Like Father, Like Son is the fifth and final scenario of the Pachacuti campaign in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition.
Intro[]
'You are still quite young, my friend,' the old man observed, smiling amicably, 'but look at me. At some point your hair will turn gray just like mine, and your hands will become wrinkled as well. A king will also grow old one day, even if he is the 'Son of the Sun'.
Pachacuti knew that he needed a capable successor to sustain the state that he had built. There was only one man who could be considered: his own son, Topa Yupanqui.
Topa Yupanqui seemed to have inherited his father's military skills. He already bore the title 'Apukispay,' leader of the imperial troops. To test his mettle, Pachacuti gave his son the command of the campaign against the Chimor Empire.
The Chimรบ were not to be underestimated. On the coast, they had built a magnificent city called Chan-Chan, whose splendor rivaled that of Cuzco itself. Massive canal systems fed the city with fresh water, and magnificent pyramids adorned the city. Chimor was quite wealthy due to the droves of slaves harvesting gold from the abundant sources nearby. The discipline of its military was the stuff of legend.
The people of Cuzco anxiously awaited the outcome of the campaign against the remote coastal kingdom. Would Topa Yupanqui succeed in completing the work of his father and bring the expansion of the Inca to a dignified conclusion?'
Scenario instructions[]
Starting conditions[]
- Starting age: Imperial Age
- Starting resources: None; then 2,000 food, 2,000 wood, 1,500 gold, 1,500 stone (upon capturing Pachacรกmac)
- Population limit: 180
- Starting units:
- Topa Yuapanqui[sic] (renamed Itzcoatl, despite a separate Hero unit Topa Yupanqui existing)
- 20 Kamayuks
- 20 Crossbowmen
- 10 Elite Skirmishers
- 4 Eagle Warriors
- 3 Capped Rams
- 2 Scorpions
- Starting technologies:
- On all difficulties: Siege Engineers
- On standard and moderate difficulties: Bracer
- On standard difficulty only: Arbalester, Galleon, Heavy Scorpion
Main objectives[]
- Wait for instructions.
- Kill the 4 chieftains of Pachacamac to conquer the city.
- Conquer Chan Chan by bringing at least 15 military units to the city's main pyramid.
- Topa Yupanqui must survive.
Secondary objectives[]
- Capture the 3 cisterns of the Chimรบ by destroying the enemy camp near each water reservoir.
- Destroy the Market in the harbor of Chan Chan.
Hints[]
- You are restricted to a population of 180.
- The Incas will not succeed on dominating the Kingdom of Chimor if they don't have a base. Focus on conquering a place at the beginning.
- The ocean at the west offers a lot of fish to feed your soldiers. However, the Chimรบ have a powerful fleet and they won't give up the sea without fighting.
Scouts[]
Your scouts report:
- The army of the Inca (1, Cyan), led by Topa Yupanqui, starts in the east. You have a well-equipped army and siege weapons, but you have no Villagers.
- To the west lies the city of Pachacamac (2, Green), which is located at the coast. The chiefs of the city have promised to let the Inca army enter their city. In case they do not keep their word, the Incas will have to conquer Pachacamac. The army of the city consists of Plumed Archers and swordsmen. If these are defeated, only a few soldiers will remain to defend the city.
- To the north is the Kingdom of Chimor, which is defended by a powerful army (4, Orange) that owns three large base camps. The Chimรบ army also controls the cisterns that provide their kingdom with drinking water. Should it come to a fight, the Chimรบ will send Slingers, Archers and Swordsmen as well as siege weapons into battle.
- Chan Chan (3, Blue), the capital of Chimรบ, lies high in the north, in the middle of a barren desert. As long as the city has access to drinking water, it is difficult to take it. But if the Inca succeed in taking control of all the Chimรบ cisterns, it will be easy to conquer Chan Chan.
- The navy of the Chimรบ (8, Purple) controls the ocean to the west. If you manage to destroy their harbor, they will soon give up the fight.
Players[]
Player[]
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. |
- Player ( Incas): Starts off with a force of Elite Skirmishers, Eagle Scouts, Capped Rams, Long Swordsmen and a Topa Yupanqui unique unit in the south of the map, along with a few pavilions.
Ally[]
- Cisterns ( Incas): Non-hostile faction that only consists of 3 aqueduct buildings. Only exists for objective-based purposes and does not do anything.
Enemy[]
- Pachacรกmac ( Incas): Has a walled city In the west, with a force consisting of Plumed Archers, Crossbowmen, Pikemen and some Villagers. The faction also has 4 tribal leader hero units, which must be destroyed for the city to capitulate to the player's control.
- Chan Chan ( Incas): Has a heavily fortified city in the north and forces consist of mostly Elite Skirmishers, Arbalesters, Eagle Warriors, Kamayuks and Trebuchets. The player must send 15 units to Chan Chan's pyramid for the faction to resign and to win the scenario.
- Chimรบ army / Chimรบ army / Chimรบ army ( Incas): Has three bases surrounding each of the Cisterns needed to fulfill one of the secondary objectives. Army consists of Elite Skirmishers, Arbalesters, Trebuchets, Rams and Kamayuks.
- Chimรบ navy ( Incas): Has a small base and many docks in the northwest of the map. Units consist mostly of Galleons, but can also occasionally build Demolition Ships and Fast Fire Ships, with almost no land units other than Villagers.
Strategy[]
Upon starting the scenario, the player is informed that the nearby city of Pachacรกmac refuses to grant hospitality to the Incan army and must be subdued by killing its 4 tribal leaders. As instructed, proceed to assault the city, but be aware that its gates must be demolished before entering. Furthermore, make good use of the Elite Skirmishers provided in the beginning, as the city will have a large garrison of Plumed Archers and some Crossbowmen that can easily pick off melee infantry. Try to quickly pick off the enemy Mangonel before it inflicts too much damage to the player's forces. Also, be sure to keep Topa away from the fray by either garrisoning him in one of the Capped Rams or by having him remain in the starting camp. When assaulting Pachacรกmac, try to avoid wantonly demolishing all structures, as once the 4 leaders have been killed, the city will fall under the player's control and would save the trouble of having to rebuild. Therefore, focus on killing the 4 leaders to avoid prolonging the fight.
Once Pachacรกmac falls under the Incas' control, have whatever Villager alive resume gathering resources and consider turtling by constructing some Stone Walls outside of the city, as the Chimรบ army will repeatedly harass the player with Trebuchets, Kamayuks and Crossbowmen. As the Villagers are building, start researching the Galleon upgrade in the Docks, as having a strong enough navy in the scenario will make it much easier to win. In addition, ships can also be stationed near the bridge leading out of Pachacรกmac, as the AI will constantly flee when under fire from missile attacks from the ships, which would save the need of having to construct a Castle; the latter is important, as much stone must be reserved in order to help win the scenario.
At some point, the player will be granted 2 options that may make the assault on Chan Chan much easier: either raze a Market near the Chimรบ navy's base or capture 3 Cisterns that would cut off supplies to Chan Chan. Although the latter sounds like a viable choice, it is recommended to go after the Market only because not only would it grant large tributes of resources when destroyed, the Market is near the gates of Chan Chan and the pyramid in which 15 soldiers must reach for the city to capitulate and win the scenario, meaning that this objective would make it somewhat more convenient compared to capturing the cistern. Chan Chan will also guard the pyramid with more soldiers, including a pair of Onagers, if the navy is defeated and the cisterns are captured. Furthermore, the cisterns are quite distanced from each other, where 2 are on the other side of the map, which would mean having to deal with both the city and the Chimรบ armies. If the player is struggling against Chan Chan and the Chimรบ navy, however, then capturing the cisterns may be worthwhile. Chan Chan loses all of its stockpiled gold and most of its gold and wood generation, attacks less frequently and with smaller armies, and no longer trains Champions, Eagle Warriors, Arbalesters, or Trebuchets. The Chimรบ navy's infantry production is also crippled.
The player's fleet should consist of plenty of Galleons and some Transport Ships (with Dry Dock upgraded); while building up the navy, also build up a small force consisting of Rams, Champions, and some Skirmishers, as these would be used to demolish the Chimรบ navy's structures while also dealing with the Chimรบ army's ranged units. Villagers would also be important for the role, as they will be needed to construct some Castles to establish a beachhead once the Chimรบ navy has been defeated. It is also recommended to have an Onager in the mix, as it would be useful in clearing trees off the coast of the Chimรบ navy's base, which would allow constructing unit production buildings. When the navy is ready, assault the Chimรบ navy by directing Galleons towards the Market. But before attacking the Market, a sea wall and some gates stand in the way, along with some sea towers. Destroy everything along the way, but stay wary of any Demolition Ships or Fire Ships incoming. Once all buildings in the vicinity has been destroyed, including the Market, disembark all units and march northwards, where the Chimรบ navy will have a small base constructed, including a Town Center and some resource-gathering buildings. As the Chimรบ navy base is destroyed, they will eventually surrender, but not without alerting Chan Chan and the Chimรบ armies to the assault. Going up a little north, Chan Chan will be visible and the pyramid will be within reach. While staving off the armies with units, use the Villagers to construct a Castle and some Barracks and Archery Ranges. By this point, enough resources should be gathered to mass-produce Skirmishers and Champions, but also attempt to construct at least 5 Trebuchets to eliminate the Chan Chan's Castles. Keep using melee units to demolish any Trebuchets that may be close by and use the Skirmishers to keep eliminating any Crossbowmen and Skirmishers, while also using the Villagers to construct another Castle right by the gates of Chan Chan (assuming their Castles have mostly been eliminated). Continue using the Trebuchets to keep demolishing any defensive structures and some unit-producing buildings, until the way has been clear for 15-20 units (preferably Eagle Warriors) to reach the pyramid. Once the 15 units have reached the Pyramid, Chan Chan will immediately resign and all units will be destroyed.
Alternative strategy[]
After taking the city, build 20 Fishing Ships, send 10 Villagers to gather gold and another 10 for wood. Construct 10 Fast Fire ships to repel the two attacks that will come. On land, build a University, a single Siege Workshop, and a Castle on the other side of the bridge that leads northeast. Focus on getting an army of 30 ranged units (preferably Slingers mixed with what remains of the initial army), 20 Petards, 10 Battering Rams and enough Elite Eagle Warriors to fill them (again, mixed with what remains of the starting soldiers). Everything should be fully upgraded, including Chemistry. The assault should be ready just before the Chimรบ army sends its first wave.
From now on, just focus on getting 15 units to the goal. The camp doesn't matter anymore. The path goes like this: destroy the western gate, and then the western Castle that works as part of the inner wall. Once it's down, just run to the goal with the remaining units. It's a tricky move because the player has to micro a lot and it might take a few tries, but it's the fastest way to beat this level.
Outro[]
The old man was silent for some time, but then addressed me: 'You have surely heard of the Tawantinsuyu, the realm of the four parts? That is what we call our empire, since Topa Yupanqui succeeded in subjugating the Chimรบ.'
The lands to the north, south, east and west had finally been conquered, and the Inca now dominated the entire region--mountain and valley.'
Knowing that his son was of equal wisdom and virtue, Pachacuti could die without regret. Now you know the entire story - the story of the Inca.'
"I hesitated for a moment before asking the old man: 'You have told me much indeed, but what was the fate of the two generals, Vicaquirao and Apo Mayta? Surely their story does not end there!'"
"The old man beamed at me and laughed before giving his answer. 'Well, Vicaquirao gave his life in battle and died the most honorable death imaginable."
"Apo Mayta was not quite as favored by fortune, however. It is said that, having grown older than the hills themselves, he now lives a life of solitude in a stone hut. From time to time, you might find him telling inquisitive travelers tales of bygone times that are so fantastic that they seem almost difficult to believe.'"