AOE2 Guide
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Map guide

Nomad

nomad · 1,023,824 ranked games

Ranked · Win rate

Best civs on this map

Table view
  1. 1Wu58.44%4,880
  2. 2Dravidians57.11%17,257
  3. 3Persians56.15%61,553
  4. 4Spanish55.74%86,734
  5. 5Koreans55.56%31,700
  6. 6Italians55.16%32,846
  7. 7Malians55.14%28,173
  8. 8Malay53.7%23,443
  9. 9Huns53.02%53,819
  10. 10Shu52.28%1,270
  11. 11Bohemians52.23%12,914
  12. 12Berbers52.16%18,753
  13. 13Bengalis52%8,720
  14. 14Celts51.95%18,904
  15. 15Lithuanians51.88%28,202
  16. 16Incas50.74%13,927
  17. 17Japanese49.91%27,671
  18. 18Georgians49.5%8,648
  19. 19Byzantines49.31%26,641
  20. 20Portuguese49%23,651
  21. 21Burmese48.95%10,016
  22. 22Mayans48.66%16,220
  23. 23Sicilians48.41%15,613
  24. 24Romans48.4%9,335
  25. 25Mongols48.2%43,307
  26. 26Hindustanis47.55%12,917
  27. 27Saracens47.5%15,630
  28. 28Vikings47.08%19,198
  29. 29Armenians47.08%9,256
  30. 30Goths46.69%19,601
  31. 31Bulgarians46%14,812
  32. 32Poles45.96%10,883
  33. 33Chinese45.96%15,497
  34. 34Ethiopians45.93%17,597
  35. 35Turks45.82%15,496
  36. 36Vietnamese45.6%20,610
  37. 37Jurchens45.26%1,266
  38. 38Khitans44.82%2,807
  39. 39Cumans44.66%16,713
  40. 40Khmer44.47%19,219
  41. 41Burgundians44.18%11,687
  42. 42Magyars44.04%15,843
  43. 43Slavs43.83%10,300
  44. 44Franks43.78%30,165
  45. 45Aztecs43.46%12,477
  46. 46Wei42.87%919
  47. 47Tatars42.31%9,893
  48. 48Teutons42.15%17,823
  49. 49Britons42.04%20,406
  50. 50Gurjaras41.36%7,940

50 civs · Ranked by win rate · 50% = average. Source: aoestats.io ranked ladder archive (all-time)

Recommended Civilizations

Team Compositions

2v2

Flank

Cavalry civs who don't need houses (Huns) or build fast (Cumans, Mongols). Secure your starting area and raid before the opponent can settle safely.

Pocket

Settle your TC in the most defensible spot and boom. Chinese extra starting resources are extremely powerful in Nomad where every resource matters in the first 2 minutes.

4v4

Flank

Cavalry flanks settle fast and immediately harass. Huns skip house building completely; Tatars have sheep that produce extra food.

Pocket

Pocket settles in the most secure location and booms. Persians get extra TC work rate; Slavs farm faster for sustained eco.

Nomad is defined by its no-Town-Center start. You begin with 3–4 scattered villagers — Chinese get 6, Mayans get 4 — and must find wood, build a Lumber Camp, and construct a Town Center before producing any new villagers. Extreme early vulnerability makes TC placement the single most important decision of the game. Matches can be chaotic in the opening minutes but extend to normal Castle or Imperial Age play once TCs are established.

Opening

Scout aggressively to find safe locations offering nearby wood, food, and accessible gold. Wood comes first — you need 275 wood for the TC. Chinese and Mayans have the strongest starts since extra villagers gather wood faster. Malians benefit from free wood upgrades, Persians from faster TC build time. Build the TC in a defensible location not too close to the enemy, with water access on hybrid variants. If opponents are nearby, a Tower Rush in Dark Age is viable to disrupt their TC construction. Vietnamese have a unique advantage: their team bonus reveals each enemy's first TC location the moment it is placed.

Mid game

Once TCs are built, the game roughly normalizes to a standard Feudal-to-Castle transition on a compressed timeline. A late TC placement creates a permanent villager-count deficit that is very difficult to overcome. The common arc is Fast Castle into Knights if the start was clean, or Feudal aggression (Scouts + Spears, or Towers) if the start was contested. Cumans can build a second TC in Feudal Age, accelerating their Nomad economy dramatically and often reaching Castle Age with a significant villager lead.

Watch out for

  • Bad TC placement — too close to the enemy invites a Dark Age Tower Rush before your first new villager is produced.
  • Not prioritizing wood — delaying the TC by 30 seconds puts you a full villager behind for the entire game.
  • Isolated resource pockets — wood without nearby food or gold forces costly long-distance trekking and wastes villager time.
  • Not scouting for enemy TC location — lets the opponent optimize aggression timing around your production gap.
  • Over-committing to navy on hybrid variants — building fishing ships while the enemy land-rushes can lose the land game entirely.