Relic Monkey

The Relic Monkey is a unit that is exclusively obtainable by garrisoning the Monkey Head Relic in a Temple. One minute after the Relic is dropped at the Temple, three Monkeys will appear for free. They are obscenely weak but make adequate scouts. They come in a trio and if all three are killed, they will respawn from the Temple shortly after.

Strategy
Relic Monkeys are more valuable in the Archaic or Classical Age before players have access to stronger units. To make the most of them, it is best to build the Temple as quickly as possible and have the first available hero grab the Monkey Head Relic. Their primary purpose is scouting thanks to their decent speed and LOS. This is especially useful for the Norse who in turn are able to free their Ulfsark from the burden of scouting so that it can begin constructing other buildings. Egyptian players will also enjoy not having to constantly build Obelisks, though this is not as much the case for Set who already provides Animals of Set for scouting. If scouting is not a concern to the player, their hero should focus on grabbing more valuable Relics.

Another use for the Relic Monkeys is harassing enemies. In the Archaic Age, many units, such as Priests and Ulfsarks, have their stats reduced drastically. The Monkeys can seek out these units and interrupt their work by attacking them, delaying the enemy's progress. Other targets can include Egyptian Obelisks and Atlantean Oracles, whose line of sight will reset when slapped by these primates. Against anything that can fight back however, the Monkeys are virtually helpless as their paper thin defenses mean that they will quickly die from an attack. As the player gains the ability to train stronger units, their purpose is reduced to act as bait from attacks, such as Towers, increasing the longevity of other units. In Online Battles, Players may always have the Relic Monkeys accompany stronger Myth Units, such as a Mountain Giant, in the hopes that an enemy attempting to cast Bolt or another offensive God Power will misclick and instantly kill the player's weaker unit.

Trivia

 * Relic Monkeys are identical in appearance to Baboons.
 * Relic Monkeys differ from Animals of Set as they do not provide food when killed.