The 3000 ELO Build (Aoe2)

Core idea

A Dark Age drush (militia + scout harassment) into a flexible Feudal/early-Castle follow-up. Choose between the safer wall → archer route or an aggressive skirmisher + man-at-arms pressure depending on map, opponent defense, and civilization strengths.

Two variations

• Winchester (deer) — standard build. Recommended on deer Arabia; slower, more scouting-oriented, safer.
• Dragon (chicken/rabbit) — instant-rush adaptation. Faster Feudal pressure when inner-circle animals (rabbits/chickens) allow an earlier barracks and harassment.

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Winchester (deer) variation — standard build (recommended on deer Arabia)

Opening & scouting

• Scout early: find sheep, deer, boar. You may push up to 2 deer early (no more than 2 — you still need scouting info).
• Dark Age villager allocation (start): 6 on food, 4 on wood (lumber camp on nearest wood line). Transition as described below.

Build order highlights

1. Lure boar, build a house, then build a barracks as soon as wood is available.
2. Produce 2 militia from the first barracks (make 3 militia only if your civ has a strong food bonus or you fear very fast opponents).
3. Aim to click Feudal at ~21 population (20 is possible but 21 gives extra eco).
4. Just before clicking up: send the second-last villager to wood, the last to build a gold mining camp → have 4 on gold to pay for the militia → man-at-arms upgrade.

Immediately after Feudal click

• Reassign villagers depending on plan. A common mid-game split (after sheep are used) is:
  • 6 on food / 6 on wood / 5 on berries / 4 on gold (adjust as needed).
• Decide transition:
  • Safer: wall + archers → Castle play.
  • Aggressive: continue pressuring with skirmishers + man-at-arms.

Aggressive (pressure) Feudal route

• Aim for ~11 on one lumbercamp (to float wood for farms and walls).
• Build 8–10 skirmishers before committing further.
• Make a spearman when needed to protect against enemy scout/infantry.
• Keep constant production (one or two units queued). Target enemy villagers or houses with drush + scout harassment; preserve unit HP.
• Economy targets for Castle macro:
  • Build ~14–16 farms initially.
  • Research wheelbarrow, then push to ~18 farms for stable Castle production.
• Tech priorities: fletching, armor upgrades, ballistics; upgrade skirmishers/archers as needed. Consider double archery ranges for a crossbow transition.

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Dragon’s instant-rush (chicken/rabbit) variation — faster Feudal pressure

When to use

• Use this on maps with rabbits/chickens in your inner circle so you can afford an earlier barracks and more immediate harassment.

Opening differences

• Build the barracks earlier — even before or instead of an immediate lumber camp.
• Collect rabbits/chickens with dedicated single-villager groups (each animal gives ~35 food). Use force-drop frequently to keep production continuous.
• Typical early villager split: 6 on food under the TC, 2–3 on stray wood early, then send an early villager to build a mid-map barracks.
• Make 2 militia (or 3 if civ permits) and send them early — Dragon-style harassment aims to hit the enemy base around ~6:00.

Transition

• After the initial harassment, transition back to the same Feudal options as Winchester: reassign villagers to gold/berries/farms and choose archery or skirmisher pressure depending on the opponent.

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When to go 2 vs 3 militia

• Go 3 militia if:
  • Your civ has a strong food bonus that can sustain the extra militia.
  • You need extra hitting power vs very fast opponents.
• Stick to 2 militia for:
  • Safer, more economical play.
  • Civilizations with weaker food eco (e.g., Saracens).

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Feudal → Castle transitions (decision points)

• If the opponent is well-walled: consider walling and going archers → crossbows → Castle.
• If you can sustain pressure: continue with man-at-arms + skirmishers into elite skirms, knights, siege, etc.
• Greedy option: skip an early archery range to save wood for extra farms (only if you expect minimal early pressure).
• Common target numbers:
  • 8–10 skirmishers for sustained Feudal pressure.
  • ~11 on wood for farm/wall float.
  • ~14–16 farms initially; wheelbarrow, then 18 farms for stable Castle/TC macro.

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Practical tips & micro

• Use a “sheep ring” mod (or equivalent) to visualize resource spawn radii — speeds up scouting decisions.
• Drush micro: use the scout to block while militia fight; harassing houses is high value (forces repairs and wood waste).
• Preserve HP on early units: a single villager kill is good, but surviving units matter more for continuing pressure.
• Always keep production queued (1–2 units queued) to spend resources efficiently.
• If you see the opponent opening archers/ranges, adjust: add spearmen for protection or switch unit production.
• Practice these timings in single-player before ladder — this is a high-execution build where small mistakes can break the plan.

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Timings & population targets

• Click Feudal at approximately 21 population (video reference cites ~10:05 with this build).
• Dragon instant-rush arrival at an enemy base is typically around ~6:00.
• Adapt Feudal unit investment because Feudal unit choices influence Castle timing and up-time.

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Sources / credits

• Dragon (presenter)
• Winchester (build credited / inspired)

Summary: two variations — Winchester for deer maps (standard), Dragon for chicken/rabbit instant-rush — with clear villager counts, when to press vs wall, and how to transition into skirmisher/archer/knight play.