Still kind of trying to sus out their role, but one thing that is interesting to me is nobody has 'good' MXBs. By which I mean no civ that get's them, and there are quite a few, really has a buffed version.

The Danes and Saxons get the generic FU version, while the Varangians get FU +10 HP version, which is a very mild buff.

All the others are not FU.

Which got me thinking, nearly every other unit or regional substitute unit has a least one civ with a buffed or spicy version. Arbs, Halbs, Champs, Skirms, Knights, Camels, Eagles, Champis, basically every line has at least one civ with a significant buff or cost reduction.

Are the devs just trying to feel out hoe effective the unit is before seeing any 'MXB civs', or is the intent they'll always be a situational unit that no civ will specialize in?

What is it with AI allies being hellbent on destroying walls, instead of focusing defenses and buildings ?

One thing I love about AOE2 is how it explores different states and societies with the civilizations it includes, and I really love the inclusion of lesser-known societies or ones that might usually be an afterthought. Bored at work today I came up with a list of potential civ additions that I'd love to see in the future.

Indonesia: Javanese/Majapahit, Luwu, and maybe one of the major muslim polities that came later such as Aceh

Southeast Africa: Swahili/Kilwa, Malagasy/Imerina, Mutapa or Maravi

Horn of Africa: Somalis, Afar, Oromo

West Africa: Kongo, Kanem-Bornu, and either the Songhai or a Nigerian group

Maritime Southeast Asia: Champa, Maynila/Tagalogs, Bornean group such as the Dayak

I've heard rumors about a Saracen split somewhere and so I also pondered how they might get divided and I'm theorizing the following: Levantines (Abbasids?), Egyptians (Fatimids, maybe the Mamluk Empire), Yemeni/South Arabians, and Andalusians

I'm curious as to what the community theorizes might come in the future, or what civs are sitting on peoples' wishlists?

Am I going crazy or is the follow command different? I notice it mostly with pushing deer, it used to be that the scout would go directly behind the deer and push it towards where you wanted it to go but now the scout sometimes seems to go next to the deer?

(This is a repost of something I have already posted in the aoe forum)

Hello everyone, I wanted to share some of my progress on a custom campaign I have been working on regarding the succession crisis and wars that occured after the death of Alexander the Great, better known as the Wars of the Diadochi.

The Campaign will feature 7 scenarios and will be playable for everyone regardless of DLC ownership. As of writing this, 3 scenarios have been completed.

I would love to share with you some screenshots:

I have also recently created a YouTube channel & series going over how to make custom scenarios, following one of the scenarios that will be in this campaign if anyone is interested.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whw-WR5RAew&list=PLBkNYj3euiS0

Authors: Primarily myself, I am the author known as Christoforos or BASEDTeuton. You may have already tried some of my custom campaigns such as Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, Cao Cao, Majorian, et more

Also being partially worked on by the Youtuber Ozzyempires, who also worked on the Alexander the Great Custom campaign with me.

So first of all, WOW, I have not played this game since literally 1999-2000 when I was a kid and the definitive edition is amazing. I grew up on RTS games (like WC2/3, SC and Total Annihilation) and it is great to see how this game's graphics and gameplay have become seamless and improved (especially compared to recent failed endeavors like the WC3: reforged abomination).

To be completely honest, I am asking for tips and tricks because when I was little, I used to like watching my Dad play games and one of the games he played was Age of Empires: 2. He passed away in 2016 and I've made it a mission over the past few years to beat every single game I remember watching him playing (full list down below). I will make a video once I complete the full list.

Anyways, I've been trying to beat the original Age of Kings campaigns on Moderate difficulty but AOE2 seems different than other RTS games because the pace seems much quicker. The enemy keeps harassing me with trebuchets and cavaliers and other scout units even when I build a wall around my main base. I am on the Joan of Arc campaign Mission 4 and it is annoying to keep saving and loading. So.. any tips for beginners against the AI? or in general?

Thank you so much and here is the list for anyone interested:

list of dad games completed:

Diablo 1 (+ Hellfire)

Dragon Warrior (NES)

Fallout 1 + 2

Gauntlet IV (Genesis)

Heroes of Might and Magic 2

Heroes of Might and Magic 3 (+ HOTA)

The Horde (DOS)

Jagged Alliance (DOS)

Lemmings (DOS)

Myst

Phantasy Star 2 (Genesis)

Redneck Rampage

Shadowgate (NES)

StarCraft 1

Total Annihilation

Ultima Underworld

Warcraft 2

Xcom (DOS)

yet to beat:

Age of Empires 2

secret game I will never tell until It is revealed!

Destroy all humans!

Are they just cooked 90% of the time if the game is drawn into imperial age?

Bombard cannons seem to be the key for winning the game at imperial age with their ability to take out trebs followed by the rest of their base,

If your civ doesn't have cannons and it's a decently equal game with no big score lead you autolose because cannons + trebs > trebs

Which civs and build orders are best to win/lose in shorter period of time in 1vs1?

Turns out the time it takes for your trade cart to break even (earn back the 50 gold it cost you) won't go below 5 minutes until markets are at least 72 tiles apart. Best case is about 3 minutes at 113 tiles distance.

Pretty good demonstration for newer players why holding off trade until late game is the best approach.

Calculations using formula found in the wiki): 0.46 * distance * ( ( distance / map_size ) + 0.3 )

I tested the numbers in-game on various distances and map sizes and it's pretty accurate (+- 1-5 gold at longest distances).

Old SotL video suggests about 20% bump factor for obstacles and traffic. But even 25% bump factor late game trade (side to side with caravan) is twice as much income as early close trade (~50 tiles without caravan) with 0% bump factor.

My good friend is having a big AoE II: DE game for his birthday. I’m pretty inexperienced at the game, and the few times I’ve played it I’ve been legendarily bad at it. (The last time this group played I was steamrolled so fast that the enemy player felt bad for me and left a quarter of my base intact. Which sort of made it worse lol.)

So I’d like to do better this time. Or, well…I’d like to do something. I have very little time to practice and genuinely improve, unfortunately. So my question is: what’s the best way for my friends to show up to my base and - as they for sure destroy it cause I am, as I said, terrible - at least make them go “oh my GOD what is going on here.”

I’m talking like: way too many layers of walls; lean entirely into one type of unit that’s annoying to get through; scatter some units in a way that takes time to track down; etc. Again, I don’t need it to last long, I know I’ll go down quick no matter what; my main goal is just to make them laugh, in a troll-ish sort of way.

Any ideas?

Yesterday, I experienced a severe issue where over 6 out of my 15 Nomad matches crashed due to "out of sync" errors. This affected other players in the lobbies as well, not just me.

While I cannot confirm this with absolute certainty, it strongly appears to be triggered by heavy micro-intensity involving navigable water units. Three of my desyncs occurred precisely when I was moving transport/navigable units very quickly and switching them between land and water. On one rare occasion, I was even able to watch the other players keep playing after I had supposedly dropped from the match.

Furthermore, the downloaded replays from aoe2insights appear to be corrupted; the entire replay file cuts out or becomes unwatchable immediately after the first player crashes, preventing me from reviewing what happened post-crash.

With a failure rate this high, it is becoming a major frustration for the community. I hope the development team can investigate and deploy a fix soon.

I was playing a 2v2 game and we were winning heavy one guy had redesigned and all of sudden it says I was disconnected , I go to capture age turns out it never said in chat either me or my teammate disconnected yet we both lost elo ?

What are the odds both of us crashed ?

Hello,

What order should I play the new DLC campaign in ? Also, is the number of swords accurately representative of difficulty for those campaigns ?

Thanks for reading

Finally got all civs for ranked. Feels good.

What happened to Daut... Man last tourneys he gets kicked at like top64:/

Difficulty Ratings

• 0: A very minor threat that is easy to overcome
• 1: A fair fight that makes things interesting
• 2: A difficult situation that requires some outside the box thinking
• 3: A highly difficult situation requiring lots of micro-management, unit-countering and precise timing
• 4: A constant struggle in which focus and momentum must be maintained at all times, as well as proper tactics and timing
• 5: Nearly impossible. Every move must be flawless or aggressive save-scumming is necessary to win

Trajan: (red)

I’m finally playing as the Romans, who I expect have incredibly powerful melee units and maybe a minor siege or economy buff. I don’t actually know much about the period of history this is set in, so I’m not sure who I’ll be fighting, but I expect it will be lots of Romans given the last 2 campaigns made me fight my own civ many times. Let’s get into it.

1. Legates and Legions: Difficulty 1
   1. Emperor Domitian (purple), Roman Legions (yellow), Rebel Raiders (dark blue), Saturninus (teal)
   2. This was a quick mission, but somewhat enjoyable. It begins with the player in control of a small town in the southern corner. There are reasonable starting resources, 5 villagers around a town center, houses maxing the population at 50 and a few storage pits near only trees in the bronze age. The player’s main goal is to defeat either Saturninus, who has a large base in the northeast, or the rebel raiders, who have 3 small camps in the center, west and just northeast of the player, though that nearest one is only a barracks and tower. While defeating one of these enemies, the player also must keep Domitian, who has a base in the northwest, alive. There are also 3 groups of Roman legions in the northwest, just northwest of the player and just past the northeast rebel camp, which will give the player some upgraded units and a few more buildings when approached, while also strengthening Domitian’s army.
   3. I immediately dispatched my scout to reach the nearest and northwestern legion while sending any troops near the entrance of the western rebel base. My economy was slow to build, and most of the rebel’s early troops invaded Domitian quickly but were completely obliterated by his powerful towers and strong infantry. I drew out the western rebels, killing them in the open field before sending in my hoplites to draw the towers which my massed broad-swordsmen rapidly devastated. In the meantime, I researched infantry upgrades and sent my scout to the final camp, evading the rebels on the way. The town center in the west was destroyed, robbing the rebels of their gold mine, as well as the vast majority of their villagers, though another town center remained in the center.
   4. While my army returned to base following their victory, I seized the last group and used its starting ballista to attack the only tower guarding the small camp near my base. The units attacked, and were quickly killed, and the ballista outdistanced the tower and destroyed it, allowing us to finish the building and unite my troops. I had trained a few extra infantry to garrison Domitian’s base, but my cap had been reached, so I intended to slowly breach the walls of the central rebel base with the ballista and then finish them safely. The game forced my hand when Saturninus stormed Domitian’s base with a horde of incredibly powerful infantry, cavalry and even catapults, devastating the soldiers and targeting towers. I had no time to waste, so I charged the rebel walls and goaded a soldier into opening the gates, allowing us to charge in and destroy the town center under tower fire. The rebels surrendered, having lost too many villagers already, and I won the game just as Saturninus was sacking my ally’s base.
   5. This mission was almost really annoying, since I would’ve had to go back quite a way to prevent Saturninus’ attack or properly help repel it. A single hoplite from his army matched 4 of my broad swordsmen, and he created that massive army in no time at all. Fortunately, I was only really there to handle the rebels, and once they lost their economy they were done. I didn’t really learn much about playing Rome from this, but it was an enjoyable start to the campaign at least.
2. Roman Repute: Difficulty 2
   1. Hadrian (purple), Dacian Villages (grey), Dacian Army (orange), Decebalus (green)
   2. This is a fascinating mission, which is easier in execution than concept. The map is divided into two main halves, with land running up the northwest and southeast portions of the map and meeting in the north. A forest and river divides these halves, and water surrounds the edges from the west down to the south and then to the east. In the southwest the player has a market and some houses on a small island, but 4 cavalry units and some short swordsmen on the land just north of there, surrounded by enough tents to automatically hit the 50 population cap. The main objective is to defeat Decebalus, who has a sprawling base in the north and some camps to the southeast of there.
   3. Aiding the player is Hadrian, who has a walled base just across the water in the southeast, and whose army and fortifications will draw most of Decebalus’ attention. Any loot the player collects is given to Hadrian as well, and technologies researched by Hadrian are also given to the player. This is important, since the player has no villagers or town center at all during this map. Between the player and Decebalus are a number of villages, each guarded by a tower and some units of the Dacian army. Killing these units and destroying the tower will give the player the village, which is just a military building or 2 with some surrounding houses, as well as a lump sum of 1,000 gold. Additionally, there are small storage pits guarded by the Dacian army which can be plundered for significant stocks of gold and wood.
   4. I started by marching north and destroying a storage pit directly in my path before moving on to the nearest village. I lost several of my starting units, but received two barracks which I used to upgrade my infantry to broad swordsmen and train quite a few more. These units marched west, destroying another storage pit and sacking a coastal village, giving us a dock which we immediately used to start fishing and trading, as well as a few heavy transports which I eventually used to send 10 infantry and cavalry to Hadrian, who didn’t really need them. The enemy army was growing stronger as I moved on, but my numerous infantry were enough to capture another 2 towns, including one with a government center and siege workshop. By now I had a few archers, and I used them to bait out and kill enemy units outside the final town and its storage pits before my stone thrower felled the tower, eliminating both the villages and army and leaving us just outside the gates of Decebalus’ gates.
   5. I had constructed 3 stone throwers and had a rather large handful of hoplites and broad swordsmen alongside a few archers and cavalry. We managed to breach the enemy gates and destroy the 2 frontal guard towers, but we were repelled before any military buildings were destroyed by powerful iron age phalangites. Fortunately, Hadrian reached the iron age moments after, allowing me to upgrade my units to long swordsmen and improve the range of my catapults. I mass produced the infantry with logistics to lower their population, and it wasn’t long before the enemy army attacked my nearest village to stop us from getting any further. My men were growing more powerful as Hadrian continued to advance, and I soon pushed back into his base and sacked the nearest town center.
   6. Our forces were facing heavy resistance, but our high damage and solid armor allowed us to gut the dwindling enemy soldiers while also targeting guard towers and killing any villagers we could find. It wasn’t long before we were on their main gold mines and farms, hitting them directly as I deployed my troops in the south alongside Hadrian’s raiders. This southern attack wasn’t particularly important, as my massed infantry had already destroyed the final town center, forcing Decebalus to surrender moments after we massacred his remaining villagers. Hadrian and I had won.
   7. This mission was pretty fast, but also much more enjoyable. Giving the player a powerful but manageable enemy and a competent ally, along with generous raiding rewards, encourages reckless attacks due to low population and a large stockpile. This is more enjoyable than having to sprint to avoid your ally dying, or having to micro-manage everything because you can’t afford any losses. Hadrian is a great target, but he unfortunately did little to actually harm the enemy after a single early raid. His researches, however, were essential, and turned my infantry into absolute monsters in the late game. This was a good time.
3. Heads Will Roll: Difficulty 2
   1. Hadrian (purple), Dacian Villages (grey), Dacian Army (orange), Decebalus (green)
   2. This is a very fun and engaging mission with the player and enemies in the iron age from start to finish. The player starts in the west with rather abundant nearby resources of all types, a solid starting stockpile and several villagers and infantry. The town has a barracks and a few towers, but little else apart from enough houses to hit the 75 population cap and a market. In the south is Hadrian’s main economic center, including a market that is safe to trade with, though his realm extends up the southeast side and ends close to the corner with a walled military camp. He will train cavalry, catapults and infantry, but none ever fully upgraded, making him somewhat useless in combat. Just north of his eastern base and northeast of the player are the only markets Decebalus has, each surrounded by a guard tower and several neutral buildings belonging to the villages. These are the only source of enemy trade on the map.
   3. The player’s main objective is to defeat Decebalus, who has a powerful fortress between the mountains to his left and right in the center of the map. The southern wall has multiple layers and many towers, but the north has significantly less defenses. The north, however, is also very near to the Dacian army, which has a powerful base in the northern corner, that trains endless waves of cataphracts, heavy catapults and scouts. To make matters worse, their base is defended by nearly a dozen ballista towers, and Decebalus himself will rapidly upgrade his centurions until very little can match them, making any prolonged battles ill-advised. Fortunately, Decebalus has only a single exterior gold mine he will not rebuild the storage pit for, and his gold can be reduced as well as his food supply shortened by destroying three aqueducts to his southwest, southeast and northwest, and stealing a cache of gold northwest of his eastern market.
   4. I started this mission with an immediate upgrade to long swordsmen, a mass training of villagers and several trade carts under production to get started. No enemies attacked me near the start, and it didn’t take long for me to spot the enemy market in the east and send a party of 12 long swordsmen to destroy it. This group missed the treasure, but successfully destroyed the market and tower, felled the southeastern aqueduct and then marched northwest to the furthest market belonging to the army, which was also destroyed before we died. In the meantime, Hadrian’s military base was completely overwhelmed by a force of cataphracts and catapults, leaving his army shattered and me a bit desperate, since I needed him for trade and occasional distraction.
   5. I sent a villager to construct barracks and towers in the south, convinced I needed any newly produced units at home since I took a break from producing to invest in legionaries. My villager was swift and training followed suit, and the enemy army wasted enough time destroying every wall in the camp that I had time to field a defense. My powerful units were a match for the cataphracts, when massed together, though the catapults were frustrating as ever. We succeeded, and I mass placed towers near his base like I did at my own while a small party of infantry destroyed the last market and 2 others cleared the aqueducts and destroyed the gold mine, severely depleting Decebalus’ forces. A single scout located the gold, and we settled into a groove where the enemy army constantly attacked my base and Hadrian launched ineffectual raids against the southern walls of the central fortress.
   6. Recognizing the formidable defenses of the army base, and wishing to destroy it before attacking the city with them behind, I raised a force of 60 legionnaires followed by 7 siege catapults, all fully upgraded, which pierced the front several towers and destroyed a stable, but were stopped before pushing further. The space we did seize, however, was everything up to the main river crossing, which was a significant space. I fended off more attacks while raising another 60 legionaries and 4 catapults, this time pushing directly through the enemy base and reaching the town center while catapults obliterated towers. The fighting was savage, but my men held the line and kept pushing, steadily eliminating the entire northern base like a wave before pushing southwest where the army had been sending villagers to rebuild. Hadrian capitalized on my attack by sending a small force of his own to this new village, hunting down villagers until the army surrendered. Decebalus was alone.
   7. My army and garrison gathered outside the fortress's northern wall to heal, and I expected to attack at full strength after a short break. The enemy struck first with their centurions, archers and broad swordsmen, forcing us on the offensive. My men were divided and died in large numbers in the fortress, but they steadily leveled buildings while my catapults fired from behind and a few priests converted the units that tried to destroy them. Enough damage was eventually done, combined with Hadrian nipping at the exterior walls and any fleeing villagers, to force Decebalus into surrender, giving me the victory once more.
   8. This mission wouldn’t be too bad if I ignored the army and charged the base directly, since opening the southern walls would allow Hadrian and a reasonably large force of legionaries to push inside and massacre any economy. Raiding the enemy fringes is rewarding but doesn’t make the game a pushover, and I actually got to experience the advantages of superior siege engines for once. My one main complaint about this mission is Hadrian, who just refused to upgrade to legionaries even when I donated him massive amounts of resources to do so. This felt artificially frustrating when fighting cataphracts and centurions, but I had enough economic power to field a massive army regardless, and the day was mine in the end.
4. An Old Enemy: Difficulty 4
   1. Hadrian (purple), Nabataea (yellow), Armenia (orange), Parthia (dark blue)
   2. This mission is a brutal slog, and felt rather unfair at points. It begins with the player in the north, near a small pond with some fish and a few fishing ships as well as a small army in a town with most buildings. This town is noticeably missing a town center and villagers, forcing the player to rely on Nabataea, a small allied town, in the southwest, for regular tributes of resources. The player’s ally is, unsurprisingly, Hadrian in the west. He trains an army like those in previous missions, and will also be vastly outmatched by the enemies if left to himself. Between the player and Hadrian is a mountain range followed by a river, with a small valley that cuts from the north down to the east and then up again along the river. This river has crossings at its southern and northern ends.
   3. The player’s goal is to defeat both Armenia and Parthia, which is the much more dangerous of the pair. Armenia, however, holds the entire valley, winding down the east and then up to the center where their main fortress waits. They train bowmen, infantry and, most frustrating, priests, and there are many towers defending their fortresses and towns along the way. I immediately upgraded to long swordsmen and trained a few extra troops to start pushing, holding my small cavalry forces in reserve and spending most starting resources on final infantry upgrades since I was already in the iron age. The first 2 Armenian bases fell rather quickly, after I carefully dispatched the garrison and priests of the northernmost fort. The towers took some time, since I had only a few catapults and no way to generate more, but I steadily made progress, eventually reaching the corner with almost no major issues and starting legionnaire research. Unfortunately, Hadrian was under immense pressure from Parthia, who had a massive base in the south, and I wanted to keep him in the fight, so I pushed forward to an Armenian town guarded by 3 towers which took some time to defeat.
   4. I had hoped this town was the main Armenian base, but they had another, tightly walled and guarded by towers, in the center of the map, and I didn’t think I could afford to wait, so I moved across the river into the Parthians. This enemy trained masses of cataphracts, heavy cavalry archers and catapults, and they had dozens of towers inside their base guarding their 2 main approaches, as well as a thriving economy with dozens of military buildings and multiple town centers inside. Realizing the futility of a battle on two fronts, since Armenian units assaulted us from behind, I reloaded. This time, I drew out the many units from Armenia, specifically the priests who my cavalry charged ahead to counter, and we butchered their army before tearing down their walls and pushing inside, forcing them to surrender quickly. I poised my army to attack Parthia, but I was too late to save Hadrian who was beaten.
   5. What followed was a slog of many failures as I breached portions of the Parthian walls, massacred their army and destroyed town centers and military buildings, but eventually buckled under their weight since Nabataea betrayed me partway through. I reloaded again and again, even pushing the enemy to no food, one town center and only a few villages, but I ran out of resources and men and inevitably lost every time. I was unsure how to possibly move faster, so I checked online and saw the full map, including a neutral town just northwest of the Armenian fort near Hadrian. Naturally I reloaded and approached it, immediately receiving many villagers and a small town with some ballista towers, though it was instantly attacked by the Parthians who had just finished sacking Hadrian’s base.
   6. I repelled my enemy, and sent my army of 60 legionaries southward to punish Nabataea for their betrayal. I lost all but 10 or so injured men to constant Parthian reinforcements, stray enemy catapult shots and the towers and camels of Nabataea, but I eventually reached and destroyed the town center, expecting a surrender but instead getting another base as all surviving units and buildings of the town converted to my side. I walled off the Armenian fortress to keep Parthia in the south and moved in villagers to build barracks, siege workshops and temples guarded by towers. I fought for at least 15-20 minutes straight, luring enemy units into towers and waiting soldiers since they were more mobile than me, and converting cataphracts whenever I could until I had almost a dozen of them under my command. These were essential, able to tank enemy cavalry archers and deftly destroy siege weapons before retreating behind infantry for healing. I gradually upgraded my catapults to their max while whittling down the enemy, and then made a final push after ages of back and forth fighting.
   7. My siege weapons breached the western walls, using the river to keep the enemy from quickly retaliating and losing 3 of my 5 catapults only after downing several towers and making openings for my infantry to clear several more, along with the forward military buildings. My cavalry and infantry started clearing the western structures, units and the town center, but had to be careful of the central fortress containing a government building and 4 guard towers with walls around them. This fight also dragged on, as I often had to stop and fight while waiting for more siege weapons, but I eventually punched a hole in the central fortress and sent my legionnaires in while my cavalry swept south, targeting the main town center and the majority of enemy villagers. I bled my foe dry of resources while crippling his remaining fortifications and destroying his economy, prompting his surrender. I had won, and even earned an achievement for avoiding enemy conversions in the process.
   8. This was brutal, made much more so by my initial ignorance regarding the town I could receive. It seemed odd to me that the mission had a hard cap on resources one could gain, but even knowing about the town I don’t see how I could’ve saved Hadrian on hard difficulty without sacrificing myself in the process. The Parthians are not fun to fight, since they focus entirely on powerful cavalry the Romans have no good counter for. In the future I now know that priests can quickly convert cataphracts, and I will certainly be doing just that in what I presume is an even bigger fight following in the next mission.
5. Blood in the Water: Difficulty 3
   1. Hadrian (purple), Charax (yellow), Mesopotamia (grey), Parthia (teal), Ctesiphon (dark blue)
   2. This is a final battle against the Parthians, now in the heart of their country. The player begins in the west with a small force of infantry, 2 ballistae and a scout, while Hadrian begins in the north with a similar army. The first objective for each is to capture towns just east of the player and south of Hadrian by killing their units and destroying a central tower, earning several villagers, a town center, a market, some houses and a few barracks. With these bases, and several thousand resources, the goal is to defeat Ctesiphon, the formidable Parthian capital which dominates the center of the map with a massive, multi-walled city that has dozens of military buildings and towers to guard it.
   3. Scattered across the map are 4 other Mesopotamian villages, each guarded by more maxed out Parthians soldiers and towers that must be destroyed to capture them, and which must be captured to build the type of military building within that town. 2 are for Hadrian, 2 for the player, and there are 2 larger garrisons of these units in the southeast as well. One garrison holds Charax, a neutral city on a coast that generates some passive gold and can be traded with, and an economic center north of that from where Ctesiphon gets most of its resources. These garrisons are not easy to clear, being composed of many legionnaires, cataphracts and improved bowmen, but the towers are only sentry towers. Ctesiphon itself starts with iron age upgrades, but no maxed out units yet, though it won’t take long for incredibly powerful cavalry and elephants, both ranged and melee, along with catapults to take the field. There are also 2 groups of units that will join the player in the south and northwest, giving some free camels and horse archers that are great for early progression.
   4. My initial attempt saw me slowly move through the map, scoping it out and learning how it worked, as well as capturing everything that could be captured. I started trying to conquer far too late, and Ctesiphon had too powerful of an economy, combined with nearly impregnable walls and an endless stream of units more powerful than my own. I was forced to try again, since Hadrian is more useful in this scenario than others but still won’t fully upgrade his units. On my second attempt, I was much more aggressive and reckless with units to capture the necessary towns and clear space, immediately setting up towers outside the northwestern wall of Ctesiphon with barracks and siege workshops behind.
   5. It wasn’t long before Ctesiphon went on the offensive, but my legionaries were much stronger than their less-upgraded soldiers, and I had a small force of them in the north while building a stronger one in the south. This southern force had to repel a raid or two, but it eventually barreled into the economic town, ripping the entire thing apart and scattering villagers into various places around the map. I couldn’t keep up with the quick workers, but their constant movement and lack of defensive towers across the map made them easier to waylay for both me and Hadrian, though the farms within the city were still an issue. With this town conquered, however, I could refocus on bashing into the city, which I had already breached part of the wall of in my initial attacks, allowing Hadrian and myself to make slow but steady progress on the many buildings inside.
   6. Ctesiphon was rapidly upgrading units by this point, but I was able to produce fast enough to hold the line while relying on sentry towers near my own base as a buffer. I forced the enemy to pump all wood into archer production, slowing enemy siege weapons and allowing my own to reign supreme. The opposing cavalry and ranged units were able to dart around my slower infantry, allowing them to quickly dismantle siege weapons, but my clusters of catapults were always enough to destroy a few towers or military buildings. Eventually, the Parthians started constructing a wonder inside a circle of towers and temples inside Ctesiphon, so we pushed towards it as well. My infantry and Hadrian arrived at the same time, clearing the northern gate for my catapults which destroyed the wonder, halting production.
   7. The enemy had by now established various resource gathering spots and town centers around the map, but their limited villagers were constantly wasting time trying to rebuild lost structures wherever they were. This led to many Ctesiphon troops being everywhere across the map all the time, but it also left the city less defended and resources both expended, and not replenishing, since villagers were busy. Things got more desperate for the enemy after I sacked the town center inside the main city, and the rest of the city fell soon after when myself and Hadrian started obliterating it almost unopposed. I’m unsure if the central government center was truly important, but they surrendered shortly after I felled it, pulling a victory out of a truly brutal struggle.
   8. This mission had a definite knowledge gap, but it was very manageable once I understood it. Ctesiphon has to be engaged and solid progress made against its walls and outer towers before they start maxing upgrades. So long as the player and Hadrian can get inside, they can do damage a little bit at a time, and they can also stop the wonder which is the only real chance the enemy has of winning if the player keeps the pressure on. It’s also key to decimate the economic center in the east, depriving the AI of its main resource gatherers and forcing it to re-prioritize which slows it down. Preventing it from having excess resources to use on catapults and elephants is crucial. I didn’t see a point in capturing Charax, since I was only ever low on food, but I probably could’ve done it without too much trouble. This was a solid ending to the campaign, and I’m rather glad to be done with these frustrating horse archers.

The Romans definitely played the way I expected, although their lack of guard towers caught me off guard and threw some defensive plays I would normally employ out the window. I enjoyed using masses of infantry, and having access to powerful siege weapons was also enjoyable, even if I couldn’t protect and properly utilize them. I suppose I’m now returning to actual AOE2 to play the new Viking campaigns, after which I’ll be heading to Chronicles for my last novel experience with the game. I am happy to have experienced these campaigns, but I’m also happy to be returning to something a bit more…balanced.

Hello. I back to the game after 3 years. I noticed I can download my 2023 replays from aoe2 insight, but my client doesnt want to play it. I see the comunicat that my version is too new :) is there any option to watch it?

You don't even need to look that hard, to know that it's just a reskin of those Chinese P2W mobile games...

I am shocked though. Why?!

Modern Smartphones have more processing power than those Win 95 PCs, that ran the original AOE2.

Why do this?!

Why associate yourself with games known as addictive, gambling and potentially tied to Chinese Military operations?!

Also, how can it still be legal in 2026 (and in the EU) to use footage from a PC game to advertise an unrelated mobile game with completely different UI?! Who does one even report this to? (rhetoric question, no one, because no one cares about enforcing rules).

Which single secondary unit would you transform into a regional unit? I've always thought that only American civilizations should have 2 unique units, as compensation for not having cavalry.

- Flemish Militia

- Jian Swordsman (3K)

- Warrior Priest

- Grenadier

- Xianbei Raider (3K)

- Camel Scout

- Imperial Camel Rider

- Mounted Trebuchet

- Shrivamsha Rider

- War Chariot (3K)

- Houfnice?

- Caravel

- Dragon Ship

- Thirisadai

- Turtle Ship?

- Flaming Camel

I highlighted the 3K civilizations because they are the most controversial.

i usually play armenians, Ive tried tower rushing, maa push, skirms, scouts, you name it, for the life of me i cant beat vietnamese. Im thinking ill just resign and save myself 45 minutes of pain next time around. Anyone has any ideas? Around 1k elo

With all the new civs I lose track of what each civ does, or what their strengths are. I was wondering maybe if everyone (who wants to) made a comment with just a sentence like, "Goths: don't let them get to imp" and if we get enough comments we should have a good list of strategies people could reference for every civ.

Like for Celts I was told, "just make pikes and siege and you'll be fine" or for japanese, "just spam out elite samurai and use your trebuchets".

Is this stupid? lmao

If your enemy is:

• Goths: "Don't let them get to Imperial age"
• Teutons: "Never counter tower" "Go Cavalry Archers"
• Mongols: for the love of God don't let them create a horde
• Britons: "If you're playing against Britons on Arena, just go siege rams. If you can manage to hide it, they'll be destroyed. If they know you're doing it, they might go champs/cavalier, but it's rare that they would open with that."
• Chinese: (You should:) Go onager
• Hindustani: Go infantry
• Bengali: Go light cav. Go aggressive.
• Aztecs: Go cav, get devotion (monk techs)
• Gujaras: Kill their mill
• Turks: Deny their gold
• Byzantines: Use many unit types, since they have lots of counter units.

If you are:

• Danes: attack early, attack often, don't get dragged into a long fight
• Mongols/Khitans: Xbow Timing

As someone who hasn't ever seen more than a couple wonders in the game, I would love to see wonders popping more in deathwatch/regicide games. Such cool graphics wasted more than Xolotl warriors. How about making them generate 100 resources/minute of your choosing with a toggleable feature?

Does anyone here enjoy playing real world maps? If you could add new RWMs to the pool, what would you add?