Maintaining a healthy economy is of vital importance in Landmarks, construct any Wonders, or control any Sacred Sites. Relics are one way that players can give their economy a boost.
Relics are religious artifacts that can be brought into religious buildings to give a boost of gold in Age of Empires IV. They start by giving 100 gold every minute, but the religious buildings relics are brought to can be upgraded to offer other resources as well. the difference isn't massive, but it can definitely help a civilization get a leg up over their opponents if they make it a point to acquire one as early as they can. Relics are scattered randomly around the map, and players will have to do some scouting in order to find them. Relics can be helpful in both multiplayer and the campaign.
To find a relic in Age of Empires 4, players can send their scout out to search the area around them. Relics look like small objects with a golden string that extends upward. Once they are found, there will be a gold statue symbol on the minimap to mark its location. Finding Relics early will make it easier to plan when and how to acquire them, so players should prioritize scouting early and make sure they get the whole map covered. There is sure to be competition for Relics, so players should take note of which are closest to them, and therefore easiest for them to grab.
How Relics Work in Age of Empires IV
Relics can only be picked up by religious units in Age of Empires 4, typically escorted by military units to ensure that they aren't killed by wild wolves or by enemy troops. The religious units that can pick up the Relics go by different names depending on the civilization. The names are as follows:
- English, Chinese, and French: Monk
- Rus: Warrior Monk
- Delhi Sultanate: Scholar
- Holy Roman Empire: Prelate
- Mongols: Shaman
- Mosque: Imam
To pick up a relic, players can simply escort a religious unit over to it and have them pick it up. Then, they can bring it back to their civilization's religious building in order to get the rewards. Civilizations can only acquire relics after reaching the Castle Age. Since the Castle Age is pretty far into the game, players should expect there to be some military resistance on the way if they are scouted out. This is why it is always recommended to send a decent-sized platoon along for the ride to ensure the safety of the units tasked with carrying the relic. Players can even set an Rally Point on the Relic to send fresh troops straight there when the time comes.
Age of Empires IV is available on PC.
