Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition Update 19.18658 Adds Ranked Queues to Independence Mode

Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition Update 19.18658 adds ranked leaderboards and matchmaking queues to Independence Mode, alongside a technology tree that lays out the mode’s culture and civilization bonuses. The official update notes also detail broad balance changes for The Baltic Powers, other civilizations, units, maps, and multiplayer.

Independence Mode gets the clearest new player-facing feature: dedicated competitive matchmaking, plus a reference tree for comparing its bonuses. The update also tunes the DLC’s civilizations and adjusts other parts of the game, from spectator access and lobby fixes to changes for units such as the Fortified Wagon, Harpooner, and Sailor.

Custom mods may not work with the updated game build. The team advises disabling installed mods if they cause problems launching or playing.

Patch Notes for Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition Update 19.18658

Build Spotlight

Independence Mode

• Multiplayer: Added new ladders and matchmaking queues for Independence Mode.
• Added a brand-new Technology Tree for Independence Mode! Now you can study and compare all the new Culture and Civilization perks.
• Native Americans: Community Plaza limit reduced from 3 to 2.
• Federal Americans: Activated Advanced Arsenal for parity with Europeans.
• Aztecs: Activated Chinampa.
• Calendar Ceremony: Now receives the full effect of the card including +1 Warrior Priest.
• Chinese: Removed East Indiamen (Food Silos) and Great Wall.
• Replaced Atonement with Tea Export.
• Replaced Acupuncture with Banner School.
• Corrected the availability of Iron Troopers in Porcelain Towers and Tigermen in White Pagodas.
• Danes: Oldenburg Kings now also receives the card’s 1 Embassy Wagon.
• Customs House: Crates as well as their costs now increase per age.
• The Logistician (II): Now delivers 1 Military Wagon and 1 Arsenal Wagon.
• Dutch: Peace of Münster now also receives +2 Envoys from the card.
• Villagers and Fishing Boats now gather coin +10% faster instead of +15%.
• French: Ancien Regime now also receives the card’s 1 Embassy Wagon.
• Germans: Prince-Electors now also receives the card’s 1 Embassy Wagon.
• Haudenosaunee: Activated Lynx Pelt Trade and Agrarian Ways.
• Hausa: Activated Fulani Cattle Fertilizer and Katsina Fortifications.
• Inca: Peruvian Guard are now available in Age 4.
• Mapuche Bolas Warrior now starts with Elite strength from the Stronghold.
• Replaced Monumental Architecture with Census and Native Lore.
• American Allies now also receives the card’s 1 Embassy Wagon.
• American Allies also enables Ironwood Clubmen for Mapuche.
• Indians: The Raj now correctly sets food costs to 85 instead of 80.
• Sacred Cow: Reduced the Export generation by -32%.
• Jat Lancer are now available in Age 4.
• Italians: Venetian Arsenal now also sends 1 Arsenal Wagon.
• Pavisier: Replaced the extra range with Heavy Paveses.
• Activated Advanced Lombards.
• Japanese: Removed Bushido Principles and re-enabled it in the Consulate.
• Replaced Sumptuary Laws with Kwankoba Bazaar.
• Lakota: Camp Movements: Instead of receiving 2 free War Hut Travois, War Huts and Corrals now cost 30% less.
• Removed Kinship Ties.
• Maltese: The Hitpoint-per-Technology bonus now affects high hitpoints units such as Cannons, Warships, or Knight Brothers to a smaller extent.
• Replaced Fort Construction & Offshore Support with Steel Bolts & Speronaras.
• Church: Can now be built again.
• Mexicans: Guerilla Tactics now enables the Salteador ability without improving Ranged Infantry hitpoints and damage by 15%.
• Tlaxcala Alliance now also receives the card’s 1 Embassy Wagon.
• Ottomans: Sipahi are now available in Age 4.
• Nizam Fusilier added to Forts in Age 4.
• Poles: Replaced Agrarian Reforms with Raiding Economy.
• Replaced Riders of the Apocalypse with Polish Cavalry Combat.
• Replaced Vistula Uhlans in Forts with Konfederatka Uhlans.
• Kielbasa now also receives the card’s +2 Pigs (unfattened).
• Royal Union now also receives the card’s 1 Embassy Wagon.
• Wódka Distillery now also receives the card’s 1 Tavern Wagon.
• Portuguese: Removed Order of Aviz, but Independence Dragoons now start with 15 range.
• Removed Schooners.
• Feitorias: The resource trickles are now 15% slower.
• Falconet: Can now train upgraded versions from the Fort in Age 3.
• Russians: Counter Dragoon: Fixed the incorrect visuals.
• Spanish: The Logistician (II) now delivers 1 Military Wagon and 1 Arsenal Wagon.
• Swedes: Replaced -20% coin costs for Warships & Mercenaries with Engelsberg Ironworks.
• Activated Schooners.
• Royal Arquebusier can now be trained from Barracks, Forts and Galleons.
• Prospector Wagon: Increased the cost from 200w to 800w.
• United States: Replaced Advanced Market with Hamiltonian Economics.
• Meeting Houses are now buildable again in this mode.

Game

Multiplayer

• Ranked and Quick Match games now appear correctly in the spectator list.
• Fixed the spectator browser failing to show some in-progress matches.
• Fixed repeated failures when joining a game as a spectator.
• Fixed hosting LAN lobbies.
• Fixed Xbox Live game invites not working for players on Steam.
• Fixed casual rank occasionally displaying incorrectly when match history failed to load.
• Fixed an issue with incorrect assignments of wins and losses in ranked Treaty lobbies.

Graphics

• Samí Noaidi: Polished the fishing animation for Fishing Holes.
• Mysorean Rocket: Fixed offset rocket projectiles that were visible during un/packing animations.
• Schumacher Rocket: Now uses a new dashing design.
• Tokugawa (Japanese Hero): The second monk is no longer invisible with this customization.
• Danish Home City: Various model optimizations to improve performance.
• Corrected the proportion of several houses.
• Added the market stalls customization.
• Added a new statue customization depicting Peter Tordenskjold!
• Polish Home City: Various model optimizations to improve performance.
• Corrected the proportion of several houses.

Audio

• Imperial Rocket (Danes, Indians): Fixed the missing sound cues for confirming orders.

Interface

• Casual Rank: Pre-ranked matchmaking dialog now properly displays the player’s rank titles instead of displaying ‘Casual Rank’.
• Minimap: Reset Rotation button no longer remains visible after expanding minimap.
• Blood Brothers: This card no longer causes technologies to become misaligned in the Stable.
• Cossack Daredevil: Is no longer shown twice in the Fort’s command panel.
• Danish (Explorer): Researching native improvements that enable units at the Explorer after researching Castramentation no longer causes abilities to be pushed down.
• Fishing Boats: Indian and Native American Fishing Bosts now use their unique icons, instead of re-using the European ones.

Scripting

• Documentation: Data file reference documentation for modding now included alongside game files in the ModDocumentation folder.
• Triggers: Implementing support for toggling new cliff unloading behavior through triggers.
• Infinite Resources: The Infinite resources flag is now properly reset when loading player resource data from a scenario.

Gameplay Changes

General

• Cliffs: Units can no longer be ejected over cliffs from ships through manual unloading of individual units.
• Stampede: Rewrote the attack mechanic to avoid rendering resources unuseable.

Units & Buildings

• Burgher Militia: Damage multiplier against Cavalry reduced from 2x to 1.5x.
• Fortified Wagon: Hitpoints increased from 250 to 400 and damage multiplier versus buildings removed.
• Harpooner: Hitpoints reduced from 210 to 180 HP.
• Added a negative 0.25x damage multiplier against artillery to the ranged attack.
• Pig: Now display the proper player color on the minimap.
• Privateer: Movement speed increased from 5.5 to 8.
• Qivittoq: Fixed a critical animation glitch that allowed the unit to attack while in Stealth.
• Corrected a duplicate application of Stun time from around 12s down to 5s.
• Sailor: Wood gather rate decreased from 0.62 to 0.5.
• Hitpoints decreased from 190 to 150.
• Whaling Ship: Fixed a map glitch that resulted in removing the Whaling Ship’s build limit of 3 on Arctic maps.
• Now constructs Docks at 20% the normal speed instead of 33%.
• Cards that deliver Whaling Ships are now available to be sent again in the Imperial Age.
• Sámi Noaidi: Train time increased from 25 to 32 and build rates halved.
• Sámi Reindeer Herd: Can now be trained from Native Embassies.
• Bagpiper (House of Stuart): Fixed the wrong tooltip describing the unit as Light Ranged Cavalry.
• Clansman (House of Stuart): Reduced the damage promotions from 20/30/40% to 10/20/30%.
• Now inflicts 2x damage vs. Artillery and 1.5x damage vs. Villagers.
• Mounted Infantry (House of Habsburg): Fixed the wrong tooltip describing the unit as Light Ranged Cavalry.
• Red Sea Wagon (Sudanese): No longer allows non-Italian civilizations to build Lombards when the TEAM Lombardy card has been sent.
• Vengeful Qivittoq: Fixed an issue with this Arctic treasure guardian being invisible preventing their treasures from being picked up.

Cards & Technologies

• Sámi Allies (III, Danes, Russians, Swedes): Card cost reduced from 500c to 300c.
• Sámi of the Sea (Sámi): Gather rates for animals reduced from +10% to +5%.
• Sámi Duodji (I, Sámi): Wood generated by Noaidis reduced from 0.7w/s to 0.35w/s and cost increased to from 150c to 200c
• TEAM Native Weapon Trade (II, Dutch, Lakota): Fixed a card bug that increased build limits for unlocked native units that got their build limits removed.

Civilization Balance

Danes

• Shipment Tax: Increased from 80c to 90c.
• Snaphane: Damage multiplier against Cavalry & Shock Troops decreased from 0.5x to to 0.25x and against Artillery from 2x to 1.5x.
• Royal Service (III): Technology cost changed from 300f 300w to 250f 500w.
• Snaphane XP increased from 9 to 10.
• Mounted Friskytte: Corrected the siege damage from 14 to 7.5.
• Damage multiplier against Villagers further reduced from 0.5x to 0.25x as well as against Artillery from 2x to 1.5x.
• Population cost increased to 2.
• Disruption (II): Damage multiplier against Villagers reduced from 2x to 1.5x.
• 12 Snaphaner (II): Card added.
• Cigar Roller (II): Card removed.
• Snaplock (III): Now improves Snaphane range by +2 instead of Dragoons.
• Friskytter (IV): Now increases Snaphane range only by +1 instead of +2.
• Imperial Friskytter (V): Now increases Snaphane range by +1 (up from 0).
• Jutland Dragoons (IV): Now also increases Dragoon range by +1 (up from 0).
• Imperial Jutland Dragoons (V): Now also increases Dragoon range by +1 (up from 0).
• Norwegian Artillery (IV): Siege resistance increased from 5% to 10%.
• Oldenburg Kings (I): Fixed a bug where Royal Hunters had no population costs.
• Order of the Elephant (IV): Fixed the UI using the wrong promotion icon for Defence Promotions, that improve hitpoints instead of damage.
• The Logistician (II): Text now specifies the increased shipment tax amount of +100.
• Tycho’s Observatory (II): Increased the LOS of the Triangulation ability by +5. Each Round Church and Outpost now shortens the cooldown by an additional -15s.

Dutch

• Schutterij (I): Envoy conversion now takes 5s and cost increased from 10c to 20c.
• Now also corrects the Envoy’s XP from 5 to 8.

Ethiopians

• Gascenya: Hitpoints increase reverted from 140 to 135.
• Gondarine Architecture (IV): Reduced hitpoints increase for Mountain Monasteries from +75% to 50%, Walls from +200% to 150%, and Buildings (all) from 25% to 20%.

French

• Old Guard (IV, Edict of Nantes): No longer improves Grenadier siege resistance by +10%.
• TEAM House of Bonaparte (I): Fixed a bug that resulted in reducing the train time of Swedish Leather Cannons by -40%

Germans

• War Wagon: Fixed an error that resulted in War Wagons firing too quickly.
• Recruit Privateers (II): Now also sends +2 Uhlans for the Germans.
• Hire Whaling Crew (II): Now also sends +2 Uhlans for the Germans.
• Hire Fortified Wagons (II): Now also sends an additional Fortified Wagon.
• Prince-Electors: Hanover Drummers now keep their population cost at 1.
• Prussia: Litauer Dragoon: Improved the melee ROF by 25% instead of 20%.
• Range increased by +2 instead of +1.
• Ranged damage increased by +10%.
• Fixed the outdated textures.
• Is now also affected by the Germans’ Cavalry Hitpoints and Cavalry Combat cards.
• Fire Drills: The countermeasures for infantry speed no longer lead to net negative speed, when both Tilly’s Discipline and Military Drummers had been researched.
• Imperial Pikemen: The upgrade is no longer shown in Barracks after revolting as Prussia.
• Doppelsöldner: Are now also removed in American Citadels.
• German Confederation: March Revolution: Settler Wagons are no longer trainable while the ability is in effect, mitigating the possibility of exceeding Build Limit by training Settler Wagons in the meantime.
• Carlsbad Decrees: Now also enables Imperial Monitors for research.
• Steamer: No longer shows Chevauleger as a trainable unit.

Haudenosaunee

• Mantlet: Population cost increased from 2 to 3.

Inca

• Bolas Warrior: Movement speed increased from 4 to 4.5.
• 6 Huaracas, 2 Chincha Rafts, 3 Chincha Rafts, 5 Chincha Rafts: Fixed these cards now being resendable in the Imperial Age.
• Floating Islands (I): Added the missing training option for Canoes.

Indians

• Indian Gunpowder (IV): No longer improves Sepoy train time.

Italians

• Lombard: Fixed the missing availability of new outlaws.
• Trattorias (II): Fixed an issue that didn’t allow this card to be sent.

Japanese

• Meiji Restoration: Export cost increased from 3000 to 3250.
• Fixed an issue where the Meiji Rifleman, Meiji Uhlan, Meiji Grenadier received a +20% increase in strengths as opposed to the intended +10%.

Lakota

• Earth Bounty (III): Coin trickle reduced from 2.5c/s to 2c/s.
• Nomadic Expansion (III): The Teepee’s work rate aura for Military Buildings now properly affects Warship training at Docks.
• Red Circle Race (I): Now properly increases the radius for the Teepee’s range aura.

Mexicans

• Insurgente: Cost increased from 70f to 75f.
• British Weapon Trade (Maya Revolution): Light Cannon hitpoints increased by +60% instead of +50%.
• Niños Héroes (III): Moved to Age 2 and now also sends 6 Militiamen.
• Presidial Lancers (IV): No longer improves Chinaco damage by 10%.
• Reservistas (IV): Now counterbalances the ranged attack with -10% movement speed.

Ottomans

• Janissary: Fixed the misleading Rifle attack sound.

Poles

• Haidamaka (Rider): Melee damage multiplier against Cavalry/Shock Troops reduced from 3x/2.5x to 2.5x/2x.
• Farming Folwark: Gather rate improvement reduced from +38% to +20%.
• [NEW] 3 Winged Hussars (II, 150f): Card added.
• 2 Winged Hussars (III, infinite): Winged Hussars increased from 2 to 3.
• 5 Piechurs (II): Increased to 6 Piechurs.
• Kircholm Veterans (III, 250f): Winged Hussars increased from 3 to 4.
• Card cost reductions: Kusznicy (II, Crossbowmen): From 250w to 200w.
• Kosynierzy (II, Pikemen): From 250w to 200w.
• Pospolite Ruszenie (III, Retainers): From 250w to 200w.
• Piechota Dymowa (III, Piechurs): From 250w to 200w.
• Saxon Banner (II): From 500c to 400c.
• Wladyslaw’s Banner (II): From 500c to 400c.
• Cigar Roller (II): Card removed.
• Kielbasa (I): Livestock Folwarks can now only gather from 3 herdables at once (down from 5).
• Gather rate reduced by -25%.
• Now also sends 2 fully fattened Pigs.
• Krakow Salt Mines (IV): No longer affects the gather rate of Estates.
• Pancerni (IV): Cavalry Archers hitpoints and damage are now increased by +35% instead of +40%. Additional ranged and hand resistances of +5% remain unchanged.
• Piechota Wybraniecka (IV): Infantry train time improved from -20% to -30%
• Royal Union (I): Lipka Tatars and Companions now use the same population cost of 2 as the Royal Banner card.
• Vlach Banner (III): Fixed the missing population costs for Boyars.
• Wódka Distillery (I): The card can now also be sent if a Tavern has already been built.
• [NEW] TEAM House of Sobieski (III): Increases hand resistance and hitpoints of Heavy Cavalry by +5% each, +5 Retainers.
• Treaty of Lublin (II): Crown Janissaries (II): Cost increased from 800w to 1000w.
• Moved from Age 2 to Age 3.
• Liberum Veto: Age-up costs are now only reduced by -25% instead of -50%.
• Konfederatka Uhlan: Attack rate slowed from 1.0 to 1.25 and Hitpoint promotions decreased from 5/10/20% to 5/10/15%.
• Cossack Hetmanate Revolution: Khutorian: Gather rates for farming (food) are now by improved +15% instead of +20%.
• Cossack Code of Law: The enabled economic Rada technologies now improve Khutorian gather rates only by +20% instead of +25% and also reduce the improvements of the Rada’s policy trickles for wood and food from +50% to +40%.
• Leičiai Crossbowmen: Upgrades are now properly removed from the UI.
• Partitions (Warsaw Revolution): Now take 80s instead of 60s to arrive.
• Second Partition: Now always sends at least 10 Vistula Uhlans and 5 Vistula Hussars.
• Third Partition: No longer sends a fully random selection of 10 cavalry and 10 artillery units. Instead it sends 6 artillery and 14 cavalry units of which 2 Heavy Cannons and 5 Vistula Hussars are always included. The remaining 4 artillery and 8 cavalry units are other units and picked randomly.

Portuguese

• Acobertados (III): Hitpoints increase reduced from +20% to +15%.
• Grapeshot (IV): No longer improves Organ Gun rate-of-fire.

Russians

• Poruchik: Hitpoints increased from 130 to 140 and hand resistance from 20% to 25%.
• Melee and Siege Damage increased from 17 to 19 and from 24 to 26.
• Batch size reduced from 4 to 3 and cost from 210f 150c to 160f 125c (-20% upfront cost).
• Dvoryane (IV): Cavalry Archer damage is now increased by 40% (up from +35%) and hand armor from 5% to 10%. Hitpoints increase by 30% instead of +35%.

Swedes

• Allotment System (IV): Card moved to Age 3.
• Case Shot (III): Corrected the minimum ranges for default attacks of Culverins, Horse Artillery and Heavy Cannons.
• Dalecarlian Rebellion (III): Cost of 400c added.
• Gustavian Guards (II, Treaty of Roskilde): Halberdiers are now only +0.15 faster instead of +0.25, but damage and hitpoints are automatically improved by 40% upon reaching Age 4.
• Trample Tactics (III): Movement speed in Trample mode is now only +0.15 faster instead of +0.25.

Independence Mode

• Multiplayer: Added new ladders and matchmaking queues for Independence Mode.
• Added a brand-new Technology Tree for Independence Mode! Now you can study and compare all the new Culture and Civilization perks.
• Native Americans: Community Plaza limit reduced from 3 to 2.
• Federal Americans: Activated Advanced Arsenal for parity with Europeans.
• Aztecs: Activated Chinampa.
• Calendar Ceremony: Now receives the full effect of the card including +1 Warrior Priest.
• Chinese: Removed East Indiamen (Food Silos) and Great Wall.
• Replaced Atonement with Tea Export.
• Replaced Acupuncture with Banner School.
• Corrected the availability of Iron Troopers in Porcelain Towers and Tigermen in White Pagodas.
• Danes: Oldenburg Kings now also receives the card’s 1 Embassy Wagon.
• Customs House: Crates as well as their costs now increase per age.
• The Logistician (II): Now delivers 1 Military Wagon and 1 Arsenal Wagon.
• Dutch: Peace of Münster now also receives +2 Envoys from the card.
• Villagers and Fishing Boats now gather coin +10% faster instead of +15%.
• French: Ancien Regime now also receives the card’s 1 Embassy Wagon.
• Germans: Prince-Electors now also receives the card’s 1 Embassy Wagon.
• Haudenosaunee: Activated Lynx Pelt Trade and Agrarian Ways.
• Hausa: Activated Fulani Cattle Fertilizer and Katsina Fortifications.
• Inca: Peruvian Guard are now available in Age 4.
• Mapuche Bolas Warrior now starts with Elite strength from the Stronghold.
• Replaced Monumental Architecture with Census and Native Lore.
• American Allies now also receives the card’s 1 Embassy Wagon.
• American Allies also enables Ironwood Clubmen for Mapuche.
• Indians: The Raj now correctly sets food costs to 85 instead of 80.
• Sacred Cow: Reduced the Export generation by -32%.
• Jat Lancer are now available in Age 4.
• Italians: Venetian Arsenal now also sends 1 Arsenal Wagon.
• Pavisier: Replaced the extra range with Heavy Paveses.
• Activated Advanced Lombards.
• Japanese: Removed Bushido Principles and re-enabled it in the Consulate.
• Replaced Sumptuary Laws with Kwankoba Bazaar.
• Lakota: Camp Movements: Instead of receiving 2 free War Hut Travois, War Huts and Corrals now cost 30% less.
• Removed Kinship Ties.
• Maltese: The Hitpoint-per-Technology bonus now affects high hitpoints units such as Cannons, Warships, or Knight Brothers to a smaller extent.
• Replaced Fort Construction & Offshore Support with Steel Bolts & Speronaras.
• Church: Can now be built again in this mode.
• Mexicans: Guerilla Tactics now enables the Salteador ability without improving Ranged Infantry hitpoints and damage by 15%.
• Tlaxcala Alliance now also receives the card’s 1 Embassy Wagon.
• Ottomans: Sipahi are now available in Age 4.
• Nizam Fusilier added to Forts in Age 4.
• Poles: Replaced Agrarian Reforms with Raiding Economy.
• Replaced Riders of the Apocalypse with Polish Cavalry Combat.
• Replaced Vistula Uhlans in Forts with Konfederatka Uhlans.
• Kielbasa now also receives the card’s +2 Pigs (unfattened).
• Royal Union now also receives the card’s 1 Embassy Wagon.
• Wódka Distillery now also receives the card’s 1 Tavern Wagon.
• Portuguese: Removed Order of Aviz, but Independence Dragoons now start with 15 range.
• Removed Schooners.
• Feitorias: The resource trickles are now 15% slower.
• Falconet: Can now train upgraded versions from the Fort in Age 3.
• Russians: Counter Dragoon: Fixed the incorrect visuals.
• Spanish: The Logistician (II) now delivers 1 Military Wagon and 1 Arsenal Wagon.
• Swedes: Replaced -20% coin costs for Warships & Mercenaries with Engelsberg Ironworks.
• Activated Schooners.
• Royal Arquebusier can now be trained from Barracks, Forts and Galleons.
• Prospector Wagon: Increased the cost from 200w to 800w.
• United States: Replaced Advanced Market with Hamiltonian Economics.
• Meeting Houses are now buildable again in this mode.

Regicide

• Regent: Regents are now set to Defensive stance by default, with a reaction radius of 5 to prevent the Regents from running after every target in sight.
• Decay time of neutralized Regents increased.
• Now correctly spawns when playing Unknown – Survival in Regicide Mode.
• Villagers are now able to attack and inflict damage against Regents.

Maps

Map Changes

• Black Forest – Forest Nothing: Now displays the correct loading screen.
• Black Sea: Mercenaries can now be trained.
• Faroe: Added rain and wind.
• Fixed the gray water color on the winter spawn.
• Updated the minimap preview
• Heligoland: Added a small opening in cliffs west of the bases on the plateau
• Added more trees
• Hispaniola: Updated the minimap preview
• Hudson Bay: Enabled the missing Highwayman outlaw.
• Indonesia: Updated the minimap preview
• Jutland: Added the correct loading screen for the map.
• North Sea: Trading Posts can now be placed on Bourbon settlement sockets.
• Shetlands: Added rain and wind.
• The Arctic: Fixed a typo for Arctic Island visible on the loading screen.
• Unknown – Survival: Is no longer selectable when playing Independence Mode.

Standard Maps

• Removed Darfur
• Removed Painted Desert
• Added Alps
• Added Baja California
• Added Minas Gerais
• Added Highlands
• Added Sonora
• Added Spain
• Added Lake Victoria

Team Maps

• Removed Deccan
• Added Anatolia
• Added Bahia
• Added Balkan Mountains
• Added Courland
• Added Minas Gerais
• Added Hokkaido
• Added Highlands
• Added Hudson Bay
• Added Lake Chad
• Added Punjab
• Added Quebec
• Added Siberia

Historical Maps

• Wars of the Three Kingdoms: Limited how close buildings can be placed to the Minster Landmark.
• Capturable buildings: Now fully cancel their previous queue, freeing up popcap and resources for queued units to the previous owner when captured by another player.
• Revolutions: Revolutions are now fully disabled in Historical Maps, regardless of state of the ‘Recommended Settings’. The only exception to this is the Seven Years’ War map.
• Lobbies: Improved the handling of picking random civilizations.
• Random Civilizations: Chances are now re-calculated for all present players when current recommended civilization data has been changed, either by changing maps or toggling the ‘Recommended Settings’ lobby setting.
• If ‘Recommended Settings’ lobby setting is toggled on, potential random civilizations are now properly restricted to recommended civilizations.
• Players joining a Historical Map lobby no longer cause ‘Recommended Settings’ to be toggled back on, if it was disabled by the host.

Ongoing

Investigation

• Regicide: Addition of minimap markers for Regents garrisoned in Ships.

Which Independence Mode civilization change do you think will have the biggest effect on matches? Share your view in the comments, and follow the continuing balance changes through X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.