| “ | With Bolivar's guides, Amelia and Ká:nien head into the mountains, seeking the lost Inca in Pacamayo Valley - but the army of the Circle of Ossus is right behind them! | ” |
| —Scenario description | ||
Journey Through the Andes is the sixth scenario of the Act III: Steel campaign in Age of Empires III. It involves Amelia and Ká:nien journeying through the Andes to reach the Pacamayo Valley and get the water of the Fountain of Youth before Pierre Beaumont and the Circle.
Summary[]
After helping Bolivar defeat the Spanish, Amelia and Ká:nien make a tough journey through the Andes to reach the Pacamayo Valley, but the Circle army would be hot on their heels to reach the Valley first.
Objectives[]
Primary objective[]
- Reach Pacamayo Valley.
Secondary objective[]
- Don't allow a single Scout to reach the Boneguard army. (1,500 XP)
Players[]
Player[]
- Amelia Black (
United States) - Consists of Amelia Black, Ká:nien, 4 Musketeers, 3 Skirmishers, and 3 Streltsy. Their units are taking damage over time due to the extreme cold, only regaining health if they stand next to a campfire.
Enemies[]
- The Circle ( Circle of Ossus) - Controls the force hunting Amelia, consisting of 12 Black Riders, and various wild animals on the player's path.
- The Circle ( Circle of Ossus) - Controls the Cavalry Archers riding from Pacamayo Valley.
Treasures[]
There are 6 treasures on the map:
- Click for a list of treasures and their guardians related to the "Journey Through the Andes" scenario
| Treasure | Reward | Guardians | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| A supply of Boneguard muskets! Equipping your ranged soldiers with this will increase their attack! | +5% | 4x  White Wolf
| In the west of the map, following the route east of the player's original position |
| A highly polished Boneguard helmet, which improves the collector's hitpoints by | 60% | 3x White Wolf
| |
| A cache of Boneguard armor! Equipping your soldiers with this will boost their hitpoints! | +5% | 3x  White Jaguar
|
In the caves to the northeast of the map |
| The legendary jewel known as the Eye of Ornlu worth | 200 XP | 4x White Wolf
| |
| A Healer, who will join your cause if rescued. | 1x  Healer
| 2x  Cougar
|
To the southeast of the map |
| The legendary jewel known as the Eye of Ornlu worth | 200 XP | 4x White Wolf
|
The map[]
The map is based on the Rockies map, but since it is a crossing of the Andes, it is a long and winding path across the map, with caves where units can take shelter from the icy winds.
Strategy[]
The player needs to go from one point to another in a sinuous path. The player's units will continuously receive damage while on the path due to the adverse climate and extreme cold of the mountains, but not when in the valleys connected to the roads. The enemy sends out patrols of units on a regular basis, which the player can dodge by hiding in the caves so as to not take avoidable damage to the hit points of the units.
From time to time, the army of the Circle will approach the protagonists, who must reach the Pacamayo Valley to the northeast as quickly as possible. Once this is achieved, the scenario ends.
This scenario can be difficult, as the scouts are fast and frequent, and every one of them will make the pursuing army advance. Thus, the player has to choose between a fast approach, similar to speedrunning, and a slow and methodical approach.
If going slow, it is actually possible to kill the pursuing army. After reaching the second cave, the player is able to shoot at the Black Riders from a cliffside. Then, Ká:nien and Amelia can use their abilities to snipe them one by one. After shooting, they should go back to a cave to heal and repeat. Soon the whole army is dead and advancing will be far easier.
It is possible to place the non-hero units on the entrance of a cave, in stand ground stance, and still receive the bonus regeneration. It may prove useful to, as such, leave them behind so they can deal with the scouts while Ká:nien and Amelia advance. The heroes are notably faster, so they have to spend less time outside. If this strategy is followed, the Musketeers should be placed on the side of the cave entrance closer to the start of the scenario, so they can deal with Uhlans sent by the Circle. They can last a long time, as they'll be healed constantly. Still, it is advisable to shoot the scouts with heroes at least a bit to soften them up.
Collecting treasures is important, as they are the only way of improving the army.
Trivia[]
- This is the only scenario in the Age of Empires III campaign where the player has Russian units.
- This is the only scenario in the Age of Empires III campaign that does not have an opening cutscene; as such, if restarted, the map/summary screen will be shown.
- A treasure named "Eye of Ornlu" is featured in the scenario, but it is useless (unlike the other treasures) as it gives XP when the player never has access to the Home City for shipments.
- Crossing the Andes mountain range is difficult, but there are some famous examples from this time that might have inspired the scenario, like the Paso de los Andes, carried out in the winter by Simón Bolívar and Francisco de Paula Santander, or the Crossing of the Andes, carried out in the summer by José de San Martín and Bernardo O'Higgins.
Gallery[]
