Land Nomad is a random map in Return of Rome, Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, and Age of Mythology: Retold - Heavenly Spear.
Age of Empires[]
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| โ | Villagers begin stranded in the midst of these dense forests and flat stretches of grassland, but exploration yields rewarding results as the lands are rich in berry bushes and wildlife. | โ |
As this map was not available until Return of Rome, the map mechanically operates much the same as the original Land Nomad for Age of Empires II, save for the civilization and animal differences.
Age of Empires II[]
Description[]
As a nomad-style map, the game begins with no Town Center or scouts, and by default all players are bound by a treaty that ends when five minutes have elapsed or all players have finished building their Town Center. Unlike the classic Nomad map, it is impossible to build a Dock, as Land Nomad is entirely devoid of water.
Each player starts with 3 Villagers scattered across the map, and an extra 275 wood and 100 stone to build a Town Center. Civilizations with starting bonuses (e.g. Persians, Chinese, Mayans, Georgians, Incas, etc.) will only receive bonuses (extra resources or Villagers) after the first Town Center is built; however, civilizations that start with resource disadvantages (e.g. Chinese, Mayans, Huns etc) will start with reduced resources as usual.
Land Nomad is a fairly open map; it has hills and a moderate quantity of large forest patches. Huntable animals such as Boars, Deer, and Ibexes are distributed across the map. Sheep appear in pairs, but Cows generate alone. Because there are no Berry Bushes, players must initially rely on the available animals as their sole food source. Four-tile Gold Mines and three-tile Stone Mines are spread across the map. Relics are available and correspond with the size of the map.
Viable strategies[]
Starting quickly and efficiently is crucial. Begin by locating all Villagers and choosing a Town Center location, ideally near a wood line. Villagers will likely find herdables and Boars while walking to construct the Town Center. Use herdables early on to explore and locate more Sheep and Boars. Prioritize taking Boars near enemies. Delay killing the herdables until the player has used them to scout a large portion of the surrounding map.
If a player builds at a safe distance from enemies and allies it is not rare to lure 6+ Boars, as Villagers with Loom can survive a long walk back to the Town Center, especially if the player places building foundations periodically to slow down the Boar.
Rushing strategies can work on Land Nomad, depending on the distance between the bases. If a player builds their Town Center close to an enemy, a tower rush can be effective at denying wood, gold, and stone resources early on. If the player has more space, a fast Castle into Knight rush, or Castle-drop into unique unit play is common. When a player generates in a defendable position especially far from opponents, they may prefer turtling and booming.
Civilizations that have advantageous starts on Land Nomad are the Koreans (for increased Villager Line of Sight), Berbers (with 5% faster Villagers in the Dark Age), and Vietnamese (locate enemy Town Centers as soon as they are completed).
Civilizations with extra starting resources: the Persians (+50 food, +50 wood), Aztec (+50 gold), Inca (start with Lama), Sicilians (+100 stone), and Gurjaras (starts with 2 Forage Bushes under the Town Center)
Two civilizations that previously performed very poorly on Land Nomad due to starting with fewer resources were the Huns and the Georgians. However, the Georgians lost their starting food penalty and Huns were given a Hunnic Horse (a scout that cannot attack players, but can convert Sheep) that spawns upon completion of their Town Center. The Georgians receive a Mule Cart upon completion of their Town Center. This allows them to forgo the cost of a Lumber Camp or a Mill in the Dark Age, or they can use it to scout the area, however, it cannot convert Sheep. These changes transformed the Georgians and Huns from two of the worst Land Nomad civilizations into the two best.
Age of Mythology[]
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This section is most likely incomplete and may need expansion. You can help by adding to it. |
Land Nomad icon AoMR icon as seen from map selection menu
| โ | Your Villagers start scattered with no Town Center, and must race to claim a Settlement during the time that combat is prevented. | โ |
| —Map description | ||
Land Nomad is a random map introduced in Age of Mythology: Retold - Heavenly Spear, which is a variation of the Nomad map that does not contain bodies of water. Similar to Land Unknown, it has many possible generations featuring different environments, resources, and embellishments.
Unlike other iterations of Land Nomad, where players can freely designate where they would like to build the starting Town Center, the mechanics of Age of Mythology restrict options to predetermined set locations.
Trivia[]
- Land Nomad was based on a custom map with the same name.
Gallery[]
