What is The Three Kingdoms?

“The empire, long divided, must unite; long united, must divide. Thus it has ever been.

In the dying days of the Han dynasty, the empire was like a precious vase knocked off its pedestal. As it fell towards the ground, some refused to accept the inevitable and imagined that the worst had passed.

The more far-sighted positioned themselves to pick up the pieces.”

Created by Forgotten Empires, the passionate team bringing you Age of Empires content for over a decade, The Three Kingdoms is a DLC set in China primarily during the early medieval period, but also featuring two civilizations who rose and fell hundreds of years later. China’s Three Kingdoms, extremely advanced for their time, offer AoE II: DE players the game’s core unit roster along with several unique and region-specific units highlighting the iconic features of each kingdom. Veterans and newcomers alike will enjoy approachable, powerful, and immersive new civilizations!

The story of The Three Kingdoms opens with three intertwining narratives spanning roughly 25 years. Totaling 15 missions across 3 campaigns with branching narratives and dynamic, far-reaching decisions that offer a level of replay value never before seen in Age of Empires, The Three Kingdoms offers a tour par excellence through China’s most fabled and beloved period of history from the viewpoints of all three kingdoms’ founders. Experience storied battles such as Guandu, Changban, and Red Cliffs, and relive the dashing exploits of the honorable and benevolent Liu Bei, the conniving yet brilliant Cao Cao, and the resilient, vengeful Sun Clan!

Included in this DLC

5 New Civilizations

ShuTake the reins of the Kingdom of Shu and fulfill Liu Bei’s dream of restoring the Han dynasty. The Shu unique units are the White Feather Guard, an infantryman that slows down units it attacks, and the War Chariot, a vehicle that fires barrages of bolts from a large repeating crossbow.

WeiStep into the shoes of Cao Cao and dominate China with massive cavalry armies and nefarious schemes. The Wei unique units are the Tiger Cavalry, a horseman that levels up as it kills units, and the Xianbei Raider, a cavalry archer that fires storms of arrows into the enemy ranks.

WuLead the Sun Clan to glory through infantry and naval prowess. The Wu unique units are the Fire Archer, a ranged soldier that fires incendiary arrows, and the Jian Swordsman, a heavy infantry unit whose shield offers immense protection – until it breaks.

JurchensDominate the rugged terrain of northeast China with the skilled hunters, armored cavalry, and gunpowder weaponry of the Great Jin dynasty. The Jurchen unique units are the Iron Pagoda, a cavalryman that occasionally blocks melee attacks, and the Grenadier, a foot soldier who hurls deadly incendiary bombs at his enemies.

KhitansRelive the glory of the Liao dynasty and Kara-Khitai, terrorizing your enemies with mobile hordes and diabolical weapons. The Khitan unique units are the Liao Dao, an infantryman whose lethal sword slashes cause lasting damage, and the Mounted Trebuchet, a powerful siege engine carried around by camels. Additionally, instead of farming, the Khitans gather food from Pastures, which can be tended by two Villagers instead of just one.

Several new units and unit-lines for increased immersion in Chinese history:

• Hei Guang Cavalry — a heavily armored horseman. Regular and Elite Hei Guang Cavalry replace Knights, Cavaliers, and Paladins for the Shu, Wei, and Wu.
  
• Traction Trebuchets — deadly, mobile engines that provide the Shu, Wei, and Wu an excellent long-ranged siege option on land in the Imperial Age.
  
• Lou Chuans — literal floating fortresses that excel against other warships and buildings alike. Available to the Chinese, Jurchens, Shu, Wei, and Wu.
  
• Fire Lancers — spear-wielding infantry who occasionally use an explosive ranged attack. Available to the Chinese, Jurchens, Khitans, Koreans, and Vietnamese.
  
• Rocket Carts — this siege engine replaces Mangonels, and instead fires a volley of incendiary rockets at enemies. Available to the Chinese, Jurchens, Khitans, and Koreans.
  
• Dragon Ships — the deadliest Fire Ship in the game, exclusive to the Chinese!

3 New Campaigns:

• Liu Bei (Shu) — In the midst of a bloody civil war, the sandal maker Liu Bei and his sworn brothers fight to restore the ailing Han dynasty. Can this honorable commoner save the empire, or will it fall into the hands of the ruthless warlord Cao Cao?
  
• Cao Cao (Wei) — The greatest warlord of his time, Cao Cao rises from a mere cavalry commander to the true power behind the throne of China. Will his ambitious schemes and tactical skill be enough to place his own dynasty on the throne of the Middle Kingdom?
  
• The Sun Clan (Wu) — After their father is murdered, the sons of the Sun Clan fight for revenge while building themselves up to be the rulers of southern China. Will their struggle make them worthy of the Mandate of Heaven, or are they doomed to become footnotes in history?

As you venture through these campaigns, you will:

• Relive fabled events: like the Oath of the Peach Garden, the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and the Battle of Red Cliffs – from up to three different perspectives!
  
• Encounter legendary characters: such as the notorious Lü Bu, the wise Zhuge Liang, and the exalted Guan Yu.
  
• Unleash their deadly heroic abilities: like Green Dragon Strike, Superhuman Aim, and Exploding Bolt.
  
• Train your favorite heroes: from the Three Kingdoms era in the new Hall of Heroes building.
  
• Experience unprecedented gameplay and narrative value: as you use an interactive system to make key decisions that shape each campaign.
  
• Choose from two new difficulty levels: Easiest offers a leisurely cruise through the story, while Legendary could test the mettle of Cao Cao himself!
  
• Marvel at an array of new flora, fauna, and other atmospheric visuals: that will fully immerse you in China’s Three Kingdoms era.

All 5 New Civilizations Available in Ranked Play!

While The Three Kingdoms era sits on the edge of AoE II: DE traditional timeframe, Forgotten Empires was committed to delivering a product with content for everyone at all levels, styles, spheres, and preferences of the Age of Empires experience. Research and design exploration quickly showed that Three Kingdoms China was extremely advanced for its time, making it an easy fit into the AoE II: DE technology tree and design mould. With this in mind, we committed ourselves to the goal of making this DLC fully available in ranked gameplay.

With an instantly recognizable Age of Empires II-feel, plenty of flavor to satisfy the appetites of avid Romance of the Three Kingdoms, fans and the innovative features that AoE II: DE fans have come to expect from each new addition to our beloved game, The Three Kingdoms has something for everyone.

A Message from Forgotten Empires

The Three Kingdoms represents something a little different than we’ve done in our prior work on Age of Empires II. Although authenticity, fun, and innovation have always been hallmarks of the Forgotten Empires brand, The Three Kingdoms pushes each of these farther than our past Age of Empires II releases. Our goal for The Three Kingdoms is to inspire new and longtime players alike to revel in the Age of Empires experience, and we hope it does justice to the game we all know and love – as well as to each and every one of its fans!

Whenever we at Forgotten Empires set ourselves to creating Age of Empires content, we ask ourselves two fundamental questions: “What got you started playing Age of Empires?”, and “What kept you playing Age of Empires?”, which are part of the navigational toolset we use to guide us on that quest.

While there can be as many answers to those questions as there are grains of sand in an hourglass, one is that China’s Three Kingdoms era lends itself particularly well to is a compelling campaign experience. While we’ve told many compelling stories through our historical campaigns over the past decade, we’ve also always asked ourselves the question: “How do we raise the bar further still?” With an epic, detailed, riveting, and thoroughly renowned narrative that is to China as Shakespeare is to the western world, The Romance of the Three Kingdoms offered us an ideal setting to tackle that challenge.

With entertaining new civilizations, stunning new visuals, innovative concepts, fun and varied mission designs, and a gripping narrative with unprecedented depth, all brought to you in the time-proven Age of Empires II gameplay experience, we welcome you to the incredible world of Three Kingdoms China. We hope you enjoy playing The Three Kingdoms as much as we delighted in creating it, and as always, we appreciate your continued passion for this incredible franchise!