the day before yesterday，Two posts suddenly went viral on our major Chinese forums and are on track to become the most-discussed topics since the release of the DLC.
One post sarcastically declared that this past year should truly be called the “Age of Knights,”
while the other was a serious discussion on "How to End the Age of Knights.
To quantify this sentiment, I launched a poll yesterday to gauge player satisfaction yesterday.As of writing this post, the poll has already garnered over 4000 views. The results are stark: only 15% of the voters are satisfied with the current version where Knights dominate.This data is a direct reflection of the widespread frustration discussed in those viral posts.
To provide further evidence from a respected community figure, yesterday I also consulted DarkCarrot, a prominent Chinese AoE4 streamer with 1.297 million followers. He firmly believes the current version is “deformed.”He pointed out that viewership has declined since last year’s major update, an update that saw changes like springalds no longer effectively countering siege weapons and the rise of an overwhelmingly Knight-centric meta.He elaborated that the game’s original strengths were its non-linear gameplay, distinct civilization identities, and the need to adapt decisions to random maps, where overall strategy > unit knowledge > micro-management. However, in this “Age of Knights,” all these advantages have vanished.He noted that in the previous version, the pro scouts made map randomness meaningless, as games would revolve around “the scout carried the deer back,” reducing map interaction. Now, in the current version, the core problem still remains a contest of whose Knights are stronger.He expressed deep concern for the game’s future, even stating that he believes without last year’s changes, the game’s daily active users could have reached 60,000. Conversely, he fears that if changes continue in this direction, the player base will only continue to shrink.
I understand our regional forums may not be on your radar, so I am bringing this critical feedback directly to you. The data and the expert opinion from our community both point to the same conclusion: the current “Age of Knights” meta is harming the game’s health and diversity.
