Age of Darkness: Final Stand may initially appear to have a straightforward economy compared to other real-time strategy games. However, you’ll soon find that without careful management of your resources and protection of your outposts, your expansion and production can stall quickly.
Each Survival match will offer a unique experience, but establishing a solid build order can help you advance through tech tiers at a faster pace and improve your odds against tougher waves. Consider using the following strategy on your next attempt.
Getting Started: What to Build First
Your first objective is to secure Wood and Stone production. When the game begins, send your Hero and starting units to scout around your Keep. They don’t need to roam too far but should explore the area to identify resource nodes and potential chokepoints for future construction.
While your units are exploring, use your starting funds to build a Dwelling. This will increase your Villager count and provide some additional Gold income. Once it’s complete, gather 300 Gold to construct a Lumber Yard, which will produce at least 16 Wood per cycle.
Tip: Maximizing the number of trees around your Lumber Yard will enhance its Wood production.
After you’ve set up Wood production, continue exploring and eliminate nearby Nightmares until you have gathered at least 30 Wood. Use this to build a Quarry. Look for a sizable Stone deposit nearby, preferably close to your Lumber Yard, so you can later upgrade both with a Storehouse.
Warning: Don’t hesitate to build your Quarry just because you’re waiting for the best Stone deposit. It’s better to start production and then add more Quarries later.
Efficient Food Production
Once your Quarry is ready, construct three additional Dwellings, making sure to leave ample space for future Farms, Warehouses, and other buildings. When all three Dwellings are operational, you’ll have enough population space to set up a Wood Workshop, which is essential for upgrades.
Instead of opting for Food Huts, focus on researching Farms at the Wood Workshop and build one as soon as you finish the research. Farms are more effective, and since Food Huts can’t be upgraded directly, it’s smarter to prioritize Farms.
With an increased food supply, research Lodges and start upgrading your Dwellings. While these upgrades are underway, also set up a Training Hall along with a second Lumber Yard and Quarry.
From this point, continue building Lodges and Farms as needed to expand your population and food resources.
Warning: Farms generate less food if buildings are constructed over their fields, so provide them with adequate space.
Growth and Expansion
With a Training Hall established, you can now add troops to your army and replenish any losses incurred during your exploration. Aim to have two to four extra Archers ready to garrison in towers for the upcoming Death Night.
As your troops train, build a Storehouse to boost your resource storage capacity. Advanced buildings require more storage space than you can have without a Storehouse, making its construction vital. Keep in mind that Storehouses also enhance the production rates of nearby resource structures.
If you collect 15 Iron from Points of Interest, construct a Watchtower next to your Keep. When the first Dark Crystal appears, it will reveal the path for the Nightmare Swarm, which will help you position your defenses and army effectively.
Tip: The first wave will consist of 140 Crawlers, so as long as you engage them at a chokepoint supported by walls and a tower, you should manage just fine.
After the initial Death Night, your next focus should be on securing a source of Iron. This will require some exploration into Veil territory, as quality deposits can be scarce. If you discover a vein spanning six or more tiles, prioritize securing it and establish a Quarry over it.
Night Patrols
While searching for an iron source, upgrade your defenses at the Wood Workshop and station a couple of soldiers near the Keep to act as a "night patrol." Wandering Nightmares often attack defenses or outer structures at night, so a patrol can effectively handle them without calling back your main army. This will help avoid unnecessary repairs or rebuilding, which can significantly slow your progress.
Reaching Higher Tiers
Once you have access to Iron, concentrate on expanding your population by increasing usable farmland and constructing Lodges until you can research and create the Refined Workshop. You’ll also need to build a second Storehouse to facilitate efficient building, especially for items like the Fishing Port when opportunities arise.
After finishing the Refined Workshop, upgrade your Farms and Lodges as before to develop Refined Farms and Houses. At this stage, it’s crucial to balance your focus between defense and expansion. Your next goal should be to build a Treasury close to your Houses to enhance your income and Gold capacity, followed by a Siege Factory.
Note: The Siege Factory requires 40 workers, so you may need to construct more Houses before it can be established.
Ideally, you want your Siege Factory up and running well ahead of the third Death Night as Crushers will start appearing then. If you don’t prepare, these massive Nightmares can easily breach your defenses. Therefore, having Impalers and Grand Ballista Towers will be essential to take down these foes before they reach your Keep.
Once you start producing Siege Weapons, keep pushing to expand as much as possible, even if it feels unnecessary. The Nightmare hordes will grow larger, so a larger army and stronger defenses will be imperative for survival.
