Age II has 4x less upkeep, as well as a lack of refuge, meaning its not necessary to keep large reserves of food to maintain an army. Age I has much quicker build times, meaning alot more troops can be built in a short amount of time. This alone separates the ages in their style of play.
Age II has a longer, more drawn out style of waging war. There are longer rebuild periods, but also the ability to maintain more troops due to having less of a restrictor (and if you're a coiner, no restrictor) on building these troops, other than the time it'd take.
Age I has a shorter, but more frequent style of war. The shorter build times are countered by the obligation to actually feed those troops, so maintaining large amounts of troops can be tough for the average player, but in short bursts, a very large amount of troops can be built and used.
All this being said, it all falls to the individual player on what they want, and can handle. The same players that dominate Age I due to their knowledge can also dominate Age II, and vice versa. A good player isn't determined by which Age they play in evony, but how diligent they are in the game, taking the time to learn mechanics, and understand the flow of the game.
NA24: CELTS - Retired
NA33: INSOMNIA - Retired
NA43: Relapse
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