Currently, the strategies for most of these levels are somewhat optimized. Notably, BB2, cannot be any faster because it relies on an ally glitch to end the level at a specific time. For the other levels, there's currently a good chunk of time to be saved and even more to be saved in a full campaign run. So this guide will explain the current strategies being used for the world records and how additional time could possibly be saved. Also, while guide won’t include every detail of each level, it will include the main strategies, tricks, and things to remember to get started speedrunning these levels. More in-depth information will be included in a video guide I’ll release at a later date. (All times with a username next to them are the current world record holders. Also most images were taken from Chazzyb17's runs).
[section=Holy Roman Emperor] 1. Holy Roman Emperor Current WR:------------------------2m 18s Chazzyb17 Current Full Run Best Time:----2m 50s JoeyCapollo Time Save:--------------------------32s Best Possible Time Save:-------~5s
Current Strategy: This is the level heaviest on micro in this campaign. It involves collecting 4 of the 6 relics. I'll list them by color and then the order and micro is up to you.
Green: send your mangonel to go right outside the wall next to the tree line where it can hit the monastery. You'll also need a light calvary to distract the towers. Use a patrol in a triangle formation to dodge the arrows.
Orange: send your knights to kill the monk and then destroy the monastery.
Yellow: send a villager to spot the relic
Purple: build a market and use it to get resources for petards. Send the rest of your troops around purple's tower and make petards to destroy the monastery.
Using the relic glitch, pick up the relics and finish the level. (AOK or AOC for relic glitch. On AOK, orange's town center can hit melee unites attacking the monastery)
The relic glitch guide by Chazzyb17
The mangonel position https://imgur.com/SkJzrIz
Possible Time Saves: There's likely a fast strategy out there, especially for the AOK version. With the current strategy some more effecient micro should save around 5 seconds.
[section=Henry the Lion] 2. Henry the Lion Current WR: -----------------------3m 20s SiFly Current Full Run Best Time: ---3m 21s JoeyCapollo Time Save:--------------------------1s Best Possible Time Save:-------0s
Current Strategy: Turn both green and yellow to neutral. Then destroy green's town center and all of its villagers to make it resign. At 6.40 in-game-time, blue will resign because green cannot tribute the resources. Setting just green to neutral will get a 6.41 in-game-time and setting green to enemy will get a 6.42 in-game-time. (AOK version only glitch)
Possible Time Saves: None
[section=Pope and Antipope] 3. Pope and Antipope Current WR: -----------------------2m 05s SiFly, Chazzyb17 Current Full Run Best Time:---2m 17s JoeyCapollo Time Save:-------------------------12s Best Possible Time Save:------~2s
Current Strategy: Load the monks into the transport ship along with a knight. While the ship travels to the left most gate of blue, turn all your resources into gold at the market and research Fervor and then Redemption. Let your monks out as close to the gate as you can and immediately send them towards it. Have your knight attack the wall and then run away which should aggro all of blue's units. Once the man-at-arms open the gate send your monks around to the left of blue's base and make their way toward the Wonder. Then have them convert the Wonder and remember to keep your knight alive and running. (AOK version makes Fervor effective while it does nothing on AOC)
Transport drop off at top circle and knight attacking in other circle https://imgur.com/iYA6bJk
Possible Time Saves: Use the patrol command for the monks to walk right behind the Wonder without bunching up and then tell them to convert it. Also, good RNG on the conversion.
[section=The Lombard League] 4. The Lombard League Current WR: -----------------------5m 17s Chazzyb17 Current Full Run Best Time:---6m 28s JoeyCapollo Time Save:-------------------------1m 11s Best Possible Time Save:------~2-3s
Current Strategy: Save the two villagers from the mangonel shot (requires high resolution to be fast enough). Then construct a market with a villager and make four more villagers at the town center. Have the other villagers get a transport and go east toward the fleet. Send that ship and the new ship with villagers to pink's gate (not too close to the bombard tower though). Delete all of the ships except for the villager transport and the onager transport. Start constructing the Wonder with them as soon as possible, getting the necessary resources from the market. Offload the unclaimed villagers ship when there's one villager still being created at the town center. Once the market and other villagers were finished being created send them in ships to the Wonder. Use the empty transports to aggro the castle when you start building. Use one onager to aggro pink away from their base and the other four to protect the wonder.
Villagers you have to save https://imgur.com/XksLXtM
Placement of the Wonder https://imgur.com/ghV37Oy
Possible Time Saves: Use your knights and teutonic knights at the very beginning to run toward orange leading away the attacking troops. If done correctly, this saves your town center and houses allowing you to make more villagers to send to build the Wonder. Also, by using the knights in the transport ship to aggro pink, you can destroy the rest of your units and have the population capacity for more villagers and not have to worry about your Wonder getting destroyed. Within hours of uploading this, Chazzyb17 used this strategy and brought the record down by 25 seconds.
[section=Barbarossa's March] 5. Barbarossa's March Current WR: -----------------------2m 56s Chazzyb17 Current Full Run Best Time:---3m 5s JoeyCapollo Time Save:-------------------------9s Best Possible Time Save:------~5s
Current Strategy: Immediately send your mangonels toward the tree line where they can clear a path. Send your cavalry units and monks through the cleared path. (Recommended to safety save here in a full campaign run) Switch blue to neutral and use the monks to convert a transport ship. Have that transport ship pick up your calvary and make landfall on the other side of the map. Then start the trek toward the castle. Send your scouts ahead right before the wall to trigger the earthquake sooner. Then it's just sending the paladins to the finish.
Possible Time Saves: Good RNG on the transport conversion and quick micro on getting in the ship.
The best tree line to go through https://imgur.com/tKVvVGe
Where the monks should stand to convert https://imgur.com/bae7M8S
The drop off point, also circled on the minimap https://imgur.com/QYgO0yp
[section=The Emperor Sleeping] 6. The Emperor Sleeping Current WR:------------------------2m 47s JoeyCapollo Current Full Run Best Time:---3m 10s JoeyCapollo Time Save:-------------------------23s Best Possible Time Save:------~2s
Current Strategy: Immediately send the trade cart and villagers to the bottom part of yellow's wall underneath their town center. Keep 6 villagers back to build a castle. Have the paladins group next to the villagers and send the pikemen to the outside of the top of yellow's wall. Once the castle is built, research Sappers. Once the villagers are almost in position to attack the wall, switch yellow to neutral and have the pikemen attack the top wall to aggro yellow's units. Then have the villagers attack the wall, there should be 5 of them hitting it at once. After the wall is destroyed, send the villagers to blue's gate where they should immediately start attacking it. Have the paladins and trade cart wait right outside. Make sure there are always villagers attacking every part of the gate. After, the gate is destroyed send the cart to the end and the villagers and paladins are used to tank the towers. Use paladins for the further away towers so they'll get there in time.
The wall to target https://imgur.com/5p1Xj0w
Possible Time Saves: Better micro with the villagers, especially on the gate.
Campaign Current WR:------------------------22m 52s JoeyCapollo Current Sum of WR:--------------19m 41s Current Best Possible WR:-----19m 25s
Well I hope this helps you get started! Just send me a message if you have any questions.
