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Hello, adventurers! We know you’ve been waiting for all the news – and here it is. We’re excited to introduce Knights of the Mediterranean – the latest DLC for Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition! It is available for pre-order now on the Microsoft Store and Steam and will release on May 26!
Get ready to control the Mediterranean with two exciting civilizations: the Italians and the Maltese, plus enjoy a whole slew of new maps, and some engaging game modes! Are you ready to jump in? Take a look at these incoming features:
- 2 new Civilizations
- 30 new Random Maps
- 9 new Minor Civilizations
- 8 Historical Maps
- Diplomacy Game mode
- Tycoon Game mode
Table of Contents:
Italians
Fabulously wealthy merchant republics, kingdoms, duchies, and even the Papacy had driven the Renaissance and dominated the trade networks of the Mediterranean. However, when the Italian polities were not engaged in conflicts abroad, they fought each other nearly incessantly, until the Risorgimento gave rise to the new Kingdom of Italy.
Unite a wealthy but splintered Italy while new Settlers flock to your booming empire with every technological breakthrough, and Architects construct buildings for free!
Invest at the Lombard to optimize your economy and turn a quick profit, or construct a towering Basilica and send Papal soldiers to strengthen and complement your army!
Use shielded Pavisiers to lure opponents into an ambush of Bersaglieri, or let Elmetti lower their lances and carry the day with a thundering charge!
- Home City: Venice (customizable!)
- Starts with an Explorer and an Architect.
- Receives a free Settler with every technology and economic buildings can research them in any age.
- Can send Basilica units to spawn at any military shipment point.
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Basilica (I, 200w 200c)
- The Basilica ships powerful Papal allies and boosts nearby building construction speed.
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Lombard (I, 100w 100c)
- The Lombard trains Outlaws and Mercenaries, but is also host to a unique investment mechanic, allowing the conversion of resources for free, but over time.
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Architect
- Inspired by the original plans for an Italian civilization, Italians have a unique civilian unit called Architect.
- Can build free, but very slowly.
- Can pay for foundations to build very fast.
- Partly built free foundations can be converted into paid foundation for part of the cost, to finish construction quickly, including with normal Villagers.
- Inspired by the original plans for an Italian civilization, Italians have a unique civilian unit called Architect.
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Pavisier
- Instead of normal Crossbowmen, Italians have access to the unique Pavisier, which can change its armor with different stances.
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Schiavone
- Specialized Light Infantry that only counters other Light Infantry, but does so very effectively.
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Papal Guard
- Papal hand infantry that protects nearby allies by absorbing some of the inflicted damage. Can hook enemies with his halberd to slow them down.
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Papal Lancer
- Papal heavy cavalry that absorbs some of the damage inflicted to nearby allies. Counters ALL Infantry.
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Papal Zouaves
- Papal ranged infantry with high hitpoints that absorbs some of the damage inflicted to nearby allies. Performs well against all units. Countered by Artillery.
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Papal Bombard
- Papal Artillery that absorbs some of the damage inflicted to nearby allies. Good against Infantry.
Home City Cards
The Italians have access to a variety of new cards that will aid you on your path to unity and victory!
- Around 50 unique cards tailored to the Italian civilization.
- “Company” Cards that send complementing combinations of Natives, Mercenaries, or other European allies.
We’ve picked a few noteworthy examples for cards with a variety of unique behaviors.
Italian Unique Cards
TEAM Marco Polo Voyages: Arrives fast! TEAM Explores the black areas of the map and doubles the resource rewards granted by treasures. Any resources already looted are granted to your team again.
Venetian Arsenal: Ships 1 Arsenal Wagon. Docks work much faster when an Arsenal is nearby.
Machiavellianism: Arrives fast! Improves your Italian Explorer in combat, enables him to pick up Treasures nearly instantly and gives him a powerful canine companion.
Merchant Republics: Ships 1 Trading Post Wagon. Grants resources for past and future control of Trading Routes.
• Delivers 1 Trading Post Wagon.
• Trade Routes: 20% of ALL resources you have earned so far are granted to you again.
• Trade Routes: Future income improved by +30%.
Guardia di Finanza: The financial police collects Coin for each enemy unit you have defeated so far.
Company Cards
Broken Lance Company: Ships a number of Papal Lancer and Stradiots.
Maltese Company: Ships a number Fire Throwers, Hospitallers, and Inquisitors.
Black Company: Ships a number of Black Riders and Armored Pistoleers.
And many more…
Maltese
One of the Mediterranean’s epitomes of a melting pot, Malta was strategically and financially important, and thus most of the surrounding powers coveted it, becoming a stronghold of the Knights Hospitaller.
Guard the Mediterranean against incursions with unique fortifications, don shining armor to fend off attacks, and shell opponents from afar with Fixed Guns.
Fire Throwers and greatswords win battles, but the superior logistics of your Commandery win wars. Luckily, you can have both!
Fighting at sea with Order Galleys may wet the gunpowder, but your Arbalesters won’t mind. You can always restock at a Gunpowder Depot, or blow it up when an enemy army marches past!
- Home City: Valletta (customizable!)
- Starts with a Grand Master.
- Maltese units gain additional hitpoints with each shipment and heal overtime when idle.
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Hospital (II, 100W)
- Trains Maltese infantry. Heals idle units.
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Commandery (II, 250W 100C)
- Units that can be garrisoned may be deployed from ANY other Commandery. Trains powerful foreign allies from around Europe who pledge their allegiance to the Knights of St. John.
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Depot (II, 50W 50C)
- Depot filled to the brim with gunpowder. Boosts attack speed of nearby Gunpowder Units, Artillery and Buildings. Will EXPLODE if destroyed, damaging ALL units.
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Fixed Gun (III, 100W 600C)
- Powerful stationary artillery.
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Grand Master
- The hero of your civilization. Explores, fights, builds Fortifications and Trading Posts. Cannot die. If he falls unconscious, he can be rescued.
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Hospitaller
- Hand infantry. Absorbs damage. Faster near Buildings.
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Sentinel
- Defensive Musketeer that may construct Outposts. Stronger near Buildings, especially Fortifications.
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Fire Thrower
- Light Infantry that attacks with incendiary weapons which inflict burning damage. Counters Heavy Infantry and Light Cavalry.
Home City Cards
The Maltese have access to a variety of new cards that will aid you on your path to unity and victory!
- Around 65 unique cards tailored to the Maltese civilization.
- “Tongue” Cards that send units from other European nations in support of your cause.
Maltese Unique Cards
Greek Fire: Enables Docks to construct Fire Ships. Explosive vessels stowed with Greek fire, a secret incendiary mixture which inflicts considerable damage upon contact.
Fire Towers: Researches Frontier Outposts and enables an additional powerful short-ranged fire attack.
Wignacourt Constructions: Settlers gather natural resources significantly faster when nearby a Town Center or Outpost.
TEAM Knights of the Round Table: The Knights of the Round Table ship 1 Hospitaller to each TEAM member for each Town Center they have on the map. Also grants +2% hitpoints to all Units on your team, unlike your other TEAM cards.
Fire Throwers: Equips Fire Throwers with a Flamethrower, a powerful charged attack that inflicts considerable Burning Damage in close-range combat.
Tongue Cards
Italian Tongue: Ships a Commandery Wagon and a number of powerful Order Schiavoni. Enables Commanderies to recruit more.
French Tongue: Ships a Commandery Wagon and a number of powerful Order Cuirassiers. Enables Commanderies to recruit them.
German Tongue: Ships a Commandery Wagon and a number of Settler Wagons. Enables Commanderies to recruit them.
And many more…
Historical Maps
Historical Maps are a new variation of Random Maps. Randomly generated for endless replayability, but with unique objectives for each map, based on some of the most memorable conflicts on the European continent.
- The Italian Wars
- Eighty Years’ War
- The Deluge
- Great Turkish War
- Great Northern War
- Napoleonic Wars
- Russo-Turkish Wars
- The Thirty Years’ War (multiplayer only)
European Royal Houses
With the Introduction of over 30 new European Maps, 9 new Minor Civilizations enter the game, adding an arsenal of unique new units, technologies, and abilities.
Representing larger entities whose influence transcended national borders rather than individual people-groups, European Royal Houses thematically blur the lines between major and minor civilizations in Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition. Like Native American Settlements, Asian Holy Sites, and African Kingdoms, a Trading Post must be built on European Royal Houses’ Palaces to ally with them. Royal Houses provide a unique ability and more units and technologies on average than other minor civilizations, but these are staggered across multiple ages rather than being available in the Exploration Age. These assets are quite impactful and the units often utilize novel mechanics – such as unit promotions, charged actions, (dis)mounting, and damage deflection – but tend to come at a higher cost than their counterparts.
Royal Houses
- House of Bourbon
- House of Wittelsbach
- House of Oldenburg
- House of Hanover
- House of Phanar
- House of Jagiellon
- House of Vasa
- House of Habsburg
- House of Wettin
New Game Modes
Diplomacy
A brand new way to experience Multiplayer with your friends. Allowing players to change their allegiance to other players during the course of the match. Negotiate with your friends over war & peace… and make them pay for it!
This new diplomacy mode is available for all existing random maps! Additionally, one map has been specially crafted around this game mode, the multi-player exclusive diplomacy map “Thirty Years’ War“.
Tycoon
Tycoon is a new Game Mode to accompany Supremacy, Deathmatch and Empire Wars.
Designed to focus on the economy-building of Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition, this new Game Mode provides a setting where players concentrate on creating the strongest economies for their empires, without having to bolster armies or defend against full-scale sieges.
List of Achievements
| Achievement Name | Achievement Condition | Score |
| Tongues of Europe | Send 3 different “Tongue” Home City cards as Malta. | 10 |
| Demolition Derby | Deal 2000 Damage with Depot explosions. | 10 |
| The Great Siege | Deal 10,000 Damage with Fixed Guns. | 15 |
| Heavy Metal Rain | Defeat 30 Units with Fixed Guns. | 5 |
| Knights Hospital | Heal 4000 Health points playing as the Maltese. | 5 |
| Business Trip | Deploy ‘Trip to Jerusalem’ from your Home City shipments as the Maltese. | 5 |
| Maltese Victory | Win a game as the Maltese. | 5 |
| Alone against the World | Win on the Eighty Years’ War Historical Map defending 1v7 against Humans or Hard AI. | 15 |
| Cossack Captain | Win on the Deluge Historical Map against Humans or Hard AI. | 15 |
| Defense of the Headquarters | Destroy the Headquarters in The Eighty Years’ War or Great Turkish War Historical Maps. | 10 |
| Scorched Earth | Raze 20 Village Houses in The Deluge or The Thirty Years’ War Historical Maps. | 5 |
| Uphill Battle | Capture five Strategic Points from an enemy in The Napoleonic Wars Historical Map. | 10 |
| Bring out the Big Guns | Deal 3000 Damage with captured Fixed Guns in the Great Turkish War or Russo-Turkish War maps. | 5 |
| International Supporters | Send 50 Units from the Basilica. | 10 |
| Technological Boom | Research 50 Technologies as the Italians. | 10 |
| Investment Banker | Transform 15,000 Resources using Lombards. | 10 |
| Free Real Estate | Construct 200 Buildings with Architects. | 5 |
| Bersaglieri Battalion | Deal 5000 Damage with Bersaglieri. | 10 |
| Italian Victory | Win a game as the Italians. | 5 |
| La Serenissima | Unlock 5 Italian Home City Customizations. | 5 |
| Economic Super Power | Achieve 1st place for 3 challenges in a Tycoon mode game. | 5 |
| Ok Boomer | Build 3 Town Centers in a Tycoon mode game. | 5 |
| Grand Exchange | Generate 10,000 Tycoon score from exchanging resources for Tycoon Packages. | 5 |
| Imperium | Meet the Economic Victory conditions in a Tycoon mode game and win. | 15 |
| Wealth of Empires | Complete a Tycoon mode game with 10 Different Civilizations. | 10 |
Pre-Order Now!
Ready to explore and battle it out with all the new things? Knights of the Mediterranean is available for pre-order from the Microsoft Store and Steam!