Stone

From GenieWiki

Stone is one of the four resources available in AoE and AoK, as well as Food, Wood and Gold. In AOE it is used to build walls and towers, construct Wonders, train Slingers (in the RoR expansion) and research technologies. In AOK, stone can be used for the aforementioned purposes, or to build two other defensive structures: castles and gates.

Background

Use and importance

Gathering stone

In AoE, Stone is gathered by mining, while AoK allows purchase of stone for Gold through commodity trading at the Market. Stone Mines have a smaller amount of resources than Gold mines. In AoE, stone can be dropped into Town Centers or Storage Pits, while in AoK town centers and Mining Camps serve as collection points. Stone becomes very rare in the late game because it runs out quickly like Gold Mines, but it cannot be gained through trade, except by buying with gold, which itself becomes very valuable. The price of stone often becomes very high in multiplayer games in the late game phase due to this scarcity, though the value of a strategically placed castle can be similarly high.