Oct 30, 2023

Preview: Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition – Update 95810

Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - Lady Eridani

Welcome to an exciting sneak peek for the newest update for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition! The update will be landing tomorrow, October 31st! This will be a huge one with pathfinding improvements, balance changes, bug fixes, and more, PLUS tomorrow The Mountain Royals DLC will be live, AND new campaigns are coming to Return of Rome!

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

The Mountain Royals DLC is now available!
2 New Campaigns in Return of Rome:
- Glory of Greece
- Voices of Babylon
Balance changes!
Pathfinding improvements!
Bug fixes based on your feedback!

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

◆ UPDATE 95810◆

BUILD SPOTLIGHT

Game

Stability & Performance

Fixed an issue where game crashes when creating a lobby using Restore Multiplayer Game.
Fixed an issue where game sometimes crashes when clicking the Return of Rome Multiplayer button.

Graphics

Fixed a graphical issue where various Palm Trees have black sections in their textures.
Fixed the issues with death and decay animations for Slinger, Man-at-Arms, Female Forager.
Imperial Camel saddle cloth texture no is no longer incorrect on one of the angles.
Magyar Huszar spear is no longer slightly cut off on several unit animations.
Fixed a graphical issue where Chariot Archer had doubled bow.
Male Woodcutters no longer lack idle animations on all except one angle.
Babylonian Wonder destruction animation no longer turns invisible close to the end.
Added visual trails to bullet projectiles.

Audio

Fixed an issue where Priest has the wrong creation sound.
Romans units no longer have slightly distorted voice audio.

The UI graphics and fonts filter which was introduced in Update 90260 and later known as WIDGETUI_FILTER, is now available as in-game options on PC platforms under the Graphics tab:
- Anti-Alias UI: Select to smoothen graphics (such as icons) in certain parts of the UI, on resolutions other than 4K. Disabling may increase performance. (Medium, High, Ultra presets)
- Anti-Alias Text: Select to smoothen text in certain parts of the UI, on resolutions other than 4K. Disabling may increase performance when Smooth Serif Font is off. (High, Ultra presets)
Smooth Serif Font has been restored to its original look (from before Update 90260) when Anti-Alias Text is off.
Sea walls now have their own icon.
Army tents now have their own icon in Return of Rome.
The Ranked UI button in Return of Rome now uses the intended artwork.
Updated some wrong artworks from the History section with the proper ones.
Added the “Off” and “High” volume indicators on the narrator volume bar.
Chatbox is no longer visible in 1v1 quickplay games. Additionally, chatbox is now visible when in party with at least 2 members on the quickplay screen, to match with Xbox behaviour.
Age of Empires campaigns now have a unique campaign group icon.
Changed the color of buttons in Scenario Editor in Return of Rome mode to blue.
All Return of Rome cheat units now have their own icons.
Sogdian Cataphract icon no longer incorrectly indicates hero glow on the unit.

Hotkeys

Toggle Health Bar hotkey no longer affects Idle Pointer display.

Xbox

Fixed a crash that was occurring while accepting an invitation from another player under certain circumstances.
Fixed an issue where randomizing lobby settings automatically scrolls down the Game Settings menu.
Fixed an issue where the banned and preferred maps on the Quick Play menu disappear under certain circumstances.
Fixed an issue where AI Difficulty is set back to Standard when starting a queue in Quick Play.
Fixed a graphical issue on the Rally Point flag.
Fixed an issue where the Quick Find Naval Units button for Transport Ships was not activating properly when relevant ships were on the field in Return of Rome.
The Building Range Indicators are no longer drawn incorrectly and inconsistently.
Spearman-Line units are now included in the Command Menu Shortcuts for Donjons as intended.
Fixed an issue where Villagers queued in the Town Center were separated based on gender.
The save and load game pages now show the remaining cloud capacity.
Fixed an issue where Monk’s Heal command no longer heals units.
Controller buttons in Return of Rome mode now have blue color (instead of red like in Age of Empires II).
Fixed an issue where Toggle Idle Pointers hotkey has no effect.
Added the previously missing player icons which are rewarded for winning as Roman civilization.
Fixed an issue where players are unable to repair transport ships.

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.

Hotfix 96976
Fixed a graphics issue on Xbox Series S and X systems. Graphics should now appear with greater fidelity at close zoom levels on Xbox Series consoles.
Fixed an issue where monks could duplicate relics by dropping a relic before placing it in the monastery.
Fixed the walking animation for monks that have dropped off a relic.
We are aware of an issue in Scenario 5: ‘Of Turncoats and Traitors’ of the Thoros campaign, causing an unintended difficulty-spike. The team is currently working on a fix.

Oct 27, 2023

New Update to the Persians: Coming Soon to AoE II: DE

Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - Lady Eridani

Accompanying The Mountain Royals expansion will be an update including a massive rework of the Persian civilization! This update will be available to everyone who owns the base game of Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, whether you have purchased the upcoming The Mountain Royals expansion or not.

The Persian Civilization Identity
As more civilizations were released through additional expansions, we found the Persian civilization was slowly becoming less unique and their primary identity as a Knight civilization had become less meaningful.

We strived for the way the Persians are represented in-game to incorporate additional design, while representing their rich history, creating more unique tools for the Persian civilization’s toolbox. We wanted to provide you with more interesting strategic choices, and ways for you to engage your opponents, all while representing them from the early Middle Ages to late empire.

In this update, our goal was to make the Persians feel special – the way we want each civilization to feel in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition. We believe we’ve accomplished that by making the Persians a true cavalry civilization with this rework.

With that said, here’s some expanded information on a few of our favorite changes!

The Savar – A New Unique Unit

Persia’s use of heavily armored cavalry has always been represented in-game, yet having the more European-style Paladin always felt unfaithful to the civilization. With this update, the Persians have received a unique upgrade to the Cavalier; the Savar.

Though the Savar looks similar to the Paladin, but is highly specialized in defeating enemy ranged units. Its additional ranged armor makes it more resilient, and their damage bonus stacks with the Persian Team Bonus, making them extremely effective at countering enemy Archers and general ranged units.

However, the increased survivability against ranged units does come at the cost of a lower Hit Point total when compared to the Paladin, making the Savar more susceptible to melee units.

The War Elephant

With the introduction of the Battle Elephant, we found it made the War Elephant feel less unique, and for a unit that already requires a significant investment to field, we want to ensure the War Elephant gets the respect it deserves.

The goal of these changes is to make the War Elephant more prevalent in the Persian unit roster. The Mahouts Unique Technology has been removed, but the base movement speed of the War Elephant has increased 33% by default. No longer will you have to wait as your War Elephants slowly lumber towards the enemy; charge them down!

Continuing the additional improvements, the War Elephant now has a significant damage bonus against buildings, now highly capable of ripping through your opponent's base, a great way to add additional pressure. We’ve also reduced the cost for the Elite War Elephant upgrade, making it significantly easier for you to realize the full potential of these behemoth units.

We always want to ensure each unit has their place in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition. With these changes, we hope we’ve given you plenty of reasons to start training more War Elephants!

Parthian Tactics Available in the Castle Age

Having access to Parthian Tactics in the Castle Age adds an entirely new layer to the strategies available to the Persian civilization within Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, making them significantly less predictable while also representing a part of history we’re excited to pay homage to.

The Sasanian Persian Empire that continued the Parthian legacy is an important part of how the Persian civilization is represented in-game. The Parthian Shot dates at least back to the Battle of Carrhae, where the Parthians used it to great effect against a Roman army. Sasanian armies employed similar tactics in the following centuries well into the early medieval period.

Now that the Persians are able to research Parthian Tactics in the Castle Age, it provides a large spike to the strength of their Cavalry Archers, which has incredible synergy with their new civilization bonus, providing extra gold for each military unit they defeat.

This is perfect to help you dictate the pace of the match with early pressure, providing a new way for you to surprise and engage your opponents.

Full Rework Change List
The above were some of our personal highlights we wanted to provide some additional background on. Please see the full list of changes to the Persian civilization below.

[expand type=details]Civilization Bonuses:

Start the game with +50 food, +50 wood.

Town Centers and Docks have 2x hit points and work +5%/+10%/+15%/+20% faster in Dark/Feudal/Castle/Imperial Age.

Cavalry generate 5 gold when killing enemy military units.

Parthian Tactics available in Castle Age.

Can build Caravanserai in Imperial Age.
Unique Units:

War Elephant (Very Big Elephant, enjoys scenic trips down the river in a transport ship).

Savar (Unique upgrade to the Cavalier, powerful all-purpose cavalry with attack bonus vs. Archers).
Unique Technologies

Kamandaran (Archer-line gold cost is replaced by additional wood cost).

Citadels (Castles receive -25% bonus damage, arrows replaced with bullets which deal +4 attack, +3 attack vs. infantry, and +3 attack vs. rams).
Team Bonus

Knights +2 attack vs. Archers.
Other Changes:

(Elite) War Elephant attack bonus vs. standard buildings and stone buildings increased from 7 (10) ▶ 30.

(Elite) War Elephant base movement speed increased from 0.6 ▶8.

Elite War Elephant upgrade cost reduced from 1600 food 1200 gold ▶ 1350 food 800 gold.
[/expand]

We understand with this update a lot of changes have been made to the Persian civilization. We look forward to hearing your feedback, and plan to continue to iterate as needed. Start the game already!

Pre-Order Now!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2555420/Age_of_Empires_II_Definitive_Edition__The_Mountain_Royals/

Oct 16, 2023

Pre-Order Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition – The Mountain Royals!

Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - Lady Eridani

We are excited to introduce the The Mountain Royals DLC for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition! Unlock the rich history and untold stories of two remarkable civilizations, available now to pre-order with a 15% discount! Here are some of the new features you can expect:

Two new civilizations – The Georgians and The Armenian
Three new new fully voiced campaigns – Tamar, Thoros the Great, and Ismail
Plus, a newly updated Persian civilization

The Mountain Royals will release on Tuesday, October 31, 2023 on Steam!

Two New Civilizations

The Georgians

Carve out a sturdy kingdom in the shadow of the Caucasus Mountains and use the rugged terrain to your advantage as you repulse countless foreign invasions. The Georgian unique unit is the Monaspa, a brawny cavalry unit whose strength increases in numbers.
🢂 History[expand type=details]
During the early medieval period, the regions south of the Caucasus Mountains were divided among numerous petty kingdoms that eluded foreign dominance largely through geographical isolation. Although the Byzantine Empire occasionally attempted to extend its influence into these polities, no significant lasting gains were made. However, the constant threat of foreign invasion catalyzed a gradual shift towards unity. In the early 11th century, Bagrat III finally succeeded in gathering these formerly squabbling states into the Kingdom of Georgia.

Despite prior tensions, the young Georgian kingdom and the Byzantine Empire made common cause when the Seljuk Turks poured into the regions south of the Caucasus, threatening both realms. Although the Byzantines suffered a catastrophic defeat at Manzikert in 1071 and abandoned many of their eastern possessions, the Georgian kingdom endured – albeit while suffering severe damage from the constant pillaging of its infrastructure. One particularly notable Georgian player in these conflicts was Gregorios Pakourianos, an officer who entered Byzantine service and became a high-ranking commander, eventually being placed in charge of most of the Empire’s Balkan provinces.

Georgia experienced a resurgence during the early 12th century under David IV the Builder, who – as his cognomen suggests – reformed Georgia’s infrastructure and restored much of its political stability while increasing its military might. This trend was continued by Georgia’s first ruling queen, Tamar (1160-1213), who elevated the kingdom’s power to new heights. Tamar’s power and aptitude was such that by the latter years of her reign she had transformed her realm from a minor kingdom threatened by its neighbors to a kingmaker on the verge of participating in future Crusades.

Medieval Georgia flourished largely due to the ingenuity and resilience of its people. Adaptation to the mountainous landscape permitted the Georgian people to build a thriving and defensible economy that sat on one of the many crossroads between empires. Formidable fortifications – from mountain castles to the towers of Svaneti – protected the realm against hostile incursions, while Georgian armies used the terrain to their advantage in parrying enemy attacks and striking back shrewdly. The Georgian armies were led by the Monaspa, an elite cavalry force that directly served the ruling king or queen. Heavily armored, meticulously organized, and well trained, they were known to annihilate an enemy front line with a devastating shock charge.

Georgia’s golden age ended abruptly in the 13th century when successive waves of Mongols cascaded into the regions surrounding the Caucasus Mountains. Unable to hold off the invaders, the Georgians were unwillingly reduced to vassals of the Mongol khanates. Although the realm briefly recovered from this servitude under George V the Brilliant (1286-1346), further misfortune ensued as the Bubonic Plague swept through most of Europe and Asia, claiming millions of lives. Some decades later, the armies of Tamerlane flooded through Georgia on several occasions, carrying out despicable campaigns of destruction and slaughter. Limping into the 15th century, the Kingdom of Georgia finally collapsed in the face of Turkoman invasions.[/expand]
Defensive and Cavalry Civilization
🢂 Civilization Bonuses:[expand type=details]
Start with a Mule Cart, but -50 food
Fortifies Churcers provides Villagers in a 10 tile radius with +10% work rate
Units and buildings receive -15% damage when fighting from higher elevation
Cavalry regenerates 5 HP per minute in Feudal, 10 in Castle, 15 in Imperial Age
[/expand]
🢂 Unique Units and Technologies:[expand type=details]
Unique Unit:
Monspa: Georgian unique cavalry that becomes stronger when other Monaspas or Knight-line units are nearby.
Unique Technologies:
Svan Towers: Defensive buildings receive +2 attack. Towers fire arrows that pierce multiple units (Castle Age)
Aznauri Cavalry: Cavalry units take 15% less population space (Imperial Age)
[/expand]

The Armenians

Rebuild your ancestral kingdom in the mountainous terrain near Lakes Van, Sevan, and Urmia. The Armenian unique units are the Composite Bowman, a skilled archer capable of piercing even the sturdiest armor, and the Warrior Priest, an infantry unit that can fight and heal allied units.
🢂 History[expand type=details]
By the beginning of the medieval period, Armenia, a state whose history stretched back nearly a millennium prior, was caught in the midst of a conflict between two giants. Hostilities had flared up between the Eastern Roman Empire and the Sasanian Persian Empire, both of which often sought to set Armenia up as a buffer state to deter invasions along their northern frontier. As Roman power waned, the Persians gained the upper hand, but their oppressive overlordship – especially the persecution of Armenian Christians in an attempt to spread Zoroastrianism – sparked constant tensions. These culminated in the Battle of Avarayr (451), where the magnate Vardan Mamikonian – who lives on in Armenian national lore – died defending his homeland.

The Near East was changed forever in the 7th century when the forces of the rising Arab Caliphate poured into the Levant. Withered by mounting internal crises and constant conflict, Persia and Byzantium – the medieval iteration of Eastern Rome – were unable to fend off the Arab invasions, causing the former to collapse entirely and the latter to lose most of its territory in the Levant and Africa. Armenia, formerly coveted by both powers, was then conquered by the armies of the new Umayyad Caliphate. History repeated itself, however, as an outsider’s oppressive rule once more led to violent rebellions. After the Abbasid Caliphate replaced the Umayyad Caliphate, Armenia gradually drifted further and further towards autonomy.

By the late 9th century, the balance of power had shifted once more. A rejuvenated Byzantium had diminished Abbasid power along the frontier, offering Armenia the opportunity to extricate itself from foreign domination. Ashot I (9th century) of the Bagratid family shrewdly allied himself with the Byzantines and became Armenia’s first king in four centuries. The fledgling Armenian kingdom remained in a precarious position and was invaded by the Caliphate’s vassals several times, but during the 10th century gradually stabilized, capitalizing on the resurgence of lucrative trade routes and the political fortunes of its powerful neighbors.

Trouble arrived once more during the 11th century, however, as the Byzantines sought to fully incorporate Armenia into their domain. Simultaneously, massive invasions of Seljuk Turks rocked the Middle East, thoroughly redefining the balance of power and ravaging much of the region. As Seljuk incursions tore Armenia apart, Byzantium – albeit loosely – incorporated the leftover pieces. These shifts led to a mass migration of Armenians to Cilicia in southeast Anatolia, where they established a new state on the periphery of the Byzantine Empire. Crucially, these nomadic invasions also led the Armenians to incorporate cohorts of composite bowmen into their armies as a recourse against large mounted forces.

Cilician Armenia initially sat in a precarious position, but that swiftly changed when the Crusades led thousands of European soldiers to attack the Seljuks and neighboring Islamic states in Palestine and the Levant. The Armeno-Cilicians allied with the crusaders and fought with them on several occasions against their mutual foes. Byzantium made further designs on the region during the 12th century, but under the leadership of Thoros II the Great, the Armeno-Cilicians prevailed. As the Mongol invasions of the 13th century rang the death-knell for many of the region’s states, Cilician Armenia wisely allied with the Mongols, but then struggled against the rising Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt and Syria. The last straw for the battered kingdom was Tamerlane’s invasion of 1400, which reduced it to a minor polity wedged between the rising superpowers to come.[/expand]
Infantry and Naval Civilization
🢂 Civilization Bonuses:[expand type=details]
Mule Carts cost -25%
Mule Cart technologies are 25% more effective
First Fortified Church receives a free Relic
Barracks units (except Man-at-Arms) available one age earlier
Galley-line fires two projectiles
[/expand]
🢂 Unique Units and Technologies:[expand type=details]
Unique Units:
Composite Bowman: Armenian unique archer unit with attack that ignores armor
Warrior Priest: Armenian unique infantry unit which can heal friendly units.
Unique Technologies:
Cilician Fleet: Demolition Ships +33% blast radius; Galley-line and Dromons +1 range (Castle Age)
Fereters: Infantry (except Spearman-line) +30HP, Warrior priests +100% heal speed (Imperial Age)
[/expand]

The Persians - Updated!

Traverse the highlands with the fearsome cavalry of the Persians, who will be receiving a massive free update to their gameplay alongside The Mountain Royals. The update features the Savar, a unique paladin replacement that is adept at taking down enemy ranged units.

Three New Thrilling Campaigns

Tamar’s Ascension

Brought up on stories of David the Builder, the young and impassioned Tamar ascends her great-grandfather’s throne with elaborate plans for her bustling kingdom. However, she quickly finds out that wielding such power is more than a simple matter of birthright. Can Georgia’s first queen overcome her skeptics and leave an imprint to endure well beyond her lifetime?

In this campaign, you will play as the Georgians.
Thoros The Great

The tiny kingdom of Cilician Armenia lies between hostile empires, its ruling family in Byzantine captivity. When Prince Thoros escapes, he embarks on a dangerous campaign to liberate his homeland, but the vengeful Byzantines are not his only foes. The Seljuk Turks covet the region as well, and a ruthless Frankish crusader is pursuing his own schemes to the south.

In this campaign, you will play as the Armenians.
Ismail

The orphaned prodigy Ismail leads the mysterious Safavid Order through war-torn Persia! Will this charismatic visionary lay the groundwork for one of the most illustrious empires of the Islamic world, or will his delusions of grandeur be his ultimate undoing?

In this campaign, you will play as the Persians.

Our teams have been working on The Mountain Royals for some time, expanding the storytelling of Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition. As we announce this DLC publicly and make it available for pre-order, we’re aware of the events currently affecting modern day Armenians. The Mountain Royals has not been designed as a comment or reference to modern day events.

Pre-Order Now!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2555420/Age_of_Empires_II_Definitive_Edition__The_Mountain_Royals/