The classic real-time strategy game Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings it keeps growing and growing and growing. Its last expansion, decades after the game’s original release in 1999, is called Lords of the West and adds three more campaigns and two completely new civilizations: the Burgundians and the Sicilians.
Get out on PC today, Lords of the West is a $ 10 add-on for the final edition of the game launched in 2019. In addition to the three campaigns (with full voice), one for the civilizations of Burgundy and Sicily, as well as an additional one for the British centered on Edward Longshanks, there are two civilizations, one focused on cavalry and gunpowder technology, while the other is infantry with an interesting gold bonus technology.
These are some of the highlights from the Microsoft blog entry:
Burgundians
- Economic updates are available an age earlier than other civilians
- Cost of stable technologies -50%
- Gunpowder units gain + 25% attack
- The relics generate both Gold and Food
- Coustillier cavalry unit: uses a powerful shock attack when charged in battle. “Strong against infantry and archers. Weak against monks and camel riders.
- Burgundy vineyard technology: converts all food into gold with a 2: 1 ratio; farmers generate gold in addition to food.
Sicilians
- Castles and urban centers are built 100% faster
- Ground military units absorb 50% of all additional incoming damage
- Farm upgrades provide + 100% additional feed to farms before re-sowing
- Ship transport +5 cargo capacity and +10 armor against ship attacks
- Sergeant: A resilient infantry unit that can also build Dungeons
- Dungeon: Unique fortification used to train sergeants. Units can adorn the building to protect them; Archers and villagers fire additional projectiles when they are garrisoned.
In addition to their unique units and bonuses, both civilizations also have some really interesting point technologies that trigger massive changes when first investigated. Burgundy vineyards, for example, instantly convert all food into gold with a 2: 1 ratio and lead farmers from now on to generate a small amount of gold in addition to food supplies. Meanwhile, the Flemish revolution automatically transforms all the villagers into militias, which seems drastic but potentially fun for the rush or the defense of the last ditch.
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On the Sicilian side are the First Crusade, which generates 10 special sergeant infantry units in each existing city center (up to five), and Scutage, which provides all players on a team with 15 extra gold per unit. military control over a single lump sum. . Obviously, the two technologies could work well together and also help keep teams through a longer final game.
Despite hundreds of hours in the original game, I’m still far from an expert Age of Empires II strategist, so I’ll have to wait and see how some of the more elite players in the game’s small competitive scene use these new civilizations and techniques. Still, it’s exciting to see that the balance of the game can be enhanced with another set of civilizations compensations to choose from. At least until Age of Empires IV finally arrives.