Info about Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - Dynasties of India:

Official game description:
This expansion brings three playable civilizations of India to Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition for the first time, with three fully voiced campaigns and new achievements. The Indian civilizations provide a broad range of added content, including nine new units, 15 exciting new single player missions, new buildings and new achievements.
3 new playable civilizations
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**Bengalis** — Navigate the winding rivers and dense jungles of Bengal as you build a thriving economy to fuel unstoppable armies of elephants. The Bengali unique unit is the Ratha, a sturdy chariot that can switch between melee and ranged attack modes.  
**Dravidians** — Seize control of the lucrative Indian Ocean trade routes and utilize advanced metallurgy as you build one of the wealthiest sea empires of medieval Asia. The Dravidian unique units are the Urumi Swordsman, a warrior wielding a scathing flexible sword, and the Thirisadai, a massive vessel that dominates the high seas.  
**Gurjaras** — Ride swift mounts across the fertile fields and open plains of western India and unleash diverse armies of sturdy warriors upon your enemies. The Gurjara unique units are the Shrivamsha Rider, a speedy cavalry unit that can dodge enemy attacks, and the Chakram Thrower, an infantry unit that unleashes volleys of deadly metal discs.
3 Brand-new Full Campaigns
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**Babur** — Nearly a century after Tamerlane’s death, his descendants are still fighting for supremacy in Transoxiana and Persia. The youngest among them is Zahir ud-Din Muhammad – also known as Babur, ‘the tiger’. He dreams of restoring the crumbled empire, but another wave of invading horsemen from the northern steppes is about to change everything. In this campaign, you will play as the Tatars and Hindustanis.  
**Rajendra** — The dread of inevitable corruption plagues the ambitious Rajendra Chola as he navigates the harsh political climate of south India. Can Rajendra escape moral decay as he expands the empire that he inherited from his father, or is his fear of corruption the true enemy within? In this campaign, you will play as the Dravidians.  
**Devapala** — Guided by the teachings of Mahayana Buddhism, Devapala rules a rich and vibrant empire. However, as dangerous rivals threaten his realm, the ambitious emperor finds it increasingly difficult to balance his policies with his morals. Will the ends ultimately justify the means, or will Devapala’s quest for his own enlightenment and that of his subjects fail? In this campaign, you will play as the Bengalis.

Release date: Apr 28, 2022

Categories: Real-time Strategy, Historical Strategy, Single-player Campaigns, Multiplayer, Resource Management

Feature scans:
- MTX: score 15; verdict: Fair - Standard DLC; summary: The reviews focus on a traditional paid DLC for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition. The majority praise its content and value. A minority claim 'pay to win' due to an overpowered civilization available only through the DLC, but this is a balance issue, not a microtransaction. There is no evidence of in-game purchases, loot boxes, currency obfuscation, or predatory mechanics. The monetization model is a standard one-time expansion.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $20.00 - $34.99
  - Reasoning: The community sentiment is mixed. One review states that the game's price is worth it even without a sale, implying the current $34.99 is fair. However, multiple reviews recommend purchasing only during sales or promotions, indicating that the full price is considered too high by many and that a discounted price (e.g., around $20) is more appropriate. This split suggests a fair price range between a typical sale price and the full price.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 24.0h
  - Story completion: 24.0h
  - Session length: 2.0h
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: Spanish review clearly states each campaign takes about 8 hours, implying three campaigns = ~24 hours for story/campaign completion. Chinese review states '10-hour campaigns' as total, but Spanish evidence is more specific and aligns with 'dozens hours' from another review. For session length, Chinese review explicitly mentions spending 2 hours on first mission, indicating typical single mission session. No reliable evidence for endgame hours; multiplayer replayability mentioned but no hour estimates.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The DLC's time-to-fun profile is split: multiplayer provides immediate fun with well-balanced new civs, while single-player campaigns suffer from grindy, repetitive gameplay and bugs, with fun only emerging after the initial tutorial-like missions or at the final scenario for some players.
  - Stance: Clicks after
  - Anchor: After completing the initial tutorial-like campaign missions
  - Time to anchor: N/A
  - Friction: grindy gameplay with no eco and timed unit spawning; buggy Dravidian campaign with persistent unit debuff; repetitive design and confusing map layout; tutorial-level difficulty in early campaign scenarios
  - Unlock drivers: persistence through early campaign grind; playing multiplayer for immediate balanced fun; using different civs like Gurjaras with cool units; achievement hunting and varied victory paths in campaigns
  - Conditions: playing in multiplayer mode; avoiding the bugged Dravidian campaign; enjoying strategic depth in late campaign scenarios; playing co-op (if future support added)
- Player Archetypes:
  - Campaign Connoisseur (buy)
    - Motivation: Immersive story-driven campaigns with historical authenticity and varied mission design.
    - Playstyle: Plays single-player campaigns at moderate difficulty, savoring maps and story; avoids competitive pressure.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: campaign lover; story-driven player; history enthusiast; newcomer-friendly
    - Reference games: Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition; Age of Empires II
  - Competitive Multiplayer Grinder (buy)
    - Motivation: Evolving the competitive meta with balanced new civs and unique units.
    - Playstyle: Plays multiplayer regularly, analyzes unit stats and counters, follows pro scene, adapts strategies to new civs.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: multiplayer enthusiast; competitive player; meta analyst; pro scene follower
    - Reference games: Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition; Starcraft
  - Veteran Loyalist (buy)
    - Motivation: Franchise loyalty and completionism; owning all content and experiencing the full scope of Age of Empires.
    - Playstyle: Buys all DLCs, plays both campaign and multiplayer, explores all civs, and enjoys the historical scope.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: hardcore fan; loyalist; completionist; series veteran
    - Reference games: Age of Empires franchise; 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:
- New civilizations are well received (weight 0.75): Players praise the addition of Bengalis, Dravidians, Gurjaras, and the reworked Hindustanis, highlighting unique units like the Ratha chariot and Wootz Steel tech. The split of the Indian civilization into more sensible factions is also appreciated.
- Campaigns are highly enjoyable (weight 0.63): The Babur, Rajendra, and other campaigns are praised for their fun, well-designed missions, interesting stories, and experimental mechanics. The Babur campaign is often noted as legendary.
- Unique units add variety (weight 0.4): New units like Chakram Throwers, Shrivamsha Riders, Ghulams, and Urumi Swordsmen, along with region-specific elephant archers, provide interesting playstyles. The Gurjaras' damage-tanking cavalry and Bengalis' Ratha unit are highlighted.
- Multiple new campaigns add depth (weight 0.36): Three new fully-voiced campaigns with high narrative authenticity and varied missions enhance the experience. The stories are good and the map design surprises players.
- Voice acting is praised (weight 0.19): The voice acting is synchronized, well done, and superb, contributing to the immersive campaign experience.

Common complaints:
- Civilizations are imbalanced (weight 0.71): The new civilizations have severe balance issues. Hindustani and Gurjaras are overpowered (game-breaking in multiplayer), while Bengali and Dravidian are weak and lackluster. This creates a pay-to-win feel.
- Poor story and narrative (weight 0.51): Campaign stories are weak, cliche, or historically inaccurate. The morality theme falls flat, and voice acting is repetitive or mis-timed, breaking immersion.
- Campaigns are buggy and unplayable (weight 0.46): Multiple campaigns suffer from game-breaking bugs: a morale boost reduces all unit attack to 1, units deal only 1 damage, and some missions can't be completed. These bugs make several campaigns unplayable.
- AI is unfair or broken (weight 0.36): The AI frequently spawns infinite units out of nowhere, has unlimited resources, or does nothing at all. This makes campaigns either frustratingly hard or trivially easy.
- Bugs in gameplay mechanics (weight 0.35): Various bugs exist: selection UI sticks, villagers stop moving when retreating, trebuchet buttons disappear, units insist on forming formation at bad times, and campaign text has question marks.
- Paid DLCs became free unfairly (weight 0.34): Players who bought three DLCs for real money later saw them given away for free without compensation. This frustrated early adopters who felt cheated by the change.
- Rajendra campaign is the worst (weight 0.33): The Rajendra campaign is widely criticized for poor design: chaotic missions, endless enemy spam, artificial difficulty, and no strategic depth. It is considered the worst campaign in Age of Empires 2 history.
- DLC price too high (weight 0.29): Many reviewers considered the price too high for the content offered, especially compared to the base game. Some noted the DLC was only worth buying on sale.
- Localization issues (weight 0.29): Spanish translation is extremely bad and creates new meanings. Polish language support is missing. Historical encyclopedia text has factual errors.
- New mechanics feel out of place (weight 0.28): Introduced mechanics like mode-switching units and narrative elements are seen as not fitting the classic Age of Empires 2 gameplay. Some find them confusing or unnecessary.
- Excessive use of elephants (weight 0.22): The DLC over-relies on elephants in unit design and siege, which feels forced and reduces variety. Cavalry has been heavily nerfed to push elephant usage.
- DLC feels like a cash grab (weight 0.18): Many players feel the DLC was made for Indian subcontinent sales rather than community demand, and that Indians were split from the base game to sell as separate content. It is seen as milking the franchise.
- Low single-player content (weight 0.14): The DLC offers only 5 missions across 3 campaigns, which is considered too little for the price. Players expected more single-player content.
- Boring and ugly unit models (weight 0.12): Unique unit models are described as ugly, bulky, and uninspired. Some units are weak in practice despite looking strong on paper.
- Missing features and modes (weight 0.12): The popular mega-random mode was removed from both single-player and multiplayer. Custom lobbies fail to transfer files properly.
- Devs ignore player feedback (weight 0.07): Players report that developers ignored community feedback for months without making balance changes, even though issues were clearly identified.

Gameplay feedback:
- Adds Indian Subcontinent Civilizations (weight 0.61): The expansion adds three new civilizations from the Indian subcontinent: Gurjaras, Bengalis, and Dravidians. The original Indian civilization is renamed Hindustanis, creating four distinct civilizations.
- Bengali Elephant and Chariot Strength (weight 0.46): Bengalis emphasize elephants with monk/pikeman resistance, self-healing ships, and the unique Ratha chariot that switches between melee and ranged. Their elephants are buffed but the Ratha unit has a large collision hitbox.
- Includes Three Full Campaigns (weight 0.45): The expansion features three new historically-themed fully voiced campaigns: Babur (Tatars), Devapala (Bengalis), and Rajendra (Dravidians). Each campaign offers unique mission objectives like occupying cities or monument capture.
- Dravidian Naval and Tanky Playstyle (weight 0.42): Dravidians rely on barracks and docks with weak stables. Their Thirisadai ship has extra projectiles and self-heal, and their Urumi Swordsman ignores armor. They are slow but tanky with strong defensive capabilities.
- Regional Elephant Unit Variety (weight 0.42): All new civilizations receive regional elephant units: elephant archers, siege elephants, and knight-equivalent war elephants. This creates a distinct elephant-heavy meta for the Indian subcontinent.
- Unique Unit and Regional Diversity (weight 0.41): Each new civilization has unique units and technologies; many share regional units like elephant archers and siege elephants. This design gives each civ a distinct feel while maintaining roster coherence.
- Gurjara Camel and Dodge Focus (weight 0.36): Gurjaras excel with camel units that dodge ranged attacks and have attack bonuses; camels upgrade efficiently. They lack cavalry archers but can field elephant archers.
- Hindustani Camel and Gunpowder Focus (weight 0.23): Hindustanis have no knights but use faster-attacking Imperial Camels and gunpowder units. Their unique Ghulam infantry passes through archers, and the Caravanserai speeds up trade.
- Armor-Ignoring Infantry and Cavalry (weight 0.22): Technologies like Wootz Steel (Dravidians) and charged attacks allow certain infantry and cavalry to ignore enemy armor, making them powerful against heavily armored foes.
- Unit Switching Melee and Ranged (weight 0.18): Several units can switch between melee and ranged modes, such as the Ratha chariot and certain infantry. This adds tactical flexibility and complexity to battles.
- Unique Ranged Dodge Abilities (weight 0.18): The Shrivamsha Rider can dodge one ranged attack, making it effective against archer-heavy compositions. This mechanic is unique to the Gurjara civilization.
- Improves Old Content and Naval Battles (weight 0.13): The expansion improves existing content (like civ reworks) and includes naval battles. It enhances the overall game by adding depth and variety.
- Dravidian Weak Stables Compensation (weight 0.12): Dravidians have very weak stables but compensate with strong barracks and docks. Their unique infantry and ship units give them alternative strategies.
- Devapala Campaign Point Systems (weight 0.11): The Devapala campaign uses a countdown mechanic for monument capture and peaceful objectives. It is considered easy with optional combat.
- Rajendra Campaign Chaotic Elements (weight 0.11): The Rajendra campaign has chaotic mission designs with heavy reliance on the hero. The final scenario can be won by ordering allies, and there are restrictions on advancing to Imperial Age.
- Ratha Chariot Weakness and Collision (weight 0.11): Bengali Ratha chariot is considered weak by some due to its large collision size and lack of trample damage. It functions as both ranged and melee but is not universally effective.
- Gurjara Sheep Garrison Mill (weight 0.07): Gurjaras can garrison sheep inside their mill to slowly gather food, providing an early eco advantage. This is a unique economic bonus.
- Bengali Paik and Villager Space Reduction (weight 0.07): Bengalis have the Paik technology that reduces villager population space, allowing more villagers without extra housing. This helps their economy late-game.
- Hindustani Caravanserai Trade Bonus (weight 0.07): Hindustanis get a unique building (Caravanserai) that speeds up nearby trade carts, improving their trade economy in the late game.
- Babur Campaign Gunpowder Overwhelm (weight 0.07): The Babur campaign starts as Tatars and later features overwhelming gunpowder units. It follows a historical narrative of the Mughal founder.

Performance notes:
- Poor optimization issues (weight 0.19): Multiple reports mention poor optimization and performance issues, including crashes during campaign and general lag. These problems suggest the game is not well-optimized for current hardware.
- Slow screen transitions (weight 0.07): Players report slow screen switching, which disrupts gameplay flow and indicates UI responsiveness problems.
- Unresponsive unit controls (weight 0.07): Some players find that units do not respond promptly to commands, reducing tactical control and enjoyment.

Recommendations:
- DLC is highly recommended (weight 0.96): Many reviews strongly recommend the DLC, describing it as great, worthwhile, and a must-have expansion for Age of Empires II players.
- Wait for sale (weight 0.45): Many users suggest waiting for a sale before buying, as the price may not be justified at full cost, especially compared to the base game.
- Only for fans or campaigns (weight 0.35): The DLC is recommended primarily for fans of the series or those interested in campaign content, rather than a universal recommendation.
- Good value for single player (weight 0.35): The DLC is considered worth the price if you focus on single-player campaigns, with reasonable cost and enjoyable content.
- Campaigns are buggy (weight 0.29): Several reviews report that the campaigns have bugs, making them unplayable or unfairly difficult, leading to negative recommendations.
- Best for Indian theme fans (weight 0.16): The DLC is especially recommended for players interested in Indian history, civilizations, and the elephant theme.
- Not recommended for multiplayer (weight 0.13): Some reviews criticize the DLC for multiplayer mode due to balance issues, boring civilizations, and perceived pay-to-win design.
- Compared favorably to other DLCs (weight 0.1): One review notes that while this DLC is good, Dawn of the Dukes is better overall. Another says it is the best besides Chronicles and Return of Rome.
- Price concerns relative to base game (weight 0.07): One reviewer points out that the DLC costs half the price of the base game, so players should consider if it is worth that much.
- Translation issues affect recommendation (weight 0.05): One reviewer notes that the Spanish translation is poor, so the DLC is not recommended for Spanish-speaking players, but is fine in English.
- Helps competitive play (weight 0.05): A review recommends buying the DLC to increase ELO because it includes two top-tier camel civilizations for multiplayer.

Other player notes:
No miscpoints

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.22): Players are frustrated by bugs like the morale bug reducing attack to 1 and campaign-breaking issues. The DLC is criticized for being high-priced with low content, and for splitting civilizations from the base game to sell as separate content. Poorly designed campaigns with infinite AI spawns and weak civilizations also contribute to the frustration.
- Disappointment (weight 0.17): Players are disappointed by the lower quality and easier difficulty of campaigns compared to previous DLCs. The new civilizations are seen as boring, unbalanced, and not distinct enough from the base game. Historical inaccuracies and subpar storytelling further lessen the experience.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.15): Players are satisfied with the well-made DLC featuring good voice acting, diverse units, and distinct civilizations. The campaigns are considered well-thought-out and enjoyable, with the Babur campaign being a highlight. The overall quality and fair price of the content are appreciated.
- Appreciation (weight 0.08): Players appreciate the voice acting and narrative quality, as well as the in-depth representation of Indian history. The new units and fully-voiced campaigns are praised, along with the developers' continued support and introduction of unique civ mechanics. The fact that the expansion is free or fairly priced also earns appreciation.
- Excitement (weight 0.08): Players are excited about the high-quality campaigns and experimental mechanics, particularly the Devapala and Rajendra campaigns. The new civilizations and unique units are described as fun and interesting, and the expansion of the world map with new content outside Europe generates enthusiasm.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.06): Players enjoy the unique civilizations and special units, especially the Bengalis and their elephant archer. The entertaining story missions, fantastic naval battles, and surprising story turns contribute to a positive experience. The expansion adds strategic variety and cool content for multiplayer.
- Anger (weight 0.05): Players are angry about the removal of the mega-random mode and that DLCs become free after they paid for them without compensation. The overabundance of elephants and cavalry nerfs, combined with the developers ignoring community balance requests for months, fuel this anger.
- Boredom (weight 0.03): Players find the game boring due to lack of immersion and repetitive gameplay. Long, uninteresting missions and repetitive unit spawning without economic management make the experience tedious. The older Prithviraj campaign is specifically mentioned as sub-par.
- Confusion (weight 0.03): Players are confused by units appearing from nowhere on some maps and unclear mechanics like the spearman damage calculation. The design decision to use elephants as replacements for siege and cavalry also causes confusion.
- Hope (weight 0.03): Players hope for more DLCs to further expand strategies and mechanics. They wish for better balance and more love for weaker civilizations, and express desires for future DLC covering Chinese minorities and campaigns with historical accuracy.
- Liking (weight 0.02): Players like the new civilization models and varied missions. The overhaul that gives civilizations huge differences is appreciated, making each feel distinct and enjoyable.
- Dissatisfaction (weight 0.02): Players are dissatisfied with the mode-switching unique unit mechanic and imbalance between civilizations. They feel only the Rajendra campaign has value, and the rest of the DLC is not worth the price.
- Approval (weight 0.02): Players approve of the DLC overall, calling it great. The overall result is seen as successful, meeting expectations for new content.
- Annoyance (weight 0.02): Players are annoyed that the game does not support Polish language, and that some mechanics introduced do not fit the game's style. These issues detract from the overall experience.
- Recommendation (weight 0.02): Players clearly recommend purchasing the DLC, especially for fans of the game. The content is considered a valuable addition to the base game.
- Slight disappointment (weight 0.01): Players feel slight disappointment due to some civilization imbalance and the learning curve for new mechanics. While not major issues, they affect enjoyment.
- Dislike (weight 0.01): Players express dislike for naval civilizations, finding them less enjoyable or unbalanced compared to other types.
- Surprise and enjoyment (weight 0.01): Players are surprised and enjoy the campaigns and new civilizations, finding them more engaging than expected.
- Complaint (weight 0.01): Players complain about the high price of the DLC, feeling it does not offer enough value for the cost.
- Surprise and admiration (weight 0.01): Players are surprised and admire that the game continues to find new ways to innovate even after 20 years, keeping the experience fresh.}