The Great Lakes
The Great Lakes is an Age of Empires III scenario in Act II: Ice (scenario 5), set in 1756. The player commands John Black's Mercenaries.
Scenario setting & objectives
The required goals are Advance to the Fortress Age and build an Artillery Foundry; Destroy the three Boneguard Outposts before Warwick's navy reaches Lake Erie; Destroy Warwick's navy and his Town Center. Optional goals include Avoid losing any of Washington's fleet.
Mission approach
Complete required construction early enough to establish the base or route, then defend the workers and new position. Scout the target and its approach, then preserve enough of the starting army to finish the required assault. Reserve the required Age-up resources while keeping enough workers and defenses to meet the mission’s other goals. Track the explicit survival or deadline condition throughout the mission; optional fighting can wait if it risks that requirement. Take optional objectives when they add useful allies, routes, resources or reinforcements without putting the primary goal at risk.
Scenario opening and deadline
The Great Lakes is the fifth mission of Act II: Ice, set in 1756. John Black, Ká:nien and Nonahkee pursue Warwick while waiting for George Washington’s fleet to arrive. The mission begins in the Commerce Age, and the player starts with a Town Center, Houses, a Mill and twelve Settlers alongside a small military force. The primary objectives form a sequence: advance to the Fortress Age and build an Artillery Foundry, destroy three Boneguard Outposts before Warwick’s navy reaches Lake Erie, then destroy the navy and Warwick’s Town Center. The optional objective is to avoid losing any of Washington’s fleet, which awards 300 experience. The time pressure makes the first objective more than a base-building exercise; the player must gather the age-up resources, complete the Foundry and move against the Outposts before the naval deadline. Keep the starting economy working while building enough defense to resist attacks, then use artillery to support the destruction of the Outposts and later Town Center. Washington’s ships are important, and preserving them requires attention once they join the fight. Do not send the fleet directly into enemy fire while the land force is still unprepared. The mission’s story concerns the pursuit of Warwick and the Boneguard across the Great Lakes, with the heroes leading the campaign force rather than a standard civilization army. Track the deadline and the fleet’s survival condition separately: destroying the required targets completes the mission, while losing Washington’s ships forfeits the optional reward. This scenario’s exact starting force and objectives belong to Act II: Ice and are distinct from a normal Great Lakes random map.
Resource and naval management
The mission’s opening economy needs to fund the Fortress Age while maintaining a defense against the Boneguard. Keep the Mill and Town Center operating, use the initial force to scout without exposing it, and avoid spending so much Wood on optional buildings that the Artillery Foundry is delayed. The deadline for destroying the three Outposts is tied to Warwick’s navy reaching Lake Erie; prioritize those targets once the age-up and Foundry requirements are secured. Washington’s fleet can help control the water, but the optional objective makes it important to preserve the ships rather than trade them for a small advantage. Use the heroes and land army to clear threats around the objectives, and let the fleet support the push when it can attack safely. Once the Outposts are gone, regroup for the final attack on the navy and Town Center. This sequence prevents optional combat from consuming the time needed to finish the primary goals.
Completing the naval assault
After the Outposts fall, shift from the deadline phase to the final objective and regroup the land force with Washington’s fleet. Warwick’s Town Center is the required target alongside the navy, so do not stop after winning a naval engagement. Keep the Foundry’s artillery protected and use it where it can contribute safely. If the optional fleet objective is still intact, avoid sending damaged ships into unnecessary fire while the ground army clears the shoreline.
Race the Boneguard navy to Lake Erie
The fifth Act II: Ice scenario requires a Fortress Age advance and an Artillery Foundry, destruction of three Boneguard Outposts before Warwick’s navy reaches Lake Erie, and then destruction of the navy and Town Center. The optional fleet condition asks the player not to lose any of Washington’s ships. These tasks create a clear timing: age up and establish artillery production while the land force clears Outposts, then move the fleet to meet the enemy navy. Keep Washington’s ships together and away from a fight they cannot win; preserve them for the later naval engagement. John Black, Ká:nien and Nonahkee work with the fleet to attack Boneguard bases, so coordinate land and sea forces rather than sending them on separate routes. The Outposts are time-critical because Warwick’s navy advances, while the Town Center is a later objective after naval control is secured.