Achaemenids overview (AoE2)

[@areyouapoo]

Achaemenids:I know how to bracer The descendant of them: what’s bracer?

[@nvmtt]

that macedonian invasion be hitting so hard that they rocked em back a couple of ages in the tech tree lol.

[@veilnebula2411]

@@nvmtt Women can do crazy things bro Perspolis wasn't even found until Portuguese showed up, even then it was unknown of until Ernst Herzfeld and Erich Schmidt made the discovery.

[@nvmtt]

@@veilnebula2411 women? alexander burned persepolis because he wanted to avenge athens and he was drunk af. nothing more. he just invented an excuse later.

[@coryfice1881]

@@nvmtt I'm pretty sure it wasn't even out of "revenge" given how it was centuries ago.

[@saguntum-iberian-greekkons7014]

The Macedonian gave them a coma + a hard changnesia, amnesia 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

[@integralinsanity1641]

I love all the abilities you get to basically personalize your civ.

[@jotfohm4644]

Hey spirit, Achaemenids of the Law here. (Finally! Our new cavalry civ. 🔥🔥)

[@mohammadwahbeh6156]

Yesssssss!

[@jotfohm4644]

​🔥😏🫰🏻

[@Hater4Life85]

I want sassanid heavy cavalry tho

[@veilnebula2411]

@@Hater4Life85 Persians already have Savar and War elephants bro i think its pretty satisfactory.

[@IAmTh3Doom]

Cringe.

[@zennim125]

military town center feels like a proxy option, put it behind a castle and you get an advanced outpost that can hurl units earlier and faster

[@travelingscienceman4404]

having played the dlc now, this is what I found works best, not even needing the castle, just putting as many military buildings around the TC as possible

[@danrusso2953]

Ugh, i wish we'd get this type of treatment for age 1. It has so much potential as a time period and is such a good foundation for making better. :/

[@guilhermebraga9773]

Yeah, but they missed a lot of opportunities in age1. No nomad cavalry archers (scythians, Alans), no Etruscans, no Gauls, there is Carthage but not the Celic Iberic… The game needs some love for sure, new reskins that fit the cultures

[@NathanSquaire]

Agreed. I was really hoping the return of Rome would be like this. AoE2-style gameplay set in that time period.

[@Schnidler]

? i dont get it. its what they are currently doing

[@Schnidler]

@@NathanSquaire im pretty sure they realized there mistake with this dlc?

[@danrusso2953]

@@NathanSquaire return of Rome was an amazing and needed step in the right direction, and did what the original definitive edition should have imo. New campaigns, etc. What I'd love to see is a remaster where civs feel more distinct, in an aoe2 fashion! Maybe even unique units. It would be a big project but I think it would be so cool

[@SidheKnight]

Thank you for making these videos, Spirit! I can't wait to play this DLC

[@LilGamingYes]

Ranged Immortals within the Military Town Center and Reed Arrows upgrade must feel like a gatling gun. 💀

[@GameFuMaster]

meanwhile Chu ko Nu....

[@pallingtontheshrike6374]

@@GameFuMaster spiderman pointing meme

[@mullerpotgieter]

The Immortals are an interesting unit from history. These were the elite core of the Persian army. So veterans and highly trained. But the reason for the name is that they'd all wear a veil to obscure their faces. So whenever any of their numbers were slain, someone else could take up their position and replenish their ranks and it wouldn't be possible to distinguish the individual members. You'd always have reserves of Immortals so that in most circumstances, the forces deployed would always be at full strength. Giving the impression that they couldn't be truly slain

[@Toonrick12]

Sounds like a case of being pop-capped, if you ask me.

[@greekwarrior5373]

Elite core veterans. That's why they got smashed by the Greeks.

[@grraf1]

@@greekwarrior5373 doesn't work that way: the usual achemenid approach to warfare relied heavily on massed archers&heavy shock cavalry to greatly weaken the enemy followed by a cleanup with theyr best equipped&trained infantry(immortals that prior to engaging in melee were shooting a few arrow volleys themselves for good measure)... getting into close quarter melee with even better equipped&disciplined infantry formations were not smth they were all that used to do so the greeks had a big advantage there as they barely used anything more then a few sparse javelin throwers to engage at range before going in for a big decisive melee clash.

[@greekwarrior5373]

@@grraf1 Yeh everybody knows that. Still their armies were weak.

[@mullerpotgieter]

@@greekwarrior5373 Oh yeah. Them constantly occupying and sacking Greece was a total fluke. So were the multiple instances where it was make or break for the Greek armies to turn the war around. You're aware there are more ways to wage war than phallanx of heavy infantry, yes?

[@JudgeEomer]

I was trying to remember why I knew the word "sparabara" and eventually went back to my Rome Total War modding days; sparabara is what Eastern Infantry are referred to as in the .txt files. It's the pink pyjama horde.

[@EvilDoresh]

It's a type of shied bearer.

[@daarom3472]

the good ole days of eastern infantry. Remember when playing as the Greeks you started with Pergamum. 2-3 groups of hoplites placed well in an alley could hold off thousands of eastern infantry. Eventually you'd get them all to golden rank 😂

[@saguntum-iberian-greekkons7014]

The rise of the pink candymen 🍬 *Plays the candyman song music*

[@lambert801]

Sparabara literally means "shield bearer" in Persian.

[@Leprecaun123]

Immortals being disposable actually makes sense. My understanding is that in reality they were considered "immortals" because when they died/couldn't fight then they were immediately replaced.

[@randomvintagemap160]

the fact that the immortal is cheap and disposable is fairly accurate actually, as historically they were called "immortals" because if you killed one then it would be immediately replaced with another.

[@offroadturkey]

I’m super excited for this expansion!

[@fatfrogge8753]

So, is this the first aoe version where a persian civ doesn't have any elephants? Historically accurate I would say but wow, this is a new era for me

[@BelgrimSoulthief]

Age of Empires Online Persians didn't have eles either!

[@Grothgerek]

Is this sarcasm? Because if we talk about historical accuracy then they did in fact had war elephants. Obviously not in the same amount as their indian neighbors (so it being their unique unit might not be fitting), but they still used them.

[@lambert801]

​@@Grothgerek They only began using elephants during the Sassanian era (Neo-Persian empire), and sparingly.

[@jotfohm4644]

Hey spirit, Achaemenids of the Law here.

[@olegpligin2039]

New nations are certainly good, even this one. But I’m looking forward to when they add Egypt too

[@pokefuranku]

funfact: In the infamous Tale of the Dragon DLC (Age of Mythology) there was a unique unit for chinese with the same name -Inmortal- and the ability to switch between melee and range mode (but automatic, not manually).

[@leow193]

They already did that in Age of Empires Online though

[@mitchellmoody9309]

I like to imagine this DLC is them experimenting with regional reskins of units. hopefully they bring regional skins to base game

[@z.p9997]

I'd pay good money for this. So immersion breaking having english knights as the Japanese...

[@the_andrewest_andrew]

i'd definitly like to see the water units rework applied to regular AoE2... and would like to see maybe romans and phoenicians added to this expansion too

[@leqeque7383]

Immortals having low health is a bit ironic

[@thefench1]

maybe thats a historic reference similar like gladiators. They might have been some kind of meat grinder units or something and coming back from a fight makes them "immortal" or they just walked into fights with super bad gear in the first place ... such ironically calling them immortals in whatever language theyve spoke back then ... i do not know so , its just an educated guess

[@riseALK]

@@thefench1 Yeah AFAIK basically we have NO idea what the Persians called them. The name Immortal is given by the Greek historian Herodotus, based on how they seemed to be at full strength even after losing men (due to quickly replacing them). It is not known if it is correctly translated from a Persian name for the troop or just something Herodotus came up with. Some fans today like to use the term "Anusiya" (meaning "Companion") for the unit, saying that the Greek name is a mistranslation, stemming from the similar Persian word "Anausa" which does mean Immortal.

[@thefench1]

@@riseALK thanks for the information mate . at least from herodotes perspective this unit fits its name so for its fast spammable with the military towncenter and a castle or 2

[@Toonrick12]

​@@riseALKI thought Persians (The pre-Arabic ones) had good record keeping.

[@veilnebula2411]

@@Toonrick12 they probably would be if not for getting burned and plundered by the next person that paid them a visit.

[@ethribin4188]

15% faster collection sounds op as heck.

[@VanchaMarch2]

As a classicist, your correct pronunciation of “Achaemenid” made my heart soar

[@gebhard128]

i fear persians could be a bit overpowered in the DLC with the amazing cavalry options and bracer cav archers or immortals as a powerhouse late game ranged unit. I love hoplites but they will suffer the same issues as other slow melee units

[@UnDeaDCyBorg]

In turn, all their strong units cost gold and take bonus damage from trash units. Combined with an early economic town center, it seems like an "overrun them now or suffer later" kind of deal.

[@kwdblade4683]

That sure is a nice DLC there Spirit... 🗡 Run them pockets, guv.

[@YossarianVanDriver]

Immortals being mass low HP units actually does tie into their name--"immortals" referred to how for every one that died, they would immediately be replaced since the unit was so prestigious, so it was the unit itself that was "immortal".

[@shelldie8523]

While the immortals were replaced they were still elite troops and this was at a time where entire armies could be wiped out while the immortals did survive their engagements.

[@jasv49]

"The personal guard to king Xerxes himself, the Persian warrior elite. The deadliest fighting force in all of Asia... THE IMMORTALS."

[@DispariScuro]

Immortal Look inside It can be killed

[@AutomticHeart]

More mere mortals..

[@mrbee8336]

Actually these guys will wreak hoplites because of range mode

[@GoranXII]

The Military Town Centre is actually pretty useful if you're building up your army, though you might only need one or two across your entire civ.

[@z.p9997]

The unique skins for the civs is so so perfect. Can't wait for the unique civ skins DLC for all civs 🙏

[@GBlockbreaker]

one thing i would love to see eventually down the line is having a game mode where you start with these ancient versions of civs and in age 4 you can then switch to to their aoe2 counter part, maybe starting in the feudal age, i doubt it would actually work all that well but i've always dreamed of an aoe game where you go through all 3 aoe eras and maybe even get to use various mechanics from the games so this could be the start of it

[@est5116]

Have you ever played Rise of Nations or Empire Earth? The fun thing about those games is that you can start in an ancient age, then progress into modernity or the future 🤖

[@Tamamo-no-Bae]

Like Empire Earth?

[@TheKobasen]

The Immortal is what devs want with samurai at first. Switching from melee mode to range mode. But they probably doesn't have the tools yet back then.

[@veeeVic]

I think there was also something about them feeling like it was too complicated to use in practice. We've kinda come a long way in RTSes since then :v

[@Generic42]

The price of the base game doubled with the release of this DLC 👀

[@quasibrodo923]

So I really like the idea of tying a defensive bonus to a TC aura. I think the big problem with "defensive" bonuses is that most of them can easily be used offensively. granted the policy system doesn't make it impossible, but it's definitely harder to cheese.

[@teddyhaines6613]

I don't think you can make an extra TC until the third age regardless, though. In which case a defensive TC drop would still be way less threatening than a castle drop.

[@Grothgerek]

@@teddyhaines6613 In early and mid game I agree. But the attack speed boost is a buff a castle can't provide. So if you combine it with a big army, than a TC is more valuable than any catle could be.

[@Micaiah-q8k]

I would like to see more history videos. maybe some on the new civs or their campaigns.

[@oyuyuy]

I think Military TC upgrade sounds quite decent, it pays itself off if 2 military buildings or 1 castle are present. It particularly makes sense if you got a lonely TC on a gold mine or something where you haven't been able to justify the Economic upgrade. You probably won't ever use it one the 1st or 2nd TC, but I think it's viable for the rest.

[@kardar233]

The double house build speed seems like it might make starts pretty interesting!

[@Choalith_Ikanthe]

"Immortals... they fail our king's test. And a man who fancies himself a god feels a very human chill crawl up his spine."

[@IOADESTOYER]

Very straight forward civilization. 1) Make all town centers 15% gathering, except for 1 2) that one town center make it 50% production speed with 3-4 castles around it 3) those castles pump out immortals constantly 4) make sure everything geared towards immortals, all upgrades 5) learn to micro immortals properly from switching range/melee Very straight forward min/max civ

[@Gastogh]

Ya lemme just fart out 4 castles and produce outta them all with zero downtime even with 50% production speed reduction

[@IOADESTOYER]

@@Gastogh I didn't say you will have the 2600 stone for 4 castles instantly. Im saying that's what your goal should be.

[@Jondiceful]

Toss in a few monks to keep your immortals um... immortal. On a more serious note, I would probably keep some of those war chariots on hand for flanking attacks, to guard my flanks, and of course, to chase down enemy seige units.

[@IOADESTOYER]

@@Jondiceful The chariots will be very situational. They are not very cost efficient against cavalry. Don't forget you needs at least few spearman to boost the immortal pierce armor anyways.

[@Dagsschiller]

This is the civilization I'm hoping for the most.

[@valenhedenskstrombladviker5691]

If they keep adding civs to this, the next one should be the Scythians. First because it creates symmetry, as you now would have two greek civs and two iranian civs. And second because they are steppe peoples and their focus would be cavalry and archery, it's said their arrows had poison on them, so that could be a good unique tech.

[@saguntum-iberian-greekkons7014]

Thats amazing, especially the Town center selection. I was wondering, in what website or Discord page we go to propose a civ. I have been doing a brainstorm for a related antiquity faction, the Hasmoneans. and I would like somebody corrects or approve some of my ideas

[@taudvore259]

I feel Spirit hurried over the Cav Archers a little bit. Full attack upgrades with HP and damage bonuses, they have to be up there with the top tiers.

[@KalinGames]

4:20 Interesting that they added passive arrows since otherwise the higher base damage of the tc would maybe make it worse since vills contribute less to the overall dps.

[@devangnivatkar2649]

First Persian civ in the 'Age of' series that cannot train Elephants!

[@hernanreipp3321]

Second. The Persians on Age of Empires Online.

[@fgrcdefeatkiller7724]

I wonder how they will handle adding the romans if they add those in a chronicles dlc

[@Arcodus]

Just a few more days to magic time!

[@michaelmartin2262]

What if they made a unique villager unit for castle age? They keep coming up with such cool ideas I was thinking what could be next. Lol

[@jacobwood3326]

I like the team bonus! I think they’ve messed with that on other games in the franchise.

[@AngelsArmour]

Historically, in part how the Immortals got their name was how they didn't seem to die from wounds. This was from how they would lather their bodies in aloe Vera before battle. I'd love to see the devs give this unit a passive heal rate like the berserker.

[@EvilDoresh]

Their other gimmick was keeping a larger reserve ready, so that any Immortal who was killed or unable to fight for whatever reason could be replaced ASAP, thus keeping the unit at full strength

[@dievahdown]

This civ is pretty awesome

[@ShirosTamagotchi]

Seems like a overall strong civ with many options. But its a bit of a bummer that their unique unit gets countered by skirmishers.

[@Omerizorman]

Oh yes The Fire Worshipping Persians

[@FatherPars51]

They didn’t worship fire.

[@Omerizorman]

@FatherPars51 Persians before Islam used to Worship Fire

[@FatherPars51]

@ Wrong. They worshiped Ahura Mazda which is very notably not fire. They saw it as a sacred symbol, as Muslim’s do the Mecca and as Christians do the True Cross.

[@CyberDrewan]

I kinda wish you gave some more detail regarding the war chariot. While we’re used to only the swordsman and spearman lines, there are lot more infantry types in this expansion, including the hoplites.

[@malikshabazz2065]

great video! :-)

[@NiDe500]

Bit odd that there’s no elephants involved, despite that being a specialty for Persians in both AoE1 and AoE2. Still, neat civ. With modification and a reskin I could see the Immortal having a lot to give to one of the Meso civs, or perhaps Dravidians. Actually, considering the Jaguar Warrior’s role has been in question, why not give them a bow and arrow as a supplement?

[@TARDISES]

Aaaaaand.... we can't make AoM jokes about this one because we don't have a middle-eastern civ in that one, just Greeks, Egyptians, Norse, a fictional civ (Atlanteans) and the Chinese... when their rework's finally out. More info when?

[@vladimiralexanderlagos1477]

As maligned and bullied as AoE3 is by the AoE community in general it is still somewhat satisfying to appreciate how quietly the devs keep adding philosophical elements of that game into both AoE2 and AoE4 as of late.

[@EvilDoresh]

A shame about that delayed AoE3 DLC, though...

[@thememelordbobbeh3107]

I feel like the play for a military town center is to surround them with castles, and immortalmax.

[@GritimoTheOdd]

So, does that Military TC with the 50% speed increase stack with the Stable and shipyard bonuses as well? I assume it does but wasn't 100% sure if it did. All in all this DLC looks promising.

[@Berengar92]

You know what really grinds my gears? Cav civs with infantry unique units. Looking at you, Franks.

[@danmiller8410]

Theres a great dan carlin hardcore history about these guys

[@MehranRassouli]

first empire to rule 3 continent*_*

[@pandaprewmaster325]

Persians sound like the most fun and I thought Athenians were the best nah these guys take them by storm. Your gameplay plan would be flexible getting a TC with a castle to amass immortals and war chariots , meanwhile the hotspot gets a TC with defensive bonus which is where you center the bulk of the men. The decent stable with faster production allows for great raiding capabilities you get 2-6 stables and mass light cavalry whenever you need to. The most flexible civilisation by far and I like it.

[@PlayinOcean]

Subtitles: Hey guys, Spirit of the lie here. I don't believe a word you've just said.

[@ageofempires]

[@DiO-aoe]

Am I insane or is there a villager voice line from DE that says ‘achemenid’ when given a command. Idk why the sound is burned into my brain

[@FifinatorKlon]

It all depends. Have you taken your meds?

[@sauromatae9728]

Persian "immortals" might actually be "companions"

[@riseALK]

Anusiya and Anausa

[@Chooseyouruniquehandl]

How do they got BRACERS and persians not ?????

[@hernanreipp3321]

Balance reason.

[@generalhyde007]

Wow!!! So fresh!!

[@TheRealXartaX]

Immortals taking bonus damage from both anti's in both modes seem kinda harsh. I don't see them being super useful as a melee option. Imagine running them up against Huskarls, lol.

[@devangnivatkar2649]

Same thing as the Ratha TBH. It's better to think of the Immortal (& Rathas) as Archers (& Cavalry Archers) that can switch to melee mode if required, e.g. vs. Rams. In both cases, you're better off using melee cavalry units as the actual melee front-line

[@pudgeboyardee32]

Ok, they're just back-porting age of mythology powers and mechanics. Choose a hero on aging up? Policy, TCs with aura, command units, the whole thing. I like it. Aom feels like the only real aoe2 sequel

[@salvadorseekatzrisquez2947]

To comment on the TC options I really like the TC focus thing. But I wonder for the defensive Couldn’t it be better to make some towers and focus on the economy. I was thinking if you kind make a forward base you could make a military TC to steal forward gold or stone.

[@aa01blue38]

is it just me or do their unique upgrades seem much better than the other two civs

[@jefferson8055]

Karda and Reed Arrows effect includes Cavalry Archers?

[@BrownFoxWarrior]

4:58. Oh, we can play as normal civs in the unranked lobbies? I assumed it was DLC civs only and the AoE2 units in the video were added via scenario editor.

[@jenesuispasbavard]

Kinda like the planetary fortress vs orbital command choice from Starcraft/2.

[@Levy87-i3r]

Planetary Town center?!😱

[@daniloalves1139]

You used other civs from the NORMAL game but as I heard these are not on the ranked ladder, right? But on lobbys I can mix them??

[@MrDibara]

Most likely, the Scenario Editor. One of the coolest features of the Age of Empires series since the first game.

[@riseALK]

Yes in lobby you can play Achaemenids and Cumans team vs Spartans and Byzantines team with other players

[@UnDeaDCyBorg]

Lacking a new website. While I really like the idea of specializing the towncenters (though the military version is the weakest), the unique techs feel a bit uninspired, in that you're clearly incentivised to take either one side or the other; If you go with archers, you'll probably stick with it.

[@dissonanceoffate]

The funny part is that the ancient persians had bracer.

[@ImRandomDude]

Def TC with 15% attack speed + converted samurai . > I'm speed

[@lancergt1000]

9:25 Bracer alert!

[@IstvanOroszlan]

Imperial Age stats of immortals are missing 🙃

[@omar-zy5fv]

where is the elephants 🐘

[@hernanreipp3321]

On India and Africa.

[@Omerizorman]

6:15 Nice They Even reused the Immortals Range + Melee attacks Power from Age of Mythology

[@ashina2146]

No one is going to think about that Cash Grab Chinese Tale of the Dragons DLC for AoM, but the AoM Chinese Immortals Ranged Attacks are just for specific targets like Flying, Naval and Ranged Myth units, most of the time they would go for melee afair.

[@Omerizorman]

@@ashina2146 Cash Grab? Bro I got the game Cracked

[@leow193]

I would have said Age Of Empires Online instead

[@Imperiused]

So, should the first TC be a Economic one or a Defensive one? Should you wait to see if you're rushed or not?

[@fadhilyudistira8819]

are we going to have each and every existing civs expanded?

[@Krarch_dsK]

will teh ages be called dark, feudal, castle and imperial? just as in aoe2's standard time period?

[@samiamrg7]

Do the upgraded town centers cost more to repair? Like os the additional stone cost of a defencive TC factored in to the repair calculation?

[@rambobever3674]

If it follows the normal aoe2 logic it wouldn't cost more. A Castle with hoardings cost the same to repair to max as a Castle without.

[@samiamrg7]

@ Yeah, but hoardings is a general upgrade that doesn’t effect the individual cost of castles. The TC specialties are individualized per town center, changing the name and model of the building. That is why I wonder if the repair cost changes, too.

[@rambobever3674]

@@samiamrg7 I am not going to say it won't be a increased cost, but it would be very irregular for aoe2 to increase repair price with upgrades. I think the harbor from Malay also doesn't increase in repair price, and that also is its own thing. Not a individual upgrade tho.

[@divicospower9112]

For once, they could give a civilization camel raiders but they did not...

[@sauromatae9728]

What would persians do with camels when their greek opponents are infantry-focused?

[@devangnivatkar2649]

@@sauromatae9728 TBF they're playable in non-ranked matches against the standard civs like Franks

[@lessa.rafael]

How I can play with Achaeminds ?

[@DirkTheDaringDnD]

Wait do we know if this DLC is gonna be like Rome where their Civs are gonna be added to ranked multiplayer? I’m worried it’ll flip the balance on its head

[@veeeVic]

Nope, only unranked lobbies

[@FifinatorKlon]

Where did the intro go?

[@obesechicken13]

So are the campaigns coop?

[@jarg_64]

Do 2 eco TCs close to each other add any more to the gather rate, or is it just the base 15?

[@veeeVic]

I'd imagine not, since the dlc uses a bunch of auras (like the armor ones) that don't stack

[@willemverheij3412]

I feel like they should have been given siege elephants instead of rams.

[@aledario18]

Castle drop?? Naaa!!! Lets TC drop!!!

[@salvadorseekatzrisquez2947]

If we could compare these new DLC Civs, this civ seems to borrow a lot from the Mongols, Ethiopians, Bengalis. Right? Is that fair to say? I would like a list like this.

[@CryptikSeal]

Really, you have faster working everything with military town centers.

[@MrKrashmoney]

And now I know how to say Achaemenids, thank you sir.

[@JJBeauregard1]

I'm pretty allergic to micro so I'm not a fan of the manual switch mechanic of their UU. I'd much prefer the mechanic being automatic, where they are ranged by default and switch to melee when they're attacking something next to them (essentially, how it's done in AoE3). I could see how that would make the unit a little too efficient in fights though but maybe it could be balanced via their stats.