News

New expansion for Age of Empires II HD coming on December 19th

6 Comments

Microsoft has announced that a new expansion will be released for Age of Empires II HD on December 19th. This expansion, titled Rise of the Rajas, will be the third official expansion for Age of Empires II and will feature four additional civilizations, new units, technologies, and will offer players the ability to build their empire on both water and land.

This expansion will also bring four new fully voiced campaigns, new environments, improved AI, five new random maps, five new special maps, five new real world maps, and a Spectator Mode.

Microsoft has not revealed yet the price for this brand new expansion for Age of Empires II HD.

Below you can find Age of Empires II HD: Rise of the Rajas’ key features:

  • 4 New Civilizations
    • Burmese – Assemble the largest empire in the history of Southeast Asia through a legion of Battle Elephants that can demolish the most powerful of defenses. The Burmese unique unit is the Arambai, a ranged cavalry unit with a deadly but low accuracy attack.
    • Khmer – Construct the largest religious monument in the world and amass an immortal army of devastating siege weapons. The Khmer unique unit is the Ballista Elephant, a mounted scorpion that can be upgraded to fire two bolts simultaneously.
    • Malay – Conquer Southeast Asia with the vast island empire of Malay and upgrade your docks to harbours which can shoot arrows. The Malay unique unit is the Karambit Warrior, an extremely cheap infantry unit that can quickly overwhelm its foes.
    • Vietnamese – Lead your people to independence and wage guerilla warfare with an extremely powerful arsenal of ranged units. The Vietnamese unique unit is the Rattan Archer, a heavily-armored ranged unit that is effectively impervious to enemy archer attacks.
  • 4 New, Fully Voiced Campaigns
    • Gajah Mada: On the island of Java, a new power is rising. Gajah Mada, prime minister of Majapahit, conspires to build an empire to rule the waves and islands of the Archipelago. Will he be able to balance his unquestioned loyalty to the king with his growing ambitions?
    • Suryavarman I: It is the early 11th century and the Khmer Empire is in turmoil, torn apart by competing factions and surrounded by hostile neighbors. Only one prince, Suryavarman, has the courage and cunning to defeat his rivals and restore the Khmer to their former glory. Seizing the throne, however, is just the first of many tasks. Will Suryavarman muster the strength to expand his domain, overcome adversity, and create a timeless legacy as the king who attained Nirvana?
    • Bayinnaung: A warrior king seeks to unite a divided land. But when he is betrayed, only his devoted servant can continue his legacy. Can a mere commoner ascend the Burmese throne and build the largest empire in Southeast Asian history?
    • Lê L?i: When a civil war plunged Dai Viet into chaos, the Ming Emperor intervened and seized control. Now, the only hope for freedom from oppression lies with one man: a minor noble named Le Loi. Will he be able to unite feuding factions, defeat the Chinese, and regain Vietnamese independence?
  • New Generic Units
    • Battle Elephant: Created at the stable and available to each of the new civilizations, the Battle Elephant is a slow and powerful cavalry unit that is devastating in melee combat. Each new civilization has its own unique bonuses to set their Elephant regiments apart.
    • Imperial Skirmisher: The long-awaited upgrade to the iconic Elite Skirmisher unit, the upgrade is available to the Vietnamese and all of its teammates.
  • New Environments
    • Land meets the sea in The Rise of the Rajas! Alongside massive rainforests, treacherous beaches, the new mangrove forests and shallows provide a whole new playstyle. The new amphibious terrain can be built on and both land units and ships can pass through it. This new terrain type is featured on each of the five new random maps.
  • Improved AI
  • 5 New Random Maps
  • 5 New Special Maps
  • 5 New Real World Maps
  • 13 New Terrains
  • New Scenario Editor Objects
  • Spectator Mode