Atlantean Civilization

Atlantean Civilization

The Atlanteans in Age of Mythology: Retold offer a distinct and engaging playstyle, centered around powerful heroes, a streamlined economy, and formidable myth units. Unlike other civilizations that rely on dedicated villagers for resource collection, Atlanteans automatically gather resources from their settlements, significantly reducing the need for constant micro-management of their economy. This allows players to focus more on military strategy and unit deployment, making them a formidable force in both early and late game scenarios.

Economic Advantages and Unique Mechanics

The Atlantean economy is arguably one of the most unique and powerful in Age of Mythology: Retold, providing a significant strategic advantage through its hands-off approach to resource gathering and innovative Favor generation.

• Automatic Resource Gathering: Atlantean settlements automatically generate all three primary resources (Food, Wood, Gold) without requiring dedicated gatherers. This unique mechanic frees up population slots and player attention, making their early game particularly strong and less susceptible to economic raids. Each Town Center acts as a resource hub, steadily producing resources based on its age and upgrades. This means You can focus on military production and map control without the constant need to reassign villagers or worry about resource depletion.
• Favor Generation: Atlanteans gain Favor by constructing additional Town Centers and advancing through the ages. This encourages aggressive expansion and strategic placement of these vital buildings. Unlike other civilizations that rely on specific units (e.g., Greek priests) or buildings (e.g., Egyptian monuments) for Favor, the Atlantean method scales directly with their territorial control and technological progress. This makes early Town Center rushes a viable and powerful strategy.
• Less Micro-Intensive Economy: Compared to civilizations like the Egyptians, who must constantly manage numerous villagers and their placement at resource nodes, or the Greeks, who rely on temples for steady Favor generation, the Atlantean economy is remarkably hands-off. This allows players to concentrate on military engagements, hero management, and myth unit production, giving them a distinct advantage in terms of attention economy.
• Citizen Units: While not traditional villagers, Atlantean Citizens are unique. They are slower and more expensive than other civilizations' villagers but possess significantly more health and armor. Crucially, they can build structures much faster than other villagers, making rapid expansion and fortification a key Atlantean strength. They also have a small attack, making them slightly more resilient to early raids.

Heroic Units and Versatility

A cornerstone of the Atlantean civilization is their unparalleled ability to transform standard human units into powerful heroes. This provides immense flexibility and adaptability on the battlefield, allowing players to counter specific threats on the fly.

• Heroic Upgrades: Most Atlantean human units, such as the Murmillo (a strong infantry unit) and the Turma (a fast, ranged cavalry unit), can be upgraded into heroes at any time by clicking a button on the unit's command card. These hero versions gain increased attack, health, and a significant bonus against myth units, making them invaluable for countering enemy mythical creatures and holding defensive lines. This contrasts sharply with other civilizations that have a limited number of dedicated heroes, often requiring specific buildings or conditions to train. Atlantean heroes are also excellent at gathering relics.
• Promethean: While not a human hero, the Promethean is an iconic Atlantean myth unit. These fiery, golem-like creatures are powerful melee combatants that, upon death, split into two smaller, weaker Prometheans. This unique ability makes them incredibly resilient and effective at tying up enemy forces, providing excellent value for their cost. They are particularly effective against massed infantry and can absorb a lot of damage, making them ideal frontline units.
• Arcus: The Arcus is a potent ranged unit, similar to archers from other civilizations, but with the added benefit of being upgradeable to a hero. Their ranged attacks make them excellent for supporting melee units and taking down flying myth units like Rocs or Pegasus. As heroes, they gain bonus damage against myth units, making them a versatile counter to a wide range of threats. Their mobility also allows for effective hit-and-run tactics.
• Contarius: These heavy cavalry units are the Atlantean equivalent of Hippikons or Chariots. They boast high attack and health, making them excellent for flanking maneuvers and disrupting enemy formations. When upgraded to heroes, Contarius become exceptionally strong shock cavalry, capable of dealing significant damage and absorbing punishment, especially against myth units. They are a core component of many Atlantean army compositions.
• Murmillo: The Atlantean heavy infantry, the Murmillo, is a robust unit with good armor and attack. They are the backbone of the Atlantean ground forces. When upgraded to a hero, the Murmillo becomes a formidable anti-myth unit, capable of going toe-to-toe with many powerful mythical creatures. Their resilience makes them excellent for holding chokepoints or protecting ranged units.
• Turma: A fast, ranged cavalry unit, the Turma is unique to the Atlanteans. They excel at harassing enemy gatherers, raiding exposed economic centers, and providing mobile ranged support. As heroes, they retain their speed and gain bonus damage against myth units, making them excellent for quickly eliminating problematic myth units or chasing down fleeing enemies.

Myth Units and Divine Powers

Atlantean myth units are often characterized by their sheer power, unique abilities, and imposing presence, reflecting the grandeur of their lost civilization. Their divine powers offer a mix of offensive, defensive, and economic advantages.

Major God: Kronos

Kronos, the Titan Lord of Time, grants Atlanteans access to powerful time-bending abilities and unique myth units.

• Myth Units:
  • Promethean: (Already detailed above)
  • Automaton: These mechanical soldiers are resilient and possess a unique self-repair ability, making them highly cost-effective in prolonged engagements. They are particularly effective against other myth units and siege weapons due to their high pierce armor. They are trained at the Temple.
  • Behemoth: These colossal, slow-moving siege units are devastating against buildings and groups of units. Their immense health pool makes them difficult to destroy, and their area-of-effect attacks can decimate enemy formations. Behemoths are trained at the Fortress and are excellent for breaking through fortified positions.
• God Powers:
  • Shift Time: This unique power allows Kronos players to instantly teleport a building (excluding Town Centers and Wonders) to any explored area of the map. This can be used offensively to move a Fortress to the enemy's doorstep or defensively to relocate a key economic building out of harm's way. It's a powerful tool for strategic flexibility.
  • Deconstruct: A devastating offensive power that instantly destroys a targeted enemy building, dealing splash damage to nearby units and structures. Ideal for eliminating critical enemy infrastructure like Fortresses, Temples, or even Wonders.
  • Chaos: Causes enemy human units in a targeted area to attack each other for a short duration, creating confusion and weakening their forces. Excellent for disrupting large enemy armies or turning the tide of a battle.

Major God: Oranos

Oranos, the Primordial God of the Sky, bestows Atlanteans with powers related to speed, flight, and celestial influence.

• Myth Units:
  • Promethean: (Already detailed above)
  • Man O' War: A powerful naval myth unit that can summon lightning storms, dealing area-of-effect damage to enemy ships and coastal units. Essential for naval dominance.
  • Caladria: A flying myth unit that can heal friendly units. Caladrias are invaluable for sustaining armies in long engagements and can quickly turn the tide of battle by keeping key units alive.
• God Powers:
  • Shockwave: Creates a powerful shockwave that pushes back and damages enemy units in a targeted area. Excellent for disrupting enemy formations, creating space, or protecting your units from melee threats.
  • Rain: Increases the gathering rate of farms in a targeted area, providing a temporary economic boost. Useful for accelerating resource income during critical phases of the game.
  • Ceasefire: Temporarily halts all combat for a short duration, allowing players to regroup, reinforce, or escape from a losing battle. A powerful defensive and strategic tool.

Major God: Gaia

Gaia, the Earth Mother, grants Atlanteans powers focused on growth, protection, and natural resilience.

• Myth Units:
  • Promethean: (Already detailed above)
  • Lampades: These elusive female myth units can convert enemy units to their side, offering a powerful crowd-control and economic disruption tool. Their conversion ability is particularly effective against expensive units or myth units.
  • Argus: A unique myth unit with multiple eyes, granting it a wide line of sight and a powerful gaze attack that deals bonus damage to buildings. Argus is excellent for scouting and siege operations.
• God Powers:
  • Forest of Gaia: Instantly grows a dense forest in a targeted area, blocking paths and providing cover. Can be used defensively to wall off areas or offensively to trap enemy units.
  • Gaia's Lush: Creates an area around your Town Centers where enemy buildings cannot be constructed, providing a protective zone for your economy. This prevents forward bases and tower rushes.
  • Hesperides Tree: Summons a magical tree that constantly generates free Dryads, which are weak but numerous melee units. This provides a steady stream of free units for defense or harassment.

Strategic Considerations

Playing as the Atlanteans requires a balance of early expansion, hero management, and strategic myth unit deployment. Their unique mechanics reward aggressive play and adaptability.

• Early Game:
  • Rapid Expansion: Prioritize building additional Town Centers quickly to boost Favor generation and resource income. Utilize your automatically gathering settlements to build up a strong economy without much micromanagement. Aim for 2-3 Town Centers by the Classical Age.
  • Citizen Management: While Citizens gather automatically, remember they are excellent builders. Use them to rapidly construct new Town Centers, military buildings, and defensive structures.
  • Scouting: Use your starting Citizen or a trained scout to explore the map and identify good locations for future Town Centers and potential enemy threats.
• Mid Game:
  • Hero Production: Start upgrading key human units into heroes to counter enemy myth units and provide a strong backbone for your army. Murmillo and Contarius heroes are excellent for frontline combat, while Arcus heroes provide crucial ranged anti-myth support.
  • Promethean Pressure: Prometheans are excellent for pushing objectives, absorbing damage, and tying up enemy forces. Their splitting ability makes them incredibly resilient. Use them to lead your assaults.
  • Fortress Placement: Strategically place Fortresses to defend key areas or to project power towards the enemy. Fortresses train powerful myth units and offer strong defensive capabilities.
  • God Power Usage: Utilize your chosen Major God's powers effectively. Kronos's Shift Time can surprise opponents, Oranos's Shockwave can save your army, and Gaia's Forest can create defensive barriers.
• Late Game:
  • Powerful Myth Units: Leverage powerful myth units like Behemoths for siege warfare (Kronos), Automatons for sustained combat (Kronos), Caladrias for healing (Oranos), or Lampades for conversion (Gaia). These units are often game-changers.
  • Technological Superiority: Invest in Atlantean technologies at the Armory, Academy, and Temple to further enhance your units. Upgrades like "Heroic Resolve" (increased hero attack) and "Atlantean Secrets" (increased myth unit health) are crucial.
  • Titan Gate: If the game goes long enough, consider building a Titan Gate to unleash the mighty Atlantean Titan, a truly devastating late-game unit that can single-handedly turn the tide of battle.

Common Pitfalls and Tips

• Underestimating Early Aggression: While your economy is strong, Atlanteans can be vulnerable to early rushes if you don't build enough military units. Don't rely solely on automatic resource gathering; ensure you have a defensive force.
• Over-relying on Heroes: While heroes are powerful, they are not invincible. Ensure they are supported by regular human units and myth units to maximize their effectiveness and prevent them from being overwhelmed.
• Neglecting Naval Power: If playing on water maps, remember to invest in Atlantean naval units and myth units like the Man O' War (Oranos) to secure sea control.
• Favor Management: Keep an eye on your Favor generation. If you're not expanding or advancing ages, your Favor income might stagnate, limiting your access to powerful myth units and technologies.
• Citizen Vulnerability: Despite their higher health, Citizens are still vulnerable to raids. Protect your building Citizens, especially during early expansion.

Overall, the Atlantean civilization in Age of Mythology: Retold offers a refreshing and powerful gameplay experience, rewarding players who master their unique economic system, versatile hero units, and strategic deployment of their formidable myth units and divine powers. Their capacity for rapid expansion and on-the-fly unit adaptation makes them a challenging yet incredibly rewarding civilization to master.