Talk:Barbarossa/@comment-2006360-20110518163519

OK< here's some tips for newbies:

For Holy Roman Emperor Try to keep a nice balance of crossbows and Teutonic Knights. The first enemy you should attack will be Burgundy. They have weak soldiers and are very accessible. Once you take their relic, either get out of there or sweep the Burgundian city down, then rebuild on their lands. You should then try against Austria. This time, make sure you have some siege weapons before destroying their castle. It is recommended that you retreat immediately after possessing the relic. Then, send a Scout or Paladin over to the far west of the map and get the Mongol allies, then sweep into Swapia, preferrably with your newly-gained Mangudai and some crossbowmen. Proceed to do this until all relics have been taken.

For Henry the Lion Make as good use of Henry's alliance as possible, and here's something few realize: The Poles only have some scattered castles and docks. Destroy them and you're home free. Use as much of your resources and population as possible to train Teutonic Knights and Crossbowmen, and get upgrades, too. I would also buy some Monks. Then, once Henry the Lion turns against you, make sure you have some transport ships and sail the heck out of your camp to one of your allies, preferrably Saxony. Henry is still against the Polish, so let them dole out blows and get some cavalry to sneak across the river into the rear of Henry's base, and slowly destroy the gate where he keeps his villagers. Then, take the villagers and retreat to the Saxon base, where you will build your own fort. Then, begin training reinforcements and attack Henry with Teutonic Knights and Paladins. After crippling Henry's base, retreat and replenish your forces, then go on the offensive at the Poles. Destroy their scattered castles and continue until they submit.

For Pope and Antipope This is perhaps the hardest level of the entire AoK game. First, try to get your monks and miniscule forces into your transport ship and sail to Crema, then convert a villager farming nearby and get him into the transport. Remember, one villager can do a lot. Get the villager across the sea to your base and build a town center, then a couple of barracks. You will also need a castle quickly, and maybe an extra dock, because the River Guards and Milan will attack with ships if you wait. Carcano will be attacked a few times by the River Guards, so maybe you should field some navy ships and help them out. Then, before they can recover, send transport ships with your army at the River Guard base and wipe them out, perferrably with cavalry and Teutonic Knights. Once the River Guards are down, get lots of siege weapons into the game, and ship them to Milan and destroy their walls and castles. Then, gather all your monks together, bring an escort of Teutonic Knights, and begin pillaging the enemy farms and mills, converting some on the way. Then, move over to the Milanese cathedral and convert it, using the Teuton Knights to protect against Milanese raids.

For The Lombard League You start off with your city in ruins, and Italian troops rushing in. Get all available forces back into transport ships and sail the heck outta there, until you reach your reinforcement navy. Don't attack Venice, because they have a huge navy. Also, ignore Henry the Lion and try to get your troops to Verona, but keep away from Padua. Destroy Verona and try to destroy their castle before they build it, then build lots of walls near Padua to prevent their army from attacking. Then, the last thing you need to do is build a Wonder. Do that and surround it with lots of walls.

For Barbarossa's March This will be very difficult, because you only have the soldiers you can start off with. If you are brave enough, try to take down Constantinople, but I advise against it. Stay away from the city and go to Gallipoli, and change your status with it to neutral. They won't attack. Then use your monks to convert the Gallipoli pikemen and bring all your troops into the transport. Try to sail stealthily away from the Saracen pirates and land on an island where Frankish Throwing Axemen and a trebuchet will join you. There is only one way to the Hospitaller camp, and it's guarded fiercely. Use Paladins and Scouts to scare off the Turks and go to the edge of the map, where some Cavalry Archers will join you. Then, reach the Seljuk wall and smash it down, but bewarw an earthquake! You might loose some soldiers to the Saracens and Turks, but you will hopefully still have some troops left. After the Seljuk wall is gone, there's a free path to the Hospitaller camp.

For The Emperor Sleeping Thankfully, you have a huge army and some villagers to start this level. Build some walls and travel around Damascus and Saladin's camp, then go to Richard the Lionheart. He will attack suicidely, but thankfully you will have a stall to get around the Saracens and into Jerusalem. Once Saladin and Damascus change their alliances, train reserves to guard the walls. Then, take some siege weapons and continue to break through Saladin's walls, and then break into Jerusalem. Lots of monks will attack, so keep away from monasteries. Then, bring your cavalry and Barbarossa's body to the Dome of the Rock and DO NOT DESTROY IT. Wait for the cutscene, and you are done!