Age of Empires: Definitive Edition is a remaster of the original Age of Empires. It was announced on 12 June 2017[1][2] and was set to be released on 19 October 2017 as a Windows 10 and Store-exclusive title for the original's 20th anniversary.[3] It was delayed until 20 February 2018.
New features
- All-new graphics & artwork
- Attack move functionality[4]
- Balance adjustments
- Enhanced pathfinding[4]
- Increased population limit[4]
- New zoom levels[4]
- Remastered soundtrack
- Remastered sound effects
- Revamped and expanded UI
- The good old campaigns with proper spit and polish
- New terrains & scenario editor objects
- Classic Mode – The original 1997 experience
- Plenty a-wololo[5]
Balance adjustements
Units & Buildings
- Hunters work 5% faster than before (previously they were as slow as Foragers).
- Food available from Whale increased to 300 Food.
- Gold and stone miners work 15% faster (to compensate bug fixes to technologies).
- Short Swordsmen directly available in Bronze Age without any researches.
- Broad Swordsmen have +10 HP, Long Swordsmen have +20 HP.
- Changes in train/build time of units: Camel Riders are 6% slower to train (now 25% faster to train than Cavalry); Farms: 20% faster; towers: 10% faster.
- Horse Archer and Heavy Horse Archer have 1 pierce armor (previously 2).
- Heavy Cavalry +1 armor.
- Cataphract: +20 HP, +1 armor, +1 pierce armor; upgrade cost to 1600F, 750G (previously 2000F, 850G).
- Elephant Archers have +1 attack, cost reduced to 180F, 45G (previously 180F, 60G).
- War/Armored Elephant and Scythe Chariot trample damage area reduced just enough so that they no longer damage enemy units/buildings on the other side of a wall.
- Slingers have higher bonus attack (+4) vs mounted archers (bonus vs foot archers unchanged).
- Camel Riders now have bonus attack against all mounted units. Missing +4 bonus attack vs elephants added.
- All chariots now have double attack vs. Priest (previously +7). It’s calculated from their base attack.
- Armored Elephant bonus attack vs. buildings decreased by 1.
- Scout gets +2 LOS per age upgrade – already present, but undocumented effect. Bonus from upgrading from Stone to Tool Age is removed (Scout isn’t available in Stone Age).
- Catapult, Heavy Catapult and Juggernaught have slightly smaller damage area radius.
- Siege weapon projectiles (stones and bolts) travel slightly faster (they were very slow), but are also slightly slower to reload (affects all stone and bolt firing units).
- Helepolis has 30% slower fire rate (previously it fired as fast as archers). Helepolis projectiles are faster (as noted above).
- Catapult Triremes now have 135 HP (previously 120 HP).
- Catapult Trireme and Juggernaught move 10% faster, cost reduced to 135W, 50G (previously 135W, 75G).
- Juggernaughts can no longer destroy trees. Upgrade cost reduced to 1300F, 700W (previously: 2000F, 900W).
- Academy cost reduced to 150W (previously 200W).
- Priests have +1 healing range.
- Trade Boats to 120 HP (previously 200 – too much for a Stone Age unit); Merchant Ships to 200 HP (previously 250).
Technologies
- Plow: +100 Farm Food (previously +75).
- Irrigation: +125 Farm Food (previously +75).
- Coinage: gold mining productivity (extra yield) reduced to +10% (previously +25%), gathering speed and carry capacity remain the same.
- Zealotry (renamed Jihad): Villager carry capacity penalty more consistent for different villager types; villager speed bonus to +10%.
- Siegecraft: Villager bonus attack vs walls and towers slightly reduced.
- Researching Broad Sword takes +10 sec.
- Medicine: Priest heals 2x faster (as it should be, previously 3x = faster than most attacks in the game).
- Improved Bow researched faster (-15 sec).
- Wheel researched slower (+15 sec.).
- Writing is researched in half the time.
- Middle tier units and buildings (Broad Swordsman, Long Swordsman, Heavy Cavalry, Phalanx, Catapult, War Galley, Sentry Tower, Guard Tower, Medium Wall) placed in scenarios are now upgradeable.
All civilizations
- All civilizations now get Heavy Transport upgrade (previously Choson, Assyrians, Babylonians, Hittites, Palmyrans, Shang and Sumerians didn’t).
- All civilizations now get Wheel (previously Persians and Macedonians didn’t).
- All civilizations now get Coinage (previously Egyptians, Palmyran, Persian, Shang and Sumerian didn’t).
Assyrians
- Main article: Assyrians
- Villagers move 10% faster (previously 18% faster).
- Get Engineering and Chain Mail armor.
Babylonians
- Main article: Babylonians
- Towers and walls have +75% HP (previously +100% HP).
- Get Metallurgy.
Carthaginians
- Main article: Carthaginians
- Transport ships move 25% faster (previously 25% faster for Light Transport, 43% faster for Heavy Transport).
- New bonus: Camel Riders have +15% HP.
Choson
- Main article: Choson
- Short/Broad/Long Swordsmen and Legion have +15/20/60/80 HP respectively. (previously only Long Swordsmen and Legion +80 HP)
- Get Nobility.
Egyptians
- Main article: Egyptians (Age of Empires)
- Get Coinage.
Greeks
- Main article: Greeks (Age of Empires)
- New bonus: Academy units cost 20% less (in addition to the already present speed bonus).
- Ships are 20% faster (previously 17% faster).
Hittites
- Main article: Hittites
- Catapults have +50% HP (previously +100% HP).
- War ships (except Fire Galleys) have +3 range (previously +4 range).
- Lose Centurion, Architecture and Irrigation.
Macedonians
- Main article: Macedonians
- Siege Workshop units cost -25% (previously -50%).
- Get Wheel.
- Get Catapult upgrade.
Palmyrans
- Main article: Palmyrans
- New bonus: Start the game with +50 Food (because their villagers cost 75 F).
- Villagers work 25% faster for all tasks (previously 20% faster for some tasks, 0% faster for others).
- Get Coinage.
Persians
- Main article: Persians (Age of Empires)
- All elephant units move 20% faster (previously 56% faster).
- Get Wheel, Artisanship and Coinage.
- Persian Triremes fire 25% faster (previously 38%).
Phoenician
- Main article: Phoenicians
- Catapult Trireme and Juggernaught fire 30% faster (previously 58% faster).
Shang
- Main article: Shang
Sumerians
- Main article: Sumerians
Yamato
- Main article: Yamato
- Villagers move 10% faster (previously 18% faster).
- All ships have +25% HP (previously +33% HP for fishing ships, +30% HP for other ships)
Campaigns
The game offers the original campaigns with some rework, plus the addition of the Age of Empires demo campaign of the Reign of the Hittites (skipping the first two scenarios), and the First Punic War from the demo of The Rise of Rome. The Pax Romana campaign was renamed to "Imperium Romanum".
Scenario names, descriptions and factions were renamed for a more historical correct approach and cohesion.
