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A small upgrade in the Monastery will grant players Food, Wood, and Stone in addition to the Gold. All in all, securing Relics doesn’t change the tide of war, but it has proven to be a great help for players who can keep it. Players who want to figure out the best way possible to utilize these Relics should definitely check out this guide to understand how.
Updated on December 28th, 2021 by Ritwik Mitra: Age of Empires 4 is a return to form for this legendary RTS franchise, and the game has enjoyed an active start to its life. The game might not take many leaps when it comes to innovation, but the manner in which it modernizes the classic Age of Empires gameplay should be commended regardless. Relics are a neat little aspect of the classic AoE gameplay that is also present in Age of Empires 4, and this guide covers everything a player needs to know about how to use Relics in Age of Empires 4 to great effect.
How To Pick Up Relics In Age Of Empires 4
To pick up Relics in Age of Empire 4, players need to send a Monk to the location. However, bear in mind that the unit will need some company since they’re extremely fragile and don’t really have any way to defend themselves aside from frantically converting a lone unit. A solitary Monk will likely be eaten by wolves before they get to their destination, which is not an ideal situation in the slightest.
Since Relics are religious items that can be stored in Monasteries, Monks are the only units that can hold them and move them. Note that different civilizations have different names for Monks, such as:
Monk: English, Chinese, and French Prelate: Holy Roman Empire Shaman: Mongols Warrior Monk: Rus Scholar: Delhi Sultanate Imam: Mosque
Monks can be recruited at the Third Age by most civilizations. However, the Holy Roman Empire faction can buy Prelate immediately at the start of the game without constructing a Monastery. Delhi Sultanate is another exception, where players can build a Mosque in the First Age. However, this doesn’t matter much as obtaining Relics is restricted until the Third Age. So Delhi and Romans only have a slight advantage over other civilizations and need to put in a ton of work as well if they want to make the most of these Relics and their benefits.
To find Relics, players have to send their scouts or troops to check for them on the map. Once players pass by a Relic, they will see its golden color and the golden strings above it. After that, Relics will appear on the minimap with an artifact icon, making it easier for players who passed these Relics to backtrack their steps and take these Relics for their own purposes.
Importance Of Relics
Relics are an important aspect of some civilizations. For example, the Holy Roman Empire can store Relics in most of their constructions, and each construction will have a different buff.
Although the Delhi Sultanate can recruit Scholars early, they still don’t count on Relic that much. Instead, their Scholars can seize Sacred Sites early on.
Relics can also be used for offense. Monks carrying the Relics will obtain a new ability called Conversion. When used, the Monk will perform a ritual to steal enemies’ troops in a decent AOE. Unfortunately, Monks are slow and they have to walk into combat to initiate Conversion. Enemies will easily notice and deal with the religious unit, which can prove to be quite costly given how expensive Monks really are. However, there’s one civilization that can use this strategy effectively.
Unlike the typical Monks, Rus’ Warrior Monks are fast and have decent survivability. With the right planning, players can sneak a Relic carrier in between enemy troops and successfully initiate Conversion.
A Brief Summary Of Age Of Empires 4
While the RTS franchise has never stopped publishing releases in some form or another, Age of Empires 4 to first new numbered entry since 2005’s AoE 3. Ensemble Studios went defunct in 2009, leaving Age of Empires without a studio, prompting the sequel to be handed to Relic Entertainment. The studio has a storied history in the RTS world, following up its 1999 debut, Homeworld, with Company of Heroes and various Warhammer 40,000 games.
Rather than reinvent the wheel, Age of Empires 4 largely sticks to the fundamentals that time has proven to work, with AoE 2 serving as the main source of inspiration. The 2021 game does justice by its series’ lofty standards. It’s a fun RTS game to try out for fans of the series who want to explore new campaigns and multiplayer scenarios with a fresh coat of paint.
Age of Empires 4 was released on October 28, 2021, and is currently available on PC.
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