The world of esports just got a little bit bigger! Age of Empires developers World’s Edge have announced a new amateur-friendly Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition tournament, the Beginner Cup.
As the name suggests, this new tournament is targeted towards allowing players of a lower skill level or tenure to play. Esports are typically filled with the best of the best – or at least the very, very good – and this can be a massive bar to those that don’t have the time or ability to improve their skills to the highest level.
This new tournament is meant to bridge that gap and let a bit of a light shine on those that have been barred from the highest tier of play. With the ELO allowance capped off at 1100, newer or lesser-skilled players are being given a chance to prove their mettle.
Players are set to compete across four rounds of play, playing in multiple best-of-threes and best-of-fives match-ups. Much of the format will pit players against each other in the same way that the play continues on in the higher brackets, providing a true tournament experience.
As the tournament isn’t filled with the high-stakes competitors that a tournament might typically be, the prizes aren’t quite as high-stakes either. The prize pool for the tournament is 100€ – about $108 USD, so even the champion likely won’t be paying off their bills with the prize money.
Of course, money is only one of the many perks of competing in a tournament like this! One of the biggest draws is that the finals will be cast by theViper, an extremely notable figure in the Age of Empires community!
“The prize pool consists of 100€, but more importantly, the finals will be cast live by TheViper!” the organizers write in their announcement. “It is a terrific opportunity to have a highly skilled player watch and commentate your gameplay, providing a fantastic platform for improving your play. Plus, you can say that TheViper cast your matches!”
Really, bragging rights are the best thing on the table here for the victors. More than anything, the tournament provides an excellent source of experience in competition that can be useful for players looking to improve!
Signups have opened, but you won’t have long! You’ll need to sign up by the 17th of May if you want to compete. From there, the first round of competition will be held the following week, between May 18th and May 24th.
Each week will bring another round: Round 2, 3, and 4 will be held in the following three weeks, leading up to the semifinals on the 13th of June, which will be cast live. The finals will arrive on the 14th of June, casted by theViper themself!