The game's main menu theme
Age of Empires: Definitive Edition is a remaster of Age of Empires. It features significantly improved visuals, multiple quality of life improvements, and incorporates The Rise of Rome expansion.
First announced on June 12, 2017[1][2] and set to be released on October 19, 2017 as a Windows 10 store-exclusive title for the original game's 20th anniversary,[3] it was delayed until February 20, 2018 and later released on Steam on August 19, 2019.
On October 25, 2022, on the 25th Anniversary of the Age of Empires series, the game was announced to be ported to the Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition engine. This was implemented through the Return of Rome expansion for the latter.
New features[]
- Achievements
- All-new graphics and artwork
- Attack move functionality[4]
- Balance adjustments
- Classic Mode ā The original 1997 experience
- Enhanced pathfinding[4]
- Increased population limit[4]
- New, fully remastered soundtrack
- New terrains and scenario editor objects
- New zoom levels[4]
- Remastered sound effects
- Revamped and expanded UI
- Reworked campaigns
Major post-launch changes:
- Automatic Farm Reseed in the Granary
- Automatic File Transfer of scenarios and maps in the Multiplayer Lobby
- Global queue indicator for all currently queued technologies and units
- Mixed technology queues
- Mixed unit queues
- New Elo and 'Ranked' game modes
- Option to toggle blood effects on and off
- Priests auto-heal wounded units
- Scouts auto-attack if they've been tasked to attack, or when attacked by a non-gaia unit
- Ship acceleration removed
- UI indicator for amount of villagers working on each resource
- Unit stances[5]
Balance adjustments[]
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This article is about the changes made with the release itself. For the summary of changes made with the Definitive Edition, see Summary of changes in Age of Empires: Definitive Editionā. |
Units and 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 the Bronze Age without any research.
- Broad Swordsmen have +10 hit points, Long Swordsmen have +20 hit points.
- 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 hit points, +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. Priests (previously +7). It's calculated from their base attack.
- Armored Elephant bonus attack vs. buildings decreased by 1.
- Scout gets +2 Line of Sight per age upgrade ā already present, but undocumented effect. Bonus from upgrading from Stone to Tool Age is removed (Scout isn't available in the 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 hit points (previously 120 hit points).
- Catapult Triremes and Juggernaughts 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 hit points (previously 200 ā too much for a Stone Age unit); Merchant Ships to 200 hit points (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 (formerly named 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 receive Heavy Transport upgrade (previously Choson, Assyrians, Babylonians, Hittites, Palmyrans, Shang and Sumerians did not).
- All civilizations get Wheel (previously Persians and Macedonians did not).
- All civilizations get Coinage (previously Egyptians, Palmyran, Persian, Shang, and Sumerian did not).
Assyrians[]
- Villagers move 10% faster (previously 18% faster).
- Get Engineering and Chain Mail.
Babylonians[]
- Towers and walls have +75% hit points (previously +100% hit points).
- Get Metallurgy.
Carthaginians[]
- Transport ships move 25% faster (previously 25% faster for Light Transport, 43% faster for Heavy Transport).
- New bonus: Camel Riders have +15% hit points.
Choson[]
- Short/Broad/Long Swordsmen and Legions have +15/20/60/80 hit points, respectively. (previously only Long Swordsmen and Legion +80 hit points)
- Get Nobility.
Egyptians[]
- Get Coinage.
Greeks[]
- New bonus: Academy units cost 20% less (in addition to the already present speed bonus).
- Ships are 20% faster (previously 17% faster).
Hittites[]
- Catapults have +50% hit points (previously +100% hit points).
- War ships (except Fire Galleys) have +3 range (previously +4 range).
- Lose Centurion, Architecture and Irrigation.
Macedonians[]
- Siege Workshop units cost -25% (previously -50%).
- Get Wheel.
- Get Catapult upgrade.
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[]
- All elephant units move 20% faster (previously 56% faster).
- Get Wheel, Artisanship and Coinage.
- Persian Triremes fire 25% faster (previously 38%).
Phoenician[]
- Catapult Trireme and Juggernaught fire 30% faster (previously 58% faster).
Shang[]
Sumerians[]
Yamato[]
- Villagers move 10% faster (previously 18% faster).
- All ships have +25% hit points (previously +33% hit points for Fishing Ships, +30% hit points for other ships)
Campaigns[]
The Definitive Edition offers the campaigns from Age of Empires (including Reign of the Hittites from the demo) and The Rise of Rome (including The First Punic War from the demo). Some scenarios were renamed, had gameplay changes, or included different descriptions and faction names.
The full list of campaigns are:
- Tutorial Campaign: Ascent of Egypt (Egyptians, previously Ascent of Egypt Learning Campaign in Age of Empires)
- Glory of Greece (Greeks)
- Voices of Babylon (Babylonians)
- Yamato, Empire of the Rising Sun (Yamato)
- Reign of the Hittites (Hittites)
- The Rise of Rome (Romans, previously Rise of Rome in The Rise of Rome)
- Ave Caesar (Romans)
- Imperium Romanum (Romans, Palmyrans, previously Pax Romana in The Rise of Rome)
- Enemies of Rome (Carthaginians, Macedonians, Romans, Palmyrans)
- The First Punic War (Carthaginians)
Trivia[]
- This is the only Definitive Edition to not include new civilizations and brand new campaigns or scenarios (Reign of the Hitites and The First Punic War were demo campaigns for the original version) and is the only one where all unit voices have been redone.
Gallery[]
The main menu background without UI
Startup art
Alternate pre-release main menu
Units in this image include Priests, Composite Bowmen, Heavy Cavalry and War Elephants. Buildings shown are of the Babylonian architectural style (including a Wonder).
Another example of reworked graphics for the Greek architectural style, including a Wonder to the right.
Water graphics and the ones of vessels have also been reworked. Also featured to the bottom of the image is a Ballista.
External links[]
References[]
- ā Age of Empires: Definitive Edition is coming to PC in glorious 4K
- ā Age of Empires is being remastered in 4K this year (update)
- ā Age of Empires: Definitive Edition - Microsoft Store page
- ā 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Age of Empires Definitive Edition - Gamescom 2017 Trailer
- ā Age of Empires: Definitive Edition - Update 38862
| Age of Empires | |
|---|---|
| Main series | |
 Age of Empires |  The Rise of Rome Definitive Edition Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - Return of Rome |
 Age of Empires II |  The Conquerors HD Edition:  The Forgotten Ā·  The African Kingdoms Ā·  Rise of the Rajas Definitive Edition ( The Last Khans) :  Lords of the West Ā·  Dawn of the Dukes Ā·  Dynasties of India Ā· Return of Rome Ā·  The Mountain Royals Ā· Victors and Vanquished |
 Age of Mythology |  The Titans Extended Edition: Tale of the Dragon Retold |
 Age of Empires III |  The WarChiefs Ā·  The Asian Dynasties Definitive Edition:  USA DLC Ā· The African Royals Ā·  Mexican DLC Ā· Knights of the Mediterranean |
 Age of Empires IV | Anniversary Edition Ā· The Sultans Ascend |
| Other games | |
| Age of Empires Online Ā· Age of Empires: Castle Siege | |
| Handheld | Age of Empires: The Age of Kings Ā· Age of Empires: Mythologies |
| Mobile | Age of Empires II Mobile (Deluxe) Ā· Age of Empires III Mobile Ā· Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties Mobile Ā· Age of Empires: World Domination Ā· Age of Empires Mobile |
| Tabletop | Age of Empires: Expandable Card Game Ā· Age of Mythology: The Boardgame Ā· Glenn Drover's Empires: The Age of Discovery |