The Mandalay Cobra

The Mandalay Cobra is the second scenario in the Bayinnaung Campaign in Age of Empires II HD: Rise of the Rajas.

King Tabinshwehti further expands his kingdom. In order to rule over all of Burma, he has to be crowned in the highly symbolic city of 10,000 temples, Pagan. To do so, he has to kill the king of Ava, Hkonmaing, and amass a large sum of gold.

Main Objectives

 * Accumulate 4,000 gold
 * Kill King Hkonmaing of Ava (king) and take the Pagan crown

Secondary Objectives

 * Do not lose a relic

Ally

 * Toungoo Camp (Burmese) are villages dotting the area. At these villages, Gaia units can be found.

Enemy

 * Rakhine (Malay) have a base west of the player's one, across the river. They build Galleys and Fire Ship s as well as Transport Ships to send infantry, namely Karambit Warriors, Pikemen, and Long Swordsmen. Being the Malay, they also have Harbors.
 * Shan (Chinese) have a base in the north. Like in the previous scenario, their army consists of Cavaliers, Crossbowmen, and Chu Ko Nu, but this time they also construct War Galleys.
 * Ava (Burmese) have a base in the east. King Hkonmaing himself hides inside a Castle. His men consist mostly of infantry (Men-at-Arms and Spearmen), but also Arambai, Battle Elephants, Monks, and Battering Rams.

Setting
The player controls the ancient pilgrim's city of Pagan. Owing to the city's religious role, it has no walls, and the player can't construct walls, towers, or Castles, so they have to rely solely on their military for defense, rather than fortifications.

At the beginning of the scenario, the player has 6 Monasteries with a Relic in each of them, so they have a steady gold income. However, if any of the Relics is ungarrisoned (for example if the corresponding Monastery is heavily damaged), the fragile Relic is irretrievably lost (removed from the game via trigger), so the player has to defend from multiple angles to keep the gold flowing, as there are no gold mines to be found on the map, except for in the enemies' bases.

There are several Gaia camps to be found on the eastern half of the map, most importantly among them king Tabinshwehti and his forces, in the northeast, between Shan and Ava.

While the objective is to accumulate 4000 gold, this sum has to be reached only once, and can then be spent freely.

(additional strategy coming soon)