Late Siege is the fifth challenge scenario in Art of War in Age of Empires IV. It tests the player's skill in using heavy siege weapons such as Trebuchets and Bombards to overcome stone fortresses (in combination with siege weapons and tactics covered in Early Siege), and usage of Siege Towers to deal with defenders on Stone Walls.
Intro[]
Scenario description/loading screen[]
Stone fortifications are unlikely to be breached without advanced siege equipment. Learn about Trebuchets and Bombards and use them to tear down the enemy fortress.
Video instruction[]
When facing enemy walls or defensive buildings, you need siege engine to win the day.
As early as the Feudal Age, you can construct Battering Rams and Siege Towers. While not as powerful as the siege engines of later Ages, they can still sometimes be the best choice.
Battering Rams can protect infantry from arrow fire and punch holes in enemy fortifications. Siege Towers allow you to take control of enemy walls without reducing them to rubble. However, both of these weapons must travel to their targets, exposing them to enemy attacks.
In the Imperial Age, you can construct more powerful engines from the Siege Workshop. Trebuchets and Bombards can tear down gates and buildings from a distance. They can only fire in certain arcs and certain trajectories, however, so position them carefully. They are also expensive, so guard them well.
You must choose the best weapons to employ for the task at hand.
Start of scenario[]
Your opponent seeks refuge behind thick stone walls. To triumph, use siege weapons that can overcome these fortifications!
Scenario instructions[]
Starting conditions[]
- Starting Age:
Imperial Age - Units:
- 20 Man-at-Arms
- 10 Veteran Archer
- 10 Veteran Spearman
- 3 Scout
- 2 War Elephant
- 20
- Resources: 1,475 wood, 800 gold
Objectives[]
- Defeat the Holy Roman Empire
- Destroy the Holy Roman Empire's Town Center
- Destroy the Aachen Chapel Landmark
- Destroy the Regnitz Cathedral Landmark
Players[]
- Delhi Sultanate (Delhi Sultanate): Starts with a camp containing two Siege Workshops and a Madrasa with two Scholars. A mid-sized force just north of the camp stands outside of the enemy fortress. The player must breach the walls and destroy the requested Landmarks (Town Center, Aachen Chapel, Regnitz Cathedral) as soon as possible.
- Holy Roman Empire (Holy Roman Empire): The enemy of the challenge, the Holy Roman Empire controls a moderately-sized stone fortress with a sizable garrison of Veteran Archers, Veteran Spearmen, and Knights. A small economic base is located just outside the walls to the southeast. A Keep in the west and Stone Towers provide extra defense.
Medals[]
- Gold: 6 minutes
- Silver: 9 minutes
- Bronze: 15 minutes
Strategy[]
Follow the objectives and instructions given by the voice-over. Immediately after the scenario starts, the player should build siege weapons of their choice (for the purpose of this challenge, training time is a few seconds at most). One way to win the gold medal is as follows: in the Siege Workshops, the player should train one Bombard and two Counterweight Trebuchets, and have their troops build a Battering Ram and a Siege Tower. This combination uses all available resources. Afterwards, the player should research technologies affecting the siege weapons: they are free, but take a longer time to research, so they should be initiated only after the siege weapons are built. The player should prioritize Siege Works and Chemistry in the Madrasa, and Geometry, Lightweight Beams, and Greased Axles in the Siege Workshop.
When approaching the fortress, the enemy will sally out with Veteran Spearmen. The player's Men-at-Arms, with Veteran Archers providing support, can hold them off. Once dealt with, 10 Men-at-Arms should garrison the Siege Towers, which should unload the units near the Gate, so that the troops can kill enemy Veteran Archers on the walls near the Gate. Meanwhile, the Battering Ram and the Siege Tower should soak up ranged damage, while the Bombard with the two trebuchets destroy the Gate. The Aachen Chapel Landmark is just northwest of the Gate: it is defended by Men-at-Arms, so should be met by the player's Men-at-Arms supported by Veteran Archers, War Elephants, and the Bombard. Once eliminated, destroying the Landmark is straightforward. It might be necessary to destroy the inward-facing Stone Tower to the northeast.
The next target should be the Regnitz Cathedral Landmark to the west: enemy Knights patrol this area, so bringing in Veteran Spearmen with War Elephants is a good idea, while the trebuchets and the Bombard destroy the Landmark from a distance. It is recommended to stay close to the southern walls to avoid the Keep in the northwestern corner.
The final target is the Town Center Landmark to the northeast. It is defended by Veteran Spearmen who will move against the player if it is hit by player's trebuchets, so the player's Men-at-Arms supported by Veteran Archers should be sent against them. Afterwards, all units should attack the Town Center: the timer stops once its hit points reach zero.
Gallery[]
