Amir of Transoxiana is the first scenario of the Tamerlane campaign in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition. It is based on the events surrounding Tamerlane's rise as the ruler of Transoxiana (present-day parts of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyztan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan).
Intro[]
The man's eyes surveyed the room as he began to speak. 'A life of flight is a cruel thing. I have seen numerous battles and escaped clutches of death too many times to count. Thousands of men once followed my call, but I am now without land, army, or title. All that I have left is my quest for vengeance.'
Precious time passes as I speak, so I will be blunt: Doom rapidly approaches your land, and you must be ready of it!
The armies of the accursed Tamerlane draw ever nearer, watering the ground with blood. This warlord is the greatest scourge ever seen in all of Asia! If you will listen, I will tell you his conquests, of the terror that he has inspired.
Born into the Barlas, nomads inhabiting the Central Asian steppe, Tamerlane was bred from birth to be a warrior. He spent his youth as a mercenary in the service of the local chieftains, but soon rose to power when his father, a powerful chieftain himself, died.
At this time, Transoxiana was divided between four powers: In the west lay the White Horde and the Blue Horde, mere shadows of the former glory of the Golden Horde. In the east were the two wings of the declining Chagatai Khanate. Tamerlane set his sights on these divided rivals. He was outnumbered, but he had a plan.
Tokhtamysh, a chieftain challenging his uncle Urus for rule of the White Horde, had sent messengers to Tamerlane seeking his support. If Tamerlane could defeat Urus and install Tokhtamysh in his place, then Tamerlane could rely on the support of a powerful ally.
Scenario instructions[]
Starting conditions[]
- Starting Age: Castle Age
- Starting resources: 1,000 food, 1,000 wood, 800 gold, 650 stone
- Population limit: 200
- Starting units:
- Tamerlane
- 12 Villagers
- 3 Long Swordsmen
- 2 Spearmen
- 7 Pikemen
- 7 Elite Skirmishers
- 7 Cavalry Archers
- 10 Light Cavalry
- 10 Steppe Lancers
- 10 Camel Riders
- 3 Keshiks
- Gaia units:
- 6 Cavalry Archers
- 6 Light Cavalry
- 6 Camel Riders
- 4 Tarkans
- 6 Keshiks
- 4 Hunting Wolves
- Starting technologies:
- On any difficulty: Light Cavalry, Fortified Wall, Guard Tower
- If the difficulty is standard or moderate: Husbandry, Bodkin Arrow, Chain Barding Armor, Capped Ram
- If the difficulty is standard: Squires, Iron Casting, Leather Archer Armor, Ballistics
Main objectives[]
- Capture 3 of the 4 Relics held by the rival Transoxianan khanates.
Secondary objectives[]
- Kill Urus Khan (7, Orange) so that Tokhtamysh can take control of the White Horde (4, Cyan).
- Raid the Blue Horde's (3, Blue) Villagers to cripple their economy.
- The Western Chagatai Khanate (5, Red) is dependent on trade. Destroy their Markets to cut off their income.
- Destroy the Mills and Town Centers of the Eastern Chagatai Khanate (6, Green) to prevent them from feeding their armies.
Hints[]
- Tamerlane's forces cannot advance past the Castle Age, but can support a population of 200.
- You cannot build Docks or warships in this scenario. There may be a way to capture a Dock from the White Horde to fish in the Aral Sea, however.
- Do not hesitate to use Tamerlane in battle. If he falls, he will return to the Castle (provided that it remains standing) to recover from his wounds and return to the field again once he is ready.
- Resources are scattered thinly across the open steppe. As you expand to harvest them, you may also encounter local warriors willing to join your cause.
- Killing Urus Khan will allow Tokhtamysh to take control of the White Horde and assist you against your other enemies.
Scouts[]
Your scouts report:
- The forces of Tamerlane (1, Purple) command the fortified city of Samarkand. Its walls will provide safety early on, but you will soon have to expand north to acquire additional resources.
- To the west is the White Horde (4, Cyan), whose leader, Urus Khan (7, Orange), resides in a fortress near the Aral Sea. Droves of Cavalry Archers, Light Cavalry, and Spearmen roam the steppes between the Sary Su and the Ulutau.
- The holdings of the Blue Horde (3, Blue) lie to the northwest. Though initially the most vulnerable of your opponents, they will field armies of Knights, Camel Riders, and Skirmishers if not properly checked.
- The Western Chagatai Khanate (5, Red) controls a citadel in the north on the shores of Lake Balkhash. Behind their walls lurk a plethora of Cavalry Archers, Camel Riders, and Spearmen.
- The Eastern Chagatai Khanate (6, Green) dominates the eastern portion of the map from a formidable mountain fortress. Dread hordes of Mangudai, Light Cavalry, and Pikemen issue forth on the first sign of approaching enemies.
- Tokhtamysh Khan (2, Yellow), a rival claimant to the lordship of the White Horde, holds a camp between the Oxus and Jaxartes Rivers in the center of the map. His forces are few, but given the proper support he could prove to be a powerful ally.
Players[]
Player[]
- Player ( Tatars): The player starts out controlling the walled city of Samarkand in the south. The city contains most military and economic buildings, and has a sizable garrison as well.
Ally[]
- Tokhtamysh ( Mongols): Tokhtamysh resides in a small camp to the north of the player's starting position. He will take control of the White Horde after Urus Khan is killed. The player will also be granted a Dock, allowing them to fish from the Ural Sea.
Enemies[]
- The Blue Horde ( Mongols): They will resign when their Town Center is destroyed. They will receive periodic resource tributes as long as they control at least 6 Villagers.
- The White Horde ( Tatars): They will resign when Urus Khan is killed and all their buildings and units will pass to Tokhtamysh.
- Western Chagatai Khanate ( Tatars): They will halt their military production after their two Markets are destroyed.
- Eastern Chagatai Khanate ( Mongols): They will halt their military production after all their Mills and Town Centers are destroyed.
- Urus Khan ( Mongols): The leader of the White Horde. He is located in the White Horde base, guarded by a small personal bodyguard. Killing him will make the White Horde resign.
Strategy[]
This map will be made easier with a blitzkrieg approach. Take note of the 6 gaia camps on the map. 5 in a star-shape ring around Tokhtamysh (3 east, 1 north, 1 southwest) and one stuck between the Blue Horde and the White Horde at the northwest of the map.
Press F3 (pause) when the game starts. Group all Cavalry units in group 1, everything that's on foot in group 2. Send group 1 to the Blue Horde's base (11 o'clock position at the edge of the map). Create 1 Light Cavalry at the Stable and send it to gather all 3 camps east of the Tokhtamysh player's base. Divert 1 camel from group 1 (one that is next to the player's farm is ideal) to get the group northwest of the player's base, and the main army should stumble upon the camp north of the Tokhtamysh's base by accident. Add all these unit to group 1 and keep the flock going to the Blue Horde's base. At home (while the army is on the move) build 1 Town Center northeast of the base, next to gold mines. Once some stone is mined, build a Castle just north of the Town Center protected by group 2 (foot-soldiers). Boom on 2 Town Centers.
Despite the small economy of the Blue Horde, as long as they have at least 6 Villagers, they will receive 500 food, 500 wood, 500 gold every 10 minutes. Therefore it is good to defeat them early on. Gather everyone outside of the Blue Horde's base, fight the enemy army just outside their wall, then walk the whole army underneath the enemy Town Center and snipe it. Use Cavalry Archers to snipe enemy units while the melee cavalry ignore everyone and destroy the Town Center. Once the Town Center is down, the Blue Horde resigns. Now move the army south.
With the whole army, grab the last gaia group a few steps west of where the army is. Now to deal with the cyan player. Spam-click-move just south of the enemy castle (like where the Relic is). The goal is to get a full surround on Urus (the Cavalry Archer that glows). Once he is in the middle of the player's army, attack him (ignore everything else, including the fact the army is right under the enemy Castle). He should die quickly. Retreat the whole army northeast. Once dialog is done, the White Horde transfers to Tokhtamysh and soon after the player receives a Dock and a fishing fleet.
Once that is done, go back to the Blue Horde's base to clear the 3 towers and rest of the base and send a Monk to collect the Relic safely. Send another Monk for the Tokhtamysh's Relic. Now either deal with the Western or the Eastern Chagatai Khanate. Once the player's economy is ordered out, spam Steppe Lancers with a handful of Skirmishers and 4 rams (Steppe Lancers are very effective, Skirmishers are to help against enemy Cavalry Archers). The player can use the Town Center sniping technique to get rid of the Eastern Chagatai Khanate's Town Center, but the rams are needed to attack the Castle.
There are side objectives for both Chagatai Khanates. For the Western Khanate this requires destroying his 2 Markets (one to the north, just left of the lake, the other one just north of the Eastern Khanate's base) and for the Eastern Khanate this requires destroying their Mill and Town Center (which both lie directly west of the Eastern Khanate). Once either of these objectives has been completed, the respective Khanate will no longer receive 500 food, 500 wood, 500 gold every 10 minutes, which is their primary source of income. This makes the Khanate unable to produce many troops. Once either Khanate is destroyed, collect the extra Relic and win with 3 Relics collected.
Alternate approach on Hard difficulty[]
Send three of the starting Villagers in Samarkand towards the north. Once the player reaches Tokhtamysh, build a Castle next to the shallows. Have one Villager build a Palisade Wall all the way to the edge of the map to the southeast; repeat with the other Villager to the southwest. Leave a gap in the wall next to the Castle - this is key, as it will 'funnel' all of Tokhtamysh' attacks into the Castle, where they will be destroyed. The only real threat is the The Eastern Chagatai Khanate's Battering Rams, and any troops that run past the Castle into the economy - the player will need some spare cavalry in reserve for this. Garrison Cavalry Archers in the Castle to give it more fire power, and/or collect more stone to create Fortified Walls/more Castles. Once the economy is solid, build a few dozen Stables, then create a lot of Light Cavalry to steamroll the opposition and win the game.
Outro[]
As a child, Tamerlane had been dragged into Samarkand in chains by the Mongols. Now, all of Transoxiana was his to command. The leaders of the rival hordes all flocked to him to pledge their loyalty.
The wind roared, whistling through the hall. Flames flickered in the great fires burning within, their distorted shapes resembling the forms of agile warriors. 'The unlucky few that did not submit were destroyed with fire and sword. Towers were built from their bones!'
'Tamerlane was now a great amir, or lord, but his thirst for conquest was far from over.'