| “ | Improved the gather rate of nearby villagers by +10/14/18/22/26% depending on network level. Generates influence which boosts production, research or defense. Can activate Arkitoi Defense to briefly arm nearby Villagers. Connect Cisterns with Aqueducts to enhance their influence and villager gather rate aura. Cistern costs increase the more Cisterns are built. |
” |
| —Age of Empires IV description | ||
The Cistern is a unique building available to the Byzantines in Age of Empires IV: The Sultans Ascend that provides various bonuses. Its constant bonus of improving the gather rate of nearby Villagers is primarily economic, but it can also provide either technology, military, or defensive bonuses, likely explaining why it is classified as an 'Influence' Building rather than any one of those specific types. The effect of the bonuses increases as multiple Cisterns are connected together with Aqueduct networks.
Gameplay mechanics[]
Cisterns provide area different economic, defensive, and military bonuses within a surrounding area. The bonuses begin small and increase in effectiveness as the Cistern begins to fill up with water. The water level of a Cistern starts off at 1, and increases with each additional Cistern connected together using Aqueducts. Stone Walls can also be used to connect Cisterns, but since walls cannot be connected directly to buildings, a segment of Aqueduct must be built to make the final connection between the Stone Wall and the Cistern.
The maximum water level is five. Beyond this, additional Cisterns can still be connected to the network, but they do not further increase the water level. There is no limit to how many Cisterns can be built, but a Cistern cannot be built within the influence area of another Cistern. Cisterns return 8 stone each time they are built, making their net cost slightly smaller than indicated.
The Byzantines also have access to a Castle Age landmark called the Cistern of the First Hill, which acts as a Cistern and provides a powerful Pilgrim Flask healing ability.
Abilities and influences[]
Cistern Influence: The Cistern generates a 10 x 10 influence area which cannot overlap with that of other Cisterns, and which provides one of the following bonuses that can be chosen by the player for each Cistern. A building which overlaps the influence zones of two different cisterns can gain multiple bonuses at the same time, but cannot stack the same bonus multiple times.
- Conscriptio (Influence): All buildings within the influence of the Cistern produce military units +20%/+40%/+60%/+80%/+100% faster depending on the Water Level
- Dialecticus (Influence): All buildings within the influence of the Cistern have +30%/+60%/+90%/+120%/+150% faster research rate depending on the Water Level
- Praesidium (Influence): All buildings within the influence of the Cistern take -5%/-10%/-15%/-20%/-25% damage depending on the Water Level
- Akritoi Defense (Active): When activated, all Villagers within a 9.5 tile radius gain a spear attack with +1/2/3/5 damage per Age and gain +2 melee and ranged armor for 30 seconds. Villagers do not need to remain within this radius to maintain this bonus. Additionally, Villagers that enter the radius after the ability has been activated will gain the bonus for however long is left on the timer. This ability has a global cooldown among all Cisterns of 150 seconds after it is activated.
- Irrigated (Passive): Villagers within a 9.5 tile radius have +10%/+14%/+18%/+22%/+26% gathering rate per Cistern water level. This bonus is maintained for 20 seconds after the Villager leaves the aura. The bonus does not stack with multiple Cisterns.
Further statistics[]
| Technologies | |
|---|---|
 Hit points
|
 Court Architects (+30%)
|
| Aura and ability enhancements | |
|---|---|
| Damage resistance |   Praesidium (-5% per Cistern water level)
|
Changelog[]
- Originally, the Dialecticus Influence enhancement increased research rate by 50% per Cistern water level and the 'Irrigated' enhancement increased villager gather rate by 5% per Cistern water level. With patch 9.2.628, the Dialecticus buff was reduced to 30% per water level and the Irrigated buff was increased to +10%/+14%/+18%/+22%/+26% gathering rate per Cistern water level.
- Originally, the cost of a Cistern started off at 50 stone for the first one, but increased by an additional +50 stone for each subsequent one, maxing out at capped out at 300 stone for the sixth Cistern and beyond. With patch 9.2.628, the cost cap was reduced to 250 stone for the fifth Cistern and beyond. With update 13.0.4178, the cost was set to a fixed 125 stone for all Cisterns. With patch 13.1.4420, the fixed cost was reduced to 120 stone
- Originally, Cistern built in 20 seconds, With patch 9.2.628, the build time was reduced to 15 seconds.
Trivia[]
- Akritoi or (or Akritai) were Byzantine soldiers in the border regions, similar to the earlier Limitanei.
- The three types of influence have Latin names and mean conscription, dialectic, and protection.
Gallery[]
