Raid on Babylon is the second scenario of the Reign of the Hittites campaign in Age of Empires: Definitive Edition. In the demo version, there was a different scenario called Fall of the Mitanni that was the fourth scenario. The Hittites must make their way into Babylonian lands and steal a War Chest.
Scenario instructions[]
Description[]
| “ | Babylon, 1595 BCE The stelae erected in Hattusa, and along the goat paths in the far reaches of your domains, tell of the exploits of your grandfather Hattusili. It was he who united the clans of your people. It was he who first among kings rached the seas. It was he who subdued the lands of Alalakh and dethroned the many kings of Arzawa. Who are you to Hattusili? Tarhunna, storm god, is displeased with your reign. Dark clouds come from the west and the sun's warmth no longer falls upon the land. Your people grow hungry and the warriors are restless. You must lead them south to raid where no Hittite king has ever stood. Be worthy of your grandfather so that stelae one day tell of the conquests of Mursili, King of Hattusa. |
” |
Starting conditions[]
- Starting Age:
Bronze Age - Starting resources: 600 food, 450 wood, 200 gold, 100 stone
- Population limit: 50
- Starting units:
- Gaia units:
- 11 Cavalry
- 11
Objectives[]
- Capture the Babylonian War Chest and return it to your camp.
Hints[]
- The Gutians have captured some Hattian villagers. Recover them to build a base.
- There are multiple ways to reach Babylon: the direct route through the Yamhad kingdom or across the river through Gutian lands.
- The Kassites will aid you with Cavalry, if you can find them.
Players[]
Player[]
- Player ( Hittites): The player starts with two towers, a small land army, some Houses, and one Market.
Enemies[]
- Babylon ( Babylonians): The red Babylon starts with a well guarded town. Their garrison contains Cavalry, Long Swordsmen, Priests, and Composite Bowmen. The base is well guarded by multiple towers and walls. They are passive and will not attack unless being provoked. They also have Guard Towers guarding an island with gold mines.
- Babylon ( Babylonians): The yellow player starts with a poorly guarded town and production buildings in the southern corner. They will attack with Slingers, Stone Throwers, which they upgrade to Catapults, the swordsman line, up to Legionaries and Priests. They also have a single Scout Ship at the beginning. They will build multiple towers defending their town. If pressed, they may train Cavalry and Chariot Archers
- Yamhad ( Assyrians): The brown Player starts with two well-guarded towns and one unprotected food gathering site. They will attack with Bowmen, Chariot Archers, Camel Riders, Priests, and Stone Throwers and Catapults. Their one Scout Ship will be confined to the western lake.
- Gutians ( Persians): The orange player starts with three separate Town Centers. Those settlements are guarded by Axemen and Watch Towers. They hold 4 Gaia Villagers as hostage. They attack with Barracks units, except Slingers.
Strategy[]
Due to Babylon's fortifications, it is very hard to achieve the objective with the starting army and Gaia units. As such, the player should build up a base, which means they must choose where to set up a base: east or west of the river. With the starting army and Gaia units, the player can take out one of the three main enemies at the start: the Gutians, Yamhad, or yellow Babylon, and set up their own base by the defeated enemy's.
The Gutians are the easiest to destroy, but also pose the smallest threat if allowed to live. Destroying the Gutians means setting up on the east side of the river, where the player can simply hold the shallows. The player gets free access to the resources on the northeastern side of the map, and can easily set up attacks on Babylon itself. However, this allows Yamhad and yellow Babylon to build up, and their attacks become harder and harder to fend off as they age up.
Yamhad cannot be fully destroyed, but can be essentially crippled by destroying their economy. Neutralizing them gives access to the western third of the map, with abundant resources and chokepoints, and gets rid of a dangerous future enemy. This does place the player's base closer to yellow Babylon's, but also lets them pressure yellow Babylon more easily.
Yellow Babylon can be similarly crippled as their town is unwalled, but this is not recommended, as it gives time for Yamhad to build up, and their army of Chariot Archers and especially Camel Riders is very dangerous to the player's army before they can set up a proper army. Taking over yellow Babylon's town for their berries also puts the player close to red Babylon's river towers, which can be a danger to their Villagers.
Either way, the player should task one Chariot to run along the northeastern edge of the map, and task another Chariot to run towards (but not to) Babylon. This will find all the Gaia Cavalry on the map. Meanwhile, bring the remaining units straight south, and let the Short Swordsmen take out the Gutians' Axemen as the Chariot runs past to find the Gaia Villagers.
East side[]
Bring the Villagers east, and build a Town Center at any suitable location across the river. There are two patches of berries, one just south of the central Gutian town, and one slightly to the east, defended by a Lion beneath some cliffs. The player also has enough starting food to buffer Villager production until they can set up a farming economy. Whatever path the player chooses, it might also be a good idea to build a House so the player is not immediately housed.
Bring the Gaia Cavalry to join your units, and raze the Town Center in the western Gutian town, taking care to kill as many of their Villagers as possible. Repeat for the other two Gutian towns, including their Watch Towers, but do not waste time destroying more of their buildings.
Now the player should hold the shallows across the river while building up their economy. A few towers and a wall across the shallows can hold off enemy attacks, but on higher difficulties Stone Throwers backed by Priests will quickly show up. Fortifications will not hold indefinitely, since eventually yellow Babylon's Catapults will decisively outrange the player's towers. War Galleys can also help, although they will struggle to avoid Catapult fire due to the narrow river.
If willing, the player may take some or all of their mobile units and raid Yamhad's economy. They may target Villagers at the Granaries on the northeastern shore of the western lake, the forest east of the northern Yamhad base, the mines west of the yellow Babylon base, the mines on the western edge of the southern desert, or the center of the yellow Babylon base. Do not worry about holding onto the Gaia Cavalry, as they are unaffected by the player's upgrades.
Eventually, the player should choose between destroying Yamhad and yellow Babylon, or rushing the War Chest and running it to the flagged area. Either way, upgraded Catapults or Heavy Catapults are almost a necessity. Scythe Chariots are also good at dealing with both Babylonian players with their trample damage and conversion resistance, respectively. Red Babylon's army is not a cause for concern against upgraded Iron Age units, but due to the towers in the city and the cramped entrance impairing pathfinding, the player will take a lot of damage defeating Red Babylon's army, especially if a few units are converted by their Priests.
If destroying Yamhad and yellow Babylon, Armored Elephants could replace Scythe Chariots, although they might struggle against Chariot Archers and Priests. The Hittites have possibly the best Heavy Horse Archers in the game, which can also be used with units in front as a buffer and are excellent against Chariot Archers and even Priests with enough range.
West side[]
Immediately research Wheel upon the scenario starting, then collect troops and Villagers as above. Focus throughout on killing any Yamhad and yellow Babylon Villagers encountered.
Destroy the Gutians' Town Center in the west if so desired, then bring all units west to the Yamhad Granaries at the northeast end of the western lake. Build a Town Center next to the berries, and focus on developing the economy to collect wood and food to pump out Chariots and Chariot Archers as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, take the player's units to destroy the Town Center in the northern Yamhad base, then run to Yamhad's southern base to destroy their Town Center there. The player will likely take quite a few losses due to enduring fire from Yamhad's Guard Towers, made worse by congestion within the cramped Yamhad bases, which is why the player should aim to replenish their losses as soon as possible.
Now, the player must face yellow Babylon. Since they had time to build up, it is not possible to cripple them with a quick strike despite their base being so open, but raiding their stone and gold mines is possible. Do not neglect defence, as the Gutians will attack with Clubmen and yellow Babylon with Broad Swordsmen and Slingers.
At this point, it may be a good idea to build a Siege Workshop to train some Stone Throwers. These can knock down the towers in Yamhad's northern base, which might fire on woodcutters that get too close, and also snipe down the Gutians' Watch Tower that's perched on the cliffs. They are also helpful against the towers yellow Babylon likes to build.
Further on, the player can keep pressuring yellow Babylon to slowly overrun them, or keep them contained while eliminating the Gutians. Once a second enemy player is neutralized, the scenario is essentially won, as the player can slowly grind the remaining player and red Babylon down.
History[]
| “ | The founding of the Hittite kingdom and the establishment of the capital at Hattusa is credited to Hattusili I who also campaigned as far as the Semitic Amorite kingdoms of Syria. Hattusili was succeeded by his grandson, Mursili, who continued his grandfather's conquests. In 1595 BCE, Mursili conducted a great raid down the Euphrates River to Babylon, some 1500 miles from Hattusa. The Hittites sacked Babylon and deposed King Samsu-ditana, ending the Amorite dynasty of the city—a dynasty which had included among its members, the famed Hammurabi. As abruptly as they came, the Hittites left Babylon, carrying off the riches of the city, including statues of the city's patron god Marduk. Babylon was then taken by the Kassites, perhaps allies of Mursili, who established a dynasty which would last for four centuries. Mursili's motivations for a raid so far beyond his territory and for his abrupt departure from the city are unknown. Some historians theorize that the recent eruption of the volcano Thera in the Eastern Mediterranean caused climatic changes which affected Hittite grain production. Therefore, the raid was an attempt to procure foodstuffs for a hungry population. King Mursili did not long survive the raid. The lengthy campaign had so strained the resources of Hattusa that the Hittite king returned to a capital in turmoil. Mursili was assinated by his brother-in-law, Hantili, at the urging of Hantili's son-in-law, Zidanta, an act which Hantili would eventually come to regret, according to the Hittite records. Hantili would rule the Hittites for some 30 years. On Hantili's death, Zidanta murdered the legitimate heir as well as all the heir's children and servants, to become king. Zidanta himself would be killed by his own son, who seized the throne. This instability began a century-long period of historical obscurity for the Hittites as the kingdom was plagued by weak kings and foreign invaders. |
” |
Victory[]
| “ | The scribe tells of your victory: Mursili, King of Hattusa, anointed priest of the storm god Tarhunna, steward of the Sun God, overlord of the earth, marched on Babylon, on the road no king had ever taken, and defeated the lords of Babylon of number no less than fifty, and took captives numbering no less than two thousand. He carried off to Hattusa oxen, ingots of bronze and copper, and the god Marduk of Babylon. Of the oxen, he made sacrifices to the gods who were pleased with his devotions. | ” |
Loss[]
| “ | The storm god is displeased with your failure. The old clan rivalries have returned, and Hattusa is in anarchy. Your reign will mark the end of your people's history, but you will be remembered. Your name will become the word for "worthless." | ” |
Trivia[]
- The layout of this scenario is almost identical to the layout of the third scenario of "Underhand Dealings from the Hatti Archive", an Age of Empires I fan campaign.
- The captured Stables cannot produce any units.
Gallery[]
