Scouts → Skirmishers build order — Age of Empires 2

Age-up click · 18 → flexible pop · 18 villagers

Scouts → Skirmishers

28 stepsStandardFranksHunsMaliansLithuanians

Morley GamesCreator guide ↗

Video guide · Morley GamesAOE2 Scouts into Skirmishers Build Order Tutorial

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Notes from Morley Games

Make the range in response to ranged pressure

This branch is strongest against Men-at-Arms into Archers or one/two-range Archers. Scout the ranges and add your own quickly; a blind early range weakens the Scout timing for no guaranteed return.

One range with upgrades is normally enough

Keep one range producing Skirmishers and prioritize Fletching plus the first ranged armor. Continue Scouts only while they can threaten exposed units; otherwise bank food for Castle Age.

Elite Skirmisher plus Knights is the natural Castle follow-up

Research Bodkin Arrow and the second ranged armor for Elite Skirmishers. Knights punish siege and enemy Skirmishers; early Ballistics makes the ranged mass much more reliable against moving units.

Execution

Build timeline

The first row shows new villagers, transfers and task assignments; the figures below are the totals after the step.

Dark Age

Send 6 villagers to sheep

Start+6

Send 2 villagers to wood

New+2

Send 1 villager to boar

New+1

Send 1 vil to hunt under TC

New+1

1 to make a house then mill

New+1

1 to get second boar

New+1

[Recommended] Lure deer with scout once you've found all sheep

Send 6 vils to hunt under TC

New+6

Research loom

Research Feudal Age (perfect landing time: 8:50)

Feudal Age

Move 6 vils from hunt to wood until you have 8 on one lumber camp

Transfer6

Move 4 vils from hunt to berries

Send 2 vils from hunt to make barracks and a house

Task2

Task

Make a stable with 2 villagers and then wall your base with them or send them to wood

Research double bit axe

[Optional] Get horse collar

Vils from TC go to hunt or straggler trees

Make scouts

Start making farms as soon as you can afford them

NOTE: Make the range pretty quickly after spotting the opponent going for archers

Send 2 villagers from TC or stragglers to woodline

Start making skirm

NOTE: You can keep making scouts or cut production, depending on the situation. Keep making farms until about 13-15

Make a blacksmith and get fletching and armor ASAP

When berries run out, send villagers to another woodline and make a 2nd lumber camp

Once you have enough farms, go to gold with 6 villagers and make a mining camp

Get Wheelbarrow

Any New vils go to farms

Treat the order as a stable economic backbone, not a script that overrides scouting. Idle resources, map generation and the opponent's opening should change the transition.