Where there is fighting, blood flows – or at least one would think. One of the best strategy games on Steam adds the red liquid two years after release, and that for the proud price of almost €30.
Which game is being referred to? This is about Age of Mythology: Retold, the remake of the RTS classic from 2002. It was released on September 4, 2024, on Steam and is still one of the best strategy games for PC in 2026 (you can also play it on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S).
Now the developers are giving the remake a DLC that turns battles into a real bloodbath. With the “Blood and Bones” pack, blood will flow for the first time during the fights.
Age of Mythology gets really bloody for the first time
What exactly is included in the DLC? Included are, among others, dynamic blood splatter effects. These vary depending on impact and damage. A cyclops will create a bigger mess with a swing of its club than an ordinary soldier.
Additionally, fallen soldiers no longer just disappear but decay into skeletons over time. Pools of blood are set to permanently stain the ground red and units marching through blood will even leave bloody footprints. For the numerous mythical creatures you can control in the game, there’s also special prismatic blood.
Overall, the developers speak of over 37 unique visual effects. A trailer showcasing these effects is not available – but there are some screenshots.
But why does it cost so much? The catch is that you cannot purchase the “Blood and Bones” pack separately. You need to get the new expansion pass for €29.99.
Included in the expansion pass are:
- A new god pack that adds the harvest goddess Demeter for the Greeks – including new mythical units and divine powers
- An “ultimate fan pack” which provides new profile pictures and golden statues for your town centers and temples
- The aforementioned blood pack
- The Aztecs, who come with a completely new pantheon of gods, special units, and mechanics as well as their own campaign
Except for the Aztecs, all content of the expansion pass has already been released. According to the shop page for the DLC, these will be available on Steam on April 21, 2026, so you can also buy them separately – not the rest.
Between Anger and Joy
How are fans reacting to this decision? The fact that the blood pack cannot be purchased separately is causing discontent among fans. “really a shame that you NEED to buy the ENTIRE expansion pass to get this,” says user Cryptic under a Steam post from the developers.
Many other players are looking forward to the new effects, even though one detail is disappointing. “No unique skeleton for mith units? The old game had it.,” says Steam user Black Soldier under the same post.
One other user criticizes in the meantime: “The greed never ends, taking inspiration from Creative Assembly, aren’t we?” He refers to the generally unpopular blood DLCs of the Total War series, from which even the developers have since distanced themselves.
Are you ready to pay money for some additional graphic effects in the game? Or should this practice die out as soon as possible? Feel free to let us know in the comments. MeinMMO author Ody is meanwhile looking forward to the Aztec pantheon: As a child, I spent countless hours in a strategy game, now it’s getting a DLC that my 8-year-old self will cheer for
