Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition — Update 54545

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New Civilization

• Mexico: Born in fiery insurgency against Spanish colonial rule, the young Mexican nation asserted itself against numerous revolutions and invasions.
• Civ Bonus: Livestock and Settlers may be tasked to Haciendas to produce resources or spawn units. Can revolt in earlier ages and return to Mexico afterwards. Gains an additional Padre hero early on.
• Culture Bonus: Starts with a General who can plant an Inspiring Flag and build Forts. Advances in Age by choosing a Mexican Federal State that unlocks two powerful unique cards.

United States: 6 NEW Cards!

Rolling Artillery (III)	“Ships fewer Gatling Guns with each use, but resets after the third use.” 1st use: 3 Gatling Guns 2nd use: 2 Gatling Guns 3rd use: 1 Gatling Gun (then resets)
Georgia Hussars (III)	“Upgrades your Hussars to Veteran Status and reduces their cost.” Reduces food and coin cost by 15%
Missouri River Expeditions (IV)	“Arrives fast! Ships 1 Covered Wagon and enables your General to use the Hot Air Balloon ability.” Also increases Town Centre Build Limit
5 Carbine Cavalry (III)	“Ships 5 Carbine Cavalry.” Ships 5 Carbine Cavalry
4 Carbine Cavalry (III)	“Ships 4 Carbine Cavalry.” Ships 4 Carbine Cavalry
Virginia Plan (II)	“Upon arrival, this card grants you 2 shipments to spend.” This card replaces the Virginia federal card “Virginia General Assembly” (which has been moved to the homecity)

Fiesta Mexicana Event

💥November 30th – January 10th💥

Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition is celebrating the release of the new Mexico civ with an all new and unique event!

For a limited time, you can unlock the new explorer skins by completing 31 in-game challenges – each representing a state! Here’s how it works:

• You can unlock 3 challenges (max) each day
• Every 5 challenges, you will unlock a new Profile Icon (check them out below!)
• Complete all 31 challenges to unlock new explorer skins
• Read up on historical factoids about each state as you complete each challenge
• Don’t forget to click “Begin” on each challenge to ensure they unlock as you work your way through the 31 states! Finish them all and the new explorer skins are yours!
• While this event is active, everyone will be able to play it.
• New themed profile icons!
• New explorer skins!

New Rewards!

Starting TODAY through January 10, complete daily in-game tasks within the time limit to unlock exclusive rewards!
Each of the following challenges must be unlocked in order and on separate days.

Challenge 5	🔒 Michoacán – Build 20 Fishing Boats in a single game. 🏆 Profile Icon Unlock – Salteador
Challenge 10	🔒 Zacatecas – Revolt 3 times to American nations (Peru, Gran Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, United States, Chile, Canada). 🏆 Profile Icon Unlock – Yucateco Insurgente.
Challenge 15	🔒 Nuevo León – Raze 10 buildings playing as the Aztecs in a single game. 🏆 Profile Icon Unlock – Chinaco.
Challenge 20	🔒 Sinaloa – Train 20 Maya units in a single game. 🏆 Profile Icon Unlock – Bandido.
Challenge 25	🔒 Campeche – Build 5 ships in a single game. 🏆 Profile Icon Unlock – Cuatrero.
Challenge 30	🔒 Quintana Roo – Earn 3000 Experience from a match in a single game. 🏆 Profile Icon Unlock – Desperado.
Challenge 31	🔒 Baja California Sur – Revolt to Mexico on the map Baja California. 🧱 Unlock Customization – Unlock 2 Mexico general customizations and unlock 2 United States general customizations.

Keep it Forever!

Remember: if you sign in to Xbox Live at any point during the event, you get to keep all the mods and profile icons you unlock! Sign in, earn your rewards, and enjoy!

—The Age of Empires Team

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Event F.A.Q.

Q: Do I have to complete the challenges on consecutive days?

While challenges don’t have to be completed on consecutive days, only three challenges can be completed per day.

Only the Xbox Live challenges can be completed *any* day before the end of the event!

Q: When is the last day I can complete the daily challenges?

The Fiesta Mexicana Event concludes January 10th.

Q: Do I get to keep all of the event unlocks?

All you need to do is log into your Xbox Live account before the end of the event to keep all of the profile icons and mods you unlock; it’s as easy as that!

Q: What do I do if I accidentally unsubscribe from a special mod?

No problem! All you need to do is click your Profile Icon on the main menu, select Event Mods (under Collection), and then check the unlocked event mod you want to enable!


Q: How do I change my profile icon?

You can update your profile icon in your profile:

1. On the main menu, click the Profile Icon next to your name.
2. You should now be in the Profile Icons tab under Collections.
3. Select your favorite icon, then click the Select Icon button to lock in your choice.
4. You’re done!

Q: How do I download and enable mods?

For information about how to subscribe to and prioritize your mods, visit this article.

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Achievements

• Ten new achievements associated with the Mexican DLC.
• ”Whatever the price…I’ll beat it!” achievement can now be unlocked when playing as the United States.

Stability & Performance

• Fixed a crash when searching for a ranked game while being disconnected from the Internet.
• Fixed a rare crash when starting a multiplayer game.
• Small performance improvements to loading times for players with a HDD instead of an SSD.

Graphics

• Made a small fix to the Falconet model in Bombard Mode, which showed an incorrect texture.
• Updated the “Selective Breeding” tech icon.
• Fixed numerous minor issues in the Inca and Aztec home cities
• Dialed back the fog while using the “Ludicrous zoom” alpha feature

Audio

• Yermak now has Voice Lines in the Chuvash Cape Historical Battle.

UI

• All TEAM cards now correctly show a shipment arrival notification.
• Fixed ~40 Home City Card tooltips which previously showed discrepancies.
• Fixed various tech tree descriptions.
• Empire Wars wagons no longer have their Age mentioned in their name.
• Fixed an issue that didn’t allow certain clan names to be picked.
• Fixed various Accessibility issues.

Scenario Editor

• Four new trigger effects for Protounit attribute modification have been implemented, allowing proper adjustment of all relevant Protounit and Protounit Action attributes through scenario triggers.
  • Modify Protounit Data: Allows modifying most of the default unit attributes, which do not take additional parameters.
  • Modify Protounit Resource: Allows modifying attributes which take a resource type as a parameter (for example, Unit Cost or Resource Storage).
  • Modify Protounit Action: Modifies attributes for a specified unit action.
  • Modify Protounit Action Unit Type: Modifies unit action attributes which require a particular unit type as a parameter (for example, Damage Bonus or Action Work Rate).
• All aforementioned trigger effects support both percentage based modification and direct value assignment for attribute adjustment, besides of the default additive modification, as used by the original trigger effect.

Settings

• Fixed a rare issue where the player’s language could be reset to Spanish.

Hotkeys

• “Find Church, Mosque, Mountain Monastery or University” now works correctly if the players has a Mosque.

Multiplayer

• The “Search again” option is no longer available after playing a Ranked Treaty game, as Ranked treaty is no longer a matchmaking option.
• Ranked Deathmatch and Ranked Treaty invites now take you to the invited game lobby.

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General

• Increased the maximum unit selection limit from 60 to 95.
• Home City Water Flag can no longer be moved to a place without LOS.

Fixes

• US General can now build a Town Center when playing on the “Sarahan Routes – Lost” map.

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United States

CARDS

• Minutemen Companies (IV): Now also ships 10 minutemen
• Kosciuszko Fortifications (IV): Effect updated to “Fort cost and build time improved by 50%. Enables 2 more to be constructed.” (Previously improved training and research speeds)
• Indian Mammoth Improvement Act (Indian, III): Now also arrives fast
• French Canadians (New Hampshire, III): Removed 200c cost”
• New Hampshire Manufacturing (New Hampshire, III): Added 250f & 250w cost
• Annapolis Naval Academy (Maryland, III): Now also ships 1 Sloop containing 6 Minutemen
• Chesapeake Oyster Pirates (Maryland, III): Now also ships 1 Sloop
• Overmountain Settlers (Tennessee, III): Now also ships 4 Settlers
• Watauga Associations (Tennessee, III): Population bonus to Outposts and Blockhouses increased to +10 (from 5)
• Kentucky Coalfields (Kentucky, III): No longer infinite, but now ships 2 Coal Mines
• Green Mountain Boys (Vermont, IV): Now also arrives fast
• Putnam Engineering (Ohio, IV): Now ships 1 Fort Wagon and 3 Culverins (up from 2)
• Land of Lincoln (Illinois, V): Unit hitpoint improvement reduced to 5% (from 10%)
• Bushnell’s Sapper Corps (Connecticut, V): Now ships 3 Heavy Cannons (up from 2)
• INF New York Zouaves: Effect updated to: “Ships an additional Zouave mercenary each time this card is sent, starting at 10.”
• Florida Cowhunters (Florida, V): Now Ships 2 semi-fattened cows for each shipment sent (up from 1)

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Overview

• Several beloved legacy American maps significantly improved, yet still stay true to the original design
• Lots of minor tweaks and improvements

Map Updates

• Standard Maps Set:
  • Added California
  • Added Painted Desert
  • Added Rockies
  • Added Sonora
  • Added Texas
  • Removed Siwa Oasis

• Team Maps Set:
  • Added California
  • Added Painted Desert
  • Added Rockies
  • Added Sonora
  • Added Texas
  • Removed Great Rift

• Andes:
  • Fixed an issue where players would sometimes spawn outside their team’s area.
  • Fixed an issue where sometimes cliffs would spawn within the team areas.
  • Fixed an issue where starting Town Centers would sometimes spawn on top of cliffs.
  • Fixed an issue where starting Town Centers could start too close to the map edge and starting

  units (i.e. hero) wouldn’t spawn.

  • Adjusted the river positions in team games to ensure adequate space within the team area.
  • Added additional river shallows in free-for-all games.

• Borneo:
  • Fixed an issue that caused some players not to spawn in imbalanced team games.

• California:
  • Starting Town Centers are now placed more accurately and the starting resources are better distributed around it.
  • The trade route will still spawn four trade sockets, but the route now runs symmetrically so teams have equal access.
  • Whales will always spawn (previously this was left up to random chance).
  • The Redwoods on this map now contain 600 wood and forests have been better distributed so each player has adequate and fair access to wood.
  • Cliffs spawn more fairly so as to not block any player’s access to any part of the map.

• Central Plain:
  • Fixed an issue that could cause players not to spawn into games using the Nomad start conditions.

• Guianas:
  • Adjusted treasures on the map for better balance in 1v1 games and more variety in larger games.

• Himalayas:
  • Fixed an issue that could lead to players’ starting berries not spawning.

• Hokkaido:
  • Fixed an issue that could cause players not to spawn into games using the Nomad start conditions.

• Indochina and Indonesia:
  • Added starting resource trickle nuggets for civilizations without a Monastery and/or Saloon to account for the resource trickles now provided by those buildings.

• Minas Gerais:
  • Adjusted (in 1v1) players’ second mines to be farther from the river and added a third mine closer to the Eastern plateau to make a smoother transition to the gold mines. These two mines are tin mines.

• Nile Valley:
  • Fixed a rare issue that could cause a trade post socket not to spawn in team games.

• Rockies:
  • Starting Town Centers are now placed more accurately and the starting resources are better distributed around it.
  • Added 2 openings to the central valley to allow for smoother transitions where the trade routes pass and opening the map slightly.
  • Two native settlements will always spawn in the valley.
  • There are more smaller patches of trees around the map.

• Saguenay:
  • Fixed an issue that could cause players not to spawn into games using the Nomad start conditions.

• Saharan Routes – LOST:
  • Generals can now build the starting Town Center (only the starting Town Center and only on this map).
  • Improved the treasures that spawn on the map (providing more wood and villager treasures around the map).
  • Fixed an issue that sometimes resulted in the King’s Hill Fort not to spawn.

• Sonora:
  • Fixed a bug that could cause the trade travois not to spawn on the trade route.

• Texas:
  • Removed the bonus starting buildings (if you’re wondering where they went, check out the “new” map Texas Frontier below!).
  • Starting Town Centers are now placed more accurately and the starting resources are better distributed around it.
  • There are many more hunts on the map and resources are distributed better around the map.
  • Cows now spawn individually and each player will start with some cows in their base.
  • The map now spawns additional native settlements.

• Texas Frontier:
  • This second version of the beloved Texas map has all the changes listed above, but also has the bonus starting buildings of the classic map.

• Unknown:
  • Completely new trade route logic:
  • The trade route positions are more random than ever before!
  • It’s also now possible to have a no trade route spawn (additional natives will spawn on the map).
  • The trade route and starting player positions have been shifted on the Saguenay-style spawn (off-center ocean) to ensure better starting conditions and better map balance.
  • Added a Japan biome.
  • Added Apache settlements which were previously missing.

• Yucatan:
  • Fixed an issue that could cause players not to spawn into games using the Nomad start conditions.

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General

• AI players will now better prioritize targeting units when fighting between enemy buildings.
• Damage calculation done by the AI now considers poison damage, making the AI less prone to “overkilling” units and more efficient in fights.
• Fixed a bug where sometimes the AI wouldn’t research military upgrades from native settlements.
• The AI will now attempt to scout a shoreline if there is fish on the map that is nearby enough so it can build a Dock.
• The AI can now research all minor native upgrades. Could previously only do so on American maps.
• The AI can now get trading route upgrades on all maps (including naval upgrades), could previously only research the land upgrades on North American maps.
• The AI can now change the resources trading posts gather on trading routes on all maps, previously only on North American maps.
• The African AI can now decide to change the resource trading posts gather on trading routes to influence.
• Military Wagons can now properly construct Barracks. This prevents the AI from endlessly making Barracks using Villagers.
• The AI can now play Deathmatch as an African civilization.
• Decreased the amount of military buildings that will be built on lower difficulties when there are not so many villagers.
• Updated the Deathmatch start of every civilization to be more competitive, and with that solved a bug that would result into the AI infinitely creating military buildings.
• AI players no longer build Trading Posts which are incorrectly rotated on their Trading Post socket.
• Fix for artillery being stuck between limber and attack action.
• Improved the AI logic for getting the Native big button upgrades.
• Improved the AI logic for getting the baseline Church upgrades.
• Fixed a bug that prevented the AI from getting the “Heated Shot” upgrade.
• Civilizations that have automatic spawning of Settlers now respect the Settler limits set for them instead of just going to their build limit.
• Idle Empire War wagons will now construct military production buildings if outpost-like buildings are at their build limit instead of remaining idle.
• Fix for warships not responding to attacks when fishing.
• Fixed a bug that would prevent the AI from getting upgrades from the monastery when the AI was in the last allowed age.
• Fixed the algorithm used to determine placement of Outpost-like buildings.
• The AI will no longer build military buildings on a single spot, it will now spread them across the base.

Civilizations

• Fix for the Chinese AI not being able to max out population.
• Ethiopian AI can now train Shotel Warriors.
• Ethiopian AI will now set their Mountain Monasteries to gather 50% Influence/Coin.
• Fixed a bug that would prevent the Ethiopian AI from researching the Church upgrades after aging up with the Jesuit Alliance.
• Fixed a bug that prevented the Hausa AI from getting Arsenal upgrades after aging up with the British Alliance.
• Ottomans now properly research their settler increase upgrades depending on the difficulty.
• Ottomans now have improved logic on when to get the upgrades that reduce their settler build time.
• Fixed a mistake that would prevent the Haudenosaunee and Lakota from getting arsenal upgrades.

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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!

What's on the Horizon?

COMING UP…

• Co-Op mode for Historical Battles
• A brand new game mode!
• HC customizations for the two Native American civs
• Performance improvements for low end systems

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