Age of Empires 2 is eternal. Like Half-Life, Fallout, Doom, and Deus Ex, it remains one of the foundational pillars that holds PC gaming aloft. Originally released in 1999, the best AoE game in history – and one of the greatest RTS games of all time – is still going strong a quarter of a century later. It always looked great, but the Definitive Edition makes it shine even brighter. With regular tweaks, upgrades, enhancements, and new material, the revised version of Age of Empires 2 remains the perfect homage to the game’s legacy, and now, somehow, it’s getting bigger. The largest update in AoE 2: Definitive Edition’s history has just arrived, with more civilizations and campaigns on the way courtesy of a new DLC.
Officially designated ‘141935,’ the new Age of Empires 2 update is, by the admission of the RTS game’s collective of developers, the “largest ever.” The hybrid Age DE team previewed the update back in March – back then, I copied and pasted the full patch notes into a document and they comprised more than 7,000 words. Not satisfied with that mammoth overhaul, just in time for 141935’s launch, AoE 2’s developers have added even more changes, enhancements, and fresh material.
There’s enough here to make an entirely new strategy game, but to pull out a few highlights, Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition now offers new maps; new visual designs for castles, elite unique units, monks, and monasterieshave been introduced; AI pathfinding is improved; the tech tree UI has been overhauled; balance has been changed across the entire game; and there are dozens of bug fixes based on player feedback. It feels like the patch notes equivalent of a full, room-to-room home makeover.
And yet, there is still more. The new Age of Empires 2 DLC pack, The Three Kingdoms, arrives on Tuesday May 6. It includes five new civilizations, three more campaigns, and several extra units such as armored horsemen and the ultra-lethal Dragon Ship. Between the giant update and the fresh DLC, it’s like being back in 1999, when AoE 2 was completely brand new. If you want to pre-order The Three Kingdoms, head here.
Otherwise, try some of the best 4X games, or maybe the best grand strategy games that the PC has to offer.
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