Best Age Of Empires 4 Mods

Age of Empires is one of the most legendary RTS series of all time, with all of its games being celebrated by the masses as some of the very best in the genre. The first two games are quite famous, with the third game having its fair share of fans, too. After what felt like eons of waiting, the fourth game was released to positive reviews, even if some people felt like it was trying to emulate the success of Age of Empires 2 a bit too much for their liking.

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Regardless, Age of Empires 4 is a must-play for RTS fans, with its campaign taking on the form of a documentary as players wage historic battles and achieve landmark successes that are huge for their time. Players who want to make this game more enjoyable can do so with a wealth of great Age of Empires 4 mods. These fan-made pieces of content cover numerous verticals and will go a long way in ensuring that most people aren’t fatigued after playing this game for too long.

Updated on February 26, 2025, by Mehrdad Khayyat: Age of Empires 4 or almost every other RTS game with a skirmish mode provides unlimited hours of fun and playtime aside from the main campaign. However, diversity is something needed at some point, and what could diversify an RTS better than mods?

The good thing about Age of Empires 4 is that the developers have dedicated an exclusive hub for mod creators, allowing them to share their latest ideas with the community, and also letting the players download and install the mods through an easy and safe process.

19

Dire Wolves

Subscribers: 29,634

Dire Wolves is a small but impactful mod recommended to players who look for a more challenging and less forgiving nature. The mod specifically focuses on the pack of wolves lurking around the map, making them hard to deal with and giving them more power.

The mod increases the damage output, size, and health bar of the wolves, which means players need stronger units to deal with them, while they will also fight back with deadly attacks. The total appearance of the wolves on the map remains unchanged, though.

18

Mountain Pass With Walls

Subscribers: 92,248

Most of the Age of Empires 4 mods feature custom-made maps with unique gimmicks that players can use to make a multiplayer session all the more engaging, and such is the case with this mod, which is pretty self-explanatory. Players who love using strategic advantages to get to an enemy’s base to wreak havoc will love what this mod brings to the table.

Players must use sound strategies to break through the wall that gates the passage to an enemy’s region while ensuring that they don’t get outmaneuvered tactically by other players. It’s easier said than done, and players will likely want to play a few practice games on this map to figure out the best approach before playing a competitive game where they must secure victory at all costs.

17

The Tunnel

Subscribers: 56,143

Small passes that narrow down the enemy forces trying to make their way to a base will leave them vulnerable to an enemy counterattack, which is why players should make it a point to prepare beforehand for this contingency before playing on a map that involves such bottlenecks. Such is the case with this Age of Empires 4 mod, where players must work around these claustrophobic areas to secure victory.

Unless players have a massive army that can handle some losses, they should try not to go on the offensive too much while playing on this map. Trying to pass through the tunnel in the middle of the map is akin to a death sentence for unprepared players. Veterans will know what to do, but the tide of battle can still turn against them if they get too overzealous and try to mount an early offense that can’t handle the wealth of losses they’ll incur as they pass through this narrow zone.

16

Permanent Bodies

Subscribers: 45,503

Warfare is a huge part of Age of Empires 4‘s gameplay loop. Players will form a ton of armies and watch these units go down by the dozen as they strive to conquer bases and take out opposing forces. While the bodies of their fallen soldiers stay on the map for a while, they eventually fade away to not clutter up the map and make it easier to visually discern what’s happening. It’s a smart solution, but some players may want to see the aftermath of the carnage they’ve induced on the map.

This Age of Empires 4 mod helps facilitate the same, ensuring that bodies remain on the map permanently no matter how much time has passed. It’s a sobering way to show the sheer number of losses that have been incurred in a game, especially if these skirmishes have been going on for so long that the entire map is littered with bodies.

15

The Lord Of The Rings Middle Earth Map

Subscribers: 88,468

The Lord of the Rings is one of the most famous IPs around, and it’s easy to see why so many people love the adventures of Sam, Frodo, and the others as they strive to throw the One Ring into Mordor and end Sauron’s reign of tyranny once and for all. While Age of Empires 4 may not have the fantasy gameplay people would expect from a Lord of the Rings game, this doesn’t mean that players can’t pay homage to this beloved fantasy series in their own way.

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There are many great Age of Empires fan-made maps that allow players to have a fun time setting up skirmishes and trying their hardest to develop their economy and take out their enemies in no time. One such mod replicates the environment of Lord of the Rings, making for a great time as players try their hardest to establish dominance on a map that will invoke some great memories.

14

Great Wall Of China

Subscribers: 17,985

For any player looking to challenge themselves in a game of siege, the Great Wall of China is an amazing mod to try out with a little bit of historical authenticity. The map puts the player in a 1v7 scenario, where the player takes the role of the Chinese empire, with a long, sturdy wall protecting it from threats and an abundance of resources available.

On the other hand, seven allied enemies prepare to take over the player’s territory while dealing with the lack of resources. This is also a great mod to play with friends, training some siege tactics to destroy the Great Wall, if possible!

13

AoE Battlegrounds

Subscribers: 63,900

Some people may feel that Age of Empires 4 features gameplay that can be a bit too rigid for their liking. While the reasoning behind this sentiment is understandable, there are still some ways these people can enable fresh and unique gameplay loops for their titles. One great way for players to enjoy Age of Empires 4 in a different way is to check out the AoE Battlegrounds mod.

This mod is inspired by Hearthstone’s Battlegrounds and StarCraft’s Tavern Battle Mode, making it the perfect mod for players who want to check out something different and engaging. Age of Empires 4 wears its inspirations a bit too much on its sleeve at times, so any mod that helps take both the game and players out of this comfort zone is much appreciated.

12

Battleground

Subscribers: 45,366

Some of the custom maps players can download for Age of Empires 4 can feel rather uninspired, and many gamers would only want to subscribe to maps that help them make the most of the title’s gameplay. One such mod that is perfect for players looking for unique environments to mess around in is Battleground.

Featuring an area with plentiful resources and a mountain pass that’s hard to navigate, Battleground is a great mod for players to check out if they want to enjoy fun 1v1 and 2v2 gameplay sessions. Navigating troops is easier said than done on this map, and players must employ every strategy in their arsenal to come out victorious.

11

World Map

Subscribers: 24,311

This is one of those maps that has proven to be quite entertaining in its utmost simplicity! As the name implies, the mod brings the map of the world with all its continents to the game on a smaller scale and turns it into a battleground between the nations of Age of Empires 4.

Despite being a replica of the world’s map, the design and the distribution of resources on the World Map mod have been handled excellently to deliver a balanced experience for every part of the map with reasonable challenges to deal with. The map even features the frozen lands of antarctica, which comes with more challenges in finding resources.

10

Gulch

Subscribers: 71,393

The fact that the developers themselves release mods for players to check out in the game is a testament to how well they understand the title’s passionate community. Most of these mods may be custom maps, but fans won’t have any issues with that. After all, the base game maps have probably been played to death by veterans, so playing through carefully curated maps made by other people familiar with the gameplay loop of Age of Empires 4 is pretty appealing.

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The Gulch is a tactical map that requires players to be smart about how they go about with their plans for conquest. The river in the center is what makes or breaks the game, and any player who establishes control on this part of the map will almost guarantee their win. It’s a great Age of Empires 4 mod for players looking for a unique competitive map to play in.

9

Indian Subcontinent

Subscribers: 54,674

Playing on a miniaturized version of the Indian subcontinent certainly sounds like a great time, and the developers have added a custom map that players can download to facilitate the same. It may not be the most realistic map around, but most players won’t take too much of an issue with this.

Securing valuable resources and taking over the map will take a while, but patient players who assemble a massive attacking force can turn the tide of battle in a flash. It’s a fun map inspired by real-world geography that many fans are sure to appreciate.

8

1.5x All Resources

Subscribers: 47,508

The act of collecting resources, setting up structures, forming a strong base, and amassing a force of powerful warriors is a tried-and-tested gameplay loop in Age of Empires that fans can’t get enough of. However, after numerous games, some players may get bored with the more methodical aspects of this strategy game.

With this mod, players can hasten the process of acquiring resources in the game. This makes it easier to get into the more action-packed aspects of Age of Empires 4 in no time at all.

7

Nomad

Subscribers: 134,478

One of the most legendary mods in past Age of Empires games that never made it to the newest title, fans who loved being aimless nomads who had to find a common point for their villagers to gather before forming a base will love the Nomad mod.

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The sheer amount of chaos that can be enjoyed in this game mode is amazing and goes to show just how entertaining Age of Empires can be with such a simple change. Of course, this mod’s novelty only lasts early on in the game, with players settling into the usual gameplay loop after a few minutes of roaming around aimlessly.

6

Thick Woods

Subscribers: 116,622

Gathering resources to form a self-sustaining economy is the meat and bones of Age of Empires 4‘s gameplay. However, gathering resources in a new game over and over again can get tiring after a point. This is where the Thick Woods mod comes into the picture.

It allows players to collect double the wood from trees, reducing the headache they may experience if the forests nearby run out of resources. It’s a simple yet great mod that veterans will love if the early game gets a bit too grating after a point.

5

Britain And Ireland

Subscribers: 89,963

The conflict between Britain and Ireland is the stuff of legends. Players who want to engineer this conflict in a game of Age of Empires 4 can do the same with a mod that adds a rather unique yet familiar-looking map to the game.

Players can build their bases on the lands of Britain and Ireland, making for a tantalizing round as gamers try their hardest to take out their enemies and build a strong army that can deal with the toughest enemies without too many problems.

4

Double Villagers

Subscribers: 82,445

Players are always encouraged to train as many villages as possible to make the economy as smooth and engaging as possible. This is important for those who want to progress through the ages in record time and decimate their opposition without any problems.

So, it can be rather annoying when players have to start from scratch in every multiplayer session and amass a horde of villagers in record time. Thankfully, with this mod, the resources required to add more villagers to the population are reduced significantly, allowing players to form a huge army in no time at all.

3

Advanced Game Settings

Subscribers: 242,160

Players always want a greater degree of control over the rounds they play in any game, and Age of Empires 4 is no exception to this golden rule. While players can customize a lot of things whenever they want to play a match in the game, having more options would always be welcome.

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This is why the Advanced Game Settings mod is one of the most popular ones for Age of Empires 4 that players have downloaded time and time again. Different starts, new win conditions, and a wealth of other options are integrated into the game with this mod, making it a must-have for fans of this glorious RTS title.

2

Royal Rumble

Subscribers: 96,066

Regicide was one of the more popular modes in the older Age of Empires games, and fans weren’t all that stoked to see that this fun game mode had been completely removed in Age of Empires 4. However, with the help of mods, this isn’t a huge problem anymore.

Players can now enjoy the Regicide mode, but the AI has not been programmed to handle this mode correctly. As a result, they end up bringing their kings in a normal battle, which can somewhat take the fun out of this mode.

1

1000 Population

Subscribers: 82,517

The population limit is the bane of anyone who plays Age of Empires‘ existence. They hate having to conform to these restrictions, leading to a smaller army count that makes it rather challenging to emulate the massive battles that occurred in the past.

While the population limit is implemented for balancing purposes, some players don’t want to deal with these restrictions at all. This is where the 1000 Population mod comes into the picture, allowing players to do what is stated in the mod’s title and wreck their enemies with massive armies that can boggle the mind.

Systems

Released

October 28, 2021

OpenCritic Rating

Strong