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This article is about the scenario in Age of Empires. For the scenario in the Definitive Edition, see The Battle of Kadesh. |
Battle of Kadesh is the fifth and final scenario of the Reign of the Hittites campaign in the Age of Empires demo. The Hittites (blue) must defeat the Egyptian forces of Re (red) and Ramesses (yellow).
Scenario instructions[]
Description[]
| “ | 1298 BC The feeble-minded leader of the Egyptians, Rameses, has been attempting to hinder the expansion of your glorious people. His futile attempts to deny you territories have never amounted to much, but now the Bedoin claim he seeks to overtake the city of Kadesh, a primitive but important ally of your empire. With advance warning of the Rameses plot, you have secreted a small group into the city where they can organize an army with which to surprise the mongrel Egyptians. Your infiltrators have had to pose as citizens of Kadesh and were thus forced to leave the accouterments of your Bronze Age civilization behind, lest they be seen in possession of them and alert Egyptian scouts to your presence in the city. They will have to develop these technologies anew to make use of them in Kadesh. | ” |
| —In-game section | ||
Starting conditions[]
- Starting Age:
Tool Age - Starting resources: 300 food, 300 wood, 300 gold, 300 stone
- Population limit: 50
- Starting units:
- Gaia units: None
Objective[]
- Build an army and use it to rid the lands around Kadesh of all Egyptian forces.
Hints[]
- Walls equal protection. Build them quickly.
- Invest in archers at the start of the game, they can be used to attack any enemy troops that threaten your walls.
- Once you have built a fairly stable defensive force, immediately move to the next age and train several priests.
Players[]
Player[]
- Hatti ( Hittites): The Player starts with a small base and some villagers in the southern part of the eastern river bank. There is only very little stone and gold in the initially controlled area.
Enemies[]
- Re ( Egyptians): Re starts in the (vaster) northern part of the eastern river bank, separated by a tributary river which contains two shallow areas. He starts in the Bronze Age and with a large base and also controls most of the gold and stone deposits of the eastern river bank. He attacks with Tool Age units, later supported by Composite Bowmen, Chariots, and Stone Throwers.
- Ramesses ( Egyptians): Ramesses starts in the Tool Age with a vast base and several ships. He controls the entire western river bank and will go ashore with Tool Age units and Chariots. Later, he will train Hoplites.
Strategy[]
Both enemies start with more developed towns, so defense should be the first order of business. Focus on chopping wood and building Scout Ships will protect the player from the sea. Since the only access by land to the player's town is across shallows, they can protect the player here as well. With a few towers, the player should have a solid defense. As soon as the player has a strong navy exploit this situation and build fishing ships which are protected from Ramesses then. If not already done, advance to the Bronze Age now.
The player cannot reach the Iron Age, so Chariot Archers are the most powerful ranged units available. With a few Stone Throwers, the player has a solid attacking force.
Since Re controls most of the gold and stone on the eastern river bank, he should be defeated quickly to preserve as many deposits as possible.
If Re is defeated, the scenario is almost won. Delete redundant villagers and fishing boats if needed, and build an invasion army along with transports and finally defeat Ramesses.
History[]
Historical notes[]
| “ | Following the destruction of the Mitanni Empire, the Hittites consolidated their control of northern Mesopotamia and turned their attention to the rich trading cities along the Eastern Mediterranean Coast. Egypt, under Pharaoh Rameses II, coveted them as well. Rameses II marched north along the coast with the intention of taking the city of Kadesh, then an ally of the Hittites. The Hittites received early warning of the Egyptian advance and prepared to meet them in battle outside the city. | ” |
| —In-game section | ||
Historical outcome[]
| “ | Hittite spies tricked Rameses into believing that the Hittite army was many miles from Kadesh as he approached. Convinced that he was in no danger, Rameses let his army of four divisions string out as it approached the city. Just as the lead Amun Division was going into the camp, the Hittite army came out of hiding behind Kadesh and shattered the second division in line, the Re Division. With his army split and at risk of being defeated in detail, Rameses rushed the Amun Division into the battle and restored the situation. With the arrival of more divisions from the south, the Hittites withdrew across the Orontes River. Although the battle ended in a draw, the Egyptian army was badly mauled and incapable of further offensive action. Rameses withdrew. Fourteen years later, in 1270 BC, the Egyptians and Hittites made peace and agreed to aid each other if either was attacked. The impetus for this peace may have been the exhaustion of both parties, the rise of Assyrian power to the east, or concern about other forces not understood today. The peace held for 70 some years until the Hittites were suddenly overrun by enemies not yet identified in the catastrophe of 1200 BC. The Egyptians were also attacked but survived, barely. | ” |
| —In-game section | ||
Trivia[]
- The similarity with Lord of the Euphrates probably lead to a remake of this scenario, depicting also a more historical accurate map.
