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Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition News

Introducing: the United States Civ to Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition!

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OVERVIEW
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[/hr] 
“The 'land of opportunity' provided a new world for people from many nations, creating the famous melting pot of cultures. Expanding from militia forces skilled in skirmishing tactics and marksmanship to a professional army, the United States ensured its independence and impressive road to prosperity.”

In Age of Empires III, the United States is a highly diverse civilization with a wide array of tools from which to choose and create individual strategies, ensuring no match plays out the same. Their unique units, technologies, and Home City cards offer a variety of playstyles, and Federal Cards allow players of the United States to adapt and evolve their deck based on the flow of the match.

🡒 CIVILIZATION FEATURES
  • Home City: Washington D. C. (customizable!)
  • Can levy Minutemen at regular intervals
  • The US General can plant an Inspiring Flag. Nearby military units and buildings inflict more damage and are trained/constructed faster
  • The US General can construct Forts instead of Town Centers
  • Federate States replace traditional politicians, and add unique cards to the Home City deck over the course of a match
🡒 STARTING UNITS
  • General
  • 6 Settlers
  • 3 Crates of Food
  • 2 Cords of Wood
  • 1 Collection of Books
🡒 BOOK COLLECTIONS
We've added new crate graphics that represent the game’s Experience resource. These Collections of Books contain knowledge that will enable your town to prosper, leading to additional support and backing from your Home City. The United States receives additional Experience in the form of these Book Collections, allowing them to make more effective use of their Federal Cards (see below).

FEDERAL STATE AGE-UPS
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Rather than picking politicians or council members to transition from Age to Age, the United States advances by admitting a new federal state to the union! Each state will offer unique, historically-salient benefits to the player that play an important role in the course of the game.
  • Each federal state adds two extra cards to your deck.
  • Upon reaching the Imperial Age, federal states will have added 8 additional cards to a player's deck.
  • To balance and accommodate for these extra cards, the civilization's initial deck is smaller.
  • In total, the United States can have up to 30 cards at their disposal by the Imperial Age.

Here's a look at the new federal states available at each Age:

[h2]🡒 COMMERCE AGE (II)[/h2]
[expand]
MASSACHUSETTS 
Gains: 1 Military Wagon
Cards:
  • Plymouth Settlers: Ships 300 food and 1 Native Scout. All existing Town Centers spawn 3 Pilgrims.
  • Boston Tea Party: Deposits 350 coin immediately and exchanges all your current food for 125% coin.
VIRGINIA 
Gains: 1 Military Wagon
Cards:
  • Virginia General Assembly: Ships 1 State Capitol Wagon and makes the next upgrade researched at the State Capitol FREE (excluding Spies and Blockade).
  • Culpeper Minutemen: Arrives fast! All existing Town Centers spawn 6 Minutemen. Minutemen retain their hit points 75% longer.
DELAWARE
Gains: Crates of 200 Food
Cards:
  • Fertile Lowlands: Ships 6 Semi-fattened Cows and 2 Homestead Wagons.
  • Delaware Blues: Ships an additional Regular for each shipment you've sent thus far in this game.
PENNSYLVANIA
Gains: 1 Outpost Wagon
Cards:
  • Philadelphia Convention: Ships 1 Meeting House Wagon and provides your Meeting House with unique Federal State improvements to research (Pennsylvania Pound, 1st Pennsylvania Rifles, Pennsylvania Cavalry).
  • Tammany Festival: Ship 1 Native Embassy Travois and allies you with the Cree at your Native Embassy, where some of their upgrades and units are available.
RHODE ISLAND
Gains: 1 Outpost Wagon
Cards:
  • Corliss Steam Engine: Grants earlier access to steam power; Trading Routes may be upgraded to Railroads for free in any Age; Docks may construct Steamers and Ironclads one Age earlier than usual.
  • Slater Textile Mill: Settler and Fishing Boats are cheaper.
[/expand]
[h2]🡒 FORTRESS AGE (III)[/h2]
[expand]
INDIANA
Gains: 5 Regulars
Cards:
  • Indiana Mammoth Improvement Act: Advancing to the next Age is much cheaper, but takes longer.
  • Indiana Mobilization: Costs 500 wood. Ships an additional Carbine Cavalry for each shipment you've sent thus far in this game. All units and technologies—including Age advancements—train and research 10% faster.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Gains: 5 Regulars
Cards:
  • French Canadians: Costs 200 coin. Ships 2 Napoleon Guns and allows them to be hired from the Saloon.
  • New Hampshire Manufacturing: Ships one Factory Wagon.
MARYLAND
Gains: 1 Sloop
Cards:
  • Annapolis Naval Academy: Enables Minutemen to be called from Docks; Minutemen garrisoned in ships (up to 6) improve the ranged attack by 10%.
  • Chesapeake Oyster Pirates: Enables Sloops and Galleons to gather coin exceptionally faster from Fish and somewhat faster from whales.
TENNESSEE
Gains: 4 Sharpshooters
Cards:
  • Overmountain Settlers: Greatly improves Settlers in ranged combat; natural resources last longer.
  • Watauga Association: Ships 2 Outpost Wagons; all existing and newly-constructed Outposts spawn 2 State Militia and support +5 population.
KENTUCKY
Gains: 4 Sharpshooters
Cards:
  • 1 Coal Prospectors Wagon: Used to open a coal mine that collects 2x faster than regular mines. Can be sent an infinite number of times.
  • Kentucky Hunters: Costs 500 coin. Ships 2 Sharpshooters for each shipment sent thus far in this game.
[/expand]
[h2]🡒 INDUSTRIAL AGE (III)[/h2]
[expand]
SOUTH CAROLINA
Gains: Cords of 600 Wood
Cards:
  • Moultrie's Militia: Ships 12 State Militia and allows them to construct military buildings. The General's Inspiring Flag now boosts the damage of nearby State Militia by an additional 10%.
  • Marion Diversions: Artillery movement speed slightly increased; enables the training of Quaker Guns at the Artillery Foundry: decoy units which deal no damage, but can look like any artillery unit.
VERMONT
Gains: Cords of 600 Wood
Cards:
  • Green Mountain Boys: All existing and newly-constructed Mills and Estates spawn 3 State Militia; Mills and Estates support +5 Population.
  • Vermont Coppers: Upgrades at your Estate are free and research instantly; all coin incomes are slightly improved.
CALIFORNIA
Gains: 1 Covered Wagon and increased Town Center build limit
Cards:
  • California Gold Rush: Ships 1 Gold Prospector Wagon; Town Centers now automatically spawn Settlers for free.
  • Bear Flag Revolt: Costs 1000 food, wood, and coin. Uprising! Villagers become Revolutionaries and your General gains access to the Inspiring Bear Flag ability.
NEW JERSEY
Gains: 1 Horse Artillery
Cards:
  • New Jersey Seaports: Crate shipments are delivered directly to your stockpile and deliver +900 additional resources. Any shipments which have been sent, may be sent again.
  • Morris Canal: Ships 2 Military Wagons and 2 Outpost Wagons; all shipments arrive considerably faster, including this one.
OHIO
Gains: 1 Horse Artillery
Cards:
  • Putnam Engineering: Ships 1 Fort Wagons and 2 Culverins.
  • Team Ohio Supply Network: TEAM Trade routes supply 100% more resources and Native Settlements gains a trickle of 1 experience per second.
[/expand]
[h2]🡒 IMPERIAL AGE (IV)[/h2]
[expand]
ILLINOIS
Gains: Cords of 1500 Wood
Cards:
  • Deere Steel Plow: Villagers gather from Mills and Estates faster.
  • Land of Lincoln: Inspiring Flags gain a much wider area of effect and now also improve unit hit points
CONNECTICUT
Gains: Cords of 1500 Wood
Cards:
  • Connecticut Shipwrights: All artillery, buildings, and warships are constructed faster.
  • Bushnell's Sapper Corps: Ships 2 Heavy Canons; allows the construction of an additional Ironclad.
NEW YORK
Gains: Mercenary and Outlaw attack and hit points somewhat increased
Cards:
  • New York Zouaves: Costs 1500 coin. Ships 10 Zouave Mercenaries. Can be sent an infinite number of times.
  • Hamilton's Own: Costs 2500 coin. Ships 2 Li'l Bombards and 4 Napoleon Guns; increases all mercenary attack and hit points.
TEXAS
Gains: 1 Fort Wagon and increased build limit
Cards:
  • Texan Forts: Forts now slowly train batches of units for free.
  • The Alamo: When destroyed by enemies, your Forts spawn 8 Minutemen and your Outposts spawn 2 Minutemen.
FLORIDA
Gains: 1 Fort Wagon and increased build limit
Cards:
  • Seminole Ponies: Hand Cavalry attack, hit points and movement speed increased; all cavalry train faster,
  • Florida Cowhunters: Ships an additional semi-fattened Cow for every shipment you have sent thus far in this game.
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UNIQUE BUILDINGS
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[h2]🡒 Meeting House (II, 150w)[/h2]
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A unique Church that trains Surgeons in place of Priests, and which has its own set of upgrades.

UNIQUE IMPROVEMENTS
  • Bill of Rights: Ships 3 large Collections of Books totaling 1500 XP.
  • Medical Science: Healers have increased speed and hit points. Field Hospitals have increased hit points and are constructed faster.
  • Redoubts: Walls are cheaper and have more hit points.
[/expand]

[h2]🡒 Saloon (II, 200w)[/h2]
[expand]


The Saloon grants access to unique Wild West Outlaws exclusively available to the United States.
  • Grants permanent access to three unique Wild West Outlaws.
  • Offers two unique upgrades for Outlaw units.
  • Can be further improved with several cards of the United States.
  • European civilizations now construct Taverns instead of Saloon.
UNIQUE IMPROVEMENTS
  • Peacemakers: Attack and hit points improved for all Outlaw units
  • Refreshing Beverages: Charged actions recharge faster for Outlaws and Heroes
  • Wild West: Outlaw-type units (Wild West, Wokou, Maratha, etc.) are recruited much faster and gain additional attack and hit points.
[/expand]

[h2]🡒 State Capitol (III, 300w)[/h2]
[expand]


A unique Capitol building that can be used to train wagons.
  • Already available in the Fortress Age.
  • Can train Wagons, which construct buildings like Town Centers or Estates.
  • Offers unique upgrades for the General and Wagons.
  • Offers United States versions of familiar Capitol technologies.
  • Grants a significant amount of experience when built.
UNIQUE IMPROVEMENTS
  • Brigadier General: Greatly increases your General's attack and hit points.
  • Cadets: Greatly increases your General's hit points.
  • Iowa Farmlands: Villagers gather food from Mills much faster.
  • Mountain State Gold Rush: Villagers gather coin from all sources much faster.
  • New Mexico Immigration: Allows you to support 100 population without the need for Houses or Town Centers (total population is not increased). All units train slightly faster. Sent Immigrant cards reduce costs and research time.
  • Oregon Trail: Construction Wagons are cheaper, stronger, and travel more quickly.
  • Pine Tree State: Villagers gather wood much faster.
  • Spies: You can see everything your enemies can see!
  • State Constitutions: Constitutions provide a strong foundation for your Buildings and Walls, which gain more hit points.
  • Statehood: The next Federal State you research, or are researching, will Age Up 50 seconds faster and grant twice as many XP crates.
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UNIQUE UNITS
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[/hr]The United States has access to a wide range of unique units in various buildings.

[h3]CHARGED ABILITIES[/h3]
Several units of the United States use new special attacks called “charged abilities.”
  • Charged abilities are powerful attacks that are triggered automatically in combat. No hotkey or mouse click necessary!
  • Once a charged ability has been used, it needs to recharge over time before it is used again.
  • A charged ability is always ready to use for any newly-trained unit.

These abilities are noted below as we take a closer look at the armies of the United States:

[h2]🡒 General[/h2]
[expand]


Instead of an Explorer, the United States begins the game with a General to lead their armies.
  • Like many heroes, the General is equipped with a Sharpshooter attack to defeat Treasure Guardians.
  • The General constructs Forts instead of Town Centers.
  • On the battlefield, the General may plant the flag of the United States to inspire nearby units.
  • In the Industrial Age, the General also gains access to a powerful charged ability called the Carbine Attack.
  • Ransom cost is 150 coin rather than the standard 100 coin.
CARBINE ATTACK (Charged Ability)
  • Fires a single, well-placed carbine shot at a longer range.
HERO ABILITY
The General is able to plant an Inspiring Flag to boost nearby units and buildings.
  • Units within the vicinity of the flag gain +10% attack damage.
  • Military buildings train units 25% faster.
  • Units construct buildings 50% faster.
  • The flag can be captured by enemies, which removes it from the map.
  • With each new Age, the flag increases in size and casts its benefits over a wider area.
  • Cannot be placed near starting Town Centers—friend or foe.
[/expand]
[h2]🡒 Minuteman (I, 1 pop)[/h2]
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Unique United States Militiaman are obtained exclusively from the "levy" ability.
  • Can be called periodically from various buildings for offensive or defensive purposes.
  • Unlike other Levy units, Minutemen only lose some of their hit points over time.
  • Minutemen automatically upgrade for free starting in the Industrial Age and can be upgraded by various Home City cards. 
  • The Minuteman is a highly transformable unit that can become a formidable unique unit depending on how the player pursues their upgrades.
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[h2]🡒 Cowboy (II, 120c, 6 pop)[/h2]
[expand]


The United States upgrade of the Comanchero has a charged ability called Bull’s Eye.

BULL'S EYE (Charged Ability)
  • Fires a single, powerful shot from a rifle at a longer range.
[/expand]
[h2]🡒 Gunslinger (II, 85c, 4 pop)[/h2]
[expand]


The United States upgrade of the Pistolero has a charged ability called Quickdraw.

QUICKDRAW (Charged Ability)
  • Fires several shots in quick succession.
[/expand]
[h2]🡒 Regular (II, 55f 50c, 1 pop)[/h2]
[expand]


Professional line infantry armed with a musket and bayonet.
  • Greater range than other Musketeers.
  • Proportionally fewer hit points than other Musketeers.

(Attentive patch note readers and players of the New Orleans scenario might be familiar with the Regular unit.)

[/expand]
[h2]🡒 Owlhoot (II, 100c, 5 pop)[/h2]
[expand]


United States upgrade of the Renegado has a charged ability called Buckshot.

BUCKSHOT (Charged Ability)
  • A devastating, short-ranged area-of-effect attack.
[/expand]
[h2]🡒 Sloop (II, 200w 200c, 5 build limit)[/h2]
[expand]


The Sloop is a small and nimble warship. Good at exploring, fishing or transport. Rather than a Broadside ability, the Sloop has the Broadside charged ability.

BROADSIDE (Charged Ability)
  • Fires all guns at enemy Ships or Artillery!
[/expand]
[h2]🡒 State Militia (II, 50f 35w, 1 pop)[/h2]
[expand]


A front-line, short-range skirmisher that sacrifices attack for hit points. Armed with a rifle to counter heavy infantry.
  • Has less attack and range than other Age II skirmisher units, but more hit points.
  • The State Militia gains additional hit points in greater numbers.
  • Their short range automatically places the unit in front of more fragile units.
[/expand]
[h2]🡒 Carbine Cavalry (III, 80f, 80c, 2 pop)[/h2]
[expand]


A mounted professional armed with a lever-action firearm that has a notably higher rate of fire. 
  • Mobile anti-raid unit which counters cavalry and artillery.
  • Fires multiple shots with a carbine repeater to inflict damage earlier than other ranged, light cavalry units.
  • Replaces the Dragoon.
[/expand]
[h2]🡒 Gatling Gun (III, 100w 250g, 4 pop)[/h2]
[expand]


Early automatic-fire weapon available in the Fortress Age. Better against infantry than buildings.
  • An artillery unit well-known from American revolutions is now available to the United States with brand new upgrades.
  • Replaces the Falconet.
[/expand]
[h2]🡒 Sharpshooter (III, 50f 75c, 1 pop)[/h2]
[expand]


Skirmisher with a long-ranged attack, but low hit points. Gains extra range per upgrade. Good against infantry.

[/expand]
[h2]🡒 Steamer (III, 200w 200c, 3 build limit)[/h2]
[expand]


A bulky, steam-powered ship which is more resilient to building attacks.
  • Can fish, train soldiers, and build Docks at the coast.
  • Its special Full Steam ability grants a 40% speed boost for 8 seconds.
[/expand]
[h2]🡒 Ironclad (IV, 500w 600c, 1 build limit)[/h2]
[expand]


Everyone's favorite revolution ship! For the United States, it will be accessible in the Industrial Age and fully integrated into the civilization with additional upgrades. The build limit can be increased to 3 in total through the use of various cards.

[/expand]
[h2]🡒 Quaker Gun (IV, 100w, 1 pop, 10 build limit)[/h2]
[expand]


Decoy unit which deals no damage.
  • Can assume the shape of any common artillery unit. For enemy players, the Quaker Gun will display the name, description, and icon of the chosen artillery unit
  • Best used to distract the enemy and to attract enemy fire. 
  • Only obtainable through cards.
[/expand]

HOME CITY CARDS
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[/hr]The United States has access to a variety of new cards that will aid you on your path to unity and victory! 
  • 40 Federal cards unlockable through the Ages with 2 new cards per Age.
  • Around 10 more unique cards tailored to regions of the United States.
  • Immigrant Cards replace Settler shipments.
  • Legion Cards unlock the training of elite units at Forts.
  • 2 Factory Wagons are added to the deck upon reaching the Industrial Age.

We've picked a few noteworthy examples for cards with a variety of unique behaviors.

[h2]🡒 United States Unique Cards[/h2]
[expand]
  • Poker: Enables up to three random mercenaries at the Saloon and ships 13 random mercenary units.
  • Hamiltonian Economics: Market technologies are free. Improves Market buy rate.
  • Springfield Armory: Ships 1 Arsenal Wagon. Enables advanced Arsenal improvements; all Arsenal improvements become free, but take +250% longer to be researched.
  • United States Marines: Minutemen are upgraded to United States Marines. Marines no longer lose hit points and inflict more damage against Buildings, Ships and Artillery.
[/expand]
In addition to individual unique cards available via the Home City, the United States will also have access to Immigrant Cards: which grant units, bonuses, and select features of other civilizations. Here’s a sample of some of those cards:
[h2]🡒 Immigrant Cards[/h2]
[expand]
  • Dutch Immigrants: Venture capitalists from the Netherlands enable you to establish a Bank. Mines last longer and collect coin slightly faster.
  • Spanish Immigrants: Ships one Outpost Wagon. Spanish immigration boosts experience income—allowing you to earn shipments considerably faster. Upon reaching the Commerce Age, the "Levy" ability can also be used to call groups of powerful Pikemen.
  • German Immigrants: German immigrants settle down in Germantown, causing each existing and newly constructed Mill to spawn 1 Settler Wagon. In the Industrial Age, you can recruit Settler Wagons from Mills, as well.
  • Russian-American Company: The Russian-American Company supplies 2 Blockhouse Wagons and enables your Villagers to gather food from huntable animals more efficiently.
[/expand]
Legion Cards allow you to recruit powerful elite units from their Forts. The different Legions are named after their commanders: each of whom made notable contributions during the United States Revolutionary War.
[h2]🡒 Legion Cards[/h2]
[expand]
  • Pulaski's Legion: Ships several powerful Uhlans, and enables them to be trained at Forts.
  • Washington's Legion: Ships several powerful Grenadiers equipped with Grenade Launchers, and enables them to be trained at Forts.
  • Kovat’s Legion: Ships several powerful Magyar Hussars, and enables them to be trained at Forts (in place of ordinary Hussars).
[/expand]

HOME CITY CUSTOMIZATIONS
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[/hr]Washington D.C.—the Home City of the United States—will also enjoy several new customizations as you play and level up with the civilization.


[h2]🡒 Capitol[/h2]
[expand]
  • The city with the sun shining brightly
  • The city at dusk
  • The city at night
  • The city at night with spectacular fireworks
  • Display the Star-Spangled Banner Flag on this building
  • Display the Betsy Ross flag on this building
  • Display the Grand Union flag on this building
  • Display bunting flag on this building
  • Display cannons at the Capitol
  • Display cherry trees in front of the Capitol Building
  • A soaring bald eagle that watches the city
  • The original version of the Capitol with copper roofing
  • The Capitol with green copper roofing
[/expand]

[h2]🡒 Harbor[/h2]
[expand]
  • Floating crates in the Harbor
  • Display bunting flag on this building
  • Display cranes at the Harbor
  • Display obelisk statue at the Harbor
  • Display explorer statue at the Harbor
  • Display Nathan Black statue at the Harbor
  • Swedish ships docked at the Harbor
  • A woman in a red dress
[/expand]

[h2]🡒 Manufacturing Plant[/h2]
[expand]
  • Display bunting flag on this building
  • Display a cannon at the Manufacturing Plant
  • Hotdog Vendor (get 'cha hotdogs here)!
  • The original color scheme of the Manufacturing Plant
  • A red and gold version of the Manufacturing Plant
  • A blue and white version of the Manufacturing Plant
  • An orange version of the Manufacturing Plant
[/expand]

[h2]🡒 Military Academy[/h2]
[expand]
  • Display the Star-Spangled Banner Flag on this building
  • Display the Betsy Ross flag on this building
  • Display the Grand Union flag on this building
  • Display bunting flag on this building
  • Guards standing guard in front of the academy
  • The original version of the Academy
  • A white version of the Academy with bright copper roofing
  • A white version of the Academy with green roofing
[/expand]

[h2]🡒 White House[/h2]
[expand]
  • Display the Star-Spangled Banner Flag on this building
  • Display the Betsy Ross flag on this building
  • Display the Grand Union flag on this building
  • Display bunting flag on this building
  • Display market stalls in front of the White House
  • This coach waits up on the whims of royalty
  • An artist who sets up his easel and paints
  • A street preacher sharing the good news
  • A street performer who interacts with an unseen world
[/expand]

UNLOCK THE US CIV!
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[/hr][h3]UNLOCK FOR FREE![/h3]
For a limited time, you can unlock the new United States civilization for FREE by completing 50 in-game challenges—each representing a state in the union and ordered by the date they joined the United States!

[h3]BUY NOW![/h3]
Want to play with the United States right away? Don’t worry; you can purchase the DLC directly from the Microsoft Store and Steam to go hands-on with the civ!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1581450/Age_of_Empires_III_Definitive_Edition__United_States_Civilization/

Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition — Update 23511



Hail, explorers! WELCOME to a truly monumental week for Age of Empires and, in particular, for Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition! That's because today, we're releasing a new contender to  join the fight for DE supremacy: the UNITED STATES!

On top of all the changes, features, and improvements coming with today's build, the United States introduces a brand-new play style, a wide variety of strategic options and tactical tools for you to learn and master, and new armies to conquer the battlefield. With numerous unique units, unique buildings, unique cards, and a unique way to advance from Age to Age, the U.S. brings a ton of new functionality the game. Even better: if you don't want to purchase and play with the civilization right away, you can unlock it for FREE by completing a set of challenges while exploring the history of all 50 states in the union!

Aside from the new civ, here's a quick look at some of the other great changes coming your way in today's build:
  • Lots and lots of crash fixes and stability improvements!
  • NEW unit categories to improve the readability of tooltips and application of effects
  • Removed the kill xp bonus from all construction wagons, and increased the health of more valuable wagons
  • Fixed an issue that prevented Home Cities and cards from being accessible during a story campaign
  • Units trained for free will now wait for the population space to spawn rather than being lost if unable to do so
  • Major updates to the number and availability of Outlaw units and Mercenaries
  • Balance tweaks to 13 civilizations, including the Aztec, Chinese, French, and Swedes
  • Updates to the Finland, Hungary, and  United States Revolutions
  • ...and more!

With so many changes to the game, we won't be surprised if you have a lot to talk about as you share your experience. As always, we want to hear how all these things change the game (both literally and figuratively). And as always, the best place to do that is over on our official channels:

💬 DISCUSS: Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition Forum
🗣 JOIN: The Age of Empires Official Discord

Thank you for sharing in yet another major milestone for Age of Empires with us! We hope you enjoy the new civ and all the changes and look forward to sharing in all the adventures yet to come!

—The Age of Empires Team

[hr][/hr]
         ◆ UPDATE 23511 ◆
[hr][/hr]
BUILD SPOTLIGHT

[hr][/hr]While there are plenty of notable fixes and features to which to look forward in today’s build, here are some of the big highlights coming with this month's update:

[h3]NEW CIV! The United States[/h3]
“The 'land of opportunity' provided a new world for people from many nations, creating the famous melting pot of cultures. Expanding from militia forces skilled in skirmishing tactics and marksmanship to a professional army, the United States of America ensured its independence and impressive road to prosperity.”
🡒 OVERVIEW!
Welcome the newest civilization to Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition: the United States! The United States is a highly diverse civilization with a wide array of tools from which to choose and create individual strategies, ensuring no match plays out the same. Their unique units, technologies, and Home City cards offer a variety of playstyles, including the ability to grow the Home City deck throughout the match—allowing United States players to adapt and evolve their gameplay on the fly.

🡒 CIVILIZATION FEATURES
  • Home City: Washington D. C. (+ customizations!)
  • Can levy Minutemen periodically
  • The US General can plant an Inspiring Flag. Nearby military units and buildings inflict more damage and are trained/constructed faster
  • The US General can construct Forts instead of Town Centers
  • Federate States replace traditional politicians, and add unique cards to the Home City deck over the course of a match
🡒 STARTING UNITS
  • General
  • 6 Settlers
  • 3 Crates of Food
  • 2 Cords of Wood
  • 1 Collection of Books

We've added new crate graphics that represent the game’s Experience resource. These Collections of Books contain knowledge that will allow your town to prosper, leading to additional support and backing from your Home City. The United States receives additional Experience in the form of Book Collections, allowing them to make more effective use of their Federal Cards (see below).

🡒 LEARN MORE!

[h3]The United States Unlock Event[/h3]


For a limited time, you can unlock the new United States civilization for FREE by completing 50 in-game challenges—each representing a state in the union and ordered by the date they joined the United States! Here's how it works:
  • You can unlock 3 challenges (max) each day
  • Every 5 challenges, you will unlock a new Profile Icon (check them out below!)
  • Complete all 50 challenges to unlock the United States civilization
  • Read up on historical factoids about each state as you complete each challlenge
Don't forget to click "Begin" on each challenge to ensure they unlock as you work your way through the 50 states! Finish them all and the United States civilization is yours!
Want to play with the United States right away? Don't worry; you can purchase the DLC directly from the Microsoft Store and Steam, where it will always be available for anyone who misses the event.

🡒 LEARN MORE! 🡒 UNLOCK NOW!!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1581450/Age_of_Empires_III_Definitive_Edition__United_States_Civilization/

GAME
[hr]
[/hr][h3]Stability & Performance[/h3]
We've implemented several optimizations to the game shutdown code to ensure that error messages are displayed rather than crashing to the desktop without any messaging. This should help our support team diagnose your problem and provide the team with additional details that will help them fix longstanding stability issues.
  • Fixed a crash in the Home City code that could trigger when shutting down the game.
  • Fixed a rare crash triggered when saving and exiting a multiplayer game.
  • Fixed an issue where destroying too many buildings at the same time would crash the physics system.
  • Fixed an issue where the incorrect bone data of previous frames could lead to TAA blurriness.
  • Fixed an issue which would result in tree models appearing blurry with TAA enabled.
  • Fixed an issue where the windowed version of the game would, in certain cases, appear blurry.

[h3]Graphics[/h3]
  • Fixed an issue where unlocking Home City customizations with particles would fail to play them properly until the city was reloaded.
  • Visual updates to the range displays for accuracy and clarity.

[h3]Audio[/h3]
  • Home City sounds from the main menu will no longer continue playing over the campaign screens.

[h3]UI[/h3]
  • Sending a whisper to another player now displays the correct portrait and name on the sent message.
  • Updated the icon used for the 6 Militiamen card in the Indian tech tree.
  • Updated the name of the Hackapell to Harquebusier in the tech tree.
  • Updated the name of the Spanish Priest to Missionary in the tech tree.
  • Updated the name of the New Year Festival/Inti Festival to New Year Festival in the Lakota, Aztec, and Haudenosaunee tech trees.
  • Updated the listing of the Artillery Foundry from Age II to Age III in the French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish tech trees.
  • Fixed a bug where the flag of a revolting nation would fail to update to the new nation's flag on the scoreboard.
  • Updated the tooltip text for the '+' and '-' buttons in the Player Summary menu.
  • Updated the tooltip text in the Diplomacy menu to clarify the difference between sending a single shipment of wood and sending an amount wood over time.
  • Updated the tooltip text of the search bar and sort buttons to accurately describe their function.
  • Updated the tooltip text of the 'Unsubscribe' button in the Browse Mods menu to properly describe its function.
  • Unit thumbnail icons of non-hero units will now also be displayed when they speak during a campaign scenario.

Many upgrades—such as TEAM cards and Arsenal upgrades—now have significantly shorter and more readable tooltips, though their behavior remains the same. This is because they apply their effects based to new unit categories rather than individual units:
  • AbstractRifleman = Rifle Infantry (i.e. Skirmisher, Strelet, Forest Prowler, Gurkha, Cheroke Rifleman, Jaeger)
  • AbstractFootArcher = Foot Archer (i.e. Crossbowman, Longbowman, Aenna, Cho-ku-nu, Carib Blowgunner, Iron Troop)
  • AbstractMusketeer = Musket Infantry (i.e. Musketeer, Janissary, Tomahawk, Sepoy, Highlander)
  • AbstractOutlaw = Outlaw (i.e. Renegado, Thuggee, Blind Monk)

We believe this change should also be a useful improvement for the modding community!

[h3]Hotkeys[/h3]
  • Added a hotkey. [Q]. to levy Militiamen or Sentry Uprising from the Town Center.
  • Added a hotkey, [W], to levy a Conscription or Town Defense at the Town Center.
Please note that if [Q] or [W] is already bound to another Town Center action (when using Legacy hotkeys), you may need to resolve this conflict before playing.
  • Fixed a bug where the prompt to assign a new hotkey couldn't be activated by pressing [Enter] on the keyboard.


GAMEPLAY
[hr]
[/hr][h3]General[/h3]
  • Removed all "Kill XP" bounties from all construction wagons.

Since the loss of a wagon is in itself a significant blow to any player, we decided to remove the experience bonus granted in addition to the benefit of killing them during a match. All wagons were previously worth 60xp (regardless of the building they placed) before this change.
  • Docks now ignore the placement restrictions when playing the Treaty game mode.
  • Settlers, Villagers, Pilgrims, and Coureur des Bois now all contribute towards the same build limit.
  • Homestead Wagons can now also be used to construct Houses (or equivalent buildings).
  • Where possible, the crates delivered by some cards and politicians have been merged to deliver the same quantity of resources in fewer crates.
  • Fixed an issue where ordering a non-gathering unit to move behind a tree would display the indicator on the tree itself.
  • Fixed an issue where certain trickle resources would not correctly contribute to the gathering rate average.

[h3]Fixes[/h3]
  • Units spawned from buildings for free—such as Heavy Cannons at the Factory—will now wait for the population space to spawn rather than being lost entirely if blocked from doing so.
  • Fixed a rare bug where Outpost or Blockhouse Wagons obtained via Hungarian or Romanian cards could not be constructed upon delivery.
  • Fixed a bug where the game would fail to pause when prompted the first time.
  • Fixed an exploit where various units—such as Native Warriors—could be trained from any Trading Post, including those built along a trade route.


CAMPAIGN
[hr]
[/hr]
  • Implemented a fix for a recently-introduced bug in the Fire and Shadow (Act II) missions which would prevent the Home City from being accessible.
  • Fixed a bug where cards selected during the campaign would fail to appear in players' decks.


CIVILIZATION BALANCE
[hr]
[/hr][h3]General[/h3]
  • The Saloon is now exclusive to the United States civilization, and has been overhauled with new features, cards, and interaction options.
  • All European civilizations now construct Taverns rather than Saloons. The Indochina and Indonesia maps have been updated to reflect this change.
  • All Native American civilizations can now construct Native Embassies as a default civilization feature. These can be used to train Wild West outlaw units—similar to the behavior of European Taverns.
  • [NEW] All Native American civilizations can now train the Captured Mortar (V) in the Imperial Age from the Native Embassy. This is an artillery unit with similar stats to the Howitzer, and which can be upgraded by Native upgrades—such as Legendary Natives—as well as various Home City cards.

The following mercenaries have been added to the random pool:
  • [NEW] Napoleon Gun (III)
  • [NEW] Zouaves (IV)
  • Ronin (IV)
  • Yojimbo (IV)
  • Iron Troops (IV)
  • Jat Lancer (IV) 
Note that the training of Yojimbo, Iron Troops, and Jat Lancers at the Asian Monastery (by way of the various Atonement (II) cards) can still be done in the Fortress Age.

In addition to these, 3 random mercenaries (increased from 2) are now available in the Saloon, Tavern, and Native Embassy. This change will increase the likelihood of there being trainable mercenaries in the Fortress Age, since a greater number of mercenaries are now available during the Industrial Age.
  • The Native Embassy is now, once again, constructed by Villagers rather than Heroes. This addresses a gameplay issue in the Treaty game mode where it was exceptionally difficult to prevent enemies from constructing forward bases.

Now that Artillery can be trained from the Native Embassy, we no longer feel comfortable with the earlier change that shifted the burden of construction from Villagers to Heroes—a change originally introduced to accommodate the Dutch, who have more buildings than can be displayed the Villager construction panel. To prevent this issue from reemerging, the Dutch now use Envoys to construct their Native Embassies.

🡒 UNITS & BUILDINGS
We've made a change that should make the game less punishing and more survivable if a wagon accidentally arrives at a forward Home City spawn point:
  • Doubled the health of Town Center Wagons, Fort Wagons, Stronghold Travois, Factory Wagons, and Bank Wagons, all of which now have 500 hit points.

We've made adjustments to several outlaw units in an effort to make them more appealing additions to your armies:
  • Comanchero: Increased ranged attack damage from 16 ▶ 19.
  • Comanchero: Increased range resistance from 20% ▶ 30%.
  •  Comanchero: Reduced the population cost from 7 ▶ 6.
  •  Comanchero: Now has a Bull's Eye charged action. When playing as the United States, the unit may make use of an extra powerful attack with greater range than usual every 30 seconds.
  •  Pistolero: Reduced cost from 85 ▶ 80 coin.
  •  Pistolero: Reduced the population cost from 7 ▶ 6.
  •  Pistolero: Doubled the rate of fire of the ranged attack, down from 3 ▶ 1.5.
  •  Pistolero: Reduced ranged attack damage from 30 ▶ 15.
  •  Pistolero: Now has a Quickdraw charged action. When playing as the United States, the unit may rapidly fire several shots by fanning the colt’s hammer every 30 seconds.
  •  Pistolero: Reduced the unit's hand attack bonus against Cavalry from 3x ▶ 2x.
  •  Renegado: Increased cost of the unit from 90 ▶ 100 coin.
  •  Renegado: Reduced the population cost from 6 ▶ 4.
  •  Renegado: Improved the rate of fire of the ranged attack from 3 ▶ 2.
  •  Renegado: Reduced ranged attack damage from 40 ▶ 18.
  •  Renegado: Reduced the unit's bonus damage versus Heavy Infantry from 2x ▶ 1.75x.
  •  Renegado: Now has a Buckshot charged action. When playing as the United States, the unit may fire a buckshot, which deals massive area damage to nearby enemies every 30 seconds.
Note that the Lakota can also gain access to the new charged action abilities by sending various Outlaw cards from their Home City.

We’ll be paying close attention to the performance of all Outlaws, and will make additional adjustments as necessary.

Other general unit balance changes:
  • Dragoon: Corrected the Hand Shock Infantry multiplier obtained via the Consulate from 2.75 ▶ 2.25.
  • Gatling Gun: Reduced the coin cost from 400 ▶ 250 coin to better-reflect their strength. Their wood cost remains unchanged (100 wood).
  • Landsknecht: Have been granted the Oberhau charge action, which deals 3 area damage.
  • Priests, Imam, and Surgeons now have a build limit of 30.
  • Trading Post Travois: Corrected health from 150 ▶ 250.
  • Zapotec Lightning Warrior: Reduced health from 210 ▶ 190.

The Capitol building has been adjusted to parity the new behavior of the US State Capitol:
  • Reduced the cost from 400 ▶ 300 wood.
  • Increased the build experience from 160 ▶ 300xp.
  • Increased the line of sight from 12 ▶ 34—equal to the Town Center.
🡒 UPGRADES
  • Aztec Chinampa: Now (also) benefits Farms and Rice Paddies.
  • Cheyenne Horse Trading: Now improves the training speed of all cavalry-type units.
  • The Heavy Monitor upgrade, Ship's Howitzers, is now properly set as a prerequisite to researching Imperial Monitors.
  • Lacrosse (Big Button): Now (properly) improves the damage of all ranged infantry.
  • League: Now (properly) enables the training of minor Tomahawks and Mantlets from their respective military buildings.
  • Klamath Work Ethos: Now (properly) improves all gathering rates.
  • Meritocracy: Now (properly) decreases the resource costs of all unit upgrades when researched at the Zen Temple.
  • The Wild West and Atonement upgrades now properly benefit all Outlaw units.

Several adjustments have been made to the Cree technologies:
  • Cree Kinship: Rather than modifying the build limit, the technology now improves the training time of Native Warriors by +45%.
  • Cree Textile Craftsmanship: Rather than reducing the wood cost of buildings by 25%, the technology now reduces ALL resource costs of buildings by 10% and improves their construction speed by +25%. Asian Wonders have been adjusted accordingly.
🡒 CARDS
  • Capitalism: Increased the coin trickle from 1.25 ▶ 1.5 coin/second.
  • Case Shot: All Case Shot attacks now deal 0.5x damage to Cavalry-type units.
  • Engineering School: Now properly applies its benefits to all Artillery, including Gatling Guns. The TEAM Engineering School card has also been adjusted accordingly.
  • Stonemasons: Moved to Age I for all civilizations.


[h3]The Aztec[/h3]
🡒 CIVILIZATION
  • Increased the time it takes for all Council members who advance from Age I to Age II from 70 ▶ 80 seconds. The exemption is The Messenger, who still "Ages-up very fast."
🡒 UNITS & BUILDINGS
  • Skull Knights now slowly heal when idle.
  • Skull Knight: Corrected Shock Infantry multipliers from 2.0x ▶ 2.2x.

The Skull Knight now has access to a powerful charged action—Obsidian Storm—which triggers upon recharge.
  • Obsidian Storm is similar in style to the Swashbuckler Attack.
  • Identical to normal attacks, but deals +2 area damage and +33.3% damage with no multipliers against any unit types.
  • Has a 30 second cooldown.
  • Units that die to the attack are flung away.
🡒 CARDS
  • 9 Mayan Allies: Now displays the correct number over the card icon.
  • Great Temple of Huitzilopochtli Support: Now also improves the Skull Knight's charged action.

[h3]The British[/h3]
🡒 CARDS
  • TEAM Cheap Docks: Now also reduces the cost of Native American Big Button upgrades available at the Dock. The tooltip now reads: "TEAM Docks and Dock upgrades are 30% cheaper. Naval Big Button upgrades are 50% cheaper."
  • Estates (IV): No longer reduces the speed of Settlers trained at the Town Center.

[h3]The Chinese[/h3]The below changes to the Chinese civilization are made for the purpose of Treaty balance.

🡒 UPGRADES
  • German Relations (Consulate): The German Expeditionary Army now grants 1 Heavy Cannon and 18 Needle Guns (was 2 Heavy Cannons and 11 Needle Guns).
🡒 CARDS
  • Acupuncture: Now partially applies its effects to Heavy Cannons created at the Factory after opening relations with Russia via the Consulate, as intended.
  • INF 15 Rattan Shield (IV) ▶ INF 10 Rattan Shield (IV)
  • Old Dynasty Reforms: Increased the added cost to train affected units from +20% ▶ +25%. All other affects remain the same.

[h3]The French[/h3]
🡒 CIVILIZATION
  • Tiny Crates of Food containing 50 food (Half Crates) have a new visual model to quickly communicate their reduced food total at a glance.
  • The French are no longer granted Coureur des Bois from TEAM Villager shipments.
🡒 UPGRADES
The following technologies, which are enabled at the Church by the Edict of Nantes (II) card, have been adjusted so as to correct the technology tree and improve the function the Grenade Launchers card—which allows the training of super-equipped Grenadiers.
  • Moved the Imperial Young Guard technology from the Fortress Age ▶ Commerce Age.
  • Moved the Imperial Middle Guard from the Industrial Age ▶ Fortress Age.
  • Imperial Middle Guard: No longer activates the Guard Grenadiers upgrade, but instead grants Grenadiers +10% attack and hit points.
  • Imperial Old Guard: No longer grants Grenadiers +10% attack and hit points, but instead activates the Guard Grenadiers upgrade.
🡒 CARDS
  • Wilderness Warfare: Now also improves the hit points of the Cree Coureur de Bois.

[h3]The Germans[/h3]
🡒 CARDS
  • German cards which upgrade cavalry units now also improve Guachos, Comancheros, and Llanero revolutionary/outlaw units.

[h3]The Incas[/h3]
🡒 CIVILIZATION
  • Llamas no longer fatten while tasked to the Community Plaza
🡒 CARDS
  • Sending the Curare card now renames the Jungle Bowman’s ranged attack to “Ranged Curare Attack,” meaning that the upgrade can now be “scouted” by checking the unit’s stats panel.
  • Fixed a bug where the Native Treaties (II) card would deliver more units than intended if preceded by an American Allies (I) card. Native Treaties will now deliver the same number of units regardless of how the alliance was formed.
  • Old Ways (IV): Fixed a bug where the coin cost of the Inca Raiding Party (Big Button) would not be decreased.
  • Son of Inti (IV): Fixed a bug which would prevent the War Chief’s hand attack from properly inflicting increased splash damage.

[h3]The Indians[/h3]
🡒 UNITS & BUILDINGS
  • Mansabdars: Corrected the attack damage of certain Mansabdar units to ensure that each has the same attack and double the hit points of their counterpart units.
  • Mansabdars: Now benefit from their own damage auras, ensuring that they inflict the same bonus damage as other units influenced by their aura.
🡒 CARDS
  • Bombay Marine: Improved the tooltip text to better-reflect the functionality of the card: "All military boats train faster and give more experience points upon construction, +1 Villager.” ▶ "All boats train faster and give more experience points upon construction, +1 Villager."

[h3]The Lakota[/h3]
🡒 CIVILIZATION
  • Fire Ceremony (Community Plaza): No longer boosts the siege damage of AbstractArtillery units.

[h3]The Ottomans[/h3]
🡒 UNITS & BUILDINGS
  • Nizam Fusilier: Now benefit from Counter Infantry Rifling when in Volley Mode, as intended.
🡒 CARDS
  • Silk Road: Now also improves the experience income of Trading Posts, as intended.

[h3]The Portuguese[/h3]
🡒 CARDS
  • Dragoon Combat: Now also improves Llaneros obtained via the Gran Colombia Revolution.
  • TEAM Cheap Outposts: Now reduces the cost of Nobles' Huts along with other outpost buildings.

[h3]The Spanish[/h3]
🡒 CIVILIZATION
  • Archaic Infantry upgrades now grant their benefits to all Hand Infantry and Foot Archers, allowing them to synergize more effectively with Native Warriors and Mercenaries.
  • Rather than delivering bonus crates, the Spanish Logistician now directly deposits resources into your stockpile.
  • The default Beginner deck is now more suitable for players beginning to explore The Spanish civilization.
🡒 CARDS
  • TEAM Archaic Soldier Training: Slightly reduced the training time bonuses granted to Archaic Infantry and Archers, down from -50% ▶ -40%.

[h3]The Swedes[/h3]
🡒 UNITS & BUILDINGS
  • Torp: Reduced the gathering rate from Blueberry Bushes from 0.64 ▶ 0.57 food/second. This is still 1.7x the collection speed of normal Berry Bushes—down from 1.9x.
🡒 UPGRADES
The effect of the Savolax Jaegers technology has been updated:
  • Ships 6 Jaegers and upgrades all Jaegers into Savolax Jaegers. Savolax Jaegers have slightly more hit points, can use the Stealth ability, and partly cost Wood to recruit.

This change is aimed at making mercenary armies less draining on coin resources by adjusting the Jaeger cost to 100 wood, 100 coin. It should also make the Swede's unique Church card—Treaty of Roskilde (II)—more appealing, which also grants powerful hand infantry improvements which can be used to defend groups of Jaegers or Artillery.

🡒 CARDS
  • Great Northern Forests: Reduced the maximum wood income from 1.0 ▶ 0.7 wood/second.
  • Oxenstierna Reforms: Reduced the exchange rate of food to coin from 1.3x ▶ 1.25x.


POLITICIANS
[hr]
[/hr]
  • The Mercenary Contractor: Now properly improves all Outlaw units.


REVOLUTIONS
[hr]
[/hr][h3]Finland[/h3]
🡒 UNITS & BUILDINGS
  • Karelian Jaeger: Can now also construct Docks.
  • Karelian Jaeger: Increased the crate collection rate to match that of Villagers, up from 4 ▶ 8.
🡒 CARDS
  • [NEW] Baltic Fleet: Can be sent an infinite number of times; delivers 1 Monitor and 1 Frigate to the revolting nation.

[h3]Hungary[/h3]
🡒 UNITS & BUILDINGS
  • Grenzers: Reduced the hit point deduction from -20% ▶ -10% hit points. Their range bonus remains unchanged (+4 range).

[h3]United States[/h3]
🡒 UNITS & BUILDINGS
  • Increased the number of Gatling Guns spawned at each Fort upon revolting from 1 ▶ 2.
  • Volunteers: Renamed to Revolutionary Sharpshooter.
  • Revolutionary Sharpshooter: Now benefit from cards which improve Skirmishers for civilizations that can access the United States revolution.


LOCALIZATION
[hr]
[/hr]
  • Fixed non-localized text in the Default Hotkeys menu.
  • Fixed non-localized text in the Multiplayer Lobby menu.


[hr][/hr]
     ◆ ONGOING INVESTIGATION ◆
[hr][/hr]As always, we are continuing to track issues reported by the community for future updates. Here is a brief update from our Production team regarding some of what is still in the works:
  • Stuck Units: We believe we have fixes for most of the root problems causing this issue. Once they’ve been tested and included in a build, the most valuable thing you can provide if you encounter it again is:

    1) a replay file that shows the units getting stuck
    2) the name of the map
    3) detailed steps of what commands were issued or steps resulted in the unit(s) getting stuck

    Create a new thread on the discussion forum and we’ll do what we can to investigate and implement a fix!
  • TEAM North Carolina Quakers (IV): We've identified a desync triggered by this particular United States Home City card. Please avoid adding it to your deck for the time until we're able to resolve the issue in an incoming hotfix build.

For other known issues, please visit this page to see what’s being tracked!

[hr][/hr]
          ◆ MOD WARNING ◆
[hr][/hr]Please note that custom mods may not be compatible with the latest game update. If you encounter performance or stability issues after your mods are disabled, please visit our support page for assistance!

The Age of Empires: Fan Preview Recap!



We’ve vacated the Town Center (for now) and our Age Fan Preview broadcast has come and gone! We hope you enjoyed the show and have plenty of new news to talk about and share with the community.

In case you missed some of the excitement or information in the whirlwind, here’s a quick breakdown of everything we shared today.

IV | New Civ: The Delhi Sultanate

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
First we revealed one of the civilizations you’ll be able to play in Age of Empires IV: the Delhi Sultanate! This first look showed off buildings, units and…elephants!

    

  •  If you’d like to learn more about what makes the Delhi Sultanate unique, you can visit our Virtual Village for a closer look.
IV | The Norman Campaign

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
We took a deep dive into the Norman Campaign coming to Age of Empires IV. We previewed the documentary-style storytelling that will carry you through missions, as well as some of the gameplay captured straight from the campaign: beginning with William of Normandy’s battle for the English throne. Age of Empires IV will have four playable campaigns, and we’re excited to share more as we get closer to its release.

IV | Behind-the-Scenes at Relic Entertainment

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Age of Empires IV is being developed by Relic Entertainment, who offered us a behind-the-scenes look at their Vancouver studio and work on the game. Their history with real time strategy games, their passionate team, and their love for the franchise shone through in our chats with them, and we hope you enjoyed getting to know the people behind the project!

IV | New Civ: The Chinese

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Our trip to Vancouver to visit Relic was followed by another special civilization reveal for Age of Empires IV: the Chinese! Their reveal video gave us a taste for their units, unique buildings, and even the first notes of their musical theme.

II | New Expansion: The Dawn of the Dukes

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
As Fan Preview is a celebration of ALL things Age of Empires, we also wanted to feature our Definitive Editions. We’ve been so thrilled to remaster these classic titles for new and old players alike, and to continue evolving them alongside the community’s feedback!

Today we announced some big additions coming to Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition:
  • The second official DLC—Dawn of the Dukes—is coming with an Eastern European setting!
  • Some of our existing campaigns will be playable in two player co-op, with more information about the feature coming soon!
III | New Civ: The United States


Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition is getting more content too! On April 13, you'll be able to experience the United States civilization.
  • A new civilization, new customizable home city, distinct units, and unique mechanics are on the horizon!
  • You’ll be able to earn the United States civ for FREE by completing the Fifty States Challenge, or by purchasing and unlocking it immediately via Steam or the Microsoft Store.
  • We’ll also be expanding the civ roster in the future as we head to Africa. More information to come!
♥ | A Community Tribute

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
One of the best things about Age of Empires is the vibrant, creative, welcoming community. A celebration of the franchise wouldn’t be complete without all of YOU, so the Relic and World’s Edge Community Teams got together to pay tribute to you and your love of the games. It’s been a fantastic journey with you all so far, and we can’t wait to see you in Age of Empires IV.

IV | Age of Empires IV Gameplay: An Exclusive Look!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
You’ve been asking to see more of Age of Empires IV, so we pulled a little something together! This epic look at the gameplay of Age IV showcases all of our revealed civilizations as they build and battle across the Ages. There are so many great moments, and we’re excited to hear what stands out to you!

IV | A Final Look...

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Just when you thought we were done, our host hinted at one final look at the game...

...But Wait, There's More!

And with that, our show was done! A big thank you to our host Zak (AKA ZeroEmpires) and to the entire team who worked so hard to put the show together.

But this is just the beginning! Fan Preview isn’t finished just yet; there are a few more activities for you to enjoy over the next week:

    

  •  You can head to our Virtual Village to catch more exclusive content, learn more about the Age of Empires IV civilizations we've revealed thus far, and take part in some activities built exclusively for this celebration.
  •  An Age of Empires IV Closed Beta is on the horizon! If you want a chance to take part, you’ll need to be an Age of Empires Insider. Go sign up if you haven’t already; we’ll have more to share about the Beta in the near future, so stay tuned to our social channels and website.
  •  There’s also an opportunity to win a one-of-a-kind, Age of Empires-branded, Dell Alienware Aurora R11 Desktop. Enter for a chance to win!
Age of Empires IV is coming this Fall 2021 as our Definitive Editions continue to evolve month after month. There’s never been a better time to be an Age of Empires fan, and we’re excited for what comes next.

So, to everyone joining us, whether new or for the twentieth (or more) years: WO-LO-LO!

—The Age of Empires Team

Эксклюзивы Microsoft стали еще доступнее на PC - в Steam началась распродажа игр Xbox Game Studios с большими скидками

В сервисе цифровой дистрибуции Steam началась новая издательская распродажа. В рамках акции были снижены цена на многие игры от Xbox Game Studios.

Server Maintenance - Tuesday, March 30



WHAT: Server Maintenance (Matchmaking Servers)
WHEN: Tuesday, March 30 @ 2:00p PT / 5:00p 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 Tuesday, March 30th, 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!