I am kinda burnt out on anything Chinese after the aoe2 Chinese dlc.
has anyone played the newest aoe4 Chinese dlc and would you recommend it? (I am a campaign only player)
Well it doesn’t play at all like the other Chinese factions. It’s architecture and voicelines are Chinese though (but the buildings look better ha).
I think it plays very interesting so far.
2 Likes
I recommend you. Yue Fei campaign is a great additon for AoE IV
Nice single player experience, and the Jin Dynasty Civ is a very unique way to play though
2 Likes
Found the first two missions to be a bit underwhelming, but it was fun all the way through. You never get to play as Jin Dynasty in the missions though. It’s a good multiplayer civ, very unique!
I played it. It was better than expected.
Yes, it’s decent and that’s it (if you’re going to buy it, it would mainly be for Yue Fei’s campaign and to play with the Jurchens 2.0)…it has mixed reviews on Steam because people keep asking for the Spanish as a civilization:
“Get the damn Spaniards out of here already - before you run out of budget or get canceled. The PvE campaign is appreciated.”
“A DLC that barely does the job. I’m only still supporting it because it’s clear the game has much greater potential than they’ve been able to realize. Let’s hope this latest DLC with a new civilization is a sign they’re on the right track.”
“It’s a new civilization, not a variant, and it’s cool and original. If you like campaigns, it also has a new one.”
“Good”
“Get the damn Spaniards out of here already.”
Depend on what do you want.
Multiplayer
If it’s only for multiplayer you will gain only one civilization, four maps and two biomes.
The Jin dinasty it’s a real civilization not a variant. She is unbalanced as usual for a new civilization but balancing will come with patch as usual.
This civilization is very good in concept, semi nomadic/early gunpowder with early siege unit. And a wololo tower !
Single player
A very good campaign, the most AoE2 like of AoE4 because unlike all the campaigns who span for century this one span only for 13 years and for the first time in this game you have characters who speak at you.
In another campaign you play at anonymous, there is a narrator but any character. You play as the English, French, Mongol, Rus and Ayyubid.
But in this campaign you play as Yue Fei, like in AoE2 you play as a character like all the campaigns of AoE2.
In this campaign you will play the chinese with some of the unit of the new Jin dinasty civilization.
Also there is many side quests in this campaign.
Problem : less and less content for the same price
There is less and less content.
(I will write civilization for any faction regardless if it’s a civilization or a variant)
Release of the game (2021) : 8 civilizations
Anniversary edition (2022) : 2 civilizations price : free.
One of the most wanted civilizations (Ottoman) and Malians.
The sultan ascend (2023) : 1 campaign (8 scenarios), 6 civilizations, 10 random maps, 2 biomes, price : 15$
The first real DLC because he is not free. Good content with two of the most wanted civilizations : Byzantine and Japanese (and 4 variant as bonus), one campaign. Best DLC in term of price for content.
Knights of Cross and Rose (2025) : 4 scenarios, 2 civilizations, 10 random maps, price : 15$
One nice crusader civilization, another good civilization but less content for the same price.
Dynasties of the East (2025) : 4 civilizations, 8 random maps, 6 biomes, 1 new game mod (crucible with 4 scenarios), price : 20$
Two civilizations more than the former DLC. Also less random maps but one new game mode, a sort of improved single player skirmish with randomized the side quest. Also an increase of the price, too high in my opinion.
Yue Fei’s Legacy (2026) : 1 campaign (8 scenarios), 1 civilization, 4 random maps, 2 biomes, price : 15$
Good campaign but very low content with only 1 new civilization and the lowest number of random maps of all the DLC.
End of the year 2026 DLC : at least 2 civilizations and 1 crucible scenario, price unknown. One of the most wanted civilization (the vikings).
Problem : the most wanted civilization are missing
MatM1996 in the above message say that most of the steam reviewer want a specific civilization (Spanish) and I think the same.
They add one of the most wanted civilization in 2022 (Ottoman), 2 in 2023 ( Byzantine and Japanese) and at least one in late 2026 (Viking)
I understand that they add no one in 2024 (AoM retold needed a lot of work) but in my opinion this was a mistake to didn’t add at least one of the most wanted civilization in 2025.
In 2025 I think that the best civilization was the knight Templar, I hope that one day they will add a crusader civilization in AoE2.
I think it’s better to change the category of the Jin dynasty and the knight Templar to base civilization because they share nothing with their base civilization.
In the future it’s better to sell at least one base civilization by DLC. Some of them are very good in term of history but variant civilization are less appealing if we have already the base civilization, for example the Sengoku Damyo feature a very interesting period of japanese history but if you already have the japanese at base civilization she is a less appealing variant to buy.
Also I think that in their next survey about AoE4 they ask the player what civilization they want the most.
Problem : very few campaigns and with the lowest quality of the AoE franchise
4 campaigns at release, one campaign in the first DLC, no campaign in the second and third DLC and finally the best campaign of AoE4 in the fourth DLC.
The AoE series is renowned for the campaigns, AoE3 have good campaign with character (I think one of the big failure pf AoE3 was to didn’t add new campaign), AoM have the Fall of the trident, the best campaign of the series, I hoped for year to replay this campaign with an upgraded version of the game and in 2024 this was real, the following campaigns were good (a little short for the chinese we have no time to know the principal character with only 9 scenarios)
A good thing in AoE2 is that a campaign is quasi exclusively linked at an historical character and he is not mute, he speak at us. The mongol campaign of AoE2 is better than the one of AoE4 because in AoE2 I remember thing like : (Méfies toi des kara Kithaï, ils n’ont pas d’honneur (Beware of the Kara Khitan they are without honor).
Also I remember thing like : Nous n’avons pas de chef, le roi d’Ecosse est décedé sans héritier (We are without chief, the king of Scotaland was dead without heir). Les anglais répandnt la terreur en Ecosse, le moment est venu pour nous de riposter (The english are terrorizing Sctoland, the time is coming for us to strike back).
And in AoE2 we have a lot of campaign with content like this.
I very enjoyed the Yue Fei’s Legacy because it was like the AoE2 campaigns, tied at characters who speak ingame. On another AoE4 campaign who also play historical character but they are no ingame dialog and we have them only for one scenario or two because the campaign last more than an human lifespan.
Also I love when there is side quest (for this the crucible mode with side quest are very enjoyable, there is no a simple tower defense mission). Before this DLC I never knowing the existence of Yue Fei but after I will remember him forever, you achieve your goal making a good campaign, tank dev.
The worst in campaign/scenario content was Dynasty of the east, even Victor and vanquished have more original scenarios (5 of the 20 scenarios).
In the future I recommend to make campaign like this in AoE4, liked at character who spoke ingame dialog like in another campaign of the AoE franchise and with side quests.
Problem : All the DLC content is locked behind a paywall
Other game add a lot a free content : AoE3 improved over the year with free content like French revolution and Empire, Reworking of the ottomans, new maps.
AoM : new map were added for free, Arena of the Gods also was a free addition.
AoE2 : new content for free : new skins of building, new unit when a civilization is reworked, new. New content are also added between the DLC.
AoE4 : Some seasonal event were added at permanent addition but quasi nothing if you don"t play multiplayer (reward for playing ranked multiplayer are good but not appealing for, singleplayer only players).
Paying for civilizations, variant, campaign and scenario is normal.
But I think paying for random map is not because if you want to attract new players you will not attract them with random map but for civilizations and campaigns. Also I think than any player bought a DLC for a specific biome, i think biome must be free.
A single player only will buy DLC for campaigns and civilizations
A Multiplayer only will buy DLC for civilizations. He don’t care about new random map because he have already many random map at disposal.
I think random map and biome must be added to the base game for free.
Minor problem : lack of variety of animals
Very few variety of animals, wolf, boar, deer and sheep are fine in eurasian biome but not in african biomes. Please add some animals, no necessary many but at least some who fit better in african biome.
Conclusion
Add all the random maps and biomes to the base game for free because nobody buy DLC for this.
When you release a DLC put at least :
At least one civilization belonging to the most wanted by the players.
Release at least one base civilization.
Never release DLC with variant civilization only.
Release at least 2 civilizations.
At least one campaign like the Yue Fei one with ingame dialogs, side quests, and centered on one character not one spanning during century like in the base game or in the Sultan ascend.
1 Like
As a Chinese person, I would give the campaign a 7/10. One point is for the development team’s encouragement. For foreigners, an 8/10 is very good.
2 Likes
Exactly, I couldn’t have said it better myself… currently the problem with AoE 4 DLCs is the content and the price… they should make DLCs with more content and, ideally, just one big DLC ​​per year instead of two small ones, like the expansions of the past… 6 civilizations (3 base civilizations and 3 variants), 20 maps, one or two campaigns, and that would be enough for a year (or, as a last resort, do what AoE 3 did and add 1-2 maps per season)…
1 Like