Age of Empires 4 is getting magical in its season 4 replace. Launching tomorrow, February 16, AoE 4’s Enchanted Grove guarantees a swathe of latest content material that may flip the decidedly history-focused RTS right into a extra fanciful, virtually Age-of-Mythology-flavoured expertise. As a result of I assume the real-life Holy Roman Empire wasn’t mainly Faerûn (opens in new tab)? Information to me.
The most important addition the replace’s making is the titular Enchanted Grove biome, a magical, purple-hued land so that you can strip of assets and despoil with whole conflict. You will additionally get three new maps—4 Lakes, Continental, and Marshland—to do battle in.
The brand new season is bringing a brand new recreation mode with it, too. Nomad mode—which has been in AoE video games earlier than (opens in new tab) in a single type or one other—sees your faction begin out as a gaggle of three villagers and little else: no city corridor, no warriors, no nothing. You’ll be able to both set your goons to work getting that city corridor going ASAP, or roll the cube and strike out to search out better-situated and resourced land on which to construct. It is form of Civ-like, and will spice issues up a bit on these previous maps you’ve got already grown accustomed to.
In case you’re a digital trophy hoarder, then season 4 can be supplying you with a shot at incomes all kinds of shiny stuff. By fulfilling the necessities of a brand new set of challenges (opens in new tab), you’ll be able to earn your self new profile icons, coats of arms, and even a brand new monument to adorn your cities with. Keep in mind that your time to seize these things is proscribed, although, since you will solely must the top of the season 4 occasion earlier than the chance closes.
That is not every little thing that Age of Empires 4’s season 4 replace is bringing, however the remainder consists of obscure stuff like “UI enhancements,” “landmark reworks,” and the delightfully tantalising promise of a “new cheat code”. You could find a full checklist of the upcoming modifications over on the Age of Empires web site (opens in new tab).
The season 4 Enchanted Grove occasion will run from tomorrow, February 16, till March 29. I do not know if it is deliberate, however I am selecting to interpret its magic-inflected tone as a delicate nod in the direction of the much-beloved Age of Mythology, which is because of get a remaster—Age of Mythology Retold (opens in new tab)—in some unspecified time in the future sooner or later.