Update 15.1.6970, also known as the Season Twelve Update, is an update in Age of Empires IV, released on October 30th, 2025, accompanying the release of Age of Empires IV: Dynasties of the East.
Gameplay[]
Visual improvements[]
- Improved shading across many weapons to make them look less flat and more metallic.
- Introduced black and brown variations of sheep which appear on all biomes. White colored sheep are removed from snowy biomes to improve readability.
- Japanese Mounted Samurai have a new shield which is more historically authentic.
- Japanese Floating Gate landmark has a new water effect; we're exploring making further updates to Cisterns to improve their visual appearance in future updates.
AI update[]
- AI is now more effective in Full Moon game mode.
- AI players will now take more conservative paths towards their enemies' Wonders.
- AI fishing boats will now attempt to flee or garrison when threatened.
- AI villagers will not go idle anymore if two or more fishing boats go idle.
- AI players will now trade more efficiently on naval maps.
- Fixed a rare issue for AI units oscillating between attacking landmarks and buildings around them.
- AI players will now progress more smoothly when spawned close to enemies.
[]
- Fixed an issue for Console players where the Market's bulk Buy and Sell icons were not rendering correctly
Maps[]
- Map information is now available when viewing maps in Free-for-All Map Vote UI.
Balance and bugfixes[]
General changes and bugfixes[]
- Fixed an issue where Mongols packed buildings would not reliably unpack in some situations.
- Fixed the leading out of sync issue which could occur at any time due to a problem with auras.
- Fixed an issue where dynamic health bars would not be shown if units took damage from auras.
- Fixed several crash issues, including a crash that could occur on console when players exceeded a certain number of friends.
- Fixed issue where various rewards were not being properly unlocked and added to Player Profile.
- Fixed an issue where English campfires could interrupt charge attacks.
- Fixed an issue where Camel Lancer charge attacks were not stunned by Spearwall.
- Fixed an exploit where it was possible to duplicate relics.
- Mercenary Houses now display which contract was selected as a tooltip when selecting the building. We intend to follow this up in future updates with visual additions to the Mercenary House which shows more clearly which contract was chosen.
Design update/rework[]
- Adjustments to multi-selection have been made so that it's easier to access the Villager build menu when Villagers are selected with other units. If Villagers make up most of a multi-selection, then the Villager build menu will be displayed, and hotkeys will activate on the build menu instead of the command card.
Balance and gameplay changes (all civilizations)[]
- Shoreline Fish food inventory increased from 500 → 600.
- Boar food inventory increased from 2200 → 2400.
- Deer now slowly lose food over time while being carried by Scouts.
[]
- Fishing Boat gather rate from Shoreline Fish increased from 0.65 → 0.675.
- Lodya gather rate from Shoreline Fish gather rate increased from 1.26 → 1.2825.
- Armored Hull:
- Cost decreased from 150 Food 350 Gold → 100 Food 200 Gold.
- Research time reduced from 30 → 20 seconds.
- Springald Crews:
- Cost reduced from 150 Food 350 Gold → 100 Food 250 Gold.
- Research time reduced from 35 → 25 seconds.
- Incendiaries:
- Cost reduced from 100 Food 250 Gold → 75 Food 125 Gold.
- Research time reduced from 30 → 20 seconds.
- Extra Hammocks:
- Cost decreased from 100 Wood 250 Gold → 75 Wood 125 Gold.
- Research time decreased from 30 → 20 seconds.
- Arrow Ship projectile speed increased by 20%.
Points of Interest updates[]
- Made Pack Wolves spawned from Wolf Dens more dangerous:
- Health increased from 60 → 70.
- Damage increased from 5 → 7.
- Movement Speed increased increased by 0.2.
- Delay for first spawn decreased from 5 minutes → 4 minutes game time.
Civilization-specific changes[]
Abbasid Dynasty[]
- Number of Camel Traders spawned from the Trade Wing increased from 3 → 4 in Feudal Age, 4 → 5 in Castle Age, and 5 → 6 in Imperial Age.
Byzantines[]
- Liquid Explosives:
- Cost decreased from 100 Wood 250 Gold → 75 Wood 125 Gold.
- Research time reduced from 30 seconds → 20 seconds.
Chinese[]
- Tax Adjustments:
- Tax granted for unit production reduced from 4 → 2.
- Tax granted from researching technologies reduced from 32 → 24.
- Village cost decreased from 125 Wood → 100 Wood.
- Ancient Techniques gather rate effect increased from 4% → 5% per dynasty.
- Thunderclap Bombs adjustment:
- Damage per projectile decreased from 8 → 6.
- Number of projectiles decreased from 8 → 7.
English[]
- Campfire update:
- Now requires Feudal Age.
- Line of Sight improvement Aura now also improves nearby Villagers Huntable gather rate by +10%.
- Aura radius increased by 1 tile.
- Health increased from 1 → 100.
- Man-at-Arms can now also use the Campfire ability.
- Council Hall now produces Longbowmen at a 5% discount.
Malians[]
- Farimba Garrison unit adjustments:
- Mansa Musofadi:
- Melee Armor increased from 3 → 4
- Veteran Melee Armor increased from 4 → 5.
- Elite Melee Armor increased from 5 → 6.
- Damage increased from 8 → 9.
- Veteran Damage increased from 9 → 10.
- Elite Damage increased from 12 → 13.
- Freeborn Warrior cost reduced from 90 Food 35 Gold → 80 Food 35 Gold.
- Mansa Musofadi:
Mongols[]
- The White Stupa landmark now decreases the Stone cost of unit double production by 50%.
- Mongol packed buildings no longer fail to unpack on a location occupied by many units.
- Improved gather rate technologies:
- Improved Horticulture, Improved Fertilization, and Improved Precision Cross-Breeding have been merged into a single technology: Improved Horticulture.
- Effect set to 20% increased Food gather rate.
- Cost set to 500 Stone.
- Improved Double Broadax, Improved Lumber Preservation, and Improved Crosscut Saw have been merged into a single technology: Improved Double Broadax.
- Effect set to 20% increased Wood gather rate.
- Cost set to 500 Stone.
- Improved Specialized Pick, Improved Shaft Mining, and Improved Cupellation have been merged into a single technology: Improved Specialized Pick.
- Effect set to 20% increased Gold gather rate.
- Cost set to 500 stone.
- Improved Horticulture, Improved Fertilization, and Improved Precision Cross-Breeding have been merged into a single technology: Improved Horticulture.
- Improved Survival Techniques bonus gather rate increased from 5% → 10%.
- Improved Forestry now also increases Wood carry capacity by 2.
- Improved Additional Torches Stone cost reduced from 500 → 400.
- Improved Lightweight Beams Stone cost reduced from 700 → 500.
- Improved Roller Shutter Triggers now also increases Springald health by 10.
- Improved Greased Axles bonus movement speed increased from 5% → 0%.
- Improved Yam Network Stone cost reduced from 350 → 250.
- Packed buildings are no longer tagged as Siege units.
Rus[]
- Fixed an issue which allowed Relics to be duplicated if the Rus Warrior monk was hit while dropping a Relic.
- Horse Archer:
- Attack speed improved from 2.125 → 1.75.
- Damage reduced from 12 → 10.
- Elite Damage reduced from 14 → 12.
- Hunting Cabin income reduced by 15%. Gold income cap remains the same at 420 per minute.
Variant Civilization Changes[]
The following changes apply only to the variant versions of the classic civilizations. Variant civilizations share in many of the changes made to their parent civilization listed above.
Ayyubids[]
- Sultan's Mamluks on kill effect duration increased from 10 → 30 seconds.
- Economic Wing – Industry:
- Feudal Age resources increased from 350 Wood → 400 Wood.
- Castle Age resources increased from 800 Wood → 900 Wood.
- Imperial Age resources increased from 900 Stone → 1000 Stone.
- Trade Wing – Bazaar:
- Bedouin Skirmisher health increased from 80 → 90.
- Bedouin Swordsman health increased from 155 → 160.
- Bedouin Swordsman damage increased from 10 → 11.
House of Lancaster[]
- Manors have received an update to how they generate resources:
- Manors now have an aura that generates 4 Food and 2 Wood per minute per Villager. Does not stack with multiple Manors.
- Manors are now a drop-off building for all resources.
- Manor base income reduced from 60 Food 45 Wood → 30 Food 10 Wood per minute.
- Manor cost increased from 200 Wood 100 Stone → 225 wood 100 Stone
- Manor Technologies:
- Condensed Land Practices upgrade cost reduced from 125 Wood 275 Gold → 75 Wood 175 Gold.
- Open Field System upgrade cost reduced from 200 Wood 400 Gold → 150 Wood 250 Gold.
- The Lancaster Castle no longer has an influence area, instead it now increases the health and adds an Arrowslit to all Manors regardless of location.
- Wynguard Garrison Command cost increased from 300 Food 150 Wood → 300 Food 200 Wood.
- Scouts can no longer use the Campfire ability as it is now exclusive to English.
Knights Templar[]
- Antioch Commanderie Age-up bonus improved:
- Melee damage increased from 10% → 15%.
- Genoa Commanderie Age-up bonus reduced:
- Pilgrims Gold income improvement decreased from 30% → 20%.
- Commanderie Units:
- Hospitaller Knight:
- Movement Speed increased from 1.19 → 1.25.
- Health increased from 140 → 145 (Veteran and Elite unchanged).
- Genitour:
- Damage increased from 5 → 6.
- Elite Damage increased from 7 → 8.
- Slzachta Cavalry:
- Damage decreased from 31 → 30.
- Health decreased from 340 → 330.
- Teutonic Knight:
- Movement Speed increased from 0.9 → 0.975.
- Hospitaller Knight:
- Fixed an issue that allowed the Rule of Templars upgrade to be researched multiple times.
- Landscape Preservation adjustments:
- Villager Wood gather rate decreased from 0.63 → 0.60.
- Villager Wood gather rate scaling per age increased from 15% → 20%.
- Pilgrim Technologies:
- Safe Passage cost changed from 200 Food 100 Wood → 100 Food 200 Wood.
- Sanctuary cost changed from 300 Food 150 Wood → 200 Food 250 Wood.
- Harbors replace Docks, offering protection to nearby ships, increased durability, and an improved naval emplacement.
- Harbor has increased health (1500 → 2250)
- Harbor has 2 Fire Armor.
- Harbor healing aura also increases nearby ship maximum Health by 15%.
- Costs 250 Wood.
- Naval Arrowslit Emplacement replaced with Naval Springald Emplacement which deals more damage.
- Costs 150 Wood 200 Stone.
- Deals 42 damage.
Zhu Xi's Legacy[]
- Tax Adjustments:
- Tax granted for unit production reduced from 4 → 2.
- Tax granted from researching technologies reduced from 32 → 24.
- Village cost decreased from 125 Wood → 100 Wood.
- Thunderclap Bombs adjustment:
- Damage per projectile decreased from 8 → 6.
- Number of projectiles decreased from 8 → 7.
