Gods & Powers

How the God System Works

Choosing your major god at the start of an Age of Mythology: Retold match is the most consequential decision you make before the game begins. Your major god determines your starting god power (used once), your civilization's specific bonus, and which minor gods you can choose at each age advancement. Minor gods, chosen when advancing from Archaic to Classical, Classical to Heroic, and Heroic to Mythic Age, each bring a unique god power, a myth unit, and one or two special technologies. The entire strategic arc of a match is shaped by these four choices.

Greek Gods — Analytical Choices

Greek players choose between three fundamentally different playstyles based on their major god. Zeus is the offensive infantry choice: his bonus enhances Hoplites and provides Lightning Storm as his god power, one of the most damaging offensive powers in the game. Poseidon favors cavalry and naval play, starting with a Hippikon Cavalry unit and providing bonuses to stable production. Hades is the defensive and archer-oriented choice, providing stronger buildings that drop Shades of dead soldiers when destroyed and access to the Underworld Passage god power for strategic repositioning.

Greek minor gods expand on these identities in meaningful ways. Athena provides the Aegis Shield technology for improved infantry armor. Ares summons Cyclops in the Heroic Age. Apollo speeds up building and unit production. Hephaestus creates the Colossus — one of the most powerful myth units in the game — and improves siege weapons. Each choice is permanent, making foresight about what your opponent might field a necessary part of the selection process.

Egyptian Gods — Monument Economy

Egyptian civilization gameplay revolves around monuments and the Pharaoh. Ra is the economic major god, providing a Prosperity god power that dramatically increases gold income and empowering his Pharaoh to boost building production efficiency. Isis is the supportive and defensive choice, with strong healing abilities, Prosperity alternatives, and access to powerful restoration technologies. Set is the aggressive option: his Summon Animals god power deploys powerful animals as combat units, and his playstyle rewards fast action and early myth unit deployment.

Egyptian minor gods include powerful figures like Anubis, whose Plague of Serpents and Pestilence god powers cripple enemy economies, and Osiris, whose Roc can transport entire armies across the map for surprise attacks. The Egyptian minor god system is particularly strong because Egyptian players receive bonus favor from monuments — passive structures that generate favor without requiring villager worship time.

Norse Gods — Aggressive Raiding

Norse civilization is designed for aggression. Odin's bonus gives Raven scouting units and stronger ranged infantry. Thor provides strong resource bonuses and access to Dwarves, who gather resources faster than standard gatherers. Loki's Spy god power reveals the entire enemy map and his bonuses favor unconventional army compositions including Ulfsark infantry who double as builders.

Norse generate favor uniquely — through combat rather than worship. This means Norse players must fight often, which naturally pushes them toward aggressive strategies. Norse heroes (Hersirs) also generate favor through battle, incentivizing large hero forces rather than the small elite hero pool used by Greek players. Norse myth units include powerful creatures like Frost Giants (who freeze enemies), Battle Boars (fast cavalry), and the fearsome Fire Giant in the Mythic Age.

Atlantean Gods — Flexible Heroes

The Atlantean civilization introduced in the Titans expansion offers a unique hero transformation mechanic — any military unit or citizen can be converted into a hero version for a resource cost. This flexibility allows Atlanteans to field heroes against myth units without committing to a dedicated hero production building. Their major gods (Kronos, Oranos, Gaia) each provide distinct economic and military bonuses, with Kronos offering powerful time-reversal god powers and Oranos providing strong aerial myth units and transport capabilities.

God Power Strategy Guide

God powers are single-use abilities that can swing the outcome of battles or dramatically alter the economic landscape. Using them at the right moment is a critical skill. Offensive god powers like Lightning Storm, Tornado, or Earthquake should be saved for maximum unit density — use them when the enemy army is clustered, not spread across the map. Economic god powers like Prosperity or Restoration are best used during peaceful build-up phases when the bonus generates maximum value. Tactical god powers like Underworld Passage or Roc transport work best as surprise attacks when the opponent has not scouted your base recently. Never waste a god power on a situation that you could resolve through normal army production.