Anti-Lame Fast Up Dark Age
Steps 12 · 6 → 17 pop · ~8 min
Secure every scrap of your own food — both boars under the Town Center and a mandatory deer lure — so no opponent can lame you out of a reliable, civ-agnostic fast Feudal.
Step Timeline
Follow the villager rail and resource-split columns while you play.
Opening
7 steps · pop 6–12- 6
6 → sheep under the TC - 7 +1 → lure the first boar
- 9
+2 → wood, build lumber camp - 10 +1 → eat the boar under the TC
- 11 +1 → lure the second boar under the TC
- 12
+1 → build a house, then mill on berries - 12 Scout: lure at least 2 deer to the TC
↳ Mandatory — this is the core of the build
Feudal
5 steps · pop 17 8:25- 17
+5 → food under TC; research Loom (or send +1 to wood), then click Feudal 8:25 ↳ Landing ~8:25 (2 wood / 15 food)
- 17 Feudal arrives — pull villagers off the hunt onto wood until 8 are on one lumber camp
- 17 2 → straggler trees near the TC
- 17
2 → build Barracks plus a house - 17
Archer opening: send 4 villagers to gold; or run Scouts/Spears/Skirmishers and keep villagers on food and wood
Strategy Notes
- The whole point is denial-proofing your eco: eating both boars under the TC and luring deer banks your food where enemy scouts and villagers cannot steal or push it, so your uptime stays consistent no matter who tries to lame you.
- Because nothing here depends on a civilization bonus, this is a dependable opener on any civ — expect a clean 19-pop (no Loom) or 18-pop (with Loom) arrival into Feudal at roughly 8:25.
- The build deliberately runs lean: it is a short, food-heavy push to Feudal, so do not over-invest in Dark Age extras. Get the hunt in, get up, and let your follow-up define the game.
- In Feudal, shift the hunt villagers onto a single lumber camp until 8 are chopping, then split 2 to stragglers and 2 to a Barracks and house — this gives you the wood and building base for any unit choice.
- Pick your follow-up based on what you scout: an Archery Range opening wants 4 villagers straight to gold, while a Scout, Spearman, or Skirmisher plan keeps your villagers on food and wood instead.
- Strongest as an insurance opener against aggressive scouting and laming; if the game goes quiet, you have aged up on time and can transition smoothly into a standard Feudal or Castle plan.