Win Water
Steps 11 · 3 → 25 pop · ~11 min
Recommended Civilizations
Goal: Open a strong fishing economy behind defensive walls, take Feudal Age at 21 villagers, and contest the water with Fire Galleys from two Docks while booming on fish. Recommended civs: Vikings (cheaper warships, free Wheelbarrow), Italians (cheaper Dock techs and Fishing Ships), Portuguese (ships die slower, gold discount), Malay (cheaper, higher-food Fish Traps; faster Age-ups), Japanese (faster-working, double-HP Fishing Ships), Byzantines (free Town Watch, faster-firing Fire Ships)
Step Timeline
Follow the villager rail and resource-split columns while you play.
14 
6 Opening
8 steps · pop 3–20
Bld - 3 3000
3 → sheep under TC; queue Villagers non-stop - 6 6000
+3 → sheep; first 2 Villagers build Houses on the way - 10 6400
+4 → wood, Lumber Camp on nearest trees - 11 7400 +1 → lure nearest Boar to the TC
- 12 7401
+1 → build Dock by deep fish, then a House; queue 4x Fishing Ships - 14 7601 +2 → wood at the Lumber Camp
- 15 8601 +1 → lure 2nd Boar to the TC
- 20 13601 +5 → sheep / Boar meat under TC
Feudal
3 steps · pop 21–25Bld - 21 14601
+1 → sheep; research Loom and click Feudal Age, then research Double-Bit Axe at the Lumber Camp and queue 2 Fire Galleys from the Dock ↳ Wall up while uphill
- 23 14621
+2 → gold, build Mining Camp - 25 16621
+1 Mill on Berries, +1 → Berries; build a 2nd and 3rd Dock (3 Docks total)
Strategy Notes
- 3 villagers to sheep under the Town Center; queue Villagers non-stop and build 2 Houses with the first scouts off the TC
- 4–6 villagers to sheep
- 7–10 villagers to wood; drop a Lumber Camp on the nearest trees
- 11th villager lures the nearest Boar to the Town Center
- 12th villager builds a Dock by the deep fish, then a House, and queues 4 Fishing Ships
- 13–14 villagers to wood
- 15th villager lures the 2nd Boar
- 16–20 villagers to sheep / Boar meat
- 21st villager to sheep; research Loom and click Feudal Age
- Research Double-Bit Axe at the Lumber Camp (+wood gather rate)
- Queue 2 Fire Galleys from the Dock to contest enemy fish and ships
- 22–23 villagers to gold mining
- 24th villager builds a Mill on Berries
- 25th villager to Berries; build a 2nd and 3rd Dock for 3 Docks total
- Weak against: Opponents who match your Dock count and out-micro your Galleys; Fire Ships hard-counter the Galley line once Castle Age begins; an undefended land wall against an early land push.
- Strong against: Players who skip or delay their Dock; greedy fish booms with no warships; land civs forced to fight on water.