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Relive the history of Red Bull Wololo with our Hall of Heroes
Ahead of this year's Red Bull Wololo: Legacy, join us as we venture into the Red Bull Wololo Hall of Heroes for a look at how past winners captured victory.
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Our spin on competitive Age of Empires is back. Red Bull Wololo: Legacy once again heads to the historic Heidelberg Castle in Germany for its sixth tournament, returning bigger and better than ever before. Home to legendary Age of Empires battles and a tale of its own Italian court jester, who guarded an impressive winery, we look forward to more legends being forged within the fires of battle later this year.
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Age of Empires series, we've partnered with Microsoft to create the biggest tournament to date, spanning multiple titles from Age of Empires II, right through to Age of Empires IV. As we look ahead to October's proceedings, we've taken the chance to relive the past and celebrate the winners of previous Red Bull Wololo tournaments in our very own Hall of Heroes – and how they enshrined themselves in legend.
Red Bull Wololo competitors hope to lift this trophy
© Julian Schilase/Red Bull Content Pool
The indomitable Mr_Yo
16 of the world's best competitive Age of Empires II players went head-to-head in the inaugural edition of Red Bull Wololo, but only one would emerge as the winner. That champion was China's Gan ‘Mr_Yo’ Yangfan, considered to be the best AoE player in his country.
Mr_Yo first picked up Age of Empires at the tender age of eight, dabbling mainly in campaign mode. In 2011, the now-29-year-old tried out the world of PvP and was hooked. In his words, "I realised I was improving really fast."
A string of outstanding results over the following years would soon catapult him onto the world stage. His first Red Bull Wololo allowed him to showcase his skills as he cruised through to the grand finals, only dropping three whole maps throughout his campaign.
His opponent in the final? None other than Ørjan 'TheViper' Larsen, who similarly only dropped less than a handful of maps during the competition. However, during this encounter Mr_Yo dominated.
"I would find one or two partners to train and try some strategies and civilisations with," he says, explaining how his preparation for the event took place. "But preparing myself physically means a lot more for me, such as good sleep and a good meal.
"It was the first Wololo and I think I just found the meta and the best civilisations for specific maps faster than others – I wouldn't change anything I did."
When asked what that initial win meant to him, Mr_Yo tells us: "It means a lot, it was the first time I ever beat TheViper in an S-tier 1v1 tournament and was one of the championships I got after a long time."
What advice would Mr_Yo give to anyone entering the tournament? "Empire Wars is a different game mode, there are still more undiscovered strategies to be found and when you do, there's a great chance you can beat players who have a higher rating than you – but most importantly, enjoy the tournament!"
Liereyy's lethality
In Red Bull Wololo history, there hasn’t been a player quite like Kai 'Liereyy' Kallinger. A two-time Wololo champion – taking Wololo II and Wololo IV – who's featured in four separate grand finals, the young superstar has been ranked as one of the top AoE players in the world.
He got his start in Age of Empires with his family: "My Dad was the first one who played Age of Empires and then my older brother followed right after him," he explains. "It was just a matter of time before I started to watch and then play. At the beginning, I was just having fun building up my town and my small empire. I played a lot with my family during that time – I was like seven or eight years old at that time.”
Wololo tournaments are very different in the sense that you start with a different setup with Empire Wars. The action starts right away, so you have to rethink all of the civilisation dynamics, from the Dark Age to Feudal Age. "It's important to just get back that thought process again," Liereyy explains. "There's so much you can do in Empire Wars and there are still so many unexplored strategies, matchups and dynamics that you never stop learning."
Liereyy is a two-time Wololo winner and he puts that down to some of the prep that he did heading into the events. "I practised more compared to the other tournaments. It also helps that Wololo is a game mode which I enjoy a lot and thrive at. At the end of the day, as weird as it sounds, I simply took it more seriously than other tournaments and played a lot.
"To win an S-tier tournament is always a great success, but winning Wololo is just something else. You see all the people behind the scenes working their butts off for the best production possible, you see all the admins trying their best to manage the situation and the players from time to time as well. Then, just winning the whole thing and being celebrated by everyone… knowing you are the best at that moment is just a goosebumps moment. That's honestly why I love playing Age of Empires at the highest level."
Perhaps the most dramatic esports tournament backdrop of all time
© Julian Schilase/Red Bull Content Pool
DauT's ascension to the top
Red Bull Wololo III, home to a massive 1v1 Age of Empires II Definitive Edition tournament, came to its epic conclusion in January 2021. The trophy was taken by Darko 'DauT' Dautovic, who conquered the 16-player Main Event and emerged victorious over Liereyy in a thrilling 4-3 series. Not only was he able to overcome a matchpoint for Liereyy, but he also closed out the series on the very next map.
"I had several good ideas that went well and got me to the final against Liereyy," he explains. "Before the finals match my whole team showed up to help me create some good plans for each map and it worked out."
His preparation strategy keeps things simple. "I prepare mostly with my GamerLegion team-mates," he says. "We all practise a lot against each other and exchange ideas and strategies."
DauT told us at the time that the biggest hurdle he had to overcome on that day was the final map, Civilization, and that Liereyy had a better handle on it. But with the roar of his team behind him, DauT managed to pull things back and beat Liereyy, taking home the winner's share of the US$30,000 prize pool and cementing his place in Red Bull Wololo legend.
What did it mean for him to win Wololo? "The support and love I received after the finals was just insane – something I will remember for the rest of my life. Nobody expected me to win and as a veteran of the game I felt like the whole community was happy for me, maybe even Liereyy! I would like to thank this amazing community again for making that win so special."
Looking back, DauT explains: "Competing is hard and full of pressure, but remember to enjoy the game. After all, that's how it all started."
TheViper's venom
The players all regard Red Bull Wololo as an incredible experience
© Julian Schilase/Red Bull Content Pool
In competitive Age of Empires history, TheViper stands out as one of the fiercest players to ever grace the battlefield. TheViper has been dominant in the competitive Age of Empires scene for years. However, it wasn't until Wololo V that he was finally able to lay claim to the throne. In the first edition of Wololo he made it all the way to the grand finals, but since then he'd never quite made it as far.
His opponent for the Wololo V trophy? Two-time Wololo champion Liereyy, a stand-out competitor in his own right who'd made it to the finals on four separate occasions. And he wouldn't make it easy for TheViper as they traded maps back and forth.
"I think my preparation was great and I always feel like I'm able to push my level up another notch at LAN events," he says. "I I love the pressure of these big events and the LAN environment, and a combination of good play and a little luck – as one always needs – helped me along the way.
"I think everything surrounding the event was as I'd imagined. I don't think I would change anything about my approach.
“I hadn't been able to secure a win in any of the previous Wololo events, so to finally grab a win at the biggest one yet and it being the first LAN in a long time made it even more exciting."
When asked about what advice he has for anyone entering the tournament, he boils it down to the following: "Simply have fun. Tournaments always bring pressure and nerves, but win or lose, this will be an amazing experience to be a part of one of the greatest events of all time for our beloved game. There's a chance to run into seasoned veterans or players among your own levels in the qualifiers and no matter the result, it will be a learning opportunity and hopefully a pleasant experience. If they have ambitions for future events, this is a great place to start that journey towards competing at a high level."
Inside Castle Heidelberg with the Italian court jester
Who will emerge victorious at this year's Red Bull Wololo: Legacy and enshrine themselves within our Hall of Heroes? Tales of other legends throughout the castle even include Perkeo, an Italian court jester who, according to legend, once guarded a massive winery. We'll have to wait until October to see who else will become legend, but could that even be you?
Sign up for Red Bull Wololo: Legacy and carve your own legend at redbull.com/wololo
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