Rus' in Age of Empires 4

In Age of Empires 4, the Rus' are the best at converting their wealth into powerful armies. To be fully effective, they require excellent economic control throughout the game, but the payoff is worth it. Here's everything you need to know about Rus' in Age of Empires 4.

Difficulty estimated by the developers : ★ ★ ☆

In Age of Empires 4, the Rus' cover a period from 882 to 1547 AD. During this period the Rus' civilisation was caught between two powerful enemies, had to deal with particularly harsh winters and notable political instability. All this period will make you discover different epochs in 4 ages: traditional Slavic, the Rus' golden age, the fall of the Mongol influence and the appearance of Muscovy Duchy.

Civilization bonuses

• Get gold and increase the bounty with the hunt,
• Hunting bounties grant bonuses on food harvesting and increase the rate at which hunting huts generate gold,
• Primitive knights are available from age II,
• Build stronger palisades with double the life points,
• Go to the hunting hut. This is an improved mill capable of producing scouts and generating gold from the surrounding forests,
• Fishing boats can drop off food without returning to the dock,
• Access the wooden fortresses. They have more life and additional garrison spaces.

Specific units and their characteristics

The Rus' have 3 unique units, which can be unlocked:

From age III - Thecavalry archer (Category: Light cavalry at a distance). This unit is particularly mobile. The mounted archer can easily take down slow melee units, but is less effective against a distant target.

From age III - The warrior-monk (Category: Religious cavalry). This mounted unit is extremely useful. The warrior monk can capture sacred places, convert enemies and recover relics. He inflicts little damage but grants bonuses to nearby units in combat once he has attacked. This gives them more armour and extra damage. He can also heal allied units.

At age IV - The streltsy (Category: Light Infantry). Inexpensive, it is a unit with both gunpowder weapons and hand-to-hand attack. It gets a bonus when stationary: speed of fire. The streltsy is effective against melee units.

The rus' also have access to a unique fleet: the lodya ships. Each subtype can be converted into any other subtype, provided you already have access to the other vessels.

From age I - The fishing boat lodya (Category: TWorker, ship). This vessel can collect fish from the seabed and near the coast and does not have to return to the dock to make a deposit. It is not equipped for combat.

From age I - The transport vessel lodya (Category: Ship). Very useful unit if you want to move any type of unit via the sea.

From age II - The merchant ship lodya (Category: TWorker, ship). When assigned to a trade route with a trading post or market close to the coast, this ship gets a gold gain. Once the route is assigned, your ship makes several voyages automatically. You can reassign its target.

From age II - The attack ship lodya (Category: Archer boat). This warship carries archers.

From age III - The demolition ship lodya (Category: Incendiary ship). In marine combat, this ship can give you the advantage. When it is destroyed, it explodes. The explosion inflicts damage to nearby units and burns nearby buildings and ships.

The strategic bases of the Rus'.

With this civilisation, you have units adapted to the use of the environment, so you get benefits from hunting and timber harvesting. On the water maps, you should also take into consideration the fishing areas to take advantage of the forestry.

Unlike other civilizations, you don't need to focus on gathering gold at the beginning of the game. At the beginning of the game, your objective will be to collect wood and food. Train professional scouts via upgrading from age II. At the age change, use the "Golden Gate". This allows you to exchange your wood resources for gold. In addition, hunting huts will help you to produce more gold.

As you move into Age III, build the "Trinity Abbey" to gain access to the warrior-monks. Your gameplay will then be centred around them. Thereafter, you will have to collect relics and eventually play the victory through the sacred places.

At the end of the game, your army will be powerful and your pushes extremely effective. You should start with a core army of cavalry archers, knights, streltsy and siege engines. For the transition from age III to IV, the "High arsenal" can be interesting to build in order to besiege your opponent.

An efficient and easy-to-use civilisation

The Rus' civilisation is one of the three best civilisations. If you want a change from the French and the English, this civ is a safe betbut will require some practice.