AoE4's (Free) New Civs! What we know so far... 

We have absolutely seen automatic ranged/melee switching -- almost every ranged infantry unit in aoe3 does this

4:09 Actually, in AoE 3 units automatically switch between melee and ranged attacks frequently.

As primarily an AoE3 player, I can see they have inspired themselves heavily on that game in the creation of these two civs. Things like the spahis, the great bombards, stealth units, and economies centered around cows are all features already existing in that game. This whole promo and expansion looks like a brilliant effort to breath new life into that game.

we need you in the aoe 4 community :( it is a wonderful game

Regarding the showcase of water units in the trailer, the devs already confirmed there's going to be a full rework of naval combat coming soon

I have to say, I was worried that AoE 4 will be so focused on meta gaming (I'm casual/RP player myself) that no new civs will be created. I'm glad I was wrong. Also, thank you so much Spirit, thanks to your video, I found out AoE 4 is on sale (I don't know what my Steam was doing, I had it in Wishlist since release).

Melee and ranged automatic switching was implemented in Age of Mythology's engine, which then carried over to Age of Empires III

honestly sooo happy about the Malians! Their stealthy units seem so cool, especailly the gundpowder ones! Also all their units and gold mechanics seem great. Ottomans have a cool drummer and the certain free units thing can be balanced right still.

Musofadi Gunner: I've mastered the ability to stand so still, that I become invisible to the naked eye

Wise decision, making them free.

Agent Vampires looks really great! Also: I love autogenerated subtitles.

I played around 180 hours from release to march (which for me is kind of a lot) and I am coming back for sure with this announcement.

Water rework has already been announced. It's gonna have a rock-paper-scissors system across all ages for every civ.

It felt like a game I wouldn't enjoy too much on release, and then I didn't keep up with updates after that. The new civs make me more ambivalent, so even though I don't have enough time to try it out now, its interested me enough that I'm going to make sure that I watch some of the AoE4 games at Redbull Wololo, and figure it out from there.

I personally know a lot of Turkish people who will buy or get back into the game just because they have the Ottomans now. So it’s kind of a fan favorite, just a localized one. Anyways: ver mehteri veer 🥁

I'am kinda glad the game is really surviving, even though i'am invested more in AOE2, playing AOE4 felt really great and it felt like a unique take on AOE2 to me. i wish i could invest more time into both of them but i'll keep rooting for both of them

I'm really hyped for the Ottoman, always loved them in Aoe 3

Taking advantage of the free "trial". Seems nice. I don't like the UI though but I guess over time I'll get used to it. SOTL talked in some video about switching between "classic" and the new UI, was that about AoE III? I haven't played yet. I didn't find such an option in IV. I like that units can be in multiple groups, something I've wished many times I had in AoE II. A group of villagers seem to kill one sheep at a time, unlike in AoE II, where they pick closest and waste food. That's nice. And the change I like the most, units can freely move through a group whereas before a group of units was essentially a wall. I haven't made it to the third age yet, so I don't know what else is new and useful. Rams being able to board 16 units without any upgrades is INSANE! Edit: Looks like MS did the right move by lowering the price and allowing people to try it out. Just bought the game.

Really appreciate the AoE4 content!! Keep it up. Would love to see your AoE2 analysis-style videos on some of AoE4's mechanics.

Let's goooo new content

Can't wait for it, great news for AoeIV Thanks for the AoeIV content!

Thank you for AoE 4 content! The game is awesome.

So glad to see Spirit of the law making aoe4 videos

Ooooh time to finally try AoE4. I still never gave it a try as it didn't appeal to me but now I might just do so :)

Also, would love to see an Iberian civ, the Japanese, and/or the Kingdom of Sweden.

If they make Byzantines it would be awesome to have the Hagia Sophia as the first landmark you have to build since historically it was already built since the early middle ages.

please make more aoe4 video. i know you will get less viewers but theres so much content to explore with each unique civ

I really hope they came with scenarios or campaigns

Loved how the automatic subtitles thought you were saying age of vampires

Pretty hyped about this! I hope we'll see Vikings at some point tho.

I think the RTS space is empty enough where the risk of the "ship sailing" for many is less of a factor. If the community notices the changes im sure some will come back just to finally have another game to play

The subtitles: Age vampires 4.. Hahaha Thanks for the video !

@Spirit of the Law you should do more AoE 4 content!

Looking forward to this!!

In one of the update blog posts they mentioned that on the new season (I guess it will start from October 25) they're revamping water units and it's going to be Rock-Paper-Scissors mechanics like it is on land units

I am very excited for this dlc but I really expected that ottomans came with byzantines and with a nice 2 new campaigns but I get what I get

I’ve always liked the game but there are so many aoe2 fans who want this game to die that it’s hard to get an accurate picture based on internet comments. Also I’m an aoe2 fan and have been for years but I just really liked 4 as well

On AoE4: Its a good game, with good gameplay and story. The videos explaining what is happening before each level starts really help to bring the game to life, and the educational videos such as the making of a castle, or maille armor really add depth to the history. I knew that castles took a long time to make, and that maille was a laborious process, but watching those videos for instance, really made it like, dang, they built all those castles and outfitted tens of thousands of soldiers with armor that they had to make one strand of metal at a time. I really wish that they had included the East Roman Empire in AE4, since they had their nemesis (Blobbasids) and now their arch-enemy the Blobbomans As well they've included other medieval great powers, why only include HRE when ERE was there for all of it?

I definitely need to revisit this game, I never got particularly far with the campaigns even though I did find it enjoyable. But I still think I just don't have the time now that I'm older to learn a new RTS when I know I'll never get as good as my engrained AOE2 knowledge.

Ottomans look like more of an early Modern era civilization rather than a late medieval like most others. If only they made janisaries an archer instead of a gunpowder unit.

i've been waiting for an aoe4 civ that im interested in to buy the game and the Ottomans is one that i very much will be willing to main in multiplayer, im happy to finally see some civs being released

We need Magyars please! But I'm excited for Malians too, seem like a lot of fun

I've been really enjoying AoE4 recently, overall the game is less complex than AoE2 sure and AoE2 is absolutely still a great title - but there's new mechanics like monuments, positioning units on top of walls, creating siege using infantry and having a lot more unique abilities for units, an example being Archers are able to setup stakes to prevent cavalry rushes.

On the note of units automatically switching between melee and ranged, in Age of Empires Online there is the Persian's Immortal unit, which is both an archer and sword/board melee fighter. Pretty fun to mass them.

How I'm interpreting Ottomans is there combat will be extremely micro intensive, but their buildings will have technologies/upgrades to automate a lot of what goes on in your base. If this turns out to be the case this will be a very attractive Civ for Warcraft veterans, or SC2 Protoss players. I'm excited to see where they go with the civ.

that's super interesting. I saw a video published on the AoE channel yesterday a few minutes after upload and it said this is a PAID DLC. I couldn't find any shop link though only that it's gonna come soon. maybe an hour later what looked like the same video popped up again in my feed but just recently uploaded. Thinking it's just a simple reupload i didn't watch it another time and i only now found out through your video that this premium tag has been removed and it's now a free upgrade. I'm glad they went that way because it should definitely attract more new players and it makes it feel a lot more complete as opposed to the beginning. 6 civs just felt a bit too few after a while, especially if you don't enjoy all of them

the upcoming naval changes and rebalancing have already been announced in the recent patch notes at the very bottom, no speculation needed. they even said that it's coming in the same patch as the Ottomans and Malians.

The Malians were one of my favorite AoE2 civs... Really happy to see them in AoE4 as well now and that the AoE2 and AoE4 Malians have similarities like the gold focus!

I mostly did not buy it because of the huge priue (60 €, 50 € on sale). But 25 € now and 2 more civs sounds much more reasonable. The free week also is good for players to test it now who are hesitant whether to buy it at the reduced prize.

Yeah I felt like $60 was to much for me for this game after playing it when it was in beta, but I picked it up in the aforementioned sale for half off and I have been enjoying it

i will try aoe4 again when these come out i played tiny bit when the game came out and during one big tournament

THE TIME HAS COME! thanks for the heads up Spirit

Very nice video STL!

Here's hoping the two civilizations coming aren't horribly unbalanced, like certain civilizations were at launch

Thanks for the headsup for the free days to play

I'm super excited for this. They have done a really good job making each Civ seem very unique compared to each other. Can't wait/hope you can do some deep dives into them. Age 4 really did have a rocky start, but it's in a better spot now and getting better all the time. The Future looks bright.

Really glad to see its doing well, hopefully this will get us aom de. Aoe2 was my favorite and aom is a close 2nd.

I've always enjoyed aoe4, but it really is in a much better state than ever before. Its balance is much better, and I'm having a ton of fun. Really glad the new civs are free and they're doing a free-play period and deep sale, hope that gives the jolt it needs to prop up player numbers.

Love it!

Great news! Although I wish you could pick Turkic kingdoms in game based on what strategy the player wants, similar to what the Chinese have for dynasties.

The cherry on top of the cake. We get all this AoE IV content, and SoTL makes a video about it. Love your content :)

"Is this enough to get you interested in ao4 again?" Dude, a lot of people - like myself - have been playing a ton of aoe4 and enjoy it greatly. The game is doing better than you give it credit for.

Age of Empires 4 has become my personal favourite of the series. I ain't gonna deny that it had a rocky launch and a tumultuous first few months, but I've had an incredible amount of fun with this game, and my hope is that over time the extra content will entice some players to give it another chance

4:02 villagers do attack wolfs, boars and deers with a range attack when they are in range and melee attack (with a spear) when on melee. depending on where the unit are. My guess is : It will be as wacky and they wont switch to melee unless you micro them =x

Maybe the stealth feature of the Musofadi gunners is that they're not marked on the minimap rather than beeing invisible

Glad to see Age IV is doing well! I haven't been able to play it because my computer is a potato (I can't even run AOE2 Definitive, just the original). But I think I might finally buy it for the steam sale.

I was a little disappointed at launch, but I picked the game back up on a whim a month ago, and it is GENUINLY AMAZING NOW! All the tiny improvements since launch have really paid off!

The Mehter is like those drum trolls in Battle for Middle Earth. What a great game that was.

AoeIV already have units that switch between melee and range automatically in the Rus Streltsy who uses a musket but also has the best Melee DPS of the game with his axe. also you can see the Donso using their range attack at the 1:09 in the trailer. Also, Water was announced to be reworked for season 3 (the DLC will be released with the Water Overhaul) that's why they show an enfasis on water in the trailer

The discount in particular makes me want to finally take the game

Man, I wish I could enjoy rts games like I used to as a kid. Watching AoE4, the game I wanted more than anything for years, recover well from rocky start just makes me wish I had the mental energy or whatever it is I've lost to be able to enjoy the game.

My biggest issue was always the price tag. Maybe since it’s on sale it’s finally time for a pickup…

50% off..i think i'll buy it

I'm loving that the empires in this game isn't so eurocentric. The variety in this game is amazing.

I am indeed disappointed that byzantines aren't being included right now, but it's good to see the game trying to recover its health.

I think the Malians look great but timing wise a thematic combo of Ott v Byz would have had broader appeal. Hope a paid dlc will shortly show up

4:45 You're reading the text differently than I am. I read you pick which type of unit (from either barracks, archery range, or stable) and it will be produced. I'm fairly certain this is to suggest that you may pick any unit that would be produced from those buildings (ie not siege), not that you pick a building.

The Ottomans seem to receive dojo style buildings as seen in AoE3.

Nice looks like AOE4 is finally out of Beta can't wait for it to fully release!

Me and my friends will probably play the free version again. None of us have bought it yet. We're all AoE2 players, played AoE4 on release and didn't love it. But it was a refreshing change. We're interested to see it again after a year.

Sipahi sound like they are another idea on the charging cavalery mechanic. Where you dive your units in fur a burst of damage and then pull them back.

tried aoe4 today for the first time an being a aoe2 fan..... this game brings a fresh feeling.... bringing aoe3 and aoe2 together. i liked it a lot!!!!!

It will be interesting to see how little travel is required to trigger the toll and how the toll works exactly. I imagine it will be a percent of the gold per trip/number of tolls that trader has been through.

I would expect that javelin throw being on a cooldown. They use it if off cooldown if a attack order is given and they are not in melee. A bit like a ranged version of the charge abilities?

I don't know what it is that keeps me from playing AoE4. AoE3 is actually my favorite game of the franchise because I played that game the most and it's what introduced me to online multiplayer games. It improves what I dislike the most about AoE2 which is unit animations, especially in combat and more importantly variety in between civs. Each civ has its own more historically accurate (for the most part) sets of units for specific roles which means I wouldn't have to use Europeean Pikemen with the English lions on the chest or crossbowmen for the american civs for example. I do still love AoE2 very much though because I played that game with my dad a lot when I was a kid and I prefer the game's balance for eco and military more than in AoE3. Also, AoE3's community can be super elitist at times, to the point where people refuse to play with you if they see even one "off-meta" card in your home city's deck. AoE4 seems to be a mix of the two so I *should've* fallen in love with it at first sight but I somehow didn't.

I wish this game would have more actions for military units, such as patrol, protect and, especially, that stance where units don't attack even when enemies are within range.

As someone who mostly plays AoE for the campaigns, I do wonder if they intend to add any more scenarios.

As with all updates, its a good step in the right direction. Even though just form the development presumably put in the two new civs, charging form the would be justified - but giving the away is the better move in the current situation of the player base. But it will not bring everybody back, especially campaign players. For them ,they need somehting really big. Like a addon like the old times: multiple campaigns and civs, combined with new features and improvements. That will bring a lot of players back. This probably mostly aimed at players that focus on multiplayer and maybe skrimish that left but keep an eye on the game.

I am a big AoE 2 player and never played AoE 4 before but i'll give it a try now that it is free for 5 days

Honestly, this all looks promising. Unfortunately AoE4 out specs my laptop but here's hoping it goes well.

I'm super duper excited!

The Persian Immortal units in Age of Empires Online also switched between ranged and melee attack, for what it's worth.

AoE3 musketeers changed to melee automatically, id say this new unit is pretty same.

Really had hoped they had stuck with more of an overarching civilizations and not done something as specific as the Ottoman Empire. I think the Turks would have been more interesting with age 4 turning them to the Ottoman Turks but earlier in Age 1 being more nomadic like Mongols.

Please do a civ overview of the aoe4 civs no one else could do it like you

CA : *expects you to pay 10$ to unlock the ogres that were designed and implemented before release* AoE4 : *we kinda messed up, so if you already bought the game and went out on a limb for us, these civs are actually free this time* This is how you do extra Faction content after release. This alone by principle, is enough for me to want to support them again.

Hey SOTL, did they change anything on the AI? I have been playing last week on hardest AI and I feel like the AI was programmed by a 4 year old, they won't attack me on direct combat, whenever I approach with my army they just try kiting (very poorly) and take hits from archers til they die and can't fight (they don't fight anyways so there is no diff). I am felling very frusteded with the AI right now. could you perhaps make a video about it and maybe compare the behaiviors of the AI? You are awesome, love your work with aoe2 and you detailed vids. thank you :)

From the on-screen description, it looks like you select which particular unit the Military School makes.

I believe in the Demo archers used to switch to using pathetic daggers when being approached, the feature was removed possibly because of balancing reasons.

The game needs a new set of wonders/age upgrades that focus on naval bonuses this will definitely improve maps that have strong emphasis on water maps and also an easy way to balance those races that are generally bad on water with some strong age up options to compensate for their shortcomings really hope they do that with the massively speculated paid DLC that is to come short after the free 2 races also hope the Japanese make their way in to the game soon