World's Edge is preparing the release of the fourth chapter of one of the biggest franchises in game history. Here's what we know so far about the Age of Empires 4, the next entry to the infamous RTS series.
After a 15-year gap, Age of Empires 4 will innovate on many of the features that made of Age of Empires 2 a classic.
And this includes featuring a ton of different Civilizations in Age of Empires 4 to choose from.
Here's everything you need to know about the Age of Empires 4 Civilizations and everything we know about the game so far.
Civilizations
These are the 8 Civilizations in Age of Empires 4 that players can choose to play as.
Chinese
- The have a head start with additional Villagers.
- Unique Unit: They have access to multiple unique gunpower units
Mongols
- The Mongols are a nomadic civilization with the ability to move their bases
- Unique unit: "The Khan" and "The Magundai" combined, they are a fearsome cavalry with arches.
Abbasyd Dynasty
- The Abbasid Dynasty’s unique ability to construct Landmarks and advance through the ages without needing to assign active villagers
- Unique units: "Camel Archers and Camel Riders", which serve as unique anti-cavalry cavalry units.
English
- The English have a powerful defense, their keep can produce any unit.
- Unique units: "Longbowman", an archer with an advantage in range attacks.
French
- The French have a unique Influence system, where units cost less from Archery Ranges and Stables around the Keep
- Unique units: "Royal Knight", cavalry that charges and can break enemy lines and give bonus damage
Dheli Sultanate
- The Dheli Sultanate specialty lies in research. They have access to several upgrade options and a unique Scholar Research System.
- Unique Units: "The Scholar" unit that speed research and upgrades. "War Elephant"
Holy Roman Empire
- More details coming soon.
Rus
- More details coming soon.
Campaigns
So far, 4 campaigns have been announced for the first phase of the game, however we have received details of just one of them so far.
- Norman Campaign: This campaign will follow the steps of William Of Normandy in his battle for the English Throne.
Gameplay
Age of Empires 4 has plenty of potential combining the mechanics that everyone remembers and loves from the series while also giving to the franchise a new polish and some big improvements. We expect Age of Empires 4 to feature state of the art gameplay to make it a new pillar of the Real Time Strategy (RTS) genre.
These improvements are what we can expect so far:
- The design of the game is created for 4K and HDR experience powered by the Essence Engine.
- The idea is to renovate the game without over complicating things, making it enjoyable for new players, as well as old players.
- Improved battles for the control of the sea.
- All maps will be different and the AI will adapt to take the best advantage of every terrain.
- The players will be able to create Mods as a way to bring more value over time.
- New things we could observe in the first game play video: is the ability to hide in the bushes to prepare the perfect ambush; distinctive and unique buildings for every civilization; units that can boost the strength of their army; non-combat units that give advantages in upgrade and develop of each town.
Release date and platforms
To be released on October 28th 2021. Pre-orders are available on Xbox Game pass and Steam.
Available on: Xbox Game Pass for PC, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Windows 10, and Steam.