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

Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition News

Ranked Map Rotation – March 23!



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, March 23 to Tuesday, April 06
👤 1v1 MAP POOL
This week's 1v1 Community Map Picks are in BOLD.
AFRICAN CLEARING
ARABIA
ARENA
ATACAMA
FOUR LAKES
MEDITERRANEAN
VALLEY


👥 TEAM GAME MAP POOL
This week's TG Community Map Picks are in BOLD.
ACROPOLIS
ARABIA
ARENA
BLACK FOREST
GOLD RUSH
MEGRARANDOM
STEPPE
TEAM ISLANDS
YUCATAN


👤 1v1 DEATHMATCH POOL


ACROPOLIS
ARABIA
FOUR LAKES
GHOST LAKE
GOLDEN PIT
GOLDEN SWAMP
KILIMANJARO
SERENGETI
VALLEY


👥 TEAM DEATHMATCH POOL


ARABIA
CENOTES
GHOST LAKE
GOLDEN PIT
GOLDEN SWAMP
KILIMANJARO
LOMBARDIA
OASIS
VALLEY

Hera defeats JorDan_AoE to win Age of Empires 2 Hidden Cup 4

Canadian Age of Empires 2 player Hamzah 'Hera' El-Baher has been crowned the winner of Hidden Cup 4. Hera successfully beat German Marco 'JorDan_AoE' Bloch to take home the lion's share of the tournament's $95,000 prize pool.


En route to the final, Hera took down some of the game's best players, including Kai 'Liereyy' Kallinger and Roberto 'TaToh' Jiménez. Most impressively, Hera took down three-time Hidden Cup champion Ørjan 'TheViper' Larsen in a gripping seven game semi-final set - TheViper is regarded by many as the greatest player of all time.


JorDan_AoE, meanwhile, had only returned to competitive Age of Empires last year, after going on hiatus upon the launch of the game's Definitive Edition. Indeed, for the German to push through to the final of his first major tournament in over a year is a remarkable feat in itself. Unfortunately, the player fell 4-1 on maps to a prolific Hera during the finale.


Read the rest of the story...

VOTE! Your Ranked Map Rotation starting March 23!



It’s that time again! Visit the official Age of Empires forum to vote for your Ranked map pool for the next two weeks.

This Week's Dev Picks
[h3]1v1 Random Maps[/h3]
✔ ARABIA ✔ ARENA ✔ MEDITERRANEAN ✔ VALLEY
[h3]Team Games[/h3]
✔ ACROPOLIS ✔ ARABIA ✔ ARENA ✔ BLACK FOREST ✔ MEGARANDOM ✔ TEAM ISLANDS
Cast Your Vote Now!

To participate in the community ranked map pool vote, you will need to login to the official Age forum using your free Microsoft account. Then, click the images below to jump to this week’s polls.






:alertalert: Polls are open until NOON Pacific on Sunday, March 21D (or 3:00p Eastern / 19:00 UTC), so be sure to cast your vote and check back to see which maps emerge victorious!

Hidden Cup 4



[h3]🏆 WHAT: Hidden Cup 4[/h3]
[h3]📅 WHEN: March 18 - March 21[/h3]
[h3]📡 WHERE: T90Official on twitch.tv[/h3]

[h3]THE EVENT:[/h3]
Who do you root for when all your favorite players are squaring off under the guise of historical heroes and villains? Well, while you enjoy the truly *incredible* levels of play, you look for the small details while picking out the quirks and clues that will help you guess which pro player is behind the name!

This has been the foundation of the Hidden Cup series each year: from its humble beginnings in 2018 to its record-breaking third edition one year ago. Sixteen of the best players in the world will participate in the fight for a prize pool of more than $77,000—the largest bounty for a 1v1 tournament since 2001! Fourteen of them are returning from previous installments, including:
  • Hidden Cup 1, 2, and 3 champion: TheViper
  • Hidden Cup 3 runner-up: Hera
  • Other superstars such as Liereyy, DauT, TaToH, and more!
Over the last three weeks, 64 players were whittled down to 8 pros who emerged victorious from a historically challenging bracket. Two of them will make their Hidden Cup debut: Barles and Vinchester. Hailing from Poland and Russia, respectively, the two outclassed their competitors to qualify for the prestigious event for the first time in their careers.

[h3]BETTER GAMEPLAY THAN EVER BEFORE![/h3]
The past year has been one of the most amazing for the competitive scene in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition. The level of play has seen vast improvement all across the board, with many players now fighting for the top spots in high-profile tournaments. TheViper won the previous edition of Hidden Cup against Hera, but since then, others such as Mr Yo, Liereyy, and DauT have risen to the occasion and scored major victories in other tournaments.

After a few months of Red Bull Wololo and the all-Arabia King of the Desert tournament, we finally return to the Hidden Cup settings: favoring players capable of preparing and executing tactics on all kinds of maps. This has historically favored strategists such as TheViper, Mr Yo, or TaToH. However, Liereyy is an exceptional force to reckon with: having won two of the last three major events. His teammate, Hera, is also not to be underestimated: reaching the finals last year and training to take on any challenge!

Players coming from the qualifications also have an advantage: having already battled on some of this year's tournament maps, which can provide them with additional experience over the invitees. This is the beauty of Hidden Cup: anyone can beat anyone; and this year, the competition is more open than ever!

[h3]FINALS SCHEDULE:[/h3]
[h3]⚔ Thursday, March 18[/h3]Round of 16 starts at 14:00 UTC (7am PT / 10am ET). 
[h3]⚔ Friday, March 19[/h3]Round of 16 starts at 14:00 UTC (7am PT / 10am ET).
[h3]⚔ Saturday, March 20[/h3]Quarterfinals starts at 14:00 UTC (7am PT / 10am ET).
[h3]⚔ Sunday, March 21[/h3]Semifinals & Grand Final starts at 14:00 UTC (7am PT / 10am ET).

[h3]TOURNAMENT DETAILS:[/h3]Learn more about the tournament over at:

[h3]:arrowsright: Liquipedia[/h3]

[h3]TUNE IN:[/h3]Here's where to tune in to the action:

[h3]:arrowsright: T90Official on twitch.tv[/h3]

ANNOUNCING the AGE OF EMPIRES: FAN PREVIEW Event, beginning April 10!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
WO LO LO!
[hr]
[/hr]The Age of Empires team is thrilled to announce a celebration of the franchise with a new event: the Age of Empires: Fan Preview. The event begins with a special, half-hour broadcast starting at 9 a.m. PT on April 10, which will be streamed live on AgeofEmpires.com, Twitch, Facebook Live, the Xbox YouTube channel, and Bilibili for our fans in China! Following the broadcast, we will open a limited-time digital experience on AgeofEmpires.com to continue celebrating with the community for the week to follow.

Whilst we don’t want to spoil everything we have in store, we know that you’ve been eager for more glimpses of Age of Empires IV since the first trailer at X019. Our broadcast will include a new look at gameplay, civilizations, campaigns, and more for you to enjoy! We will also be sharing some exciting news for our Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition and Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition players, as well.



Since the release of Age of Empires over 20 years ago, the franchise has grown to support a worldwide community of players with a shared love of real-time strategy. Over the last three years, we’ve delighted seasoned players and new fans alike with the Definitive Editions of Age of Empires, Age of Empires II, and Age of Empires III: projects which were made possible thanks to the feedback and passion of the community. We are so proud to have such an energetic, dedicated fanbase at the foundation of our community.

[h3]...and with the Definitive Editions in the hands of players, there’s a new era on the horizon...[/h3]

The community has been the driving force behind this amazing franchise and fueled its evolution for more than two decades; now it’s time to celebrate with an event built for YOU!

So, mark your calendars:

[hr][/hr]
[h3]         April 10 @ 9 a.m. PT /12 p.m. ET /16:00 UTC / 18:00 CEST[/h3]
[hr][/hr]
Then garrison yourself in your Town Center, gather your snacks, and get HYPED for all the Age of Empires news, content reveals, and surprises on the way. We'll talk more about the event as we get closer, as well as where you can tune in when it's time to make history!

We can’t wait to see you this April!


WANT TO STAY IN THE KNOW?
[hr]
[/hr]Keep a close eye on AgeofEmpires.com and on our official social channels!