Mission 1: A New World

Mission 1: A New World (Act I: Blood - Breakout)

Welcome to the very beginning of the Age of Empires III campaign, "A New World"! This mission serves as an introduction to the game's core mechanics, hero units, and the overarching narrative. You'll take on the role of Morgan Black, a Knight of the Order of St. John, in the year 1500. Your primary objective is to defend a crucial outpost in the Caribbean from a relentless Spanish assault. This mission is designed to familiarize you with basic unit control, resource gathering, and combat.

Mission Objectives

• Main Objective: Defend the Outpost.
• Secondary Objective: Destroy the Spanish Warships.
• Secondary Objective: Destroy the Spanish Town Center.

Starting Units & Resources

You begin with a small but capable force:

• Morgan Black (Hero Unit): Your primary hero. Morgan is a powerful melee unit with a special ability, "Sharpshoot," which deals significant damage to a single target. To activate Sharpshoot, select Morgan Black and either click the ability icon in his command panel or press the designated hotkey (usually 'S' by default). Then, click on the target you wish to attack. He can also collect treasures and is essential for completing objectives.
• Musketeers (x5): Ranged infantry units, effective against other infantry.
• Crossbowmen (x5): Ranged infantry units, good against light infantry and some cavalry.
• Villagers (x3): Your primary resource gatherers and builders.
• Starting Resources:
  • Food: 200
  • Wood: 200
  • Coin: 100

Walkthrough & Strategy

Phase 1: Initial Defense and Economic Setup (0-5 Minutes)

1. Defend the Outpost: The mission begins with an immediate Spanish attack. Position your Musketeers and Crossbowmen near the outpost walls or at the narrow choke point leading to your base. Use Morgan Black's "Sharpshoot" ability (select Morgan, click 'S' or the ability icon, then target) on high-priority threats like Spanish Rodeleros (sword infantry) or Pikemen to quickly eliminate them. These initial waves are relatively small, consisting mainly of infantry.
2. Resource Collection & Villager Production: Immediately assign your three Villagers to gather resources. Prioritize collecting Food from Berry Bushes or hunting animals (Deer, Turkey) and Wood from nearby trees. You'll need these to train more units and construct buildings. As soon as you have 100 Food, queue up your first additional Villager from your Town Center. Continue training Villagers until you have at least 8-10, splitting them between Food (60-70%) and Wood (30-40%).
3. Explore for Treasures: Send Morgan Black to explore the immediate vicinity around your outpost. Look for glowing treasure chests. Collecting these treasures will grant you experience points (XP), small amounts of resources (Food, Wood, Coin), or even temporary unit buffs. This is crucial for leveling up your Home City and unlocking valuable shipments.
4. Transition to Military Production: Once you have 5-6 Villagers actively gathering resources, and ideally after your first Home City shipment has been called, you should begin transitioning to military unit production. Aim to have a Barracks constructed around the 3-4 minute mark.

Phase 2: Expanding Your Base and Preparing for Counter-Attack (5-15 Minutes)

5. Build a Barracks: Once you have sufficient wood (200 Wood), construct a Barracks. Place it strategically within your base, perhaps near your Town Center for easier unit rallying. This will allow you to train more Musketeers and Crossbowmen, bolstering your defenses and preparing for offensive actions.
6. Train Military Units: Continuously train Musketeers from your Barracks. Musketeers are versatile and will be your primary offensive unit in this early stage, effective against the Spanish infantry you'll encounter. Maintain a steady output of military units to counter the continuous Spanish assaults.
7. Home City Shipments: As you gain XP from collecting treasures and defeating enemies, you'll earn Home City shipments. For this mission, prioritize shipments that provide additional military units (e.g., 3 Musketeers, 4 Crossbowmen) or resource crates (e.g., 700 Food, 600 Wood) to accelerate your growth and reinforce your army.
8. Scout the Area: Use Morgan or a few Musketeers to scout the surrounding area. You'll discover the location of the Spanish warships along the coast to the east and their main base further inland. This scouting is vital for planning your secondary objective attacks.
9. Enemy Attack Progression: The Spanish will send increasingly larger waves of infantry (Rodeleros, Pikemen, and some Crossbowmen) from the east. Around the 8-10 minute mark, you can expect the first significant push, potentially including a few cavalry units (Lancers). Ensure your Musketeers are ready, and use Morgan to take down high-threat units.

Phase 3: Destroying the Spanish Warships (15-25 Minutes)

The Spanish will periodically send waves of units from their ships, often accompanied by cannon fire if your units are too close to the shore. To stop these naval reinforcements and remove the threat of bombardment, you need to destroy their warships. This secondary objective becomes viable once you have a force of at least 15-20 Musketeers and Morgan Black.

10. Advance Towards the Coast: Gather a force of at least 15-20 Musketeers, supported by Morgan Black. Ensure your base defenses are still adequate with a few units or a watch tower. Move your army towards the coastline on the eastern side of the map where the Spanish warships are anchored. Be cautious of any Spanish units guarding the path.
11. Focus Fire on Warships: The warships are stationary but have considerable health and can inflict damage with their cannons. Direct all your units to focus fire on one ship at a time. Morgan's "Sharpshoot" can be particularly effective here against the ship's hull. Prioritize destroying the ships one by one to minimize incoming fire.
12. Maintain Your Army & Retreat if Necessary: If you take heavy losses from the ships or any land units they deploy, retreat to your outpost, train more units, and then return to the attack. Don't overextend your forces. Once all warships are destroyed, the Spanish will no longer receive naval reinforcements, significantly reducing the pressure on your base.

Phase 4: Final Push - Destroying the Spanish Town Center (25-35+ Minutes)

With the warships sunk, the Spanish naval threat is neutralized. Your final objective is to eliminate their main base, located further inland to the northeast of your starting position. This is typically the longest phase of the mission.

13. Locate the Spanish Town Center: The Spanish Town Center is typically located inland, past the coastline where the ships were, usually surrounded by other Spanish buildings like Barracks and Houses.
14. Form a Strong Attack Force: Ensure you have a robust army, ideally 20-25 Musketeers, 5-10 Crossbowmen, and Morgan Black. You might also consider sending 1-2 Villagers with your army to build forward Barracks or a field hospital if the Spanish base is far, allowing for quicker unit replenishment and healing.
15. Advance and Engage: Advance on the Spanish Town Center. Expect significant resistance from Spanish infantry (Rodeleros, Pikemen), Crossbowmen, and potentially some Lancers or other cavalry. Use your Musketeers to form the main line, with Crossbowmen providing ranged support.
16. Target Priority: As you engage the Spanish forces, prioritize enemy military units, especially those that counter your Musketeers (like Pikemen). Use Morgan's Sharpshoot on enemy heroes or high-health units. Once the immediate threats are neutralized, direct all your military units' fire onto the Spanish Town Center.
17. Destroy the Town Center: Continue to focus fire on the Town Center. The Spanish will likely train units from it, so be prepared to deal with new waves of defenders. Once the Town Center is destroyed, the mission will conclude successfully.

Tips & Tricks for Success

• use Terrain: Use terrain features like hills or forests to your advantage. Placing ranged units on hills can give them a line-of-sight advantage and bonus damage. Forests can provide cover for ambushes or retreats.
• Morgan Black's Versatility: Don't underestimate Morgan. He's not just a combat unit; he's also your primary treasure collector. Keep him active, but always pull him back if his health gets low. He can also absorb a lot of damage, making him an excellent frontline unit when supported by your Musketeers.
• Hotkeys are Your Friend: Learn basic hotkeys for unit production (e.g., 'V' for Villager, 'M' for Musketeer) and abilities (e.g., 'S' for Sharpshoot). This will significantly speed up your gameplay and reaction time.
• Home City Shipments Timing: Don't hoard your shipments. Call them in as soon as they are available, especially early game resource crates or military reinforcements. They provide crucial boosts.
• Unit Counters: Remember the basic unit counters:
  • Musketeers are good against infantry and some cavalry.
  • Crossbowmen are good against light infantry and some cavalry.
  • Pikemen are strong against cavalry.
  • Rodeleros (Spanish sword infantry) are good against other infantry.
  While you won't have a wide variety of units in this mission, understanding these basics will help you position your existing units effectively.
• Micro-manage Your Units: During combat, try to focus fire your units on one enemy at a time to eliminate threats quickly. Pull back damaged units to preserve them.

By following these detailed steps and applying these strategic tips, you'll successfully complete "A New World" and be well on your way to mastering the Age of Empires III campaign!