The Battle of Pontvallain is the second scenario in the Disorder chapter as well as the fourth scenario of the The Hundred Years War campaign in Age of Empires IV. It depicts the Battle of Pontvallain in 1370.
Intro[]
Scenario description[]
Discord and rivalry had divided the English army. Now was France's moment to strike.
Opening cinematic[]
With rebels and raiders eliminated at Cocherel, King Charles V faced one last threat to France: the relentless English invaders. Word arrived that the English army was weak and scattered, divided by infighting. The king quickly directed his army to chase down the old enemy of France at Pontvallain."
Loading screen[]
Infighting had split the English army into rival factions. As these scattered groups raided their way towards Pontvallain, the French army prepared to stamp them out.
Start of scenario[]
The French town of Pontvallain lay directly in the path of marauding English soldiers on the hunt for loot. The town's only hope of survival lay with the French forces camped nearby. The French quickly prepared to ambush the disorganized English raiders and defend Pontvallain from ruin.
Scenario instructions[]
Starting conditions[]
- Age: Feudal Age
- Units:
- Resources: 300 food, 300 wood, 300 gold, 300 stone
Objectives[]
- The Pontvallain Town Center must survive.
- Defeat the English
- Defeat the raiding parties
- Defeat the armies
Players[]
- Bertrand du Guesclin: The player starts with a mid-sized base near the south corner of the map with a small force of Spearmen and Archers, and a small economy already set up, although there is no gold or stone in the player's town. The town also has a Chamber of Commerce landmark and two Traders so trading can begin immediately with the allied town of Pontvallain. There are eight Sheep near the town which can be captured by the Scout. The player is limited to the Castle Age and is prohibited from building walls.
Allies[]
- Pontvallain (French): The French town of Pontvallain is located in the middle of the map, and is guarded by two outposts on its eastern side. It also controls a number of farming villages around the map which will be destroyed by the English raiding parties and armies if not stopped by the player. It will eventually train a small force of Archers and Spearmen to defend its main settlement, but this will only offer a token resistance to the English. The player will lose the scenario if the Pontvallain Town Center is destroyed.
Enemies[]
- Bandits (English): The English bandits have a small camp to the east of the player's base guarded by a small force of Horsemen, Hardened Spearmen and Longbowmen. Their camp contains two Treasure Chests, each worth 100 gold, as well as a small Gold Mine, which will be the only source of gold for the player apart from trading.
- Alan Buxhull (English): The English army appears soon after the scenario begins at the northwest side of the map with an army of Longbowmen, Early Men-at-Arms and Knights. They will initially send three raiding parties of Horsemen and Knights one after another, which will attack the farming villages along the three routes to Pontvallain, first from the north, then the west, and finally the northwest. Regardless of whether these raiding parties have been defeated, the main force will attack Pontvallain after 16 minutes have passed, splitting into three groups to approach via the three routes towards the town.
Strategy[]
The player's primary focus should be on advancing to the Castle Age to be able to build an army that can contest the English armored units. Immediately upon starting the scenario, the player should build a Market right along the southwest edge of the map and begin creating Traders to obtain a source of gold. Building this Market is necessary despite the starting Chamber of Commerce because the gold income from trading with the latter is much smaller. Villagers should be trained immediately and rallied onto food and wood as necessary to support a constant production of Villagers, Traders, Archers, and Spearmen. Because Traders themselves cost gold, which will not start trickling in until the initial Traders have completed their route, the player should not hesitate to use the Market to trade for the gold required to keep production constant at the start. Additional Markets can be built to create even more Traders if income can support it. The nearby Deer, Boar, and Sheep provide the fastest method to jump-start food gathering and avoid investing in Farms, and the starting military units can be used to help kill the Boar.
Once their economy is beginning to develop, the next focus of the player should be eliminating the English bandits to gain control of their Gold Mine. The bandits don't attack the player's base, so they can be confronted when ready, but they should ideally be taken out before the first raiding party reaches Pontvallain to gain enough value from the Gold Mine. Despite the small force of bandit Horsemen, Spearmen are generally quite weak in the original campaigns and should be used sparingly. The Hardened Spearman upgrade should be researched and enough Spearmen should be created to form a solid front line, but the main damage should be dealt by Archers. Once production is constant from a single Archery Range, more should be built. The Archers will also be more useful against the bandit Longbowmen and Spearmen, while the player's Spearmen can go help deal with the first English raiding party.
By the time the first raiding party is cleaned up, the player should be rallying Villagers onto the Gold Mine, and with gold coming in from both mining and trading, they should be able to start preparing to advance to the Castle Age. Both landmarks can provide value, but the Royal Institute is more flexible, since its discount affects multiple Stables and Archery Ranges. The combination of Arbalétriers and Royal Knights provides an excellent counter to the English army and later raiding parties. Arbalétriers are effective counters to the English Knights and Men-at-Arms and can use their Pavise ability to significantly reduce incoming Longbowman damage, while Royal Knights provide a very strong front line to defend them. This composition is expensive, but can be managed if trade income is high enough, and can also be supplemented by Spearmen if gold is running low. Building an Arsenal and researching ranged attack and defense upgrades is essential upon reaching the Castle Age, and if they have enough resources stockpiled, the player can also consider trading for stone to build a Keep for both its defensive strength and its powerful unique upgrades. Like in most scenarios, building a Siege Workshop and mass Mangonels can also be a strong option simply due to their sheer damage output, especially against the mostly slow infantry army. When defending against the final assault, the player should keep their army close to the Pontvallain Town Center, as any of the three branches of the enemy army can beeline for it and destroy it quickly if the player is out of position.
Outro[]
End of scenario[]
After a hard-won battle against a scattered enemy, the French succeeded in halting the English chevauchee at Pontvallain. The English army was not invincible. The French cause was not yet lost.
Post-game screen[]
The myth of English invincibility had been dispelled. The French army had undermined England's grip on France for the first time.
Unlockable content[]
- Video: The Battle of Pontvallain
- Video: Arrow Making
- Page From History: Bertrande du Guesclin
“ | The hero of Cocherel and Pontvallain, Bertrand du Guesclin was one of the greatest knights in France, but he won his victories by abandoning the dogma of chivalric warfare. Du Guesclin preferred not to be drawn into pitched battles and focused instead on cutting off supply routes and setting ambushes. The English forces who suffered under his raiding called him the "Black Dog of Brocéliande". His pragmatism was vividly on display when he personally put an end to a dynastic duel between Pedro and Enrique of Castille. Stepping into the battle of brothers, he held Pedro down so Enrique could deliver the killing blow. This less-than chivalrous act secured Castille as an ally and earned du Guesclin the rank of Constable of France. |
” |
Trivia[]
- Although the leader of the English in this scenario is listed as Alan Buxhull, in reality the commander of the English army at Pontvallain was Robert Knolles, who was one of the English knights that fought in The Combat of the Thirty. However, Buxhull, as Knolles' deputy was sufficiently important that historians have suggested that Buxhull's departure was the spark that led to the disintegration of Knolles's army.[1]