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This article is about the scenario in Age of Empires. For the building, see Wonder. |
Wonder is the eighth and last scenario of the Glory of Greece campaign in Age of Empires. Alexander the Great (blue) must stop the Greek Cambyses (red) and the Phoenician Darius (yellow) from building Wonders, while battling the Persians (brown).
Scenario instructions[]
Description[]
| “ | 331 BC The return of Xenophon and the 10 000 Greek mercenaries in 400 BC revealed many weaknesses within the Persian Empire, but not until now could anything be done about it. The Greeks have been united under you, Alexander of Macedon. You have marched into Asia Minor and are now surrounded by your enemies. You've got them just where you want them. Destroy first the great Wonder built already by the Lydians and then destroy the Phoenician Wonder. Beware of Persian interference with your campaign. Wage successful war against Persia and her allies and you will be known hereafter as "The Great". |
” |
| —In-game section | ||
Starting conditions[]
- Starting age:
Post-Iron Age - Starting resources: 1,000 food, 500 wood, 500 gold, 500 stone
- Population limit: 50
- Starting units:
- Starting buildings:
- 1 Town Center
- 5 Houses
- 1 Storage Pit
- 1 Barracks
- 1 Archery Range
- 1 Stable
Objectives[]
- Destroy all enemies or their Wonders!
Hints[]
- Efficiency is crucial in choosing where and when to strike.
- Don't waste time on attacks that do not bring you closer to victory.
Players[]
Player[]
- Player ( Greeks): The player starts with a small base in the center of the map. They have some Heavy Cavalry, infantry, Bowmen, and Villagers, along with almost all military buildings, sans Academy.
Enemies[]
- Cambyses ( Greeks): Cambyses' base is located in the eastern corner of the map and includes a Wonder, defended by Improved Bowmen, walls, and Guard Towers. Cambyses has no economy and is walled in.
- Darius ( Phoenicians): Darius's base is located in the western corner of the map. He is also walled in by Fortifications and Ballista Towers, but has an economy. He focuses on Legions and Composite Bowmen and will eventually start building a Wonder.
- Persia ( Persians): Persia's base is located in the northern corner of the map. In contrast to the other enemies, they are not walled in and will attack with Legions, Centurions, Composite Bowmen, Priests, and Catapults.
Strategy[]
The player's initial base is right in the center of the map
The player starts off in the Iron Age. Although with only a few buildings, there are plenty of resources, a small force of Heavy Cavalry, Scouts, Composite Bowmen, and Long Swordsmen, as well as five Villagers. Cambyses has already built a Wonder, so the time to attack is running out as soon as the player begins. Task Villagers with constructing a Siege Workshop before assigning them all to cut wood. Make sure to add a Storage Pit closer to the Stone Mines and wood line, as the default location is woefully ineffective.
The Persians to the north of the player's base could attack at any moment, so be prepared. Build at least three Ballista Towers to keep their units away, and train some more cavalry to deal with Catapults. Due to the range of Catapults and Bowmen, Villagers may come under fire to the north side and might be better off assigned east or south, as these are less contested parts of the base. Creating walls all around the camp is not advisable, as this prevents easy routes to Cambyses' Wonder, which could cost victory if the player fortifies themselves too much.
At least four Heavy Catapults should be trained, and sent with a force of Bowmen or Helepolises east to bring down Cambyses' Bowmen, towers, and lastly, their Wonder. Make sure to destroy the towers in the northeast and kill the any straggler archers guarding the Gold Mines. This is crucial for preparations attacking Darius's camp later.
Keeping the player's own base alive will allow the player reinforcements needed for an assault to the west, so create at least ten Villagers, and task five of which with gathering from the Berry Bushes and hunting down the Gazelles while sending the remaining five to Cambyses' former base, as it would have the only gold available to the player.
Take down the red Wonder as soon as possible
At this point, Darius to the west will have already begun building a Wonder. Any remaining forces will be insufficient to deal with his base, so create at least five Helepolises and plenty of Bowmen to deal with his heavy infantry, while also creating cavalry to deal with his Composite Bowmen. If there are any Catapults remaining from attacking Cambyses' Wonder, bring them along as well, as this cuts down on training time. Breach Darius's fortifications and counter his units accordingly while taking down his military buildings. Take out any Priests, as they will pose a great danger if they convert even two or so of the siege equipment. Once the player reaches the Wonder, attack it with all forces and destroy it. Once it is down, the player has finished the scenario and thus also, the Greek campaign.
Alternative strategy[]
A player might also opt for a rush on the Persians to the north by creating a solid economy and defenses quickly with intent being offense, rather than defense. The towers being more insurance to prevent loses, rather than turtleing, After a decent base has been built, the focus should be on using cavalry and infantry but not bowmen (Greek bowmen are horrible as they cannot be upgraded at all). The player should ideally have around ten cavalry and between ten and twenty infantry, sacrificing a bit in terms of the amount of villagers you can put onto resource collection. Afterwards the player should focus their attention on siege equipment to take out red to the east and yellow to the west (in that order).
History[]
Historical notes[]
| “ | Following the Spartan triumph in the Peloponnesian War in 404 BC, turmoil continued. Within another 30 years, Thebes defeated Sparta and was predominant for a decade. The old antagonists, Sparta and Athens, then combined to bring down Thebes in 362 BC. The city-states were weakened by nearly continual war, however. A new power rose to the north in Macedonia. King Philip of Macedon built a new type of army that combined light missile troops (slingers and Peltasts who threw javelins) and heavy cavalry (wearing some body armor and using spears as lances) with the traditional Greek phalanx. At the head of this powerful force he first consolidated his power on the northern frontiers of Greece, driving across Thrace to the Black Sea. He then marched south, taking Thessaly and getting the attention of the remaining Greek states who formed the Hellenic League led by Athens and Thebes. His victory at Chaeronea in 338 BC brought all of Greece under one king for the first time as the League of Corinth. Philip declared war on Persia in 337 BC but was assassinated a year later before getting started. He was succeeded by his son Alexander, aged 20, who spent the next two years consolidating his rule and reforming the League of Corinth, which had fractured following his father's death. In 334 BC, Alexander crossed into Asia and set out on the greatest military campaign of all time. |
” |
| —In-game section | ||
Historical outcome[]
| “ | Over a span of 11 years, Alexander conquered all of the Persian Empire, Phoenicia, Egypt, Libya, and India up to the Indus River. He won a series of brilliant battles, usually leading from the front and attacking what he perceived to be the enemy's strongest spot. He was always outnumbered but never out-generaled. At one critical moment he reportedly rallied his troops by making obscene gestures with a pickle. He was first over the wall at one siege and was wounded seriously before his troops could follow over and save him. The siege of Tyre took many months and required building a causeway out to the island citadel for the assault troops and siege engines. The causeway still exists, making the old island a peninsula now. When Alexander reached the Nile, the Egyptians meekly surrendered and asked him to become Pharaoh. His conquests stopped only because his army wanted to go home. The long-term result of Alexander's conquest was the spread of Greek culture and ideas throughout the areas he came to rule. It was possible to travel from southern Europe to India and speak Greek the entire way. This was the Hellenistic Age and its influence carried over under later Roman rule. The Romans adopted much of the Greek culture as their own. Alexander died in 323 BC in Babylon, reportedly of fever possibly brought on by drunkenness. He was planning to make Babylon the capital of his eastern empire. |
” |
Notes[]
- It is possible for the player to build a Wonder of their own. However, they will not be able to rely on obtaining victory using this method, since their enemies have already built ahead of them.
- Despite the scenario instructions to eliminate all enemies or destroy their Wonders, the Persians can be left undefeated without preventing victory for the player.
Trivia[]
- Although in-game instructions and history section states that the Greeks are led by Alexander the Great in this scenario, he does not appear as an unit at all.
- In the post-game cut scene, a soldier on horseback can be seen walking around and being cheered on by the Greeks in an apparent victory, which could possibly be Alexander. This was not confirmed, however.
- Alexander's absence could be the reason why this scenario was reworked in the Definitive Edition.
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