This article describes only the gameplay content of the co-op scenario in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, based on Jihad!, the fifth scenario of the Saladin campaign in Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings. It is loosely based on Saladin's conquest of most Crusader cities from the aftermath of Hattin (1187) to the beginning of the Third Crusade (1189).
Scenario instructions[]
Starting conditions[]
- Starting Age:
Castle Age - Starting resources: 300 food, 300 wood, 200 gold, 100 stone
- Population limit: 120
- Player A starting units:
- Player B starting units:
- 6 Villagers
- 2 Trade Carts
- 6
Objectives[]
- Defeat any 2 of the 3 Crusader cities (Tyre, Tiberias, and Ascalon).
Secondary objectives[]
- Tribute 1,000 gold to Tiberias to form an alliance.
- Pay another 1,000 gold to Tiberias if you still wish to ally with them.
Hints[]
- Saladin and his army are restricted to a population of 120.
- Saladin and his army can trade to earn more gold.
- Remember: you only need to defeat two enemy cities.
Scouts[]
- Saladin (Green) controls a fortified town near the coast, but is initially short on soldiers.
- Saladin's Army (Purple) controls Hebron, a small village in the center of the map with a Market.
- Tyre (Yellow), your most threatening enemy, is located on a fortified island to the north. They occasionally attack with Galleons, Fire Ships and Cannon Galleons. They will also send in Transport Ships full of Mangonels, Trebuchets, and Serjeants from time to time.
- Tiberias (Blue) is a city to the east. They will field Camel Riders, Knights, and Battering Rams.
- Ascalon (Orange) is a stronghold in the very south of the map. Their initial army consists of Cavaliers, Crossbowmen, and Onagers, and they also have some warships. Ascalon will behave defensively and will not besiege your city.
- The Tripoli Guards (Cyan) command a small army of Knights, Crossbowmen and siege equipment. They have no means of replenishing their forces, however.
Players[]
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Player[]
- Player A (AI name: Saladin) Saracens):
- Player B (AI name: Saladin's Army) ( Saracens):
Enemy → Potential Ally[]
- Tiberias ( Persians): Tiberias is a city in the southeast. They occasionally attack with (Heavy) Camel Riders, Knights/Cavaliers/Paladins (Savars since The Mountain Royals), Battering/Capped/Siege Rams, and Trebuchets. At the 1900th second (31 minutes and 40 seconds) mark of the game, they call a truce in return for two shipments of 1,000 gold.
Enemies[]
- Ascalon ( Teutons): Ascalon is a well fortified city in the very south of the map. Their initial army consists of Crossbowmen, Cavaliers, and Onagers. Their initial navy comprises Heavy Demolition Ships, Fast Fire Ships, Cannon Galleons and a Galleon. Their military does not attack the player, and is only used to defend their base. Ascalon does not rebuild their military when destroyed, making it an easy city to defeat later in the game. Later in the game they start building a Wonder.
- Tyre ( Sicilians, Byzantines before Return of Rome): Tyre is located on an island near the north. They occasionally attack with Galleons, (Fast) Fire Ships, Cannon Galleons, and (Heavy) Demolition Ships. They also send in Transport Ships full of Mangonels/Onagers, Trebuchets (Bombard Cannons before Return of Rome), and Serjeants (Cataphracts before Return of Rome).
- Tripoli Guards ( Franks): The Tripoli Guards start with several Crossbowmen, Knights, some Mangonels, a Battering Ram and a Villager just to the east of the player's base. After several minutes they attack, but they have no base and are defeated once their army is killed off.
Strategy[]
To win, the players must defeat two of three crusader cities, which are Ascalon (Orange), Tyre (Yellow), and Tiberias (Blue). The player will lose if Ascalon's Wonder stands for 350 years. Ascalon and Tyre start the game in the Imperial Age. Tiberias will reach the Imperial Age if given enough time. In this scenario, the players are restricted to 120 population, and cannot build a Wonder or (Elite) Cannon Galleons.
There are two Relics on the map. One is walled in the north, defended by Tripoli Guards. One is in Tiberias' base to the southeast.
With one player as AI[]
This scenario is made harder by the starting position of the player on the map, so it is recommended to move Villagers and create another Town Center next to the ally's Market as soon as the game starts. Be vigilant while moving to that area with the starting Villagers, to avoid the enemy troops stationed nearby.
The enemies are Tyre in the north (who will attack with a pretty big navy and deploy ground troops with Transport Ships), Tiberias in the east (who is the most dangerous of them, but can be converted to an ally by giving 2,000 gold tribute; it will be a lot easier to win the scenario without fighting them), and Ascalon in the south (who are pretty passive; the only threat coming from them is a Wonder they start building early in the scenario, but they only have three builders working on it, so it will take quite some time to finish).
Soon, the player will be attacked on all fronts, so it is advisable to put most Villagers on stone in order to build defenses. As soon as viable, build a Castle next to the ally's Market and pretty much forget about the starting position citadel. It is not recommended to defend the starting area because Tyre will attack with a large navy, which also contains Cannon Galleons, making everything harder, as by this time Ascalon in the south will start building a Wonder.
Focus on booming and start building a decent army. There will be more than enough time to destroy Ascalon's Wonder, so do not rush it. Tiberias will ask for a tribute if the player wants to ally with them; first 1,000 gold, and immediately they ask for another 1,000, but this is money well spent in order to make the scenario easier. After allying with Tiberias and destroying Ascalon, Tyre will become an easy target.
