Byzantines vs English: how to win the matchup
Playing Byzantines against English, you win 49.6% of ranked 1v1 games (12,889 games). Here is how to beat English, what they do and when.
Win rate by rank
bronze
49.9%
1,420
silver
50.6%
2,008
gold
50%
4,795
platinum
47.4%
2,434
diamond
50%
1,269
conqueror
49%
640
How to beat English
- Scout the Landmark: Council Hall means a Longbow rush, prepare Spearmen, Men-at-Arms or cavalry
- Hit with Men-at-Arms and Rams before the White Tower or the second TC
- Raid far farms and gold, and stay away from towers and the TC
- Hit him while he builds the second TC around minute 5
- Go Fast Castle for relics and Sacred Sites and outscale him
Units that work against English: Men-at-Arms · Knights · Rams · Crossbowmen · Horse Archers · Mangonels
When English hits
- 4:00Feudal Longbow rush with the Council Hall (4:00 to 7:00)
- 5:00Second TC around minute 5
- 9:30Castle with the White Tower or King's Palace (9:00 to 10:00)
Byzantines strengths to lean on
- Cisterns speed up gathering, production and upgrades
- Varied mercenaries: Longbows, Javelins, Keshik and Ghulams
- Golden Horn Tower produces free mercenaries
- Strong Cataphracts in Castle and cheap Varangian Men-at-Arms
- Strong defense: Mangonels on Outposts, Keeps and walls
Byzantines weaknesses English can punish
- Stone-heavy opening that is weak against early rushes
- Oil and Cataphracts were nerfed in June 2026
- Lowest win rate at Conqueror
- Hard to sustain mercenary production
Strongest Castle Age armies (simulator)
- Byzantines: Veteran Musofadi Warrior (0.67)
- English: Man-at-Arms (0.72)
FAQ
- Is Byzantines good against English?
- Byzantines wins 49.6% of 12,889 ranked games against English (Even matchup).
- How do I beat English as Byzantines?
- Scout the Landmark: Council Hall means a Longbow rush, prepare Spearmen, Men-at-Arms or cavalry Hit with Men-at-Arms and Rams before the White Tower or the second TC Raid far farms and gold, and stay away from towers and the TC
- When does English attack?
- 4:00 — Feudal Longbow rush with the Council Hall (4:00 to 7:00) · 5:00 — Second TC around minute 5 · 9:30 — Castle with the White Tower or King's Palace (9:00 to 10:00)
Data from the open game data (aoe4world/data), patch 16.2.10884, public ranked statistics, and Layla Coach's battle simulator. Layla Coach is an independent tool, not affiliated with Microsoft, Relic Entertainment or World's Edge.