Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition News

The Age of Empires IV Season Two Update has landed, bringing with it exciting new content, additional ways to customize your gameplay, a plethora of features, and so much more!

It all starts today July 12th, and runs through October 24th, 2022.

Keep reading for more details on what’s coming your way, including Seasonal Events, Ranked Seasons, Update Notes, and more.

[h2]Season Two Events: Map Monsters[/h2]


Join us for our second round of seasonal content in Age of Empires IV with Season Two: Map Monsters! Take part in exciting new challenges and unlock exclusive rewards! The first round kicks off today, July 12th and runs for two weeks.



[h3]Season Two Events:[/h3]

[h4]AGE OF DISCOVERY EVENT[/h4]
July 12 – July 26

[h4]BY STARS AND SEA EVENT[/h4]
August 9 – August 30

[h4]WONDERS OF THE DEEP EVENT[/h4]
September 1 – September 22

[h4]MODERN MONSTERS EVENT[/h4]
September 27 – October 18

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[h2]Ranked Season - Starting July 14![/h2]

Ranked Seasons make their triumphant return to Age of Empires IV on July 14th, ending alongside Season Two on October 24th, 2022.

Take part in Ranked Matches as you climb your way up through the ranks in search of epic loot and the coveted Conqueror title!



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[h2]Season Two Update Notes[/h2]


Our Season Two update introduces key features and quality of life improvements that give you more say in how you play, including more customization options. No matter how you choose to play Age IV, be it single player, campaign, or ranked, we’ve got you covered.

Here are just a few things coming your way in this update:

• Map Preference System
• Player Color Picker
• Remappable Hotkeys
• Fully Unlocked Campaigns

[h5]How to Download Update:[/h5]
[expand]
Remember that you’ll need to update your game in Steam:

• Open Steam.
  
• Click on Library to see your games list.
  
• Click Downloads at the bottom of the Library window.
  
• [If the new build does not download automatically,] click the Download Now button to manually download the new update.
  
• Open the game. The title screen should show you on Build 17718.
  

That’s it; you’re ready to play![/expand]

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[h2]Buy Now![/h2]
Ready to join all the fun? Age of Empires IV is available NOW on Steam!

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

Welcome to an exciting Season Two starting tomorrow, July 12th! We’re kicking off with an update full of new key features, quality of life improvements, more customization options, and even more say in how you play – you won’t want to miss out! No matter how you choose to play Age IV, be it single player, campaign, or ranked, we’ve got you covered. Here are a few highlights that you can look forward to in tomorrow’s update!

• Map Preference System
  
• Player Color Picker
  
• Remappable Hotkeys
  
• Fully Unlocked Campaigns
  
• Age of Discovery Event
  

The wait is almost over for Ranked Season Two! You can jump into all the fun on July 14th! More information will be on its way then – so stay tuned!
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💬 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

NOTE: Upon updating to this patch, you will no longer be able to utilize replays from previous updates. At times, saves will also be impacted, though we’ve taken additional steps to ensure your campaign saves are not impacted by this particular update. Skirmish saves from the previous patch are impacted and will no longer be accessible after you 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!

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Today's hotfix resolves an important issue causing crashes or problems loading when launching Age of Empires IV from either the Microsoft Store or the Xbox app. Should you continue to experience this, other issues, or simply wish to share feedback with our team: please check out our Support Articles or Send us a Ticket!

In early August, we’ll be releasing a patch which is set to include some of the hotkey fixes and balance changes you’ve been asking for. The focus of this patch will be to resolve important issues such as a Prelate Attack move bug, as well as issues found in the Remappable Hotkey Layout. You'll be able to remap your hotkeys to cancel construction as well as map hotkeys for many more civ-specific commands. We’ll also be addressing issues on queuing production units by holding down hotkeys or Shift to batch produce, and we're also tracking down other issues like Shift interfering with Grid Keys under the Grid Key Layout to be resolved in future patches.

[previewyoutube][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Some exciting changes are afoot for Age of Empires IV: Season Two! On Tuesday, July 12, you’ll be able to experience a ship full of new features, including balance changes, quality of life additions, and a brand new start to show your skills off in a new Ranked Season ladder! Here’s what you can expect:

• Remappable Hotkeys
  
• Map Preference System
  
• Player Color Picker
  
• New Map: The Pit
  
• Fully Unlocked Campaigns
  

[h2]Ranked Season Two[/h2]



We’ll be resetting the Ranked Ladder and starting Ranked Season Two shortly after the major update. Season Two will officially begin Thursday, July 14 for those seeking another chance at Conqueror!

Want to know how you did in Season One? Or have any other Ranked Season questions?

[h2]Season 2 Map Rotations[/h2]

To prepare you for what’s to come, here’s the maps that you can expect to find in Ranked and Quick Matches Season Two.

[expand][h2]Ranked Maps[/h2]

• Altai
  
• Dry Arabia
  
• High View
  
• Hill and Dale
  
• Lipany
  
• Mongolian Heights (updated!)
• King of the Hill (now in Ranked!)
• Ancient Spires (updated!)
• The Pit (new map!)

[/expand]
[expand][h2]Quick Match Maps[/h2]

• Altai
  
• Dry Arabia
  
• High View
  
• Hill and Dale
  
• Lipany
  
• Mongolian Heights
  
• Ancient Spires
  
• Black Forest
  
• Boulder Bay
  
• Confluence
  
• French Pass
  
• King of the Hill
  
• Mountain Pass
  
• Nagari
  
• Danube River
  
• The Pit (new map!)
• MegaRandom (now in Quick Match!)

[/expand]

[h2]Season Two Event Dates[/h2]



We’ve got some whimsical event rewards planned for this season too! This time around we’re moving into thhe mythical realm with map-monster themed events and seasonal rewards!

[h5]AGE OF DISCOVERY EVENT[/h5]
July 12 – July 26

[h5]BY STARS AND SEA EVENT[/h5]
August 9 – August 23

[h5]WONDERS OF THE DEEP EVENT[/h5]
September 7 – September 21

[h5]MODERN MONSTERS EVENT[/h5]
October 4 – October 18
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Come celebrate with us and join Sage and the Age of Empires team for Trivia on Twitter, starting July 6 at 10:00 AM PST (Noon CST / 17:00 UTC)!

WHAT: Server Maintenance (Matchmaking Servers)
WHEN: Wednesday, July 6 @ 2:00p PT / 5:00p ET / 21:00 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, July 6th, 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!

Summer is here and Steam has your back! The Steam Summer Sale is on now with discounts on all your favorite Age titles, plus 25% off Age of Empires IV! Grab your sunblock and your computer – the Steam Summer Sale is here for all that summertime fun! Don’t miss out – sale ends July 7!

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

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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/

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https://store.steampowered.com/app/933110/Age_of_Empires_III_Definitive_Edition/
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/

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