Automaton

Automaton
Unit information
Unit type	Myth unit
Introduced in	The Titans
Civilization	Atlanteans
Age	Classical Age
God	Leto
Trained at	Temple
Training time	18 seconds
Cost
Gold	90
Favor	6
Population	2
Statistics
Hit points	230
Speed	3.75 feet/second
Line of Sight	15 feet
Attack
Hack	11
Pierce	-
Crush	-
Armor
Hack	40%
Pierce	45%
Crush	80%

The Automaton is a Classical Age myth unit in Age of Mythology: The Titans. It is available to players who choose Leto when advancing in Age and looks like a primitive robot.

Special ability

Repair (heal) other Automata, at a rate of 15 HP/second. When an Automaton is defeated, it does not die, but breaks instead, lying where it was struck down with 1 HP. It can then be repaired by other Automatons until it reaches full HP, at which point it can fight again. When an automaton is broken it lasts roughly 36 seconds before it dies for good.

Attack bonuses

• Myth Units ×3
• Heroes ×0.5

God bonuses and upgrades

Specific

• Hephaestus Revenge (Leto): upgrades to Warrior Automaton, increase HP by 30% and enables them to regenerate 1 HP/sec.
• Volcanic Forge (Leto): reduces Automaton pierce vulnerability by 20%.

General

Kronos reduces Gold and Favor cost by 10%.

• Celerity (Hekate): reduces training time by 40%.
• Mythic Rejuvenation (Hekate): regenerate 2 hp/sec.
• Eyes of Atlas (Atlas): increases LOS by 9.

Strategy

Automata are weak compared to most other myth units, but they are very cheap and take up few population slots. This means they are easy to mass-produce, and are strong in larger groups as they can repair and rebuild each other. They are better armored and harder hitting than human soldiers and, fully upgraded, they become a decent fighting force. As the Atlanteans have a ready source of favor, it is possible to use Automatons in an early rush. Like all Myth Units, they are vulnerable to Heroes, most of which can decommission them with ease.

Kronos is especially capable of utilizing Automata, with his cheaper, faster myth units. They can be easily massed and combined with Kronos' cheap and fast Cheirobalista, or Turma. Automata do heavy bonus damage to opposing myth units, reducing reliance on expensive heroes, since worshipping Leto will not allow for access to Valor. They are vulnerable to special myth unit abilities (such as Cyclops'), so heroes may still be necessary in some circumstances.

Changelog

The Titans

• Automata cost 8 favor.
• The Automaton has 200 hit points.

Extended Edition

• Automata cost 6 favor.
• With patch 2.7, the Automaton has 250 hit points.
• With patch 2.8, the Automaton has 230 hit points.

Campaign

Automaton (SPC)
Unit information
Unit type	Myth unit
Introduced in	The Titans
Civilization	Atlanteans
Cost
Population	2
Statistics
Hit points	200
Speed	3.75 feet/second
Line of Sight	15 feet
Attack
Hack	11
Pierce	-
Crush	-
Armor
Hack	40%
Pierce	45%
Crush	80%

A special variant of Automata is featured in the Atlantis Betrayed scenario of The New Atlantis. These are animated Automaton Statues, with the intent to ambush Kastor and his allies, as well as to tear apart the helpless Atlantean citizens of the colony of New Atlantis.

Unlike the trainable version, these ones cannot repair each other and crumble completely when destroyed. They also are not affected by the Hephaestus Revenge and Volcanic Forge upgrades.

Mythology

Scientific name -- None (artificial construct)
Size -- Over 7' tall
Diet -- Doesn't eat

The Atlanteans placed a high value on personal freedom. They never practiced slavery. They created the Automata to perform the tasks for which many other cultures used slaves. As the sophistication of these Automata grew, some in Atlantis wanted them to become Citizens. Others opposed that notion. A civil war erupted and plunged the Atlantean Empire into a dark age that lasted thousands of years. During this time many Atlantean colonies regressed or revolted and became independent nations. Automata were never inducted into Atlantean society and Atlantis, though vastly more advanced than other nations, never again reached the heights of its Golden Age.

Trivia

• The Automaton's head is apparently hollow, as it is seen shaking debris out of it during its "bored" animation.

Gallery

Automaton Art

Automaton in-game

Player 2 Automaton

Automaton cinematic model, with a statue of Oranos for size comparison

Automaton repairing a fallen Automaton

Damaged Automaton being repaired by another Automaton

Video

AUTOMATON vs EVERY MYTH UNIT - Age of Mythology