Choosing Your Deity
In Age of Mythology: Retold, your very first strategic decision, even before the first villager is tasked, is the selection of your Major God. This choice is paramount, as it fundamentally shapes your civilization's strengths, available units, unique technologies, and the very flow of your game. Unlike other RTS titles where factions might have minor variations, your Major God in Age of Mythology dictates your entire strategic tree, from early game rushes to late-game economic powerhouses.
Each Major God belongs to one of the four distinct civilizations: Greek, Egyptian, Norse, and Atlantean. While civilizations share core units and structures, the Major God you pick within that civilization provides specific bonuses, unique Myth Units, powerful God Powers, and exclusive technologies that define your playstyle. Understanding these distinctions is key to mastering the game.
The Greek Pantheon
The Greeks excel in strong heroic units, powerful myth units, and versatile economic bonuses. Their God Powers often focus on direct combat or resource generation.
- Zeus: King of the Gods
- Playstyle: Aggressive, Hero-centric. Zeus is ideal for players who enjoy leading powerful heroes and fielding strong, early-game myth units.
- Key Bonuses:
- Starts with an additional Favor generation bonus.
- Hoplites and Myth Units are cheaper.
- Heroes are stronger and train faster.
- God Power: Bolt (instantly kills a single unit).
- Strategic Implications: Zeus allows for early hero rushes and quick access to powerful myth units like the Minotaur. His Bolt power is excellent for eliminating key enemy units or Myth Units.
- Minor God Synergy: Look for minor gods that enhance hero combat or provide additional economic boosts to fuel your aggressive pushes.
- Poseidon: God of the Sea and Earthquakes
- Playstyle: Economic, Cavalry-focused, Naval. Poseidon is a great choice for players who prefer strong economies, powerful cavalry, and dominating the seas.
- Key Bonuses:
- Starts with a free Hippocampus scout.
- Cavalry units are cheaper.
- Militia units spawn from defeated enemy buildings.
- God Power: Lure (attracts animals to your Town Center).
- Strategic Implications: Poseidon's cheaper cavalry allows for potent early and mid-game raids. The Lure power is fantastic for securing early food. His naval dominance can be a game-changer on water maps.
- Minor God Synergy: Minor gods that boost cavalry, provide defensive structures, or offer additional economic benefits complement Poseidon's strengths.
- Hades: Lord of the Underworld
- Playstyle: Defensive, Building-focused, Myth Unit spam. Hades is suited for players who prefer a more defensive stance, relying on strong buildings and a steady stream of powerful myth units.
- Key Bonuses:
- Buildings have increased HP.
- Sentry Towers are cheaper and stronger.
- Slain human units have a chance to turn into Shades (ghostly units).
- God Power: Sentinels (spawns four defensive towers).
- Strategic Implications: Hades' strong buildings make him difficult to rush. The Shades provide a constant, albeit unpredictable, reinforcement. His Sentinels can quickly fortify a position or defend against an attack.
- Minor God Synergy: Focus on minor gods that provide strong defensive myth units, healing, or further economic stability to support your late-game pushes.
The Egyptian Pantheon
Egyptians are known for their powerful siege units, unique priests, and monument-based economy. Their God Powers often involve construction, healing, or area-of-effect damage.
- Ra: Sun God, Creator
- Playstyle: Economic, Chariot-focused, Monument-reliant. Ra is excellent for players who enjoy a strong, stable economy and powerful, mobile units.
- Key Bonuses:
- Priests empower buildings faster and more effectively.
- Chariot Archers and Camels are stronger.
- Monuments generate Favor faster.
- God Power: Rain (boosts farm production).
- Strategic Implications: Ra's empowered priests make his economy incredibly efficient. His stronger Chariot Archers are a formidable force, especially when massed. Rain is a powerful economic boost for the mid to late game.
- Minor God Synergy: Prioritize minor gods that enhance your economy, provide healing for your units, or offer powerful siege options.
- Isis: Goddess of Magic and Motherhood
- Playstyle: Defensive, Anti-Myth Unit, Relic-focused. Isis is ideal for players who prefer a more defensive and strategic approach, leveraging relics and powerful anti-myth unit capabilities.
- Key Bonuses:
- Monuments protect nearby buildings from God Powers.
- Pharaohs empower all buildings simultaneously.
- Relics provide greater bonuses.
- God Power: Prosperity (generates a large amount of gold).
- Strategic Implications: Isis's anti-God Power aura is invaluable against aggressive opponents. Her Pharaoh's global empowerment makes her economy incredibly efficient. Prosperity offers a significant economic spike.
- Minor God Synergy: Seek minor gods that offer strong defensive myth units, additional economic boosts, or powerful counter-myth unit options.
- Set: God of Chaos and Deserts
- Playstyle: Aggressive, Scouting, Animal-focused. Set is for players who enjoy early aggression, map control, and unique unit compositions.
- Key Bonuses:
- Pharaohs can convert wild animals into Set Animals (powerful scouts/attack units).
- Migdol Strongholds train faster.
- Slingers are stronger.
- God Power: Vision (reveals a large area of the map).
- Strategic Implications: Set's ability to convert animals provides a unique early game advantage for scouting and harassment. His stronger Slingers are excellent against infantry. Vision is invaluable for intelligence gathering.
- Minor God Synergy: Focus on minor gods that enhance your aggressive units, provide additional scouting capabilities, or offer powerful siege options to break through defenses.
The Norse Pantheon
Norse civilizations are characterized by their strong infantry, unique Ulfsark builders, and reliance on hunting for food. Their God Powers often involve summoning units or direct damage.
- Odin: Allfather, King of Asgard
- Playstyle: Economic, Defensive, Raven-focused. Odin is a great choice for players who prefer a strong, stable economy and powerful, mobile defensive units.
- Key Bonuses:
- Starts with two Ravens for scouting.
- Hill Forts have increased HP and train faster.
- Einherjar (myth unit) are cheaper.
- God Power: Great Hunt (spawns several huntable animals).
- Strategic Implications: Odin's Ravens provide unparalleled early game scouting. His strong Hill Forts make him difficult to dislodge. Great Hunt is a fantastic early food boost.
- Minor God Synergy: Look for minor gods that enhance your infantry, provide additional economic boosts, or offer powerful defensive capabilities.
- Thor: God of Thunder and Strength
- Playstyle: Aggressive, Dwarf-focused, Relic-reliant. Thor is ideal for players who enjoy early aggression, a strong economy, and powerful myth units.
- Key Bonuses:
- Dwarves gather gold faster.
- Dwarven Armory is cheaper and available in the Archaic Age.
- Starts with a free Dwarf.
- God Power: Dwarven Mine (creates a gold mine).
- Strategic Implications: Thor's early access to the Armory and faster gold gathering allows for powerful early unit upgrades and quick access to expensive units. Dwarven Mine provides a significant gold boost.
- Minor God Synergy: Prioritize minor gods that enhance your offensive units, provide powerful myth units, or offer additional economic advantages.
- Loki: God of Mischief and Trickery
- Playstyle: Harassment, Myth Unit spam, Raiding. Loki is for players who enjoy disrupting their opponent's economy and relying on a steady stream of powerful, mobile myth units.
- Key Bonuses:
- Myth Units spawn a free Hersir upon death.
- Hersir are cheaper and train faster.
- Ox Carts have increased HP.
- God Power: Spy (reveals enemy units and buildings).
- Strategic Implications: Loki's Hersir-spawning myth units make him incredibly resilient and difficult to counter. His cheaper Hersir are excellent for early raids. Spy is invaluable for intelligence.
- Minor God Synergy: Seek minor gods that enhance your myth units, provide additional raiding capabilities, or offer powerful economic disruptions.
The Atlantean Pantheon
Atlanteans are unique for their automatically generating villagers (Citizens), powerful human heroes, and unique unit promotion system. Their God Powers often involve terrain manipulation or powerful area-of-effect abilities.
- Gaia: Mother Earth
- Playstyle: Economic, Defensive, Building-focused. Gaia is excellent for players who prefer a strong, stable economy and powerful, resilient defenses.
- Key Bonuses:
- Buildings and trees around them cannot be targeted by God Powers.
- Manors (houses) generate Favor.
- Citizens are cheaper.
- God Power: Forest (spawns a dense forest).
- Strategic Implications: Gaia's anti-God Power aura makes her incredibly resilient to enemy attacks. Her Favor-generating Manors provide a steady income. Forest can be used for defense or resource denial.
- Minor God Synergy: Look for minor gods that enhance your defensive units, provide additional economic boosts, or offer powerful healing capabilities.
- Oranos: Primordial God of the Sky
- Playstyle: Aggressive, Sky Passage-focused, Fast Expansion. Oranos is ideal for players who enjoy early aggression, rapid map control, and powerful mobility.
- Key Bonuses:
- Starts with a Sky Passage (teleportation gate).
- Contarius (cavalry) are stronger.
- Citizens gather resources faster.
- God Power: Shockwave (stuns and damages enemy units).
- Strategic Implications: Oranos's Sky Passage allows for incredibly fast raids and reinforcements. His stronger Contarius are a formidable early game force. Shockwave is excellent for disrupting enemy formations.
- Minor God Synergy: Prioritize minor gods that enhance your offensive units, provide additional mobility, or offer powerful siege options.
- Kronos: Lord of Time
- Playstyle: Disruptive, Building-focused, Time-manipulation. Kronos is for players who enjoy disrupting their opponent's economy and leveraging powerful, unique abilities.
- Key Bonuses:
- Can deconstruct enemy buildings and convert them to your own.
- Myth Units are cheaper.
- Citizens train faster.
- God Power: Deconstruct (instantly destroys an enemy building).
- Strategic Implications: Kronos's ability to deconstruct and convert enemy buildings is incredibly powerful for denying resources and expanding your own territory. His cheaper myth units allow for powerful pushes. Deconstruct is a game-changing power.
- Minor God Synergy: Seek minor gods that enhance your myth units, provide additional economic disruptions, or offer powerful siege options to break through defenses.
How Your Choice Impacts Minor God Selection
Your Major God choice isn't a standalone decision; it sets the stage for your subsequent Minor God selections throughout the game. As you advance through the Ages (Classical, Heroic, Mythic), you'll choose a Minor God from a limited pool, each offering additional unique Myth Units, God Powers, and technologies. These Minor Gods are often tailored to complement the strengths of their respective Major Gods or provide crucial counters to specific threats.
For example, a Zeus player might pick Athena in the Classical Age for her healing God Power and powerful Hippocons, reinforcing his hero-centric playstyle. A Ra player might choose Bast for her powerful Sphinxes and economic technologies, further boosting his already strong economy. Conversely, you might pick a Minor God to shore up a weakness or counter a specific enemy strategy.
Therefore, when choosing your Major God, consider not only their immediate benefits but also the strategic pathways they unlock through their associated Minor Gods. Experimentation is key to finding the perfect synergy for your preferred playstyle and adapting to different map types and opponent strategies.
