Start the game already!

With the release of the Last Chieftains DLC I felt the urge to talk about the south american civilizations. However, we probably need a lot more time to figure out the new civs, so I decided that this is the perfect time to shed some light on the Inca. They have been around since 2013 and recieved multiple major changes, that entirely changed the way the Inca can be played. Now they have recieved another face lift taking away their wrongful meso identity and making them the south american civ they deserve to be. There's a lot of old and new things about the Inca to tell: they're still the counter civilization full of aggression that they became in 2023, but they lost their eagles and milita-lines, instead they gained Champis. Only time will tell if this is for better or worse.ChrisEdit: Since the rework, the Kamayuk has received +1 Pierce Armour for the Elite Upgrade, while Fabric Shield is now only +1 instead of +2. Post-Imp Kamayuks are therefore just as strong as they were before the rework. Thanks to Jarrymo for pointing this out!Talk to the community on:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Discord⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Timecodes:00:00 Introduction11:23 Settlements20:30 Champi33:42 Slinger45:00 Food discount on military units 50:50 Free Llama53:48 Blacksmith upgrades and cheap stone buildings56:32 Kamayuk01:03:10 Andean Sling & Fabric Shields01:10:50 Strategies & army compositions01:32:10 CampaignMusic: Inca Intro Music and "Operation Monkey" of the official AoE II Soundtrack

Christian hat im vergangenen Monat endlich mal an einem Turnier teilgenommen: Noobs of the Desert 3! Dort hat er es bis unter die letzten vier Spieler geschafft und erzählt deshalb ein paar Anekdoten, unter anderem, wie unterschiedlich das Spiel wahrgenommen werden kann. Natürlich macht sich bei Felix und Christian auch ein bisschen die Angst vorm DLC breit: wird es gut, wird es meh... oder gar einfach zu viel? Wir haben es dieses Mal geschafft, eine ganze Stunde nur über AoE Themen zu sprechen und wünschen euch viel Spaß beim Zuhören!Felix & Christian⁠⁠⁠Discord⁠⁠⁠Musik: Joey Jojo vom offiziellen AoE II: DE OST.

Here's a short preview with the most important info on the new The Last Chieftains DLC! I tried to present all information in a dense form and hope this'll help you find your way into the DLC, that's releasing on February 17th.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Discord⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music: Smells like Crickets, Tastes like Chicken from the official AoE II OST.

Welcome back to another episode of the Age of Empires Magazine featuring Daniela and Chris!January was all about the qualifiers of RB Wololo Londinium, so we’re gonna talk about that in todays show. Other topics include Team Vitality joining the scene, news of mismanagement in GL and what’s new in T90 Titans gold and silver leagues. We’ve also got official news previewing the new DLC and the Naval rework that we can discuss. There’s no franchise news apart from the DLC for AoE 2 releasing on the 17th of February, so after the News, we’ll head straight to some Emails and then the tournament outlook.Please check out ⁠⁠⁠Daniela over at Twitch⁠⁠⁠: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.twitch.tv/daniela_aoe⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Discord⁠⁠⁠⁠Timecodes:00:00 Programme01:13 News01:46:00 Podcast News & Emails02:11:40 Tournament Outlook February 2026Links:Team VitalityViper Drama⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TTL 5⁠⁠RB Wololo Ladder QualifierNaval reworkSix Nations Cup

Daniela and I are discussing the RB Wololo Qualifiers, covering topics like the runs of the first 5 placements, the Hearttt vs Vinch Finale and other important topics. Enjoy!Please check out ⁠⁠⁠Daniela over at Twitch⁠⁠⁠: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.twitch.tv/daniela_aoe⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Discord⁠⁠⁠⁠

Today, we‘re visiting eastern europe and talk about the Poles. The Poles have been introduced to the game in the second DLC for the Definitive Edition in August 2021 together with the Bohemians introducing unique game mechanics and farm economy which I was very sceptical of when it got released but now believe to be one of the best designs decisions in the game. You'll be hearing me praising the civ design a lot in this podcast, when I go through all civilization bonuses, their unique techs, units and even buildings. They probably have the best campaign of the game, which if you haven't already, should defenitely give a go. The Poles are hard to master and had little impact on the eSports scene, yet I wouldn't want to change a thing about them. Well actually, one thing, but you'll find out when listening to the Podcast! ChrisTalk to the community on:⁠⁠⁠⁠Discord⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Timecodes:00:00 Introduction05:08 Folwarks16:00 HP Regeneration21:45 Stone-to-gold conversion28:00 Cheaper Scout Upgrades & Teambonus34:10 Winged Hussar & Unique Techs51:50 Obuch59:00 Strategies & army compositions01:22:15 CampaignMusic: Poles Intro Music and "Operation Monkey" of the official AoE II Soundtrack

Welcome back to another episode of the Age of Empires Magazine! Once again, I am joined by Daniela!We’ve got exciting topics to discuss, starting of course with the sixth edition of King of the Desert and a recent update with balance changes from the 2nd of december. We’ve also got a couple of Franchise News, because the South AmericaDLC has been announced for AoE II and is coming to the game in February 2026. As is the theme with our Franchise, if one game get’s something new, another game probably has something similar in store and that’s true for Age of Mythology and Age of Empires IV. We’ll finish up the episode with some emails and the tournament outlook for January 2026, where we’ll talk about the RB Wololo Ladder Qualifier and TTL Season 5. I’d also like to mention that we recorded this podcast just before the News about GL and their members have dropped, so there is no mentioning of that in this episode.Please check out ⁠⁠Daniela over at Twitch⁠⁠: ⁠⁠https://www.twitch.tv/daniela_aoe⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Discord⁠⁠⁠Timecodes:00:00 Programme02:30 News02:12:54 Franchise News02:26:45 Podcast News & Emails02:39:25 Tournament Outlook January 2026Links:⁠King of the Desert VI⁠Danielas Statement of MMBalance Changes⁠AoE 2025 Review⁠⁠TTL 5RB Wololo Ladder Qualifier

Macht euch bereit für einen Podcast, bei dem wir uns so richtig alt fühlen. Alles ist neu und unübersichtlich: AoE II verändert sich mit Phosphoru Rushes, Stand Ground Patrols und der Siegetower Meta. World of Warcraft ist überhaupt nicht mehr das, was es einmal war und ist kaum wieder zu erkennen. Und wenn Felix einfach mal ne Runde Hitman spielen will, scheitert er daran, weil er den Überblick über die verschiedenen Spieleversionen nicht bekommt. Christian hat wurde außerdem von Europa Universalis gemobbt. Klingt alles scheiße, aber lass euch nicht beirren, denn in Wahrheit haben wir gerade ziemlich viel Spaß mit unseren Spielen!Viel Spaß beim Hören!Felix & Christian⁠⁠Discord⁠⁠Musik: Joey Jojo vom offiziellen AoE II: DE OST.

Well, this episode is all about the Celts. But who were the Celts, really? If you're asking the Devs, it seems the answer is: whatever was shown in the movie Braveheart! For a game drawing inspiration from history, the Celts do seem like the odds one out. Sloppy research, a lousy tutorial campaign and underwhelming tech tree make it hard for the Celts to really shine amongst the many civilizations in the game, despite looking back to more than 25 years of AoE II history. Of course, being an infantery civilization doesn't make things any easier. If it weren't for Hoang, maybe the Celts would've been completely forgotten. Well, don't shed your tears just yet, I'm here to save the day and tell you everything I could uncover about the Celts, including some fun facts from what the Celts were first invisioned by the Devs, before they became the Civ we know today. I hope you enjoy this episode!ChrisTalk to the community on:⁠⁠⁠Discord⁠⁠⁠⁠Timecodes:00:00 Introduction05:43 Wood bonus14:47 Faster moving infantery18:54 Stealing herdables22:40 Faster firing siege & Team bonus30:15 Furor Celtica 35:58 Strongholds40:28 Woad Raider50:35 Strategies & army compositions01:11:25 CampaignMusic: Celts Intro Music and "Operation Monkey" of the official AoE II SoundtrackLinks:Computer Gaming World MuseumCeltic Life InternationalBraveheart Critique bei Sharon KrossaOriginal Handbook of Age of KingsCattle Raids

Once again I am joined by Daniela in this Podcast!This month was much more quiet than the last month, but there’s still some interesting topics to discuss. We’ll start off with Thalassocracy Cup 2, which has just concluded last night at the time of this recording. The Bronze League of TTL 5 has also finished up determining who will get into the gold and silver league. We’ll also give a quick outlook on what we’re expecting from King of the Desert VI, which has started as of now. There’s no real Franchise News for a change, so we’ll be skipping that segment today. But I’ve got important news for all patreons and supporters of the podcast in the podcast news and we’ll be answering a couple of your messages, that have been sent in. At last, we’ll finish up the episode with the tournament outlook for december 2025.Please check out ⁠Daniela over at Twitch⁠: ⁠https://www.twitch.tv/daniela_aoe⁠⁠⁠Discord⁠⁠Timecodes:00:00 Intro06:46 News01:42:30 Podcast News & Emails01:59:01 Tournament Outlook December 2025Links:King of the Desert VIThalassocracy Cup 2⁠⁠Master of HyperRandom 3⁠⁠TTL5 Bronze League⁠⁠Naval Rework⁠

Willkommen zur 28. Tafelrunde! Felix Fälle vor Gericht werden immer abwechslungsreicher. Neuerdings häufen sich die Fälle, in denen sich Menschen um ihre Katzen streiten. Wie kann man da eine Entscheidung darüber fällen, wer die Katze bekommt? Christian ist indes aus Schottland zurückgekehrt und hat dadurch die William Wallace Kampagne erneut gespielt... wenn man da überhaupt von einer Kampagne sprechen kann. Außerdem verbringt er seine Abendstunden mit Ball x Pit, was mal wieder Anlass dafür ist, die Nostalgiebrille auszugraben und von vorinstallierten Windows 95 Breakout-Spielen zu erzählen. Felix ist da viel mehr am Puls der Zeit und spielt das gerade erschienene Europa Universalis V.Viel Spaß beim Hören!Felix & Christian⁠Discord⁠Musik: Joey Jojo vom offiziellen AoE II: DE OST.

If you're looking for a challenge in Age of Empires II, the Khmer are just the civilization for you. At first glance, the Khmer seem like an easy civilization to play because they have the best food economy in the game alongside the Khitan, you are usually one step ahead of your opponent, and thanks to their broad tech tree, they can play almost anything they want. They even have powerful elephants and scorpions! However, they have a few bonuses that can quickly become a trap if you don't master the game perfectly. The particular difficulty arises from the fact that you have to build on your initial advantage with the Khmer so that you don't go down in the late game. On the one hand, their strong economy makes the Khmer a beginner-friendly civilization, but on the other hand, their playstyle makes them a difficult civilization to master. I hope you enjoy this podcast, which, for once, will be all about elephants!ChrisSupport the Podcast on:⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Steady (german)⁠⁠⁠⁠Discord⁠⁠⁠Timecodes:00:00 Introduction08:15 Eco bonus13:18 House bonus16:58 No prerequisites for age-up & buildings21:23 Battle Elephants & Tusk Swords 29:19 Ballista Elephants, Scorpions & Double Crossbow45:39 Strategies & army compositions01:08:22 CampaignMusic: Khmer Intro Music and "Operation Monkey" of the official AoE II Soundtrack

Welcome to another episode of the monthly magazine, covering all important topics about age of empires. Today is a very special episode, because this podcast will be cohosted by the up and coming talent of our scene: welcome Daniela!We’ve had a lot of tournaments recently, so there are lots of topics to cover. In today’s episode, we’ll be talking about the Ling Yuan Cup, Amigo Wars 3, Masters of Hyperrandom 3, the announcement RB Wololo: Londinium, TTL 5 Bronze League, the Naval Rework, the onimaru bootcamp, the Chronicles DLC featuring Alexander the Great and the betting scandal of aoe 2. There’s a little bit of Franchise News after that and then we’ll pick out a few of the emails that have been sent in to discuss them. As always, we’ll close the show with the tournament outlook for november 2025.Please check out Daniela over at Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/daniela_aoeSupport the Podcast on:⁠Patreon⁠⁠Steady (german)⁠Discord⁠Timecodes:00:00 Intro03:11 News02:35:44 Franchise News02:40:20 Podcast News & Emails02:51:05 Tournament Outlook October 2025Links:⁠Master of HyperRandom 3⁠LingYuan CupTTL5 Bronze LeagueSotL InterviewNaval ReworkT90 about Biry

Willkommen zur 27. Tafelrunde! In der heutigen Tafelrunde diskutieren wir das aktuell etwas leidige Thema von Wettanbietern in Age of Empires II. Wir haben diesbezüglich eine klare ablehnende Haltung und führen hier einen eher lockeren Austausch und erzählen euch von unseren eigenen Gefühlen zur Diskussion, statt ein Fachgespräch über die negativen Auswirkungen von Glücksspiel im eSport zu führen, da dieser Zusammenhang längst erwiesen ist. Doch damit die Stimmung etwas aufgebessert ist, empfiehlt Felix eine Gameshow der besonderen Art von einem ihm sehr lieb gewonnenen Streamer. Außerdem hat Felix Death Stranding begonnen und outet sich als großer Freund von Kojimas filmischer Videospielregie.Viel Spaß beim Hören!Felix & ChristianUnterstütze unser Projekt hier und höre deutsche Versionen der englischen Podcasts:⁠SteadyDiscordMusik: Joey Jojo vom offiziellen AoE II: DE OST.

This episode offers a very different kind of content for you. I analyzed Hera's past 39 defeats on Arabia during his world record attempt and collected some data, which I analyze here in the podcast. My goal: to find out if there's a pattern that tells us how to defeat Hera. In doing so, some truly interesting insights have come to light. It's impossible not to acknowledge that Hera is an exceptional player, almost unmatched in versatility and mechanical skill. Therefore, finding systematic weaknesses in such a complete player as Hera is an ambitious undertaking. Well, decide for yourself whether I've succeeded.ChrisThe Excel sheet⁠Discord⁠⁠Support the Podcast on:⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠Steady (german)⁠Music: "Carne y Helado" of the official AoE II Soundtrack.

In this episode of Masterpieces, I'll tell you the story of what I consider to be the best final that we've seen in competitive Age of Empires II to this day: The finals of RB Wololo 3 between Daut and Liereyy. This matchup brings together two generations and two different playstyles. I hope you enjoy reliving one of the best games of Age of Empires II!ChrisThe GameDiscord⁠Support the Podcast on:⁠Patreon⁠⁠Steady (german)Music: "Carne y Helado" of the official AoE II Soundtrack.

I’m Chris, your host of this wonderful podcast, and please forgive my cracky voice because I was super sick recording this episode! In the news, I’ll be talking about Sudden Dessaster 2, the Quintessential Cookout, the cancellation of the December LAN, and the announcement of a new DLC. In the franchise news, I’ll briefly touch on the fact that we’ve received more info on the new roguelite RTS game mode in AoE IV and that the second — and possibly final — DLC for Age of Mythology has been released. As for game news, I’ll skip that this time to save my voice, so we’ll head straight into podcast news and then take a look at the tournament outlook for October 2025.  I hope you enjoy the show!ChrisDiscordSupport the Podcast on:PatreonSteady (german)Timecodes:00:00 Intro01:17 News19:36 Franchise News23:14 Podcast News26:30 Tournament Outlook October 2025Links:Master of HyperRandom 3Sudden Dessaster 2Midweek MadnessAoE2Germany

The Romans are kind of an odd civilization amongst the medieval civilizations of Age of Empires II, but they fit right in with how they play out. Their strong economy favors melee units and they have one of the best scorpions in the game. In this podcast we'll do a deep dive into how the Romans play out and what their best unite compositions are. As usual, we'll try to understand how the devs were inspired by history when they created this civilization. Since there is a lack of a dedicated campaign for the romans, I have devided to include two wonderful custom campaigns made by the community. I hope you'll enjoy this episode!ChrisSupport the Podcast on:⁠Patreon⁠⁠Steady (german)⁠⁠Discord⁠⁠Timecodes:00:00 Overview08:35 Eco Bonus13:15 Double Infantry Armor & Legionary17:47 Scorpions & Ballistas24:02 Centurions & Comitatenses32:50 Strategies and army compositions47:14 Campaigns & ScenariosMusic: Romans Intro Music and "Operation Monkey" of the official AoE II Soundtrack

The decisive battle in Tenochtitlan marks the culmination of the Aztec campaign. Surrounded by the Spanish and Tlaxcalans, we must attack from our city and repel the enemy: on land and at sea. But woe betide the Spanish if they manage to destroy our wonder!This episode is the final episode of the entire Aztec season, so at the end there's a brief final assessment and, of course, a rectification of the events we experience in this mission. I really hope you enjoyed the campaign!ChrisSupport the Podcast on:PatreonSteady (german)HomepageDiscordMusic: Aztecs Intro Music of the official AoE II Soundtrack

In the 5th mission of the Aztec Campaign, we are pursuing the Spanish and their allies after we've defeated them in La Noche Triste. The Spanish are trying to escape along the lake Texcoco to the safety of the Tlaxcaltecs, but we caught up to them and try to defeat them once for all, in what is known today as the battle of Otumba on July 7th, 1520. More than 20.000 Aztecs faced off against a couple of thousand Spanish and Tlaxcaltec soldiers, but they have set a deadly trap for their Aztec pursuers.I hope you'll enjoy listening to this podcast!ChrisSupport the Podcast on:Patreon⁠⁠Steady (german)⁠⁠Homepage⁠⁠DiscordMusic: Aztecs Intro Music of the official AoE II Soundtrack