Warrior of God is the sixth and final scenario of the Jan Zizka campaign in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - Dawn of the Dukes.
Intro[]
War turns fine men into circling ravens and makes tyrants of us all. The faithless falter and new enemies rise as old ones fall.
With Sigismund gone, I turned to smashing the few remaining pockets of royalist resistance. The Hussite dream of a Bohemia independent from the grip of foreign imperial powers was nearly achieved when misfortune struck us once more.
Jealous of my success on the field of battle and lusting after the power that I have justly earned, a faction of Hussites in Prague turned from the righteous path and made a deal with the devil. Now, they march in league with the royalist armies and call on Sigismund to return.
My Hussites are undefeated, but it would be a fool's errand to contend with internal dissent and invasion at once. I have appealed to my former comrades in Poland and Lithuania for help, and one man and his army have answered the call: Zygimantas Korybut, an ambitious young duke with a fierce love for our cause.
We have come far already, and our mission to bring freedom, peace, and justice and to our beloved homeland will not be stopped now. With our eastern allies by our side, we shall smite the royalist oppressors in the north while our Hussite allies in Tabor strike out from the west.
Once more, we shall unify this broken land and remind Sigismund that the Hussites are no mere peasant rabble to be oppressed and trampled. If he enters Bohemia again, he will face the wrath of men inspired by the soul of the martyr Jan Hus and see that Jan Zizka, warrior of God, still leads this unconquerable army.
Scenario instructions[]
Starting conditions[]
- Starting Age: Imperial Age
- Starting resources: 2,000 food, 2,000 wood, 1,000 gold, 500 stone
- Population limit: 200
- Starting units:
- Zygimantas Korybut (renamed Vytautas the Great)
- 10 Pikemen
- 10 Hand Cannoneers
- 10 Crossbowmen
- 5 Hussite Wagons
- 2 Monks
- 2 Light Cavalry
- 20 Villagers
- 5 Trade Carts
Objectives[]
Main objectives[]
- Defeat Prague, Plzen, and the Royalists.
Secondary objectives[]
- Bring Zygimantas Korybut to the St. Vitus Cathedral (Monument) in Prague so that he will take control of the city.
Hints[]
- Jan Zizka begins in the Imperial Age and can support a population limit of 200.
- You begin with a sizeable army. Weigh your options: a quick strike could cripple an opponent, but it could also leave you and your ally exposed to enemy counterattacks.
- Your ally Zygimantas Korybut will take control of Prague if he can reach the St. Vitus Cathedral. Avoid leveling the city lest he obtain no more than a smoking ruin.
- Most of Bohemia's mineral resources have been mined and spent during the ruthless conflicts of the recent years. Supplement your income by trading with your allies and prevent your enemies from doing the same.
- The Hussite Reforms technology in the Castle makes Monks and Monastery technologies considerably more affordable when gold is scarce. Consider researching it and supporting your armies with groups of Monks.
Scouts[]
Your scouts report:
- Jan Zizka (1, Cyan) has arrived from the southeast Confident after a string of decisive victories, his army is poised to seize the remainder of Bohemia.
- The allied Hussite stronghold of Tabor (2, Purple) lies to the south, defended by a force of Hussite Wagons, Hand Cannoneers, and Pikemen.
- Royalist forces (4, Green) camp to the northeast and will send Light Cavalry, Skirmishers, swordsmen, and siege engines into battle.
- In the north, the Utraquist Hussites of Prague (5, Orange) have made common cause with the enemy, fielding a force of Crossbowmen, infantry, and Hussite Wagons.
- The German rulers of Plzen (6, Red) dominate the west of the map with armies of cavalry, infantry, Monks, and siege engines.
- Vytautas' nephew, the Lithuanian magnate Zygimantas Korybut (3, Blue), is an ally of the Hussites. Given the opportunity, he will support Zizka's cause with Pikemen, Skirmishers, and heavy cavalry.
Players[]
Player[]
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- Player ( Bohemians) starts in the southwest of the region, with Villagers, troops, a Castle, a Market, and a Barracks.
Allies[]
- The allied Hussites of Tabor ( Bohemians) start in the southern end of the map in a walled base, southwest to the player. They will initiate trading right from the start, and soon send out troops to attack any of the opponents.
- Duke Zygimantas Korybut ( Lithuanians) starts under the control of the player. If he is brought to St. Vitus Cathedral in western Prague he leaves the control of the player to immediately take control of the city, putting down the Utraquist dissension, and works independently to fight any other surviving enemies.
- Neutral Praguers ( Bohemians) remain out of the conflict until and unless Zygimantas can take over the reins of the city.
Enemies[]
- Royalists ( Bohemians) have made their fortified base in the east of the map, northeast and very close to the player's position.
- Much of Prague ( Bohemians) is under the control of the rival Utraquist Hussites, who will attack the player and Tabor with typical Hussite compositions of Wagons, Crossbowmen/Arbalests, Pikemen, and Bombard Cannons. Its citizens will switch allegiance to Zygimantas if he survives and can make it to the Monument.
- Plzen ( Teutons) is held by Emperor Sigismund. He will attack the player, albeit despondently, with forces of cavalry, infantry, Monks, and rams.
Strategy[]
In this final scenario, the player faces three enemies: Red (Teutons) in the northwest corner, Orange (Bohemian) in the extensive city of Prague in the north and Green (Bohemian) in the northeast. The player also has an ally, Purple (Bohemian), in the southwest of the map. If they get Zygimantas Korybut by Prague's Wonder, the whole town transfers to Blue and becomes the player's ally (the player should hide Zygimantas in their starting Castle until they are ready to assault Prague itself in order not to lose him prematurely). Red trains Teutonic Knights, Paladins, Scorpions, rams, Champions and Monks. Orange trains Champions, Arbalesters, Halberdiers, Hussite Wagons, and Bombard Cannons. Green trains Long Swordmen, Light Cavalry, rams and Skirmishers. At least 10 Cows can be gathered by the player around their starting location. Five Relics are scattered around the map. The player may grab three of them if done quickly: The one in between their ally Purple and Red along the river on the west edge of the map (by a shipwreck), the one by an abandoned Orange outpost between the player's base and Prague, and the one next to the player's Castle. The Relic in the north of the map is taken by Red very early and the one in the eastern part of Prague is only obtainable by boat and probably not worth the effort in the early game.
The player should start with at least two Town Centers next to the idle Villagers (one by the Boar and one by the gold pile) and build one Monastery as well. At the player's discretion, another one north by the gold pile by the river (next to two Cows) can also be built for a better boom. The player should use their starting Monks to collect Relics and acquire the Cows by the abandoned Orange outpost in the process. The rest of the army should be employed in an assault against Green, but more particularly the portion east of their base (the east corner of the map). Once the player gains control of the area by the enemy Stable and Barracks, they should send a Villager and wall off the bridge. Reinforcing the player's army once the player builds production structures with one Bombard Cannon will help destroy the Town Center in that location. Provided that the player destroys the single tower in reach of the gold piles on the other side of the river with their Bombard Cannon, they will have access to the largest gold deposit on the entire map, more than likely to last to the end of the scenario. There are also some stone piles by the bridge that was walled off. The player should build a Castle by the western bridge and partially wall the area to further funnel Green's troop attempting to cross.
Another Castle should be built northeast of the stone piles towards Orange's base (northeast of the spot where two Cows were found earlier). Purple will cover their side of the river. The player can expect Orange to attack either their forward Castle or the Castle by Green's bridge. Red will either attack the bridge between the player and Purple or the player's forward Castle. The player should upgrade their military; at the very least, research Houfnice, Elite Hussite Wagons and Halberdiers. The player should mass Halberdiers, Hand Cannoneers, a few Cavaliers, Elite Hussite Wagons and Houfnices. The player should drop a Castle by Orange's doorstep, expecting several Bombard Cannons and Hussite Wagons to sally forth (bring enough Villagers to repair the damage dealt). This will allow the player's Houfnices to target Orange's Bombard Cannons while they are busy with the Castle. The player should destroy the gate and go directly towards the Castle protecting the Wonder. While it is getting destroyed, they should ready Zygimantas nearby to proceed to the Wonder as soon as the Castle falls. As soon as Zygimantas touches the Wonder, all of Orange's base belongs to Blue and all Orange's forces vanish. Blue can easily defend against Red with all the infrastructure available.
From here, the player should easily dispatch Green across the bridge and grab the Relic northwest of Green's base. Razing Red's base at this point is a formality (research Faith at the player's discretion).
Alternate starting strategy[]
A more idiot-proof method is simply to move the entire base to Tabor's base. As the enemies' attack route cuts through the trade route, trading income would be difficult to maintain. Instead, the player can: Build a Mining Camp where they are originally located. Mine out all the stone and gold present before moving the Villagers into the new camp. Concurrently, send a Villager to build a Town Center to the bottom corner, where the player's ally is cutting wood. Once that is done, build a Market within the ally's base, delete the other Market, and trade with the ally. Finally, build a Dock next to the ally's Dock, build Fish Traps, and the player is set, economy-wise.
Defense then becomes easy: 2 Castles near the ally's northwestern gate, while walling off the vulnerable Watch Tower near the ally's Dock. This will help keep the economy safe from enemy attacks. Finally, cavalry. The more, the merrier.
Easier, yet riskier way to take Prague[]
It is possible to take control of Prague at the very beginning. As soon as the player takes control of Zygimantas, the player should send all of the military units to the southern gates of Prague. As soon as the gates open, the player should send Zygimantas up to the north of the Monument, and as soon as he is close enough, the entire city becomes Blue. With Prague under Zygimantas' control, the rest of the scenario will be a mere cakewalk, as the most dangerous threat is quelled.
Another easier strategy is to transport the Zygimanats to the northmost bridges, then unload him to reach the Monument. It is strongly recommend to train some Cavaliers to be meatshields to prevent him being killed.
Outro[]
With the rival Hussite factions reconciled and the royalists defeated, nothing stands in our way. We will honor Jan Hus by building a Bohemia free from the corruption of the Church in Rome and the avaricious talons of foreign emperors.
Yet I, Jan Zizka, will not be there in earthly form to see it.
To every thing there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven; and my time under the sun is nearly over. Even now I can feel the bubonic plague coursing through my veins, swiftly stripping the warmth and life from my aged bones.
Ye who are warriors of God, hear my dying wish! After I expire, you will flay the skin from my corpse and use it to build the drums to whose beat this army will march henceforth.
When our enemies hear the ominous din of those drums and the joyous clamor of thousands of valorous Hussites singing battle hymns, they will know one dreadful truth:
Jan Zizka still leads this army from beyond the grave.
Trivia[]
- Zygimantas is the Lithuanian name of Sigismund Korybut, this name was probably chosen to be used in this scenario to better differentiate him from one of the primary antagonists in the campaign, Emperor Sigismund.
- The portion of the city of Prague is reused from the fourth scenario. Tabor to the south also reuses the layout from the third scenario.
- In the northmost corner of the map are two Hunting Wolves with high HP, named Siggi and Pegasus.
- In the outro, Jan Zizka claims to be succumbing to the Bubonic Plague, yet modern historians claim that carbuncle is the more likely cause of death.