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Your choice of god inAge of Mythology: Retoldwill significantly affect which playstyles, units, and strategies are viable for you. This will affect your build order, which units you field, and even which minor gods you pick when ageing up. Isis, an Egyptian god, is actually quite versatile, having bonuses mostly attuned to technology and economy.
This can make her difficult to get used to, however. Being good at very general things makes it too tempting to spread your attention thin, and that can spell defeat in AoM. This guide gives a basic rundown of Isis’s bonuses and has some tips on getting to grips with her.
Isis Overview
Isis has historically been known as the technology-focused god, and it’s easy to see why.
Town Centres provide +5 population
This is most relevant at the beginning of the game, easily letting yourush to Classical Agewithout needing to build Houses for extra Laborers
Upgrades cost 10% less
This is Isis’s most critical boon - this makes itfar easier to obtain more technologies than you might get in a standard game, and quicker at this. Crucially, it makes it very easy to get economy technologies without disrupting your military growth, which in turn makes your late-game military boom very easy.
Obelisks are cheaper and are built 60% faster
Obelisks are pretty much Isis’s main method ofscouting. Building them in a large perimeter around your starting Town Centre is a great way to keep an eye on any foes who might be getting too close to your base.
Monuments prevent god powers from enemies
This power basically turnsMonumentsinto wonderful defensive buildings, and can be crucial when facing gods who might use powers like Tornado or Meteor.
Empowered Monuments heal nearby units and generate more Favor
Both of these boons are very useful. The latter is especially fantastic for aMyth Unit-heavy armycompositionstrategy.
Isis’s god power,Prosperity, will temporarily boost your Gold gatherer efficiency, and is wonderful when used once you have alarge amount of Laborers working towards Goldand you’ve researched a few mining techs. As the Egyptian military units tend to be costly in Gold, this is a wonderful power.
Flood of the Nileis also a good technology - aFood trickleis great on most maps, especially as Isis lacks the ability to get Ptah’s Shaduf technology, which are fantastic for Ra and Set. As always with trickles, it’s best to get this tech very early.
Minor God Choices
Your choice of minor god with Isis will somewhat depend on your comfort with her general playstyle, but with experience, it’s quite easy to fall into an optimal set of choices.
Bast
Bast is aneconomy-focusedchoiceand is a good pick for Isis. Improving your economy allows you to easily set up your win condition later in the game. A strategy that hinges onboosting your population quicklywith Town Centres needs a lot of miners, which will leave your woodcutters and food gathered understaffed - Bast offsets this nicely. Eclipse is also worth mentioning for the massive boost it provides to Titans.
Anubis
Anubis is the choice for Isis players who aren’t too worried about maximising economy tactics.Anubitesare great for destroying armies made up mostly of human enemies, especially when upgraded, andSerpent Spearis fantastic for fielding an effective army of Spearmen, whichtend to be the most useful Barracks unitas a result. Necropolis and Isis’s focus on building lots ofMonumentsalso synergise perfectly.
Sobek
Sobek is anall-rounderfor Isis.Petsuchosis a fantastic Myth Unit, the reduction to building costs is plainly useful forMonument, Obelisk, and late-game military building spamming, and the boost toCamel Ridereffectiveness gives you a very easy unit to focus on once you have your Midgol Stronghold up and running.
Nephthys
SpawningLeviathansfrom the ruins of War Barges can be clutch on a water map, butNephthys is otherwise a little lacklustre. Scorpion Men are only decent and Funeral Rites is only truly useful when you’re starved of Gold deposits. The highlight here is Nebty, which gives you a far better tool to use against foes who spam Myth Units, something that Egyptians can struggle with, especially when not going for a Son of Osiris endgame.
Osiris
Osiris has a lot going for him.Son of Osirisgives you a wonderful Hero unit that can decimate Myth Units, getting asecond Pharaohis always good for empowerment strategies, andDesert Windturns Camel Riders into veritable powerhouses. If you went for Sobek previously, picking Osiris is almost mandatory for an eventual Camel Rider-shaped route to victory.
Thoth
Thoth is an incredibly offence-oriented god.Meteor and Phoenixare both great destructive boons to wield, and while Valley of the Kings is expensive, spawning additional military units from empowered buildings is a truly wonderful power. Thoth is a safe pick if you have an incredibly strong economy, especially if you want to field an army of War Elephants.
General Tips
Space Out Your Monuments
With Isis’s bonus toMonuments making them block enemy god powers, Monument placement is more important than ever. We recommend placing them in a large ring throughout your base and perhaps saving one for a forward base to further defend your offensive buildings.
This is even more important when going up againstgods who can use Tornado, Meteor, Earthquake, or other powersthat would severely harm you if cast on one of your Town Centres.
Town Centre Spamming
With Isis’s bonus topopulation boosts from Town Centres, you are more encouraged than ever tobuild more Town Centres. This is even more doable after researchingSun-dried Mud-brick(which is a technology gained from Sobek).
Doing this gives you plenty of room to field amassive army, plenty of space to fill up on Laborers, and plenty of zones of control with which to expand both militarily and economically.
Roc Vs. Leviathan On Water Maps
A beginner player may be fooled into thinking that Nephthys’s technologies and Myth Unit that handle the water well make it an easy pick for maps with a lot of water, but this is ignoring the wonderful utility of a Roc.
To put it plainly, aRoc can ferry your units over water better than any ship could. Isis doesn’t have much reason to even build a Dock in many games - Rocs are always the way to go.
