Otto

Otto
Scenario information
Game	Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - Victors and Vanquished
Campaign	Victors and Vanquished
Civilization	Teutons
Difficulty	Hard
Estimated time	2 Hours
Color	Yellow
Setting information
Protagonist	Otto the Great
Year	936 - 973
Achievements
Saxon Revenge: Defeat West Francia
Map

“	Otto is King of Germany, but he has greater ambitions: to claim Italy and be crowned Holy Roman Emperor by the Pope himself. Standing in Otto's way are rebellious dukes, Viking raiders, pagan Wends, and Magyar horsemen. Can Otto withstand these challenges, ensure the loyalty of his dukes, and become known as 'the Great'?	”
—In-game scenario description

Otto is one of the scenarios in the Victors and Vanquished campaign in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - Victors and Vanquished. In this scenario, the player plays as the Teutons and the player color is yellow. This scenario is based on King Otto the Great's struggles against the Vikings, Magyars, Wends, Western Franks, Italy, and his own vassals, to become the Holy Roman Emperor.

Intro

At the age of twenty-three, Otto succeeded his father as King of Germany. He was only the third king to rule who was not a descendant of the famous Charlemagne.

But rule was an understatement.

At his coronation banquet, Otto made his dukes his personal attendants, a traditional act of submission. The young king was not naïve, however. He knew that this was only a formality.

The dukes watched him carefully that night: every step he took, every word he spoke, even down to the way he held his cup. They would be watching him and his every move.

Otto had grand ambitions. He would accept nothing less than to receive the crown of the Holy Roman Emperor from the Pope himself. To achieve this, he would need his dukes strong, but he would need to be stronger…

Scenario instructions

Starting conditions

• Starting Age: Feudal Age
• Ending Age: Imperial Age
• Starting resources:
  • 1200 food, 1200 wood, 600 gold, 300 stone (on Standard difficulty)
  • 800 food, 800 wood, 400 gold, 200 stone (on Moderate difficulty)
  • 400 food, 400 wood, 200 gold, 100 stone (on Hard difficulty)
• Population limit: 200
• Starting units:
  • 5 Archers
  • 5 Men-at-Arms (Militia on Moderate/Hard)
  • 4 Knights
  • 1 Monks
  • 1 Scout Cavalry
  • Otto the Great (renamed Ulrich von Jungingen)
  • 11 Villagers

• Gaia units:
  • 5 Villagers
  • 4 Archers
  • 2 Monks
  • Adelaide of Italy (renamed Queen)

Differences between difficulty levels

• On higher difficulties, the player starts with fewer resources.
• On Standard difficulty, the player starts with 90 loyalty for all vassals, on higher difficulties with only 70 loyalty. The rate of loyalty decay is incrementally increased on higher difficulties, and more loyalty is lost when the Kingdom of Italy is claimed (5/10/15 on Standard/Moderate/Hard).
• On Standard difficulty only, Watch Towers are placed on each of the four approaches to the player's base. (since update 125283)
• On Standard difficulty only, the Man-at-Arms upgrade is researched when starting the scenario. (since update 125283)
• On Moderate and Standard difficulties, the starting Monastery is garrisoned with one and two Relics respectively.

Objectives

Main objectives

• Claim the Kingdom of Italy.
• Defeat the Vikings, Wends, and Magyars.
• Defeat West Francia. (If the tribute is not paid)

Secondary objectives

• Tribute 1000 Gold to West Francia. (if at least two vassals rebel at the same time)
• Defeat West Francia. (If the tribute is paid)

Hints

1. You have a population limit of 200 and cannot train gunpowder units.
2. Vassals are powerful allies. Use Flares to direct their armies. You can also direct vassals individually by changing your Chat settings before using your Flare.
3. Keep your vassals fighting. Vassals with large, unused armies are more likely to rebel.
4. Loyalty decreases over time and based on a vassal's military population. It is increased by tributes, killing enemy units, and razing enemy buildings. If one vassal is disloyal, the loyalty of the other two will decline more rapidly.
5. Lotharingia is most likely to rebel if others rebel. Franconia is prone to disloyalty, but also the most receptive to tribute. Bavaria is the most loyal but will rebel if its military is sufficiently large.
6. You do not need to destroy rebellious vassals to subjugate them: only reduce their army size. In fact, it is better if they can recover to help you in your wars. For this reason, your units will only attack buildings, Villagers, and Trade Carts of disloyal vassals if you direct them to.
7. If the King of West Francia believes that you are weak, he may side with your rebellious vassals.
8. Claiming Italy will give you a big economic boost at the cost of vassal loyalty.

Scouts

• Otto rules as King of Germany, though his power base is limited to his Saxon homeland. The kingdom is made up of powerful duchies: Lotharingia (Green), Franconia (Cyan), and Bavaria (Blue). Together, they are a formidable power, but only a cunning king can maintain the loyalties of all three dukes.
• The Vikings (Red) are a northern threat on land and sea. A fortification, called the Danework, protects their land approaches, but the Vikings can only be defeated by invading Sweden further north. The Vikings fight as infantry.
• The Wends (Grey) are Slavic pagans inhabiting the dense northeastern forests. They fight with infantry, Skirmishers, and cavalry.
• The Magyars (Orange) are horse nomads of the east. Their armies are made up of cavalry and Cavalry Archers, but they do have experience with sieges.
• Queen Adelaide of Italy seeks a powerful ally in the south. Otto simply needs to send an embassy to claim the Kingdom of Italy. This will reduce the loyalty of the dukes, however.
• Finally, West Francia (Purple) looks on Otto's exploits with interest and jealousy. The King of West Francia will likely invade if he believes that Otto is losing control over his dukes.

Players

Player

• Otto the Great ( Teutons): Otto is situated in central Germany in his Saxon heartland, commanding several vassals. He has a Feudal Age base with several economic structures, a Barracks, a Stable, and a Castle. A mixed composition force guards his holdings. He intends to claim the title of Holy Roman Emperor, by securing the empire's borders and bringing Italy under his control.

Vassals

Note: All vassals are allies initially. Any vassal may revolt when their "loyalty" reaches 0, upon which they become neutral for the player, and the player becomes enemy for them. Should a revolting vassal's military be reduced below a certain size, they will revert to being allies and their loyalty score will reset to 100.

• Lotharingia ( Burgundians): Lotharingia is located southwest of Otto's realm. The Lotharingians focus on their cavalry forces and will likely rebel due to being away from most enemy invasion routes, thus preserving a significant portion of their economy. They field Knights, Militia-line units, Crossbowmen, Monks, and Capped Rams. Initially, they also have a few Coustilliers.
• Franconia Franks): The Franks are located to the south of Otto's realm. They also mostly focus on their cavalry and are significantly more rebellious than the other vassals, but tributing them restores double loyalty. They are only positioned close to the Magyars, but will likely remain unharassed. They train Light Cavalry, Knights, Militia-line units, Throwing Axemen, and Crossbowmen.
• Bavaria ( Goths): Bavaria is located to the south-east of Otto's realm, focusing on infantry. Being at the forefront of the Magyar invasion route, the Bavarians will likely be severely beaten by the Magyars while Otto and the other vassals can develop relatively unopposed. They deploy Militia-line units, Knights, Huskarls, Monks, and Capped Rams.

Enemies

• Vikings ( Vikings): The Vikings, representing the Danes, are situated in Jutland, islands to its east, and Scania in southern Sweden. They send naval raids of Longboats along the coastlines, and raiding parties of Berserks, Norse Warriors, and Crossbowmen against Otto, but may also target vassals, especially Bavaria. They may send Capped Rams/Siege Rams and occasionally Trebuchets once in the Imperial Age.
• Magyars ( Magyars): The Magyars, representing the Principality of Hungary, are situated to the far east in Pannonia, and have a large sprawling base with five Castles and many Stables and Archery Ranges. They send out large cavalry raiding parties against Otto's realm, sacking bordering territories of Italy and Bavaria. They field Light Cavalry/Hussars, Magyar Huszars, Cavalry Archers, Capped Rams, and Trebuchets.
• Wends ( Poles): The Wends, representing the Polabian Slavs, have several bases in the forests to the east of Otto's realm. They mostly field infantry armies of Obuchs, Long Swordsmen, Skirmishers and their upgrades, and will most likely raid Otto's realm, but may make forays into Bavaria or Franconia. They also send Onagers and Siege Rams in the Imperial Age.

Ally → Potential Enemy

• West Francia ( Franks): West Francia dominates the lands west of Germany, remaining passive aside from further developing its lands. If Otto fails in keeping his vassals in check and at least two rebel at the same time, they will call on West Francia for assistance. West Francia will then declare war if not paid off and threaten Otto's western flank, staying friendly to the vassals that called in West Francia's intervention.

Gaia

• Queen Adelaide of Italy: Queen Adelaide rules Italy to the far southeast. Claiming her realm will transfer all her territory to Otto, at the cost of his vassals' loyalty.
• Anglo-Saxons: In the far west is the island of Great Britain populated by Anglo-Saxons. Despite being Gaia, they will not transfer any buildings or units to the player, but their Dock can be traded with. Other than a Relic, there is nothing on the island save for some forests.

Strategy

Hard Difficulty

The scenario seems more intimidating than it is. It's just about knowing what to target and learning how to manage the loyalty component.

The most immediate concern is setting up a defense against the Magyars, as they will be the most aggressive opponent. Keeping in mind that, on this difficulty, all Vassals start with 70 loyalty, as soon as the player starts, send the scout to the southeastern edge of the map. This will allow the player to inherit Italy right away. Between the player's two bases, garrisoning the Relics in Italy (note that they also generate food due to the Burgundian team bonus), get up to 20 Villagers on food, 8 on wood and gold, and 4 on stone.

What the player needs to do is, among the Houses and Market in the north of the Italy base, the player wants two Castles. Once upgraded and garrisoned, they will defend well against most Magyar attacks. Once this defense is in place, and the player's economy is going, the player needs to build up a force of Paladins. Another option is to quickly build a Palisade Wall east of the Italian Market, funneling Magyar raids into one spot, namely east of Bavaria.

While working on this, the player's Vassals need to be managed. Early on, while their armies are weak, the player can manage them using each other, flaring a point on the map to have them gather. They will then fight when one rebels. The best trick is to space out their loyalties so only one rebels at a time. Tribute, if necessary, 100 resources gets a point or two of loyalty. If at least two rebel at the same time, West Francia will demand payment (1000 gold) for not joining them. Refusal to do so results in needing to defeat them as well. If they are paid and later open hostilities, their defeat is only a secondary objective.

Once the player's two Castles are up in Italy or Bavaria (if Italy is walled off against Magyar raids), gather them there, and the player's Castles can help kill off their army as they rebel, quickly ending rebellions. Remember to constantly flare, as they produce new units, and as there seems to be a pathfinding issue and they sometimes just stop walking.

Later, when their armies are powerful, send them against the Magyars. They are the most troublesome opponent, and as long as the player flares just outside the base so the armies catch up to one another, and then flare a target, they can do some serious damage as time passes, even wiping out half the Magyar base themselves.

Once the player has an army of 60 Paladins, focus on rushing Wend. They are easy and should go down quick if the player rushes the Paladins to destroy two of their Town Centers (out of four), while rams or Trebuchets take care of their Castle (since update 125283, previously it was necessary to destroy their four Pagan Shrines). They are defeated and their military is immediately killed if they have two or fewer Town Centers, and no Castles. While doing this, if possible, start building a second army of Paladins.

After this, build a Dock and some Transport Ships. Fully upgraded, Transport Ships will only carry 10, through the player should only need three. Send half the player's army across the water to the island in the north corner, and focus them on the Town Center. Focus the other 30 on getting through the Palisade Gate north of the player's first base, and destroy the Town Center there. Alternatively, because shallows connect all parts of the Viking base since update 125283, it is no longer necessary to use Transport Ships, and massed Paladins should be able to destroy both Town Centers in one push. Once the Vikings are defeated, gather the player's army together back on the mainland, and send them against the northern section of the Magyar base. Have the second army, even if not complete, reinforce them.

If lucky, or managed correctly, the player's Vassals should have wiped out a Castle or two and a Town Center in the southern Magyar base. Keep them going, while the player focuses on wiping out the two Castles and Town Center in the northern Magyar base. Only focus spare Paladins on enemy units. Whoever finishes their side first, have them reinforce the other side.

Alternate strategy

Short: give up the northern base, turtle in Italy, ignore relations to vassals, build a steady economy, and pick off the opponents one by one.

Long: Immediately send the scout to Italy to claim the area. Research the Castle Age with the starting resources. Boom as fast as possible, while focusing on building a strong defense. Try to seal off the western entrances and build a kill zone around the Italian Market in the east. All factions will come through here. Have fast units nearby to counter Trebuchets and rams. Meanwhile, try to extract as many resources as possible from the northern base, especially stone and gold. Also, send a monk to the northwestern corner to get the extra Relic. Eventually, the northern base will be overrun. Don't bother managing the vassals, as it will only drain resources. If necessary, give some to maybe delay their betrayal to a more convenient time.

There is no gold in Italy, but once two vassals rebel, West Francia will propose to ally with the player for a tribute. Pay it so the player will have access to trade, either with the West Francian ports or the neutral British port. Once steady income is settled, the player can relax, build an army, and start picking off enemies. Start with the Magyars. Once they are gone, it is smooth sailing from there. West Francia will also betray the player, but is easily dealt with.

Opponents

The Magyars are set up in the eastern corner, with a wide, spaced-out base with multiple Castles and Town Centers. They favor Light Cavalry, Cavalry Archers, Magyar Huszars, and rams. They have multiple Stables and Archery Ranges around most Castles, meaning they produce armies fast. After a few initial waves, they will also regularly send Capped Rams and Trebuchets. Once their five Castles and three Town Centers are destroyed, they are defeated.

The Wends are based along the northeastern edge of the map. They use Skirmishers, Knights, Long Swordsmen, and Obuchs, later adding Onagers and Siege Rams. They base is spread out into four smaller sections nestled among the trees. They have four Town Centers in their base, one in each section. Once two of the Town Centers are destroyed, and their Castle destroyed and prevented from being rebuilt, the Wends are defeated.

The Vikings are based along the northern corner of the map, with one Town Center on the main landmass, and the other on the peninsula further east, along with a Castle. Since update 125283, all parts are connected by shallows; previously, the peninsula was reachable only by water. The player's Transport Ships, when upgraded, can only hold ten units, and may need to contest with Longboats. There are two small islands here with Viking buildings, but they can be ignored. To defeat the Vikings, the player must destroy both their Town Centers, one on the mainland base, and one on the peninsular base, in addition to their Castle.

Achievement "Saxon Revenge"

Let all of the player's Vassals rebel at the same time, then do not tribute to West Francia. This will trigger them to go to war with the player.

West Francia use Monks, Knights, Men-at-Arms, and Archers, upgrading as the game progresses. They have three bases, each with a Castle. They surrender once each Castle has been destroyed. Just rush the Castles with an army or two of Paladins, per the above strategy, though be warned, the Vassals will still be rebelling, and are likely going to be powerful. Try the same strategy, but on Standard difficulty, for an easier time.

After recent patches, it seems that West Francia will turn enemy after the player defeats 2 out of the 3 original enemies, and the achievement can be completed without any of the Vassals rebelling.

Outro

In the year 953, Otto's realm was racked with rebellion led by his own son. Two years later, he had cowed the rebellious dukes. And on the plain of Lechfeld, he defeated a Magyar army, ending their invasions for good.

The German soldiers acclaimed their king emperor. Seven years later, Otto was formally crowned by the Pope: the first Holy Roman Emperor.

But Otto was not simply a military leader. During his rule and those of his son and grandson, the Empire flourished with arts, science, and learning. A brief renaissance blossomed inspired by remembrances of the Roman Empire and the empire of Charlemagne.

Gallery

Promotional image for Otto

Vikings and Magyars attacking Otto the Great's base

The player and their three tenuous vassals fighting the Vikings

Otto (936) Campaign (AoE2) - Victors and Vanquished DLC

A map shown in the cutscene

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