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This article is about the scenario in Act II: Ice. For the random map, see Great Lakes.

John and Ká:nien head west, following Warwick's trail - and Nonahkee, Ká:nien's strong-willed sister, goes with them. Washington has promised help, but will his ships arrive in time?

The Great Lakes is the fifth scenario of Act II: Ice in Age of Empires III. With the help of Washington's ships, John Black, Ká:nien and Nonahkee sink the Boneguard navy and destroy their bases.

Summary[]

After their victory over Washington's British forces, John and Ká:nien ask Washington for help to continue the trail of the traitor Warwick and he offers them his ships, but it will take time for them to arrive, time of which John and Ká:nien don't have it, since they need to get to Warwick before the water from the destroyed Fountain of Youth is taken.

Objectives[]

Primary objectives[]

Secondary objectives[]

  • Avoid losing any of Washington's fleet. (300 XP)

Players[]

Player[]

Enemy[]

  • British (Flag BritishDE British) - The enemy of this scenario. It has a well-protected base in the left of the map, with Outposts, and a second base in the north near the player base that has few defenses. Its forces consist of Longbowmen, Musketeers, Falconets and two Galleons.

Strategy[]

Booming and destroying the first base[]

The first objective of the scenario is to build a Artillery Foundry, but the player needs to start building up the base and produce Settlers. There's plenty of huntables, mines and other resources close to the player base, but be careful that the player's units don't wander too close to the enemy base - it's protected by Outposts and more than a few units. The player needs to build several Barracks. The heroes' abilities can help deal with the Longbowmen, and some early Pikemen may be helpful clearing the Outposts, but Skirmishers will be optimal for most of the objectives. War Wagon cards sent from the Home City will also be useful against enemy cavalry, while being safe from the Boneguard's hand attacks.

HINT: It is possible to force the player's heroes through the Outpost on the north side, especially considering Nonahkee's healing ability (it doesn't work if units are in combat). The immediate vicinity around the 320 XP treasure is safe from all the Fortified Outposts and Town Centers' reach, so the player can easily use ranged heroes to harass the AI's economy.

Once the player has aged up and built an Artillery Foundry, they should send the 2 Falconets card and train a few Artillery units to take down the enemy buildings, and some Mercenaries (in the Definitive Edition) or other troops for protection.

Note: Even without an Artillery Foundry, if the player ships enough Falconets and starts knocking out the Outposts, the game will consider the player to have enough artillery to deliver a pair of Caravels. For the secondary objective, the player tries to keep them safely out of range of the Outposts.

Destroying the second base[]

With the enemy on the player's side of the river defeated, use Washington's navy to transport the army across the water – the southern part of the island is clear from enemy defences. Anti-ship defences and Culverins/Mortars (if available, Mortars are cheaper and more effective, as mobility is not an issue) placed on the ruins can be useful for fighting Warwick's navy.

Several casts of the Monitors' ability can clear out the Outposts safely. Advance on land to start destroying the enemy's main base, while using the ships to sink the enemy navy. There's a secondary objective to make sure the player doesn't lose any of Washington's ships; they are very durable, but make sure none of stray into the Outposts' anti-ship cannonfire or get focused down in the naval fight, as Docks are unavailable for repairing them.

Aftermath and scenario ending[]

When the enemy Town Center is in ruins and their ships at the bottom of the river, the victory is for the player and the scenario ends with a cinematic where Nonahkee returns home, while John Black and Ká:nien continue the pursuit of Warwick to the Great Plains.

Trivia[]

  • Unlike the skirmish version, which is a circle of water/ice surrounded by land, the Great Lakes map in this scenario is a great lake with a large river flowing into it.

Gallery[]

Campaigns in Age of Empires III
3Icon48px Age of Empires III
TutorialMaster the Basics · Try a Game
Act I: BloodBreakout · Into the Caves · Pirates! · The Ottoman Fort · Temples of the Aztec · A Pirate's Help · Spanish Treasure Fleet · The Fountain of Youth?
Act II: IceDefend the Colony · Strange Alliances · The Rescue · The Seven Years' War · The Great Lakes · Respect · Warwick's Stronghold · Bring Down the Mountain
Act III: SteelRace for the Rails · Hold the Fort · The Boneguard's Lair · The Lost Spanish Gold · Bolivar's Revolt · Journey Through the Andes · Last City of the Inca · Last Stand of the Boneguard
3WCIcon48px The WarChiefs
Act I: FireWar Dance (War Ceremony· The Rescue · Breed's Hill · Crossing the Delaware · Saratoga · Valley Forge · The Battle of Morristown · The Battle of Yorktown
Act II: ShadowThe Bozeman Trail · Red Cloud's War (A Reckoning· Claims · Ambushed! (Urgent News· Turning Point (To Stop a War· Trust · Battle of the Little Bighorn (Battle of the Greasy Grass)
3ADIcon48px The Asian Dynasties
Act I: JapanThe Siege of Osaka · Uprising! · Clearing the Road · Last Stand at Fushimi · The Battle of Sekigahara
Act II: ChinaTo Finish a Fleet · Storming the Beaches · Lost Ships · A Rescue in the Wilderness · No Empire Lasts Forever
Act III: IndiaInto the Punjab · Fires of Calcutta · Resist! · Raid in Delhi · Company Confrontation
Age3DE Icon Definitive Edition
Historical BattlesAlgiers · Christopher da Gama's Expedition · Chuvash Cape · Raid on the Caribbean · Fort Duquesne · Battle of New Orleans · The Burning of USS Philadelphia · Grito de Dolores · Battle of Queenston Heights
The Art of WarEarly Economy · Treasures · Home City Shipments · Booming · Build Orders · Early Defense · Early Offense · Land Battle · Naval Battle · Artillery
Event scenariosBombard Brawl
Age3DE Icon The African Royals
Historical BattlesThe Battle of the Three Kings · Fall of the Hausa · The Era of the Princes
Names in brackets are the scenario's name in the Definitive Edition.
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