Attila the Hun is a campaign and hero in Age of Empires II: The Conquerors. Attila (406 A.D - March 453 A.D) was the King of the Huns from 434 to his death.
Campaign[]
| “ | Of the barbarian hordes preying on the dying Roman Empire, the most feared are the Huns and their ferocious king, Attila. Dissatisfied with paltry Roman tributes, the mighty warlord mobilizes his horsemen on a campaign to ravage and loot the heart of the Empire itself! Can nothing stop the brutal Attila? | ” |
| —In-game campaign description | ||
| “ | Barbarian hordes feast on the dying Roman empire. The most dangerous of these invaders are the Huns and their ferocious king, Attila. After pouring out of the Caspian steppes, looting and burning all the while, the Huns become so powerful that the Roman Empire is forced to pay a tribute to Attila. But the king of the Huns is still not satisfied, and he mobilizes his horsemen to invade Gaul and eventually Rome itself! Can nothing stop the brutal Attila? | ” |
| —In-game campaign description before the Definitive Edition | ||
The Attila the Hun campaign consists of 6 scenarios. The player plays as the Huns, and the player color is yellow. In the Definitive Edition, the campaign is also available in co-op mode, where the second player color is Orange. In The Catalaunian Fields, the second player color is Red, and they play as the Goths.
- The Scourge of God
- The Great Ride
- The Walls of Constantinople
- A Barbarian Betrothal
- The Catalaunian Fields
- The Fall of Rome
The story is told by an unnamed Frankish monk from a monastery near Chalons, telling the words of his superior, an old priest named Armand. The cutscenes reveal that, as a young man, the latter fought on the Roman side at the Battle of the Catalaunian Fields (451 A.D.), but that he defected to the Huns after being captured by Attila, and fought by his side on the following invasion of Italy.
Unit[]
| “ | It is a right of nature to glut the soul with vengeance. I shall hurl the first spear at the foe. If any man can stand at rest while Attila fights, he is a dead man. | ” |
| —Haranguing his soldiers in the intro of The Catalaunian Fields | ||
Attila is a cavalry hero found only in the The Scourge of God and The Fall of Rome scenarios of his campaign (including co-op mode), as well as in the Scenario Editor. He appears as a Cataphract. He is a must-survive unit in both of the scenarios, and in the latter, he must meet Pope Leo I outside Rome to win the scenario. As a hero, he cannot be converted and can regenerate health.
Despite being a cavalry unit, before the Definitive Edition, Attila was assigned to Armor class: Infantry, and thus took no bonus damage from anti-cavalry units such as Pikemen and Camel Riders. He could also garrison inside rams, while other cavalry units cannot. In the Definitive Edition, after certain updates, Attila is now in Armor class: Cavalry and cannot be garrisoned inside rams.
In the Definitive Edition, Attila has a new, unique sprite similar to a Tarkan but armed with a curved sword instead of a torch. The curved sword is historically inaccurate; Huns wielded straight, double-edged swords.
In the Battle Royale map BR Fall of Rome, Attila is one of two starting hero units for the player, the other being Alaric the Goth.
Trivia[]
- This campaign takes place entirely before the traditional start of the Middle Ages at the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 A.D. It was both the only non-anthology campaign set before 1000 A.D., and the earliest chronologically until it was beaten by the Alaric campaign in Age of Empires II HD: The Forgotten.
- The possibility of an Attila campaign was a determining factor in Ensemble Studios's decision to introduce the Huns as the new Central European civilization in The Conquerors, instead of their likeliest alternative, the Magyars.
- During the campaign, the player fights against several Italian cities variously represented by Teutons, Britons, Celts, and Byzantines, due to the Italians not being introduced until The Forgotten and the Romans until Return of Rome. None of them are changed to Italians in the Definitive Edition, but the Western Roman Empire is changed to the Romans.
- Attila's two proposed years of birth coincide with key dates in the timeline leading to the Fall of Rome: 395 A.D. was the year when the Roman Empire was split into the Western Roman Empire and Eastern Roman Empire, and 406 A.D. was when the Vandals, Alans, and Suebi crossed the frozen Rhine to invade the Western Empire.
- The campaign was made at the same time as the TV miniseries Attila was being produced, starring Gerard Butler as Attila the Hun.
Gallery[]
Views of the unit
Reconstructed portrait of Attila based on Roman sources
Attila with the Turul bird in his shield (Chronicon Pictum, 1358)
Attila in one of the original cutscenes
Attila in one of the Definitive Edition cutscenes
The cutscene background in the Definitive Edition
The cutscene background in the HD Edition
Age of Empires II - Attila the Hun campaign cutscenes (multilanguage)
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