Christopher da Gama’s Expedition
1542 — The Portuguese expedition reaches the Horn of Africa during the Ethiopian–Adal War. Christopher da Gama’s force must link up with Ethiopian allies facing the Adal Sultanate.
Setting & objective
The required goals are Escape the Adal forces and reach the Ethiopians; Help the Ethiopians defeat the Adal Sultanate; Defend the Ethiopians. Optional goals include Drive the Adal forces from the Ethiopian villages to strengthen the Ethiopian army.
How to approach it
Move through the mission in order: escape the Adal forces, reach the Ethiopians, help defeat the Adal Sultanate, then defend the alliance. Driving the Adal from the villages strengthens the Ethiopian army, so take that optional objective before the defense if the route is safe. Keep a reserve for the final phase rather than spending the starting force during the escape.
Historical Battle context and mission setup
Christopher da Gama's Expedition is the second Historical Battle in Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition. Set in 1542 during the Ethiopian–Adal War, it follows the Portuguese force left behind after Christopher da Gama is killed by the Somali Adal army. The mission dramatizes the aftermath of his expedition to Ethiopia and the Portuguese alliance with Queen Sabla Wengel. It begins in the Commerce Age, ends in the Fortress Age, and caps population at 60. The scenario provides no starting resource stock; the force must retreat toward the Ethiopian settlement and then rely on Home City shipments and units gained during the mission. Its primary objectives are to escape the Adal forces and reach the Ethiopians, help defeat the Adal Sultanate, and defend the Ethiopian position.
Starting force and the retreat
The starting Portuguese force is approximately fifteen Pikemen, eight Crossbowmen, and four Organ Guns in the scenario setup. The opening puts the survivors under pursuit, and the enemy force is too strong to defeat in a stand-up fight at that moment. Move the army toward the Ethiopian village to the southwest rather than spending its strength on a doomed engagement. Preserve the Organ Guns and the ranged units as they withdraw; they are valuable once the player has a base and can receive reinforcements. The Outpost near the allied position acts as the Home City shipment point. Once the retreat ends, the mission's economic and military rhythm changes: the player can select shipments, but cannot rely on ordinary unit production from newly built military structures.
Reinforcements, villages, and allied defense
Queen Sabla Wengel's Ethiopian settlement is the force's anchor. Ethiopian warriors, including Shotel Warriors and Spearmen, defend against Somali attacks, while liberated villages can add further allied troops. The optional objective asks the player to drive the Adal forces away from Ethiopian villages so that the Ethiopian army grows stronger. Those villages are tactical objectives as well as settlements on the map: capturing them can improve the allied force available for the coming defense. Do not assume the ally will always hold its base without help; the scenario source warns that Ethiopian units may not be available at the right place when a new wave arrives. Keep Portuguese units close enough to reinforce the threatened approach and use shipments to fill a specific gap rather than scattering the army.
A staged approach to the objectives
The primary goals naturally divide into three phases. First, retreat as a group and reach the Ethiopian position. Second, stabilize the base, inspect the nearby villages, and remove Adal forces from them when the army can do so without exposing the settlement. Third, defend the Ethiopians through the enemy's attacks and push against the remaining Adal force. The early mission restricts production, so every lost starting unit is difficult to replace; focus fire, keep the Organ Guns protected, and avoid pursuing Somali troops beyond support range. Take an optional village when its liberation improves the allied army and does not leave the base unguarded. Once the defense is secure, use the surviving force and Home City reinforcements together to complete the defeat objective.
Unit roles and shipment planning
The mixed Portuguese starting force has a reason to remain together. Pikemen can defend against mounted units that try to reach the Crossbowmen or Organ Guns, while ranged infantry can attack from behind the screen. Organ Guns contribute area fire against clustered opponents but are costly to lose because this scenario does not offer the normal Artillery Foundry or unit-building economy. Use shipments to reinforce the units needed for the next phase, then gather them near the Outpost so the shipment point remains useful. The 60-population limit means a large reinforcement must fit within a restricted army; do not leave population planning until after a card arrives. Rely on the Ethiopian allies and village forces to broaden the line rather than treating the Portuguese starting group as a complete army by itself.
Scenario-specific rules and scope
This page concerns the Definitive Edition Historical Battle, not a standard Portuguese-versus-Somali skirmish. The Portuguese Expeditionary Force and Queen Sabla's Ethiopians are scenario factions, and their starting units and objectives are scripted. The campaign's date and setting draw on the real Portuguese expedition and the Ethiopian–Adal War, but the mission presents a particular fictionalized battle. Standard Home City, production, and age-up assumptions may not apply when the scenario grants only a limited set of buildings or reinforcements. Use the objective panel and the scenario entry for the exact state of each difficulty setting; the historical overview alone does not promise the same opening force on every difficulty.
Difficulty and defensive tempo
Difficulty changes can affect the pressure on the allied base and the time available to recover from the opening retreat. Treat the first safe moment as a chance to regroup, not as permission to divide the Portuguese force immediately. The Ethiopians can provide additional troops, but preserving the starting Organ Guns and keeping shipment access available improves the player's ability to answer later attacks. If an assault stalls, restore the formation near the village and use the next shipment before returning to the objective. The population cap and limited production remain important throughout the mission, so every new unit should reinforce a role the current army lacks.
Escape Adal, assist Ethiopia, then defend the alliance
This Definitive Edition Historical Battle follows the aftermath of Christopher da Gama’s 1542 expedition to Ethiopia during the Ethiopian–Adal War. The player first escapes Adal forces and reaches the Ethiopians, then helps them defeat the Adal Sultanate and defends the Ethiopian position. Driving Adal forces from Ethiopian villages is optional but strengthens the allied army. These phases change the priority from movement to attack and finally to holding ground. Keep a mobile escort with the expedition during the escape, regroup with Ethiopian forces before challenging the Sultanate, and leave defenders near the villages when the objective switches to defense. This is a scripted historical battle with its own starting force and goals, not a normal Hausa or Ethiopian civilization match. The co-op entry describes the same broad sequence with shared player responsibilities.