The much-anticipated moment is here: the Closed Beta for Age of Mythology: Retold is officially LIVE! Anyone who pre-ordered Age of Mythology: Retold Premium Edition can go play right now! Experience the newest iteration of Age of Mythology and let us hear any feedback you might have, and details on how below! Don’t wait too long – the beta ends on Sunday, July 14th at 11:59 pm PT (2:59 am ET / 06:59 UTC).
Can’t join us for the closed beta this weekend? Keep an eye out for more news on a future Stress Test that will be accessible to all Steam players for a limited time, without the need for a pre-order.
Please note the beta will not be the final version of Age of Mythology: Retold.
Will You Become Mythic? Pre-Order Now!
How to Play
The beta will be available to anyone who has pre-ordered the Premium Edition of Age of Mythology: Retold on Steam, Microsoft Store, and Xbox Series X/S.
- Age Insider membership will not be required for participation.
- The beta will not be under NDA, so feel free to capture, stream, and record your gameplay.
- The beta is available for players who decide to pre-order the Premium Edition even after the beta has started.
Provided you have pre-ordered the Age of Mythology: Retold Premium Edition, you can follow the link below for the platform of your pre-order to gain access. Please ensure you are logged in!
- Age of Mythology: Retold Closed Beta on Xbox
- Age of Mythology: Retold Closed Beta on the Microsoft Store
- To access the Age of Mythology: Retold Closed Beta on Steam, please ensure you have opt-in to product betas, then restart your Steam application. You will then see a new game in your Steam library titled Age of Mythology: Retold (Beta) which you will be able to install and play.
New Features in Beta
- Rechargeable God Powers and Castable Myth Attacks
- The Brand New Wonder Age
- Myriads of design & balance changes to all Cultures and their Gods.
- All God Powers, abilities and Unique Technologies now offer vastly more impactful strategical choices.
- Overhauled AI with new difficulty levels.
- Significantly increased population.
- Significant changes to projectiles, Walls and Settlements (Including new freely placeable Village Centers).
- The Villager Priority System on both PC and Console
- A Brand New Tutorial Mission
Campaign
- Brand New Tutorial
- The First 5 Missions of Fall of the Trident: Follow the story of Arkantos, the Atlantean hero!
Cultures & Gods
- Greeks: Zeus, Hades, Poseidon
- Egyptians: Ra, Isis, Set
- Norse: Thor, Odin, Loki
Multiplayer
- Game Mode: Standard, Deathmatch, Lighting
- Victory Conditions: Standard, Conquest, King of the Hill, Regicide, Sudden Death
Standard Maps
- Randomly selects from a tailored pool of maps that welcome strategic diversity and civilization variety.
- Maps: Alfheim, Anatolia, Blue Lagoon, Elysium, Giza, Highland, Marsh, Mediterranean, Nile Shallows, Oasis, Savannah, Watering Hole
How to Report Bugs/Issues
- Visit the official Age of Empires Forums or the Steam Forums to report any bugs or give any feedback.
FAQ
- What are the dates of this Beta?
- Friday, July 12 at 10:00 AM PDT – Sunday, July 14 at 11:59 PM PDT
- Which Platforms is this Beta available on?
- Steam, Microsoft Store, Xbox Series X/S
- How do I install the Age of Mythology: Retold Closed Beta?
- Age of Mythology: Retold (Beta) will be granted to your library, where you can begin game installation.
- If I pre-order the Premium Edition now, will I get access?
- If you pre-order the Premium Edition, you’ll be eligible to join the Closed Beta Weekend – even if it has already started!
- I am experiencing a bug or issue, where can I report it?
- Please visit the Steam Forums or the official Age of Empires Forums to report any bugs or give any feedback.
For additional any additional questions, please visit our Support Site: https://aoe.ms/Myth-Retold-Support
Beta Known Issues
- Not all localization is present for supported game languages.
- Cross-network play between Microsoft Store and Steam may or may not function fully.
- Microsoft Store / Xbox out of game invites may be grayed out, but the in-game invite system should still function in that case.
- The Voice Over is missing in the Tutorial on Xbox Series X/S.
- Navigation issues noticed while in a Multiplayer In-Game Pause Menu when using a controller on Xbox Series S.
- Certain unit actions icons are missing on Controller UI.
- Brightness options are not yet available in the Settings options.
- It has been observed that the player is unable to access the “Villager Priority” menu during a skirmish or campaign match after exiting the tutorial.
- The game may fail to launch when using an account with Child Account privileges on Microsoft Store or Xbox Series X/S.
- Villagers may get temporarily stuck between other villagers when gathering in narrow spots.
- Villagers may get periodically stuck in the dropoff animation in rare cases.
- Villagers may poorly distribute across trees when tasking a larger group onto a single tree.
- Building Rally Points are not visible.
- Units may rarely get stuck when pathing near corners of buildings.
- Player colors may mismatch on the Spectator mode panels.
- It has been observed that the player is unable to access the “Villager Priority” menu during a skirmish or campaign match after exiting the tutorial.
Pantheon Overview
The Greek Pantheon
The Greeks have one of the most versatile pantheons in Age of Mythology: Retold and can find success across a wide range of different playstyles. Age of Empires II fans will feel immediately at home with the Greek Pantheon and will be familiar with their methods of resource gathering, unit roster, and general gameplay.
Though slightly more expensive, the Greeks boast a well-rounded roster of basic soldiers which are stronger than other pantheons and more readily available. They also have access to one of the most powerful rosters of Myth Units, perfectly complemented by their ability to easily generate Favor by allocating Villagers to pray at a Temple.
Major Gods
Zeus
King of the Olympian gods.
Focus: Infantry and Heroes
God Power: Bolt – A bolt of lightning from the sky strikes down any single military unit.
- Starts with 10 Favor.
- Gains Favor 20% faster.
- Myth units cost 1 less population.
- Hoplites move 15% faster.
- Infantry do +50% damage to buildings.
Hades
God of the Underworld.
Focus: Ranged Soldiers and Buildings.
God Power – Sentinel: Target your or an ally’s Town Center, Village Center, or Fortress to protect it with stone guardians.
- 20% chance for fallen humans to return as Shades.
- Myth units +20% hitpoints.
- Ranged fortifications +2 range.
- Ranged soldiers and heroes +1 range.
- Ballistics and Burning Pitch are researched instantly for free in their respective ages.
Poseidon
God of the Sea.
Focus: Cavalry and Economy.
God Power: Lure – Target a location to erect a special stone which draws animals to it and spawns chickens. The Lure summons more food in later ages, and eventually crumbles afterwards.
- Militia spawn from razed buildings.
- Caravans, cavalry, and myth units +0.4 speed.
- A free Hippocampus respawns at the first Dock.
- 15% better Market exchange rates.
- Market costs -50%.
The Egyptian Pantheon
The Egyptian pantheon excels at a defensive playstyle, reinforced by a free Tower upgrade in the Classical Age and access to cheap, effective foot soldiers specialized in countering early aggression. However, once the Egyptians reach the later Ages, they dominate the battlefield with their elite troops, devastating siege weaponry, and specialized Myth Units.
Whilst many Egyptian buildings can be constructed for free, others cost Gold, including Farms – making securing access to this resource a top priority. Though Egyptian Laborers gather and construct buildings at a slower rate than other pantheons, this is partially offset by constructing monuments to passively generate favor and negotiating wise use of the Pharaoh, who empowers buildings.
Major Gods
Ra
God of the sun.
Focus: Migdol Stronghold units.
God Power – Rain: Target anywhere to make all Villagers on the map gather from Farms faster.
- Priests can empower (75% strength of Pharaohs for resource drop-off; 50% for all other aspects).
- +20% Camel Rider, Chariot Archer, and War Elephant damage.
- Monuments cost -25%, and have 20% more hitpoints.
- Pharaoh-empowered Monuments empower nearby buildings (20 range).
Isis
Goddess of magic and healing.
Focus: Technology.
God Power – Prosperity: Target anywhere to make all of your Villagers and Trade Caravans gather Gold faster.
- Monuments shield against enemy God Powers (20 range; 40 when empowered).
- Empowered Monuments heal nearby units (20 range) and generate Favor 100% faster.
- Upgrades cost -10%.
- Obelisks cost -5 Gold, and are built 60% faster.
- Upgrades provide 0.33% hitpoints to human soldiers.
Set
God of storms and trickery.
Focus: Barracks units.
God Power – Vision: Target a region of the map to be temporarily revealed.
- Pharaohs can summon Animals of Set.
- Priests can convert wild animals, but converted animals lose 25% of their Food.
- +10% Spearman, Axeman, and Slinger speed.
- Barracks, Siege Works, and Migdol Strongholds cost -25% Gold.
- Monuments reduce the cost of soldiers in nearby military buildings (except Temples) by 5%.
The Norse Pantheon
The Norse are an aggressive pantheon whose soldiers inflict high damage and earn Favor through battle. Mobile dropsites allow them to efficiently migrate to a new area, and their cheap buildings constructed by foot soldiers mean they can quickly set up a camp anywhere, including right on an opponent’s doorstep!
The Norse rely on Gatherers to collect resources and can recruit Dwarves that are able to mine Gold at an increased rate. However, the Norse have weaker buildings and access to fewer fortification upgrades than other pantheons, relying instead on aggressively pressuring opponents with their burly soldiers and robust Myth Units.
Major Gods
Thor
God of Thunder, Lightning, and the Skies.
Focus: Dwarves and Armory.
God Power – Dwarven Mine: Select a location to create a new Gold Mine that has more Gold and is gathered faster if used in later Ages.
- Start with Dwarves instead of Gatherers.
- Dwarves cost -10 Gold and gather Food and Wood 25% faster.
- Dwarven Armory can be built and research upgrades in any age.
- Receive a free Dwarf for each Dwarven Armory upgrade researched.
- Can research 3 extra Dwarven Armory upgrades.
Odin
God of War, Magic, and Power.
Focus: Great Hall units.
God Power – Great Hunt: Target a group of wild animals to greatly multiply their numbers. If there are none, Odin will summon a small amount. Gets more powerful each age.
- Great Hall units have +20% hitpoints and generate +20% Favor.
- Gatherers and Dwarves gather 10% faster from natural Food sources.
- 2 Raven scouts spawn once the first Temple is built and respawn after 240 seconds when killed.
- Human units and heroes regenerate 0.7 hitpoints/second, increasing with 0.1 hitpoints per age advanced.
Loki
God of Trickery and Shapeshifting.
Focus: Myth Units.
God Power – Spy: Target an enemy unit to secretly see what it sees.
- Damaging enemy units can spawn myth units. (Human soldiers contribute 10%; Hersirs 50% of damage dealt.)
- Human soldiers and heroes inflict +25% bonus damage.
- Buildings are constructed 25% faster.
- Transforming Gatherers and Dwarves into Berserks costs -10 Food & -10 Gold.
Please note the beta will not be the final version of Age of Mythology: Retold.
Hop in to the beta at any time, have fun, and prostagma!
