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Guide

Archaic Age God Powers

Bolt (Zeus)

Bolt is one of the most versatile God Powers in AoM/TT and can easily be used for many different situations. Here are the best uses:

Bolting an Ulfsark (vs Norse)

Bolting an opposing Norse player's starting Ulfsark can be very rewarding and give Zeus a slight edge in speed. However, most Norse players have learned to build a second Ulfsark early against Zeus, so it isn't always as big an advantage as it could be.

Good times to bolt Ulfsarks:

  • When you catch a lone Ulfsark building a temple near your home
  • When you catch the starting Ulfsark building a dock (easy on Highland, Anatolia — send one scout down each shoreline)
  • When you catch the starting Ulfsark building a house before you reach 15 pop (they likely forgot to build one early)

Bolting Myth Units

Bolting your opponent's first MU can really slow down any attacks and allows you to have a slightly slower Classical time if you wish. This is also why bolting a starting Ulfsark isn't always the best idea — saving it for a much more expensive unit can be far more impactful.

Other Bolt Uses

  • Critical moments: Saving Bolt for a large MU or a ram during a key battle
  • vs Greek: Bolting their first or second hero costs them a lot of resources and lets you build MUs for raiding
  • vs Son of Osiris: Try to get the SoO far enough out of monument range. Check monument coverage borders by selecting the Bolt GP and testing around the map
  • vs Titans: Against Atlantean healing Titans, wait until the Titan hits 1000 HP — the Bolt will kill it while the player thinks their healing Titan is still safe

Sentinels (Poseidon)

A useful GP that many players waste. The biggest mistake is casting it on your original TC right at the start — even in team games. This wastes its potential and removes your options.

Best uses:

  • Saving it for a partner who gets doubled
  • Securing a forward TC that would otherwise be hard to hold
  • Keeping it unused as a deterrent — if your opponent knows you still have it, they're less likely to attack your TCs

Don't use it up too early. Wait until you know for sure it's going to be useful.

Lure (Hades)

Most players cast Lure right at the start by their TC. While not bad, there's a better approach on land maps (on water maps, dropping it immediately is the way to go).

The problem with casting it immediately is that you often steal 1 deer from each of your own nearby hunting spots — spots you'd hunt from anyway and build a mill at regardless. I prefer to wait until I've taken care of my closest safe hunting before casting the GP, so the animals you lure are more likely to be ones you weren't already planning to hunt.

Placement tips:

  • Place it on the back side of your TC (closest to the map edge) — most animals come from the opposite direction, giving them a longer path past your TC for shooting
  • Leave space between the TC and lure stone in case hunting gets trapped there

Classical Age God Powers

Pestilence (Athena)

A very handy GP with several strong uses:

  • Slowing rushes: Cast it to buy time while you tech up to Heroic or boom from multiple TCs
  • Controlling territory: When fighting over an empty or occupied TC with roughly equal armies, Pestilence stops reinforcements and gives you the edge
  • Combo with Curse: Cast Curse on an opposing army, then Pestilence on their barracks. This is how I often counter Flaming Weapons — the FW duration expires before they can get extra units out
  • On docks: Cast it on enemy docks upon hitting Classical to buy time for Heroic or gain a numbers advantage at sea

Cease Fire (Hermes)

The most dynamic GP in the game. This is the reason why both Zeus and Poseidon can be much better than Hades in many situations.

Best uses:

  • Blocking GPs: Especially Ancestors and Flaming Weapons
  • Forward TC snipe: Start building on an unoccupied or freshly destroyed TC, then cast Cease Fire to buy time for reinforcements
  • Army recovery: If you lose a battle badly and are outnumbered, Cease Fire buys time to rebuild your army
  • Titan protection: Sometimes worth saving until Mythic to protect your Titan Gate

Restoration (Athena)

A great Classical GP. Best used early to push Hoplite rushes or win important territorial battles.

Tips:

  • Combo with Bronze: Heal up your Bronzed units so they last the full duration
  • Not great on ships: Doesn't give enough HP back to be worthwhile
  • Wait for full engagement: Don't cast it too soon on an army that isn't hurt much — your opponent may just run away, wasting half the GP's power. Wait until both armies are fully committed

Heroic Age God Powers

Bronze (Dionysus)

Great for giving a melee army the push it needs to break into a heavily fortified area. Less useful for archer-heavy armies since archers aren't great at taking down buildings and tend to die quickly regardless of armor.

Best uses:

  • Taking over a critical TC or important gold mine
  • When your opponent either has to fight or lose something important

Avoid:

  • Using it to chase down a fleeing enemy
  • Waiting too long — the longer you wait, the more defenses your opponent has

Curse (Apollo)

Better than many people think. In an army vs. army situation, Curse is actually stronger than Bronze.

Best uses:

  • Counter Bronze: Cursing a Bronzed army makes the Bronze GP much less effective
  • Counter Flaming Weapons: Usually in combination with Pestilence
  • Big pushes: Cast when pushing for a key point on the map
  • Emergency defense: When being overrun by too many units

Underworld Passage (Apollo)

Doesn't give as many direct combat benefits as Bronze or Curse, and the god you pick for it (Apollo) doesn't offer great MUs or techs. However, it has many strategic uses.

Best uses:

  • Team games: Enables quick double-team attacks while staying safe at home
  • Split maps (Mediterranean): Strike from either side of the map quickly
  • TC snipes: Place it near an enemy TC and flood it with Hoplites/rams
  • Stopping Titans: Get your army in position to deal with Titan Gates before they complete
  • Trade route disruption: Underworld to a key point and build walls/fortress to cut off trade

Common mistakes: Placing the passage too close to the front lines when you plan to use it long-term. If you need it for repeated troop movement, place it safely. If it's a one-time sneak attack, placement safety matters less — just put it somewhere unlikely to be noticed.

Mythic Age God Powers

Lightning Storm (Hera)

A powerful GP — just use common sense when casting it. The only rules:

  • Don't cast it near enemy buildings, especially garrisonable ones — Lightning Storm does very little damage to buildings, and your opponent might garrison their army
  • Cast it during large-scale fights for maximum impact

Earthquake (Hephaestus)

A very useful GP with some caveats:

  • Don't use against Poseidon — you'll be flooded with militia
  • Great for helping take down a fortified TC, but it won't destroy most TCs on its own — follow up with an army
  • If you still have Cease Fire, combo with EQ: Earthquake a TC while villagers run in to capture it
  • Excellent against clusters of enemy houses — one EQ can wipe out most of their pop capacity
  • Very effective against Titan Gates

Vault of Plenty (Hephaestus)

Not as powerful as Lightning Storm or Earthquake, but still useful. It generates 3 of each resource (except favor) every 3 seconds, which is equivalent to roughly 8-9 upgraded villagers. This lets you field about 4 more military units than your opponent and ensures a non-stop supply of gold — which can be the difference between life and death in late game.