The Aztecs are another great early game civilization that generally wins its games in the blink of an eye. They win most of their games in the early mid-game when they can fully benefit from their longer lasting resources and amazingly cost-efficient Plumed Archer unique unit. Their early game is excellent thanks to their superior scout, the Eagle Warriorand they can get to work faster thanks to an extra starting villager. Their Camel Archer unit is among the best ranged mounted units as well, with excellent strength and accuracy, and it benefits from the Maghrabi Camels tech which grants Berber camel units a regenerative ability. Their villagers gather food faster from sheep, and their Town Centers are cheaper than usual, which helps their economy and gives them the possibility of expanding in the mid-game much faster. Their unique unit is the Longbowman which can out-range virtually every other unit in the game as well as towers and castles once fully upgraded.
Their archery ranges produce units considerably faster than the average civilization, and their archers in general have a longer range. The first entry in our list happens to be the Britons, a classic civilization with a focus on archery for their military strategies. Some may do better on certain maps, some benefit from 1v1 settings or are good in team games, and the list of variables goes on making it hard to make a simple ranking. With the HD version came several new civilizations to control and develop into bustling empires, complicating the ever-controversial question of which civilization is the best. And very few games have been played for such a long time as Age of Empires II, arguably the most beloved installment in the series.