Age of Empires II: HD Edition (Retired): Guide and Upgrade Advice

A guide for anyone who owns or is considering the 2013 Age of Empires II: HD Edition (the Steam listing now called "Age of Empires II (Retired)"): what state it's in, what it still does well, core build orders and economy rules that apply to any version, and why most players should move to the Definitive Edition.

Researched September 2026 — current as of the retired HD Edition (no longer updated) and Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition with The Viking Sagas (September 22, 2026). Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Status: retired. The Steam store page says it plainly: since Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition released on November 14, 2019, the HD Edition "is not the most current and will not be updated further." It stays in your library and still works, but the community, ranked play, balance patches and new content are all on Definitive Edition (DE) (Steam app 813780). DE is also on Xbox, PS5 and (since May 28, 2026) macOS. If you're buying today, buy DE. Most of this guide (economy, build orders, unit counters) applies to both.

HD Edition vs. Definitive Edition

Reasons to keep HD: nostalgia, a low-spec PC, or an existing HD-only mod or scenario you love. Otherwise, DE is strictly better supported.

HD Edition Content Recap

• Base game: Age of Kings plus The Conquerors, with 18 civilizations (Britons, Byzantines, Celts, Chinese, Franks, Goths, Japanese, Mongols, Persians, Saracens, Teutons, Turks, Vikings, Aztecs, Huns, Koreans, Mayans, Spanish).
• The Forgotten (2013): Incas, Indians, Italians, Magyars, Slavs. New campaigns and a higher population cap.
• The African Kingdoms (2015): Berbers, Ethiopians, Malians, Portuguese, and modes like Capture the Relic.
• Rise of the Rajas (2016): Burmese, Khmer, Malay, Vietnamese.

Quick Start (any version)

1. Never stop making villagers. The Town Center should be producing villagers nonstop until you reach your economic target (often 100+ villagers in the late game).
2. Don't get housed. Build a house every 5 population early (each house gives +5). If your pop is stuck, you've lost production time.
3. Keep your scout busy. Find sheep, boar, deer, berries, gold, stone and the enemy's base early.
4. Lure the boar to your Town Center with your first villager (or scout in some builds) for a big food boost.
5. Use the idle villager button constantly. Idle villagers are the biggest hidden loss in beginner games.
6. Research economy upgrades: Loom (for safety), Double-Bit Axe, Horse Collar, Wheelbarrow, and later Bow Saw, Heavy Plow and Hand Cart.
7. Learn the counter triangle:
   • Spearmen and pikemen beat cavalry.
   • Archers beat infantry.
   • Skirmishers beat archers.
   • Cavalry beats archers and siege.
   • Monks convert expensive units.
   • Siege beats buildings.
8. Hotkeys and control groups. Ctrl+number to group, and number to select. Learn the Town Center and building hotkeys early.

Standard Openings (1v1 land maps)

These are community-standard shapes, not exact scripts. Adjust for civ bonuses and map.

Feudal Scouts (flexible, most common)

1. First 6 villagers on sheep under the Town Center, plus houses as needed.
2. Next 3–4 to wood (lumber camp at a forest line).
3. Next villager lures the first boar. Keep sheep and boar eating near the TC.
4. Next 3–4 to berries (with a mill).
5. Lure the second boar, then a couple more on wood.
6. Click Feudal Age at around low-20s population. While aging, build a Barracks.
7. In Feudal: Stable, a steady stream of Scout Cavalry, farms coming online, and more wood.

Archers (Feudal Archers or Men-at-Arms into Archers)

The same dark-age economy, but put more villagers on wood and add gold earlier. Build 2 Archery Ranges in Feudal and research Fletching. Men-at-Arms first (with the Barracks) can harass the enemy's woodline before archers arrive.

Fast Castle

A heavier food economy and early wood for farms. Skip Feudal military, reach Castle Age quickly, and boom with extra Town Centers or go straight into Knights or a unique unit.

Economy Rules of Thumb

• Food: sheep, then boar, then berries and deer, then farms. Farms are unlimited but cost wood, so plan the transition before the sheep run out.
• Wood: the most important Dark and Feudal resource. Move your lumber camp as the treeline recedes.
• Gold: needed from Feudal onward for most military and ages. Trash units (spearmen, skirmishers, light cavalry) cost no gold and are the late-game backbone.
• Stone: castles, towers and Town Centers.
• Market: trade carts or cogs on team maps. The market is also where you buy and sell resources in emergencies.

Civilization Archetypes (HD roster)

Balance in HD is frozen in its final patch state. DE has rebalanced every civ many times since, so don't carry HD tier lists into DE ranked.

Playing HD Edition Today

• Single player: all campaigns and skirmish vs. AI still work.
• Multiplayer: Steam lobbies still exist but are sparse. Expect to organize games with friends.
• Mods: HD's Steam Workshop still hosts scenarios, maps and graphic mods.
• Upgrading: DE is a separate purchase. It doesn't read HD saves, but it includes all HD content, remastered.

Definitive Edition in September 2026

• Expansions released since launch: Lords of the West, Dawn of the Dukes, Dynasties of India, Return of Rome, The Mountain Royals, Victors and Vanquished, Chronicles: Battle for Greece, The Three Kingdoms, Chronicles: Alexander the Great, The Last Chieftains (Feb 17, 2026), and The Viking Sagas (Sep 22, 2026).
• Platforms: Windows, Xbox, PS5 and macOS.
• Online: ranked ladders and cross-play.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Idle Town Center. The number-one cause of losses.
• Getting housed.
• Forgetting Loom before the enemy scouts come.
• Farming too late, leaving your food to collapse in Feudal.
• Massing one unit type that the opponent can hard-counter.
• Buying HD instead of DE because it looks cheaper. HD has no future updates.

Advanced Tips

• Walling: partial walls (palisades plus houses at gaps) slow early aggression dramatically.
• Villager micro: pull villagers into the TC or towers during raids, then send them back out immediately.
• Deer pushing with your scout (on maps where it's allowed) gives free extra food.
• Build extra Town Centers in Castle Age (a "boom") when the map is safe. It's the most common way to take over the late game.
• Target key upgrades, such as Blacksmith armor for your main army, Ballistics for archers, and Bloodlines/Husbandry for cavalry.
• Watch pro casts (T90Official and others) on DE. The fundamentals transfer to HD.

FAQ

Is Age of Empires II HD still supported? No. It was retired when DE launched on November 14, 2019, and won't be updated. It still runs and stays in your library.

Should I buy HD or DE? DE. It has all HD content remastered, far more civs and campaigns, active balance patches, ranked play and cross-play.

Do HD owners get DE for free? No. DE is a separate purchase.

Can HD and DE players play together? No. They're separate games with separate multiplayer.

What's the newest AoE II content? The Viking Sagas expansion for DE (September 22, 2026).

Is there still an HD multiplayer community? A small one. Most competitive and casual online play moved to DE.

Sources

• Age of Empires II (Retired) on Steam
• Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition on Steam
• Wikipedia: Age of Empires II (HD Edition and expansions)
• Wikipedia: Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition
• Steam news: Lunar New Year discount notice, Lords of the West announcement