Greek Campaign

Keep in mind that there are several ways of completing these scenarios, but here are my advice as to how to beat them the way I found to be the easiest one. The walkthroughs for the following campaigns will soon be posted.

Greek Campaign

1: The Early Helladic Peoples

Timeline: 10,000 – 2,000 BC

Epoch: Prehistoric and Stone

”The Early Helladic Peoples” is probably one of the easiest scenarios in the whole game. You control Hierakles and the prophet Kalkas. Your very first mission is to bring Kalkas to Troas and steal their dock. This will prove to be quite challenging, as there are two towers surrounding the dock, and will eventually destroy the dock after you steal it, and you will lose. Therefore, you’ve got to build quite an army to kill the army of Troas and then their towers. You’ll need at least 3 or 4 sampsons for the towers, and a few rock throwers, clubmen and spearmen to take care of their army. It might be a good idea to use Kalkas’s malaria attack on them as well, but their army is not too big. Besides, Kalkas has to survive. Don’t worry if your army gets killed, if you kill their soldiers and the one war raft they have, they won’t bother you again. Now, just make a transport, and get all your men to the land called Thessaly. Don’t bother making more than one, you’ll need the wood later on. There are no enemy ships around anyway, except the Troan war raft, which should be destroyed by now. Thessaly lies due west of where your dock is, and Kalkas will tell you when you’ve reached the right place. The next thing you want to do is to look for the hill of which he speaks. You can find this hill south-west of where you should land. On the hill, build a settlement, a barracks and a temple, and that’s it! You’ll need a lot of wood to do this of course, so populate your settlement into a town center, and have about 10 villies gather wood, while some of the villies gather food. The Dorians will launch a few attacks at you, but they only send a few horsemen at you at a time, so it shouldn’t be a problem for Hierakles to kill them himself, with the help of a malaria attack from Kalkas of course :) You could also build a few military units in your barracks, but it’s really not necessary. The scenario is over after you’ve built your temple anyway.

And so, a new civilisation is born...

2: Warriors from the Sea

Timeline: 2,000 – 1,500 BC

Epoch: Stone and/or Copper

I had a few problems with this scenario, but it’s really not that difficult once you know what to do. You start out on Crete, and your mission is to settle at Argos, which is on the island north of you. You don’t want to stay for long on Crete, because these Minoans are bad news. It would be wise of you to advance to the Copper Age as soon as possible, so don’t waste any food. Food supplies are very limited on Argos before you can build farms. Instead, go east a bit and build a dock on the north shore. Hurry up and build a transport, and get everyone on board. There is one citizen you can’t get on the ship, so just leave him there. All you need is 5 villies. Besides, they will build a capitol when they reach Argos. There will be one or two bronze age warships on the way to the island, so just run away from them. You couldn’t beat these guys with war rafts, even if you wanted to.

Get on land as soon as possible, and walk the rest of the way to Argos. Build that capitol, a barracks, an archery range and then a temple. Have some villies gather wood, while about 5 or 6 villies gather food from the horses nearby. Build a few military units to protect yourself against the yellow tribe. You have to destroy 2 out of 3 town centers. 2 of these are yellow, and one of them belongs to the red. You should destroy the yellow one which is right next to your tribe, and then you should destroy the red one. Yellow is in copper, and as long as you’re in stone they will kick your ass. Red is in stone, which is why you should advance to copper as soon as you get the chance. When in copper, build a granary, and then build up your army. Bring a few sampsons as well as bowmen, macemen and a prophet, along with two sons of Pelops. Don’t bring Pelops himself, you won’t need him. Besides, he gets killed very easily.

When you think your army is big enough, attack the nearby yellow city. You can use the prophet to cast malaria on their pathetic little army, or you can destroy the town center with an earthquake. You should destroy their stables and archery range as well, so that they’ll stop attacking you. If you destroy those buildings first, it doesn’t matter how long it takes to destroy their town center; there’s nothing they can do about it.

Then on to the red tribe. Since they’re in stone, it’ll be a piece of cake to kill their units. Their city is protected with a tower on each side of the city, but an earthquake will destroy it in a few seconds. Then you can easily destroy their barracks, archery range and town center, and win the scenario, all the while watching out for the other towers.

3: The Trojan War

Timeline: 1300 – 1100 BC

Epoch: Copper

This scenario is much fun! You are Agamemnon, and the first thing you should do, is to build a granary inside your walls. There is a stone mine just south of your city, near your dock. You should build a settlement there so you can gather a lot of wood. Wood is very important here, and you should gather al little stone too. Have your army visit the three cities, so that they will ally with you. After you’ve allied with Odysseus, you will have a large army, and quite a few ships. Build more units, and take your time. There’s no need to attack Troy until you’re ready. You’ll need gold and iron, which can be found north of your city, right east of the red city. There will be Dorians there, and if you want, you can destroy their entire city for civ points (recommended!). That way, you’ll have easy access to the gold and iron mines. There are no towers outside their walls, so it’s not too hard. Once you get inside their city, destroy the archery range and stables so that they won’t bother you any more. Then destroy the town center and kill their villies. Now you’ll have access to 3 gold mines, which is very beneficial to you.

Once your army is large enough, get them on their transports and got to Troy. Remember to bring some prophets and villies. You should send the battleships out first to destroy the Trojan fleet, so that your transports won’t be hurt. Once on Troy, have your villies build a wall in all haste, just roomy enough to house your army. Build a few towers on the outside, and a hospital, a barracks or a stable, and a temple on the inside. You will need about 4 prophets yourself. When the prophet’s mana is full, have them approach the opposing army, and cast malaria on them. Then quickly return your prophet inside the walls. Their army will be wiped out by your towers. The Trojans have two fortresses, which are both full, so it’ll take some time before their whole army is wiped out. Repeat the process with your prophets, and when all the Trojans outside their wall is wiped out, have sampsons destroy their towers. Remember to have Agamemnon stand nearby, so that he can heal them. When your troops start attacking the gate, you will get instructions on what to do next. Go to the indicated area, and build a temple. A Trojan Horse will magically appear! Load it up with a variety of troops, and drive the horse up to the gate. When you unload it, they will easily wipe out their army. You can also destroy the gate to get the rest of the troops into the city. Just remember to set the unit behaviour to ”stand ground”, or they will attack the temples. When their leader is killed, and the castle is destroyed, you’ve won.

The corruption of Troy has ended...

4: The Rise of Athens

Timeline: 1,000 – 500 BC

Epoch: Copper

You have to defeat the armies of the 3 towns of Eleusis (green), Aphidna (orange) and Pallene (purple). You should go after the town of Ahpidna first, as this is where the only resources of stone, iron and gold are. When the opening cinematic has ended, take the 8 villies you are given to start, and have them build a granary. Next, create 10 new villies (the maximum you can afford) and have them gather wood from the trees nearest your town center. Then create the largest army you can afford with the resources you currently have. I trained 5 bowmen, 4 horsemen, 3 spearmen and 3 macemen. You may not choose this mix yourself, but it gives a good mix of units to counter with. As soon as these have been trained, take them all, PLUS the 5 noblemen and Theseus, and head quickly for Aphidna and defeat their army. You will suffer some losses, naturally, but at least half of your troops should survive. And Aphidna is yours. Next, move the 10 villies who were gathering wood up to the town of Aphidna, have them build a hospital so you can heal the units that are damaged from your first melee, and then build a settlement right in the middle of the piles of resources. Have 5 of them gather gold and 5 gather iron, although you will have a small stockpile of these already from defeating this town. In the meantime, create 6 - 10 more villies back at your town center and have them continue to gather wood. (Don't worry about stone at all; you don’t really need it, unless you want to build a Temple of Zeus for healing purposes). Create as many units as you can with the resources you have. Your villies are gathering all the while, so by the time these next units are trained, you will be able to afford a few more. Have them all rally up in Aphidna where your existing force is. Again, a good mix of units is advised. As your villies gather resources, and your army grows, Aphidna itself will churn out units. When you can, have the villies up at Aphidna build a Barracks, Archery range and Stable up there, as it saves some travelling time from having them foot it all the way up from your base. When you are ready, (don't spend a lot of time waiting for your resources to grow, the quicker you can strike, the better) send your amassed army to Pallene (the purples) and defeat their army. It's not that big and your losses should be minimal.

When you beat them, you will again receive a reward of resources. Build at least 6 Sampsons, 8 - 10 is better, and as many units as you can get out while waiting for those Sampsons. Again, when you are ready, send your army to stand just outside the gates to Eleusis (this is the only town that is walled, but fortunately there are no towers to contend with). Have your Sampsons set to on their gate, and when it is about halfway dead, set off a flare. Aphidna will join you (Pallene seems unwilling to throw in with you on this). When the Sampsons have taken out the gate, just flood Eleusis with your troops and defeat their army. It is the largest of the 3, but between you and Pallene, should not prove too difficult. While all this is going down, build a small force back at your town. You will need them there shortly.

After Eleusis falls to Athens, you are instructed to send Theseus back to the temple in your own town (the Temple of Athens). Send him there (with or without the noblemen.) He does a big fart and blows himself into oblivion (well, the story says he joins the gods on Mt Olympus, but looks more like a rampaging case of out-of-control methane to me). As soon as the cut scene ends, Thebes and ...err............. oh yeah, Sparta!, attack. Thebes from the North (Pallene way), and Sparta from the South-West. Quickly send your army to Pallene to defeat the yellow guys. The force you left in your town, plus the able assistance of Aphidna who seem quite eager to fight by your side, plus a none too small contribution form your combined priesthood, manage to take care of most of the invading forces. If not, I'm sure you can get your remaining troops back there in time to mop up the dregs. :-)

The power of Athens grows!

5: The Peloponnesian War

Timeline: 427 – 404 BC

Epoch: Bronze

This scenario isn’t too hard. You have to kill the Spartan Army once again, who is blockading Athens. First thing you should do, is to get all your villies inside the walls, then have them gather wood. Build 3 diplomats, and send them to the two allied cities with ships. You should bring a few war ships to protect them. When all the food has arrived, and when you have colonized the Segesta mines, you can build up your army big time. Just be sure to guard the mines, as the Spartans will attack it. Use a few troops to dispose of the Spartans blockading your city. A few swordsmen and lots of archers should do it. Then, when you’re ready, send all your troops down to their city and destroy their army. They will have siege weapons, so use your sword infantry on them. They’ll have quite a few pikemen too, and they are easily disposed of by archers. Don’t forget to send a few pikemen and cavalry yourself. No need to send Pericles, you won’t really need him. When all the Spartans have been eliminated, you’ve won.

Athens has been well protected, and it continues to show its strength!

6: Young Alexander

Timeline: 336 – 334 BC

Epoch: Bronze

Man, those Spartans sure are annoying, aren’t they? They must be destroyed, once and for all! After you’ve kicked their butt, they’ll think twice before attacking you again! In this scenario, Athens is your enemy, and Thebes will finally be conquered. You start out in Macedon, controlling Aristotle and Alexander. First, you just have to go west, watch the cinematics, then head further west, a little north, get the horses, and watch Alexander’s father learn the TRUE meaning of pain and suffering. Kill the assassins, and then enter the city.

Aristotle should return to the first island, because you will need his malaria attack. Watch out for the hurricanes. If you drive carefully, the boat can squeeze between the hurricanes. While you’re doing this, have villies gather food from the farms, and wood. Don’t worry about gold and iron; you will get these resources when you conquer Thebes and Athens. Return Aristotle to Macedon, and build up an army consisting of companion cavalry, archers and sword infantry. Group all the horses, together with Alexander; group all the archers in one group and the swordsmen in one group. If you don’t know how to group units, you should learn so immediately. Just select the unit you want to group, hold Ctrl and press a number from 0-9. Now you just have to click the number to select them again. (Double click to center the group).

Now, for Thebes. Your companion cavalry is fast, and perfect for running past the enemy army and attacking them from behind or from the sides. Remember to use Alexander’s war cry and healing ability, as well as Aristotle’s malaria infection. Use sword infantry and companion cavalry on their archers in the back and archers on their pikemen, and the rest to focus on their units in the front, then you will win easily. Now you can further improve or expand your army, with the resources you get. When you’re ready, go for Athens, and do exactly the same. That’s all there is to it, really! Now you’ll have to return to Macedon and prepare for the Spartan attack. Build more swordsmen, archers and companion cavalry, and build a few priests as well. Converting units makes defeating them a lot easier. If you’ve paid attention so far, you should know how to beat them.

Alexander’s adventures have only just begun!

7: A Conqueror is Born

Timeline: 334 – 332 BC

Epoch: Bronze

Another kick ass scenario! You first assignment is to wipe out half of the Persian Army. It’s not too difficult, if you know what to do. If you don’t know what to do, you will die. Simple as that. Remember to group the cavalry in one group, together with Alexander. Group all the archers in one group, with Philotus as their General, and the shock weapons with Craterus as their General. Go to the flags, and advance with the companion cavalry and Alexander. When you see their troops, run back and while you’re running, and they’re chasing you, attack them with archers. Do this again, until their whole army is engaging at you. Remember to use Alexander’s war cry and healing abilities. Remember what you’ve learned, use shock on range, range on pierce, and pierce on shock. The companion cavalry is good for doing what I just said, and for flanking their troops.

When their army is fleeing, go to Issus, so that your Generals can be healed. If they’re not hurt, you should go to Issus anyway, cause you’ll need it later. If you advance further south, you will meet the rest of their army, so be cautious, and repeat the process. It won’t be difficult wiping them out, as they’re all scattered by now. When every Persian has been killed, Alexander will let you know. Advance south, towards Tyre. Here you will be given control of some catapults and a few units.

Return to Issus, and gather wood, and maybe a little gold. You don’t really need ships; I find it easier to attack the city from land. Instead, you should build a temple and a couple of prophets. If any ships attack your army, destroy them with catapults and have Alexander stand nearby to heal them as they get hit. Now to invade their city and destroy their capitol! There is a copper age wall without a gate in addition to Tyre’s bronze age wall. Use this to your advantage. Have archers and catapults kill the troops between these walls if there are any, and have the catapults destroy their gate from your side of the wall. When it’s destroyed, destroy the tower, but be careful, as they will send troops at you. You’ll have to kill them while Alexander heals your wounded. Archers are recommended.

When the tower is destroyed, you can advance into the city. There will be an insane amount of troops there, so kill them with your units while the catapults attack their capitol, all the while protecting your catapults. Don’t risk having Philotas or Craterus killed, so leave them outside or have them a safe distance away from the battle, just enough to keep their morale up. Soon enough, their capitol will be gone, and Alexander will have won an important victory.

The reputation of Alexander grows...

8: And Alexander Wept

Timeline: 332 – 330 BC

Epoch: Bronze

This scenario is incredibly fun! The first thing to do is make as many more units as you can afford with what little resources you have. When they are ready, head East. There is a small village there that will yield iron and gold if you destroy it completely. Take a couple of villies with you. If you build a couple of military buildings here, you won't have so far to drag re-inforcements later.

If you then head straight up the map, there is a Bedouin village that will yield more iron and gold if you destroy it. Take Alexander with you always, as his healing ability is invaluable, but keep an eye on him as, you have no doubt found out by now, he does not fight unless you tell him to. Also, destroy the hill tribe.

From that hill tribe village, head east (you can train and wait for more re-inforcements if you need them, but with my sucker-em-in draw-and-run tactic, you shouldn’t lose a single unit during these initial engagements, saving your reinforcements till later) and you meet Darius across a narrow isthmus. It's very narrow, and a good place to bottle neck 'em if you can draw them after you. It's also a good place for YOU to get bottlenecked and slaughtered, so choose an appropriate tactic.

When you have beaten half his army, he will run. Ignore him for now, and go after the Tower of Babylon. Your coffers are replenished there. You will have to backtrack a bit, but you need the resources to max out your pop cap for when you get to the tomb of Xerxes.

Plunder the Tower, get your rewards, and create your last re-inforcements (do NOT forget a few catapults for the gates at the Tomb), then head for the tomb of Xerxes. The remainder of Darius's army is just inside the gate, so once you have blown the gate; finish off Darius and his army. Then head cautiously down the narrow ravine. When you spot the tower, go with EXTREME caution, because just past the guard tower are a few tougher archers, including elephant archers.

When you have dispatched all of them, Alexander has to go to the Tomb to claim his final reward. *Take a few soldiers with you* When Alexander reaches the tomb, he is ambushed by assassins. But there are only 5 of them, so between himself, Pelotas and Craterus, and the few soldiers you took with you, they make short work of this small group.

Bingo! End cinematic. Game over!

And Alexander wept ...