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Guide

Introduction

This guide consists of seven sections covering minor gods, matchups on every map, build orders, specialized strategies, unit combinations, rating tips, and how to beat popular strategies.

Section 1: Minor Gods

Classical Age

Bast

Eclipse is arguably the 2nd best Classical god power (after Restoration). Combines beautifully with Ancestors for devastating A+E attacks, or with mass Petsuchos, or even with your Titan. Sphinxes are fast myth units with great damage. Extra Classical eco upgrades are always a bonus.

Use vs: All Egyptian, all Greek, and Atlantean when you have safe 2nd gold or can FH easily. Best on water maps.

Anubis

Excellent vs Norse and Atlantean on lower hunt/open maps. Well-microed Anubites absolutely shred Norse and Atlantean armies. With 2 Monuments and the faster favor flow tech, you get a constant supply. Keep them away from heroes and watch them win for you.

Use vs: Norse and Atlantean on land. Also useful on Mediterranean for fast 4:30 advance to counter rushes.

Heroic Age

Nephthys (Most Common)

Chosen primarily for the god power combo with Eclipse. Scorpion Men are possibly one of the best Heroic myth units in the game. Priest upgrades make you totally immune to enemy myth units.

Use: Open maps, water maps, vs all.

Hathor

Mercs are already imbalanced — Hathor extends their life. Medjay + brick + more HP + cheaper buildings = incredible value. Rocs are fantastic. Crocodiles deal 60 pierce damage.

Use: When you have safe gold or when you don't FH.

Mythic Age

Thoth (Best Egyptian Mythic)

No real counter to Thoth War Elephants (except a million towers). Book of Thoth gives +10% all resources. Meteor can take out a TC or kill an enemy Titan Gate.

Use: Vs all on all maps, unless facing heavy myth unit spam.

Osiris

Son of Osiris is the most powerful single hero in AoT. Two Pharaohs plus Mummies that kill any unit in 1 second. Great vs Colossus/Fire Giant spam or fast Titan play.

Recommended god path: Bast → Hathor → Thoth. Adjust based on map and situation — Nephthys is often chosen over Hathor in practice.

Section 2: Isis on Every Map

Alfheim

Brilliant map vs any god except maybe Ra/Set. Check your starting TC position:

  • Corner start: Play aggressively, secure the gold
  • Middle start: Scout sides first, find your 2nd TC. If you find safe protected gold (~75% of games), boom. If not, go aggressive

Usually fight Classical then up Heroic with Hathor — Rocs are incredibly strong here. If you get 4-2 TC advantage, jump Mythic and Titan while Roc-dropping enemy TCs. Walls EVERYWHERE.

OpponentStrategy
ZeusReact to him (rush/FM/boom). vs 2-3TC boom: A+E with 4+ siege/3 scorpions at ~10:30
PoseidonWalls + Crenellations + mass Scorpions + siege/CA. Or 3TC → Hathor → full Elephants
HadesBoom, go Hathor, full Elephants
RaIf Bast: 2TC FH with priests, Hathor. If Ptah: hard boom → Hathor, out-eco him
IsisRush at 4:30 with priests, Heroic ASAP, forward Migdol, 4-2 TC advantage
SetSafe gold → boom + Elephants. No safe gold → FH and hope
NorseThor/Odin: 4:20 Anubis rush. Loki: semi-FH with Axemen + Nephthys
AtlanteanGame dependent — scout their strategy

Anatolia

The best map for Isis — if she could design an AoT map, this would be it. FH at 8-8:30. Check middle TCs — if one is close to water, win that water but build THE OTHER TC. Keep 10-12 on wood, lots on food for Elephants. Pick up middle gold as trade is often poor here.

Ghost Lake

Can be great or terrible — depends on the map generator. Check for 1 or 2 starting 3k gold mines. With 1, play aggressively or FH fast (before 8:20). With 2, you can boom with 20+ villagers from Prosperity, spam farms, and go mass Elephants.

Highland

Luck-heavy map. Great vs Atlantean, Norse, and Ra. Win some fish (9 spots minimum) with 5:30 advance, take TCs and boom. Hathor is important here.

Marsh

If you get a 6k gold inside TC range, you're golden. Play aggressively to push enemies off hunt. Scout the middle with priests for relics and sheep.

Mediterranean

Great map vs all except Zeus. 7:20 FH works beautifully vs non-Egyptian/Zeus. 5:27 semi-FH works vs Egyptian. If you win water, fish every gold spot while setting up trade at 10:00.

OpponentStrategy
Zeus5:00 3-dock Classic fight (outproduce from 3 docks vs his 2, run from Restoration)
Poseidon/Hades/Ra7:20 FH
Isis/Set5:27 semi-FH
Norse7:20 FH (only A+E eco if 2 or fewer Hersirs nearby)
Kronos7:20 FH with 5-6 docks by 4:45
Atlantean/Gaia7:20 FH

Midgard

Great vs Egyptian and Atlantean, less so vs Norse and Greek (hard to set up trade). 2-dock start vs all. Distract enemy on water in Classical, then go full land in Heroic. Gold is scarce — locate and secure it.

Oasis

Send Priest and Pharaoh on sheep-finding missions at start. Classic fight and boom works well. Walls to stop enemy trade.

Savannah

Not a good map for Isis. Raids are effective. Look for back TCs that protect gold mines. Generally FH fast with 2 Monuments, spam CA/Scorpions, and raid hard.

Tundra

Worst map for Isis vs any god except Ra. Play very aggressively or FH super fast and raid hard.

Watering Hole

Either the best or worst land map depending on the generator. Scout carefully — safe gold determines everything.

  • No safe gold: FH aggressive
  • 1 safe gold: 2TC FH
  • 2 safe 6k golds: Fast Titan

Section 3: Build Orders

3.1 Optimal Land Eco FH (High Hunt)

  1. 3 food → 3 gold → 2 food
  2. Builder villager: Monument → 3 houses → Temple → remaining houses → Market
  3. 3 wood → 7 food → 5 gold
  4. Advance (12 food / 3 wood / 8 gold)
  5. Build armory at wood, send new villagers to wood
  6. Advance to Heroic: 5 food / 7 wood / lots of gold

Classical at 6:09. Research Flood of the Nile and Pick Axe around 3:00. Husbandry + Hand Axe after starting temple. Upon advancing, get Shaft Mine, Bast wood tech, and Signal Fires.

3.2 4:20 Rush (High Hunt)

  1. 3 food → 3 gold → 7 food (build temple with 2 gold villagers)
  2. Houses/Monument after advance
  3. Next villagers to wood → 2 gold
  4. Advance, send 5 from food to gold (5F / 1W / 10G)
  5. After advancing, 5 back to food (10F / 1W / 5G)
  6. Fill food to 15, gold to 10, advance to Heroic

3.3 4:20 Rush (Low Hunt)

  1. 11 food → Temple → 2 food → Houses → 2 gold → Advance
  2. Same eco transitions as high hunt version

3.4 Pre-4:00 Rush (High Hunt)

  1. 3 food (+ Hunting Dogs) → 2 gold (no obelisks)
  2. 7 food → Temple + houses → Gold until advance

Can achieve 3:50-4:02 Classical. Great vs Kronos or Norse.

3.5 Monument Start

  1. Monument first → 7 food → 5 gold → Wood
  2. Houses/Temple builder → Wood → 6-7 food
  3. Gold until advance, making a 2nd Monument

3.6 Water: 5:00 3-Dock Classic Fight (vs Greek/Atlantean on Mediterranean)

  1. 1 villager: dock → house → gold
  2. 5 food → 4 wood → 2 gold → All food
  3. Build temple, 2 houses at ~23/28 pop
  4. Advance at 4:00 — arrange to 12 wood, 6 gold + builder for 2 more docks

3.7 Water: 5:27 Semi-FH (vs Isis/Set on Mediterranean)

  1. 1 villager: dock → house → 2nd dock → 4 houses → more docks/houses/monument
  2. 5 food → 5 wood → 5 gold → All food until advance
  3. Advance at 4:27 — arrange to 13 wood, 7 gold
  4. In Classical, all new villagers to gold until ~15 (need 500 gold for Heroic at 9:00)

3.8 Water: 7:20 FH (vs Norse/Atlantean/Greek/Ra on Mediterranean)

  1. Same start as 5:27
  2. Advance at 4:27 — eco should be ~21 food / 3 wood / 7 gold
  3. In Classical, armory with wood villagers → advance to Heroic immediately

3.9 Anti-Atlantean Dock Spam (Mediterranean)

  1. Same dock start as 5:27
  2. 4 food → 4 wood → 6 gold
  3. Send a wood villager to build extra docks after temple
  4. All food until advance (Classical ~5:40-5:55)
  5. Build docks close together — 3-4 should fire at any attacker

3.10 Optimal Water 2-Dock (Midgard/Anatolia vs All)

  1. Same dock start
  2. 5 food → 6 wood → 6 gold (6th makes Monument)
  3. 3 food → Gold until advance (~6:00 with 45-50 pop)
  4. Make a few ships in Classical, Heroic ASAP (~8:30)

3.11 Highland Specific

  1. Same dock start
  2. 5 food → 4 wood → 6 gold → All food until advance
  3. Last villager to gold, make a couple ships, go FH

Section 4: Specific Strategies

4.1 The 2TC FH

Use optimal 12-3-8 build but add an extra gold villager (12-3-9, advance at 6:23). Immediately in Classical: 5 villagers build new TC from gold. Research Shaft Mine + Signal Fires. Build armory with wood villagers. TC builders go to wood after completion, new villagers to gold. In Heroic, send new villagers to pigs, research final gold upgrade + both Bast techs + Plow. At 18-20 gold villagers, hit Prosperity, spam 35-40 farms. Your eco will be insane.

4.2 Anubis Rush

Use 4:20 build orders. Auto-queue priests on the way to Classical (4-5 total), push opponent off hunt. After Classical: set up 2-3 barracks, auto-queue units. Keep max 6 on wood, 12-15 on gold, and LOTS on food.

Critical: Build 2 Monuments as early as possible (1 during advance, 1 right after). Save Serpents for the battle over the enemy's 2nd gold mine. When low on food: send villagers to gold → Prosperity → spam 15-20 farms.

4.3 General High Hunt FH Advice

What separates the best Isis players from 1750-level: food gathered between 9 and 17 minutes. Top players have 35 food villagers by 15 minutes. Never more than 12 on wood. Keep 7 wood, ~15 gold, everything else on food. Start with CA, then CA/Camels, set up trade at 10:00, then mass Elephants with siege.

4.4 General Low Hunt FH Advice

Two options: rush with 4:20 low hunt build, or if you find back hunt late, do a 6:30 advance. Solid start template: 3 food → 3 gold → 4 food → 3 wood (Monument) → 7 food → gold until advance. Get Flood of the Nile, Pick Axe, and Husbandry/Hunting Dogs.

4.5 Effective A+E Attacks

Attack by 10:30-11:00 (latest for 1TC rush). Target composition: 4 siege towers, 3 Scorpions, lots of CA, a few Elephants/Camels.

This requires ~14 on wood with Hand Axe, ~10 on gold (after Prosperity), all new villagers to food. Best used vs Egyptian and Greek on open maps.

4.6 The 3TC Boom

Reach Heroic around 10:20 with 70+ villagers. Advance ~6:00, Prosperity with 13 on gold. After advancing: 13 gold / 1 wood / 9 food. Send 5 villagers + Pharaoh to forward TC, 5 to back TC. Starting TC villagers → herdables, 2nd TC villagers → gold, 3rd TC villagers → food. Wait for eco to explode.

4.7 Priests/Siege FH

Great vs Atlantean when they boom or when you have safe 2nd gold. Standard FH but fast — aim for 8:00 or earlier. While advancing: ~3 food, 2 wood, max gold + Prosperity. Research 1st pierce upgrade, build 2nd temple. After Prosperity: 8 farms + Plow, 6 on wood + Hand Axe. In Heroic: research cheap priests tech, build siege camp, auto-queue siege and priests. Attack with 3-4 siege + priests + 2+ Scorpions.

4.8 Water (Mediterranean) 7:20 FH

Get to Classical by 5:30 (use 5:27 build). Immediately build armory with wood villagers + Pharaoh and advance. Keep 2 on food, ~9 on gold, rest on wood (11-12). Hit Prosperity, send Sphinx to enemy base for A+E. After winning water, fish every spot and set up trade ASAP.

Section 5: Unit Combinations

vs CivilizationUnit Combo
EgyptianElephants + Chariot Archers
NorseElephants + Chariot Archers + Axemen
GreekElephants + CA + barracks units (Axes vs Hoplites, Spears vs cavalry)
AtlanteanElephants + Slingers + Axemen

Always add myth units, priests, and siege when possible.

Section 6: Tips to Increase Your Rating

  • Trade early! After your house-builder finishes (~9 minutes), send him to build 2-3 markets
  • Only 7 on wood when playing defensively (7 × 15 = 105, enough for CA). Get LOTS on food between 9-15 minutes
  • 13-15 on wood when playing aggressively for A+E attacks — speed is critical
  • 3 on wood per Slinger barracks — 2 barracks = only 6 on wood needed
  • Use Hathor as often as you can — she's deadly
  • Setup a back Migdol on the way to Mythic near opponent's back TC. Auto-queue Elephants, Meteor the TC, and try to take it
  • Late game combo: 5 catapults behind walls and towers with Elephants + CA + Mercs
  • Good TC / Bad TC: On maps with middle TCs near water, win that water but build the OTHER TC. This gives you options and denies them to the enemy
  • Crenellations is one of the best Classical upgrades vs cavalry spam
  • Priests or no priests? If your hunt and gold are safe (within TC/tower range or unwallable), skip priests and boom/FH faster. If the enemy can mess up your FH, make priests
  • For effective A+E: Attack around 10:30 with 4 siege + 3 Scorpions + support units

Section 7: How Do I Beat...?

Raids and Early Flaming Weapons

About 5 barracks units + Crenellations to defend. One villager constantly building walls. When fighting FW: you need "3 buildings" worth of fire — 2 Migdols + TC, 3 Migdols, or any equivalent combo (1 tower = half a building). This makes him waste FW or take as much damage as you.

Scarab Rush

For straight-up fight: Heroic under 8 minutes, lots of CA/Camels. 2 Migdols (he'll likely kill 1). Barracks for Slingers vs his CA. 8 priests with range upgrade + Nephthys damage upgrade. Micro heroes in and out of Migdols. Try to A+E first.

Greek Fast Mythic

Advance fast, rush, and stay aggressive in Heroic to prevent him from reaching Mythic.

Athena Map Control

Normal FH with 2 Monuments, home Migdol next to TC. Don't use Prosperity yet. Make CA until gold runs out, walk gold villagers to the mine you want, THEN hit Prosperity + Ancestors. He runs away — during A+E, build 2 Migdols at that gold mine. When he returns with Restoration/army, 2 Migdols producing CA should be enough. Get Crenellations vs cavalry. Then TCs + trade to victory.

Atlantean Rush

Don't lose units! Don't fight until you're at 100+ pop. Be patient — use Priests/Slingers/Anubites. Once you secure outside gold (~10 minutes), use Prosperity on the new mine, build 2-3 TCs + farms, out-boom him. Then Axes/Elephants/Slingers combo. Place a Monument at each TC vs Tartarian Gate.

Atlantean Boom

FH as fast as possible (by 8 minutes), attack with Priests/siege at 10 minutes, take 4 TCs. He'll try to counter with Murmillo — add CA in the back and watch them melt.

Isis Wars

Often won or lost in Classical. Priest wars determine map control and access to outside resources. More food between 9-17 minutes = more Elephants and trade = more Mercs = you win. Elephants are best between 15-25 minutes. Watch for Crenellations. Once he's heavily fortified: Mercs + Catapults + walls + towers. The earlier you set up trade, the more likely you win.

Perfect Isis war progression: Advance fast → take map control → first to Heroic → boom/raid/trade → first to Mythic → Elephants/towers/siege/Mercs.