The many different strategies of Age of Empires IV make for some very interesting choices. Players have to guide an ancient civilization all the way to the modern era, and it’s not easy. There’s a delicate balance that must be struck between scientific and military development, culture, and the pursuit of overall power.
This new sequel has added a bunch of new and revamped mechanics to the game. Veteran players might recognize some things, but a lot has been altered. Trading Posts are still spawning, so that’s easy to understand. Other mechanics are a bit harder to understand. The relics in Age of Empires IV are pretty esoteric. Here’s what we know about these ancient treasures.
How relics in Age of Empires IV work
Relics are religious artifacts that you can find in Age of Empires IV, as random treasures on the map. They spawn randomly, just like trading posts and other map points of interest. They must be brought back to your cities, and will confer various boons on your forces.
The best way to spot these items is to look for the small glimmering yellow icon on the ground around the map. You can capture them with only certain units. Only a Religious unit can hold on to these items and capture them for your empire. You will need to send these units over to find them. They won’t be interactable with a villager, or soldier.
To capture the relics, you need to build a Monastery, which means you need to reach Age III. Get to this point in the game and build such a building, you will need it. The other use of these units is for conversion of enemy units, which is a ton of fun.
The impact a relic in AoE 4 has is entirely dependent on where you place it. When placed inside a Monastery you control, the relic generates passive income. When placed inside a Keep, the Keep gets a big boost to defenses. Where you place it will depend entirely on your playstyle.
