I already have the DLC...have had it since launch. The popup ad just started loading when I load the game since yesterday.

Are you able to earn Xbox achievements if you link your Xbox account in the Steam version? I just bought one of the DLCs, got the Steam achievements but no Xbox. If you don’t get the Xbox achievements too, what is actual purpose of linking the Steam to your Xbox account?

I believe that skill is always important but I get confused when I see the high win rate of the Macedonian Dynasty, they have have access to free strong cav, maybe even a player with lower skill is able to win more easily with this civ. Please note that I'm not speaking about a specific game that I played.

Game is in very good spot right now probably the best since the release with many strategies/builds Being avaible and no toxic gameplay design like siege/Springalds meta of the past Devs did good job with latest patches buffing spears brace decreasing cavalry relevance and making MAA cheaper more viable option for compositions That said i have some suggestions as the latest changes made it more rewarding to defend/boom with 2tc which Has became a bit too prevelant i would say I feel like with those buffs to 2tc and defense buffs .There also should have came some buffs to Rams and feudal push. Right now rams push just looks weak to me from both perspectives as Defender and as attacker and in pro Play it also looked quite unsuccessfull every time it was attempted It requires alot of time and investment 1 Ram is 200 Wood ( need atleast 2 for good push but 3 is preferred making it 400-600 res) + the Resources required for blacksmith and siege engineer Which all stack up and rams themselves are just quite bad and fall off after feudal By the time the push comes online 2tcs are close to pay for themselves and with defenders advantage i find it quite easy to defend ram pushes unless its against some hyper aggressive feudal spam civ like ZHU Xi I feel like siege engineering tech cost should be lowered a little maybe to 100 gold to make RAM pushes a bit better counter to defensive Play which should be more punishable when scouted out. And just make rams a bit more viable and better since theyre just bad now.

I started playing more during Asian peak hours and discovered just how miserable these people are. I could be referring to a specific country, but I think this is a regional cultural issue. Anyway… basically, here’s what happens: Asians cheat the Elo system. A Western “Silver” Team Ranked player is worth more than an Eastern “Diamond” player. Veteran Asian players buy new accounts so they can play in teams and boost other team members to high rankings. Or—the most common tactic—they simply don’t play and let the team lose on purpose across countless matches until their Elo drops below 1000. The problem is… when I play during their hours, I can’t raise my own Elo because, once you’re above 800, you can run into “Conqueror” level players facing off against people who are literally just learning the game. So, whenever I spot this kind of cheating, I just lose all desire to play with them. An unsuspecting person might think they actually have skill, but the only “skill” these Asian players have is cheating—even if it’s just a “mild” form of cheating like sabotaging matches. They literally never want to compete for real. They’ll throw a string of games until they find weak opponents. It’s absolutely repulsive playing with guys like that. I do have honest Asian friends in the game, but there’s a specific culture—I think it stems from the people who practically live in internet cafes—that engages in this behavior, and there are a lot of them.

I saw high level players building like that and adopted it. It feels good, I have more space for my buildings especially on maps where space is very limited. I can fit military buildings right behind the quarry and therefore have more space for cows in the back. Do you agree or is it sometimes bad to do that?

Starting today and at the start of each month, the Ranked Map pool will now automatically rotate. Each rotation will always feature a set number of open, closed, hybrid, and naval maps to keep a balanced set of maps in play at all times. This means that you'll see more varied maps more frequently in Ranked play!

The unit visibility in AOE4 is genuinely frustrating. You shouldn't need to squint or pause just to tell what's engaging what. Solid silhouette design isn't some lost ancient art; it's basic RTS fundamentals The developers seem allergic to the concept of distinct silhouettes. Instead of giving each unit a clear, unique profile that lets you read the battlefield at a glance, they just scale up the weapons to cartoonish proportions Even the siege having no crew makes no sense and the usual 'readability' defense falls completely flat when games from 20 years ago nailed it without issue. Even the buildings and UI feel so flat and sterile, aoe3 had better cannon sound design and physics. and don't get me started on the ships

What’s up everyone, need some advice. I have around 250 hrs invested in the game and a decent understanding of all the mechanics / build orders for a few different civs (Rus, Jin Dynasty, Malians) However, I cannot for the life of me create a full standing army in the feudal which is something I find myself fighting pretty often. I’ve tried creating idle time, slowing down on age ups, and walls but it I don’t have an answer. The only new build order I’m working on is 2 TC and even with that I’m still behind in unit count. Applicable example; I’m playing as Malians, I age up quickly with loads of wood so I put down 2 stables to start harassing with Sofa’s. By the time my Sofas get to the enemy civ (English) buddy has a full army just camped out there.

I am debating getting Age of Empire IV during the summer steam discount, but it would be my first foray into RTS game. Does anybody have tips as a new player of RTS, and AOE 4? Also any must have or really nice keyboard shortcuts?