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There are many paths to victory in Age of Empires IV. One of the most common, especially in a skirmish against the AI, is to capture every sacred site on the map. The good news is that this is a very simple task, once you know how to do it.
The most important thing to know is that not all units can capture a sacred site. Specifically, only religious units can capture one. There are multiple civilizations, many of which have their own specific religious units. Here is the list of units you can use depending on the civilization you are playing.
- French: Monk (Monastery)
- French: Monk (Monastery)
- Chinese: Monk (Monastery)
- Holy Roman Empire: Prelate (Downtown)
- Mongols: Shaman (Prayer Tent)
- Rus: Warrior Monk (Trinity Abbey, Monastery)
- Sultanate of Delhi: (Mosque, Dome of Faith)
- Abbasid Dynasty: Imam (Mosque)
Related: Complete English Tech Tree in Age of Empires IV: Units, Buildings & Upgrades
Once you have one of the units listed above, you are ready to capture a sacred site.
Screenshot by Pro Game Guides
If you know where the Holy Site is, you can simply send your religious unit there. When they reach the sacred site, select your unit with your mouse, then assign them to capture the sacred site by right-clicking on the site itself. You'll know when you can assign the unit to capture the site, because it will change your cursor to a different icon when you mouse over it in the right place.
If you don't know where a sacred site is, you can find it by producing a scout from your town center and sending it to explore the map.
Once your religious unit is on the site long enough, the sacred site will be counted as under your control, and you can bring idols there to passively collect gold!
Did you know that we have the full mastery list and rewards for all civilizations in the game? Check out our Chinese fluency list and our French fluency list!