Happy Patch Day! We’ve got our first update of 2024 loaded with balance improvements for our awesome line up of new and variant civilizations released with The Sultans Ascend expansion last year. Not only that, but we’re bringing a whole host of AI improvements, map fixes, and a stellar seasonal event to the mix.

Read on to learn more!

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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!

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◆Patch 9.2.628◆

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Season Theme and Event

New! Lunar Faire 2024

We’re excited to have you all join us for Lunar Faire in a few short days with an awesome seasonal event set to start February 1st and run through February 22nd! Make way for the Year of the Dragon!

Login Reward

Log in on February 16 to receive a profile icon of a Chinese lantern with firecrackers going off!

Map Pool Rotation

With a new update comes an opportunity to refresh the map pools! This update features two maps that have not seen ranked play yet: Forts and Waterholes.

Some familiar maps have made their return — giving brand new civilizations a chance to flex their refreshing gameplay on familiar battlegrounds.

1v1 Ranked Map Pool

Maps rotating out for 9.2

1. Hidden Valley
   
2. Rocky River
   
3. Canal
   
4. Golden Heights
   

Maps rotating in

1. Forts
   
2. Boulder Bay
   
3. Mongolian Heights
   
4. Four Lakes
   

New 1v1 Ranked Map Pool

• Dry Arabia
  
• Cliffside
  
• Himeyama
  
• Forts
  
• Gorge
  
• Boulder Bay
  
• Mongolian Heights
  
• Golden Pit
  
• Four Lakes
  

Team Ranked Map Pool

Maps rotating out for 9.2

1. Hidden Valley
   
2. Volcanic Island
   
3. Hideout
   
4. Golden Heights
   

Maps rotating in

1. Forts
   
2. Canal
   
3. Hill and Dale
   
4. Waterholes
   

New Team Ranked Map Pool

• Dry Arabia
  
• Cliffside
  
• Himeyama
  
• Forts
  
• Gorge
  
• Canal
  
• Hill and Dale
  
• Golden Pit
  
• Waterholes
  

Xbox Update: Xbox Home Share

After we launched The Sultans Ascend expansion last year, we heard that Xbox Home share wasn’t working as expecting. This has been fixed in this latest update.

Design Update

• Our main focus this update has been to improve the balance of new Civilizations.
  
• The Japanese sacred choice design has been reworked, with six new technologies that are unlocked at either the Shinto Shrine or Buddhist Temple; based on your Castle Age Landmark selection.

Crash Fixes

We’ve identified and fixed a number of high frequency crashes and desyncs, this should lead to better game stability with this update.

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.