• Two New Variant Civilizations: The Knights Templar (French variant) and House of Lancaster (English variant) – shaking up gameplay like never before!
  
• Four Historical Battles: In this newly-introduced game mode, lead legendary armies through action-packed battles inspired by history. Earn medals and test your strategic might in the optional Conqueror mode.
  
• Ten New Maps: A bevy of new environments to skirmish, battle, and forge your way to victory on.
  
• Fifteen New Achievements: Push yourself with additional challenges to unlock new achievements.
  

Want More?

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💬 DISCUSS: Official Forum
💬 DISCUSS: Steam Forum
🗣 JOIN: Official Discord

Please Note: As part of updating to this latest build, any saved games and observable matches made on previous builds will be unable to be loaded or replayed.

This is just a small taste of what is coming in the latest update. For a more complete list, please visit our site and check out our blog. Happy Gaming!

DLC Spotlight: Knights of Cross and Rose

We will be launching our Season Ten update alongside our newest expansion, Knights of Cross and Rose! This DLC features new variant civilizations for the French and English, as well as a new game mode and ten maps.

Variant Civilization: Knights Templar

The Knights Templar are making their debut as a new variant civilization for the French. Founded with the goal to protect pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land, the Templars became renowned for their financial sophistication and defensive fortresses in the Levant. We aimed to highlight their cultural and military excellence through unique, highly flexible gameplay.

The Knights Templar do not progress to the next age when a landmark is built, but rather age up with Town Centers. This allows them to select one of three Templar Commanderies per age, each providing their own set of powerful unique units and features. For example, players can select the Kingdom of Poland for a tanky Heavy Cavalry unit and a massive boost to Cavalry charge damage, or the Knights Hospitaller for a new Man-At-Arms variant and a civilization-wide boost to economic unit heath and healing received.

This variant civilization foregoes the French’s standard Trade Economy trait in favor of the new Pilgrimage trait. Instead of relying on Traders for gold generation, the Knights Templar gain gold by sending Pilgrims to Sacred Sites. In addition to this, they also reveal all Sacred Sites at the start of the game, so be sure to use this extra intel to plan out your pilgrimages!

This only scratches the surface of the many tricks the Knights Templar have up their sleeves, and we are beyond excited for Knights of Cross and Rose players to maximize their potential. The Knights Templar’s creative, game-bending playstyle not only shakes up established gameplay norms, but brings the rich history of one of France’s most renowned military orders to life.

Variant Civilization: House of Lancaster

Fearless combatants in the Wars of the Roses, the House of Lancaster established themselves as Europe’s most dominant military force after winning the famous battle of Agincourt against the French. The House of Lancaster variant civilization showcases their undeniable military capability while also providing a streamlined, intuitive gameplay experience.

The House of Lancaster’s notorious prowess at range is well illustrated through their unique units. The variant civilization replaces the Longbowman with the all-new Yeoman unit. Not only is the Yeoman stronger and more mobile than your average archer, they can also rain down a volley of arrows with their unique Synchronized Shot ability. We all know it can be a delicate art balancing your army’s survivability with enough range to whittle down the enemy. However, you can have the best of both worlds with the House of Lancaster’s Earl’s Guard unit! This unique Man-At-Arms possesses the bulk and power you’d expect from a Heavy Infantry unit, but can also toss daggers at range to deal huge burst damage.

In addition to its powerful military units, the House of Lancaster gains several new traits that help players amass a veritable horde of resources. The Wool Industries trait grants players free sheep when a Town Center is built and allows villagers to gather from sheep faster. Additionally, players can construct several Manors throughout the game, providing the House of Lancaster a consistent stream of gold for each one built. The Manor’s abilities only grow as new unique Technologies are unlocked.

The House of Lancaster will provide a familiar, comfortable gameplay experience for Age of Empires IV players while also offering a bevy of unique traits to keep things fresh. We think this new variant civilization will be a favorite for new and old fans alike!

Game Mode: Historical Battles

In the Knights of Cross and Rose expansion, players can dive into four new single player Historical Battles. Unlike the more narrative-centric campaigns, these scenarios focus on key moments throughout the history of the Knights Templar and the House of Lancaster. By narrowing our scope to singular, larger-than-life battles, we are able to provide an even richer historical experience than Age of Empires IV players have seen before!

In contrast to previous game modes, players are scored and ranked based on their performance during each Historical Battle rather than solely on their ability to secure a victory. Each battle is filled with secrets and traps for players to uncover, which can significantly affect their final score. Players can explore the intricacies of each map and use their discoveries to improve future playthroughs. Historical Battles are designed to be more than a one-time experience – we want players to feel compelled to attempt them time and time again!

Season Ten

It’s time to flex your true strength! Clash of Champions is an opportunity to show your excellence in all forms, whether it be your skills in archery or jousting on horseback. Dominate the competition and display your rewards proudly.

Come join the Clash of Champions in a celebration of competitive spirit from April 8th through April 28th!

Clash of Champions Event

Ranked Season Ten Updates

It’s time to kick off a brand-new season! Season Ten follows the lords of the land and the citizens under their protection. Lead your people to victory and prosperity with a host of rewards for your efforts! Season Ten runs from April 8th to June 26th.

Map Pool Rotation

We feel confident introducing our new maps directly to the Ranked Map pool! Test your mettle on this season’s new terrain and unique mechanics.

1v1 Ranked Map Pool

• Prairie → Carmel
  
• King of the Hill → Enlightened Horizon
  
• Lipany → Relic River
  
• Golden Heights → High View
  
• Archipelago → Migration

Team Ranked Map Pool

• Mountain Clearing → Waterlanes
  
• Hideout → Volcanic Island
  
• Lake Side → Wasteland
  
• Nagari → Shadow Lake
  
• Cliffside → Enlightened Horizon

New Feature: Points of Interest

Points of Interest are dynamic reward locations being added to several maps. They feature neutral map objectives that provide players with various reward types. Some may grant a consistent flow of resource yields, while others can uncover a relic. While it can be tempting to focus exclusively on capturing them, your opponents can capture them back to steal the benefits. Just be warned that the wolves of the Wolf Den are more dangerous than ever before! More information can be found in the Maps section of the patch notes.

This is just a small taste of what is coming in the latest update. For a more complete list, please visit our site and check out our blog. Happy Gaming!

:alertalert: DISCLAIMER

This list is subject to change and should not be considered a comprehensive list of all the known issues we’re tracking. The above is to inform you of the team’s current priorities, which will change as other issues arise or take precedence.

For the latest updates and announcements, please visit our social channels.

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Ranked Season Nine Rewards

• Two new Variant Civilizations that change gameplay like never before – Knights Templar (French variant) and House of Lancaster (English variant).
  
• New game mode: Historical Battles. Lead iconic armies in an action-packed battles inspired by history. Earn medals and test your strategic might in the optional Conqueror mode.
  
• Ten new maps on which to skirmish, battle and forge your way to victory.

Variant Civilizations

Knights Templar (French Variant)

House of Lancaster (English Variant)

Historical Battles

New Maps

Relic River

Mountain Lakes

Waterlanes

Wasteland

Shadow Lake

Rugged

Highwoods

Hedgemaze

Flankwoods

Enlightened Horizon

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Key Features to Look Forward to:

• Two New Variant Civilizations: Knights Templar and House of Lancaster
  
• 10 New Maps for Skirmish and Multiplayer
  
• New Game Mode: Historical Battles

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Age-ing Up Variant Civilizations

While base civilizations like the English and French allow us to explore a broad range of human history, variant civilizations provide a unique opportunity to dive deep into specific moments in time and unearth the stories within. This is a design philosophy the team believes in, and with Knights of Cross and Rose, the team was able to expand upon this concept with feedback from the community fresh in mind.

One thing we heard loud and clear from players is the importance of staying true to history (as much as possible!) while still presenting fun gameplay mechanics – even with variant civilizations. With that in mind, we’ve given the Knights Templar and House of Lancaster a more direct “civilization treatment,” drawing inspiration from the moments in time these well-known groups inhabited and aiming for a high level of authenticity as much as possible.

Not only are we leaning more into history as our compass when it comes to overall design, but we’re also packing in more content. These variants bring with them even more unique units, upgrades and abilities to ensure they stand out from their base civilization in meaningful ways. In the case of the Knights Templar, there are no shared traits, bonuses, units or upgrades between them and the French civilization.

The Knights Templar

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The Knights Templar, while a well-known historical group, were neither a state nor kingdom. As a Military Order, they were comprised of individuals from a variety of nations, this unique situation allowed our team some degree of creative freedom when exploring how to best represent the Knights Templar in gameplay. While their unit roster is powerful, it’s the Knights Templar’s unique recruitment system that we believe will give them a fun strategic edge.

Historically, Templar Commanderies were established in nearly every European Kingdom acting as a source of power and prestige for the Order. With Knights of Cross and Rose, this system is brought to life with the Commanderie Age Up system, in which you can select one of three allies with each Age to receive a permanent bonus and unique unit. Did we mention yet that Knights Templar have a lot of unique units?

Furthermore, the Templars built a lot (like a lot a lot) of Castles, Fortresses and various fortifications around Europe and the Levant. Thus, the Fortress, their unique keep, plays a key strategic role in their overall gameplay.

House of Lancaster

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The House of Lancaster were key players in two of the most formative wars in European medieval history: the War of the Roses and the Hundred Years War. The Lancasters were known for their unparalleled ranged tactics on the battlefield and an unyielding patronage of the arts and sciences.

These historical elements inspired much of the gameplay when bringing the House of Lancaster variant civilization to life in this upcoming DLC. Not only does this variant civilization come equipped with a powerful ability called Synchronized Shot, which allows for a wide-ranging volley shot, but they’re also bolstered by the Manor, a unique building that generates resources.

While the Knights Templar provide several sleek and wholly new gameplay options, the House of Lancaster serves as a departure from their English base civilization while still providing a generally intuitive playstyle that leans toward defensive strategies.

Historical Battles

The new singleplayer mode, Historical Battles, deviates from the traditional narrative-focused campaign by narrowing in on select moments in history notable to the Knights Templar and House of Lancaster. While these Historical Battles aim to enrich the gameplay experience with elements common to campaign – including storybook-style cinematics and voice acting – their vignette quality (as standalone missions) allowed us to take real history as inspiration for a challenging set of objectives that, in some cases, put the power to defy history into the player’s hands. Some of these battles start in desperate situations that were historical defeats for the armies you’ll command, such as the Siege of Safed. This particular setup begs the question: With your wits and cunning, can you hold back the might of Baibar’s army that defeated the Knights Templar?

A core element of these battles is that players are scored and ranked by their performance through an associated medal system, meaning we had to take a fundamentally different approach to the mission design. In the classic campaign format, missions are more linear with a singular focus on describing the actual event. With Historical Battles, we have filled the maps with secrets, traps and more to promote exploration. This leads to the battles being puzzle-like in nature, which means that it’s not a “play once and be done with it” experience, but instead a mode that challenges you to optimize your play over repeated attempts. Players looking for an additional level of challenge have the option of unlocking Conqueror mode based on decisions made during the mission.

We expect this style of content to resonate with a broader audience as it melds aspects of narrative common to campaigns with the replayability and strategic opportunities of skirmish. We’re looking forward to hearing what you think of this approach to singleplayer modes!

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GAMES & PLATFORMS IMPACTED

• Age of Empires: Definitive Edition (Steam / Microsoft Store)
  
• Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition (Steam / Microsoft Store / Xbox)
  
• Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition (Steam / Microsoft Store)
  
• Age of Empires IV (Steam / Microsoft Store / Xbox)
  

OBJECTIVES

• Routine server updates and maintenance.

DETAILS

• 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.