We have summarised all the information on Age of Empires 4 for you. Learn everything about the upcoming real-time strategy hope 2021.
In our list of the 100 best strategy games of all time, Age of Empires 2 is in first place. After Age 3 failed to reach this high bar, a new development studio, Relic, is now trying its luck. Age of Empires 4 is supposed to revive the series away from HD versions and remasters. And this in a time in which real-time strategy actually ekes out a shadowy existence.
A formidable task therefore lies ahead. Whether AoE 4 is up to this challenge remains to be seen. But we have already collected all known information and reveal to you here what is known about the ambitious RTS.
Release: When will Age of Empires 4 be released?
At E3, the release date for Age of Empires 4 was announced. It will be released on 28 October 2021.
Trailer: Can you see anything yet?
Very likely. In November 2019, Microsoft released a proper trailer after a long wait. This trailer was even announced as a gameplay reveal, which was a bit too much of a promise. It is an in-engine trailer that shows the graphics and some gameplay scenes, but no real gameplay. But enough of the preface, see for yourself:
More gameplay can be seen in another trailer released in April 2021. In the trailer, which is just under six minutes long, you can see all eras and several races. The trailer also shows for the first time a detailed impression of the new real-time strategy game from Relic. You can also watch more trailers here.
New features & Gameplay: What makes Age of Empires 4 different?
It is certain that Age 4 will once again be a real-time strategy game and, like Age 2, will be set in the Middle Ages. The developers at Relic are also returning to earlier features. For example, there are four resources again: stone, wood, gold and food.
Base building will be freer again. A new, automatic decoration system will also be used. This creates atmospheric details such as small gardens around houses and streets between buildings. However, the self-built cities do not look as organic as in the first gameplay scenes. Walls can be built very freely and if they are equipped with towers or a gate, archers can even stand on them.
Sea battles are also part of the game again. Although the developers say they are rarely used, fans still wanted to be able to attack by sea again.
Campaign: How will the single player?
As in the predecessors, Age of Empires 4 has a single-player mode in which we experience historical campaigns of individual nations. There will be a total of four campaigns in which the individual factions clash. The four campaigns are called:
- Normans Campaign: It begins with the invasion of England by William the Conqueror and continues with his heirs. Here we command English troops.
- Century War: The long-running conflict between England and France comes back into focus. In the campaign we play on the side of the French.
- The Rise of Moscow: The focus of this campaign is the city of Moscow, which has been destroyed and rebuilt many times. The playable faction is the Rus.
- The Mongol Empire: There are still very few details about this, but of course it is about the large-scale conquests of the Mongols under Genghis Khan. Three guesses as to which faction is playable here
Unlike in Age of Empires 2, we don’t experience the history of individual persons like Joan of Arc, but rather longer-term conflicts. Within this framework, however, important personalities can appear. Johanna, for example, can be found in the campaign for the Hundred Years’ War, and we also think it very likely that Genghis Khan will be present with the Mongols.
There will also be special documentary sequences between the missions. Instead of cutscenes, these will be real films that explain the events of the time in the style of a historical documentary.
Multiplayer: How will the multiplayer be?
Age of Empires 2 is still played up and down in multiplayer. So it goes without saying that AoE 4 will also be launched with a multiplayer mode. A total of eight players can play at the same time, or four can compete against the AI in co-op.
A multiplayer match can include several different victory conditions:
- Destroy all landmarks: With each advancement to a new age, the factions build powerful buildings. Landmarks. To destroy an enemy, all existing landmarks must be destroyed. This includes the first village square. So it is no longer possible to hide with a few villagers.
- Conquer all holy sites: On the multiplayer maps there are holy sites that resemble stone circles. If a player conquers all these sites, he must defend them for 10 minutes. If he succeeds, he wins the game.
- Build a miracle: This is familiar from earlier parts. If a player succeeds in building his faction’s wonder of the world, he also wins the game.
Peoples: Which factions are playable?
Eight races have been confirmed and already introduced for Age of Empires 4. More races could be integrated into the game through DLCs after release. The races include:
- The Chinese
- The English
- The Mongols
- The French
- The Abbasid dynasty
- The Holy Roman Empire
- The Rus
Compared to Age 2, there will be a little less factions at the beginning. In exchange, the developers want to invent many more differences and special functions for each faction. The Mongols, for example, can simply pack up most of their buildings and rebuild them elsewhere. The Chinese, meanwhile, are always allowed to build both landmarks and can then found a dynasty. But there are also more classic factions like the English or the Holy Roman Empire, both of which tend to shine on the defensive.
Store: Will Age 4 be released on Steam?
Age of Empires 4 will also be released on Steam. Microsoft has opened up the platform even more in recent years and all previous Age of Empires games have been released there. You can already pre-order Age of Empires 4 on Steam The game costs 60 euros as a normal version and 80 euros as a Digital Deluxe Edition. Pre-orderers get a free DLC for Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition
Age 4 will be available as part of Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass after its release.
DLCs: Are there addons or microtransactions?
Age of Empires 2 is still supplied with new DLCs to this day, which very often add more races. There are now over 30. Age of Empires 4 will probably also receive classic add-ons after release. Exactly in what form is still unclear.
Creative Director Adam Isgreen has already ruled out the possibility of an in-game shop or other microtransactions in Age 4. According to Isgreen, this is not an issue at all for an RTS.
Will there be a demo or beta?
We think a demo is rather out of the question by now. However, there have already been two beta phases in which the multiplayer was playable. The second of these was also open to everyone, but only lasted until 20 September. It is still unknown whether there will be a third beta.
