| “ | A pattern of cliffs and passes weaves across the map, exposing rich Stone and Gold deposits. | ” |
| —In-game description | ||
Cliffside is a land random map in Age of Empires IV: The Sultans Ascend featuring players on opposite side of a gold- and stone-rich ridge spanning the center of the map.
Features[]
Teams on Cliffside spawn relatively close to each other separated by the focal point of this map: an elevated zigzagging ridge that divides the map in two from one corner to the other, over which players will compete for control and resources. The ridge can generate in either a North-to-South or East-to-West configuration. Much of it will be blocked by impassable cliffs, but openings and access points are present throughout, making it difficult to completely wall off or block. At certain points, a second layer of cliffs may spawn creating small canyons. There are always three Sacred Sites that spawn on top of the ridge directly along the map diagonal, making them highly contestable. Two Trade Posts will spawn along either of the two opposing map edges, typically in the center or significantly offset from the corners. Relics follow the standard distribution and may spawn either along the ridge or anywhere else on the map. Stealth Forest will generate in small patches beside the ridge next to openings, conducive to ambushing opponents as they try to cross it.
Resources[]
Food on this map is as standard as you can get, with the usual amount of Berry Bush patches, Wild Boar, and Deer nearly always evenly divided between the two sides of the ridge. Wood is similarly basic, with one large circular starting woodline per player, and small circular woodlines fairly evenly dotting the rest of the map. This map uniquely has no Large Gold Mines or Stone Outcroppings, but despite this, it is not lacking for either. A larger-than-usual amount of small mines and outcroppings dot the map, clustered around and on top of the ridge. Despite the 'Extra Gold' tag, however, the total amount of gold and stone is similar to other maps without this tag, and nowhere near the amount of gold on say, Black Forest.
Gallery[]
