The Fountain of Youth?
The Fountain of Youth? is an Age of Empires III scenario in Act I: Blood (scenario 8), set in 1566. The player commands Knights of St. John.
Scenario setting & objectives
The required goals are Destroy the Fountain of Youth; Kill the guards near the Fixed Gun. Optional goals include Destroy the Circle's base to the east of the Fixed Gun; Build a Trading Post at the Native village.
Mission approach
Secure the lake and defeat the guards near the Fixed Gun before committing Mortars to the Fountain of Youth. Keep the siege force protected while it attacks the required target. The eastern Circle base and Native Trading Post are optional; take them when the route is safe, but do not let either delay the Fountain assault.
Hold the lake and bring mortars to the objective
The Fountain of Youth? is the eighth scenario of Act I: Blood. Morgan Black, Elisabet Ramsey and Sahin reach the Lake of the Moon after the betrayal by Alain Magnan. The player starts in the Fortress Age with 2,200 Food, 1,400 Wood and 1,800 Coin, a 200 population limit, three heroes, eleven Veteran Hussars, three Barbary Corsairs, five Guard Janissaries, one Quechua Huaminca and three Fire Ships. The main goals are to destroy the Fountain of Youth and kill the guards near the Fixed Gun. The optional objectives are to destroy the Circle’s eastern base for experience and build a Trading Post at the Seminole village for another reward. The Fixed Gun beside the starting position is the key to the early defense. Clear its guards with the starting army and take control before enemy waves can reclaim it. The weapon fires slowly, so use manual targeting against ships or especially dangerous groups instead of expecting it to track every attack efficiently. Establish a base, protect Settlers and Caravels, and maintain a land force while Circle of Ossus attacks from both the north and across the lake. The player has enough starting resources to add Galleons; a protected navy helps prevent the enemy fleet from isolating the shore and the workers. The Circle has a strong northern base and a less fortified eastern position. The secondary base can be bombarded with Mortars, and clearing it gives the optional reward, but military buildings destroyed in the main base do not permanently stop the scenario’s scripted reinforcements. Do not assume that removing ordinary production will end the waves. Build the economy and army to withstand recurring attacks, and use the Fixed Gun and navy to protect the water while Mortars advance on the eastern objective. To finish efficiently, first secure the Fixed Gun, then build several Mortars and escort them to the small island east of the Fountain. Clear a route and use the Fixed Gun, ships and ground army to keep the landing safe. From that island the Mortars can target the Fountain; they deal heavy siege damage and can end the scenario once the required guards have also been defeated. The Fixed Gun does not automatically fire on the Fountain even when it is in range, so select the objective manually. Keep the Mortars protected from enemy ships and ground assaults until the structure falls. The map is based on Bayou and offers huntable Tapirs, fishing and nine treasures, including several near the Seminole village. A Trading Post there is optional, as are the eastern base and treasure detours; take them only when they do not weaken the defense. The victory condition is the Fountain, not the destruction of every Circle building. Keep the main force near the lake approaches, replace losses and avoid sending the heroes alone into repeated enemy waves. This mission tests whether the player can maintain control of an unusually powerful static weapon while using ordinary production and a deliberate mortar landing to reach the actual objective.
A practical order for the mission
A reliable sequence is to capture the Fixed Gun first, establish a protected base second, and begin the final Mortar landing only after the army and navy can cover it. Keep a land group near the Settlers and the likely western approaches while the ships guard the water. The fixed weapon is slow, so use its manual attack when a dangerous target enters range and let mobile units handle small raiding parties. Build Galleons and produce Mortars as resources allow; Fire Ships can be useful for a short naval strike, but the campaign’s repeated attacks reward a defense that can stay on the map. If the eastern Circle base is within reach, destroy it for the optional experience after the main line is stable. The Seminole Trading Post is another optional reward and is safest when the route can be held. For the final strike, clear the island east of the Fountain, load or escort the Mortars to it, and target the structure manually. Keep the navy between the Circle fleet and the landing, and leave enough troops to prevent the Fixed Gun from being retaken. These priorities protect the force that actually completes the scenario while avoiding unnecessary attempts to eliminate every scripted enemy spawn.
Break the Circle’s hold on the lake
The eighth Act I: Blood scenario follows Morgan, Sahin and Lizzie as they catch up with Alain Magnan at the Lake of the Moon. The primary objectives are to destroy the Fountain of Youth and kill the guards near the Fixed Gun. The Circle’s eastern base and a Trading Post at the Native village are optional. Clear the gun position before bringing the heroes into range, then keep the main force together for the Fountain objective. The optional base can be removed to reduce pressure from that side, while the Native Trading Post may provide useful map access. Decide whether those detours are worth the time before splitting the army. Keep Morgan and the other heroes alive through the final assault; the mission’s story advances the Circle of Ossus conflict and the fountain itself is the central target.