The developers behind Age of Empires II announced a big new update heading down the pipe. This update includes the regular round of improvements and bug fixes as well as quite a bit of new content.

“Along with the fixes and balance changes that accompany any game update, the team has been working on several new systems for Age of Empires II,” AoE’s Evan Teicheira writes in the update announcement. “Today, you get to enjoy the many fruits of their labor.”

They’re still being quite vague about everything coming, but they were quite specific about a few new additions. All in all, the developers lay out the following new additions:

  • Four new Art of War missions
  • Unique 1v1 and Team map pools for online ranked matchmaking
  • Two new maps, titled Four Lakes and Golden Swamp
  • A new Profile Hub in the main menu
  • Players can now view ELO in unranked lobbies
  • A number of balance changes, including a new unique unit for the Tatars civilization

That’s all they’re giving us direct word on, though they hint that there’s a good deal more coming down the pipelines. Of course, there’s one event that they’re happy to announce, though they aren’t saying exactly what it holds

The new celebration is the Spring Celebration Event, which they promise will “bring the best of Spring straight into your home,” helping us to “be outside while you stay inside.” They aren’t giving us too much information, but it certainly seems like it’ll be Easter themed.

“There are still plenty of cool features and fixes in the works for April – thanks in large part to the outstanding community members who have stepped up with their feedback and bug reports over the past few months,” the developers write, thanking the community for all their help in improving the title.

Overall, Age of Empires has been greatly enjoying a surge in popularity over the last few months. The announcement of Age of Empires IV brought a huge amount of fuel to the hype train and the great reception that Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition has gotten since its release has been a massive help as well.

It’s only been four months since Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition released, and it’s already been incredibly well-received. Fans are excited to see the franchise in the hands of a development team that clearly has a great amount of respect and care for the franchise. At this point, it’s seeming like the title can only go up from here.