 |
This article is about the scenario in Age of Empires: Definitive Edition. For the scenario in Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome, see Coming of the Huns. |
The Coming of the Huns is the fifth and final scenario of the Imperium Romanum campaign in Age of Empires: Definitive Edition, featuring a reworked version of the scenario of a similar name in Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome.
Scenario instructions[]
Description[]
| “ | Pannonia, 373 CE A new and more fearsome group of barbarians, the Huns, have been moving west from Central Asia for the past several decades. They are skilled horsemen and are rumored to be nigh invincible! Germanic and Alanic tribes alike flee before them, flooding towards the frontiers of the Empire. The upcoming invasion will be the ultimate test of the strength of the Empire. If you cannot parry their incursions, Rome will be sacked, and the empire overrun! | ” |
| —In-game campaign description | ||
Starting conditions[]
- Starting Age:
Iron Age - Starting resources: 2,000 food, 2,000 wood, 1,000 gold, 1,000 stone
- Population limit: 50
- Starting units:
Objectives[]
- Build up and destroy the Huns (red).
- Defend the Empire from Vandal, Gothic, and Alanic incursions.
Hints[]
- This scenario plays like a Death Match. You must quickly muster a large force with which to combat the Huns.
- Your allies are not very trustworthy and may change their allegiance if they suspect that the other side is winning.
- The Huns rely heavily on Horse Archers. Use Scythe Chariots and Ballistae to deal with them.
Players[]
Player[]
- Player ( Romans): The player starts with a small force in the northern corner of the map. The town is defended by multiple Towers and Archers. The player owns some basic economy buildings and a Barracks.
Allies[]
- Visigoths ( Greeks): The Visigoths starts with a well fortified town defended by multiple Towers. They own several Barracks, a Town Center, and Houses.
- Alans ( Hittites): The Alans starts with an undefended town. They have two Archery Ranges, a Siege Workshop, a Town Center, and Houses.
Enemies[]
- Huns ( Yamato): As the main opponent, they own small starting forces including some Cavalry and Horse Archers. They start with an unguarded but large town, containing two Stables, an Archery Range, a Market, a Town Center and multiple Houses.
- Ostrogoths ( Greeks): This faction starts with a small unguarded town, a Town Center, and Houses, They also have two Barracks. Their Towers dot the map and serve as a defensive line against early aggression.
Strategy[]
This map is basically a death match. The AI players might try to construct Wonders and the Wonder victory is enabled, so keep an eye on the notification. Most of the time, the teammates will do a good job harassing the Huns. Meanwhile, an army of Legions and Ballistae should be able to raze the Ostrogoths while repelling the Huns.
History[]
Historical notes[]
| “ | By the mid-4th century CE, the Roman Empire had recovered at least partially from the disastrous Third Century Crisis, and its military had seen several necessary reforms that rendered it more able to resist enemy incursions. The vastness of the frontiers remained a problem, however, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to contend with both the Germanic threats to the north and the Sassanid Persian threat to the east. Social concerns, succession crises, and the ensuing civil wars only further complicated things. The incursion of the Huns into Europe tipped the balance of power against the Roman defense system. The Huns were one of the first groups of Turkic nomads to migrate into the region, and were extremely skilled horsemen and horse archers. In 373 CE, they defeated the Alans at the Tanais river, subduing them and driving westward. Three years later, they had inflicted a widespread slaughter on the Gothic tribes living north of the Black Sea, forcing them to flee west and seek asylum within the Roman Empire. Faced with the incredible opportunity to peacefully incorporate the militarily-adept Goths as a subject people, Emperor Valens (or, perhaps, his officials) committed a series of grave errors. Hostilities broke out, culminating in the Battle (disaster) of Adrianople in 378 CE, where the Goths wiped out most of the military strength of the eastern half of the Empire. The Romans watched helplessly as they pillaged Greece and the Balkans before moving west towards Rome, which they would sack in 410 CE. The Huns tended to attack in generational waves. Around 405 CE, they launched another invasion, forcing groups such as the Vandals, Goths, Suebi, and Alans into the Western Empire, while simultaneously pillaging Thrace. The above incursions would cost Rome some of its most valuable provinces. The Hunnic threat intensified under the rule of Attila (r. 434-453), who commanded an immense confederation of Germanic, Turkic, and Alanic groups. Attila first mercilessly attacked the Eastern Empire, forcing them to abort a military endeavor to recapture North Africa from the Vandals, before swinging west into Gaul in 451 CE. His campaign pitted the deadly Hunnic confederation against the forces of Flavius Aetius, a Roman commander who had grown up among the Huns and had managed to negotiate a loose alliance with several other "barbarian" tribes. They clashed at the Catalaunian Fields, a bloodbath that proved largely inconclusive. The Huns lost the battle from a strategic standpoint, but returned the following year to pillage Northern Italy. The Roman alliance fragmented, and Aetius, the last great Roman general, would be slain in cold blood by Emperor Valentinian III, who was jealous of his success. (Friends of Aetius would later murder Valentinian in an act of retribution.) Approaching the gates of Rome, Attila was met by Pope Leo I, who persuaded him to turn away from the city (perhaps in the context of the famine and plague that was rampant in the region at the time). Attila returned home in glory, but died in a drunken stupor after the feast in honor of his wedding to the Germanic princess Ildico, perhaps from a nasal hemorrhage that choked him with his own blood. The Hunnic confederation would not long survive his death, but the Hunnic and Germanic invasions had done their damage. The military strength of the Western Roman Empire, which boasted a standing army of 200,000 nearly five decades earlier, had been nearly entirely erased, and the Western Empire collapsed in 476 CE. | ” |
| —In-game section | ||
Victory[]
| “ | Your people breathe a sigh of relief as your armies emerge victorious from the bloody conflict with these formidable invaders. The barbarians that were not killed or captured have fled far from your borders or have been incorporated into your armies as auxiliary forces. One day, they may eventually return, but, despite numerous apocalyptic predictions, the Roman Empire is secure for the time being. You can now concentrate on planning your campaign against Persia and expanding the borders of the Empire to new heights. Hail Caesar! | ” |
| —in-game section | ||
Loss[]
| “ | Your ineptitude has caused the downfall of the Roman Empire, bringing an end to a thousand years of glorious history. Germanic marauders rampage across the provinces, pillaging and looting as they go, while Hunnic horsemen build mountains of human skulls and use fleeing Roman citizens for archery target practice. Get your best sandals on and run! | ” |
| —in-game section | ||
Trivia[]
- The first hint of the scenario, the map, the starting positions, and the present civilizations in the battle is a tribute to the Age of Empires II: The Conquerors scenario The Catalaunian Fields of the Attila the Hun campaign, mirroring the scenario here from the Roman point of view.
- The Huns being represented by the Yamato in this scenario is due to the cavalry-centric bonus of the civilization.
