Persian / Iranian Civilization as a Strong DLC Opportunity

Age of Empires IV IV - Discussion
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A Persian / Iranian civilization could be one of the strongest DLC opportunities for Age of Empires IV.

From a business perspective, it has everything a successful AoE IV civilization needs: strong historical identity, unique gameplay potential, beautiful visual style, and a large audience. Iran is also very visible in the world today, so a respectful, apolitical, history-focused Persian civilization could attract attention from old AoE players, Iranian players, the diaspora, and history fans.

Gameplay-wise, Persia could offer a very clear identity: strong cavalry, cavalry archers, trade routes, advanced administration, scholars, palace economy, and elite royal units such as the Immortal Guard. Visually, Persian architecture, gardens, palaces, caravanserais, and fire-temple-inspired designs would make the civilization stand out immediately.

Historically, Persia is one of the biggest missing civilizations in AoE IV. The game already includes Byzantines, Abbasids, Mongols, Ottomans, Delhi, and Ayyubids — all connected to the wider Persianate world. That makes the absence of a Persian / Iranian civilization feel very noticeable.

It does not need to be only ancient Persia. A medieval Persianate civilization inspired by Sassanid legacy, Samanids, Buyids, Khwarazmians, Ghaznavids, Seljuks, or later Iranian dynasties would fit AoE IV’s timeline very well.

Persia would not feel like “just another civ.” It would be historically important, visually unique, gameplay-rich, and very marketable. I hope the team seriously considers it for a future expansion.

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Small clarification: I don’t mean Persia as simply another nearby Middle Eastern civ. I mean a distinct Persian / Iranian civilization with its own language, dynasties, architecture, military traditions, court culture, and unique units like the Immortal Guard.

That could make Persia feel very different from Abbasid in both gameplay and identity.

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Check out my Persians civ concept for cool ideas:

Persians civ concept (Fifth version) - Age of Empires IV / IV - Discussion - Age of Empires Forum

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Wow, this is much more detailed than I expected. Really impressive work.

I especially like the Caravanserai/Dynasty direction, because it makes Persia feel different instead of just being another nearby Middle Eastern civ. The focus on trade, preservation, Persian dynasties, architecture, and unique units gives it a real identity.

This is exactly why I think a Persian / Iranian civ could work very well in AoE IV. There is enough history and gameplay potential here for a full DLC, not just a cosmetic civ idea.

Thanks for sharing it. I’ll read through it properly.

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Persians for AoE4

The thing with Persians in the Middle Age, is that many people identify them with the Sasanids, and are unaware of what became of the territory after the Islamic conquest.

In AoE2, the Persians represented the Sasanid period (224-651), a period that is no longer possible in AoE4 to represent, because the civilizations are from around 700 AD onward (~800-1650 AD), and the Sasanids were conquered by the first Islamic caliphates.

And yes, Persians can exist in AoE4, because after the Islamic conquest, although they were under Islamic control for a time (651-821), they went from being vassals to becoming independent and creating several kingdoms. Many of these kingdoms had the tendency to grow enormously in territory for a short period of time, becoming empires, only to be defeated and have their lands seized by another neighboring kingdom, and then another, and then another.

This continuous rivalry was called the “Iranian Intermezzo,” and it encompassed dynasties such as the Ghurids, the Safarids, the Ziyads, the Buyyids, and the Kwarazmians, until the Mongol conquest of 1225.

Here are some maps to show the extent of these kingdoms, which often overlapped:

TAHIRID

821–873

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SAFFARID

861–1003

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SAMANID

875–999

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ZIYARID

930–1090

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BUYID

934–1062

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GHASNAVID

977–1186

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KWARAZMIAN

1077–1231

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They could very well be called Persians, or Iranian Intermezzo, depending on how they want to represent them.

Considering that there are now some great variants, they could well have the Saffavids as a variant. They would also serve to give them and share architectural similarities with the Timurids, who dominated the region for quite some time (1370-1507).

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Dynasty System

My idea would be to have a dynasty system like China’s, but unlike that system, this one wouldn’t be linear, but more like King’s Tale. Each age, you could advance to one of three dynasty options, or remain in the same one.

Oh, and you can also build Landmarks, but these are “FREE” and you get one after advancing to the next age. You can choose one of two per age. Depending on the number of Landmarks you’ve built (because it also takes time), your dynasty’s bonus can increase:

I. Dynasty - 1 Landmark
II. Kingdom - 2 Landmarks
III. Empire - 3 Landmarks

You can take any dynasty to the 4th age and convert it into an Empire; its bonus will increase between ages. Some dynasties grant you unique units.

Unique Units

I can think of several. During this period, several peoples lived in Persia, but they were generally divided into Turks and Iranians. One of the Iranian groups was the Daylamites, who remained in the mountains and supported or even founded their own dynasties.

  • Daylamite Warrior - Heavy melee infantry, throws a javelin before engaging in combat. When one of them dies in combat, the remaining Daylamites gain a temporary +8% attack bonus for 15 seconds. Rage stacks up to 3 times (+25%).

  • Daylamite Skirmisher - Ranged, anti-range infantry. Throws javelins. When one of them dies in combat, the remaining Daylamites gain a temporary +8% attack bonus for 15 seconds. Rage stacks up to 3 times (+25%).

  • Turk Horse Archer - Turkish ranged cavalry. Has the “Parthian Shot” ability, allowing them to fire arrows in a 360° arc for X seconds.

  • Mounted Ghulam - Turkish slave cavalry, converted to Islam. They have lower base attack than a standard lancer, but higher attack speed and slightly higher survivability.

Some dynasties grant bonuses to certain units. For example, the Daylamites provide a bonus to infantry, the Kwarazmian to melee cavalry, the Ghaznavid grant you occasional War Elephants, and the Seljuk drastically improve your Turkish horse archers.

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Safavids can still be one of the dynasties of the Persians. For Timurids, best to have them as a variant of the Mongols while the Order of Assassins can be a variant of the Persians.

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I would go for the Saffarids (861-1002) (the Seljuks would also be good, but those would be a variant of the Ottomans)…The Safavids are a bit late, but I suppose if they end with the reign of Abbas I (1588-1629) it could work (although the Safavids were more suited to AoE 3)…

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