Building Guide

Mastering the art of construction in Age of Mythology is fundamental to your success. This guide will walk you through the essential buildings, their purpose, and strategic placement to optimize your economy, military, and technological advancement.

Early Game Foundations (Archaic Age)

Your initial building phase sets the tone for the entire match. Efficiency is key here.

• Town Center: This is your starting point and most crucial economic building.
  • Purpose: Trains Villagers, acts as a drop-off point for all resources, and allows for Age advancements.
  • Strategy: Keep your Town Center constantly producing Villagers until you have a robust economy (typically 15-20 villagers, depending on your civilization and strategy). Research the "Hand Axe" and "Pickaxe" upgrades here as soon as possible to boost resource gathering rates.
  • Placement: Your starting Town Center is fixed. When building additional Town Centers later, prioritize locations near rich resource deposits (gold mines, forests, fertile hunting grounds) or strategic choke points.
• Houses: Essential for increasing your population cap.
  • Purpose: Each House provides +10 population capacity.
  • Strategy: Build Houses proactively. Don't wait until you're population capped to start construction, as this can halt production of vital units. Aim to have 2-3 Houses built early on.
  • Placement: Place Houses in less critical areas, often behind your main base or along pathways that are less likely to be attacked. They can also be used to wall off sections of your base in a pinch.
• Storehouse: Facilitates efficient resource gathering.
  • Purpose: Drop-off point for Wood and Gold.
  • Strategy: Build Storehouses near dense forests and gold mines. The closer your Villagers are to a drop-off point, the less time they spend walking and the more time they spend gathering. Aim for one Storehouse per major resource cluster.
  • Placement: Directly adjacent to the resource you are gathering. For example, build it right next to a gold mine or at the edge of a forest.
• Granary: Similar to the Storehouse, but for food.
  • Purpose: Drop-off point for Food (from hunting, farming, or foraging).
  • Strategy: Place Granaries near hunting grounds, berry bushes, or future farm locations. Early game, prioritize placing it near your starting huntables.
  • Placement: As close as possible to your primary food source.
• Temple: Unlocks Myth Units and God Powers.
  • Purpose: Allows you to train Myth Units and research Myth Unit upgrades. It's also required to advance to the Classical Age.
  • Strategy: Build your Temple as soon as you have the resources and are ready to advance to the Classical Age. Consider training an early Myth Unit if your chosen God offers a strong one for early aggression or defense (e.g., a Minotaur for Greeks, a Scarab for Egyptians).
  • Placement: Typically within the safety of your base, but accessible for quick Myth Unit deployment.

Classical Age Expansion (Classical Age)

The Classical Age introduces military production and more advanced economic options.

• Barracks: Your primary infantry production building.
  • Purpose: Trains basic human military units like Hoplites, Axemen, and Spearmen.
  • Strategy: Build 1-2 Barracks early in the Classical Age to start producing military units for defense or early rushes. Research upgrades like "Medium Infantry" here.
  • Placement: Near the front of your base or choke points to quickly deploy defenders. For aggressive strategies, place them closer to the enemy base if safe to do so.
• Archery Range: Produces ranged human units.
  • Purpose: Trains units like Archers, Slingers, and Toxotes.
  • Strategy: Complement your infantry with ranged units for balanced armies. Build an Archery Range if your chosen civilization has strong ranged units or if you anticipate needing to counter flying Myth Units.
  • Placement: Similar to Barracks, strategically placed for defense or offense.
• Stable: Creates cavalry units.
  • Purpose: Trains fast, high-damage units like Hippikons, Chariot Archers, and Cavalry.
  • Strategy: Cavalry are excellent for raiding enemy economies and flanking. Build a Stable if your strategy involves early aggression or if you need to counter enemy ranged units.
  • Placement: Often slightly further out than Barracks/Archery Ranges, to allow cavalry to quickly reach enemy resource lines.
• Armory: Essential for military upgrades.
  • Purpose: Researches armor and attack upgrades for your human units.
  • Strategy: Build an Armory as soon as you have a military force. Prioritize "Copper Shields" and "Copper Weapons" to give your units a significant edge in combat.
  • Placement: Anywhere within your base, as it doesn't produce units directly.
• Dock: For naval warfare and fishing.
  • Purpose: Trains fishing boats, transport ships, and warships.
  • Strategy: If there's water on the map, a Dock is crucial. Fishing boats provide a steady, reliable food income. Warships are vital for controlling sea lanes and protecting your fishing economy.
  • Placement: Along the coastline, ideally near fishing spots or strategic naval choke points.
• Farm: A renewable food source.
  • Purpose: Provides a continuous, albeit slower, food income.
  • Strategy: Transition to Farms once hunting resources dwindle. Build them around your Town Center or Granaries for efficient drop-off. Research "Plow" and "Irrigation" upgrades to boost farm output.
  • Placement: Clustered around Town Centers or Granaries.

Heroic Age Powerhouses (Heroic Age)

The Heroic Age unlocks powerful siege units, advanced military buildings, and additional economic structures.

• Fortress/Hill Fort/Migdol Stronghold: Advanced military production and defensive structures.
  • Purpose: Trains powerful human units (e.g., Gastraphetes, Ballista, Elephant Archers), Myth Units, and siege weapons. Also provides strong defensive fire.
  • Strategy: Build these strategically. They are expensive but offer significant military power and defense. Use them to anchor your defenses or to establish a forward operating base near the enemy.
  • Placement: At critical choke points, near your Town Centers, or as forward bases for aggressive pushes.
• Siege Workshop: Produces siege weapons.
  • Purpose: Trains units like Catapults, Ballistae, and Siege Towers, essential for destroying enemy buildings.
  • Strategy: Once you're ready to push the enemy base, a Siege Workshop is mandatory. Protect your siege units with your military.
  • Placement: Often built behind your main attacking force, or within your base if you anticipate a defensive siege.
• Market: Facilitates resource trading.
  • Purpose: Allows you to buy and sell resources, and research trade-related upgrades.
  • Strategy: Build a Market once your economy is stable. Use it to balance your resources, selling surpluses of one resource to buy what you lack. Research "Caravan" and "Coinage" to improve trade and resource gathering.
  • Placement: Anywhere within your base, ideally near your Town Center for easy access.

Mythic Age Supremacy (Mythic Age)

The final age brings the most powerful units and structures, cementing your dominance.

• Wonder: The ultimate economic and victory condition building.
  • Purpose: A massive, expensive structure that, if completed and protected for a set amount of time, grants you an automatic victory.
  • Strategy: Building a Wonder is a high-risk, high-reward strategy. It requires immense resources and a strong defense to protect it from enemy attacks. Only attempt this if you have a significant economic and military advantage.
  • Placement: Deep within your most heavily fortified territory, ideally surrounded by defensive structures and units.

General Building Strategies

• Wall Off: Use Walls and Towers to funnel enemy units, protect key areas, and buy time for your military to react. Don't over-wall early, as it's a significant resource investment.
• Defensive Towers: Place Sentry Towers and Watch Towers at strategic locations, especially near resource nodes and your Town Centers, to provide early warning and defensive fire. Upgrade them with "Guard Tower" and "Fortified Tower" as resources allow.
• Resource Drop-Off Efficiency: Always strive to minimize the travel time for your Villagers. Build Storehouses and Granaries as close as possible to the resources they are gathering.
• Production Chains: Plan your military production. If you're going for a specific unit composition, ensure you have the necessary buildings and enough population capacity to support continuous training.
• Repair: Remember that buildings can be repaired by Villagers. Keep an eye on damaged structures, especially during attacks, to prevent their destruction.