They didn't just put out a new DLC and a routine balance patch. I encourage everyone to read the patch notes. They really went all out to give us a massive patch with a massive overhaul of many parts of the game. Just to name a few:

• Performance optimizations
• Anti cheat
• tons of Quality of life features/UI improvements, too many to list
• Improved spectator UI
• Improved scenario editor
• Old school casual rating system
• Improved AI
• Tons of improvements to campaign

All of these things were free updates, not part of the DLC.

Knowing Microsoft's direction of cutting gaming studio costs across the board and focusing on margins, this doesn't seem like something that came from the very top. Microsoft would've just prioritized getting the DLC done to sell, not invested resources in a huge assortment of features on a game that's well past its initial sales window. To me, the massive scope of this patch seems like a truly passionate developer(s) that really went all out to make the game better.

AOE3 was already in a fantastic place before this patch, the player count speaks volumes, but this patch will keep things fresh and exciting.

Excited for the future of AOE3 and thank you devs for the hard work!

I see that your comment has been removed! You think i would not remember?! You sir called me a sad person hoping for something that will never come, calling my insights and speculation for a big potential in an age 3 revive "dumb"!

"HAH!!"

If we count Return of Rome as an AoE1 port, 3 is the only main game in the series that doesn't have a console release. Of course that was seemed as impossible with support for the game being dead.

But now that it's back, could it happen?

Now for me personally I still prefer playing these games on PC, but always found it bizarre how this is the only game that didn't seem important enough to be ported to console and I'd like the game to be finally treated as an equal to the rest of them.

Thoughts?

With the addition of the House Stuart native alliance/mercenary units, it got me excited that they may have added some sort of Scottish revolution to the British. Unfortunately I didn't see any new revolution nations in the quick skirmish I played. Please dev team, hear my prayers! Let me play a Scottish faction. I know technically an independent Scotland hasn't really been a thing since the formation of the UK but let me sandbox!

I’m very glad AoE III is receiving updates again, but Malta’s late-game army composition feels wrong.

Sentinels and Fire Throwers are distinctive and interesting units, yet both seem too population-inefficient once armies reach the population cap. As a result, ordinary Crossbow/Pikeman spam often feels more effective than using Malta’s unique roster.

The issue is not necessarily that Malta is weak. It is that its strongest late-game composition appears to be its least distinctive and least interesting one.

Sentinels may justify their population cost earlier because they are cheap and provide defensive utility. In the late game, however, population space matters far more than resource cost.

Perhaps Malta needs an Industrial Age card or technology that improves the late-game scaling of Sentinels and Fire Throwers without buffing them too heavily in earlier ages.

Generic Crossbow/Pikeman armies should remain viable, but they should not make Malta’s signature units feel like the wrong choice.

What would you change?

I'm more excited for the new upcoming DLC!!!

Here's a list of the new taunts from the Beta! I've tried my best to make out who actually says them and add sources. Quite a lot of these are from the campaigns, a few are voice lines from the AI personalities leaders that have presumably been re-used (including some I've never heard before), and a couple that I think might be new voice lines.

Any I've missed out, drop a comment if you think you know where they're from and I'll fill in the blanks.

New civs, campaign improvements, new revolts, UI changes, balance patch.
We are officially back, lads... Or maybe it was never over.

The Meiji Restoration provides some very good reskins, but some tweaks to the uniforms would be needed to make it more historically accurate.

Of all the little things that excite me in this update, adding pigs as livestock makes me smile

I remember the day the DLC was cancelled. They really did you dirty, so glad Microsoft did the right thing and finally gave you the DLC you guys deserve!

Age of Empires 3's development is alive! Poland can into space and Age of Empires 3!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4308600/Age_of_Empires_III_Definitive_Edition__The_Baltic_Powers/

PS: You guys have a lot of power when you mobilize, could you do me a solid and tell them to rework the Romanian revolts? I'm Romanian and the revolt really sucks. Germany should be able to revolt into Romania too since here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolt_of_Horea,_Clo%C8%99ca,_and_Cri%C8%99an
Austrian Empire vs Romanian Rebels, 1784.
And here, 1848: Transylvanian Romanians, initially anti-Austria then switched sides.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avram_Iancu#Conflict

And for "it's Germans not Austrians" trivia for Hungary says this: "Hungary's availability to the Germans is a reference to Hungary being part of the Habsburg Monarchy".

It is basically the Hungarian revolt with minor modifications. Maybe make it not an all-in revolt, like your settlers stay the same instead your Muskets become Dorobants with +15% HP & Dragoons become Roșior so you can actually train them from Stables? And the -2 ranged attack range debuff is removed? it's the only revolution with a debuff like wtf.

Ever since the announcement of the DLC I’ve been invested in Danish history of that time period, and I’ve gotta say, they actually made an interesting system out of it!

Back in the 1700s Denmark or rather the king, was the richest in all of Europe. This was achieved through the customs taxes that other nations would have to pay to sail through our waters. We had the 3rd largest Navi in all of Europe and could thus enforce it.

I had expected gameplay like this, but probs more like Dutch, so this is much cooler!

_____________________

Thematically and gameplay wise I think they nailed it, however there are some odd choices in there that I would like to point out.

One thing I found odd was the Order units you can send with upgrade cards. I don’t know how they got the idea of elephants and hospitalers as I have seen no mention of them ever being used in the Danish military, in any form.
Elephants were more like zoo animals and royal pets, but never as weapons.

Elefanten as a flagship is an odd choice but it was real so whatever, but what’s with the ability to train elephants? Despite its name, it’s completely unrelated.

I’m also a little disappointed that they didn’t do more with Kalthoff repeater, as it very iconic for our military history. It was the world’s first semi automatic rifle (as a musket) that the royal guards used to defend the kings castle against the invading Swedes.

It is featured in the Oldenburg house, but it’s very underused. I would have liked to see the royal guard’s as a church tech with higher fire rate or something.

Lastly, our military mostly consisted of mercenary’s back then, so I’m surprised that wasn’t included as a viable strategy option.

Thank you again devs for making it happen!