Last City of the Inca
Last City of the Inca is an Age of Empires III scenario in Act III: Steel (scenario 7), set in 1817. The player commands United States (campaign).
Scenario setting & objectives
The required goals are Gather eight total artillery units into the flagged area before the three Incan Temples are destroyed; Destroy the Boneguard Fort. Optional goals include Destroy the Russian Town Center.
Mission approach
Scout the target and its approach, then preserve enough of the starting army to finish the required assault. Keep Villager production and resource gathering aligned with the stated threshold; assign workers to the nearest safe source and avoid idle time. Take optional objectives when they add useful allies, routes, resources or reinforcements without putting the primary goal at risk.
Protect the temples while building an artillery force
Last City of the Inca is the seventh scenario of Act III: Steel, set in Pacamayo Valley in 1817. Amelia Black and Ká:nien arrive after crossing the Andes and meet Chilche, who asks them to defend the final Inca settlement and its water from the Circle of Ossus. The player begins with a walled Town Center, a Trading Post on a Quechua site, ten Settlers, eight Musketeers, two Black Riders, three Quechua Bolas Warriors and one Quechua Huaminca. Amelia and Ká:nien are the heroes. The player cannot build an Artillery Foundry, so artillery must come through Home City shipments. The primary objectives require bringing eight artillery units into the flagged area before the three Inca Temples are destroyed, then destroying the Boneguard Fort. A secondary objective rewards 700 XP for destroying the Russian Town Center. This makes the mission a timed defense followed by a counterattack: keep the temples alive while artillery accumulates, then use the completed force to break the Circle’s fortifications. The Circle sends Crossbowmen, Boneguard Musketeers, Pikemen, Lancers and Doppelsöldners toward the temples. A separate Russian force from the north sends Poruchiks, Halberdiers, Streltsy, Cossacks, Rekruts and Falconets to block the coast road and harass the base. The Inca ally patrols with Bolas Warriors and Aztec Jaguar Warriors and receives free reinforcements if its numbers fall too low. Protect the temples by responding to enemy approaches early and keeping a mobile group near the threatened route. Research Bastion at the Church to strengthen walls, and construct defensive structures to slow attacks while the Home City artillery arrives. The player’s artillery delivery should be escorted; enemy cavalry can punish isolated guns, while Circle infantry and Russian Falconets threaten the defensive line. The Russian Town Center is a useful optional target because its destruction releases large resource crates. However, do not abandon the temples to pursue it before the eight artillery units are gathered. The Russian base can summon Cossacks, Falconets, Halberdiers and Rodeleros when attacked, so approach with the required force and protect the artillery from cavalry. The Quechua settlement west of the map can provide additional native units to the Russian side, making it important to scout the flank. The scenario map is based on the Andes. Six treasures offer extra resources and support between the player’s base and enemy positions. The intended sequence is to strengthen the base, protect the temples, receive the required artillery, and then destroy the Boneguard Fort. Free Inca reinforcements can support defense, while the Trading Post offers a useful map foothold. Victory depends on both the timed artillery requirement and the final siege; eliminating an enemy base alone does not replace either primary objective.
Hold the central approaches and time the artillery
The eight-artillery condition creates a race against the three temples, so inspect the map and identify the flagged assembly point early. Keep troops on the approaches rather than sending the entire force after the northern Russians. Walls, Bastion research and the Inca ally’s free reinforcement help slow the Circle long enough for Home City deliveries. Since no Artillery Foundry can be built, reserve shipment capacity for the required guns and protect each arrival until it reaches the flag. Do not send artillery into the front line before the count is complete; a lost gun delays the objective and weakens the final siege. After eight pieces are gathered, group them behind the infantry and move toward the Boneguard Fort. The Circle can summon cavalry and Doppelsöldners as its base is attacked, so use Musketeers and mobile units to protect the artillery rather than letting it fire unguarded. The Russian Town Center is optional and can provide valuable resource crates, but an early strike risks drawing defenders away from the temples. Finish the required fort first if the temple timer is low; pursue the Russian reward once the primary defense is secure.
Use allies and shipments to protect the objective
The Inca patrols can absorb part of the pressure and return through scripted reinforcements, but the player still needs to keep a reserve near the temples. Send the artillery shipment as soon as the economy and delivery path can support it, then escort each gun to the objective area. The scenario tests defensive timing first and siege coordination second; avoid spending the initial army on an optional Town Center before the artillery count is secure.
Complete the artillery rally before the final push
Check that all eight artillery units are inside the flagged zone before moving away to attack the Boneguard Fort. Keeping the force together makes the final siege faster and reduces the chance of a separated gun being lost to enemy cavalry.
Gather eight artillery units before the Temples fall
The seventh Act III: Steel scenario is a defense of the last Inca city in the Andes. The player must gather eight artillery units in the flagged area before three Incan Temples are destroyed, then destroy the Boneguard Fort. This creates a race between protecting the Temples and assembling the required siege force. Keep defenders near the Temples while artillery is recruited or brought forward, and move the guns into the marked area as soon as they are safe. The optional Russian Town Center can be attacked after the primary threat is controlled. Amelia and Ká:nien are defending the city against the Circle, so preserve the heroes while splitting defenders and artillery into their distinct roles. Do not send all troops to the Fort before the Temple condition is satisfied.