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This article is about the expansion of Age of Empires II: HD Edition. For the expansion of Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition, see The African Royals.

The expansion's main theme

The African Kingdoms is the second expansion to Age of Empires II HD: The Forgotten, and the third expansion for Age of Empires II. It focuses on the continent of Africa, and 3 of the 4 featured civilizations are from this continent.[1]

It was released on November 5, 2015[2] along with patch 4.4.

Civilizations[]

Unlike previous expansion packs, The African Kingdoms adds four civilizations instead of five. This expansion also adds a new African Architecture set, used by the Malians and the Ethiopians.

Architectural style Civilizations
African (new) CivIcon-Ethiopians Ethiopians
CivIcon-Malians Malians
Middle Eastern CivIcon-Berbers Berbers
Mediterranean CivIcon-Portuguese Portuguese
  • Berbers: Unite the tribes of Northern Africa and prepare your naval vessels to escape the scorching heat of the Maghreb. Set sail to war-torn Iberia to conquer new riches. Can you hold your ground against the scrambled kingdoms of Iberia who are slowly uniting against you?
  • Malians: Follow in the footsteps of the great Mansa Musa and become the greatest king of Western Africa. Conquer surrounding kingdoms to expand your wealth and hold a firm grip on the trade routes that zigzag through the region. Will you be able to keep the once hostile provinces united under your crown?
  • Ethiopians: Relive the glory of the once mighty Aksumite empire and rule over the Red Sea. Launch military expeditions into the Arabian peninsula and far beyond to hold a firm grip on your trading partners. Will your dynasty stand strong against internal conflicts or will your successor already be preparing your funeral. Only the strongest dynasty will surviveā€¦
  • Portuguese: Set sail for the new world, discover new routes to unknown lands and expand your trade routes to the mighty African empires. Use your newly acquired riches to advance your army with upgrades not mastered elsewhere in Europe and build incredible cities that will inspire generations for centuries to come.

Units[]

Castle unique units[]

  • OrganGunIcon-DE Organ Gun: Castle unique unit of the Portuguese, siege unit.
  • GbetoIcon-DE Gbeto: Castle unique unit of the Malians, ranged infantry unit.
  • CamelArcherIcon-DE Camel Archer: Castle unique unit of the Berbers, anti cavalry-archer ranged cavalry unit.
  • Shotelwarrioricon-DE Shotel Warrior: Castle unique unit of the Ethiopians, infantry unit.

Secondary unique units[]

  • CaravelIcon-DE Caravel: Second unique unit of the Portuguese, available at the Dock. It can be upgraded to Elite Caravel.
  • GenitourIcon-DE Genitour: Team bonus of the Berbers, available at the Archery Range, for Berbers and their allies. It can be upgraded to Elite Genitour.

Common units[]

Buildings[]

  • Feitoria aoe2DE Feitoria (250 gold, 250 stone, 20 population) New building unique to the Portuguese, generates 1 of each resource every few seconds but is slower overall than 20 villagers. Available in Imperial Age.

Technologies[]

Campaigns[]

Africankingdomscampaigns

There are four new campaigns in The African Kingdoms, one for each of the new civilizations:

  • CampaignIcon-TariqIbnZiyadDE Tariq ibn Ziyad (Berbers): In the early 8th century, Tariq ibn Ziyad prepares to lead an army of Berbers and Arabs across the sea to Iberia, enthralling his troops with promises of wealth and glory. Will their might be enough to defeat the fearsome infantry of the Visigoths and bring the banners of war to the powerful Merovingian kingdom lying beyond the Pyrenees? Their successā€“or failureā€“lies in your hands.
  • CampaignIcon-SundjataDE Sundjata (Malians): The once great Ghana empire has fallen and West Africa is in turmoil. Sumanguru, King of the Sosso, is poised to forge a new empire. Said to possess a magical instrument that guarantees victory, he has led his Sosso warriors to conquer old Ghana and a small Mandinkan kingdom called Mali. Can Sundjata, the crippled prince of Mali, defy the odds, defeat Sumanguru, and become the most powerful ruler of West Africa?
  • CampaignIcon-FranciscoDE Francisco de Almeida (Portuguese): On the fringes of Europe, the Portuguese manage a meager and unsure existence, hardened by centuries of war against the Moors and rival Christian kingdoms. Now, daring explorers have returned from India and given Portugal hope of glories and wealth unachievable in the Old World. Can you lead a Portuguese armada to the East and forge an empire that spans three continents and two oceans? A new world awaits!
  • CampaignIcon-YoditDE Yodit (Ethiopians): The beautiful princess Yodit has a promising future at the Aksumite court. But when her jealous nephew accuses her of theft, Yodit is forced to flee her home country. Witness how exile shaped this fallen princess into a mighty queen. For centuries the story of Yodit's vengeance would invoke fear in the hearts of all Ethiopians.

Maps[]

Five new Standard Maps[]

Eleven new Special Maps[]

Eight new Real-world Maps[]

One new game mode[]

Fauna[]

Trivia[]

  • This was the last expansion to introduce civilizations with all Blacksmith technologies available: the Berbers and Portuguese.
  • It was planned that buildings would be affected by certain terrains they were built on,[3], but in the end this was implemented only for cracked terrain.
  • The character on the left of the artwork represents Balcha Safo, an Ethiopian military commander who lived in the 19th and 20th centuries, long after the Middle Ages. The reason for this anachronistic choice is unknown.
  • The expansion icon is in the form of west African bird-faced masks made out of wood, typically in Ghana and Benin.

Gallery[]

References[]

Age of Empires
Main series
ReturnRome-AoEIcon Age of EmpiresRomeIcon The Rise of Rome
Age of Empires Definitive Edition icon Definitive Edition
AoE2Icon-ReturnRome Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - Return of Rome
AoE2-DLCicon-0 Age of Empires IIAoE2-DLCicon-1 The Conquerors
Aoe2 hb HD Edition: AoE2-DLCicon-2 The Forgotten Ā· AoE2-DLCicon-3 The African Kingdoms Ā· AoE2-DLCicon-4 Rise of the Rajas
AoEIIDE icon Definitive Edition (AoE2-DLCicon-5 The Last Khans) : AoE2Icon-LordsWest Lords of the West Ā· Dawn of the Dukes icon Dawn of the Dukes Ā· AoE2Icon-DynastiesIndia Dynasties of India Ā· AoE2Icon-ReturnRome Return of Rome Ā· AoE2Icon-MountainRoyals The Mountain Royals Ā· Aoe2 hb Victors and Vanquished
Aom original icon Age of MythologyAoM The Titans icon The Titans
AoM Extended icon Extended Edition: AoM Extended icon Tale of the Dragon
AoMIcon-Retold Retold
3Icon48px Age of Empires III3WCIcon48px The WarChiefs Ā· 3ADIcon48px The Asian Dynasties
Age3DE Icon Definitive Edition: AoE3 USA DLC USA DLC Ā· Age3DE Icon The African Royals Ā· AoE3 Mexico DLC Mexican DLC Ā· Age3DE Icon Knights of the Mediterranean
GameIcon-AoE4 Age of Empires IVAnniversary Edition Ā· The Sultans Ascend
Other games
Age of Empires Online Ā· Age of Empires: Castle Siege
HandheldAge of Empires: The Age of Kings Ā· Age of Empires: Mythologies
MobileAge 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
TabletopAge of Empires: Expandable Card Game Ā· Age of Mythology: The Boardgame Ā· Glenn Drover's Empires: The Age of Discovery
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