English vs Byzantines: how to win the matchup
Playing English against Byzantines, you win 50.4% of ranked 1v1 games (12,889 games). Here is how to beat Byzantines, what they do and when.
Win rate by rank
bronze
50.1%
1,420
silver
49.4%
2,008
gold
50%
4,795
platinum
52.6%
2,434
diamond
50%
1,269
conqueror
51%
640
How to beat Byzantines
- Early rush: kill the stone and berry villagers and deny the second berries
- Pressure before their 12-13 minute Castle
- Against Cataphracts: upgraded Spearmen, Crossbows and Camels
- Against Limitanei: Men-at-Arms or Horsemen; Archers are weak vs Shield Wall
- Scout: stone villager count and Cisterns, Winery or Hippodrome, Golden Horn at 10:30
Units that work against Byzantines: Spearmen · Crossbowmen · Men-at-Arms · Horsemen · Mangonels
When Byzantines hits
- 4:38Feudal: non-stop Limitanei and mercenary Longbows or Javelins
- 9:00Ram timing between 8 and 10 minutes in the Winery build
- 13:05Castle: Cataphracts and Longbows, that's his main hit
English strengths to lean on
- Safe economy: farms cost half and gather faster near a Mill
- Strong defense: Network of Castles boosts attack speed by 20% near TCs and Outposts
- Longbows have +2 range and Palings against cavalry
- Men-at-Arms train 40% faster, plus Vanguard Men-at-Arms from the Dark Age
- The White Tower Keep trains any unit 75% faster
English weaknesses Byzantines can punish
- Longbows fall to Men-at-Arms, Knights and Rams
- Slow and immobile; cavalry and Horse Archers punish it
- If he turtles, he loses to relics, trade and scaling
- Siege and late game are very average
Strongest Castle Age armies (simulator)
- English: Man-at-Arms (0.72)
- Byzantines: Veteran Musofadi Warrior (0.67)
FAQ
- Is English good against Byzantines?
- English wins 50.4% of 12,889 ranked games against Byzantines (Even matchup).
- How do I beat Byzantines as English?
- Early rush: kill the stone and berry villagers and deny the second berries Pressure before their 12-13 minute Castle Against Cataphracts: upgraded Spearmen, Crossbows and Camels
- When does Byzantines attack?
- 4:38 — Feudal: non-stop Limitanei and mercenary Longbows or Javelins · 9:00 — Ram timing between 8 and 10 minutes in the Winery build · 13:05 — Castle: Cataphracts and Longbows, that's his main hit
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.