In Age of Empires 3, players would be wise to avoid the French stereotype of constantly surrendering, regardless of how funny they might find the jokes. The French are not to be messed with and are considered by many pro players to be overpowered. History gives its students many instances of French prowess and their full might is on display in this game.
Most typical players can read the guide and figure out a thing or two about how to compete with France, but here are some tips from the pros who have mastered the game to ensure the very highest win probability.
10 Avoid The Coast
While brushing up on some tips and tricks for grand strategy games like Age of Empires 3, one might see the ocean as a vast, untapped wealth and think, "Hey, oceans mean resources and the ability to travel! Let's farm up by the coast!"
This is a huge mistake for the French. Their naval units actually take up more space and cost more resources without any particular advantage or specialty. It is alright to do a little bit of ocean exploration, but never fully invest in a navy or build next to the coast if it can be avoided.
9 Go All In On The Coureur Des Bois
This villager is the single key to French victory and any strategy that does not utilize it should be met with extreme skepticism. The Coureur des Bois is about 20% more expensive to make and it takes 16% longer to make, but it is an improvement over every other civilization's villagers in gathering speed (a boost of 25%).
The earlier the better on these. The cap of 80 for everyone means the French will be producing like they have 100 settlers and getting to that maximum value should be a priority. This income will drastically change the opponent's idea of French leadership after their humiliating defeat.
8 Protect Villagers
The Coureur des Bois is a bit stronger than other nation's settlers, but it is imperative to keep them alive. Any empire that hopes to defeat France will be focused on killed France's settlers, putting France into a war of attrition that it cannot statistically win.
Using them in a pinch is fine, just make sure not to lose any. Military units can be replaced wholesale, these little guys are just plain too expensive. Focus on defense until these villagers are fully protected before flipping over to the aggressive portion of the game.
7 Creating An Ideal Defense
Some people will love Age of Empires 3 and others will hate it, as is the difficult nature with all Grand Strategy RTS games, but one way to hate the game for sure is to fail on defense, especially for the French who rely on their gatherers to work in peace.
Having been gifted a Scout at the beginning of the game, French players should let that unit do the risky business and focus all other resources on defense. Make a ton of musketeers as soon as possible and then be ready to turn this stout defense into a blistering offense.
6 Rush Musketeers
Thanks to that gathering bonus, France will usually be able to amount a significant force of musketeers before the Discovery Age is over. The French have a tight window for being aggressive early before buckling down afterward but do not mistake a tight window for bad strategy.
Age of Empires 3: Definitive Edition introduced many upgrades, but none of them gave any civilization the ability to deal with this French advantage. Pick out a slower opponent or two (especially one that can be tough to deal with later) and overwhelm them.
5 Know Who To Avoid Early
So now it's time to think of a good target for those Musketeers. Other empires can build Musketeers as well and have even greater advantages at getting them out earlier and faster, so French players should not start an early fight with the British or the Portuguese for this reason.
And keep in mind that the game is happening in real-time; Age of Empires 3 is not another terrible turn-based strategy game. That means the Dutch and India are going to build their Skirmishers to counter without having to wait around, so these empires should be left alone.
4 Don't Be Tempted Midgame
Because of their early advantage, French players often imagine that knocking off a couple of opponents means they should press their advantage. And that's exactly where most French players lose, in the quagmire of the middle game.
This is not a European open-world adventure game, this is survival. The French Cuirassier is only the third strongest cavalry unit in the game, despite it being a special unit, and it is countered by a lot of other units in the time period. Stick to defense and let the extra resources pile up.
3 Countering Germany
When asked about French Empire weaknesses, one can read through lists of detailed issues, but sticking with these tips will avoid most of these potential issues. Yet there is a single word for countering the French that should strike fear into the player: Germany.
The German Doppelsoldner absolutely wrecks the Cuirasseur and does enough damage to counter any ranged backup that might try to help. The real advantage is to stay a step ahead with resources. If Germany builds its first Doppelsoldner, French players should be ready with five of their own artillery units to defend. And keep cranking them out until the window of opportunity passes.
2 Buy The Ronin
The Ronin are the mercenary equivalent of the German Doppelsoldner. Non-German opponents will try to buy them out to send against France and, heck, even German players might buy them out just to have too much of a good thing.
The French generally don't need mercenaries, but they definitely don't need enemies that can take them out. Target the Ronin and buy them out first. Think of it as an investment in self-preservation.
1 Cruise To Late Victory
Online multiplayer games are already hard enough to win and Age of Empires 3 is no exception, even as the mighty French. If the gamer is following these tips, flying under the radar, and making some key alliances with the natives, there will be a point where opponents will simply concede.
Due to the progressive nature of the resources, French players will win if no one engages them. Even in later eras, without specialized units, the French can harvest so many resources that their army is unstoppable. Keep stocking up and, when feeling good, go ahead and instantly build an entire army to wipe out the competition.