Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition News

Age of Empires IV – Patch 9369

Starting today, you can update Age of Empires IV with a new patch that includes a few high profile fixes. The patch will correspond with build v. 9369 (viewable in your settings tab in the upper right corner in-game).

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.

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Read on for a detailed view of the changes you’ll be able to try out starting today!

Age of Empires 4 patch notes drop early - pray for your Springalds

We're not sure if it was planned or an accident, but details for the next Age of Empires IV patch have dropped ahead of a planned deployment sometime this week. Notes for patch 9369 first appeared last Friday before being taken down and then re-uploaded again as a "preview". It would be easy to speculate about what happened, but the fact of the matter is they're here and we can see what new changes are coming.

This next update is smaller than the RTS game's recently released Winter update, focusing on some high-profile fixes that haven't been addressed yet. Most notably, the Springald unit has been changed quite significantly. Community members have already noted that the Springald appears to be especially effective, which has clearly filtered through to the developers as the unit is being re-focused as an 'anti-siege engine' unit.

The revision makes Springalds more expensive, slows them down, and reduces their movement. In return, they get increased damage against siege units specifically. The rest of the changes largely focus on cleaning up exploits, like deleted buildings returning too many resources and Chinese trader interactions with neutral and allied markets.

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Server Maintenance - Monday, December 6, 2021

WHAT: Server Maintenance (Matchmaking Servers)
WHEN: Monday, December 6, 2021, @ 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 Monday, December 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 1 to 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!

Go Vote for Age of Empires IV!

The 2021 Game Awards are in full swing and we are proud to announce the nomination of Age of Empires IV for the Best Sim/Strategy game category this year! We still need your help. Log on and go cast your vote. Don't miss out- voting ends Wednesday, December 8 at 6 PM PT (December 9, 02:00 UTC).

Vote Now!

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[h3]Tune in to the Game Awards live streaming event on Thursday, Dec 9 starting at 4:30 PM PT (December 10, 12:30 UTC).[/h3]
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Age of Empires IV's big winter update is bad for French boats and Delhi

The Age of Empires IV winter update is here, weeks before the start of winter. Many of the major changes had previously been teased, but now that the update has arrived we've got a big list of patch notes breaking down the exact details. The update addresses some of the community's biggest balance concerns, but leaves others on the table.

There's been no change to springalds, for example. The devs say they're "keeping a close eye on the ever-evolving meta, and are aware of a certain, specific siege unit out-performing its counterparts (springalds, for those searching for this specific topic). The team is looking to make sure it's reminded of its role as an anti-siege specialist and will be working with the workshop to deploy it in the future."

Another surprise nerf is to the Delhi Sultanate. The Sanctity technology is now only available starting in the Feudal age - meaning you've now only got one bonus age to capture Sacred Sites early.

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