Guide

Introduction

Thor in Age of Mythology: Retold is a fast-tempo raiding Norse civ built around early Armory tech, dwarf economy snowballing, and Hersir favor generation. The 2024 meta build is the Armory-first opener — get armor upgrades before anyone else and snowball with free dwarves.

For classic AoM/Titans Thor guides, see HellsRavage's and Spoeft's Thor guides on this site.

Thor Bonuses (Retold)

• Dwarven Armory: Can build Armory in Archaic (Age I) and ignore age restrictions on techs
• Each Armory tech gives a free dwarf — early upgrades = eco snowball
• Dwarves gather all resources effectively (not just gold like other Norse)
• Hammer of Thunder tech: Boosts Hersir damage and doubles favor generation
• God Power — Dwarven Mine: Creates a custom gold mine (bigger in later ages)

4:15 Armory Opener (Meta Build)

The dominant Thor build in 2024 Retold competitive. Adapted from Mirez's Armory opener.

Archaic Age

1. Starting 3 dwarves → gold. Drop Armory immediately
2. Queue Copper Mail (armor) at Armory, rally Armory to wood
3. 1 dwarf → gold (4 total on gold)
4. Use Berserker to herd hunt toward TC
5. 2 gatherers → wood
6. 4 dwarves → food at TC hunt
7. Research Copper Shields, set Armory rally to food, build house
8. 3 gatherers → food
9. Build Temple. Move wood gatherers to food temporarily to speed age-up
10. Kill chickens with villagers until 5 favor → research Hammer of Thunder
11. 2 more dwarves → food
12. Force-drop and click up to Classical

Target eco when entering Classical: ~6 food, 8 wood, 4 gold

Why This Works

• You enter Classical with Copper Mail AND Copper Shields already done
• Your units are significantly tankier than anyone else's at this timing
• Each armor tech gave you a free dwarf — eco advantage from minute 1
• Hammer of Thunder means your Hersirs generate double favor immediately

Classical Age — Raiding

First Priorities

1. 1-2 Hersir immediately (raiding, favor engine, myth summons)
2. 1-2 Longhouses for unit production
3. Add Raiding Cavalry / Ulfsarks for villager harassment
4. Research Meteoric Iron Armor / Dwarven Weapons when resources allow

Raiding Pattern

• Hit exposed wood lines and hunt first — forcing idle time matters more than kills
• Keep at least 1 Hersir in each raiding group — favor engine + myth unit threat
• Avoid losing Hersirs — they're expensive and critical
• Use Valkyries for cavalry support, healing, and raid pressure

Myth Unit Choices

Unit	Use Case
Valkyries	Best general choice — cavalry, strong vs humans, heals your army
Trolls	Ranged support — keep away from enemy heroes
Battle Boar	Aggressive — good for punching through infantry lines

Dwarven Mine Usage

Don't use Dwarven Mine too early — it gives more gold in later ages:

Age	Gold Amount
Archaic	500
Classical	1000
Heroic	3000
Mythic	6000

Best uses:

• Mid/late game under a safe TC when outer golds are contested
• Securing forward pressure gold when locking opponent off resources
• Emergency gold when all mines are depleted

Macro Guidelines

• Stay villager-light, tech-heavy: Armory techs give free dwarves — you can hit strong army upgrades early while passively growing eco
• Favor management: With Hammer of Thunder, each fight gives massive favor. Spend on Valkyries early, then situational myth units
• Use military units to build: Ulfsarks and Hersirs build more Longhouses as you push — instant production at the front
• Hunt with villagers: Generates extra favor from combat. Helps reach 5 favor for Hammer of Thunder faster

Minor God Path

Standard Path

Forseti → Skadi/Njord → Baldr

• Forseti gives Healing Spring + Troll support
• Skadi for land (Frost, farming tech), Njord for water (Kraken, Walking Woods)
• Baldr for Ragnarok — still the best Norse Mythic GP

Aggressive Path

Freyja → Bragi → Tyr

• Freyja for Valkyries + Forest Fire
• Bragi for Flaming Weapons
• Tyr for Fimbulwinter + Fenrir Wolves

Quick Checklist

1. Armory at start → Copper Mail → Copper Shields while pumping dwarves
2. Fast Temple + Hammer of Thunder
3. Hit Classical ~4:15-4:30 with 6F / 8W / 4G
4. 1-2 Hersir + 1-2 Longhouses → constant raids
5. Meteoric Iron Armor / Dwarven Weapons as eco permits
6. Add Valkyrie for pressure + healing
7. Use Dwarven Mine on safe late-game gold
8. Keep opponent under eco pressure — leverage superior upgrades and free dwarves to outscale