Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition will receive The Baltic Powers on September 10, 2026. The DLC is now available to pre-order through Steam and the Microsoft Store with a 15% discount, according to the Age of Empires team’s August 13 announcement.
The expansion’s first Baltic Powers details introduced the Danes and Poles. The latest update fills out the rest of the package, which moves the action into northern Europe and around the Baltic Sea, with maps reaching from the Black Sea to the Arctic.
Danes and Poles take different routes to power
The Baltic Powers will add two European civilizations, each with its own units, technologies, cards, and bonuses. The Danes represent Denmark-Norway, while the Poles are based on Poland-Lithuania.
The Danes build wealth behind strong defenses
The Danish economy centers on the Customs House, which can generate income from shipments sent by other players. Snaphane and Gunboat levies provide defensive options on land and at sea, while Round Churches can shelter villagers from attacking mercenaries.
Danish players will also spend fewer resources when advancing through the Ages and can field a complete roster of Royal Guards. The result is a civilization built around trade, defensive positioning, and a well-funded fleet.
The Poles turn farms into cavalry power
The Polish economy revolves around Folwarks, which support a growing agricultural empire. Population growth strengthens the Sejm parliament, giving the civilization another economic tool as it prepares a large army.
Players can pursue early Cossack uprisings or bring back the Teutonic Knights, while a mounted Hetman leads the famous Winged Hussars into battle. The Poles favor expansion across the land, with food production supporting repeated cavalry attacks.
The civilization will also receive two unique Revolutions: Cossack Hetmanate and Duchy of Warsaw.
Maps stretch from the Black Sea to the Arctic
The expansion will add more than 25 maps across several formats. Random Maps will include environments from the Black Sea to the Arctic, including an Icelandic volcano and the Northwest Passage.
An Arctic Map Pack will reach from Svalbard to Nunavut. Players can cross the frozen north by Inuit dog sled or travel across the ice aboard a Whaling Ship, while maps also extend to Nova Scotia and the Shetlands, where Scottish Clansmen loyal to the House of Stuart can join the fight.
- Historical Maps: Recreate the Dano-Swedish rivalry, follow the Livonian War and battles involving the Teutonic Knights, or fight in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms.
- Bonus Maps: Play selected maps from earlier DLC in the homelands of the new major and minor civilizations.
The expansion includes 18 additional DLC maps as bonus content. The 14 Random Maps are Baltic, Danish Straits, Pomerania, Vistula Basin, Lithuania, Courland, Jutland, Pripet Marshes, Dnieper Basin, Scotland, Ireland, England, Wales, and Finland. Four additional Historical Maps are The Deluge, The Great Northern War, The Great Turkish War, and The Thirty Years’ War.
The northern setting also introduces new allies, enemies, and mercenary units. Players can work with the Scottish House of Stuart, the Scandinavian Sámi, or the Arctic Inuit. Encounters may also include Harpooners, Whaling Ships, and the feared Qivittoqs.
Mercenary choices will include Gallowglasses, mounted Cranequiniers, and Fortified Wagon artillery, which becomes available in the Second Age.
New resources and modes change the battlefield
Maps in The Baltic Powers will feature Seals, Walruses, and frozen Fishing Holes that Villagers can harvest by breaking through the ice. Capturable Lighthouses offer a way to monitor maritime activity, while Timber Importers can improve access to wood.
Fish Traps will also give Fishing Boats another source of food. The buildable feature will be available to every civilization rather than only the new factions.
Two new Challenge scenarios will test players who want focused tactical objectives. Commonwealth Charge centers on the legendary Winged Hussars, while Havana Heat asks players to repel a large naval assault.
Independence removes Home City shipments and cuts players off from the usual XP system. Some XP sources, including Trade Routes, will instead provide a mix of resources. Players will begin with instant starting resources, while Villagers will gather slightly faster to offset the missing shipments.
Every civilization will receive updated unique bonuses for the mode. Spanish technology research will be faster, while the Lakota will be able to break camp and move their buildings. Forts, Factories, and the Ottoman Sipahi will no longer depend on shipments, giving players access to those tools through normal civilization progression.
Regicide brings a new version of the classic mode first introduced in Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings in 1999. Losing a Regent means instant defeat, but the Regent in The Baltic Powers will be much more than a fragile unit hiding in a tower. Regents will have a battlefield presence, a large health pool, and no way to hide, putting the mode’s central objective front and center: eliminate the opposing Regent while keeping your own alive.
The older Honshu-only version of Regicide will remain playable, so players who prefer the original format will not lose access to it.
The free update will overhaul campaigns and core systems
A free update will launch alongside The Baltic Powers, with details outlined in the Age DE Team’s official FAQ. It will add a new Spectator UI and a new “Ludicrous” difficulty level for every Campaign and Historical Battle.
The update will also bring a major Campaign quality pass, Deck Manager hotkeys, Revolution Decks, new profile icons, new Revolutions, and improved AI. Natives, Outlaws, and Mercenaries will receive new technology trees, while the HUD will show XP Rate, Kills, and Train Times.
Scenario creators will get an overhauled Scenario Editor, and players will gain Charged Action Toggles. Performance and balance fixes are also planned, alongside texture optimizations that will reduce the game’s install size by 10 GB.
Hero cosmetics round out the expansion
The DLC will include fresh outfits for the Danish Explorer and Polish Hetman, along with Hero Cosmetics Pack Vol. 2. The collection will let players customize Warchiefs, Monks, and Explorers from other civilizations.
Examples include Hürrem Sultan, also known as Roxelana, Frederick the Great, the Portuguese Carnival Dancer, and the Hausa Maigadi Officer. Other additions include Gustavus Adolphus, the Valkyrie, and the Arctic Explorer. Cosmetics from past monthly events, including Ada Lovelace, Mila the Bear, and Thor, will also return. The DLC’s bonus content includes 40 profile icons, and players who own Hero Cosmetics Pack Vol. 1 will have another way to expand their hero collections.
Across its two civilizations, map pool, new units, challenges, and cosmetic content, The Baltic Powers will add more than 40 new units and over 50 hero customizations when it launches on September 10, 2026.
The Winged Hussar is becoming a Polish unit
The Winged Hussar first appeared in Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition – Knights of the Mediterranean as a Native unit for the Royal House of Vasa. With The Baltic Powers, it will become a Polish unique unit instead.
House Vasa will receive the Companion in exchange. This cavalry unit uses a war hammer and will preserve the faction’s hard-hitting presence on the battlefield while the Poles claim the Winged Hussar as their signature unit.
Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition – The Baltic Powers will launch on September 10, 2026.
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