Age of Mythology: Retold for Beginners: Master the Basics of Mythological Warfare
If you’re diving into Age of Mythology: Retold for the first time, you’re in for a treat! This updated classic blends the best of real-time strategy gameplay with mythical lore.
However, as a beginner, the vast array of civilizations, mechanics, and units can feel overwhelming.
Here’s a comprehensive guide to help you build your skills, manage resources effectively, and dominate the battlefield.
Getting Started: Understanding the Fundamentals
Core Mechanics in Age of Mythology: Retold
At its heart, Age of Mythology: Retold revolves around four essential resources: food, wood, gold, and favor. Each plays a critical role in building your economy and army.
Balancing their collection is the cornerstone of success.
Food is used for training units and advancing through the ages. Start by assigning villagers to berries, hunting, or fishing, depending on your map.
Wood fuels the construction of buildings and some units. Build a lumber camp near a forest to optimize gathering efficiency.
Gold is necessary for advanced units, technologies, and godly powers. Prioritize mining camps near gold deposits.
Favor is unique to your civilization, earned through praying, fighting, or building. It’s essential for summoning myth units and casting god powers.
Advancing Through the Ages
Progressing through the Archaic, Classical, Heroic, and Mythic Ages unlocks stronger units and powerful technologies.
As a beginner, focus on ensuring a stable economy before advancing too quickly. The earlier ages are critical for setting up your foundation, while the later ones provide opportunities for mythological dominance.
Choosing the Right Civilization
Each civilization in Age of Mythology: Retold offers a unique playstyle. As a beginner, start with one that complements your learning curve.
Best Civilizations for Beginners
Greeks: Balanced and versatile. Their economy is straightforward, and they have a good mix of infantry, cavalry, and myth units. Praying at temples earns favor for summoning powerful units.
Egyptians: Focused on strong economic structures and monuments. Their Priests can heal units, giving you more durability in battles.
Norse: Ideal for aggressive players. They gain favor through combat, encouraging an active playstyle.
Atlanteans: Slightly more advanced but great for myth unit enthusiasts. Their auto-generating villagers reduce micro-management.
Building an Effective Economy
Early Game Tips
Train Villagers Consistently: Never stop producing villagers. A strong economy requires a steady flow of resources.
Build Close to Resources: Structures like granaries, lumber camps, and mining camps should be close to the resources they gather to minimize walking time.
Scout Early: Use your starting scout unit to explore the map, locate resources, and identify enemy positions.
Mid-Game Economy
By the time you reach the Classical or Heroic Age, focus on balancing resource allocation. Ensure you have enough gold for advanced units and favor for mythological upgrades. Keep expanding your base to secure additional resource deposits as the game progresses.
Combat Basics: Building Your Army
Unit Composition
A balanced army is vital for adapting to enemy strategies. Start with these guidelines:
Infantry counters cavalry.
Cavalry counters ranged units.
Ranged units counter infantry.
Myth units are strong but vulnerable to heroes.
God Powers
Each major god provides unique abilities, such as Zeus’s lightning bolt or Ra’s rain for boosting food production.
Use these strategically, whether to shift the tide of a battle or accelerate resource collection.
Playing the Campaign: Learning Through Story
The campaign mode in Age of Mythology: Retold offers a gentle introduction to the game’s mechanics. Each mission builds on the last, teaching you resource management, combat tactics, and the use of myth units.
Completing the campaign is one of the best ways to gain confidence before jumping into multiplayer or skirmishes.
Multiplayer: Your Next Challenge
Preparing for Multiplayer Matches
Start with AI Matches: Practice against AI opponents to refine your strategy and test different civilizations.
Master Your Build Order: Efficiently training villagers, gathering resources, and advancing ages is crucial in competitive matches.
Adapt to Opponents: Scout early to understand your enemy’s strategy and counter it effectively.
Avoid Common Mistakes
Neglecting Scouting: Blindly advancing without knowing your enemy’s plans can leave you vulnerable.
Advancing Too Quickly: Ensure your economy is stable before rushing to the next age.
Underutilizing God Powers: These abilities can turn the tide of battles, so don’t hesitate to use them when needed.
Tips for Long-Term Success
Experiment with Civilizations: Each has strengths and weaknesses. Play multiple games with different civilizations to find your favorite.
Stay Flexible: RTS games require adaptability. Be prepared to change your strategy if the situation demands it.
Learn From Defeats: Every loss is an opportunity to improve. Analyze what went wrong and adjust in your next game.
Conclusion
Age of Mythology: Retold is a rewarding game for beginners and veterans alike. By mastering the fundamentals of economy, civilization choice, and army composition, you’ll quickly find yourself thriving in this mythical RTS world.
Take your time to learn, enjoy the campaign, and experiment with strategies to discover your playstyle. With practice, victory will soon become second nature.
