Alright, so I’ve been getting absolutely wrecked by Shadow Persians in Age of Empires lately. It’s been driving me nuts! They’re so fast, and those arrows just melt my villagers. So, I decided to buckle down and figure out how to actually counter these things. Here’s what I did, step by step, and it actually worked!
Experimentation Phase
First, I just jumped into a few games and tried different things. I figured, “Let’s see what sticks.”
- Mass Skirmishers: My initial thought was, “Okay, Skirmishers are supposed to counter archers, right?” Wrong. The Shadow Persians just ate them alive. They have this bonus, it turns out, that makes them super strong even against their supposed counters.
- Knights: “Heavy cavalry should crush archers!” Nope. Too slow. The Shadow Persians just kite you around the map, peppering you with arrows until you’re dead. Frustrating!
- Siege: I even tried rams, thinking I could soak up the damage. Also a bad idea. They just get focused down too quickly, and my economy couldn’t keep up with producing enough.
I was getting pretty discouraged at this point. Everything I thought should work, didn’t.
Finding the Weakness
Then, I did some reading online, watched some pro games, and realized something. Shadow Persians are strong, yes, but they’re also expensive. And they’re kind of squishy if you can actually catch them.
I Started to put this into action.
- Camels: I thought to combine Camels and Hussars together. This is where things started to click. Camels have a bonus against cavalry, which Shadow Persians technically are. Plus, they’re faster than Knights, so they can actually chase them down.
- Hussars: Hussars were added to be a cheap, fast unit to raid the enemy’s economy and pick off any stray archers that get separated from the main group, and soak some damage.
Putting it All Together
So, I started building my strategy around a core of Camels and Hussars. Here’s what the final plan looked like:
- Early Game: Survive! Scout well, wall up, and don’t overcommit to early aggression. I focused on getting to the Castle Age quickly and safely.
- Castle Age: Start pumping out Camels from Stables. Don’t trickle them in – get a good mass of them before attacking. Also, get the upgrades! Bloodlines and Husbandry are key. Start adding in a few Hussars for raiding.
- Imperial Age: Keep the pressure on. Add more Stables if needed. If the game goes super late, consider adding some siege of your own (like Bombard Cannons) to deal with castles or defensive structures.
The first few times I tried this, it wasn’t perfect. I still made mistakes, like letting my Camels get caught out of position or not scouting enough. But, I was winning! It was a huge improvement. By focusing on a unit that could actually catch and kill the Shadow Persians, and by playing smart in the early game, I finally found a counter that worked for me.
It’s still not a guaranteed win, of course. A good player can still beat you with Shadow Persians, even if you’re playing the “correct” counter. But now, I feel like I have a fighting chance, and that’s a huge relief!
