Around 16 years after the third version was released, the new addition to the franchise, Age of Empires 4, is finally available for fans to enjoy. There are a lot of expectations Relic Entertainment has to fulfill to satisfy the old players. Luckily, it did a decent job of maintaining legacy mechanics with some fresh features.
One of these old mechanics is the Wonder Victory. Same drill as before, players can achieve it by defending a Wonder for a set amount of time. Other than Wonders, Sacred Sites is another building that brings more diversity into the game’s strategy.
How to Capture Sacred Sites in Age of Empires 4
To capture a Sacred Site, players have to wait until the Castle Age. Then, simply target it with a Religious unit recruited from the Monasteries:
- Monk (English, French, Chinese)
- Prelate (Holy Roman Empire)
- Shaman (Mongols)
- Warrior Monk (Rus)
- Scholar (Delhi Sultanate)
- Imam ( Abbasid Dynasty)
Seizing at least one Sacred Site will generate continuous gold for the capturing player. However, this buff can be neutralized if an enemy places a troop inside the Site's border for a few seconds. Meanwhile, capturing all three Sacred Sites and defending them for ten minutes grants an automatic win in Age of Empires 4. Therefore, players are forced to attack and move outside of their bases to make sure the enemy isn’t in possession of all Sacred Sites.
When it comes to recruiting Religious units, It's worth noting that some Civilizations have different strategies when it comes to utilizing them. Here are some examples.
Delhi Sultanate
Delhi Sultanate can build a Mosque in the first Dark Age. This building can produce Scholars, an important unit for the faction.
After researching and upgrading a technology called Sanctity, players can capture a Sacred Site without having to reach the Castle Age. All of Delhi’s technologies are free, so it doesn’t require any preparations to be upgraded.
Rus
Rus’ Warrior Monks are incredibly useful on the battlefield, as they can both heal and fight. Unlike typical Religious units, they're riding on horses, so they can reach target areas faster. They also can provide a buff to their allied troops while fighting with them alongside healing them.
To initiate the Castle Age, players can choose a specific Religious Landmark, Abbey of the Trinity. It contains useful technologies that will further improve the abilities of the Warrior Monk.
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire’s Religious unit, Prelate, can be recruited at the start of the game without building a Monastery. But, unlike the Delhi Sultanate, the Romans can’t seize control over Sacred Sites until the Castle Age. However, they can still deploy the Religious units faster than other factions.
Age of Empires 4 was released on October 28, 2021, and is currently available on PC.