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Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition News

Autumn Sale Happening Now!


There's a slight chill in the air and leaves are starting to change their colors. What better way to celebrate cooler temperatures than with cooler discounts too? Jump in now and complete your Age of Empires collection with discounts on your favorites, plus pick up a DLC or two! Don't wait, the Steam Autumn Sale ends October 6th!

Chronicles: Alexander the Great Campaign Preview


With Battle for Greece, the Chronicles series established a well-deserved reputation for epic campaign content, with widespread praise for its writing and voice acting, innovative level design, historical authenticity, beautiful maps, and characterful cutscenes.

A tough act to follow – but Chronicles: Alexander the Great takes the series to a whole new level. With every piece of feedback carefully analyzed, this globe-spanning sequel expands and refines everything you loved in Battle for Greece, improves in key areas, and introduces a host of new innovations.

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Pre-Order Now!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3793540/Age_of_Empires_II_DE__Chronicles_Alexander_the_Great
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[h2]An Epic Story[/h2]

Whereas Battle for Greece covered the stories of multiple characters across a vast span of time, Alexander the Great focuses on a single, titular character. The result is a character study of far greater depth than has ever been attempted in the Age franchise, with a complex protagonist who grows and changes over the course of the adventure.

The geographical scope of the campaign is extraordinary: you’ll begin with Alexander as a young prince, fighting alongside his father to secure Greece and the territories surrounding the Kingdom of Macedon. From these rocky lands, you’ll invade the vast Persian Empire, fighting battles and besieging cities along the coast of Asia Minor and into the Levant. Then, strike into the Persian heartland to bring the Achaemenid King of Kings to heel; found a city in the distant Fergana Valley; experience the Punjab in monsoon season; traverse the rivers of India and embark on a voyage of discovery along the Persian Gulf.

All this is brought to life with the top-quality writing, voice acting, and cinematic presentation you’ve come to expect from Chronicles. The immersion is heightened with unique music playlists for every scenario, including 13 new and original tracks!

[h2]Innovative Gameplay[/h2]

The amazing variety of locations and peoples you’ll encounter will certainly keep you on your toes in this campaign – but so too will the innovative and varied level designs. A key part of the Chronicles design philosophy is experimentation, and Alexander the Great is packed with one-of-a-kind experiences.

You’ll experience Alexander’s incredible siege of Tyre, a city perched upon an offshore island, by building and defending a vast causeway that stretches across the sea. You’ll construct the remote city of Alexandria Eschate in a fascinating scenario that plays like a city-builder game, ordering the construction of districts and generating resources from the settled population. You’ll recreate the voyage of Nearchos, sailing along the Persian Gulf with a Flagship which can train units, gathering supplies and discovering treasures along the way.

[h2]Improving on Battle for Greece[/h2]
Chronicles is a project firmly rooted in the Age of Empires community – it was based on a beloved mod, and created by a team of community veterans including the creators of the invaluable CaptureAge tool. The feedback of the community has also been vital in guiding the development of Alexander the Great, with this sequel introducing a host of improvements.

Difficulty balancing is one key area of progress. Chronicles: Alexander the Great will have five difficulty levels, and each has been carefully calibrated to its target audience. Multiple large-scale difficulty tests, each with a wide range of players, were used to refine the balance of every level.

Alexander the Great also allows players to enjoy the game in more varied ways: for instance, the use of time pressure has been minimized to let players conquer at their own pace. The unique and varied level design style which characterizes Chronicles has been retained, while also ensuring that most scenarios allow players to fully explore the classic base building and resource gathering gameplay which are central to Age of Empires.

Get ready for a campaign experience like no other.

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Pre-Order Now!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3793540/Age_of_Empires_II_DE__Chronicles_Alexander_the_Great

Server Maintenance - Wednesday, September 24



WHAT: Server Maintenance (Matchmaking Servers)
WHEN: Wednesday, September 24 @ 2:00pm PT / 5:00pm 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, September 24, 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!

Server Maintenance - Wednesday, September 24



WHAT: Server Maintenance (Matchmaking Servers)
WHEN: Wednesday, September 24 @ 10:00am PT / 13:00pm ET / 17:00 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, September 24, 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!

Pre-Order Chronicles: Alexander the Great for Age of Empires II: DE

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Step into the sandals of history’s greatest conqueror with the next chapter of the Chronicles saga – Chronicles: Alexander the Great comes to Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition on October 14th for Steam! Embark on a sweeping, narrative-driven campaign that traces Alexander the Great’s rise from precocious youth to world-shaking ruler. Chronicles: Alexander the Great is now available for pre-order on Steam, plus includes 15% off for a limited time!

Created by our development partner, CaptureAge, Chronicles: Alexander the Great introduces three new civilizations – Macedonians, Thracians, and Puru – in an 18-scenario grand campaign, brought to life through animated mosaic cutscenes, a customizable campaign army, with visual and audio upgrades, and so much more!
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Chronicles: Alexander the Great is available for pre-order now on Steam with 15% off for a limited time!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3793540/Age_of_Empires_II_DE__Chronicles_Alexander_the_Great/

[h2]Included in this DLC[/h2]

Experience Alexander’s legendary exploits, from his bold teenage ambitions to his triumphant march across Persia, his audacious expedition to South Asia, and his dramatic return journey. Crafted with the well-known Chronicles narrative flair and meticulous historical authenticity, this expansion delivers an immersive campaign experience brimming with drama, strategy, and replayability.

[h3]Key Features[/h3]
  • Expansive Grand Campaign: 18 richly detailed scenarios – 16 as Alexander’s Macedonians, plus two unique Thracian and Puru scenarios – to chronicle every pivotal moment of his life.
  • Animated Mosaic Cutscenes: Stunning, artful cinematics bring each chapter to life, blending classical aesthetics with modern animation techniques.
  • Three New Civilizations: Command the disciplined Macedonians, the swift-raiding Thracians, or the elephant-riding Puru, with two new architecture sets for distinctive visual flair.
  • Customizable Campaign Army: As you progress in the campaign, unlock 16 bonus units – including Achaemenid chariots and Puru elephants – and 4 bonus technologies that can be used in future scenarios. Unleash the full might of your expanding empire.
  • Visual & Audio Upgrades: Overhauled siege unit graphics heighten the immersion for which Chronicles is celebrated, while 13 new music tracks for both campaign and skirmish modes provide a thrilling soundtrack for your empire’s rise.
[h2]The Grand Campaign[/h2]

The Alexander the Great campaign is fully focused on that main character’s life. Five or six scenarios would hardly do justice to his incredible feats!

In the grand campaign, play as the Macedonians in 16 of the 18 scenarios, with the Puru and Thracians each getting one scenario which intersects with Alexander’s story from a different perspective.

Across the campaign, unlock new technologies and units – including the Puru, Thracian, Athenian, and Achaemenid unique units – and train them in future scenarios with a customizable campaign army. There are 16 bonus units and 4 bonus technologies which to acquire! Coupled with the Chronicles philosophy of unique level designs and diverse mechanics, experience a deeply varied and highly replayable campaign.
[h2]Three Legendary Civilizations [/h2]

[h3]Macedonians [/h3]

Conquer the world with the highly-drilled Macedonian army. Use the long pikes of their Phalangite infantry to pin the enemy in place, then crush them with the mighty Companion cavalry! Build Fortified Outposts to stage lightning assaults and move your units to the frontlines faster.

[h3]Thracians[/h3]

Launch devastating raids with your swift Rhomphaia Warriors, and profit from them with unique technologies that generate gold from combat. A variety of bonuses and technologies turn Thracian skirmishers from neglected trash units to deadly fighters!

[h3]Puru[/h3]

Unleash the elephants! The Puru, a powerful Punjab people, can call upon these extraordinary beasts to flatten their foes. Build an army that combines brute force with precise ranged support with archers who wield devastating bamboo longbows.
At its core, Chronicles remains a series dedicated to narrative and historical immersion, primarily with a single-player focus. To build upon this goal and to continue exploring additional possibilities, the Macedonians, Thracians, and Puru civilizations introduced with Chronicles: Alexander the Great will not be available in ranked gameplay.

[h2]Pre-Order Chronicles: Alexander the Great Now![/h2]
Chronicles: Alexander the Great is available for pre-order now on Steam with 15% off for a limited time!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3793540/Age_of_Empires_II_DE__Chronicles_Alexander_the_Great/