Spirit of the Law just released a video roughly confirming my numbers; however, his variance was quite high (14–37% depending on how optimally farms were placed). I’d argue that farms are generally quite optimally placed in the early game. Unfortunately, he performed only a “5-minute test” without clearly detailing precisely how reseeding times were factored in, which significantly affects the results when not carefully considered.
(Source: Spirit of the Law, 2025. [https://youtu.be/wA41HwJh4Yc?si=ZgdzDvH7inj34a7f&t=525])
His proposed changes include removing the 10% additional herder food collection bonus from the Khitans while humorously suggesting a reduction in herd animal sound volume and frequency.
My recommendation to the developers is simply to implement precisely this nerf initially, then assess the outcomes. As Forgotten Empires themselves advocate:
“Iteration first — Agile production methods, to assure speed of iteration over cumbersome processes. Iteration is what makes a game great.”
And additionally:
“Quality First — Delivering quality, on-time and on-budget.”
It has been over a month since we have felt the Khitans are imbalanced. Likewise, it’s been over a month since we recognized significant issues with our most beloved map (Arabia) and core unit mechanics (such as Cho-Ku-Nu and Kipchaks). Let’s adhere strictly to the principles of quality and iteration: Schedule that scrum meeting and push these essential fixes forward!
(Source: Forgotten Empires, “What We Do,” 2025. [What We Do | Forgotten Empires])
Additional sources:
- Arabia Out of Sync issues: Age of Empires Forums
- Multiple projectile mechanics broken: Age of Empires Forums
Edit: That didn’t age well - Khitan nerf dropped 15 mins after my post! Great news!