Macedonian Dynasty vs French: how to win the matchup
Playing Macedonian Dynasty against French, you win 50.3% of ranked 1v1 games (17,805 games). Here is how to beat French, what they do and when.
Win rate by rank
bronze
55.7%
851
silver
53.6%
2,068
gold
51.6%
7,599
platinum
47.6%
4,361
diamond
46.5%
1,676
conqueror
48.3%
919
How to beat French
- Scout the School of Cavalry at 2:30 to 3:00
- Get Spearmen before 3:40, and keep sheep and gold under the TC
- Outpost with Arrowslits or Palisade on exposed resources
- Spearmen and Archers together, never send Spearmen alone
- Build behind walls and scale, then meet the Keep push with Crossbows and Springalds
Units that work against French: Spearmen · Archers · Crossbowmen · Camels · Springalds
When French hits
- 3:40First Royal Knights raid (3:40 to 4:30)
- 6:003-5 Knights with Archers (6:00 to 8:00)
- 13:20Castle Keep push with Knights and Arbalétriers
Macedonian Dynasty strengths to lean on
- Highest win rate on the ladder, and his units are easy to play
- The Hippodrome produces free self-healing Champion cavalry
- Golden Horn Tower is the strongest Castle Landmark and produces free Crossbows
- Arsenal upgrades skip 3 tiers for the unit line he plays
- Long fights favor him: the War Camp gives back free units
Macedonian Dynasty weaknesses French can punish
- Weak, predictable economy, and very bad against 2 TC
- Each upgrade only serves one unit line
- Food runs out around minute 24 without map food
- Nerfed a lot in 2026 (Ridarii, Varangians, Champions)
Strongest Castle Age armies (simulator)
- Macedonian Dynasty: Varangian Guard + Crossbowman (1.11)
- French: Man-at-Arms + Arbalétrier (0.8)
FAQ
- Is Macedonian Dynasty good against French?
- Macedonian Dynasty wins 50.3% of 17,805 ranked games against French (Even matchup).
- How do I beat French as Macedonian Dynasty?
- Scout the School of Cavalry at 2:30 to 3:00 Get Spearmen before 3:40, and keep sheep and gold under the TC Outpost with Arrowslits or Palisade on exposed resources
- When does French attack?
- 3:40 — First Royal Knights raid (3:40 to 4:30) · 6:00 — 3-5 Knights with Archers (6:00 to 8:00) · 13:20 — Castle Keep push with Knights and Arbalétriers
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.