The Siege of Jerusalem is the fourth scenario of the Saladin campaign in Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings. It is based on the Siege of Jerusalem of September 20 - October 2, 1187.
Intro[]
Jerusalem. Twenty years have I been with the Saracens...
Saladin's target is Jerusalem. The great, ancient city is sacred to Christianity, Judaism, and Islam and is the virtual capital of the Holy Land. If there can be a victor in this endless conflict, it will be the army that holds Jerusalem.
To complicate matters, Saladin is determined not to harm the city itself. If a single holy shrine is damaged, the populace might well view Saladin not as a liberator but as yet another conqueror.
Scenario instructions[]
Starting conditions[]
- Starting Age: Castle Age
- Starting resources: 200 food, 1,000 wood, 200 gold, 1,000 stone
- Population limit: 75 (100 in the Definitive Edition)
- Starting units:
Objectives[]
- Destroy the 5 towers defending Jerusalem so that Saladin's army can occupy the city.
- Do not allow any Jerusalem Monastery or the Dome of the Rock to be destroyed.
Hints[]
- Saladin is restricted to a population limit of 100.
- The two crusader orders have outlying bases that should be dealt with before assaulting the city.
- Trebuchets can make short work of towers from a distance.
- Cut off Jerusalem's food supply by raiding outlying farms.
Scouts (Definitive Edition)[]
- Saladin's army (1, Green) has assembled to the northeast of Jerusalem and has already set up a small camp.
- Jerusalem (2, Blue) is located in the center of the map. Its defenders will rely primarily on archery units and their powerful Cataphracts to parry any assaults that come their way.
- The Hospitallers (3, Orange) camp to the west, but they have also own some military buildings inside Jerusalem. They will send Teutonic Knights, Scorpions and Knights into battle.
- The Knights Templar (4, Yellow) have taken their position to the south. They are led by the Master of the Templar himself, who commands numerous swordsmen and Knights.
Players[]
Player[]
- Player ( Saracens): The player starts with all starting units in the northeast of the map.
Enemies[]
- Jerusalem ( Byzantines): Jerusalem lies in the center of the map and occupies a large part of the map. The city is well fortified and fields Spearmen/Pikemen, Archers/Crossbowmen, Knights, Mangonels, and Cataphracts (In the Definitive Edition, Jerusalem will additionally train Monks).
- Hospitallers ( Teutons): The Hospitallers have their base in the northwest of the map. They attack with Knights, Scorpions, Battering Rams, and Teutonic Knights.
- Knights Templar ( Teutons): The Knights Templar base is in the south. They field Men-at-Arms/Long Swordsmen, Knights and Battering Rams. The Master of the Templar is also among them. A single Mangonel defends their base.
Strategy[]
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To win, the player must destroy all five towers within the City of Jerusalem at the center of the map. The player will lose if the Dome of the Rock or any of Jerusalem's Monasteries are destroyed (Monasteries belonging to the other players can be destroyed freely, even those within city limits). This is the first scenario in the Saladin campaign in which the player can research the entirety of the Saracens' technology tree, as the player can finally reach the Imperial Age.
The opponents are the same as those from the previous scenario, except for the English. The Hospitallers' main base is in the northwest, while the Knights Templar are based in the far south. These bases are not well-fortified, but both orders of knights have major buildings in the city proper as well. Jerusalem is in the center of the map and is fully walled off. All three enemies will attack with heavy cavalry. Jerusalem will additionally field Pikemen, Crossbowmen, Mangonels, and Cataphracts (In the Definitive Edition, Jerusalem will also train Monks). The Hospitallers will use Teutonic Knights and Scorpions, while the Knight Templar will attack with Battering Rams. All three will start in the Castle Age, but Jerusalem will advance to the Imperial Age and may upgrade its units.
There are two Relics on this map. One is in the far east corner, the second is in the Hospitallers' camp defended with Palisade Walls.
Starting up the base[]
The players start in the northeast with no buildings other than five Pavilions, which the Crusaders will keep trying to attack. Construct the village there - the player will have easy access to wood, gold, and stone as well as a few Sheep. Start with the Town Center, then get the first three Villagers on food and create more. The first priorities now should be setting up a defense. Scout around a bit with the Light Cavalry to see the whole area, then get to work on the Stone Walls and Gates. The starting units should be adequate to handle the first few attacks. Most of the crusaders' attacks will be on the west edge of the base, so the player should build a Castle on the outskirts. None of their units (with the possible exception of the rams the Knight Templar will use) are particularly threatening to a Castle, but they are exceptionally persistent and can cause significant damage. Building a second Castle nearby will mitigate the problem somewhat, and garrisoning the Archers of the Eyes (if they're still around) is not a bad idea. The cliff in the southeast corner of the base is a good place for the third Castle. Keep creating Villagers until the player has at least 35.
Building and defending the base[]
After the fortifications are in place, defense becomes much easier and the player can focus on building up. Make sure to keep melee units to protect against Battering Rams.Aside from that, the scenario is fairly straightforward. There are two Relics on the map: one in the far east, and one in the Hospitallers' base. The one in the east is easy to get, the other requires more effort (though the player doesn't really need it anyway). The area east of the base also has resources (two gold mines, a stone mine, and plenty of wood). Continue building an economy and advance to the Imperial Age.
Attacking Jerusalem[]
This scenario allows the player to use anything in the civilization's tech tree. The player will want a versatile army so they can handle the many types of troops the enemies will use, along with some powerful siege weapons to take down the towers. Mamelukes are a great choice as are either great or decent against every unit made by the enemy forces (with the exception of the Teutonic Knight), but the Saracens have many other units worth considering, including Heavy Camel Riders, Hussars, Arbalesters, Hand Cannoneers, Heavy Cavalry Archers, Siege Onagers, and Bombard Cannons.
Before attacking, change diplomatic stance to Jerusalem to "neutral", to help prevent units from destroying the protected buildings. Although heavily fortified, the player does not have to break open the walls of Jerusalem and raid the city to destroy four of the towers, as they lie on the outer perimeter (a Bombard Tower and two Guard Towers/Keeps on the north, a Guard Tower or Keep on the south). There is a final Bombard Tower in the center of the city so the player will need to break to destroy it.
Alternative strategy[]
Alternatively, this scenario can be beaten in 10 minutes by following this strategy (not possible in the Definitive Edition):
Outro[]
The last time I entered Jerusalem, as a Crusading knight, I waded through the blood of victims. This time, not a building was looted, not a townsperson was injured. Saladin set free nearly every prisoner he took.
The citizens of Jerusalem proclaimed Saladin as their savior. He offered to free me, but after 20 years in his service I have decided to see it out to the end.
Trivia[]
- It is possible to build a Wonder in this scenario after advancing to the Imperial Age. However, this will not result in victory.
- When the Master of the Templar is killed, he says: "If you strike me down, I will grow more powerful than you can possibly imagine." This is a reference to Obi-Wan Kenobi's similar line from the 1977 film Star Wars.
Historical comparison[]
- Instead of advancing from Hattin to Jerusalem as in the campaign, Saladin first marched up and down the Mediterranean coast, taking most cities depicted in the following scenario before Jerusalem.
- "Archers of the Eyes" was the name given by the Saracens to the Nubian archers at the time of the conquest of Egypt in the 7th century, who were said to be skilled enough to blind their enemies by shooting arrows in their eyes without killing them. Nubian soldiers were common in Egypt due to the Baqt, and Saladin called for Egyptian reinforcements after the Battle of Hattin, explaining their presence in this scenario and The Lion and the Demon.
- The Master of the Templar was actually taken prisoner at Hattin and released in 1188 in exchange for the city of Tartus. In consequence, he could not be killed in action at Jerusalem, though he was captured again during the Crusader siege of Acre and executed.
- In the outro, the narrator claims that the last time he entered Jerusalem he was forced to wade in the blood of its people. This is an obvious reference to the previous siege of Jerusalem, where the Crusaders were said to do such after massacring the Muslims taking refuge in the Temple Mount. However, it is impossible for the narrator to be a veteran of both sieges because they were 88 years apart.
- The Templar castle and buildings in the southwestern corner of Jerusalem correspond to Al-Aqsa Mosque, which was indeed used as a fortress and stable by the Templars, who renamed it as "Solomon's Temple". It was, in fact, their headquarters and the source of their name, because they believed it was the ancient Temple of Solomon. As it is not a monastery in the scenario, the player has no penalty for destroying it - even though Saladin would have been as much against. In reality, it was the Dome of the Rock being built on the former site of the Temple of Solomon (the First Temple) and the Second Temple, while the Al-Aqsa Mosque was built on the former site of the Royal Stoa of Herod the Great.
- In history, the Dome of the Rock was renamed as "Temple of the Lord" by the Crusaders.