Age of Empires 3 Expansion Update Launches 2 New Civs

Tantlus Media and Forgotten Empires' RTS Age of Empires 3: Definition Edition has gotten a major update on PC, introducing Ethiopia and Hausa as two new DLC civilizations.


Published: August 2, 2021 2:12 PM /

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Age of Empires 3 Expansion update cover

An Age of Empires 3 expansion update has arrived alongside the launch of The African Royals, the first major addition of content to Microsoft's PC real-time strategy game in over a decade.

Age of Empires 3: Definitive Edition launched late last year, just a few short months after it was first announced last summer. Since then, the developers have put out a few updates and released the United States as a DLC civilization. Now, two more civilizations are joining the roster along with a brand-new resource called "Influence" — get ready to play with Ethiopia and Hausa!

Age of Empires 3 Expansion update slice

What's New in the Age of Empires 3 Expansion Update?

The first major addition in the Age of Empires 3 expansion update is two new civilizations: Ethiopia and Hausa. Ethiopia excels in Cattle herding, so much so that it can trade Cattle at the Livestock Market for Wood and Coin. As for Hausa, its specialty lies in its Universities which allow it to unlock unique technologies.

Also arriving in this update is a new resource: Influence. Influence can be used by both Ethiopia and Hausas to gain Native Warriors, Mercenaries, and other unlockable units as you progress through the ages.

Of course, it wouldn't be a major Age of Empires 3 update without some new maps! A total of 16 new maps have been added to the game, each of which provides some unique challenges for players to tackle.

Tantalus Media and Forgotten Empires have also tackled quite a few problems raised by the community in recent months. Most of these focus on crash and bug fixes, but the devs took the time to polish the game up a bit more, too; for example, villagers at Tribal Marketplaces and Community Plazas now have different animations. Attack-movie functionality has also been improved to give you a smoother and more consistent experience overall.

These are just some of the changes in today's massive update; you can read the full Age of Empires 3 expansion update patch notes for all of the fine details. If you haven't yet jumped into this classic RTS, you can buy Age of Empires 3: Definitive Edition for PC via its official website starting at $19.99 or your regional equivalent.

What do you think of the Ethiopia and Hausa civilizations? What other civilizations would you like to see added to Age of Empires 3? Let us know in the comments below!

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One of my earliest memories is playing Super Mario Bros. on the Nintendo Entertainment System. I've had a controller in my hand since I was 4 and I… More about Robert N