| “ | There are few cities as wondrous as Babylon. Regrettably for the Babylonians, there are few mistakes as fatal as defying the Great King of Persia. | ” |
| —In-game summary | ||
Prologue: Gates of the Gods is the first scenario of the Battle for Greece grand campaign in Chronicles: Battle for Greece.
Intro[]
Look around these halls stranger. Take in these vases, these tapestries; these creaking statues and broken mosaics. They all have stories, these things: stories that I shall relate to you. I'll be as truthful as I can, though sometimes my memory slips - and some of the stories passed down to me have become confused in repetition, or embellished by poets, or were never true to begin with.
And besides, some of the things I shall tell you… They're so astonishing you may not believe them anyway.
Many cities will fall in this story. Few will be as magnificent as Babylon, once the largest city in the world. A city where gardens grew from rooftops, nourished by the sparkling Euphrates, which flowed right through Babylon's heart; a city ringed by lapis-blue walls and gates that bore the names of gods.
Darius, newly crowned king of the Persians, was not here to admire the sights. The Babylonians rejected the rule of Darius, and so he responded as Persian kings do - with thunderous wrath. From their vast realm, the Persians brought forth every tool of destruction they could muster: looming siege towers, battering rams with heads of iron, arrows wrapped in burning flax.
To Babylon, the Persians brought death.
Scenario instructions[]
Starting conditions[]
- Starting Age:
Post-Imperial Age - Starting resources: None
- Population limit: 200
- Starting units:
- Artaphernes
- 4 Raiders
- 3 Heavy Cavalry Archers
- Lost upon reaching Darius's camp:
- 2 Supply Carts
- Gained after reaching Darius's camp:
- 6 / Immortals
- 4 War Chariots
- 1 Treasure Cart
Objectives[]
Main objectives[]
- Bring the Supply Carts to Darius.
- Deliver the Treasure Cart to the mercenary camp.
- Meet with Darius in the main siege camp.
- Choose a bodyguard by bringing Artaphernes to them.
Your choice will persist in future scenarios!- Bring Artaphernes to the cavalry to command them.
- Bring Artaphernes to the infantry to command them.
- Bring Artaphernes to the archers to command them.
- Defend the Sapper Tunnels until they bring down the walls.
- Destroy the 2 Fortified Towers in west Babylon.
- Defeat the Babylonian navy.
- Capture the Ziggurat of Babylon.
Secondary objectives[]
- Locate the city's five mercenary camps.
Hints[]
- Welcome to Chronicles.
- Do as you are commanded with the forces you are given, and conquer Babylon.
- In Chronicles, some of the decisions you make will affect future scenarios. In this scenario, your choice of bodyguard will persist in future scenarios.
- The types of mercenaries available on the map will be different each playthrough. Each kind of mercenary unit comes with unique bonuses and uses.
- The Achaemenids have the War Chariot at their disposal, a powerful cavalry unit that tramples nearby infantry underfoot.
- The Achaemenids' unique unit, the Immortal, wields both a spear and a bow and can swap between the two.
Players[]
Player[]
- Player ( Achaemenids): The player starts in the western end of the map and must reach Darius's first camp nearby. Eventually, the player will gain more troops and will have to lead the vanguard into Babylon, clearing out enemies and finding mercenaries to recruit.
Allies[]
- King Darius ( Achaemenids): The Achaemenid king has already besieged the enemy city and will lead attacks at some scripted points.
- Mercenaries ( Spartans - Mercenaries): After the initial ones found on the way to the city, more mercenary camps can be found within Babylon. Approaching them will result in the campers joining the player's forces. Their exact composition varies with each playthrough of the scenario.
Enemies[]
- Babylon ( Achaemenids - Babylonians): The city has a lot of garrisons and several defenses still standing. Their troops consist mainly of War Chariots, although they also have a wide variety of other troops, such as Spearmen and Archers, and even a few Onagers and Scorpions. The player will gain some ships to defeat the Babylonian navy to open the path to the eastern path of the city.
- Babylonian Militia ( Achaemenids - Babylonians): Their troops are interspersed at several places in the city.
- Nidintu-Bel ( Achaemenids - Babylonians): The usurper enemy king holds the Ziggurat (Monument) in the center of the city with his personal guard surrounding it.
Strategy[]
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For the most part, the player should simply follow the instructions given. As the chosen bodyguard will be used for future scenarios, it is advised to select either the Bactrian Archers or the Scythian Axe Cavalry in order to take advantage of the Achaemenids' upgrades. The choice cannot be modified, except by replaying the campaign from the beginning, so it is important to choose wisely.
Although this scenario is not demanding, the player needs to be careful not to lose many units.
As soon as the player leaves the starting location, a group of Raiders and Heavy Cavalry Archers are transferred to the player's control. Pull these units back toward the main group and counterattack the militia.
When protecting the sapper, the player should let King Darius's armies absorb the damage from the Babylonians while actively protecting the sappers.
Reaching inside the city, the player is advised to avoid fighting under Fortified Towers' or Onagers' direct fire. Fighting too many enemies at the same time is not recommended. The player should lure the enemies to gain advantage while sniping Onagers with cavalry units.
During the naval section, the player should lure the enemy while sniping the Onager with Onager Ships. Move units far away as soon as the first arrow hits the enemy. Slowly pick off any units that go too far and clean up the rest.
For the last section, follow the same principle of "Lure, Dodge, Snipe" like before. The player should reach every mercenary camp and obtain all available units. Once Siege Rams are available, garrison any low-health unit inside them. Use Siege Rams to draw attention of the enemy's Fort and clean up any enemy units that try to stop the siege.
Trivia[]
- This is the only scenario of the campaign in which the Athenians are not present, and also the only one where there are Siege Onagers.
Gallery[]
