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Heavenly Spear launched on September 30, 2025 as a paid expansion for Age of Mythology: Retold. The same release made the Gauntlet available to all owners of the base game, so the new campaign and Japanese pantheon are separate from the free mode update.
What launched on September 30, 2025?
World’s Edge announced Heavenly Spear for Steam, Microsoft Store, Xbox, and PlayStation 5. The launch announcement described it as available on those platforms on September 30, 2025. Read the official launch announcement.
The expansion is paid DLC, not a free download. Steam’s listing identifies it as downloadable content and says the base game, Age of Mythology: Retold, is required. Check the Steam listing for current availability and region-specific pricing; storefront details can change.
What does Heavenly Spear add?
The expansion introduces a Japanese pantheon and a new campaign, along with units and maps for other modes.
#1 Best Overall
- Age of Mythology: Retold goes beyond history to a mythical age where gods, monsters, and humans collide
- Combining the best of the beloved Age of Mythology with modern real-time strategy design and visuals
- Retold is an epic and innovative experience for old and new players alike
- Secure your domain, command monsters, and invoke divine wrath on foes
- 12 gods in the Japanese pantheon, including the Major Gods Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and Susanoo.
- 12 myth units, with examples including Kitsune, Shinigami, Tengu, Samurai, and Shinobi.
- A 12-mission campaign following Yasuko, a farmer’s daughter who discovers a magical spear.
- Six new multiplayer and skirmish maps, as well as new god powers, technologies, achievements, and cheats.
These content details are listed in the official launch post and the September 30, 2025 release notes.
Campaign premise
Yasuko’s discovery draws her into a conflict involving Akari, guardian of the spear, and the warlord Kagemasa, who seeks to imprison Amaterasu and claim godhood. The story centers on Yasuko’s journey from farmer’s daughter to hero; the official campaign overview is in the launch announcement.
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What was free in the update?
The Gauntlet was made available to all owners of Age of Mythology: Retold; buying Heavenly Spear was not required for that mode. It is part of Arena of the Gods and supports solo or co-op play. Players explore randomized labyrinths, face escalating battles and changing events, and can collect Blessings and Legends, build a Favor Stash, earn badges, and compete on a leaderboard. The September 30, 2025 notes described the Gauntlet as an open beta at launch; that historical label does not establish its current status. See the launch release notes for the feature description.
What else came with the launch update?
The September 30 update also included shorter average matchmaking queues, a Retaliator AI personality, cheats, balance changes, improvements to model-system modding, and stability and memory work, according to the official release notes.
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- Xbox Game Pass members or those who have access to the Standard Edition, elevate your mythological journey with the Premium Upgrade
- Enjoy: up to 7-day exclusive Advanced Access, exclusive "Freyr" New Gods Pack, Legacy Deity Portrait Pack, Expansion 1 (all-new Chinese pantheon), and Expansion 2 (additional new pantheon).
- Requires Age of Mythology: Retold, sold separately or via Game Pass subscription (Ultimate, PC, Console)
A later official update dated October 9, 2025 added an alternate Shrine Maiden portrait for Ame-no-Uzume for expansion owners, alongside further matchmaking, balance, bug-fix, and mod-functionality work. Those are changes documented in that patch, not a statement about the newest live game version. Read the October 9 update notes.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Should you buy the expansion or just play the update?
| What you want | What to get |
|---|---|
| The Japanese gods, myth units, campaign, and expansion maps | Heavenly Spear DLC; the base game is required. |
| The Gauntlet’s solo or co-op labyrinth runs | The free update for owners of Age of Mythology: Retold; the expansion is not required. |
| Either option on a particular platform | Check that platform’s official storefront for current availability and price. The September 30, 2025 announcement named Steam, Microsoft Store, Xbox, and PlayStation 5. |
The key distinction is that the expansion supplies the Japanese-themed content, while the Gauntlet was offered to base-game owners. The official launch coverage does not establish current prices or the latest availability by region.
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