โ | As a son of Ragnar Lothbrok, Bjorn Ironside is driven to exceed the exploits of his famous father. In the year 859, he crosses the Strait of Gibraltar into the 'Tideless Sea' to plunder the rich cities that have never before known Viking raids. Will the skalds sing of Bjorn and his Vikings or will the Mediterranean swallow these intrepid adventurers? | โ |
—In-game scenario description |
Ironside 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 red.
Intro[]
In the year 859 CE, Bjorn, son of Ragnar, crossed into the Tideless Sea.
He raided Muslim Spain before wintering on the southern coast of the Frankish land. There, he waited for the onset of spring and the start of the raiding season.
A force like no other was about to descend on the shores and coastal cities of the Mediterranean.
The Vikings had come.
Scenario instructions[]
Starting conditions[]
- Starting Age: Dark Age
- Starting resources: 300 food, 125 wood, 200 gold
- Population limit: 100
- Starting units:
- Bjรถrn Ironside (modified Theodoric the Goth)
- 5 Villagers
- 2 Fishing Ships
- 1 Transport Ship
- Starting technologies:
- Gaia units:
- Hasteinn (modified Erik the Red)
- Hvitserk (modified Attila the Hun)
- Rollo (modified Aethelfrith)
- Haraldr (modified Charlemagne)
- 2 groups of 4 Norse Warriors
- 3 Tarkans
- 2 Berserks
- 1 Longboat
Objectives[]
Main objectives[]
- Destroy the Wonders in Rome, Cordoba, Tunis, and Paris.
- Find the heroes Hvitserk, Haraldr, Hasteinn, and Rollo.
- Have 5,000 gold.
- Free Play: Declare Victory at the Town Center to end the scenario.
Secondary objectives[]
- Explore for Secondary Objectives.
- Find and bring 5 princesses to the Wonder.
- Find and bring a Relic Cart to the Wonder.
- Kill 6 enemy Heroes.
Hints[]
- You begin with a population limit of 25 but advancing in Ages grants you more population as well as access to improved units.
- Raids are dangerous, particularly when Bjorn has few men. Keep your raiders close to the shore so they can run to the boats when overwhelmed. It is always better to live to raid another day.
- All great Viking sagas must have heroes! Finding Hvitserk, Haraldr, and Rollo will greatly strengthen Bjorn's expedition.
- Each hero enables the training of unique units: Bjorn (Huskarls), Hasteinn (Berserks), Hvitserk (Tarkans), Haraldr (Throwing Axemen), and Rollo (Woad Raiders).
Scouts[]
- Bjorn begins on the southern coast of France. His friend Hasteinn has left to raid a nearby island.
- North of Bjorn is Francia (Cyan), ruled by the heirs of Charlemagne. They fight as infantry, Throwing Axemen, and cavalry.
- Southeast is Italy (Blue), where rich cities founded by the ancient Romans are defended by archers and spearmen.
- The southern portion of Italy is contested by the Roman Empire (Purple) who have great cities further to the east. Their infantry, skirmishers, and Cataphracts are all that remains of the old legions of Rome.
- Further south, and across the sea, are the Moors of Ifriqiya (Orange) clinging to the coastlines and islands of the southern sea. They ride camels into battle and hurl javelins from horseback.
- West of Ifriqiya are the peoples of the southern desert called Kutama (Green). They are fierce warriors who fight on foot with curved blades.
- Finally, to the west is Qurtubah (Yellow), jewel of the Muslim world. The most dangerous warriors of these lands are Light Cavalry and Cavalry Archers.
Players[]
Player[]
- Player ( Vikings): The player starts in the Azure Coast in southeastern France with a small base, which contains a Warrior's Hold (Wonder) where unique units can be trained, and are automatically upgraded to Elite upon reaching the Imperial Age. The player cannot train more Villagers (until the Imperial Age) and Fishing Ships, but obtains a fixed number of them upon every age-up. Most buildings are also not possible to construct, and the only natural resources available are hunt, fish, livestock, and trees. If the player's Villagers are converted by enemies, they get auto-converted back to the player.
Ally[]
- Vikings ( Vikings): They represent other minor characters who are not hostile to any other player, such as the friendly Priest in the player's base, and the princesses in the various enemy bases. They are completely passive.
Enemies[]
- Qurtubah ( Saracens): The Caliphate of Qurtubah, in later centuries known as Cรณrdoba, rules Hispania, have a small base in Morocco in northern Africa, and also minor settlements on the Balearic islands. Their army consists of Hussars, Heavy Cavalry Archers, Elite Mamelukes, and Monks. They also train a navy consisting of only Fire Ships. Their Wonder is the Great Mosque of Cordoba (represented by a Gol Gumbaz) in the northwest of the map, which must be destroyed.
- Ifriqiya ( Berbers): They rule Tunisia and Sicily, and also control the city of Bari in eastern Italy. Their army consists of Heavy Camel Riders, Elite Camel Archers and Elite Genitours. They also train a navy consisting of Galleys (which they never upgrade) and Fire Ships. Their Wonder is the Al-Zaytuna Mosque in Tunis, which must be destroyed.
- Kutama ( Ethiopians): They control a city in central Northern Africa, corresponding to Algeria. They also have several small Oasis settlements across the Sahara desert, where Monasteries ripe for plunder can be found. They train Arbalesters, Onagers, and Shotel Warriors.
- Roman Empire ( Byzantines): The Eastern Roman Empire controls most of lands east of Italy, and a small province in southeastern Italy. Their troops includes Cataphracts, Two-Handed Swordmen, Elite Skirmishers, Scorpions and Monks. They also control the island of Sardinia, south of Corsica, with a sizable garrison. They train a navy of Fire Galleys and Demolition Rafts (both of which they eventually fully upgrade, except for the Heavy Demolition Ship upgrade).
- Italy ( Italians): The Italian city-states have several cities in the north and villages in the south. They also occupy the island of Corsica, which is the player's first directed target, where Hasteinn and his Berserks have already landed. They train a navy of War Galleys, and armies of Genoese Crossbowmen, Pikemen, Knights, Elite Skirmishers and Monks. Their Wonder is the Basilica of Santa Maria in Rome, which must be destroyed.
- Francia ( Franks): The expansive realm of the Franks in the north and west consists of many cities, with their capital Paris being at the extreme north of the map. Despite their proximity, they can be reached only by using Transport Ships. They train Men-at-Arms, Throwing Axemen, Light Cavalry, and Knights (which they eventually upgrade to Paladins), and also have a league of Monks. They do not field a navy, nor research defensive upgrades. Their Wonder is the Basilica of Saint Denis in Paris, which must be destroyed.
Strategy[]
This article needs an image for it to be complete. Please locate and insert one. Explanation for need image is: Map to show locations of princesses and heroes, similar to the one in Komnenos. |
This strategy will deal with wiping out enemy players rather than focusing solely on the Wonders. It can still be helpful to follow this guide until after The last two heroes, and then just follow the strategy until the player destroys a Wonder.
This scenario is best approached with patience. It will take some time to build up a force strong enough to assault any one of the four Wonders, and that force will only able to accomplish much after the Imperial Age technologies are researched. That said, infantry are really the only necessary unit type the player needs. Archers cannot be upgraded and cavalry are too much of an investment to be worth it. Exact army make-ups will vary slightly depending on who the player is raiding.
The enemy players will produce many units, and will upgrade them. For example, Francia's Knights will become Cavaliers. Do not rush to defeat them before this happens, as it will waste the player's resources and soldiers. The positive is that enemy players appear to have finite resources, and a prolonged assault on Francia's main city, for example, will meet heavy resistance for a time, then very little as they stop producing soldiers.
Another thing to be aware of is that on Hard, enemy players have Murder Holes researched. This necessitates the use of Siege Rams if the player does not want to lose their soldiers when facing a Castle. Because building up these forces needs much food and gold, stick to smaller towns and villages for the start. The player's main base does not get attacked, so do not worry about defending it. All the player's units can be used to raid. This is particularly helpful as the player's population is capped at 100.
To start, train about four Norse Warriors and send them with Bjorn to the first small island objective. Once this island is clear, bring all the units back home to heal them, and put one Villager on wood, while the rest gather food from Goats and Forage Bushes. The first goal is to get to the Imperial Age as soon as possible. Save up 500 food and age up. Each time the player ages up, the player will get a Fishing Ship and two Villagers. Food is most important, but the player will need wood to build Farms soon, so assign appropriately.
For caution's sake, the player might wait until reaching the Castle Age, to access new units like Huskarls, who excel at destroying buildings quickly. Research all available infantry technologies in the Blacksmith, which might require some gold from raiding, and add just 5 to 10 Huskarls to the player's forces. Two Berserks can be picked up for free from a small island southwest of the one the player attacks at the start of the scenario.
This will be more than enough to start raiding the first enemy. And be warned, enemy players like Monks, but the player will need to raid before the player can research the technologies to resist conversion.
Francia[]
The first raid should be against Francia's town directly west of the player's base. Send the heroes in further to kill the Monks while the player's units deal with the tower at the shore, and clear the town of units. The player may face some Frankish reinforcements from the mountains immediately southwest of this town. If the player can get some units down there, the hero Rollo and some Norse Warriors will join the player. This first town falls easy. Proceed northwest to find another small town, with a Monk, and an enemy hero unit named Frankish Count (renamed Duke D'Alenรงon) along with some Men-at-Arms and a Light Cavalry or two. These two raids should net the player a decent amount of gold, and the houses dotted between should be destroyed too.
Be warned, proceeding to raid too far north of here will result in the Frankish city garrison moving to fight the player. By this point, they should be fielding Men-at-Arms, Cavaliers, and Throwing Axemen, with a number of Monks. To counter their forces, a handful of Norse Warriors and Huskarls to deal with their infantry, and Pikemen to counter their Cavaliers, are recommended. But the player also needs to be fast. Even with Pikemen, the Cavaliers pose a significant threat to the player's infantry. Thus, if the player can research Siege Rams, and build 2 or 3 before the player tries to assault the city, that will help.
The front gate is a bottleneck, between Houses, with towers firing and a stream of enemy units coming through. If the player can get the army up to the gate, and rush through when they open it to fight the player, the player can bring the rams up to open the way while the army clears out some of their units. Proceeding right from the Gate are several Stables and Barracks that the player will want to clear out with the rams as fast as they can to slow unit production. Two Monasteries sit nearby, but do not appear to train Monks, so do not focus on them yet. Instead, be warned another Barracks sits all the way right of the base. Once these are cleared, only the Castles should be producing units. There does appear to be more production buildings to the left of the Gate, but these never seem to be used.
If the player hangs back from the bridge and the Castles' range, and let the Throwing Axemen come to the player, the player can kill them one at a time until Francia no longer produces units. Then, as Francia does not seem have Ballistics, the player can run the heroes back and forth to draw fire while the rams finish the Castles off. After that, the city is defenseless, save the occasional tower, which are handled easily.
After this city is finished and the Wonder destroyed, only one Frankish stronghold remains. It sits on the shoreline, with a Castle. By this point it has likely trained numerous Cavaliers, Throwing Axemen, and Men-at-Arms, so heal up and reinforce before attacking.
A good strategy is to bring the army to the mountains where the player found Rollo, except for the player's three rams, which will stay on a Transport Ship. The gate is immediately south of the mountains, and it is best to attack by land to draw their forces out to fight without being under Castle fire, as opposed to landing troops inside the city by sea, right next to the Castle. That being said, once they commit their units to fighting the player, pull the player forces away from the gate so they do not bottleneck, and fight them in the open, while landing the rams directly in their base. If all goes well, their army should ignore the rams to fight the player's, and the player can destroy their Castle before the rams are in danger. Once the Castle is down, try to rush the army through their Gate, and this town will fall easily. Curiously, this base seems to still be able to train new units, but only has a single Stable, Barracks, and Castle. Target these first.
With all this done, Francia should be defeated. If not, there might be some stragglers somewhere.
Italy[]
Italy is fond of Monks and Missionaries, as well as Knights, Pikemen, Elite Skirmishers, and Arbalesters. The same makeup of Huskarls and Pikemen will work well, but throw in some Skirmishers, researching Elite Skirmishers, and the ranged technologies at the Blacksmith, to help counter their ranged units.
Italy is reachable by land from the player's base, marching through the mountains to the northeast. The player will find a Mining Camp and some Goats on the path. Coming out the other side, proceed left, being careful of a lone Monastery and a Monk waiting to convert. This sits directly north of the first Italian city.
This city's gate sits around a bend that forces the player between their wall and some trees. This can bottleneck the player's forces and be an annoyance. It may be more convenient to simply have the rams break through their wall by some Houses, and a Market to create a larger, and more direct, opening. If the player uses a Skirmisher to attack a House over their wall, they will send their army and bottleneck themselves around the trees while the rams work. Be warned that their Archery Range, likely with numerous Skirmishers, are right by the section of wall and can quickly wear down even a Siege Ram. This city is small, however, and will very quickly fall once inside.
The second Italian target is another small city just southeast of the exit to the mountain path. Have the army attack the gate to lure their Knights to it, then rush the player's forces inside the walls while the rams break the gate down and proceed into the city. This place will also fall quickly, though be warned of War Galleys on the coast. Italy is thin, but most Italian ships are on the eastern coast.
The Final Italian city is Rome itself. There are many Knights and Pikemen, along with Elite Genoese Crossbowmen, a War Galley or two by their Docks, and several Monks, including three hero Monks, one being Pope Leo I and the other two being Archbishops. There is also an Italian Duke hero unit (renamed Francesco Sforza) in the city. Attacking from the north Gate has the player proceeding through an extended bottleneck of Houses. Attacking from the south Gate has the player assaulting their wall under fire from their Castle, right next to their Stable and Barracks.
Elite Skirmishers will be great for handling the Elite Genoese Crossbowmen and the Monks, so have at least 15. This may become a close-fought battle, so try to have an army of 60, mixing Huskarls, Pikemen, Elite Skirmishers, and maybe a few Berserks, with 3 Siege Rams.
Instead of attacking either Gate, proceed down the eastern coast of Italy until the player is right outside the walls next to the Wonder. Have the Skirmishers attack it to draw out their army. They should all attack from the south if the player is far down enough. Keep the melee units focused on defending the Skirmishers, and the Skirmishers focused on killing the Monks and Genoese Crossbowmen attacking from behind the wall. While this is happening, have the rams break through the wall and destroy the Wonder. This will open up a small area in the city to move the player's army into to attack it.
Destroy the Stable, then the Barracks, then the Castle with the rams while the army ravages the city and picks off the units they produce while the player attacks. Keep the Skirmishers safe to pick of their Monks quickly. The player will take some losses, and whoever is left will be hurt, but the player can raze the city in this one attack if managed right.
After this, Italy only has a smattering of Houses and units up and down the Italian peninsula. Clear them out, being careful of the Ifriqiya and Roman Empire cities, and Italy should be defeated.
The last two heroes[]
Having destroyed Francia and Italy completely will have given the player a good stockpile of gold, if managed correctly, and time to build up much food and wood. Before proceeding against the last two Wonders, collect the last two heroes.
The first is very easy to get. Send a Scout along the eastern edge of the map, past the second Italian city. Soon after, the player will find a Roman Empire city and a river. Do not cross it; follow it east, to two Houses, some Tarkans, and Hvitserk, the third hero. This also unlocks Tarkans for recruitment.
While the player heals and reinforce the army after the Italian campaign, take a Longboat southwest, following the Frankish and the Qurtubah coastline. Eventually, the player will reach a narrow strait, with a Wonder on the south side, burning like a lighthouse. Following this coast southeast, the player will find the last hero held prisoner near the Wonder, and a small Qurtubah base. Keep following the coastline until the player finds a Kutama town, being careful of the Qurtubah Monk and towers, likely with Heated Shot and Chemistry given the high damage against ships they do.
Land the forces between the two towns, and push them up through the Qurtubah base, against their Eastern Swordsmen, Monks, Hussars, and Elite Mamelukes. It is a small base and should give little trouble. Break the wooden fence around the last hero and the player has saved them all. Haraldr will also give the player access to Throwing Axemen to train.
Qurtubah[]
Qurtubah like to field Hussars, Elite Mamelukes, Heavy Cavalry Archers, Eastern Swordsmen, Long Swordsmen, Monks, and Imams. They also have a few Fire Ships and Crossbowmen on hand, but do not seem to train these units. Their Monks have extended range, and their Castles have Ballistics by this point. This will be a tough fight.
Attacking Qurtubah by land is the best option, so return to the last Frankish city, and follow the river just southwest of it up towards the edge of the map. The player can find Qurtubah beyond. Do not attack the two Houses here until the player is ready, as this will draw some of their armies. Proceeding to fight them too far south will draw more. Try to hit the population cap with a sizable melee army of Huskarls, Pikemen, Throwing Axemen, and a few Berserks with the player's heroes, with a small force of Elite Skirmishers to focus on killing Monks and Imams. Three Siege Rams to focus on buildings is good too. Attack the Houses, hanging back. Elite Mamelukes will come from a Castle in a city shortly east, while Long Swordsmen, Eastern Swordsmen, Hussars, Monks, and Imams will come from the Wonder city shortly west. Once the fighting has died down, move to the city with the Wonder.
Some Hussars might reinforce them from the south while the player attacks, so watch for that. While the player has the Skirmishers attack a Monastery from outside the wall, have the melee army sit by their Gate, ready to rush in once their Hussars come out. This melee army could also make short work of the Gate themselves.
Once inside, clear the first Wonder for some space to fight, and focus on their production buildings. The Stable and Market to the south hide a hole in the wall around the second Wonder, the player's target. Destroy the Stable and Market, then go around their wall for the Guard Towers and Wonder. With that, and the Monasteries and Barracks along the north wall, this city should be dealt with.
Return to the river up north then heal and reinforce the army. In the meantime, three Elite Longboats can travel along the Qurtubah coast, being careful of towers and Fire Ships, and draw out their Monks and Imams. They will train more Monks, but Imams are heroes that do not respawn. Once the player is rejuvenated, the next target lies directly south of the last bend in the river.
The first part of the city the player will encounter is their Castle. The good news it that the Castle makes up part of the wall, so the rams can attack immediately, and once it's down, the player is in. The bad news is that most of the fighting in this city will be in its range, and it has Heavy Cavalry Archers and Elite Mamelukes to help. The player has to draw out their army to the south of the city, or they'll sit behind their wall killing the rams. They might have close to 10 Monks by this point, so focus the Skirmishers on them before the Cavalry Archers while the player's melee army takes care of Hussars and Mamelukes. If possible, rush the army through their Gate. Because they produce so many units, it is likely there will be Heavy Cavalry Archers and Hussars stuck in their Archery Range and Stable. Use the Skirmishers to kill them before destroying the buildings. Once inside, with the Castle down, this city should fall easily.
Immediately southwest of that city is a river. If the player follows the river east, it curves down and toward a Mosque. There is a shoreline between the river and a cliff face that the player's army can move through, and a gap in the wall by the trees and Monastery. There are few soldiers or Monks here, so march the army directly inside and lay waste to the city.
The last city lies directly west, across the shallows in the river. It is small, but very fond of Monks and Hussars. The attack is straightforward. Focus the army on the Hussars and blocking the gate, focus the Skirmishers on Monks, and the rams on towers and buildings once inside. It should only amount to token resistance. After this, there is a Stable and Archery Range between this city and the city the Wonder was in, guarded by an Arab Champion hero (renamed Saladin).
Once that is dealt with, clean up the Docks and Houses left over and the player should defeat Qurtubah. If not, the player may need to clear an island south-southwest of the player's base of an Imam and Eastern Swordsmen, and get some Elite Longboats to destroy the lighthouse Wonder at the strait.
Ifriqiya[]
Ifriqiya, like Qurtubah, has Imams and Eastern Swordsmen in a few garrisons, but unlike Qurtubah, Ifriqiya prefers camel units. Heavy Camel Riders are the bulk of their force, accompanied by Elite Camel Archers, Elite Genitours, and a few Fast Fire Ships and Galleys protecting their coastline. They also have a hero, the Berber Warlord (renamed Tariq ibn Ziyad).
Ifriqiya is much easier to deal with than Qurtubah, simply because the only city they have that poses a challenge is isolated from their other bases by water. That said, the city in question is still tough, and unlike other players, Ifriqiya trains a navy of Galleys (and also has Fast Fire Ships on higher difficulties). Trying to land units close to the city is likely to end up contested and under fire very quickly. Instead, land near the strait in the west, and follow the southwestern edge of the map through some small Kutuma bases instead.
Make sure to stick to the edge of the map, as straying too far north will bring the player to Kutama's main base, with a Siege Workshop throwing out Siege Onagers. If the player can draw the Shotel Warriors away, do so. Fighting them or attacking the buildings on the south of the oasis at this camp will bring the Onagers to the player. Sending a Light Cavalry to kite them away is a good idea.
Once the player is just south of the oasis base, proceed directly east to find a small camp of Elite Shotel Warriors, Tents, and a Trade Workshop. Clear it out. Directly west-northwest of here is the city. Along its walls, there is a section housing a Monastery instead of a Gate. That is the way in. While the rams attack it, the army can defend them from the garrison. Attacking a Tent just outside the city walls to draw them is a good idea. Once the Monastery is down, the player's army can flood the city. Send the rams straight for the Castle while the player's army kills theirs. Once the Castle falls, the rest should not be too difficult, as long as the player are careful.
With the Wonder down, the player can declare victory at the player's Town Center, or continue conquering.
After this city is destroyed, and while guarding them with some Elite Longboats, take the Transport Ships to the city and hop the army across to Sicily, just across the water. It has three small bases, only two of them with walls. The only units trained here are Galleys, so the player's army will have little resistance clearing the island.
The player can use some Longboats to attack the stretch of Ifriqiyan buildings along the coast between their city and the Kutama one, but the Camel Riders that flee inland must be killed before Ifriqiya is defeated. Just south of the city, along the coast, is another small camp, with two towers and a Monastery, that is unguarded. Use the army here quickly before getting them back to the Italian Peninsula to deal with the last small Ifriqiyan city.
Sitting on the east coast of Italy, their last city is garrisoned by Genitours, Camel Archers, and Galleys, while it also has a Castle. Because of its size, the player will always be under fire wile attacking. If the player can rush the units through the Gate, do so, focusing rams on the Castle and Throwing Axemen on Galleys.
Once these bases are wiped out, Tents included, and assuming the player has dealt with the Camel Riders that fled inland from the coast, Ifriqiya should be defeated. If not, look for Tents hiding near the walls of the city the player might have missed, or stray units like Galleys or Fire Ships hiding somewhere.
Kutama[]
Kutama is based solely on the southern desert continent, and with only one true base, they are the easiest of the players to defeat. They use Onagers, Elite Shotel Warriors, Arbalesters, and Genitours. They also have a hero, the Warlord (renamed Gidajan). The player is best off getting some cavalry, either Cavaliers or Tarkans, to rush down the Onagers, who are trained at the Siege Workshop on the southwestern tip of their base, near their western oasis camp. Thankfully, their city has no walls, so the player can get right to it.
Attack from this point, focusing the cavalry on Onagers, keeping them near the Siege Workshop while the player's rams destroy it. Then, clear the rest of the city while the rams destroy the Castle. The Stables near the Castle do not appear to train units, so focus on the Archery Ranges to the north if needed.
Once this city is cleared, take the cavalry to the Ifriqiyan city the player razed. West-southwest of here is a Kutama Monastery, and immediately south of it sit three Onagers. Clear the Onagers, then the Arbalesters in the camp in the southern corner of the map. Kutama does not have Murder Holes, so the player can clear this oasis with the cavalry while the player's army returns to the original oasis to clear that. The Relic Cart for a side objective is next to a Monastery at this southern oasis. Another Monastery sits unguarded between the Ifriqiyan and Kutama cities. Send the rams here and clean up their last few buildings. After these small camps are defeated, and any stray Shotel Warriors dealt, with Kutama should be defeated.
Roman Empire[]
The Roman Empire fields Cataphracts, Elite Skirmishers, Two Handed Swordsmen, Monks, and Scorpions. They also train Demolition Ships and Fast Fire Ships.
The first goal is to clear the island just south of the player's base. Land the army on the north and march them down, keeping them to the center of the island to avoid the Demolition Ships. Throwing Axemen are very good for clearing any ships that come to the shore to try and attack the player. This first island will not need rams, and should fall quickly, though it might be a good idea from here on to accompany the player's army with a few Elite Longboats to help fight their ships.
Bring the rams and army back to the Italian Peninsula to attack the small city on the tip. This city only has a small garrison, and only trains ships, so as long as the player is careful, the player should manage to raze it with ease, rushing the army through the gate as their Swordsmen try to attack. Always focus Throwing Axemen on fighting ships along the shore and prioritize the Docks.
Next, march the army and rams up Italy and around to the small city the player passed when finding the first of the two heroes the player searched for earlier. Stay away from the shoreline, using the rams to break through the wall behind the Monastery and entering from there. Rush the city and use the Throwing Axemen to destroy the Docks.
Once that city is cleared, approach, but do not yet cross, the shallows at the river just south. Just across the river is a Castle. The Castle makes up part of the wall, while the Gate is down the shoreline. In front of the Castle is a small field. Send the rams first, and when they attack the Castle, and the garrison comes, move the army up to protect them. Keep them here in this field. If they try to move up the shoreline, they could get massacred by Demolition Ships. Once the Castle is down, flood into the city and raze it quickly. Among its occupants will be the Roman hero, a Strategos (a renamed Belisarius). Once it is cleared, carefully use the Throwing Axemen to clear the two Docks.
Directly south of this city is another small one, with a small garrison of Swordsmen, Cataphracts, a Monk, and Scorpions. Attack the Gate, rush in, and raze it quickly, using Throwing Axemen on the Scorpions, then the Dock. Once this small city is cleared, the only one left is across a river in the eastern corner. To get there, the player need Transports Ships up that river. To do that, the player needs to clear the sea.
Set up the Throwing Axemen near, but not on, the shoreline. Then, using the player's Longboats, find and kite enemy ships towards them. The Longboats can also attack, retreat, and attack again when they've gained some ground. Managed carefully, the player should be able to clear the sea without too much hassle.
The last city has two towers in range of the narrow river, but only trains Monks. Get a ship up the river, and transport the rams and Skirmishers over first. The rams can break the Gate and towers, then the Monastery, while the Skirmishers counter the Monks, who can convert the player's rams. Bring the army over once the way is open and ships are safe and the city will fall quickly.
Once all cities are completely razed, the Roman Empire should be defeated. If not, they may have a stray Monk somewhere either along Italy or their land. Once all players are defeated, declare victory at the Town Center.
Completion[]
The final princess can be found in the Byzantine city at the eastern corner of the map, which can be reached by cutting through the forest in the northeast of the map or by sailing up the river.
The "Age of Vikings" achievement can be obtained by finding all four Viking heroes.
Outro[]
Bjorn's daring raid into the Mediterranean opened a new world to the Norse.
They would return over the coming decades. In time, their reputation as warriors would make them prized mercenaries. Some Norse would even serve the Byzantine Emperor, forming an elite bodyguard called the Varangians.
Centuries later, Norsemen known as the Normans would conquer Sicily, creating a brief kingdom that blended Norman, Greek, Italian, and Islamic customs.
But this was far in the future when Bjorn sailed home after his raid.
Though many lost warriors feasted in Valhalla, those that returned to the Norse Lands were so laden with riches that they never had to raid again.
Trivia[]
- This map is a remaster of the custom scenario called "Ironside", present in the mod center.
- Norse Warriors are affected by Supplies (auto-researched) and Gambesons.
- In reality, Kutama was a Berber tribe.