BUILD ORDER (assuming you have minimal gifts and don’t know how to float yourself)
1. EMBASSY (lvl1->2 if you’re making an alliance)
2. KNIGHT HALL (allows for the signing of knight and decreased build times.)
3. COTTAGE x 3 (population for fields to run)
4. FARM x 3 (food)
5. SAWMILL x4 (wood)
6. QUARRY x3 (stone)
7. Mine x3 (ore)
8. ALCHEMY LAB x1 ( so you can begin researching)
9. BARACKS x1 (build troops)
10. RALLY POINTx1 (so you can march troops)
11. COTTAGEx3 (population for fields to run)
12. SAWMILLx4->lvl 4 (wood)
13. QUARRY3->lvl 4 (stone)
14. MINE3->lvl 4 (ore)
15. FARM3->lvl 5 (food)
16. CASTLE->lvl 2 (more resource fields)
17. WALL->lvl 1 (so you can upgrade castle)
18. COTTAGEX6->lvl 3 (population for fields to run)
19. QUARYx2->lvl 4 (stone)
20. MINEx1->lvl 4 (ore)
21. WALL->lvl 2 (so you can upgrade castle)
22. CASTLE->lvl 3 (more resource fields)
23. WALL->lvl 3 (so you can upgrade castle)
24. CASTLE->lvl 4 (more resource fields)
25. MINESX6->lvl 4 (ore for troops)
26. BARRACKSX13->lvl 1 (1 barracks decreases the training time of unites more than 10 lvls)
27. IN BARACKS (BUILD: 500 supply troops and 350 archers so you can barb lvl 1 ASAP!!!!!)
28. ALL FIELDS LVL 5 (MAKE SURE YOUR FIELDS ARE ATLEAST 1 LVL HIGHER THEN YOUR CASTLE)
This is your standard build order that will allow you to progress quickly. Accept quests as you need the materials. If you have gifts a lot of things can be skipped. IE. Farms and sawmills. Make mines instead. You will get all the food and wood you need from hitting barbarian camps. Use archers till you have unlocked the research for cavalry. (The sooner you get cav the better they are 4 times faster than archers at barbing) just continue to update stuff and add what you need as you go. If you barb and fallow this guide you should never run to low on resources. Save up quests if you are not using them and accept them when you build your second city.
As soon as you can start your second city and repeat build order. This will allow you to grow X2 as fast.