The Return of Rome expands Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition on Xbox

We’ve waxed lyrical about the greatness of Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition and how brilliantly it works on Xbox, especially in terms of how it handles controller integration; how using a game controller with this behemoth shouldn’t ever faze you. And so any chance to dip our toes back into the world is one that strikes up immediate interest. Today it is time to welcome in a Return of Rome. 

Return of Rome is the latest expansion to hit Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition since it launched on Xbox back in January, running as a self-contained option for those looking to take more from the game. it brings a ton of new content to proceedings too, with the opportunity to go up against friends as any of the original 16 civilizations in Age of Empires, or that of the Lac Viet, a new Return of Rome exclusive group. 

Pay up the £9.99 asking price of the Return of Rome expansion and you’ll find the following readying themselves for war…

• • Assyrians
• • Babylonians
• • Carthaginians
• • Choson
• • Egyptians
• • Greeks
• • Hittites
• • Macedonians
• • Minoans
• • Palmyrans
• • Persians
• • Phoenicians
• • Romans
• • Shang
• • Sumerians
• • Yamato
• • And 1 entirely new, Return of Rome exclusive: Lac Viet — The ancient civilization of Southeast Asia

There are three new campaigns to get your teeth into and these are full of everything you would expect from an AoE II: Definitive Edition drop. Conquerors, empire building and the chance to utilise a string of tactics will await. Details of those campaigns sit as…

• Sargon of Akkad — An unlikely man rises to power in the city-states of Mesopotamia: Sargon is a simple cupbearer to the king, but everything changes when the war goddess Ishtar appears in his dreams. Under her guidance, Sargon leads the quarreling Sumerians into a new age, but the appealing nature of power forces him to choose between his divine destiny and his personal ambition. In this campaign, you will play as the Sumerians.
• Pyrrhus of Epirus — As the Wars of the Diadochi saw Alexander the Great’s successors throw the Greek world into chaos, Pyrrhus of Epirus began as a small player among titans. Will he become worthy of the legendary Hannibal Barca’s judgment of him – a renowned general of the age – or will his constant uphill struggle prove insurmountable? In this campaign, you will play as the Macedonians.
• Trajan — Marcus Ulpius Trajanus climbed the ranks of the legions while the Emperor Domitian’s tyrannical rule tarnished the Roman Empire’s glory. When circumstance elevates him to the throne as Emperor Trajan, he inherits a realm on the brink of disaster. Will resourcefulness, virtue, and military might be enough to save Rome and lead it to its historical zenith, or will the Roman Empire collapse four centuries before its time? In this campaign, you will play as the Romans.

Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition – Return of Rome is on the Xbox Store. You’ll need the base game too, but with that working wonders via Game Pass, there’s no chance you shouldn’t have that in your digital library. From there, returning to Rome is a no-brainer.