Ottomans vs French: how to win the matchup
Playing Ottomans against French, you win 49.9% of ranked 1v1 games (20,789 games). Here is how to beat French, what they do and when.
Win rate by rank
bronze
48.9%
3,261
silver
48.7%
3,752
gold
50.3%
8,230
platinum
50.7%
3,252
diamond
54%
1,223
conqueror
46.9%
637
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
Ottomans strengths to lean on
- Free units from Military Schools all game long
- Vizier points unlock strong bonuses like Akinji and Janissary Company
- The Mehter gives the army attack speed or armor
- Janissaries have high DPS and shred cavalry
- Great Bombard has long range and wrecks armies and buildings
Ottomans weaknesses French can punish
- No boar
- Free units take time, so he's weak against early pressure
- Sipahi got nerfed several times in 2026
- Weak win rate at Diamond and Conqueror
Strongest Castle Age armies (simulator)
- Ottomans: Man-at-Arms + Veteran Spearman (0.87)
- French: Man-at-Arms + Arbalétrier (0.8)
FAQ
- Is Ottomans good against French?
- Ottomans wins 49.9% of 20,789 ranked games against French (Even matchup).
- How do I beat French as Ottomans?
- 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.