What changed in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition in 2024

Addressed a crash related to players disconnecting while using voice chat on Xbox.

Addressed a crash that occurred during Pyres on the Coast.

Fixed an issue where some players may not see recent changes to Victors And Vanquished campaigns.

Fixed various Out of Sync (OOS) issues in multiplayer.

Existing players will receive any of the three mentioned DLCs that they do not already own.

Introduction of new features for the game editor and modding capabilities.

Introducing Achaemenids, Athenians, and Spartans (not available in ranked play).

Implementation of several bug fixes to improve gameplay experience.

Fresh approach to storytelling with new music and animated cutscenes.

A new narrative experience set in ancient history from our partner CaptureAge.

Three brand new civs are coming with Chronicles: Battle for Greece, launching on November 14th.

Covers over a century of history with engaging storytelling.

Chronicles: Battle for Greece has officially launched, offering an immersive narrative expansion set in classical antiquity.

Over the past five years, 10 new civilizations and 16 campaigns have been added to the game.

Includes 55 new land units, 19 new naval units, and 85 new buildings.

Multiple new game modes have been introduced, including Empire Wars, Battle Royale, and D3.

Features customizable Town Centers and government policies.

New players purchasing the game will automatically receive Lords of the West, Dawn of the Dukes, and Dynasties of India DLCs.

Includes six military ship types, such as ramming and catapult ships.

New immersive narrative expansion that transports players to classical antiquity.

New scenario editor objects and cinematic moments have been added to improve visual storytelling.

A spectacular cast of voice actors has been introduced, enhancing character portrayal.

The campaign includes 21 scenarios focusing on character development and interactions.

Chronicles: Battle for Greece is set to release on November 14, 2024, featuring a narrative-driven campaign.

The DLC features animated cutscenes styled after Persian rock reliefs and Greek vase paintings.

Includes scenarios such as Marathon, Thermopylae, and Salamis, recreating famous battles of the fifth century BCE.

Upcoming DLC featuring historical campaigns and scenarios set in ancient Greece, releasing on November 14th.

Units like Knights are now Lancers; technologies have been renamed for historical accuracy.

Remodeled units and naval combat redesigned to fit the classical antiquity theme.

Dialogue filled with historical references, including oaths and insults from ancient sources.

New units like Cretan Archers, Scythian Axe Cavalry, and Rhodian Slingers added for campaign play.

The expansion is set to launch on November 14th.

One of the new civilizations coming in the Chronicles: Battle for Greece expansion.

Lemboi are small, cheap ships ideal for scouting, available for free upon constructing the first Port.

An enormous Imperial Age unit capable of long-range building destruction and boosting nearby ships' attack rates.

Players can now create naval units from both the Port and Shipyard, enhancing naval gameplay.

New resource providing gold at sea, collectible by Fishing Ships or Villagers near shore.

Ships designed for ramming attacks, effective against Lemboi and essential for engaging Catapult Ships.

Merchant Ships now bring back wood and gold when trading, with adjustable ratios for resource prioritization.

Large ships available from the Classical Age that can devastate enemy navies with long-range attacks.

Main ranged ships effective against ramming ships, crucial for naval combat.

Inspired by ancient burning rafts, these ships can cause significant damage to enemy fleets.

New classes include Lemboi, Ramming Ships, Galleys, Incendiary Ships, Catapult Ships, and Leviathans.

Learn more about the playstyle, unique units, and history of the Achaemenids.

Chronicles: Battle for Greece is launching on November 14th.

Announcing the next DLC for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, featuring a narrative expansion set in classical antiquity.

A new resource that can be gathered at sea, enhancing gameplay options.

The DLC introduces Achaemenids, Athenians, and Spartans, featured in a 21-scenario campaign.

Includes animated cutscenes, new music, and voice acting for a richer narrative experience.

The Achaemenids, Athenians, and Spartans will not be available for Ranked gameplay to maintain balance.

Includes 55 new land units, 19 new naval units, and 85 new buildings.

The campaign covers over a century of history, including famous battles like Marathon and Thermopylae.

Features customizable Town Centers and government policies for enhanced empire control.

Includes six types of military ships and new trading options with merchant ships.

Fixed an issue where the game would freeze in certain situations, mostly when playing custom scenarios.

Changed the default Cancel build hotkey in HD hotkey preset to unassigned.

Changed the default Drop Off Resources hotkey for HD preset from A to Z to prevent conflict.

Bamboo tree graphics (including felled and stumps) are no longer reduced by Small Trees option.

Fixed an issue where tool tips would remain on screen even after changing menus.

Bridges are now displayed on the minimap with the same color as shallows terrain.

Menu narrator no longer plays if the window is out of focus.

Fixed an issue where 1 HP Mongol light cav/steppe lancers die when reaching imperial age.

Fixed an issue where the game language was resetting to the system language at the game launch.

Addressed various crashes related to cloud saves.

Fixed an issue where loading data mods would result in error messages.

Fixed an oversight where Fortified Churches were excluded from the 'All Back to Work' button.

1v1 Empire Wars is available again, replacing the Red Bull Wololo: El Reinado ladder.

The game no longer crashes on the load screen during the Launch Chunk while in ‘Ready to Play’ state of the install.

Fixed an issue where hotkeys could not be set via the mouse.

Fixed an issue where AI would not create military ships.

Fixed an issue where sending a gold miner carrying gold to a dock keeps mining it like a gold vein.

The civilization selection dialog sports a new look with the ability to mark civilizations as starred.

Fixed an issue where Italians don't get discounted fishing ships when created using a hotkey.

Fixed an issue where units would randomly switch to a staggered formation.

Fixed an issue where a black screen softlock could be encountered when restoring a save file of a custom campaign.

Fixed a crash which could occur when targeting movable objects on impassable tiles.

Fixed an issue where Voice Chat to Text setting couldn’t be enabled without a game restart.

Fixed an issue where using the Hotkey to Produce Fishing Ships at the Dock Produces 'Antiquity Mode Fishing Ships' Instead.

The game will no longer momentarily display a black screen on lower spec machines while switching between modes.

Fixed an issue where the mouse could not be used in the settings menu.

Corrected the 4v4 map size given in the Ranked Team Queue menu from 'normal' to 'large'.

Fixed an issue where 2013 Xbox One consoles were unintentionally able to join 3v3 and 4v4 ranked queues.

Fixed an issue with the rebuilding fish trap hotkey.

Added the Custom civilization selection mode, which chooses randomly from starred civilizations.

The Red Bull Wololo tournament returns in 2024, featuring competitions across multiple Age of Empires titles.

A new feature for the community to keep track of esports tournaments across multiple Age of Empires titles.

Decreased the chance of villagers generating trapped inside forests.

Fixed forests sometimes failing to generate for one player.

Decreased the chance of villagers generating trapped inside forests.

Fixed player’s gold and stone deposits sometimes generating in an inaccessible part of the map.

Fixed forests sometimes failing to generate for one player and adjusted shallows generation.

Decreased the chance of villagers generating trapped inside forests.

Fixed resources sometimes failing to generate or generating imbalanced between the players.

Fixed villagers sometimes not generating in the appropriate number.

Fixed villagers sometimes not generating in the appropriate number.

Decreased the chance of villagers generating trapped inside forests.

Fixed resources sometimes failing to generate or generating imbalanced between the players.

Addressed an error when attempting to update SSL certificates in multiplayer.

Resolved a freeze that could occur during multiplayer games on Xbox.

Addressed a freeze that could occur when a certain number of Team maps were banned.

Addressed a freeze that could occur during long gameplay sessions with Narration options enabled.

Addressed an issue in Victors & Vanquished where certain scenario-specific buildings had their Command Menus disabled when playing with a controller.

Resolved an issue where some special units & technologies from Victors & Vanquished scenarios would not appear in the radial menu when playing with a controller.

Resolved a crash that could occur when villagers were trying to reach an obstructed area near the corners of the map.

Addressed an issue that could result in freezes or crashes during gameplay.

Resolved an issue that allowed units to be fused as a single entity in one tile following a certain order of commands.

Slightly reduced the number of forage bushes on the map.

Increased width of unbuildable terrain and fixed related issues.

Fixed navigation issues in the Radial Menu when using a controller.

Y button now produces the intended unit for each building regardless of Age or civilization.

Fixed an issue preventing the game from starting on certain Windows 10 and earlier systems.

Fixed incorrect terrains occasionally appearing out of place on the map.

Addressed a variety of crashes affecting gameplay stability.

Fixed mills and mining camps generating off-grid.

Neutral huntable animals now spawn in groups of three instead of four.

Elevation now scales more appropriately on larger map sizes.

Added measures to prevent villagers from generating trapped inside forests in Empire Wars.

Fixed forests acting like straggler trees and other related issues.

Middle of the map now scales more appropriately on larger map sizes.

Fixed relics sometimes being inaccessible after generating inside forests.

Relics are now more evenly spread out across the map.

Fixed a bug causing villagers to generate on top of forest trees in Empire Wars.

Fixed foragers or miners not generating in the appropriate number in Empire Wars.

Heavily decreased chance of villagers generating trapped between forest trees.

Player's starting stone deposit reduced from five to three tiles.

Player's starting gold deposit reduced from seven to five tiles.

Clamping mouse to window now works properly with multi-monitor setups.

Fixed villagers not properly depositing resources to mills and mining camps.

Resolved a crash when loading old Return of Rome saves in Single Player mode.

Shorefish now consistently spawn on the player's side of the river.

Adjusted resources for more balanced distribution between players.

Animated Profile Icons are now moving as intended in the Player Icons menu.

Added measures to prevent villagers from generating trapped inside forests.

Fixed the relic on Capture the Relic being entrapped and impossible to retrieve.

Fixed a bug that caused forests to not generate correctly for all players.

Fixed an issue where units could repeatedly attempt to attack a neutral map object they cannot interact with.

Fixed a crash when loading old Return of Rome saves in Single Player mode.

Relics are now more evenly spread out across several maps.

Fixed stone not generating on the small islets when said islets are generating too close to the edge of the map.

Fixed islets not generating appropriately when playing on larger map sizes.

Addressed an issue where foragers were not dropping off food to a nearby mill.

The player's starting stone deposit has been reduced from five to three tiles.

Fixed relics sometimes not being retrievable when generating on shallows that were too small.

Fixed relics sometimes being inaccessible after generating inside forests.

Clamping mouse to window now works properly with multi-monitor setups on any monitor.

The player's starting gold deposit has been reduced from seven to five tiles.

Slightly reduced the number of forage bushes on the map.

Addressed a variety of crashes affecting gameplay.

Addressed performance issues affecting users on Windows 10 and earlier systems.

Fixed the relic on Capture the Relic being entrapped and impossible to retrieve.

Added preventative measures to ensure villagers no longer generate trapped inside forests when playing Empire Wars.

A Controller Only ladder is available for Xbox players, but it is not eligible for qualification.

The Team Game ladder will receive an update to the map pool, but it is not associated with the tournament.

Various balance changes have been made, details available in the complete patch notes.

The map pool for the Empire Wars ladder is being updated to include the Red Bull Wololo: El Reinado tournament maps.

The 1v1 ranked ladder for Empire Wars will be temporarily replaced by a new ladder for the Red Bull Wololo: El Reinado tournament, with an updated map pool.

The top four players with the highest Elo rating by July 28 will be invited to the tournament in Spain.

The 1v1 ranked ladder for Empire Wars will be temporarily replaced for the Red Bull Wololo: El Reinado tournament.

Farms can now be automatically placed around a Mill or a Town Center by holding Shift (LT for Xbox) and clicking the Farm over the Building.

All scouting units can now use the Auto Scout functionality instead of just the starting one.

An intense 4v4 scenario where players start with fortresses and unique units spawn automatically to engage in battles.

A less intensive scenario where players use Bombard Cannons to score points by destroying opponents' cannons.

A chaotic scenario for up to 8 players where each player spawns with a random unit and aims to destroy opponents' outposts.

Participate in the new Custom Map Challenge where players aim to revolutionize the fish trade in the Indonesian archipelago.

Shepherds will automatically go to another Sheep even if the 'Drop Off' command was used after depleting a Sheep.

The Return of Rome achievements should be triggering once again.

After using the 'Drop Off' or 'Back to Work' commands, villagers will return to the same target they were previously working on.

After depleting a Boar, Hunters will no longer automatically hunt another live Boar if the 'Drop Off' command was used.

Hunters will not change their role after dropping off food manually by right-clicking the Town Center.

Resolved an issue where villagers could hunt trees down and gather food from them under certain circumstances.

Includes two solo scenarios that expand on the battle with voice acting, extra objectives, scripted events, and more.

Play 2v2, co-op vs AI, or solo vs AI as the Turks or the Byzantines during the Siege of Constantinople (1453).

Fixed issues with villagers hunting trees and other unintended behaviors after using the Drop Off command.

Solutions to recently reported hotkey issues have been implemented.

Return of Rome achievements should be triggering once again.

Bugfixes to the new Victors and Vanquished scenarios.

Introducing The Siege, a new multiplayer limited-time scenario set during the 1453 Siege of Constantinople.

Fixes to remove exploits from the new Drop Off command.

All players can now access all Event Reward Cheat Codes.

A new cheat code has been added, allowing players to use the Flemish Reformation.

Players must find Alcuin of York, Theodulf of Orléans, Paul the Deacon, and Petrus Grammaticus in the new scenario.

Players can now advance to the Imperial Age in the Charlemagne (768) scenario.

The new DLC introduces the Charlemagne scenario and the Four Scholars.

Players can now choose their own faction in the scenarios.

Various bug fixes have been applied to enhance the gameplay experience.

Each scenario features new unique and original mechanics, enhancing gameplay variety.

The DLC features 5 all-new scenarios designed for the game.

The newest DLC for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition is now available on Steam, featuring 14 UGC-inspired scenarios and 5 exclusive new scenarios.

The scenarios have undergone rebalancing to improve gameplay.

Each scenario in the DLC has been updated with full professional voice acting.

The DLC features bug fixes for existing scenarios to enhance stability.

The next DLC for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, Victors and Vanquished, will feature 14 UGC-inspired scenarios and 5 exclusive new scenarios.

Next DLC for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition featuring 14 UGC-inspired scenarios and 5 exclusive new scenarios.

DLC includes various quality of life improvements across scenarios.

The DLC includes 14 fully-updated and polished user-generated content scenarios.

Includes 19 fully-voiced single player campaign scenarios with original music and new mechanics.

New DLC featuring nineteen epic scenarios and characters like Ragnar Lothbrok and Oda Nobunaga.

The DLC includes new music tailored for the updated scenarios.

The DLC introduces new migration mechanics for players to explore.

The DLC includes several quality of life improvements for a better user experience.

Each scenario in the Victors and Vanquished DLC has been updated with full professional voice acting, music, rebalancing, bug fixes, achievements, and quality of life improvements.

Quick Command no longer appears when trying to build but cannot afford a Lumber Camp.

Units in line formation will regroup into a column after a move or attack move command of more than 30 tiles.

Fixed an issue where “Treason” was not available in the Castle’s radial menu in Regicide game mode.

Fixed an issue where setting a hotkey for Delete Unit command wasn’t working correctly.

Javelina in Return of Rome now has the correct icon.

Changed UI Crossplay checkbox to be un-interactable if cross-network play is blocked in Xbox privacy settings.

The correct music track now plays for Romans, Armenians, and Georgians in the History section.

Updated the checkbox graphics for main and secondary objectives.

Added a command for villagers to automatically force-drop and return to work immediately.

Fish Traps now display outlines when visually obstructed by buildings.

Horse and Hunnic Horse move sounds no longer play at the edge of the map.

Added a command to garrisonable buildings for all units to return to work.

Pending Invitations screen no longer displays ‘Create Warrior Priest’ text instead of ‘Name’.

Fixed an issue where players could bypass the pause limit on multiplayer matches.

Ungarrison hotkey now consistently works for Rams when having several garrisoned and ungarrisoned Rams selected together.

Military units now evenly spread themselves into nearby siege equipment or transports.

Fixed an issue where it was possible to pause the game endlessly in Multiplayer.

Fixed an issue where the game would crash when trying to select a “Granary”-object with Extended Unit Stats turned on.

Fixed a crash that would occur when a player joins a lobby and the host adds an AI.

Relics no longer have armor display on their UI with Extended Unit Stats enabled.

The HUD will no longer display units garrisoned in transports if many land units are simultaneously selected.

Create lobby submenu now shouldn’t remain open if the player is disconnected after hosting game.

Fortified Church is now shown correctly as age-up requirement for Armenians and Georgians in Xbox version.

Buildings can now be commanded to attack enemy buildings.

Fixed a desync that could occur with ranged unit animations on different framerates.

Background music now correctly loops in the Return of Rome campaign menu.

The match will no longer terminate for all players when one player goes out of sync; only the desynced player will be dropped.

Set Gather Point command no longer shown in Donjon’s radial menu on Xbox.

Fixed an issue where the button icon was not shown at the bottom of the Spectator Mode section in the Help Index.

Fixed a crash that could occur when loading a saved scenario game.

Convert hotkey for military units now functions correctly.

Minimap Camera Lock Behavior display button no longer shown when set to Fast Pan.

The availability/upgrade level bars in technology tree preview now have more distinguishable colors.

Conversion related warning messages about Atonement and Redemption are now shown in the notification area on Xbox.

The names of map size options now display their base dimension.

University now has the correct icon in the age-up requirement display on Xbox.

After purchasing a DLC from the Store, its campaign audio will now correctly load without rebooting the game.

Added a command for villagers to seek shelter.

A new multiplayer limited-time scenario, The Siege, will allow players to engage in the 1453 Siege of Constantinople as Turks or Byzantines.

Major update for Age of Empires IV and launch of Season 7 coming early Spring.

Limited time login reward available now for Age of Empires IV players.

Announcement of the Red Bull Wololo: El Reinado event coming later this year.

Sale on Age of Empires games and DLC up to 50% off until February 29th.

New single player focused DLC featuring 19 epic scenarios, launching on March 14th.

Announcement of Age of Mythology: Retold for Xbox and PC.

Introduction of Age of Empires Mobile, a new mobile war strategy game.

Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition is now free to play with new DLC coming in late 2024.

Fixed an issue with units on stand ground not always automatically attacking units within their range.

Gurjaras can now upgrade to Elite Shirvamsha Riders through the radial menu with a controller.

Fixed an issue with units prioritizing farms over other units/buildings when retargeting.

Fixed an issue with units teleporting.

Bengalis can now upgrade to Siege Elephants through the radial menu with a controller.

Fixed an issue with units regrouping after being issued a movement command.

Fixed an issue with Villagers getting stuck in a loop trying to reach a resource to gather from.

Participate in GamerLegion's latest challenge featuring medieval street racing with a prize pool.