The Siege of Kiev is the first scenario in the Conquest chapter and the fourth scenario of the The Mongol Empire campaign in Age of Empires IV. It depicts the Siege of Kiev of 1240, which saw the Mongols subjugate the last major independent state of the Kievan Rus'.
Intro[]
Scenario description[]
One by one, the Rus princedoms had fallen to the invaders from the east. Only Kiev remained standing on the threshold of the west
Opening cinematic[]
On June 1, 1215, the city of Zhongdu, known today as Beijing, fell to the Mongols. They looted the city, sending caravans loaded with luxuries back home. This victory over the Jin Dynasty was to be one of Genghis Khan's greatest triumphs. After his death in 1227, his descendants continued the conquests. And his grandson… Batu Khan, had his eyes… on the west.
The Mongol raids of the 1220s had shown that the Rus lands help riches worth exploiting. The battles had devastated the Rus elite, and their defenses were weak. So Batu Khan organized an enormous invasion force, determined to turn the Rus lands into vassals of the Mongol Empire.
The Mongols captured territory after territory. By 1240, they had their sights on the great city… of Kiev. Kiev was a jewel among the Rus principalities; a center of scholarship, power – and wealth. Batu Khan's cousin, Mongke, was put in command of the advance force, ready to attack. Chroniclers tell of Mongke's admiration for the beauty of Kiev, so he was reluctant to destroy it. Mongke sent his envoys to the city to demand its surrender. But Kiev's commander in charge refused… and killed the Mongol envoys. Mongke would not stand for such disrespect. His army rode to the city walls and prepared to attack. They would show Kiev… no mercy.
Loading screen[]
Angered by Kiev's defiance, Mongke Khan knew he must make an example of the proud city. Europe would hear of Kiev's mistake – paid for in blood and ash
Start of scenario[]
Mongke Khan's drive into the West, brought the Mongol army to the splendid city of Kiev, the gateway to Europe. The Kievan commander had refused to surrender, leaving Mongke only one choice: to take the city by force.
Scenario instructions[]
Starting conditions[]
- Starting Age:
Feudal Age - Population limit: 200
- Starting units:
Mongke Khan- 2 Scout
- 6 Lancer
- 12 Mangudai
- 18 Archer
- 30 Spearman
- Battering Ram
- 2 Traction Trebuchet
- Resources: 200 food, 250 wood, 300 gold
Objectives[]
- Destroy the Gate to Kiev
- Destroy the City of Kiev
- Destroy all structures in the trade district
- Destroy all structures in the outer city
- Destroy all structures in the inner city
Players[]
- Mongke Khan (Mongols): The player starts off in the east of the map with a moderate army consisting of Spearmen, Archers, Early Lancers and Mangudai, supported by Traction Trebuchets and a Battering Ram. After completing the first objective, they will receive twelve Villagers, and a packed Town Center, Deer Stones, Barracks, Stable, and Ger. The player is restricted to the Castle Age.
Enemy[]
- Kiev (Rus): The Kievans have a large, sprawling city, with the main gate directly to the west of the player's starting position. The city consists of three main stone-walled sections which need to be destroyed to progress the scenario - the trade district, the outer city, and the inner city, as well as a few smaller settlements containing various production and economic buildings to the west of the main gate, guarded by Wooden Fortresses. They start off in the Castle Age at a significant technology advantage to the player, and mainly field Veteran Spearmen and Archers, but will also attack with Horse Archers, Horsemen, Men-at-Arms, and Warrior Monks. They do not field significant amounts of Knights or Crossbowmen except to guard the inner city, and do not build siege engines, other than small groups of Springalds in the trade district.
Strategy[]
Note: This strategy is intended for the Hard difficulty. Lower differences may differ slightly from what is described below.
As soon as the scenario starts, the player should quickly storm the gate and attack, using Spearmen as a front line and Archers in the back vs the enemy units, and siege engines to take out the Wooden Fortresses first and then the gate. The Wooden Fortresses have powerful Springald Emplacements and are garrisoned with Spearmen, so it may be tempting to try to take them out from a distance with the Traction Trebuchets, keeping the army out of range, but the focus should be on destroying the gate as soon as possible to obtain the starting base. Otherwise, Kievan reinforcements will continuously stream out the gate and quickly overwhelm the player's small army. The player will not have the ability to build Traction Trebuchets further on in the scenario, so it can be useful (although not necessary) to keep them alive. The Khan's Attack Speed Arrow should be used to gain critical damage boosts, both during the initial attack on the gate and throughout the scenario.
After destroying the gate and obtaining the starting Town Center and Villagers, the player can set up their base in the area just inside the gate that contains gold, stone, Berry Bushes, and wood. The Town Center also provides an excellent source of additional firepower to help clear out the remaining enemy units. Alternatively, if the player has lost too many units attacking the gate, it may be better to set up the base next to the Trade Post in the far west of the map, taking advantage of the Deer and wood in the area to build up their army again before moving into the main city.
Shortly after entering the gates, several enemy Traders will pass by on the path, dropping resources when killed that can provide the necessary boost to get to get to the Castle Age and build up the player's forces and economy. Once the Town Center is unpacked, the immediate focus should be on getting a base set up, stabilizing against constant enemy attacks, and advancing to the Castle Age, while maintaining Villager production. The Kurultai, with its ability to heal friendly units when Mongke Khan is nearby, is a good choice for the Castle Age landmark, as the player will need to quickly destroy several, well-defended enemy bases in succession, and there is no shortage of gold nearby.
As the Kievans will periodically send forces from each of their remaining bases to harass the player, the player should quickly go on the offensive, beginning with destroying the unwalled settlements to the southwest, while building several Outposts near the player's base and upgrading them to Fortified Outposts to help defend from attacks. In order to save on stone for defenses, Mongke Khan's Production ability can be used to quickly mass units instead of Improved Production near an Ovoo, though this approach is more intensive on other resources. Once the villages to the southwest are destroyed, the player should focus on destroying Kiev's trade district in the south corner of the map. The trade district is protected by Stone Walls, Wooden Fortresses, and a large force of infantry and archers supported by Springalds, so will require a large force to assault, ideally upgraded with the available Castle Age technologies.
The Castle Age provides access to Men-at-Arms, which are an excellent unit, as the Kievans will mostly attack with Spearmen, Archers, and Horsemen, along with some Warrior Monks and Horse Archers . Mangonels or Archers can help deal with the latter, and Mangonels are also a powerful unit in general, due to the Kievans' primarily infantry-based army and the player's lack of other ranged anti-building siege. The player can build a Market to trade with the Trade Post to the east, but due to the short distance, the returns are quite limited and less effective than gold mining. After advancing to the Castle Age and building up a sizeable force to defend from enemy attacks, the player should focus on clearing out the remaining surrounding enemy production buildings to lower the frequency of enemy attacks and gain valuable raid bonus, and then complete the remaining objectives. Building a second Town Center can help further build up the player's economy at this time.
The frequency of attacks will not increase over time, so there is no need to rush at this point, and it is possible to comfortably boom once in a solid defensive position. The player's next target will be the outer city which, like the trade district, is protected by Stone Walls and Wooden Fortresses equipped with Springald Emplacements. Once a sizeable army has been amassed, the player should position their units just out of range of the enemy defenses and have their Trebuchets eliminate these, making sure to protect their siege engines from the enemy forces which stream out of the gate. Once the Wooden Fortresses are down, the player should withdraw their army and use their Trebuchets to take out the Archers on the Walls, with their Scouts providing Line of Sight if needed.
The player can now rush their army to attack and destroy the outer city. The Kiev garrison will include significant numbers of Horsemen, Horse Archers, and Men-at-Arms, but clearing out the area should be easy if the player is able to make use of their expanded economy to overwhelm the enemy with numbers. Completing the second objective requires the player to destroy all the structures within the outer city, including Houses and Hunting Cabins, but not Farms. Once the outer city is destroyed, all that remains for the player is to destroy the inner city, employing the same tactics as before to take out its defenses with minimal casualties.
The inner city is guarded by the most elite Kievan troops. Crossbowmen are positioned on the walls, and Knights, Warrior Monks, Crossbowmen, and Men-at-Arms guard the interior of the city. Men-at-Arms, which were highly effective up to this point, will be quickly made useless by these counters. Mangonels, as well as the player's Traction Trebuchets if these survived, will still work well against Crossbowmen, especially those on top of the Stone Walls, and as a high-damage unit in general. However, the player may also want to bring their own Crossbowmen to deal with heavily-armored enemy units and as a front-line to guard their Mangonels. Once all the buildings in this last area are destroyed, the scenario will complete.
Outro[]
End of scenario[]
Mongke Khan and his Mongol Warriors ran freely through the ravaged city, cutting down any survivors and plundering its riches. With Kiev under Mongol control, the gateway to Europe was open, and the Empire could continue its conquest into the West.
Post-game screen[]
Mongke Khan razed Kiev and plundered its treasures. The Mongols' path into Europe was now wide open.
Page From History: The People of the Felt Walls[]
| “ | At the heart of the Mongols' nomadic way of life was a home of simple construction. A 'ger' was a round tent of wood and felt that was quick to dismantle and transport. The ger was the domain of Mongol women. Inside its walls, they were in command. Here, they gave birth and schooled their children, provided foot to passing travelers, and even had authority over their khan. Women made the ger's felt walls by hand-pressing wool into blankets. Mongols believed that through her graft and nurture, a woman's soul would become a part of the felt she had crafted And so, when her blankets were passed to her daughters, she would still be with them, ingrained in the very fabric of their homes |
” |
Unlockable content[]
- Campaign Video: Western Conquest
- Historical Video: The Yam
- Page from History: The People of the Felt Walls
