Ancestors Legacy Saladin's Conquest is a real-time strategy game expansion that adds a new playable faction and a dedicated single-player campaign to the base title. Players take control of Saracen forces in a historical setting focused on the campaigns of Salah ad-Din against Crusader armies in the Levant.
Gameplay
The core loop centers on commanding armies in large-scale battles across desert and fortified environments. Players manage resources, build bases, and deploy units while adapting to terrain and enemy compositions. The Saracen faction introduces specialized units that emphasize ambush tactics and siege capabilities. Hassassins operate as five-man melee squads that can activate camouflage to remain hidden until they close the distance, then deploy explosive traps that detonate after ten seconds and damage structures or troops regardless of allegiance. Grenadiers function as four-man ranged squads that launch explosive projectiles effective against buildings and clustered infantry but remain exposed in close combat. The Scorpion serves as the faction's siege engine with adjusted statistics compared to similar units in other nations.
Campaign missions follow a linear narrative path that recreates key historical events, including the Battle of Hattin and the subsequent advance on Jerusalem. Players direct Saladin alongside generals such as Gökböri and Abdullah through five story-driven scenarios that together deliver more than six hours of content.
Game Modes
The expansion supports the single-player campaign as its primary focus. It also unlocks the Saracen nation for skirmish matches against AI opponents and for online multiplayer sessions. Three additional maps expand the available battlefields for both skirmish and multiplayer play, allowing repeated engagements with the new units and faction mechanics.
Skirmish mode lets players customize starting conditions and test different army compositions on the new maps. Multiplayer integrates the Saracen faction into existing matchmaking and custom lobby systems from the base game.
Campaign Narrative and Historical Context
The story follows Salah ad-Din as he leads the largest army he commanded across the border into the Kingdom of Jerusalem in 1187. Missions progress from open-field engagements to the capture of key strongholds and the siege of Jerusalem itself. The narrative emphasizes defensive actions to protect desert territories while introducing the new units in context-specific scenarios that highlight their strengths.
Is It Worth Playing?
This expansion appeals most to players who already own the base game and enjoy its real-time strategy campaigns. The five-mission story provides a self-contained experience with new units and maps that integrate directly into skirmish and multiplayer options. Reviews from the 2019 release period note that the content delivers solid value for fans seeking additional single-player missions, though the multiplayer additions remain limited to three maps. The game remains available as a paid DLC that requires the original title to run, with no further major updates or seasonal content released since launch. Those interested in historical real-time strategy with a focus on one new faction and a short campaign will find the most direct match here.
