Saharan Routes - LOST
Saharan Routes - LOST is a two-player multiplayer special-map variant of Saharan Routes in Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition. Players begin lost in a hostile desert without the resources needed to establish a Town Center. They must preserve their starting Hero, explore for valuable treasures and build a settlement before shifting into the contest for the map’s trade network.
Map variant & availability
The map uses a nomadic opening and makes treasure hunting the route to a functioning economy. Hostile bandits hold the central Trade Route, while two unclaimed perimeter routes can provide an earlier foothold. Berber and Sudanese settlements, along with African Outlaws such as Corsair Marksmen, Desert Archers, Desert Raiders and Desert Warriors, give the desert its own encounter set. The source map’s regular Saharan Routes geography remains the setting, but its normal economic assumptions do not apply to the LOST start.
Trade and treasure rules
Keep the Hero alive and use it to open treasure routes for the starting force; losing the unit that can explore and secure rewards can delay the Town Center and leave the player exposed. Decide whether to establish control through a perimeter route first or challenge the central bandits once the army is ready. Invest in the Trade Route only when the posts can be defended, and balance that fight against the immediate value of remaining treasures. A deck suited to a nomadic, treasure-driven opening is more useful than a conventional crate-based build.
Build the first settlement from a nomadic start
The LOST variant begins without the resources needed for an immediate Town Center. Keep the starting Hero alive and use it to explore for Treasure while the force looks for a safe route to establish a base. The map’s normal economy does not apply until that opening problem is solved; a conventional crate-based order can leave the player without the resources needed to continue.
Choose a perimeter foothold before the guarded center
Bandits hold the central Trade Route, while two perimeter routes begin unclaimed and can provide an earlier foothold. Berber and Sudanese settlements and African outlaws—including Corsair Marksmen, Desert Archers, Desert Raiders and Desert Warriors—create additional neutral choices. Compare the reward and defense cost of a perimeter route with the central bandits, then invest in the post line only when the army can hold it. Treasure collection and base construction compete for the same early force, so sequence them rather than splitting the opening army across every objective.