Age of Empires IV: The Sultans Ascend

Overview

The Sultans Ascend expands the world of Age of Empires IV with new content centered around major medieval powers and historical conflicts. It offers players more ways to experience large-scale strategy battles through additional civilizations, unique faction variations, and a campaign inspired by real historical events. The expansion is designed to deepen the tactical options available in every match.

New Civilizations

The expansion introduces two full civilizations, each with its own identity, military style, and gameplay systems.

• Japanese – Focused on disciplined armies, strong defense, and efficient development inspired by feudal Japan.
• Byzantines – Built around resilience, adaptability, advanced technologies, and powerful economic growth.

Variant Civilizations

One of the major additions is the variant civilization system. These are alternative versions of existing factions that offer different bonuses, units, and mechanics while still reflecting the original civilization’s identity.

• Order of the Dragon – A powerful armored variant of the Holy Roman Empire.
• Jeanne d’Arc – A hero-focused variant of the French civilization.
• Ayyubids – A variant connected to the Abbasid Dynasty with its own distinct style.
• Zhu Xi’s Legacy – A new interpretation of the Chinese civilization with different strengths and strategies.

Campaign

The expansion includes a major single-player campaign called Rise of the Sultans. This story-driven campaign follows important historical struggles during the Crusades and focuses on the rise of the Ayyubid dynasty and the leadership of Saladin. Like the base game, it uses documentary-style storytelling to blend historical context with gameplay missions.

Gameplay

The core gameplay remains centered on building settlements, collecting resources, advancing through ages, and commanding armies in real-time battles. The expansion adds new units, technologies, and civilization mechanics that create more tactical choices and encourage different playstyles in combat, economy, and defense.

Maps and Environments

The Sultans Ascend adds new maps for skirmish and multiplayer, bringing more varied battlefields and terrain layouts. These environments are inspired by medieval regions such as deserts, coastal zones, mountains, and Mediterranean landscapes, giving players fresh tactical challenges and visual variety.

Visual Design

The expansion keeps the visual style of Age of Empires IV with detailed medieval architecture, culturally distinct building sets, and historically inspired unit designs. Battles feel cinematic, and the new environments help the expansion stand out while still fitting naturally within the base game.

Key Features

• Two new civilizations: Japanese and Byzantines
• Four variant civilizations with unique mechanics
• The historical Rise of the Sultans campaign
• Additional maps for skirmish and multiplayer
• New units, technologies, and strategic options
• Expanded single-player and multiplayer content

Conclusion

Age of Empires IV: The Sultans Ascend is a large and content-rich expansion that adds more depth, more variety, and more historical flavor to the base game. With its new civilizations, variant factions, campaign missions, and tactical options, it gives strategy fans more ways to build empires and experience epic medieval warfare.