What do Relics do in Age of Empires 2? Explained

There are many things that were introduced in Age of Empires 2 that have become quite a part of the franchise. One of them are the Relics. They have evolved throughout the series in how they work and how to collect them. Now that we are living in an Age of Empires 2 renaissance, it is time to ask this age-old question once again: what do Relics do in Age of Empires 2? Well, continue reading to find out.

What do Relics do in Age of Empires 2?

Relics are golden trophy-like objects that you will be able to find across the map. You can run into them by exploring the world, and they will remain visible for you afterward. Usually there are 5 that spawn at the beginning of a match, or even 10 in certain scenarios. These are items that can only be carried by Monks. You will need to carry them all the way back to your Monastery. So if you even want to pick them up, you must first be at the Castle Age, build a Monastery, create a Monk and have him go to the Relic location. I recommend that you do so with some military units as his entourage, since your enemy could also be looking out for them.

So, what good does the Relics do in Age of Empires 2? Well, glad you ask. You see, for every Relic stored in your Monastery, you will gain a gold income of 0.5/s or 30/min. That means that your gold income will increase substantially if you have more relics stored. Furthermore, if you are able to collect all 5 relics in the map, a 200-year countdown will commence and, when it ends, you will win the match. There are even some civilizations like the Aztecs, Huns, and Lithuanians that are able to boos the Relic gold income or even have unit attack boosts depending on your relic collection.

Related: How to Build Barracks in Age of Empires 2

So, if you want some extra gold or the potential to win a match, you better go ahead and send your Monks to collect those relics. There is no side effect, so there is no excuse for not wanting to collect them. I hope you get to find them without any hitches. I wish you good luck!

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