| “ | Francisco de Orellana wears a black eyepatch on his face, matched by his black hair, black beard, and high cheekbones. In spite of that, there was many a time he saved us with a precise musket shot during our maddening and catastrophic adventure. | ” |
| —Described by the narrator in Tales of La Canela | ||
Francisco de Orellana (c. 1500 - November 1546) was a Spanish Conquistador best known for being the first European to navigate the entire length of the Amazon River. In Age of Empires II HD: The Forgotten, Orellana is the protagonist of the El Dorado campaign, and he also appears as a must-survive hero unit in every scenario. He is one of the starting unit in the Battle Royale El Dorado map.
Unit[]
Francisco de Orellana has the appearance of a Conquistador but a unique icon and better stats. He is affected by all technologies and bonuses that affect ranged ranged cavalry and gunpowder units. As a hero, he cannot be converted and can regenerate health.
In the Definitive Edition, El Dorado is no longer playable, but Orellana is still present in the Scenario Editor, along with other units originally found in the same campaign.
Campaign appearances[]
El Dorado[]
- Tales of La Canela: Francisco leads a newly arrived expeditionary force east towards Quito. Alongside Pizarro, he sets out east in search of El Dorado, fighting hostile natives.
- The Split: Francisco and Pizarro lead their expedition to the outskirts of the Amazon rainforest.
- The Amazones: Francisco's expedition reaches the Amazon interior, where they must either ally with the natives or aggressively drive the natives away from the blockade of the Amazon river.
- The Cannibals: Francisco's remaining troops make camp at the Amazon delta, where they free captured Spanish ship builders and gather resources necessary for the construction of sea-worthy ships to evacuate with.
Francisco de Almeida[]
- Lion of Africa: Duarte Pacheco Pereira leads a lost expedition in the Moroccan interior. If discovered by Francisco's forces, they'll join him against the Banu Arous raiders surrounding the expedition. The Relic they're carrying with them can be brought to the main Castle for gold.
Bayinnaung[]
- The Burmese Tigers: João Caeiro is a renamed Francisco. He leads the Portuguese expedition to the west and will first demand a tribute of gold to not attack the Burmese, and after that will offer his troops' services to the Burmese in exchange for gold.
- The Mandalay Cobra: Diogo Soares de Albergaria, a Portuguese mercenary and renamed Francisco, accompanies Tabinshwehti in the eastern camp. He and his troops will assist the Burmese in subjugating the opposition around Pagan.
- The Old Tiger: In the HD Edition, the leader of the Portuguese camp, Filipe de Brito e Nicote, is a renamed Francisco.
Trivia[]
- Orellana's icon in The Forgotten shows him wearing an eyepatch, referencing how Orellana lost an eye during a battle in Ecuador, prior to the events of El Dorado. However, this is not the case in the Definitive Edition.
Gallery[]
