Head to head
Which one will break you first?
Two fingerprints on one grid. Both are scored through your profile, so this answers the question for you rather than for the average player.
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne is the harder of the two for you, by 0.5 points. The gap is widest on grind, where Monster Hunter World: Iceborne asks considerably more than Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition. If you want the gentler run, start with Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition.
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
MONSTER HUNTER WORLD: ICEBORNE
The expansion where the series stops being polite: Master Rank monsters hit for most of your health bar and expect the matchup knowledge the base game let you skip.
Sustained pressure. Progress is earned.
AGE OF EMPIRES II: DEFINITIVE EDITION
Build orders are the curve, and the campaigns teach almost none of what the game actually asks for. The hard AI does not forget its economy while it fights.
Sustained pressure. Progress is earned.