The Battle of Stirling is the fifth scenario in the William Wallace learning campaign in Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings. Designed for players who have never before played an Age of Empires game, it simulates a random map match (the most popular type of multiplayer match).
The scenario is named after the Battle of Stirling Bridge (September 11, 1297).
Intro[]
The time for minor skirmishes is over. We now prepare for war.
The villain, Longshanks, is poised to cross the River Forth and threaten the town of Stirling with a force of men-at-arms, heavy cavalry, and a multitude of archers.
Our newly forged army marches southward to establish our own base and attack the English before they can ready their troops.
Scenario instructions[]
Starting conditions[]
- Starting Age:
Dark Age - Starting resources: 400 food, 500 wood, 500 gold, 400 stone
- Population limit: 75
- Starting units:
Objectives[]
- Defeat the English army and destroy their Tower.
Hints[]
- This scenario begins in a similar way to Random Map games. After you play this scenario, you should know all you need to play a Random Map game.
- Keep exploring!
Scouts (Definitive Edition)[]
- The Scots (1, Blue) have come to the village of Stirling to face the English in battle.
- Across the stone bridge to the west lies the English fort (2, Red).
Players[]
Player[]
- Scots ( Celts): The player starts in the east of the map with a small village.
Enemy[]
- English ( Britons): The English are the only enemy. They have a camp in the west of the map that is surrounded by a Palisade Wall. Inside there are six Archers and six Men-at-Arms as well as a Watch Tower. Also, the English attack the player once, with five Militia.
Dialogue[]
The time has come to take the offensive. The English have a fort near the town of Stirling. If we can defeat the English here, they may think twice about their invasion of Scotland.
To win, destroy the English tower to the west.
Before we attack the English to the west, we need to build up our forces. Have your villagers start gathering food and wood.
Keep making villagers at your Town Center until you have 10. The more villagers you have, the faster your resources will come in.
After capturing a Sheep:
You have found some sheep! Sheep are a good source of food, so send them back to your Town Center and assign a villager to gather food from them.
When having a total of 5 Villagers:
You can specify a location for new units to gather by setting a gather point. For villagers, click the Town Center and click the Set Gather Point button.
When having a total of 8 Villagers:
Use your villagers to build a Mill near your forage bushes.
After building a Mill:
You can gain more food by building Fishing Ships. To create Fishing Ships, have your villagers build a Dock in the water to the south.
After building a Dock:
Now click the Dock, and build a Fishing Ship.
After building a Fishing Ship:
To fish, click a Fishing Ship and RIGHT-click on a leaping fish. The Fishing Ship will collect fish and automatically return them to the Dock. Fishing Ships are also useful for exploring.
Build a Barracks and 5 Militia to defend your villagers and explore the map.
Villagers can also build Farms. Build 4 Farms near your Mill when your forage bushes are depleted. Each Farm needs only one villager working on it.
After selecting a Scout Cavalry:
Scout Cavalry are poor fighters but they can see a great distance. You can use your Scout Cavalry to explore the rest of the map and find the English.
Don't forget, keep exploring the map.
Upon reaching the hill to the west of the player's base:
The hill with the dead tree protects the only access to your town. It would be a good idea to build a Watch Tower on this hill once you advance to the Feudal Age.
Upon selecting either of English Outposts:
An English Outpost! You know what to do … knock it down!
Upon reaching the English base:
You are close to the English base. Better not knock down this wall until you have an army of about 12 soldiers.
After training 5 Militia:
Once you have gathered 500 food, advance to the Feudal Age at your Town Center. If you are low on food, build some additional Farms.
After starting advancing to Feudal Age:
The English are coming to attack! To protect your villagers, you can use the town bell to garrison them in your Town Center. Click your Town Center, then click Town Bell.
After repelling the English raid:
Good! You defeated the English assault. If you have villagers in your Town Center, ring the town bell again to send them back to work.
After advancing to Feudal Age:
Now that you have reached the Feudal Age, concentrate on making some soldiers to fight the enemy. You will need at least 12.
Remember, you can upgrade your Militia to Men-at-Arms at the Barracks. You should always upgrade soldiers when you can afford it.
When having 10 Militia:
Remember to upgrade weapons and armor at the Blacksmith. You do have a Blacksmith, don't you?
When having 12 military units:
Now you have a large enough force to attack the English base. Charge! Keep your villagers working just in case you suffer casualties and need to make more troops.
After building a Watch Tower:
Good! Your Watch Tower will fire on enemy units and help protect your town.
After destroying the English army:
Good job! You have eliminated the English soldiers. Now destroy that tower and our victory will be complete!
After destroying the Watch Tower:
Great job! You have destroyed the English camp. The Battle of Stirling is sure to end in victory for the Scots!
Now that you know how to build up, advance through the ages, and find and fight your enemies, you have all the basic skills you need to play a Random Map game, the most common type of game in Age of Empires II.
Strategy[]
The player starts with only a Town Center and cannot advance beyond the Feudal Age. The player will be prompted to begin gathering food and wood and keep creating Villagers until they have ten. Gathering stone won't be necessary, as the player starts with more than enough and won't use very much. Build a Mill, a Mining Camp, and a Lumber Camp next to the respective resources.
The English base
Exploring the map with the Scout Cavalry and following the dirt path to the west will allow the player to find more resources and locate the English base, which is guarded by a Palisade Wall. The English cannot replenish their troops, but before trying to knock it down and invade, it is recommended that the player advances to the Feudal Age, researches the Man-at-Arms upgrade, and builds an army of about 12 soldiers.
While the player is advancing to the Feudal Age, a group of five English Militia will attack their village. Ringing the Town Bell will be enough to dispatch them. In this scenario, the player face both Archers and Men-at-arms. Therefore, build an Archery Range and create some Skirmishers to deal with the former. Building a Blacksmith and researching the upgrades there is also helpful.
With that done, the player can attack the English base. The easiest way here is to use Skirmishers to kill the Archers before taking down the wall. Afterwards, the Men-at-Arms can destroy the wall and assist the Skirmishers in the fight against the English Men-at-Arms. Once the enemy soldiers are dead, the Watch Tower will be easy to destroy with the Men-at-Arms, as it cannot attack them when they are close enough. Once the Tower is destroyed, the scenario is won.
Outro[]
Stirling was our first great victory. Even as we held the coastline, word arrived that Stirling Bridge had been held by a force of Scots led by the mythical knight of whom so many have spoken.
Now we know his name: Sir William Wallace, the bane of the English.
Edward Longshanks names Wallace a traitor and a criminal. Sir William replies that he cannot be a traitor, for he never swore fealty to an English king.
With Wallace leading our armies, the men fight with renewed vigor. Perhaps the tide of our misfortunes is about to turn...
Stirling was our first great victory. Even as we held the coastline, word came in that the Stirling Bridge had been held by a force of Scots led by the mythical knight of whom so many have spoken.
Now we know his name: Sir William Wallace, the Hammer of the English.
Edward Longshanks names Wallace a traitor and a criminal. But Sir William replies that he cannot be a traitor, since he never swore fealty to an English king.
With Wallace leading our armies, the men fight with renewed vigor. Perhaps the tide of our misfortune is about to turn...Trivia[]
- Just like in previous scenarios, there is a way to win the game without destroying the Tower. After killing all of the English soldiers, the player must cut their way out of the forest surrounding his village and send out their troops to the north of the English camp. There will be a lone Archer surrounded by trees. After killing him the English will be automatically defeated.
- Throughout the game, the speed cannot be changed.
- Despite the instructor advising the player to build a tower on top of the hill, the English will not launch any further raids against the player.
Historical comparison[]
- Though named after the Battle of Stirling Bridge, the bridge never appears in, or is referenced in the original version of the scenario. This also happens in the movie Braveheart, whose version of Stirling is closer to the later Battle of Bannockburn. Historically, the bridge was of extreme strategic importance because the armies were separated by the river Forth and it could only be crossed by two horsemen at a time. The Scots captured the bridge while the English were crossing, dividing the English army and slaughtering the forces trapped north of the river. Afterward, the forces south of the river withdrew and the Scots attacked their supply train.
- In the Definitive Edition, Stirling Bridge is now present. The player must use the bridge to cross a small river in order to reach the English camp, though beyond this, it plays no role in the gameplay. The ending narration refers to Stirling Bridge being held by the Scots, though the scenario name is unchanged.
- The Dead Tree Hill (where the player is recommended to build a Watch Tower) could be a reference to Abbey Craig, where Wallace camped in the leadup to the battle. The Wallace Monument, which resembles a Medieval tower, was built on top of the Craig in 1869.
Gallery[]
