Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition News

Happy Patch Day! We’ve got our first update of 2024 loaded with balance improvements for our awesome line up of new and variant civilizations released with The Sultans Ascend expansion last year. Not only that, but we’re bringing a whole host of AI improvements, map fixes, and a stellar seasonal event to the mix.

Read on to learn more!

💬 DISCUSS: Official Forum
💬 DISCUSS: Steam Forum
🗣 JOIN: 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

Please Note: As part of updating to this latest build, any saved games and observable matches made on previous builds will be unable to be loaded or replayed.

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!

[hr][/hr]

         ◆Patch 9.2.628◆

[hr][/hr]

[h2]Season Theme and Event[/h2]
[h3]New! Lunar Faire 2024[/h3]
We’re excited to have you all join us for Lunar Faire in a few short days with an awesome seasonal event set to start February 1st and run through February 22nd! Make way for the Year of the Dragon!


[h3]Login Reward[/h3]

Log in on February 16 to receive a profile icon of a Chinese lantern with firecrackers going off!

[h3]Map Pool Rotation[/h3]
With a new update comes an opportunity to refresh the map pools! This update features two maps that have not seen ranked play yet: Forts and Waterholes.

Some familiar maps have made their return — giving brand new civilizations a chance to flex their refreshing gameplay on familiar battlegrounds.

[h3]1v1 Ranked Map Pool [/h3]
Maps rotating out for 9.2

1. Hidden Valley
   
2. Rocky River
   
3. Canal
   
4. Golden Heights
   

Maps rotating in

1. Forts
   
2. Boulder Bay
   
3. Mongolian Heights
   
4. Four Lakes
   

[h3]New 1v1 Ranked Map Pool[/h3]

• Dry Arabia
  
• Cliffside
  
• Himeyama
  
• Forts
  
• Gorge
  
• Boulder Bay
  
• Mongolian Heights
  
• Golden Pit
  
• Four Lakes
  

[h3]Team Ranked Map Pool[/h3]
Maps rotating out for 9.2

1. Hidden Valley
   
2. Volcanic Island
   
3. Hideout
   
4. Golden Heights
   

Maps rotating in

1. Forts
   
2. Canal
   
3. Hill and Dale
   
4. Waterholes
   

[h3]New Team Ranked Map Pool[/h3]

• Dry Arabia
  
• Cliffside
  
• Himeyama
  
• Forts
  
• Gorge
  
• Canal
  
• Hill and Dale
  
• Golden Pit
  
• Waterholes
  

[h2]Xbox Update: Xbox Home Share[/h2]
After we launched The Sultans Ascend expansion last year, we heard that Xbox Home share wasn’t working as expecting. This has been fixed in this latest update.

[h2]Design Update[/h2]

• Our main focus this update has been to improve the balance of new Civilizations.
  
• The Japanese sacred choice design has been reworked, with six new technologies that are unlocked at either the Shinto Shrine or Buddhist Temple; based on your Castle Age Landmark selection.

[h2]Crash Fixes[/h2]
We’ve identified and fixed a number of high frequency crashes and desyncs, this should lead to better game stability with this update.

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!

[h3]:alertalert: DISCLAIMER[/h3]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.

WHAT: Server Maintenance (Matchmaking Servers)
WHEN: Wednesday, January 17 @ 2:00p PT / 5:00p ET / 22:00 UTC (Countdown)
EST. DOWNTIME: 1-2 HOURS

[h3]GAMES & PLATFORMS IMPACTED[/h3]

• 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)
  

[h3]OBJECTIVES[/h3]

• Routine server updates and maintenance.

[h3]DETAILS[/h3]This coming Wednesday, January 17th, 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!

It's lovely weather to browse the Steam Winter Sale together with you! 🎵 Snag up to 75% savings on the Age of Empires franchise.

Don’t wait – sale ends January 4th at 10 AM PT (18:00 UTC).

[hr][/hr]

[h2]Age of Empires IV[/h2]

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

[hr][/hr]

[h2]Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition[/h2]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/813780/Age_of_Empires_II_Definitive_Edition/
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/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2141580/Age_of_Empires_II_Definitive_Edition__Return_of_Rome/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2555420/Age_of_Empires_II_Definitive_Edition__The_Mountain_Royals/

[hr][/hr]

[h2]Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition[/h2]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2477660/Age_of_Empires_III_Definitive_Edition_Base_Game/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1581450/Age_of_Empires_III_Definitive_Edition__United_States_Civilization/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1581451/Age_of_Empires_III_DE__The_African_Royals/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1817370/Age_of_Empires_III_Definitive_Edition__Mexico_Civilization/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1817361/Age_of_Empires_III_Definitive_Edition__Knights_of_the_Mediterranean/

[hr][/hr]

[h2]Age of Empires: Definitive Edition[/h2]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1017900/Age_of_Empires_Definitive_Edition/

[hr][/hr]

[h2]Age of Mythology[/h2]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/266840/Age_of_Mythology_Extended_Edition/

A new survey is available for Age of Empires IV! We're excited to hear your thoughts about Season Six and the new expansion and use your feedback in developing future content for the game.

Today’s hotfix (December 11th) includes a small change necessary for the Tons o’ Toys seasonal event. Full details about the Tons o’ Toys event can be found on our previous release notes for Patch 9.1.370.

💬 DISCUSS: Official Forum
💬 DISCUSS: Steam Forum
🗣 JOIN: 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

Please Note: As part of updating to this latest build, any saved games and observable matches made on previous builds will be unable to be loaded or replayed.

[hr][/hr]

         ◆Hotfix 9.1.404◆

[hr][/hr]

[h2]Official Mod: Free Camera[/h2]
In Patch 9.1.370 we mentioned a new official mod called “Free Camera”. In case you missed that announcement, the mod is out now for you to enjoy!
[h2]Known Issues[/h2]
Tons o’ Toys Challenge Long Trip Not Unlocking
We are aware that the in-game text for “Long Trip” incorrectly indicates this challenge is unlocked by playing a 2v2 multiplayer Empire Wars match. The correct unlock requirement is:

• 🔒 Play a 2v2 multiplayer match versus 2 AI opponents.

[h2]Upcoming [/h2]
Late January/Early February Patch
We are planning for our next minor patch to release in early 2024, with a target of late January or early February.

[h3]:alertalert: DISCLAIMER[/h3]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.