Quite a few notable changes are coming to Age of Empires IV Season two as the developers officially announced the details. Initially, they released information in March, but have now gone into more detail as to what the update will bring. Relic Entertainment has made sure to consider the player's requests and added features that they believe are long overdue. As with any new season, there will be a new ranked season ladder, as well as new events for players to take part in.
What to expect from Age of Empires IV Season 2
Gamers requested hotkey remapping the most, which led the devs to add that in alongside a brand new map preference system. This means that players will now be able to create a list of maps that they prefer to see in ladder play, whereas before it was more randomized. The update also includes a new map, The Pit, that has been described to have more of an open layout that centers around competition. While very few details have been released about the new map, Relic Entertainment has stated they will provide more information shortly.
With the addition of the new map comes a player color picker, which allows players to choose their empire's cosmetic preferences before the start of a match. This can be done before both multiplayer and single-player skirmishes, which has never been an option prior. The developers have also mentioned new balance changes to the game but didn't elaborate on the intricacy of those changes at this time. They have stated they will release more on that soon, but nothing concrete as of yet.
The Ranked Ladder reset will occur shortly after the official release of season two, which is set for July 14, 2022. The developers did not give an exact date for the reset at this time, only a general idea of the time frame. Below is a list of maps that players will see in Ranked matches during Season two, some of which have seen major updates:
- Altai
- Dry Arabia
- High View
- Hill and Dale
- Lipany
- Mongolian Heights
- King of the Hill
- Ancient Spires
- The Pit
Season two of Age of Empires IV will also include a few new events for players to enjoy. This includes the Age of Discovery event from July 12 to July 26, the By Stars and Sea event from August 9 to August 23, Wonders of The Deep event from September 7 to September 21, and the Modern Monsters event from October 4 to October 18. All of these events will come with seasonal rewards for players to collect and a gripping map-monster theme.
While Relic Entertainment hasn't completely shown their hand in terms of what's to come, they have made it known they considered the player's needs. More details should be released very soon, as stated by the devs, and it looks like they are on the right path toward success with this update.
