Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition News

Hello Age fans and welcome to the giant celebration for the Age of Empires Anniversary extravaganza! We’re so excited to share everything we have in store for you over the next few weeks, but for now, here’s a sneak peek at all the in-game events with unique challenges and rewards starting on October 25th. Don’t miss out on all the fun in Age of Empires IV, Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, and Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition with celebratory cakes, castles, capybaras, and more!

[h2]Age of Empires IV[/h2]

[h3]Season Three: Anniversary Event[/h3]
[h3]🎉October 25 – November 28🎉[/h3]
This October marks the 25th Anniversary for Age of Empires! Come celebrate with us and enjoy everything we love about Age!

Challenges and Rewards highlight units from across the franchise, including an iconic cheat! You won't want to miss out in earning these spectacular Age-aversary rewards! As always, Wololo!

Part II is now live!

[h3]Ranked Season Three: October 26 - February 15[/h3]

Ranked Season Three is almost here -are you ready? The party starts on October 26 and runs until February 15. Grab your swords, garrison your castles, and bring all your friends, it’s time!
Plus, for the first time ever, you can earn Ranked Team rewards too!



[h3]Also included are unlockable taunts![/h3]
Earn taunts for achieving the rank of Bronze or higher in either Solo or Team Ranked when you participate in Season Three.

Rank Achieved (Solo or Team)

Taunt

How to Earn

Bronze+ (Solo or Team)

OP.

Granted for participating in Solo or Team Ranked in Season 3.

Bronze+ (Solo or Team)

Nice sheep.

Granted for participating in Solo or Team Ranked in Season 3.

Bronze+ (Solo or Team)

Remember when you had an army?

Granted for participating in Solo or Team Ranked in Season 3.

Bronze+ (Solo or Team)

Well that escalated quickly.

Granted for participating in Solo or Team Ranked in Season 3.

Bronze+ (Solo or Team)

STRAEEELBOOORRAAAA!

Granted for participating in Solo or Team Ranked in Season 3.

Bronze+ (Solo or Team)

Behold! My amazing army!

Granted for participating in Solo or Team Ranked in Season 3.

Bronze+ (Solo or Team)

This is fine...

Granted for participating in Solo or Team Ranked in Season 3.

Bronze+ (Solo or Team)

You know, this game has a good tutorial.

Granted for participating in Solo or Team Ranked in Season 3.

Bronze+ (Solo or Team)

It has been a pleasure.

Granted for participating in Solo or Team Ranked in Season 3.

Bronze+ (Solo or Team)

I ... did not see that coming.

Granted for participating in Solo or Team Ranked in Season 3

[h2]Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition[/h2]

[h3]The 25th Age of Empires Anniversary Event[/h3]
[h3]🎉October 25 – November 8🎉[/h3]

Huzzah! This October marks the 25th Anniversary for Age of Empires! Join us as we celebrate everything we love about Age!

Challenges and Rewards highlight units from across the franchise, including a very famous Town Bell. If you haven’t tried playing the other Age games, now’s a great time to check them out!

And of course, a big Birthday thanks to all for making Age of Empires so special, including you!

[h3]New Rewards![/h3]

October 25th through November 8th, complete the in-game tasks within the time limit to unlock exclusive rewards!



[h4]Keep it Forever![/h4]
Remember: if you sign in to Xbox Live at any point during the event, you get to keep all the mods and profile icons you unlock! Sign in, earn your rewards, and enjoy!

—The Age of Empires Team

[h2]Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition[/h2]

[h3]Ageiversary Event[/h3]
[h3]🎉October 25th – November 20th🎉[/h3]

Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition is celebrating 25 years of Age of Empires with the coming of the new community event, Ageiversary! For a limited time, you can unlock new portraits and explorer customizations by completing the community challenges!

[h3]New Rewards![/h3]

October 25th through November 20th, complete the in-game tasks within the time limit to unlock exclusive rewards!



[h4]Keep it Forever![/h4]
Remember: if you sign in to Xbox Live at any point during the event, you get to keep all the mods and profile icons you unlock! Sign in, earn your rewards, and enjoy!

—The Age of Empires Team

[h2]Join the 25th Anniversary Fun![/h2]

More announcements and fun coming as we lead up to our 25th Anniversary Celebration Broadcast on October 25th! While you prepare for the big day, here are more ways to join the 25th Anniversary Celebration!

Remember, all the fun starts on October 25th!

WHAT: Server Maintenance (Matchmaking Servers)
WHEN: Wednesday, October 5 @ 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, October 5th, 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!

Here is the latest Ranked Map Rotation as determined by the developer picks and community vote. For the next two weeks, you’ll be able to pick from the new set of maps listed below!

Map pools as of: 6p Pacific (9p ET / 20:00 UTC / 22:00 CEST) on Tuesday, MMMM DD to Tuesday, MMMM DD

This week's 1v1 Community Map Picks

 are in BOLD.

This week's TG Community Map Picks

 are in BOLD.

Hello Friends! Penguins are visiting Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition since their winter months in the southern hemisphere are over now. Get your scarves and caps out because it’s going to be cold here!

Some cool challenges and rewards are waiting for you! Build up your walls and ring your town bells, an army of fighting penguins is coming from the South to take power!

We hope you enjoy this Penguin Party! Thank you for playing and stay tuned for a lot more to coming to Age II: DE!

[h2]        💥September 19 - October 3💥[/h2]

[h3]TODAY through October 3rd, complete in-game tasks within the time limit to unlock exclusive goodies! [/h3]



[h3]Event F.A.Q.[/h3]
Q: Do I have to complete the challenges on consecutive days?
[expand]While challenges don't have to be completed on consecutive days, only one challenge can be completed per day.

Only the Xbox Live challenges can be completed *any* day before the end of the event!

This means that you will need to play at least five different days to complete all of the challenges.[/expand]
Q: When is the last day I can complete the daily challenges?
[expand]The Penguin Party Event concludes October 3rd.[/expand]
Q: Do I get to keep all of the event unlocks?
[expand]All you need to do is log into your Xbox Live account before the end of the event to keep all of the profile icons and mods you unlock; it's as easy as that![/expand]
Q: What do I do if I accidentally unsubscribe from a special mod?
[expand]No problem! All you need to do is click your Profile Icon on the main menu, select Event Mods (under Collection), and then check the unlocked event mod you want to enable![/expand]
Q: How do I change my profile icon?
[expand]You can update your profile icon in your profile:

1. On the main menu, click the Profile Icon next to your name.
2. You should now be in the Profile Icons tab under Collections.
3. Select your favorite icon, then click the Select Icon button to lock in your choice.
4. You're done!

[/expand]
Q: How do I download and enable mods?
[expand]For information about how to subscribe to and prioritize your mods, visit this article.[/expand]


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 enjoy!

We hope you enjoy this month’s Penguin Party Event!

—The Age of Empires Team

It’s that time again. But, this time in-game ranked map pool voting is available!
Open Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition to vote for your Ranked Map Pool for the next two weeks.

[h3]1v1 Random Maps[/h3]
✔ ARABIA
✔ ARENA
✔ FOUR LAKES
✔ GOLDEN SWAMP

[h3]Team Games[/h3]
✔ ARABIA
✔ ARENA
✔ BLACK FOREST
✔ MEGARANDOM
✔ MIGRATION
✔ NOMAD

To participate in the community ranked map pool vote, you will need to open Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition. Then, on the home screen click the Ranked Map Pool Vote announcement to jump to this week’s poll.

:alertalert: Polls are open until 12pm PT (3pm ET/ 19:00 UTC) on Sunday, September 18, so be sure to cast your vote and check back to see which maps emerge victorious!