Black Forest (Notice the pathways)
Black Forest is a type of random map in Age of Empires II.
Description
Black Forest is very closed off due to the high volume of trees on the map. A turtle strategy works very well due to the high amount of resources. It is recommended that players trade wood for other needed resources at the market. Black Forest is an easy map to wall, therefore players should take advantage of this and wall early. Often, pathways cut directly through the middle of the map into another player's camp. It is wise to assume control of these passages to prevent other players from destroying the player's base. Because there is so much wood on the map, players should target the gold piles of the enemies as to cripple them. If playing on a team, two players should springboard while the other should rush.
As of Patch 1.0c, Black Forest cannot be picked in Full Random, Blind Random or Land Random.
Civilizations that have advantages in Black Forest:
- Civilizations with good defensive Bonuses : Byzantines, Incas, Koreans, Teutons, Spanish, Chinese, Mayans, etc.
- Civilizations with good late game bonuses: Turks, Byzantines, Teutons, Spanish, Portuguese, Italians, etc.
- Civilizations with good Siege Workshop Units ( considering particularly good Siege Onagers as they can cut trees enabling them to attack from behind): Ethiopians, Celts, Khmer, Koreans, Chinese, Slavs,etc.
- Archer based civilizations: Britons, Mayans, Vietnamese, etc.
Civilizations that may struggle in Black Forest:
- Civilizations reliant on early aggression: Vikings, Aztecs, Goths, Huns, Malians, Malay, Mongols, etc.
Trivia
- Black Forest is one of the most popular random maps in the Age of Empires series.
