Age of Empires Mobile Free to Play Guide

Introduction: A Guide for Free-to-Play Success in Age of Empires Mobile

Welcome, Governors, to the world of Age of Empires Mobile! This guide is specifically crafted for players who choose the free-to-play (F2P) path, demonstrating that you can build a powerful empire and compete effectively without spending any money. While the game offers various premium options, this Age of Empires Mobile Free to Play Guide will equip you with the knowledge and strategies to maximize your progress and enjoyment as an F2P player.

Navigating the complexities of resource management, hero development, alliance dynamics, and event participation can feel overwhelming, especially for those new to mobile strategy games like Age of Empires Mobile. This guide will break down these elements, offering clear and concise advice to help you make informed decisions from the moment you start building your city.

You will discover how to:

• Choose the civilization that best suits your F2P playstyle: You’ll learn about the strengths of civilizations like the Chinese and the Japanese, and how their bonuses can give you an edge in resource gathering and PvE battles.

• Master resource management for a thriving economy: Learn techniques to optimize your resource gathering, utilize the villager management system effectively, and take advantage of trading opportunities to ensure a constant flow of resources.

• Build a powerful army without breaking the bank: Discover how to train and upgrade troops effectively, understand the unit counter system for strategic advantage, and make the most of special units.

• Recruit and develop a formidable roster of heroes: Learn which legendary heroes are accessible to F2P players, how to level them efficiently, and how to equip them for maximum impact.

• Utilize equipment and rings to enhance your heroes’ strength: You’ll learn how to acquire equipment blueprints and materials through Island Tactics and other means, and how to upgrade and enhance them for the best results.

• Harness the power of alliances for shared success: Understand the benefits of alliance membership, including help with building and research, access to alliance technology, and participation in rewarding alliance events.

• Strategize your participation in events for maximum rewards: Learn how to prioritize events that align with your F2P goals, whether it’s acquiring powerful heroes like King Derrick or earning valuable resources and blueprints.

• Spend your precious Empire Coins wisely: Discover the best ways to utilize this premium currency as an F2P player, focusing on investments that offer long-term value.

By following the advice and strategies outlined in this guide, you’ll be well on your way to conquering challenges, forging alliances, and establishing a dominant presence in the dynamic world of Age of Empires Mobile – all without spending a dime. Let’s begin!

Choosing Your Path: Selecting the Right Civilization

We have made a guide for each civilizations. CLICK HERE to be redirected to the guide!

Your journey as a free-to-play (F2P) player in Age of Empires Mobile begins with a crucial decision: choosing your starting civilization. While each civilization boasts a unique visual style and historical significance, their gameplay differences lie in the specific bonuses they offer. These bonuses, while seemingly minor at first, can significantly impact your early game progression, especially as an F2P player where maximizing efficiency is key.

The good news is that you’re not locked into your initial choice! You can switch civilizations later for a small amount of Empire Coins, the premium currency in the game. The first swap is even free! This flexibility allows you to adapt your civilization choice to your evolving playstyle and needs.

Chinese: The Early Bird Gets the Villager

For F2P players, the Chinese civilization often stands out as the ideal starting point. This is because the Chinese civilization grants a substantial bonus: +8 to Villager capacity. Villagers are the backbone of your economy, responsible for gathering resources, constructing buildings, and boosting production. Starting with eight extra villagers gives you a significant economic edge from the get-go.

This advantage translates to faster resource accumulation, allowing you to upgrade your Town Center and crucial buildings more rapidly. Additionally, a higher villager count gives you quicker access to beneficial policies in the Codex of Villagers, which unlock various advantages for your city, such as increased training capacity for your army.

Japanese: Slaying Tribes for Faster Progression

Another strong contender for F2P players is the Japanese civilization. Their primary draw lies in the bonus “+10% attack against tribes in the world.” Tribes are essentially the barbarians of Age of Empires Mobile, scattered across the world map. They provide valuable experience for your heroes and resources for your city.

This bonus makes the Japanese civilization excellent for progressing through the early game’s PvE challenges, allowing you to level up your heroes and acquire resources more efficiently. This advantage extends to various in-game events that require battling tribes, such as the Supply Bounty event, where you can earn additional rewards.

Flexibility is Key: Adapting to Your Needs

Remember, choosing a civilization is not a life-or-death decision! You can switch between them as needed, paying a small fee in Empire Coins after your first free switch. Experiment with different civilizations and see which bonuses align best with your current goals.

As you progress through the game, you might find that a different civilization’s bonuses become more appealing. For example, if you decide to focus heavily on Pikemen later in the game, switching to the Romans, who offer bonuses for Pikemen, could be a strategic move.

Ultimately, the best civilization for you will depend on your individual playstyle and what you prioritize at each stage of your F2P journey.

Fueling Your Empire: Mastering Resources and Economy

In Age of Empires Mobile, resources are the lifeblood of your empire. They are crucial for constructing buildings, researching technologies, training troops, healing your army, and participating in various events. As a free-to-play (F2P) player, efficient resource management is the cornerstone of your success. You must learn to balance resource production, consumption, and protection to ensure a steady flow that keeps your city thriving.

Generating a Steady Stream of Resources

There are multiple avenues for acquiring resources in Age of Empires Mobile:

• Resource Production Buildings: Your city’s foundation for resource generation lies in buildings like Farms, Lumber Camps, Mills, Quarries, and Mines. These structures produce resources over time, with their output increasing as you upgrade them. Upgrading at least one of your Mills to a high level is essential to have more Farms and, therefore, more food.

• Gathering from the World Map: Send your armies to gather resources from nodes scattered across the world map. This method is highly effective, especially when utilizing heroes with gathering bonuses and talents. Be mindful of your kingdom’s rules regarding resource node gathering, as many kingdoms discourage hitting resource nodes to minimize troop losses and conflict among players.

• Attacking Tribes: Defeating barbarian tribes on the world map yields resources, experience for your heroes, and other rewards. The Japanese civilization’s bonus of +10% attack against tribes can be especially beneficial here.

• Alliance Gifts: Active participation in an alliance grants access to gifts containing resources.

• Trading in the Market: Utilize the Market to exchange surplus resources for those you need. The exchange rate can fluctuate, so look for opportunities to trade at a discount. While the French civilization offers a bonus to the resource exchange rate, consider whether this bonus aligns with your actual usage of the Market, as some experienced players rarely utilize this feature.

• Completing Quests and Events: Many quests and events offer resources as rewards. Pay attention to the requirements and prioritize those that yield resources you need.

Optimizing Resource Gathering with Villagers

The Villager Management System plays a crucial role in maximizing your resource production. Assign villagers to specific buildings to increase their output or allocate them to gather resources from the world map. The Chinese civilization’s +8 villager bonus offers a distinct advantage here, enabling you to assign more villagers and boost your resource generation from the early game.

Tips for Utilizing Villagers:

• Prioritize gathering Wood, Stone, Berries, and Gold: Ensure you have at least one villager assigned to gather each of these resources from the world map. This balanced approach helps maintain a diverse resource pool.

• Assign Villagers to Resource Production Buildings: Distributing villagers among your resource production buildings, such as Mills and Lumber Camps, can significantly increase their output.

• Unlock Policies in the Codex of Villagers: A higher villager count grants access to beneficial policies that provide various advantages, such as increasing training capacity for your troops.

Safeguarding Your Hard-Earned Resources

Protecting your resources is as vital as gathering them. The Warehouse is your first line of defense. Upgrading this building increases your resource storage protection limit, safeguarding a portion of your resources from enemy attacks. You can further enhance resource protection by assigning villagers to the Warehouse.

Strategic Spending and Saving

As an F2P player, you must be judicious with your resource expenditure. Focus on upgrading essential buildings like your Town Center and prioritize research that benefits your overall economy and military strength. Avoid wasting resources on unnecessary upgrades or training units you won’t actively use.

Important Considerations for F2P Players:

• Prioritize Research Speed and Building Speed: Investing in these technologies early on will significantly accelerate your overall progression, as it reduces research and construction times for everything in the game.

• Don’t Rush to Unlock All Building Queues: Having multiple building queues is helpful, but consider whether you can afford to upgrade multiple buildings simultaneously. As an F2P player, resource limitations might make it more efficient to focus on one or two key upgrades at a time.

• Utilize Speedups Wisely: Speedups are precious commodities for F2P players. Save them for crucial upgrades or research that would otherwise take an exceptionally long time.

• Take Advantage of Alliance Help: Request assistance from your alliance members to reduce building and research times, saving you valuable speedups.

By mastering the art of resource management, you lay the foundation for a powerful and self-sufficient empire in Age of Empires Mobile. Remember to balance resource generation, protection, and spending to ensure continuous growth and success on your F2P journey.

Building a Mighty Force: Constructing an Effective Army

We highly recommend checking out our Troop guide! CLICK HERE.

A powerful army is essential for conquering enemies, defending your city, and excelling in Age of Empires Mobile. While building a massive force might seem tempting, a strategic approach focused on quality over quantity will yield better results, especially for F2P players. This section will guide you through the key elements of building an effective army without draining your precious resources.

Understanding Unit Types and Counters: Exploiting Weaknesses

The foundation of a successful army lies in understanding the different unit types and their strengths and weaknesses. Age of Empires Mobile features four primary unit types:

• Swordsmen: These melee units are versatile and effective against Pikemen but vulnerable to Cavalry.
• Archers: Ranged units that excel against Swordsmen but struggle against Cavalry.
• Cavalry: Fast-moving melee units that counter Archers but fall prey to Pikemen.
• Pikemen: Anti-cavalry specialists who are weak against Swordsmen.

Mastering this counter system is crucial for gaining an advantage in battles. Always scout your enemies before engaging and tailor your army composition to exploit their weaknesses. For instance, if your opponent relies heavily on Cavalry, deploying a force rich in Pikemen will give you a significant edge.

Training and Upgrading Troops: Climbing the Tiers

As you progress through the game, you unlock access to higher tiers of troops, each boasting improved stats and capabilities. Upgrading your troops is essential for remaining competitive.

Prioritize upgrading your University to unlock access to higher tiers of units. You should also prioritize researching tier upgrades in the military technology tree to train stronger units. Each tier of troops has progressively better stats, making them more formidable in battle.

Utilizing Special Units: Unleashing Unique Advantages

Certain civilizations have access to special units with distinct abilities and advantages. These units can offer a strategic edge in specific situations, supplementing your core army composition.

Hero Synergy and Troop Bonuses: Maximizing Your Army’s Potential

Heroes are a vital part of your army, acting as commanders and providing powerful abilities and troop bonuses. Selecting the right combination of heroes for your army is as important as choosing the right troop types.

Military Specialty:

We emphasize the importance of matching heroes with the same military specialty, which grants a significant bonus to all attributes when all three heroes in an army share the same specialty.

• Having two heroes with the same military specialty provides a 20% bonus to all attributes.
• Having all three heroes with the same specialty increases the bonus to 30%.

Troop Type Synergy:

Matching heroes to their unit specialty is another crucial aspect of building a cohesive army. Heroes receive bonuses when leading troops that match their specialty. For example, Joan of Arc is a Warrior specializing in Pikemen, so she’ll be most effective leading a Pikemen regiment.

Hero Skills and Configuration:

The importance of hero skills, both their signature skills and the customizable skills that you can equip them with. The choice of skills can significantly impact your army’s performance.

• The commander skill is only activated by the primary hero in your army.
• The signature skill is always active and cannot be changed.
• You can customize the other two skill slots with various skills to optimize your hero’s performance.

We suggest focusing on skills that maximize damage output or activate the Rout effect, which makes enemies take more damage. They also suggest that certain purple (epic) skills can be quite powerful, even surpassing some legendary skills.

Important Tip: You can easily swap hero skills in and out without any cooldown or cost. This means you can equip gathering skills when sending your heroes to gather resources and then switch back to combat skills for battles.

Deploying Your Troops: March Capacity and Strategy

The number of armies you can deploy simultaneously is limited by your Town Center level and research in the Military Technology tree. Prioritize researching Deployable Troops 1 and Deployable Troops 2 to increase the number of armies you can have active in the world. This will allow you to gather resources more efficiently and participate in more events.

Attacking with five marchers (armies) maximizes damage output and efficiency, especially when targeting barbarians or participating in events like the Trojan Horse event.

Additional Tips:

• Utilize the Auto Battle feature for battling barbarians and completing events efficiently. SEE HERE for our Auto Battler Guide!

• When using multiple marches, consider utilizing features like Synchronized Pace and Spearhead to coordinate your attacks effectively.

• Make sure to have enough troops to avoid your heroes stopping their attacks.

By understanding the intricacies of unit counters, hero synergy, troop upgrades, and deployment strategies, you can build an army capable of overcoming any challenge in Age of Empires Mobile. Remember that a well-coordinated and strategically composed force will always outperform a disorganized and ill-equipped one.

This guide has covered the basics of building an effective army in Age of Empires Mobile. As you progress further, you’ll discover more nuanced strategies and techniques through experience and experimentation.

The Cornerstone of Power: Hero Selection and Development

Heroes are the backbone of your armies in Age of Empires Mobile, serving as commanders and offering invaluable boosts and unique abilities. Wise hero selection and development are critical, especially for F2P players who need to maximize the impact of their limited resources. This section will guide you through the essential elements of hero selection and development to build a roster of powerful commanders for your empire.

Choosing the Right Heroes: Synergy, Specialty, and Troop Type

Military Specialty Synergy:

Matching heroes with the same military specialty is fundamental. Significant bonuses apply when all three heroes in an army share this trait, such as a 30% bonus to all attributes for an army of three Warrior heroes.

Troop Type Matching:

Equally important is aligning heroes with their corresponding unit specialty, the type of troop they excel in leading. This maximizes their effectiveness and unlocks additional bonuses. For instance, Josephine, a Warrior hero proficient with both Swordsmen and Archers, performs best when leading one of these troop types.

Hero Acquisition Strategies:

There are several ways to acquire heroes, with some methods being more free-to-play (F2P) friendly than others:

• Tavern Recruitment: Utilize the Tavern to recruit heroes using Empire Coins, the primary currency in Age of Empires Mobile. You can obtain a free Legendary Summon every day by completing quests, but we recommend saving these summons and using five at a time to increase the chances of acquiring a hero or hero fragments.

• Events and Bundles: Various events, such as the Giants War event and the Legendary Advent event, offer opportunities to obtain specific heroes or their medals. Some bundles also provide access to heroes, but these often require in-app purchases.

• VIP System: Higher VIP levels unlock access to exclusive heroes, such as Mamoto, a powerful Swordsmen commander. However, achieving high VIP levels usually involves significant spending.

• Seven-Day Login Reward: You can acquire Hammurabi, a Swordsmen hero, by simply logging into the game for seven consecutive days.

Prioritizing Free-to-Play Options:

We recommend several F2P-friendly heroes who can be highly effective, especially in the early and mid-game:

• King Derek: A versatile Warrior proficient with both Swordsmen and Archers, obtainable at five stars through the Giants War event.

• Triana: A Warrior Swordsmen hero obtainable through the Legendary Advent event.

• Hammurabi: A Warrior Swordsmen hero obtainable through the seven-day login reward.

• Josephine: A Warrior hero skilled with both Swordsmen and Archers, available from the start of the game and through the Tavern.

• Atilla the Hun: A Warrior Archer hero obtainable through the Legendary Advent event.

Epic Heroes are generally easier to obtain, but they’re often outclassed by Legendary Heroes, even those at a low rank.

Developing Your Heroes: Leveling, Ranking, Talents, and Skills

Leveling Up:

Heroes gain experience and level up by battling tribes on the world map. Upgrading the Tavern building increases the maximum level cap for your heroes.

Ranking Up:

A hero’s rank can be increased by collecting their specific medals and using them to “star up” the hero. Each rank offers different benefits, with ranks 1, 3, and 5 providing the most impactful boosts.

Talent Trees:

Every hero has a unique Talent Tree that unlocks as you level them up. You can allocate talent points to enhance various aspects of the hero’s abilities, such as increasing their might or strategy damage output, improving their gathering speed, or enhancing their troop bonuses.

Unlike other games where only the primary hero’s talent tree applies, all three heroes’ talent trees contribute to your army’s overall performance. This means you need to level up and invest talent points in all three heroes to maximize their effectiveness.

Hero Skills:

As previously mentioned, heroes have four skills:

• Commander Skill: Only activated by the primary hero in your army.
• Signature Skill: A fixed skill unique to each hero.
• Two Customizable Skills: These slots can be filled with various skills to enhance your hero’s abilities.

Understanding and effectively utilizing hero skills is essential for maximizing power and efficiency in battle. Furious Charge stands out as one of the most valuable skills, as it greatly boosts damage output. Weak Spot Attack is another crucial skill, enhancing hero damage and working synergistically with powerful signature skills to deal substantial damage.

Prioritize skills that trigger the Rout effect, as this makes enemies more susceptible to increased damage. Skills with this effect are especially valuable in coordinated attacks, amplifying the damage your heroes can inflict on vulnerable targets.

Gear and Equipment

Unlocking the Smithy:

At Town Center level 15, you unlock the Smithy building, allowing you to forge and equip gear for your heroes. Upgrading the Smithy reduces forging time and provides additional forging queues.

Acquiring Gear:

Blueprints and materials for forging gear can be obtained through Island Tactics or purchased from the VIP Shop or in-game packs.

Enhancing and Upgrading Gear:

Enhance gear by leveling it up and unlocking sub-stats to improve its effectiveness. However, fully unlocking all sub-stats, especially for legendary gear, can be resource-intensive, making it a challenging goal for free-to-play players.

Key Takeaways for Hero Selection and Development

• Prioritize heroes who match your desired army composition’s military specialty and troop type.

• Focus on acquiring F2P-friendly heroes and strategically invest resources in leveling and ranking them up.

• Distribute talent points wisely among all three heroes in an army.

• Equip heroes with skills that maximize their damage output and synergize with their signature skills.

• Forge and upgrade gear, prioritizing essential pieces and focusing on boosting the main stat for F2P players.

By mastering the art of hero selection and development, you’ll assemble a formidable force capable of leading your armies to victory in Age of Empires Mobile. Remember that strategic planning, resource management, and a deep understanding of hero mechanics are the keys to success in this dynamic and engaging mobile strategy game.

Optimizing Hero Prowess: Utilizing Equipment and Rings

We also have a guide for equipment. We highly recommend checking it our HERE!

Equipping your heroes with the right gear and rings can significantly enhance their combat effectiveness in Age of Empires Mobile. This section will explore the intricacies of utilizing these powerful items to optimize your heroes’ performance.

Equipping Heroes: The Power of Forged Gear

• Unlocking the Smithy: You unlock the Smithy at Town Center level 15. The Smithy enables you to forge and equip gear, boosting your heroes’ stats and overall power. Upgrading the Smithy reduces forging time, allowing you to craft gear more efficiently, and grants you more forging queues, enabling you to work on multiple pieces simultaneously.

• Acquiring Blueprints and Materials: Crafting gear requires blueprints and materials. You can acquire these through Island Tactics or by purchasing them from the VIP Shop or in-game packs. Expeditions, particularly Island Tactics, provide a consistent source of blueprints and materials for crafting various gear. The Market within Island Tactics is a valuable hub for acquiring the necessary resources.

• Crafting Gear: There are three tiers of equipment: Blue, Purple, and Legendary. While blue gear is readily available and inexpensive to upgrade, it’s generally advisable to prioritize purple and legendary gear for their superior stats. Each piece of equipment can be leveled, upgraded, and enchanted, offering valuable bonuses to your heroes.

• Matching Gear to Troop Type: When equipping heroes, align the gear with their unit specialty. For instance, if your hero focuses on swordsmen, equip them with swordsmen gear for optimal performance. This ensures that your heroes receive the appropriate bonuses for their chosen troop type.

• Enhancing and Upgrading Gear: Each gear piece can be enhanced by leveling it up. Leveling increases the main stat of the gear, while unlocking sub-stats requires “starring up” the gear, which demands a significant investment of materials. As a free-to-play player, prioritize upgrading the main stat to maximize the immediate benefits. Focusing on obtaining and upgrading legendary gear with all sub-stats unlocked may prove challenging for free-to-play players. Free-to-play players might consider focusing on Epic equipment, as it’s easier to fuse, enhance, and make stronger compared to the more demanding Legendary equipment.

• Resetting Gear: The Smithy allows you to reset gear and reclaim the materials invested in leveling it up. This feature offers flexibility, enabling you to redistribute your resources to other gear pieces as your hero composition or strategies evolve.

Augmenting Heroes with Rings: Additional Layers of Power

Prioritizing Ring Investments: As a free-to-play player, prioritize acquiring the Ring of the Hyacinth for its XP boost benefits. Focus on upgrading rings that provide significant bonuses to your chosen hero composition and playstyle.

Rings: Rings provide additional stat bonuses to your heroes, similar to equipment. Like equipment, there are various tiers of rings, with Epic and Legendary rings offering the best bonuses.

The Ring System: The ring system allows you to equip rings on your heroes, further boosting their capabilities. You can only buy one copy of each ring, so choose wisely.

Acquiring Rings: You can obtain rings through in-app purchases or by utilizing planishing hammers, which can be acquired through free daily spins or purchased using gems from the VIP store.

The Ring of the Hyacinth: This ring is highly recommended for beginners as it provides an XP boost to your heroes when attacking tribes on the world map. This ring is particularly valuable for leveling up heroes quickly, especially the primary commander, whose commander skill level is tied to their hero level.

Upgrading Rings: You can upgrade rings to unlock additional stats and enhance their effects. However, upgrading rings requires specific materials, such as copper sand, silver sand, fine gold, and meteor steel. Acquiring enough silver sand to significantly upgrade rings can be time-consuming, even for Epic rings, making it a less attractive option compared to investing in planishing hammers.

Maximizing Progression: The Benefits of Joining an Alliance

Check out our Alliance guide HERE!

Age of Empires Mobile is a team-based game where alliances play a crucial role in accelerating your progress and enhancing your overall gameplay experience. Joining an active alliance grants access to a wealth of benefits that can significantly impact your city’s development, military strength, and resource acquisition. This section will explore the key advantages of being part of a thriving alliance in Age of Empires Mobile.

Accelerated Growth and Development

Alliance Assistance: One of the most significant advantages of joining an alliance is the ability to receive help from fellow members, drastically reducing building and research times. Each time an alliance member helps with a building upgrade or research project, it reduces the completion time by at least 1%. As research times can extend to several days in the later stages of the game, this assistance becomes invaluable for maintaining a steady pace of progression.

• Maximizing Alliance Help: You can increase the amount of help you can receive by upgrading the Embassy building in your city. Each upgrade expands the maximum number of alliance members who can contribute to speeding up your tasks.

Alliance Technology: Investing in Alliance Technology provides various bonuses to all members, enhancing aspects such as gathering speed, research speed, and unit stats. These boosts contribute to the overall strength and efficiency of your city and army.

• Earning Alliance Coins: When you donate resources to Alliance Technology, you earn Alliance Coins, a special currency used to purchase valuable items in the Alliance Treasury. Regularly donating to maximize your Alliance Coin earnings is highly recommended.

Alliance Structures: Controlling key structures on the map through your alliance grants additional bonuses to members. These structures offer advantages like increased resource production or enhanced troop strength, further bolstering your city’s capabilities.

Enhanced Military Strength and Coordination

Rally Attacks: Alliances enable coordinated attacks on powerful enemies or cities through Rally Attacks. By combining forces with your alliance members, you can overcome challenges that would be impossible to tackle solo, opening up access to valuable rewards and strategic advantages.

Trojan Turmoil Event: This recurring event necessitates alliance participation, rewarding substantial prizes, including Empire Coins, Alliance Coins, and Grand Blueprints for upgrading buildings. Active participation in alliance events ensures a steady influx of valuable resources and items.

Giant’s Roar Event: This event allows players to acquire a free maxed legendary hero, King Derek, by participating in alliance rallies against specific targets. Collaborating with alliance members in these events grants access to powerful heroes that can significantly bolster your army’s strength.

Shared Rewards and Community Support

Alliance Gifts: Active alliances earn a variety of gifts for their members through collective achievements, such as upgrading town centers or completing purchases in the in-game shop. These gifts can provide resources, speedups, and other valuable items, accelerating your progress and offering a steady stream of rewards.

• Types of Alliance Gifts: Gifts are categorized into three types: Common, Advanced, and Golden Chest. Common gifts offer minor resources and speedups for smaller accomplishments, while Advanced gifts, often obtained through in-app purchases by alliance members, provide more substantial rewards. Golden Chests, unlocked by accumulating points from Common and Advanced gifts, contain the most valuable rewards.

Alliance Treasury: The Alliance Treasury offers a variety of items for purchase using Alliance Coins. Prioritize acquiring XP Tomes and Skill Points to level up your heroes and their skills, particularly when starting out. Avoid purchasing resources, as these are better obtained through active gameplay and resource management.

Shared Knowledge and Communication: Alliances provide a platform for players to share knowledge, strategies, and support, fostering a sense of community and camaraderie. Engaging in alliance chat and discussions can provide valuable insights and guidance, particularly for new players navigating the intricacies of Age of Empires Mobile.

Choosing the Right Alliance

Active Membership: Prioritize joining an alliance with a large number of active members. Active alliances ensure a constant flow of help for building and research, contribute significantly to Alliance Technology, and participate actively in events, maximizing the benefits for all members.

Shared Language: Consider joining an alliance where members communicate in your preferred language. This facilitates effective communication, coordination, and a more enjoyable social experience within the alliance.

Top Alliances: Check the server’s leaderboard and aim to join one of the top five alliances. These alliances are typically highly active, well-organized, and offer the greatest benefits in terms of technology, structures, and event participation.

Key Takeaways for Alliance Benefits

• Joining an active alliance is essential for accelerated progress, enhanced military strength, and a more rewarding gameplay experience.

• Prioritize alliances with active members, shared language, and a strong position on the server leaderboard.

• Actively participate in alliance activities, such as helping with upgrades, donating to technology, and engaging in events, to maximize the benefits for yourself and your fellow members.

By embracing the power of alliances, you can elevate your gameplay in Age of Empires Mobile, forging a path to success through teamwork, shared resources, and a supportive community.

Embracing the Event Cycle: A Guide to Participating in Events

Do check out our events guide HERE!

Age of Empires Mobile boasts a rich tapestry of events, each offering unique rewards and challenges. Actively participating in these events is crucial for accelerating your progress, acquiring rare items, and maximizing your account’s potential. This section will explore the diverse array of events available in the game, highlighting their significance and offering insights into how to effectively engage with them.

Why Participating in Events Matters

Events provide a vital source of valuable items and resources that are often difficult or impossible to obtain through regular gameplay. This includes:

• Legendary Heroes: Several events offer opportunities to acquire powerful legendary heroes or their medals. These heroes can dramatically improve your army’s strength and open up new strategic possibilities. The Giant’s Roar event, for instance, allows players to acquire King Derek, a powerful legendary hero, by participating in alliance rallies. Another example is the The Mightiest Governor event, a multi-stage event where players compete for various rewards, including specific legendary hero medals.

• Skill Points and Scrolls: Events often reward skill points and skill scrolls, essential for upgrading your heroes’ abilities. These items are crucial for enhancing your heroes’ effectiveness in both PvE and PvP combat. The Halloween Carnival event, for example, features the Candy Feast where defeating tribes and gathering resources can earn you rewards like skill points.

• XP Tomes: These items grant experience points to your heroes, expediting their leveling process. You can obtain XP tomes from events like the Island Tactics, Wandering Merchant, and various quests.

• Universal Legendary Hero Medals are crucial for ranking up legendary heroes, offering flexibility in building a strong hero roster. These rare medals are primarily obtained through events, making event participation essential for free-to-play players aiming to compete with pay-to-win players. By completing events regularly, you can accumulate these medals and strengthen your legendary heroes, which is key to advancing in the game.

• Gear Blueprints and Materials: Several events offer blueprints and materials for crafting powerful gear, enhancing your heroes’ stats. The Trojan Turmoil event, for instance, rewards players with Grand Blueprints used to upgrade the War Hall. Island Tactics is another consistent source of equipment blueprints and materials.

• Empire Coins: These premium currency are invaluable for recruiting heroes from the tavern, spinning the Legendary Advent wheel, and purchasing various items from the shop. Actively engaging in events can supplement your Empire Coin income, especially for free-to-play players.

• Alliance Coins: Many events reward Alliance Coins, which can be used to purchase valuable items from the Alliance Treasury, including XP Tomes, skill points, and speedups. Regularly participating in events contributes to your Alliance Coin earnings, enabling you to acquire these important items without spending real money. The Trojan Turmoil event rewards participants with Alliance Coins.

Navigating the Event Landscape

Understanding the different types of events and their specific rewards is essential for efficient event participation:

• Daily Events: These events reset daily and offer a consistent stream of rewards, such as resources, speedups, and hero experience. Make it a habit to complete daily events, as they contribute significantly to your daily progress.

• Limited-Time Events: These events run for a specific duration, often a few days or weeks, and feature unique themes and rewards. Prioritize participating in limited-time events that offer rewards aligned with your current needs and goals. The Halloween Carnival is an example of a limited-time event.

• Alliance Events: These events require collaboration with your alliance members, such as rally attacks against powerful enemies or joint resource gathering. Actively participating in alliance events strengthens your alliance, unlocks valuable rewards, and fosters a sense of community. Examples of alliance events include the Trojan Turmoil event and the Giant’s Roar event.

• Competitive Events: These events, like The Mightiest Governor, pit players against each other for top rankings and exclusive rewards. Prepare for these events by stockpiling speedups and resources, and strategize your gameplay to maximize your score. While competitive events offer significant rewards, securing top rankings often requires substantial resource investment, which might not be feasible for all players, particularly free-to-play players.

Event Strategies and Tips

To maximize your event participation and reap the rewards, consider these strategies:

• Prioritize Events Based on Rewards: Focus on events that offer the most valuable rewards for your current needs, such as legendary heroes, skill points, or specific gear blueprints.

• Plan Ahead: Some events, like competitive events, require preparation. Stockpile resources and speedups in advance to give yourself an edge.

• Coordinate with Your Alliance: Alliance events demand teamwork and coordination. Communicate with your alliance members, plan your attacks strategically, and participate actively to ensure success and maximize rewards.

• Check the Calendar: The in-game calendar provides a comprehensive overview of upcoming events, including their start and end times. Use the calendar to plan your gameplay and allocate time for event participation.

• Set Reminders: Use in-game reminders or external tools to ensure you don’t miss out on limited-time events or important milestones within events.

Key Takeaways for Event Participation

• Active event participation is crucial for accelerating your progress, acquiring rare items, and maximizing your account’s potential.

• Understand the different types of events and prioritize those that offer rewards aligned with your current needs and goals.

• Plan ahead, coordinate with your alliance, and utilize the in-game calendar and reminders to ensure you don’t miss out on valuable opportunities.

By embracing the event cycle in Age of Empires Mobile, you can efficiently acquire powerful heroes, enhance your army, and forge a path to success in this dynamic and engaging mobile strategy game.

Empire Coins: The Lifeblood of Progress

We also made a guide about how to use Empire Coins wisely! SEE HERE for the guide!

Empire Coins are the premium currency in Age of Empires Mobile. They are essential for unlocking powerful heroes, accelerating progress, and gaining an edge in both PvE and PvP aspects of the game. While Empire Coins can be purchased with real money, efficiently managing and optimizing their usage is particularly critical for free-to-play players. This section explores effective strategies for acquiring and utilizing Empire Coins to maximize their impact on your gameplay.

Acquiring Empire Coins: A Multifaceted Approach

• Daily Quests and Achievements: Completing daily quests and achievements consistently provides a steady stream of Empire Coins. Make these tasks a part of your daily routine to passively accumulate this valuable currency.

• Events: Active participation in events is a key way for free-to-play players to earn Empire Coins. Events such as Trojan Turmoil provide significant Empire Coin rewards, especially if your alliance performs well. Regularly engaging in events ensures a steady flow of Empire Coins, which can be used for various in-game upgrades and progression.

• Kingdom’s Horde Pack: This pack, similar to a season pass or battle pass in other games, offers a significant amount of Empire Coins as part of its reward track. While this pack requires a purchase, it provides substantial value for players looking to invest in their account’s progression.

• Growth Fund: Investing in the Growth Fund is another way to acquire a substantial amount of Empire Coins, especially for players focused on progressing their Town Hall level. The Growth Fund provides increasing rewards as you reach higher Town Hall levels, making it a long-term investment that yields substantial returns over time.

• Building Queue Pack: This pack offers an immediate boost to your building efficiency by permanently adding a third building queue. While the pack’s primary benefit is the increased building speed, it also includes a considerable amount of Empire Coins.

Spending Empire Coins: Strategic Allocation is Key

• VIP System: Investing in the VIP system is arguably the most impactful use of Empire Coins, especially for free-to-play players. Increasing your VIP level unlocks numerous benefits, including:
  • Building and Research Speed Boosts: Higher VIP levels grant permanent percentage increases to your building and research speeds, significantly accelerating your progression.
  • Increased Governor Stamina: A higher VIP level allows you to complete more Governor missions per day, earning you more rewards and accelerating your hero acquisition and development.
  • Additional Building Queue: At VIP 5, you unlock a third building queue, further enhancing your building efficiency and overall progression speed.
  • Legendary Recruitment Tickets: At VIP 6, you unlock legendary recruitment tickets, offering you chances to acquire powerful legendary heroes from the Tavern.
  • Universal Hero Fragments: Higher VIP levels grant access to universal hero fragments, which are crucial for ranking up your heroes and unlocking their full potential.

• Third Building Queue: If you choose not to invest solely in the VIP system initially, acquiring the third building queue directly is another high-impact use of Empire Coins. This permanent upgrade significantly enhances your building speed, allowing you to progress faster throughout the game.

• Unlocking Hero Skills: Some legendary heroes have powerful skills locked behind an 8,000 Empire Coin purchase. While prioritizing VIP and building queues is generally recommended, acquiring key skills like Josephine’s double attack ability can significantly enhance your combat effectiveness.

• Legendary Advent Wheel: While not as efficient as other options, the Legendary Advent wheel can be a source of new heroes and hero fragments. It’s generally recommended to save Empire Coins for VIP and essential upgrades first, but the wheel can be a viable option if you’re specifically targeting certain heroes.

Optimizing Empire Coin Usage: Tips and Considerations

• Avoid Wasting Empire Coins on Resources: Resources are readily obtainable through gameplay, so spending Empire Coins on them is generally inefficient. Focus on acquiring Empire Coins through events and daily activities, and save them for more impactful upgrades.

• Evaluate Packs Carefully: While some packs offer great value, others might not be worth the investment, especially for free-to-play players. Consider your current needs, long-term goals, and the value offered by each pack before making a purchase.

• Utilize Free Civilization Swaps: Changing your civilization can be beneficial depending on your current focus and needs. Take advantage of the free civilization swap item and the low Empire Coin cost for subsequent swaps to maximize your civilization’s bonuses.

• Plan for Long-Term Progression: Invest Empire Coins strategically to enhance your account’s long-term growth. Prioritizing VIP, building queues, and key hero skills lays a strong foundation for sustained progress throughout the game.

By effectively managing and optimizing Empire Coin usage, free-to-play players can unlock powerful upgrades, acquire valuable heroes, and compete effectively in Age of Empires Mobile. Remember to prioritize impactful investments, actively participate in events, and avoid wasting Empire Coins on readily obtainable resources.

Additional Tips and Tricks: Mastering the Nuances of Age of Empires Mobile

Beyond the fundamental strategies for Empire Coin management, several additional tips and tricks can significantly enhance your gameplay experience and accelerate your progress in Age of Empires Mobile. This section explores these nuanced strategies, empowering you to maximize your efficiency and effectiveness in conquering the challenges the game presents.

Maximizing Resource Protection: Safeguarding Your Hard-Earned Wealth

• Strategic Villager Allocation: Assigning villagers to specific tasks within the Villager Management System can significantly impact your resource protection. Prioritize assigning villagers to tasks that boost the protection of your most valuable resources, especially early on when the game is more chaotic. For instance, focusing on increasing the protection of food can be beneficial, as food is often a primary target for attackers.

Hero and Skill Optimization: Unleashing Their True Potential

• Harnessing the Power of the ‘Route’ Effect: Certain heroes, like Hammurabi and King Derek, possess skills that inflict the ‘route’ effect on enemies. The ‘route’ effect causes targets to take additional damage over time, similar to a bleed effect. Combining heroes with ‘route’-inflicting abilities can significantly amplify your damage output, making this a potent strategy for both PvE and PvP encounters.

• Prioritizing Key Skills: While all hero skills contribute to their overall effectiveness, some skills offer significantly higher value and impact. For example, Josephine’s “Double Attack” skill is a game-changer, dramatically increasing her damage output. Similarly, skills like “Furious Charge” and “Weak Spot Attack” provide substantial damage boosts and should be prioritized for heroes like Mulan.

• Understanding Skill Activation: The primary hero in your lineup is the only one who utilizes their “Rage” skill. Deputy heroes, the second and third in command, use their “Signature” skill and the two customizable skills. Recognizing this distinction is crucial for building effective hero lineups and maximizing their combat potential.

• Leveraging Skill Switching: You can freely switch between a hero’s skills without any cooldown or cost. This flexibility allows you to tailor your hero’s abilities to specific situations, maximizing their effectiveness in both combat and resource gathering. For instance, you can equip a gathering skill for resource collection and then switch to a combat skill when engaging in battles.

Exploiting In-Game Events: Capitalizing on Opportunities for Growth

• Prioritizing High-Value Events: Certain events, like the “Giants Roar” event for King Derek, the “Legendary Advent” for Triana, and the “Battlefield Survivor” event for Joan of Arc, offer exceptional rewards, including high-star legendary heroes. Actively participating in and prioritizing these events can significantly bolster your hero roster and overall account power.

• Optimizing Event Shop Purchases: Each event typically features a dedicated shop where you can exchange event currency for valuable items. Focus on acquiring high-leverage items like speedups, hero tokens, and legendary skill scrolls. Avoid spending valuable event currency on resources, as these are readily obtainable through gameplay.

Utilizing Alliance Features: Teamwork for Collective Advancement

• Joining a Strong Alliance: Being part of a powerful alliance offers numerous benefits, including:
  • Alliance Help: Requesting help from alliance members significantly reduces building and research times, accelerating your progress.
  • Alliance Gifts: You receive daily gifts of resources and other helpful items simply for being an active alliance member.
  • Alliance Treasury: Contributing to alliance technology research and participating in alliance events rewards you with Alliance Coins, which you can exchange for valuable items in the Alliance Treasury store. Prioritize acquiring experience tomes, skill points, and speedups from this store.

Additional Tips: Fine-Tuning Your Gameplay

• Actively Utilize the Calendar: The calendar, located in the top right corner of the screen, displays upcoming events, server maintenance schedules, and other important information. Regularly checking the calendar ensures you don’t miss out on valuable opportunities and can plan your gameplay accordingly.

• Optimize Gear Enhancement: While acquiring high-level gear is crucial for enhancing your heroes’ power, focusing on leveling up the gear first provides the most significant stat boosts. Upgrading gear to level 20 unlocks additional substats, further enhancing its effectiveness. However, be mindful that unlocking the full potential of legendary gear requires significant investment and might not be feasible for free-to-play players early on.

• Consider Civilization Swaps: Each civilization offers unique bonuses and units, which can be advantageous depending on your preferred playstyle and current focus. Utilize the free civilization swap item and the low Empire Coin cost for subsequent swaps to experiment with different civilizations and maximize their benefits.

By implementing these additional tips and tricks, you can significantly refine your gameplay approach and accelerate your progress in Age of Empires Mobile. Remember, success in this game is a combination of strategic resource management, hero optimization, active event participation, and leveraging alliance features.

Conclusion: Forging Your Path to Victory

Age of Empires Mobile presents a captivating blend of strategic city building, hero development, and alliance warfare, offering an engaging and dynamic gameplay experience. By mastering the core mechanics, understanding hero synergies, and actively engaging in events, players can forge a path to victory and establish their dominance within their kingdoms.

Joining a strong alliance is paramount to success. Alliance features provide invaluable support, accelerating building and research times, offering daily gifts, and granting access to the Alliance Treasury store, where you can acquire crucial resources and items. Active participation in alliance events further strengthens your alliance and rewards you with valuable Alliance Coins, which can be exchanged for powerful boosts and items.

Efficient Empire Coin management is essential, particularly for free-to-play players. Prioritizing the VIP system, acquiring the third building queue, and unlocking key hero skills like Josephine’s “Double Attack” ability are high-impact investments that significantly enhance your account’s overall power and progression speed.

Beyond these core strategies, understanding the nuances of resource protection, hero skill optimization, and event participation is crucial. Employing strategic villager allocation within the Villager Management System, leveraging the ‘route’ effect for amplified damage output, and focusing on high-value events and shop purchases can significantly bolster your efficiency and effectiveness.

Age of Empires Mobile is a game of constant evolution and adaptation. By continually refining your strategies, learning from experienced players, and embracing the dynamic nature of the game, you can rise through the ranks, conquer challenges, and etch your name in the annals of history as a true master of empire building.