DRUSH FC CROSSBOWMEN
OVERVIEW
This is a build order to produce Militia to pressure your opponent, while you are given the time to wall your base. The Militia should be used to keep your opponent’s military units at their base while you hassle and delay their Villagers, causing them idle time. They are expected to do little in the way of actual damage, instead giving you the time to get to your power spike when you hit Castle Age. This should only be tried if you have a map that is easily wallable with safe access to resources in the back of your base.
This build order focuses on getting to Castle Age quickly and gaining the advantage from the Crossbowmen upgrade. This is then followed up with adding economy. Alternatively, you can instead take a military approach involving adding additional Villagers to wood and gold. With this, you would then add additional Archery Ranges and a University to get Ballistics sooner, giving a technological and numerical edge over your opponent.
This is based on having a civilization with no economy bonuses and without pushing deer. If you have a specific advantage or can push deer then it allows you to go up slightly earlier. In doing so, you do run the risk of having a weaker economy behind it so it is important that your bonus benefits towards this build.
DETAILED BUILD ORDER
Dark Age
6 ON SHEEP
Wood 0 Food 6
Gold 0 Stone 0
Total Vils: 6
Queue villagers in the Town Centre, build 1 house with 2 Villagers and 1 house with 1 Villager. Move 1 sheep under the Town Centre (use your Scout to 'collect' them if needed). Set the gather point from the Town Centre onto the sheep and shift-queue the Villagers onto the same sheep. Use your Scout to begin scouting the map, going in concentric circles around your existing vision. Make sure there is another sheep under the Town Centre, ready for when one finishes.
4 ON WOOD
Wood 4 Food 6
Gold 0 Stone 0
Total Vils: 10
Build a Lumber Camp with the first of these 4Â against the woodline, ensuring there is space to go around both sides. Have 2 Villagers on each side of the Lumber Camp.
1 ON BOAR
Wood 4 Food 7
Gold 0 Stone 0
Total Vils: 12
The 11th Villager goes out to collect the boar. The 12th should build 2 houses then collect the 2nd boar.
4 ON BERRIES
Wood 4 Food 12
Gold 0 Stone 0
Total Vils: 16
The next Villager should build a Mill next to the berries and begin collecting from them, adding a further 3 Villagers.
1 BUILD BARRACKS
Wood 4 Food 12
Gold 0 Stone 0
Total Vils: 17
A new Villager should now go to build the Barracks. As soon as this is built, begin training Militia, sending them forward as soon as you have 3 of them. When the Villager has finished, they should build another house and begin walling the base.
1 TO COLLECT 10 GOLD
Wood 4 Food 12
Gold 1 Stone 0
Total Vils: 18
Send the next Villager to collect just 10 gold to cover the cost of 3 Militia and Loom. When they are on their way back, shift-queue them onto food under the Town Centre.
4 TO WOOD
Wood 8 Food 13
Gold 0 Stone 0
Total Vils: 22
Send the next 4 Villagers to wood but do not build a new Lumber Camp yet. Start adding Farms every time you have 60 wood.
6 TO STRAGGLER TREES
Wood 8+ Food 13+
Gold 0 Stone 0
Total Vils: 28
Send all new Villagers on to straggler trees, adding farms throughout until you have 10 farms.
RESEARCH LOOM AND CLICK UP
Wood 8+ Food 13+
Gold 0 Stone 0
Total Vils: 28
Once you have 28 Villagers, research Loom, this can be queued behind the final Villager and then click to Advance to the Feudal Age, again try to ensure it is queued up behind Loom to reduce idle time.
Advancing to Feudal Age
4 FROM SHEEP TO GOLD, CONTINUE TO ADD FARMS
Wood 10 Food 13
Gold 4 Stone 0
Total Vils: 28
Straight after you’ve clicked up, move 4 Villagers from sheep to gold. You should have farms now to cover your food income (continue adding these with any Villagers still collecting from straggler trees – but making sure 2 are still collecting wood from stragglers when you reach Feudal Age) and have spent all of your gold so need to ensure you are able to click up to Castle Age ASAP. Queue Villagers ready for reaching the Feudal Age.
Feudal Age
1 BUILD BLACKSMITH, 1 BUILD ARCHERY RANGE
Wood 8 Food 15
Gold 4 Stone 0
Total Vils: 28
Use 1 of the Villagers from straggler trees to build a Blacksmith and 1 to build an Archery Range, remembering to add a new house when these Villagers finish. Ensure constant production of Archers from now on.
3 TO GOLD AND CLICK UP
Wood 8 Food 15
Gold 7 Stone 0
Total Vils: 31
Send the three new Villagers produced to collect gold. Then click to advance to the Castle Age.
Advancing to Castle Age
BUILD 2ND ARCHERY RANGE, RESEARCH DOUBLE BIT AXE
Wood 8 Food 15
Gold 7 Stone 0
Total Vils: 31
Use 1 Villager to build your 2nd Archery Range and as soon as you can afford it, research Double Bit Axe.
RESEARCH FLETCHING, MOVE BERRY VILLAGERS TO WOOD AND GOLD
Wood 10 Food 11
Gold 9 Stone 0
Total Vils: 31
When you have the resources for it, research Fletching from the Blacksmith to increase the range and damage output of your Archers. Meanwhile, move 2 Villagers from berries to gold and when the berries run out completely, move the last 2 to straggler trees. Use your Villager that made the Archery Range to continue adding houses. Queue new Villagers in the Town Centre.
Castle Age
RESEARCH CROSSBOW, BOWSAW AND BODKIN ARROW
Wood 10 Food 11
Gold 9 Stone 0
Total Vils: 31
Immediately upgrade your Archers to Crossbowmen. Research Bowsaw and Bodkin Arrow as soon after as possible. You should be constantly producing Crossbowmen.
NEW VILLAGERS TO WOOD, RESEARCH HORSE COLLAR
Wood 10+ Food 11+
Gold 9 Stone 0
Total Vils: 31+
Add all new Villagers to wood, delaying Horse Collar until Crossbow and Bodkin Arrow have started researching. Delay building new farms until you have placed your 2nd Town Centre.
BUILD 2ND TOWN CENTRE
Wood 10+ Food 11+
Gold 9 Stone 0
Total Vils: 31+
Once you have the wood available, build your 2nd Town Centre, adding a few farms with new Villagers afterwards to ensure constant Villager production from both Town Centres.
NEW VILLAGERS TO WOOD, ADD FARMS THEN 3RD TOWN CENTRE
Wood 15+ Food 16+
Gold 9 Stone 0
Total Vils: 40+
Return to adding new Villagers to wood to save for a 3rd Town Centre and more Farms. When you can afford it, build the Town Centre.
BUILD A UNIVERSITY, RESEARCH BALLISTICS, THUMB RING, ARMOUR AND WHEELBARROW AND HEAVY PLOW
Wood 15+ Food 18+
Gold 9 Stone 0
Total Vils: 42+
After you have the Town Centres constantly producing, build a University and research Ballistics to improve the accuracy of your Crossbowmen against moving targets. Research Thumb Ring in the Archery Range to improve the firing rate and accuracy of your Crossbowmen. If you can afford it, now would be an ideal time to invest in the two Armour upgrades for the Archer-line in the Blacksmith. You can also research Wheelbarrow and Heavy Plow to improve the efficiency of your farmers and start to save towards the Imperial Age.
QUICK REFERENCE BUILD ORDER
Dark Age
6 on sheep
4 on wood
1 on boar
1 from sheep to build 2 Houses then collect 2nd boar
4 to berries
1 build Barracks then House then walling
Train 3 Militia ASAP then attack
1 to collect 10 gold then onto boar
4 to wood (start building Farms with boar Villagers)
Transfer 1 from boar to berries
New Villagers to straggler trees until 7 farms
At 28 Villagers click up
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Advancing to Feudal Age
Transfer 4 from food to gold
4 still on sheep
Keep adding Farms/stragglers stop at 10 farms
Feudal Age
2 to gold
1 from stragglers build Blacksmith, 1 build Archery Range
Add new House
Advance to Castle Age
Advancing to Castle Age
Add 2nd Range, start making Archers
Research Double Bit Axe
Research Fletching
Berry Villagers to wood (stragglers)
Delay Horse Collar to get Crossbow and Bodkin Arrow
Castle Age
New Villagers to wood
Delay new Farms for TCs
After 2nd TC, get bowsaw
New Villagers to wood
Ensure TCs producing
More farms before 3rd TC
University after 3rd TC
VARIATIONS
Men-at-Arms into Towers
Men-at-Arms into Eagles
Drush into Archers
Straight FC