Comprehensive Overview of All Changes in Age of Mythology Retold

The original game, Age of Mythology, was released over 20 years ago on October 31, 2002. With the upcoming launch of Age of Mythology: Retold on September 4, 2024, fans are eager to discover the differences in this remastered edition. Here’s a detailed overview of all the changes to prepare you for your return to the game.

Key Differences Between Age of Mythology and Age of Mythology: Retold

This remaster features numerous exciting enhancements worth noting. Familiarizing yourself with these updates will enable you to dive right into the gameplay as soon as you download the game, especially if you’re aware of the various Pantheons.

Victory screen in Age of Mythology: Retold. — Victory Screen in Age of Mythology: Retold.

From improved attack commands to a broader array of ships, Age of Mythology: Retold introduces a variety of enhancements and new features. Expect changes in unit management, naval combat, and the appearance and functionality of buildings. Let’s take a closer look at these improvements so you can fully enjoy the enhanced gameplay.

#1 Enhanced Attack Commands

Attacking the enemy in Age of Mythology: Retold. — Engaging the enemy in Age of Mythology: Retold.

No longer must you manually right-click on each enemy; directing your army toward a target will cause them to engage until all opposition in that area is defeated.

For better tactical control, select your ranged fighters separately by clicking and dragging to keep them at a safe distance from melee combat.

#2 Expanded Naval Units

Naval battle in Age of Mythology: Retold. — Naval Combat in Age of Mythology: Retold.

In the original Age of Mythology, arrow ships dominated the Classical Age. In Age of Mythology: Retold, there are now all three types of attack ships available for players.

Taking out docks is now better suited for ships rather than foot soldiers due to their time-consuming nature.

Naval Myth Units are now gained through town progression rather than being tied to minor Gods, allowing for more flexible gameplay.

Unlike the original game, naval units in Age of Mythology: Retold can traverse shallow waters.

#3 Utilizing God Powers

Despite a countdown for balance, players can unleash multiple God Powers in battle, providing enough villagers are worshipping at a Temple to sustain them.

#4 Auto Scout Feature

The Auto Scout feature allows AI control of a unit to automatically explore the game map on behalf of the player.

In Age of Mythology: Retold, scout units have the auto-scout ability. Each civilization features its specific scouts:

Atlanteans: Oracle, Oracle (Hero).
Egyptians: Priest, Baboon of Set.
Greeks: Kataskopos, Pegasus, Hippocampus.
Norse: Berserk, Raven.

While auto-scouting, Oracles will pause at critical spots to enhance their Line of Sight.

#5 Visual Effects for Buildings

Norse Pantheon introduction in Age of Mythology: Retold. — Visual Effects for Buildings in Age of Mythology: Retold.

Buildings now feature visual effects based on their terrain placement:

Burnt terrain – Buildings appear charred and weathered.
Marsh dirt terrain – Structures look muddy.
Marshy terrain – Structures appear grungy with mold and moss.
Sandy terrain – Buildings are lightly coated with sand.
Snowy/icy terrain – A thin layer of snow covers structures.

#6 New Campaign Relics

A relic in Age of Mythology: Retold. — A Relic in Age of Mythology: Retold.

13 new Relics have been introduced in Age of Mythology: Retold, enriching the campaign experience:

Crown of Hera – Grants one use of the Lightning Storm God Power.
Cup of Dionysus – Provides one use of the Bronze God Power.
Fafnir’s Golden Mailcoat – Decreases human soldiers and heroes’ pierce vulnerability by 5%.
Glaucus’ Book of Prophecies – Boosts fish gather rate by 30%.
Golden Camel Statue – Increases Osiris Piece Cart movement speed by one.
Prow of the Argo – Enhances warship hit points by 20%.
Relic of Ancestors – Grants one use of the Ancestors God Power.
Relic of Bronze – Grants one use of the Bronze God Power.
Relic of Earthquake – Grants one use of the Earthquake God Power.
Relic of Prosperity – Grants one use of the Prosperity God Power.
Relic of Tornado – Grants one use of the Tornado God Power.
Shield of Athena – Grants one use of the Restoration God Power.
Zeus’ Thunderbolts – Turns the tide of battle when placed in Zeus’ Temple.

#7 Villager Priority Feature

Villager Priority in Age of Mythology: Retold simplifies resource management by distributing workers across food, wood, and gold without requiring individual assignment. Though not as precise as a tailored build order, it’s a handy tool for managing villagers efficiently.

You can access Villager Priority through an interface near the god powers UI. This feature excludes Favor collection for Greeks and will not create new resource drop sites, but enabling “Allow Farm Construction”allows villagers to purchase Farms to enhance food collection.

#8 Standard Victory Conditions

Victory now depends solely on specific buildings and units: Town Centers, Temples, Fortress-type structures, and all units except Caravans.

If a player loses all of these, they lose the game, even if other structures like Archery Ranges or Markets remain intact.

#9 Ranged Unit Accuracy Adjustments

Grouping up an army in Age of Mythology: Retold. — Organizing Troops in Age of Mythology: Retold.

Ranged Units, like archers, will now have reduced accuracy against moving targets, akin to Age of Empires II. Players must research the Ballistics technology at the Armory to improve shooting accuracy while firing at moving opponents.

Town Centers, Village Centers, and Citadels come equipped with the Ballistics effect automatically and do not require upgrades.

#10 Introduction of the Wonder Age

Learning about Wonders in Age of Mythology: Retold. — The Wonder Age Feature in Age of Mythology: Retold.

In lieu of the Titan Age, the Wonder Age has been introduced.

The Wonder Age is activated when a Wonder is constructed and lost if the Wonder is destroyed. During the Wonder Age, rechargeable God Powers cost 75% less favor and have their cooldowns diminished by 75%.

In this phase, Myth Units and Titans see significant improvements: they gain 100% more hit points, their damage output is increased by 100% (including damage over time), and they receive a 20% boost to movement speed. Additionally, they appear larger.

Players can now rebuild the Titan Gate during the Wonder Age, with a new Titan Gate available every 10 in-game minutes. The first new gate costs 400 favor, with costs increasing by 400 favor for each subsequent gate.

#11 General Changes

A Divine damage type has been included, with several Units possessing divine attack as a default (such as the Myrmidon) or gaining it through specific myth upgrades.
Huntable animals will no longer automatically attack player’s Units unless provoked.
Minor objects and Units, like the Golden Fleece and the Giant Duck-Billed Platypus from the original game, have been removed.
The cap on Favor has been lifted.
The population limit has been raised to 1000.
When establishing a resource drop site, a nearby idle Villager will automatically initiate construction.

#12 Map Changes

New maps include:

Arena
Air
human
Elysium
Gold Rush
Ironwood
Potholes
Mirage
Mirkwood
Mount Olympus
Muspellheim
Nile Shallows
Tiny

Maps like King of the Hill, Regicide, and Sudden Death have been removed but remain available as Skirmish game modes on any map.

Existing maps have also undergone changes:

Alfheim features autumn oak trees and natural lighting, replacing pine trees and eerie golden tones.
Anatolia has transitioned to grassy terrain with snow instead of sandy areas.
Archipelago now includes mountains both on land and at sea.
Black Sea displays grassy terrain with snow rather than sandy surfaces.
Erebus now features small lava pits instead of long rivers, with statues of Hades near Relics.
Highland includes a mix of grass and dirt terrain instead of lush green grass, with wider rivers.
Megalopolis now showcases desert terrain complemented by patches of grass under berry bushes.
Marsh has largely muddy grass surrounding the wetlands.
Nomad now appears as a complete island in various Greek and Egyptian biome variants.
River Nile features grassy riverbanks.
Sea of Worms has changed to feature autumn oak trees and tundra terrain in place of snow and sand.
Team Migration sees starting islands covered in sand instead of grass.
Tundra has more permafrost terrain without falling snow.
Valley of Kings no longer has Bandit Migdols, with decorative shrines replacing them instead.
Vinlandsaga has removed Skraelings entirely from the game.

Out of all definitive editions, retold is the best. byu/ZealousidealAnt9714 inAgeofMythology

Numerous minor changes in Age of Mythology: Retold have contributed to overwhelmingly positive feedback from players. For a comprehensive list of these changes, check out the Age of Empires Wiki under Update 17.18697.