Age of Empires 2 to receive its 11th expansion while celebrating 25 years | Maqvi News

Something to look forward to: The fact that Age of Empires 2 continues to receive official expansion packs as it celebrates its 25th anniversary demonstrates its enduring popularity. Fan-made content has been essential to the game’s longevity, as evidenced by its newest expansion, which adds over a dozen campaigns next month.

A new DLC pack for Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition, called Victors and Vanquished, is now available for pre-order. The expansion, the sixth for Definitive Edition and the 11th overall, promises new campaigns, scenarios, music, and game mechanics. It is set for release on March 14 for $12.99.

Of the 19 single-player campaigns that Victors and Vanquished includes, 14 are based on fan-made scenarios but have received numerous improvements. These include professional voice acting, new music, bug fixes, achievements, quality-of-life improvements, and rebalanced gameplay. The remaining five campaigns are entirely new.

The full list includes scenarios starring:

• Gaisceric, king of the Vandals (406 CE)
• The British ruler Vortigern (440 CE)
• Charlemagne (768 CE)
• Legendary Viking King Ragnar Lothbrok (850 CE)
• Ragnar’s son, Bjorn Ironside (859)
• King Harald Finehair (870 CE)
• Robert (921 CE)
• Holy Roman Emperor Otto the Great (936 CE)
• Seljuk (985)
• Viking explorer Thorfinn Karlsefni (1000)
• Byzantine Empire Alexios I Komnenos (1081)
• King Stephen of England (1135)
• Temujin (1185)
• Mstislav (1203)
• Constantine XI (1453)
• Fetih (meaning conquest) (1453)
• Shimazu (1545)
• Oda Nobunaga (1551)
• Sir Francis Drake (1572)

Age of Empires 2: The Age of Kings was originally launched in 1999 to critical acclaim. It received one expansion – The Conquerors – the following year. Microsoft began publishing additional DLC packs over a decade later, after launching Age of Empires 2 HD Edition in 2013. A more extensive remaster, Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition, shipped in 2019 and has received continuous support since.

Developer Forgotten Realms also recently shared updates on other upcoming Age of Empires titles. A new trailer and dev diary offer a close look at Age of Empires Mobile, planned for release sometime in 2024. The game attempts to translate the main franchise’s single-player and multiplayer gameplay to a mobile format with fast-paced gameplay and simplified controls.

The studio also offered a brief look at the updated character designs for its upcoming remaster of Age of Mythology – a less historically-based spin-off originally released in 2002. The new version is planned for a 2024 release on Xbox and PC.

Additionally, Age of Empires 3: Definitive Edition receives a new expansion this year with two new civilizations. Meanwhile, Forgotten Empires will release a major update for Age of Empires 4 in early Spring, which starts season seven by adding multiple new gameplay features. Moreover, the company included an update on the Age of Empires esports scene.