Rom Pantheon Concept

Age of Mythology: Retold Discussion
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Rom

Would give them favour mechanism with streets and aqueducts. To give them the bringing civilisation vibes. Streets also would give units more speed, aqueducts give vills speed and gather bonus, both gain passiv favour, would fit a lot to the roman legionair and siege units. Trade would also a thing fitting the empire theme, traders are faster with streets and aqueducts making them a trade faction who could start early with trade. Another take, i would split the age unit line upgrades like medium infantry or cavalry
 in to half upgrades. So Roman would have two unit upgrades who would be in cost and strenght good as one standard line upgrade. Its a little bit like freyr, your upgrades would be a little bit cheaper but taking more time to be finished because of 2 upgrades instead of 1. With that unique mechanism we could have all meaningfull roman periods visually in the army, starting from 400 Bc to 550 Ad. One last thing, I would change age 4 litte bit for romans. You could choose in the last age betwenn 2 of 3 empire ways depending ofc on major god pick. First empire would be western roman empire, second would be eastern empire and the third
 they could make like a godly roman empire like in a fantasy way. So your late game units visuals and stats depend on the age 4 god, which will give you one of the three named ways.

So no guys Roman would not look like greece or atty 2.0.

It would look like the Ancient Empire it was.

Like T90 said in youtube
 arent we all little bit roman nerds. So many people would get aom just because of Rom.

Roman Pantheon Myth Units — Age of Mythology: Retold

Legio Damnatorum: Age 2

Undead heavy infantry. Extremely durable frontline unit that weakens nearby enemy attack speed.

Colossus Testa: Age 2

Humanoid armored turtle warrior with sword and shield. Slow tank unit with massive defense and shieldwall ability.

Lupus Umbra: Age 2

Shadow war wolf. Fast flanking unit effective against ranged and isolated targets.

Aquila Rex: Age 3

Giant armored eagle with Roman archer rider. Flying ranged unit specialized in anti-archer harassment and dive attacks.

Satyrus Montivagus: Age 3

Armored Roman satyr riding a massive armored mountain goat. Armed with a short sword. Fast skirmisher cavalry unit specialized in hill combat, charge attacks, and disrupting enemy formations, with the ability to traverse mountain terrain freely.

Statua Bellator: Age 3

Animated marble warrior statue. Frost ranged Magic attacks, slowing enemys.

Ignis Lar: Age 4

Roman fire spirit. Fast glass-cannon myth unit with strong burst damage against myth units and buildings.

Volucris Scorpio: Age 4

Heavily armored flying Roman war chariot with a mounted Scorpio ballista and a crew of kobold legionaries. Pulled by two giant eagles, it can fly and attack from range, but is twice as strong in ground siege mode where it becomes a heavily armored assault tank.

Umbrae Senatorum: Age 4

Ghostly Roman senators. Support myth unit that weakens enemy attack and morale through aura effects.

Serpens Bicephalus: Age 3

Armored two-headed sea serpent ridden by a Roman legionary in imperial legionary armor. Armed with an imperial spear and imperial legionary shield. Amphibious assault unit capable of fighting on both land and water with strong anti-ship and coastal attack abilities.

Leviathan Imperius: Age 4

Amphibious sea serpent. Heavy siege monster that can fight on both land and water.

Tempestas Serpens (Titan)

Colossal flying storm serpent. Non-humanoid Titan with standard Titan strength focused on storm presence and devastation.

Roman Pantheon — Units, Heros and Upgrades

For Age of Mythology: Retold

:classical_building: Age Upgrade System military Units

Medium Upgrades splitted into 2 upgrades

First Age 2 Upgrade — Camillan Reforms (400–300 BC)

Early Roman Republic military style with bronze armor, oval shields, and disciplined militia structure.

Second Age 2 Upgrade — Marian Reforms (100–50 BC)

Professional Roman army transition with standardized equipment, chainmail armor, and organized legion system.

Heavy Upgrades splitted into 2 upgrades

First Age 3 — Imperial Legion Standardization (0–150 AD)

Classic Roman Empire military identity with lorica segmentata and elite formation discipline.

Second Age 3 — Dominate Military Reforms (300–450 AD)

Late Roman heavy warfare doctrine with lamellar armor, defensive focus, and darker military style.

Special Age 4 upgrade:

Starting in the 4th Age, there should be a special upgrade for archers that transforms them into crossbowmen, since the Roman Empire used only crossbows during its final era.

Age 4 — Civilization Split

:black_flag: West Rome

Survival-based Roman remnants with late Westrom imperial “end times” armor style and barbarized influence.

:blue_square: East Rome

Highly disciplined Eastroman and Byzantine-style imperial army with lamellar armor and precise tactical warfare.

:yellow_square: Imperium Aeternum

Perfected Roman imperial force with polished armor and idealized elite military identity.

:military_helmet: Human Units

Legionarius: Age 2

Standard Roman heavy infantry with strong shield formation combat.

Hastatus: Age 2

Early spear infantry effective as cheap frontline and anti-cavalry.

Praetorian Guard: Age 3

Elite heavy infantry with extremely high durability and morale.

Auxilia Archer: Age 2

Flexible Roman ranged infantry effective against infantry and light targets.

Sagittarius Imperialis: Age 4

Elite long-range archer with high accuracy and composite bow. Good vs all.

Auxiliary Cavalry: Age 2

Light skirmish cavalry focused on speed, scouting, and harassment. Good vs range.

Equites: Age 3

Standard Roman cavalry unit. Fast, versatile, strong against all unit types.

Equites Cataphractii: Age 4

Heavy shock cavalry designed to break enemy formations. Good against all.

Scorpio Crew: Age 2

Siege unit using bolt launchers for long-range anti-unit damage.

Onager Crew: Age 3

Heavy siege artillery dealing massive area structure damage.

Ballista Crew: Age 4

Precision siege weapon effective against units, armored and large targets. And vs buildings.

Imperial Engineer: Age 2

Support unit for repairs, siege construction, and defenses.

Vestal Priestess: Age 4

Fortress-trained support unit (Age 4) that heals allies and deals light divine damage.

Explorator: Age 1

Fast scout cavalary.

:superhero: Hero Units

Centurio: Age 2

Officer hero supporting infantry. Can switch to throwing spear attack (effective vs flying units).

  • Aura: nearest 10 units gain armor bonuses 5%

  • unlimited build count

  • no stacking

Signifer Legionis: Age 3

Standard bearer hero with regeneration aura.

  • build limit: 4 (Age 3), 6 (Age 4)

  • aura does not stack

  • Banner System: Each Signifer carries a unique legion standard optic variation.

Auxiliary Cavalry Commander: Age 3

Mounted cavalry support hero. Can switch to bow attack (effective vs flying units).

  • +15% cavalry speed (Age 3)

  • +20% cavalry speed (Age 4)

  • aura does not stack

:black_flag: Dux Limitanei (West Rome Age 4)

Tank hero with divine & crush damage.

  • Aura: small attack speed boost for allied troops

  • +10% damage to nearby units

  • Buildlimit: 2

  • Aura not stacking

:blue_square: Strategos Imperialis (East Rome Age 4)

Chariot commander hero.

  • Aura: +12.5% hack & pierce armor to nearby units

  • Buildlimit: 2

  • Aura not stacking

:yellow_square: Legatus Aeternum (Imperium Aeternum Age 4)

Supreme commander hero.

  • Aura: +25% ability cooldown reduction + small armor bonuses (+5% / +5%)

  • Buildlimit: 2

  • Aura not stacking

Age IV: Divine Power – Summon 2 Heroes:

Name : Fulfillment of the Oath by the Mighty

Imperator

Tank hero with taunt ability (God Power unit).

Consul

AOE range damage hero (God Power unit).

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Thank you for reading ! After 4300 hours in Retold im getting tired of not having Rom in it. Imagine how many people alone from Total War Rom would join after this dlc.

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Memento Mori

For the Ímperator !

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Edit : At Age 4 there should be a special upgrade for archers, giving them crossbows because at the end of the Roman Empire the army used crossbows.

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Come on now, you put no effort into this concept. Everything after the first paragraph is 100% AI generated. Also, what are these myth units? We don’t need more fantasy in this game.

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I have been thinking about this Pantheon concept for five years now. AI-generated? No, no—these are all historically grounded elements within the concept, the result of years spent gathering knowledge about Rome. We could end up with truly unique game mechanics. At the same time, we could satisfy most Rome enthusiasts, as almost every significant historical era would be visually represented. Your comment suggests to me that you aren’t particularly well-versed in the history of Rome. Rest assured: if this Roman concept were actually implemented, you wouldn’t be able to get enough of it. One more thing
 how can anyone complain about mythology in a mythology-based game? That’s like getting upset about knights in Age of Empires II! It makes no sense. This Pantheon concept would bring a great many new players to the game.

Very offensiv saying Ai.

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Don’t worry, I know well enough about Romans. And no, I wouldn’t like it to be implemented, AT ALL. I made a Roman concept myself which I like much better.

Mythology =/= Fantasy

Please, I’d like to know more about this creature. Got a source for me?

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“Mythology” is just another word for “fantasy.” Centaurs, for instance, exist in Narnia—yet Narnia is a fantasy book. No matter what you call it—fantasy or mythology—it remains the same thing: a world filled with magic, heroes, and monsters.

The Romans adopted the myth of Hermes, identifying him as Mercury.

According to legend, Hermes (or Mercury) constructed the very first lyre using a tortoise shell. This tale originates in the Homeric Hymn to Hermes, though it was also referenced in Roman literature. Tortoises sometimes appear in Roman art in association with Venus, particularly due to their symbolic links to the sea, birth, and fertility.

The most famous “tortoise” motif in a Roman context is likely the renowned military formation known as the testudo.

In Greek mythology, the Minotaur did not wield an axe, nor was he anything other than a solitary individual; however, in this game, both of those details have been altered.

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Still waiting for the source regarding your made up TMNT myth unit.

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Are you saying you didn’t use AI for this? No AI at all? :thinking: It just seems totally disconnected from basic elements of Retold. Could you suggest a favour mechanic? God Powers?

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yeah, no “mythology” is not just another word for fantasy


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There’s a great difference, “Mythology” has to have basis on an actual existing Mythos (an story) from that original culture, “Fantasy” means something created by you imagination and can have inspiration from the real world, but fantasy doesn’t need to have relation with nothing that culture did.

That’s why the main criticism of the Aztec roster is the Jaguar Rider, there’s no Mythos about it, they made it up and that’s why that particular unit is Fantasy and not Mythology.

Many of the Egyptian Myth Unit roster are also made up, and that’s why they heavily critisized. Most of the Atlanteans roster is made up and complete fantasy, and they are the most hated Pantheon.

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It would be really nice if you stopped constantly hurling insults. As I mentioned above, I told you stories about turtles and their significance to the Romans. Here are some more specific details for you:

Guardian beings—such as the Giants of the Gigantomachy (also known as the Gigantes)—took many forms; they were also depicted as humanoid animals or turtles. This is the closest one.

In ancient texts, Hephaestus creates mechanical servants and living metal or stone beings.
For instance, the Iliad describes golden servants belonging to the smith god. Not only automatons.

Another point: the Romans literally described their shield formation as a “turtle.” The Colossus Testa would, therefore, be the mythological personification of this formation.

Or think about the Aztec Jaguar Rider. A lot people including myself love this unit. Atlantis is in the game and a lot people love that fantasy nation. In 4300 hours Retold online, every time i see atleast 2 atlantis players in the lobby, in normal multiplayer good chance that Atlantis is the most played with greek together and its a full fantasy pantheon. Eggypt is loved by alot players with their random myth units. Some people dont like it, but the most would hate if the developers remove atlantis or the eggypt myth units.The devs have freedom in that fantasy age game. Anubite one of the most Eggypt played mythic unit in early game at the moment. They are never mentioned in Eggypt mythology.

So now here you have a resource for this unit, historical and dont forget about the Anubite. Kamaitachi—as depicted in the game? All fictional.

The strongest point is that AoM has never required every myth unit to be a 1:1 direct creature from mythology. A lot of units are:

interpretations
combinations of myths
symbolic designs
or gameplay-driven fantasy adaptations

Hybrid Creatures of Antiquity
Symbolic Animal-Humans in Art and Mythology

By your logic, we would have to adopt the myths exactly 1:1—but then we wouldn’t have more than half of our mythical units in the game. From every pantheon. All of them would need a rework which would destroy the soul of each Pantheon.

When it comes to Rome, most developers make the mistake of focusing exclusively on a single, specific historical period of the Empire. However, there are Rome enthusiasts for every era; with the aforementioned pantheon, AoM would have the opportunity to avoid this pitfall and showcase all the relevant Roman periods. Just look at Total War: Rome: every significant era has received its own standalone game—or at the very least, dedicated DLC—since Rome fans typically have a specific favorite era of the Empire, particularly in terms of aesthetics.

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No AI! The unit upgrades, units, and every other element within the Pantheon concept have been carefully thought out; fitting the empire theme; why, then, would the game mechanics be disconnected from that Pantheon? These are precisely the unique game mechanics one hopes to see in a new Pantheon. As described above, Favor is generated passively through roads and aqueducts. Much like with the Chinese civilization, larger developed areas translate into greater passive Favor generation. There is a proverb that says, “All roads lead to Rome”—and indeed, Roman roads were one of the greatest achievements of that era. Trade caravans move faster on roads, making trade particularly lucrative, even in the early stages of the game. Units also move faster on roads. Furthermore, citizens gather resources more quickly when working adjacent to aqueducts.

As for the individual gods and their associated divine abilities
 to be honest, I wanted to leave the specific choice of which gods or abilities to include up to the developers. There is just one ability I can mention to you—specifically, the one available in Age IV—just as outlined in the Pantheon concept document.

Age IV: Divine Power – Summon 2 Heroes:

Name: Fulfillment of the Oath by the Mighty
Imperator
A tank hero with a “Taunt” ability (God Power unit).

Consul
A hero specializing in ranged Area-of-Effect (AoE) damage (God Power unit).

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The only difference is that, in the case of mythology, some people actually believed in it, whereas with fantasy, they did not. However, the line between the two is very fine, and AoM: Retold straddles both sides. And most people love it—otherwise, they wouldn’t have spent decades playing a fantasy nation like Atlantis.

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The only difference is that, in the case of mythology, some people actually believed in it, whereas with fantasy, they didn’t. However, the line between the two is very fine, and AoM: Retold straddles both sides. And most people love it—otherwise, they wouldn’t have spent decades playing a fantasy-based civilization like Atlantis.

After over 4,300 hours of gameplay, I can assure you that Atlantis is always represented in standard multiplayer matches—and often in large numbers, too. Come to think of it, I see Uranus in almost every lobby. In fact, the Atlanteans are a major reason for my extensive playtime; without them—or the current Egyptian Myth Units—I would have stopped playing a long time ago. Just ask an Isis main if they’d be willing to give up their Anubites, Scorpion Men, or—above all—their Phoenixes from the pantheon. Alot playing Eggypt to in that lobbys with their fantasy mystic units.

You mentioned that most of the criticism regarding the Aztecs stems from the Jaguar unit
 but I’ve actually heard far more complaints—both here on this site and on Reddit—regarding the hero system, or the bugs. Virtually everyone I play with loves the Jaguar Riders. Most people were initially taken aback by them, but for the majority, that initial reaction has since turned into genuine enthusiasm.

Ultimately, the Jaguar Riders were accepted—with appreciation and excitement—by the vast majority of the community. We should value the developers for the unique elements they choose to incorporate into the game.

I understand your point, but the simple truth is that most people want to see fantasy elements. Even in AoE4, you have the Joan of Arc civilization.

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What insults exactly? I’m curious. Just because you don’t accept criticism doesn’t make it an insult.

You see, that’s a real problem in my opinion. Some vague references, unrelated to each other and lumped together do not justify the creation of these fanciful creatures of yours.

The jaguar rider was a stupid idea and I don’t like it. There, I said it. This unit is pure fantasy and shouldn’t be in the game.

As for the Atlanteans, even though they were not real, they are part of greek MYTHOLOGY so not totally out of place in the game.

Concerning the egyptian myth units, there are many very interesting creatures they could’ve put in the game but chose not to, whether it be because of a lack of documentation at the time (early 2000s) or simply because they weren’t ‘‘cool enough’’. But since I was young at the time, I didn’t care and today I love the Egyptians nonetheless. But again, we don’t need more fantasy. Let’s focus on actual mythology.

Stop with this sophistical reasoning. You know I didn’t said that. I’m not against taking some liberties with myth units, as long as it’s rooted into actual mythology.

And your point is?

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The original game is old, done by people that had less access to documentation and care very little for actual for actual Egyptians, they just throwed made up units with little respect Egyptian Mythology, they will remain in the game for nostalgia reasons but that doesn’t mean they can’t be critisized for how badly designed they are. Atlanteans are there just as an excuse to introduce more Greek monsters and deities which were the most easily documented in western society, instead of adding them to the Greek pantheon at the time and keep the symmetry of Three Majors.

Most people doesn’t openly care or avoid them because they have just got accustomed to the weird design of Egyptians and Atlanteans or simply don’t care about civ design in general. With the wide access to the internet the people have more information available and are more critical to made up things. Just see how the scrapped the original poorly made Chinease and remade it, because it didn’t have the nostalgia factor the Egyptians have and could be WILDLY improved with actual Mythos like they did later.

Fantasy units only have place when you have scrapped the barrel of real things you could use or when it is just one unit and not half the roster of a civ, the Egyptians didn’t need so many made up things for the three first Major Gods when they could be base on mythos

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Also, conceptually the existence of East and West Rome is too historical and unneeded with the game lore of the “Mythological Times” of the game and the campaign lore (how can there be an East Rome with the Greeks and Egyptians still independent in the campaign), the game openly avoids real world historical events and political organizations to keep a timeless Timeline where all mythologies can co-exist at the same time.You can mix units from different periods as long as you don’t root them in-game to their historical period.

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It would be better admitting you use AI, else your would have to admit that your research and writing quality is bad.