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You should have a decent stockpile by now, and can invest in economic technologies. The top priorities should be fortifying your base with [[Stone Wall (Age of Empires II)|Stone Walls]] and [[Gate]]s, as well as advancing to the Castle Age. Add a [[Stable (Age of Empires II)|Stable]] and [[Blacksmith (Age of Empires II)|Blacksmith]] when you can. Walling up will take some time and it will be difficult to seal all of the holes, as you have a large perimeter. Once you've reached the Castle Age, create a few Knights to help defend. Saracen heavy cavalry is considered terrible, and its reputation is well-deserved: of the original thirteen [[Civilizations (Age of Empires II)|Civilizations]], the Saracens are the only one unable to research the critical [[Cavalier]] upgrade. However, this disadvantage only comes into play in the Imperial Age. In fact, a Saracen Knight is as good as a Frankish Knight once [[Bloodlines]] has been researched. Knights are strong and versatile, working well against most units your enemies will throw at you. |
You should have a decent stockpile by now, and can invest in economic technologies. The top priorities should be fortifying your base with [[Stone Wall (Age of Empires II)|Stone Walls]] and [[Gate]]s, as well as advancing to the Castle Age. Add a [[Stable (Age of Empires II)|Stable]] and [[Blacksmith (Age of Empires II)|Blacksmith]] when you can. Walling up will take some time and it will be difficult to seal all of the holes, as you have a large perimeter. Once you've reached the Castle Age, create a few Knights to help defend. Saracen heavy cavalry is considered terrible, and its reputation is well-deserved: of the original thirteen [[Civilizations (Age of Empires II)|Civilizations]], the Saracens are the only one unable to research the critical [[Cavalier]] upgrade. However, this disadvantage only comes into play in the Imperial Age. In fact, a Saracen Knight is as good as a Frankish Knight once [[Bloodlines]] has been researched. Knights are strong and versatile, working well against most units your enemies will throw at you. |
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| − | Reynald's attacks will soon be getting more serious, with his pirates making their first appearance, so improving your defense is essential. Build [[Castle (Age of Empires II)|Castles]] near your walls (inside or on the outskirts), along with a [[University]] to research [[Murder Holes]]. You'll need to use your Market to acquire the necessary stone. Invest in [[Masonry (Age of Empires II)|Masonry]], [[Fletching]], [[Bodkin Arrow]], [[Ballistics (Age of Empires II)|Ballistics]], [[Husbandry (Age of Empires II)|Husbandry]], and [[Fortified Wall (Age of Empires II)|Fortified Wall]] as well. Counter the pirates' heavy cavalry with Camels |
+ | Reynald's attacks will soon be getting more serious, with his pirates making their first appearance, so improving your defense is essential. Build [[Castle (Age of Empires II)|Castles]] near your walls (inside or on the outskirts), along with a [[University]] to research [[Murder Holes]]. You'll need to use your Market to acquire the necessary stone. Invest in [[Masonry (Age of Empires II)|Masonry]], [[Fletching]], [[Bodkin Arrow]], [[Ballistics (Age of Empires II)|Ballistics]], [[Husbandry (Age of Empires II)|Husbandry]], and [[Fortified Wall (Age of Empires II)|Fortified Wall]] as well. The Crossbowman upgrade will improve your defenses in Aqaba. Counter the pirates' heavy cavalry with Camels or [[Mameluke (Age of Empires II)|Mamelukes]], the Saracens' [[unique unit]], where necessary. The Galleons are more a nuisance than a credible threat, but their damage can add up if they're allowed to stay intact. [[Watch Tower (Age of Empires II)|Watch Towers]] or [[Guard Tower (Age of Empires II)|Guard Towers]] are effective if placed near the water, but if the enemy warships accumulate you may need to build a [[Dock (Age of Empires II)|Dock]] and some [[Fire Ship (Age Of Empires II)|Fire Ships]] to get rid of them. |
| + | |||
| + | After all is said and done, Reynald's Raiders will be rendered essentially harmless and Reynald's Pirates won't give you much trouble either. You now have time to construct the rest of your buildings (add a [[Monastery (Age of Empires II)|Monastery]] and a [[Siege Workshop (Age of Empires II)|Siege Workshop]]), research more economic technologies if you haven't already, completely upgrade your army, and search for more resources. There's a [[Relic (Age of Empires II)|relic]] near Aqaba due north of your Market, and it's worth collecting. There is stone in the far north, as well as across the river west of Aqaba. You can also find a gold mine there. However, all three of these resource sites are guarded by Reynald's Bandits so you'll need to go on the offensive and displace them in you want these resources. |
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Revision as of 15:07, 26 November 2014
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Lord of Arabia is the second scenario of the Saladin campaign in Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings. It's based on the Crusader raids on the Red Sea.
Scenario Instructions
- Starting age: Feudal Age
- Starting resources: 500 food, 200 wood, 200 gold, 100 stone
- Population limit: 75
- Starting units: Three Villagers, three Light Cavalry, four Camels
- Gaia units: None
- Enemies: Reynald's Raiders (Franks), Reynald's Pirates (Franks), Reynald's Bandits (Franks)
- Allies: Aqaba (Saracens), Medina (Saracens)
Objectives
- Defeat Reynald's pirates.
- Defeat Reynald's raiders.
- Do not allow your allies of Aqaba and Medina to be defeated.
Official hints
- The Saracen capital can spare little to get you started. You must develop your own base and army.
- Keep your allies' trade routes open and they will reward you.
- Assign units to guard allied Trade Carts.
Strategy
A villainous pirate, Reynald de Chatillon, has violated peace treaties with the Saracens and is attacking the holy cities of Aqaba and Medina. To win, you must defeat Reynald's Raiders (Cyan) and Reynald's Pirates (Blue) while avoiding his Bandits (Red). You automatically lose if the Town Center in Aqaba or Medina gets destroyed. In this scenario, you cannot advance to the Imperial Age
Of your two main opponents, Reynald's Raiders will attack you the most often. Their base is located in the northeast, and they cannot advance beyond the Feudal Age. Their forces consist almost exclusively of Archers and Skirmishers, though they will have a few other units (Knights and a Battering Ram) at the beginning. Reynald's Pirates, unsurprisingly, have a formidable navy. They will advance to the Castle Age and then to the Imperial Age before attacking with Galleons. Although their base is on an island in the far west, they will launch frequent land attacks as well. These comprise heavy cavalry and Onagers. Reynald's Bandits are a ragtag group of Knights and Crossbowmen. They cannot create units and their main purposes are to harass Trade Carts and guard resources.
Your allies are Aqaba in the north and Medina in the east. Both will send Trade Carts to your Market. Although it's recommended to keep them alive (since your allies will tribute you gold as they generate it), realistically you have more urgent priorities so it's unlikely you'll be able to dedicate much of your attention to them. Your enemies won't threaten Medina, but will launch one or two major attacks on Aqaba near the beginning.
Starting up and protecting Aqaba
Immediately upon starting the scenario, research Cartography. This will allow you to see what your allies can, which will help reveal a good portion of the map and help you defend them. Next, create more Villagers (aiming for at least three on each resource, plus a few more to build and repair). Your own base has gold, deer, and forage bushes. Medina has stone, gold, and sheep. Your lumberjacks can work near your base for now, but you'll eventually want to move this operation to the trees just north of Medina as it's safer and you'll be able to save on stone later on. Build Houses as necessary.
You start without any major buildings other than a Market and a Town Center. The first one you'll want to build is an Archery Range. You can then create some Archers (about 5-10) and garrison them inside Aqaba's Town Center. Your starting military units (Light Cavalry and Camels) are best employed defending your own base from early attacks, but you will soon need to send them to Aqaba to deal with a Battering Ram and some heavy cavalry. After this first attack is dispatched and the Town Center is garrisoned with Archers, Aqaba should be relatively safe for a while. You can send a Villager there later on to repair damages and add some of your own buildings, but for now you should focus on your own base.
Building and defending your base
You should have a decent stockpile by now, and can invest in economic technologies. The top priorities should be fortifying your base with Stone Walls and Gates, as well as advancing to the Castle Age. Add a Stable and Blacksmith when you can. Walling up will take some time and it will be difficult to seal all of the holes, as you have a large perimeter. Once you've reached the Castle Age, create a few Knights to help defend. Saracen heavy cavalry is considered terrible, and its reputation is well-deserved: of the original thirteen Civilizations, the Saracens are the only one unable to research the critical Cavalier upgrade. However, this disadvantage only comes into play in the Imperial Age. In fact, a Saracen Knight is as good as a Frankish Knight once Bloodlines has been researched. Knights are strong and versatile, working well against most units your enemies will throw at you.
Reynald's attacks will soon be getting more serious, with his pirates making their first appearance, so improving your defense is essential. Build Castles near your walls (inside or on the outskirts), along with a University to research Murder Holes. You'll need to use your Market to acquire the necessary stone. Invest in Masonry, Fletching, Bodkin Arrow, Ballistics, Husbandry, and Fortified Wall as well. The Crossbowman upgrade will improve your defenses in Aqaba. Counter the pirates' heavy cavalry with Camels or Mamelukes, the Saracens' unique unit, where necessary. The Galleons are more a nuisance than a credible threat, but their damage can add up if they're allowed to stay intact. Watch Towers or Guard Towers are effective if placed near the water, but if the enemy warships accumulate you may need to build a Dock and some Fire Ships to get rid of them.
After all is said and done, Reynald's Raiders will be rendered essentially harmless and Reynald's Pirates won't give you much trouble either. You now have time to construct the rest of your buildings (add a Monastery and a Siege Workshop), research more economic technologies if you haven't already, completely upgrade your army, and search for more resources. There's a relic near Aqaba due north of your Market, and it's worth collecting. There is stone in the far north, as well as across the river west of Aqaba. You can also find a gold mine there. However, all three of these resource sites are guarded by Reynald's Bandits so you'll need to go on the offensive and displace them in you want these resources.
