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This article is about the technologies in Age of Empires IV. For technologies in other games of the series, see Technology. |
Icon color of technologies
In Age of Empires IV, technologies are means by which the properties of units, buildings, and other civilization aspects are permanently improved. As the player advances in Age, more powerful technologies become available.
Overview[]
Technologies cost a combination of food, wood, gold, and rarely stone to research. The vast majority of technologies cost two types of resources, with one of the resources always being gold. Many technologies are researched at the building related to the technology's area of improvement. For example, food gathering technologies are researched at the Mill, and naval technologies are researched at the Dock. The exceptions to this are technology buildings such as the University and various landmarks such as the Royal Institute or House of Wisdom. These buildings typically unlock and contain technologies that improve a variety of different units. In Age of Empires IV, technologies can specifically be distinguished from other boosts such as abilities and emplacements in that they are only researched a single time, unlike emplacements, and apply their bonus permanently, unlike abilities.
Technology types[]
Officially, technologies are all divided into either military or economic technologies by their coded upgrade type. Military technologies improve the properties of units and buildings, while economic technologies improve the gather rate of workers. Technologies are further described in their UI by additional text such as 'Infantry Technology' or 'Food Gathering Technology' but these descriptions are purely cosmetic. A separate class of military technologies are unit upgrades, which upgrade military units to their next tier. Technologies are divided by type in the list below.
Technology availability[]
Technologies can also be divided into generic and unique technologies. Almost all generic technologies are available to all civilizations, and if they are not, they usually have an improved replacement. Every civilization also has several unique technologies.
The following table highlights generic technologies that are missing from civilizations' tech trees, and their replacements
Civilization bonuses[]
The following civilization bonuses improve either the cost or research time of generic technologies
Abbasid Dynasty:
- Research speeds are +15%/+20% faster while Golden Age tiers 2/3 are active. If Preservation of Knowledge has been researched, technologies cost -20%.
- Siege Engineering is free from the start of the game implicitly
- Ayyubids:
- Research speeds are 25% faster while Golden Age tier 2 is active
- Siege Engineering is free from the start of the game implicitly
- Blacksmith technologies from any Age are granted free and immediately if advancing to that Age with the Master Smiths branch of the Military Wing.
- Byzantines: Research speeds are 30% faster per water level at buildings within the influence of a Cistern with the Dialecticus ability active.
- Chinese and Zhu Xi's Legacy:
- Technologies research 150% faster when their building is supervised by an Imperial Official. For Zhu Xi's Legacy, this can be improved to 300% faster after researching Regional Inspection.
- Dock technologies research 10% faster
- Chemistry is granted for free at the start of the game
- Delhi Sultanate:
- All technologies are free, but take longer to research. Dark Age technologies take 3 times as long to research, Feudal Age technologies 3.5 times as long, Castle Age technologies 5 times as long and finally Imperial Age technologies take 12 times as long
- Dock technologies' research speed can be further increased by 20% for each garrisoned Scholar.
- Other production building technologies' research speed can be further increased by 50% with a garrisoned Scholar
- French
- Economic technologies are 35% cheaper
- Melee Blacksmith technologies are free upon reaching the required Age
- Holy Roman Empire and Order of the Dragon: Blacksmith technologies' cost are reduced and research speed is increased by 50% if researched at the Meinwerk Palace.
- House of Lancaster}: Technologies are 15% cheaper if the King's College landmark has been built.
- Japanese Research speeds are 150% faster at Docks with garrisoned Yorishiro
- Jeanne d'Arc: Economic technologies are 35% cheaper.
- Malians:
- Technologies take less time to research based on how much gold has been obtained through trade
- Veteran unit technologies are researched at half the time and cost
- Mongols: Most technologies have an improved version which can be researched for an additional stone cost equal to the combined total of other resources. They provide an increased benefit compared to the standard versions. If the standard version is researched first, researching the improved version only costs the extra stone and only applies the additional effect.
