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This article is about the building in Age of Empires II. For the building in other games of the series, see Farm. |
| “ | A renewable source of food. Provides a limited amount of food before it goes fallow and must be rebuilt. | ” |
| —Age of Empires II description | ||
The Farm is an economic building in Age of Empires II. It provides 175 food. With all farming upgrades researched, a Farm provides 550 food in the Imperial Age.
Tactics and placement
Farms may only be gathered from by one Villager at a time. Farms are very weak and do not hinder movements of friendly or enemy troops. An enemy Villager can take over a Farm and begin harvesting it simply by right clicking it. Farms can be automatically reseeded if they are queued in the Mill.
Ideally, eight Farms should be built around Town Centers and Mills like this
Farms should always be placed right next to Town Centers or Mills in order to keep the walking distances of the Villagers as short as possible. Villagers mostly walk around on the left side of a Farm, therefore placing Farms to the right side of the Town Center or Mill first is slightly more efficient, as it reduces walking time.
Farms that are built before upgrades (e.g. Horse Collar) are researched do not gain the food bonus. If the research is completed while a Farm is being built, the food bonus applies to that Farm.
Comparison to the Fish Trap
Farmers gather relatively faster from Farms than Fishing Ships gather from Fish Traps, however up until the late Imperial Age they are less effective cost-wise (also considering that Fishing Ships themselves cost wood). The actual gathering speed between them may vary due to traffic between gatherers and actual Farm/Fish Trap placement.
| Building | Overall food provided | Food generated per wood |
|---|---|---|
| Farm | 175 | 2.92 |
| Farm + Horse Collar | 250 | 4.17 |
| Farm + Heavy Plow | 375 | 6.25 |
| Farm + Crop Rotation | 550 | 9.17 |
| Fish Trap | 715 | 7.15 |
| Fish Trap + Fishing Ship | 715 | 4.09 |
Further statistics
| Building strengths and weaknesses | |
|---|---|
| Strong vs. | Nothing |
| Weak vs. | Everything |
| Upgrades | |
| Food Quantity |  Horse Collar (+75) Heavy Plow (+125) Crop Rotation (+175)
|
| Construction speed |  Treadmill Crane (+20%)
|
Civilization bonuses
- Byzantines: Farms have +10%/+20%/+30%/+40% HP in the Dark/Feudal/Castle/Imperial Age.
- Chinese: Technologies that benefit Farms are 10%/15%/20% cheaper in the Feudal/Castle/Imperial Age.
- Franks: Horse Collar, Heavy Plow, and Crop Rotation are free.
- Japanese: Mills are 50% cheaper.
- Khmer: Farms don't require a Mill.
- Mayans: The food on Farms lasts 15% longer.
- Slavs: Farmers work 15% faster.
- Spanish: Farms are built 30% faster.
- Teutons: Farms are 33% cheaper.
Team bonuses
- A team containing Chinese: Farms provide +45 food.
- A team containing Incas: Farms are built 100% faster.
Changelog
The Conquerors
- Mayans: The food on Farms lasts 20% longer.
The Forgotten
- Mayans: The food on Farms now lasts 15% longer.
The African Kingdoms
- Malians: Initially, Farms are 15% cheaper. With patch 4.8, the wood bonus no longer applies to Farms.
Rise of the Rajas
- Farms built on the mangrove shallow automatically become Rice Farms, which have identical stats.
Trivia
- The default Farm appears to be growing potato. However, this is appropriate only for the Incas and anachronistic for the other civilizations as potatoes were only introduced to Europe in late 16th century and became widespread around the 18th century.
History
| “ | The technology of farming was carried forward into the Middle Ages and improved. Northern European soils were often rich glacial deposits hidden under dense forests. Over the course of the Middle Ages, much of this land was cleared and converted into farms. Key technology improvements in farming were the improved horse harness, the heavy plow, and crop rotation. The new horse harness did not choke the animal and increased pulling power. The heavy plow could cut into the dense soils. Farms in Europe were largely communal affairs where each family received the produce of several rows in the field. The production of some rows went directly to the local lord as his rent. | ” |
Gallery
Template:Buildings AoE2