Players have eight choices when it comes to choosing a civilization in Age of Empires 4. The Delhi Sultanate is one such faction, perfect for players who enjoy biding their time and erecting impenetrable defenses. Although the learning curve may seem steep at first, playing as the Delhi Sultanate is highly satisfying once mastered.
Fans who are patient enough to harness this civilization's technological prowess will be richly rewarded by the latter stages of a match. Of course, the Delhi Sultanate comes with its share of weaknesses too, so it's important to remember how to utilize its strengths in the best manner possible.
An Overview Of The Delhi Sultanate
The Delhi Sultanate's main strength is derived from their technological acumen. Upgrades are extremely important in Age of Empires 4. The Delhi Sultanate has a significant leg up over other factions in technological advancement. They can purchase upgrades for free at the cost of a longer research time.
However, longer research times can be overcome by one of the Sultanate's unique units: the Scholar. Furthermore, their military has the potential to become quite potent. An army of War Elephants is a terrifying sight to behold on the battlefield. Reinforced with valuable tech, India's military forces are difficult to counter.
Delhi Sultanate Civilization Bonuses
Like the other factions in the game, the Delhi Sultanate boasts a collection of Civilization Bonuses that make them unique. Harnessing the power of these boons is critical for achieving a successful match result. They include:
- Gather from Berry Bushes +25% faster but cannot gather from Boar
- Scholar available in the Dark Age
- All technology is free but completes at a much slower rate. Scholars accelerate research speed
- Infantry units able to construct defenses
- Fishing Ships equipped with an Archer
The fact that infantry units are capable of constructing defenses on their own frees up valuable Villagers to perform other tasks. The Scholar can be produced right off the bat in the Dark Age, which is useful for relic-collecting and stimulating research. Fishing Ships, in addition to Archer protection, have access to the Patchwork Repairs upgrade, which increases their repair rate by +100%.
Unique Delhi Sultanate Units
- Scholar
- War Elephant
- Tower War Elephant
Although not a military unit, the Scholar forms the backbone of the faction. The Delhi Sultanate derives its strength from upgrades, so ensuring there are plenty of Scholars to facilitate that research promptly is vital. They should be produced early and often to guarantee a steady stream of upgrades.
Both varieties of War Elephants form the crux of the Sultanate's military. The War Elephant is aggressive, powerful, and sturdy. Their high reserves of health make them difficult to kill. They're best employed against enemy cavalry and fortifications. The Tower War Elephant, though less durable, provides some much-needed ranged attack capabilities.
Unique Delhi Sultanate Technologies & Abilities
- Scholar Influence
- Efficient Production
- Sanctity
- All-Seeing Eye
- Swiftness
- Zeal
- Reinforced Foundations
- Tranquil Venue
Under Scholar Influence, the research rate of buildings within the influence of a Mosque or a Madrasa is increased by 12.5% for each garrisoned Scholar in all Mosques and Madrasas. Efficient Production allows Scholars to garrison in military buildings, boosting production speed by 100%. Sanctity allows Scholars to capture Sacred Sites before the Castle Age, while Sacred Sites themselves generate +100% more Gold.
All-Seeing Eye increases the sight range of Scholars by +100%. Swiftness increases the movement speed of Scholars by +50%. With Zeal, units healed by Scholars gain +50% attack speed for 3 seconds. With Reinforced Foundations, Houses and Town Centers gain an additional +5 maximum Population. Regarding Tranquil Venue, Mosques restore +1 health to nearby friendly units every second.
- Lookout Towers
- Honed Blades
- Hearty Rations
- Armored Beasts
- Siege Elephant
- Village Fortresses
- Slow-Burning Defenses
- Forced March
Lookout Towers increase the sight range of Outposts by 50%. Honed Blades increase the melee damage of Men-at-Arms and Knights by +3. Hearty Rations increase the carrying capacity of Villagers by +5. Armored Beasts grants +2 armor to War Elephants and Tower War Elephants.
Meanwhile, Siege Elephant upgrades Tower War Elephants to have Elite Crossbowmen as riders instead of Archers. With Village Fortresses, Keeps act as Town Centers, including unit production, population capacity, and technology. Slow-Burning Defenses increase the fire armor of Stone Wall Towers, Keeps, and Outposts by +10. Finally, Forced March makes infantry move +100% faster for 10 seconds.
Delhi Sultanate Landmarks
- Dome of the Faith (Feudal Age, Religious) – Produce Scholars at -50% cost from the Landmark.
- Tower of Victory (Feudal Age, Military) – Melee and ranged infantry who move near this Landmark permanently gain about +15% attack speed.
- House of Learning (Castle Age, Technology) – Grants no immediate bonus other than advancing to the next Age, but contains many unique economic and religious upgrades.
- Compound of the Defender (Castle Age, Defensive) – Infantry units can build Stone Walls, Gates, and Towers. Reduces Stone cost of buildings and their emplacements by 25%.
- Hisar Academy (Imperial Age, Technology) – Constantly generates Food based on the total number of technologies researched.
- Palace of the Sultan (Imperial Age, Religious) – Automatically produces Tower War Elephants. Garrison up to 4 Scholars in the Landmark to increase production speed.
Tips For Playing As The Delhi Sultanate
The need to produce an abundance of Scholars cannot be stressed enough. In particular, the Efficient Production upgrade proves doubly useful by allowing Scholars to be garrisoned inside military buildings to increase their production speed. With the proper use of Scholars, an army can be recruited quickly.
The Palace of the Sultan Landmark is recommended in the Imperial Age since it produces a steady stream of Tower War Elephants. With some aggressive defensive measures in the early game, the Delhi Sultanate will be able to thrive in the late game with its vast collection of upgrades and strengthened military forces.
Age of Empires 4 is currently available on PC.