War Ceremony (scenario)
War Ceremony is an Age of Empires III scenario in Act I: Fire (scenario 1), set in 1775. The player commands Black Family Estate.
Scenario setting & objectives
The required goals are Bring Nathaniel and Ká:nien to the Haudenosaunee village; Task Native Villagers on the Community Plaza; Destroy one enemy Town Center. Optional goals include Gather five Treasures.
Mission approach
Scout the named destination and keep the required hero or escort force safe on the route; clear defenders before moving the mission-critical unit into range. Scout the target and its approach, then preserve enough of the starting army to finish the required assault. Take optional objectives when they add useful allies, routes, resources or reinforcements without putting the primary goal at risk.
The Oneida village and the Haudenosaunee conflict
War Ceremony, titled War Dance before Definitive Edition, is the opening scenario of Act I: Fire in The WarChiefs. In 1775 Nathaniel Black and Ká:nien try to persuade Haudenosaunee nations to avoid choosing sides in the American Revolution. After an opening ambush, the heroes travel to an Oneida village, where the player receives control of the settlement and reinforcements. The primary objectives are to bring both heroes to the village, assign Native Villagers to the Community Plaza and destroy either the Seneca or Mohawk Town Center. Gathering five treasures is a secondary objective worth 250 XP. The opening force begins in the southwest with Nathaniel, Ká:nien, two Aennas and three Tomahawks attacking from several sides. Defeat the ambushers and move the heroes to the nearby Oneida village. The allied Oneida provide ten Tomahawks and four Kanya Horsemen, giving the player a force to choose between the Seneca in the northwest and Mohawk in the northeast. The Seneca train a broader Haudenosaunee army, while the Mohawk field Kanya Horsemen; use the appropriate infantry to protect against cavalry and employ Kanya to strike ranged troops or artillery. The Community Plaza objective introduces the WarChiefs ceremony system. Assign Native Villagers to the Plaza and select the required ceremony to complete the task; those villagers are temporarily not gathering resources while they work. The ceremony can support the army in different ways, and building a navy can help the player dominate the tribes’ separated territories. The map has rivers and plentiful wildlife, with eighteen treasures distributed around the map. Collect the required five while moving between objectives, but do not send the heroes alone into enemy territory. Enemy resistance comes from several Seneca and Mohawk positions. A separate Seneca force occupies parts of the map with Tomahawks, Forest Prowlers, Mantlets and Aennas and can attack through scripted waves. Capture a Town Center only after clearing its defenders; destroying one of the two main enemy Town Centers completes the final objective. The scenario can be completed without developing a full economy or aging up, so use the starting force and Oneida reinforcements efficiently. Naval control and the terrain’s rivers help with movement and pressure, while the enemy’s distributed bases reward scouting. This mission introduces Nathaniel Black as the central protagonist and reunites him with an older Ká:nien, eighteen years after Act II: Ice. Its narrative frames the Haudenosaunee’s difficult position during the Revolution. For gameplay, the key sequence is to survive the ambush, reach Oneida, assign Plaza villagers, gather treasures on safe routes and eliminate either the Seneca or Mohawk Town Center. The mission’s former name and the renamed Haudenosaunee in Definitive Edition should be treated as version labels, while the campaign scenario remains War Ceremony.
Use the reinforcements to choose the final target
Once the Oneida village joins the player, its ten Tomahawks and four Kanya Horsemen provide enough strength to pressure either major enemy settlement. Seneca territory lies northwest and fields a mix of Haudenosaunee units; the Mohawk position lies northeast and relies more heavily on Kanya. Scout both approaches and attack the Town Center whose defenders can be countered by the current army. Kanya Horsemen can pressure ranged units, while Tomahawks provide a sturdy infantry line. Avoid splitting the small force between both settlements, since the final objective needs only one Town Center destroyed. The five-treasure secondary task is easiest when treasures lie along the route from the starting ambush to Oneida and then toward the chosen enemy. Nathaniel and Ká:nien can help with guardians, but avoid taking damage that delays the main push. Assigning Native Villagers to the Community Plaza completes the ceremony objective, though it temporarily diverts them from gathering. After the Plaza task is complete, return villagers to the economy if the mission continues long enough to need additional units.
Do not overbuild before the Town Center attack
The mission can be completed without a full age-up or extensive base construction. Use the village reinforcements and available troops to move quickly, while keeping enough villagers assigned to the Community Plaza to satisfy its objective. A prolonged economic setup gives the Seneca and Mohawk more time to train defenders and allows scripted Seneca groups to continue attacking.
Use the rivers to shorten the route
The map’s river network and coastal access make naval movement useful for reaching enemy territory. Secure a crossing before moving the infantry and avoid leaving the heroes on the opposite bank from their support.
Preserve both heroes until the village meeting
Nathaniel and Ká:nien are required for the first objective. Keep their units together through the opening ambush and move them both into the Oneida village before beginning the final assault.
Introduce Nathaniel and the Community Plaza
The first Act I: Fire scenario, called War Dance before Definitive Edition, introduces Nathaniel Black and an older Ká:nien eighteen years after Act II: Ice. Bring both heroes to the Haudenosaunee village, assign Native Villagers to the Community Plaza and destroy one enemy Town Center. Gathering five Treasures is optional. The Plaza task introduces the campaign’s ceremony system, so assign villagers only after considering which resources the settlement still needs. Keep Nathaniel and Ká:nien together during the route to the village, then protect the Plaza workers while the army approaches the Town Center. The optional Treasures can provide useful support, but the required Town Center objective remains the mission’s final combat goal.