This article is about the scenario in Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings. For the scenario in Age of Empires IV: The Sultans Ascend, see The Horns of Hattin (Age of Empires IV). |
The Horns of Hattin is the third scenario of the Saladin campaign in Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings. It is based on the Battle of Hattin (July 3โ4, 1187).
Intro[]
Galilee. Year twenty of my capture.
Last night, we rode into a sandstorm. The men dared not open their mouths to speak. We clung to the necks of horses or camels while waves of sand rose and fell around us.
The Saracens have pursued a large force of Europeans into the desert. The Crusaders carry with them a relic - a piece of the True Cross. Capturing this artifact will deal a severe blow to the morale of Saladin's Christian foes.
I asked Saladin why we were here, miles from civilization and water. He said 'to bring crimson death to the blue-eyed enemy.'
The huge Crusader army has halted to make its stand beneath the two peaks called the Horns of Hattin. At the Horns is only a single pool of water, and Saladin controls it.
At night, the Saracens ride out and extravagantly pour out vessels of water into the sand within sight of the thirst-crazed Europeans. It is cruelty worthy of a... Crusader.
Scenario instructions[]
Starting conditions[]
- Starting Age: Feudal Age
- Starting resources: 400 food, 600 wood, 600 gold, 400 stone
- Population limit: 75 (200 for a brief duration upon the release of Dynasties of India)
- Starting units:
- 14 Spearmen
- 6 Skirmishers
- 4 Cavalry Archers
- 1 Mangonel
- 12 Villagers
Differences between difficulty levels[]
- On Standard, a Mining Camp is placed near the northeast gold deposit, and the location of the Piece of the True Cross is revealed.
Objectives[]
- Capture the Piece of the True Cross (a Relic) and return it to the Horns of Hattin (marked by flags)
Hints[]
- Saladin is restricted to the Castle Age and a population limit of 75.
- In this case, the best defense is a good offense.
- There are not many fish in Lake Tiberias. Support your economy with Farms.
- As with any relic, your enemy may garrison the Piece of the True Cross in a Monastery. Beware the Templars and Hospitallersโthey are your most dangerous opponents.
- There is precious little stone in the desert. You will have to rely of the strength of troops, not Castles, walls or towers.
Scouts (Definitive Edition)[]
- Saladin (1, Green) initially commands a substantial army of Skirmishers and Spearmen. The Saracens own two camps: one in the north near the Horns of Hattin, and another in the south.
- The Knights Templar (4, Yellow) and the Hospitallers (5, Orange) control the west of the map. Both orders will field Knights and siege weapons. They may also send infantry and archery units to attack your camps.
- English Crusaders (2, Red) have camped on the shore of Lake Tiberias. They could become a threat if they manage to reach the Castle Age, as they will then begin to construct dangerous siege weapons such as Scorpions and Battering Rams.
- Crusaders from Jerusalem (3, Blue) have been sighted in the south. Reynald de Chatillon among them. Their forces consist primarily of Knights and Spearmen.
Players[]
Player[]
- Player ( Saracens): The player starts with two bases; a small one in the south with a great Gold Mine, and the main one in the north. Both bases feature Town Centers and Palisade Walls. Most of the players units and buildings are found in the main base, with the south base only starting off with three Villagers and four Cavalry Archers.
Enemies[]
- English (British before the Definitive Edition) ( Britons): The English have a camp in the east, near the shore of Lake Tiberias. They train Archers, Crossbowmen, Scorpions, and occasionally Battering Rams.
- Hospitallers ( Teutons): The Hospitallers have a small base in the western corner of the map. The Piece of the True Cross is within their base, protected by Palisade Walls and Monks. They train Men-at-Arms, Long Swordsmen, Knights, and Battering Rams. Some Teutonic Knights will also guard their initial camp.
- Jerusalem ( Franks ( Byzantines before the Definitive Edition)): Jerusalem lies in the southern corner of the map. They are the only player stuck in the Feudal Age. They attack with Men-at-Arms and Spearmen, and occasionally Mangonels. Reynald de Chatillon belongs to this player (perhaps that is the reason why this player has be represented by Franks in the Definitive Edition). They start with six Cavaliers at their disposal.
- Knights Templar ( Teutons): The Templars have an encampment in the west, right next to the Hospitallers' base. They field Crossbowmen, Skirmishers, and Mangonels.
Strategy[]
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The Saracens (player) attempt to capture a holy relic from the Knights Hospitaller in the desert. The player start with two camps, neither of which are well-defended. The northern base contains at least one of each major Feudal Age building, nine Villagers, a flock of Sheep, and most of the starting military units. The southern base has three Villagers, four Cavalry Archers, a Town Center, and one of each military building (Barracks, Archery Range, and Stable). There is gold in the southern base as well as northeast of the northern base across some shallows and slightly southeast along the path. The player starts with more than enough Houses to support a population of 75. Both of the player's starting bases are surrounded by Palisade Walls, though these won't keep enemies out for very long. This scenario is unique in that no players are allowed to build Stone Walls, towers, or Castles even if they buy stone at the Market. As a result, there is a much lesser degree of map control and there are no unique units (save a few Teutonic Knights that the Hospitallers have at the beginning). Advancing to the Imperial Age is locked for all players.
The map is very crowded, and enemy bases are located very close to the player's bases. Jerusalem (blue) is in the far south, and they will attack mainly with Spearmen and Men-at-Arms. They cannot advance to the Castle Age. The English (red) are between the player's two bases, just southeast of the northern base. They start in the Feudal Age, but will advance and attack with Crossbowmen as well as Scorpions and Battering Rams. The Knights Templar (yellow), just southwest of the northern base, start in the Castle Age and attack with Knights, Elite Skirmishers, and Mangonels. The Hospitallers (orange) also start out in the Castle Age and rarely attack, aside from the occasional stray Knight or Long Swordsman. Their base is in the far west corner of the map, and they hold the Relic in a layer of Palisades (rather than in a Monastery as suggested by the Hints section).
Starting off and advancing in age[]
The player's first goal should be to advance to the Castle Age, as they will need Monks to complete the scenario and Castle Age troops to adequately defend their bases. Immediately after the scenario starts, use the Market to sell all resources (before the Definitive Edition, it was also useful to retain 100 stone, as it was necessary to have at least 1 stone in the stockpile to be able to repair Town Centers, even though repairing them did not consume any stone). The player has enough Villagers to get four working on each resource. The northern base has food and wood, and the trees in the northernmost corner provide a good place to build a second Lumber Camp. The major asset in the southern base is the 8-tile Gold Mine. The player should task the three Villagers there to begin mining, and send a Villager in the north base to locate and begin gathering from the mine in the northeast.
The player also needs to prepare for Jerusalem's first attack. Reynald de Chatillon will make a reappearance, bringing along some Cavaliers. They may attack either the north or the south base, usually the latter (In The Age of Kings, the player could attempt to convert this old foe, The Conquerors onwards, converting hero units is impossible).
Although the player cannot build a Castle, a Town Center garrisoned with Archers is a feasible alternative. Castles have a longer range and can take more damage, but the attack power of a Town Center is comparable. Create Archers until there are ten in each Town Center, with emphasis on the southern base. If Reynald and his Cavaliers attack the southern base, the player will most certainly lose it without an Archer-garrisoned Town Center, even on Standard difficulty. Create some Spearmen in the southern camp as well to counter enemy heavy cavalry.
It will be a while before the next heavy attack, so there should be enough time to advance to the Castle Age. The player's starting units can take care of the first few attacks in the north, but it may be wise to research the Man-at-arms upgrade and train some in the south if the English advance to the Castle Age before the player, to counter their Battering Rams. Defense should always be the first priority in this scenario, but don't forget to research economic technologies when they can be afforded as well.
Defending the bases[]
The player is in a much better position to defend upon reaching the Castle Age, as they can create a wider variety of units. Unfortunately, the player's foes will soon be ready to launch more severe attacks. As soon as possible, the player should build a Siege Workshop in the northern camp. Scorpions are excellent for defense in this scenario as many of the enemies train foot units, and the player should try to have 3-5 of them close to the Town Center at all times. Unlike Town Centers, their range is long enough to return fire on all the ranged units that the enemies will use (aside from English Crossbowmen, which Scorpions are still effective against). Furthermore, they have enough attack power to take down light foot-soldiers with ease - even in masses. This line of defense, along with the garrisoned Town Center, should be enough to protect the player's Villagers from harassment.
To deal with siege weapons and enemy cavalry, create around five Knights in each base. Camel Riders are effective against cavalry too, though should be used sparingly as they are not very good against anything else. The player can keep these units back and use them only on units that Scorpions cannot handle. Creating enough units to protect the bases should be the top priority, and upgrade them at their training sites, the Blacksmith, and University when possible, such as Crossbowman, Fletching, Husbandry, Bodkin Arrow, and Masonry.
Capturing the Piece of the True Cross[]
Continue defending and gathering, researching military and economic technologies when they can be afforded. The player will need to build a Monastery (preferably in the northern base) to train Monks. The gold mine in the south will dry up eventually, in which case all of its units can be moved to the larger northern base. Create at least five Monks and a other supporting troops (Knights or Light Cavalry, Scorpions, Cavalry Archers or Crossbowmen, and Camel Riders). There is no need to construct any rams, as the only buildings that have to be knocked down are Palisade Walls.
The Relic itself is guarded by Monks in the Hospitallers' base to the west, surrounded by two layers of Palisade Walls. It is not necessary to defeat any of the enemy players. It may still take a few tries however. The player must pick up the Relic with a Monk and bring it back to the flagged area in the northern base (between the "horns") rather than garrisoning it inside a Monastery.
Alternative strategy[]
Alternatively, follow this strategy to beat the level in less than 10 minutes:
Outro[]
The fighting was fierce - the Crusaders had to conquer or die. Mostly, they died.
Saladin has treated his prisoners well, providing them with icewater from the mountains and comfortable tents. For the first time in years, I have been able to speak with fellow countrymen. But I am unsure what to say to these... invaders.
Not all of the prisoners were treated so royally. Reynald de Chatillon was captured here and, fulfilling his vow, Saladin sliced off Reynald's head with his own scimitar. How ironic that it was only after the Crusaders entered their lands that the Saracens were transformed into the people that we set out to destroy.
Trivia[]
- The player can win the scenario by simply destroying all enemies. Make sure to kill any runaway Villagers so they will not have a chance to rebuild.
- There is an unfinished "hero" Relic in the Scenario Editor that is called "Piece of the True Cross". However, the Relic used in this scenario is a generic one.
- While the outro mentions that Reynald was captured, it is not necessary to kill him to win the scenario.
- Instructions and Hints state that there is "precious little stone" in the desert. However, stone is nowhere to be found in the entire map.
- This may refer to the stockpile of 400 stone that the player begin with.
Historical comparison[]
- The titular Horns are the remains of a extinct and highly eroded volcano.
- The area occupied by the English next to the lake should be the city of Tiberias, which was besieged by the Saracens, and appears in the later scenario Jihad!. The Saracen pincer attack had the triple objective of keeping the Crusader army from reaching Tiberias, the lake, and making them fight the main Saracen army without rest or water.
- The main Saracen base in the Horns represents the centre and right wing led by Saladin and his brother Saphadin, respectively, and the southern base being the left wing of Gรถkbรถri. As in the scenario, the latter's army was made mostly of Cavalry Archers.
- There was no English army at Hattin. The closest was a large mercenary force raised with a donation by King Henry II of England to the Master of the Templar, but it consisted mostly of local infantry, light cavalry, and Turcopoles (Turkic Christian cavalry archers). Most European Crusaders at the battle were French, Italian, and Flemish.
- The battle was a complete disaster for the Crusaders. Nearly the whole army in the Kingdom of Jerusalem was wiped out and most of its knights were killed or captured, including the king, Guy of Lusignan. The cities' garrisons were depleted and many surrendered without a fight in the following months.
- The gentle treatment of prisoners mentioned in the outro was only given to the nobles and commanders (excluding Reynald de Chatillon):
- All captured soldiers who could not pay a ransom were sold as slaves (a common result of battles between armies of different religions in the Middle Ages).
- All captured Knights Hospitaller and Templar were beheaded, except for the Master of the Templar (the Master of the Hospitaller had been previously killed in action at Cresson).
- Turcopoles were considered traitors and also executed.
- The Piece of the True Cross was carried by the Bishop of Acre (who died in the battle) and was considered the unified standard of the Crusaders. Saladin had it placed upside down on a lance and sent to Damascus, turning down offers of ransom from Richard the Lionheart, Byzantine Emperor Isaac II, and Queen Tamar of Georgia. Its later fate is unknown, although there are other claimed pieces in Jerusalem and several European countries.