Considered one of the classics in the world of real-time strategy, Age of Empires is truly a staple entry for RTS games even up to this day.
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition celebrates the 20th anniversary of one of the most popular strategy games ever with stunning 4K Ultra HD graphics, a new and fully remastered soundtrack, and brand-new content, “The Last Khans” with 3 new campaigns and 4 new civilizations. Choose your path to greatness with this definitive remaster to one of the most beloved strategy games of all time. Age of Empires: Definitive Edition. In 1997, Age of Empires changed RTS games forever. Today, twenty years later, Age of Empires: Definitive Edition begins that transformation anew with all-new graphics, remastered sound and music, and a smooth UI experience rebuilt from the ground up!
If you haven’t had a chance to give it a try, now is the perfect time.
Updated with an HD Edition and Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition being released just recently for the game’s 20th anniversary, one of Microsoft’s top-selling games has received multiple revamps.
Beyond just visual and gameplay upgrades, there’s tons of new content available as well. And this comes in the form of player-created mods which let you customize a whole bunch of crazy stuff.
For old-school and newer players alike, I’ve compiled a list of mods you should check out for Age of Empires II: HD Edition. For a classic that has already been upgraded, who says you can’t get a little more out of it?
25. Summons HD Water Pack V2
Though remastered in widescreen high-definition, Age of Empires has never really been known for graphics quality.
With more than enough to make up for it in terms of gameplay, the classic look of most RTS games just hasn’t changed much over time.
But things have changed a lot recently. And now gamers are more particular about looks. Especially for newer players to the Age of Empires series.
A simple improvement, sure. But you’d be surprised at what you get, because the Summons HD water pack completely changes the appearance of rivers and oceans in the game.
From the unrealistic bright blue visuals of the original game, bodies of water now appear deeper. The light reflections are just beautiful and give the game a much better feel overall.
24. Drums Of War
Here’s another small improvement that could potentially have a huge impact on your experience.
The Drums Of War mod changes the default attack sounds of the game.
Ever started a battle and felt that there just wasn’t a sense of intensity in the situation? Drums of War gives battles a more cinematic feel, replacing the anti-climactic trumpet sounds with actual war drums.
There’s even a clip of the Mighty War Horn from the Lord of the Rings films! This simple upgrade is sure to enhance that rush you get before each battle.
23. Ozhara’s Soundtracks – Game of Thrones
By now the Game of Thrones soundtrack has become one of the most recognizable all over the world.
Once the opening credits roll, that music gets you pumped for what’s to come. As a fan myself I can relate.
Well now you can get the same experience in AoE: II with Ozhara’s Game of Thrones soundtrack. It simply changes the soundtrack and menu music with songs from the series.
Enjoy the epic GoT score from the first four seasons while engrossed in your AoE2 gameplay.
22. Enhanced Blood
Probably for older audiences, these next two mods are simple enhancements for all you gore fans out there.
Though some games have options to remove blood and gore altogether, Age of Empires seems to have downplayed the visuals in this aspect. What’s war without blood, right?
This first one enhances the visuals of units killed in battle, making the aftermath appear much more devastating. A great addition to improve on the overall realism of the game.
Age Of Empires Ii Definitive Edition
21. Enhanced Blood II
Not being satisfied with Enhanced Blood, modder Silent Ape took it one step further with Enhanced Blood II.
Further improving on the realism of bloodied corpses of slain soldiers, death animations are further improved with this mod as well.
Taking from other mods, you can now see blood squirt and splatter from all units during battles. Dark, yet immersive.
As put in a comment on the mod page: “it looks like battles are straight out of a Quentin Tarantino film” (most likely referring to Kill Bill).
All this combined with the first Enhanced Blood mod will definitely make watching the battle sequences feel much more real and exciting.
20. Tech Tree UI
One of the handier mods on the list, Tech Tree UI is useful for both new and old fans of the game.
With 35 playable civilizations between the base game and all the expansions, it can get quite overwhelming.
Whether you’re trying to learn the game or starting over with a new civilization, Tech Tree UI is a great addition to your UI.
It simply adds the tech tree of the civilization you’re playing as in the bottom-center portion of the user interface. Also instead of showing the entire tech tree at all times, it only shows tech that has not been learned yet.
A great guide to keep track of your progression.
19. Nittlepicks Wonderful New Farms
Another aesthetic mod, Nittlepicks Wonderful New Farms, replaces the dull colorless visuals of farms.
Adding life to farm plants, you can now have blueberries, carrots, beets, and leeks. It’s a small change but quite noticeable.
A great visual upgrade to make your crop fields look much more vibrant.
18. Day/Night Cycle ENB
Further adding to the visuals of the game, you can even have a simulated day and night cycle. Nice!
Since the world in AoE II doesn’t reflect change in time, modder ModPositive decided to make it possible.
Cleverly making use of dynamic contrast, saturation, and brightness post-processing, everything in the world including buildings and units now reflect day, night, dust, and dawn.
17. Japanese Architecture
Continuing on here we’ve got some more visual upgrades – because who doesn’t want to make the game look as good as possible?
There are a lot of mods that change the appearances of buildings per civilization, but the Japanese Architecture somehow stands out to me.
Replacing buildings of Asian civilizations with more detailed, realistic textures just makes the game look much better than the original.
If you’re tired of different civilization buildings looking too similar, check this one out. You can even explore all the other architecture packs on Steam to customize the game further.
16. Sheep Launcher
There are literally hundreds of pages worth of community content available for Age of Empires II. Sifting through some of the more popular mods, I was surprised at some of the things modders have come up with.
Ever wondered what it would be like to shoot sheep from cannons?
I bet you never have, because that would just be weird.
But thanks to modder Gallas, you can do just that!
As simple as it sounds, all the mod does is replace all projectiles with sheep.
If you’re up for some stupid fun then just fire this one up. If anything, you’re sure to get a good laugh.
15. Cartoon Empires
If you thought Sheep Launcher was silly, Cartoon Empires gives the game a blocky cartoon look.
If you’re into that kind of thing, well this could be a fun mod to play around with. Just to take a break from the normal appearance of nitty-gritty war.
What’s especially funny about this one is that the modder was just doing it for fun and decided not to complete the skins.
That means some skins have been replaced while others will still show the original game skins, giving the world a strange feel to it. I still think this was a cool idea, although too bad it isn’t fully a completed piece.
Yet if you’re up for some mindless fun, here’s a good way to waste a few hours!
14. Game of Thrones Taunts V2
Another one for the GoT fans, Game of Thrones Taunts replaces the in-game speech files with popular Game of Thrones lines.
Ygritte’s “You know nothing, Jon Snow,” or “Valar Morghulis” are just some examples of unit dialogue you’ll hear with this pack installed.
Just another fun mod to play around with if you have the time. And if you’re a fan who loves crossovers.
13. Far Side of the World
Moving on to some of the more serious entries, I picked up a lot going through some of the user-made content for the game.
Specifically I’ve found a lot of interesting mods that add hours on hours of gameplay to AoE II.
With Far Side of the World you’ll be leading a Portuguese crew on a naval expedition across the world. With different islands and regions to discover you get to sail through the seas, hire the best sailors, and make improvements to your ship along the way.
Along with the new storyline to playthrough, this scenario includes custom sounds and graphics to make your experience all the more immersive.
12. Sea of Thieves Mod
Yet another sea-based scenario for AoE II, except this time you get to play as pirates. Yes!
In this free-for-all map you can play along with five other friends.
Build unique ships and fight for dominance over the seas and islands.
Some users have mentioned that there’s more to do in this map than in the actual game (if you can believe that!)
So if you’re looking to expand AoE II up to the max, this would be a great place to start.
Age Of Empires 2 Definitive Edition Vikings 4
11. Hunger Games
Taking the basic concept of the Hunger Games series, there’s been an influx of battle royale games like PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, Apex Legends, and Fortnite.
And they’re popular for a reason.
Though the genre has been mostly dominated by shooters, this modder known as Mr. N introduces his take on the idea for Age of Empires II.
Especially impressive as this is his first published scenario for AoE II, you’ll be able to play as two villagers struggling to survive. With no resources, you are set in the middle of the map alongside everyone else and tasked with finding each of your villages.
Hunger Games for AoE II is playable with AI, but I would recommend enjoying it with some friends. May the odds be ever in your favor!
10. DOOM Episode 1-3
Would you believe that someone actually created an AoE II scenario to recreate Doom? That’s right!
Doom Episodes 1-3 are actually three playable single-player scenarios bringing the one and only Doomguy into the world of AoE.
The Martian Civilization, Union Aerospace Corporation, and Phobos Teleportation Gate are the first three servings in the series, while modder Hellknight61 has mentioned that he has two more on the way.
With updated game mechanics and sounds from some of the original Doom games, open the gates to hell and fight off the demons with this impressive mod.
9. Thrones of Iberia
As historical accuracy was always a strong suit for AoE II, there is tons of additional content online that adds playable scenarios based on significant events from the past.
Do note, however, that most of these require DLCs to play.
In Thrones of Iberia we’re taken back to medieval Spain.
During the time of la Reconquista, Christians aim to reclaim territory that has been overrun by Muslims.
This one is packed with an updated diplomacy system, an exciting new map, as well as an updated economic system. A great addon you’re sure to have hours of fun with.
8. The Rise of the Joseon Dynasty
It isn’t common for games to feature Korean history.
Well thanks to modder jwj5787_Rook, we can get a glimpse of this with The Rise of the Joseon Dynasty.
The ancient kingdom of Goryeo is about to fall and is to be replaced with a rebellious general.
There are 8 playable factions, each with their own backstories and win conditions. Play as different generals and lead your armies to victory either by defeating rebels, capturing the capital, or collecting relics.
7. In the Name of the Serpent
Bassi has become one of the better known AoE II modders for his captivating recreations of historic events.
The first of two that I found to be the most interesting focuses on Mayan history in the form of the Itza.
According to ancient Mayan history, the Itza return to their abandoned capital Chichen Itza. Informed by their priests that the only way to survive is to appease the God of Resurrection known as Kukulkan.
Play through the Itza’s journey to pacify the Feathered Serpent Kulkulan, while dealing with rumors of invaders from the west.
An exciting “build and destroy” scenario with added immersion from the epic custom soundtrack by established composers Derek and Brandon Fiechter.
6. Rise of the Totonacs
Another one from Bassi, but this time it places you at the helm of the Totonacs.
These are an indigenous Mexican tribe led by Cacique of Cempoala. At war with neighboring Mexican tribes Zapotecs and Tepanecs, defend your homeland and lead your people to victory.
Another complete playable experience similar to In the Name of the Serpent, but with a completely new map and storyline.
5. Rise of Genghis Khan
Take the reigns as Temujin here, better known as Ghengis Khan.
He is certainly one of the most well-known conquerors in history so you know this one will be fun.
Unite the warring tribes and build your empire.
From acclaimed creator Filthydelphia comes the Rise of Genghis Khan. This scenario comes with a few updated gameplay mechanics to fit the historical context – dominate tribes with a unique raiding mechanic, hold feasts to improve authority, and pillage cities of powerful Chinese dynasties.
You may even take wives (as Genghis Khan was known for) boosting the economy and forming alliances.
4. Dandolo
The last of the historical scenarios is Dandolo, which takes us through the rise of Venice.
Set in the 12th century, you lead Venice with Enrico Dandolo against rivals Byzantium, Pisa and Genoa.
In this completely new AoE II campaign you can play through 5 single-player scenarios which bring Venice to victory.
In the form of classic build and destroy gameplay, the mod includes the Crusaders and historically significant battles.
What’s most notable about this one though, is that there are even 10 custom videos that help you really get into the major events in Venetian history. Very cool added touch!
3. Nocturne’s ALPHA WOLF
An interesting custom campaign with a fresh take – Nocturne’s Alpha Wolf lets you play as a wolf.
Yes, you read that right.
With 6 missions in total, lead your pack to survival against different classes of human enemies.
Definitely a unique experience worth checking out. Not exactly your classic AoE II experience, but really fun.
If you’re not convinced yet just skim through the overwhelmingly positive feedback and see for yourself.
2. Lord of the Rings – The Fellowship RPG CO-OP
There are so many LoTR mods out there, but this one particularly caught my attention.
Fans of the series know that although the journey to Mount Doom was an amazing feat, what made it all the more special was the companionship we all witnessed among Frodo, Sam, Legolas, and of course Gandalf.
Similarly, LoCoDoN’s Lord of the Rings mod focuses on just that: the fellowship.
A scenario best enjoyed with friends, play with 7 others as either Frodo and Sam, Gandalf, Aragorn, or Gimli, among a few other favorite LoTR characters.
And there tons of new content here with each character having unique abilities, and some new cutscenes, random encounters, plus hidden areas to explore. This almost feels like a new game in itself!
Fight your way through the Caradhras, the Mines of Mora, Balrog, and ultimately Sauron in this epic adventure to protect the One Ring.
1. Age of Fantasy
As the modder himself explains here, many AoE II content creators have touched on the fantasy genre fairly well. But I’ve always noticed one big thing missing: a complete fantasy world.
Some guys focus on specific topics like Game of Thrones or LoTR. But what about totally customized fantasy gameplay?
Age of Fantasy aims to give you a completely new fantasy experience.
With a deep new world consisting of 31 fresh civilizations to play as, this mod makes a complete 180 from historical significance to create a fantasy game out of this RTS.
Explore a brand-new world with everything from wizards, dragons, orcs, magic, and dwarves. This may not be your personal favorite mod here, but I think it deserves a lot of credit for basically reinventing what an Age of Empires game could feel like.
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| Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Forgotten Empires[a] |
| Publisher(s) | Xbox Game Studios |
| Director(s) | Adam Isgreen |
| Designer(s) | Bert Beeckman |
| Series | Age of Empires |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
| Release | November 14, 2019 |
| Genre(s) | Real-time strategy |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition is a real-time strategy video game developed by Forgotten Empires and published by Xbox Game Studios.[1] It is a remaster of the original game Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the original. It features significantly improved visuals, supports 4K resolution, and 'The Last Khans', an expansion that adds four new civilizations based on Central Asia and Eastern Europe, and four new campaigns.[2] It includes all previous expansions from the original and HD Edition. It was released on November 14, 2019.[3]
Gameplay[edit]
Age Of Empires 2 Definitive Edition Vikings Torrent
The core gameplay elements are shared heavily with the original but Definitive Edition builds upon it. The remaster includes new 4K graphics, new improved visuals for troops and buildings, the ability to zoom in and further out and a new spectator mode. It features a new campaign called The Last Khans and includes four new civilizations: Bulgarians, Cumans, Lithuanians and Tatars. Four new campaigns were added for the new civilisations: Ivaylo, Kotyan Khan, Tamerlane and Pachacuti which is about the Inca civilisation and replaces El Dorado from the HD Edition (Lithuanians do not appear as a playable civilization in any campaign; however, they represent Poles in the Ivaylo campaign).[2][4] It includes all previous expansions from the original (The Conquerors) and HD edition (The Forgotten, The African Kingdoms, Rise of the Rajas).[2][5]
Players can choose between the original AI, the updated HD Edition AI that was added alongside the HD Edition of the game, and a newer AI developed for the Definitive Edition.[6] The original AI had to cheat to be competitive, while the new AI is advanced enough to not require any cheating. When the old and new AIs were pitted against each other in a test, the new one easily defeated the old one.[7] Unit pathfinding is also supposedly improved upon.[8] Players can shift-queue villager tasks.[9]Farms now have the option to be replenished automatically.[10] A further expansion pack, Lords of the West, was announced on December 15, 2020 and is due for release on January 26, 2021. The Lords of the West will introduce two further civilisations, the Burgundians and the Sicilians, as well as three new campaigns, featuring Edward Longshanks, the Dukes of Burgundy and the Hautevilles.[11]
Release[edit]
On August 21, 2017 at Gamescom, Microsoft announced Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition was in development by Forgotten Empires, Tantalus Media and Wicked Witch Software.[12] On June 9, 2019, Microsoft revealed the gameplay trailer at Xbox E3 2019.[13] It released on the Xbox Game Pass in addition to Steam and the Windows Store on November 14, 2019.[5][14]
Reception[edit]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 84/100[15] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| PC Gamer (UK) | 78/100[16] |
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition received 'generally favorable' reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic with a score of 84/100 from 32 reviews.[15]Windows Central's Cale Hunt praised the improved artwork, animations and quality of life additions but criticized the AIpath finding and pointed out a need for further balancing.[17]
Age Of Empires 2 Definitive Edition Steam
Notes[edit]
Age Of Empires 2 Definitive Edition Vikings Strategy
- ^Additional work by Tantalus Media and Wicked Witch[1][2]
References[edit]
- ^ abWright, Steve (June 19, 2019). 'Aussie devs Wicked Witch, Tantalus working on Age of Empires 2'. Stevivor. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
- ^ abcdIsgreen, Adam; Empires, Franchise Creative Director for Age of (June 9, 2019). 'E3 2019: Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition Launching Fall 2019, Beta Coming Soon'. Xbox Wire. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
- ^Moore, Ewan (August 19, 2019). 'Age Of Empires 2: Definitive Edition Release Date Confirmed'. UNILAD. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
- ^'Age of Empires 2 Definitive Edition will release this fall'. PCGamesN. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
- ^ abJune 14, Marshall Honorof |; Pm, 2019 05:50. 'Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition Lives Up to Its Name at E3 2019'. www.laptopmag.com. Retrieved September 1, 2019.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
- ^White, Sam (November 12, 2019). 'Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition review – reverent treatment'. pcgamesn.com. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
- ^Shea, Brian. 'How Age Of Empires II: Definitive Edition Hopes It Is Living Up To Its Name'. Game Informer. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
- ^Calvin, Alex. 'Why Microsoft is investing so heavily in the Age of Empires series'. PC Games Insider. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
- ^Ray, Bodhisatwa (November 21, 2019). 'Age of Empires II Definitive Edition Review: Price in India and review'. BGR India.
- ^'Review: Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition'. Hardcore Gamer. December 12, 2019.
- ^'Pre-Order Age of Empires II: DE – Lords of the West, coming January 26th!' (in Lithuanian). Forgotten Empires. December 15, 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
- ^Knezevic, Kevin (August 21, 2017). 'Age Of Empires 2 And 3 Remasters Announced'. GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
- ^Giret, Laurent (August 19, 2019). 'Age of Empires: DE launches on Steam with cross play support, Age of Empires II DE also coming on November 14'. OnMSFT.com. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
- ^'Pre-purchase Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition on Steam'. store.steampowered.com. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
- ^ ab'Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition for PC Reviews'. Metacritic. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
- ^Brown, Fraser (November 12, 2019). 'Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition review'. PC Gamer. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
- ^'Review — Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition is a remake true to its past'. Windows Central. November 12, 2019. Retrieved November 14, 2019.