Pompeius Magnus

Prerequisite: Complete Main Quest: The Scarab’s Lies

Suggested Level: 12

REWARDS: NA

Unlocks: Main Quest: Ambush at Sea

Details: Aya and Phoxidas sail the Aegean Sea to rendezvous with Pompey the Great in a bid to ally him with Cleopatra’s cause. A great naval battle ensues against rival forces.

Sail to the Aegean Coast

Aegean Sea

Aya and Phoxidas sail the Aegean Sea to rendezvous with Pompey Magnus and offer him gold, in a bid to ally him to Cleopatra’s cause. But Ptolemy has other ideas, sending waves of ships against them. Phoxidas and Aya beat back the attacks.

Watch the on-screen prompts closely for the controls needed to navigate and achieve battle speed. Sail toward the marker in the south. Navigate around large rocks in the sea and then you’ll be introduced to the Triple Arrow Volley. Give it a try before you are facing enemy ships. Shoot a volley of arrows into the water and play with the arrow aiming arc while maintaining the ship’s speed and the direction.

Sink the Ptolemy Fleet

Bracing for Impact

You spot and engage with an enemy ship in similar size to your own at 142 meters from the destination marker. The enemy ship quickly fires at you; at that moment you are introduced to bracing for an attack. You brace when arrows are flying toward you or when an enemy ship is about to ram your own. If you release the brace command immediately after the enemy arrows hit your crew’s raised shields, then an automatic bonus return fire occurs. The return fire is also automatically aimed back at the enemy ship.

Destroying Ships

Aim your arrow arc so that it touches the enemy ship’s weak points, which appear as glowing sections across the sides of enemy ships. Hitting ships in other areas (even the sails) does damage, but repeatedly hitting these weak points sinks a ship more quickly. Your aiming arc turns red when you have successfully aimed at a weak spot. That’s when you send the triple arrow volley repeatedly. The enemies’ health appears next to the ship. Drain it and it sinks.

Ramming Ships

After sinking the first ship, turn north to find two more, some distance away. You can use ramming acceleration to get there more quickly. Get into a position where you are sailing by them side by side. You need to avoid being in front of an enemy ship where they can ram you. If a ship heads for the side of your ship, use ram speed to get out of the way; if it’s already too close, brace for impact.

Alternatively, if you position your ship to head directly for the side of an enemy ship, then engage ram speed and plow into the ship’s side to inflict your ultimate damage capability. Finishing an enemy ship with a ram move reduces weapon reload times.

Meet Pompey the Great in the Aegean Coast

After destroying three enemy ships, your next objective marker appears in the distant west. Use ramming speed to get there more quickly. When you reach the west marker, another appears to the south some 1,700 meters away. This marks Pompey’s location. Use ramming speed to reach his ship. At about 400 meters away, you clearly see Pompey battling three enemy ships.

Defend Pompey’s Octareme

Now Pompey’s ship’s health appears in the screen’s top left corner. You must help defend his ship. You fail if that health gauge drains. Head south to get beside the enemy ships and attempt a ram while they’re aiming at and focused on Pompey’s ship—for the time being. A successful ram to a healthy ship can drain more than half its health with one hit. Quickly send firebombs and arrows to finish it off before it can execute a counterattack.

Circle single ships to attack the weak spots on both sides of the ship. And the most important thing: keep moving. If you stop, you’re a sitting duck. Destroy the four enemy ships to be victorious. After you win the battle, sail toward Pompey’s ship.

During the closing cinematic, Pompey the Great asks why a mercenary ship came to his aid. Aya tells him that Cleopatra sent her and offers friendship and gold for his alliance and to call Caesar her king. He agrees to the offer and says his fleet will be ready for Egypt.