Civilization Match-up Discussion Round 10 Week 1: Berbers vs Portuguese

Reconquista or just the conquista, depending on your time frame ;)

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Hello and welcome back for another Age of Empires 2 civilization match up discussion! This is a series where we discuss the various advantages, disadvantages, and quirks found within the numerous match ups of the game. The goal is to collectively gain a deeper understanding of how two civilizations interact with each other in a variety of different settings. Feel free to ask questions, pose strategies, or provide insight on how the two civilizations in question interact with each other on any map type and game mode. This is not limited to 1v1 either. Feel free to discuss how the civilizations compare in team games as well! So long as you are talking about how the two civilizations interact, anything is fair game! Last week we discussed the Britons vs Tatars, and next up is the Berbers vs Portuguese!

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Berbers: Cavalry and Naval civilization

• Villagers move +10% faster
• Stable units cost -15/20% in Castle/Imperial Age
• Ships move +10% faster
• TEAM BONUS: Genitours available at Archery Range starting in Castle Age
• Unique Unit: Camel Archer (Powerful anti-cavalry-archer cavalry archer)
• Unique Unit: Genitour (Mounted skirmisher)
• Castle Age Unique Tech: Kasbah (TEAM Castles work +25% faster)
• Imperial Age Unique Tech: Maghrebi Camels (Camel units regenerate)

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Portuguese: Naval and Gunpowder civilization

• All units cost -20% gold
• Ships +10% hp
• Can build Feitoria in Imperial Age
• TEAM BONUS: Cartography researched at start of the game
• Unique Unit: Organ Gun (Light artillery siege unit)
• Unique Unit: Caravel (Galley-like warship with piercing bolt attack)
• Unique Building: Feitoria (Generates slow, infinite trickle of all resources; costs 20 population)
• Castle Age Unique Tech: Carrack (Ships +1/+1 armor)
• Imperial Age Unique Tech: Arquebus (Gunpowder units better hit moving targets)

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Below are some match up-specific talking points to get you all started. These are just to give people ideas, you do not need to address them specifically if you do not want to!

• Okay, so in honor of KotD3 coming up - let's specifically talk about these civs for KotD Arabia (i.e. more open and aggressive than standard arabia). Now, neither of these civs are generally considered powerhouses on this map, but that should mean a match up between the two is fairly even. Berbers generally possess better mobility, whereas Portuguese have access to more powerful late game units. Who do you prefer here?
• In team games, Berbers would rather be a pocket civ, and Portuguese would rather be a flank civ (due to the former preferring cavalry and the latter favoring archers and gunpowder). Both civs are solid in these roles, but are generally overshadowed by civs that have better economies. Nonetheless, do you think Berber cavalry spam or Portuguese gunpowder doom push is stronger?
• On water maps, both of these civs are excellent, if not quite top-tier. Berbers and their faster moving ships can be a nightmare to deal with when it comes to early game galley micro, but Portuguese ships are tankier, cheaper, and they have access to the caravel. Which civ is better for your Islands games?

Thanks as always for participating! Next week we will continue our discussions with the Incas vs Mongols. Hope to see you there! :)

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Previous discussions: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3