Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition News

Age of Empires 4 is already a hit on Steam

If the years of Age of Empires fans begging for a sequel didn't give it away, people have spent a long time hungry for a new entry in the classic series of strategy games. Well, Age of Empires IV is here, and it's already burning up the Steam charts - the player count is bigger than any of the previous remasters and re-releases, and the game is sitting comfortably among Steam's top 20.

Age of Empires IV reached a peak concurrent player count of 54,851 shortly after launch, as SteamDB shows. That's the 17th biggest peak on Steam today - right between Rocket League and Rainbow Six Siege - and the biggest in series history. Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition previously reached a peak of 38,725 earlier this year. These numbers don't even account for players via Xbox Game Pass for PC.

That's one of the biggest debuts we've seen for a strategy game in Steam history, and it might just be the biggest launch for any RTS on the platform - assuming you're pedantic enough about 'tactics' versus 'strategy' to remove Total War: Warhammer and its 113,019 concurrent player debut from the running.

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Age of Empires 4 Mongols civilisation guide

The Mongol civilisation represents the greatest extent of Age of Empires IV's civilisation asymmetry. They are the horse lords from the steppes, nomads who managed to conquer and forge one of the biggest empires in history under Genghis Khan and his descendants. As such, they play very different to pretty much ever other civilisation, and are not for beginners.

For starters, they don't need to build houses - the Mongols start with the maximum population size. They get early access to both horsemen and lancers, and all of their buildings can pack up and relocate somewhere new. You don't want to be sitting passive with this civ - moving around and exploiting the terrain is key, but the Mongols' affinity for stone will focus your attention around the major sources of this resource on the map.

The Mongols are rated three out of three starts on the in-game difficulty rating. One of the few things that does play according to the same rules as everyone else is how they age up. You'll still need to build the landmarks as normal to progress through the ages.

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Age of Empires IV is Available Now

Emma Bridle, Director of Customer Voice, World’s Edge

The day is upon us, the sun has risen on a new Age. The whole team is so proud to announce that Age of Empires IV is now available on Steam.

This is the first new numbered Age of Empires title in 16 years, and we’re honored to have added a chapter to this globally beloved franchise. Players all over the world have been engaging in fierce battles, building expansive empires, and wololo-ing for close to 25 years and it’s thrilling to give our players more to enjoy.

To celebrate the launch of Age of Empires IV, we are taking over Times Square in NYC by spanning multiple city blocks of large digital screens, a living diorama, and an AR experience. Please share your experiences if you happen to be in NYC. For those in London, heading to Piccadilly Circus from November 2nd could be an experience for the ages.

Age of Empires IV has something for every strategy gaming fan. With eight diverse civilizations, four captivating campaigns, multiplayer, skirmish, maps, unlockable videos, Art of War challenges, masteries and more, we’re excited to see what you play first.

If you’re new to Age of Empires: first of all, welcome! Now that you’re with us, there’s plenty of ways for you to get started:

Head to the “Learn” tab in the opening menu to find our Intro Tutorial. Our narrator will guide you through the game’s foundational skills, like building your economy and entering combat, whilst you help a group of displaced villagers start anew.
Got the basics down? Our “Art of War” challenges, found in Single Player, will help you refine skills and earn medals as you improve on the expertise needed to be victorious in future battles.
You can also play our campaigns via “Story Mode,” allowing you to enjoy the challenges of the game, but with reduced difficulty as you focus on the historical journey and gameplay.
You could also face up against the AI in “Skirmish” mode. Choose your civ, your AI difficulty, your map and ready up!
Looking to test your mettle against other players? Jump into multiplayer and select “Quick Match” or create a Custom Game. How you play is up to you! From maps to win conditions, no game will be the same.
We’ve also provided a breakdown of the hotkeys here on Xbox Wire for easy reference.

If this isn’t your first voyage onto the battlefield, there’s plenty of new features for you to enjoy in Age of Empires IV. Try positioning your archers on top of walls to literally take your strategy to new heights. Place your units in stealth forests to ready the perfect ambush, your units will even whisper to evade discovery by your enemies. Move your entire civilization across the map whilst playing as the Mongols and choose your landmarks to age up and gain additional bonuses.

There’s so much to enjoy with Age of Empires IV and we can’t wait to hear from you as you get started. The team is ready and waiting to hear your feedback! Need support? Head to our dedicated Support Site to get you back to battle.

Wololo!

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

Age of Empires 4 tribute - how to pay tribute in AOE4

So, you want to know how to pay tribute in Age of Empires IV? Paying tribute is something you may encounter quite a few times during the new RTS game's campaigns, but it's also something you can do in multiplayer as well, as it involves sending resources to other players.

In the second Norman Conquest mission, for example, you can use the mechanic to pay off viking raiders to stop them attacking you on your way to York. In the second Rise of Moscow mission, you have to pay regular tribute to the Golden Horde otherwise they'll attack you with a strong army in retribution. Both instances place tribute as a crucial part of the mission, but if you've not had much time with the game you might initially be confused as to how you do this.

The first few times you're asked to do this in the game, a tooltip does pop up to point you in the right direction. These can sometimes be easy to miss or click off, however, and that's not taking into account anyone who's turned off hints altogether. We've put together a quick guide on how you pay tribute in Age of Empires IV - we hope you find it helpful.

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Age of Empires 4 system requirements are low enough for Bronze Age gaming PCs

Age of Empires 4 is finally here, and our review finds this latest entry in the beloved RTS series one worthy of its kingly stature. Prior to the game's imminent release, Microsoft has updated its system requirements which should aid players with ageing gaming PCs get started on building their own empires.

Changing the course of history won't need the best graphics card or best gaming CPU, as the game accommodates rigs of all ages. In fact, you might not need an upgrade at all thanks to the new minimum system requirements.

Following the Age of Empires 4 stress test earlier this year, the developer noted a large portion of its player base were still playing previous Age of Empires titles on older gaming laptops and rigs. This meant the game "needed to support a diverse set of PC configuration", according to Michael Mann, executive producer at World's Edge, in an interview with Xbox.

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