Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition News

We’re thrilled to announce a new and exciting feature for our community—starting today, the Public Esports Tournament Calendar is live! Whether you’re a competitor or a fan, this calendar is your place for staying up to date with every exciting event in our competitive gaming scene.

Access the Public Esports Tournament Calendar here!

[h2]Why We’re Introducing the Public Tournament Calendar[/h2]
As the esports scene continues to grow, we’ve noticed the demand for a centralized place where all tournament schedules are readily available and shared well in advance. We understand that keeping track of multiple events across multiple platforms can be overwhelming.

That’s why we’re making it easier for everyone to stay in the loop – whether you’re a seasoned pro or a dedicated fan.

[h2]What does the calendar include?[/h2]
The calendar will include World’s Edge sponsored tournaments for:

• Age of Empires: Definitive Edition
• Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition
• Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition
• Age of Empires IV
• Age of Mythology: Retold

Be aware that some of the information displayed in the Public Esports Tournament Calendar is incomplete right now, to let the tournament host share more information with you at their own pace. All of the information displays what we can share at this moment and is subject to change.

[h2]Stay Connected![/h2]
With the launch of this new feature, we’re taking another step towards fostering a more connected and informed esports community. Whether you’re a competitor looking to plan your next big challenge or a fan eager to follow your favorite player or teams, this calendar will be your go-to source for all things esports.

We’re incredibly excited to roll this out and make esports even more accessible. Stay tuned for further updates and new features that will make following and participating in the esports scene easier than ever!

See you at the tournaments!
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Want a glimpse into all the upcoming World’s Edge sponsored esports tournaments? Have a look at the the Public Esports Tournament Calendar!

The Age of Empires IV Season Nine Public Update Preview (PUP) is set to run from Tuesday, September 17, through Tuesday, September 24, at 9 a.m. PT! Season Nine is shaping up to be one of our most ambitious gameplay updates to date. With far-reaching changes across several systems impacting every civilization in every game, we are bringing this PUP to you early in the hopes that we can gather meaningful feedback as we continue to work on the update.

Feedback at this stage is critical, as it will allow us to further hone balance, features and bug fixes prior to the official release of Season Nine. Many changes are experimental and may be adjusted as we gather data from the PUP, as well as some features and fixes already planned for Season Nine may not be present in this build. We’ll be considering your feedback not only as we continue the development of our Season Nine Update, but also as we consider mid-season patches.

Finally, note that this is a preview build of an upcoming update to Age of Empires IV. Some features in this preview are not yet final.

[h3]How to participate in PUP on September 17th[/h3]

PUP Release Notes will be made available in the Steam Forums! Please note that you will need to be logged in with a Steam account that owns Age of Empires IV to view.

To get started with the PUP build, owners on Steam can download the Age IV PUP by following the instructions below: 

1. Navigate to your Steam library and right click on Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition.
   
2. Select Properties… at the bottom of the menu.
   
3. Select the BETAS tab on the left.
   
4. In the Select the beta… dropdown menu, select future_live.
   
5. The build will begin downloading—once complete, you are ready to play!
   

Note:

• Replays in the PUP build are not compatible with the retail version.
  
• Players in the PUP version will only be able to match with those also on the PUP build.
  
• To revert back to retail, simply change your beta branch (step 4 above) back to “None.” 

Hello, and welcome to the latest set of changes and bug fixes planned for Season Eight! This patch includes more significant balance changes; map fixes and a map pool update; and two new events, including a seasonal Map Monsters game mode that starts today.

Read on for more, including a quick overview of some of what the team is investigating for this fall’s Season Nine.

💬 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!

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        ◆Patch 11.1.1201◆

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[h2]Season Eight[/h2]

[h3]New! Map Monsters 3.0[/h3]
The relaxing waves have brought back old friends but with new rewards! They might be monsters, but you’ll be the one sinking your teeth into the challenges while you take on the competition, login August 22nd at 10:00am PT (1:00 PM ET / 17:00 UTC) through September 17th at 10:00AM PT (1:00 PM ET / 17:00 UTC) to claim your bounty!

Search the map and find the monsters as they roam to receive new random Global buffs for your units:

• Gather Speed +100%
  
• Gather Capacity +50%
  
• Move Speed +40% to 75%
  
• Vision +30%
  
• Attack +25%
  
• Health +25% to 100%

The Map Monsters game mode can be selected in Quick Match or Custom; it is not available in Ranked. While Map Monsters can be played on any map, we recommend the experience on the following maps:

• Socotra
  
• Turtle Ridge
  
• Glade
  
• Archipelago
  
• Baltic
  
• Warring Islands
  
• Oasis

[h3]Something in the Water[/h3]
​As Summer comes to a close so will our time in the sun, but it’s not all doom and gloom! It looks like our map monster friends left us something in the water! Login September 18th at 10:00AM PT (1:00 PM ET / 17:00 UTC) through October 16th at 10:00AM PT (1:00 PM ET / 17:00 UTC) to catch your prize! 

[h3]Ranked Season Updates[/h3]
[h4]Map Pool Rotation[/h4]
This update brings with it a map pool rotation as well as some small changes to help keep the season fresh, including:

• Downvotes increase from 3 to 4
  
• Map pool size increases from 9 to 10
  

1v1 Ranked Map Pool

• Dry Arabia
  
• Four Lakes
  
• Golden Pit
  
• Gorge
  
• Hill and Dale
  
• Himeyama
  
• Lipany
  
• Mongolian Heights
  
• Rocky River
  
• Socotra

New Team Ranked Map Pool

• Ancient Spires
  
• Archipelago
  
• Dry Arabia
  
• Forest Ponds
  
• Gorge
  
• Himeyama
  
• King of the Hill
  
• Marshland
  
• Rocky River
  
• Waterholes
  

[h3]Design Update/Rework[/h3]
This update features a rework to how the Rus accrue bounty. Previously, Rus gained bounty upon defeating huntable animals and wolves. This led to a race at the start of every game where both players engaged in a minigame to see who could find and defeat the most hunt. With this new update, Rus gains bounty over time while gathering food from animals, so both players should have more time to vie for control over the hunt on the map.

Additionally, for all civilizations Professional Scouts functionality has been updated to be easier to use. Previously, a player had to right click on a deer, then shift click to the town center and repeat that process for every single deer to make use of the technology. Now, a player can simply right click on a deer once with the technology researched and the scout will bring the deer back to the Capital TC (default) or a drop-off location of your choice. To move an entire herd sequentially, a player can simply shift right-click the entire herd quickly and the scouts will do the rest.

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: Extended Server Maintenance (Matchmaking Servers)
WHEN: Wednesday, August 14 @ 11:00am PT / 2:00pm ET / 18:00 UTC (Countdown)
EST. DOWNTIME: 5 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, August 14th, 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 5 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!

The major update for Season Eight, is LIVE! In today’s update we’re celebrating warm weather and good friends, as well as preparing for the return of our Map Monsters, the Wild Man and Dragon Turtle. Plus, we’ll be starting Ranked Season Eight with a new map pool, a brand-new mini Summer Sights Event, balance changes, big fixes, and more!

[h2]Season Eight[/h2]

[h3]New! Summer Sights Event[/h3]
It’s time to release the Summer Festivities with many new rewards to enjoy! Before we can head to the beach and relax with our new summer look, we need to roll up our sleeves and get to work, these rewards won’t earn themselves.

Login July 18th at 10am PT (17:00 UTC) through August 12th at 10am PT (17:00 UTC) to stake your claim.

[h3]Ranked Season Eight[/h3]
Time to soak up the sun, Ranked Season Eight is going to be a scorcher! Following the end of Season Seven, Season Eight will kick off close behind and bringing with it a host of rewards for every rank and a little something extra for the highest rank you achieve this season in any ranked mode! Season Eight runs from July 18th at 11:00am PT (18:00 UTC) until October 17th at 10:00am PT (17:00 UTC).


[h4]Map Pool Rotation[/h4]
We have some updated maps hitting the pool with the start of Ranked Season Eight! Dive in and prepare for victory!

See you on the ladder!

1v1 Ranked Map Pool

• Arabia
  
• Cliffside
  
• Rocky River
  
• Himeyama
  
• Gorge
  
• Hill and Dale
  
• Canal
  
• The Pit
  
• Baltic
  

New Team Ranked Map Pool

• Arabia
  
• Cliffside
  
• Rocky River
  
• Canal
  
• Gorge
  
• Migration
  
• Hideout
  
• Forts
  
• Waterholes
  

[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.