Rome is calling, will you answer? The Return of Rome DLC is now available for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition on PC! This DLC offers an incredible 17 civilizations, 3 new campaigns, a new game mode, plus an additional civilization (the Romans) added to the base game.

Inspired by the 1998 expansion for Age of Empires “The Rise of Rome”, the new Return of Rome expansion delivers familiar and brand new content for both established and new players.




Return of Rome is a completely new type of DLC for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, bringing classic Age of Empires gameplay, style and key experiences as a brand-new self-contained experience. When launching Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, simply select the Return of Rome icon on the Main Menu to transition your game into the Return of Rome DLC.


Purchasing Return of Rome will also grant you access to the bonus Romans civilization while playing in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition mode. The Romans will begin as a civilization for single player and unranked lobbies, then graduate to ranked play in the near future.


Included in Return of Rome are all 16 original Age of Empires civilizations from the Assyrians to the Yamato, allowing players to get to grips with the civilizations that started the Age of Empires journey.


Joining the ranks as the newest ancient civilization will be the Lac Viet. The Lac Viet is a fast-paced archer civilization from ancient Southeast Asia that will be exclusive to Return of Rome.



We’re also introducing 3 brand new campaigns created specifically for Return of Rome: Sargon of Akkad (Sumerians), Pyrrhus of Epirus (Macedonians) and Trajan (Romans). With new missions to tackle and stories told through the familiar AoE II: DE style, you’ll be able to live more moments from history.

The D3 Game Mode will challenge players with a new way to play. D3 is an homage to a fan favorite rule set, made popular in the Age Vietnamese professional scene, that is now fully integrated into the game.  This rule set reduces rush tactics and allows players to start their early game more robustly, only allowing fighting with a single unit until entering the Bronze Age, ensuring players reach later Ages for equal battles.  This rule set also bans walls and towers, making for exciting match ups later in the game.

[h5]New Achievements List![/h5]
[expand type=details][/expand]

There’s so much to explore, enjoy, and play in Return of Rome! We’re grateful to our community for the continued support, our players who helped us shape this innovative DLC and our Creator Community who’ve been showcasing the exciting additions that Return of Rome brings via our Creator Preview.




Return of Rome is available now on Steam!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2141580/Age_of_Empires_II_Definitive_Edition__Return_of_Rome/

For those loyal Age of Empires players, we have a special bundle that we created just for you which includes Age of Empires II: DE and the Return of Rome DLC at a discounted price.

https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/31630/Age_of_Empires_II_Definitive_Edition__Return_of_Rome_Bundle/

---

Want to further expand your Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition experience? Check out the other available DLC’s that will add further civilizations and campaigns to your game.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1389240/Age_of_Empires_II_Definitive_Edition__Lords_of_the_West/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/1557210/Age_of_Empires_II_Definitive_Edition__Dawn_of_the_Dukes/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/1869820/Age_of_Empires_II_Definitive_Edition__Dynasties_of_India/

It wouldn't be Age of Empires without cheat codes! Lay waste to your opponents with the classic Cheat Units, available in Return of Rome on May 16th!

---

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2141580/Age_of_Empires_II_Definitive_Edition__Return_of_Rome/

Hello and welcome to an exciting and fun-filled update for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition! This one is full of mod fixes and new units, plus the new Return of Rome DLC – all releasing tomorrow, May 16!

Be sure to dig down into the post below to get all of the smaller details before hopping in-game and checking them out firsthand.

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!

💬 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

---

---

• All regional Trade Carts now use the appropriate sound effects.
  
• Thirisadai receives the firing sound.
  
• When clicking Start Game in a SP/MP lobby, the Civilization Jingle will no longer overlap with Lobby or In-Game Music.
  
• Taunts now correctly reduce the volume of music for the duration of them playing.

• Dying economy units can no longer be counted as workers or idle.
  
• Turbo Mode state is now displayed in the standard game Objectives.
  
• The tooltip for Monument victory banner now displays the correct text.
  
• Formation buttons are no longer displayed if in the current unit selection there is only one formation-supporting unit.

• Readded Change Weapon hotkey entry to Unit Commands group.

---

---

[h4]Lac Viet[/h4]
Building Set: East Asian

Archer Civilization

Bonuses

• Foragers gather 20% faster
  
• Military units created 25% faster
  
• Archery Range units +2 Melee Armor

Team Bonus: Houses and farms build 50% faster

Missing technologies: Aristocracy, Mysticism, Polytheism, Afterlife, Fanaticism, Monotheism, Chain Mail Infantry, Tower Shield, Siegecraft, Engineering, Urbanization.

Missing units: Phalangite, Legion, Camel Rider, Cataphract, Helepolis, Ballista Tower, Fire Galley, Juggernaut

• D3
  
  • This rule set reduces rush tactics and allows players to start their early game more robustly, only allowing fighting with a single unit until entering the Bronze Age, ensuring players reach later Ages for equal battles.  This rule set also bans walls and towers, making for exciting match ups later in the game.
• New lobby settings

• City Watch: 300f – Bronze Age/Government Center – All Buildings +3 LoS
  
• Conscription: 450f 250g – Iron Age/Government Center – All units trained 25% faster
  
• Urbanization: 350w 150s – Iron Age/Government Center – Houses provide double population space (from 4 → 8)
  
• Theocracy: 400g – replaces Sacrifice – Only one priest must rest after a successful conversion.

Ranked lobbies and leaderboards will be available in Return of Rome.

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!

: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.

Welcome to Return of Rome, a completely new experience within Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition!

Though there will be many overlaps in gameplay between Return of Rome and Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, there are some slight differences which may not be immediately apparent when playing for the first time.

Based on that feedback, we have decided to add Romans to the ranked queue in a future update.

Here, we’re going to run through some of the differences to give you a leg up on getting started and enjoying everything Return of Rome has to offer!



Return of Rome is vastly different to all of the DLC we’ve previously released for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition. Each other release has expanded on the content available in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, while Return of Rome is an entirely different beast.

Once you’ve finished downloading the Return of Rome DLC, launch Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition. On the main menu screen, you’ll see the symbol for Return of Rome in the top left corner.

Clicking this Symbol will switch your game into Return of Rome, ready for you to enjoy!

To switch back to Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, simply click the Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition symbol in the top left corner.



Just like Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, the objectives during a match in Return of Rome are very similar.

• Explore the map and discover the locations of your opponents and the four resources: Food, Wood, Gold, and Stone
  
• Produce Villagers from the Town Center to collect those resources
  
• Spend resources to construct resource drop-off sites, houses, and other important buildings
  
• Advance to the next Age; offering stronger units, buildings and technologies
  
• Train an army and command your military units in battle against opponents

Generally, gameplay will feel a lot faster and more aggressive compared to Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition – be ready for it!

Unlike Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, you do not begin with a dedicated unit for exploring the map.
When you begin a match:

• Queue some Villagers in the Town Center
  
• Command one of your Villagers to construct a House
  
• Begin exploring the nearby area with your other two Villagers for a nearby source of Food, like gazelles, elephants, or berry bushes

Note: If you’re playing on a water map, you can also try to find the coastline and some nearby fish!



Once a Villager has collected a resource, they’ll need to deposit it into a drop-off site before you can spend it. Certain resources may only be deposited into specific drop-off sites, let’s take a look at how each of them work!

[h5]Town Center[/h5]
Though the Town Center will mainly be used to train additional Villagers. It also acts as a drop-off site for every form of resource.

The Storage Pit will act as your main drop-off site for all resources, with the exception of Food collected from berry bushes and Farms.

Any Food collected from berry bushes and Farms must be dropped off at a Granary or Town Center.

• Your Villagers will not be able to drop-off Food collected from gazelle, elephants or other animals at the Granary

All Fish collected by Fishing Ships or Villagers may be dropped off at the Dock.

• Additionally, Villagers may drop-off fish at a Storage Pit

Compared to Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, where economic upgrades are housed in the relevant drop-off site. Each economic upgrade in Return of Rome is available at the Market, which can be constructed once you reach the Tool Age.
Here you can find Technologies to:

• Increase the amount of certain resources your Villagers can carry
  
• Increase the rate at which your Villagers gather certain resources
  
• Increase the speed of your Villagers and gain access to chariot units and Trade Carts
  
• Increase the amount of Food that can be harvested from Farms before rebuilding

Like Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, upgrading your units along their technology line in the Technology Tree will be available within their creation building.

• A good example is upgrading the Short Swordsman to the Broadswordsman at the Barracks; where the Short Swordsman is trained

However, additional upgrades to a unit’s base statistics are done at the Storage Pit or the Market, instead of a Blacksmith. At the Storage Pit you’ll be able to increase your units Melee Attack, Melee Armor and Missile (Ranged Attack) Armor.


Then at the Market you can increase the damage done by your Missile Units (Ranged Attack) by researching the Wood gathering technologies at the Market, and improve your Slingers by researching the Stone gathering technologies.





To construct Walls, Gates and Towers the Technology must first be researched at the Granary.

Once you’ve completed researching the Small Walls Technology, available from the Tool Age. You will be able to construct Walls and Gates.

Similarly, to construct a Watch Tower, first you will need to research the Watch Tower Technology, available from the Tool Age at the Granary.

• As you advance through the Ages, you’ll unlock Technologies to further improve your Walls, Gates and Watch Towers at the Granary – depending on your civilization’s Technology Tree

Coming from Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, you’re no doubt familiar with each civilization having a number of Bonuses, Unique Units and Unique Technologies.

In Return of Rome, this has been simplified a little. Each civilization still has unique Bonuses, but they do not have any Unique Units or Technologies.

Return of Rome retains Age of Empires' design principles of differentiating civilizations through powerful, impactful bonuses and strategy-shaping differences in the technology tree to preserve the authentic feel of the game that started it all.

---

Available on Steam starting May 16!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2141580/Age_of_Empires_II_Definitive_Edition__Return_of_Rome/

Roman fortifications have been sighted on the battlefield in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition!
Lay waste to the enemies of Rome with the Return of Rome DLC, coming May 16th!

---

Available starting May 16!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2141580/Age_of_Empires_II_Definitive_Edition__Return_of_Rome/

Replacing the Two-Handed Swordsman and Champion at the Barracks. The Romans can upgrade their Long Swordsman to one of their new Unique Units, the mighty Legionary!

---

Defeat your opponents as the Romans with the Return of Rome DLC, coming May 16th!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2141580/Age_of_Empires_II_Definitive_Edition__Return_of_Rome/

Increase Movement and Attack Speed of nearby Militia-line Units with the Romans' new Unique Unit, the Centurion!

Conqueror your enemies as the Romans, with the Return of Rome DLC. Coming May 16th.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2141580/Age_of_Empires_II_Definitive_Edition__Return_of_Rome/

What to expect with the newest Return of Rome DLC for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition.

Return of Rome is a completely new type of expansion, which brings classic Age of Empires gameplay, style and key experiences as a brand new self-contained experience.

When launching Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, to access Return of Rome, you will need to select the Return of Rome icon on the Main Menu to transition your game.


You will be taken into Return of Rome, where you’ll be able to access favorite and new content, including the Age of Empires classic civilizations, brand new campaigns, and a new competitive D3 game mode.

Purchasing Return of Rome will also grant you access to the bonus Romans civilization while playing in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition mode.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2141580/Age_of_Empires_II_Definitive_Edition__Return_of_Rome/

The Lac Viet are an additional civilization playable alongside the 16 classic civilizations in Return of Rome.

Civilization Bonuses

• Foragers work 20% faster
  
• Military units created 25% faster
  
• Archery Range units +2 armor

Team Bonus

• Houses and Farms built 50% faster

Technology Tree



The Romans were intended as a bonus for you to enjoy in Singleplayer and Unranked Lobbies as an extra, on top of the content within Return of Rome.

However, we’ve been listening to your feedback and desire to see Romans as a ranked civilization. Based on that feedback, we have decided to add Romans to the ranked queue in a future update. We love seeing the passion of Age of Empires fans, and feedback like this helps us continue to create as many happy players as we can.

This will help us ensure the Romans are balanced, and ready for competitive play on introduction to ranked gameplay.

With the newest release of Return of Rome for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, players will have an opportunity to battle it out as the Romans against other beloved civilizations in AoE II: DE. These Romans are joining a full roster, but are very different from the Ancient Romans featured in the original Age of Empires: Definitive Edition.

In game, the Romans date back to about 395 C.E., making them contemporaries with the Goths, Celts, Britons, Franks, Persians, etc. By this period in Late Antiquity and Early Middle Ages – Rome was a crumbling shadow of its former glory. Plagued by an inability to pay its soldiers, lack of manpower, and its older fortifications in disrepair, they could not face the invasions of their former provinces or fend off attacks closer to home.

By the time of Attila, Rome simply couldn’t field any large armies of note, and relied on Germanic tribes to guard their frontiers, but those tribes often went rogue and became enemies instead. The old Roman-controlled area was inundated with an influx of different peoples who settled the land, bringing their own culture and customs, annihilating the old Roman ways.

By the end, Rome could not overcome a collapsing economy, loss of manpower, an inability to pay troops, plus bad leadership. When the “official” end in 476 came with the ousting of the last Roman emperor by a Germanic king, the Roman Empire had already silently melted away.

The Return of Rome civilizations and Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition civilizations are isolated to their respective Return of Rome or Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition. As such, they will not be able to interact with each other.

Return of Rome will include three new campaigns, Pyrrhus of Epirus, Sargon of Akkad and Trajan. Each featuring full voice acting, improved AI, and the historically driven narrative and gameplay that makes Age of Empires special.

[h4]Pyrrhus of Epirus[/h4]


As the Wars of the Diadochi saw Alexander the Great’s successors throw the Greek world into chaos, Pyrrhus of Epirus began as a small player among titans. Will he become worthy of the legendary Hannibal Barca’s judgment of him – the greatest general of the age, second only to Alexander – or will his constant uphill struggle prove insurmountable? In this campaign, you will play as the Macedonians.

[h4]Sargon of Akkad[/h4]


An unlikely man rises to power in the city-states of Mesopotamia: Sargon is a simple cupbearer to the king, but everything changes when the war goddess Ishtar appears in his dreams. Under her guidance, Sargon leads the quarrelling Sumerians into a new age, but the seductive nature of power forces him to choose between his divine destiny and his personal ambition. In this campaign, you will play as the Sumerians.

[h4]Trajan[/h4]


Marcus Ulpius Trajanus climbed the ranks of the legions while the Emperor Domitian’s tyrannical rule tarnished the Roman Empire’s glory. When circumstance elevates him to the throne as Emperor Trajan, he inherits a realm on the brink of disaster. Will resourcefulness, virtue, and military might be enough to save Rome and lead it to its historical zenith, or will the Roman Empire collapse four centuries before its time? In this campaign, you will play as the Romans.

Our intention with Return of Rome is to ensure that if you already own Age of Empires: Definitive Edition, you will still find plenty of new content to enjoy.

This includes three new exclusive campaigns. A new and exclusive civilization; the Lac Viet. Plus the bonus Romans civilization for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition for you to enjoy. All of this alongside numerous quality of life upgrades and features.

• 3 new campaigns: Pyrrhus of Epirus, Sargon of Akkad and Trajan
  
• The introduction of the Lac Viet civilization for Return of Rome
  
• The introduction of the Romans civilization for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition
  
• The introduction of the D3 competitive game mode, popularized by the Vietnamese competitive scene

[h4]🢂 Plus All 16 Civilizations from the Original Age of Empires[/h4]
[expand type=details]

• Assyrians
  
• Babylonians
  
• Carthaginians
  
• Choson
  
• Egyptians
  
• Greeks
  
• Hittites
  
• Macedonians
  
• Minoans
  
• Palmyrans
  
• Persians
  
• Phoenicians
  
• Romans
  
• Shang
  
• Sumerians
  
• Yamato

[/expand]
[h4]Quality of Life Upgrades and Features:[/h4]

• Gates
  
• Formations
  
• Spectator mode
  
• A much-improved AI for computer opponents
  
• New maps

[h4]🢂 New Game Modes[/h4]
[expand type=details]

• D3
  
• Empire Wars
  
• King of the Hill
  
• Sudden Death
  
• Defend the Wonder
  
• Wonder Race

[/expand]

During the pre-order announcement, there was an error on the Steam page. This has since been corrected to 3GB of required available space.

---

Return of Rome is available to pre-order now, including an additional 15% off!

This innovative DLC is available as a standalone purchase, or as a bundle with Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition. Rome needs a leader!

Pre-order the Return of Rome today and be ready to conquer your opponents and forge a new Roman Empire on May 16, 2023!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2141580/Age_of_Empires_II_Definitive_Edition__Return_of_Rome/

Starting TODAY, some of your favorite content creators are ready to show YOU an exclusive preview of the upcoming DLC for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition – Return of Rome.

Want to know more about the upcoming addition of the 16 Age of Empires civilizations, the brand-new Lac-Viet, or the new Romans to Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition? Well, we have fantastic news for you: some of your favorite content creators have been granted early access to the Return of Rome DLC, and you’ll be getting a sneak preview of the exclusive units, civilization bonuses, and other new additions ahead of release!

Take a peek at the brand-new content, ask questions, and support your fellow Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition streamers and content creators below:

The Return of Rome Content Creator Preview will provide you with plenty of information and excitement on the lead up to its launch on May 16, 2023! Return of Rome is available to pre-order now, including an additional 15% off!

This innovative DLC is available as a standalone purchase, or as a bundle with Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition. Pre-order the Return of Rome today and be ready to conquer your opponents and forge a new Roman Empire on May 16, 2023!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2141580/Age_of_Empires_II_Definitive_Edition__Return_of_Rome/

Did you spy the tribute to the original Age of Empires hidden within the Monastery of Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition?

The Artifact will be back with the Return of Rome DLC, available May 16th!

---

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2141580/Age_of_Empires_II_Definitive_Edition__Return_of_Rome/