This article focuses only on the co-op scenario in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, based on An Arabian Knight, the first scenario of the Saladin campaign in Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings. The two players must co-ordinate their starting army and defeat the Western and Eastern Franks.
Scenario instructions[]
Starting conditions[]
- Starting and ending Age:
Castle Age - Starting resources: None
- Population limit: 75
- Player A starting units:
- 12 Men-at-Arms
- 12 Camel Riders
- 2 Heavy Scorpions
- 12
- Player B starting units:
- 16 Light Cavalry
- 4 Mamelukes
- 16
- Gaia units:
Objectives[]
- Defeat the Franks west of Cairo.
- Bring your soldiers to the Mosque in Cairo.
- Defeat the Franks east of Cairo by destroying their Town Center.
- Bring your soldiers to the Mosque in Cairo.
Hints[]
- You will not be able to train additional soldiers in this mission. Keep an eye on your army to ensure that you do not lose too many men.
- Use the line of sight of your Light Cavalry to avoid unwanted encounters.
Scouts[]
- Saladin's army (Green and Purple) has gathered in the north, near the Nile, in order to help the Egyptian caliph repulse the Crusader siege of Cairo.
- The Frankish crusaders have established camps in the west (3, Blue) and in the east (4, Cyan). Their armies consist mostly of Knights, Men-at-arms, Pikemen and Crossbowmen.
- Cairo (2, Red), the Egyptian capital, is located in the center of the map. The city has a small garrison commanded by Mamelukes.
Players[]
Player[]
- 1. Player A (AI name: Saladin) ( Saracens): The first protagonist starts with a portion of Saladin's army in the northern corner of the map. Their forces consist of Camel Riders, Men-at-Arms includes 2 Heavy Scorpions, which cannot usually be trained by the Saracens.
- 5. Player B (AI name: Saladin's Army) ( Saracens): The second protagonist also starts alongside the first player's army, with control over the remainder of Saladin's forces, i.e. his Light Cavalry and Mamelukes.
Ally → Enemy → Ally[]
- 2. Egyptians ( Saracens): The Egyptians control Cairo which takes up most of the center of the map. They also have some Pyramids and Farming areas west of the river. Initially allied, they change their diplomatic stance to enemy before Saladin's army reaches Cairo. However, when his army reaches the Mosque in Cairo, they change their stance back to ally and also give the player additional troops (10 Camel Riders, 6 Cavalry Archers, and a Siege Ram. The player will additionally be given a Monk on Hard). They attack the player sparsely with a few Archers, Camel Riders, and Mamelukes. The player must destroy the Gate closest to the West Franks to reach the Egyptian Mosque.
Enemies[]
- 3. West Franks ( Franks): The West Franks have troops scattered over the western part of the map consisting of Knights, Crossbowmen, and Men-at-Arms, plus a Stable, Blacksmith, and Dock. They also control the bridge to the south.
- 4. East Franks ( Franks): The East Franks have an army camp east of Cairo. They field Knights, Crossbowmen, Pikemen, Onagers, and a Monk. Their Town Center is the only part of their base that must be destroyed.
Strategy[]
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The two players should coordinate their forces. Player A's forces consist of the slower units, so Player B should stay behind with them. Player B can utilise the Light Cavalry to avoid needless fights, but this is not significant, as the starting army can win the scenario easily.
If either of the players is set as an AI instead of another human, then things can get trickier, as the AI simply does not do anything and does not respond to taunt commands or messages. It stays at the starting location except when chasing opponents.
Once either player reaches the front Gate of the Mosque in Cairo, the city capitulates and grants five Cavalry Archers, five Camel Riders, and a Mangonel to Player A, and grants five Light Cavalry and two Battering Rams to Player B.
With these forces, defeating the East Franks should not be much trouble.
Gallery[]
