Myth unit. Giant crustacean that is good against ships.
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—In-game description
“
Myth unit. Crustacean that destroys ships.
”
—In-game description
The Carcinos is an aquatic Greekmyth unit in Age of Mythology, available in the Mythic Age that is trained at the Dock. It is available to worshipers of Hera in the original game, while it is available to all Greek major gods in Retold.
Carcinogenicity (Passive): Explodes when killed, dealing 100pierce damage to all with a 2x damage multiplier against myth units and 0.5x against heroes in an area of 9.
This giant crab attacks with its pincers, dealing both hack and crush damage, making it effective against units, buildings, and ships alike. In addition, it has the fastest attack of any naval myth unit so it can combat other myth units in the water easily. Unlike other naval myth units, the Carcinos has higher hack armor than pierce armor, making it more resistant to ramming ships, which are usually the second best thing to counter myth units after heroes.
Even if overwhelmed by several ships, the Carcinos can fulfill its role as a suicide lead by attacking enemies up close while being supported by Arrow and Siege Ships. Similar to the EgyptianScarab, AtlanteanLampades (with Asper Blood), and ChineseTerracotta Warrior, it deals damage when killed but in much greater amounts. Any enemy unit, whether on land or water, too close to a defeated Carcinos will suffer tremendous damage. Other myth units like the Azure Dragon and Kraken are more strongly affected, occasionally even dying in the process. This, on top of their good armor and high hit points, makes them very difficult to kill safely. Aside from heroes, the best counter to the Carcinos is actually Arrow Ships improved with Heroic Fleet and The Argo who can keep their distance while attacking as it is rather slow for a naval myth unit. In doing so, they also remain out of range when the Carcinos dies and will not suffer additional damage. The next best counter to the Carcinos is ranged myth units like the Fire Giant, Mummy, and Medusa - the latter two can instantly defeat the Carcinos from a safe distance without getting killed by its blood upon death. The Medusa has the added advantage of preventing the Carcinos from spewing its blood upon death.
Carcinoi are only available to worshippers of Hera.
Carcinoi have 720 hit points, 4.3 movement speed, 20 hack attack, 12 crush attack, and cost 4 population. Their explosion causes 300 hack damage in an area of 7.5.
During Heracles' battle with the hydra, Hera summoned a crab to attack Heracles and aid the hydra. Although Heracles defeated both hydra and crab, Hera rewarded the crustacean by placing it as a constellation up in the night sky. Latin for "crab" is "cancer," and in Greek it is "Karkinos" -- from where derives the word "carcinogen."
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—In-game help section
Trivia[]
Carcinos' scientific name and appearance suggest it is based on the Atlantic Blue Crab, a species invasive to the Mediterranean, to which it bears a distinct resemblance.
The name of its passive ability, "Carcinogenicity", refers to something that can cause cancer disease.
Carcinogenicity (Passive): Explodes when killed, dealing 100 pierce damage to all with a 2x damage multiplier against myth units and 0.5x against heroes in an area of 9.
.png "Carcinos closeup Retold (2).png (283 KB)")
