Key Takeaways

• Focus on picking the right Pantheon with unique abilities for different factions to gain an edge in battles.
• Isis offers healing and resource boosts, Hades enhances combat upgrades, and Ra maximizes Egyptian faction mechanics.
• Thor focuses on late-game warfare, while Kronos excels with overpowered abilities, and Odin generates Favor for Norse factions.

Age of Mythology: Retold is the latest remaster of the RTS classic. The game features campaigns for The Greek/Egyptian factions (combined), the Norse and Atlanteans. Within each of these four key factions are several sub-factions known as Pantheons, each with its unique benefits and abilities. Players will have to build up settlements, recruit units, and pay reverence to the Gods if they wish to succeed, with several factions and unique Pantheons available to choose from.

For newer players or those returning from older games, there are several things to be aware of when it comes to choosing the right Pantheon. While some focus on empowering military units or upgrading settlers, others have an arsenal of deadly or innovative abilities that can turn the tide of entire battles. Though everyone’s preferences will vary, there are certainly some Pantheons that are easier to use than others, particularly for newer players of RTS and colony sim games.

7 Isis

Focus On Healing And Resources

• Best Minor Gods: Anubis, Osiris, Thoth
• Best God Abilities: Prosperity, New Kingdom, Book of Thoth

The Egyptian Goddess, Isis, is a useful Pantheon to try when learning the Egyptian playstyle. Due to slower gather rates when compared with other factions, Isis makes a great choice since her first-age abilities will help to offset the handicap of a slower Food and Gold collection.

Isis can also heal units with Empowered monuments, and monuments will also help shield against enemy God powers, which can be crucial for surviving against stronger opponents. With Anubis, Osiris, and Thoth also available to her, Isis has a very strong lineup of minor Gods to choose from as well.

6 Hades

Focus On War With Strong Combat Upgrades

• Best Minor Gods: Athena, Apollo, Artemis
• Best God Abilities: Underworld Passage, Earthquake, Sentinel

The Greek God of the Underworld, Hades, is unsurprisingly a militaristic Pantheon with benefits to Ranged Units, Myth Units, and Fortifications in particular. Hades also has the unique ability of respawning any fallen units as Shades with a 20% chance of doing so.

This Pantheon can be great for newer players to get used to the different military units and buildings, as well as crushing enemies in skirmishes. Apollo and Artemis offer some excellent Minor God abilities too, such as Underworld Passage and Earthquake.

5 Ra

Maximizes The Empowerment Mechanic For Egyptian Pantheons

• Best Minor Gods: Ptah, Sobek, Osiris
• Best God Abilities: Rain, New Kingdom, Son of Osiris

Given that the Egyptian faction operates quite differently from others, with a reliance on Pharaohs for their Empowerment abilities, Ra is an ideal choice for making the most out of their unique faction mechanics. In addition to allowing any Priest to empower buildings, Ra also increases the efficiency of Gatherers by 25%, which can help greatly in the early game.

Ra also has a variety of strong minor Gods and Myth Units to pick from. Osiris and Sobek are the best for getting the most out of Ra’s particular strengths, with the Son of Osiris and New Kingdom abilities being among the most powerful.

4 Thor

Bonuses To Dwarves And Late-Game Warfare

• Best Minor Gods: Freyja, Skadi, Baldr
• Best God Abilities: Forest Fire, Frost, Ragnarok

The Norse God Thor is great for getting familiar with the unique Norse playstyle, providing extra benefits to Dwarves and making them cheaper to produce. Thor also has several powerful Armory benefits which can make his soldiers extremely powerful compared to others in the mid-to-late game phases.

In terms of units and abilities, Thor is a strong attacker with many useful economic benefits too. The Dwarven Mine ability will increase the Gold gather rate for all Dwarves, while Skadi, Baldr, and Bragi are all minor Gods with a range of useful abilities.

3 Kronos

Atlantean Pantheon With Several Overpowered Minor God Abilities

• Best Minor Gods: Leto, Hyperion, Atlas
• Best God Abilities: Deconstruction, Chaos, Implode

Kronos is the easiest of the Atlantean Pantheons to use because his abilities are relatively straightforward but still extremely powerful. With a focus on Siege and Myth units, it’s usually not until the mid-to-late game that Kronos and the other Atlanteans really excel.

Kronos also excels at using Minor God abilities, which are some of the strongest in the game. Kronos’ first age Deconstruction ability can be used to immediately destroy one enemy building and can be great for taking out fortresses. Similarly, Atlas’ Mythic Age Implode ability can be used in the late-game to completely obliterate entire armies and settlements.

2 Odin

Strong Myth Units And Favor Generation For The Norse

• Best Minor Gods: Heimdall, Skadi, Baldr
• Best God Abilities: Rime, Walking Woods, Ragnarok

Odin is arguably the best of the Norse Pantheons for beginners due to the benefits it provides for Dwarves and generating Favor with minor Gods. Since the Norse rely on defeating enemies to generate Favor, Odin’s +25% Favor gain in combat will be a huge advantage.

Odin also provides Raven Scouts, which will respawn when defeated, and these can be particularly useful for finding resource deposits or scouting enemy locations. Odin’s minor Gods have several powerful abilities including Skadi’s Frost ability, which can freeze enemy units in place, and Baldr’s Ragnarok which converts Dwarves and Gatherers into powerful heroes.

1 Zeus

Powerful Across All Areas With Devastating God Power Abilities

• Best Minor Gods: Athena, Dionysus, Hera
• Best God Abilities: Bolt, Lightning Storm, Underworld Passage

Without a doubt, the best Pantheon for players to use first to familiarize themselves with the game’s various demands and mechanics is Zeus. The Greek God has a range of balanced abilities as well as some of the most powerful Minor Gods in the game.

With several advantages to Infantry and Heroes, Zeus can take on just about any other major God with little issues. Zeus has strong abilities both in the early and late game, with Bolt, Bronze, and Lightning Storm being among the most powerful.