This page contains the sum total of all changes made in Age of Empires: Definitive Edition.
Units and buildings[]
- Increased the quantity of Gold in node tiles from 400 to 450.
- Increased the quantity of Stone in node tiles from 250 to 300.
- Hunters work 5% faster than before (previously they were as slow as Foragers).
- Villagers move 10% faster after advancing to Tool Age.
- Food available from Whale increased to 300.
- 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 HP, Long Swordsmen have +20 HP. Legions lose 20 HP.
- Long Sword: Increased the upgrade cost to 240 food, 100 gold (previously 160 food, 50 gold).
- Changes in build time: Farms: 20% faster; towers: 10% faster.
- Horse Archer and Heavy Horse Archer have 1 pierce armor (previously 2).
- Cavalry has 1 pierce armor.
- Heavy Cavalry +1 armor and +1 pierce armor.
- Cataphract: +60 HP, +2 armor, +2 pierce armor; upgrade cost to 1,600 food, 600 gold (previously 2,000 food, 850 gold).
- Elephant Archers have +1 attack, cost maintained to 180 food, 60 gold.
- 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). Increased the training time from 28 to 35 seconds.
- Camel Riders now have bonus attack against all mounted units. Missing +4 bonus attack vs. elephants added.
- All chariots have no bonus damage against Priests, since last update. Their conversion resistance was changed to 2x (previously 8x).
- Scythe Chariot upgrade cost increased to 1,400 wood, 1,000 gold (previously: 1,200 wood, 800 gold). They also have 1 armor now (previously 2).
- Armored Elephant bonus attack vs. buildings decreased by 1.
- Scout gets +2 Line of Sight per age upgrade – already present, but undocumented effect. Bonus from upgrading from Stone to Tool Age is removed (Scout isn't available in the Stone Age). Scout also lose 1 LOS. They cost 90 food (previously 100 food).
- 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 23% slower fire rate (previously it fired as fast as archers). Gets +5 attack. Reduced the upgrade cost to 1,200 food, 1,000 wood (previously 1,500 food, 1,000 wood).
- Catapult Triremes now have 135 HP (previously 120 HP).
- Catapult Triremes and Juggernaughts move 10% faster, cost reduced to 135 wood, 50 gold (previously 135 wood, 75 gold).
- Juggernaughts can no longer destroy trees. Upgrade cost reduced to 1,300 food, 500 wood (previously: 2,000 food, 900 wood).
- Academy cost reduced to 150 wood (previously 200 wood).
- 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).
- Watch Towers have 125 HP, Sentry Towers have 185 HP and Guard/Ballista Towers have 240 HP.
Technologies[]
- Domestication: cost reduced to 150 food, 50 wood (previously 200 food, 50 wood)
- Plow: +100 Farm Food (previously +75).
- Irrigation: +125 Farm Food (previously +75).
- Zealotry (formerly named Jihad): Villager carry capacity penalty more consistent for different villager types; villager speed bonus to +10%.
- Sacrifice costs 400 gold (previously 600 gold).
- 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.). It improves villagers speed by 50% (previously +60%).
- 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, Palmyrans, Persians, Shang and Sumerian did not).
Assyrians[]
- Villagers move 10% faster (previously 18% faster).
- Archers have -25% reload time
- Get Engineering and Chain Mail.
- Get Alchemy.
Babylonians[]
- Towers and walls have +60% HP (previously +100% HP).
- Get Metallurgy.
- Market technologies cost -30%.
- Chain Mail is available.
Carthaginians[]
- Transport ships move 25% faster (previously 25% faster for Light Transport, 43% faster for Heavy Transport).
- New bonus: Camel Riders have +15% HP.
- Start the game with +50 of all resources.
Choson[]
- Axeman, Short/Broad/Long Swordsmen and Legions have +5/15/20/60/80 HP, respectively. (previously only Long Swordsmen and Legion +80 HP)
- Get Nobility.
- Storage Pit technologies cost -40%
Egyptians[]
- Get Coinage.
- Farms are 20% cheaper to build
Greeks[]
- New bonus: Academy units cost 20% less (in addition to the already present speed bonus).
- Ships are 20% faster (previously 17% faster).
- Town Centers work 10% faster starting in the Tool Age.
- Get Fire Galley.
Hittites[]
- Catapults have +50% HP (previously +100% HP).
- War ships (except Fire Galleys) have +2 range in the Tool Age and +3 range in the Bronze and Iron Age instead.
- Lose Centurion, Architecture and Irrigation.
Macedonians[]
- Siege Workshop units cost -25% (previously -50%).
- Get Wheel.
- Get Catapult upgrade.
- Academy units have +1 pierce armor in the Bronze Age and +2 pierce armor in the Iron Age.
Palmyrans[]
- New bonus: Start the game with +75 food (because their villagers cost 75 food).
- Villagers work 25% faster for all tasks (previously 20% faster for some tasks, 0% faster for others).
- Get Coinage and Plow.
Persians[]
- All elephant units move 25% faster (previously 56% faster).
- Get Wheel, Artisanship, Plow and Coinage.
- Persian Triremes fire 25% faster (previously 38%).
Phoenicians[]
- Catapult Trireme and Juggernaught fire 30% faster (previously 58% faster).
- Woodcutters work 15% faster and carry +2 wood.
Romans[]
- Buildings cost -10% (previously -15%)
- Towers cost -40% (previously -50%)
Shang[]
- Walls have +60% HP (previously +100% HP).
- Get Coinage.
- Get Ballistics.
Sumerians[]
Yamato[]
- Villagers move 10% faster (previously 18% faster).
- All cavalry units and Horse Archers cost -15%.
- All ships have +20% HP (previously +33% HP for fishing ships, +30% HP for other ships).
