Battles of Tarain is the fourth and last scenario of the Prithviraj campaign in Age of Empires II HD: The Forgotten.
In the Definitive Edition, this scenario is replaced by The Fate of India.
Intro[]
Prithviraj had managed to unify most of the Punjab and the surrounding lands just in time to face his equal in combat. A final showdown was coming. Muhammad Ghori was considered to be a conquering hero by the Muslims, while Prithviraj was a chivalrous and dashing champion. Sanyogita's father conspired with Muhammad against my Raj, not realizing that if Prithviraj were to die, Sanyogita would gladly die with him.
I accompanied my Raj to the battle site. The village of Tarain was nearby. He asked me to stay next to his brother, Govind Thai, for the bulk of the battle. I did not want to leave him but he had a sense of foreboding about the upcoming battle. The Ghorids held the city of Bathinda, and had a well-fortified camp with their most elite troops to the north.
Massive battle lines of over one hundred thousand men each. This would be cataclysmic. Two virtual equals, two kings of kings would bring the strongest men of all regions of the Punjab and Persia to bear in one encounter. Could either man live while the other breathes? Would Prithviraj be able to see his beloved Sanyogita? Would love prevail one more time?
Scenario instructions[]
Main objectives[]
- Prithviraj must survive.
- Rout the Ghorid Army.
- Defeat Muhammad Ghori and capture Bathinda.
Secondary objectives[]
- Bring 5 villagers to the wood pile east of the fortress.
- Destroy the market in the supply camp northeast of Bathinda.
- Destroy the connecting reservoir of the aqueduct, to the west.
- Destroy the mosque in the city, to boost your religious power.
- Destroy the castle in Ghori's camp. It acts as the headquarters and manages the training of the elite troops.
Players[]
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Player[]
- Player ( Indians)
Allies[]
- Tarain ( Indians): Controls the village of Tarain, to the east. This player is neutral to this war, but can be used to trade.
- Chauhan Army ( Indians): The starting army of Rajputs, consisting of many types of units, including but not limited to infantrymen, War Elephants, Elephant Archers and Arbalesters. Prithviraj must choose a regiment to personally command. The others will be uncontrollable, and simply attack the Ghorid army on sight.
Enemies[]
- Muhammad Ghori ( Persians): This player consists of Muhammad Ghori himself, his northern base structures (including some Fire Towers), as well as the Muslim forces encountered later in the game, that will consist of enormous amounts of Paladins, Imperial Camel Riders and Elephant Archers.
- Bathinda ( Indians): Controls the city of Bathinda to the northwest, that must be captured by Prithviraj by destroying its Town Center. The garrison includes Cavalry Archers, Pikemen, Skirmishers and Monks.
- Ghorid Army ( Turks): The first enemy to encounter in this scenario, the army consists of large amounts of Heavy Camel Riders, Cavalry Archers, Mamelukes, Cavaliers, and Hussars. Oddly enough, they are also escorted by Missionaries.
Strategy[]
Field battle[]
The player starts off with control of both Prithviraj, and his Monk friend. Before him is a large army, set to square off against green. The player has no control over the army, but rather can choose control of either Arbalesters, Cavaliers, or War Elephants.
The game occasionally bugs during the initial battle; sometimes, players start off in the Dark Age rather than the Castle Age, or lose the battle. The best scenario is defeating the Ghorid Army with the majority of allied troops surviving. If the player wins but with heavy losses, there's nothing wrong with restarting. It helps to have the Archer and Heavy Cavalry survive, so as to defend the initial holdings. Should a sufficient number of the player's chosen unit survive, that unit type will receive a stat increase.
Establishing a foothold[]
In either case, once the player gains control of the army and Villagers, they should begin building up their base.
Blue is in the far north, while yellow is in the west. Cyan can be traded with; build a Market in the south/south-west and trade with Tarain. Every few minutes, War Elephants and Cavaliers will automatically spawn in the south and east, respectively.
It would be wise to build a Castle and other fortifications across the battlefield, near the roads leading to blue's and yellow's bases, thereby intercepting attackers. Blue will attack with Cavaliers and War Elephants, along with Battering Rams, Scorpions, and the occasional Mangonel (along with Flamethrowers).
The blue player is by far the largest threat. Using Cavalier reinforcements however, along with stone fortifications, the player should be able to sweep them away. Monks also come in handy, so as to convert blue's Paladins and War Elephants. Bathinda on the othwr hand attacks mostly with Cavalry Archers and trash units
The blue player's base is much more difficult, but given the alloted units (the player would be wise to attack with their spawned War Elephants, Bombard Cannons, and a whole 60 man platoon of Arbalests or Hand Cannoneers to 'one shot' incoming enemy units), the attack should be successful. Beware however as the main northern entrance is narrow, restricted for space by Palisade Walls and jungle. Alternatively, the player can attack via their western entrance. In either case, blue will continually counter-attack with Monks, Halberdiers, Crossbowmen, and Paladins. Their base is also protected by Fire Towers.
Eventually during the attack, the player will be given a message about destroying blue's Castle so as to cut off their "elite units." This is no matter, destroying all of blue will win one of the main objectives anyway. In the very rear of the base will be Muhammad Ghori himself (a renamed Saladin hero Mameluke). Once he's killed, refit as necessary, and head southwest to yellow's city.
Engaging Bathinda[]
Along the way, the player will encounter more of blue's outlying buildings, including a Market and some Houses. The player will receive another message, this time about destroying the Market; most of the secondary objectives in Prithviraj's final scenario involve "disabling" the enemy by destroying some of their key structures.
For example, the player will be alerted to destroy Bathinda's Aqueduct, Mosque and blue's market, thereby cutting off yellow. The player should by this point have a strong enough army to sack Bathinda, finish blue's remaining buildings, and end the scenario.
Outro[]
Despite a valiant effort, my king was captured after the second battle of Tarain. Muhammad Ghori blinded Prithviraj and mockingly challenged him to an archery contest. I visited my king in prison and told him that he must hear the Sultan's voice and make his aim true. Before being put to death, Prithviraj shot an arrow through Muhammad's heart and slew him there. Both men died on the same day. Stricken with grief and defiant to the end, Sanyogita jumped into fires and slowly burned to death to defend the honor of her King. Love is powerful and causes people to do great things. Love never fades away.