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This article is about the scenario in Age of Empires IV: The Sultans Ascend. For the scenario in Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings, see The Horns of Hattin (Age of Empires II). |
The Horns of Hattin is the fourth scenario of the The Sultans Ascend campaign in Age of Empires IV: The Sultans Ascend, and the third and last scenario in the 'Saladin' chapter. It is based on the Battle of Hattin (July 3–4, 1187).
Intro[]
Scenario description[]
Saladin's hour had come. Gathering every warrior to his banner, he set his greatest battleplan in motion.
Opening cinematic[]
Saldin's eye was fixed on Jerusalem. He - 'The Righteousness of the Faith' - desired nothing more than to bring the Aqsa sanctuary back into the fold of the faithful. At this time, the demon Reynald broke yet another treaty, wickedly seizing a caravan of Muslim goods and traders. Saladin swore an oath to slay this monster by his own hand. Calling to arms every man, sword, and bow under his banner, Saladin made ready to keep his vow.
Loading screen[]
Seizing on decades of animosity, Saladin harnessed the fury of the Muslim armies against the Franks. He planned to lure the enemy in haste to Tiberias.
Start of scenario[]
On the eve of battle, Saladin laid a trap for Reynald and the Franks. He ordered the citadel of Tiberias besieged - not for conquest, but to lure. A countess dwelt within, and the Frankish lords were sure to charge to her rescue. It is said that, in spite of our great numbers, Reynald himself led the charge, saying: "The fire is not daunted by the quantity of wood to burn." How he would be mocked by the echo of his own words!
Scenario instructions[]
Starting conditions[]
- Starting Age:
Castle Age - Population limit: 200
- Starting units:
- Resources: 200 food, 200 wood, 100 gold
Objectives[]
- Stop the Franks' approach while Saladin readies his army
- Burn the Dry Grass to create smoke
- Burn the Dry Grass then retreat through the pass
- Retreat beyond the fires and lie in wait for the Franks
- Defeat the Franks at the pass
- Defeat the Franks before they reach Tiberias
- Frankish waves defeated (0/8)
- Defeat Reynald
Gameplay[]
- The Franks will use three paths to get to the city of Tiberias. You will lose if they enter the city.
- Patches of Dry Grass produce smoke when set on fire. Smoke slows and weakens the Franks.
- Fires burn out after a short time and cannot be relit. Choose the right moment to light them.
Hints[]
- Smoke is a powerful tactic against larger groups of enemies. They will be weakened and easier to defeat.
- Where possible, try to defeat smaller groups without using fire.
Players[]
- Saladin (Saladin): The player starts off with just 6 Spearmen guarding the pass in the north, and they receive 4 more, along with nine Crossbowmen, after defeating the first wave of Franks. After defeating the second wave, Saladin arrives with his large army of 20 Horsemen, 10 Lancers, 20 Camel Riders, and 20 Turkic Horse Archers. Additionally, the player gains control of a base in the south of the map with 33 Villagers and three each of Archery Ranges, Barracks, and Stables, as well as a Town Center, House of Wisdom, Market, and various other economic buildings. The player also receives an additional 600 food, 400 wood, 500 gold, 500 stone. The player starts out with Incendiary Arrows as well as every Castle Age technology researched except for Veteran unit upgrades, and Spearmen have 5 Torch Range. As in previous scenarios, the player's civilization is a variant of the Abbasid Dynasty, with most of its unique technologies and units except for Camel Archers, but also able to create Turkic Horse Archers and Dervishes as well as Imams. They are restricted to the Castle Age.
Allies[]
- Gökböri (Saladin): Saladin's general maintains small armies of Spearmen and Archers behind palings at each Dry Grass location, as well as a garrison manning the walls of Tiberias.
- Gökböri (Saladin): The buildings of Tiberias are under control of a separate player which has no units. There is a market in Tiberias with which the player can trade.
- Locals (Saladin): The Locals control many neutral Outposts and other buildings in the area and are essentially for cosmetic purposes only.
Enemy[]
- Franks (Antioch): The Franks do not have a base of their own, but rather attack in waves from four different points on the map. The waves consist of considerable amounts of Militia, Spearmen, Archers, Early Knights, Horsemen, Hospitaller Knights, and Knights Templar. They also bring Mangonels, Counterweight Trebuchets, and Springalds, as well as smaller numbers of Men-at-Arms and Crossbowmen.
Strategy[]
Note: The below scenario conditions and strategy are written for the Hard difficulty. Lower difficulties may differ slightly from what is described below.
The beginning of the scenario serves as an introduction for the player to learn how to use the grass fire mechanics. After receiving control of their base and Saladin's army, the player will have little time to prepare, since the first enemy wave will attack almost immediately. Luckily, Saladin's army should provide enough of a buffer to allow the player to build up their army and economy up to 200 population. The player should immediately start creating Villagers (or Traders to trade with the Market in Tiberias) along with building additional production buildings and creating the appropriate army to defend against the Frankish attacks. There are a number of unit combinations which can work, and deciding which to create should take into account player preference and the overall progression of the scenario. Whatever units are chosen, having enough production buildings to replenish losses once waves get larger will be critical.
Overall, there are eight enemy waves that come along three paths coming from the west corner of the map. The last wave is actually three waves that advance on every path. Enemy waves start from the top path and alternate paths. The top path has more infantry, the bottom path has strong cavalry, and the middle path sees more mixed armies. All three paths will spawn all types of units on the last wave. The waves come fast enough that it is difficult to move slow units such as infantry and siege from path to path between waves, especially from top to bottom. Therefore, a sound strategy is to keep a small force of slow units on each path and use fast cavalry to reinforce each path as needed. Spearmen are very useful as a frontline against strong Frankish cavalry, especially on the bottom path where they attack without infantry support. They are less useful against the infantry-heavy waves on the top path, but their ability to build Mangonels and Springalds is useful. Men-at-Arms can also act as more all-purpose front line in this regard and can also build siege, and enemy Crossbowmen are relatively rare. Lancers are the best and most population-efficient all-purpose cavalry unit for reinforcing each path. Camel Riders can also do well, especially against the strong armored cavalry, but they are less useful than Spearmen in this regard and don't hold up as well as Lancers to infantry. Archers, Crossbowmen, and Turkic Horse Archers don't provide as effective a back-line damage dealer as Mangonels, but this is balanced with their increased mobility. Likely the only unit that has almost no value is the Horseman, which is too population inefficient compared to the Lancer and fares worse in nearly all circumstances in this scenario.
There are only seven locations to start a fire - two on each path and one where all the paths converge, so at least three of the waves (counting wave 8 as 3 waves) will have to be defeated without the aid of the fire, unless the last fire location is timed correctly to affect multiple waves at once. The effect of the fire should not be discounted - it decreases base damage and speed by a whopping 50%. Therefore, it is especially effective on high-damage units with little bonus damage such as Knights, Hospitallers and Templars, and can easily flip matchups that would otherwise be lost. The player should choose when to use them based on their army composition and reinforcement along each path. The first few waves will likely need fires due to their quick approach, but once at 200 population, some of the waves may be beatable without the debuff. The common meeting point of the paths can also be reinforced with Keeps for further improved defenses.
Outro[]
End of scenario[]
In a cloud of arrows and smoke, the battle was won. The utter ruin of the Knights was so complete, that almost none survived. At last, Saladin fulfilled his long-held promise, striking down Reynald with one true stroke of his sword. They say that Saladin wept tears of joy, giving thanks for this most glorious of victories.
Post-game screen[]
Saladin's sword was steady and true; his oath to slay Reynald was fulfilled. At last, Saladin's path to Jerusalem lay open before him.
Unlockable content[]
- Video: The Horns of Hattin
- Page from History: The Blue Wolf
- Portrait: Saladin (If both other scenarios in chapter have also been completed)
Trivia[]
- This scenario depicts the same events as the The Horns of Hattin scenario in the Saladin campaign in Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings.
- Although Reynald is given a central role in this mission, in reality there were many other prominent Crusader leaders at this battle, including the King of Jersualem, Guy of Lusignan.
