Alexander the Great is the eighth and last scenario of the Glory of Greece campaign in Age of Empires: Definitive Edition, replacing Wonder. It is based on Alexander's conquest of Asia Minor, which climaxed with the Battle of Gaugamela.
Scenario instructions[]
Description[]
“ | Asia Minor, 334 BCE War! The rivalry between Hellas and Persia has reignited after the irruption of the Macedonians into the region, and the Greeks have been united under you, Alexander of Macedon. You have dauntlessly marched into Asia Minor and are now surrounded by your enemies. Although they are numerous, they are disorganized, uncoordinated, and cowardly – no match for your disciplined forces. Seize the initiative and defeat them individually before they can prepare their defenses. Victory in this campaign will etch your name into the pages of history for eternity! | ” |
—In-game section of the Definitive Edition |
Starting conditions[]
- Starting Age: Iron Age
- Starting resources: 350 food, 400 wood, 150 gold, 150 stone
- Population limit: 100
- Starting units:
- 8 Phalangites
- 5 Villagers
- 3 Cavalry
- 1 Alexander
- 5 War Galley
Objectives[]
- Defeat all of your enemies.
Hints[]
- Alexander's forces can support a population of 100.
- Efficiency is crucial in choosing where and when to strike.
- Keep a close eye on your enemies. They may try to achieve victory by building Wonders.
Description[]
“ | Asia Minor, 334 BCE War! The rivalry between Hellas and Persia has reignited after the irruption of the Macedonians into the region, and the Greeks have been united under you, Alexander of Macedon. You have dauntlessly marched into Asia Minor and are now surrounded by your enemies. Although they are numerous, they are disorganized, uncoordinated, and cowardly -no match for your disciplined forces. Seize the initiative and defeat them individually before they can prepare their defenses. Victory in this campaign will etch your name into the pages of history for eternity! | ” |
—In-game section of the Definitive Edition |
Starting conditions[]
- Starting Age: Iron Age
- Starting resources: 200 food, 200 wood, 0 gold, 100 stone
- Population limit: 50
- Starting units:
- 8 Phalangites
- 5 Villagers
- 4 Cavalry
- 1 Alexander
Objectives[]
- Create a Wonder in the marked area.
Hints[]
- Efficiency is crucial in choosing where and when to strike.
- Do not waste time on attacks that do not bring you closer to victory.
Players[]
Player[]
- Player ( Greeks): The Greeks under Alexander start with two bases, one is situated on the Greek mainland guarded with a Sentry Tower, holding gold and stone mines, the other one is placed in Thrace with scarce resources, connected with the enemy controlled land by two shallows.
Enemies[]
- Satrapy of Lydia ( Greeks): Lydia holds two bases, northern of which contains a completed Wonder from the beginning. It trains Hoplites, Cavalry and a navy.
- Satrapy of Eber-Nari ( Egyptians): Southern portion of Eben-Nari controls the Egyptian coastline and will build its own Wonder. It constructs Triremes, Chariot Archers, and Priests.
- Persian Army ( Persians): The Persian Army is stationed in the far east, training War Elephants, Elephant Archers, and Cataphracts.
- Satrapy of Eber-Nari ( Babylonians): Northern section of Eben-Nari controls the eastern Mediterranean coast and Mesopotamia. It will also attempt to construct a Wonder. It mostly relies on Scythe Chariots, supplemented by Composite Bowmen and Catapults, as well as a navy.
- Satrapy of Cappadocia ( Hittites): Cappadocia starts to the north-east with some Horse Archers, a Stone Thrower, and naval units. it trains those same units.
Player[]
- Player ( Greeks): The player is given two bases, one is situated on an separated island guarded with a Sentry Tower, holding gold and stone mines, the other one is placed on a small island with scarce resources, connected with the enemy controlled land with two shallows.
Enemies[]
- Satrapy of Lydia ( Greeks): This faction holds two fortified bases and two unguarded bases. They control a completed Wonder from the beginning. They have many Academy units.
- Satrapy of Eber-Nari ( Babylonians): This faction guards the marked area where a Wonder need to be built to achieve the objective. They have four bases and some archers from the beginning.
- Persian Army ( Persians): This faction starts with two bases, some Scythe Chariots and Elephant Archers. They are passive, but will attack once each enemy is defeated.
Strategy[]
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The Lydian (red) Wonder will be the first target as the Wonder victory is enabled. A bunch of Stone Throwers with upgrades for +2 range (or supported by Priests) can destroy it from the north of the Wonder. The initial army should be able to repel the red garrison.
The game will end when the Wonder is built at the designated spot and the player can guard the Wonder for 2000 years after construction. The wonder building site may be attacked from land or sea. The land attack requires the destruction of Lydians and Eber-Nari (yellow), while the sea route will avoid most of their force. The land access towards the building site can be cut off by docking the shallow connecting to it while making a fleet of Triremes.
History[]
“ | In the decades following the return of Xenophon to Hellas in 399 BCE, the various city-states continued their internecine struggle for supremacy. The powerful Spartans were brought low at Leuktra in 371 BCE by the Thebans, who briefly enjoyed their dominant position before being challenged by an Athenian-Spartan alliance at Mantinea in 362 BCE. The regional balance of power remained in a peaceful status quo for a time, but near-perpetual warfare had weakened the city-states considerably. A new power rose to the north in Macedonia to fill this vacuum. King Philip of Macedon made substantial strides in the development of Hellenistic battle strategy and tactics, combining the traditional core of heavy infantry with light skirmishing troops, as well as potent light and heavy cavalry forces. The Macedonian phalanx (a troop formation), surrounded by corps of peltasts (javelin throwers), hypaspists (shield-bearing spearmen), slingers (hurling stones or lead pellets), prodromoi (light cavalry), and elite companion cavalry, soon claimed mastery over most of Hellas. Following his assassination in 336 BCE, Philip was succeeded as king of Macedon by his son Alexander, who would later be known as "the Great" and widely regarded as one of history's most capable tacticians, and charismatic commanders. After a brief series of campaigns in which he crushed local revolts and solidified his control of Hellas, Alexander's army crossed the Dardanelles and pushed into the great Achaemenid Persian Empire, winning a decisive victory at the Battle of the Granicus River in 334 BCE. The Persians were utterly stunned by the capability of the young leader. Alexander's army knifed through Asia Minor and into the heart of the Achaemenid Empire, winning a decisive victory at Issus in 333 BCE, and conducting a series of successful sieges. The most notable of these was at Tyre, a siege that involved the construction of a massive causeway allowing the Macedonians to seize the island city. A series of victories followed, most prominently at Gaugamela in 331 BCE. Soon all of Persia was beneath his heel. This series of conquests ushered in an age of prosperity marked by the flow of Hellenistic ideas into Alexander's new dominions and vice versa, creating a legacy that would last for centuries. | ” |
—In-game section |
Victory[]
“ | The disorganized, fragmented Persians were no match for your tactical genius! Despite being in the heart of enemy territory and vastly outnumbered, your armies have succeeded again and again, while the Persians flee and regroup for a final (and almost certainly futile) stand. Nearly a century and a half prior, Hellas stood on the brink of domination by the invading Persians. Now, your armies will surely conquer the weak Persians and move on to rule all of Asia! | ” |
—In-game section |
Loss[]
“ | Your armies marched into Persia with the zeal of a victorious force, but for all their hubris they could not break the might of the army of Darius. When the forces clashed, you failed to make decisive maneuvers when it mattered the most, and your invasion was parried by multitudes of defenders. Having been humbled, you retreat to Hellas with all haste, knowing that the retaliatory Persian invasion is inevitable. | ” |
—In-game section |