Cenotes is a random map in Age of Empires II HD: The Forgotten. It represents a type of landscape, known for its sinkholes, formed from the erosion of the ground, found in Central America (especially in Yucatán).
Description[]
Cenotes is an open map with resources spread thinner than on most maps. It is similar to Arabia concerning its open spaces, though it also features watering holes with Shore Fish, while some cliffed and hilled regions can favor defense a bit more than in Arabia.
Resources like stone and gold outside the initial settlements are scarce. The number of wild predators is normal, as well as the Relics, and both are scattered on the map. Start-up for each player is the standard one, with 8 small herdables, 2 aggressive huntables, a herd of 3-4 passive huntables, 6 Berry Bushes, and normal piles of gold and stone.
This map features Central American fauna: Javelinas, Jaguars, and Macaws.
Viable tactics[]
Rushes are highly recommended on this map, not only because the land is open, but also because early pressure with Tower drops can starve enemies of resources and earn a quick victory. Occasionally, wood bunches are spread far from one another, making it hard to turtle or defend from a rush (unless the defending player builds Towers around their Town Center), though the odd cliff appearing sometimes can help properly. However, sometimes the ponds may provide an obstacle a turtling player may use to enclose a wall. In this case, if a player is using Malay, they can use Harbors for gaining and retaining map control in those places.
The scarcity of stone and gold on the map may make the mines hot spots for battles, so those deposits should be well protected from rushes and Castle drops, lest the player suffers a shortage of resources. Longer games are rare and often resolve in trash wars.
Civilizations with advantages include:
- Civilizations with good early aggression bonuses: Goths, Aztecs, Huns, Celts, Vikings, Japanese, Mongols, Magyars, Malians, Malay, Bulgarians etc.
- Archer-based civilizations: Mayans, Britons, Ethiopians, Chinese, etc.
- Civilizations with good towers (as it allows for a tower rush in the Feudal Age): Byzantines, Teutons, Incas, Koreans
- Civilizations with bonuses regarding Fishing Ships and Fish Traps: Malay, Japanese, Italians, Berbers.
Civilizations that may struggle in Cenotes include:
- Civilizations with poor early game bonuses or poor early game defense: Portuguese, Turks, Vietnamese, Saracens, etc.
Similar maps[]
Apart from Arabia, Cenotes also has much in common with Marsh from Age of Mythology, as both maps represent open landscapes, with relatively lush land and bodies of water, sinkholes in Cenotes' case and creeks and ponds in the case of Marsh.
Great Plains also has similarities with Cenotes, as both maps are open, suitable for rushes and also feature some bodies of water, though in the Great Plains, these are decorative, and serve no in-game purpose.