Another legendary adventure in the Age of Empires universe begins with the “Immortal Pillars” expansion. Command divine powers, guide mythical creatures, and build magnificent cities across a rich tapestry of Chinese culture and mythology. From its captivating deities to intricate landscapes, “Immortal Pillars” expands your strategic options and immerses you in a vibrant, mythological world.
This is just the first in a series of expansions that World's Edge studio has in mind, and it is completely free for premium users. The biggest news of this expansion are:
- Chinese pantheon of gods: 12 new gods are coming to the world of AoM including Fu Shi, Shennong, Nu Wa, Gong Gong and many more. New heroes, workers, but also warriors.
- Nine-episode campaign: This single-player campaign narratively takes you through Chinese mythology, emphasizing the troubles of the aforementioned gods.
- Mythological creatures: you have the opportunity to lead the most mystical creatures of Chinese mythology into battle. From Yazi and Zhuqu to Taowu and Chilin.
- Seven new maps: These maps are inspired by China's distinctive landscapes and placed in a competitive map set.
Chinese pantheon of gods
U Age of Mythology In the (AoM) universe, each pantheon is unique, but at the same time balanced so that it is not stronger than the others.
The Chinese pantheon is unique in its rapid expansion and strong economy. Every building the Chinese build creates favorable ground around it. Each major village has its own special favorable ground that all other buildings must connect to for massive bonuses that depend on the chosen one. BoceThe more connected favorable ground you have in your realm, the faster you generate favor or thunderbolts. Thunderbolts are a very important resource that allows you to train mythical creatures, study unique technologies, and reuse already used God's power.
Kuafu
The reason for the very rapid expansion of the Chinese pantheon is their unique workers. Just as the Nordic pantheon has dwarves who mine gold much faster than other workers, the Chinese have the Kuafu. The Kuafu is a giant worker who is much more expensive than a regular one, but works three times harder and builds five times faster! To balance the economy between the pantheons, the Kuafu require 10 more food resources, 100 gold coins, and 17 more thunderbolts than a regular worker.
Gods
Gods are divided into major and minor Gods.
The main Gods are: Fu Shi, Nu Wa and Shennong.
The minor gods are: Chiyou, Rushou, Zhurong, Houtu, Zhuang Nu, Goumang, Nuba, Gong Gong, Huangdi.
Military buildings
Military buildings of this pantheon They have special upgrades. They can upgrade a tower, defensive structure, or training ground within their perimeter that significantly speeds up the training of new warriors.
It is interesting that the Chinese do not have early cavalry. It was only in The Heroic Age they have the option of training the weakest type of cavalry that is only good against archers and that from their fortress. However, there is a compensation and The Chinese They have very strong archers who have bonus DMG on buildings, and at the same time they get siege units earlier than other pantheons, so the lack of cavalry doesn't stop them from taking a village or two from you. It's important to know that every Chinese main village has a single-use Terracotta Warriors who are something like Egyptian mercenaries. They are six warriors who have high movement speed and constantly lose health.
Heroes
Chinese heroes are trained in a special structure known as the Imperial Academy. Pioneers are the first heroes available, they are archers who excel at exploring the map, but thanks to their long range attacks they also help in fighting mythical creatures.
Next in line of Chinese heroes are the Sages. These heroes are limited and you can have a maximum of five of them at any given time in the game. They are significantly stronger than the Pioneers in fighting mythical creatures and can heal injured units. After moving into the Heroic and Mythological Ages, the Chinese unlock powerful Demigods that vary depending on the chosen supreme God. These heroes have incredibly strong magic that can completely change the course of the battle.
Campaign
The campaign consists of nine episodes, and although it's interesting and filled with enchanting landscapes, it feels a little forced. It's as if someone is forcing events that logically shouldn't happen.
It follows the story of several heroes in whose hands lies the future of the world as we know it. These are Shennong's chosen one Yan Feifeng, the most famous archer in Chinese mythology, Houji, and the legendary inventor of Chinese symbols, Cangjie. These heroes work together to restore balance in the universe that was lost because of Huang Zhaowu, who, dissatisfied with the Gods who granted immortality only to him, but not to his beloved, decided to conquer the world and the heavens. Through nine episodes, the game leads you to learn about the Chinese pantheon and the way it functions. Already in the first mission, we find out which units counter the others, while in the second we learn about the importance of heroes, but also the diversity of mythological beings. In the last mission, we have the opportunity to summon the Chinese Titan Jintian, who is the only one who manages to defy the opponent, and with his help, the three heroes successfully complete their life's mission.
Mythological creatures
Mythological creatures of Chinese mythology are divided into favorable and dangerous creatures.
Suitable mythological creatures
These creatures are a kind of guardian of the planet, and each corresponds to an element in nature. The first of these is Baihu, the white tiger. Baihu is obtained in the Heroic Age by choosing the God Ruzhou. Tigers are native to China, so it is not surprising that they feature prominently in Chinese mythology. Baihu is associated with the west, the color white, metal, and autumn. It symbolizes loyalty and justice.
Zhuanwu is the second in a series of beasts of convenience. This beast is obtained in the Mystic Age. It is a water beast and all Chinese have access to its training. Zhuanwu is actually two creatures merged into one. It is a turtle with a snake on its back. Zhuanwu is associated with the north, winter and the element of water. This beast symbolizes longevity.
Kinglang, the azure dragon, is also found in the Mystic Age. This dragon is associated with spring and the element of wood. It symbolizes good fortune and prosperity. Along with the white tiger, Baihu, the azure dragon, Kinglang, is considered the main guardian of the world.
The last mythological creature of convenience is Zhukve, the fire bird. Zhukve is obtained in the Mystic Age by worshipping the God Zhurong. This fire bird is associated with the south, summer, the color red, and fire. This bird resembles the Egyptian Phoenix, but unlike it, Zhukve has no plans to die, ever.
Dangerous mythological creatures
This is a collection of twisted and malevolent beings that arrived with the “Immortal Pillars” expansion.
Qingqi is a standard or not-so-standard tiger. It is a 260-kilogram muscular beast with wings, half-meter teeth, and sharp claws. This unit is obtained as early as the Classical Age if you follow the God Houtu. Qingqi fully understands humans and has a corrupt sense of justice. This beast enjoys arbitrating human disputes, devouring the righteous side and rewarding the wicked.
Taoti, perhaps the most uncorrupted, but no less dangerous, beast on the list, is some form of perverted ram that is constantly hungry. It cures its insatiability by devouring everything in its environment. Taoti is obtained in the Heroic Age by the followers of the God Nub.
Taovu is a human-faced creature covered in dog hair. It has four legs and a long tail. It is known for its stubbornness and pride that borders on ruthless stubbornness. Compared to a danger that eats the righteous and another that eats everything, Taovu really doesn't sound so bad. You unlock this unit in the Heroic Age by selecting the God Goumang.
Last on the list of dangerous mythological creatures is Hundun. Hundun is a faceless creature with three pairs of legs and two pairs of wings. Hundun is the evil son of the Yellow Emperor who was banished along with the other dangers. This creature is a symbol of complete chaos. You can train it in the Mystic Age by choosing the God Huangdi.
New competitive maps
In addition to the campaign and new gods, we also got seven completely new maps. These maps were immediately added to the competitive map pool, and on them we can expect conflicts between various players for control of any pantheon. The maps have passed the first phase of testing, and now it is the turn of the best players in the world to do the same. The developers are open to suggestions and are ready to fix any problems within the new maps.
Conclusion
Age of Mythology: Retold is definitely heading in the right direction. This game It is almost three decades old., and still has a healthy community. They organize regular tournaments, the game receives regular updates, and many more expansions have been announced. The Chinese Pantheon is an idea that has been in the air since the game was released, and although the implementation was not perfect due to several bugs that occur in the campaign and several unbalanced strategies that were discovered on the first day of multiplayer, the programming team approached the problem quickly and efficiently. The game expects a new, “fix” patch by the end of the week. If you want to try this expansion yourself, it costs only 20 euros on the Steam gaming platform.
Bonus video:
