Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition Getting Started guide screenshot

Getting Started

Getting Started with Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition



Welcome, new commander! This guide is your step-by-step companion for the first hour of Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition (AoE2:DE). You'll learn how to choose a civilization, survive your first few minutes, avoid classic blunders, and build a strong foundation for victory. Let's turn your Town Center into an empire.

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First Hour Walkthrough



0–5 Minutes: The Dark Age Begins


1. Select a civilization. For a first game, choose Byzantines (defensive bonuses), Britons (strong archers), or Franks (powerful cavalry). These are beginner-friendly with forgiving playstyles.
2. Start a Skirmish vs. AI on the easiest difficulty ("Standard" or "Extreme"). Pick a map like Arabia (open land) or Black Forest (chokepoints). Set game speed to Normal.
3. Your starting units: 3 Villagers, a Town Center, a Scout Cavalry (or Scout if you see a horse icon), and sometimes a Militia.
4. Immediately order all 3 Villagers to gather food. Select them and right-click on a herd of sheep (the four-legged animals near your Town Center) or berries (bush clusters). Do not send them to wood or gold yet.

5–10 Minutes: Forward Scout & Build Order


5. Order your Scout to explore. Scout in a spiral around your Town Center, looking for: 4 additional sheep, 2 wild boar (big pig-like animals), 2 deer groups, and the nearest gold and stone piles. Also check for enemy Town Center (avoid going too far).
6. Build 2 Houses immediately. Your Town Center produces Villagers, and you need population space. Select 2 Villagers, right-click the Build House icon (hammer), and place them near your Town Center but not blocking key paths.
7. Queue Villagers at Town Center. Keep producing Villagers continuously until you have about 20–22 total. The first Villager you produce should gather food (sheep/berries).

10–20 Minutes: Economy & Loom


8. First Villagers assignment:
- 6-7 on food (sheep → berries → boar)
- 3-4 on wood (chop trees near Town Center)
- Balance others: after food and wood, send 1-2 to gold (only if you plan archers)
9. Research Loom (Town Center upgrade) when you have 50 gold. This protects Villagers from wolves and early enemy attacks. Critical for beginners.
10. Transition to boar hunting. When your sheep run out, lure a boar by shooting an arrow at it and retreating to your Town Center. Your Villagers will kill it safely under the TC's fire. Use 4-5 Villagers to gather from boar; it's faster than berries.

20–30 Minutes: Reaching Feudal Age


11. Build a Mill near berries if you haven't, to drop off food efficiently. Don't build too far from Town Center.
12. When you have 500 food (plus your villager count), click the Feudal Age button in the Town Center. This initiates a 130-second upgrade. Do not idle your Town Center or villagers during this time; keep them working.
13. Build 2 more Houses as your population cap increases. You'll need 20-25 population to fight early.
14. Distribute new Villagers: by now you should have ~15-18 villagers. 10 on food (sheep, boar, maybe farms), 4 on wood, 2 on gold, rest on wood or stone depending on plan.

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Character Creation (Civilization Selection)



AoE2:DE doesn't have a "character" but your civilization is your identity. Each has unique bonuses, units, and tech trees. For your first game, pick one of these:

CivilizationWhy It's Good for Beginners
ByzantinesStrong defensive buildings (HP bonus), cheap counter-units, easy to adapt to opponents.
BritonsArchers with extra range, strong economy bonus on sheep gathering, simple army composition.
FranksCavalry with extra HP, free Horse Collar (farms give more food), simple strategy: knights.
Avoid civilizations like Huns (need unique playstyle) or Mayans (require advanced resource balance) for now.

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Controls on All Platforms



PC (Keyboard & Mouse)


  • Left-click select unit; drag-select multiple units; double-click select all of same type on screen.

  • Right-click move, attack, gather, or build.

  • Hotkeys (customizable):

    • - `H` – Jump to Town Center
    - `A` – Town Center (queue Villager)
    - `Q` – Build House
    - `W` – Build Mill
    - `E` – Build Barracks
    - `Space` – Switch between idle villagers/go to attack
    - `Ctrl+G` – Toggle grid view for buildings
  • Minimap: Left-click to move camera; right-click to issue attack move (if selected).


    • Xbox (Controller)


  • Left stick move camera; Right stick rotate or select.

  • A button confirm/select; B cancel/back.

  • Y – Town Center quick select

  • X – Cycle idle villagers

  • LB/LT – Change selection group; RB/RT – Access command menu.

  • D-pad up – Open military queue; D-pad down – Open economy queue.

  • Menu button – Game options/tech tree.


    • > Tip: On Xbox, use the "Quick Select" radial menu (hold LB) for fast building commands.

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    UI Overview



    When you start a match, you'll see:

  • Top-left: Resource count bar (Food, Wood, Gold, Stone) – place cursor over each to see how many villagers are gathering.

  • Top-center:| Game time, score, population count (under the minimap).

  • Bottom-center:| Currently selected units/commands. Shows health, attack, commands.

  • Bottom-right:| Minimap – shows terrain, resources, enemies (if revealed).

  • Left edge:| Tech Tree button (tree icon) – view unit upgrades and building prerequisites.

  • Right of minimap:| Diplomacy, idle villager count, and queue buttons.


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    Essential Early Objectives



    Your first 15 minutes should accomplish these:
    1. Never stop Villager production – keep the Town Center busy from start to Feudal Age.
    2. Never let food stockpile fall to zero; you need constant food for villagers and upgrades.
    3. Build 2 Houses before population cap (starting pop is 5; TC provides +5 each age).
    4. Scout your immediate territory – find sheep, boar, gold, stone, and enemy base (if close).
    5. Research Loom before sending Villagers to dangerous resources (like gold stone that is far from TC).
    6. Click Feudal Age when you have 500 food (around 20-22 villagers).
    7. Build a Barracks (costs 100 wood) during the Feudal upgrade – this lets you train soldiers.

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    What to Do First and What to Avoid



    Do This First (Checklist for Minute 1-5)


  • [ ] Select all 3 starting villagers, send them to nearest sheep.

  • [ ] Select Scout, start spiraling outward looking for sheep, boar, deer, gold, stone.

  • [ ] Queue 2 Houses (build one, then immediately the second).

  • [ ] Start producing Villagers from Town Center (click the villager button).

  • [ ] When first Villager finishes, send him to gather wood (chop nearby tree).


    • What to Avoid


  • Don't click Feudal Age too early – need stable economy first (15+ villagers).

  • Don't build multiple buildings without villagers – waste of population and resources.

  • Don't ignore Loom – losing a villager to a wolf or boar sets you back.

  • Don't be idle – if you don't know what to do, keep gathering resources or building houses.

  • Don't send villagers to gold/stone early – they're useless until you tech up.

  • Don't forget walls – in later ages, stone walls protect your economy; but in early game, houses can form a barrier.


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    Early Resource Priorities



    In the first 15 minutes:
    1. Food – absolute priority. You need it for villagers, Feudal Age, and units. Gather from sheep → boar → berries → farms (once Feudal).
    2. Wood – second priority. Houses, mills, barracks, and farms all need wood. Aim for 4-6 woodcutters by the time you click Feudal.
    3. Gold – minor at start. Only for Loom (50 gold) and early archers (if Britons). Get it after you have ~10-12 villagers on food/wood.
    4. Stone – low priority in Dark Age. Only for castles later. Ignore until Castle Age.

    Ratio: For a standard start, aim for 7 food : 4 wood : 1 gold before Feudal (adjusted as you go).

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    Common Beginner Mistakes



    1. Idle Town Center – not constantly producing villagers. Every second you're not training a villager, you lose potential economy.
    2. Not scouting enough – you stumble into enemy or miss key resources (like boar). Scout continuously.
    3. Gathering wrong resources – e.g., sending all villagers to wood while food is low. Balance is key.
    4. Building too many units early – you need economy before military. In Dark Age, only build a few scouts or militia if you must.
    5. Forgetting to build houses – population cap stops everything. Keep an eye on the population number.
    6. Not using control groups – Ctrl+1 through 9 for grouping units. Makes micro much easier.
    7. Panicking under attack – often beginners waste villagers or run them into danger. Practice sending villagers to TC when raided.

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    Day-One Checklist



    Before you start your first real game, run through this checklist:

  • [ ] Complete the Art of War tutorials (main menu > Art of War). Focus on "Early Economy" and "Early Military".

  • [ ] Play one Skirmish vs. AI on easiest difficulty, map Arabia (or Black Forest).

  • [ ] Practice the boar lure: send one villager to shoot a boar, then run back to TC while villagers kill it.

  • [ ] Customize your hotkeys (main menu > Settings > Hotkeys) if PC – use a preset like "Grid" for simplicity.

  • [ ] Learn the build order for your civilization: e.g., for Franks: 6 on sheep, 3 on wood, 2 on boar, then Loom, then Feudal.

  • [ ] Watch the first 5 minutes of a beginner build order video (search YouTube).

  • [ ] Play until you can reach Feudal Age in under 12 minutes with no idle TC.

  • [ ] Once comfortable, try a vs. AI 1v1 on Standard difficulty.


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You're now equipped to survive the first hour of Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition. Remember: practice economy, scout always, and never stop producing villagers. Your empire awaits!