| “ | The Greek fleet moors in the Bay of Salamis. Both exits are blocked by the Persians; in the distance Athens burns. Themistocles must prevail, or Greece is lost. | ” |
| —In-game summary | ||
Divine Salamis is the fourth scenario of the second act of the Battle for Greece grand campaign in Chronicles: Battle for Greece, and the eleventh scenario overall.
Intro[]
With their city now completely exposed to the Persian invaders, the desperate Athenians turned to the god Apollo for advice. At Delphi, Apollo's priestess - always a wise, graceful woman - would give voice to the god's prophecies in cryptic riddles. On this occasions, her advice to the Athenians was unusually clear, and utterly terrifying: flee, shoe told them - flee to the ends of the earth!
The Athenians begged for a second audience. Apollo, apparently forgiving this impertinence, now offered one ray of hope: whatever else may occur, intoned his priestess, the wooden wall would remain intact. This was very encouraging... until the Athenians realized that they had no idea what the "wooden wall" was supposed to be. Some argued that it meant the palisade around the acropolis, and wanted to make their stand there - but Themistocles persuaded the Athenians otherwise. The wooden wall, he said, meant the fleet.
And so the people of Athens extinguished their hearths, left behind the tombs of their ancestors, and trudged down to the harbor at Piraeus, there to board the fleet with all they could carry. After ferrying the women and children across the Saronic Gulf, the fleet moored in the bay of Salamis with the rest of the Greek allies. There, they watched with anguish as the Persians marched into Athens and torched their undefended homes.
Like bulls who reach the sacrificial altar and spook at the baying crowd below, the allies began to panic. Many wished to flee. But there was to be no escape: the Persians blockaded both exits from the straits of Salamis, trapping the Greek fleet. There are some who say that it was the scheming Themistocles himself who tipped off the Great King, forcing his allies to stand alongside him.
I know not whether this is true - but I do know that Themistocles would do anything for his people.
Now, trapped in the straits of Salamis, the Greeks had only two options: victory or death.
Scenario instructions[]
Starting conditions[]
- Starting Age:
Classical Age - Starting resources: 500 food, 800 wood, 500 gold, 200 stone
- Population limit: 200
- Starting units:
- Themistocles
- Polycritus
- Aristides
- 19 Hoplites
- 6 Bowmen
- 4 Strategoi
- 15 Villagers
- 7 Biremes
- 7 War Lemboi
- 4 Galleys
- 1 Catapult Ship
Objectives[]
Main objectives[]
- Do not lose the Fort on Salamis
- Defeat the Psyttaleia blockade
- Survive Artemisia's attack on Salamis
- Destroy the Persian Forts at the Piraeus
Secondary objectives[]
- Defeat the Egyptian Blockade
- Train 5 Priestesses and bring them to the Temple of Athena
- Sink 0/4 Persian Commanders
- Destroy 0/3 Persian Camps
Hints[]
- You are blockaded! You cannot build Ports or Shipyards on the western coastline of Salamis.
- The Athenians are able to select different policies at the Town Center, which have a global effect for you. You can switch between policies as often as you wish, choosing the one that best fits your needs. Changing Policy becomes progressively more expensive, up to a maximum of 150 gold.
- This scenario contains an aura quest for Themistocles - seek out the Priestess!
Players[]
Player[]
- Player ( Athenians): A large fortified base in the center of the map, with a small fleet and force of soldiers ready to defend the Villagers already building the player's economy.
Allies[]
- Oracle ( Athenians): The Oracle consists of a single Priestess by a Temple among some mountains on the northern coast of Salamis.
Enemies[]
- Xerxes ( Achaemenids): Technically two players, Xerxes consists of several ships, troops, and towers that are the focus of several side objectives, and a larger coastline base towards the eastern corner of the map. They occasionally send a fleet to attack Salamis, as well as landing parties along the western coastline.
- Artemisia ( Achaemenids): Artemisia herself waits in the bay of the larger Xerxes base. After about an hour, or another trigger, she will prepare to attack, with units spawning in near her location to form her fleet. Once her ship is sunk, her fleet flees and she is defeated.
- Psyttaleia Blockade ( Achaemenids): A small, fortified island just beyond the bay of the player's base. They are the most frequent attacker in the scenario, but almost exclusively by sea.
- Egyptian Blockade ( Achaemenids): A second small fortified island off the north coast of Salamis. They attack on occasion, and can attack the player's Villagers near the Town Center from the water if not careful.
Strategy[]
First, train more Villagers to bring in more wood, gold, and food. Some stone is a good idea too. Second, move the player's land units to the "western" coast (in the south of the map, lined with Farms). This area will be attacked by Persian landing parties later, but the fleet in the bay can handle most early attacks just fine. Just be sure to eliminate the Transport Ships with the early attacks before they land.
The first focus will be researching technologies; if it was researched during Raise the Sails, the hit point regeneration from Oakum will save a great deal of resources in the long run, while ensuring that the fleet will not need frequent repairs. The player wants to age up, and upgrade the fleet and towers. Palisading some of the shores is also not a bad idea, just to help prevent a landing party getting lucky. Towers along the western coastline is also a good idea, as long as the player can garrison them with archers to make sure they stop the Persian Transport Ships before they land. Keep the army here in case any get by, however.
Once the player has significantly upgraded and bolstered the fleet, build some Leviathans. From here, the player can choose whether to pursue side objectives for bonuses and achievements, or just finish the scenario.
To get bonuses and the "Blockade Breaker" achievement, sail the player's fleet along the northern coastline. The player can eliminate the Persian Commanders on the way up, which will net the player's warships a +1 attack bonus. To eliminate the camps, the player just need the Leviathans to destroy the main tents in each camp. This will grant +20 hit points to the player's ships. Reaching the northern point of Salamis, circle around to the Egyptian Blockade, preparing to fight a significant defensive fleet. Once the fleet is cleared, guard the Leviathans as they focus on the single Fort. Once the Fort is down, the Egyptian Blockade is defeated, netting the player 2,000 wood and 1,500 gold.
Return to the player's bay and repeat this with the Psyttaleian Blockade. With both blockades defeated, the player should unlock the "Blockade Breaker" achievement, and now Artemisia will get involved. Her ship awaits some reinforcements in Xerxes' bay, which itself is typically full of a fleet of his own. A decent-sized, decently upgraded fleet could attack and take the bay, or the player can wait and let Artemisia come to the player and split their forces.
Either way, the player now needs to push up to Xerxes' main base, and take out both Forts, each reachable by Leviathans from the coastline. Just be cautious of more Persian ships spawning in from the maps edge to attack. Once these Forts are down, the scenario is won.
Gallery[]
