How To Play Shennong In Age Of Mythology: Retold

Shennong is one of the three major gods in Age of Mythology: Retold, titled the God of Agriculture and Herbal Medicine. In mythology, he laid the foundations of farming, and in the game, his benefits focus on agriculture. Another key aspect of Shennong is healing, as he is associated with medicinal herbs.

This grants him abilities that enhance healing. Considered one of the first farmers, Shennong leans more toward myth units than other Chinese gods. If you have chosen him and want to maximize his abilities, this guide is for you.

Shennong Overview

Shennong’s God Blessing is Gift of Beasts. As long as you gain favor, this will randomly spawn a myth unit from the next age at your temple for free. You do not need to spend favor—simply continue generating it to trigger the blessing.

Additionally, myth units automatically heal in Shennong’s Favored Land. This healing effect increases with each age advancement.

Shennong’s God Power is Prosperous Seeds, which is extremely cheap and can be used frequently. When cast, it marks two target farms permanently, increasing their food production. Moreover, villagers working near these farms will automatically heal. Another unique effect is that friendly units standing on these marked farms become invisible.

One of Shennong’s major advantages is that farms are available from the Archaic Age, unlike other gods, who must wait until the Classical Age. Additionally, farms built under Shennong are constructed instantly, with no waiting time.

Shennong also provides another farm-related benefit: all farm research upgrades are free, automatically and instantly researched, though they still require you to reach their respective ages. The table below lists these free research upgrades:

In the Archaic Age, Shennong grants access to two research upgrades. The first is Herbal Medicine, which allows the five Sages trained in the Heroic Age to heal units. These Sages can heal multiple units simultaneously.

The second upgrade, Peach of Immortality, increases the maximum hit points of both heroes and myth units by 15 percent, making them more durable.

Minor God Choices

Shennong’s minor god choices allow for different playstyles. In the Classical Age, choosing Houtu leads to a more defensive approach, while Chiyou enables an offensive and aggressive strategy. In the Heroic Age, selecting Rushou strengthens your infantry, whereas Nuba enhances your myth and ranged units.

In the Mythic Age, Zhurong empowers myth units, while Huangdi boosts human soldiers. Ultimately, your choice should align with the unit type you want to prioritize in your army.

Classical Age: Houtu / Chiyou

Heroic Age: Rushou / Nuba

Mythic Age: Zhurong / Huangdi

General Tips

Prioritize Upgrades That Strengthen Your Economy

Thanks to Shennong’s Prosperous Foods god power, you will gather food from farms at a faster rate. Since this god power is cheap, you can use it early and frequently. A strong economy paves the way for a strong army, and in the Mythic Age, if you run low on gold, you can sell your excess food.

Choosing Houtu in the Classical Age allows you to benefit from her Abundance research upgrade, which increases the resources gathered from farms and other drop sites within your Favored Land.

If you want to invest even more in your economy, you can choose Rushou in the Heroic Age, enabling you to train Pixiu, which generates not only gold but also additional resources.

In the Mythic Age, Zhurong’s Slash and Burn upgrade increases the work rate of your villagers on farms, making your economy even more efficient. By selecting minor gods that provide economic upgrades, you ensure a stable and prosperous economy.

Maintain A Large Number Of Myth Units In Your Army

Your myth units’ hitpoints will increase thanks to Shennong’s Peach of Immortality research upgrade. Additionally, since myth units naturally heal within your Favored Land, and this healing effect improves in later ages, training myth units is highly beneficial. With Shennong’s God Blessing, the larger your Favored Land, the more frequently you will receive free myth units.

If you choose Chiyou in the Classical Age, his myth units, the Yazis, gain lifesteal thanks to the Rage of Slaughter research upgrade. This makes them a great choice when combined with Shennong’s effects and the benefits of other gods you select.

Choosing Nuba in the Heroic Age grants access to the Rock Solid research upgrade, which makes myth units more defensive—especially when they remain stationary. In the Mythic Age, Zhurong’s Flaming Blood research upgrade causes enemy units near your myth units to take damage over time.

Make Room For Heroes In Your Army

Shennong’s Peach of Immortality research upgrade increases the maximum hitpoints of your heroes as well as your myth units. Additionally, the Herbal Medicine research upgrade allows your Sages to heal your units. Since myth units naturally heal in your Favored Land, you won’t have issues with unit regeneration.

Ensure that you train all five Sages and include other heroes in your army. In the early ages, you can also use Pioneers as temporary heroes, as they benefit from the hitpoint bonus provided by Peach of Immortality.

Take Precautions To Protect Your Farms

It is crucial to fully utilize the farms affected by your Prosperous Seeds god power, so planning their placement in advance is beneficial. To maximize their safety, build your farms in the most secure part of your base before activating the god power.

If you opt for a defensive playstyle, choosing Houtu in the Classical Age will help you maintain a strong economy until you advance to the next age. Constantly expand your base and develop your Favored Land by constructing Watch Towers and Baolei.

Doing so not only enhances the benefits of your God Blessing—allowing you to train more myth units—but also helps protect the farms enhanced by Prosperous Seeds.