| “ | Among them is the man La Hire. A giant clad in plate mail, he drives men on with curses and fists. | ” |
| —Described by Guy Josselyne in the intro of The Cleansing of the Loire | ||
Étienne de Vignolles (1390 - January 11, 1443), known in Age of Empires II by his real life nickname La Hire, was a French military commander in the Hundred Years' War. He is a playable character in two scenarios of the Joan of Arc campaign, appearing as an infantry hero with the appearance of a Champion in The Cleansing of the Loire and A Perfect Martyr, and is also available in the Scenario Editor. As a hero, he cannot be converted and can regenerate health (since The Conquerors).
Like other infantry, La Hire is affected by all technologies and any other bonuses that affect them (except Arson).
In-game dialogue language[]
La Hire always refers to himself in the third-person and is portrayed as a brigand-turned-soldier, constantly referring to the fact that he does not have enough blood on his sword (or that it is going dry), or that he needs to kill or break necks.
- La Hire wishes to kill something. - Said in the beginning of The Cleansing of the Loire.
- The blood on La Hire's sword is almost dry. - Said a bit later in the same scenario.
- Do your worst, you English fop! - Replying to Sir John Fastolf's taunt after the first British Castle is destroyed.
- Them Brits can't make a castle stronger than La Hire. - After the second British Castle is destroyed.
- La Hire has been grievously wounded. - Said by someone else when the unit is killed during The Cleansing of the Loire.
- It is a good day for La Hire to die! - When La Hire is killed during A Perfect Martyr.
- La Hire's sword is not bloody enough. - Said in the beginning of A Perfect Martyr.
Campaign appearances[]
Joan of Arc[]
- The Cleansing of the Loire: La Hire joins Joan of Arc in reconquering the Loire from the English.
- A Perfect Martyr: La Hire is part of the army set on conquering Aquitaine from the English.
Bari[]
- Arrival at Bari: Panos Nautikos is a renamed La Hire. He leads the Byzantine forces in defeating the Emirate of Bari, by assisting Emperor Louis II.
- The Rebellion of Melus: In the HD Edition version, Michael Nautikos is a renamed La Hire. He leads the Byzantine forces in collecting tribute from local towns, as well as evacuating Bari and eventually reconquering it from Melus.
- The Great Siege: Andreas Nautikos, a renamed La Hire, leads a contingent of Byzantine troops, assisting in the defense of Bari while under the command of Stephanos Pateranos. Eventually, he evacuates the city.
Trivia[]
- La Hire is the only hero unit that appears more than once in the Joan of Arc campaign, other than Joan herself. Unlike Joan's, his survival is not necessary to complete either scenario, but he will be stated to have been only "grievously wounded" if he is killed in The Cleansing of the Loire.
- La Hire means "The Wrath" in French.
- Though implied to be a recent "convert" to the French cause, La Hire joined the army in 1418 and fought from 1421 under the command of Jean de Dunois, who later led the defense of Orleans. La Hire was even left in charge of Orleans's defenses while Dunois went to arrange for reinforcements at Blois.
- In another deviation from history, La Hire is depicted fighting in the Battle of Castillon (1453), which actually took place a decade after he died from illness.
Gallery[]
Video[]
LA HIRE vs EVERY UNIQUE UNIT AoE II Definitive Edition
