Strangers is the tenth scenario of the Fall of the Trident campaign in Age of Mythology. The main objective is to escape Erebus by seeking out the Temples of the Gods.
Summary
The heroes and their remaining troops have had their access to the original Underworld Passage cut off due to the Earthquake caused by Gargarensis in Revelation. As the Cyclops' said there are other ways into Erebus, Arkantos deduces that there must be other ways out. Shades then approach them and suggest that they bring the three lost Relics to the temple complex across from the River Styx.
Objectives
- Seek the Shades.
- Scout Forward. Shades are invisible to enemy units and can see farther than your other units.
- Kill the Minotaur. A Shade vanishes when it steals the soul of an enemy unit.
- Collect the three lost relics of Hades.
- Bring the three relics to the temple complex.
Players
- Arkantos (Zeus) – Starts in the Archaic Age with no means of advancement. Consists of Arkantos, Chiron and Ajax along with four Hoplites and four Toxotes. Shades will join them if they are found.
Neutral
- Hades (Zeus) – Consists solely of the Temple of the Gods with Zeus’ statue.
- Hades (Poseidon) – Consists solely of the Temple of the Gods with Poseidon’s statue.
- Hades (Hades)- consists of several minor god statues across the map. also owns the Temple of the Gods with Hades' statue
- Hades - consists of some minor god statues, some Obelisks across the map. The fleet of Charon Ferry that travels across River Styx (from the center of the map to the west) belongs to this player.
Enemies
- Hades (Hades) – Consists of the many myth units encountered throughout the scenario.
Strategy
This guide is applied to hard difficulty. It is, of course, also applicable for the other grades of difficulty.
This scenario will require a lot of patience to complete. The starting units have minimal line of sight so players will repeatedly need to scout the path ahead with Shades, send the three heroes to defeat any Myth Units or animals revealed while the human soldiers wait behind. Additional Shades will be found along the paths to the temple complex, usually in dead ends by some columns and various Greek ruins. The ruins are often guarded by a single Myth Unit so Shades should be collected by sending other Shades.
After collecting the first shade, the first enemy encountered will be a Minotaur. While a Shade is able to instantly kill an enemy Myth Unit at the cost of its own life, a small encounter like this can be handled by the heroes alone and is not worth wasting a Shade. Further ahead, Wadjets and Manticores will need to be defeated and the next area can be accessed once the Iron Fence is destroyed.
Two Cyclopes will appear but can also be defeated by Arkantos, Ajax and Chiron. The heroes have high armor and can regenerate so they can tank most attacks. If their HP drops low, they can just fall back and wait until they are at full health again. The next area is more dangerous as it consists of Medusae on and around a hill, as well a Minotaur guard, but the Shade should not yet be used. The first Relic will be found beyond one of two sets of Iron Fences and guarded by a Manticore. Picking the left fence is preferred to avoid battling more Minotaurs. Once a Hero picks up the Relic, the player will be granted one use of Bronze.
Up ahead is an Acropolis being patrolled by two groups of Cyclopes. This is the most dangerous encounter in the scenario as the heroes alone cannot deal with so many Myth Units and the Human Soldiers will just be instantly killed. It is best to wait until the small group passes by the opening to lure them into battle while the larger group is on the other side of the Acropolis. If possible, one should lure some of the Cyclopes away from the larger group to slowly dwindle their numbers and repeat until all are defeated. A Manticore is also hiding nearby and will attack if approached. If the player is overwhelmed, one or two Shades can be used in this area. Once the Cyclopes are all dead, the human soldiers left behind can move towards to heroes’ position and wait by the Acropolis.
The next groups of enemies will consist of Mummies. After defeating them and breaking down the next fence, use a Hero to grab the second Relic guarded by Crocodiles of Set. The Relic will grant one use of Restoration. Beyond the second Relic is the River Styx. One Shade will provide a Charon’s Ferry as transport across the water so all remaining units and Shade should garrison within. They will need to be dropped off onto the shoreline revealed but a Kraken blocking the path may attack. Thankfully, more Ferries will appear to fight but the Kraken can easily sink these ships, so casting Bolt on it may be the best option. Another Kraken will be waiting closer to the drop off area so the other ships should be sent to distract it while the units are safely unloaded.
Moving the army further forward will enable two Centaurs and another Shade to be rescued and join the player’s army. The next path will be littered with destroyed buildings. Hades will cast Plague of Serpents when player approached but the Heroes can easily defeat the Serpents. The soldiers and Centaurs should once more stay behind while the Heroes take care of the Serpents, Wadjets and Iron Fences in this area. Beyond some statues of Hades, the last Relic will be found guarded by Medusae and even more Wadjets. Simply approaching the Relic this time will grant one use of Lightning Storm.
The next path will be heavily forested and some Wolves along with a variety of Myth Units will be encountered inside. Hades will invoke Forest Fire on several groves but it will not harm the Shades so they can safely move ahead to trigger the God Power while the other units wait behind until the fires die out. Beyond the forests, several Minotaurs and Cyclopes will block a path aligned with columns. Some shades can now be used to kill the Cyclopes as their numbers are too great for the heroes to handle alone. Lightning Storm can also be used here to weaken them as this is the final large group of enemies. There will also be three Colossi. All of them can be killed with Shades if any remain, otherwise the combined strength of all remaining units and the Bronze God Power will be needed. Once all enemies are killed, players can safely bring the relics to the Temples and will be rewarded with victory.
Closing cinematic
Having arrived at the complex, Arkantos prays to Poseidon at his Temple in hopes that he will grant them a means of escape. When Poseidon does not respond, Chiron suggests that Arkantos prays to Zeus instead. Upon doing so, a large stairway constructs itself nearby and the Atlantean orders them all to head straight for it. Meanwhile, Gargarensis is sailing to Egypt where he informs Kamos that the Egyptian God Osiris will be unable to interfere with their plans to release Kronos and restore power to Poseidon’s sons.
Gallery
Trivia
- If the Charon’s Ferry that is transporting the heroes is sunk, they will reappear at the boarding area with their Relics in hand. The soldiers and Shades will be gone, however.
- After passing through the path with the destroyed buildings, Hades will send Leviathans to attack the ferries but this fight can be ignored as the ships have no further use.
- Originally the Shade that is located next to Charon’s Ferry was supposed to be a unique scenario Hero version of the Shade, most likely Charon himself. The Ferryman's files have been left over.
- According to unused audio files, Theseus was planned to be another hero that could be found and fight for the player, however he was most likely cut due to Ensemble Studios being unsure on his departing from the heroes later in the level, script changes, or too many disposable characters.
- Although the Shades are invisible to enemy myth units, they can still be damaged indirectly by enemies, notably by the projectiles of Manticores.
- The presence of some Obelisks on the map hints the player that they are about to play as the Egyptians.