OK, we're at the second mission. Joan has to get to Orleans and help out. First, you wander northwest, through a few bandits, to get to a smaller city and pick up some trade carts. Escort them straight north to the river, where you'll find some boats. Use them to ferry you north across the river, into Orleans. Get into the city and move the carts to the town center. Part 1 is done with a minimum of fuss.

Get the docks making lots of fishing boats, and get your archers into the tower. Stuff each tower full of archers. Defense is your first priority, as they send waves of attackers testing your walls. Build up, build a university as soon as you can and fortify your walls and give your towers murder holes.

You now have to take out a castle. Be sure to protect your town! Make more archers, but keep those towers full, so that the town is safe. Make some horsemen to take out the occasional battering ram and such they send at you. If you send a group west, you can get some farms, stone and gold and such out there that are rarely attacked. If you burn through those mines, there are more due east.

When you have enough resources and armies, start building towers in a line going north. You want that northwest or northeast castle, but they will slay you if you just go attack it. The towers can protect each other, keep moving towards the corner of the walls up there. Don't use the gate! They kill you if you try.

When you hit the corner of whichever castle you're interested in, take down the wall under cover of your tower(s). When you get through, send all your forces at the castle, it should now cave in pretty quickly!

Age of Empires II Walkthrough