People say that Sky Passages are a waste of recourses and can only be used effectivly in 2v2-3v3 games. I'll go more into detail later in the Guide.

This is excellent. You can set your whole gameplan in the first 10 seconds by seeing all settlements. The Greek cease + TC steal is infamous, but what about the oranos archaic TC steal? This strategy will be later in the thread also.

This is a great bonus. Great bonus for raiding.

This is the best archaic gp ever (imo). This can win battles for you if you micro right, stun 10 gold villas while your turmas are throwing their pointy-sticks at them, and knock some units onto the cliffs at Alfheim

Only really useful unless you are planning on building 2-3 more SPs later.

Let's look at Oceanus' stats.

God Power Carnivora. Generates plants which eats enemy units.

This is a very underrated gp. It can really hurt buildings and can be useful in chokepoints.

Myth Unit Servant. The Servant is a unit which heals ships, and other sea units within their LOS.

This unit is only good because it's free. Until you can get some ships out this is good for harassing the enemy's ships.

Myth Unit Caladria. The Caladria is a flying unit, which like the Servant, has the ability to heal units within its LOS.

This is slightly better than the Servant. These are useful for healing your turma after you raid with them.

Murmillo has +15% Hack Damage.

Great tech. Because you should only go Oceanus on water maps, you should have tons of food for murmillo.

Katapeltes has +10% Speed & +15% Hack Damage.

Good tech for when you are against Norse. You should only make Katas against the norse unless you need a hard calvary counter (like against poseidon).

Let's now look at Prometheus.

God Power: Valor. Transforms a group of general units into heroes, instantly.

Best classical gp ever. Extremly useful at your first atttack because of free mu.

Myth Unit Promethean. A tough myth unit, which splits off into mini-versions of itself when it is killed.

Best classical mu ever. They can be easily massed and can be useful for raiding once they split.

Promethean +30% HP.

Good tech. Get this one if you are going to go heavy on prommies (you should).

Hero Upgrades cost -20% Wood, Food & Gold.

Get it if you think you will need it. Against a mu spammer this can be useful, but valor will last you through classic. Maybe a good tech once advancing to Heroic.

The Choice:

Go Prometheus on land maps and go Oceanus on water.

Let's look at Theia's stats first.

God Power: Hesperides. Generates a tree where you can create dryads. You may use this GP two times in a game, yet you can only have a maximum of five dryads in total. The Hesperides tree can be controlled by other players, if they have their units too close to it.

Excellent gp. One of my favorites. The tree blocks gps, produces dryads, and adds an exotic look to any setting

Myth Unit Stymphalian Bird. A flying unit with an excellent ranged attack, which can only be attacked by ranged units.

This unit is very fun to use. Great for raiding and good for taking out infantry and myth units.

+9 LOS of all human soldiers.

Adds lots of los to units. I never get it.

Cavalry +10% Speed & +15% Hack Damage.

Very good tech. A must if you are going to be using contarious.

Contarius Hereos have +15% Hack Damage.

This tech is so missunderstood. People think this adds to the normal contarious' attack, but it only upgrades the hero contarious attack. It's pretty much a waste.

God Power: Chaos. Changes the sentiment of a group of enemy units, causing them to attack any units nearby.

Bad gp. Only useful if it catches a mu.

Myth Unit Satyr. Armed with two spears, the Satyr is a slow unit which hurls spears at enemies.

I think this was proven as the worst heroic MU ever by ChimeraArtemis.

Myth Unit

Nereid. A shark riding unit, using the shark's bite to attack other ships and land units.

This is a good sea unit, but its not worth going hyperion for this mu.

Doubles the number of Javelins thrown by Satyrs.

Makes a horrible MU just bad.

Allows Heroes to regenerate.

This tech is okay, not really useful unless you have squads of heroes running around.

The Choice:

Always go Theia. Hyperion has horrible gp and myth unit(s). Theia techs make your contarious a force to be reckoned with and Stymphalian Birds and Dryads really rock.

Let's take a look at Hekate.

God Power: Tartarian Gate. Generates a gate to the underworld lodging creatures which attack everybody.

Myth Unit Lampades. A witch-like Myth unit which can convert enemy units to a unit similar to units casted by the 'Chaos' God Power.

I love this MU. With any micro at all it can change the tide of a battle.

Lampades +25 Pierce area damage

A useless tech that makes the lampades blood hurt units. Don't get it.

Thanks to a192 for the info.

2.0 HP/second Myth Unit regeneration rate

Excellent tech. Great for titan battles.

40% Training rate of Myth Units

This tech is basically Hel's myth training tech. Makes them pop out almost instantly. a192 has a good point that you could always just build another temple instead.

Let's see what Helios has for us.

God Power: Vortex. Teleport all military units of a player to another point on the map.

Excellent gp. Good for getting titan gates, wonders, defending an outlying tc, you name it.

Myth Unit Man O'War. Similar to a Jellyfish, Man O'War is a sea unit which uses electrical bolts to attack enemy ships and units.

Terrible mu. Never get anymore than your free one.

Myth Unit Hekagigantes. A strong, multi-armed unit, the Hekagigantes pounds the ground around him, causing minor earthquakes.

Amazing MU. A mini siege weapon. Good for breaking a enemy formation.

Myth Building Mirror Tower. A tower which harnesses sunshine into laser-like rays.

It's okay. Really overrated. Money better spent on a tower or two.

Siege Units -15% Hack Damage Vulnerability.

Makes it easier to split your siege from your army and take out a tc or some military buildings.

Fire Siphons have +25% Crush Damage, and Fire Ships have +20% Hack Damage.

Makes your fire siphons the best siege in the game. Excellent tech.

The Choice:

Go Hekate if you are at a standstill and use tartarian on a back tc. Go Helios if you need some powerful siege to break through a tower spammers (Hades) tower wall.

Now we are past the boring part. Here are the strategies and build orders for them.

1. The Oranos Boom

Get a tc while advancing to classical and pump villies from both.

1. Food
2. Food
3. Wood
4. (Manor) Gold
5. Food
6. Gold
7. Wood

----------
Prometheus
----------
Make a TC while advancing to classical.

2. The Oracle Rush

This is a sort of kronos rush only you will have a good econemy and ruin theirs.

1. (Economic Guild) Food Get Hunting Dogs
2. Food
3. Wood
4. (Manor) Gold
5. Food
6. Food Temple with wood villager, gold villager to food until you get 400.
7. Food
--------------------------------------------------------
Prometheus switch 2 food villagers to wood, and 2 food villagers to wood. So you should have 3 on food, 2 on wood, and 2 on gold.
--------------------------------------------------------

Use valor on oracles once you advance and destroy towers and anything out of tc fire.

3. Oranos raid

Advance before 5:30 and raid them hard.

1. Food
2. Food
3. Wood
4. (Manor) Gold
5. Food Temple
6. Food
7. Gold
8. Wood
--------------------------------------------
Prometheus switch one food villager to wood.
--------------------------------------------

4. Oranos Water

Advance around 5:30 and win the water, while having some turma to raid.

1. (Dock) Wood Make 1 fishing ship if you have to walk to the fish (Highland) and two if they are by your tc (Medit)
2. Food
3. (Manor) Food
4. Wood
5. Food Temple
6. Food
7. (Manor) Gold
8. Gold
---------------------------------------------------------
Prometheus/Oceanus switch 2 food villas to gold and 2 to wood.
---------------------------------------------------------

Some Random Tips:

1. USE Heroic units.

They are very good. Most Oranos players I see justm ake turma and murmillo in heroic and ignore the Arcus, Contarious and Destroyer.

2. USE Destroyers

These guys are nasty and can kill tc as fast as zeus hoplites. If you get about 10 of them its a good idea to have your army attack while going to an outlying tc with the destroyers.

3. Unit Combos

Here are some unit combos I use against the differnt civs.

Greek:

1 Counter Barracks Cheiroballista

1 Counter Barracks Turma

1 Barracks Murmillo

Against Poseidon do this:

1 Counter Barracks Turma

1 Counter Barracks Katapeltes

1 Barracks Murmillo

Norse:

1 Counter Barracks Turma

1 Counter Barracks Katapeltes

1 Barracks Murmillo

Egyptian

1 Counter Barracks Cheiroballista

1 Counter Barracks Cheiroballista

1 Counter Barracks Turma

1 Barracks Murmillo

Atlantean

1 Counter Barracks Turma

1 Counter Barracks Cheiro Ballista

1 Counter Barracks Turma

1 Barracks Murmillo

I hope you enjoyed it

I'll be adding some more later.

[This message has been edited by Fenris77 (edited 09-07-2004 @ 10:23 AM).]