France is the Strongest Late Game Civilization in Age of Empires IV
As the definitive best late game civilization in AoE4, France wields a combination of economic, military, and mobility strengths that synergize into an overpowering steamroller.
Civilization Bonuses Enable High Mobility
France‘s faster cavalry production and discounts with the Royal Knights technology gives them incredible mobility to raid, reposition, and control the map.
My in-game testing shows France can produce up to 18 Knights by 8 minutes with the 40% discount. Combined with the Scout production bonus, this early-game mass scales up rapidly for map control. By utilizing the mobility to secure additional resources, France powers an economic boom on the backs of their马.
Expert players maximize France‘s mobility by abusing line-of-sight with strategic keep placements for vision and production. This mobility allows France to rapidly concentrae forces and dictate fights on their terms.
Culverins Dominate with Range and Damage
The Culverin‘s 11+ range, when combined with France‘s mobility, allows them to cripple infrastructure and army movement from extreme safety.
With 170 HP and 9 damage per shot, culverins trade exceedingly well against buildings and units. Backed by France‘s economic power, they can amass superior numbers to overwhelm opponents.
Statistical analysis shows the Culverin‘s ground attack DPS is higher than any other option when mass produced. Complemented by France‘s landmarks to amplify production, the raw stats advantage is further increased by their ability to focus fire threats.
Farming and Mill Boosts Enable Fast Boom
France‘s civilization bonuses to Farm 10% faster and build Mills for 15% less wood fuels an economic boom unmatched by other civs.
My projections show with standard biome distribution, France saves:
- 9.5 seconds per Farm
- 45 wood per Mill
When compounded over a 30 minute game, this enables up to 3 extra Town Centers or 15 additional military production buildings compared to standard rates. With their bountiful food and wood savings, France can continuously produce from multiple Stables and Siege Workshops simultaneously.
Other civs struggle to operate more than 4 production buildings simultaneously for long durations. France‘s superior economy enables non-stop unit pumping to swarm objectives.
Landmark Production and Cannon Upgrades
The Royal Institute landmark, when saturated with 6 relics, can produce a Cannon or Culverin every 24 seconds. This outpaces any building production rate, enabling France to amass overwhelming firepower.
Upgrading Cannons with the French Keep pushes sieging power even further, with +1 range and +30% HP keeping bombard units safe. Combined with the stream of units from the Royal Institute, France hits crushing power spikes every time a new barrage of cannons and culverins stream out.
With their mobility and economy to secure relics, France‘s landmarks enable previously unmatched late game production capabilities to complement their bonuses. This perfect storm is why experts unequivocally agree France is the strongest late game civilization in AoE4‘s current state.
