British

## Introduction

The British are a well-rounded civilization with a powerful early-mid game eco. They can leverage their economy to muscle their way onto the hill between 7-10 mins into the game with heavy musks or a more versatile musk/huss strategy. Longbowmen, while seemingly suitable as a stationary skirmisher unit, often require some form of protection in the form of walls, pikemen or musketeers to be an effective force on the hill. As the match progresses into the later stages, the British naturally transition into one of the most potent musk/arty civs with rockets and redcoats both being strong units for their class. For this reason, they are a good starting civ for newcomers to the game mode.

## Strengths and Weaknesses

### Strengths

* Their economy is among the fastest growing in the game.
* With upgrades, their musketeers are the most efficient and powerful muskets in the game.

### Weaknesses

* Because their economy's strength is in the number of villagers it has (as opposed to the dutch with banks, or the Inca with Kancha Houses), and the general food-hungry nature of the civ. The British require a map with large amounts of hunts otherwise they can be stuck in an awkward transition to mills in the late game.
* To be effective, Longbowmen must be stationary, making them very vulnerable to any kind of melee attack or artillery. Given the mobility needed to be effective in KOTH and their inability to effectively kite, Longbows are much less effective than other skirmishers in the game mode.
* Given that their strategies are quite linear, the British are often predictable opponents.

## Strategic Insight

For the first several minutes of the game, any British player should be focused on their economy. The stronger a foundation they build, the more easily they will be able to pump out large armies later in the game. Being that your base isn't going to be rushed in the early part of the game, consider an economic strategy revolving around Fulling Mills or Virginia Company. While this might put you behind in the early contest of the hill, it will make you much more of a force as the game continues.

In general, it would be foolish to forgo producing Musketeers, as their cost-effectiveness early is a distinguishing factor compared to other civs. Musks should serve as the backbone to most British armies. Consider supplementing your musks with hussars early if your opponents are focusing heavy on skirmishers. As the game continues, artillery is a much more effective counter to skirmishers, and musketeers pair well with artillery, as musketeers are a solid anti-cav unit in melee.

"*While it is certainly viable to go for an early Musketeer rush, generally speaking, other civilizations have much stronger rushes in KOTH. This could somewhat hamper a British player's mid-game economy. It's definitely recommended to have a force of Musketeers to contest the hill at any point in the game (including early), however it is not recommended to over-invest in a big rush.*" - [KOTH clan - Wo1olo]

"*Try sending factories to your forward base and have them produce rockets. Getting 2 free rockets every minute or so is a huge boon to musk/arty strategies.*" - [KOTH clan - Eadrielas]

## Basic Strategies

### Musk/Huss

A classic Age of Empires 3 composition. Balanced, and costing only food and coin. Because British Muskets and Hussars are particularly strong, this is the most sensible strategy for a Brit player, even in King of the Hill. No matter what the meta, this is a viable strategy, making the British relevant all the time.

Recommended cards vary based on player preference. Editors are free to include their recommendations here.

### Musk/Artillery

Given the popularity of skirmisher/kiting strategies in KOTH, Musk/Artillery is a powerful British response. With their robust economy, it is easy to field huge armies of musketeers and several pieces of artillery by the Industrial Age. Artillery is highly effective at tearing up ranged infantry, while musketeers can beat back cavalry and melee infantry. Despite being countered by skirmishers, well-upgraded British Musketeers can hold their own remarkably well when backed up by artillery.

Recommended cards vary based on player preference. Editors are free to include their recommendations here.

## Other Builds

### Grenadiers

While an off-meta choice, British Grenadiers get special upgrades (that come alongside some of the Musketeer ones) which can turn them into a difficult unit to destroy. Grenadiers are particularly adept at resisting artillery and dealing large amounts of area-of-effect (AOE) damage to massed infantry. Because KOTH games often involve large masses of infantry, Grenadiers can prove highly effective when mixed into a larger group of Musketeers.

Part of the reason this is not a meta strategy is because Grenadiers are very expensive (120 food and 60 coin), and extremely vulnerable to cavalry and shock infantry. They're hard to mass, and also vulnerable to skirmishers, since Grenadiers have the 'heavy infantry' tag and are significantly outranged. Further, they do require some extra card and research investment, even though a few of the cards affect Musketeers as well.

Recommended cards include: "Musketeer/Grenadier Damage", "TEAM Musketeer/Grenadier Hitpoints", "Musketeer/Grenadier Combat", "Improved Grenades", along with "5 Grenadiers" and "7 Grenadiers". It's worthwhile to get the arsenal upgrade for grenadiers as well.