Since people always ask what civilization to play, here's a quick rundown of their bonuses, and some of their weaknesses. Also keep in mind, I'm making this list based on the HD edition rather than forgotten, I can add that in later if need be.
Aztecs
Infantry and monk civilization
- -Villagers carry +5 extra resources
-All military units created 15% faster
-Monks gain 5 HP for each researched Monastery technology
-Loom technology free
-Team Bonus: Relics generate 33% more Gold
-Unique Unit: Jaguar Warrior (Anti-infantry infantry)
-Unique Technology: Garland Wars (Increased attack for infantry +4)
With these bonuses, the aztecs have the most powerful monks in the game, allowing them to keep them positions on the front lines healing their infantry, which is also some of the most powerful in the game due to their unique techonology. As they are a mesoamerican civilization though, they completely lack any cavalry (instead you get the eagle warrior, a fast moving infantry) or gunpowder units, which makes them weak in the late game. Furthermore, their defense is not great in the late game either, lacking the ability to build keeps or bombard towers. Finally, they have the weakest navy in the game, as they cannot build demolition ships, galleons, or cannon galleons.
Complete guide
Britons
Foot archer civilization
- -Town Centers cost -50% Wood from Castle Age
-Foot archers (except for Skirmishers) have +1 range in Castle Age, +1 in Imperial Age (for +2 total)
-Shepherds work 25% faster.
-Team Bonus: Archery Ranges work 20% faster
-Unique Unit: Longbowman (Long-ranged foot archer)
-Unique Technology: Yeomen (Increased range for foot archers +1, increased attack for towers +2)
The centerpiece of the Britons is their unique unit, the longbowman, which is the best goddamn archer in the game. Most briton players just get masses of these guys to cut down the enemy before they can even get close, because in imperial age, longbowman can get up to 12 range, which is as long as a bombard cannon! Unfortunately, the britons miss out on some important techs that leave that at a disadvantage elsewhere. First, they lack the ability to research paladin, making their cavalry a bit mediocre compared to other civs in imperial. Second, they cannot create cannon galleons (this changes in the forgotten) meaning that their navy is really lacking on water maps. Finally, their siege weapons are also lacking, as they cannot create the siege ram, siege onager, or bombard cannon, forcing them to rely on the trebuchet.
Complete guide
Byzantines
Defensive civilization
- -Buildings gain +10% HPs in Dark Age, +20% Feudal Age, +30% Castle Age, +40% Imperial Age
-Camels, Skirmishers, Spearmen are 25% cheaper
-Fire Ships attack 20% faster
-Advance to Imperial Age costs 33% less (costing 667 Food and 536 Gold instead of the usual 1000 Food and 800 Gold )
-Town Watch technology free
-Team Bonus: Monks heal 50% faster
-Unique Unit: Cataphract (anti-infantry cavalry)
-Unique Technology: Logistica (Cataphracts cause trample damage)
The Byzantines are the only civilization to have access to all standard technologies available, except for the Blast Furnace. This makes them unpredictable to play against. Their bonuses grant them advantages for Camels, Spearmen/Pikemen/Halberdiers, and a team bonus for Monks. In addition, the cataphract and it's ability to do damage to adjacent infantry units means that spearman cannot counter it as easily. Thus, Byzantines are likely to go for cavalry and anti-cavalry, but, again, their access to the full tech tree make them unpredictable to play as and against.
Complete guide
Celts
Infantry and siege civilization
- -Lumberjacks work 15% faster
-Infantry move 15% faster
-Siege weapons fire 20% faster
-Sheep cannot be converted by enemies if within a unit's line of sight
-Team Bonus: Siege Workshops work 20% faster
-Unique Unit: Woad Raider (fast-moving infantry)
-Unique Technology: Furor Celtica (increased HP for siege weapons +50%)
The Celts possess the fastest infantry in the game, allowing their Pikemen to be a much greater threat towards Knights and allows their other infantry to stage fast raids on settlements. They also possess the most powerful siege weapons in the game with the greastest HP and fastest fire rate. Their faster wood gathering rate and sheep protection makes them very good in early game for building up quickly as well. The biggest drawbacks for the celts are the lack of late game defensive technologies like architecture (which increases building HP, and bombard towers. Furthermore they lack the ability to create bombard cannons, leaving them to rely on other siege units.
Complete guide
Chinese
Archer civilization
- -Start game with three extra villagers, but with -200 food and -50 wood
-Town Center supports ten population (instead of five)
-Technologies are 10% cheaper in Feudal Age, 15% in Castle Age, 20% in Imperial Age
-Demolition Ships have 50% more HP
-Team Bonus: Farms start with + 45 Food
-Unique Unit: Chu Ko Nu (foot archer that fires multiple arrows)
-Unique Technology: Rocketry (increased pierce attack for Chu Ko Nu and Scorpions)
They start out with extra villagers and their Town Centers support extra population. This gives them an edge early in the game as they can gather resources more quickly. They can also research technologies at cheaper prices, allowing them to divert the saved resources into either more villagers or extra military units. Their unique unit, the Chu Ko Nu, is a crossbowman with a short range but shoots multiple arrows at a time. Basically, the Chinese are a more economically focused civilization, that has good offense and defense, but neither really stand out above that of other civilizations, forcing them to use their superior economy to offset that drawback.
Complete guide
Franks
Cavalry civilization
- Farm upgrades are free
Castles are 25% cheaper, costing 488 Stone instead of 650 Stone
Knights have 20% more HP
Team Bonus: Knights have +2 line of sight
Unique Unit: Throwing Axeman (infantry with ranged attack)
Unique Technology: Bearded Axe (increased range for Throwing Axeman
The franks have good offense and defense, with bonuses for both. Defensively, their discount on castles allows them to build them earlier than other civilizations, and more frequently. Militarily, the frankish military usually consists heavily of knights and their upgraded forms, as they have arguably the best heavy cavalry in the game with their 20% extra HP and longer line of site, and their free farm upgrades allow them to supply the food necessary for large knight armies. Their archers are rather weak however, and their heavy cavalry is vulnerable to camels and pikemen.
Complete guide
Goths
Infantry civilization
- -Infantry are 25% cheaper starting in Feudal Age
-Infantry have +1 attack bonus vs buildings
-Villagers have +5 attack bonus vs boars
-+10 population cap in Imperial Age
-Team Bonus: Barracks work 20% faster
-Unique Unit: Huskarl (anti-archer and arrow-resistant infantry)
-Unique Technologies: Anarchy (Huskarls can be created from Barracks), Perfusion (Barracks create units faster)
The Goths are a purely offensive civilization that focuses on its infantry, which are cheaper and can be produced more quickly than those of other civilizations, making them great for rushing. Their unique unit, the Huskarl, is an infantry unit that is almost immune to archer fire, and any decent goth player will have them as them as a major part of their military, especially since they can be created in rapid numbers at barracks thanks to their anarchy and perfusion technologies. The big drawback to the goths is that they have the weakest defense in the entire game, lacking the ability to build even stone walls or go beyond basic watch towers. This means that goths must always be attacking, or they will be wiped out.
Complete guide
Huns
Cavalry civilization
- -Houses not required, but start game with -100 wood
-Cavalry Archers are 25% cheaper in Castle Age, 30% in Imperial Age
-Trebuchets are 30% more accurate
-Team Bonus: Stables work 20% faster
-Unique Unit: Tarkan (anti-building cavalry)
-Unique Technology: Atheism (increased time for Relic/Wonder victories and Spies/Treason significantly cheaper)
The Huns are purely an offensive civilization. Like the Goths they are great at rushing, though the Huns focus on cavalry instead of infantry. Their main economic bonus is the free housing, which allows them to concentrate villagers on resources other than wood, and saves time from building those houses. Their cheaper cavalry archers mean that those make up a large part of each hun military, along with tarkans and paladins. The huns are one of the weaker civilizations defensively though, as they have a very weak defense due to their inability to upgrade their walls or towers, forcing them to rely on constant attacking. Furthermore, the huns lack many late game siege units, mostly relying on trebuchets and rams to take down buildings.
Complete guide
Japanese
Infantry civilization
- -Fishing ships have +100% HP, +2 piercing armor and work 5% faster in Dark Age, 10% Feudal Age, 15% Castle Age, 20% Imperial Age
-Mills, Lumber Camps, and Mining Camps are 50% cheaper
-Infantry attack 10% faster in Feudal Age, 15% Castle Age, 25% Imperial Age (The Forgotten: Infantry attack 25% faster starting from Feudal Age)
-Team Bonus: Galleys have 50% longer line of sight
-Unique Unit: Samurai (infantry unit good against unique units)
-Unique Technology: Kataparuto (Trebuchets fire, pack faster)
The Japanese are primarily an offensive civilization geared towards infantry. The Japanese work well on land maps but fare much better on maps with large bodies of water since it is the only type of map where their bonus on Fishing Ships and galleys can be used effectively. Their infantry's faster attack speed means they do very well in large battles, and their samurai unit is excellent against civilizations that rely on their unique units due to its damage bonus against them. They lack the paladin and bloodlines upgrades for cavalry, putting them at a disadvantage, but it is compensated through their faster attacking spearmen. The Japanese also lack many late-game siege units, forcing them to rely on their trebuchets more, which they can upgrade to offset that.
Complete guide
Koreans
Tower and naval civilization
- -Villagers have +3 line of sight
-Stone miners work 20% faster
-Tower upgrades are free (Chemistry still required for Bombard Tower)
-Towers (except Bombard Towers) have +1 range in Castle Age, +1 in Imperial Age (for +2 total)
-Team Bonus: Mangonels, Onagers have +1 range
-Unique Units: War Wagon (heavily armored cavalry archer), Turtle Ship (heavily armored warship)
-Unique Technology: Shinkichon (increased range for Mangonels, Onagers)
The Koreans are one of the most defensive civilizatons in the game, as their faster stone mining and free tower upgrades mean that korean players can build defense and upgrade them faster than any other civilization. Their mangonels and onagers have the longest range in the game, making them devastating against large groups of attacking enemies, and their slow-moving turtle ships are perfect for absorbing damage and taking out enemy navies. Unfortunately, all of the bonuses for the koreans are lost on the offense, making them very weak when taking the fight to the enemy.
Complete guide
Mayans
Archer civilization
- -Start with +1 Villager, but with -50 Food
-Resources last 20% longer
-Archery Range units 10% cheaper in Feudal Age, 20% in Castle Age, 30% in Imperial Age
-Team Bonus: Walls are 50% cheaper (Stone Walls -3S a segment, Palisade Walls -1W)
-Unique Unit: Plumed Archer (fast, well-armored foot archer)
-Unique Technology: El Dorado (increased HP for Eagle Warriors +40)
Like the Aztecs, Mayans have no access whatsoever to any form of cavalry units or gunpowder. Unlike the Aztecs, however, the Mayans have very mediocre monks and infantry . However, they make up for this by having very cheap archers and durable Eagle Warriors. These last 2 bits allow the mayans to mass produce cheap archers in the late game, while producing armies of eagle warriors that can wipe out cavalry and siege units attacking those archers. In addition, their economic bonuses are great for getting started early, and making those resources last longer, meaning they run out of gold and stone much later than other civilizations.
Complete guide
Mongols
Cavalry archer civilization
- -Cavalry Archers and Mangudai fire 20% faster
-Light Cavalry have 30% more HP
-Hunters work 50% faster
-Team Bonus: Light cavalry have +2 line of sight
-Unique Unit: Mangudai (anti-siege weapon cavalry archer)
-Unique Technology: Drill (Siege units move faster)
The Mongols are a strong early game civilization due to their hunting bonus, and their team bonus makes Dark Age scouting far more effective for everyone on their team. The key to a successful mongol military is amassing groups of cavalry archers and mangudai to harass the enemy using hit and run tactics early in the game. Their main weakness is the mediocre defense, lacking the ability to upgrade their towers very much, and losing access to bombard cannons and bombard towers. Their mangudai unit is great for attacking enemy rams when being assault though.
Complete guide
Persians
Cavalry civilization
- -Start game with +50 Food and +50 Wood
-Town Centers and Docks have +100% HP and work 10% faster in Feudal Age, 15% in Castle Age, 20% in Imperial Age
-Team Bonus: Knights have +2 attack bonus vs archers
-Unique Unit: War Elephant (slow yet strong and devastating cavalry)
-Unique Technology: Mahouts (War Elephants move faster)
The Persians are an offensive cavalry oriented civilization centered around their war elephant unit (it is the strongest land unit in the game), often with groups of cavalry archers and paladins to protect them. Their early game resource bonus and faster work rate for docks and TCs mean they are a great rushing civilization, but their defense is lacking, as they cannot research fortified walls or bombard towers. Furthermore they have the weakest infantry in the game, lacking the ability to upgrade their swordmen beyond longswordmen.
Complete guide
Saracens
Camel and naval civilization
- -Market trade cost is 5% of goods (rather than 30%)
-Transport ships have +100% HP and +100% carry capacity
-Galleys attack 20% faster
-Cavalry archers have +3 attack bonus vs buildings
-Team Bonus: Foot archers have +1 attack bonus vs buildings
-Unique Unit: Mameluke (anti-cavalry camel with ranged attack)
-Unique Technology: Zealotry (Camels and Mamelukes have +30 more HP)
The Saracens are an offensive civilization with particularly strong camel and naval units. Although they lack much heavy cavalry, their upgrades for their camels and mamelukes (both of which are anti-cavalry) compensate somewhat for this, and make them great against civilizations that rely heavily on cavalry. Their navy is also one of the better in the game, as the faster attack rate on their galleys and galleons allwos them to out-damage those of other civilizations, while their improved transport ships are great for naval invasions. Their main disadvantages are their mediocre defense as they miss out on improved towers, and their lack of many economic bonuses.
Complete guide
Spanish
Gunpowder and monk civilization
- -Builders work 30% faster
-Blacksmith upgrades don't cost gold
-Cannon galleons benefit from Ballistics (fire faster, more accurately)
-Hand Cannoneers and Bombard Cannons fire 15% faster
-Team Bonus: Trade Carts, Trade Cogs return 33% more gold
-Unique Units: Conquistador (mounted hand canoneer), Missionary (mounted monk)
-Unique Technology: Supremacy (increased attack, armor and HP for Villagers)
The Spanish are an offensive civilization with strong navy and emphasis on mobility, and are extremely versatile, with access to most of the tech tree. The most important bonus for the spanish is arguably their cannon galleon bonus, which allows spanish cannon galleons to replace the need for galleon escorts and serve as both naval combat units and long range siege units. Their gold related bonuses ensure that the spanish can research most technologies without sacrificing precious gold, which can instead be used to produce their expensive gunpowder units. Their main drawback is their lack of foot archers, which leaves them vulnerable until later in the game.
Complete guide
Teutons
Infantry and tower civilization
- -Monks have +100% heal range
-Towers garrison +100% more units
-Murder Holes technology free
-Farms are 33% cheaper
-Town Centers have +5 line of sight
-Team Bonus: Units resist conversion
-Unique Unit: Teutonic Knight (slow yet strong infantry)
-Unique Technology: Crenellations (Increased range for Castles; garrisoned infantry fire arrows)
The Teutons are a rather defensive civilization, and their castles have the longest range in the game with 13, which is enough to hit bombard cannons and normal cannon galleons. Their garrison bonuses on towers and castles mean that infantry that would normally be standing around behind a wall can be put to use, and their free murder holes technology means it is possible to tower rush the enemy much earlier in the game. The Teutons miss out on most archer upgrades, and their cavalry is mediocre as they lack the camel and upgrades for light cavalry. Furthermore, their unique unit can be easily taken out by faster moving archers, and their paladin are slower than those of other civilizations.
*Fun fact though, if you garrison 10 hand cannoneers in a bombard tower, it will fire 2 cannons at once, doing 240 damage*
Complete guide
I'll add in the last 2 later tonight
Turks
- Gunpowder civilization
Gunpowder Units have +25% HP
Gunpowder technologies are 50% cheaper
Chemistry technology free
Gold miners work 15% faster
Light Cavalry and Hussar upgrade free
Team Bonus: Gunpowder units created 20% faster
Unique Unit: Janissary (hand cannoneer with increased range)
Unique Technology: Artillery (increased range for Bombard Towers, Bombard Cannons and Cannon Galleons)
Vikings
Infantry and naval civilization
- -Warships are 20% cheaper
-Infantry have +10% HP in Feudal Age, 15% Castle Age, 20% Imperial Age (not cumulative)
-Wheelbarrow and Hand Cart technologies are free
-Team Bonus: Docks are 25% cheaper
Unique Units: Berserker (health regenerating infantry), Longboat (warship that fires multiple arrows)
Unique Technology: Berserkergang (Berserkers have increased health regenation rate)
