Henry V
3 Likes
Itās good to see that historical battles are coming IV. Adding more singleplayer content outside of campaigns is really important for the longevity of the game. Campaigns are expensive to make, so HB can scratch that itch while people wait for larger DLC.
2 Likes
How do you think itās gonna be implemented? Going by what they said, I expect it to be a SP scenario with random buffs and nerfs hidden throughout the map that will encourage you to adapt to them. The best part for me is the prospect of the enemy being scripted, making it a much better opponent than the gameās AI.
It doesnāt mean itās a lie either. Previous AOE games I assume didnāt have it due to limitations in the engine, but more modern games of the same genre already had things since their release that AOE-4 hasnāt implemented yet. Waterfalls are just one example.
By default it kinda has to be one or the other. If something isnāt the truth itās . . . not the truth. We can call it āfictionā instead, ālieā kinda has a tone I donāt really agree with. Iām not saying āyouāre lyingā. Iām saying āyouāre making a claim that can never be provenā.
Anything can be put into a game before release. The more things that are, the longer the game takes to release (and / or other consequences, like bugs, staff burnout, etc).
Therefore anything can technically be put into a game before itās released.
But a game is a thing that is made and sold. Which means it needs a release date. Which means there is a hard limit on what can be put into the game before it was released. Therefore there is no āshouldā. Anything that āshouldā have been in, was in. You canāt make time out of nothing. Short of delaying the game, that is. Which is fair, but āthey shouldāve delayed the gameā is a very different argument to people still coming up with āshouldāve been in the game at releaseā, 3.5 years after release, when new content is showcased. Itās a bit of a tedious thing to claim, every single time.
All a waterfall is is an animation over a different in height in the heightmap (simplifying a tad, but assuming there are no requirements for physics, water volume, etc). Itās not procedural, right? Itās a tile feature; itās something that is placed onto the terrain (to borrow AoE IV mapping terms) in a crafted map. In a generated map, itās still something that would require a) flowing water and b) a difference in height between A and B (over a short distance).
Anyone can do it. Itās always been technically possible. Dawn of War II had animated lava flows in 2009 or whenever it was. vDoW probably had similar things in its maps in 2004. Not that you could put boats across them, but thatās not the case here either. itās just impassable terrain. The water either side of the waterfall (if there is water upstream) is likely passable as normal.
You donāt need to try and defend the older titles 
2 Likes
We got cooked
- Introducing 25 new castle visuals, so that every single civilization uses its own unique castle. Here is a sneak peek at a few of the new Castles, can you guess which civilization they belong to?
- Introduced 6 Monk visuals that have been distributed to the relevant civilizations. Now convert siege engines and elephants by showcasing the best clothing attire religion has to offer.
- Every elite unique unit now uses a different visual compared to its non-upgraded counterpart. With Teutonic Knight helmet crests, Samurai banners, or Janissary hats, defeat your opponents with more style than ever.
Amazing how AoE2 is working towards making civilizations more unique whereas AoE4 is doing the opposite. Really REALLY scratching my head about the decision making of turning AoE4 towards variants when you consider the ONE edge it had over AoE2 originally was the fact that our civilizations were truly unique.
Unironically was a large reason for me picking AoE4 over AoE2 to begin with. Curious that the developers cannot see that variants will age poorly though.
But hey guys, Knight Templars totally isnāt just a normal variant!! Even though 90% of its assets already exist. The developers are double dipping and making some lazy content and yaāll are falling for it.
5 Likes
I understand the disappointment with the DLC, because compared to Sultan Ascends, we are getting less content despite the long time that has passed between them. But looking at the positive side, there are interesting things about this strategy. First, releasing civilizations gradually is interesting to avoid messing up the gameās balance. It is easier to rebalance 2 civs than 6. Second, If we have smaller but more frequent DLCs, it will keep the gameās interest high, with a feeling of frequent novelty, which can increase the number of players. Lastly, the civs that are added can be well-worked, as seems to be the case with The Knights Templar.
I also understand your point about new civs vs variant. But maybe they are carefully preparing the new civs for the end of the year, in the next DLC. Maybe they are investing in the QoL that was asked. And we still have to consider the recent Relic/WE//FE changes. Anyway, in my humble opinion, we will only know better the direction that Age 4 is taking after the second DLC of this year.
3 Likes
Lol, gg ez, no new civ
Thatās the spirit. In fact, Iām drawn to playing an English civ thatās harder than the current one. Maybe Iāll make Lancaster my new main, hehe.
Actually, Season 10 comes with the DLC, and in fact, it was only announced that there would be DLC, but there was no mention of what other changes existing civs might have.
Recently on Reddit, it was mentioned that they might be giving the HRE new technologies and unique units, so Iād say the new season will be a hot topic.
Thereās also the possibility that it might be precisely to choose which civilizations would help the Templars, perhaps including one that would appear in the new October-November DLC.
Finally, the hype will be enormous when the new unique units and civ bonuses that havenāt yet been released are revealed. Iām sure many will want to create their concepts for Spain, Poland, Venice, or Genoa based on several of the new unique units, so the forum will have plenty to talk about.
1 Like
Who are you talking about?
You mean MortGorb?
I get why people compare this to the Sultans DLC, but maybe the approach has simply changed. Instead of one massive DLC, we are now getting two DLCs, meaning more frequent content, patches, and things to look forward to.
If this is the new model, it could actually be a win for the gameāmore regular updates keep things fresh, and we do not have to wait as long between releases. Letās see how the second DLC of the year turns out before judging this approach too harshly.
But judging this DLC alone, it currently feels lacking in content, but we cannot expect both massive and more frequent DLCs at the same time. Letās wait and see for both DLCs to come out, then we can give them proper feedback on this new approach.
3 Likes
this DLC gonna flop so bad lol! no new civs ā¦ no hype, period!
2 Likes
I get why some people feel less excited since there arenāt new civs, but this DLC still brings a lot to the table. Weāre getting two new historical armies to command and a new solo mode, adding fresh ways to play. AoE4 has kept evolving with each update, and this DLC is another step in that direction. Not every expansion has to bring new civs to be worthwhileāsometimes, itās about expanding the experience in other ways. If this new approach means more frequent content, Iād say thatās a good thing.
1 Like
Just sharing my thoughts, you can correct me if Iām wrong. If itās not too lateā¦
If itās not too lateā¦
- For KNIGHTS OF CROSS
Please includeā¦
*Knights Templar (originated from French)
*Knights Hospitaller (from Italy)
*Teutonic Knights (across Germany, Austria & Bohemia)
*Caballeros / Order of Santiago (from Spain)
-though how do you think can we classify the unit type, both can be CAVALRY and INFANTRY?
-could sound an OP armored civ / I think itās gonna looks like OOTD with fewer unit count despite 200popā¦ but design is dope right?
- For KNIGHTS OF ROSE
Please inlcude military units and strats from HOUSE LANCASTER and HOUSE YORKā¦
-both factions is heavy on longbowmen and man-at-arms, so what could be unique? that can be separated from base ENGLISH civ, maybe tech upgrade? hero buff? could be unit design (Lancaster RED cavs as Lanisters in GOT? and Yorkist WHITE clad man-at-arms?).
-whatās interesting are, both factions uses mercenary units from other military statesā¦
But I think we can make special units like the ff:
*BILLMEN
do you know the RUS knightās upgrade called āKnight Poleaxesā? We can make something similar to this on a SPEARMAN generic unit
Polearms has variations too, we could insert designs from French and Scottish pikemen
*BURGUNDIAN CROSSBOWMEN
*GERMAN AND SWISS HANDGUNNER
*how about adding mercenaries like Galloglaigh/Gallowglass from Norse-Gaelic clans of Scotts and Irish? (they weild claymore/irish axe!)
*Scottish infantry or Welsh mercs?
I understand and agree that AOE 4 idea of VARIANTS is not okay to everyoneā¦ and it is agreeable that its good to have a 1 solid WHOLE-CIV that reached Imperial state or recognizable powerā¦ however not all Medieval units or civs is generic in design (meaning with all kinds of building types and national identifiable architecture or units) like how it is currently design on AOE4/AOE2 base civs (therefore, Variant civs is better on this aspect) and applicable to have an organized AGING-like designā¦ that is why I am recommending to add MERCENARY HOUSES for all civsā¦
-can you create a civ generic design if asked to create one for the NOMADS from the Steppes or Desserts? civs of FIRST NATIONS with same origin but located from significantly far regions?
-how many SPECIAL/UNIQUE units does this civ/state have? what if they only have 1 special unitā¦ Kind of hard to create generic designā¦
a bit hard because they lack feudal system, architecture or identifiable differenceā¦ cumans, kipchak, huns, aztec, inca, toltec, olmecā¦ same withDUCHY level staesā¦ bohemia, austria, latvia and lithuaniaā¦ small states or group hard to make same generic designā¦
Future CIV recommendation:
*Kingdoms of SPAIN
*Maritime Republic of ITALY
*HUNGARY
*SCANDINAVIANS (special units pool can be found from Danes, Norwegian and Swedish)
*FIRST PEOPLE of MESO-AMERICA
Also, lets include far medieval age CIVsā¦
*Goryeo (918 to 1392 CE from Asia)
*Khmer (802 to 1431 CE from Asia)
*Songhai (1430ā1591 CE from Africa)
Just a wish, no mean to harm someoneā¦ this can be skipped =D
List of military/mercs units
Donāt worry, they still have a few weeks to add those.
1 Like
3 Likes
Betterā¦
2 Likes
Pre-order page is up
Steam event post:
Official blog post:
Steam store page:
Price: $15 ($12.74 with 15% preorder discount)
https://steamdb.info/app/3144890/ (this webpage shows pricing differences between regions)
Release date: April 8th 2025
Some new screenshots from the blogposts:
Unique keep style building in the middle of the base, and small town center styled buildings (Lancaster manors?)
A preview of the Historical Battle single-player modules
And much more in each of those posts, including the design of the 10 new maps.
8 Likes
Iām not gonna this DLC for this price. Itās the same price as Sultans Ascend, with 2 variants that Iām probably not gonna play much.
The new game mode at first glance seems like a few disjointed campaign missions with extra steps, and the one thatās been presented in the trailer doesnāt look too nice, itās kind of an ugly barren map. And the skirmish maps arenāt anything Iād feel Iāll be missing out on.
Thereās no new art, no new features, except waterfalls as far as Iāve seen. It feels like the bare minimum, so Iām sorry for the devs, I know itās not their fault, but if Microsoft doesnāt want to invest into the game, theyāre not gonna get my money. Iām not buying a DLC just to support the game, I donāt believe in that. Make a good product and Iāll buy it.
Iāll be waiting in anticipation for new civs in the future (if they choose to make them), with new interesting mechanics like the Malians have. Looking forward to Native American civs and other wildly different civs that give me a good reason to try them out. As for this DLC, Iāll wait for it to drop to 50-60% and then I might consider it.
3 Likes
It definitely sets a standard for future DLC pricing. The next DLC releases in Q4 2025 most likely, that coincides with many sales. The Sultanās Ascend is 50% off right now for 7.50 USD. Not unlikely weāll see something similar later in the year. It may just bring it back to preorder price with 15% off.
All that being said, I wouldnāt expect DLC content to be less than 15 USD on launch day for the franchise pretty much ever. AOM Retoldās Immortal Pillars launched at 20 dollars and all AoE 2 DLC launched at 15 dollars if I remember correctly.
2 Likes