Art of War

This article is about the game mode in Age of Empires IV. For other uses, see The Art of War.

Art of War is a campaign in Age of Empires IV. It is a series of short scenarios that serve as challenges to test the player's skills in using more advanced strategies such as booming, rushing, and turtling, while also expanding on game mechanics such as unit counters and battle formations.

The name is taken from The Art of War, an ancient Chinese military treatise written by Sun Tzu during the 5th century BC which explains the various aspects of warfare and its application to military tactics and strategies. The Art of War is a very influential work for over one and a half millennia since it was written; countless military leaders and thinkers took inspiration from the text, and some of its contents are even applied to civilian fields such as business, lifestyle, and more.

Scenarios

In the training scenarios, the player will obtain a medal (gold, silver, or bronze) depending on how fast they could complete the scenario or based on the number of units they lose. In the Ottomans and Malians scenarios, the obtained medal depends on survival time and gathered gold, respectively.

The player plays as various civilizations in each scenario, and the player color is always blue.

Scenario	Civilization	Objective	Gold	Silver	Bronze
Training
Early Economy	English	Prepare to advance to the Feudal Age	5m 10s	6m 0s	7m 30s
Late Economy	Rus	Build a booming economy	10m 30s	15m 30s	19m 30s
Basic Combat	Holy Roman Empire	Defend your camp against the enemy attacks	15 units lost	20 units lost	35 units lost
Early Siege	Mongols		6m 0s	10m 0s	20m 0s
Late Siege	Delhi Sultanate		6m 0s	9m 0s	15m 0s
Advanced Combat	Holy Roman Empire		15 units lost	30 units lost	40 units lost
Civilization
Ottomans	Ottomans		21m 0s	15m 0s	10m 0s
Malians	Malians		7000 gold	4500 gold	3000 gold