Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition News

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, July 28 to Tuesday, August 11

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

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

Today’s hotfix follows in the footsteps of Update 39284 with a handful of important fixes for issues that cropped up in last week’s build. This includes the notable pauses during gameplay, AI behaviors that proved disruptive to players, the loss of the final chapter in the Saladin campaign, a misrepresentation of ELO changes following ranked matches, and more.

Note that there are still a number of issues which are still being investigated—such as the inability to construct certain gates, reported problems with the Brazil server, and others—and we will do what we can to keep you updated and informed as we work towards solutions. For the time, keep an eye on the Known Issues page and official forum for updates and requests for more information from those experiencing the problems.

📃 LEARN ABOUT: Update 39284
💬 DISCUSS: On the Official Forum
❓ FIND: Other Known Issues

Thank you for your patience; we look forward to hearing from you regarding these latest changes!

—The Age of Empires Team

• Fixed an issue which caused intermittent, short pauses during gameplay.
  
• Fixed an issue where ELO changes would not be displayed properly after the conclusion of each ranked match.
  
• Fixed an issue where broken mods could prevent the title from launching.
  
• Fixed an issue which resulted in the removal of the Saladin 6 (“The Lion and the Demon”) campaign mission—leading to great historical turmoil!
  
• The Horse unit now has the same speed, armor class, and line of sight as the Scout Cavalry unit.
  
• The Department of Agriculture has cited villagers who would attempt to replant farms well beyond their allotted plots. This should result in less wandering across the map to seek out unoccupied plots.
  
• Farmers will now automatically split to nearby farms that are free when they finish building a new farm.
  
• Players will no longer be matched on maps that are not in the current map pool.
  
• Fixed an issue in Ranked play where Black Forest would launch unexplored, and other maps would show up as explored when not intended.
  
• Fixed an issue where AI-controlled players would fail to lure boars in certain circumstances.
  
• Fixed a visual issue with the rendering of ranked map tabs.

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

[h3]1v1 Random Maps[/h3]
✔ ARABIA
✔ ARENA
✔ ARCHIPELAGO
✔ VALLEY

[h3]Team Games[/h3]
✔ ARABIA
✔ ARENA
✔ BLACK FOREST
✔ LAND NOMAD
✔ SCANDINAVIA
✔ WOLF HILL

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, July 26 (or 3:00p Eastern / 19:00 UTC), so be sure to cast your vote and check back to see which maps emerge victorious!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Welcome, Age of Empires II:Definitive Edition fans, to the MAY-HEM EVENT! 

Join us as we celebrate one of Age II’s most feared civilizations—THE MONGOLS—and rewind the clock to a year ago when Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition first debuted on the E3 2019 stage! Complete a set of new challenges to unlock profile icons, visual mods, as well as a new campaign cheat code, then compete in the revamped E3 Mongol scenario to earn your spot on the global leaderboard. All of this is a part of the MONGOLIAN CIV CELEBRATION EVENT!

These are the root of what we've tried to capture this month: with new mods, profile icons, and even some special treats that you get to seek out and discover! Special shout-out to all of our Insider's who voted on these three special units to receive a profile icon spotlight!

[h3]New Rewards![/h3]
Starting TODAY through August 3rd, complete the in-game tasks within the time limit to unlock a horde of themed goodies:

🎯 Sign into Xbox Live.
🏆 Unlocks the Mayhem La Hire profile icon.

🎯 Play the ‘Early Economy’ Art of War mission and obtain a Silver or Gold medal.
🏆 Unlocks the Genghis Khan profile icon.
💾 This is also *required* if you want to save any mod content or cheat codes unlocked during the event!

🎯 Play a match on Land Nomad.
🏆 Replaces the Mongol's houses with Yurts during the event. Note that this will be visible to all users.

🎯 Score more than 15,000 points on the 'Mongol Raiding' scenario.
🏆 Unlocks the Anti-Siege profile icon.

🎯 Kill a Siege Onager using Mangudai.
🏆 Unlocks the Genghis Khan statue mod for your Town Center.

🎯 Score more than 20,000 points on the 'Mongol Raiding' scenario.
🏆 Unlocks the Racing Ram profile icon.

🎯 Advance to the Feudal Age in less than 12 minutes using the Mongols.
🏆 Unlocks the "Yes We Khan" cheat code. This cheat is exclusive to the Genghis Khan campaign, and replaces all your Mangudai with the "Genghis Khan" unit.

[h3]New Scenario![/h3]
It has been one year since the world had its first look at Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition at E3! To celebrate, we've revisited the demonstration and created the Mongol Raiders scenario. Test your skills defeating six separate enemies as you descend across the land!

Challenge your friends to beat your score in this timed challenge scenario, or compete for the #1 position on the leaderboard!



[h3]New Map - Land Nomad[/h3]
Land Nomad is a community favorite that gained an impressive following due to it's interesting playstyle. Similar to Nomad, each player begins without a Town Center or Scout and must build from the resources of the land without the use of water for docks and fishing ships! It is available now both in Ranked Team Game pool and unranked matches!



[h3]Keep It![/h3]
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 this Mongol civilization themed event!—The Age of Empires Team



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People may be looking towards Age of Empires 3's remake & the long-awaited Age of Empires 4, but Age of Empires 2 is still alive and kicking. The Definitive Edition has just received a big update.

The highlights include balance improvements to over 23 different maps, separate Random Map & Deathmatch map pools, a new map, and a bunch of little tweaks and stat/cost changes.

There's a new Mongol Civ event happening, with a new competitive single-player map. The community is also able to vote on which maps they want in the two map pools.

Here's' a video talking about the new changes:

And here's the full summary of the update from the patch notes page:

Ranked Matchmaking updates! Separate Random Map & Deathmatch map pools; new 'Preferred Map' and 'Prefer Random Civilization' option in lobbies!
Various balance changes and bug fixes to 6 civilizations and several campaigns!
A long list of map improvements to over 23 maps!
AI Improvements!
Pathfinding improvements!
The Horde of Genghis Khan approaches during the Mongol Civ Event!
NEW MAP: Land Nomad!284
New competitive Single Player scenario!
New 'player lookup' functionality in Profile menu!

Read the rest of the story...

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