 4min10s.
Note: the times are indicative and reflect the construction time when there is only one villager involved. You will be able to follow the progress of the construction thanks to a progress bar visible in the centre of your screen at the top.
The unique monuments of civilizations
For all age changes, each civilisation has its own monuments that offer special bonuses.
French
- Monuments available at Age II
Chamber of Commerce - Category: economic
Serves as a market. When returning to the port or market, all merchants and trading ships yield 30% of additional resources.
Cavalry School - Category: military
Acts as a stable. Your stables produce 20 % units faster.
- Monuments available at age III
Royal Institute - Category: military
Provides unique technologies to the French. Their cost is 20 % lower than the cost in other buildings. Also, you are not limited by age.
Guildhall - Category: economic
Allows you to store one of the resources (wood, stone, gold or food). Generates resource automatically. The more the stock increases, the more the resource is generated.
- Monuments available at age IV
Red Palace - Category: defensive
Serves as a dungeon. Crossbow slots are present (high damage). For each unit in garrison, get an extra slot.
Artillery School - Category: military
Produce royal siege engines: cannon, ribaudequin and couleuvrine. Damage is increased by 20% compared to basic artillery.
English
- Monuments available at Age II
Boardroom - Category: military
Allows you to create 100% longbow infantry faster than in a shooting camp. Access upgrades for archers.
Abbey of Kings - Category: religious
Heals all nearby allied units out of combat: +4 health/1.5s.
- Monuments available at age III
King's Palace - Category: economic
Serves as a forum, with all the behaviours, technologies, units and bonuses of the basic forums.
White Tower - Category: defensive
Serves as a dungeon, with all the behaviours, technologies and bonuses of basic dungeons.
- Monuments available at age IV
Berkshire Palace - Category: defensive
Serves as a dungeon, with all the behaviours, technologies and bonuses of basic dungeons. Increased weapon range of 50% and number of archers compared to other dungeons
Wynguard Palace - Category: military
Allows you to produce Wynguard's army: a man-at-arms, a spearman, a longbow infantryman, a knight and a trebuchet.
Chinese
- Monuments available at Age II
Imperial Academy - Category: economic
Increases tax gold in buildings in the area of influence by 100%.
Sun Barbican - Category: defensive
Shoots with a long-range couleuvin and adds archers once garrisoned. Allows you to see through the surrounding dense forests.
- Monuments available at age III
Astronomical clock - Category: military
Serves as a seat workshop. The machines produced have 50% of additional life.
Imperial Palace - Category: economic
Provides a spy ability. Activate it to see where enemy villagers are for 10s.
- Monuments available at age IV
Great Wall Portery - Category: defensive
Must be built on stone walls. Once built, your stone walls and gates gain an additional 100 % of life. Troops on nearby walls deal 50% more damage.
Alley of the spirits - Category: military
Allows you to produce unique units from previously unlocked dynasties, even if you have changed dynasties. The cost of these units is reduced by 30% in buildings within the lane's area of influence.
Sultanate of Delhi
- Monuments available at Age II
Victory Tower - Category: military
Increases the attack speed by 15%, permanently, of all close combat infantry units in the area of influence.
Dome of Faith - Category: religious
Produce scholars at -50% of the base price, via this building.
- Monuments available at age III
Defender's Pregnancy - Category: defensive
With this building, military units can build stone walls, gates and towers. The cost of stones and their locations is reduced by 25%.
House of Knowledge - Category: technology
No immediate bonuses. Access 5 unique technologies: Strengthened Foundations, Peaceful Place, Watchtowers, Hearty Rations and Sharpened Swords.
- Monuments available at age IV
Hisar Academy - Category: technology
Constantly generates food based on the total number of technologies developed.
Sultan's Palace - Category: religious
Automatically produce war elephants with tower. Place up to 4 scholars in garrison to increase production speed.
Abbasid Dynasty
The different wings of the House of Wisdom. You are free to build the wings in any order.
- The bonuses of theculture wingKnowledge Preservation, Medical Centres and Faith.
- The bonuses of theeconomic wingFresh Food, Agriculture and Improved Processing.
- The bonuses of themilitary wingSupport Camels, Camel Shields and Training Camp.
- The bonuses of thecommercial wingSpice Routes, Armoured Caravans and the Great Bazaar.
For more information on how the House of Wisdom works, please visit our guide dedicated to the Abbasid Dynasty.
Mongols
- Monuments available at Age II
Deer stones - Category: military
Upon installation, grant the Yam's speed aura. When completed, grant the "Yam Network" technology for free.
The Silver Tree - Category: economic
Serves as a market. Allows you to produce 50 % merchants faster, for half the original gold price.
- Monuments available at age III
Qurultay - Category: military
When the khan is near, the monument heals all nearby wounded units and confers a damage bonus of 25 % for 30s.
Steppe Redoubt - Category: economic
Serves as Ger. The gold deposited in this monument increases by 50%.
- Monuments available at age IV
The white stupa - Category: economic
Serves as an Ovoo. Produces 240 stone units/min, without stone outcrop.
Khaganat Palace - Category: military
Produce a cavalry army every 90s: cavalrymen, mangudai or cavalry lancers.
Rus'.
- Monuments available at Age II
Kremlin - Category: defensive
Serves as a wooden fortress. Access Archieres, Castle Turret and Castle Watchtower technologies.
The golden door - Category: economic
Via a ticket system every minute, exchange resources at a favourable rate for other resources. The exchange rate is 100 for 150.
- Monuments available at age III
High trading house - Category: economic
Generates gold with a hunting hut but with a 200 % increase. Makes a deer appear every 60s. Your villagers can store food there.
Trinity Abbey - Category: religious
Serves as a monastery. Produce warrior-monks at half price. Access unique religious technologies.
- Monuments available at age IV
Spasskaya Tower - Category: defensive
Serves as a dungeon, with all weapon slots already in place and has increased health.
High arsenal - Category: military
Reduce the cost of siege engines in workshops near 20%. Access unique seating gear technologies.
Holy Roman Empire
- Monuments available at Age II
Meinwerk Palace - Category: military
Serves as a forge. The technologies sought in this monument cost 25% less.
Aachen Chapel - Category: religious
Encourages units in a large area if a prelate is garrisoned in the monument.
- Monuments available at age III
Regnitz Cathedral - Category: religious
Relics placed in the monument generate 200% of gold/min. Can hold up to 3 relics.
Burgrave's Palace - Category: military
Serves as a barracks. Produce 5 infantry units at a time.
- Monuments available at age IV
Elzbach Palace - Category: defensive
Serves as a dungeon. Has 50% of extra health. All your buildings in its area of influence take 33% less damage.
Swabian Palace - Category: economic
Serves as a forum. Allows you to produce 75% villagers faster, for only a quarter of the original price.
The Malians
- Monuments available at Age II
Saharan trade network - Category: defensive
Serves as a toll station and has free arch defences. Merchants and ships taxed by this building generate food equal to the taxed gold. All other tolls generate food at 50% of the taxed gold.
Mansa Quarry - Category: economic
Generates 75 gold per minute. Can generate stone instead. Does not consume gold on a lode, it is a separate building.
- Monuments available at age III
Grand Corral Peul - Category: economic
Livestock in the vicinity of the building generate +20 additional food.
Farimba Garrison - Category: military
Allows you to produce 5 units from the barracks or archery camp at a time. Units do not cost food, only gold.
- Monuments available at age IV
Fort de la Chasseresse - Category: defensive
Serves as a dungeon. Nearby infantry units go into stealth mode for 10s. Musofadi warriors and gunners gain the "first attack" effect.
Griot Bara - Category: technology
For 300 gold, start a festival. There are 3 festivals, one improves the food collection rate, one improves the military production rate, and one improves the damage of torches and siege attacks. The bonuses are temporary.
The Ottomans
- Monuments available at Age II
Twin Minarets of Medrese - Category: economic
Serves as a mill. Grows 4 berry bushes that can be harvested 50% faster. Bushes grow back after 120s when exhausted.
Sultanhani Commercial Network - Category: economic
Serves as a market. It has 2 merchants in garrison and generates +28 gold coins per minute for each of them. Up to 6 merchants can be in garrison.
- Monuments available at age III
Imperial Palace of Istanbul - Category: military
Doubles the experience of the Imperial Council around the monument and increases the limit of the Vizier by +2.
Mehmed Imperial Armoury - Category: military
Produces siege engines free of charge, but with a longer training period.
- Monuments available at age IV
Istanbul Observatory - Category: technology
Serves as a University. Increased the bonus provided by the influence of the University and the Forge by 60%.
Seagate Castle - Category: defensive
Serves as a Dungeon. Increases the movement speed of merchants and trade ships by 40%.
After you have reached the final stage of imperial age, you can still build a unique building, which can bring you victory, the wonder. If you want to know more, please refer to our guide about Age of Empires 4 victory conditions.
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