A Fine Plan

A Fine Plan is the fourth scenario of the Fall of the Trident campaign in Age of Mythology. The main objective is to destroy the Trojan Gates after cutting off the city’s resource income. Odysseus is also introduced in this scenario.

Summary
With Arkantos and Odysseus’ forces now combined, Agamemnon decides to put his plan in action to attack the Trojan gate head on to rescue Helen. Before going forward with the destruction of the Trojan Gate, they must find a source of Gold and cut off Cyzicus’ trade route with the city of Troy.

Objectives

 * 1) Find and take a Gold Mine from the Trojans.
 * 2) Train an army and destroy the Trojan West Gate.

Players
Arkantos (Zeus) – starts in the Classical Age with Arkantos, Odysseus, a Kataskopos, several Hippikons and Hoplites and a Helepolis, as well as numerous military buildings and two docks.

Enemies
Troy (Hades) – Though their primary city is protected by mighty walls, they have fortifications on the outside. They will harass the player throughout the scenario.

Cyzicus (Hades) – An ally of Troy that supplies them with gold and sends troops of their own into battle.

Strategy
This guide is applied to hard difficulty. It is, of course, also applicable for the other grades of difficulty.

Although the player starts with no gold at all, they have all the units they’ll need for their first objectives. To make the scenario easier in the long run, they must immediately send their troops ahead to seek out the two Gold Mines occupied by the Trojans. These are guarded by Toxotes but the Hippikons are effective against them. By killing the Trojan villagers, the Gold can now be claimed and the next objective will be given. Stopping Troy from mining gold will also reduce the number of soldiers they’ll train. Destroying their storehouses will grant additional gold. Additional gold mines guarded by enemy Hippikons are found further North East but the Hoplites, supported by the two heroes will easily take them out. After having all the Villagers tasked to gather resources, it will be very important to keep an eye on them as Troy will regularly attempt to raid them.

An additional Medium Gold Mine is located on a small island not far from the docks and is guarded by Trojan Toxotes. The Trireme can reach and kill it before transporting villagers over once the Gold on land runs out. Troy has a Town Center North West of the starting Town Center that has Donkey Caravans trading Gold with their Market. The Helepolis can tear it down but it will need an escort for protection from nearby soldiers. Once destroyed, the newly available Settlement can be claimed for more population. Not far from it is a Relic guarded by a Medusa. Sending Arkantos or Odysseus will make it easy to retrieve.

There are plenty of fishing spots to exploit at sea but Cyzicus will eventually send Triremes to disrupt all fishing operations and may even transport Toxotes to attack. Towers can be built or Toxotes can be trained to counter these attacks, but it may be best to forfeit the docks in order to concentrate on the raids. Players can always attack Cyzicus to stop them but only destroying the Trojan Gate is needed to secure victory.

Troy and Cyzicus will regularly attack with Hippikons, Hoplites and a Petrobolos. The player can train their own Hoplites to handle all three as they receive excellent bonuses from Athena and Zeus. Training Minotaurs is easy as they primarily cost Food which plentiful on this map and they will add considerable bulk to the army and aid with the destruction of buildings. It is recommended to research Labyrinth of Minos to lower their cost. Interestingly, Troy will also regularly send Pegasi and Kataskopos to lure the player's units into chasing it and wander away from the Town Center.

Players should advance to the Heroic Age as quickly as possible to strengthen their soldiers. Dionysus is an ideal choice as he grants Bronze and the Hydra, another Myth Unit that deals considerable Crush Damage. Troy will continue to attack the player base even if Cyzicus or their own buildings are under attack so it is recommended to have some troops remain back to defend. Walls can even by built in some of the passes to delay the attacks and to focus them in an area where they can be intercepted by the player’s awaiting army. Once the player’s army is strong enough, they head straight for the Trojan Gate to destroy it. Troy will cast Ceasefire, or even Lightning Storm if they’re allowed to reach the Mythic Age, so casting Bronze will need to be timed carefully as to not waste its potential.