AOE2 vs AOE3

[Mr. Cakes]

Recently purchased 2 and have been having an absolute blast. I saw a little bit about 3, but don't know much of it. What are the comparisons and which is subjectively better? I'm super new to the franchise so I don't know much.

[JoshSA]

Both games are great, but very different.

Personally I like AOE2 more and spend more time playing it. However, in high school my friends and I only played AOE3. Spent countless hours back then lanning the game.

So it really depends on you. I'll list some pros of each game.

AOE 2 Pros:
1. Better Multi-player experience
2. More Single Player Campaigns
3. Tons of youtube / twitch content
4. Villagers need to drop resources off

AOE 3 Pros:
1. Graphics are 3D
2. Single player campaigns feel more story driven (dialog, ect.)

Both games are different enough from each other that if you can afford it, get both games.

[Quarantined_villager]

When I was young I only played AoE2, I could never play AoE3
Tried the AoE3 DE on launch, but I'm still AoE2 fanboy
If you can have both, go for them
I personally stay with the AoE2 DE

[FireStarter]

You are asking on an AoE2 forum... if you want an unbiased answer take that same question - Copy and paste it into google and do some research.

[FloosWorld]

I can recommend Spirit of the Law's AoE 2 vs AoE 3 video on that topic. Watch Aussie Drongos reaction to it if you want to have the pov of a AoE 3 player as well

[Jackkel Dragon]

Personally, I find it difficult to play many standard games in AoE2 because the civilizations are mostly distinguished by late-game differences, meaning most games start the same. However, AoE2 has a large number of really interesting campaigns, official and custom, which really take advantage of the unique scenarios to show off different parts of the game.

On the other hand, AoE3 has a lot more diversity in the way civilizations are handled, especially with the post-original release civilizations. The early-game sameness isn't as bad, and playstyles can vary pretty wildly. It's also a much faster paced game, with limited ability to "turtle" behind walls and a lot of ways to get resources faster. However, that fast pace means that you need to be making decisions constantly, even against the AI. Also, the campaigns don't feel as strong as the AoE2 campaigns, despite having a greater focus on specific (mostly fictional) characters. There are some highlight story and gameplay moments, but not to the extent of the less embellished AoE2 campaigns, some of which have cool gameplay twists.

Short version of my opinions:

AoE2
- Great campaigns, for story and gameplay variety
- Aggressive civilization balance and similarities makes standard games feel same-y, but more evenly matched in a familiar way
- Lots and lots of available custom maps already, for original and DE

AoE3
- More diverse gameplay between civilizations, but harder to counter unless you know them all
- Faster paced, to the point where it can be daunting early on
- Story campaign is average, mostly focuses on historical fiction; historical battles are cool but limited
- Modding for DE is not fully supported in every way yet, so new custom content is slow to arrive

[truthwarrior]

Medieval vs Early Discovery Age. Swords and Bows vs Guns and Cannons... choose your fate! :-) .... but AOE2 is probably better

[grraf]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzCbueY2ceY this about sums it up... sad part ist the actual truth and not a joke.

[D-Lusional]

Here's my 2 cents since I have and love both.

Age of Empires 2:
- Plenty of civilizations to play as during the medieval era from Asia to Africa to Central America and across Europe. Each one has their own tech tree and bonuses that the other civilizations don't which make every civilization different.
- Mod supported.
- Larger competitive multiplayer community.
- Campaigns that give insight on historic figures and events like Joan of Arc.
- Way more game modes to choose from. AoE 3 only has deathmatch and regicide (where you need to kill the other player's king to eliminate them from the game) but only for one map.
- Does not have a build limit on buildings. You can only build 8 towers in AoE 3 which I hate a lot since I love to turtle and boom.
- Not graphically demanding.

Age of Empires 3:
- Handful of civilizations to play as during the gunpowder era.
- Fully voiced fictional story mode with cutscenes.
- Fully voiced characters portraying as a country in skirmish mode (i.e Queen Elizabeth as the British and Henry the Navigator as the Portuguese). They'll make comments depending on the situation like at the start of a match as your ally or an enemy, or when their scout has found your base.
- A card system that lets you bring in resources/units/villagers/tech upgrades/buildings from your home city.
- No resource drop off buildings like the lumber camp or mining camp, so each villager collects resources overtime.
- Implementation of trading posts to build near a trade route to collect exp/resources periodically or build one at a native tribe to allow you to build their unit(s).
- Buildings and ships drop debris when they're damaged.

Both are good and have their own flaws, but I think AoE 2 is better in my opinion.

[Eternal]

one thing i really dislike about aoe 3 is how badly it explains which units to use to counter others also many strats are counter intuitive and realy a lot on cheezing cards to there is a lot to learn initially if you want to stand a chance vs people that know how to play well

[mrmiking]

2 is better. The end.

[Buntkreuz]

If you like the campaigns in AoE2, dont get AoE3 for that.
AoE3 is only "ok" if you play skirmish and Multiplayer.
The campaigns are absolutely horrible and far far behind AoE2s campaigns.

[Tyllash]

The three new historical battle maps for the new AoE3 DLC are by far the most fun I have had in the game. The age up mechanics and choices are interesting and at the very least its a fun single player game. AoE2 outshines it in general gameplay, depth of playstyles, etc but if you are a fan of the franchise and can get it on sale its 100% worth the $20 or less you can get it for. In my opinion it doesnt have as much replay value or ease of playing with friends.

[Quarantined_villager]

Originally posted by Tyllash:

The three new historical battle maps for the new AoE3 DLC are by far the most fun I have had in the game. The age up mechanics and choices are interesting and at the very least its a fun single player game. AoE2 outshines it in general gameplay, depth of playstyles, etc but if you are a fan of the franchise and can get it on sale its 100% worth the $20 or less you can get it for. In my opinion it doesnt have as much replay value or ease of playing with friends.

So is the new DLC worth it?

[Wololo_King]

Age 2 the best , Age 3 (the original) is good ... the DE of the original Age if you want to play with the romans , greek , sumerian

[CHI LONG QUA]

Now that AoE2 has the Empire Wars mode, it can no longer really be said that AoE3 is faster-paced. It's a simpler game (in terms of economic macro-management) with many "awesome buttons" to click on to summon special troops like mercenaries and natives etc, and it has floaty +xp numbers that appear when you kill enemies. defensive buildings are way weaker. So it's fun but lacks depth.