Gold icon in Age of Empires
Gold is one of the four primary resources the player must collect in Age of Empires, Age of Empires II and Age of Mythology. In Age of Empires III, it is replaced by the Coin resource. Gold is used for creating most units and upgrades and is a precious resource which becomes more important as the game progresses.
Obtaining Gold
Mining
In all the games in the series that have gold as a resource, a small number of gold mines are usually found around the map. These can be mined by villagers to generate gold.
Age of Empires
Trade
Trade Boats and Merchant Ships can be created at the dock. These can be tasked to visit other players' docks where they will convert food, wood, or stone to gold.
Age of Empires II
Trade
Trade Carts travel between markets to generate gold. The farther the distance between the two markets, the more gold is generated.
Trade Cogs travel between docks to generate gold. The farther the distance between the two docks, the more gold is generated.
Unlike in Age of Empires, trade does not require resources to be spent aside from the initial cost of the Trade Cart or Trade Cog.
The Spanish team bonus increases the amount of gold returned by trade units by 33%, also in "The Forgotten " expansion the Indian technology Sultans allows to trade carts to produce 10% more Gold.
Market
The Market allows the player to sell food, wood or stone for gold. However, this includes a 30% fee and each time a resource is sold, the price of that resource will be lowered for all players. For many civilizations the 30% fee can be reduced to 15% by researching Guilds. The Saracens have a reduction of the trading fee to 5% as one of their civilization bonuses.
Relics
Relics can be picked up by monks and put into a player's monastery, where they will slowly generate gold. The Aztec team bonus increases relic gold generation by 33%. Also the Indians Sultans Technology allows to relics to generate 10% more Gold.
Age of Mythology
Caravans
Caravans can be built at the market and sent to any allied Town Center. When they return they supply gold; the further away the town center, the more gold they obtain.
Relics
The Ring of Nibelung relic provides a trickle of gold if brought to one of your temples by a hero unit.
Mining
There are gold mines in the game.
Market
The same resource-trading system from Age of Empires II exists here as well.
God Powers
Thor God Power Dwarven Mine can create a mine in a location specified by the player
Hephaestus God Power Plenty , gives a trickle of all resources ( except favor)
Isis God Power Prosperity accelerates the gold production for a period.
Strategy
Age of Empires
The only way to get effectivaly gold is by mining it, as merchant ships will only change some amount of one resource for gold It is the most valuable resource in the game since most of the heavy military units require it with the following exceptions: Axeman, Scythe Chariot, Chariot Archer, Bowman, Scout, Trireme and Slinger. Since the gold will inevitably run out before food, wood, and even stone, civilizations with bonuses that benefit units that require gold must try to end the game early since in the late game the only way to obtain gold is by trading and this implies resource interchange.
Age of Empires II
Unless allied players have set up trade, gold will inevitably run out before food or wood. Gold is required to create the game's most powerful units, such as paladins, siege weapons, and Unique Units, so a player with gold available to them will have a huge advantage over a player without.
The three unit lines which cost no gold are known as "trash units". When fully upgraded, these are the Halberdier, the Hussar, and the Elite Skirmisher. They form the bulk of players' armies when gold is scarce late game.
Whether gold is available in the late game can have a huge impact on the viability of certain civilizations: for example, the Turks have very weak trash units, and so are extremely dependent on gold in order to be strong in the late game. The Byzantines, however, excel at trash wars due to their cheaper trash.
Cheats to obtain Gold
- Age of Empires: Coinage + 1000 gold
- Age of Empires II: Robin Hood + 1000 gold
- Age of Mythology: ATM OF EREBUS + 1000 gold