Shennong is one of the three major gods inAge 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.

The player selects Shennong as a major god in Age of Mythology - Retold

Shennong Overview

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

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

The player uses Prosperous Seeds god power and marks two farms in Age of Mythology - Retold

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 thatfarms 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.

Blue player’s five sage is standing near the Chinese town center in Age of Mythology - Retold

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:

Flood Control

Mythic Age

In the Archaic Age, Shennong grants access to two research upgrades. The first is Herbal Medicine, which allows the fiveSages trained in the Heroic Age to heal units.These Sages can heal faster compared to other Sages. Also they 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.

The player checks the tech tree of the Shennong’s minor gods in Age of Mythology - Retold

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.

The player reaches the Classical Age and needs to select either Houtu or Chiyou in Age of Mythology - Retold

Houtu

Chiyou

Choosing Houtu in the Classical Ageallows for a more defensive approach.Her God Power, Earth Wall,creates walls around your base for protection.

Additionally, Advanced Defenseenhances the attack, range, and line of sight of Sentry Towers and Baolei.

The player reaches the Heroic Age and needs to select either Nuba or Rushou in Age of Mythology - Retold

The Abundance research upgrade synergizes with Shennong’s Prosperous Seeds byproviding a small amount of free resources at dropsiteswithin your Favored Land.

Houtu’s myth unit, Qiongqi, isa flying unit that cannot attack while airborne, making it particularly useful on maps with rivers and seas. If you are behind on scouting, Qiongqi can help explore the map.

The player reaches the Mythic Age and needs to select either Hunagdi or Zhurong in Age of Mythology - Retold

Unlike Houtu, Chiyouoffers an offensive playstyle, making raiding more rewarding.

His Spoils of War research upgrade grants you50 percent of the resources used to construct enemy buildings when they are destroyed.

Lightning Weapons, his God Power, grants your units and shipsa chance to stun enemies with each attack, further enhancing the effectiveness of raids.

The player uses Prosperous Seeds god power and marks several farms in Age of Mythology - Retold

Chiyou’s myth unit, Yazi,teleports to enemy targets while dealing damage.There are two research upgrades for Yazi. Rage of Slaughtergrants them lifesteal, increasing their sustainability. Son of Loongincreases their teleport attack damage, making them even deadlier.

Rushou

Nuba

Rushou strengthens infantry units. His Divine Judgment research upgradeincreases infantry melee attackdamage while also adding divine damage,making them more effective against myth units.

If you use Dao Swordsmen, the Gilded Shields research upgradereduces the pierce damage they take, making them more resistant to ranged attacks.

A blue player’s Chinese myth units includes flying ones in Age of Mythology - Retold

Rushou’s myth unit, Baihu,knocks enemies back with attacks, disrupting enemy formations.

His God Power, Fei Beasts,summons beasts that deal poison damage, rapidly wearing down enemy forces.

Blue player chooses Shennong as major god and trains some hero units in Age of Mythology - Retold

Additionally, his Pixiu myth unit benefits from the Autumn of Abundance upgrade, allowing them togenerate wood and food alongside gold.

Nuba enhances myth and ranged units. His myth unit, Taotie,devours human soldiers, growing stronger with each consumed unit. The Bottomless Stomach upgradereduces the cooldown of this ability, allowing Taotie to eat more frequently.

The Rock Solid upgradeincreases stationary myth unit armor to 60 percent, though this drops to 10 percent when moving.

If your army includes ranged human units, the Scorching Feathers upgradelowers enemy armor after taking damage for a short time.

Nuba’s God Power, Drought,prevents building repairs and new constructionin a selected area whilemaking existing structures easier to destroy.

Zhurong

Huangdi

Zhurong empowers myth units and farming, making him anexcellent choice for a resource-heavy strategy.

His Slash and Burn upgradereduces farm costs and increases the gather rate, complementing Shennong’s Prosperous Seeds.

If you previously chose Nuba, the Southern Fire upgradeboosts Fire Archers' damage and grants burning damage over time.

His God Power, Blazing Prairie,deals significant damage over 15 secondsto units and buildings in a wide area.

Zhurong’s myth unit, Zhuque,excels at damaging buildings and human soldierswhile periodically increasing nearby allies' armor.

Huangdi improves human soldiers through powerful research upgrades.

Leizu’s Silkincreases the hit points of all human soldierswhile reducing their hack vulnerability. This bonus alsoapplies to villagers, increasing their survivability.

Imperial Orderreduces the cost of units trained at the Military Camp.

Huangdi’s God Power, Yinglong’s Wrath,summons a powerful dragon, similar to the Norse Nidhogg.

His myth unit, Hundun,can banish and terrify enemies, disrupting enemy formations. The Power of Chaos upgrade furtherincreases banish damage, turning Hundun into a deadly weapon.

General Tips

Prioritize Upgrades That Strengthen Your Economy

Thanks to Shennong’s Prosperous Foods god power, you willgather 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, whichincreases the resources gathered from farms and other drop siteswithin 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, whichgenerates not only gold but also additional resources.

In the Mythic Age, Zhurong’s Slash and Burn upgradeincreases 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 increasethanks to Shennong’s Peach of Immortality research upgrade. Additionally, sincemyth 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 lifestealthanks 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, whichmakes myth units more defensive—especially when they remain stationary. In the Mythic Age, Zhurong’s Flaming Blood research upgradecauses enemy units near your myth units to take damage over time.

Make Room For Heroes In Your Army

Shennong’s Peach of Immortality research upgradeincreases the maximum hitpoints of your heroesas well as your myth units. Additionally, the Herbal Medicine research upgradeallows 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 youtrain all five Sages and include other heroesin 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 partof 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 economyuntil you advance to the next age. Constantly expand your base anddevelop 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.