The Ark of Covenant

[vinstafresh]

How nice is this artifact?! It puts a temple in your cities or if you already have one, puts a cathedral in your cities.

It's awesome to discover it when you have like 7 or 8 cities and you're pumping out defensive units to hold off those enemies. You don't have the time to invest in a nice thing called culture and all of a sudden, your cities have a nice steady flow of culture, generating great people and flipping those cities that are too close for comfort. It's like getting 300-500 hammers in one go. And the culture lasts for the entire game! Discovering this artifact has been a turning point in my games a couple of times!

When I see it, I usually rush a temple in my biggest city or a big unproductive one, if I can afford it and go for the 160 hammers of a cathedral in stead of the regular 40 of a temple.

 

[eddiexflatts]

a little off subject but are all the artifacts in each game?
I mainly concentrate on rushing to navigation and using my Galleon to find the lost city.

 

[eireksten]

a little off subject but are all the artifacts in each game?
I mainly concentrate on rushing to navigation and using my Galleon to find the lost city.

Nope, there will always be a selection of them. Atlantis won't necessarily be in each game.

 

[PeanutR]

a little off subject but are all the artifacts in each game?
I mainly concentrate on rushing to navigation and using my Galleon to find the lost city.

I Don't believe that they are, but I don't know for sure. On occasion I've gotten the "The villagers believe there is still one ancient artifact left to be discovered" message from the very first friendly village I've popped. It seems unlikely (or at least very unfair) if the AI has been able to clear up all the others in the first 10-15 turns.

In case I get that message I often skip building a galley and head straight for a galleon instead as it's most often Atlantis that's left.

On topic, I really like the ark too, if I find it I usually spend whatever gold I have rushing temples in order to get cathedrals. If you're close to another player/AI they will have trouble countering that sudden culture surge

 

[PeanutR]

Nope, there will always be a selection of them. Atlantis won't necessarily be in each game.

Are you sure? I find it at least makes a pretty regular showing I haven't played many online games though and the rules could be different for those.

 

[OmerK]

The first time I tried Deity level using the Aztecs, this artifact pretty much saved my butt in the technology race (7-8 cities all of a sudden getting the special Aztecs +3 science bonus on temples at once)

 

[I-am-a-panda]

My least fave artifact is the knights templar as when I attack a city with my 'advanced unit', they're usuaaly killed.
City of gold is second, its good but not extremely useful.
Angkor wat is third. A wonder is good but its usally the cheapest.
Ark is great with its cathedral and temple but u usually find it when you have 3-4 cities.
Atlantis is the best as it discovers 3 techs. i usually defend and level up my 1-2 turn techs so I get valuable ones.

 

[goofyballer]

My least fave artifact is the knights templar as when I attack a city with my 'advanced unit', they're usuaaly killed.

Yeah, the 1 unit is never strong enough to take a city or anything and you have no other units to make an army with so it's kinda pointless.

 

[CrusaderKevin]

Yeah, the 1 unit is never strong enough to take a city or anything and you have no other units to make an army with so it's kinda pointless.

SOOOOOOO true.
I hate discovering a Cannon only to have it wiped out by a non-vet knight army as soon as I invade.

 

[Darkgamr]

My least fave artifact is the knights templar as when I attack a city with my 'advanced unit', they're usuaaly killed.
City of gold is second, its good but not extremely useful.
Angkor wat is third. A wonder is good but its usally the cheapest.
Ark is great with its cathedral and temple but u usually find it when you have 3-4 cities.
Atlantis is the best as it discovers 3 techs. i usually defend and level up my 1-2 turn techs so I get valuable ones.

I agree with your order, except you forgot School of Confucius, which releases 2(maybe 3 sometimes) great people. I would rank it at second best, right below atlantis

 

[patrickkrebs]

I agree with your order, except you forgot School of Confucius, which releases 2(maybe 3 sometimes) great people. I would rank it at second best, right below atlantis

Ark is definitely the best

 

[NaZdReG]

I think ark is the most powerful. especially if you are early out on the ocean and have time to build a few temples.

even 1 cathedral near the enemy is bad news for them. they either buy walls or they're screwed

(great synergy with an army made of spies)

the wonder that spawns the great people is amazing but like the ark.. very much a lottery ticket

I had one where I got a builder, a culture booster, and a pop booster. it was like finding a free wonder and some other goodies

the knights templar is actually pretty good.

don't use it for offense, use it for skirmish defense. most offensive units have crappy enough defence that you should be able to kill them (I've taken a templar spawned cannon and hunted incoming legions with it)

with just a few battles its +50% strength, then you give it the promotion that is +50% within your borders.. I've had it get 2-3 promotions just about every game.

then when you catch up in tech you have a great leader for one of your armies.

the gold wonder is crappy, but still welcome and its usually on a coastal island so pretty quick to get. use it to rush buy especially if you're romans. it can easily translate into a cheap wonder or an army of catapults

NaZ

 

[patrickkrebs]

Are you sure? I find it at least makes a pretty regular showing I haven't played many online games though and the rules could be different for those.

Yeah I've had Atlantis in every single game I've played....
maybe someone just got to it before you could find it.

 

[patrickkrebs]

SOOOOOOO true.
I hate discovering a Cannon only to have it wiped out by a non-vet knight army as soon as I invade.

I hate getting a tank that gets defeated by an army of archers...

 

[bonafide11]

Yeah I hate the Knights Templar, it's the only one that never really makes a difference in the game. An early knight doesn't do a whole lot of good if they already have an army of archers and you have no other knights to form an army.