Vytautas' Crusade is the fifth scenario of the Jadwiga campaign in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - Dawn of the Dukes.
Intro[]
June 18th, 1399.
A gift arrived for me today: a silver cradle. "for the mother of two kingdoms", courtesy of Vytautas. I could not help but laugh as it was carried into the room. Such a work of beauty, from a man who appreciates nothing but war and power, wine and women!
Vytautas... I am not sure that he ever gave up on his dream of being sole ruler of Lithuania. He certainly never acts like he is Jogaila's subordinate!
For the past few years, Jogaila has been rebuilding our war-torn kingdoms while I have worked to prevent further conflicts from breaking out. All the while, Vytautas has gone on the offensive.
He has now gone off to conquer Tatar Ruthenia, where he has befriended a deposed khan, one Tokhtamysh. Together, he claims, they are going to conquer their way to the Black Sea.
Scenario instructions[]
Starting conditions[]
- Starting Age: Castle Age
- Starting resources: 150 food, 200 wood, 100 gold, 100 stone
- Population limit: 200
- Starting technologies and upgrades: Crossbowman, Long Swordsman, Pikeman, Light Cavalry, Husbandry, Heavy Plow
- Starting units:
Differences between difficulty levels[]
- On standard difficulty, each liberated village will grant the player three Villages instead of two, and the Golden Horde will not build a Wonder.
Objectives[]
Main Objectives[]
- Force Kazikermen into submission so that Tokhtamysh can reclaim his throne.
- The Golden Horde will soon attack, but Timur Qutlugh, the Tatar commander, has given you three days (10 minutes) to prepare your forces. Spend that time well and muster every soldier that you can! If you want to start the battle before the timer runs out, taunt '14'.
- Destroy the Golden Horde's 3 Castles.
- Chase the fleeing Tatars and crush them!
- Escape back across the bridge!
- Chase the fleeing Tatars and crush them!
- Destroy the Golden Horde's 3 Castles.
- The Golden Horde will soon attack, but Timur Qutlugh, the Tatar commander, has given you three days (10 minutes) to prepare your forces. Spend that time well and muster every soldier that you can! If you want to start the battle before the timer runs out, taunt '14'.
- Defeat the Crimean Tatars.
Secondary Objectives[]
- Liberate Ruthenian villages to gain Villagers.
- Build Monasteries in Ruthenian towns to receive reinforcements from Poland.
- Destroy enemy Trade Workshops to gain extra resources.
- Use Vytautas in combat. The more experience that he gains, the stronger he will become.
- Construct a Castle in the ruins of Vozia so that you can profit from the trade on the Black Sea.
Hints[]
- Vytautas can advance to the Imperial Age and support a maximum population of 200. You also cannot construct any naval vessels other than Fishing Ships in this mission, but there may be another way to obtain some warships...
- In this mission, you play as Vytautas' Lithuanian forces and not as the Poles. Remember to collect Relics, as each one garrisoned in your Monasteries will increase the attack of your heavy cavalry units.
- Initially, you must liberate Ruthenian villages in order to obtain Villagers.
- Do not wait too long before building your base. The Tatars of Kazikermen will not be waiting around idly for you to settle in.
- Once you build your first Town Center, Tokhtamysh and his riders will split off to defend their own camp.
- Raid enemy supply depots to obtain extra resources. Complete secondary objectives to speed your economic growth and obtain extra soldiers.
- The Crimean Tatars are the weaker of your enemies. It might be wise to deal with them quickly so that you can focus your energy on the greater threat from Kazikermen.
- Use chat commands to cooperate with your Al allies. Taunts 3-6 will tell them to send you resources, while taunt 31 will cause them to attack an enemy. In the lead-up to the final battle, you can also taunt 14 to start the battle before the timer has run out.
Scouts[]
Your scouts report:
- Vytautas (1, Red) and his newfound ally Tokhtamysh (3, Cyan) are marching south into the Ruthenian lands held by the Golden Horde. They bring a highly mobile army, but must quickly find a good location to settle in for the long haul. Tokhtamysh, wise from the long struggle against his rival Tamerlane, has already set up a preliminary base further into the country.
- In the north lies the town of Cherkasy, held by Poland-Lithuania (2, Purple). It will not take part in your crusade, but it may send you reinforcements from time to time.
- The towns of Ruthenia (4, Green) are neutral. Their homes are occupied by Muslim Tatars and they will welcome a Christian ruler - even one so recently converted as Vytautas.
- The Crimean Tatars (6, Orange) occupy the far south of the map as well as the lands west of the Dnieper River. After years of internal strife, they are not mobilized for war. You can take advantage of their slowness to react - at least for a time. They will mostly produce Light Cavalry and Cavalry Archers.
- By the mouth of the Dnieper lies the Tatar capital of the region, Kazikermen (7, Blue). This powerful fortress will be your most formidable opponent, although their economic holdings to the east are vulnerable. Expect to face heavy cavalry, Cavalry Archers, Camel Riders, and formidable siege engines when its occupants attack.
- Along the beaches of the Black Sea lies the old Genoese fortress of Vozia (5, Grey). With a history dating back to an ancient Greek settlement, the fortress is now little more than a ruin, but may have some spare weapons lying around!
- There are also rumours of a vast Golden Horde army marching from the east. Little is known about its size or when it is set to arrive, as the scouts sent towards it have all failed to return...
Players[]
Player[]
- The Player ( Lithuanians) starts at the northwest of the map outside the gates of Poland-Lithuania with a combined army led by Vytautas and Tokhtamysh. After the player establishes the first Town Center, Tokhtamysh and his troops (Steppe Lancers and Cavalry Archers) leave the control of the player and move to their own base.
Allies[]
- The edge of the territory of Poland-Lithuania ( Lithuanians) lies in the northwest of the map.
- Tokhtamysh ( Tatars) sets up his base in the western area of the map, south of the army's starting location.
- Ruthenian Villages ( Slavs) lie across the map, initially under Tatar yoke with Crimean Tatar soldiers stationed and a tower erected in each of them.
Enemy โ Ally[]
- Vozia ( Italians) is a dilapidated city in the south of the map, with a defensive force of Pikemen, Elite Genoese Crossbowmen, Condottieri, and a Bombard Cannon. Defeating its garrison and building a Castle in its ruins will give the player its remaining buildings, as well as two Galleons and two Elite Cannon Galleons. The player will also receive periodic shipments of gold from then on.
Enemies[]
- Crimean Tatars ( Tatars) have a base in the south of the map, and its forces hold control over the Ruthenian villages as well as patrol some of the roads. They train Light Cavalry, Steppe Lancers, and Cavalry Archers. Tokhtamysh is able to defeat them on his own.
- Kazikermen ( Tatars) is a fortified Tatar city in the southeast of the map fed by farms lying further east across the Dnieper River. They train Elite Keshiks, Heavy Camel Riders, Elite Steppe Lancers, Heavy Cavalry Archers, Siege Rams, and Onagers, and have two Fast Fire Ships in the river. They start building a Wonder after the Crimean Tatars are defeated.
- The Golden Horde ( Tatars) are anticipated to be present in the northeast of the map, across the river. They train Elite Keshiks, Elite Steppe Lancers, Heavy Cavalry Archers, and Trebuchets. They will become active when Kazikermen's Wonder is destroyed or they are defeated, and will build a Wonder on harder difficulties.
Strategy[]
The first thing the player should do is to liberate the Ruthenian towns. Each town will grant the player two Villagers (three on standard difficulty), and each razed Trade Workshop provides resources. As soon as the player has enough Villagers and resources, they should start building a Town Center. As soon as the first Town Center is up, Tokhtamysh will start building up too. It is recommended to build a base behind Tokhtamysh's town, as they can defend each other from enemy raids.
When liberating the villages, the player can quickly reach max power level for the hero by leaving him behind to destroy both the tower and Trade Workshop in villages after clearing enemy units from the area. The hero should reach max level after about three villages. Keep liberating villages completely while the hero grinds. If the hero is too injured to continue with this method, there are also several Kazikermen Outposts that can be safely attacked by the hero for leveling purposes.
There are four Relics in the map: one at the Ruthenian camp in the northwest, the second Relic is in Vozia fortress, and the third one is southeast of the Crimean Tatar camp. The last Relic is held by the Golden Horde. As the Lithuanians, the player should capture the Relics, as not only do they generate gold, they also give Leiciai and Paladins a +4 attack boost. Therefore, they can easily match the Tatar raiders and destroy incoming rams.
If all of Ruthenia is liberated, the Ruthenians will start building a base and train troops to attack the Tatars.
The ruined town of Vozia should be taken early if possible. This can be done with the player's beginning forces, using archers to focus down Genoese Crossbowmen while the melee units attack the barricade (not the walls or gate). A slower but more defensive strategy is to use the archers to destroy the barricade, then lure the defenders out where the player's cavalry can flank and surround them.
The city of Vozia will become allied if the player kills all troops inside the city, and can be captured by building a Castle. The city will not be captured if more than three of the starting garrison units are alive, if they were lured outside the city and were not killed before the city allied. If this happens, the player can temporarily change diplomacy towards Vozia to enemy to kill those troops until the city is captured. If this is done after constructing a Castle inside, the player must make sure to task the Castle to attack one of the buildings, as it may otherwise sink all the ships.
Taking Vozia gives the player regular shipments of gold, but also two elite cannon galleons that can be used to decimate the Crimean Tatars. Even the Kazikermen Wonder is within cannon range of the river, though the player will need to watch for Kazikermen onagers that come to destroy the player's ships.
Crimean Tatars[]
As mentioned before: Relic-powered Paladins and Leiciai can prevail over Heavy Cavalry Archers and Steppe Lancers. The Crimean Tatars will fall once all of their Castles and Town Centers are destroyed.
It is important to note that if the player chooses to defeat the Crimean Tatars first (which may happen either way since Tokhtamysh is able to defeat them on his own), Kazikermen will start erecting a Wonder. Since Tokhtamysh will focus on defeating the Crimean Tatars, the player will be put on a timer because of Kazikermen's Wonder construction. However, the player can wall off the river crossings and focus on Kazikermen first before bringing the fight to the Crimean Tatars if the player wishes for a cakewalk.
Kazikermen[]
Kazikermen is a greater threat, due to the Siege Rams that they train. In order to minimize casualties, a Castle drop outside Kazikermen's fortress is recommended, as the player needs to spend the resources on a larger army for the upcoming Golden Horde confrontation.
Kazikermen will resign after all of the buildings in the walled fortress are destroyed. The remaining buildings outside the stronghold will cede to Tokhtamysh. If the player obtains the warships from Vozia, they can use the Cannon Galleons to level some buildings by the river bank, and the Wonder is within range of these siege ships.
Golden Horde[]
If Kazikermen's Wonder is destroyed or they are defeated, the Golden Horde will warn the player that they have three days to prepare for an attack. It would be better if the player defeats Kazikermen first, and then launch a swift assault on the Crimean Tatars, so the player has one enemy to focus on. However, as the Crimean Tatars are the weakest of the three enemies, it is very likely that Tokhtamysh will defeat them on his own.
The player will be given 20 Winged Hussars and 20 Elite Obuchs from Poland-Lithuania, and 20 Elite Keshiks and 20 Heavy Cavalry Archers from Tokhtamysh, and Ruthenia will sponsor 10 Arbalesters and 10 Elite Boyars. The player should have a large enough army to attack the Golden Horde. Either the player can wait out, or type taunt 14 to start the attack, if their population is maxed out with fully upgraded units.
The next task is to destroy all of the Golden Horde's Castles. They will also build a Wonder on harder difficulties. With a joint attack by Tokhtamysh and the Ruthenians (provided all of the towns are liberated), the Golden Horde will become dust in a matter of time.
The final objective is to cross the river to chase the fleeing Tatars, only to run into an ambush. The player just has to cross the bridge back to their territory, and the scenario is won.
Note: If the player does not defeat Kazikermen before the fight with the Golden Horde, the scenario is not won because Kazikermen must be defeated as well. In that case, the Golden Horde Wonder must be destroyed, as there is no way to cross the river and destroy the Wonder, and the clock will keep counting down. If the Wonder is not destroyed and the bridge is closed off, the player must quickly destroy all buildings within Kazikermen's walls before the Golden Horde gets Wonder victory.
Achievement[]
To get the achievement "No Baggage", the player must defeat the Crimean Tatars (Orange) before building a Town Center. To succeed in this, the player should quickly liberate the Ruthenian villages and destroy the Trade Workshops located in each village. The destruction of the Workshops will give the player valuable resources. With the player's initial Villagers, start constructing a Lumber Camp at any wood line. The player should also start constructing Houses and, when no longer population-capped, construct a Dock close to the village by the bridge in the central northeastern part of the map. From the Dock, produce Trade Cogs and Fishing Ships. Once the player's river economy is established, construct military training buildings and start pumping out as many as possible. At some point, the player should allocate a couple of Villagers to gather stone. Construct a Castle at the hill east of Kazikermens' fortress and to the north of the river crossing into the Crimean Tatars' base. The enemy will focus their attacks on the player's defensive position. As the player is limited to the Castle Age, the player will need to construct a Siege Workshop and multiple Battering Rams. About four should be enough. At some point, the player should be given an optional objective to construct three Monasteries in the Ruthenian Villages that lack them. Once all three have been constructed, the player will be granted 46 Polish Obuchs. Garrison the Obuchs in the rams and wait for Kazikermen to attack the player's Castle. Once the attack has been defeated, launch a quick raid with cavalry against the Crimean Tatars and pull their forces to the player's Castle. Quickly smash them, then send the entire army into the Crimean Tatars' base. Make sure that the player's rams go straight for the two Castles and batter them down. Once the two Castles are destroyed, keep attacking the Crimean Tatars, as they will rebuild if given the chance. If the player is able to destroy most of the Crimean Tatars' buildings and murder their Villagers, they should surrender. The method described above is doable on hard.
Alternatively, the player can march south, taking villages until reaching Vozia. Using methods described in the Strategy section above, take Vozia using the starting forces only. There are stone patches just outside its walls- use the villagers the player has obtained to mine stone and construct a Castle to begin getting regular shipments of gold and two Cannon Galleons. Both the Crimean Tatars' Town Centers and many other key buildings are within cannon range of the river. Capturing Vozia also gets the player several Houses; these plus the Castle to take the town is sufficient for the player to begin training units without further housing for a time.
A third method to earn the achievement (without winning the scenario) is to bypass all of the villages and head straight for the Crimean Tatar base. If the player destroys their Town Centers and kills the Villagers nearby, the enemy will resign. The player will probably need to restart the scenario after doing this, since they will not likely be able to take out Blue's Wonder in time without an economy.
Outro[]
June 22nd, 1399.
I have received no news of Vytautas' escapades in Ruthenia for some days now. I pray that he is successful... and yet, I fear that his insatiable hunger for power will be the downfall of everything I have striven for...
... but for now, I must not worry about Vytautas. I have more pressing worries, and my mind is racing with fear and anticipation.
My body swells and aches and changes. To walk is exhausting, and to lie down is no relief. For days I have written in this journal to keep my mind occupied, but now can barely even do that.
Any day now, I will give birth to my first child: Jogaila's firstborn, the heir of two kingdoms whose union I have worked so hard to foster.
I look out of the window, breathing the crisp morning air. Krakow is beautiful in its thin dress of mist and sunlight. The Vistula glitters; birds sing their praises to God from trees and bushes and tufts of grass.
And for just a short moment, it seems as though every thread in the fabric of reality is made of gold, glowing and glittering like never before.
Any day now...
Trivia[]
- Tokhtamysh previously appears in the first two scenarios of the Tamerlane campaign, first as an ally, and then as an enemy. He also appears in the third scenario of said campaign as the main enemy, but the unit himself is not present. Tamerlane sent his troops to Russia to destroy his three cities and defeated his army. After his defeat to Tamerlane, he was forced to flee to Lithuania. In the last scenario A Titan Amongst Mortals, it is revealed that he also happens to be the person who narrates the story about Tamerlane.
- This campaign is based on the Battle of the Vorskla River. Vytautas offered military assistance to the dethroned Khan, Tokhtamysh. In exchange, Vytautas could claim the Tatars' land as his own, so that he could become the only Grand Duke over all Ruthenians. However, Vytautas barely escaped and 50 princes were killed in the battle. The Lithuanians' defeat at the Vorskla River effectively balked Vytautas' expansion in southern Ruthenia.