Age of Empires IV has its biggest content drop in a while. Raiders of the North launched on Thursday, October 29, adding two northern civilizations, the Vikings and the Scots, a heavily expanded Crucible mode with two-player co-op, and two new biomes. Xbox Wire and World's Edge's launch post both confirm the expansion is live on Steam, Microsoft Store, Xbox and PlayStation 5, and the Steam store page lists it at $19.99.
It also arrives with Update 17.0.12182, the free patch everyone gets whether or not they buy the expansion. That patch is full of balance changes to existing civilizations, a couple of new control options and a change to how hidden matchmaking rating moves in team games. This guide covers what you get in the DLC, how both new civs actually play based on the official civilization pages, what changed in the Crucible, and the patch notes items that matter for ranked players.
A quick warning from the 17.0 release notes before you update: saved games and observable matches made on previous builds cannot be loaded or replayed on the new version. If you have a campaign save or a replay you care about, finish or record it first.
What is included in Raiders of the North
The release notes do not list a specific unlock time for the expansion. It was simply live by the time World's Edge published the launch post on October 29, so if you are reading this, you can play it.
Price and platforms
The Steam listing shows $19.99 in the US. Steam describes it as downloadable content that requires Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition. The launch post links store pages on Steam, Microsoft Store, Xbox and the PlayStation Store. Before launch, World's Edge noted that the PS5 version would go on sale on launch day rather than being available for pre-order, and that is now the case.
PC requirements
The Steam page lists these system requirements:
The Vikings: Wolves Upon the Sea
The Vikings civilization page frames them around the Viking Age, starting with the 793 raid on Lindisfarne and running through the jarldoms that became Norway, Sweden and Denmark. In game terms they are a melee infantry civ that wants to raid early, with an economy that runs itself more than most.
Free Villagers and the Longhouse
This is the mechanic that will take the most getting used to. Viking Villagers are not recruited normally. They are automatically recruited from Town Centers at no cost until you hit your Villager capacity. Longhouses raise that capacity, so your real economic decision is how fast you build Longhouses rather than how many Villagers you queue.
Each Longhouse can take one of four attachments:
- Farmstead: improved farms.
- Bee Skeps: generate Gold.
- Pasture & Loom and Smithy: between them, automatically research armor and weapon damage technologies at no cost.
Sagas
Sagas are quests you can complete at any point in the match for permanent economic or military bonuses. There are seven, and completed Sagas are commemorated by carved pillars near your capital Town Center:
The official pages say Sagas can be completed by raiding enemy buildings, hunting wild animals, trading and more. The exact trigger for each Saga is shown in game, so check the Saga panel in your first few matches rather than guessing.
Völur, Sacred Groves and Berserkers
The Völur is the Viking religious unit. It can move between Longhouses to boost their production, or be sacrificed on a Relic to create a Sacred Grove. Sacred Groves give the Hamingja buff to nearby units and periodically produce Berserkers. Berserkers are fast dual-axe shock infantry that enrage at low health, healing and dealing bonus damage for a short time.
That makes Relics far more important for Vikings than for most civs. Every Relic you hold is a potential Berserker factory, and every Sacred Grove is a structure the enemy will want to break. One launch fix is relevant here: a Monk carrying a Relic near a Sacred Grove as it finishes construction no longer spawns a duplicate Relic.
Vikings through the ages
- Dark Age: build an early Longhouse to keep free Villager production going, add Farmsteads or Bee Skeps, and raid with Bondi spearmen and Berserkers. Damage taken while raiding can be healed by using Living off the Land on any Food source. Since launch, that ability can no longer be stopped and restarted to heal faster.
- Feudal Age: unlock Pasture & Loom and Smithy attachments and start using the Völur to set up Sacred Groves.
- Castle Age: advancing with Valdemar Castle upgrades every existing and new Palisade into Danevirke walls with much higher health and torch resistance. Jylland Knights are slightly cheaper heavy cavalry that refund some Gold when they die, and Hagl Brodda lets archers fire two extra arrows at random.
- Imperial Age: maximum population rises to 210 regardless of landmark, and the Kongens Dør Cathedral unlocks Folkekirken, raising it to 220. Leikr Training at the University pushes melee infantry further. In the launch build, Kongens Dør's Gold income caps at 20 Longhouses.
The Scots: Through Mist and Moor
The Scots civilization page pitches them as the defensive answer to the Vikings: disciplined infantry, fortified positions and an unusual food economy. Historically they draw on the union of the Picts and Scoti under Kenneth MacAlpin in 843 and the Wars of Independence that produced William Wallace and Robert the Bruce.
Highland Cattle and Tower Houses
The Scots food economy runs through Highland Cattle. Tower Houses produce them, and cattle graze at Berry Bushes for bonus Food over time without depleting the bushes. Tower Houses also act as Outposts, add population and have garrison space for cattle when you get raided. That last part matters, because the civ page describes the cattle as a prime target for enemy raids.
Fishponds and the Kirkman
In Feudal Age you can produce a Kirkman and establish a Fishpond to gather Gold. While Kirkmen work Fishponds, nearby Villager gather rates also increase. The launch post groups Fishponds with cattle as the core of the Scots economy.
The Mustering Hall
The Mustering Hall is the Scots signature building. It holds unique Highland and Lowland technologies and lets you muster warriors rapidly by spending Food on muster charges. Military buildings placed within its influence improve mustering. Technologies tied to a region are greatly reduced in cost when you build a landmark from that region, so your landmark picks steer which half of the Hall you will use.
Stealth Forests
Scots infantry see directly through Stealth Forests and excel at ambushing from them. At Castle Age, the Tower of Skye landmark shrouds itself in Stealth Forest and unlocks Stealth Forest creation at Tower Houses. On maps with natural stealth forests, expect Scots players to hide armies where you cannot see them.
Scots through the ages
- Dark Age: place your first Highland Cattle on Berry Bushes near a Tower House. The Pictish Pikeman guards the early village. Every age up offers a choice between a Lowland or Highland landmark.
- Feudal Age: the Lowland Stone of Destiny gives a Gold rebate on buildings constructed in its reach. Build a Kirkman and Fishpond, then the Mustering Hall.
- Castle Age: the Highland Tower of Skye brings Stealth Forest creation, and the Gallowglass becomes available from the Barracks and Mustering Hall. These are heavy claymore infantry that brace against cavalry charges and deal area damage.
- Imperial Age: the Lowland Dhùn Èideann brings the Seven Sisters cannons and extra range for gunpowder siege. Basket-Hilted Broadswords upgrades the Cateran, the fast raiding infantry, and the Border Reiver arrives as a light gunpowder raider that counters enemy ranged cavalry.
Vikings vs Scots: which one to start with
If you enjoy early pressure and like to take fights on your terms, start with the Vikings. Free Villagers mean you can spend more resources on army from minute one, and Berserkers from Sacred Groves reward map control. The risk is that a lot of their strength is tied to Longhouses and Relic sites that need defending.
If you prefer to boom behind defenses and punish attacks, start with the Scots. Tower Houses double as outposts, cattle do not drain your berries, and Gallowglass plus Lochaber Axe Men-at-Arms handle cavalry well. The tradeoff is micro: protecting grazing cattle and using Stealth Forests well takes practice.
Both civs are built to play against each other, and the four new Crucible missions lean into that theme.
The Crucible Reforged
The Crucible arrived with Dynasties of the East as a survival-style mode, and Raiders of the North overhauls it. According to the Crucible Reforged post, all the base system changes are part of the free October 29 update for anyone who already owns Dynasties of the East, while Raiders of the North owners get four exclusive missions on top.
Four new missions
- Sea Raiders: Viking longships land wave after wave of raiders on your shore.
- Scottish Isthmus: hold the northern clans together against Scots loyal to the English crown pushing up from the south, and protect nearby villages to win the North's support.
- Lost Desert: fight back against Knights Templar fortresses built across the desert.
- Thunder & Trumpets: Tughlaq elephant cavalry in the Sundarban jungle ruins, where no boons are gifted and you must raze enemy fortresses to earn them.
Co-op and progression
- Two-player co-op now works for every Dynasties of the East and Raiders of the North mission, with automatch for finding a partner. Both players need to own the DLC for the selected mission in Standard, Conqueror or Custom Mode. Progression is shared between solo and co-op, but records are tracked separately.
- 25 new Boons, plus a Boon Browser, Boon Unlocks through challenges, Boon Vetoes to remove Boons you do not want, and Boon Ascension to upgrade any Boon to a second tier.
- Talent Tracks for every civilization, with 15 levels each and a free Boon Ascension at the end.
- Three new Perks: Woolly Friends, Breakthrough and Eager Hands. Perk points are now uncapped.
Conqueror and Custom Mode
Conqueror Mode becomes a weekly leaderboard challenge. Everyone gets a fixed 5,000 Perk Points, other progression is disabled, and four of the 25 new mutators are picked at random each week. Scoring now uses survival time multiplied by a difficulty modifier, so every difficulty feeds one global leaderboard. Custom Mode lets you pick any mutator combination with full access to your progression.
Unit conversion stays disabled in the Crucible for balance reasons. World's Edge's FAQ answers "Wololo?" with "Nololo."
The 17.0 notes also include Crucible balance: boss health and damage now scale harder in Castle and Imperial Age, boss units are larger, Fast Expand drops from 75% to 60% cheaper Town Centers, and Handy Cannons hit harder.
Update 17.0.12182: the free patch for everyone
Even if you never buy the expansion, the 17.0 release notes change your games. The headline items:
Gameplay and controls
- Attack Move Targets Buildings is a new setting under Game. You decide whether attack-move hits buildings, with a rebindable modifier key to invert it. Rams, Trebuchets and Cannons still target buildings by default.
- New hotkeys to select all ranged units, all melee cavalry or all ranged cavalry, either map-wide or on screen.
- The Dark Green and Magenta player colors were removed for readability. Team-Based colors can now be customized for yourself, allies and enemies.
- The notes originally listed single-player pause, but a developer note says it is coming in a future patch before the end of the year.
- 12 new Viking and Scots themed taunts, available to everyone.
- A new Observer HUD mod category for replays and live spectators.
Matchmaking change for team games
Hidden MMR, the rating used to build balanced matches, now moves toward a group's true skill faster when you regularly queue with the same teammates. Gains and losses inside a team are now weighted by each player's rating relative to teammates instead of being split evenly. World's Edge says this makes boosting and smurfing far less effective. Seasonal rank and points are not affected.
Global balance
- Town Center construction time: 150 to 165 seconds.
- Ram health: 370 to 410.
Notable civilization changes
Map changes are worth a skim too. Danube River is now mirrored and symmetrical, Craters' Meteorite holds 2,000 Gold and Stone instead of 4,000, Prairie's starting Gold Mine is large again, Madagascar can now appear in ranked, and Tropical Swamp is removed from ranked.
World's Edge closes the notes by saying it is watching the impact of the new civs and Crucible content ahead of a follow-up patch in the near future, so expect early Viking and Scots tuning.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Age of Empires IV Raiders of the North release?
Raiders of the North released on Thursday, October 29, 2026. World's Edge and Xbox Wire both announced it as available now on that date. No specific unlock hour was published, so if you are reading this, it is already live.
How much does Raiders of the North cost?
The Steam store lists Raiders of the North at $19.99 in the US. It is DLC and needs the base game, Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition. Prices on Xbox, Microsoft Store and PlayStation can differ by region, so check your store.
Is Raiders of the North on PS5?
Yes. World's Edge's launch post lists Steam, Microsoft Store, Xbox and PlayStation 5. Before launch, the team noted that the PS5 version would go on sale on launch day instead of being available for pre-order.
What civilizations are in Raiders of the North?
The expansion adds two civilizations: the Vikings, built around free auto-recruited Villagers, Longhouses, Sagas and Berserkers from Sacred Groves, and the Scots, built around Highland Cattle, Tower Houses, Fishponds, the Mustering Hall and Stealth Forest ambushes.
Do I need Raiders of the North to play the new Crucible features?
Not all of them. Base Crucible changes such as co-op, Boon Ascension and Talent Tracks are considered core features and come with either Dynasties of the East or Raiders of the North. The four new missions, Sea Raiders, Scottish Isthmus, Lost Desert and Thunder & Trumpets, are exclusive to Raiders of the North.
Can I play Crucible co-op with a friend who does not own the DLC?
To start a co-op match with a second player in Standard, Conqueror or Custom Mode, both players must own the DLC for the selected mission. Quick match requires owning either Raiders of the North or Dynasties of the East.
Will my old Age of Empires IV saves and replays still work?
No. The 17.0 release notes state that saved games and observable matches made on previous builds cannot be loaded or replayed after updating. Finish or record anything important before you patch.
Are the new taunts free?
Yes. The 12 new Viking and Scots themed taunts are available to all players from October 29, not just expansion owners.
What are the PC requirements for Raiders of the North?
The Steam page lists Windows 10 or 11 64-bit, an Intel Core i5-6300U or AMD Ryzen 5 2400G with AVX support, 8 GB of RAM, Intel HD 520 or Radeon RX Vega 11 graphics and 50 GB of storage as the minimum. The recommended spec is a 6-core Intel i5 or Ryzen 5 1600, 16 GB of RAM and a GeForce 970 or Radeon RX 570 with 4 GB of VRAM.
