In Age of Mythology: Retold – Immortal Pillars, our goal was to create compelling gameplay that is authentic to Chinese mythology. To do this, we sought Chinese designers, artists, and experts in Chinese mythology. Together with the teams at Virtuos Shanghai, Forgotten Empires, and Tantalus, we strived to create a well-researched bestiary of unique and incredible units.
With the upcoming Immortal Pillars DLC, most Chinese Myth units are inspired by the Four Perils, a collection of warped and malevolent beings, and the Four Auspicious Beasts, noble guardians associated with the elements. Today, we’re introducing the “evil” four of the Myth units available in Immortal Pillars.
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Immortal Pillars is available for pre-order now on Steam! Coming March 4th!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2991170/Age_of_Mythology_Retold__Immortal_Pillars/
*Age of Mythology: Retold Premium Edition Owners
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Qiongqi
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Qiongqi is the first of the Four Perils, available in the Classical Age to followers of Houtu.
In designing the Myth units of Immortal Pillars, we wanted them to be authentic to mythology, foster unique gameplay, and be cool. We’re lucky when the mythology makes that easy for us. Some combinations go really well together and tigers and wings are one of the all-time greats. With Qiongqi, we instantly had everything we wanted.
The Qiongqi is a 260kg mass of muscle, teeth, and claws, and in it’s upgraded form it even has a horn and saber teeth half-a-meter-long! In Chinese mythology, the Qiongqi understands human language and has a warped sense of justice. It enjoys arbitrating human disputes by devouring the righteous party and rewarding the wicked. In Chinese, Qiongqi translates to ‘distressingly strange’ or ‘thoroughly odd’—and we agree! The mythology sounds incredible, but what could we do with this unit in-game?
In Immortal Pillars, the Qiongqi is a formidable unit with a fast attack tempered by slow movement speed on the ground. What the Qiongqi lacks in mobility on four legs, it makes up for it in the air – capable of flight to overcome obstacles.
The Qiongqi is perfect for early game raids against enemy bases, easily able to retreat by flying away from unfavorable situations. With this style of gameplay, Qiongqi are likely to find themselves behind enemy lines and outnumbered. Houtu grants the Sinister Defiance upgrade, increasing their armor for each nearby enemy unit, further increasing their survivability.
When the Qiongqi is around, nowhere is safe. As you battle the Chinese, watch out for Qiongqi flying in behind your base!
Taotie
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Taotie is the second of the Four Perils, available in the Heroic Age to followers of Nüba.
We always want to push ourselves in Age of Mythology: Retold, and do things we’ve never done before. In learning about Taotie, we realized we’ve never had a unit that actually eats units before. Yup – eats them whole. In Chinese mythology, Taotie isn’t the most nuanced of the Four Perils: it really just eats things – and will keep devouring until it is killed.
In Immortal Pillars, we wanted Taotie to do a bit more than eat – also showing off its past meals. Like the Greek Hydra that gains heads as it fights, the Taotie grows larger as it devours, eventually reaching absurd sizes. This size increase comes with an even greater attack statistic.
As fantastic as an army of giant Taotie are, that’s not all it brings to the table! The Taotie’s special ability is fuelled by the humans it consumes. When activated, the Taotie releases a fiery blast, scorching any enemies unlucky to be caught in its path. Each release, reducing it’s size and attack statistic.
Taowu
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Taowu is the third of the Four Perils, available in the Heroic Age to followers of Goumang.
In Chinese mythology, Taowu is described as having a human-like face, being covered in dog fur, and having a long tail. It is famous for its stubbornness and pride bordering on reckless obstinance. Compared to a peril who eats the righteous and another who eats everything, Taowu really doesn’t sound that bad.
In Immortal Pillars, Taowu is a sturdy, slow-moving unit strong against buildings. It is the Chinese answer to the Egyptian Scarab or the Atlantean Behemoth, but with a twist. The Taowu’s Charge special ability increases its speed for a short time, knocking enemy units out of its path. This makes Taowu perfect for clearing the way into an enemy base.
Hundun
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Hundun is the fourth of the Four Perils, available in the Mythic Age to followers of Huangdi.
Mythology is filled with strange creatures: a serpent-haired woman whose gaze turns people to stone. A lion with a goat’s head, and a snake’s head for a tail. As far as strange creatures go, Chinese mythology delivers with the Hundun.
The Hundun is a faceless, six-legged, four-winged creature of pure chaos. It is associated with the primordial void before creation. In some stories, Hundun is a villainous son of the Yellow Emperor, banished along with the other perils. This inspired its unlikely association in-game with the revered Huangdi.
The incredibly unique appearance and fascinating mythology aside, how could such an unusual creature translate into fun gameplay? As a late game unit, we wanted the Hundun to feel almost like you’re cheating for a moment. We want players that face Hundun to say, “Wait, what? How did you do that?”
Hundun boasts two special abilities that chaotically shape battlefields in your favor. The first ability, Chaotic Fear, causes enemy units to flee in random directions. If that isn’t enough, its second ability, Banish, sends all units within a conical area into a void. They blink out of existence for a few moments, and return battered, by unseen forces.
There you have it: the Four Perils and the Chinese mythology that inspired some of the many new Chinese myth units. Try out Qiongqi, Taotie, Taowu, and Hundun for yourself in Age of Mythology: Retold – Immortal Pillars – coming March 4th!
Pre-Order Age of Mythology: Retold – Immortal Pillars Now!
Immortal Pillars is now available for pre-order on Steam – releasing March 4th!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2991170/Age_of_Mythology_Retold__Immortal_Pillars/