How relics work in Age of Empires IV

Relics are religious artifacts that you can find in Age of Empires IV. They’re accommodating if you capture them. They work similarly to Sacred Sites where, after you capture them, you’ll be able to generate gold by having them aligned to your side passively. But how can you capture relics, and where do you put them after you have them?

A relic looks like a small object on the ground, with a yellow flag floating above it in the air. You can find these anywhere on a map, based on the type of game you’re playing. Unfortunately, you can’t have a military unit or a regular villager grab it. Only a religious unit you create can hold on to these items and capture them for your civilization.

You can create religious units at a monastery, which civilizations can create when they reach Age III, the Castle Age. After that, you’ll be able to grab the relics and bring them back to your side. You want to place them inside the Monastery where the religious unit was built or place them inside a Keep. When a relic is placed inside a Monastery, it generates gold, but if one is inside a Keep, the building gains 50% more armor. You’ll have to pick the better choice based on you’re playing and how aggressive your enemies are against you.