November is here and we are celebrating the second anniversary of Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, and with an entirely new event for the occasion!

This year’s Second Anniversary Event is very special. Each set of challenges will unlock many rewards that you might have missed out on in the past. No More FOMO! So, get ready to unlock everything you never knew you wanted!

🡒 NEW REWARDS!
Now through December 1 complete the in-game tasks within the time limit to unlock exclusive rewards!

Each of the following challenges must be unlocked in order and on separate days:
Each of the following challenges must be unlocked in order and on separate days:
Remember: if you sign in to Xbox Live during the event, you’ll get to keep all of the mods and profile icons you’ve achieved! Sign in, earn your rewards, and you're ready!

We hope you enjoy the Age of Empires II: DE Second Anniversary Celebration!

—The Age of Empires Team

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Welcome to another release filled with exciting updates, balance changes, and bug fixes for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition!

We’re pretty excited about making today’s build available to you. Here is a quick look at some of the changes coming with today’s update:

• The Age of Empires II: DE Second Anniversary Event is going on now!
• 2 new co-op campaigns! Tariq ibn Ziyad & Tamerlane!
• Quick Play vs AI matchmaking!
• In-game tech tree preview feature!
• Player handicap system for custom lobbies!
• Regional trade cart skins!
• Updated Arabia!
• Balance changes focused on infantry units!
• New cheat codes!

This is just a small taste of what is coming in the latest update. For a more complete list, please visit our site and check out our blog. Happy Gaming!

READ MORE HERE!

💬 DISCUSS: Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition Forum
🗣 JOIN: The Age of Empires Official Discord

Thanks again to our amazing community members, all of whom have helped to make Age of Empires what it is today!

—The Age of Empires Team

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While there are plenty of notable fixes and features to which to look forward in today’s build, here are some of the big highlights coming with this month's update:

Age of Empires II: DE Second Anniversary Event

🤍November 17 through December 1🤍

November is here and we are celebrating the second anniversary of Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, and with an entirely new event for the occasion!

This year’s Second Anniversary Event is very special. Each set of challenges will unlock many rewards that you might have missed out on in the past. No More FOMO! So, get ready to unlock everything you never knew you wanted!

🡒 NEW REWARDS!
Starting November 17 through December 1 complete the in-game tasks within the time limit to unlock exclusive rewards!

Each of the following challenges must be unlocked in order and on separate days:

🔒 Sign into Xbox Live. 🏆 Unlock all Player Profile Icon event rewards from the first 3 months of 2020. 💾 *Required* if you want to save any rewards unlocked during the event!

Each of the following challenges must be unlocked in order and on separate days:

🔒 Train 20 unique units in any amount of matches. 🧱 Unlock all Mod event rewards from the first 3 months of 2020. 🔒 Construct 5 Monasteries in any amount of matches. 🏆 Unlock all Player Profile Icon event rewards from the second third of 2020. 🔒 Play an Empire Wars match in Skirmish or Multiplayer.  🧱 Unlock all Mod event rewards from the second third of 2020. 🔒 Raze 20 Buildings. 🏆 Unlock all Player Profile Icon event rewards from the third 4 months of 2020. 🔒 Train 3 Militia or Men-at-arms before 15 minutes of game time. 🧱 Unlock all Mod event rewards from the third 4 months of 2020.

🡒 KEEP IT FOREVER!!
Remember: if you sign in to Xbox Live at any point during the event, you get to keep all the mods and profile icons you unlock! Sign in, earn your rewards, and enjoy!

This is just a small taste of what is coming in the latest update. For a more complete list, please visit our site and check out our blog. Happy Gaming!

READ MORE HERE!

:alertalert: DISCLAIMER

This list is subject to change and should not be considered a comprehensive list of all the known issues we’re tracking. The above is to inform you of the team’s current priorities, which will change as other issues arise or take precedence.

For the latest updates and announcements, please visit our social channels.

Here is the latest Ranked Map Rotation as determined by the developer picks and community vote. For the next two weeks, you’ll be able to pick from the new set of maps listed below!

WHAT: Server Maintenance (Matchmaking Servers)
WHEN: Wednesday, November 10, 2021, @ 2:00p PT / 5:00p ET / 22:00 UTC (Countdown)
EST. DOWNTIME: 1 - 2 HOURS

• Age of Empires: Definitive Edition (Steam / Microsoft Store)
  
• Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition (Steam / Microsoft Store)
  
• Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition (Steam / Microsoft Store)
  
• Age of Empires IV (Steam / Microsoft Store)

• Routine server updates and maintenance.

This coming Wednesday, November 10th, the platform team will be taking the multiplayer servers down for regular maintenance. Please note:

• Ranked matchmaking will disabled exactly one hour before the maintenance window to prevent disruption to newly-formed matches.
  
  
• Any matches still in progress at the start of the maintenance window will be disrupted when it begins.
  
  
• DURING THE MAINTENANCE WINDOW, YOU WILL STILL BE ABLE TO LAUNCH THE GAME, BUT WILL NOT BE ABLE TO MATCHMAKE OR ACCESS ANY ONLINE FEATURES.

To prevent any interruptions, we recommend wrapping up any games at least 10 minutes before the maintenance window. The downtime is expected to last 1 to 2 hours. You can watch this thread with any changes to the schedule as they arise, as well as the all-clear when the maintenance is complete.

Thank you for your patience!

Here is the latest Ranked Map Rotation as determined by the developers. For the next two weeks, you’ll be able to pick from the new set of maps listed below!

WHAT: Server Maintenance (Matchmaking Servers)
WHEN: Wednesday, November 3 @ 2:00p PT / 5:00p ET / 21:00 UTC (Countdown)
EST. DOWNTIME: 1-2 HOURS

• Age of Empires: Definitive Edition (Steam / Microsoft Store)
  
• Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition (Steam / Microsoft Store)
  
• Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition (Steam / Microsoft Store)
  
• Age of Empires IV (Steam / Microsoft Store)

• Routine server updates and maintenance.

This coming Wednesday, November 3rd, the platform team will be taking the multiplayer servers down for regular maintenance. Please note:

• Ranked matchmaking will disabled exactly one hour before the maintenance window to prevent disruption to newly-formed matches.
  
  
• Any matches still in progress at the start of the maintenance window will be disrupted when it begins.
  
  
• DURING THE MAINTENANCE WINDOW, YOU WILL STILL BE ABLE TO LAUNCH THE GAME, BUT WILL NOT BE ABLE TO MATCHMAKE OR ACCESS ANY ONLINE FEATURES.

To prevent any interruptions, we recommend wrapping up any games at least 10 minutes before the maintenance window. The downtime is expected to last between 1 and 2 hours. You can watch this thread with any changes to the schedule as they arise, as well as the all-clear when the maintenance is complete.

Thank you for your patience!

Emma Bridle, Director of Customer Voice, World’s Edge

The day is upon us, the sun has risen on a new Age. The whole team is so proud to announce that Age of Empires IV is now available on Steam.

This is the first new numbered Age of Empires title in 16 years, and we’re honored to have added a chapter to this globally beloved franchise. Players all over the world have been engaging in fierce battles, building expansive empires, and wololo-ing for close to 25 years and it’s thrilling to give our players more to enjoy.

To celebrate the launch of Age of Empires IV, we are taking over Times Square in NYC by spanning multiple city blocks of large digital screens, a living diorama, and an AR experience. Please share your experiences if you happen to be in NYC. For those in London, heading to Piccadilly Circus from November 2nd could be an experience for the ages.

Age of Empires IV has something for every strategy gaming fan. With eight diverse civilizations, four captivating campaigns, multiplayer, skirmish, maps, unlockable videos, Art of War challenges, masteries and more, we’re excited to see what you play first.

If you’re new to Age of Empires: first of all, welcome! Now that you’re with us, there’s plenty of ways for you to get started:

• Head to the “Learn” tab in the opening menu to find our Intro Tutorial. Our narrator will guide you through the game’s foundational skills, like building your economy and entering combat, whilst you help a group of displaced villagers start anew.
• Got the basics down? Our “Art of War” challenges, found in Single Player, will help you refine skills and earn medals as you improve on the expertise needed to be victorious in future battles.
• You can also play our campaigns via “Story Mode,” allowing you to enjoy the challenges of the game, but with reduced difficulty as you focus on the historical journey and gameplay.
• You could also face up against the AI in “Skirmish” mode. Choose your civ, your AI difficulty, your map and ready up!
• Looking to test your mettle against other players? Jump into multiplayer and select “Quick Match” or create a Custom Game. How you play is up to you! From maps to win conditions, no game will be the same.
• We’ve also provided a breakdown of the hotkeys here on Xbox Wire for easy reference.

If this isn’t your first voyage onto the battlefield, there’s plenty of new features for you to enjoy in Age of Empires IV. Try positioning your archers on top of walls to literally take your strategy to new heights. Place your units in stealth forests to ready the perfect ambush, your units will even whisper to evade discovery by your enemies. Move your entire civilization across the map whilst playing as the Mongols and choose your landmarks to age up and gain additional bonuses.

There’s so much to enjoy with Age of Empires IV and we can’t wait to hear from you as you get started. The team is ready and waiting to hear your feedback! Need support? Head to our dedicated Support Site to get you back to battle.

Wololo!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1466860/Age_of_Empires_IV/

Get ready! Only three days remain before the launch of Age of Empires IV– the long-awaited return of one of PC gaming’s most iconic strategy franchises.

We also have some exciting announcements for you today:

First, the official launch trailer for Age of Empires IV is available to watch now!



Secondly, as of today, selected press and content creators will start publishing their thoughts on this long-awaited title. Now is a great time to check out some of the content from some of our favorite creators!

Check It Out

Join us October 28 and jump into the fray! Available on Xbox Game Pass for PC, Steam, and Windows.




https://store.steampowered.com/app/1466860/Age_of_Empires_IV/

Here is the latest Ranked Map Rotation as determined by the developer picks and community vote. For the next two weeks, you’ll be able to pick from the new set of maps listed below!

WHAT: Server Maintenance (Matchmaking Servers)
WHEN: Wednesday, October 20 @ 2:00p PT / 5:00p ET / 21:00 UTC (Countdown)
EST. DOWNTIME: 1-2 HOURS

• Age of Empires: Definitive Edition (Steam / Microsoft Store)
  
• Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition (Steam / Microsoft Store)
  
• Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition (Steam / Microsoft Store)

• Routine server updates and maintenance.

This coming Wednesday, October 20th, the platform team will be taking the multiplayer servers down for regular maintenance. Please note:

• Ranked matchmaking will disabled exactly one hour before the maintenance window to prevent disruption to newly-formed matches.
  
  
• Any matches still in progress at the start of the maintenance window will be disrupted when it begins.
  
  
• DURING THE MAINTENANCE WINDOW, YOU WILL STILL BE ABLE TO LAUNCH THE GAME, BUT WILL NOT BE ABLE TO MATCHMAKE OR ACCESS ANY ONLINE FEATURES.

To prevent any interruptions, we recommend wrapping up any games at least 10 minutes before the maintenance window. The downtime is expected to last between 1 and 2 hours. You can watch this thread with any changes to the schedule as they arise, as well as the all-clear when the maintenance is complete.

Thank you for your patience!