October brings both tricks and treats to Age of Empires IV with the upcoming Season Nine Update – coming October 22nd! Our seasonal biome Hallow’s Hearth makes a return, and with it comes a fun (or frightening) twist on the wolf unit with the Full Moon game mode. Not only that, but we’re officially launching Multiplayer Pause, along with a bundle of balance changes, there’s also two new maps arriving with this update. Read on for more details, as well as a summary of changes we’ve made based on your feedback during last month’s Public Update Preview.
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Thanks again to our amazing community members, all of whom have helped to make Age of Empires what it is today!
—The Age of Empires Team
Please Note: As part of updating to this latest build, any saved games and observable matches made on previous builds will be unable to be loaded or replayed.
This is just a small taste of what is coming in the latest update. For a more complete list, please visit our site and check out our blog. Happy Gaming!
◆Update 12.0.1974◆
Season Nine
The wolves are howling, and a chill wind can be heard whispering through the trees. Get ready for a spooktacular second edition of Hallow’s Hearth with terrifying treats and monstrously fun challenges! Login between October 22nd at 10:00AM PT (17:00 UTC) and November 19th to stake your claim.Hallow’s Hearth Event Returns!
New Game Mode: Full Moon!
As our map monsters depart, a new threat emerges under the full moon. Werewolves, with their hungry fangs and claws, will prey on your soldiers and villagers! Raise your defenses to protect against these beasts and secure victory. The Full Moon game mode is available in the game mode selection menu for skirmish and multiplayer.
Ranked Season Nine Updates
The leaves are falling, and the competition is heating up with a spectacle of contenders hitting the leaderboards! We welcome the start of Season Nine with a selection of rewards for both solo and team ranked. Can you rake in the wins? Season Nine begins October 22nd at 10:00am PT (17:00 UTC).
Map Pool Rotation
We have some updated maps hitting the pool with the start of Ranked Season Nine! Dive in and prepare for victory! 1v1 Ranked Map PoolNew Team Ranked Map Pool
- Golden Pit → Marshland
- Mongolian Heights –> Nagari
- Rocky River → Wetlands
- Socotra → Haywire
- Ancient Spires → Hideout
- Archipelago → Mongolian Heights
- Marshland → Socotra
- Forest Ponds → Danube River
Updates Since the Public Update Preview
Thanks to everyone for the fantastic PUP participation this September! We’ve heard your feedback that some siege weapons weren’t impactful enough and that left ranged units feeling too strong, and many other things. To address these concerns, we’ve made changes to ranged unit counters, siege, and university upgrades. There are too many changes from the PUP to list here, but here are some balance highlights:
- Horseman-type and Man-at-Arm-type units have increased ranged armor in the Imperial Age.
- Mangonels and Nest of Bees are now more resistant to ranged damage and Mangonels will retain some projectile tracking.
- The Silk Bowstrings technology is now more expensive.
- Elite Army Tactics now also improves bonus damage in addition to base damage.
- And many more!
New Feature: Multiplayer Pause
It’s now possible to pause the game during a multiplayer match. This option is on by default in Quickmatch and Ranked and can be enabled (or disabled) by the lobby host in custom matches. Any player may pause at any time, but each player has a limit of five (5) pauses per match. During only the first pause for each player, a minimum duration of 60 seconds must pass before any other players may un-pause. The player who paused the game can un-pause at any time. Subsequent pauses by the same player may be un-paused at any time by any player. Your remaining pauses will display on the pause screen. While inputs are not available during the pause, it’s still possible to chat.
This is just a small taste of what is coming in the latest update. For a more complete list, please visit our site and check out our blog. Happy Gaming!
:alertalert: DISCLAIMER
This list is subject to change and should not be considered a comprehensive list of all the known issues we’re tracking. The above is to inform you of the team’s current priorities, which will change as other issues arise or take precedence. For the latest updates and announcements, please visit our social channels.