Challenge: Not Without a Bomb

Let's cut to the chase - this challenge is insanely difficult - outrageously difficult.

In my early AoEO playing career, I can remember the following challenge quests which initially had me stumped:

• Final Farmdown
• Size Matters
• Defence of Arsinoe
• Not Without a Bomb

...and it's this one which takes the cake - top of the pops - no question about it.

Full marks to the developers for showing some humour with the title of the quest.

I became obsessed with this quest, and after at least 10 goes, maybe more, I finally soloed it with only seconds to spare - it was a damn relief!

So that's the first point, it is possible to solo it, but if it finally gets to you, it's also available for co-op, and don't worry, I've helped out some very good players in co-op on this quest over the journey.

The engineer from Mycenae is the quest giver for this challenge.

If you are soloing, you should aim to get out at least 6 rams, probably need 8.

Open the book to find out more.


One good bit of advice:  don't bank on trying to get to Age IV, the time is too tight, and at most, you will have a couple of ballistas, for one minute - not enough time to destroy everything.  Going to Age IV also takes far too many resources away, and diverts the villagers from where you need them  - on wood and gold.

It's a case of sticking to Age III, doing it with rams, and getting your villagers working the food, wood and gold resources as quickly as possible.

While you build and age up, get a trickle of spearmen out as well, collect them in the plain just out of range of the enemy guard towers, these will be useful to defeat the hippikon guards who will try to slow down your rams.

Spearmen are handy to deal with the hippikons, and then use what's left over to attack buildings.

Churning out spearmen also helps you in balancing the use of your food and wood, a smart approach when time is so tight.

As you keep pushing villies out, they can spill out into the plain, and there they can build the siege workshop so that  rams don't have too far to go.  If you have the wood (and that's a big if), you can consider a second siege workshop.

Keep an eye on your houses so that you don't unnecessarily impede your production of rams, you can't afford to lose 20 seconds mucking around.

Once you assemble a few rams and start the attack, make sure you keep up ram production till the end.  Keep producing wood - squeezing in one more ram might make the difference between success and failure.

As for advisers:
Age I:  Lumberjack Thutmose for improved wood gathering; also consider Apprentice Mason Philon for faster building.
Age II:  Trainer Toth - all units cost less food or Infantry Sergeant Herakleides for faster training of infantry.
Age III:  Engineer Ligeia - quicker production of siege units - I reckon this one might be the most important one you can have.

Recommended advisers

Soloing this quest is about efficiency and synchronisation.  Once your familiar with the map (assuming you failed the first couple of times), work out what you need to do and stick to it to the letter.  This quest is a good test of where you are at as a player.

There's no time for think music!

Brawny Polecat