[ AOE2 MAP ]
Runestones
Open-land specialty map with 4-6 runestone monuments granting capture bonuses + 5 relics — 9-11 contested objectives layered on an Arabia-like landscape.
[ MAP IDENTITY ]
Runestones is built on an open-land Arabia-like foundation — sparse woodlines, distributed gold and stone piles, standard resource layout — with a gimmick layer on top: 4-6 runestone monuments scattered across the map. Each runestone captures to a player when that player has a military unit standing adjacent to it for a sustained period (~30-60s of uncontested proximity). Once captured, the runestone provides a bonus: a resource trickle (e.g. +1 gold/ sec, +2 food/sec), a unit buff (e.g. +1 attack for infantry), or a tech discount (e.g. -30% blacksmith tech cost). Bonuses persist as long as the runestone is held. Opponents can recapture by standing adjacent with their own military unit. Combined with the standard 5 relics (monk pickup + monastery), Runestones has 9-11 contested objectives — the most of any map in the pool. Games reward forward military presence, relic+runestone parallel play, and map control civs (Cavalry archer civs, Monk civs, forward- castle civs). The map rewards players who engage across the whole playable area; turtling loses because runestone bonuses compound.
Strategic thesis
"Runestones rewards whoever controls more map objectives. 4-6 runestones + 5 relics = 9-11 contested points; losing all of them cedes significant compounded bonuses. The player who commits forward military to hold runestones + runs a monk+relic sub-plan wins. Turtling and pure boom lose to this layered objective pressure."
🎯 Strategic pillars
Capture runestones actively, don't ignore them
Holding 4 of 6 runestones = compounding eco + army bonuses equivalent to ~3000-5000 resources + upgrades over 25 minutes. Ignoring runestones concedes this to opponent.
action: Task 1-2 scouts/cav with runestone capture from minute 8-10. Task 3-5 military with runestone holds from minute 13+.
Scout the map thoroughly for runestone + relic locations
You can't prioritize what you haven't scouted. Map both runestones AND relics by minute 6-7.
action: Scout cavalry sweep of the map by minute 6-7. Mark runestone positions on your mental map.
Run parallel monk + military sweeps
Relics and runestones overlap — a monk + knight escort can collect both simultaneously. Efficient use of force.
action: Build monastery at minute 15-16; produce 3-5 monks; escort with 4-6 knights/cav archers for combined relic + runestone sweep.
Don't overcommit to one runestone
Opponent can flip a captured runestone with 1 unit; overcommitting 10 units to hold one runestone wastes force that could capture 2 others.
action: Keep 2-3 units per held runestone; prioritize mobility over concentration.
⚔️ Civilization tier list on Runestones
🚀 Dominant openings
Scout Rush + Runestone Capture
Standard scout rush with a runestone capture layer — 3-4 scouts at minute 10-11, first scout tasked with capturing home/nearest runestone, rest harass opponent.
Fast Castle + Monk+Runestone Sweep
Fast Castle at minute 14-15, monk monastery at minute 15-16, 3-5 monks produced. Monks + 4-6 knights/crossbows sweep map for relics + runestones in parallel.
Archer Rush + Runestone Denial
5-6 archers at minute 12 positioned to deny opponent's runestone capture attempts + secure nearest home runestone.
Forward Castle at Midway Runestone
Pre-mine stone + drop castle at the key midway runestone minute 17-19. Castle provides permanent military presence for runestone hold.
❌ Common mistakes on Runestones
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▸
Ignoring runestones entirely
Leaves 4-6 free bonus sources for opponent. Compounding eco disadvantage over mid-game.
fix:Capture at least home runestone by minute 10-12; attempt midway runestones from minute 13.
▸Treating Runestones as pure Arabia
Runestones adds 4-6 objective layers that Arabia plans don't account for. Default Arabia plan leaves bonuses on the table.
fix:Add runestone capture tasks to standard Arabia plan; maintain military for runestone holds.
▸Walling before scouting runestones
Runestone locations dictate where you need military presence; walling before knowing locations is premature.
fix:Scout runestones by minute 6-7; then plan walling + military deployment.
Which ones did YOU make in your last match on this map?
🧱 Amurallado de base
Tiempo: 3-4 minutes of 2-vil labor
8-15 wall segments
💰 Gold positions
Main gold is toward opponent. Very raideable.
Main gold on flank.
Main gold behind base, safe.
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