Info about Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - Dawn of the Dukes:

Official game description:
"Welcome to Dawn of the Dukes, the second new official expansion to Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition. Challenge friends with two additional civilizations as well as new units and technologies. Battle your way across Central and Eastern Europe with three new campaigns, overwhelming your opponents with sheer military might and economic productivity or with highly disciplined and technologically innovative armies!  
2 New Civilizations  
Bohemians – Traverse Central Europe’s tall mountains and verdant forests as you arm hardy warriors with advanced weapons and lead them to victory against insurmountable odds. The Bohemian unique units are the Hussite Wagon, a deadly forerunner of the modern tank, and the Houfnice, a powerful upgrade to the Bombard Cannon.  
Poles – Stride across fertile plains with industrious farmers and powerful nobles at your back as you build the fledgling Kingdom of Poland into one of medieval Europe’s most powerful states. The Polish unique unit is the Obuch, a brutal infantryman whose war hammer tears the armor from enemy units.  
3 New, Fully Voiced Campaigns  
Algirdas and Kestutis – Faced with an impending invasion by the greedy Teutonic Knights, the small principality of Lithuania is on the brink of catastrophe. Divided and without wise leadership, the last pagans of Europe appear doomed, but Prince Algirdas and his loyal brother, Kestutis, refuse to bow to the marauders. Can they repel the crusaders and then contend with the grandsons of Genghis Khan — the fearsome horselords of the Golden Horde? In this campaign, you will play as the Lithuanians.  
Jadwiga – Sent away from her mother and forcibly parted from the young man whom she loved, Jadwiga ascended to the Polish throne as a mere child. In a time of unending war, she must forge a future for her kingdom while contending with the wills of formidable leaders like Jogaila and Vytautas the Great. Can the beloved Star of the Poles bring about her vision of a powerful, united Poland-Lithuania, or will the incessant maelstrom of war plunge both realms into ruin once more? In this campaign, you will play as the Poles.  
Jan Zizka – One-eyed Jan Zizka spent his youth as a mercenary fighting for honor and coin, but his destiny changed forever when he heard the preachings of the reformer Jan Hus in Prague. As a champion of the Hussite cause and the leader of its invincible armies, Zizka shattered existing notions of warfare with technological and tactical innovations. Cement the legacy of one of history’s greatest generals by galvanizing mere peasants into highly disciplined units and leading them to triumph over the Holy Roman Emperor’s knightly armies. In this campaign, you will play as the Bohemians."

Release date: Aug 10, 2021

Categories: Real-time Strategy, Historical Strategy, Empire Building, Resource Management, Unit Management, Siege Warfare, Single-player Story

Feature scans:
- MTX: score 15; verdict: Fair DLC Pricing; summary: User reviews for this Age of Empires II DLC focus entirely on upfront purchase price and value perception, not on in-game microtransactions or predatory monetization. Complaints include high price relative to content and frustration over previous DLCs becoming free. However, many users find the current DLC fairly priced and enjoy the new content. The game itself does not have a real-money shop, gacha, or pay-to-win mechanics.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $19.99 - $39.99
  - Reasoning: The evidence does not directly address a fair price for the base game. However, the base game is praised as a 'steal' at its current price ($34.99), suggesting the community finds it highly valuable. The DLC pricing (~$11) is considered slightly high but still worthwhile, implying the base game, which includes more content, should be priced higher. No complaints about the base game price are present, so a reasonable range would center around the current price, allowing some discount or premium. Given the indirect nature of the evidence, the range is estimated conservatively.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: N/A
  - Story completion: 15.0h
  - Session length: 2.0h
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The review mentioning 16.5 hours and the recommendation of at least 15 hours of relaxed play both refer to single-player campaign time, indicating typical story/campaign completion. The 20-hour playtime also supports extended campaign play. The 2-hour straight play session provides a clear session length. No reliable evidence for game completion (including multiplayer) or endgame time was found, so those are set to null.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: This DLC provides immediate fun through its inventive campaigns and viable new civilizations, with no significant early-game friction reported for this specific content.
  - Stance: Fun immediately
  - Anchor: Starting a campaign or using a new civilization
  - Time to anchor: N/A
  - Friction: N/A
  - Unlock drivers: campaigns with inventive progression; new civilizations with unique bonuses
  - Conditions: preference for historical campaigns; interest in playing the new civs; enjoying co-op gameplay (optional); tolerance for multiplayer balance (new civs may be overpowered)
- Player Archetypes:
  - Campaign Story Seeker (buy)
    - Motivation: Immersive historical campaigns and story-driven missions.
    - Playstyle: Plays single-player campaigns at moderate to relaxed difficulty, enjoys narrative and mission variety.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: single-player enthusiast; campaign lover; history buff
    - Reference games: Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition
  - Multiplayer Strategist (sale)
    - Motivation: Competitive viability and strategic depth of new civilizations.
    - Playstyle: Analyzes and tests new civs in ranked matches, adapts to meta and exploits synergies.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: ranked player; competitive strategist; PVP enthusiast
    - Reference games: Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition; Age of Empires II: HD Edition
  - Hardcore Veteran (buy)
    - Motivation: New challenging content and supporting the franchise.
    - Playstyle: Plays on hardest difficulty, masters all civs, engages with long-term game depth.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: veteran player; franchise supporter; hardcore gamer
    - Reference games: Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Best campaigns in franchise (weight 0.95): Many reviewers consider these three campaigns to be the best in Age of Empires 2 history, citing excellent storytelling, level design, and overall fun factor.
- Interconnected three-campaign story (weight 0.49): The DLC features three campaigns that are narratively interconnected, forming one overarching storyline that reviewers found compelling and well-executed.
- Unique and fun civilizations (weight 0.48): The two new civilizations, Bohemians and Poles, are described as unique, fun to play, and well-integrated with interesting units and technologies.
- Jadwiga campaign praised (weight 0.24): The Jadwiga campaign is lauded for its immersive story, excellent voice acting, and art, with special mention of Jogaila's appearance.
- Jan Zizka campaign standout (weight 0.14): The Jan Zizka campaign is frequently highlighted as one of the best, with thrilling missions and a compelling narrative.
- Challenging and epic campaigns (weight 0.14): The campaigns are described as hardcore, epic, and among the most challenging in AoE2 history, offering satisfying difficulty.
- No gimmicky mechanics (weight 0.1): Reviewers appreciate that this DLC avoids the annoying or weird gimmicks found in previous expansions, focusing on solid gameplay.

Common complaints:
- Lithuania campaign crash bug (weight 0.26): Several players report a crash in the Lithuanian campaign level 5 when Jogaila enters a village or town. This bug has been mentioned across multiple clusters and appears consistent.
- Polish civilization disappointing (weight 0.23): Feedback indicates the Polish civilization feels meh, lacking expected units like Paladins or strong Winged Hussars. Some see it as unbalanced, either overpowered in multiplayer or too dependent on wood economy.
- Poor localization quality (weight 0.23): Several players criticize the localization as half-hearted, machine-translated, or containing translation errors. Voice acting and worker voice lines are also seen as poor or laughable.
- Bohemian civilization issues (weight 0.17): Players find the Bohemian civilization generic, slow, or weak. Monk bonuses are not significant, unique units like war wagons break immersion or look weird, and the civilization is considered not competitive.
- Campaign text errors (weight 0.17): Multiple reports of wrong story text being displayed, text from Polish campaign appearing in Bohemian campaign, and narration mismatches. These localization issues reduce immersion.
- Missing historical content (weight 0.16): Players note the lack of hussars, Winged Hussars not being unique, and historical inaccuracies in campaigns. Some feel the DLC missed opportunities to include more relevant units or cultures.
- Campaign design issues (weight 0.15): Some campaigns feel heavy on scripted events and timers, making players feel boxed in. Others find campaigns too easy or rushed, lacking historical depth.
- Historical revisionism complaint (weight 0.15): A few players criticize the DLC for unhistorical revisionism, excessive Teutonic Order vilification, modern names for historical locations, and a perceived double standard against Catholicism.
- Too few civilizations (weight 0.14): Players complain that the DLC adds only 2 new civilizations compared to 4 in earlier HD expansions, making it seem less valuable. The limited variety is also noted.
- Many bugs persist (weight 0.14): General frustration with bugs remaining in the game, from crashes to mission-stopping errors, is expressed. Some call the bug count as high as ever.
- Game fails to start after DLC (weight 0.14): Some players report that the game won't start after the DLC update, hitting a black screen and crashing without an error message. Uninstalling the DLC does not help.
- Jogaila village crash not fully fixed (weight 0.13): The same crash bug appears in older campaigns and may still not be resolved. Players worry the bug is old but unfixed, affecting campaign progress.
- Too few game modes or features (weight 0.12): Players express disappointment at no new game mode, missing co-op for campaigns, and removal of mega-random from singleplayer and multiplayer. This reduces replayability.
- Bugs with buildings/units (weight 0.09): Players report bugs like city gates losing HP when units pass through, and buildings blocking unit movement even for cavalry. These gameplay bugs affect unit control.
- Hero upgrade system disliked (weight 0.08): Some players feel the hero upgrade system ruins the game experience, requiring controlling the hero to level up with a high risk of death, which is frustrating.
- Developer attitude criticized (weight 0.08): A small number of players express dissatisfaction with the developer's attitude, calling it perfunctory or unresponsive. This complaint is less frequent but notable.
- MODs broken after patch (weight 0.06): Custom MODs become completely non-functional after the update, causing the game to crash before the title screen. This disrupts player modding experience.
- Achievements bug (weight 0.05): An acknowledged bug prevents unlocking achievements, which frustrates completionist players awaiting a fix.
- Excessive slavophile nationalism (weight 0.04): One player finds the excessive slavophile nationalist praise annoying, which may irritate some but is not a widespread concern.

Gameplay feedback:
- Interconnected three-campaign narrative (weight 0.42): Three campaigns share a connected storyline covering Poland, Lithuania, and Bohemia, best played in chronological order for full narrative effect.
- Poland is a cavalry civilization with economic bonuses (weight 0.34): Poland focuses on cavalry, with the Folwark mill providing faster food gathering, gold from stone mining, and villager HP regeneration, plus a cheaper knight upgrade.
- Bohemia is a gunpowder and monk civilization (weight 0.31): Bohemia specializes in gunpowder units and monks, with unique techs like Hussite Reforms and Wagon Fort Tactics, plus bonuses to monastery and blacksmith building costs.
- Two new civilizations added (weight 0.3): The DLC introduces Poland and Bohemia as playable civilizations, each with unique units, technologies, and buildings such as the Folwark mill and Hussite Wagon.
- New economy mechanics and units (weight 0.24): New economy mechanics include the Folwark building for faster food, and new units like the Obuch, Winged Hussar, and Hussite War Wagon.
- Civilizations have unique buildings (weight 0.24): Poland has the Folwark mill and Bohemia has unique buildings like blacksmith and monastery cost reductions, adding strategic identity.
- Unique units for each civilization (weight 0.22): New unique units include the Obuch antishock infantry, Winged Hussar, Hussite Wagon, War Wagon, Howitzer, and War Hammer, which add distinct playstyles.
- Campaigns feature large-scale battles (weight 0.22): Missions include large battles, Hussite wagon defense, Winged Hussar charges, and scripted events with timers, offering varied and inventive gameplay.
- Hero upgrade and RPG elements (weight 0.21): Hero units can level up from battle experience and there are RPG elements such as optional secondary objectives and player impact on scenario outcomes.
- Faithful to classic Age of Empires 2 formula (weight 0.21): The DLC is purely an Age of Empires 2 expansion that follows the classic formula with base-building, enemy destruction, and a story-driven map approach.
- Single-player only content (weight 0.2): The DLC is purely single-player, featuring three campaigns with 5-6 missions each, totaling 16 new achievements to unlock.
- Unique economic and military technologies (weight 0.18): The civilizations feature unique techs like Szlachta Privileges (cheaper knights) and Lechitic Legacy (cavalry splash), plus new mechanics like stone-to-gold conversion.
- Campaigns feature clear story structure (weight 0.14): Missions have well-organized triggers and a clear story structure covering the formation of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the struggle against the Teutonic Order.
- Bohemian campaign focuses on Hussite wagon defense (weight 0.1): The Bohemian campaign centers on protecting infantry with Hussite wagons, emphasizing defensive tactics and siege warfare.
- Lithuanian campaign involves controlling two camps (weight 0.09): The Lithuanian campaign missions require managing two camps, with aesthetic elements referencing the Iron Wolf legend and Columns of Gediminas.
- Balance changes and team bonuses (weight 0.09): Balance changes exist such as Arabia resources being farther apart, and team bonuses like scout cavalry dealing +1 damage to archers.
- Day/night cycle in campaigns (weight 0.06): Some campaign missions introduce a day and night cycle mechanic, adding strategic depth and visual variety.
- Polish campaign includes alliances and choices (weight 0.06): The Polish campaign involves forming alliances and making decisions that affect the scenario outcome, adding replayability and strategic depth.
- Wordless storytelling used (weight 0.05): Some narrative is conveyed without words, relying on visual storytelling and environmental cues.
- Korean localization and dubbing included (weight 0.04): The DLC has been fully localized into Korean with voice acting, suggesting attention to regional audiences.

Performance notes:
- Game crashes persistently (weight 0.16): The game crashes on startup, possibly with a black screen, after a recent update. This is a critical stability issue that blocks players from launching the game.

Recommendations:
- Overwhelmingly positive recommendation (weight 0.47): Multiple clusters strongly urge players to buy the game, using phrases like 'too good to be ignored', 'highly recommend', and 'definitely recommend'. This represents a broad consensus that the game is worth purchasing.
- Recommended for campaign lovers (weight 0.28): The DLC and game are especially recommended for players who enjoy single-player campaigns, with clusters highlighting the quality and depth of campaign content.
- Wait for sale recommended (weight 0.24): Some clusters advise waiting for a sale, citing high price for the amount of content or suggesting that it is better to purchase at a discount if budget is a concern.
- Fans should buy without hesitation (weight 0.15): Devoted fans of the Age of Empires series are urged to buy immediately, with no reservations about the purchase.
- Great for Age of Empires 2 fans (weight 0.14): The DLC is recommended for fans of Age of Empires 2 specifically, with many reviews highlighting its value for players who already enjoy the franchise.
- Poland civilization highlights (weight 0.14): The Polish civilization is cited as a major selling point, with some reviewers stating it is 'worth buying for the Polish civilization alone' and recommending it for PvP players due to its strength.
- Best DLC campaigns available (weight 0.13): Some clusters claim this DLC offers the best campaigns in Age of Empires 2, making it a must-play for campaign enthusiasts.
- Play chronological order (weight 0.09): Several reviewers suggest playing all three campaigns in chronological order to get the best experience, indicating a well-structured narrative.
- Recommended for history enthusiasts (weight 0.09): The DLC is noted as appealing to history lovers and those interested in Eastern medieval history, adding an educational aspect to the gameplay.
- Good for single-player campaign fans (weight 0.09): With 15+ hours of relaxed play for a reasonable price, the DLC is particularly recommended for solo campaign fans.
- Not for new players (weight 0.05): One cluster explicitly states that the DLC is not recommended for new players, suggesting it is best suited for those familiar with the game.
- PvP players benefit from Poland (weight 0.05): For competitive PvP players, the Polish civilization's strength is a highlight, though campaign enthusiasts may find it lacking in challenge.
- Poor translation quality issue (weight 0.05): A single review criticizes poor translation quality, which negatively impacts the experience for some players.

Other player notes:
- Chinese sub-civilizations request (weight 0.06): Players suggest adding Chinese sub-civilizations such as Jurchen, Khitan, and Tangut, along with campaign ideas for these factions. This feedback focuses on enriching historical depth and gameplay variety for the Chinese faction.
- Negative pre-order advice (weight 0.04): A player advises against pre-ordering Age of Empires 4, claiming the game will be poor quality and recommending saving money. This feedback is a dismissive opinion with no constructive gameplay insight.

Emotions:
- Excitement (weight 0.18): Players are thrilled by the new campaign missions, such as Hussite wagon defense and Winged Hussar charges, alongside large-scale battles and unique units. The inclusion of Poland after 20 years, interconnected historical stories, and high-quality DLC content enhances the excitement. Many find the campaigns to be the best in Age of Empires 2 history, with innovative mechanics and engaging challenges.
- Frustration (weight 0.14): Players express frustration due to persistent crash bugs, high DLC prices without discounts, and scripted events that limit freedom. Issues like poor localization, historical inaccuracies, and broken mods also contribute. The slow-moving Hussite wagons and various campaign bugs further detract from the experience.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.14): Players feel satisfied with the well-made campaigns, unique civilizations, and square farms feature. The hard difficulty is balanced, and the DLC offers good value with 20+ hours of gameplay. The interconnected stories and historically accurate representation, especially of Poland, leave many players pleased.
- Disappointment (weight 0.09): Disappointment stems from unmet expectations, such as the Polish civilization lacking Paladins and the Winged Hussar being weak. Bugs, missing co-op for the Jadwiga campaign, and weaker civilizations like Bohemia also disappoint. Some feel the DLC could have been better, with lazy civ designs and fewer civilizations than expected.
- Admiration (weight 0.06): Admiration is expressed for the best writing and level design among DLC campaigns, with the Polish campaign considered the best content ever for Age of Empires 2. Players appreciate the high-quality storytelling, unit design, and medieval atmosphere, as well as the developer's effort in iterative updates over 24 years.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.06): Players enjoy the interconnected campaigns with compelling stories and engaging characters. Cutting through enemies with upgraded Leitis adds to the fun, and history enthusiasts appreciate the Jan Zizka campaign. The new factions and campaigns provide a fresh experience, reliving early 2000s gaming.
- Appreciation (weight 0.04): Appreciation is shown for the story-driven approach and interconnected campaigns, particularly the Jan Zizka campaign. The DLC provides understanding of Eastern European history, with heroic characters and higher production levels. The narrative is considered one of the best in Age of Empires campaigns.
- Amusement (weight 0.04): Amusement comes from a surprise character appearance from another game, a historical parody of depressed people fighting, and funny phrases like 'sprawiaczka'. Players also enjoy the suggestion to replace voice lines with humorous alternatives.
- Pride (weight 0.03): Players feel pride seeing Jadwiga's victory for the union and Lithuanian history portrayed in a big way. The iconic Polish history is shown beautifully to the wider community, evoking a sense of national pride.
- Joy (weight 0.02): Joy is derived from immersive campaigns that are favorites among players, with interconnected stories and fun content. Excellent Chinese voice acting enhances the DLC experience, adding to the overall joy.
- Anger (weight 0.02): Anger is sparked by purchasing the DLC at full price only for it to become free, removal of mega-random mode, game crashes with no fix, and poor Chinese localization that feels disrespectful. These issues lead to contempt from players.
- Gratitude (weight 0.02): Gratitude is expressed for receiving the DLC for free, the continued support and release of new content, and keeping the community alive. Players appreciate the developers' efforts.
- Praise (weight 0.02): Praise is given for the best DLC with coherent campaigns, especially the peak Polish campaign. It is considered by far the highest quality DLC Age of Empires 2 has produced.
- Hope (weight 0.02): Players hope for future DLCs to include more historical figures like Münzer and more interesting civilizations such as Georgians and Tibetans. They wish for continued expansion.
- Love (weight 0.02): Love is felt for the campaign pack with great story and content, as well as the representation of Lithuania in the DLC. Players appreciate the inclusion.
- Sadness (weight 0.01): Sadness arises from Hedwig's story, which is considered very sad by players. The emotional narrative evokes this feeling.
- Dissatisfaction (weight 0.01): Dissatisfaction stems from DLCs being released too frequently and scattered, which players find overwhelming or less cohesive.
- Annoyance (weight 0.01): Annoyance is directed at the price of 1000 TL, which is deemed ridiculous by players, causing frustration over cost.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.01): Enthusiasm is driven by inventive and challenging campaigns that are the best in the franchise and highly engaging. Players are eager to play.
- Desire (weight 0.01): Players desire the inclusion of Lithuanians and Baltic cultures, and wish for longer campaigns. They want more content in these areas.}