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Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition News

Ranked Map Rotation – December 15



Here is the latest Ranked Map Rotation as determined by the developer picks and community vote. For the next four 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, December 15 to Tuesday, January 12
👤 1v1 MAP POOL
This week's 1v1 Community Map Picks are in BOLD.
ACROPOLIS
ARABIA
ARENA
FOUR LAKES
GHOST LAKE
GOLDEN PIT
WATER NOMAD


👥 TEAM GAME MAP POOL
This week's TG Community Map Picks are in BOLD.
ARABIA
ARENA
BLACK FOREST
HIDEOUT
MEGARANDOM
NOMAD
TEAM ISLANDS
VALLEY
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

Pre-Order Age of Empires II: DE - Lords of the West, coming January 26th!



Lords of the West—the first official expansion to Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition—is now available to pre-order or add to your wishlist for the holiday season. Here's what it brings to Age II: DE:
  • Challenge your friends with two all-new civilizations, each of which include unique units and technologies for you to explore!
  • Battle across Western Europe and the Mediterranean in three new campaigns—including the British king, Edward Longshanks!
  • Claim victory by means of sheer military might, diplomatic prowess, or through overwhelming economic power!
  • New achievements to earn on your Xbox or Steam account! Check out the full list, below.
Lords of the West will be released on the Microsoft Store and Steam this January 26th, 2021!

TWO NEW CIVILIZATIONS
[hr][/hr][h3]Burgundians[/h3]
Rise from a mere duchy to the marvel of Western Europe through economic might, cultural achievement, and the use of advanced military technology and tactics. The Burgundian unique unit is the Coustillier, a cavalry unit that utilizes a powerful shock attack when charging into battle!



▶︎ CIVILIZATION BONUSES
  • Cavalry Civilization
  • Economic upgrades are available one Age earlier than other civs
  • Fallen Knights return 50% of their gold cost
▶︎ UNIQUE UNITS
  • Coustillier: Cavalry unit that can charge their attack stat
  • Flemish Militia: Heavy infantry unit with a bonus vs cavalry; can only be obtained via the Flemish Revolution technology (see below)
▶︎ UNIQUE TECHNOLOGIES
  • Burgundian Vineyards: Convert all food into gold at a 2:1 ratio
  • Flemish Revolution: Upgrades all existing Villagers to Flemish Militia


[h3]Sicilians[/h3]
Experience the diverse cultures and martial spirit of the Mediterranean's crossroads as you build one of the most coveted kingdoms in medieval Europe. The Sicilian unique unit is the Serjeant, a hardy infantry unit that can construct the formidable Donjon.



▶︎ CIVILIZATION BONUSES
  • Infantry Civilization
  • Castles and Town Centers are constructed 100% faster
  • Land military units absorb 33% of all incoming bonus damage
  • Each Farm upgrade grants Farmers +1 carry capacity
▶︎ UNIQUE BUILDING
  • Donjon: Unique fortification used to train Serjeants. Units can garrison in the building for protection; Archers and Villagers shoot additional projectiles when garrisoned
▶︎ UNIQUE UNIT
  • Serjeant: Infantry unit which can also construct Donjons
▶︎ UNIQUE TECHNOLOGIES
  • First Crusade: Upon researching, each Town Center spawns a one-time group of 7 Serjeants
  • Scutage: Upon researching, each team member receives a one-time payment of 15 gold for each military unit that they own
* Note that civilization balance and bonuses may change between now and release.
THREE NEW, FULLY-VOICED CAMPAIGNS
[hr][/hr][h3]Edward Longshanks[/h3]

A bitter hostage of rebel barons, Edward Longshanks vows to reclaim his birthright and lead a shattered England to unprecedented heights of prestige and fortitude. A shrewd commander and cunning politician, his merciless methods are effective, though amoral. Follow him as his thirst for power and glory leads him throughout England, Wales, Scotland, and even on Crusade! In this campaign, you will play as the Britons.

[h3]The Grand Dukes of the West[/h3]

For decades, the dukes of Burgundy have been embroiled in a bloody struggle over control of the mad French king using their cunning, military prowess, and immense wealth. However, as the blood that they spill is paid for with the blood of their own, their focus turns increasingly northwards as they aim to create a kingdom of their own. In this campaign, you will play as the Burgundians.

[h3]The Hautevilles[/h3]

Robert de Hauteville left Normandy in 1047 CE with a small band of thieves. Within a century, members of his family had become dukes in Italy, princes in the Holy Land, and even kings of Sicily. Join these intrepid Norman adventurers as they fuse three cultures into Europe’s most tolerant and sophisticated kingdom. In this campaign, you will play as the Sicilians.

NEW ACHIEVEMENTS
[hr][/hr]Unlock and earn brand-new achievements on Steam and the Microsoft Store!


ACHIEVEMENT NAME

ACHIEVEMENT DESCRIPTION
The English Justinian
Complete the Edward Longshanks campaign.
The Good, the Bold, and the Fearless
Complete the Grand Dukes of the West campaign.
Haute Culture
Complete the Hautevilles campaign.
Unchivalrous Pragmatist
Defeat Simon the Younger's army before the baronial forces attack in the first Edward Longshanks mission "Vain Ambition".
Throne Thief
Steal the Stone of Scone in the fourth Edward Longshanks mission "Toom Tabard".
Malleus Scotorum
Kill William Wallace before Robert the Bruce betrays you in the fifth Edward Longshanks mission "Hammer of the Scots".
No Wheels
Do not construct a single siege weapon in the first Grand Dukes of the West mission "A Kingdom Divided".
A Second Hastings
Ignore the armistice offered by the British and invade England by wiping out Humphrey's base in the fifth Grand Dukes of the West mission "The Hook and Cod Wars".
Shut Up La Hire!
Defeat the French army before capturing Joan of Arc in the sixth Grand Dukes of the West mission "The Maid Falls".
Self-Made Man
Win without allying with either Argyrus or Guaimar in the first Hautevilles mission "Guiscard Arrives".
Haute, Haute, brief candle!
Inspire a rebellion in the second Hautevilles mission "Roger in Sicily".
Italy Jones and the First Crusade
Do not lose a hero in the fourth Hautevilles mission "Bohemond in the East".
Burgundian Victory
Win a game playing as the Burgundians.
Sicilian Victory
Win a game playing as the Sicilians.
Golden Spurs
Transform at least 50 Villagers into Flemish Militia by researching Flemish Revolution.
Tour d'Italie
Construct a Donjon and use it to train a Serjeant.
PRE-ORDER NOW!
[hr][/hr]Pre-order Lords of the West today and get ready to march into battle with the Sicilians and Burgundians as you guide your forces to victory on January 26th, 2021!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1389240/

Age of Empires 2's snowmen-at-arms give a very different meaning to festive cheer




Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition just kicked off its 2020 Winter Celebration, which lets players enjoy the festive season with fun mods for existing factions, and some new items and decorations. Players have until January 1st to secure these new items by completing different daily challenges over a five-day period...
Read more.

VOTE! 2020's Final Map Rotation, starting December 15!



It’s that time again! Visit the official Age of Empires forum to vote for your Ranked map pool for the remainder of 2020.

This Week's Dev Picks
[h3]1v1 Random Maps[/h3]
✔ ARABIA ✔ ARENA ✔ FOUR LAKES ✔ WATER NOMAD
[h3]Team Games[/h3]
✔ ARABIA ✔ ARENA ✔ BLACK FOREST ✔ NOMAD ✔ TEAM ISLANDS ✔ VALLEY
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, December 13 (or 3:00p Eastern / 19:00 UTC), so be sure to cast your vote and check back to see which maps emerge victorious!

Join the Age of Empires II: DE Winter Festival Event!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
With the end of the year approaching fast, the winter festivities are kicking off with a familiar celebration in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition! We've prepared an avalanche of new, winter-themed goodies—available alongside last year's rewards—for you to unlock and enjoy over the next month. All of these presents are yours to open as a part of the WINTER FESTIVAL EVENT!
  • Unlock three new Winter-Themed Profile Icons!
  • Unlock the Snowman-At-Arms mod to replace your Man-At-Arms with festive snowmen! ⛄⛄⛄
  • Unlock Snowman Decorations for your Town Center!
  • Unlock Sparkling Winter Bells to replace Gold deposits!





New Rewards!
Starting TODAY through JANUARY 1st, complete the in-game tasks within the time limit to unlock exclusive goodies! Here are the challenges available over the next two weeks:
🎯 Sign into Xbox Live.
🏆 Unlocks the Viking Berserker profile icon.
💾 *Required* if you want to save any rewards unlocked during the event!
Each of the following challenges must be unlocked in order and on separate days:
🔒 Play any Campaign mission and receive a medal.
🧱 [Mod] Unlocks Town Center Snowman Decorations.

🔒 Defeat an AI at any difficulty in Skirmish.
🏆 Unlocks the Two-Handed-Snowman profile icon.

🔒 Play any standard game.
🧱 [Mod] Unlocks the Snowman-At-Arms, a visual replacement for the man-at-arms.

🔒 Defeat an AI at Standard or higher difficulty in Skirmish.
🏆 Unlocks the Present Onager profile icon.

🔒 Play The Art of War mission “Booming” and receive a medal.
🧱 [Mod] Gold Mine visuals replaced by Piles of Bells.


Get 2019's Rewards!

In addition to this year's rewards, all of last year's rewards are available for you to keep! 2019's profile icons are already in your icon library to select and show off your festive holiday spirit, and the 2019 Winter Celebration Mod can be found and downloaded in the Age mod database!



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 enjoy the winter-themed event!

We hope you enjoy the Winter Festival Event! And don’t forget to sign into Xbox Live to ensure you keep everything you unlock!

—The Age of Empires Team


Event Wallpapers
[h3]:savedisk:  1920x1080 || 1920x1200 || 2560X1080[/h3]