FLUSH

What is FLUSH?
The term Flush stands for “Feudal Rush”. This strategy involves reaching the feudal age at about 9:30 – 10:00 min and attacking with a force of skirmishers, spearmen, archers and sometimes scout. The prime goal is to break the opponent’s economy by killing his villagers and harassing him mentally by bugging him again and again.

Executing a successful FLUSH…

Similar to any Feudal Age attack, enemy territory exploration forms the backbone of FLUSH too. At time near about 5:30 mins (in which you must have found the 2 boars and at least 6 sheep), send your scout to explore enemy base. Send 2-3 of your full health villagers at time around 7:30 min to enemy base and order them to make a barrack. Make sure its out of sight of the enemy for attack’s surprise. Don’t forget keep 2 of your villagers (instead of casual 1) on wood from around 3:00 on wood to make up for the wood utilization. At around 7:50, when you have about 22 villagers, click on the feudal age button. Keep 11-12 villies on lumber, 6-7 villies on food and if you are planning to capture a mine or two by towers, only then keep 2-3 villies on stone. Make an Archery Range whenever possible.

The Byzantines

Underestimated by many yet, powerful and dynamic, one of my favorite civilizations is the Byzantines. Credited as a “Defensive Civilization”, I feel can be the most aggressive one till the imperial age. This guide, I have written to take a look over the strengths and weaknesses of this all round civilization.

Civilization Bonuses
25% cheaper skirmishers, spearman and camels
Of all the bonuses of this civilization, this is the most useful. This bonus helps mainly during the feudal, castle and early imperial age when the last blacksmith researches are not that important. A Byzantine player can easily take the FAST CASTLE mode providing a bigger than expected army. This bonus also helps to repel SCRUSH and CRUSH.

Buildings receive hit-point bonus (+10% dark, +20% feudal, +30% castle, +40% imperial)
Not so noticeable but still an important defensive bonus... Think of the times when enemy villagers are trying to break your watchtower or when knights are attacking your castle.

TRUSH

Starting off with one of the most effective strategies in AOE and my favourite… TRUSH.

- What is a TRUSH?

TRUSH stands for tower rush. What I am about to write here is how to make a successful feudal trush. Particularly more helpful in a 1 on 1 game, this attack involves building watch towers at strategic locations in enemy base. These strategic locations are the enemy mines (focus more on stone and main gold mine) or lumberjack or any place away from the enemy town center where the villagers are working. One of the best things about this strategy is that it doesn’t leave you crippled even if it fails i.e. you can always switch to another strategy decently if this one doesn’t work out.

- How to execute a successful TRUSH?

One of the major aspects of a successful feudal attack is enemy base exploration. Apart from playing a normal game, at about 5:30 min, when your scout has explored both the boars (important) and the 8 sheep (minimum 6), send your scout to explore the enemy territory. Find out where the enemy villies are working. Save your scout from lurking around enemy town center again and again. At about 7:50 min (depends on distance from enemy territory), send 4 of your full health villagers towards enemy base and 4 another to a nearby stone mine. Practice this strat until you start clicking the feudal age button at around 8:00 with about 22-23 villies. This way you reach the feudal age at about 10:00 min.