Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings/The Horns of Hattin


 * Objective: Get the relic to the marked area.

Save yourself some trouble by not trying to destroy any enemy bases. Just defend your own base while at the same time creating massive amounts of skirmishers. Build a Mosque as well. When you are about ready, send some priests supported by your skirmishers to the west breaking your own wall. Bust through the palisades and kill the monks inside. Snatch the relic and get it back fast. You might want to bring your mangonel for the walls and keep making skirmishers in case everybody dies the first time.

If you are not that quick, focus on the British base first. Once their attacks (archers and scorpions) come to an end, it's pretty easy to go for the relic.

Alternate method
Easy? Only when you know how! I had a lot of trouble with this one.

The mission is split into two parts: first you must defend your camps and then prepare a counterattack. You have two camps, one at the north and one at the south, your north base will be the main target of enemy attacks but your south will be attacked first. It is important to advance to the next Age very quickly in this mission because you will need the upgrades.

Start in the north camp by butchering all the sheep and send a few villagers to chop wood, later on send them to the northeast corner and build a new lumber-camp there.

In the south camp build archers and garrison them in the town center and do the same for the northern camp, you will also need a few knights to protect each town center from siege weapons.

Reynald and his troops will arrive very soon to attack your south base, you can kill him but it's better to capture him using a priest: take the brunt of the first attack, destroy the catapult and then build a mosque (you may be able to build a mosque before the attack begins) to produce your priest. It is easy to capture Reynald and he's a handy unit.

Don't even bother trying to repair your palisade walls in this mission, they are almost useless! Your only defense is the town centers so upgrade your archers to crossbowmen as soon as possible, they are going to be doing a LOT of killing.

To the far east of the north camp you will find a huge source of gold, get about 4 or 5 villagers mining it.

In your north camp build a second town center near your first one and again garrison it with crossbowmen, you will be attacked by wave after wave after wave of enemy troops but if you research "Town Watch" to extend the range of sight of your buildings you will be able to mow them all down with ease - don't forget to defend against siege weapons though!

The attacks will lessen and now you will be able to start farming; get at least 8 farms running in your north camp just behind your town centers where they are protected, this will give you an abundant supply of food to produce all the troops you need.

Priests aren't essential yet but they are very useful for luring in troops to the killing-zone of your town centers and they are good for capturing Hospitallers.

Upgrade all your troops to the max and build a cheap force of light cavalry to deal with siege weapons and to maraud against enemy villagers. When you are ready you can take on the red base to the south of your North camp; build at least one battering ram to destroy town centers and use 2 or 3 upgraded Priests to convert enemy buildings as you gain control of enemy territory.

You may get beaten back a couple of times but it doesn't matter, your main goal is to capture the Artifact which is to the far west guarded by priests behind palisades. Swarm the west (ungarrison your town centers if you need reinforcements)and kill the enemy Priests with a couple of Scorpions (which they cannot convert) and then crash through the palisades with Knights. Your own Priests can then carry the Artifact back to the flagged area in your north camp.