| “ | Harald Finehair (870-932) Harald Tanglehair is a minor king in a small part of southeastern Norway. He seeks marriage with Gyda, daughter of a more powerful rival, but she scorns his proposal. He must become king of all Norway before she will marry him, she says. Can such words unite a kingdom? |
” |
| —In-game scenario description | ||
Finehair is one of the scenarios in the Victors and Vanquished campaign in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - Victors and Vanquished. In this scenario, the player plays as the Vikings and the player color is blue. This scenario is based on the sagas depicting the Unification of Norway by Harald Fairhair.
Intro[]
A Valkyrie rested by an old oak and saw a Raven sitting on a spindly branch. The Raven's beak was red with gore. Flesh hung from its claws.
'From where have you come, Raven?' the Valkyrie asked. 'The stench of dead flesh is on your blood-soaked feathers.'
The grey Raven gloated and wiped its bill. 'I have followed Harald.'
Before the Valkyrie met the Raven, young Harald ruled a small kingdom in Norway. His wealth was measured in pigs and fishing boats, but he sought the hand of a king's daughter.
He sent his uncle, Guthrom, to deliver a marriage proposal to Gyda, daughter of King Eirik.
When Guthrom spoke, Gyda held her head high and curled her lip. Her words pierced like an ashen spear.
'Who is this little king?' she asked. 'There is a little king here and a little king there, hundreds across Norway! Is no one brave enough to make Norway his own?'
'Give this message to your Harald: I will not be his wife unless he puts all of Norway under him for my sake.'
Old Guthrom returned to Harald and told him Gyda's message. The young man smiled as though he had remembered something he had nearly forgotten.
'Is that so, Guthrom?' His smile widened. 'King of all Norway! Why did we not think of that?'
Harald touched his hair and swore upon it: 'I will not cut my hair until all of Norway is mine—and Gyda is my wife. Prepare a feast, Guthrom. We will host the finest warriors for I will need them in the coming days.'
Scenario instructions[]
Starting conditions[]
- Starting Age:
Dark Age - Starting resources: 200 food, 200 wood, 100 gold
- Population limit: 75 (starts at 20)
- Starting units:
- Harald Tanglehair (modified Jarl)
- Guthrom (modified Hrolf the Ganger)
- 3 Norse Warriors
- 2 Villagers
- 1 Fishing Ship
- 1 Transport Ship
Objectives[]
Main objectives[]
- Research Perfusion at Harald's Hall (Large Hut).
- Unite Norway by defeating the Southern Jarls, Western Sea Kings, and Hordaland.
- Research 5 Unique Technologies.
Secondary objectives[]
- Bring Harald to Uppsala with a Villager.
- Bring warriors to the east.
- Raid Scotland.
- Find a Priest.
- Sail northwest to find a new land.
- Sink Solve Klofe's Longboat.
- Find Hrolf Kraki's gold in the Fyris Wolds.
- Kill Ornlu, King of the Wolves.
- Destroy Saami settlements.
Hints[]
- You begin with a population limit of 20 that increases up to a maximum of 75 by researching Unique Technologies at Harald's Hall. You do not need Houses.
- As well as providing population, Unique Technologies unlock new units and technologies, and provide additional Villagers.
- Raise pigs at Mills and use Fish Traps when local fish have been exhausted.
- Longboats have been modified with shorter range. This range can be improved at the Blacksmith.
- Raids are dangerous, especially when Harald has few men. Be prepared to run away when overmatched. It is better to live to raid another day.
- Raiding the Danes, Hordaland, and the West-men provides more gold, but their lands are better defended.
- Harald will respawn if wounded but other heroes will not.
Scouts[]
- Harald rules Vestfold in southeastern Norway, a kingdom with land access to most regions of the North Lands, though mountains and Saami tribesmen can make land journeys dangerous. Sea voyages are quicker and, usually, safer.
- The Southern Jarls (Green) control Gautland to the southeast. They have few ships so should be an early target for Harald's raids. In time, their warriors will be equipped with the finest armor. Because they are so far from a source of Frankish steel, however, their weapons will remain lacking.
- The Western Sea Kings (Cyan) rule the coast of Norway and the western isles across the sea. Their longboats are powerful while their Berserks are ferocious warriors who deal much damage. Their relative nakedness makes their bodies vulnerable and poorly armored.
- Hordaland (Yellow), seat of the powerful King Eirik, is a well-fortified kingdom defended by mighty Huskarls. Hordaland's gates, Towers, and Castle will require many men to storm without siege weapons.
- The Danes (Grey) rule Jutland to the south. Defeating them will not win Norway, but plundering their lands will be profitable. They are also well-defended.
- Not all Norse are hostile to Harald. The sacred site of Uppsala lies to the east, north of the marshlands of the Fyris Wolds. Travelling there is not easy and requires a ship to cross the Vanern Lake. Also, a Viking named Rurik has established a kingdom further east. A visit to him may be fruitful.
- Finally, the West-men inhabit the western land called Scotland, where they hoard gold in temples to the White Christ. Raids against them—and their Monasteries—would bring much fortune, but their highland warriors are equals to the Norse in battle.
Players[]
Player[]
- Player ( Vikings): The player starts with a small base, and must research the unique technology Perfusion at Harald's Hall (a large Hut) to gain units and resources. As the player researches more technologies at this building, they progress along ages and gain Villagers (two for each technology) and other units and Viking heroes, as well as enable training more troop types. There is no other way to obtain Villagers (except converting the rare few enemy ones), and many buildings are disabled.
Ally[]
- Norse ( Vikings): They represent passive Norse villages, the Norse Temple at Uppsala, and a Varangian stronghold of the Rurikids in the east, reaching which requires a Transport Ship.
Enemies[]
- Southern Jarls ( Vikings): They have many small towns and villages south of the player. While their shores are protected by Sea Towers, they have no navy. Only some of their territory can be reached without Transport Ships.
- Hordaland ( Vikings): They control a single large and fortified city northwest of the player, containing a Castle. Their shores are protected by Watch Towers and also Longboats.
- Western Sea Kings ( Vikings): They have a large densely packed territory in the north and west, and also small bases in isles in the far northwest of the map. Their bases are protected by many troops, and their waters by many Longboats which they eventually upgrade.
- Saami Tribes ( Slavs): They are present in generally small bands of troops. Defeating them grants a periodic food income.
- Danes ( Vikings): Their kingdom is in the south, and consists of many troops protecting a Krepost, and several Longboats in the water. Destroying them grants some gold, but may not be worth the expense.
- West-men ( Celts): Their lands are in the far west, consisting of Woad Raiders, Cavaliers, and Monks. Destroying their Monasteries grants ample gold. They have no navy or coastal defence.
Strategy[]
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- Raid Saami tribesmen for food while making Fishing Ships.
- Raid the Southern Jarls to open up the river passage to the three tiles of swamp gold in Norse lands.
- Use gold from raiding and mining in Norse lands and food from Fishing Ships to research technologies at the Hall. Technologies allow the player to build more units and advance in age.
- Continue raiding with Longboats and Transport Ships.
Resources will be slow at the beginning of the scenario. The player can train more Fishing Ships, but only acquires Villagers by researching technologies at Harald's Hall. These technologies vary in usefulness and cost. It is up to the player whether to save up for a better one or get the cheap ones to bring resources in faster. The only way to earn gold is to raze buildings, defeat enemy units, or find one of the few Gold Mines on the map.
This scenario is not too difficult, as the player's base will not be attacked, provided the player doesn't have units stray too far into enemy territory and bring them back. Its a bit slow to get going, and the player should be careful of their units in larger assaults and raids, but manageable if the player works their way up their opponents.
Unique technologies[]
The player must hold "feasts" by researching the unique technologies available at Harald's Hall. The technologies are researched much faster than usual. At the beginning, the player must research Perfusion, which then unlocks seven more:
The player must research at least five more among these, as it is the second part of the main objectives to win the scenario. Researching these technologies has further benefits, as they each spawn two Villagers, gradually research the later ages, and also spawn other troops, herdables, as well as new unique hero units.
Saami Tribes[]
The Saami Tribes are the easiest opponent to start with. They are a collection of small groups of Saami Warriors (modified Iroquois Warriors), the occasional Kipchak, and two Priests in their main village, and a small coastal one. Since they are spread through the mountains to the player's northeast, usually in small numbers, it will require a little exploration to find them all, but if the player is careful and kites a few away from the others, they pose little threat. Their Granaries will need to be manually targeted to be razed, but there is no reason to do this.
There are also two Priests for the player to find in these mountains, and they can be invaluable for preserving the player's units and converting enemies to bolster the player's army in a time where the player is low on resources, likely saving them for the technologies at the Hall. To get these Priests quickly and somewhat safely, the player should take the forces directly north until finding a statue. Follow this path up, killing the Wolves, and then dispatch the small group of Saami Warriors further north.
Go northwest from here, not directly north. The player will find a few more Saami Warriors, and immediately right, a waterfall with the first Priest. Follow the river southeast, taking out a few more Saami Warriors, or maybe converting one or two, until the player finds the shallows by a statue. There are two paths leading northeast from here. Take the thinner route, then take the first right, then go down. A few more Saami Warriors await here, and just behind them, the second Priest.
The Priest's sight range helps to scout the mountains better and give forewarning of any Saami nearby, but be careful with them. The player cannot train Monks or Priests, and there are only three in the entire scenario. Once the player has these two healing and converting for the player, they can just explore the mountains killing the Saami and razing their buildings. They should only be careful about straying too far north into the Western Sea Kings' territory yet.
While exploring these mountains, the player may find the Wolf, Ornlu, who resides near the edge of the map. Killing him rewards the player with 400 gold. In total, the player should have enough for one of the better technologies if they have not yet spent any gold. The first technology the player researches will get them to the Feudal Age, access to Blacksmith technologies, and two more Villagers.
Southern Jarls[]
The Southern Jarls consist of a number of small camps, bigger and better defended than the Saami Tribes, and closer together. There is one isolated camp shortly southwest of the player's base. This should be the next target. As razing these buildings provides gold, the player should also clear these camps completely after killing the units within.
When exploring southwest, the player will be alerted to another hero, Thorolf, wanting the player's help, and will be shown a shallows with two Norse Warriors at the other side. Do not attack them. They, along with several others and Thorolf, a Woad Raider hero, will become the player's as the player approaches, and the attack begins.
The Southern Jarls field Norse Warriors, Throwing Axemen, some Tarkans, and Jarls. They also have Sea Towers throughout their coastlines. Being careful when controlling the Priests, who tend to wander ahead from time to time when using Attack Move. The player can use other units to draw the enemy out a few at a time and kill or convert them until the base is completely cleared.
The player should bring the army back to the starting base, and get a Transport Ship ready. As it likely only has capacity for 10 units at this time, the player should put the heroes, other stronger units, and perhaps the Priests on board and sail them down the river until the Sea Towers fire at the player. The player should disembark here and begin fighting while transporting the rest of the army in. All the other Southern Jarl bases are reachable from land here, so the player can pull their Transport Ship back.
If this is not preferable, there is another way, which is to approach via land from directly east of the player's base, but the woods need to be cut through. This might mean risking the player's Villagers if careless, as there may be Throwing Axemen nearby. Once the path among the trees has been opened, the player can just take the army through it and clear out the area, carefully killing or converting enemies while healing injured troops, until there are no more Southern Jarls left.
Some side objectives[]
Hrolf Kraki's gold is a good side objective to complete by this point. Just northeast of the Southern Jarls, accessible only by Transport Ship, or a long time cutting through the forest with some Villagers, the player will find a shallows the player can land units at and travel further north from. Just past these shallows, to the southeast, are two Gold Mines. Another Gold Mine is directly north of the shallows. Mining these right now is a good idea, as it is time to get those Hall technologies and upgrade the player's Longboats.
Additionally, taking a Villager to the Norse base to sacrifice is helpful too. Once the player's Villagers are done with the gold, take one to the tree in front of the Norse Wonder, with Harald. This rewards the player by making Harald stronger, and giving the player Line of Sight on a Gaia bird that flies around revealing the map for the player. If the player decides to sacrifice a Villager, have them build a Dock on this side first. On an island in the water is the third Priest, and beyond that is another Norse base, where the player can receive a Krepost by bringing some military units near it, from which the player can train Kipchaks, Leitis, Konniks, and Boyars.
Western Sea Kings[]
A good place to start is directly north of the player's base. Follow the path through the trees straight up, and the player will come out at the bottom of an extended Western Sea Kings base. There are many units and buildings, including several proper towers, several Jarls, Throwing Axemen, Berserks, and Longboats to attack from the water, though thanks to the Longboats' reduced range in this scenario, they usually come within melee range.
Proceed slowly, making sure not to attract too many units at a time, and convert a few of the better ones, Longboats included. While clearing out this first base, the player should use the gold for researching all of the infantry upgrades the player has left, and the last few technologies at Harald's Hall. Once this is done, the player can use the max population count of 75, the player's trained units are upgraded to elite, and the player are in a much better position to take on the remaining opponents.
Do not stray too far southwest of this Western Sea Kings base, as this approaches Hordaland, a well defended city with a Castle overlooking its walls. Instead, build a good force of Elite Longboats and sail them around the coast, being careful about straying too far directly south and coming into range of the Danes.
There are a few more Western Sea Kings bases along the coastline, only accessible by ship, two more small bases on islands on the northwest edge of the map, and a final small base just below Hordaland. There is also a hero Longboat to watch out for, named Solve Kolfe. Sink Solve Kolfe and use the player's Longboats to soften up the Sea Kings' bases before landing the player's armies. Investing in Transport Ship upgrades (Careening and Dry Dock) is a good idea.
While the player is clearing these bases, the player might incidentally find the three Vikings for the "Lost Vikings" achievement. The player can also use the Longboats to do a side objective, raiding along Scotland's coastline. There are several Monasteries that pay out gold when destroyed and are within an upgraded Longboat's range. Be careful of the Monks nearby, however.
Once these bases are cleared, and every unit slain, the Western Sea Kings will be defeated.
Hordaland[]
Hordaland is a city with Stone Walls, a Castle within range of either Gate, and a solid garrison of Huskarls, Tarkans, Norse Warriors, Priests, and Mangonels. They also have a few Longboats and some towers on their coastline. Because of the Castle, it is a good idea to get some Elite Huskarls ready, with Arson researched.
The best way of fighting Hordaland, to avoid a massacre trying to get in, is to use a force of the player's Elite Longboats to clear their coastline. With their Longboats and Towers down, and the Docks cleared, the player can land the player's forces on their shore and not need to fight through a Gate under fire from the Castle.
As the Castle does not have Murder Holes, the player should send the Huskarls to focus on the Castle, while the other forces clear the garrison, and then bring any remaining towers down. After that, just clear the city and the player will defeat them quite easily.
From here, the player can either win the scenario by destroying any remaining production buildings, or continue playing. The only opponents left are the Danes, and the West-men too far inland to reach with Longboats. There is not much to gain from either of them.
Outro[]
Deep ships with reddened shields, gaping dragon masts and graven prow-boards, men with western spears and Frankish swords…
How the Berserks bellowed and the wolf-skins howled and thundered shields when Harald -- King of Norway -- sheared his hair!
The fires burned throughout Norway all through the night -- not from the war and raiding, for those had come to an end, but from the living burning the dead in pyres.
On the seventh day, Harald took the high seat. Beside him was Gyda, the woman whose spirited challenge lit a fire in the king.
Harald Finehair was King of Norway.
Trivia[]
- Harald's epithet "Hárfagri" is usually translated into English as "Fairhair", not "Finehair".
- Initially in the scenario, the hero unit representing the protagonist appears with the name Harald Tanglehair, owing to his uncut and uncombed hair as mentioned in the intro. When the main objectives are completed, the unit's name changes to Harald Finehair, to portray that he finally cut and groomed his hair after uniting Norway, as described in the outro. This portrayal comes from the saga Heimskringla.
- This is the only Viking scenario where the player color is blue instead of red.
- The lost Vikings that need to be found to obtain the achievement are a reference to The Lost Vikings, a 1993 game made by Blizzard for the SNES. The premise of the game is that three Vikings are abducted by the alien Tomator. This is referenced in the dialogue when they talk about a green man who lives in the stars. The Vikings also have the same names as their counterparts: Erik the Swift, Baleog the Fierce, and Olaf the Stout.
- They also appear in the Ragnar scenario.
- Sacrificing a Villager at Uppsala grants Line of Sight over a bird, which acts as a free and effective scout unhindered by terrain. This resembles the Raven scout available to Odin players in Age of Mythology.
Gallery[]
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