A chronological order of all scenarios in the game. For those who may find it interesting. Also historical backgrounds and contexts behind the scenarios, as well as inaccuracies in them.
Introduction
Table of Contents
This is a list of all scenarios from AOE2 DE in chronological order. This is mostly just meant for interest, both to see where campaigns overlap with each other and to learn more about the history behind them, though you could use it to play through the game in the “proper” order.
The dates I give will not necessarily all be accurate, so if you know better let me know. This is for a number of reasons. Primarily the games stories are anachronistic and amalgamate various events and characters that were sometimes separated by months or even years. Some of the campaigns suffer from a lack of recorded information and others are based on legends and national epics moreso than historical document. A handful of scenarios are fabricated and never really happened.
The guide will not be finished for a while as I intend to provide I intend to provide some historical context for each of the scenarios and point out some of their inaccuracies. As I replay through them I will update the guide.
I have deliberately left out most of the Wallace and all the Art of war scenarios as they are not based on any historical events.
If you just want a list without all the extra information: https://1drv.ms/x/s!AhZY9y1epjo_hyic_miCV1Yg5sUK?e=puBnKq
4th-5th Centuries
The Battle of Frigidus 396 AD
It is said that the Eastern Romans won two victories with this battle. One against the West, who were defeated, and another against their Gothic allies who suffered a majority of the casualties.
General Stilicho is in game represented by the Huns, which is a reasonable choice as he was of Vandal origin. Arbograst was a Frank which is why his army is represented by the Franks.
Razing Hellas 396AD
The Belly of the Beast 402AD
The Giant Falls 410AD
A Kingdom of Our Own 413AD
The Scourge of God 434AD
The flow of this scenario is fairly accurate to history. It requires you to defeat 2 of; Romans, Scythians or Persians. That the Romans are the weakest and you can ally the Scythians means you are encouraged to fight first Romans then Persians. Which is what the Huns did around this time. They attempted raids into Eastern Rome but were ultimately rebuffed and so focused instead on the East for a few years before returning to the Roman Empire. This was despite the Romans paying them tribute. If one thing can be learned from the Romans its that paying people not to attack you is generally a terrible idea.
The Great Ride 443AD
Around this time the Huns began their campaign into Eastern Rome seeking to extract as much wealth as the could from the Empire. That most settlements offer little resistance in this scenario is appropriate to the speed with which they swept the landscape.
The Walls of Constantinople 443AD
That the scenario only requires you to acquire wealth through raiding and not take the city itself is appropriate as it did not take long for the Huns to reach the capital and when they did they failed in taking it. Despite their bringing siege equipment (allegedly for the first time that the Romans had seen) the double walls of the city, present in the scenario, proved to great an obstacle. Despite this failure the threat of the Huns was great enough that the Romans were forced once again the pay them to ♥♥♥♥ off.
A Barbarian Betrothal 450AD
The Emperors sister Honoria did indeed propose to Atilla in a stupid attempt to avoid her betrothal. Though Atilla had already planned to invade Gaul to help the Romans against the Goths. Honoria’s proposal changed Atillas reasoning for invasion into seeking the submission of the Emperor and half the Empire as his dowry.
The Catalaunian Fields 451AD
The game plays thus out as a draw when in reality it was a strategic defeat for the Huns. This defeat whilst costly for the Romans forced Atilla to abandon his ambitions in Gaul. And the Roman general Aetius did not retire. Rather he continued a successful military career until he was assassinated by the emperor who feared he was growing to powerful.
The Fall of Rome 452AD
Aetius was not retired and in reality harassing Atilla’s army as they rampaged through Italy. Though he could achieve little more as his force was too small to face the Huns as such it is not unfair for him to be absent from the scenario.
This is an interesting point in history as it is just as mysterious as the game tells us. We do not know what Leo and Atilla discussed nor why exactly he turned around. The common theories are that his army lacked the supplies to pursue a campaign any longer, or that disease wracked his army. Others suggest he was superstitious of a curse as Alaric (of the previous campaign) died shortly after taking Rome. And that he had a nosebleed is as much as we know about Atillas death.
6th-8th centuries
Bukhara 557AD
Dos Pilas 648AD
The Battle of Guadalete 711AD
Consolidation and Subjugation 712AD
Divide and Conquer 713AD
Crossing the Pyrenees 732AD
Razzia 732AD
Tours 732AD
A rather easy scenario as all you need to do is steal the Berber supply train, not defeat their armies. It was not so easy for the Franks though the Berber armies did outpace their supply train forcing them to live entirely off the land. This caused their campaign to slow down, giving Charles Martel more time to prepare . Despite the outpacing of supplies the Frankish victory was won entirely through combat.
9th-10th Centuries
York 800AD
Arrival at Bari 871AD
Honfoglalás 895AD
Path of Exile 960AD
This campaign is tricky do date, fortunately no other scenarios occur parallel to it so it is still easy to place in the chronology. This is because the story of Yodit, at least the one the game tells is mostly legend. Her story is not unlike that of King Arthur where a lack of information has caused it to become grander that it probably was, certainly different. Though unlike Arthur Yodit has not evolved into a mythical character so it can be trusted that all the events of this campaign were at least possible, if not actual.
The Right Partner 965AD
A Fallen Crown 970AD
Broken Stelae 971AD
Welcome Home 972AD
11th Century
Vinlandsaga 1000AD
Usurpation 1006AD
The game tells the story of Suryavarman ascending to the throne and fighting rebels when his story was really the other way around. A succession crisis led to a civil war between 3 claimants, of whom Suryavarman was the victor in 1006AD. Though he no doubt would have dealt with internal conflicts after has taking the throne it is my understanding the game has moved the war he fought to win his crown to 1006.
Quelling the Rebellion 1006AD
The Rebellion of Melus 1009AD
A Dangerous Journey 1012AD
Challenging a Thalassocracy 1014D
Nirvanapada 1015AD
The previous scenarios involving the Chola and Tambralingas were resolved by this time. Thereafter the Khmer empire fought a great many defensive wars until Suryavarman’s death in 1050 (the date the game gives as the campaigns end) this scenario appears to be an amalgamation of every subsequent war after the defeat of the Tambralingas.
Loose Ends 1018AD
The Best Laid Plans 1020AD
Guiscard Arrives 1047AD
Brother Against Brother
Roger in Sicily 1061AD
Roger and Robert together though of conquering Sicily while conquering Calabria. They did in 1061 enter the Island and take Messina though the total conquest of the island would take some three decades. As such the events of this scenario actually finish well after the events of the next in the campaign.
Hastings 1066AD
This scenario sees Harald Hadrada ally himself with William after his defeat at stamford bridge, which is nonsense. Harald was a rival claimant to the English throne and not a friend of William as this scenario might suggest. Harald died in the battle and so was in no position to offer his men to William, even he had wanted to.
The scenario also sees “Saxon raiders” fight in Normandy which is another fabrication, though this time understandable as it serves to make the scenario more challenging. The Saxons were faced with multiple invasions at the same time and in no position to leave their island.
Finally the final battle being a siege is rather strange, famously the English king was killed in a field battle, not cowering in his castle. This did not result in Englands capitulation to the Normans who had to continue their conquest, so perhaps the siege is in reference to that.
The Onrushing Tide 1071AD
The game depicts a heroic defence of the city with the defenders sallying out to try and rout the Normans. Really it was a very standard siege with the defenders wracked with famine after 3 years of siege. There was however naval action as the Byzantines attempted to send relief to the city, so this part of the scenario is more accurate. However the Byzantines completely failed in their efforts and eventually abanoned the city to its fate.
The siege was led by Robert Guiscard (from the Hautvilles campaign), oddly it is not referenced in that campaign.
Manzikert 1071AD
The Enemy of My Enemy 1072AD
Bohemond and the Emperor 1079AD
The Exile of the Cid 1080AD
Black Guards 1087AD
King of Valencia 1090AD
Bohemond in the East 1097AD
Reconquista 1099AD
12th Century
Wonder of the World 1136AD
Holy Roman Emperor 1152AD
Henry the Lion 1153AD
Pope and Antipope 1159AD
An Arabian Knight 1163AD
The Lombard League 1174AD
Born of Fire 1180AD
Lord of Arabia 1183AD
Reynald de Chatillon began attacking the Saracens 2 years earlier but he did not sail to Aqaba bay (depicted in the scenario) until 1183.
Kurikara 1183AD
The Digvijaya 1184AD
Hand of A Princess 1185AD
Crucible 1187AD
The Horns of Hattin 1187AD
The Siege of Jerusalem 1187AD
Jihad! 1187AD
The scenarios objective only requires you to take 2 of the 3 cities on the map. Which is appropriate as Saladin’s army failed to take Tyre (the best defended city in the scenario) but did take the other two.
Barbarossa’s March 1189AD
The Lion and the Demon 1189AD
The Siege of Acre began in 1189 but continued for 2 years. As such this scenario comprises a period both before and after the following scenario.
Cyprus 1191AD
The Emperor Sleeping 1191AD
The Fate of India 1192AD
In the game Prithviraj defeats the Muslims but this was not the case. He was himself utterly defeated and vassalised. He is alleged to have rebelled in the same year a shortly thereafter been executed or otherwise killed.
The Legend of Prithviraj 1192AD
A Life of Revenge 1197AD
13th Century
Into China 1211AD
The Mongol invasion of China began about five years earlier against the Xi. Though the Mongols did not cross the great wall to wage war against the Jin until 1211.
The Horde Rides West 1220AD
Raising the Banners 1222AD
The Battle at Kalka River 1222AD
Hunted 1235AD
The dates I have provided for this campaign are guesswork as it is based on the national epic of Mali. Which, like with Yodit’s story, is likely embellished and unspecific in places. It is generally agreed this story begins around 1235 and my understanding of the epic is that the war was fairly swift. So I have grouped these scenarios next to each other.
The Sting of the Scorpion 1235AD
Djeriba Gold 1235AD
Blood on the River bank 1236AD
The Lion’s Den 1236AD
Saving the Huts 1237AD
Blood for Blood 1239AD
The Promise 1240AD
Pax Mongolica 1241AD
A New Home 1243AD
Vain Ambition 1264AD
A Man of God 1271AD
A Most Unlikely Man 1277AD
An Unlikely Alliance 1278AD
Tsar of the Bulgars 1279AD
Echoes of Heroes 1280AD
Where the One-Eyed Man is King1281AD
Of Castles and Kings 1282AD
Edward did enter Wales earlier to quell a previous rebellion but fought no major battles and peace was agreed quickly. This scenario as such seems to be representing the more violent rebellion of 1282.
The Story of Our Founders 1293AD
Toom Tabard 1296AD
The Battle of Stirling 1297AD
The battle of Stirling Brig is famous with the bridge which is notably absent from this scenario, though mentioned in the closing cutscene. The narrator telling you to construct a tower a probably just for tutorials sake but may be a referenc eto Wallace and Moray scouting the English army prior to the battle
The mission sees the player defend the coastline away from the bridge from English. Whilst there was a viable ford the English could have used they were persuaded not to by Cressingham. So outside of the potential of scouting parties encountering one another no such conflict occurred.
The Battle of Falkirk 1298AD
Amusingly this scenario does include a bridge. The Terrain here is more accurate than Stirlings with a river in between the two armies. There was indeed a burn between them but it was the English who crossed it, not the Scots and the English who won the battle. Wallace did not, in fact, sail up the burn with an army of champions to defeat the English.
The scenario sees you push across the river and into the English camp which is closer to what happened at Bannockburn, a battle 16 years later that resulted in Scotland finally winning the war. Obviously the game designers wanted the campaign to end on a high note and as Wallace was dead long before the Bannockburn they perhaps decided to rewrite Falkirk as it so they could have a good ending.
14th Century
Bapheus 1302AD
Hammer of the Scots 1304AD
Unconditional Loyalty 1321AD
The Oath to Unify Nusantara 1334AD
Family Affairs 1345AD
Serving the New King 1350AD
The Pasunda Bubat Tragedy 1357AD
No Man’s Land
The Tatar Yoke
Lake Poyang 1363AD
A Worthy Opponent 1368AD
Amir of Transoxiana 1370AD
In the Shadow of the Throne 1382AD
The Matter of the Crown 1383AD
Gurkhan of Persia 1383AD
Star of the Poles 1387AD
Duel of the Dukes 1389AD
The Siege of Vilnius 1390AD
Harbinger of Destruction 1391AD
Vytautus’ Crusade 1398AD
Sultan of Hindustan 1398AD
15th Century
Scourge of the Levant 1400AD
A Titan Amongst Mortals 1402AD
The One-Eyed Wanderer 1405AD
A Kingdom Divided 1407AD
The Fruits of Her Labour 1410AD
Oddly this same battle (the battle of Grunwald) appears in the Bohemian campaign, albeit in a different scenario. I have listed this scenario as earlier as it also includes a prelude to the battle. The characters leading the Mercenary companies (Jalal and Jan Zizka) were both present at the battle on the side of the poles but you are only allowed to select a single mercenary group to join you.
Vytautas’ tactic of feigned retreat was employed in the actual battle to devastating effect and it is likely he go the idea after losing to it in 1399 at Vorskla River at the hands of the Mongols, as the game suggests.
Courage and Coin 1410AD
Here the battle is depicted as more of a siege than field battle as each army has bases as is standard for aoe. Though it was indeed a pitched battle as the prior scenario depicts.
The Wolf and the Lion 1411AD
Agincourt 1415AD
The Dai viet Uprising 1418AD
The Cleansing of Paris 1418AD
The Mountain Siege 1419AD
The Iron Lords 1419AD
The Golden City 1419AD
The Battle at Hanoi 1420AD
The Emperor’s Fury 1421AD
Warrior of God 1423AD
Unholy Marriage 1423AD
Reaching South 1424AD
The Hook and Cod Wars 1426AD
A Three Pronged Attack 1426AD
The Final Fortress 1427AD
Mercenaries and Masters 1427AD
An Unlikely Messiah 1429AD
The Maid of Orleans 1429AD
The Cleansing of the Loire 1429AD
The game depicts La Hire as a Conan like brute. This is probably because his name can be translated to “the wrath” (or alternatively “the hedgehog”). There is no evidence to support that he was Cimmerian but he was a very competant commander who fought in many important battles of the war. He was also one of the few French generals who really believed in Joan so including in in several of the scenarios is very appropriate.
The Rising 1429AD
The Siege of Paris 1429AD
The Maid Falls 1430AD
His Own Man 1436AD
I could not tell exactly when this is supposed to be, though certainly some time after 1431 as opening cutscene says Sforza has finished his fight against Venice.
A New Power Arises 1438AD
The Field of Blood 1439AD
War of Brothers 1431AD
Prodigal Son 1444AD
Blood and Betrayal 1447AD
The Dragon Spreads His Wings 1448AD
The Return of the Dragon 1449AD
Viva Sforza! 1450AD
A Perfect Martyr 1453AD
The Breath of the Draon 1461AD
The Moon Rises 1462AD
A Falcon’s Tent 1463AD
Like Father Like Son 1470AD
The Old World 1476AD
The Night Falls 1477AD
Lion of Africa 1489AD
16th Century
Ruins of Empires 1505AD
Estado da India 1506AD
A Son’s Blood 1509AD
Reign of Blood 1515AD
The Triple Alliance 1517AD
Quetzalcoatl 1519AD
La Noche Triste 1519AD
The Boiling Lake 1520AD
Broken Spears 1520AD
The Burmese Tigers 1538AD
The Mandalay Cobra 1543AD
The Royal Peacock 1550AD
The White Elephant 1563AD
Lepanto 1571AD
The Old Tiger 1580AD
Kyoto 1582AD
Noryang Point 1598AD
This is it guys!! I am sure that you will love Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition Chronological Order of All Scenarios guide that we have shared with you. We are always open to discussion and suggestions from you. Just let us what you thought about the guide in the comment section.
Also, we would like to thank Belgeroth. He is the one behind this wonderful guide.
