Age of Empires 2 Scout Rush build order

We are going through the simpliest Scout Rush build order (20 pop), and then in depth for civilization variations or faster scout rushes such as the 18 pop Scout Rush. Without further do here is the build order:

  • First 3 villagers build houses and then harvest sheep
  • 6 sheep
  • 7 build lumber camp
  • 7, 8 and 9th villager chop wood
  • 10th villager lures boar
  • 11th villager on boar (you should have 8 villagers collecting food from boar now)
  • 12th villager builds house
  • 12, 13 and 14th villagers build Mill
  • 12, 13, 14 and 15th villagers collect berries
  • 16th villager lures second boar. Ideally other vills are finishing the first boar, but if not just take another sheep while 2nd boar is comming
  • 17th villager build house, then build second lumbercamp
  • 18th takes boar. You have 9 vills taking boar now, when they finish make them take the sheep that are left
  • 19th collects wood on first lumbercamp (you should have 4 vills on the first lumbercamp now)
  • 20th villager to wood in first lumbercamp, then research Telar
  • Drop your vills food on TC and click up to Feudal age
  • Take 3 of your vills from sheep and take them to the second lumbercamp. You should have 9 vills on wood now, 5 on one lumbercamp and 4 on the other
  • Take 1 of your vills from sheep and build barracks and a house. You should have only 6 vills on sheep now
  • As soon as you advance to Feudal build a stable using 2 vills from your lumbercamp
  • Get both eco upgrades from lumbercamp and mill
  • Make farms as soon as you get 60 wood
  • Pump out Scouts

 

Continue making farm, houses and Scouts. Once you get 3 or 4 Scouts you should go attack

 

Additional advice on how to Scout Rush:

  • Learn keyboard shortcuts: In order to do a proper Scout rush you should at least be able to build and go to every building with a key shortcut
  • Target villagers: Target each villager with up to 5 Scouts, micro it in order to kill and run if necessary
  • Avoid Spears: Most of the time if you see a spearman you run to another part of your enemy's base. However, you can fight if it is 1 spearman vs 3+ scouts and you micro it very well
  • Wall up your base while attacking: Only when you are fully walled you are allowed to try going for a Castle Age, otherwise you might get a counter rush

The idea is you make much more damage than what your economy suffers from rushing. If the enemy survives wall up and go to castle, all while still trying to do more damage or wasting your opponent's micro. In castle age your economy should be healthy enough to make 2 town centers, upgrades and additional units. Most of the time it is convenient to keep going cavalry and avoiding your opponents spearmen as you have the right upgrades. However, trasitioning to archers or other unit is also a possibility depending on the civilization you're playing.

 

 

Best way to practice Scout Rush?

Playing against real players is best to learn build orders under preassure. However, you can practice using mods here:

 

What are good Scout rush times?

You have to check the in-game time, not the real time. Getting to Feudal at ~9:42 with 21 pop (20 vills and 1 scout) is good. Then attacking with 4 scouts around the 11 min mark is also decent enough.

Keep also in mind there are other Scout rushes depending on maps and civilizations

 

When to go Scout Rush

Scout rush works best in open maps such as arabia or GA and while playing a civilization that at least has bloodlines or better yet, a good civilization for Scout Rush, such as the Chinese, Magyars, Khmer, Mongols or Franks. Also, the scout rush is great for when opponents are not walling properly, and even better if they are going for a Fast Castle.

 

Best Civilization for Scout Rush ranked 

  1. Chinese: The Chinese are best for Scout Rush due to their economic advantage. They start with extra villagers and have cheaper upgrades, allowing them to pull ahead in the early game.
  2. Mongols: Mongols are known for their fast scour rush and the ability to go up quickly with a strong economy. They have an extra line of sight on scouts, making it easier to find opportunities for harassment.
  3. Franks: Franks have the advantage of extra HP on scouts from the start of the Feudal Age, along with free horse collar and faster foraging. They can save resources and have a smooth start for a scout rush.
  4. Magyars: Magyars have free forging and discounted scouts, making the m a good choice for a scout rush. While they lack economy bonuses, they can be considered a top civilization for an extended scout rush in Feudal Age
  5. Khamer: The Khmers are a solid choice for scout rushing becuase they don't need barracks, allowing them to save woord early on and reporpousing those resources into more Scouts. Their farms work efficiently, giving them an economic advantage.

 

18 pop Scout Rush build order

  • First 3 villagers build houses and then harvest sheep
  • 6 sheep
  • 7 lure boar
  • 7, 8 and 9th villager collect boar food (along with the other 6 vills)
  • 10th villager builds lumbercamp
  • Lure second boar with an existing villager
  • 11th builds a house and then goes to wood
  • 12 to 15th vills go to wood
  • 16th vill builds Mill
  • 17th goes to wood
  • Research Telar
  • Click up to Feudal, you should have 7 on wood, 9 on boars/sheeps and 1 on berries
  • While goign to Feudal send one villager from food to build a house and Barracks
  • Send 3 vills from sheep to berries
  • Build a Stable as soon as you are in Feudal age
  • Make farms as soon as you get 60 wood
  • Pump out Scouts