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This article is about the unit in the PC game. For the unit in the handheld video game, see Roc (Age of Empires: Mythologies).

โ€œ Myth unit. A flying transport that cannot attack, but can only be attacked by ranged units. โ€
—In-game description in Retold
โ€œ Myth unit. This Roc has temporarily landed to load or unload units, and is now vulnerable to any attack. โ€
—In-game description for a landed Roc in Retold
โ€œ A flying transport. Has no attack. โ€
—In-game description before Retold

The Roc is an Egyptian flying transport in Age of Mythology, available to those that choose Sobek (Hathor before Retold) as their Heroic Age god.

Ability[]

  • Land (Active): Can land to load or unload units. When landed, the Roc can be attacked by melee units as well.
    (Takes 2 seconds to land/fly. When landed, it is vulnerable to ground-based god powers like Earthquake, Frost, Meteor, Tempest etc.). (since Retold)
  • Fly (Active): Can take off and fly to transport units. If the Roc is shot down, garrisoned units will take damage from the fall. (falling occupants lose almost half their hit points). (since Retold)
  • Divine Immunity (Passive): Cannot be targeted by enemy god powers.
  • Transportation (Passive): Units can enter and be transported. (Mobile ground units other than Titans can be loaded into the Roc while it is landed).

Further statistics[]

Age bonuses[]

Relics[]

Strategy[]

They can transport fifteen land units. Although it has low defense and hit points, its winged nature makes it harder to kill than many transports, as flying prevents melee units from attacking it. Players may consider keeping a Roc near a group of Laborers gathering resources away from their town so that they can evade an attack from raiding melee units.

It can be used to circumvent walls and terrain, saving time. This makes them effective for ambushing enemy towns, especially when transport slow moving siege units like Catapults. However, in addition to ranged units, defensive structures can attack them. Their weak armor means they will die quickly if under a concentrated attack.

In Retold, when they are killed while carrying units, occupants fall down and lose about 50% hit points, instead of dying. If the Roc dies over water but near the shore, the units appear at the nearest shoreline. If the Roc dies over water away from the shore, any units within it die. When garrisoned with other transports (such as Siege Towers), their contents also count towards the Roc's.

In versions before Retold, when they die, any units within will be killed as well. While they can transport only fifteen units, units which can garrison units inside them are also considered as one unit when inside a Roc. Therefore, a player can fill up units like Siege Towers (or allied Helepoleis) with a large number of units and transport all of them at once. For example, the player can simultaneously transport 15 Siege Towers plus 75 units garrisoned inside the Siege Towers using a single Roc.

Changelog[]

Age of Mythology[]

  • Rocs are available to the minor god Hathor. They cost 150 gold, 15 favor, their population cost is 3, and they have 350 hit points, 0% hack resistance, a movement speed of 4.8, a Line of Sight of 1620, and a garrison capacity of 15.
  • Rocs can be targeted by god powers which target particular units.
  • Rocs can load and unload units instantly while itself being airborne.
  • Occupants of other garrison units loaded in a Roc do not count towards the Roc's carry capacity.

Tale of the Dragon[]

  • With patch 2.0, Rocs have a movement speed of 4.6.

Retold[]

  • Rocs are available to the minor god Sobek, who replaces Hathor. They cost 150 gold, 5 favor, their population cost is 2, and they have 600 hit points, 0% hack resistance, a movement speed of 4.8, a Line of Sight of 16, and a garrison capacity of 20.
  • Rocs can no longer be targeted by any god power which targets a particular unit.
  • Rocs need to land to load or unload units, and take to the skies to be able to move. They take 3 seconds to land or take off.
  • Occupants of garrison units inside a Roc count towards the Roc's own carry capacity.
  • Rocs gain +20% hit points in the Mythic Age. They further gain +100% hit points and +20% speed in the Wonder Age.
  • With update 17.27932, Rocs have a movement speed of 5 and take 2 seconds to land or take off.
  • With update 17.30764, the Roc is no longer classified as a military unit. It can now use the Patrol command.

Immortal Pillars[]

  • With update 18.12962, Rocs cost 100 gold, 5 favor and have 700 hit points. The update also intended to increase its movement speed to 5.3, but the change was not implemented.
  • With update 18.15886, the Roc's movement speed was increased from 5 to 5.3, as intended in the previous update.

Mythology[]

โ€œ Scientific name -- Aepyornis maximus
Size -- 100' wingspan
Diet -- carnivore, rumored to eat elephants

Reports of the Roc, a giant bird, come to us from the Arabian Nights and the reports of Marco Polo. Sinbad describes the Roc as being enormous with 16 yard long wings and a bulky body. In one tale, a roc carries Sinbad to safety after a shipwreck and in another, rocs destroy ships by dropping huge boulders on them. Marco Polo tells of rocs from Madagascar and how an envoy from there presented a huge Roc feather to the Chinese court. A very large flightless bird may actually have survived on the island until the 16th century before going extinct.
โ€
—In-game help section

Trivia[]

  • The Roc was originally planned to use a ranged attack and didn't have the ability to transport units. While the method of ranged attack isn't known, it is possible that it was planned to drop rocks or pick up enemies and throw them (similar to the Cyclops' special attack).
  • The original Roc texture resembled the Alpha Hawk texture.
  • As pointed out in the History section, the Roc is not actually part of Egyptian Mythology, but rather Arabian and Persian, and could have been ultimately derived from the Indian Garuda.
  • The scientific name given to the Roc, Aepyornis maximus, is the name of Madagascar's elephant bird in reality. The Roc was strongly associated with Madagascar from at least the High Middle Ages, when Middle Eastern sailors visited the island and heard of the elephant bird from the natives. Unlike the Roc in myth and the game, which is a giant raptor, the elephant bird was a flightless vegetarian.
  • The Roc's carriage is available as a Scenario Editor building as the Roc Tent.
  • Due to an oversight, the Roc is the only flying unit that is affected by He Bo's Geyser god power.

Gallery[]

Myth units in Age of Mythology
Greeks
Archaic Age Pegasus ยท Hippocampus ยท Shade of Hades
Classical Age Centaur ยท Minotaur ยท Cyclops
Heroic Age Nemean Lion ยท Hydra ยท Scylla ยท Manticore
Mythic Age Colossus ยท Medusa ยท Carcinos ยท Chimera
Egyptians
Classical Age Anubite ยท Sphinx ยท Wadjet
Heroic Age Petsuchos ยท Roc ยท Scarab ยท Leviathan ยท Scorpion Man ยท Minion ยท Lost Ship
Mythic Age Phoenix ( Phoenix Eggยท War Turtle ยท Avenger ยท Mummy
Norse
Archaic Age Raven
Classical Age Troll ยท Valkyrie ยท Einheri ยท Draugr
Heroic Age Kraken ยท Mountain Giant ยท Walking Woods ยท Frost Giant ยท Battle Boar ยท Rock Giant
Mythic Age Jormun Elver ยท Fimbulwinter Wolf ยท Fenris Wolf Brood ยท Fire Giant ยท Nidhogg ยท Fafnir
Atlanteans
Classical Age Automaton ยท Spider egg ยท Promethean ( Promethean Offspringยท Caladria ยท Servant ยท Carnivora
Heroic Age Nereid ยท Satyr ยท Stymphalian Bird ยท Dryad ยท Behemoth
Mythic Age Centimanus ยท Man O' War ยท Argus ยท Lampades ยท Tartarian Spawn
Chinese (Immortal Pillars)
Classical Age Qilin ยท Yazi ยท Qiongqi
Heroic Age Baihu ยท Taowu ยท Taotie ยท Pixiu ยท Fei ยท Chiwen
Mythic Age Hundun ยท Zhuque ยท Qinglong ยท Xuanwu ยท Yinglong
Removed in Retold
Chinese (Tale of the Dragon)
Classical Age Qilin ยท Monkey King ยท Terracotta Warrior
Heroic Age War Salamander ยท Jiangshi ยท Pixiu
Mythic Age Azure Dragon ยท Dragon Turtle ยท Vermilion Bird ยท White Tiger ยท Earth Dragon
Other
Common Titan
Campaign Ao Kuang ยท Gaia ยท Kronos ยท Prometheus ยท Theris* ยท Chiyou
Cheat Bella ยท Walking Berry Bush
Scenario Editor-exclusive Harpy ยท Santa ยท Vulture
Cut Apep ยท Golem ยท Griffon ยท Trollkarien
Hidden William Walrus
Units in Age of Mythology
Common
Non-military Fishing Ship ยท Transport Ship ยท Caravan ( Donkey ยท Camel ยท Ox ยท Llama ยท Mechanical Ox)
Myth units Titan
Heroes Regent
Greeks
Non-military Villager ยท Kataskopos
Infantry Hoplite ยท Hypaspist ยท Myrmidon (Zeus) ยท Militia (Poseidon)
Ranged soldiers Toxotes ยท Peltast ยท Gastraphetoros (Hades)
Cavalry Hippeus ยท Prodromos ยท Hetairos (Poseidon)
Siege weapons Petrobolos ยท Helepolis
Ships Trireme ยท Pentekonter ยท Juggernaut
Heroes Hippocrates (Removed)
Zeus : Jason ยท Odysseus ยท Heracles ยท Bellerophon
Poseidon : Theseus ยท Atalanta ยท Hippolyta ยท Polyphemus
Hades : Ajax ยท Achilles ยท Chiron ยท Perseus
Aphrodite : The Argo
Myth units Pegasus ยท Hippocampus ยท Shade of Hades ยท Centaur ยท Minotaur ยท Cyclops ยท Scylla ยท Nemean Lion ยท Hydra ยท Manticore ยท Carcinos ยท Colossus ยท Medusa ยท Chimera
Egyptians
Non-military Laborer
Infantry Spearman ยท Axeman ยท Mercenary ยท Khopesh Swordsman (Removed)
Ranged soldiers Slinger ยท Chariot Archer
Cavalry Camel Rider ยท War Elephant ยท Mercenary Cavalry
Siege weapons Catapult ยท Siege Tower
Ships Kebenit ยท Ramming Galley ยท War Barge ยท Lost Ship
Heroes Pharaoh ยท Priest ยท Son of Osiris
Myth units Anubite ยท Sphinx ยท Wadjet ยท Leviathan ยท Petsuchos ยท Roc ยท Scarab ยท Scorpion Man ยท Minion ยท War Turtle ยท Phoenix ยท Phoenix Egg ยท Avenger ยท Mummy
Animals Baboon of Set ยท Gazelle of Set ยท Hyena of Set ยท Giraffe of Set ยท Crocodile of Set ยท Hippopotamus of Set ยท Rhinoceros of Set ยท Elephant of Set ยท Serpent ยท Sea Snake
Norse
Non-military Gatherer ยท Dwarf ยท Ox Cart
Infantry Berserk ยท Throwing Axeman ยท Hirdman ยท Huskarl
Ranged soldiers Bogsveigir (Removed)
Cavalry Raiding Cavalry ยท Jarl
Siege weapons Portable Ram ยท Ballista
Ships Longboat ยท Dreki ยท Dragon Ship
Heroes Hersir ยท Godi ยท Hero of Ragnarok ยท Gullinbursti
Myth units Raven ยท Troll ยท Valkyrie ยท Einheri ยท Draugr ยท Kraken ยท Mountain Giant ยท Walking Woods ยท Frost Giant ยท Battle Boar ยท Rock Giant ยท Jormun Elver ยท Fimbulwinter Wolf ยท Fenris Wolf Brood ยท Fire Giant ยท Fafnir ยท Nidhogg
Atlanteans
Non-military Citizen ยท Oracle
Infantry Murmillo ยท Katapeltes ยท Destroyer ยท Fanatic
Ranged soldiers Arcus ยท Turma
Cavalry Contarius
Siege weapons Cheiroballista ยท Fire Siphon ยท Onager (Removed)
Ships Bireme ยท Fire Ship ยท Siege Bireme
Myth units Automaton ยท Spider egg ยท Promethean ( Promethean Offspringยท Caladria ยท Servant ยท Carnivora ยท Nereid ยท Satyr ยท Stymphalian Bird ยท Dryad ยท Behemoth ยท Man O' War ยท Centimanus ยท Argus ยท Lampades ยท Tartarian Spawn
Chinese (Immortal Pillars)
Non-military Peasant ยท Kuafu ยท Sky Lantern ยท Clay Peasant (Nรผwa)
Infantry Dao Swordsman ยท Ge Halberdier ยท Tiger Cavalry (Dismounted)
Ranged soldiers Chu Ko Nu ยท Fire Archer ยท Wuzu Javelineer
Cavalry Terracotta Rider ยท Tiger Cavalry ยท White Horse Cavalry
Siege weapons Siege Crossbow ยท Axe Cart
Ships Doujian ยท Mengchong ยท Louchuan
Heroes Pioneer ยท Sage ยท Jiang Ziya ยท Yang Jian (Fuxi) ยท Nezha (Fuxi) ยท Li Jing (Nรผwa) ยท Kuafu (Hero) (Nรผwa) ยท Wen Zhong (Shennong)
Myth units Qilin ยท Yazi ยท Qiongqi ยท Chiwen ยท Baihu ยท Pixiu ยท Fei ยท Taotie ยท Taowu ยท Xuanwu ยท Zhuque ยท Qinglong ยท Hundun ยท Yinglong
Removed in Retold
Chinese (Tale of the Dragon)
Non-military Peasant ยท Yak Caravan
Infantry Halberdier
Ranged soldiers Chu Ko Nu ยท Mounted Archer
Cavalry Cataphract ยท General ยท Scout Cavalry ยท War Chariot
Siege weapons Fire Lance ยท Sitting Tiger
Ships Junk ยท Fire Ship ยท Siege Junk
Heroes Monk ยท Immortal
Myth units Qilin ยท Monkey King ยท Terracotta Warrior ยท War Salamander ยท Jiangshi ยท Pixiu ยท Azure Dragon ยท Dragon Turtle ยท Vermilion Bird ยท White Tiger ยท Earth Dragon
Other (non-campaign exclusive)
Cheat units Bella ยท Flying Purple Hippo ยท Forkboy ยท Lazer Bear ยท Methane Chicken ยท Walking Berry Bush
Animals Alfred ยท Arctic Wolf ยท Aurochs ยท Baboon ยท Bear ยท Black Bear ยท Boar ยท Caribou ยท Chicken ยท Cow ยท Crocodile ยท Crowned Crane ยท Deer ยท Bird: Hawk, Flying Red Crowned Crane, Vulture ยท Elephant ยท Elk ยท Gazelle ยท Golden Lion ยท Giraffe ยท Goat ยท Golden Pheasant ยท Harpy ยท Hippopotamus ยท Hyena ยท Lion ยท Monkey ยท Panda ยท Pig ยท Polar Bear ยท Red Crowned Crane ยท Relic Monkey ยท Rhinoceros ยท Serpent (Predator) ยท Shade (RM) ยท Walrus ยท Water Buffalo ยท Wolf ยท Zebra
Removed in Retold: Bird: Eagle, Parrot ยท Duck ยท Elephant (Indian) ยท Lizard ยท Panda Bear ยท Ram ยท Tiger ยท Yak
Scenario Editor Bow Cavalry ยท Dog ยท Harpy ยท Horse ยท Monkey Raft ยท Ornlu ยท Priest (SPC) ยท Qing Rider ยท Raft ยท Reindeer ยท Santa ยท Testing Dummy ยท Valkyrie Horse ยท Vulture
Cut Greeks: Cataphract ยท Oxybeles
Egyptians: Chariot ยท Gaiassa
Norse: Knarr
Chinese: Guandao Pikeman ยท Meteor Hammer ยท Rocket Artillery
Nature: Unicorn ยท Wild Camel ยท Nubian Goat ยท Wild Horse ยท Shore Fish ยท Anchovies ยท Musk Ox
Hidden Apep ยท Bondi ยท Golem ยท Griffon ยท Recognizer ยท Revealer ยท Trollkarien ยท William Walrus