Where should i buy the Definitive Edition?
Steam or directly from the Microsoft Store?
Is it true that you can’t play offline with the steam version?
Thanks a lot 
I have my main library on Steam, and when it comes to receiving special discount for owners of the previous/other titles in the series it kinda narrows it down in the long run.
Personally, I really don’t like the design of MS Store but more than that- vast majority of keys floating around for sale are keys for Steam platform, and not MS Store.
Don’t know how often games get discounts there, but still I can’t find a reason to not pick it on Steam.
Well that depends. What do you mean ‘play offline’?
Steam does have an offline mode.
In order to play any game ofc you need Internet connection to activate a code/buy it via Steam and download the game.
I honestly haven’t read that AoE IV is ‘always online’ game. That would be weird since there are single-player modes. If that’s the case- it will be the same for MS Store version, but I doubt it.
Double checked and can’t see any info about internet connection that is required all the time
I mean playing the single player campaign while being offline
Thank you. I’ll get it on steam then.
I can’t say for certain, but I’m 99% sure campaign or skirmish can be played offline. There is nothing that would require access to MS/developer servers in order to enjoy these modes.
The only thing you might have seen on screenshots is some ‘player level’ that represents total XP gained from matches, but it’s hard to say if that’s going to count in campaign/skirmish XP, and if it will- whether XP earned offline will be lost, transferred when reconnecting to the Internet or counted in regardless.
But I wouldn’t worry about that