Age of Empires Online

The next update for Age of Empires Online includes continued tweaking of the matchmaking experience and party systems. The end result should be an improved multiplayer experience for both PvPers and PvEers.

Watch the preview video of the upcoming Celtic Civilization now!

The fully configurable Skirmish Booster Pack allows you to choose every element of PvE gameplay, from resources, teams, and victory conditions to opponent civilizations, difficulty, and strategy.

• All units are automatically unlocked and battle-ready.
• It supports 2-player co-op against up to 4 computer-controlled enemies.
• You can also do battle on more than 20 different maps.

Level the playing field with Champion Mode, a new way to play PvP! Premium players can battle it out in unranked matches through the Arena or ranked matches through Sparta, and free-to-play players can join a Champion Mode game hosted in another player’s Arena.

In Champion Mode, stats from gear and Advisors won’t affect your units, but you can still show off all your cool-looking gear. All units and technologies are fully unlocked, except for limited Star Techs. You can still play PvP with your gear, Advisors, and tech tree in unranked games through Sparta or through your Arena. Join the fray and test your champion skills now!

One of the most powerful empires in ancient times, Persia controlled much of the known world and influenced culture around the globe. Tarsos, at Persia’s geographical crossroads, is in the midst of a struggle for leadership. Lead Persia’s strong cavalry, versatile archery units, and the mighty Immortals to ensure its rightful place in history! Premium civilizations can be purchased at the Empire Bazaar in your Capital City, from locked items, and at the Age of Empires Online log-in screen by clicking Upgrade Now!

• Head straight into battle at level 20!
• More than 50 new pieces of gear!
• Get immediate access to higher level content!
• Get immediate access to ranked and unranked PvP!
• Access to a full new tech tree and unit roster that includes special units like:
  • The Immortal, effective against infantry at short range but can also shoot arrows from afar.
  • The Sparabara, a shielded infantry unit capable of withstanding ranged weaponry.
  • The War Wagon, an impressive war machine able to destroy enemies with volleys of arrows.
• Persia is a great addition to complement your current Greek and Egyptian civilizations. By owning more than 1 civilization, you will also receive an extra unit, the Golden Hippikon.
• For those who want to try the Persians before purchasing, we have created a demo quest that lets you play as if you were a fully unlocked Persian player with the chance to try all Persian units and upgrades.

Hot Tip:Toggle Techs are new and only for the Persian! Techs such as “Rigorous Training” and “Paid Labor” can be learned, enabled, and disabled at the War Academy. Enable them to apply bonuses at a cost; disable them when no longer needed.

Get it now!

Hi everyone, we wanted to update you on Persia one more time!

Our goal when we started Persians many months ago was to give experienced players access to higher level content, and allow advanced players to jump right into the thick of things, including exploring Argos, gathering higher level gear, conquering Crete, getting to Cyprus quicker, among other things.

• Persia starts immediately at level 20 with access to the entire tech tree, and pre-equipped with gear for all units.
• This is special Gear that cannot be traded; it gives players a good starting suite of Gear right out of the gate.

We are putting final touches on this new Pro Civ, and we are really happy with the results. GPG did a great job for this new civ.

• You go straight to the action by starting at level 20
• By purchasing the Pro Civ, you have immediate access to top leveling gear, Advisors, and quests. People looking to hit PvP at a higher level sooner will also really like this type of civ
• This civ acts as a great addition and complement your current Greek and Egyptian civilizations. By owning more than 1 civ, you will also receive an extra unit, the Golden Hippikon.

The art is gorgeous, and we love the Immortal units and the Cataphracts/armored cavalry. You will soon be able to check out the free demo and judge for yourselves.

Keep in mind, the Persians have all custom units, a new tech tree, and all unique architecture, so they require a very different approach to play. We’ve also been playtesting them hard against Egyptians and Greeks in PvP.

Become a crafting expert in Age of Empires Online with the mobile Crafting Guide. Note: This is not a game. This strategy app supports your experience in the Age of Empires Online PC game.

• View recipes and stats for all craft items.
• Look up info on how to get materials and crafting recipes.
• Use the Materials Calculator to determine which items you can build with the materials you have.
• Check out the community's most popular items and vote for your favorites.

Download for free now!

You’re a Legend!

Your journey continues at level 40! Marshal your forces to face some of the toughest quests in the realm, with new challenges and new Legendary gear. Only the best will be victorious!

Legendary features

• Free to play!
• 5 new Legendary quests found in Cyprus, available when The Twelve Kingdoms quest has been completed
• Dozens of new Legendary rarity items
• Legendary Armaments store in Cyprus—get Legendary gear items for Coin!

TIP: Identify Legendary items by the orange background.

Characters from the game come alive to tell you about all the cool gear you can get in Age of Empires Online! Watch the video blog now!

What’s with the stores in my Capital City? Why do I care about the stores in my city? Stores are actually pretty important in Age of Empires Online. Stores help you grow your city, as well as sell craft goods and gear for your units to help you excel in battle. You can also find really cool, rare stores. And there’s also a way to make your stores work for you!

It’s been a couple weeks in the trenches, and I thought we’d surface for air and give you a glimpse into our balancing process.

What do Age of Empires Online and soccer have in common? Find out now—watch the second video blog featuring Chris Taylor!

Check out the Age of Empires Online video blog featuring Chris Taylor.

We’re excited to announce today that Gas Powered Games is joining the list of stellar developers that have contributed to the success of the Age of Empires franchise. Gas Powered Games has been working on our most recent game in the franchise, Age of Empires Online, for some time now and will continue their work to lead us through launch and develop future content for the game.

Together with Gas Powered Games this year, we’re excited to give fans of the franchise a game that marries fresh features with classic RTS gameplay, pays tribute to the original games while incorporating a new look, and appeals to longtime fans and newcomers alike. For more details and answers to your questions about this announcement, please visit our blog.

As many of you have already heard, Gas Powered Games is now lead developer of Age of Empires Online. We figured you might have some questions about what this all means so I wanted to share a few thoughts on behalf of myself and the rest of the Age of Empires Online development team.

Over the past weeks, we've shared some great screenshots from Age of Empires Online Beta players, like this one sent to us by Alexastor. Alexastor's unique city shows a great example of what a Capital City can look like with careful planning. You can also craft a city that’s easy for your town folk to navigate, or easy for you to find everything. Or you can make a wild maze of buildings, or whatever else your imagination comes up with! Your Capital City layout is up to you.

Over the past weeks, we've been sharing some great screenshots from Age of Empires Online Beta players, like this one sent to us by SyriusSunrider. Using decorative gardens, SyriusSunrider has made a quaint village square with lovely foliage, carefully aligned buildings, fountains, and topiaries. Gorgeous!

Hi, everybody. Welcome to our new blog for Age of Empires Online ... long time coming, I know. I am Ian Vogel, the design lead at Microsoft Game Studios, and I am happy to write this first of many blogs for Age of Empires Online.

Since you asked us to, we’ve been sharing some great screenshots from Age of Empires Online Beta players, like this one sent to us by Solartide. Solartide created an elaborate hedge maze complete with beautiful fountains and welcoming statues.

Because you asked us to, we've been sharing some great screenshots created by Age of Empires Online Beta players. This one comes from Beta player RadioKenny. Using multiple buildings, RadioKenny created one large theater. This theater took 14 buildings, 14 statues, and quite a few bushes.

You’ve been asking for more pictures from the game, so here you go! Over the next few weeks, we’ll share some great screenshots, like this one sent to us by Age of Empires Online Beta player Kianna Cyr. Using hedges, Kianna created a cat face in the middle of her city, along with a coastline of cows.