Achievements Guide
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition carries more than 350 Steam achievements across single-player campaigns, Art of War challenge scenarios, economic milestones, and skirmish victories. They fall into campaign completion, special campaign feats, Art of War medals, cumulative grind, and skirmish categories. Entering a cheat code disables the scenario medal and campaign achievements for that match.
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition features more than 350 Steam achievements spanning single-player campaigns, Art of War challenge scenarios, economic milestones, and skirmish victories.
Achievement Categories Overview
Achievements fall into five categories, each with its own unlock profile.
| Category | Typical Requirements | Unlock Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| Campaign Completion | Beat specific historical campaigns on any difficulty | Easy to Moderate |
| Special Campaign Feats | Complete scenario objectives under strict constraints | Hard |
| Art of War Medals | Earn Gold medals in tutorial challenge scenarios | Hard |
| Cumulative Grind | Convert 1,000 units, build 1,000 Farms, train 1,000 Condottieri | Time-Intensive |
| Skirmish & AI | Defeat AI under custom victory rules or specific civ setups | Moderate |
Art of War Challenge Medals
The Art of War scenarios test core RTS execution under timed conditions. Earning Gold medals requires strict adherence to build orders and zero idle TC time.
| Challenge Scenario | Gold Cutoff | Silver Cutoff | Bronze Cutoff | Key Execution Strategy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early Economy | 8:00 | 10:00 | 13:00 | Keep Villager queue populated and drop food off instantly |
| Fast Castle Age | 14:00 | 17:00 | 20:00 | Follow a tight 27-pop build order with zero housing blocks |
| Booming | 10:00 | 13:00 | 18:00 | Maintain 4 to 5 Town Centers working simultaneously |
| Rushing the Enemy | 5:00 | 7:00 | 10:00 | Mass Scouts or Archers immediately upon hitting Feudal |
| Defending Against A Rush | 8:00 | 11:00 | 15:00 | Quick-wall resource lines and garrison TC efficiently |
| Land Battle | 0 units lost | Low losses | Higher losses | Fight with counters on favorable ground, medals scale with losses |
| Destroying a Castle | 6:00 | 9:00 | 15:00 | Set up Trebuchets quickly and focus the main fortifications |
| Battle Formations | 0 Losses | Less than 3 | Less than 10 | Spread manually or use Staggered Formation against mangonel shots |
| Naval Battle | Less than 5 ships lost | Less than 14 | Less than 20 | Micro damaged ships to rear and execute water counter triangle |
High-Priority Campaign & Secret Achievements
These achievements reward specific strategic plays during single-player campaign scenarios and hidden objectives.
Entering a cheat code (such as furious the monkey boy, how do you turn this on, or aegis) during a match disables the scenario medal and campaign-related achievements for that match. Start a clean match when you are chasing medals or campaign unlocks.
1. Guardian of Scotland (William Wallace Campaign)
- Requirement: Complete the William Wallace campaign.
- Tip: The learning campaign doubles as the tutorial, so this is usually the first campaign achievement you unlock. All seven scenarios count.
2. Unexpected (Spanish Conversion Feat)
- Requirement: Convert 100 units with Spanish Missionaries.
- Tip: Missionaries are the Spanish mounted Monks from the Castle. Their speed lets them chase down infantry that regular Monks cannot, so a pack of them converts entire armies.
3. Fight in the Shade (Chronicles: Battle for Greece)
- Requirement: Survive at Thermopylae for an additional 5 minutes after completing the main objective in "The Hot Gates".
- Tip: Wall the pass with layers of stone and rotate wounded infantry to hold out past the objective timer.
4. No Wonder You Won (Rajendra Campaign)
- Requirement: Win the scenario before Mahipala completes his Wonder in "Sacred Waters".
- Tip: Execute a fast naval transport drop directly into the enemy base to snipe the builder Villagers.
5. Can I be Frank with you? (Tours 732 Co-op Historical Battle)
- Requirement: Complete the "Tours (732)" Co-op Historical Battle.
- Tip: Update 177723 fixed this one granting itself whether or not you had actually completed the battle. If it appeared in your list before June 2026 without you playing Tours, that was the bug. Anyone starting now has to finish the scenario properly.
Efficient Cumulative Achievement Farming
Several achievements require large numbers of total actions across all game modes. The quickest farming route is the same for each:
- Set up a custom skirmish.
- Turn on infinite resources or Sudden Death.
- Mass-produce whatever the achievement counts.
1. Conversion Achievements (Unexpected and Wololo)
- Targets: "Unexpected" needs 100 conversions with Spanish Missionaries, and "Wololo" needs 1,000 total conversions.
- Map Setup: Custom game against Easy AI, Post-Imperial Age starting era, infinite resources.
- Execution: Play Spanish, train a pack of 30 Missionaries, set the opponent to spam infantry, and convert the approaching waves.
2. Anyone Order a Pizza? (1,000 Condottieri Trained)
- Map Setup: Italians on Deathmatch mode with 20 Barracks queued up.
- Execution: Condottieri are cheap, train fast at the Barracks in the Imperial Age, and every one counts toward the total.
3. Pleasant Peasant (1,000 Farms Built)
- Map Setup: Any custom game with infinite resources and multiple Town Centers.
- Execution: Ring every Town Center and Mill with farms, delete, and reseed. Progress accumulates across all matches, so normal play chips away at it too.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do cheat codes disable achievements in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition?
Entering a cheat code such as furious the monkey boy, how do you turn this on, or aegis disables the scenario medal and campaign-related achievements for that match. Start a clean match when you are chasing medals or campaign unlocks.
What time do you need for a Gold medal in the Fast Castle Age Art of War challenge?
Gold requires finishing by 14:00, with Silver at 17:00 and Bronze at 20:00. Follow a tight 27-pop build order with zero housing blocks.
What achievement does the William Wallace campaign award?
Guardian of Scotland, for completing the campaign. The learning campaign doubles as the tutorial and runs seven scenarios, so it is usually the first campaign achievement players unlock.
What is the fastest way to farm conversion achievements?
Play Spanish in a custom game against Easy AI with a Post-Imperial Age start and infinite resources. Train a pack of 30 Missionaries, set the opponent to spam infantry, and convert the waves. That progresses both Unexpected, at 100 Missionary conversions, and Wololo, at 1,000 total conversions.
How do you farm the 1,000 Condottieri achievement?
Play Italians on Deathmatch with 20 Barracks queued in a loop. Condottieri are cheap and train fast in the Imperial Age, and every one counts toward Anyone Order a Pizza.
What to Read Next
- Modes and Campaigns. The campaigns behind most completion achievements.
- Civilizations and Meta. Civ picks that make Art of War medals easier.
- Economy and Build Orders. Build order speed for the timed challenges.
- Getting Started. Fundamentals the cumulative achievements quietly assume.