In Age of Empires 4, there are a couple of ways to achieve victory in skirmish mode. Gaining a religious victory, also known as a Sacred Victory, is a fairly straightforward affair. Players must capture and defend several holy sites on the game map for a set period of time to defeat their enemies.
However, like the other game modes in Age of Empires 4, attaining a Sacred Victory requires a good deal of planning on the player's part. There's also the time factor, considering one's foes aren't going to sit idly by while the player makes their move. Nevertheless, with these steps, fans will possess a viable roadmap when it comes to securing that Sacred Victory.
The Object Of A Sacred Victory
The object of a Sacred Victory is simple. Players must find and capture ALL Sacred Sites on the map and defend them from enemy attacks for 10 minutes. If every Sacred Site is still in the player's possession after 10 minutes, then a victory is achieved.
A defeat occurs when the enemy possesses all locations for 10 minutes. The timer only starts to count down once every site is occupied either by the player or the enemy, and gets disrupted if the player or the enemy recaptures one of the Sacred Sites.
How To Find A Sacred Site
Finding the Sacred Sites depends on the player's preferences regarding map settings. When the map is set to "Concealed," players will need to actively search for the sites, as the fog of war will be in effect. Conversely, setting the map to "Explored" or "Revealed" will mark the location of the Sacred Sites on the player's mini-map.
When playing on the "Concealed" settings, it's highly recommended to produce a few extra Scouts right off the bat, as locating the Sacred Sites is the first step in this process. Sacred Sites appear as stone ruins with a flag in the middle. Don't worry about securing them immediately; that will come later.
How To Capture A Sacred Site
Capturing a Sacred Site requires a monk, which represents the game's religious units. Monks are recruited from a religious building, typically a monastery or mosque. Most civilizations (though not all), can't construct the necessary religious buildings until Age III. Players can tweak the settings regarding what age they want their game to start in.
If players intend on starting in Age I, they will need to make preparations to advance to the next age as quickly as possible. Collect plenty of food and gold to get to Age III as soon as possible. From there, players can construct their religious buildings and recruit monks. Send a monk to a Sacred Site to capture it, which will take a few seconds.
How To Recapture A Sacred Site
If an enemy has taken a player's Sacred Site, recapturing it through military force is necessary. Gamers must destroy all the enemies close to the Sacred Site and position their own troops near to it. This will revert the Sacred Site back to a neutral state. Use a monk as outlined above to recapture the Sacred Site for your side.
Tips For Defending A Sacred Site
Once all Sacred Sites are in the player's possession, they must defending them for 10 minutes. This is the most crucial step, as successfully pulling it off results in a match victory. Follow these tips from the beginning of a game for a Sacred Victory:
- Produce an abundance of Villagers, around 30-40. Once the economy is booming, feel free to delete excess Villagers to make room for more military units.
- Prioritize Stone collection.
- Build a Market to sell excess resources. Buy more Stone if needed.
- Construct multiple Barracks, Archery Ranges, Stables, and Siege Workshops to crank out an army as quickly as possible.
- When a Sacred Site is captured, build 1 or 2 Castles/Keeps nearby. Construct walls where applicable to create chokepoints.
- Upgrade the Castles/Keeps as much as possible to increase their effectiveness.
- Station troops nearby to eliminate enemy siege equipment. Let the Castles take care of the infantry and cavalry.
Age of Empires 4 was released on October 28, 2021 and is currently available on PC.