| “ | Prepare to embark on a legendary journey as we introduce the "The Mountain Royals" DLC for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition. Unlock the rich history and untold stories of two remarkable civilizations, the Armenians and Georgians, and immerse yourself in three captivating new campaigns: Tamar, Thoros the Great, and Ismail. | ” |
| —Steam page description | ||
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - The Mountain Royals is the fifth expansion for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition. Like the first two expansions of the Definitive Edition, it features two new civilizations: the Armenians and Georgians. The expansion was implemented with update 95810. The expansion release also features a rework for the Persians. In addition, it has three new campaigns: one each for the aforementioned civilizations.
Civilizations[]
| Architecture set | Civilizations |
|---|---|
| Mediterranean |  Armenians
|
 Georgians
|
- Armenians: Rebuild your ancestral kingdom in the mountainous terrain near Lakes Van, Sevan, and Urmia. The Armenian unique units are the Composite Bowman, a skilled archer capable of piercing even the sturdiest armor, and the Warrior Priest, an infantry unit that can fight and heal allied units.
- Georgians: Carve out a sturdy kingdom in the shadow of the Caucasus Mountains and use the rugged terrain to your advantage as you repulse countless foreign invasions. The Georgian unique unit is the Monaspa, a brawny cavalry unit whose strength increases in numbers.
- Armenians: Throw off the yoke of foreign domination and rebuild your ancestral kingdom in the mountainous terrain near Lakes Van, Sevan, and Urmia. The Armenian unique units are the Composite Bowman, a skilled archer capable of piercing even the sturdiest armor, and the Warrior Priest, an infantry unit that can fight and heal allied units.
- Georgians: Carve out a sturdy kingdom in the shadow of the Caucasus Mountains and use the rugged terrain to your advantage as you repulse countless foreign invasions. The Georgians unique unit is the Monaspa, a brawny cavalry unit whose strength increases in numbers.
Units[]
Unique units[]
Composite Bowman: Armenian unique foot archer.- Warrior Priest: Armenian unique religious infantry that can fight, carry Relics, and heal allied units.
- Monaspa: Georgian unique cavalry unit.
- Savar: Persian unique upgrade of the Cavalier.
Scenario Editor units[]
Buildings[]
Unique buildings[]
- Fortified Church: Monastery replacement for the Armenians and Georgians, which has defensive features of the Town Center
- Mule Cart: Movable drop-off building for wood, gold, stone, and hunt.
Scenario Editor buildings[]
Technologies[]
- Cilician Fleet (Armenians): Demolition Ships +33% blast radius; Galley-line and Dromons +1 range.
- Fereters (Armenians): Infantry (except Spearman-line) +30 HP, Warrior priests +100% heal speed.
- Svan Towers (Georgians): Defensive buildings receive +2 attack. Towers fire arrows that pierce multiple units.
- Aznauri Cavalry (Georgians): Cavalry units take 15% less population space.
- Citadels (Persians): Castles shoot cannonballs (+4 attack, +3 against rams, +3 against infantry) and receive -25% bonus damage.
- Bimaristan (Saracens): Monks have an aura of 5 tiles radius which passively heals all units at 1.25 hit points/s.
Campaigns[]
- Tamar (Georgians) - Brought up on stories of David the Builder, the young and imprisoned Tamar ascends her great-grandfather's throne with elaborate plans for her busting kingdom. However, she quickly finds out that wielding such power is more than a simple matter of birthright. Can Georgia's first queen overcome her skeptics and leave an imprint to endure well beyond her lifetime?
- Thoros II (Armenians) - The tiny kingdom of Cilician Armenia lies between hostile empires, its ruling family in Byzantine captivity. When Prince Thoros escapes, he embarks on a dangerous campaign to liberate his homeland, but the vengeful Byzantines are not his only foes. The Seljuk Turks covet the region as well, and a ruthless Frankish crusader is pursuing his own schemes to the south.
- Ismail (Persians) - The orphaned prodigy Ismail leads the mysterious Safavid Order through war-torn Persia! Will this charismatic visionary lay the groundwork for one of the most illustrious empires of the Islamic world, or will his delusions of grandeur be his ultimate undoing?
Decoration[]
- Chapel
- Desert and Snowy cliffs
- Svan Towers
- Castle ruins (based on Castles of the two new civilizations only)
- Fortified Church ruins
Trivia[]
- The expansion was accidentally released on Xbox Store on 11 October 2023.
- This is the only expansion to be released on the same day as the trailer, probably due to the accidental early release.
- Including the Dismounted Konnik, it is the first expansion since The Last Khans to include one new unit of each of the main military types (infantry, archer, and cavalry). Otherwise, it is the first since The Forgotten.
- It is the first expansion after Rise of the Rajas to include a foot archer unique unit.
- The connection for the Armenians and Georgians with the Persian rework are not only that they are civilizations based on Caucasus region, but both civilizations were historically influenced by the Persians during the antiquity period (to the point the former adapted Zoroastrianism as part of their culture).
- However, medieval Armenia and Georgia were influenced by the Byzantine Empire from the adaptation of their own version of Orthodox Christianity to their own alphabet system based on the Greek alphabet. This may explain why the Armenians and Georgians use the Mediterranean architecture set despite medieval Armenia and Georgia historically having their own unique architecture similar to Central/Eastern European civilizations (for example, the Central European Monastery has designs similar to the real-life Gelati Monastery).
- Some features in the expansion first appear in Age of Mythology in the series: the Mule Cart being like the Norse Ox Cart, and the Monaspa's unique ability being the same as the Fenris Wolf Brood.
- Looking at the released screenshots and believing that some of these screenshots show the new Persians, it was speculated by the community that they will have their architecture set changed to either Central Asian or South Asian. However, neither of those were Persian screenshots, but screenshots from the other civilizations' campaigns.
- With The Mountain Royals, the Saracens and Persians become the first and only civilizations to have both of their original unique technologies changed.
- The expansion is codenamed "Plymouth". This can be verified in string files of the game, where "The Mountain Royals Campaigns" are also referred to as "Plymouth campaigns".
Gallery[]
Age of Empires II- The Mountain Royals - Official Launch Trailer
Another Georgian town showing off a Mule Cart serving as a drop-off point, some decorative svan towers, Monaspas, and a decorative Chapel. Also present is an Armenian Warrior Priest on its way to deposit a Relic in the Fortified Church.
A Georgian army besieging a South Asian city which looks similar to Kabul as it appears in The Last Timurids and The Fallen Amir. The defenders consist of Savars.
An Armenian town showcasing the Armenian Wonder. Additionally, Warrior Priests are stationed by the regular Fortified Church, and cloaked archers (Composite Bowmen) scattered around the city.
An Armenian army besieging a Central Asian city, showing off Composite Bowmen. The city is defended by Qizilbash Warriors and Heavy Cavalry Archers.
New DLC Breakdown- Georgians, Armenians, and Persians
The official main menu wallpaper mod released with The Mountain Royals, featuring a Savar, a Monaspa, and some Composite Bowmen, and a Fortified Church in the background
