Gorgeous new expansion proves Age of Empires 2 is the greatest RTS of its kind

What’s your favorite Age of Empires 2 campaign? I’m a bit of a purist – for me, it’s the Genghis Khan story in The Age of Kings, especially the level where you have to destroy Jin’s wonder and smash through the Great Wall of China. But between 42 civilizations, 229 missions, and more than two and a half decades of expansions, there’s plenty of choice. Manor Lords is great. Stronghold is a classic. It’d be fantastic to have Command and Conquer back. But AoE 2 remains the best medieval RTS of all time, and possibly the greatest game in the entire genre. Now, Age of Empires 2 Definitive Edition has a new expansion.

Age of Empires 2 is an RTS game on every front. It’s not just combat, or the economy, or research, or building – it’s everything, all the time. Every level is high-pressure. Every unit, down to each individual sheep, is important. And strategy matters. In Command and Conquer, and a lot of other genre titans, you can win most battles by just swarming the enemy with 20 or 30 of your strongest units. In AoE 2, if you put a division of Cavaliers up against a couple of War Elephants, you’ll be stampeded into dust. Should have brought Cavalry Archers. Should have researched Pikemen.

Originally released in 1999, Age of Empires 2 remains just as big and brilliant today thanks to the 2019 Definitive Edition. And now, AoE 2: DE has an impressive new expansion. The Three Kingdoms centers on the eponymous era in Chinese history, between 220 and 280 AD. There are five new playable civilizations – Shu, Wei, Wu, the Jurchans, and the Khitans – and they each come with their own unique units and skills. Personally, since I like to stockpile food and trade it at the market, I like the look of the Khitans, who can assign two villagers to harvest a farm tile rather than just one.

You also get three new campaigns, focusing on The Sun Clan, Liu Bei, and Cao Cao. They each incorporate real historical events, including the legendary Battle of the Red Cliff, and feature new hero units who also have unique abilities. Perhaps most significantly, The Three Kingdoms can be played on two new difficulty settings. ‘Easiest’ lets you play through the campaigns with leisure, but ‘Legendary’ could be the greatest challenge in AoE 2 history.

If you want to get The Three Kingdoms, it’s out today, Tuesday May 6, for $16.99 / £12.74. Just go here. You can also get the base game at a hefty discount.

Otherwise, try some of the best 4X games, or maybe the best medieval games on PC.

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