Act I "Blood" - Mission 1: "Breakout" — "Age Of Empires III" Campaign Guide

Mission 1: “Breakout”

In the first level of the campaign “Blood” you command Morgan Black’s forces of the Knights of St. John, fending off an Ottoman attack on their home of Malta. This level starts off with a significant challenge as opposed to most opening levels of a game that are designed to by easy on purpose, this is somewhat the opposite.

Primary Objective: Defend the Fort Command Post

You will start off with a significant colony already built and a fortress with several barracks within currently under attack. This point is the only one that needs to be defended for now as the sprawl of gatherers and other buildings to the north are safe as long as the fortress holds.

Select all the barracks by double clicking them to spread your production ques among all the buildings equally, upgrading the Crossbowmen immediately then queuing as many as your resources can afford to fund. You will want to mass produce these Crossbowmen to defend the walls from within your fort.

Save the Pikemen you start with for now by sending them to the rear of the base while using Morgan as a sacrifical target/tank by sending him out of the base to fight the enemy in close combat, triggering his special attack to do significant damage. Remember he is indestructible, simply passing out upon losing all health, coming back to consciousness when friendly units come nearby or some time has passed.

Secondary Objective: Collect all Treasures on the Map (300 XP)

"Age of Empires 3" - Act I Ice - Mission 1: Breakout (1 of 5) — Collecting the treasures in the level Breakout in Age of Empires 3.

While you are fighting off the initial waves, take one settler, hold the shift key and queue commands to collect all the visible treasures on your mini-map, marked with white Xs.This will net you some bonus experience plus much needed extra resources.

Defend the Fort (cont.) and the first Great Bombard

"Age of Empires 3" - Act I Ice - Mission 1: Breakout (3 of 5) — Rushing the first Great Bombard.

Eventually Ottoman cavalry will join the fight and the game will tell you to send out your Pikemen. Do not do this! Instead just build some Pikemen and Rodelero to save up for later. Concentrated arrow fire is still pretty good at dropping the horses.

Eventually a Great Bombard will join the attacking forces. Now will be the time to rush out with your close combat units and Crossbowmen to quickly engage the cannon before it can set up and fire or other additional enemies arrive to defend it, which do quickly follow.

Primary Objective: Light the Signal Fire

"Age of Empires 3" - Act I Ice - Mission 1: Breakout (4 of 5) — Moving settlers to light the signal fire.

Take a group of Settlers and a handful of your ranged units after stopping the first Bombard and move them to the new location pointed out on your map. Here you will find four woodpiles that must be gathered to trigger lighting the fire and calling of additional reinforcements. You will want to bring some of your Crossbowmen and if you still have them, some close combat soldiers, to this hill as well since the Ottomans will send a small group of attackers to stop your Settlers from gathering the wood and lighting the fire. You can move your combat forces back once this group is fought off.

Primary Objective: Destroy all the Great Bombards.

"Age of Empires 3" - Act I Ice - Mission 1: Breakout (5 of 5) — Alain’s reinforcements arrive to help cleanup the mess.

Once Alain and his cavalry arrive you will have enough forces to overwhelm your attackers ad the three additional Bombards they brought with them with their final wave. Once all three cannons have been destroyed, which can be rushed with the cavalry, the mission is completed.