Age of Empires 4 is fun and a very nice refresher from the previous installments even though it only has 16 civilizations to pick from. Each of these AoE 4 civilizations offer specific units, bonuses, technologies and a focus on a set of unit upgrades to make them even stronger. For example, while the English excel in archery via the Longbowmen, the Delhi Sultanate is more focused around War Elephants as their key unit. Some civilizations are more powerful than others, especially for beginner players. In this AoE4 Tier List we'll be going over each of the races available in the game and determining the strongest AoE 4 Civs based on hundreds of ladder games. The tier list is mostly based around land maps.
Civilization Tier List Descriptors
S Tier - Overpowered. Age of Empires 4 Civilizations which are incredible in the current meta and most often banned during pro matches because of how strong they are. Any of these civs are a great choice if you want to win a high percentage of matchups and one-trick a civilization.
A Tier - Powerful. Age of Empires 4 Civilizations which are very popular and will give you an advantage over other opponents, especially in ranked games. These Civilizations are strong and are very suitable for beginners because AoE 4 can be hard to grasp for new players.
B Tier - Balanced. Age of Empires 4 Civilizations which are in a balanced state. These civs will be alright for "gaming for fun" where you enjoy playing the game and not focusing on winning. Though, in good hands any of these will still be more than enough to score a victory.
C Tier - Underpowered. Age of Empires 4 Civilizations which are hard to play and most often not worth it if you want to win unless the enemies keep making huge mistakes.
AoE4 Civ Tier List
S
Rus
The Rus offer a very active playstyle and they're very powerful during both the early and late game. Their Scouts are used for killing Sheep, Wolves, Boars and Deer and every time they do so they gain Gold and increase their bounty score. They received a bounty change recently, which made them even better. Having a lot of Scouts on the map results with a lot of map vision and control at no additional cost. Increasing bounty to certain thresholds results in bonus gathering rates. Hunting Cabins are Rus-specific and act just like Mills, with an added benefit of infinitely generating Gold based on the number of trees available nearby which makes them a great economy boost throughout the entire game. The Rus High Armory reduces the cost of siege units while also unlocking four new siege technology. A high amount of strong technology focused around siege units makes Rus incredibly powerful during the late game where everything mostly revolves around who's got better siege armies.
Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire is in a really good state at the moment. They have early Man-at-Arms that perform well versus enemy Archers and Spearmen in Feudal Age and several Castle Age upgrades for Barracks units as well as Landsknecht, unique light melee infantry. These units have enormous two-handed swords that are effective in mixed armies due to the splash damage from their melee attacks. The Prelate are also one of the unique Holy Roman units and they can automatically inspire Villagers in order to improve their gathering rate as well as extract additional Gold from Relics. Holy Roman Empire is currently one of the most banned civs in ranked play, and for a good reason.
English
During the early game, the English have access to Longbowman— a cheap long-ranged infantry with great damage and exceptional range. The King's Palace is a landmark that acts as a Town Center with all the behaviors, tech, units, bonuses and it's currently one of the strongest economic landmarks in the game as it allows the player to boom the economy while also focusing on technology and move up through Ages. Additionally, they also have the ability to get a Network of Castles bonus that increases the attack speed of nearby units which makes them great for defensive playstyles and turtling. English Villagers fight with bows instead of farm tools and their Town Centers fire twice as many arrows. Economy-wise, they construct Farms for 50% less wood and the Mill Farms gather 15% faster. Even after several nerfs, the English remain in the S Tier because they're really hard to deal with.
Byzantines
The Byzantines excel at building well-structured, defensive-oriented cities through their unique Cistern and Aqueduct mechanics. Cisterns boost nearby villagers’ gather rates and can enhance building defense, unit production speed, or research speed. The Aqueduct network further amplifies these bonuses by connecting Cisterns, creating a powerful infrastructure that enhances both economy and military production. They have powerful unique units such as the Cataphracts and Varangian Guard, with versatility that can adapt to any situation and matchup. The main downside of the Byzantines is that they can be hard to learn and master to be effective at high elo games.
A
Delhi Sultanate
The Delhi Sultanate civilization is one of the more difficult civilizations to master but once you do, they can be immensely powerful. The Delhi's technology is completely free but you need to build at Mosques and garrison them with Scholars in order to get research times similar to other civs. Docks now act as Mosques and come with one free Scholar, which has made the Delhi quite powerful on water maps. Their Garden Bounty civilization bonus allows them to cultivate Berry Bushes into Orchards which yield higher amounts of Food and they can also gather from them 25% faster. This means that they have a slightly better option for Food gathering in comparison with other civilizations which rely on Sheep. The main idea behind the Delhi Sultanate's free technology is to have a healthy economy that will later be used to build their unique units: War Elephants.
Ayyubids
The Ayyubid Civilization thrives with its mix of adaptable bonuses, powerful camel units, and siege dominance. With the House of Wisdom providing tailored strategies and the Golden Age gradually unlocking increasingly powerful advantages, the Ayyubids are a top-tier choice for players who enjoy flexibility and overwhelming strength in both economic and military gameplay.
This versatility, combined with unique and effective camel units that counter cavalry-heavy civilizations, places the Ayyubids in Tier A. Their ability to adapt to various playstyles while maintaining a strong economy and military presence makes them a competitive force in most matchups. They did get a couple of changes recently but they still maintain their strong presence in ranked play.
Japanese
The Japanese combine strong military units with strategic economic enhancements, focusing on a balance of agriculture and warfare. Their leadership bolsters farming efficiency and strengthens their army, especially through the powerful Samurai Bannermen. They also have a unique unit called "Shinobi" which can be produced in the Koka Township. These units can disable enemies' town centres, which is a powerful mechanic versus low ranked players. Overall, the Japanese are extremely powerful on water and hybrid maps right now, but they do lack on the land side of things.
Malians
The Malians focus on leveraging a strong Gold economy, enhanced infantry units, and a unique Cattle-based food system. They thrive in both economic management and strategic combat, using their stealthy Musofadi units to ambush enemies and create surprise attacks. Their trade bonuses, combined with powerful infantry and a resilient economy, make them ideal for players who enjoy flexible strategies involving trade, resource control, and stealth tactics. Malians are in a really good state for land maps at the moment, even while having a few counters.
Chinese
The Chinese excel in fast construction, with villagers making buildings much faster than other civs. They also have a plethora of unique units, with the Nest of Bees being the most popular one as it's a Mangonel variant that fires a barrage of rockets that deal great area of effect damage even versus highly armored targets. Chinese's siege weaponry technologies are also incredible making them great late-game powerhouses as good siege units and technology are a must-have at that point. However, one thing the Chinese lack in is early-game power, as their early-game units don't outperform others and this is why most players lose in the first half of the game. On top of that, the Chinese may struggle with food depending on where they spawn on land maps so it's kind of a gamble to play them, but if you get a good spawn then they're quite strong.
Abbasid Dynasty
Abbasid Dynasty features two iconic cavalry units that are incredible versus a lot of playstyles which makes them very versatile and unable to be countered. The Camel Archers are a highly mobile cavalry ranged unit that is very effective versus spearmen and causes enemy cavalry to deal less damage. On the other hand, the Camel Riders are the melee alternatives and they also have the ability to cause enemy cavalry to deal less damage. Having one of these in your army just for the cavalry debuff is always worth it during Feudal and Castle Age versus cavalry-heavy armies. Additionally, Abbasid Dynasty infantry units can construct Rams & Siege Towers without the need of Siege Engineering Tech. Overall, the Abbasid Dynasty can be very strong in the hands of an experienced player as it can be played on all types of maps.
B
Ottomans
The Ottomans' most notable bonus is the faster production of Military School units in Feudal Age. These units will be used throughout the entirety of games, meaning that you're effectively pumping out a lot more units than the opponent can. This becomes very notable during production of Sipahi— a light melee cavalry unit that's unique to the Ottomans because it cuts down on their training time by a significant amount. In general, the Ottomans are a moderately difficult civilization to play and their economy is decent enough since the Military School gants them the ability to produce a specific type of unit continuously, at no cost.
Zhu Xi's Legacy
The civ is built around dynasty progression, where players can unlock various powerful bonuses, special units, and buildings as they advance through the ages. Starting with the Tang Dynasty, which offers a -15% reduction in landmark costs and early economic advantages, the civ can quickly ramp up with the Song, Yuan, and Ming Dynasties, each offering distinct strategic benefits. While Zhu Xi's Legacy excels in tech and unit production, its reliance on dynasties and Imperial Officials can make it challenging to master. In the current meta, this civilization is mostly played for a two TC or Castle rush, both of which don't perform very well in land map high ranked games. Though, they are arguably the best water civ in Age of Empires 4 right now.
French
The French are relatively easy to play as well as straightforward because there's no need to plan out building locations other than the Keep with Stables. If you place Archery Ranges or Stables next to Keeps the units produced within them will cost 20% less. They also have a whopping 30% discount to ALL economy-related technology, as well as faster Villager & Scout production per age— going up to 20% in Castle Age. Additionally, their Trade Ships return 20% more Gold and their resource drop-off buildings are 25 Wood cheaper. The French are given a lot of economical benefits without many downsides. However, even with the buffs, their unique siege weapon called the Cannon is not in a good state right now. I would say the French definitely deserve a B tier place on the AoE4 Tier List at the moment.
Jeanne d'Arc
This civilization is designed for players who enjoy the dynamic of having a heroic unit that grows in power throughout the game. Jeanne’s journey, from a simple villager to a battlefield commander, shapes both the economy and military of this civ. The cheaper economic upgrades and flexible trade system allow for efficient resource management, while the strong cavalry focus provides a powerful military backbone. Jeanne's presence inspires nearby units and her evolving role ensures that players can adapt their strategy as she gains new abilities and unlocks elite units.
Jeanne d'Arc are in about the same state as the French right now, with more expensive units than most other civilizations.
Mongol
Mongols are a civilization that have a unique mechanic— they can easily relocate all of their buildings. This mechanic is incredible when paired with the Dark Age Ovoo upgrade called Superior Mobility (buildings can move, pack and unpack 50% faster) as it opens up some strategies. The Mongols also have a relatively strong mid-late game as well because their economic landmark, The Silver Tree. However, even after recent changes they still struggle to find an identity in ranked play. They're a balanced civ that is fun to play, but that's about it.
C
Order of the Dragon
The Order of the Dragon civilization in Age of Empires 4 is really easy to play but is really weak at the moment. Generally speaking, they're an infantry based civ with an emphasis on gilded units. They're able to train "premium" gilded versions of regular infantry and cavalry that have much better stats. Their villagers are more expensive, but they do construct and gather quicker, as well as carry more resources at once. They can be good on land maps, but playing them on any water map will be straight up speedrunning a lose.
