Age of Empires IV comes to Xbox consoles with this exciting update! We’d like to extend a warm welcome to all of our new players!
While today’s update (August 22nd) is predominantly focused on supporting the launch on Xbox consoles, there are still a few changes coming to PC. Note that crossplay between Xbox consoles and PC is not supported with this update; you can reference our full Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition on Xbox consoles FAQ here.
A quick breakdown of changes also introduced on PC includes:
- Several changes to AI behavior – especially with the Scout
- Rebalancing of relics on certain maps
- … plus bug fixes and balance changes
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
Remember that you’ll need to update your game in the Microsoft Store:
- Open the Microsoft Store.
- Click the [∙ ∙ ∙ ] symbol next to your profile picture.
- Select Downloads and updates.
- Press the Get updates button to automatically detect, download, and install the latest changes to your game!
- Open the game. The title screen should show you on Build 8.0.3325.
If you are unable to launch the game after downloading the update, make sure you add (or re-add) the Age of Empires IV client or folder as an exception to your firewall and antivirus program. That’s it; you’re ready to play!
Remember that you’ll need to update your game in Steam:
- Open Steam.
- Click on Library to see your games list.
- Click Downloads at the bottom of the Library window.
- [If the new build does not download automatically,] click the Download Now button to manually download the new update.
- Open the game. The title screen should show you on Build 8.0.3325.
That’s it; you’re ready to play!
Remember that you’ll need to update your game in the Xbox App for Windows.
- Open the Xbox app.
- Games that are installed show up on the left side of the app.
- Hover over the game or click it, and then select Update.
- [If the new build does not download automatically,] hover over the game, select More Options (…), choose Manage. Under the Files tab, choose the option to Check for Updates.
- Open the game. The title screen should show you on Build 8.0.3325.
That’s it; you’re ready to play!
Still having trouble? Visit our support site!
AI Updates
- Fixed an issue that caused the AI to miscalculate the damage of buildings with garrisoned units. AI should no longer treat outposts as harmless if there are units inside.
- Mongol AI will place blacksmith and some military production buildings near Ovoo when relocating to take advantage of improved technologies.
- AI’s logic for assigning villagers to gather from resources has been improved.
- AI army will now try to move in formation when traveling to attack or defend a target. Siege engines and slower units will now move together with faster units giving AI a better chance to utilize the whole army.
- Issue with AI archers being idle after fleeing has been fixed.
- AI will now build the first mining camp close to its Town Center early in the game.
- AI now uses more villagers to construct landmarks and wonders.
- AI will fall back from battles it is losing more reliably.
- AI player’s monks will now correctly travel with, heal, and buff their allies.
- AI is now more restricted for executing market trades. It won’t execute trade for resources that it needs when it’s gathering same resource decently. It will only go for market trades that make sense.
- Accelerated and generally improved AI’s first Town Center placement logic in Nomad mode.
- Fixed AI sometimes repeatedly choosing the same bad spot to build their first Town Center in Nomad mode, destroying it and trying again or sometimes completely failing to choose a good construction spot.
AI Scout Changes
- AI players will now actively scout for nearby enemy units after they have been harassed in their territory.
- AI scouts now collect sheep in Revealed games.
- AI’s scouts drop sheep off at the base more often.
- Scout pathfinding when grabbing sheep has been improved around shores.
- AI will use their scouts to observe enemy bases more often.
- AI’s scouts no longer deliver sheep to allies on revealed maps.
- AI players’ scouts will no longer attempt to steal sheep from near allied bases.
Campaign
- Tech Trees option has been removed from the pause menu.
Developer’s Note: Removing this view from campaigns is our design solution to confusion experienced by newer players, as the technology and units in the campaigns deviate significantly from the Tech Trees used in Skirmish and Multiplayer matches.
- Fixed a bug in campaign missions where a villager would not automatically build a structure if placed where the villager is standing.
- Fixed a problem that could cause the enemy AI to stop attacking during the Lumen Shan mission.
Masteries
- The Clever Commerce French Mastery description has been updated for clarity.
- Fixed a bug where the “Quick Study” achievement was not awarded if the Ottoman or Malian masteries were completed.
UX/UI & Menus (All Platforms)
- Fixed an issue to ensure Mod tooltips will appear wide enough to contain the full mod title without breaking the characters into multiple lines.
- Fixed an issue to ensure that if Voice Chat has been disabled, it can be re-enabled during a match.
- The relic icon is now centered, when selecting a building with a relic inside.
- The resource in the deposit and the extraction rate stats are now on the same line when selecting the Ovoo. The player’s name is not cut off anymore.
General Map Changes
- Fixed an issue to ensure all Quick Match 2v2 maps use the small version of their maps.
- We have altered the distribution and number of relics that generate on certain sizes of the following maps: Archipelago, Confluence, Mongolian Heights, Nagari, and Warring Islands.
- We’ve tweaked match starts across all maps by adding two Sheep at your Town Center and removing two nearby sheep from spawning a short distance away. This makes for more fair starts and less frantic searching for food in the first seconds of the game.
- Tightened up the generation of impasse along the edges of forests. Trees along the edges of forests should be more easily accessible to villagers.
Map-Specific Changes
MegaRandom
- Fixed a rare crash that could occur on MegaRandom when playing 4v4 on gigantic size.
- Fixed a rare crash that could occur on MegaRandom while playing in Skirmish.
Danube River
- Fixed Danube River sometimes not generating the appropriate number of Sacred Sites on certain map sizes.
Four Lakes
- Fixed an issue where opposing players could spawn too close to each other.
- Fixed an issue where a player’s base could spawn much further from the lake than another player.
- Resources should no longer spawn “cluttered” next to each other around the center of the map when using larger map sizes.
Naval Updates (All Civilizations)
- Fixed an issue where Man the Sails ability of Springald ships was missing help text.
General Changes & Bugfixes
- Security fixes implemented to address known exploits.
- Camel Archer frame delay when firing is reduced to match other ranged units.
Known Issues & Solutions
Our team has redoubled our efforts to keep players informed about ongoing issues and bugs. To that extent we have recently redesigned our Known Issues & Solutions page to better communicate issues which have a high impact on players and are a high priority for us to resolve.
The Known Issues & Solutions page will update in relative cadence with each Update and Patch for Age of Empires IV. Issue statuses on the page alert if and when we are looking for further examples of a particular bug or issue.
Finally, we have also included full steps on how to report a bug, issue, or crash, and additional work to streamline and improve the process of reporting crashes to Customer Support are in the pipeline for the future.
Queue Dodging
Our last patch contained a series of changes meant to curb the prevalence of queue dodging in Ranked matches. We have since identified additional methods by which some players continue to dodge without severe-enough penalties, Work to close these loopholes is ongoing and will be implemented in the future.
Investigation
Community-Reported Issues:
- Your reports continue being crucial to our prioritization and implementation of fixes and features in the game. Keep them coming!
For other known issues, please visit this page to see what’s being tracked!
Coming Up…
Late September Patch
There’s lots more coming to Age of Empires IV! We’ve got a late September release already lined up to assist with seasonal events on both Xbox and PC, and we will also be responding to bug reports and more!
Animal Lover Login Event
Do you love animals? Login to Age of Empires IV between 10:00 am PT on August 28th (17:00 UTC) and 11:59 pm PT on September 1st (September 2nd at 05:59 UTC) to earn the Animal Lover profile portrait.
World Gaia Appreciation Event
We love our planet along with the plants, animals, peoples, and civilizations that have graced it throughout the ages. Come celebrate all this planet means to us as part of our World Gaia Appreciation Event from September 5th through 29th.
| Animal Kingdom | 🔒 Win a Skirmish or Multiplayer match in which you haven’t killed any animals or Fish. 🧱 Coat of Arms Sigil – Animal Kingdom |
| Cute Cattle | 🔒 Produce 10 Cattle before you reach the Castle Age (III) in a Multiplayer match playing as the Malians. 🏆 Profile Portrait – Cute Calf |
| Make it grow | 🔒 Play with a friend in a 2v1 Multiplayer match and build 20 Farms. 🧱 Coat of Arms Sigil Frame – Holding the Planet |
| Watch out | 🔒 Win a 2v2 Multiplayer or Skirmish match while playing on the map Marshland. 🏆 Profile Portrait – Marsh Alligator |
| What is out there? | 🔒 Gather 1000 Fish as a Food Source with Fishing Boats in a Skirmish or Multiplayer match. 🧱 Coat of Arms Sigil – Not a Fish |
DISCLAIMER
Please note that 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.