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Each of these gods has a unique playstyle, meaning that it’s worth trying all of them to see which might suit a player best. Age of Mythology is also remarkably well-balanced, and basically any of the gods can be viable and enjoyable to play with some time and effort invested. However, there are admittedly some clear favorites, so it’s worth knowing which are the best overall.
10 Isis
Isis has a solid late-game, with powerful attacks and especially strong with the minor god Hathor giving players access to powerful units and buffs. Isis also makes technologies 10% cheaper, buffs population from Town Centers, and protects monuments from god powers. These bonuses combined with technologies and her Prosperity god power that temporarily doubles gold gathering means Isis can potentially develop a strong economy.
However, Isis struggles on many maps, and is often an inconsistent pick. It is especially difficult to keep up with other gods in the early-game, so Isis remains a somewhat inconsistent and niche option, but still a decent option for those that know how to play her well.
9 Kronos
Though often overlooked, Kronos is notable for a particularly exasperating playstyle in the earliest stages of a game, using Oracles, Greek Scout Units, to harass enemy resource production. This can be a strong strategy and may even cripple opponents outright, especially as Kronos has access to unique technology that buffs Oracles.
That being said, this strategy relies largely on opponents making mistakes, so Kronos is slightly inconsistent. However, Kronos is still an enjoyable option because of unique abilities like being able to timeshift buildings anywhere within line of sight, which allows for more eccentric styles of play.
8 Odin
Odin is able to put forward a particularly impressive army composition, as he has access to a number of powerful units and buffs focused around improving these units. For example, Huskarls, Ballistae and Portable Rams have 20% more health, and Jarls have 10% more. Additionally, all human soldiers gradually regenerate their health, meaning that Odin allows players to create a very strong army.
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However, Odin’s god powers are on the weaker side, meaning that even a powerful army can be beaten by gods with destructive powers. Nonetheless, Odin is still a great choice with tough units.
7 Hades
Hades is a somewhat niche god, and when playing as Hades players may often be forced onto the defensive, especially on maps where Hades is a weaker option. This is helped by a significant buff to the health and attack of buildings, but it is a struggle to punish opponents for mistakes in the early-game.
However, Hades gets much stronger in the late-game with access to more powerful buildings for gold production, and the excellent Gastraphetes mythic unit, an archer unit with excellent damage, especially because of the 10% damage buff for archers available to Hades.
6 Nu Wa
Nu Wa has a particularly impressive late-game, with strong cavalry, and the powerful White Tiger myth unit. Nu Wa also has buffed Favor generation from Gardens and all human units are also 10% cheaper, making economy management easier. Admittedly, Nu Wa can struggle on many maps, especially water maps, meaning in many situations she simply isn’t worth picking. However, on the right map Nu Wa can be a great option and scales well in the late-game, even against the most powerful gods.
5 Ra
Ra is a reliable option on most maps, and comes with significant buffs for priests and laborers. Though certainly not weak in the early-game, Ra can be outclassed in some situations, however in the late-game he is close to unmatched, as he gives serious buffs to empowering Pharoahs and monuments are also cheaper.
Because of this, like Hades, Ra becomes extremely powerful in the late-game, with a very strong economy. When facing off against gods with a great early-game like Fu Xi, much of Ra’s playstyle is about delaying until his full potential can be reached, which can be tricky, but very rewarding when done successfully.
4 Oranos
Oranos is a fairly easy god to play, and as such is a good option for new players especially. Oranos is very consistent, and is strong on every map. His abilities give players a lot of room to work with, and make the game fairly forgiving, with fast units, good Favor generation, and better houses.
Oranos also has access to the unique Sky Passages building, an excellent tactical option that allows instant transportation of units wherever they’re built. This means that it is easy to respond to enemy attacks with a decent network of Sky Passages, of which 10 can be built in total.
3 Set
Though Set can be challenging to play, it’s a great choice with a very high potential to be extremely strong. Set is particularly unique because he is able to convert wild animals with priests, placing them under the control of the player, and also making them surprisingly useful in combat, especially when buffed with the Feral technology.
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Set is probably the strongest god in the game when it comes to scouting and information-gathering, with hyenas and priests being especially useful for this task, combined with his god power, Vision, which reveals a large part of the map for a brief period of time.
2 Zeus
Zeus is an extremely versatile god, and outclasses the other Greek gods because they are much more niche. Zeus gives players a notable Favor buff, doubling the Favor limit and increasing the rate at which villagers generate Favor when worshipping at Temples. Zeus also makes infantry much stronger, doubling their damage to buildings and increasing Hoplite movement speed.
Zeus is dominant on water maps, and there aren’t many other gods that can consistently beat him on them. Zeus’s god power, Bolt, is also a great counter to most enemy heroes.
1 Fu Xi
Fu Xi takes the top spot as an excellent all-rounder, with a very strong early-game often capable of ending matches before other gods can reach their full potential. Importantly, Fu Xi comes with a number of potent economic buffs, including making buildings cost 20% less wood, unit upgrades notably cheaper, and the unique Domestication technology that increases the gather rate for various food resources.
Additionally, as a Chinese god not only does Fu Xi have access to the powerful Immortals hero unit, but unlike the other Chinese gods, Fu Xi has the ability to train all 8 immortals from the beginning of the game, rather than being locked to 2 per age. Though in the late-game other gods are likely to catch-up and potentially surpass Fu Xi, it’s hard to deny that he is an extremely strong choice and is very difficult to play against.
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