What changed in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition in 2023

Two new campaigns added for Return of Rome DLC: Glory of Greece and Voices of Babylon.

Three new cosmetic DLC packs featuring animated profile icons themed around memes and historical art.

A limited-time challenge scenario where players defend a Wonder against waves of enemies using only Mangudai.

Improvements to the user interface for better unit management.

Adjustments made to game balance based on community feedback.

Players can now lock gates while they are being constructed.

Tooltips for unit icons have been improved for better clarity.

Corrected a rare bug where units could move to the edge of the map when issuing certain commands.

New animated player icons available for customization, offering purely cosmetic changes.

Resolved a crash issue that occurred after the latest update.

A new tool for validating mods has been introduced.

Various fixes to improve unit pathfinding and formations.

Defend the Wonder against waves using only your army of Mangudai in this new limited-time challenge scenario.

The Persian civilization has been newly updated in The Mountain Royals DLC.

New campaigns featuring Tamar, Thoros the Great, and Ismail.

Unlock the rich history and stories of two remarkable civilizations with the new DLC.

Two new civilizations introduced in The Mountain Royals DLC.

Experience three new campaigns with full voice acting.

The DLC features two new civilizations for players to explore.

The Persian civilization has been updated as part of the new content.

Introduction of Kamandaran and Citadels unique technologies, enhancing Archer-line and Castle capabilities.

War Elephant now has a significant damage bonus against buildings, making it more effective in attacks.

Persians can now research Parthian Tactics in the Castle Age, enhancing Cavalry Archer strength.

The Savar is a unique upgrade to the Cavalier, specialized in defeating enemy ranged units with additional ranged armor.

Base movement speed of the War Elephant increased by 33%, enhancing its mobility in battles.

Knights receive +2 attack against Archers as part of the new team bonus.

Cost for the Elite War Elephant upgrade reduced from 1600 food and 1200 gold to 1350 food and 800 gold.

Cavalry units now generate 5 gold for each enemy military unit they defeat.

Persians start with +50 food and +50 wood; Town Centers and Docks have increased hit points and work faster.

Unlock the rich history and untold stories of two remarkable civilizations, available now to pre-order with a 15% discount.

Players can now experience the Georgian civilization from The Mountain Royals DLC in the latest Public Update Preview.

Introducing the The Mountain Royals DLC featuring two new civilizations and three new campaigns.

Preview of the upcoming DLC featuring two new civilizations and improved Persian civ.

The Persian civilization receives a significant gameplay update including a new unique unit.

Players can now explore the unique gameplay of the Georgians and Armenians.

Introduction of two new civilizations and new campaigns in the upcoming DLC.

Experience new narratives through three fully voiced campaigns.

The Mountain Royals is available for pre-order with a 15% discount.

The First Punic War campaign has been added to Return of Rome, featuring 3 epic scenarios.

New campaign featuring 12 scenarios for players to lead their civilization to victory.

Instructions on how to change your profile icon during the event.

Guidance on how to manage and enable event mods during the Return of Rome Event.

The First Punic War campaign has been added to the Return of Rome DLC, featuring 3 scenarios centered on the Carthaginian empire's conflict with Rome.

The Ascent of Egypt campaign has been added to the Return of Rome DLC, featuring 12 scenarios focused on building skills and strategies.

The Glory of Greece and Voices of Babylon campaigns will be added to Return of Rome in a future update.

Celebrate the latest DLC with an event featuring exclusive rewards and challenges.

Resolved several crashes that were introduced in the previous update.

The WidgetUI graphics and fonts filter has been temporarily disabled but can still be activated via launch parameters.

Achievements for Ascent of Egypt and Punic Wars campaigns are now unlocking properly.

Unlock golden centurion statues, testudo formations, and more by completing in-game tasks.

Resolved issues where graphics problems could occur when starting another match on certain resolutions.

Ranged units with Attack < 5 no longer do more damage to buildings than intended in Return of Rome.

Celebrating the latest DLC with challenges and rewards from September 6th to September 20th.

Fixed an issue where building a Market did not grant Line of Sight of allies when Shared Exploration was disabled.

Resolved an issue where recorded games were not uploading correctly.

Resolved an issue where the Pause/Break key did not function as the Pause hotkey.

Unlock three new profile icons during the Star Age Event.

Players can choose from 8 different maps for multiplayer matches.

New players can access a free trial with a rotating roster of civilizations, maps, and campaign content.

Players can engage in the Algiers Historical Battle with co-op options.

Players can choose from 3 civilizations on a rotating schedule, starting with the French, Haudenosaunee, and Russians.

Players can experience the first act of the campaign featuring Morgan Black.

Players can access a set of 10 tutorials to improve their skills.

Players can participate in monthly events to unlock new Hero Cosmetics.

Play the new Star Age Event to earn a mod that transforms the oceans into the shimmering night sky.

Celebrate the stars with in-game tasks and unlock exclusive rewards from July 26th to August 7th.

Complete in-game tasks to unlock exclusive goodies from July 26th to August 7th.

Various bug fixes based on community feedback.

Unlock 3 Gorgeous New Profile Icons in the Minecraft Legends Event!

Unlock a mod to transform Petards into the fearsome Creeper during the Minecraft Legends Event.

Unlock the Cutest Cubic Companion by transforming your Boar during the event.

Unlock exclusive rewards by completing in-game tasks during the event.

Participate in the event featuring invaders from Minecraft Legends, running from June 27 to July 11.

Non-observable games cannot be found through third-party services to protect tournament strategies.

Reduced average queue times by 20 to 30 seconds for players with queue times shorter than 7 minutes.

Event featuring Piglins and Creepers attacking villagers, running from June 27th to July 11th.

Glory of Greece and Voices of Babylon campaigns will be added based on community voting results.

Bringing back the Ascent of Egypt tutorial campaign and The First Punic War campaign in future updates.

Changed from 70 to 80

Added to civilization bonus

+4 attack vs Condottieri

Now mentions correct speed increase (60%)

Increased from 2.49 to 3.49

Reduced from 7.2 to 4.067

Easier to find Elephants

Changed from 0.83 to 0.85

Changed from 80 to 100

Increased from 2.573 to 3.49

No longer repair faster than intended

Changed to One Sword

Now reflects only available technologies

Reduced from 70s to 35s

Changed from 220 to 240

Addressed various crashes affecting gameplay.

Fixed issues where Monks don’t always heal other nearby units when idle and other related issues.

Fixed issues where joining lobbies could cause a crash.

Fixed rare cases of units sliding backwards while attacking and other pathing issues.

Various stability improvements are planned for the June Update.

Fixed an issue where Lobby Sorting would not properly function.

The Romans will be added to Ranked play in the June Update.

Various data issues in both AoE II: DE and Return of Rome were addressed.

Fixed an issue where Lobby Search would not properly function.

A new set of balance adjustments is planned for the June Update.

Fixed an issue where various UI mods would cause the game to get stuck loading into matches.

Improvements to AI player behavior are planned for the June Update.

Fixed issues where Go back to work is unresponsive if villagers were garrisoned with command queue.

Fixed an issue where Return of Rome game lobbies defaulted to Low In Resources settings.

The team is actively monitoring player feedback and preparing hotfixes.

Addressing problems with games failing to load.

Addressing one-time adjustments to hotkey settings due to the DLC launch.

Fixes for issues preventing UI mods from loading correctly.

The biggest DLC launch in Age of Empires II history, introducing new content.

The Ascent of Egypt tutorial campaign and The First Punic War campaign will be added to Return of Rome in future updates.

A new competitive game mode popularized by the Vietnamese competitive scene is introduced.

The Return of Rome DLC introduces 17 civilizations, 3 new campaigns, and a new game mode.

Introduction of 16 new civilizations and exclusive units as part of the Return of Rome DLC.

The Lac Viet civilization is now playable with unique bonuses and team bonuses.

Roman fortifications have been sighted on the battlefield in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition. The DLC is set to release on May 16.

A comprehensive list of new achievements related to the Return of Rome DLC.

New campaigns include Sargon of Akkad, Pyrrhus of Epirus, and Trajan.

Exclusive preview of the upcoming DLC featuring 16 new civilizations including the Lac-Viet and Romans.

Return of Rome is a new expansion featuring classic gameplay, new campaigns, and a new competitive D3 game mode.

Purchasing the DLC grants access to the Romans civilization in the base game.

Classic Cheat Units can be used to dominate opponents in the Return of Rome expansion.

Corrected storage requirement for Return of Rome to 3GB.

Includes improvements such as gates, formations, spectator mode, and enhanced AI.

The Lac Viet, a fast-paced archer civilization from ancient Southeast Asia, is exclusive to Return of Rome.

The Romans civilization is added as a bonus for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition players.

New campaigns include Pyrrhus of Epirus, Sargon of Akkad, and Trajan, featuring full voice acting and improved AI.

A new game mode that reduces rush tactics and allows players to start more robustly.

Readded Change Weapon hotkey entry to Unit Commands group.

Houses and farms build 50% faster.

Archer Civilization with unique bonuses and missing technologies.

A rule set that reduces rush tactics and allows players to start their early game more robustly.

Thirisadai receives the firing sound.

All regional Trade Carts now use the appropriate sound effects.

Formation buttons are no longer displayed if there is only one formation-supporting unit.

Foragers gather 20% faster, military units created 25% faster, and Archery Range units gain +2 melee armor.

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.

City Watch, Conscription, Urbanization, and Theocracy added to the game.

New content including a new civilization and game mode, available May 16.

Turbo Mode state is now displayed in the standard game Objectives.

The tooltip for Monument victory banner now displays the correct text.

Dying economy units can no longer be counted as workers or idle.

Return of Rome is a completely new experience within Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, launching on May 16.

Gameplay will feel faster and more aggressive compared to Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition.

Unit upgrades are done at the Storage Pit or Market instead of the Blacksmith.

Civilizations have unique Bonuses but no Unique Units or Technologies in Return of Rome.

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

Based on feedback, Romans will be added to the ranked queue in a future update.

Villagers must deposit resources into specific drop-off sites, including Town Center, Storage Pit, Granary, and Dock.

Economic upgrades are now available at the Market instead of drop-off sites, allowing for various resource gathering enhancements.

The Romans can upgrade their Long Swordsman to the new Unique Unit, the Legionary, replacing the Two-Handed Swordsman and Champion.

The Return of Rome DLC is set to release on May 16th, allowing players to defeat opponents as the Romans.

Meet the Centurion, the Romans' new Unique Castle Unit that increases Movement and Attack Speed of nearby Militia-line Units.

The Return of Rome DLC featuring the Romans is set to release on May 16th.

The Return of Rome DLC will be available on May 16th, featuring a tribute to the original Age of Empires.

Bombard Towers now have 100% accuracy instead of 92% when Greek Fire is researched.

Walls always had lower selection priority than nearby objects.

Units will continue attacking until the building is complete.

Trees were invisible and un-targetable when the Small Trees option was enabled.

Up-path-distance 0 now returns the correct value instead of always returning 65535.

Command group selection wasn’t firing unless shift group appending was enabled.

Units may not be added back to a formation after killing a target or going idle.

Fixed various issues with Organ Guns including hill bonuses, damage, and projectile behavior.

Villagers would leave gaps and sometimes stay idle.

A new civilization added in honor of the Rise of Rome's popularity in Vietnam.

Includes campaigns for Sargon of Akkad, Pyrrhus of Epirus, and Trajan with new missions.

The Roman civilization will be playable in the main Age of Empires II: DE title.

Pre-order the Return of Rome DLC for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, featuring new campaigns and civilizations.

A new game mode that reduces rush tactics and allows players to start more robustly.

Players who sign in to Xbox Live during the Spicy Expeditions event will keep all mods and profile icons earned.

The Spicy Expeditions event is live and will run until April 25th, offering rewards for participation.

Includes small trees and idle economy units pointers.

Celebrate Spring with daily challenges to unlock saffron fields, burning chilis, and colorful shops.

Numerous bug fixes based on community feedback.

Ranked matchmaking will be disabled one hour before the maintenance window to prevent disruption to matches.

Players will be able to launch the game but will not be able to access matchmaking or online features during the maintenance.

Multiplayer servers will be down for a large infrastructure update on March 22, expected downtime of 6 hours.

Fixed an issue where villagers would stop their automated tasks to help build when queueing multiple buildings.

Various balance changes have been made to improve gameplay.

Event running from March 7 through March 21 with exclusive rewards for completing in-game tasks.

Participate in the Upside Down Event from January 9 to January 23 to unlock exclusive goodies by completing in-game tasks.