They either had a very short release deadline for the DLC so they didn’t have the time to work on it properly, or they were simply lazy and chose to use the harpy instead of creating a new human unit.
Either way, it’s disappointing.
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For me, a big part of the problem is that Sirens and Harpies end up overlapping, and neither one really feels like a dependable “go-to” myth unit in fights.
Sirens are very conditional. They can only attack the unit they’ve charmed and can’t damage buildings at all, so if the situation isn’t ideal they don’t add much. Harpies are also quite niche, and the fact that they’re trained from the Fortress instead of the Temple (like most myth units) makes Demeter’s myth roster feel even more disconnected.
Then there’s the Hamadryad. Its disguise/tree mechanic requires an upgrade to really function as intended, and even then it’s highly situational, especially in competitive 1v1 where consistency matters a lot more than niche tricks.
So in practice, it often feels like the only consistently reliable myth unit is Alpha Lykaon. When one unit carries most of the myth presence for a major god, that’s usually a sign something isn’t quite right.
Maybe this design works better in casual games or vs AI, but in competitive play it still feels like there’s no clear direction. The myth units, god powers, and overall bonuses don’t really point toward one strong mid-to-late game plan, and that’s what makes Demeter frustrating to use.
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(Im gonna copy/post this from a previous post I made")
Hamas and Sirens in particular despertly need a buff/re-work and Harpies need to be revamped completly.
Hamas are pathetically weak in terms of their damage output and you need to upgrade them for their special ability instead of having it from the get go. This is like the equivilant of upgrading Sphinxes to have acces to their “sand vortex” ability. Also just a random suggestion, I’d recomened swaping Lycans to Hestia and Hamas to Pan as both myth units actually benifit better from each God respectly because what does Hestia have to do with Hamadryads and Pan With Lycans?
Sirens on the other hand can’t attack buildings at all nor enemy units for that matter without signaling one out and “charming” them. This in particular makes Sirens not only a rather underwhelming mythic age myth unit, but they’re also sitting ducks as they can easily be swarmed. Not to mention if they’re attacked whilst “charming” an enemy unit they ran away until their ability cooldown is up.
Harpies are their own can of worms as they’re Demter’s special unit that can be spawned from a fortress for some reason. This makes zero sense and disrupts the formula as all myth units from each patheon (aside from Kuafu) are spawned from either temples or docks. Not to mention they’re also pathetically weak as well. Harpies should instead be a myth unit exclusive to Persphone. Mechanically that makes better sense and its simluar to Oceanus in the Atlantean Pantheon as he spawns 2 exclusive myth units ( Servent and Caldrea) from the temple and the docks respectivley. The Siren can be reworked to spawn at the docks and the Harpy can be reworked to spawn at the temple allowing Demeter to have an actual exclusive infantry unit that can be spawned at the fortress. I’d also suggest to give the Harpy a wieght limit as picking up large units like War Elephants and Colossi makes no logical sense, as well as a proper swooping animation while picking up enemy units. If this does ever happen, they should also replace Demetar’s special fortress unit with an actual infantry unit compared to her brothers that not only benefits from the upgrades of her respective gods, but fits thematically as well.
Lasty, just a random suggestion, they should rework the Scenario “Shattered Underworlds” Where in the Greek underworld section they should replace the harpies with Demetar’s harpeis where they pick up units and drag them over to Cerberus to be killed unless you shoot them down.
Her techs benefit ranged units more than close-combat infantry
One option is an Amazon horse archer or an infantry unit that can switch stances, and make the Harpy Demeter’s flying scout MU.
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this 100% for me! i love myth units and i like the harpy model but it feels even weirder to have her as a military fort unit than china with their wooden ox instead of actual ox. this game is and should be all about myth and myth units BUT where it makes sense and has consistency.
and i think these two options horse archer or stance-switch infantry would have fitted/fit SO WELL to amazon as a unit.
agreed… 
on twitter (which i barely use if at all) i saw primarily toxic positivity comments hyping and thanking for everything (with one or two being off-topic unfairly negative as always…) i ask them if thats EA (Early Acess) cause it feels like it and should be treated like it. It has some really good, some really weird and some really bad ideas.
this 100% for me! i love myth units and i like the harpy model but it feels even weirder to have her as a military fort unit than china with their wooden ox instead of actual ox. this game is and should be all about myth and myth units BUT where it makes sense and has consistency.
and i think these two options horse archer or stance-switch infantry would have fitted/fit SO WELL to amazon as a unit.
agreed… on twitter (which i barely use if at all) i saw primarily toxic positivity comments hyping and thanking for everything (with one or two being off-topic unfairly negative as always…) i ask them if thats EA (Early Acess) cause it feels like it and should be treated like it. It has some really good, some really weird and some really bad ideas.
not only that i think its exhausting ppl like to judge first before asking “why did you do x” or “what does x mean”.
if i would have known i needed to explain every bit instead of seeing it as a hole and a rough direction to show - with adjustments - its a better concept than what we currently have, i would have did this… but then it would get even more time consuming for something which might not even happen in the slightest (even i still have hopes!)
? this was not my intension i just think “what makes fun and fullfills a certain fantasy” i don’t look at ranked at first i like what makes fun and feels cool since i primarily play the game like that and i assume the ppl who don’t play ranked excessively feel similar. 
what is bad about it? cause you don’t like it doesn’t mean its bad design, friend. i purposly gave her this tech cause of several (imo obvious) reasons:
- to replace the overall bad Argive Patronage - which like Demeter DLC - sounds cool on paper but ingame it lacks (and i am surprised you are defending it when you are against “bad design” choices)
- its an archer tech and would influence her medusa too like Burning Pitch does. (Medusa from Dota2 for example has a similar ability which fits well in my opinion)
- what is the issue of having an archer upgrade for Zeus? Ares buffs Infantery for Poseidon too. its about options over identiy.
also what is this argument with two heras is bad design? that makes no sense at all and is a very subjective opinion. since hera won’t be a major god as she should be she deserves a wider use and not be Zeus “lapdog” which i think is bad design if things are ultimately just for one god which limits choices and limits consistency in my opinion. but maybe i understood you wrong here.
Thank you for understanding.
Well i see it like this: you have to go through certain stages in design. First step in fact should be “is this cool, does it feel cool/good and does it look cool/good”. then the other stages follow till number adjustments.
I don’t get why ppl think that if i put an icon of a GP or tech etc somewhere it wouldn’t get adjusted accordingly. OF COURSE IT WOULD. >.< its just a visual direction and then numbers and other stuff should get adjusted. i never wrote or said “put Hestia GP as it is in classical age”.
and thats the issue, i tried to think of the guys who are against changes, i thought of the guys who hype everything even it could have done better, but i forgot the guys, like you, who seem to overthink everything. mate, i didn’t put numbers or went into detail its more like “ah, know i now what this guys means and in which direction we should make changes and adjustments.” and yes its primarily a vibe thing first and foremost. like i explained before. i am sorry i didn’t meet your urge of thoughtout interactions. i am no dev and don’t get paid for it. its more “dedicated fan thoughts”. i am more a “visual guy” than a “number guy”.
Persephone got two myth units since i didn’t want to lose Hamadryad as a unit. And cause i think Siren could be a great naval myth unit. and i removed some techs like e.g. Siren upgrade but ultimately i tried to remain as much of the DLC as possible when i make a more “drastic” change and adding a completely new mythic age god. I hope this makes more sense to you know.
i agree and i worded it badly. with farming i meant ressource gathering in general which i think is a cool idea objectively but seems to create cheesy play as you and some others mentioned already. so it seems even payed devs didn’t think their stuff through.
maybe i should work there with my ideas and you should work there too to tone it down and make it more balanced. 
i just wanted to say i like your idea with the Lykaon.
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A flying myth unit coming out of a Military Fort feels awkward from a role clarity standpoint. Greek Fort units are usually core military staples — things you mass, things that define lategame compositions.
A harpy, in its current form, screams mobility, harassment… not frontline production.
Right now it feels like a missed opportunity to give Demeter a mechanically unique core unit. I’m not against myth units at all — I just think gameplay roles should come first, and theme should reinforce them, not fight them.
Her special ability is also clunky and not reliable in a fast-paced RTS game like this.
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I’m finding it hard to understand their thinking behind this major god. I hope that they’ll address her and redesign her (which is unlikely) or they give every pantheon a fifth major god, which is still unlikely but probably has a higher chance.
I’m just so frustrated that this is what we got. Talk about making it a disappointment for the Greeks.
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Pan getting a new tech added that helps strengthen a military unit other then myth units.
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I mean sure, that is your opinion. Which is sadly missing all the actual game experience to judge between them fairly. One is a text concept the other one is showing the issues it has on actual gameplay. And refusing to see problems that may arise and shove them aside isnt really helpful in doing a fair comparison.
Yea i dont think people do concepts of this sort with any malice. Im fully aware its mostly just a “this would look cool to me lets include it”. But they become quite defensive when regarding how issues may arise from decisions they made simply for looking cool. And usually on fan made concepts people tend to go overboard with packing all sort of tools and units into a kit because its cool and you get gods that havel like 4 times the things others get.
Thats fair, it however will always bring the issue that AI wont use msot of this tools properly so its a none issue. So you never get to experience whats like being on the recieving end of this types of “designs”.Which is why all this ideas work perfectly as mods since people can play the scenario as isolated as they want and it doesnt affect other players interaction.
Its not cause i dont like it rofl. Its because of what the tech brings. You are giving the best archer tech in the game on top of the best My uniths in game to a god. Like i said, im sure its fantastic when you are the only one playing in your game with it and get to a move and crush AI. But being on the receiving end of it its another story.
Its not about giving the archer tech to zeus becasue he has an infantry inclination. heck he has hermes and dyo, both minor gods that give calv units bonuses. He also has apollo which favors archers. The problem rises on how good you end up making the god when compared to what other gods have. Again this will never be an issue if all your focus in the game is playing solo and dominating others. It becomes one when you play with other people.
Its hilarious you treat things that go against you as opinions therefore not arguemnts, but what you say boils down to the same yet it is valid? Whats the flawed logic going on there? That aside, the dynamic about variant gods and giving dlc techs to other civs brings issues you cant toss aside under a rug. You may very well try to but its still there and likely not being implemented.
Indeed, and part of testing designs is ooking for ways it can fail. Design isnt just an eco chamber where everybody says “good job this looks great, its perfect” you need to look for the interactions it can bring, not just the ones you had in mind when you thought it was cool.
Well its due to the lack that" “guys like me” that current demeter prob got away with so many issues that werent caught.
Part of the reason many units simply didnt play as intended was due to many interactions that probably werent thought. For example, wolfs being a MU even on villager form means they get taken out in 1-2 hits with a hero before they transform. They cant get into town centers or towers. All this small things lead up to units not feeling fun to use or good in game.
No one is asking you for numbers, im literally taking all the techs as they are currently rofl.
It feels you dont want negative feedback, but more eco chamber like of positive aspects and how great the design is. Which fair i guess. Some of those changes simply seem to overboard with adding stuff and rescuing things from other minor gods or places which is usually what happens with fan made things, they add so many things without a second look at whats originally in the game to play against it.
It doesnt make sense from a design, or balance standpoint. But it makes sense on the cool factor so it checks out with what you said, yea.
Exactly, this is what happens when you dont try to see past the good vibes. Its not that people that design things are malicious and introduce them purposefully. Its obvious its simple mistakes that went past. However those mistakes do impact how you feel playing with the god, the powers, the units, the playstyle it brings.
It works if you are open to not just opinions that agree with yours
Yea, it seems they didnt wanna repeat the same unit type that we already had so had either MU or siege. Either would be functionable IMO, but it was prob not made the best way. Dunno if even an eco option like the china myth unit caravan or something similar to keep here economy identity it seems to have. It was prob chosen to make a MU and not a mechanical unit as you mention due to her favor bonus playing into enabling making them.
Flying myth units usual purpose is just to raid and their ability is quite micro heavy to be able to use fully, which i dont think many people can truly do with how chaotic late game gets.
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I think Demeter’s winrate will be carried by some broken things like Hestia +30 pop with 3 TCs (lol) or the flying hero.
If they don’t heavily rework her, she will be end up becoming something in line with the chinese civ in Tale of the dragon: a broken civ with a lame and boring concept.
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After watching several streamers test Demeter and playing a fair amount myself, I’m honestly struggling to see a consistent competitive identity for her.
At the moment, the only two approaches that seem even somewhat viable are:
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Early pressure with Lykaon Villagers and trying to snowball before her mid-game issues become noticeable.
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Playing defensively, rushing Mythic, and relying heavily on Undead Invasion to swing the game.
Outside of those paths, it’s difficult to justify much of her myth roster in ranked 1v1. Harpies, Hamadryads, and Sirens feel extremely situational and unreliable compared to what other Greek gods can field. In competitive play, consistency matters, and right now she doesn’t have enough of it.
That’s what makes this so frustrating. The design might function in casual games, team games, or vs AI, but it doesn’t feel built around a strong and rewarding 1v1 competitive identity. And personally, even setting balance aside, she just isn’t very fun to play. There are occasional moments that work, but overall she doesn’t feel like a well-executed major god.
If this really ends up being the final major addition to the Greek pantheon in AoM Retold, that’s disappointing. Greek gods should feel distinct, cohesive, and impactful, and right now Demeter doesn’t meet that standard.
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I’ve spent quite a bit of time trying to get Demeter to work in various setups (vs AI, team games, ranked etc).
The only time she makes cohesive sense is when playing the mythical battle.
In team games she is essentially a dead weight. She could work in a sort of treaty kind of game, but her mid and beginning late game are very weak.
in VS Ai it works up until titan difficulty - she gets quickly overwhelmed unless you exploit the AI.
basically yes. if you can get a TC close to enemy, this is the most efficient way. But even so it depends heavily on matchup.
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Exactly. I genuinely don’t understand what the developers’ vision was for this god in her current state. It’s hard to see what kind of playstyle she’s actually meant to represent, especially compared to the other Greek gods.
It also raises a bigger question: who was this designed for? When people are paying real money for new major gods, there’s an expectation of a polished, well-thought-out design. Right now, it just doesn’t feel like that standard was met.
Making current contents polished and consisent is equally important as releasing new contents. But it seems the designer tried to cater more to campaign/single-players who have a more casual attitude towards the game and just prefer new contents.
Their communication regarding the DLCs has not been … so clear in the recent years in my opinion. For example they never mentioned Harpy would be the fortress unit when it was revealed. Sometimes they show something nice but didn’t provide enough information, eventually ended up with people having too high expectations. It almost feels that they intentionally hide things that they know to be controversial. If you play other Age games you know what I mean, the communication was not transparent enough sometimes.
I pre-ordered the premium edition in 2024 when everything still seemed to be ok, and I am happy with the new contents. But now I will just wait to see the actual contents and then decide if I will buy it. I am also a little worried about the blood & bone pack, since there has been no reveals so far.
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Up until Demeter, I genuinely felt the team had done a great job with AoM Retold. The updates, improvements, and previous content gave me no real reason to doubt the direction of the game. That’s exactly why this hits harder, the contrast is noticeable.
It’s not just that Demeter feels underdeveloped as paid content. It’s that, if this truly ends up being the final major addition to the Greek pantheon, then this is the note it ends on. And that’s difficult to accept.
All the pantheons deserve their spotlight. AoM wouldn’t be AoM without the Egyptians, the Norse, or the others, each brings a unique identity and atmosphere that makes the game special. But it’s also fair to say that the Greeks are arguably the most iconic and widely recognized pantheon in the franchise. For many players, they’re the face of AoM. When Retold was first revealed, the live chat was flooded with one word: “PROSTAGMA.” That says something about the emotional connection people have with the Greek side of the game.
Because of that, it feels like the Greeks deserved a stronger, more cohesive final addition, something that matched the standard set by Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades.
I’m realistic enough to know a full redesign of Demeter is unlikely. The best-case scenario is probably continued balance adjustments within her current framework, maybe even a meaningful addition like a new fortress unit, though even that feels optimistic. What I really hope is that the game continues to do well, that it sells strongly, and that the developers consider expanding each pantheon to five major gods in the future. At least then there would be something new to look forward to, hopefully something that feels more complete and more fun.
Time will tell.
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If that was the case, you’d expect more than 1 scenario that you can cheese on ludicrous difficulty.
My personal opinion is that Demeter is an experimental AI designed civ, to test our reactions and whether an AI can design a civ from scratch.
Does anyone know if any devs are active on these forums? Do they take into account such feedback from these sorts of venues?
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I would assume they handle it similarly to how they do with Age of Empires IV, but to what extent and whether it will have a positive impact on the game remains to be seen. Ultimately, it’s up to the developers to decide whether to listen to feedback and how to act on it.
However, I think the message is clear: the majority of the community feels the same way about Demeter, so I believe the developers are aware of our concerns.