If Frontier Camp seems familiar, that’s because it was where you conducted one of your very first sieges. Now the once-intimidating outpost stands before you as the first Seige map across which AI warlords can be conscripted to fight. Under the rules of this new encounter, the matchmaking system will always select waiting players, but if there aren’t enough - during off-peak hours - bots will be drafted in to ensure that neither army is lacking.
HISTORY
Built on the site of an ancient hillfort, Frontier Camp has expanded from being a few tents surrounded by palisades into a veritable fortress. Its defences have grown in direct proportion to how much the local forests have receded, as local woodsmen have been pressganged into felling trees to reinforce the battlements. Despite taking pride in their work, however, the unwilling locals have developed no loyalty towards their taskmasters and have built battering rams for attacking armies to use - often leaving one outside the main gate on the morning of a siege.
SCOUTING REPORT
Frontier Camp is situated atop a hill with commanding views across a busy valley, a perfect location from which to police hostile territory. The settlement itself is encircled by wooden battlements, with two gates allowing access to two control points which converge on a third. Despite the perimeter being protected by wooden staves, the outer wall is low and easily breached by ladders. Thankfully for the defenders, there are no siege towers to protect an assault and only a single ram with which to bring down the main gate.
PLAN OF ATTACK
- Unless you’re a warlord with devastating ranged abilities, don’t bother with the towers that circle the camp: Ranged troops are not able to utilise them and you’ll be wasting your time trying to station troops at the top of them.
- Time is short and you need to take a control point quickly, so while you are ordering your troops to break through the main gate, make sure you are assaulting the camp via siege ladders along as wide a front as possible. The defenders will likely congregate around point A, so focus some of your team’s effort on point B - the ladders either side of the secondary gate are rarely well defended.
- You need to take A or B (not both) to be allowed to take point C, but if the timer is against you you’ll need to secure both control zones to buy yourself more time. Taking A and B in quick succession will certainly send a message to the enemy and tell them you mean business. Don’t remain static - there’s no time to lose and everything to gain!
- The path from A to C is straight and open, which makes it tempting to try and bludgeon your way through to victory. However, the defenders have two advantages - height and a perfectly placed reinforcement point to put more troops in your way. Instead, try to attack from the left or right - preferably both. Surprising and surrounding the defenders will surely win you the battle
DEFENSIVE MEASURES
- The closeness of the enemy and ease with which they can breach the walls make stationing ranged units on the battlements risky. Instead, have them ranged to attack any enemy that scales the walls. The layout of the camp means that one unit can cover a wide arc, if placed correctly.
- It’s inevitable that point A or B will fall quickly, which can force a hasty retreat to defend point C. However, the wide pathways and high ground allow you to perform devastating counter-attacks, especially with fast-moving cavalry if you can manoeuvre them to attack the enemy’s rear.
- Frontier Camp is a simple map, but it’s easy to become drawn into a simple battle of numbers as two massed armies slog it out on the slopes leading to Point C. While you should have the advantage where numbers are even, be wary of being outflanked. Similarly, if the enemy seems entirely focused on moving the front line from behind, be sure to remind them that it can easily be tilted from the side.
