Guide
Note: This guide is from the original AoM and has been updated slightly.
Zeus has often been classified as one of the weaker gods in Age of Mythology, but by utilizing some of his special bonuses he can become incredibly powerful, and extremely tough to tangle with for a player on the opposite side.
Zeus Bonuses
- Hoplites move 12% faster
- Villagers generate favor 20% faster
- Infantry do x1.5 damage to buildings
- God Power — Bolt: Kill a single target unit instantly
- Technology — Olympic Parent: Heroes have 25% more hit points
Heroes
| Age | Hero | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archaic | Jason | Infantry | The basic Greek Archaic hero. Nice for stopping rushes. |
| Classical | Odysseus | Archer | Another nice aid for stopping rushes. Packs a punch against MUs. |
| Heroic | Heracles | Infantry | Similar to Jason, not that great of a hero. |
| Mythic | Bellerophon | Cavalry | Considered by many to be the best hero in the game. Rides Pegasus and performs devastating jump attacks. |
Minor Gods
| Age | Options |
|---|---|
| Classical | Athena, Hermes |
| Heroic | Apollo, Dionysus |
| Mythic | Hera, Hephaestus |
Archaic Age
Select your scout and Ctrl+1 it so you can select it faster.
Build Order
- First 6-7 villagers (total) to food
- Next 2 villagers to wood
- Next 2 villagers to gold
- Next villager builds a house, then goes to wood
- Next 4-5 villagers to food
- When gold and wood are around 100, start building your temple with 1 villager
- Next few villagers to gold
- Research Husbandry around this time
Economy Techs
| Tech | When to Get | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Pickaxe | During Classical transition (only if not going before 5 min) | +10% gold mining, +5 carry capacity |
| Hand Axe | During Classical transition (only if not going before 5 min) | +10% wood chopping, +5 carry capacity |
| Husbandry | When you have lots of herdables | +100% food carry, +20% herdable gather rate |
| Hunting Dogs | Must-have on hunting maps (Watering Hole, Savannah, Alfheim) | +30% hunting rate |
When to Advance
- Against Norse: No later than 5:30 on land maps, 5:50 on water maps
- Against Egypt: Depends on your plan — fast attack, average approach, or slow Classical boom
- Against Atlantean: Watch for forward builds near your base — if they're going forward, advance fast
Water Build
Of your first 3 villagers, send one to build a dock, the other two to the nearest forest. Next 6-7 villagers go to food and the dock builder goes to wood when finished. Keep adding villagers to wood and food as needed.
Using Bolt: Bolt is great for stopping the enemy dock in Archaic, bolting heroes that attack your myth units, or bolting your opponent's strongest units.
Classical Age
Minor God Choices
Hermes (Best on Land)
Since your army will almost always consist of cavalry in Classical age, Hermes' Spirited Charge tech is one you'll want for your slow Hippikons — it adds +10% hack damage and +10% speed. His god power Ceasefire is great for cancelling out powers like Flaming Weapons, Frost, and Ancestors.
Athena (Best on Water)
Restoration can turn the tide in a water battle. Archer ships have huge HP, and when a lot of them are damaged, Restoration can have a major effect. Hoplites are the best way to go on water if you win sea control (which you should with Restoration). Athena is not as good on land because Hoplites only come into play late game.
Classical Tactics
When you reach Classical age, put down 2-3 Stables with some food/gold villagers depending on your resources.
- vs Greek: Don't make archers. Go all cavalry with Centaurs backing up. Try to raid — Zeus isn't very good in fights if the enemy has heroes.
- vs Egypt: After your two Stables, put down an Archery Range for a nice flow of Hippikon backed by Toxotes. Good for taking on the Spear/Slinger combo. Fight straight up — the Hippikon take some damage from spears, but your archers pick the spearmen off from behind.
- vs Norse: Two Stables, but instead of an Archery Range, make Centaurs. Norse's slow Hersirs should never catch your Centaurs. Make sure you attack them before they attack you — the Centaur special attack wrecks just about any unit. Don't forget to be raiding.
- vs Atlantean: Boom more than spend on military. They can counter you much easier than you can counter them. Get to Heroic ASAP to make Peltasts/Hypaspists to go with your cavalry.
Transition to Heroic
Aim for this kind of economy:
- 12-16 on food
- 16-18 on gold
- 8-12 on wood
You can usually make Hippikons while advancing due to their low food cost, so you don't need many on food. This also prepares you for taking settlements.
Heroic Age
Minor God Choices
Dionysus (General Choice)
The general go-to god. His powerful Bronze god power and Thracian Horses tech make a very powerful combo, along with Hydras and a +5% boost to all unit HP.
God Power — Bronze: Increases the hack and pierce armor of all friendly human units in a small area for 1.5 minutes. Use it during a critical battle. Bronze has a long duration, so it can let you win a battle and then press your advantage against enemy fortifications.
Apollo (Situational)
Weaker in most situations. Consider Apollo if your enemy's base is heavily walled and fortified, or on water maps with two sides where Underworld Passage can get you there fast. Good if you're concentrating on archers.
God Power — Underworld Passage: Creates two tunnel portals between any locations on the map. Units entering one are instantly transported to the other. The portals can be destroyed and cannot be repaired — protect them carefully.
Upon Advancing
Take as many settlements as possible, preferably your enemy's first. Recommended unit compositions:
| Opponent | Recommended Composition |
|---|---|
| Norse | Hypaspists, Toxotes, Prodromos |
| Greek | Hippikon, Hoplites/Hypaspists, Toxotes/Peltasts |
| Egypt | Peltasts, Hypaspists, Hippikon |
| Atlantean | Peltasts, Hippikon, Hypaspists |
Expanding Your Economy
Also known as booming — use all of your TCs to pump out more villagers so your economy can support your higher pop cap. Get your 3 TCs pumping villagers to gold, wood, and farms.
When to Get Upgrades
It's generally better to advance to Heroic before getting upgrades other than unit line techs (e.g., Medium, Heavy). Exception: if your opponent is heavily using archers, pierce armor is good since it doesn't cost any food, allowing for a decent Heroic time. Once you're Heroic with a good economy going, that's the best time to invest in upgrades.
Mythic Age
Minor God Choices
Hera
If you or your enemy are investing heavily in myth units and you need some killer myth unit killers (or killer myth units of your own), Hera is a great choice.
God Power — Lightning Storm: Deals significant damage to enemy units in the target area. The more units there are, the more damage is done. Does not harm friendly units and deals almost no damage to buildings. Lightning Storm is the best unit-killing GP in the game — it does huge damage and can't be easily avoided. Wait for a big concentration of enemy units and cast it while your units are committed in battle so the enemy can't run away.
Hephaestus
If you don't have many armory upgrades yet, Hephaestus is a great choice for his Forge of Olympus tech which reduces armory upgrade costs by 75%.
God Power — Plenty: Creates a vault that generates 15 food, wood, and gold every 5 seconds. The vault can be captured by the enemy — it's controlled by whoever has the most units in the area. The resource generation is substantial (more than four villagers per resource type), plus you save the pop slots. Cast it somewhere safe — the middle of your starting town is usually ideal.