Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition

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• Recommended Posted April 12, 2026 on Steam Age of Empires II was my entry point into gaming, back in the CD-ROM days, when the family computer belonged to everyone. I still have vivid memories of being five years old, sitting on my dad’s lap while he played and showed me the basics. After a while, he’d let me take over, and I remember how exciting that felt. At that age, it genuinely felt like magic. My dad’s answer to everything was knights. Build more stables, train more knights. Looking back, I probably have this game to thank for my love of history, my love of RTS games, and that deeper curiosity about the world that came before us. What really pulled me in were the campaigns. Joan of Arc’s campaign is still the one that stayed with me most. The narration from the French knight painted a picture of a war-torn France that felt enormous to me as a kid. It felt dramatic, sad, and important in a way I could sense long before I could fully understand it. It was only later in life that I realised how much that campaign had actually left its mark on me. And in the end, I guess I’m not that different from my dad after all. My favourite civilisation is still the Franks, and even now I end up playing the same way he did: building armies of knights and turning them into paladins. I think part of him will always be there when I do.
• Recommended Posted March 18, 2026 on Steam Background: I've got over 1,600 hours into the Definitive Edition of the game, with most of my games being team games, but also 100+ games in 1v1. I've completed all the Europe campaigns on Hard difficulty, and hope to finish the rest. Here's my sincere thoughts on the good and the bad, and what new players should know. For reference, I also love StarCraft (but I absolutely suck at StarCraft) Pros: Obviously, I wouldn't have this amount of time logged in if I didn't already love the game. I consider it to be one of the best RTS games of the genre by a longshot for multiple reasons. 1. Loads of map variety, but enough similarities to keep it familiar. Even if you play offline, there's loads of fun & friendly AI skirmishes that you can put together yourself at a wide range of difficulties. From fighting harmless peasants that simply gather resources ... to an incredibly reactive AI that can be a challenge for those who are genuinely ranked around 1,000 - 1,100 elo on the online ladder. Want more of a challenge? Face multiples of these AI's at once. 2. A staggering amount of campaigns. Lots of content to brush through that can teach you about the strengths and weaknesses of each civilization (of which there's around 50ish now with DLC's, but the DLC's are not a required purchase right off the bat). 3. Enough civilization variety to keep it interesting and different, but the core gameplay loop is consistent enough to where you can try a new civilization and not feel lost. This is what I struggled with in StarCraft given that the 3 races play completely different from each other, and that any economic damage is arguably way more punishing and harder to learn from. 4. A tech tree with paragraph descriptions and is easy to follow. If you ever lose a matchup towards something, the tech tree will always have an explanation as to what that unit is strong or weak against. It's an instruction manual on how to properly counter the units you're up against. 5. The pacing. The game is slow enough to give you time to think about your next moves and general strategy, but it can also speed up in the later stages of the game with multi-tasking. In StarCraft, your physical ability to conduct as many Actions Per Minute (APM) can be a factor on a win/loss against another opponent, whereas this game weighs more on your decision-making and overall strategy. 6. (A compliment to the Definitive Edition). Excellent tutorials for new players for both single and multiplayer. The William Wallace Learning Campaign holds your hand and walks you through unit commands, the basics of making an economy, combat and researching technology. Meanwhile, the multiplayer tutorials (The Art of War, which was introduced in the Definitive Edition) teaches you about how to optimize your early game on a consistent basis, while also teaching more widespread techniques used among the player base for ranked online multiplayer ... such as the Fast Castle Build Order, Rushing, and Defending Against a Rush. I would HIGHLY recommend doing these tutorials if you're interested in playing in competitive multiplayer; however, playing online is not required whatsoever to enjoying this game. Cons: 1. Team-based online matchmaking can be a frustrating experience at times with multiple issues that could use an overhaul. Map-hopping (a player closing out the game when a map pops up that they don't prefer) can be a common occurrence, making you wait 10 to 15 minutes for a match at times at worst, which really can suck. My suggestions would be (especially in 4v4's), to introduce a color or position-based preference system for matchmaking, and revamp the map selection system that satisfies everyone in a ranked lobby. 2. Online communication could be better. They did recently introduce voice chat, which is great. But I honestly wish there was more of a pull-up guide for the numbers-base shortcut communications (so-called taunts, but they're often used for real communication). These numbers are great because they actually translate across languages, as you'll often play against people of various backgrounds and languages from around the world, but this also stinks for team games because if your team does not speak the same language while your opponent's team does, then that's an inherent disadvantage where there's not much you can do. A community mod could fix this, but I have yet to see anything just yet. For a quick reference on some of the most useful taunts (just typing the number is all you need): 1. Yes. 2. No. 3-6. Ask for Food, Wood, Gold, Stone 16. Enemy Sighted (Great for pinging) 43. What is your strategy? (Great for starting the game and getting talks started) Potential responses to 43 (these can be used to communicate rushes): 77. Attack the Enemy with Archers 80. Attack the Enemy with Scout Cavalry 81. Attack the Enemy with Man-At-Arms 87. Attack the Enemy with Knights The only taunts that are not available are ones that explain that you want to do a Fast Castle Build Order or a Castle Drop, which could be added in an update imo. What new players should know: Understand that this game is difficult and while the basic mechanics are easy to grasp at first, it can take years to fully master. If you’re interested in learning multiplayer, I would highly recommend watching YouTube videos from the likes of Hera and Spirit of the Law, who are great at teaching the game through their content while also explaining their reasoning and logic behind particular strategies. Arguably the best video to start with is Spirit of the Law’s called: “Age of Empires 2: The First 15 Villagers.” CONCLUSION As a whole, if you've read this far, first, please feel free to leave a like just so that I know writing this book of a review wasn't for nothing. Secondly, if you decide to make the jump, then welcome aboard to a fantastic, timeless game that has been a source of joy since I was a small child and when my Dad showed it to me. Take your time with it. Enjoy the learning campaign and the skirmishes that may have you walling up chokepoints, filling towers and castles with archers to defend against the onslaught of AI armies, or embrace the big learning curve that is competitive multiplayer with some hilarity along the way. The game continues to evolve through DLC's, but at its heart, it's a satisfying RTS filled with wonderful architecture, wonderfully-voiced troops and enough campaign content that will last you for months. I hope you enjoy! :D
• Recommended Posted February 3, 2026 on Steam played this game sincce i was 6 years old, and im still pretty bad a it. but its fun.
• Recommended Posted May 6, 2026 on Steam I have played for over 15 years and can barely beat moderate AI. I am the bottom 40% of players. If you ever thought of trying mutiplayer, you will lose, forever, to the average sweaty guy. If you enjoy suffering, misery, and losing, you will love it.
• Recommended Posted September 5, 2025 on Steam Oh, this game is exactly what I wanted in a video game that is to be --- bullied by 8 pixels of a guy in a robe screaming “wololo” while my hard-earned knights betray me instantly. Moreover love spending my precious time building the perfect economy just to be erased by trebuchets I didn’t even see on my minimap. And yes, please, remind me again that I forgot to upgrade Loom. My villagers love dying in one hit. 10/10 — best anger management course money can buy.
• Recommended Posted June 28, 2025 on Steam Great co-op game. play all the time with the wife. we love to play together