Rise of Nations: How to rush with any nation

This guide briefly describes the strategy known as rush, an early attack achieved by quickly producing an army and launching an assault on your enemy’s capital before any reaction is possible. This strategy can be used in any version of Rise of Nations, almost all configurations, in single or multiplayer games (although more experienced players will not be happy with you using this strategy, mainly because it levels the field between new and old players). Once you get caught by surprise in a rush attack, there is very little you can do.

Nomad games

1. Build up a city and a library

Standard games

1. Send your scout to your enemy’s territory

Common

2. Fill your city up to 5 farms and 5 woodcutters
3. Advance first military tech in the library
4. Build barracks
5. Without delay, start producing at least 5 heavy infantry
6. (optional) Use your produced infantry to seek out relics until ready
7. As soon as you have found your enemy, attack its capital with your 5+ heavies
8. (recommended) Send light infantry (slingers) to prevent archers from killing your heavies

Knowing these eight steps, you can get close to winning 90% of the games against unseasoned foes. Capital sack will boost your economy with +500 in resources, what leaves you at an advantage even if you manage to lose the conquered city.

Once you captured your enemy’s capital, if any other cities were built, you must defend your conquest until the timer runs out.

1. Build additional troops to help defending the captured capital.
2. (recommended) Raze farms and buildings to get extra resources fast

Razing is a good strategy, not only to get resources quickly, but also to hinder your opponent’s capacity of recovery, in case you fail to keep the capital.

One possible way of protecting your capital against rush is to have barracks early in the game. Build archers to disrupt an attack on your capital, as heavy units are vulnerable to those.
The best way to protect your capital is to have garrisoned archer(s) and a tower nearby. Use the tower to kill light infantry and archers. Use your archers to kill heavy units.