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This article is about the Relic in Age of Empires II. For the Relic in Age of Mythology, see Relic. |
A Relic sitting on grassy terrain.
Relics are special objects in Age of Empires II, which can be obtained by Monks and stored in Monasteries, to generate gold for the faction that captures it.
Overview
Relics are depicted in-game as medium-sized, white, trophy-looking constructs. At the beginning of a random map game, Relics usually are scattered around the map. Relics can only be carried by Monks. When one is placed in a Monastery, the Relic slowly generates gold at a rate of 1 every 2 seconds. If more Relics are collected, more gold is generated.
Collecting all of the available Relics on a map in a standard game will additionally initiate a 200-year timer that counts down to the victory of the player holding them, or their team if "Allied Victory" was checked before the game started. Relics captured by the player's allies will contribute to the team's victory so long as every single Relic on the map is in possession of a team member. Note that if victory method 'Conquest' is chosen, Relics will not win the game and all enemies have to be conquered.
In the story campaigns, Relics are often scenario objectives. They are usually initially kept in enemy Monasteries and/or guarded by enemy units.
In a standard game, 5 Relics are generated in random locations on the map.
Relic Spawning
Without expansion pack data, a standard game always has five Relics scattered randomly across the map, while with The Forgotten or The African Kingdoms loaded the amount of Relics scales according to the chosen map size, with LudiKRIS-sized maps containing as many as ten and tiny maps having three.
Civilizations
The following civilizations can research technologies that affect Relics:
- Huns: Atheism adds 100 years to a Relic victory, for all players.
- Indians: Sultans increases Relic gold production by 10%.
Team bonuses
- A team containing Aztecs: Captured Relics produce 33% more gold.
- A team containing Burmese: Relics are visible on the map from the beginning of the game.
Strategy
Relics are very important to any long-duration games, particularly on maps with scarce gold. Thus, it is very important to attempt to gather many as soon as the Castle Age is reached. During the Dark and Feudal Ages, using scouts to pinpoint Relic locations and building a few archers and infantry to deter enemy Monks from snatching free Relics can be useful. Monks are completely vulnerable while collecting Relics, so it is important attach a patrol with them to make sure they don't get killed. Researching Fervor and Sanctity is useful in order to make Monks retrieve Relics successfully by improving their speed and health, respectively.
In the late game, Relics can be an pivotal point in deciding where battles are fought. The successful theft of a Relic is generally a very large victory considering both the usefulness and versatility of extra gold. Relics should be closely guarded and contained within Monasteries that are difficult to reach and easy to defend. Optimally, they should also be scattered across several Monasteries to avoid losing all of them should the Monastery that contained them fall.
The Relics in-game are representations of holy objects in real life. Such objects include the Shroud of Turin, pieces of the True Cross, the Holy Grail, and others. Holy Relics helped promote a form of early tourism for pilgrims, helping finance religious institutions (represented by the flow of gold in-game).
Capture the Relic Game Mode
Introduced in Age of Empires II: The Forgotten, this game mode has similarities to King of the Hill. At the start of the game, there is only one Relic in the center of the map. All the players start with an indestructible Monastery and cannot build any Monasteries. The player that manages to place the Relic inside their Monastery instantly wins the game. Capture the Relic games are usually very short.
Notes
- If a Transport Ship loaded with a Monk carrying a Relic is sunk, the Relic will automatically teleport back to the Monk's position before it garrisoned into the Transport Ship.
- "Relic" is capitalised in all The Conquerors-only text, but never in any Age of Kings text.
History
| “ | The influence of religion in daily life during the Middle Ages, especially in Europe, was exemplified by the attraction and trafficking of religious relics. The burial sites of saints became the focus of pilgrimages. A church or monastery that owned even a few bones from a saint or a small piece of the true cross drew pilgrims. In time a market for saintly bones developed and rich men competed to acquire such relics and endow them to local religious institutions. Attracting pilgrims and believers was good for the local economy. The most famous relic of the period is the Shroud of Turin, purported to be the burial shroud of Jesus Christ. This shroud was acquired in the Middle East and brought to Italy in the late Middle Ages. | ” |