Naval Battle (Age of Empires)

This article is about the scenario in Age of Empires. For other uses, see Naval Battle.

Naval Battle
Scenario information
Game	Age of Empires
Campaign	Ascent of Egypt
Civilization	Egyptians
Color	Blue
Scenario no.	10
Previous	River Outpost (The River Outpost in Definitive Edition)
Next	A Wonder of the World
Setting information
Year	1720 BC 1650 BC (original)
Map

Naval Battle is the tenth scenario of the Ascent of Egypt campaign in Age of Empires. It teaches the player the importance of naval supremacy and how to use Artifacts.

Scenario instructions

• Return of Rome
• Definitive Edition
• Original

Description

“	Nile Delta, 1720 BCE The forts along the Nile have brought peace to the south, but the Libyans have once again become a problem. They have been raiding the coasts and intercepting trade ships bringing goods from other lands to Egypt. Recently, they captured an important Ship belonging to the pharaoh himself, and carried off a treasured Artifact sent to him by the kings of Canaan. Build a naval base in this area of the coast and attack the Libyan raiders in the Nile Delta. Recover the stolen Artifact and return it to your Town Center.	”
—In-game section (identical to Definitive Edition)

Tutorial

RESEARCHING TECHNOLOGY

Advancing through the Ages unlocks new technologies for you to research. Refer to the Technology Tree for information about the technologies available in each Age. Researching technology takes time and costs resources, but each technology researched allows you to keep pace with your opponents.

To research a technology, select a building, and then select the button in the bottom of the screen that corresponds to the technology you want to research.

CONTROLLING ARTIFACTS

Artifacts are objects akin to the Ark of the Covenant that were crafted by now-lust cultures and bring prestige to the civilization that possesses them. An Artifact is controlled by the last civilization to move a Villager, military unit, or boat nearby, and will take on that civilization's player color. Artifacts can be captured by other civilizations and carried away, on land or on a transport vessel. Artifacts cannot be destroyed. If a transport vessel sinks with an Artifact on board, the Artifact appears on a nearby shore.

Starting conditions

• Starting Age: Bronze Age
• Starting resources: 200 food, 200 wood, 200 gold, 200 stone
• Population limit: 75
• Starting units:
  • 3 Villagers

Objectives

• Recover the stolen Artifact.
• Bring the Artifact to the area marked by flags.

Hints

1. You can support a population of 75.
2. Quickly build a navy to clear the sea of Libyan ships and invade their camp.
3. Enemy towers lie on the island off your coast, so be cautious when exploring the water.
4. Woodcutting technologies not only improve your wood gathering rate, but also increase the range of your ships, towers, and ranged land units.
5. After you gain control of the seas, build up an invasion force of chariots, archers, and infantry and use Transports to carry them to the island.
6. You need only to fight your way into the center of the Libyan town, capture the Artifact, and bring it back to your Town Center. You do not need to destroy all Libyan units and buildings.
7. Mine the gold near your Town Center to research technologies at the Storage Pit that will improve your soldiers' fighting abilities.

Description

“	Nile Delta, 1720 BCE The forts along the Nile have brought peace to the south, but the Libyans have once again become a problem. They have been raiding the coasts and intercepting trade ships bringing goods from other lands to Egypt. Recently, they captured an important Ship belonging to the pharaoh himself, and carried off a treasured Artifact sent to him by the kings of Canaan. Build a naval base in this area of the coast and attack the Libyan raiders in the Nile Delta. Recover the stolen Artifact and return it to your Town Center.	”
—In-game section

Tutorial

REPAIRING BUILDINGS AND BOATS

Damaged buildings and boats catch fire. They can be repaired to full strength by villagers. Repairs will cost you resources. To repair a building or boat, click a villager, then right-click the building or boat to repair. The more villagers assigned to a building or boat, the faster it is repaired.

CONTROLLING ARTIFACTS

Artifacts are objects akin to the Ark of the Covenant that were crafted by now-lust cultures and bring prestige to the civilization that possesses them. An Artifact is controlled by the last civilization to move a Villager, military unit, or boat nearby. The color of an Artifact indicates which civilization controls it. They can be captured by other civilizations and carried away. The owner of the Artifact can move it on land or on a transport vessel. Artifacts cannot be destroyed. For example, if a transport vessel sinks with an Artifact on board, the Artifact appears on a nearby shore.

Starting conditions

• Starting Age: Bronze Age
• Starting resources: 300 food, 250 wood, 200 gold, 200 stone
• Population limit: 50
• Starting units:
  • 3 Villagers

Objectives

• Recover the stolen Artifact and bring it back to your Town Center.

Hints

1. Quickly build up your navy to clear the sea of Libyan ships and invade their encampment.
2. The island off your coast is fortified by enemy towers, so be cautious when exploring the water.
3. Woodcutting technologies not only improve your wood gathering rate, but also increase the range of your ships, towers, and ranged land units. This makes them very important.
4. After you gain control of the seas, build up an invasion force of chariots, archers, and infantry and use transports to carry them to the island.
5. You need only to fight your way into the center of the Libyan town, capture the Artifact, and bring it back to your Town Center. Destroying all the Libyan units and buildings is not necessary to complete the objective.
6. There is gold near your Town Center that can be used to research technologies at the Storage Pit that will improve the fighting ability of your soldiers.

Description

“	1650 BC The Nile forts have brought peace to the south for many generations but the Libyans have once more become a problem. They have been raiding your coasts and intercepting trading ships heading for the Nile delta. They recently captured an important ship belonging to the Pharaoh and carried off a treasured Artifact sent to him by the kings of Canaan. Build a naval base in this area of the coast and attack the Libyan raiders at their homeport. Recover the stolen Artifact and return it to your Town Center.	”
—In-game section

Tutorial

RESEARCHING TECHNOLOGY

You can research new technologies as your civilization enters each new age. Refer to the Technology Tree Foldout for information about the technologies you can research in each age. To be successful, you must advance to keep up with, or surpass, your rivals economically and militarily. Researching technology takes time and costs resources, but after you have researched a technology, your civilization immediately begins reaping its benefit(s).

To research technology, click a technology building on the game map (the technologies you can research appear on the buttons at the bottom of the game screen), then click the button that corresponds to the technology you want to research. For example, to research Toolworking from the Storage Pit, click the Research Toolworking button.

CONTROLLING ARTIFACTS

Artifacts are objects akin to the Ark of the Covenant that were crafted by now-lost cultures and bring prestige to the civilization that possesses them. An Artifact is controlled by the last civilization to move a villager, military unit, or boat nearby. The color of an Artifact indicates which civilization controls it. They can be captured by other civilizations and carried away. The owner of the Artifact can move it on land or on a transport vessel. Artifacts cannot be destroyed. For example, if a transport vessel sinks with an Artifact on board, the Artifact appears on a nearby shore.

Starting conditions

• Starting Age: Bronze Age
• Starting resources: 200 food, 200 wood, 200 gold, 200 stone
• Population limit: 50
• Starting units:
  • 3 Villagers

Objective

• Recover stolen Artifact and bring it to your Town Center.

Hints

• Quickly build up your navy to clear the sea of Libyan ships and invade their homeland.
• The fortified island off your coast is inhabited only by enemy towers and lions.
• After you gain control of the seas, build up an invasion force of chariots, archers, and infantry and use transports to carry them to the island.
• You need only to fight your way into the center of the Libyan town, capture the Artifact, and bring it back to your Town Center.
• There is gold near your Town Center that can be used to research technology at the Storage Pit that improves your fighting ability.

Players

• Return and Definitive
• Original

Player

• Player ( Egyptians): The player starts with a base on a thin strip of land along the southwestern edge of the map, comprising a Town Center, Granary, Storage Pit, Dock, Market, Stable, and five Houses. All resource types are nearby except stone.

Enemy

• Libyan Raiders ( Egyptians): The Libyan Raiders have a similar base on their own thin strip of land along the northeastern edge of the map, and are able to develop a full economy. They train warships, transports, and land troops, which will eventually be sent against the player. They also have three Sentry Towers on an island to the east.

Player

• Player ( Egyptians): The player starts with a base on a thin strip of land along the southwestern edge of the map, comprising a Town Center, Granary, Storage Pit, Dock, Market, Stable, and five Houses. All resource types are nearby, except stone which is completely absent from the map.

Enemy

• Enemy ( Greeks): The enemy (whose name is picked randomly from the pool of Greek AI names) has a similar base on their own thin strip of land along the northeastern edge of the map, and are able to develop a full economy. They train warships, transports, and land troops, which will eventually be sent against the player. They also have three Sentry Towers on an island to the east.

Strategy

• Return of Rome
• Definitive Edition
• Original

The starting position has abundant food and wood, along with some gold, but no stone. This is the only easily-obtainable source of gold on the map, so if more is needed, it will need to be exchanged for food or wood at the Market.

The only Stone Mines on the map are on an island to the east, which is ringed by three Sentry Towers and a pair of Lions. Sentry Towers are far tougher than the Watch Towers encountered in previous scenarios, and they can match or beat the range of any warship the player can currently train. The only way to attack them safely is by transporting Stone Throwers (trained at the Siege Workshop) to the uninhabited landmass northeast of the island, but this region is likely to be guarded by warships. Alternatively, the player can simply train a large enough mass of War Galleys or Hoplites to bring them down quickly, retreating heavily injured units away from the fight to be repaired or healed. However, stone isn't necessary in this scenario if the player can establish naval supremacy.

A Crocodile is on the western edge of the landmass, but otherwise there are initially no threats on land. The water, however, is a dangerous place for fishing vessels: there are powerful towers to the east, and Scout Ships to the north. Food gathering is best handled by Villagers for now; building additional Town Centers will allow them to be trained more quickly. (Remember, a Government Center must be built first before more Town Centers can be built.)

The Libyans in Naval Battle have the most well-developed economy of any enemy in Ascent of Egypt. They use a large workforce of Villagers and Fishing Boats, which busily gather resources to expand their buildings and train more soldiers. They can develop a sizable navy if given enough time and even upgrade them to War Galleys, which will become a problem sooner or later. If the scenario continues for long enough, they can eventually start boarding troops into Light Transports and send them to raid the player's landmass. In addition to ships, they can train Axemen, Short Swordsmen, Bowmen, and Chariot Archers, and they will build a Watch Tower when they lose one of their existing towers. They usually rebuild their Dock if it is destroyed.

The key to victory is to build a sizable fleet of War Galleys, defeat the enemy navy, then use the ships to whittle the Libyans down from the water. Archers struggle against the power and durability of ships, and melee troops are completely helpless unless the ship enters the shallows. The sooner this is done, the better, as it will be easier to win the battle before the Libyans have a chance to develop their own navy.

Typical layout of the Libyan Raiders' base. Note the Artifact behind the half-box of walls.

With the Libyan forces depleted, it should be easy to capture the Artifact.

1. Train a team of durable units (e.g. Hoplites, or Chariots if gold is scarce).
2. Train transport ships to carry them across the water. Each Light Transport can carry 5 units, so train at least 10 land units and 2 transports; 15/3 if the Libyans still have a lot of troops.
3. Board the land units onto the transports, and unload them around the middle of the Libyans' landmass.
4. Move the troops north, only stopping to fight troops that pose a serious threat. Just past a half-ring of walls is the Artifact.
5. Move the troops close to the Artifact, and dispatch any nearby enemy units; the Artifact will switch to player control. It can be moved like any other unit, but is completely invulnerable.
6. Select the Artifact along with the troops, and switch the group into a box formation. This should ensure that the Artifact remains secure during the return home.
7. March the group back to the transport ships. If they've been grouped properly then they should all keep pace with the slow Artifact, and if at least one unit stays close, it won't switch sides back to the Libyans. If there are more land units than the transports can carry, make sure that the Artifact is among the transported units.
8. Return the transports to the home landmass, unload the Artifact, and send it to the flagged area around the Town Center. This wins the scenario.

The Libyans are more advanced and far more aggressive in the Definitive Edition than Return of Rome. On harder difficulties their warships will attack the player's coastline within minutes, and will begin transporting land troops across the water much sooner than Return of Rome's half-hour or so.

They can field a more diverse range of units, including Chariots, Improved/Composite Bowmen, and sometimes Hoplites. And they can even advance to the Iron Age, upgrading their ships to Triremes, Heavy Transports, and Fishing Ships. However, as in other versions of this scenario, their weapon/armor upgrades are limited to the Tool Age.

This all makes it doubly important that a large navy can be built as quickly as possible, and used aggressively to establish naval supremacy before the Libyans become advanced. The scenario will be far easier if the Libyans can be kept penned in to their landmass, and prevented from building Triremes.

Set 6-7 Villagers to gather food (this is what is needed to keep enough food coming in to maintain a continual flow of Villager production at the Town Center), and then focus every subsequent Villager on wood, to fund the creation of warships. Build additional Docks to produce multiple warships simultaneously.

In the original version of Naval Battle, the enemy is slow to attack, so the player has at least quarter of an hour to build up their base without fear. Just avoid sending out a fishing fleet, as the ships will quickly encounter enemy towers or warships in their search for food.

The only predators in this version of the scenario are on the eastern island with the three Sentry Towers, there are none on the home landmass. However, this is the only version of Naval Battle in which there are no Stone Mines on the tower island: in fact there is no stone available anywhere on the map. The player will be depending on their military, and especially their navy, for defense.

The enemy can field a diverse army, which may include Scout Ships, War Galleys, Light Transports, Cavalry, Stone Throwers, Hoplites, Axemen, and Bowmen. However, they rarely research any technologies, so are restricted to Tool Age upgrades for all these units.

The player can advance to the Iron Age in this version of Naval Battle, granting a major technological advantage. However, gold is scarce: there are five Gold Mines on the home landmass, but this is the only accessible source on the map. Choose gold technologies and units carefully, only 2,200 gold will be available in this scenario.

The key to Naval Battle is to pressure the enemy with a large fleet of warships. Turn out a few out as soon as a reasonable wood surplus is generated, and keep them near the coastline to protect against any transport ships coming across, but not so far out as to provoke an attack. Upgrade them to War Galleys early on, then focus on advancing to the Iron Age to upgrade them to Triremes. Egyptians can also create Catapult Triremes, which cost gold, but are very useful for wiping out buildings and tightly clustered units. Seven Triremes should be enough to sweep across the map, and pick off enemy land units from the shoreline. Build multiple Docks to turn out several ships at once, or have one producing ships while another researches technologies.

With the enemy weakened, it's time to transport land units across to capture the Artifact, kept behind a stone wall towards the north of their base. (The enemy base layout shown in the Return of Rome section is broadly similar to the other versions of the game.) War Elephants or Elephant Archers are a good choice for this, as they are extremely durable, and their slow speed makes it easier for the Artifact to keep pace once it's captured. If playing a fast game, and not advancing to the Iron Age, Hoplites are the best option.

After finding the Artifact, all nearby enemy units will need to be wiped out or driven away to convert it to the player's control. (Note, buildings don't count towards Artifact possession, only units.) The Artifact can now be moved like any other unit, and boarded onto a transport ship. Ensure that the escorting units move slowly, keeping close to the Artifact, to prevent it falling back into enemy control. As soon as the Artifact is unloaded onto the player's home landmass, the scenario is won.

History

• Definitive Edition
• Original

Historical notes

“	Amenemhat IV (c. 1815 — 1807 BCE) stepped in the footsteps of his father, Amenemhat III, and his grandfather, Senusret III. He finished his father's building projects and launched several military and trade expeditions to secure Egyptian interests within her sphere of influence. Trade was thriving, especially with the cities in the Levant, such as Byblos in modern Lebanon. Amenemhat IV died without a male heir so his sister, Sobekneferu, became the first woman to rule Egypt. Only two years after her succession, She died suddenly without an heir, ending the 12th dynasty. The 13th dynasty was considerably weaker than its predecessor and Egypt descended into a gradual decline. lts rulers, unable to control the whole country, allowed Libyan raiders and migrating semi-nomadic peoples from the northeast to move freely into Lower Egypt. Of these peoples, the Hyksos were the most dangerous. T hey started to replace local rulers, creating their own State within Egypt's borders. This period is described as the Second Intermediate Period by historians, and lasted until the eviction of the Hyksos many centuries later. Egyptians were early innovators in boat building because of the importance of the Nile for transporting goods, and the role of trade in the Eastern Mediterranean. Naval battles were comparatively rare in Egyptian history, however, as the Egyptians did not have ambitions to become a maritime power during this period. Nevertheless, Egypt fought in two notable sea battles for the defense of the kingdom. The first was the siege of the Hyksos capital of Avaris between c. 1570 and c. 1544 BCE when the Egyptians used boats to take control of the canals around the City. The second battle was much later, during the reign of Ramesses III, Who fought a naval battle against pirates and raiders of the Sea Peoples at the Battle of the Delta (c. 1175 BCE). Ramesses won the battle and Egypt was one of the few civilizations to survive the initial decades of the Bronze Age Collapse, when migrating peoples destroyed most of the established Near Eastern civilizations. Sea warfare of this era revolved primarily around hand-to-hand fighting. Ships closed with each other and soldiers boarded enemy ships or engaged in missile fire. Ships needed to be fast to catch enemies, but also had to carry a contingent of troops for boarding. Successful battles depended on bringing overwhelming strength to bear on isolated parts of the enemy fleet.	”
—In-game section

Victory

“	The Libyan raiders are defeated and their ships burned. lt is unlikely that this will be the end of them, however. As long as the trade between Egypt and her neighbors prospers, there will always be those wanting to steal our wealth.	”
—In-game section

Loss

“	Your hastily built navy was destroyed as quickly as it was constructed. Your ships lie at the bottom of the sea, where the fish will use them as homes. Your surviving sailors are furious and have tied your legs with a hemp rope. You would feel better about the situation if the other end of the rope was not tied to a heavy boulder-anchor, which is being pushed overboard. You are about to become seafood.	”
—In-game section

Historical notes

“	The Egyptians were early innovators in boat building because of the importance of moving up and down the Nile. They never became noted as a maritime power, however, perhaps because they were a rich culture lacking the incentives that drove the Greeks, Canaanites, and others to sea. The Egyptians did not ignore the sea completely. They maintained a lively trade down the Red Sea and there are several accounts of Egyptian ships engaging in naval battles. Persistent irritants at sea were pirates and raiders from the North African coast, notably nearby Libya. In contrast to the Egyptians, the Libyans were relatively poor and the rich trade passing in and out of the Nile was a continual temptation. Sea warfare of this era was primarily a matter of hand-to-hand fighting. Ships closed with each other and soldiers boarded enemy ships or engaged in missile fire. Ships engaged in warfare needed to be fast to catch prey or enemies, but had to carry a substantial contingent of troops for boarding. Successful tactics depended mainly on bringing overwhelming strength to bear on isolated parts of the enemy fleet.	”
—In-game section

Historical outcome

“	Sea raiders and invaders were defeated consistently for most of ancient Egypt's history. The most famous attempted invasion took place around 1170 BC. A combined fleet of Libyans and other invaders, referred to by the Egyptians as the Sea Peoples, were defeated in a massive naval engagement at the mouth of the Nile. The Pharaoh, Rameses III, had mobilized every man of fighting age for the defense. The battle is portrayed in great detail on the walls of the temple he built at Medinet Habu. The Egyptian records of land and naval fighting of this era are the best of the few surviving accounts that offer some explanation for the destruction of Mediterranean civilization around 1200 BC.	”
—In-game section