Age of Empires 2's new DLC adds all of the first game's civs today

Three historical generals stare into the camera.
(Image credit: Microsoft)

Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition will take a deep dive into its own history when its Return of Rome DLC releases later today. The expansion is bringing over all 16 civilizations from the original Age of Empires into the second game, and even gives three of them their own unique campaigns. In addition to all that, it's adding the new Lac Viet civ to the AOE 1 roster and introducing the D3 competitive mode, which is apparently super popular in Vietnam.

I wrote about this one last month, closer to its announcement, so I won't rehash all the details here. What I will say is that Return of Rome hits Steam and the Microsoft Store at 10 am PT / 1 pm ET / 6 pm BST today, and—while I never recommend preordering anything—you can nab it for 15% off (£8.50/$13) if you pick it up before it releases.

Although you might have idle fantasies of pitting AOE1's Sumerians against AOE2's Khmer, you should know that Return of Rome will exist as its own, distinct section of AOE2: DE. As Microsoft explained in its "Return of Rome: Everything You Need to Know" post, Return of Rome has a separate bit of the game's main menu. When you click, you're magically transported to a portion of the game siloed off for Return of Rome content, so you won't be able to mix and match the new and old civs. That applies to the Lac Viet, too.

If you're disappointed, you can at least take solace in the fact that Rome—and only Rome—will also be added to AOE2's roster of civs. It is, after all, returning.

If, somehow, you've forgotten all of AOE1's civilisations, here are the historical empires and societies that will join the fray today:

  • Assyrians
  • Babylonians
  • Carthaginians
  • Choson
  • Egyptians
  • Greeks
  • Hittites
  • Macedonians
  • Minoans
  • Palmyrans
  • Persians
  • Phoenicians
  • Romans
  • Shang
  • Sumerians
  • Yamato
  • Plus the Lac Viet (who are new)
Joshua Wolens
News Writer

One of Josh's first memories is of playing Quake 2 on the family computer when he was much too young to be doing that, and he's been irreparably game-brained ever since. His writing has been featured in Vice, Fanbyte, and the Financial Times. He'll play pretty much anything, and has written far too much on everything from visual novels to Assassin's Creed. His most profound loves are for CRPGs, immersive sims, and any game whose ambition outstrips its budget. He thinks you're all far too mean about Deus Ex: Invisible War.

Read more
Age of Empires 3: Definitive Edition promo art
Age of Empires 3: Definitive Edition DLC promised last year is cancelled: 'We announced content before it had been built, and we now feel that announcement was premature'
Civilization 7 screenshot
Civilization 7's post-launch roadmap will bring the Bermuda Triangle and Mount Everest to all players in March
Mongolian throne room
Crusader Kings 3 saddles up for a long-awaited return to the east with its first Asian DLC, Khans of the Steppe
A still from the Civilization 7 opening cinematic.
Civilization 7: Everything we know about the first new Civ game in nearly a decade
Firaxis Video Treatment YouTube Video Thumbnail
Civilization VII is almost here: Hear the big changes the developers have in store
Confucius as he appears in Civilization 7.
Some 20 hours in, I can say that Civilization 7's age transitions are the series' most radical and disruptive mechanic yet
Latest in RTS
Earth vs Mars screenshot - Martian troopers vs Earth light tanks
Relic's new project is a 'smaller indie-style' game about a martian invasion of Earth
Age of Empires 3: Definitive Edition promo art
Age of Empires 3: Definitive Edition DLC promised last year is cancelled: 'We announced content before it had been built, and we now feel that announcement was premature'
Tempest Dynasty faction
The first multiplayer demo for my most anticipated RTS, Tempest Rising, is out now
Former Age of Empires developer says the RTS genre's stuck in a rut: 'you're still playing the same game'
Creeper World IXE
Creeper World IXE breaks the RTS mold and adds a dash of Noita's alchemy to the gooey war
A large blue factory complex in Industrial Annihilation
Planetary Annihilation successor has a bumpy landing on Steam, and the backers aren't happy: 'So bare bones that it's basically an asset show without a game'
Latest in News
assassin's creed shadow naoe
We asked two parkour athletes to rate the realism of Assassin's Creed's acrobatics, and a surprising 'crime against parkour' might actually be one of the most realistic things they saw
Mechs fight on the outside of a spaceship
MechWarrior 5: Clans is getting DLC with playable Elementals and a fight on the outside of a spaceship
Aloy - Horizon
'I feel worried about this art form:' Unsurprisingly, the real Aloy from Horizon isn't a fan of AI Aloy
Crying laughing emoji with disturbing realistic elements for REPO
REPO's first update will add a new map and a 'duck bucket' so we can finally give that pesky quacker a time out
Man facing camera
The Day Before studio reportedly sues Russian website for calling infamous disaster-game a 'scam'
Will Poulter holding a CD ROM
'What are most games about? Killing': Black Mirror Season 7 includes a follow-up to 2018 interactive film Bandersnatch