Pyrrhic Victories

Pyrrhic Victories
Scenario information
Game	Age of Empires: Return of Rome
Campaign	Pyrrhus of Epirus
Civilization	Macedonians
Color	Green
Scenario no.	3
Previous	The Many Kings of Macedon
Next	Savior of the Greeks

Pyrrhic Victories is the third scenario of the Pyrrhus of Epirus campaign in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - Return of Rome. It follows the first phase of the Pyrrhic War, which includes the battles of Heraclea (280 BC) and Asculum (279 BC).

Intro

Pyrrhus now neither had enemies to fight, nor pressing disputes to manage. It was the first period of prolonged peace that he had experienced in many years...

...and he hated every minute of it. Men like him are built for war, and they start to break down come peacetime. Pyrrhus was looking for any excuse to rally his men again — and he soon found one.

The Greek colonies in Italy had long been regarded as unimportant outposts in barbarian lands, but now they were under threat from the ever-expanding republic of Rome. When a call for aid came from the city-state of Tarentum, Pyrrhus jumped at the opportunity.

All that I could do was try and convince him to stay and enjoy his hard-won peace. 'If we can conquer Rome,' he told me as he was drawing up his invasion plans,'all of Italy will soon be ours. And if we can defeat the Romans, then Sicily, Libya, and Carthage should be easy pickings.'

'And when all of these lands are yours, what will you do?' I asked. He replied, 'Why, we will celebrate, of course! We will sing and drink and be at ease after all of our troubles!'

'Then what, pray tell, is stopping us from drinking and passing our time right now, instead of starting yet another war? If happiness and celebration is your goal, my friend, then you have already achieved it!'

Pyrrhus could give no good answer, but his mind was already set. He would become the liberator of the Greeks in Italy and put the Roman barbarians in their place.

However, a raging storm hit our fleet as we sailed for Italy. With his army scattered to the winds, Pyrrhus made landfall near Tarentum with only a fraction of the men that he had assembled.

Scenario instructions

Starting conditions

• Starting Age: Bronze Age
• Starting resources: 1600 food, 400 wood, 1300 gold
• Population limit: 60 (can be gradually incremented to 90)
• Starting units:
  • Pyrrhus
  • 18 Hoplites
  • 10 Improved Bowmen
  • 7 Cavalry
  • 3 War Elephants
  • 3 Heavy Transports
• Starting technologies:
  • Improved Bow

Objectives

Main objectives

• Destroy the Roman force besieging Tarentum before they can raze Tarentum's Town Center.
  • The Town Center in Heraclea must not be destroyed. (disabled when the following objective is completed)
  • Destroy the Roman camp near Heraclea.
  • Defeat the Roman Army.

Secondary objectives

• Liberate Greek settlements from the Romans. Each settlement that you free will provide you with 5 population space and regular resource tributes.
• Liberate 4 Greek settlements to advance to the Iron Age for free.
• Scout the coasts for survivors of the storm.
• Destroy the 3 Storage Pits in Asculum to deprive the Roman Army of resources.
• Defeat the Roman Raiders.
• Kill the Roman garrison in the Samnite camp.

Hints

1. Pyrrhus begins in the Bronze Age and can support a population of 60 without Houses. Liberating local settlements will increase your population limit.
2. Most of the Epirote army was scattered by a storm and did not reach Italy with Pyrrhus. You may be able to find remnants of this force along the coast.
3. You are entirely reliant on your allies for resources. As such, you cannot train Villagers or construct any buildings beyond those that you capture. The more Greek settlements that you liberate, the more resources you will receive.
4. The Roman army already besieges Heraclea, which is sure to fall if you do not send help.
5. Like the Macedonians, the Romans field powerful infantry. Sometimes you must fight fire with fire.

Scouts

• Pyrrhus (1, Green) and the remnants of his army have landed near Tarentum. He must quickly save the town from its Roman besiegers and then battle the Romans across the Italian countryside.
• The Greek colony of Tarentum (2, Cyan) is your main ally. It will supply you with resources, but is too weak to field its own army.
• Spread across the Italian countryside are various Greek settlements (3, Grey), which will welcome any liberator who drives their Roman occupiers out.
• To the south lies the Greek town of Heraclea (4, Blue), which is besieged by the Romans and cannot aid you until they are driven away.
• The Roman army (6, Red) is deployed near Heraclea and Asculum and will be your most dangerous opponent. It fields a mixed army mostly consisting of heavy infantry.
• To the north lies the Roman town of Asculum (5, Purple), which supplies the Roman army. Attacking the city could interrupt its resource shipments and prevent the Roman army from training more soldiers.
• To the west lies the realm of the Samnites (7, Yellow), who have long been a thorn in Rome's side and would welcome an ally against their old rivals.
• Lastly, a contingent of Roman raiders (8, Orange) has been spotted to the northwest. While not an immediate threat, they could wreak havoc on your rear when you march to meet the main Roman army at Asculum.

Players

Player

• Player ( Macedonians): The player starts in the Bronze Age controlling an army led by Pyrrhus and three transports south-east of the center of the map. Eventually, the player will be granted control of various production buildings across the map.

Allies

• Greek Settlements ( Greeks): This player controls the passive villages across the map. Once rid of Roman occupation, the player gains some of their buildings, +5 population capacity, and a tribute of 300 food, 100 wood, 200 gold per liberated village every 5 minutes.
• Tarentum ( Greeks): Initially under Roman siege in their city in the east of the map, the player will rebuild their fortifications when the siege is lifted and attack the Romans. On lower difficulties they also tribute up to 400 food every 4 minutes.
• Heraclea ( Greeks): Just south of the center of the map, the player must protect their semi-fortified but vulnerable city from an impending Roman attack. After defending the city from the attack, they will attack the Romans. On lower difficulties they also tribute up to 400 food, 150 wood, 200 gold every 5 minutes.
• Samnites ( Romans): Located in an occupied town in the west of the map, they will join the player in attacking the Romans once the player kills their Roman occupiers. They will then gift the player 10 Chariots (16 on Standard difficulty; upgraded to Scythe Chariots if the player has reached the Iron Age), donating more whenever this force is reduced to 1. On lower difficulties they also tribute up to 600 food, 400 gold every 5 minutes.

Enemies

• The Roman Army ( Romans): This player is located mostly in two camps to the north and south-west of the map center. They field enormous numbers of Long Swordsmen (upgradable to Legionaries), Hoplites (upgradable to Centurions), Catapults and Ballistae. They also have small patrols of Broad Swordsmen patrolling the Greek Settlements, and the larger force guarding the Samnites includes Improved Bowmen.
• Roman Raiders ( Romans): Located in the north-west of the map, this player launches Cavalry raids from its two Stables.
• Asculum ( Romans): Possessing a small fortified city in the north of the map accessible through a forest path, it produces small numbers of Short Swordsmen and starts with a little cluster of Improved Bowmen, but never sends out raids.

Strategy

The player never gains access to any civilian units in this scenario, aside from three starting Heavy Transports which have no use after Tarentum and Heraclea are liberated, and eventually the ability to create Trade Carts (requires Wheel). All buildings gained must be protected very carefully, as they can't be rebuilt. This is particularly tricky on harder difficulties, as both the Roman Army and Raiders will specifically target them. It may be worth holding off capturing the large enclave in the northeast (across the shallows) until the player has a significant army built up and has dealt with the Roman Raiders and liberated all allies, so is ready to focus solely on the Roman Army.

Cavalry is best kept away from the Roman Army's frontline as fighting hordes of advanced infantry doesn't play to their strengths. Pyrrhus in particular should avoid the thick of combat in order to keep him alive for as long as possible, as his tankiness, agility and regeneration makes him a great support for the Cavalry. This agile force can be used to quickly sweep the map for reinforcements, and target the isolated Greek Settlement guards while the rest of the player's forces deal with the Roman Army. The scenario often features fighting on multiple fronts, so a rapid response force remains useful even after all reinforcements and Greek Settlements are found; they're also useful for striking enemy siege engines and then retreating.

The Roman Army's swarms of heavy infantry are best countered with a deathball of ranged troops, supported by a screen of infantry and War Elephants to slow down incoming troops. Keep a team of Cavalry ready to outflank the siege engines that support the army's powerful raids.

Liberating the six Greek Settlements dotted around the map will increase the population cap (5 each, which can't be increased with Urbanization), yield tribute every 5 minutes, give the player extra buildings, and upon taking the fourth the player will advance to the Iron Age. On easier difficulties, liberating Tarentum, Heraclea and the Samnites will result in them sending a large tribute every 4–5 minutes - the player will never be hurting for resources after saving all three. However on Hard the only continuous resources come from the Greek Settlements, so food in particular will need to be carefully rationed. Try to capture some Greek Settlements as quickly as possible, but bear in mind that the enemy's powerful raids will target any buildings that are gained. The easternmost Greek Settlement is nestled behind Tarentum and the westernmost one yields no buildings (instead providing a destination for Trade Carts), so these at least can be taken without adding to the player's defensive requirements.

Once the Samnites are liberated from the Romans, the player will never run out of troops. They donate a large force of Scythe Chariots, and if the group is reduced to 1, another batch will arrive immediately. There's no need to keep these troops in reserve, as they are replaced so easily and move extremely quickly, so feel free to just throw them away wherever they can make an impact. A particularly effective use for them is to dash into Asculum and chip away at their Storage Pits and western gate.

Don't get bogged down attacking the Roman Raiders' economy or towers. All that needs to be done is wipe out their two Stables (after which they can't produce any more troops) and Town Center, after which they'll surrender and donate a huge bundle of resources.

Asculum only produces Short Swordsmen, but attacks on them will provoke a response from the Roman Army. Focus on their three Storage Pits, destroying them results in Asculum's surrender. One of these Storage Pits is behind a gate at the far west of their base. Once Asculum is defeated, the Roman Army won't be able to train any more units, but a group of Long Swordsmen / Legionaries will periodically arrive from the north.

Walkthrough

As most of the player's troops start to make landfall, a timer of 40 in-game seconds begins, after which a small Roman army besieging Tarentum pushes forward. Despite fielding a large number of defenders, Tarentum cannot hold off the enemy without the player's help. The ships can't be given orders until they've unloaded, but rather than rushing the troops straight into battle, it may be advisable to board the infantry, elephants and archers back onto the transports and bring them to the eastern shoreline within the city walls, bolstering Tarentum's troops to create a meat grinder within the bottleneck of the city's entrance. Meanwhile the player can send the Cavalry and Pyrrhus northwest to fetch the first batch of reinforcements, then return once the battle has been engaged to destroy the Ballistae exposed behind the enemy's battle line (where Pyrrhus's charge attack ability comes handy).

As soon as Tarentum's besiegers are defeated, the player is informed that the main Roman force has besieged Heraclea to the west, and the battle begins after a new timer of 7 in-game minutes expires. The player also receives control of several buildings in Tarentum, consisting of several of each of Barracks, Archery Ranges, and Stables, as well as a single Siege Workshop and an Academy. An effective combination of troops to field in the Bronze Age is Composite Bowmen (one of the Archery Ranges can research this while the other one trains Improved Bowmen) and Hoplites. A few Stone Throwers will also be useful soon after rescuing Heraclea.

While Heraclea can be reached by land, the Roman army is camped in front of the city to the northwest, so any units attempting to reach the city's walls will come under attack. It will be much easier and safer for Pyrrhus to ferry the army into the city (and therefore create another bottleneck for the enemy at the city's entrance) using the three Transport Ships. This will require several trips to-and-fro. Keep some Cavalry ready outside the city to swiftly outflank the enemy Catapults after the bulk of the Roman infantry is busy fighting in Heraclea.

The player can also attempt to utilise the given time to instead free the Greek Settlements near Tarentum. Each Greek settlement is under Roman occupation, who have one Guard Tower and a patrol of Broad Swordsmen. The eastern Greek settlement also contains the only obtainable Market, where the player can produce Trade Carts if desired (after researching Wheel). The Greeks tribute 300 food, 100 wood, 200 gold for each rescued settlement, every 5 in-game minutes.

Once the player reaches Heraclea, they can free the Greek Settlement just to its south. This grants access to two low healing range and stationary Priests, which will be the only source of healing for the player's troops, and will be particularly useful for the War Elephants, more of which can't be trained until the Iron Age. Rescuing this settlement also grants access to some buildings which can't be obtained anywhere else: the Government Center and the Storage Pit. This should be done before the battle if possible; the Storage Pit's unit upgrades can turn the tide.

The player can also use this time to send fast units to reach the Macedonian troops stranded and lost due to the storm, and quickly bolster their troop numbers. The location of these stranded troops are:

• A Phalangite, seven Hoplites, and three Cavalry northeast of Tarentum.
• A Phalangite, six Hoplites, and seven Composite Bowmen far along the path northwest of Tarentum.
• A Phalangite, five Cavalry, and six Composite Bowmen in the southwest, west of both Heraclea and the small Greek village nearby.

Further, there is an abandoned military camp in the northeast of the map, just southeast of the primary Roman camp in the north. It contains another set of military buildings, and can be very useful in the late game when finally assaulting the northern Roman camp. It is recommended to not claim it until the player has progressed far enough to be able to defend it.

The capturable locations dotted around the map.

As the battle begins in earnest, the Roman forces under Consul Laevinus attack Heraclea with Hoplites and Long Swordsmen, as well as Catapults and Ballistae. They also raise more troops in the southern Roman castrum (military camp), erected just northwest of Heraclea.

Countering the Roman forces here is similar to the battle in Tarentum, but slightly more challenging due to larger number of troops as well as the presence of enemy Catapults which can easily wipe out the player's Composite Bowmen. Heraclea is also a lot weaker than Tarentum, and will be quickly overcome if the player doesn't send troops right the way into the city.

As the besieging forces are defeated, the objective changes to destroying the Roman castrum to end the direct threat to Heraclea for the time being.

Destroying the castrum will be made harder by the Iron Age siege weapons that the Romans construct. Pyrrhus or other Cavalry units can be used to bait them, while several of the player's own Stone Throwers attack them (at least two are needed to destroy them in one shot; if only partially damaged, the Roman siege will instead focus on the attacking Stone Throwers). The gates of the camp can be broken by siege weapons or War Elephants and the buildings quickly demolished by the same. The player may also be attacked by the Roman Raiders at this point, who will periodically send out Cavalry to harass the player and their allies.

The player can march across the map, liberating more Greek settlements. It is a good idea to quickly destroy the camp of the Roman Raiders in the northwest and end their threat for good. Focus on the key targets: destroying both Stables and their Town Center results in their surrender. Doing this also grants a plunder of 2,000 food, 1,000 wood, 2,000 gold, 400 stone. Care must be taken to be on the lookout for the main Roman army's attacks on the player and their allies, which march out of their northern camp periodically.

The Samnites are an ancient rival to the Romans, and are under Roman subjugation. Their settlement is in the west of the map, south of the Roman Raider camp. They will gladly welcome rescue by the player, periodically granting melee Chariots to the player (Scythe Chariots once the player is in the Iron Age). The Roman garrison here is larger, consisting of Phalangites, Improved Bowmen, and two Guard Towers.

Once the player liberates four Greek settlements, they gain access to the Iron Age. It is recommended to prioritize this, as it grants access to powerful Iron Age units and technologies. A large horde of fully upgraded Heavy Horse Archers is the preferred ranged option, as Composite Bowmen cease to be effective population-wise against Iron Age troops. Horse Archers can bait, run circles around, and kill Roman infantry from range, while also sniping Roman siege. The player has several powerful melee options, such as Centurions, Cataphracts, and Armored Elephants. As upgrading these units is very expensive and takes long, the player can try to stall the enemy at chokepoints such as bridges while awaiting upgrades. A few Cavalry or the gifted Samnite Scythe Chariots can also be utilized to kill enemy siege.

Eventually, the Roman army assaults become tenacious and unyielding, as they start training vast legions of fully-upgraded Legionaries and Centurions, as well as many Ballistae and Catapults, and sending them out in rapid waves of attacks. They also receive regular reinforcements of troops from the north.

The player can now march north, utilizing War Elephants to tank enemy attacks and destroy buildings, and Horse Archers to focus fire and kill Centurions and Ballistae, which can otherwise be highly damaging to the War Elephants.

Upon gaining the objective to do so, the player should also send in a small contingent to destroy the three Storage Pits in Asculum (one of which is outside the town, in the west). This ensures that the Romans can only receive contingents of periodic reinforcements, and not train any troops from their buildings. Asculum is a walled town, but is completely open through a forest path, and its defense consists of a Guard Tower, a few Improved Bowmen, and Short Swordsmen. It is preferable to avoid attacking the Roman villagers mining nearby before destroying the Storage Pits, as attacking them will prompt the Roman troops to reinforce this location, making completing the objective much harder.

Bug

A bug may be experienced by the player where the scenario objective to destroy the Romans is not satisfied even when the Romans are completely wiped out. This can be handled by changing diplomatic stance to the Samnites as Enemy and destroying their Town Center to make them resign. This leads to the objective condition being fulfilled and the player being declared victorious.

Outro

At Heraclea, the Romans fled in panic before Pyrrhus' war elephants. When we fought them again at Asculum, they had already adapted to this strange new weapon, and they sent out twin chariots with long ropes between them to down the fearsome creatures.

The Italian expedition never became the quick victory that Pyrrhus had hoped for. The Tarentines seemed content to let him do their fighting for them, and while he bested the Romans twice in battle, each victory came at the cost of thousands of his best men.

'One more victory like this and I will be undone,' he told me at one point, and I feared that it was true. Yet he refused to give up hope.

Pyrrhus' ambition was to build a western empire from which he would conquer all of Alexander's old domains. If Italy could not be easily cowed, he would simply have to turn elsewhere.

Trivia

• Historically, Pyrrhus won at Heraclea and Asculum and dealt numerous casualties on the Romans. However, he lost many of his veteran soldiers which he couldn't easily replace, while the Romans still had a large pool of reserves, so the Roman war effort was not significantly affected. From that point on, the term "Pyrrhic victory" has been used to describe victories that inflict such devastating damage on the victor that it is tantamount to defeat, negate any true sense of achievement, or impede long-term progress.
• The scenario showcases Consul Publius Valerius Laevinus in dialogues as the leader of the Roman army in all the battles. Laevinus was the commander of the Romans at the Battle of Heraclea, while at the Battle of Asculum where the Epirotes suffered heavy losses, the Romans were commanded by Consul Publius Decius Mus.
• The quote that Pyrrhus said to Cineas in the scenario's outro is based on Plutarch's account of Pyrrhus in his famous biography Parallel Lives.
• The dialogue between Pyrrhus and Cineas in the intro is probably inspired by Simone de Beauvoir's essay Pyrrhus et Cinéas.
• As per historical records, Pyrrhus brought 20 Asian (Indian) war elephants manned by Indian mahouts (elephant drivers) to Italy and used them in the battle of Heraclea in 280 BC, becoming the first commander in history to employ war elephants in Europe.

Gallery

Roman castrum outside Heraclea.