Age of Mythology: The Titans Oranos Showcase

The upcoming Age of Mythology expansion pack, The Titans, is only a few weeks away. In the coming months, players will be able to renew the war of the gods with Atlantean heroes, powerful new gods, and the earth-shattering titans. We've previewed two of the three new major gods in the game, Kronos and Gaia, and this month, we conclude our Age of Mythology expansion showcase by revealing the third and final major god of the Atlanteans. He is Oranos, another of the elder titans of Greek myth--divine beings who formed the universe and were dethroned by the Olympian deity, Zeus.

Oranos, and the other two major titans, are gods of the new Atlantean civilization. The Atlanteans and many of their unique abilities were detailed in the first expansion showcase on Gaia. However, this month, we'll also talk about some other Atlantean traits--most notably their unique human units. But, as always, the focus of our showcase is on the actual gods. So let's start with what mighty Oranos can do.

A sky passage.

Some of you might know him as "Uranus," but Oranos is the god of the sky and namesake of the seventh planet in our solar system. Bruce Shelley, of Ensemble Studios, says, "The third of the Atlantean gods is Oranos, the solid dome of the sky and one of the ancient elemental gods from which all life proceeded. Oranos was the first creation of Gaia, and together they produced the 12 titans and other offspring. Following a revolt by his children, and led by Kronos, Oranos (the sky) and Gaia (the earth) became separated."

In Age of Mythology, many of Oranos' abilities tie in to his role as god of the heavens. Shelley explains, "His special power is allowing the construction of sky passages--buildings that float in the air and allow units placed inside to reappear at any sky passage in the world. By building a network of sky passages, you can quickly move armies to meet any threat, or you can surprise an enemy. Any units that can be garrisoned may use the sky passages."

An Oranos player commands an Atlantean titan.

Shelley notes that sky passages cost several hundred resources to build--including a small amount of favor--and take time to construct, just like any other building. However, you can order more villagers to work on them to complete construction faster. Once you send units into one sky passage, they can immediately reappear at any other sky passage you own. You can also upgrade them to decrease their cost, increase their line of sight, and give them a ranged attack. However, each individual sky passage is just a single gateway, so, in order to make a two-way route, you must send villagers to your desired destination and build a second one. Although these structures will provide powerful tactical opportunities, they are also expensive and vulnerable to attack and destruction. They can be built immediately during the first (archaic) age.

The sky passage is really Oranos' unique and tangible god bonus, just like Gaia's lush and Kronos' time shift. But he has more traditional divine abilities as well.