1. Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition
  2. News

Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition News

Celebrate the Return of Rome By Pre-Ordering Now!



Where were you in 1998? Perhaps listening to Cher’s Believe, watching Titanic, playing with your Tamagotchi and relaxing on your inflatable couch? Or were you playing the Age of Empires DLC The Rise of Rome? This beloved evolution of the first Age of Empires game has taken on a new form and joined the Definitive Edition era in the Return of Rome DLC for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition.

Yes, you read that correctly, Age of Empires content available in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition. Bringing the civilizations and action of ancient worlds to AoE II: DE. Purchasers will be able to switch to Return of Rome in the game’s main screen and take on fresh challenges.

[h2]What can you expect from this new and innovative DLC? [/h2]
  • 3 new campaigns created specifically for Return of Rome. Sargon of Akkad (Sumerians), Pyrrhus of Epirus (Macedonians) and Trajan (Romans). With new missions to tackle and stories told through the familiar AoE II: DE style, you’ll be able to live more moments from history.
  • All 16 original Age of Empires civilizations from the Assyrians to the Yamato. Get to grips with the civilizations that started the Age of Empires journey.
  • One new civilization, the Lac Viet. In honor and recognition of Rise of Rome’s phenomenal popularity in Vietnam, we’ve added a new civilization with Return of Rome. Adding something new for established and beginner players.
  • New D3 Game Mode. D3 is an homage to a fan favorite rule set that is now fully integrated into the game.  This rule set reduces rush tactics and allows players to start their early game more robustly, only allowing fighting with a single unit until entering the Bronze Age, ensuring players reach later Ages for equal battles.  This rule set also bans walls and towers, making for exciting match ups later in the game.
  • The Roman civilization will be playable in the main AoE II: DE title. If you’ve ever wondered how the Romans might fare against the Aztecs, now’s your opportunity to find out.

Catch a glimpse of what Return of Rome has to offer in our teaser trailer:
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h2]How to Pre-Order[/h2]
Return of Rome is available to pre-order now on Steam! This innovative DLC is available to prepurchase, or as a bundle with Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition. Rome is calling. It’s time to return.
Pre-order the Return of Rome today and be ready to conquer your opponents and forge a new Roman Empire on May 16, 2023!


https://store.steampowered.com/app/2141580/Age_of_Empires_II_Definitive_Edition__Return_of_Rome/

https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/31630/Age_of_Empires_II_Definitive_Edition__Return_of_Rome_Bundle/

Server Maintenance - Wednesday, April 26



WHAT: Server Maintenance (Matchmaking Servers)
WHEN: Wednesday, April 26 @ 2:00p PT / 5:00p ET / 21:00 UTC (Countdown)
EST. DOWNTIME: 1-2 HOURS

[h3]GAMES & PLATFORMS IMPACTED[/h3]
[h3]OBJECTIVES[/h3]
  • Routine server updates and maintenance.

[h3]DETAILS[/h3]This coming Wednesday, April 26th, 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!

Spicy Expeditions Event



Heat getting to you already? 🌶️ 🔥 The Spicy Expeditions event is rollin' out and away forever on April 25th, so don't forget to grab your rewards before then!  

[h2]        🌶️Now through April 25🌶️[/h2]


Keep It All!

Remember: if you sign in to Xbox Live during the event, you’ll get to keep all of the mods and profile icons you’ve achieved! Sign in, earn your rewards, and have fun!

We hope you enjoy the Spicy Expeditions Event!

—The Age of Empires Team

Age of Empires 2 gets some all-timer patch notes as it finally stops monks hiding in relics and dying when they drop them




ge of Empires 2 Definitive Edition was released in 2019, and is as faithful a remaster of 1999's Age of Empires 2 as you'll get: To the extent it shares many of the original game's beloved bugs and foibles. One that lay dormant for the longest time, however, was only discovered after a tournament last year. The excellently named Walhalla featured a game in which a player's monk goes to return a relic to a monastery and, as he does so, keels over and dies...
Read more.

Age of Empires 2 DE update packs huge balance changes for classic RTS

A huge, "exciting and fun-filled" Age of Empires 2 Definitive Edition update packs in plenty of big balance changes, a Spicy Expeditions Event to celebrate springtime and historical spice merchants, and several mods integrated as in-game options. Already one of the best strategy games on PC, Age of Empires 2 DE patch 81058 promises plenty to keep players happy on Steam, the Microsoft store, and PC Game Pass via the Xbox app.


Read the rest of the story...


RELATED LINKS:

Major Age of Empires 2: DE update brings new co-op event and campaigns

Age of Empires 2 cheats - everything you need to know

Huge Age of Empires 2: DE update adds co-op campaigns, gameplay systems, more