i would love celts but first i hope they focus on gaps such as india and america
europe already has 3 cultures, and if they do add celts i would ask forit to be alongside a missing culture
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I would say Indus Valley civilization or Sumerians because they are quite ancient. They are earlier version of Hinduism and the Babylonians, respectively.
Typically archaeologists believed that the Aryans came from Central Asia and conquered the Indus Valley civilization in around 2200-1500 BC or so. The Indo-European Aryans and the Indus Valley Civilization had separate religions, with the Aryan one being rather like Iranian religion. The mixing of these two religions resulted in Hinduism, in which you can find Indo-European gods that show up in the Iranian pantheon as well.
As for the Babylonians, they conquered the Sumerians within maybe the same general period as the Aryans conquered India (give or take several centuries), and the Babylonian pantheon seems built onto the Sumerian one. The Babylonians took alot from the Sumerians in terms of civilization, architecture, writing, etc.
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Personally I would like to see an Israelite civilization. They could be considered a version of the Phoenician one. I saw that someone added the Phoenicians in a message above as an option.
Unlike the Phoenicians, the Israelite civilization would not worship Baal. They would just worship Yah (AKA Hashem, Adoniai) / Elohim (God, literally “Gods”). The AOM system is not really built for monotheism. Probably at most you could conceive of Israelite cities having special allegiance to certain divine angels like Michael or Gabriel.
There is a theory that the Israelites’ religion was associated with the Egyptian Set, who shows up in the AOM pantheon. I think that there is at least a grain of truth to this. More specifically, the Canaanite region is associated with Set/Seth worship to some extent, and in the Bible, “Seth” is one of Adam’s sons, the progenitor out of whom came nations including the Israelites. Of course, the Bible does not present Adam’ on Seth as God or even as a god. I guess you could theorize about how it was common for ancient people like the Egyptians to think of epic earlier figures like Seth as divine figures who once lived on earth, and then you could imagine the Biblical Seth as being in that mold. But anyway, the Bible doesn’t portray Adam’s son Seth as divine.
I think a Indian one would make most sense. It needs enough myths and gods to fill a new civ which is hard for too ancient extinct cultist like celts or aztek. I don’t now much about persian/assyrian, babylonia region. Maybe this would work too.
Native Americans are problematic son e they got quite strong looby to protest display, s they don’t like as seen aoe 3 de release. I would stay away as a dev to avoid headache.
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the Aztecs are excellent and an obvious step in aom and this proves it:
What you say does not make sense … there are amazing records about Mesoamerican culture, especially the Aztecs, their entire pantheon is perfectly known.
Either way it is only a matter of time until the modders bring Mesoamerica into the game and don’t worry, nobody complains about the Aztecs or takes offense that they are represented 
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Roman is too similar to Greek as they took a lot of ideas from Greece when it comes to mythology, gods, etc.
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Etruscan will show their older gods though
in case yo were wondering
You can expect only one new civ for DE, no more, no less, no future DLC. (And a 20th anniversary release date like 2022 September) And then AOM2. South and Central American civs, Celts and Mesopotanians have the best chances. Hindu is unlikely because that religion has about 1.000.000.000 active followers.
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I think considering that the first AoM game had Egypt, Greece & Norse as the main civilizations, to replace all of them for the sequel would be a mistake.
In general, when people think of AoM they think of those three civilizations with the Atlantian following after with the expansion pack, it’s a part of this franchise. I personally would be so disappointed if they didn’t keep those civilizations while adding new ones for the sequel.
I think they know this too.
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The word “New” was intended to be used so that it doesn’t mean replacement
Aztecs, Shinto, and Persian myths are the three I want the most.
Aztecs because their mythology is riddled with murder and violence. It would be interesting to see how the other myths and gods deal with this kind of aspect. Also, they have really awesome gods as well.
Shinto gods are awesome, too! Actually, Aztecs and Shinto gods are killable like the Norse. So in a sense, it’s kind of fair and balanced myth-wise. Additionally, a lot of westerners love Japanese culture and I think by adding Shinto myth, this will also boost their sales. Amazing gods!
Persians simply because of history and their fierce rivalry with the Greeks. Their mythology is also rich.
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I believe Romans can be easy to develop and still be somewhat different from Greeks
I believe that they can make them unique when it comes to their different units and how they play out in combat and special perks for their faction and I hope that they get added if there is a AoM2 or DE with new factions in it.
However one thing that I’m worried is regarding the Gods as the Romans took the same Greek gods and just renamed them into Roman names pretty much. That can be tricky to make it unique to the Greek gods already in the game to play out differently etc.
Anyhow here is me hoping that we see the following civilizations in either AOM DE / AOM 2:
- Greek
- Egypt
- Norse
DLC Civilizations:
- Japan
- Romans
- Astecz
- Atlantians
- Chinese
I don’t think I need new cultures, if they made the Chinese cooler it would be enough
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I’m missing Tengrism
The Mongols are very popular in AoE2 so this would be a good chance to add them.
This also includes other civilisations the Turks and maybe Huns or Magyars.
Cavalry civilisations would a nice change from the other ancient civilisations that mostly relied on food soldiers.
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AoM is ultimately based in pop culture and not history, if it’s any culture it should be one with a pop culture impact that they can base the art style on, like how the Greeks are heavily based in Harryhausen movies, how the Norse are based on German opera performances, and how the Egyptians are based on The Ten Commandments and other early Bible movies.
It would also have to be a mythology we have a very good understanding of, not one we barely know anything about (like the pre-Christian Maya or Slavic myths for example).
And thirdly, it should be a society that existed around 1200 BCE, which is when the game is set. And before anyone says the norse did not exist around 1200 BCE, they did. 1200 BCE was during nordic bronze age, the actual time period of horned helmets.
The world of Age of Mythology is one of the idealized mythic past, where Wagnerian valkyries and Harryhousian cyclopes exist alongside Macedonian hoplites, and Viking berserkers.
So my money’s on Vedic/Ancient Hindu mythology. There are plenty of Indian movies set in the mythic past from which they can draw inspiration, such as the Baahubali series, as well as Indian theater performances with a distinct style.
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Pop culture has changed in the last 20 years (wow it has been a long time) so an AoM2 can look very different.
The view in society, history and mythology has changed.
Diversity has become more important because more people from more countries, more social groups and more cultures play games now. Having an African or Indian civilisation is more of a selling point than 20 years ago. I don’t have to tell you that China is big. The movie Troy come out a few years (2004) after the release of AoM (2002/2003), if AoM was released in 2005 the story would likely have focused on the Trojan war much more than it already did.
Pop culture has changed in the last 20 years (wow it has been a long time) so an AoM2 can look very different.
Never said it didn’t, the Baahubali movies for example came out in the last decade.
But even 20 years ago Wagnerian opera was something from over 100 years prior, and Harryhousen movies were between 20 and 50 years old already.
This is what I mean when I say the game is based on the idealized mythic past, because those movies and plays of old were the ones that idealized the world portrayed in those myths.
Nowadays media focuses more on either realism or grittiness (which are often mutually exclusive) in its portrayal of mythology rather than on idealized heroism, such as with God of War’s gritty world or Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey’s period appropriate equipment and architecture.
Having an African or Indian civilisation is more of a selling point than 20 years ago.
Definitely, that’s why I think the Hindu pantheon is a good choice. But AoM’s art direction sets it apart from other modern works of historical fantasy such as the aforementioned God of War or Assassin’s Creed, and I would hate to see it lose that.
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Wagnerian style Norse might be harder today with the modern political landscape.
Wagner was kinda racist and the Nazis kinda liked him so that isn’t the best idea to copy that in the modern political climate.
Sadly Norse mythology and racism are popular combination.