Age of Empires IV: 10 Things to Know About Crucible Co-op and the Reforged Update

A Crucible run with a friend should begin with choosing a mission, not comparing expansion receipts in the lobby. Reforged adds two-player co-op and gives returning Age of Empires IV players more control over the Boons and progression that shape a run.

Here are the ten changes worth understanding before you queue. Jump to mission access if you are organizing a session, Boon Vetoes if you are shaping a build, or Conqueror for the weekly challenge. Our PC RTS recommendations has more strategy options once your current run is done.

10. Either Crucible Expansion Gives You a Starting Point

Dynasties of the East and Raiders of the North each unlock the Crucible’s core features. Each also brings four missions of its own. Owning the older expansion therefore still gives you a route into the mode after Reforged.

Start with the mission you want to play rather than assuming everyone needs the same new purchase. The distinction between core access and a particular mission becomes important as soon as you invite a friend.

9. A Premade Lobby Has Stricter Mission Rules

For a premade two-player lobby, both players need the DLC associated with the selected mission. Standard quick match is more flexible: either Crucible DLC lets you queue, and matchmaking can place you in a mission from the other one.

That exception helps the queue find a match; it does not unlock every mission for a hand-picked lobby. If you and a friend want a particular run, agree on the mission and compare ownership before spending the evening trying to make the wrong lobby work.

8. Co-op Is Built for Two Players

The Crucible supports solo play or a two-player partnership, with the challenge scaled for co-op. The developer recommends keeping the difficulty you normally use when moving across. A second player brings another set of decisions, not a promise that the same enemies become easy.

Talk through who is handling which pressure before the run gets busy. You want the extra player to widen what the team can cover, rather than have both of you spend resources reacting to the same problem.

7. Progression Carries Across Solo and Co-op

The progression you earn connects solo and co-op play, so an evening with a friend still contributes to your development. Times and scores are recorded separately for the two formats.

That is useful when your usual partner cannot join. You can keep working on progression alone without treating the next solo attempt as a comparison with a two-player record. Decide whether tonight’s goal is unlocking something or beating a score; the game tracks those ambitions differently.

6. Browse the Boons Before Chasing a Combination

Reforged adds 25 Boons and a Boon Browser for looking through the options. Use it to understand what an effect would do for your civilization or your preferred way of handling a mission.

Look for combinations that solve a recognizable problem. A stronger-sounding effect is less useful if the rest of the run never gives it a job. Knowing why you want a particular Boon makes the choices during the run quicker and the results easier to learn from afterward.

5. Veto Boons You Do Not Want in the Pool

Completing a Boon-unlock challenge also awards a Boon Veto. A Veto prevents a selected Boon from appearing, giving you a way to reduce options that repeatedly do little for your plan.

Use this after you have identified an actual pattern. If a Boon keeps arriving without helping the way you play, excluding it can make the remaining pool more useful. Vetoes improve your control over the possibilities; they do not guarantee the exact combination you wanted.

4. Ascension Makes a Boon a Longer-Term Project

Boon Ascension permanently strengthens a Boon for future matches. You can spend Perk Points on it, while finishing a civilization’s Talent Track offers a free Ascension reward.

That makes a frequently useful Boon a sensible progression target. You are investing in something you expect to use again, rather than spending only to rescue the current attempt. Read the upgraded effect afterward so you know what the next run can build around.

3. Give a Civilization Time to Fill Its Talent Track

Each civilization has a 15-level Talent Track. Playing contributes to its progress, and Perk Points can also help move it along. The final reward gives the track a clear endpoint through a free Boon Ascension.

If you keep changing civilizations, be clear whether you are experimenting or working toward that reward. Both are worthwhile ways to play. Sticking with one for several runs gives you a better chance to connect its tools, your Boon choices, and the mission’s demands.

2. Conqueror Gives Everyone a Fixed Weekly Challenge

Conqueror combines four weekly mutators with a fixed 5,000-Perk-Point setup, while other meta-progression is disabled. Your score uses survival time and difficulty, with solo and co-op records kept separately.

That gives repeat attempts a useful point of comparison. You can change your approach and see how it handles the same weekly ingredients. Bring a second player into the lobby before starting if you want co-op; Standard quick match is not the queue for this mode.

1. Custom Is Where You Choose the Complications

Custom lets you select mutators and use unrestricted meta-progression. The chosen conditions affect a score multiplier, and mission records let you keep track of attempts.

Use it when you want to explore a particular combination or build a challenge around the way you and your partner like to play. As with Conqueror, arrange the second player in the lobby rather than expecting the Standard quick-match queue to supply one. The point is choosing the experiment, then seeing what you can do with it.

For an evening with a friend, settle the mission ownership question first and choose a familiar difficulty. For a repeatable personal project, work on the civilization track and a Boon you use often. Save Conqueror for when you want a fixed weekly setup to measure yourself against.