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Idle Villager
On this page
  1. Best build
  2. Quick overview
  3. Bonuses
  4. Unique units
  5. Army options
  6. Missing tech
  7. Weaknesses
  8. Practical counters
  9. Openings
  10. Timeline
  11. Mistakes
  12. Related

Civilizations

Mongols

Verified

Cavalry Archer civilization

Hunt fast, Scout rush, then Cavalry Archers and Mangudai with mobile siege.

Idle Villager is current for Update 177723, with minor updates through 180059. Facts on this page were checked on 2026-09-19. Counters are not unconditional. Numbers, upgrades, terrain, and micro change the fight.

Best build

Hunt into Scouts

Open land, 1v1 · 1v1 random map

  1. Sheep
  2. Hunt
  3. Wood
  4. Boar
  5. More hunt
  6. Feudal
  7. Stable
  8. Scouts
  9. Attack

Times are glance marks, not a streamer clock. Loom, animal spawn, and idle villagers move them. Food in the bank matters more than the minute. Hunters work 40% faster. Take both boars. Skip a greedy linger if the hunt is good.

Quick overview

Beginner difficulty: harder. You need micro on Scouts and Cavalry Archers. Sitting still wastes the civ.

Main strengths: Hunting, Scout line HP, Cavalry Archer fire rate, Mangudai vs siege, Siege Onager and Drill

Bonuses

Verified fact. Wording follows the in-game civilization string.

  • Hunters work +40% faster
  • Cavalry Archers attack +25% faster
  • Scout Cavalry-line and Steppe Lancers +20/30% HP in Castle/Imperial Age

Team bonus: Scout Cavalry-line +2 line of sight

Unique units and unique techs

  • Mangudai: Mongol unique mounted archer with bonus vs siege. The reason Scorpion balls fear Mongols.

Nomads (Castle Age)

Lost Houses do not decrease population space

Cost: 300 wood, 150 gold. Research time: 40s.

Drill (Imperial Age)

Siege Workshop Units move +50% faster

Cost: 500 wood, 450 gold. Research time: 60s.

Strong army options

Scouts into Cavalry Archers

The textbook open-map plan.

Mangudai plus Drill siege

The answer to a Khmer Scorpion ball if you can afford Castles.

Siege Onager

You have SO. Use it.

Important missing units and upgrades

Verified from the aoe2techtree dat extract.

Missing units: Halberdier, Paladin, Hand Cannoneer, Bombard Cannon, Battle Elephant

Missing upgrades: None in the published checklist.

Common weaknesses

  • No Halberdier
  • No BBC
  • Cavalry Archers die to Skirmishers

How opponents exploit them

Strategic advice on top of the missing-tech facts above.

  • Mass Elite Skirmishers
  • Camels
  • Halberdiers vs your cavalry if you never add siege

Practical counters this civ can field

Limited to units this civilization can actually train in the published set.

Recommended openings

Hunt into Scouts

Open land, 1v1

Take both boars and any deer you can see. The hunt bonus is the Dark Age identity. Then a Stable.

Age-by-age timeline

This is gameplay progression, not real-world history. Timings are approximate. Each age states its assumptions.

Dark Age

1v1 random map on an open land map. Food from sheep, boar, berries, then farms. No exact minute marks. Click-up time depends on villager count and idle time.

Priorities: Hunt Lumber Scout

Openings: Boar-heavy Dark Age

Power spikes: Extra food from hunters

Upgrades: Loom before boar

Feudal Age

1v1 random map on an open land map. Food from sheep, boar, berries, then farms. No exact minute marks. Click-up time depends on villager count and idle time.

Priorities: Stable Bloodlines and attack upgrades Keep hunting if deer remain

Openings: Scout rush

Power spikes: Scout numbers with upgrades

Upgrades: Forging Bloodlines Scale Barding

Castle Age

1v1 random map on an open land map. Food from sheep, boar, berries, then farms. No exact minute marks. Click-up time depends on villager count and idle time.

Priorities: Cavalry Archers or more Light Cavalry A Castle for Mangudai if siege appears Thumb Ring

Openings: CA Knights Mangudai

Power spikes: Scout line +20% HP Thumb Ring CA

Upgrades: Thumb Ring Ballistics Light Cavalry

Imperial Age

1v1 random map on an open land map. Food from sheep, boar, berries, then farms. No exact minute marks. Click-up time depends on villager count and idle time.

Priorities: Elite Mangudai Hussar Drill Siege Onager

Openings: Mangudai plus Drill Onagers HCA plus Hussar

Power spikes: Drill Scout line +30% HP

Upgrades: Drill Heavy Cavalry Archer Siege Onager Hussar

Common mistakes

  • Ignoring Skirmishers.
  • No Castle vs a siege civ.
  • Pikeman as if it were Halberdier.