Update 17.0
Upcoming29 Oct 2026
Arrives with Raiders of the North and its Vikings and Scots. Town Centers take longer to build and Rams get sturdier; Ottomans, Golden Horde and Knights Templar are toned down while Jin, Holy Roman Empire and Sengoku Daimyo get stronger.
Official patch notes ↗Gameplay
- •Saved games and match replays created on earlier builds can no longer be loaded or watched after this update.
- •Attack Move can now include or ignore buildings under Game › Attack Move Targets Buildings. A modifier key reverses this setting and can be rebound under View and Remap Controls › Game › Inverted Attack Move. Siege units that prioritize buildings, including Rams, Trebuchets and Cannons, still target buildings regardless of this setting.
- •Single-player matches can be paused with the pause key; you can still look around and give orders while paused.
- •Dark Green and Magenta player colors were removed because of readability problems. Team-based colors now let you choose colors for yourself, your allies and your enemies. Due to a current issue, these customization options appear only after you save the settings with Team-Based selected.
- •New hotkeys: select all ranged units, all melee cavalry and all ranged cavalry, each also for units on screen only.
- ✓The ranked placement summary no longer always shows “-2/5 completed”.
Observer mode
- •A separate Observer HUD mod category lets you subscribe to and enable spectator interfaces independently of Game Mode mods.
- •These interfaces support replays and live spectating, including Ranked, Quick Match, custom and tournament matches.
- •Observer HUDs load only for spectators, improving stability and simplifying setup for hosts and players. Mod creators can publish them in a dedicated Mod Editor category.
Taunts
- •12 new taunts themed around the Vikings and Scots become available to everyone on October 29.
Matchmaking
- •Hidden matchmaking rating (MMR) now adjusts more quickly toward your team's actual skill when you regularly play with the same teammates. Team rating gains and losses are no longer split evenly: each player's adjustment is weighted by their rating relative to their teammates. Seasonal rank and points are unaffected.
Balance — all civilizations
- −Construction time: 150 → 165 s.
- +Health: 370 → 410.
- ✓Villagers returning to work from a Town Center now accept shift-queued orders.
- ✓A Relic deposited into a building just as it is destroyed is no longer lost.
- ✓Switching to attack a unit right after throwing a torch no longer throws a torch at that unit.
- ✓Scouts no longer sometimes fail to drop a carcass.
Maps
- •Mods can now use dedicated terrain types for Ancient Stele and Herbalist Hut points of interest in custom procedural maps.
Carmel- •Deer in team games now appear in more neutral areas.
- •Cliffs and mountains are less dense, preventing large impassable barriers around the center on larger maps.
- •Team-game starting positions are closer to the map center and evenly spaced.
- •On larger maps, Sacred Sites now appear between the teams rather than sometimes behind a team.
Craters- •The Meteorite now holds 2000 Gold and Stone resources, down from 4000.
- •The updated sheep distribution places most sheep near player bases.
Danube River- •Starting positions are now mirrored and symmetrical in 1v1 and team games.
- •An Ancient Stele has been added near the cliff top beside the Sacred Site.
- •Larger maps now have an extra river crossing toward the center.
- •Trade Posts are now slightly farther from the map corners.
- •The updated sheep distribution places most sheep near player bases.
- ✓The central ramp between the cliffs no longer frequently turns into an impassable cliff.
- ✓Stealth forests now generate correctly near the map center along one riverbank.
High View- ✓Players in team games no longer occasionally start on the opposing team’s side.
- ✓The fifth Relic now reliably appears in 1v1 games.
Oasis- •Two stealth-forest paths now reach the central lake from opposite sides of the forest ring, each ending at a Sacred Site.
- •The central lake now contains 1 deep-sea fish deposit, or 2 in larger team games.
- •In solo and team games, players now start at equal distances from the central entrances and neutral resources.
- •Team-game starting positions are closer to the map center and evenly spaced from other players.
Prairie- •The starting Gold Mine has been reverted from small to large.
Snake River- ✓Free-for-all games now correctly generate every bridge.
Socotra- ✓Free-for-all games now correctly generate the fixed-position Sacred Sites and Relics.
- •With higher player counts, Sacred Sites are now spaced slightly farther apart.
Mountain Clearing- •With higher player counts, Sacred Sites are now spaced slightly farther apart.
Sunkenlands- ✓Larger maps no longer incorrectly generate a group of 7 deer.
West Lake- ✓Large portions of the lake no longer incorrectly generate as deep water.
- •Biomes: Baobab trees worth 250 Wood no longer appear around player bases.
- •Biomes: Madagascar can now appear in ranked matches.
- •Biomes: Tropical Swamp is no longer available in ranked matches.
- ✓Biomes: large circular stealth-terrain areas now generate correctly.
- ✓Biomes: groups of 10 deer now generate correctly in Black Sands, Greek Island and Tundra Summer.
Abbasid Dynasty
- ✓The amount of extra resources Trade Ships receive is now calculated correctly.
- +The health bonus now also applies to Lumber Camps and Mining Camps within influence.
Byzantines
- −Villager gather-rate aura at water level 5: 26% → 24%.
- −Cost: 100 Food 250 Gold → 150 Food 350 Gold.
- −Production speed reduced by 10%.
- +Pilgrim Flask cooldown per unit: 45 → 30 s.
- +Health: 310 → 330.
- ✓Now correctly labelled as a Massive Ship instead of a Springald Ship.
- ✓Mercenary Royal Knights keep Royal Bloodlines after Biology.
- ✓Elite Varangian Guard now switches to the axe when Berserking.
Chinese
- −Can no longer supervise points of interest.
English
- ✓Shows the correct population on the score screen.
Golden Horde
- −Khan and Torguud discount 20% → 15%, bonus health +30 → +25.
- −Wood generation lost per Heavy Infantry or Heavy Cavalry on the field: 2 → 3.
- ✓Now applies to Military Buildings built from Building Carts.
- ✓Cancelling a Building Cart while it unpacks no longer leaves an invisible building.
Holy Roman Empire
- +Inspiration gather-rate bonus for Villagers: 35% → 40%.
- +Effect duration: 60 → 90 s.
- +Limit per active Keep: 5 → 6.
- +Production time: 35 → 30 s.
- +Cost: 60 Food 100 Gold → 50 Food 100 Gold.
- ✓Relics in a Dock are no longer lost when the Dock is destroyed.
Japanese
- −Can no longer sabotage Golden Tents or Templar capital Town Centers.
- ✓Rocket emplacements now deal their bonus damage to elephants.
Jin Dynasty
- +Early: Damage 16 → 17, health 200 → 210.
- +Veteran: Damage 20 → 21, health 250 → 255.
- +Elite: Damage 23 → 24, health 290 → 295.
- +Far-range area damage 15% → 20%; damage lands after 0.5 s instead of 0.75 s.
- +Early: Damage 8 → 10, bonus vs melee infantry 4 → 6, health 85 → 90.
- +Veteran: Damage 10 → 11, bonus vs melee infantry 4 → 6, melee armor 0 → 1.
- +Elite: Damage 13 → 14, bonus vs melee infantry 5 → 7, health 110 → 115, melee armor 0 → 2.
- ✓Now increase the Mounted Villager's Gold gather rate.
- ✓Meng'an Mouke defenders now spawn from coastal Tributary States.
- •The background artwork on the civilization selection card has been updated.
Knights Templar
- −Cost: 300 Gold 600 Stone → 350 Gold 650 Stone.
- −Bonus worker movement speed 10% → 8%, bonus worker health 30% → 25%.
- −Landscape Preservation: Castle and Imperial Age wood gather bonus +20% → +15%.
- ✓Now takes damage as a heavy unit.
Macedonian Dynasty
- +Food gather-rate bonus 30% → 35%; Silver per garrisoned Relic 80 → 100.
- −Champion Horseman spawn time 120 → 130 s, Champion Riddari 195 → 205 s.
- −Crossbowman production time 112 → 135 s.
- +Cistern's Favor charges every 60 s instead of 90 and holds up to 99 charges instead of 9; Mills now generate Food with it.
- •Cistern's Favor has a remappable hotkey, and its income now shows in the resource rate.
- +Health: 310 → 330.
- −Early: Health: 120 → 115.
- −Cataphract batch production time 20 → 25 s, cost 750 → 780 Silver.
- −No longer gives Macedonian Springalds +0.5 range.
- ✓Now correctly labelled as a Massive Ship instead of a Springald Ship.
- ✓Champion Riddari can now use Runestones.
- ✓On console with keyboard and mouse: no more endless Hippodrome Champions, and Runestones no longer overwrite Line Formation.
Malians
- −Food per cattle: 18 → 16 per minute.
Mongols
- +Packed landmark movement speed: 0.75 → 0.9.
Order of the Dragon
- +Cost: 120 Food 200 Gold → 100 Food 200 Gold.
- ✓With Incendiary Arrows it no longer attacks buildings slower than its default attack.
- ✓No longer grants population.
Ottomans
- −Military Inducement: military and technology buildings discount 40% → 30%.
- −Bonus damage vs cavalry 11 → 10 (Elite 13 → 12).
- −Attack range 0.75 → 0.6 tiles.
- +Gold per garrisoned Trader: 26 → 28 per minute.
- −Healing per second: Dark Age 1 → 0.5, Feudal Age 1 → 0.8; Castle (2) and Imperial (3) unchanged.
Rus
- •Veteran and Elite Spearmen now carry a different weapon to make them easier to recognize as Spearmen.
Sengoku Daimyo
- +Food needed to send a Food Trader: 250 → 215.
- +Early: Health 130 → 140, damage 22 → 24, bonus vs buildings 70 → 80.
- ✓Its description now says it applies only to ranged siege units.
- ✓Rocket emplacements now deal their bonus damage to elephants.
Tughlaq Dynasty
- •Much quieter while moving.
Zhu Xi's Legacy
- −Resources spent for the first free army 2,200 → 2,400; cap 8,200 → 8,400.
- ✓Now actually raises the Imperial Official limit.
- −Can no longer supervise points of interest.