4 new civilizations and 4 new campaigns are making their way to one of the best RTS games of all time. 17 years after it's release Age of Empires II is getting a third expansion, Rise of the Rajas. 

The expansion adds some of the greater empires of Southeast Asia as well as some new units and technology that should liven up the game in a way previously unseen! Here's the official description of each new Civilization making it's way to the game...

• Burmese – Assemble the largest empire in the history of Southeast Asia through a legion of Battle Elephants that can demolish the most powerful of defenses. The Burmese unique unit is the Arambai, a ranged cavalry unit with a deadly but low accuracy attack. 
• Khmer – Construct the largest religious monument in the world and amass an immortal army of devastating siege weapons. The Khmer unique unit is the Ballista Elephant, a mounted scorpion that can be upgraded to fire two bolts simultaneously. 
• Malay – Conquer Southeast Asia with the vast island empire of Malay and upgrade your docks to harbours which can shoot arrows. The Malay unique unit is the Karambit Warrior, an extremely cheap infantry unit that can quickly overwhelm its foes. 
• Vietnamese – Lead your people to independence and wage guerilla warfare with an extremely powerful arsenal of ranged units. The Vietnamese unique unit is the Rattan Archer, a heavily-armored ranged unit that is effectively impervious to enemy archer attacks.

Players will also be able to enjoy four new fully voiced campaigns that will compliment the new civilizations and some stories picked straight from history. Battle elephants and Imperial Skirmishers will make their debut, and players can now spectate games!

I'm excited about spectating games as I would love for a competitive AOE II league to gain popularity. Check out some screenshots of the expansion below and make sure to pick it up when it drops December 19th!