Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition News

[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]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[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!


[hr]
[/hr]Keep a close eye on AgeofEmpires.com and on our official social channels!

[h3]🏆 WHAT: Queen's Clash[/h3]
[h3]📅 WHEN: March 13 - 14[/h3]
[h3]📡 WHERE: twitch.tv/TinyTriss[/h3]

[h3]THE EVENT[/h3]Since the announcement of the Queen’s Clash tournament last week, the excitement has been absolutely electric for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition‘s first official, women’s-only, 1v1 event! Players are training tirelessly for their shot at the $5,000 USD prize pool, and the audience is amped to see the skills and talents of the most powerful women in the Age of Empires community on display.

The tournament admins were ecstatic to see sign-up numbers above and beyond their initial expectations! With a limited number of seats at the table, the top 44 participants were selected to join across the two leagues—the Gold League (1500-1900 Elo) and Silver League (1200-1500 Elo)—where they’re bound to impress with the incredible skill and rivalry they bring to the battlefield.

[h3]TOURNAMENT PARTICIPANTS[/h3]GOLD LEAGUE
[expand]

• ashleylynn
  
• Gabi
  
• Julinse
  
• Lavie Head
  
• Mica
  
• Ning
  
• Nodscouter
  
• Odette
  
• Ofelia
  
• Qwin
  
• shanavii
  
• sunsetfire
  

[/expand]
SILVER LEAGUE
[expand]

• Akr0Ma
  
• Alba cuidadora de Lapras
  
• apach2412
  
• BlackBaby
  
• CharChar
  
• Chipmunk
  
• daehiise
  
• duck_detective
  
• Elhyar
  
• Flor_13
  
• Hippo_Run
  
• hlh19
  
• Kaaaai_
  
• Kougrialka
  
• La BriAnne
  
• Larifari
  
• Leiya
  
• Maggy205
  
• Magnolia
  
• Medusa
  
• moko
  
• momo
  
• noellecat
  
• oceaningabyss
  
• Ottilia
  
• Poods
  
• QueenOfWinland
  
• sivagxa
  
• StellarMeesh
  
• Thalounette
  
• Tileä
  
• Valeria Huesca
  

[/expand]
While some names may be familiar—especially those who actively stream or participate as members of the Age of Empires II community—we’re excited to welcome so many new names to the Age of Queens! We’re looking forward to seeing what everyone brings to the main event; check out the schedule of matches below!

[h3]TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE[/h3]

[h3]⚔ Saturday, March 13[/h3]
Games start at 20:00 UTC (12p PT / 3p ET). 
[h3]⚔ Sunday, March 14[/h3]
Games start at 14:00 UTC (7a PT / 10a ET).

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

[h3]:arrowsright: Gold League[/h3]
[h3]:arrowsright: Silver League[/h3]

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

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

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 09 to Tuesday, March 23

This week's 1v1 Community Map Picks are in BOLD.

This week's TG Community Map Picks are in BOLD.

WHAT: Server Maintenance (Matchmaking Servers)
WHEN: Tuesday, March 9 @ 2:00p PT / 5:00p ET / 22:00 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)
  

[h3]OBJECTIVES[/h3]

• Routine server updates and maintenance.

[h3]DETAILS[/h3]This coming Tuesday, March 9th, 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!