Economy & Build Orders Guide
The standard 21-pop build order in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition puts 6 Villagers on sheep, 4 on wood, lures both boars, adds 4 on berries and 1 on gold, then clicks the Feudal Age with 20 Villagers and 1 Scout. Boar lures and deer pushing feed food faster than berries or farms. Ring your Town Center with eight farms and research Wheelbarrow once you run 14 to 16 active farms.
A strong economy supports large military armies. Mastering standard build orders gives you the exact resource balance needed to hit key power spikes before your opponent can react.
Standard 21-Pop Feudal Build Order
This standard build order works for almost every civilization. It sets up a 21-population Feudal Age transition suitable for Archer, Scout, or Skirmisher openings.
| Villagers | Assignment |
|---|---|
| 1-3 | Build 2 Houses, then gather sheep under the Town Center |
| 4-6 | Gather sheep (6 total on Food) |
| 7-10 | Build a Lumber Camp, gather Wood on the main forest (4 total on Wood) |
| 11 | Lure the 1st Boar to the Town Center |
| 12-14 | Harvest Boar and sheep (9 total under the TC) |
| 15 | Build a House, then lure the 2nd Boar to the TC |
| 16-18 | Build a Mill on Berries (4 total on Berries) |
| 19 | Gather Wood at the Lumber Camp (5 total on Wood) |
| 20 | Build a Mining Camp on Gold (1 total on Gold) |
| Click Feudal | Research the Feudal Age at the Town Center (20 Villagers + 1 Scout) |
During the Feudal transition, reallocate Villagers based on your chosen military path:
- For Scout Rush: Shift three Villagers from under the Town Center to Wood, build a second Lumber Camp, and start seeding Farms.
- For Archer Rush: Send three additional Villagers to Gold (four total on Gold), and leave five Villagers on Wood.
- Deer Pushing Alternative: Pushing three deer under your Town Center with your Scout Cavalry accelerates food collection, allowing civilizations to advance at 20-pop or transition with only three woodcutters.
Mastering Boar Lures and Deer Pushing
Wild animals provide faster food collection rates than forage bushes or farms. Harvesting them efficiently accelerates your early economy.
Boar Lure Steps
- Select one Villager from under your Town Center when your current sheep is around 100 food remaining.
- Direct the worker to attack the wild boar once.
- Wait for the boar to turn and strike, then shoot a second time if needed. Wild Boars walk at 0.8 speed but run at 0.96 once aggroed, fast enough to catch a fleeing worker, and they deal +3 bonus damage to mounted units.
- Immediately order the Villager to move straight underneath your Town Center using a single clean right-click. Keep the boar in your Villager's line of sight the whole way home. A boar that loses sight of its target behind buildings or trees drops aggro and walks back to its spawn.
- As the boar follows under the Town Center center point, select all TC sheep gatherers and attack the boar together.
- Drop off food at the Town Center as soon as the boar collapses. Eight to 10 Villagers should end up harvesting it under the TC umbrella.
Deer Pushing Steps
Use your Scout Cavalry to push wild deer toward your Town Center during moments when scouting is clear.
- Position your Scout directly behind a deer, facing toward your base.
- Tap the ground right behind the deer to make it startle and hop forward.
- Follow closely behind the deer to force consecutive hops until it lands right under your Town Center.
- Shoot the deer with your TC Villagers for fast, zero-wood food.
Farm Placement and Wheelbarrow Timing
Farms cost 60 Wood each and exhaust their food supply after fixed yields. Placing them poorly wastes worker walk time.
- Ring-One Layout: Surround your Town Center directly with eight farms. Each farm should touch a side or corner of the TC structure.
- Mill Clusters: Once the TC perimeter is full, build a Mill and construct a second ring of eight farms touching that Mill.
- Wheelbarrow Timing: Research Wheelbarrow at your Town Center when you reach 14 to 16 active farms (typically early Castle Age around 35 to 40 Villagers). Wheelbarrow takes 75 seconds to research (equal to three Villagers of production time) and boosts worker movement speed by 10% with a 26.95% carrying capacity multiplier (rounded to 13 units). At 14 to 16 active farms, the increased gathering efficiency outweighs the cost of delaying three Villagers.
- Hand Cart Timing: Research Hand Cart in middle Castle Age around 60 to 70 Villagers. It boosts movement speed by an additional 10% and carrying capacity by a +50% multiplier (rounded to 20 units).
Market Trading and Resource Balancing
The Market allows you to sell excess stock or purchase missing resources during critical tech transitions. Every sale pays out in Gold after the Market takes its tax, and that Gold buys whatever resource you are short on.
| Market Operation | Base Conversion | Usage Scenario |
|---|---|---|
| Sell Wood | 100 Wood = 70 Gold | Clear excess stock to fund Castle Age advancement |
| Sell Food | 100 Food = 81 Gold | Turn a food surplus into Knight or Trebuchet gold |
| Buy Wood | 130 Gold = 100 Wood | Emergency wood for Farms or production buildings |
| Buy Food | 150 Gold = 100 Food | Secure final food needed for Imperial Age |
| Buy Stone | 169 Gold = 100 Stone | Complete a defensive Castle when short on quarries |
| Guilds Tech | Reduces Market tax from 30% to 15% | Essential research for end-game trade routes |
Gold itself cannot be bought. Selling Wood, Food, or Stone is the only Market route into gold. Note: Saracens have an innate 5% Market fee and cannot research Guilds. Hindustanis also lack Guilds, lost in update 87863, but their Castle Age unique tech Grand Trunk Road cuts their fee to 10% and speeds up all gold income by 10%.
Use trade carts in team games to establish gold trade routes between your Market and an ally's furthest Market. Longer distance trade routes return significantly higher gold yields per trip.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the standard build order in Age of Empires II?
The 21-pop Feudal build sends 6 Villagers to sheep and 4 to wood, uses Villagers 11 and 15 to lure both boars, puts 4 on berries, adds a fifth woodcutter, and sends 1 to gold before you click up with 20 Villagers and 1 Scout.
Why does my boar walk back to its spawn during a lure?
The boar dropped line of sight on your Villager, usually behind a building or treeline, which resets its aggro. Send the lurer straight under the Town Center with a single clean right-click along an open path the boar can see.
When should you research Wheelbarrow?
Research it once you reach 14 to 16 active farms, usually early Castle Age at 35 to 40 Villagers. It takes 75 seconds, equal to three Villagers of production time, and the gathering gain outweighs that delay at those farm counts.
What are the Market conversion rates in Age of Empires II?
Selling 100 Wood returns 70 Gold and selling 100 Food returns 81 Gold. Buying costs 130 Gold per 100 Wood, 150 Gold per 100 Food, and 169 Gold per 100 Stone. The Guilds technology cuts the Market tax from 30% to 15%.
How many farms should you build around your Town Center?
Build eight farms in a ring touching the sides and corners of your Town Center. Once that perimeter fills, add a Mill and build a second ring of eight farms around it.
What to Read Next
- Unit Counters and Combat. Spending your Feudal economy on the right army.
- Techs and Relic Economy. Upgrade sequencing once your eco is stable.
- Civilizations and Meta. Civ bonuses that change standard build orders.
- Getting Started. Hotkeys and control groups that make build orders executable.
- Tips and Tricks. Lure mechanics, upgrade timing, and what the market spread really costs.