The gold edition of Age of empires II not only gives you the 13 civilisations from the original game (the Francs, the Vikings, the Celts, the Turks...) but also 5 new civilizations from further a field: the Huns, the Aztecs, the Mayans... Each of these civilizations (new and old) have their own strong points and weaknesses economically and for their military. These are in the form of balance specific for certain civilisations (e.g. the Turks can research gunpowder cheaper than any other civilization) and units specific to each civilization (samurais for the Japanese).
The main interest of the game is to work your way up the expansive technology tree to get up the 4 main "age", which give you not only major technological advances but massive economical improvements, giving you a foot up on the opposition.
The economical aspect of the game is fundamental to winning, as is the proper management of trade routes, espionage and the backstabbing that was even more abundant then than it is now.
Whether you decide to play the different campaigns available to you all based on historical military campaigns (Joan of Arc, Genghis Kahn, Attila the Hun, Montezuma...), or you prefer to take one specific civilization from birth to attack against a traditional opponent, Age of Empires 2 is the perfect addition to any strategy fan's collection.

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