Early Offense
Early Offense is the seventh The Art of War scenario and uses the Germans to practice an early attack against Villagers. It measures whether the player can locate and pressure the enemy economy while still using Home City shipments and production effectively.
Scenario setting & objectives
The required goal is to kill eight enemy Villagers. Optional objectives are to send a Home City shipment, create at least three additional Settlers and train five military units. Use the initial force and German shipment timing to locate exposed workers, while keeping enough units together to survive the Town Center and defenders.
Mission approach
Focus on reaching the eight Villager kills without losing the army to a direct Town Center fight. Take the optional economy and shipment tasks when they can be completed alongside the attack; do not let them delay the pressure so long that the opponent walls off or reinforces the target. Repeat the scenario to improve the order of scouting and engagement.
Villager pressure and optional tasks
Early Offense is the seventh Art of War scenario and places the player as Germany. The required objective is to kill eight enemy Villagers; optional objectives are to send a Home City shipment, create at least three additional Settlers and train five military units. The lesson tests whether the player can apply early pressure while still using the systems that support a growing army. Scout for workers away from the Town Center, then attack in a group so the German force does not feed units into defenders one at a time. Town Center fire makes a direct dive expensive and can jeopardize the objective, so target exposed workers and withdraw when the enemy gathers. Optional economy and shipment tasks are useful practice, but they should be planned around the attack instead of delaying it until the opponent has reinforced. Use the objective tracker to count Villager kills and confirm each optional condition. The lesson rewards coordinated timing: keep production going, use the shipment when ready and maintain enough army strength to continue applying pressure.
Balancing pressure and production
The German force should attack as a coordinated group rather than as isolated units, while the Home City shipment and optional training objectives continue in the background. Keep an eye on the enemy Town Center’s range and use scouting to locate workers who are gathering away from protection. The objective is a specific number of Villager kills, not the destruction of the settlement, so withdraw after securing the required target instead of taking avoidable losses. Optional Settler production can help the post-scenario economy but should not consume the force needed for the attack.
Completing the lesson efficiently
A clean completion does not require destroying the enemy Town Center. Track the eight Villager kills and optional goals separately, then stop risking units once the required kill count is met. The mission is designed to teach early pressure while maintaining production.
Complete the opening pressure goals without stalling growth
Early Offense tests an attack on eight enemy Villagers while tracking three optional development tasks: send a Home City shipment, create at least three more Settlers and train five military units. The strongest route combines these goals rather than treating them as separate chores. Keep worker production running, send the first shipment when its Experience threshold arrives and use a small military group to pressure exposed workers. Avoid losing the raiding force to the Town Center; the primary goal is Villager kills, not a base siege. Train enough units to meet the side objective while preserving resources for further Villagers. Scout for a safe approach and retreat when defenders arrive. This scenario is an early-game test of balancing economy, shipment timing and pressure, so a successful attack should not leave the player unable to continue producing.