this faq is copyright 2000-2001 Joseph Christopher
* WHO'S BETTER? NA-KRUL OR DIABLO? PLS EMAIL ME YOUR ANSWER AND GIVE
AT LEAST ONE REASON WHY, OK? SEE MY LAST SECTION FOR THE RESULTS...
I didn't believe there will come a time when I'll have to write something
like this just to remind some people of what they all should be knowing
by heart :( Anyway, here goes...
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* This society does not care if you're the dumbest vegetable on earth,
if you do something wrong, someone will make you pay the price! ;)
* Diablo has been out for a long time now. But since the sequel ain't
out yet, and since, upon playing on battle.net I noticed that there
still are beginners to the game, I decided to write this faq. Hellfire,
the expansion to Diablo is a great game that, although involves a lot
of fighting, requires less fighting skill compared to the conventional
arcade fighting games. Rather, it is more of knowing your own abilities,
comparing them with the opponents', and deciding to back out or not
from a fight or to ask for help. It's quite complicated, but once you
learn to like the basics the rest will simply follow.
Why read this guide:
I. Commands
II. Definitions
III. Town
IV. Labyrinth
V. Quests
VI. Basic Items
VII. Special Names
VIII. Unique Items
IX. Other Items
X. Spells
XI. Shrines
XII. Unique Creatures
XIII. Books
XIV. Journals on Na-krul
XV. Ending
XVI. Credits
XVII. Revision History
XVIII. Final Words
XIX. Na-krul vs. Diablo poll
Simply put, Hellfire is a point-and-click game. Click on items and
you'll pick them up; click on friends and you'll talk to them; click on
enemies and you'll kill them. Right clicking causes you to cast your spell
and nothing else. You can, however, make use of the keyboard since the
game utilizes hot keys as well. These hotkeys are stated on your "message
bar" (that black rectangle at the bottom of the screen) as you point on
something that can be clicked.
One exception would be the shift key. Holding this while attacking
will cause your player to refrain from walking while you attack. Normally,
your player will move toward the enemy and strike---not so when you hold
the shift key. It's very useful if you're using arrows so you won't have
to get close before you fire.
1. Character Classes:
a. Warrior - your typical knight in shining armor---only he doesn't
have a shining armor yet. You'll have to either fight for
it or raise the money to buy it. Good at swords as well
as axes and other heavy weapons.
b. Rogue - every game that allows you to select from different players
must include a female, otherwise its creators will be called
sexists. Good only at bows, but very good at that.
c. Sorceror- you're dealing with the supernatural, so what else do you
expect? A magician, of course! Good only at staves, but
as good at that as a rogue is with her bows.
d. Monk - another magician? Not quite. Another warrior or maybe
a bow user then? Not quite either. The monk is the most
balanced character class and is therefore a great choice
for beginners. I did not say he isn't for the experts
though. The monk is the second best in every aspect of
the game which means that even if he does not have any
ability that outranks the rest, he doesn't have any
qualities that are outranked BY the rest either!
2. In game buttons:
a. Char - Character Stats; displays your name, class, level, experience,
and other things about your player
b. Quests - displays a menu of all the quests that are known to you
at present. If you click on any of these quests, a replay
of what any person or book told you about this quest will
be presented to you
c. Map - Automap; displays what part of the current level you are
in have you already passed through and where you are in
the map right now
d. Menu - click this if you want to save, load, quit, and stuff like
that
e. Inv - Inventory; displays the items you have and where you have
put them
f. Spells - displays what spells you can do, their damage, and casting
cost. If the icon of the spell you're looking at is white,
that spell isn't available for the moment
3. Character Stats:
The box on the upper-left most contains your name, and your class
is next to it. Your level determines how well you will fare against
different monsters. Max level: 50. Experience is basically the number
of points you have gather via slaughtering numerous demons. A certain
number of experience points, stated in the Next Level box, is your goal
to raise your level by one. Here's a table:
Everytime your level is raised by one, you gain five stat points
which you should distribute wisely among your strength, magic, dexterity,
and vitality. Just click on the red button that appears to distribute
when possible. The numbers under Base tell you how high that specific
stat really is, while those under Now tell how high that specific stat
is when under the influence of the different magical weapons and items
in the game.
Ok, on to the other parts. The life box explains in numbers
what the red liquid explains in amount---how much more damage can you'
take without dying. The same goes with mana, which is the amount of
"magic" you can use to pay for a spell's casting cost. Gold and Damage
are self-explanatory, while armor class is your chance of evading an
enemy's attack and To Hit is your chance of landing a hit everytime
you attack. The Resist to boxes tell you how much damage from a said
form of attack can you be invulnerable to.
4. Belt:
The small boxes just above your "message bar" is your belt. They
pretty much work just like your inventory, but they cannot be hidden,
cannot hold gold coins, rings, amulets, and everything larger, and can
be accessed quickly by pressing the number corresponding to the box
whose item you'd like to use.
This is where you're at whenever you start from scratch. You are
in front of a house, the back of which is where half the town's population
is gathered. Yes, there are four is already half of them. Sorry, but this
town is rather low on inhabitants. Here's the cast:
Ogden the Tavern Owner - he's not much use, except for the fact that
you'll get info on some of the game's quests
from him
Griswald the Blacksmith - the main man of the town, this guy is especially
useful warriors and rogues because it is he
trades weapons of interest to them. You can
also ask him to repair your damaged items,
but of course nothing is for free nowadays.
Be careful when choosing something to buy.
If you decide to re-sell it, he will only
pay you one-fourth the original price.
Cain the Elder - his main use is the identification of unidentified
items (of course, what else?) but even that has a
cost---100 gold to be exact. Quite worth it since
you got a 99.99% chance of increasing the value of
your item by more than a hundred once it is identified.
Not to mention take advantage of its special abilities.
Pepin the Healer - this guy's the ONLY one who'd serve you for free!
Talk to him and you're healed instantly! He also
sells items that heal, but won't buy anything from
you.
Gillian the Barmaid - a little further from the center with Ogden as
the nearest neighbor, this lass does not have
a single dam use in the whole game! Rather not
talk to her.
Wirt the Peg-legged - doesn't the barmaid's position tell there's more
to be seen in the town? You're right. Go beyond
her and eventually you'll find this boy in the
upper-left part of the town. He's just like Griswald,
except for three things: he doesn't buy, doesn't
repair, and sells only one item at the time. He
doesn't even show you what he's selling if you
don't pay him 50 bucks.
Adria the Witch - you explored the left part of the town, but how about
the right? Only one person resides there, the witch.
She's especially useful to sorcerors, but since she
buys or sells almost everything Griswald doesn't,
she's quite an all-around useful gal too. As the
blacksmith repairs weapons, so can she recharge staves.
And again, not without a "reasonable" fee.
Farnham the Drunk - I forgot about this guy, but then again maybe I
should have. Just as useless as the barmaid is,
this guy (I know you don't care already but) is
found just beside the house you started from.
Lester the Farmer - This new addition to the town's cast is found
only in Hellfire. He triggers quite a series of
quests, all unnecessary to defeat Diablo, yet all
yield tons of gold, items, and experience points.
Another feature of this town is its links to the labyrinth below.
There are a total of four links, one of which is the chapel located in
the north. The other three are not accessible when you start from scratch
because they can only be opened from the other side which is down there.
In Hellfire, there are to additional links from the town, namely
to the Hive where numerous giant bugs reside, and the Crypt, a place
the undead call "home". There is only one link from the town to these
two places which means you'll have to town portal yourself out of it
when you're through.
Nothing much can be said about the labyrinth as it is randomly
generated by software. The only pattern I can observe is the fact that
the level's ambience changes dramatically every after four floors. The
type of monster you will battle also changes in accordance with this
pattern. For levels 1-4, you are in the dungeon level of the chapel,
surrounded by skeletons, zombies, and goblins. Move on to levels 5-8 and
you'll find yourself in the catacombs battling your way through hundreds
of goatmen, bats, and dogs. Levels 9-12 puts you in a cave with lotsa lava
and a multitude of rhinomen, gargoyles and storm demons. The final four
levels are expectedly in hell itself. It's a different interpretation
of hell, as it is not burning, just filled with dead bodies and lotsa
blood. Here, you face witches, mages, and dark knights (no, not batmans)
There will always be exceptions to the rule of distribution of monsters,
as Blizzard tries to stick to the randomness of the game.
As I have mentioned above, the labyrinth has links to the town
above and are opened only from the inside. These links also follow the
same four-level pattern. Levels 1,5,9, and 13 will always have a link
to the town, though there's no telling where it is in the vast area.
Even the quests in Diablo have a somewhat random quality. There
is only one set of quests the computer has in store, but you'll get to
be assigned only about two-thirds of it. You'll have to beat the game
over and over before you finally are sure you've successfully witnessed
all there is to the game's quests. Don't worry, whatever you've achieved
in previous battles (i.e. items, gold, experience) you'll carry on to
your next game even if you start all over---pretty cool. Below is a list
of quests and how to predict which you'll be assigned to.
* tonsfolk's comments: found after each quest is activated and before
they are completed by talking to who else but the
townsfolk!
DUNGEON QUESTS A (you'll get to solve one of these)
King Leoric
You start the game and look at the fountain beside Cain. If there's
nothing wrong with it then you're sure you won't have to go through
the Poisoned Water Supply quest. Instead you'll face King Leoric. Ogden
the Tavern Owner will tell you about him. He's one tough guy he doesn't
even need buldging muscles to give you a hard time. In fact, he doesn't
have any muscles at all...he's all bones! He's got a big sword, which,
unfortunately, you can't acquire after defeating him. He also has the
ability to raise his minions from the dead so keep him away from them
to avoid unnecessary obstacles. He's best dealt with using your Holy Bolt
Spell.(refer to spells section) He'll give you his crown when he finally
rests in peace, the "UNDEAD CROWN" It's a unique item.
*townsfolk's comments:
Odgen - As I told you, good master, the king was entombed three levels
below. He's down there, waiting in the putrid darkness for
his chance to destroy this land...
Griswold - I made many of the weapons and most of the armor that King
Leoric used to outfit his knights. I even crafted a huge
two-handed sword of the finest mithril for him, as well
as a field crown to match. I still cannot believe how he
died, but it must have been some sinister force that drove
him insane!
Cain - Ahh, the story of our king, is it? The tragic fall of Leoric
was a harsh blow to this land. The people always loved the king,
and now they live in mortal fear of him. The question that I
keep asking myself is how he could have fallen so far from the
light, as Leoric had always been the holiest of men. Only the
vilest powers of hell could so utterly destroy a man from within...
Pepin - The loss of his son was too much for King Leoric. I did what
I could to ease his madness, but in the end it overcame him.
A black curse has hung over this kingdom from that day forward,
but perhaps if you were to free his spirit from his earthly
prison, the curse would be lifted...
Gillian - I don't like to think about how the king died. I like to
remember him for the kind and just ruler that he was. His
death was so sad and seemed very wrong, somehow.
Wirt - Look, I'm running a business here. I don't sell information,
and I don't care about some king that's been dead longer than
I've been alive. If you need something to use against this king
of the undead, then I can help you out...
Adria - The dead who walk among the living follow the cursed king.
He holds the power to raise yet more warriors for an ever
growing army of the undead. If you do not stop his reign, he
will surely march across this land and slay all who still live
here.
Farnham - I don't care about that. Listen, no skeleton is gonna be
my king. Leoric is king. King, so you hear me? Hail to the
king!
Poisoned Water Supply
If notice the fountain's color is yellowish, then you'll know
that the passageway towards the King is nowhere to be found and in its
place is a crack leading to the underground the water from which springs
to the town. It's Pepin who informs you of this quest, and also he who
rewards you for it---with a "RING OF TRUTH", another unique item. All
you have to do is rid the place of monstrosities and move on.
*townsfolk's comments:
Odgen - I have always tried to keep a large supply of foodstuffs and
drink in our storage cellar, but with the entire town having
no source of fresh water, even our stores will soon run dry.
Please, do what you can or I don't know what we will do.
Griswold - Pepin has told you the truth. We will need fresh water badly,
and soon. I have tried to clear one of the smaller wells,
but it reeks of stagnant filth. It must be getting clogged
at the source.
Cain - Hmm, I don't know what I can really tell you about this that
will be of any help. The water that fills our wells comes from
an underground spring. I have heard of a tunnel that leads to
a great lake---perhaps they are one and the same. Unfortunately,
I do not know what would cause our water supply to be tainted.
Pepin - Please, you must hurry. Every hour that passes brings us closer
to having no water to drink. We cannot survive for long without
your help.
Gillian - My grandmother is very weak, and Garda says that we cannot
drink the water from the wells. Please, can you do something
to help us?
Wirt - For once, I'm with you. My business runs dry---so to speak---
if I have no market to sell to. You better find out what is going
on, and soon!
Adria - The people of Tristram will die if you cannot restore fresh
water to their wells. Know this---demons are at the heart of
this matter, but they remain ignorant of what they have spawned.
Farnham - You drink water?
DUNGEON QUESTS B (you'll get to solve two of these)
The Butcher
There's supposed to be a wounded townsman outside the chapel, and
he's the one who's gonna tell you about the genocidal maniac known only
as the Butcher. Otherwise, you'll be quite sure you'll get to solve the
remaining two quests of the dungeon. The Butcher carries with him a giant
axe---cleaver as you may call it, and this time you can pick it up after
he falls. It's a cool weapon but only until the 7th or 8th level. By
that time you should already have sold it for something else. How to
kill him without suffering a single cut? First, get yourself a bow.
Then show yourself to him and he'll chase you. Go into a room that has
bars for a wall and close the door. Dam demon is too dumb to know how
to open doors so you'll be fine. The arrows will go through the bars
and hit him. You have to be patient for he does not easily yield to
beginners. By the way, his unique weapon is, quite dumbly, named, "The
BUTCHER'S CLEAVER"
*wounded townsman's last words: (I'm justing writing this from memory
so forgive any errors)
Please, listen to me. The Archbishop Lazarus, he led us the down there
to find the lost prince...bastard led us into a trap. Now everyone
is dead---killed by a demon he called the Butcher. Avenge us! Find
this Butcher and slay him, so that our souls may finally rest...
*townsfolk's comments:
Odgen - Yes, Farnham has mumbled something about a hulking brute who
wielded a fierce weapon. I believe he called him a butcher.
Griswold - I saw what Farnham calls the Butcher as it swathed a path
through the bodies of my friends. He swung a cleaver as
large as an axe, hewing limbs and cutting down brave men
where they stood. I was separated from the fray by a host
of small screeching demons and somehow found the stairway
leading out. I never saw that hideous beast again, but his
blood-stained visage haunts me to this day.
Cain - It seems that the Archbishop Lazarus goaded many of the townsmen
into venturing into the labyrinth to find the king's missing
son. He played upon their fears and whipped them into a frenzied
mob. None of them were prepared for what lay within the cold
earth...Lazarus abandoned them down there---left in the clutches
of unspeakable horrors---to die.
Pepin - By the light, I know of this vile demon. There were many that
bore the scars of his wrath upon their bodies when the few
survivors of the charge led by Lazarus crawled from the cathedral.
I don't know what he used to slice open his victims, but it
could not have been of this world. It left wounds festering
with disease and even I found them almost impossible to treat.
Beware if you plan to battle this fiend...
Gillian - When Farnham said something about a Butcher killing people,
I immediately discounted it. But since you brought it up,
maybe it is true.
Wirt - I know more than you'd think about that grisly fiend. His little
friends got a hold of me and managed to get my leg before Griswold
pulled me out of that hole. I'll put it bluntly---kill him before
he kills you and adds your corpse to his collection.
Adria - The Butcher is a sadistic creature that delights in the torture
and pain of others. You have seen his handiwork in the drunkard
Farnham. His destruction will do much to ensure the safety of
this village.
Farnham - Big! Big cleaver killing all my friends. Couldn't stop him,
had to run away, couldn't save them. Trapped in a room with
so many bodies...so many friends...nooooo!
Ogden's Sign
Just before you go down to the 5th level, you notice there are
no entrances to the room that contains the stairway. You try the adjacent
room and find a single goblin named Snotspill standing in front of you
He can trigger this quest, but so can Ogden if you talk to him first.
Anyway, Snotspill tells you to beat the crap out of the monsters in the
other adjacent room, get Ogden's sign, and bring it to him, or else...
Does that sound much of a threat? Not really. What you do is kill the
monsters, get the sign, and bring it back to Ogden. At first he'll hurt
your feelings by saying he didn't need the sign anymore, but then he
gives you a unique helm for your effort, the "HARLEQUIN CREST" Quite
useless, though, and should only be sold to get its worth. When you
get back to Snotspill, the walls guarding the stairway have already been
lowered, and replacing them are a multitude of goblins. Just stay where
you are when you first saw him (the doorway) and you're ready to take
them all on! (one by one, that is)
*townsfolk's comments:
Griswold - Demons stole Odgen's sign, you say? That doesn't sound much
like the atrocities I've heard of---or seen! Demons are
concerned with ripping out your heart, not your signpost.
Cain - I see that this strange behaviour puzzles you as well. I would
surmise that since many demons fear the light of the sun and
believe that it holds great power, it may be that the rising
sun depicted on the sign you speak of has led them to believe
that it too holds some arcane powers. Hmmm...perhaps they are
not all as smart as we had feared...
Pepin - My goodness, demons running about the village at night, pillaging
our homes---is nothing sacred? I hope that Odgen and Garda are
all right. I suppose that they would come to see me if they
were hurt.
Gillian - Oh my! Is that where the sign went? My grandmother and I must
have slept right through the whole thing. Thank the light
that those monsters didn't attack the inn.
Wirt - What...is he saying I took that? I suppose that Griswold is on
his side, too. Look, I got over simple sign stealing months ago.
You can't turn a profit on a piece of wood.
Adria - No mortal can truly understand the mind of the demon. Never
let their erratic actions confuse you, as that too may be their
plan.
Farnham - You know what I think? Somebody took that sign, and they gonna
want lots of money for it. If I was Odgen...and I'm not, but
if I was...I'd just buy a new sign with some pretty drawing
on it. Maybe a nice mug of ale or a piece of cheese.
Gharbad the Weak
You notice this odd-colored goatman who isn't supposed to be around
yet since you're only in the dungeons. He won't attack and you can't
kill him, yet. Talk to him and he'll say, "Please don't kill me, I will
prove to be useful to you." (I already translated that to formal English)
Walk away and turn in a corner to make sure he doesn't see you. Walk
back and talk to him the second time. He'll give you a weapon and make
the same plea. Do this several times. Sometimes, you'll get a weapon,
sometimes, you won't. Finally, he creates a weapon that he thinks is
too powerful for you so he decides to use it for himself---against YOU!
As his name suggests, he IS weak. You'll find it easy to defeat him,
now that you've defeated the Butcher (if you got his quest). He'll
drop one last weapon when he dies to which you'll murmur, "I am not
impressed."
CATACOMB QUESTS (you'll get to solve three of these)
Magic Rock
Griswold tells about some sky rock that had fallen to earth and
was nowhere to be found. This is a very easy quest. All you have to
do is look for the said rock somewhere down in the catacombs. It will
be handed to you on a silver platter---literally. Griswold crafts these
stones into another unique ring, the "EMPYREAN BAND"
*townsfolk's comments:
Odgen - The caravan stopped here to take on some supplies for their
journey to the east. I sold them quite an array of fresh fruits
and some excellent sweetbreads that Garda has just finished
baking. Shame what happened to them.
Griswold - I am still waiting for you to bring me that stone from the
heavens. I know that I can make something powerful out of
it.
Cain - Griswold speaks of the heaven stone that was destined for the
enclave located in the east. It was being taken there for further
study. This stone glowed with an energy that somehow granted
vision beyond that which a normal man could possess. I do not
know what secrets it holds, my friend, but finding this stone
would certainly prove most valuable.
Pepin - I don't know what it is that they thought they could see with
that rock, but I will say this: if rocks are falling from the
sky, you had better be careful!
Gillian - Well, a caravan of some very important people did stop here,
but that was quite a while ago. They had strange accents and
were starting on a long journey, as I recall. I don't see
how you could hope to find anything that they would have carried.
Wirt - If anyone can make something out of that rock, Griswold can.
He knows what he is doing, and as much as I try to steal his
customers, I respect the quality of his work.
Adria - The heaven stone is very powerful, and were it any but Griswold
who bid you find it, I would prevent it. He will harness its
powers and its use will be for the good of us all.
Farnham - I used to have a nice ring; it was a really expensive one,
with blue and green and red and silver. Don't remember what
happened to it, though. I really miss that ring...
Valor
For this and the rest of the catacomb quests, you'll have to read
a specific book on a stand somewhere on the level before you get assigned
for the task. For this quest, you'll find it in a long, rectangular
room with two doors at the lower width. Entering these doors will reveal
room with a "blood stone" (seems useless at first) and another door to
go further on. Enter that second room and find a pedestal of blood to
which you will place the blood stone (just click the pedestal while
your blood stone is in your inventory) It turns out that the long,
rectangular room is actually a group of adjacent rooms, and placing
the blood stone on the pedestal unveiled on of them. Go to that room,
get a second blood stone, and again place it on the pedestal. Another
room is uncovered. That room will also contain a blood stone, the last
one which, when placed on the pedestal, reveals a passageway beyond the
wall you are facing. Venture forth, killing the demons on your way, and
be rewarded by the only unique armor that can be acquired through a
quest---the "ARMOR OF VALOR"
*townsfolk's comments:
Odgen - Every child hears the story of the warrior Arkaine and his mystic
armor known as Valor. If you could find its resting place, you
would be well protected against the evil in the labyrinth.
Griswold - The armor known as Valor could be what tips the scale in
your favor. I will tell you that many have looked for it---
including myself. Arkaine hid it well, my friend, and it
will take more than a bit of luck to unlock the secrets that
have kept it concealed these many years.
Cain - The gateway of blood and the halls of fire are landmarks of mystic
origin. Wherever this book you read from resides it is surely
a place of great power. Legends speak of a pedestal that is carved
from obsidian stone and has a pool of boiling blood atop its
bone-encrusted surface. There are also allusions to stones of
blood that will open a door that guards an ancient treasure.
The nature of this treasure is shrouded in speculation, my friend,
but it is said that the ancient hero Arkaine placed the holy
armor Valor in a secret vault. Arkaine was the first mortal to
turn the tide of the Sin War and chase the legions of darkness
back to the burning hells. Just before Arkaine died, his armor
was hidden away in a secret vault. It is said that when this
holy armor is again needed, a hero will arise to don Valor once
more. Perhaps you are that hero...
Pepin - Hmm...it sounds like something I should remember, but I've been
so busy learning new cures and creating better elixirs that
I must have forgotten. Sorry...
Gillian - The story of the magic armor called Valor is something I often
heard the boys talk about. You had better ask one of the men
in the village.
Wirt - You intend to find the armor known as Valor? No one has ever
figured out where Arkaine stashed the stuff, and if my contacts
couldn't find it, I seriously doubt you ever will either.
Adria - Should you find these stones of blood, use them carefully. The
way is fraught with danger and your only hope rests within your
self-trust.
Farnham - Zzzzz...
Chamber of Bone (always included)
This is the only quest the rewards you with a spell rather than
an item. Here's what you have to do: Read the book regarding it, find
the stairway between eight pillars, and go down. When you're in, massacre
all the skeletons and rhinomen by staying directly in front of the door
of their respective rooms, That way you'll fight only one of them at
a time. When you're through, look for another book on a stand and read
it. (This will give you the Guardian Spell)
*townsfolk's comments:
Odgen - I am afraid that I don't know anything about that, good master.
Cain has many books that may be of some help.
Griswold - I know nothing of this place, but you may try asking Cain.
He talks about many things, and it would not surprise me
if he had some answers to your question.
Cain - A book that speaks of a chamber of human bones? Well, a chamber
of bone is mentioned in certain archaic writings that I studied
in the libraries of the east. These tomes inferred that when
the lords of the underworld desired to protect great treasures,
they would create domains where those who died in the attempt
to steal that treasure would be forever bound to defend it. A
twisted, but strangely fitting, end?
Pepin - This sounds like a very dangerous place. If you venture there,
please take great care.
Gillian - I am afraid that I haven't heard anything about that. Perhaps
Cain the storyteller could be of some help.
Wirt - A vast and mysterious treasure, you say? Maybe I could be interested
in picking up a few things from you...or better yet, don't you
need some rare and expensive supplies to get you through this
ordeal?
Adria - You will become an eternal servant of the dark lords should
you perish within this cursed domain. Enter the Chamber of Bone
at your own peril.
Farnham - Okay, so listen. There's the chamber of wood, see. And his
wife, you know---her---tells the tree...cause you gotta wait.
Then I says, that might work against him, but if you think
I'm gonna pay for this...you...uh...yeah.
Halls of the Blind
I kinda like the poem that triggers this quest and have quite
memorized it by heart; here goes:
I can see what you see not,
Vision milky then eyes rot.
When you turn they will be gone,
Whispering their hidden song.
Then you see what cannot be,
Shadows move where light should be.
Out of darkness, out of mind,
Cast down into the halls of the blind
In this quest you just have to eradicate a bunch of demons that
can go invisible (quite simple yet challenging as well) You'll find
in a small room your reward---the "OPTIC AMULET"
*townsfolk's comments:
Odgen - I never much cared for poetry. Occasionally, I had cause to
hire minstrels when the inn was doing well, but that seems like
such a long time ago now. What? Oh, yes...uh, well, I suppose
you could see what someone else knows.
Griswold - I am afraid that I have neither heard nor seen a place that
matches your vivid description, my friend. Perhaps Cain the
storyteller could be of some help.
Cain - You recite an interesting rhyme written in a style that reminds
me of other works. Let me think now...what was it? Darkness shrouds
the hidden. Eyes glowing unseen with only the sounds of razor
claws briefly scraping to torment those poor souls who have been
made sightless for all eternity. The prison for those so damned
is named the Halls of the Blind...
Pepin - This does seem familiar, somehow. I seem to recall reading
something very much like that poem while researching the history
of demonic afflictions. It spoke of a place of great evil that...
wait...you're not going there are you?
Gillian - If you have questions about blindness, you should talk to
Pepin. I know that he gave my grandmother a potion that helped
clear her vision, so maybe he can help you, too.
Wirt - Lets see, am I selling you something? No. Are you giving me money
to tell you about this? No. Are you now leaving and going to
talk to the storyteller who lives for this kind of thing? Yes.
Adria - This is a place of great anguish and terror, and so serves its
master well. Tread carefully or you may yourself be staying
much longer than you had anticipated.
Ok, sorry. This guy's nowhere to be found in the caves (he appears
on the level preceeding it) but he's included in this group of quests
that the computer choses from so I included him. You'll find him in a
library, busy reading. He'll give you a book, and tell you to be on your
way. Something tells me you wouldn't, and try to click on his library.
He becomes enraged, and throws fireballs at you. Non-warriors won't have
much problems with him, as they'd probably be using a bow or a staff that
can throw something as well. If you chose to be a warrior, you'd probably
be using a short range weapon and therefore will have to chase him down.
Just remember that when he teleports, a faint light can be seen moving
on the floor. Follow that light for it will lead you to where he'll
appear next.
Black Mushroom
The most insulting quest of all, this one makes you look like a
gullible errand boy that blindy follows the whims of his master. First,
you find a Fungal Tome which you should present to Adria. She then asks
you to look for big black mushroom somewhere in the same area and bring
it to her. This big black thingy is found along with a patch of smaller
ones. Pick it up (it's actually as big as your shield!) and give it to
the witch. She appreciates what you've done and remembers Pepin telling
her something about needing the brain of some demon to experiment on.
She also "requests" you to give her a sample of the elixir Pepin will
make from the brain. You then kill any demon after that conversation
its brain can automatically be picked up. Bring (starting to get tired
now?) this brain to the healer who will, in turn give you a spectral
elixir which you should fetch to the witch. The dam bit...uh witch tells
you she doesn't need it anymore and that you should keep it. The spectral
elixir will increase all your stats by three so maybe it was worth the
effort.
*townsfolk's comments:
Odgen - Let me just say this. Both Garda and I would never, ever serve
black mushrooms to our honored guests. If Adria wants some
mushrooms in her stew, then that is her business, but I can't
help you find any. Black mushrooms...disgusting!
Griswold - If Adria doesn't have one of these, you can bet that's a
rare thing indeed. I can offer you no more help than that,
but it sounds like...a huge, gargantuan, swollen, bloated
mushroom! Well, good hunting, I suppose.
Cain - The witch Adria seeks a black mushroom? I know as much about
black mushrooms as I do about red herrings. Perhaps Pepin the
healer could tell you more, but this is something that cannot
be found in any of my stories or books.
Pepin - The witch told me that you were searching for the brain of a
demon to assist me in creating my elixir. It should be of great
value to the many who are injured by those foul beasts, if I
can just unlock the secrets I suspect that its alchemy holds.
If you can remove the brain of a demon when you kill it, I would
be grateful if you could bring it to me.
Gillian - I think Odgen might have some mushrooms in the storage cellar.
Why don't you ask him?
Wirt - I don't have any mushrooms of any size or color for sale. How
about something a bit more useful?
Adria - It's a big, black mushroom that I need! Now run off and get
it for me so that I can use it for a special concoction that
I'm working on.
Farnham - Odgen mixes a mean black mushroom, but I get sick if I drink
that. Listen, here's the secret---moderation is the key!
The Anvil of Fury
The best of the quests as I would see it. Fairly easy. Griswold
tells you about it and all you have to do is find and bring it to him
and voila...a powerful sword, "GRISWOLD'S EDGE" is at your disposal.
On my opinion, there are only two other swords better than this, namely
the "Grandfather" and "Grizzly Sword" and these are very hard to find.
*townsfolk's comments:
Odgen - Don't you think that Griswold would be a better person to ask
about this? He's quite handy, you know.
Griswold - Nothing yet, eh? Well, keep searching. A weapon forged upon
the anvil could be your best hope, and I am sure that I can
make you one of the legendary proportions.
Cain - Griswold speaks of the Anvil of Fury---a legendary artifact long
searched for, but never found. Crafted from the metallic bones
of the razor pit demons, the Anvil of Fury was smelt around the
skulls of the five most powerful magi of the underworld. Carved
with runes of power and chaos, any weapon or armor forged upon
this anvil will be immersed into the realm of chaos, imbedding
it with magical properties. It is said that the unpredictable
nature of chaos makes it difficult to know what the outcome of
this smithing will be...
Pepin - If you had been looking for information on the pestle of curing
or the silver chalice of purification, I could have assisted
you, my friend. However, in this matter, you would be better
served to speak to either Griswold or Cain.
Gillian - Griswold's father used to tell some of us when we were growing
up about a giant anvil that was used to make mighty weapons.
He said that when a hammer was struck upon this anvil, the
ground would shake with a great fury. Whenever the earth moves,
I always remember that story...
Wirt - If you were to find this artifact for Griswold, it could put
a serious damper on my business here. Aw, you'll never find it.
Adria - There are many aftifacts within the labyrinth that hold powers
beyond the comprehension of mortals. Some of these hold fantastic
power that can be used by either the light or the darkness.
Securing the anvil from below could shift the course of the
Sin War towards the light.
Farnham - Griswold can't sell his anvil. What will he do then? And I'd
be angry too if someone took my anvil!
HELL QUESTS (you'll get to solve three of these)
The Warrior of Blood
Another book-on-a-stand triggered quest, this one yields a LOT
of high-priced items(none unique though) that's sure to catch your
attention. You fight the Warrior of Blood, along with his own band of
minions just before you locate the stairway to the next level. The trick
is not to enter his room. Lure one knight at a time to chase you, and
you'll be fine.
*townsfolk's comments:
Odgen - I am afraid that I haven't heard anything about such a vicious
warrior, good master. I hope that you do not have to fight him,
for he sounds extremely dangerous.
Griswold - Dark and wicked legends surround the Warlord of Blood. Be
well prepared, my friend, for he shows no mercy or quarter.
Cain - I know of only one legend that speaks of such a warrior as you
describe. His story is found within the ancient chronicles of
the Sin War---stained by a thousand years of war, blood and death,
the Warlord of Blood stands upon a mountain of his tattered
victims. His dark blade screams a black curse to the living;
a tortured invitation to any who whould stand before this executioner
of hell. It is also written that although he was once a mortal
who fought beside the legion of darkness during the Sin War,
he lost his humanity to his insatiable hunger for blood.
Pepin - Cain would be able to tell you much more about something like
this than I would ever wish to know.
Gillian - If you are to battle such a fierce opponent, may light be
your guide and your defender. I will keep you on my thoughts.
Wirt - I haven't ever dealt with this warlord you speak of, but he sounds
like he's going through a lot of swords. Wouldn't mind supplying
his armies...
Adria - His prowess with the blade is awesome, and he has lived for
thousands of years knowing only warfare. I am sorry...I can
not see if you will defeat him.
Farnham - Always you gotta talk about blood? What about flowers, and
sunshine, and that pretty girl that brings the drinks. Listen
here, friend...you're obsessive, you know that?
Lachdanan
Just when you've readied your best weapons, you find out this guy's
on your side, and needs your help. He begs of you to find a golden elixir
which is the only thing that could finally put him to rest (poor guy)
This elixir is found on the next level so you have to remember where
he was standing so you could come back up for him. He'll reward you with
one of these, "VEIL OF STEEL" and "GOTTERDAMERUNG" Both are helms and
both are worth trying.
*townsfolk's comments:
Odgen - You speak of a brave warrior long dead! I'll have no such talk
of speaking with departed souls in my inn yard, thank you very
much!
Griswold - If it is actually Lachdanan that you have met, then I would
advise that you aid him. I dealt with him on several occasions
and found him to be honest and loyal in nature. The curse
that fell upon the followers of King Leoric would fall especially
hard upon him.
Cain - You claim to have spoken with Lachdanan? He was a great hero
during his life. Lachdanan was an honorable and just man who
served his king faithfully for years. But of course, you already
know that. Of those who were caught within the grasp of the king's
curse, Lachdanan would be the least likely to submit to thedarkness
without a fight, so I suppose that your story could be true.
If I were in your place, my friend, I would find a way to release
him from his torture.
Pepin - A golden elixir, you say. I have never concocted a potion of
that color before, so I can't tell you how it would effect you
if you were to try to drink it. As your healer, I strongly
advise that should you find such an elixir, do as Lachdanan
asks and do not try to use it.
Gillian - I've never heard of a Lachdanan before. I'm sorry, but I don't
think that I can be of much help to you.
Wirt - Wait, let me guess. Cain was swallowed up in a gigantic fissure
that opened beneath him, he was incinerated in a ball of hellfire,
and can't answer your questions anymore. Oh, that isn't what
happened? Then I guess you'll be buying something or you'll be
on your way.
Adria - You may meet people who are trapped within the labyrinth, such
as Lachdanan. I sense in him honor and great guilt. Aid him,
and you aid all of Tristram.
Farnham - Lachdanan is dead. Everybody knows that, and you can't fool
me into thinking any other way. You can't talk to the dead,
I know!
Archbishop Lazarus (always included)
This time an item---a "Vile Staff" that rests on a stand triggers
your quest. Well, not exactly. You still have to present this staff to
Cain who'll identify it by saying it belongs to the Archbishop himself.
When you get back to the level where you found it, walk along to find
a red portal that leads to his corruptness' lair. Exit through the only
door you see, fighting your way through succubuses. You can go either
to the left or to the right, they contain the same problems. Just ignore
the jailed witches for a while, continue fighting, and when all's over,
stand on that grey circle and read the book on the stand beside it. You'll
be taken inside the room with the witches but this time the bars are lowered.
fight your way through them, go to the other side of the lair and do
just the same. When both sides are cleaned up, go back to where you
started and step on the grey circle. No book-on-a-stand to read this
time, you are instantly teleported beyond the wall---where Lazarus is.
Accompanying him are the unique succubuses, Red Vex and Black Jade
(boy, I'm starting to like this guy) and a multitude of succubuses
(oh yeah baby) along with fellow mages (yuck!) After he finishes talking
you can commence with the fight. I'd rather stay in the middle and
honorably fight them all at the same time, but I'd suggest, for beginners,
running away even before he finishes his speech. That way you can, one
by one, lure the witches, and the mages, and the uniques, into their
deaths. Deal with the playboy himself just as you did with Zhar (if
you faced him) and you're on your merry way to the Dark Lord.
*townsfolk's comments:
Odgen - Lazarus was the archbishop who led many of the townspeople into
the labyrinth. I lost many good friends that day, and Lazarus
never returned. I suppose he was killed along with most of the
others. If you would do me a favor, good master, please do not
talk to Farnham about that day.
Griswold - I was there when Lazarus led us into the labyrinth. He spoke
of holy retribution, but when we started fighting those hellspawn,
he did not so much as lift his mace against them. He just
ran deper into the dim, endless chambers that were filled
with the servants of darkness!
Cain - You must hurry and rescue Albrecht from the hands of Lazarus!
The prince and the people of this kingdom are counting on you...
Pepin - I was shocked when I heard of what the townspeople were planning
to do that night. I thought that of all people, Lazarus would
have had more sense than that. He was an archbishop, and always
seemed to care so much for the townsfolk of Tristram. So many
were injured, I could not save them all...
Gillian - I remember Lazarus as being a very kind and giving man. He
spoke at my mother's funeral, and was supportive of my grandmother
and myself in a very troubled time. I pray every night that
somehow, he is still alive and safe.
Wirt - Yes, the righteous Lazarus, who was sooo effective against those
monsters down there. Didn't help save my leg, did it? Look, I'll
give you a free piece of advice. Ask Farnham, he was there.
Adria - I did not know this Lazarus of whom you speak, but I do sense
a great comflict within his being. He poses a great danger,
and will stop at nothing to serve the powers of darkness which
have claimed him as theirs.
Farnham - They stab, then bite, then they're all around you. Liar! Liar!
They're all dead! Dead! Do you hear me? They just keep falling
and falling... their blood spilling out all over the floor...
all his fault...
Diablo (always included)
Of course this is always included! Why'd they call the game Diablo
in the first place? After you defeat Lazarus, go back through the red
portal and notice that the pentagram near it is now red, flashing, and
opened in the middle. Go through the opening and you land in the center
of another lair---Diablo's. It's made up of four rooms, each containing
a skull lever that opens the next. First thing you do is eradicate all
who are outside these rooms. They don't come in groups and if they do,
they're only composed of two to three members and that only happens if
you don't walk slowly and lure more than one at a time. One of the rooms
is already opened so you'll have to clear that too. Once everything's
quiet, it's time to turn on the noise again: Click on the next lever
to open the next room, eradicate all that moves, repeat the process for
the third room, create a town portal (by this time you must already know
what that is) to go back, prepare all you want, and get ready to face
the final challenge, er, challenges. Two skull levers are to be clicked
in order to open the last room. Both these levers are in the third room
so no sweat. Go to the last room, walking around it, one by one luring
knights ang mages alike to their deaths, and finally barging in to kill
the big red machine (no, not KANE!) inside. Don't forget to save the game
at the moment you killed him to maximize the number of experience points
you'll carry with you to your next adventure.
what Cain say's about this quest: (not required to acivate it)
Your story is quite grim, my friend. Lazarus will surely burn
in hell for his horrific deed. The boy that you describe is not our
prince! But I believe that Albrecht may yet be in danger. The symbol
of power that you speak must be a portal---to the very heart of the
labyrinth. Know this, my friend---the evil that you move against is
the dark Lord of Terror. He is known to mortal men, as Diablo. It was
he who was imprisoned within the labyrinth many centuries ago and I
fear that he seeks to once again sow chaos in the realm of mankind.
You must venture through the portal and destroy Diablo, before it is
too late...
FARMER'S QUESTS (you may choose not to solve these)
Farmer's Orchard
Actually, this is the only quest that comes from the farmer. I
just included the other quests in this category because they all stem
from it. If you don't complete this quest, you can't access the next.
Obviously, its Lester the Farmer who triggers this quest and he'll
tell you about it when you reach a certain level. Until then, talk
to him and he'll just give crap messages. When the time is right,
he'll tell you about an overgrown thingy that prevents him from getting
to his orchard. He gives you a Rune Bomb which Adria gave him. This
bomb is supposed to blast that thingy into pieces. Just drop the bomb
on the swelling part of the ground next to the bridge near where you
start from scratch and boom! the ground opens. Go back to the farmer
and he'll give you an AURIC AMULET. It's unique in the sense that it
cannot be found anywhere else in the game but it isn't because it's
just written in white.
Defiler
Go through the hole (named, "The Hive") and you'll discover yet
another threat to the lives of innocent townsfolk: the Defiler. He/She
Whatever it is (I think it's a female) is the queen of the bugs---giant
bugs! You'll be greated by giant scorpions and giant spiders, followed
by some non-bug minions like the shredded, a ghost-like creature, and
the torturer, something like a giant hotdog with a monstrous face.
The hive is composed of four floors, the third of which will feature
a Hork Demon that continously produces Horks, brain-like creatures.
Kill the hork demon and you'll be rewarded with a random yet neat price.
The floor below will predictably feature the Defiler herself. She's a
pretty tough opponent but fill your belt with potions of full healing
and you'll be fine. She'll yield a MAP that triggers the next quest.
Grave Matters
Look at the map and see the instructions: "Put me here (pointing
to the graveyard near the church)" You directly follow the instructions
and drop the map on the largest tombstone near the church, or, if you'd
like to see the Grave Matters quest listed in your quests log, talk
to Gillian first. Wow, Gillian? She actually has a use? I still think
she's useless cause you can skip her part and solve the quest by
yourself. Once you've dropped the map on the designated place, it opens
up and once again you can descend to another four levels which leads to
the next quest.
Na-krul
Woah, this guy is tough, and he may even beat the crap out of
Diablo. And he doesn't fight cheap---no instant bursts of flame wherever
you go, just plain hack and slash till you can no longer move. He has
two extra arms that stem from his back and look a lot like scorpion's
tails. If these hit you, you'll be knocked back and hurt---HARD. He's
a very cool-looking guy, but his skin doesn't look like it could sustain
a cut, unlike Diablo and his rubber-like-reptilian-skin. You can also
freely cast spells on Na-krul, but be warned: he's immune to some and
resists most of your best spells. Another reason why I like him more
than the Dark Lord himself is because he's a lot more generous. Killing
him will yield lots of high-priced goodies and most of the time, one
unique---very cool!
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
* for the rest of the item sections I won't be including much strategies
because that's what the game is all about---building your OWN strategy
and relying on the items of YOUR choice.
_ _ ____ ____ __ ___ ____ ___ ____ ____ ____ __ __ ___
( \/ )(_ _) ( _ \ /__\ / __)(_ _) / __) (_ _)(_ _)( ___)( \/ )/ __)
\ / _)(_ ) _ < /(__)\ \__ \ _)(_ ( (__ _)(_ )( )__) ) ( \__ \
\/ (____)() (____/(__)(__)(___/(____) \___) (____) (__) (____)(_/\/\_)(___/
* These are found on the descriptions of the magic weapons (written in
blue) There are two kinds: One that appears before the weapon's basic
name and the other that appears after. They say what special ability
that weapon has so here is a list:
descriptions that come before the actual name:
Amber - +16-20% resist all
Angel's - +1 spell level to all
Arch-Angel's - +2 spell level to all
Awesome - +131-150% armor
Azure - +21-30% resist lightning
Bent - -50-75% damage
Blessed - +91-110% armor
Blue - +10-20% resist lightning
Bountifull - charges tripled
Brass - -1-5% to hit
Bronze - +1-5% to hit
Brutal - +81-95% damage
Burgundy - +31-40% resist fire
Champion's - +126-150% damage ;
+51-75% to hit
Clumsy - -50-75% damage ;
-1-5% to hit
Cobalt - +41-50% resist lightning
Crimson - +21-40% resist fire
Crystal - +41-50% resist magic
Deadly - +36-50% damage
Diamond - +51-60% resist magic
Dragon's - +51-60 mana
Drake's - +41-50 mana
Dull - -25-45% damage ;
-4-5% to hit
Emerald - +41-50% resisr all
Fine - +20-30% armor
Frog's - -1-10 mana
Garnet - +41-50% resist fire
Glorious - +71-90% armor
Godly - +171-200% armor
Gold - +20-30% to hit
Grand - +41-55% damage
Heavy - +51-65% damage
Holy - +151-170% armor
Hyena's - -11-25 mana
Hydra's - +81-100 mana
Iron - +6-10% to hit
Ivory - +31-40% resist magic
Jade - +21-30% resist all
Jagged - +20-35% damage
King's - +151-175% damage
+76-100% to hit
Knight's - +96-110% damage
+31-40% to hit
Lapis - +31-40% resist lightning
Lord's - +81-95% damage
+21-30% to hit
Massive - +96-110% damage
Master's - +111-125% damage
+41-50% to hit
Mithril - +41-60% to hit
Merciless - +151-175% damage
Meteoric - +61-80% to hit
Obsidian - +31-40% resist all
Pearl - +21-30% resist magic
Platinum - +31-40% to hit
Plentiful - charges doubled
Raven's - +16-20 mana
Red - +10-20% resist fire
Ruby - +51-60% resist fire
Rusted - -25-50% armor
Ruthless - +125-150% damage
Saintly - +111-130% armor
Sapphire - +51-60% resist lightning
Savage - +111-125% damage
Serpent's - +30-40 mana
Sharp - +20-35% damage
+1-5 to hit
Silver - +16-20 to hit
Snake's - +21-30 mana
Soldier's - +66-80% damage
+16-20% to hit
Spider's - +10-15 mana
Steel - +11-15 to hit
Strong - +31-40% armor
Strange - +101-150% to hit
Sturdy - +20-30% armor
Tin - -6-10% to hit
Topaz - +10-15% resist all
Useless - -100% damage
Valiant - +56-70% armor
Vicious - +66-80% damage
Vulnerable - -51-100% armor
Warrior's - +51-65% damage
+11-15% to hit
Weak - -25-45% damage
Weird - +81-100% to hit
White - +10-20% resist magic
Wyrm - +61-80 mana
descriptions that come after the actual name:
(starts with "...of..." or "...of the...")
Absorption - -3 damage from enemies
Accuracy - +11-15 dexterity
Ages - indestructible
Atrophy - -1-5 dexterity
Balance - fast recovery
Bashing - 8-24 damage to armor
Bat - steals 3% mana
Bear - knocks target back
Blocking - fast block
Blood - steals 6% life
Brilliance - +11-15 magic
Brittleness - -26-75% durability
Burning - 1-16 fire damage
Carnage - +13-16 damage
Corruption - mana=0
Craftsmanship - +51-100% durability
Crusaders - damage of this attack
+50% damage of last one
Dark - -40% light radius
Dexterity - +1-5 dexterity
Disease - -1-5 vitality
Dyslexia - -1-5 magic
Eagle - +21-30 hit points
Fire - +1-6 fire arrow damage
Flame - +1-3 fire arrow damage
Fool - -6-0/+1-10 magic
Fox - +10-15 hit points
Fragility - durability=1
Frailty - -6-10 strength
Giant - +16-20 strength
Gore - +9-12 damage
Harmony - fastest hit recovery
Haste - fastest attack
Health - -1 damage from enemies
Heavens - +12-15 all stats
Illness - -6-10 vitality
Jackal - -1-10 hit points
Jaguar - +16-20 hit points
Leech - steals 3% life
Life - -4 damage from enemies
Light - +20% light radius
Lightning - +1-10 lightning arrow
damage
Lion - +51-60 hit points
Magic - +1-5 magic
Maiming - +3-5 damage
Mammoth - +61-80 hit points
Many - +100% arrow durability
Might - +6-10 strength
Mind - +6-10 magic
Moon - +4-7 all stats
Night - -20% light radius
Pit - -1-5 all stats
Quality - +1-2 damage
Radiance - +40% light radius
Pain - +2-4 damage from enemies
Paralysis - -6-10 dexterity
Perfection - +21-30 dexterity
Piercing - 2-6 damage to armor
Plenty - +200% arrow durability
Power - +11-15 strength
Precision - +16-20 dexterity
Protection - -2 damage from enemies
Puncturing - 4-12 damage to armor
Readiness - fast attack
Shock - +1-6 lightning arrow
damage
Skill - +6-10 dexterity
Sky - +1-3 all stats
Slaughter - +17-20 damage
Slaying - +6-8 damage
Sorcery - +16-20 magic
Speed - fastest attack
Stability - faster hit recovery
Stars - +8-11 all stats
Structure - +101-200% durability
Sturdiness - +26-50% durability
Strength - +1-5 strength
Spikes - 1-10 damage to
attacking enemy
Swiftness - faster attack
Tears - +1 damage from enemies
Thieves - -1/2 trap damage
Thorns - 1-6 damage to
attacking enemy
Thunder - +1-20 lightning damage
Tiger - +50 hit points
Titans - +21-30 strength
Trouble - -10 all stats
Vampire - steals 6% mana
Vigor - +16-20 vitality
Vileness - enemy stops healing
Vim - +11-15 vitality
Vitality - +1-5 vitality
Vulture - -11-25 hit points
Weakness - -1-5 strength
Whale - +81-100 hit points
Wizardry - +21-30 magic
Wolf - +30-40 hit points
Zest - +6-10 vitality
Zodiac - +16-20 all stats
* As the name suggests, there is only one set of items of this kind and
they cannot be found twice in a single game. It's quite hard to get all
of them, as they can never be bought, only chanced upon while fighting
your way through the labyrinth or by completing certain quests. They
can, however, be sold.
* legend:
Reqment -requirement
Hand -handed
Dam -damage
HP -hit points
MN -mana
AS -all stats
LR -light radius
R -resist
fr -from
fir -fire
lng -lightning
inf -infinite
SL -spell level
SC -spell cost
* you may be wondering why the "Grandfather" sword (mentioned above) has
"One-handed" included in its traits. What's so special about it being
one-handed? Almost every sword is one-handed! Well, the fact that this
unique item takes on the basic form of a "Great Sword" (dam:10-20 ;
durability: 100) it should also be two-handed like any other "Great
Sword", but is not. This sword, on my opinion, is the best weapon,
and probably item, in the game. (not to mention the highest-priced
unique item; 29,950 gold whereas no other unique item even reached
the price of 20,000)
* Ah, yes...the "Messerschmidt's Reaver"---with the word DAMAGE written
all over it. You'll definitely agree this baby's worth the low defense
that comes with it (cause, like other axes, it's two-handed; you can't
use it with a shield) That is, IF you're absolutely sure you'll be
engaging in hand-to-hand combat. Otherwise, you'll need the shield---
still, it's YOUR choice!
* If you choose to rely on bows, which generally do a lot less damage
than any other type of weapon in the game, you'll need one that's
equiped with an ability to increase its damage by a large percent.
You'll also need a bow that knocks your target back since if they
get close, you'll be hopelessly defenseless. Lastly, you'll need a
bow that increases your strength, as this also means increase in
damage. The "Windforce" just does all that.
* Nuthin like a good 'ol Golem by your side, chanting your opponent's
name right after saying the word, "maul" The other staves may give
you a more damaging spell with higher number of charges, but what if
you venture into a level where ALL of the inhabitants are immune to
it? There's no immunity to a Golem since he does physical, not magical,
damage. The only problem is if a single monster is so strong your
Golem isn't enough. But of course you can arrange that. You'll just
have to "help him help you". (now, where did I hear that? hmmm...)
* It's clear in this category that the "Stormshield" outranks the rest.
Having an armor class of 40 is enough to make it number 1 among the
shields. What more with an increase to strength! And who cares if
it makes the opponent do more damage? They can't inflict it anyway
because of this shield's fast block ability.
* The "Demonspike Coat" has the unique armor class of 100 while the next
best value is 75 (and as low as 49 among the uniques) It definitely
is the best among the unique armors, but I'd rather have a Godly Plate
of whatever since a 75 armor class increased by 200% yields 150, a
lot more than the 100 the Demonspike Coat boats about.
* Would you choose to proudly walk in the dark, as you would wearing
a "Veil of Steel"? or to humbly walk in the light, as is the case of
a "Lightforge"? Either way, both must have been second only to the
"Gotterdamerung" if not for its "resistance to all = 0". That's a big,
big, disadvantage and I don't think it's worth the large plus to all
the attributes.
* These items were made for the sole reason of adorning one's body. They
look cute but there are tons of better, non-unique rings and amulets
out there that can prove to be more usefull. Again, it's your choice,
therefore it's up to you to find a suitable bargain for these if you
come across them in the labyrinth.
A faint red liquid that's contained in a somewhat cylindrical
bottle. Restores part of your health and does it at random values. You
can have anywhere from 1 hit point to all your health EXCEPT one hit
point restored. Costs 50 gold.
2) Potion of Full Healing
A bright red liquid that's contained in a somewhat pot-shaped
bottle. Restores 100% of your health, no matter how many hit points
it's composed of. Costs 150 gold and on my opinion is better than
to risk losing a fight when you buy a potion of healing, use it when
you really need it, and suddenly find out it just restored a hit
point and nothing more.
3) Potion of Mana
A faint blue liquid that's contained in a somewhat cylindrical
bottle. Has basically the same effect as that of the potion of healing
except that it affects not your health but your mana. Also costs 50
gold.
4) Potion of Full Mana
A bright red liquid that's contained in a somewhat pot-shaped
bottle. You probably have an idea of what this does just by reading
the other three. If not, well it restores all your mana and costs
150 gold.
5) Potion of Rejuvenation
A faint yellow liquid contained in a somewhat canteen-shaped
bottle. Has the combined effects of a potion of healing and potion
of mana. It may be random in restoring your health and your mana, you
can be sure that whatever value it used to raise the amout of health
you have will always be the same to the corresponding increase in
mana. Costs 150 gold---definitely a no-no. Buying a full potion
of whatever it is you need the most is simply a better idea.
6) Potion of Full Rejuvenation
A bright yellow liquid contained in a somewhat flask-shaped
bottle. Has the combined effects of a potion of full healing and a
potion of full mana. Just think of it: you'll be filling up two meters,
namely, your health and mana, but are paying for four full potions of
either of them! Now, why should you waste a good 300 bucks just for
the convenience of restoring everything in one click.?
7) Elixir of Strength
A whitish liquid contained in a somewhat pot-shaped bottle. It
increases your strength by one and is very useful for the warriors.
Elixirs, in general, can only be available after you've reached level
20. They all cost 5000 gold.
8) Elixir of Dexterity
A black liquid contained in a somewhat canteen-shaped bottle.
Increases your dexterity by one and is very useful for rogues.
9) Elixir of Magic
An orange liquid contained in a somewhat pot-shaped bottle. It
increases your magic by one and is very useful for sorcerors. This,
as well as the three other elixirs listed above, should not be bought
as soos as you see them. You have to wait fir the time you need them
the most before you spend on them (i.e you need just a couple of more
points to use a great weapon)
10) Elixir of Vitality
A whitish liquid contained in a somewhat cylindrical bottle.
Increases your vitality by one and your life by one or two points,
depending on your character class (only warriors will increase by
two) This elixir is a lot harder to find but really, you don't have
to spend much time looking for it. You'll need the other ones a lot
more.
11) Rune of Fire
Remember what happens if your fireball(see next section) connects?
A big explosion right? That's exactly what happens if someone steps
on your rune of fire which, by the way as in all other runes, you must
place on the ground as a booby trap.
12) Rune of Greater Fire
What else but a more damaging rune of fire. Be careful with this
one though, as it unleashes an Immolation spell(see next section)
if stepped upon. Once you drop it, run for cover.
13) Rune of Lightning
Do you know what happens if you cast a Lightning Wall(see next
section) on a doorway? All the electricity will be concentrated on
one spot, right? That's exactly what happens if someone steps on
your rune of lightning.
14) Rune of Greater Lightning
What else but a more damaging rune of lightning. Be careful with
this one though, as it unleashes a Nova(see next section) spell if
stepped upon. Once you drop it, run for cover.
15) Oils
Black liquids contained in somewhat inverted cone-shaped bottles,
like the one used in chemistry labs (no, not the test tube). I think
it's called an Erlenmeyer's or something that sounds like it but, ow
well, just see for yourselves! There are eight(?) types of oils, each
upgrading part of your personality. Here they are:
a) Oil of Accuracy - increases a weapon's chance to hit
b) Oil of Mastery - same as oil of accuracy but yields a greater
increase
c) Oil of Hardening - increases the armor class of armor and shields
d) Oil of Imperviousness - same as oil of hardness but yields a
greater increase
e) Oil of Sharpness - increases a weapon's damage potential
f) Oil of Death - same as oil of sharpness but yields a greater
increase and does not affect bows
g) Oil of Skill - reduces attribute requirement for usage of armor
and weapons
h) Blacksmith Oil - restores 20% of an item's durability
* There is a total of, well, I forgot, number of spells. I really can't
judge because there are different types, mainly:
1) Skills unique to each character class: (these types of spells are
called skills because whoever can do them has mastered the art and
therefore do not need any mana as a casting cost)
a) Item Repair - unique to the warrior class, this skill enables you
to restore the durability of any item, at the expense
of the maximum durability it had when it was brand
new. Only recommended on items with a ready replacement.
Otherwise, spend a little and let the master blacksmith
do the work for you.
b) Trap Disarm - unique to the rogue class, this skill enables you
to disable any booby traps that come with opening
doors, chest, and the like. You don't have to use
it all the time, cause as a rogue you can detect
which door or chest is booby trapped.
c) Staff Recharge - unique to the sorceror class, this skill enables
you to restore the number of charges a staff has
yet, like the warrior, at the expense of the maximum
number of charges the staff could hold when it
was brand new. Also only recommended on staffs
with a ready replacement. Otherwise, spend a little
and let the powerful witch do the work for you.
d) Search - unique as a skill to the monk class, but available as
a spell to all the others. Highlights all the items on
the ground. Finally you won't have to cry over a lost ring
in a pile of dead bodies.
2) Multiplayer spells: (these can only be done in multiplayer mode since
they need another player as a target)
a) Heal Other - restores the health of any player you choose. Increases
in number of hitpoints restored and decreases in casting
cost as you read more books on this spell.
b) Resurrect - what else but bring back to life a player who has already
been killed. Make it a rule to carry at least two of
these whenever you play in multiplayer
3) Staff and Scroll only spells: (these spells are too powerful to learned
just by reading a book on it once; they are also too useful to be
further upgraded so they come in their weakest form)
* many emailers (thank you all!) have already told me bout the first
two spells being also accessible in books, a feature most useful
for mages but only found in Hellfire. I forgot all about that, having
based this faq from my Diablo one.
a) Apocalypse - THE most powerful spell in the game, it affects your
every foe and does great damage at that. There is also
no single immunity to it because, I think, it's a
combination of fire and magic. Besides, this is Diablo's
own skill so isn't it supposed to be more powerful than
any of his minions? Oh, I forgot to tell what it does.
Well, basically, it just creates big, sudden bursts
of flame wherever enemies are located. One more thing,
in Hellfire, you CAN get this spell via books though
in my experience it is very, very rare.
b) Nova - Another very powerful spell, this one creates a circle of
electricity around you that increases in diameter by the
moment. In effect, all your enemies, except those behind
walls, are hit and is damaged hard by this spell. Like the
Apocalypse, you CAN get this spell via books though in my
experience it is very, very rare.
c) Identify - It's not that powerful, (actually, there is NO power
involved whatsoever in this spell) but is still too
useful to be set free from the limits of staves and
scrolls. It identifies unidentified items (again, of
course, what else?) not for a hundred bucks but for
mana.
d) Infravision - Another powerless yet extremely useful spell that
allows you to see through walls and therefore be able
to estimate the kind of weapon you'll need before
you enter any room.
4) Conventional spells: (those that can come in books and are more commonly
found, used, or made available than any other type)
* arranged in order of availability: (from easiest to hardest to find)
a) Firebolt - A spell so common, sorcerors actually already have learned
it as you start from scratch. You launch a ball of fire
(shouldn't this be called a "Fireball"? you'll see why...)
and it hits the opponent, doing very little damage even
if your enemy has no resistance at all to fire.
b) Charged Bolt - Just the same as the firebolt in terms of availability
and uselessness, but this time three puny shards
of slow-traveling electricity are launched and split
up in different directions.
c) Holy Bolt - Notice the pattern with the bolts? This one's even
worse. It does just about as little damage as the other
two but this time you can only hurt the undead. I'm
not that sure what is under the category of undead,
but the skeletons are definitely members of this. There
is a bright side to this spell, however, as it is one
of the few that can hurt the Dark Lord of Terror himself.
Still, I don't like it that much.
d) Healing - Self-explanatory. Your health is restored, what more is
there to it? It consumes less amount of mana than the
number of hit points it restores so use it when you happen
to have enough time to run from your enemies and cast
this spell in private. Otherwise, resort to the potion
of full healing which is a must in your belt.
e) Inferno - Consider yourself a fire-breathing dragon when you cast
this spell. You do know how dragon's breathe fire, don't
you? Well, that's just like how you're gonna toast your
opponents---via a slow, straight-forward, burst of flame.
f) Firewall - Obviously, this spell creates a wall of fire in front
of its caster. The wall lasts longer and gets hotter
each time you read another book on it. A good strategy
would be to cast this when you open a door to a room
filled with monsters and wait outside. Every enemy that
comes out to play will have deminished health and therefore
greater chances of losing against you. Another good
use for this spell is against gruops of enemies with
projectiles. They usually form a horizontal line in front
of you and hurl their weapons/spells. Cast the firewall
spell rightaway and watch them roast. I most certainly
recommend trying your best to find books on this spell
if you want to finish the game.
g) Telekinesis - No, you cannot click and drag items to another place,
you can just do one of two things: If you cast this
spell on an inanimate object, the effect would be
the same as if you clicked it (i.e. weapons get picked
up, doors get opened, etc.) OR, if you cast this
on an opponent, he will be pushed back.
h) Lightning - Well, not really. Clouds don't suddenly form and lightning
strikes. You just shoot forth a beam of electricity,
that's all.
i) Town Portal - It's a very useful spell, this Town Portal. In case
didn't get it, this spell opens a portal that takes
you back to the town. Sure, you can try the long way
(through the stairs of each floor) but isn't that
just plain tiring? You could get books on this, but
maybe not for now. You don't need it that much since
you'll always come across scrolls of town portal
which does just the same thing.
j) Flash - Very powerful but I haven't mastered the art of using this
spell effectively yet because I really do not rely on it.
Maybe you shouldn't too. It's a blast of white energy that
surrounds you and hits all monsters that are close enough.
k) Stone Curse - Useful but only on level bosses and unique opponents
and only if you fight them alone. It turns an enemy
of your choice into stone, but only for a limited
amount of time. It consumes so much mana casting it
on several opponents will prove to be quite futile
as some of them will recover before you even hit them
once.
l) Phasing - Whoever casts this spell is teleported to a random place,
usually beyond the nearest wall.
m) Mana Shield - This spell is timed and in its duration, getting
hit will decrease your mana, not your health. Useful
for sorcerors who have a lot more mana than health.
If you lose all your mana the spell also ends.
n) Elemental - First read the description of the Fireball spell. Finished?
Well, this spell does just the same, except for the
fact that you launch a human flame that looks for the
enemy and runs for him. May look cool, may look corny,
I really can't decide. It costs much more than the
Fireball, but that's because it's homing. I'd rather
use my own targeting skills though.
o) Flame Wave - Imagine an advancing Firewall, and the picture you
get is actually that of a Flame Wave. These babies
are especially useful whenever you're walking on a
seemingly endless corridor.
p) Fireball - Ahh, yes...the real Mccoy. Makes your firebolt seem
like spark. You launch a ball of fire which basically
looks the same as your firebolt, but when it connects,
BOOM! Your enemy is a mess. It can even take out a group
of monsters as long as they're more or less in the same
vicinity.
q) Chain Lightning - Imagine multiple Lightning spells cast in different
directions, and the picture you get is actually
that of a Chain Lightning. It causes much more
damage than the Nove spell, but is obviously less
accurate.
r) Guardian - Cool. very cool. You make the ground crack and from that
crack manifests a three headed dragon that spits firebolts
on anyone who dares come close. When I said cool, I meant
cool-looking. It cannot do much damage since it launches
Firebolts, remember?
s) Teleport - Whoever uses this spell, unlike the Phasing, is teleported
to a place of his choice. Of course, that choice is
within the screen because you still have to click it.
On my opinion, it takes too much mana for a simple
effect.
t) Golem - Nuthin like a good 'ol Golem by your side, chanting your
opponent's name right after saying the word, "maul" There's
no immunity to a Golem since he does physical, not magical,
damage. The only problem is if a single monster is so strong
your Golem isn't enough. But of course you can arrange that.
You'll just have to "help him help you". (now, where did
I hear that? hmmm...) Did I just say that whole paragraph
somewhere in this faq? By the way, a golem is a mindless,
stone creature.
u) Bone Spirit - Consumes some of your health as part of its casting
cost. It's a homing ghost that takes one-third of
your opponent's life, therefore three of these is
enough to kill ANYONE. That is, excluding those
who resist or are immune to magic.
v) Blood Star - This looks just like what the succubuses offer you
when you meet them---a red ball of pure magical
energy. Will, like the Bone Spirit spell, hurt and
kill only those who do not resist magic and again
like the said spell, will consume part of your health
as a casting cost.
* spells only found on hellfire:
a) Warp - Whoever casts this spell is teleported to the nearest stairway
b) Search - As mentioned above, highlights all the items on the ground.
Finally you won't have to cry over a lost ring in a pile
of dead bodies.
c) Reflect - Everyone who delivers a mean whallop at you will suffer a
taste of their own medicine. Very useful on high damaging
yet non-magic resisting creatures like, well, there are
lots of those, I just forgot, sorry
d) Berserk - Quite a useful spell if you got tons of enemies. It makes
them turn on each other and when you join them, you
create a REAL brawl! Every man---and monster---for himself.
Sound too good? Well, on the down side, this spell lasts
for only a short time and it doesn't change the fact that
the monsters still know you're an enemy.
e) Lightning Wall - Obviously, this spell creates a wall of electicity,
not lightning strikes, in front of its caster.
The wall lasts longer and gets more electrifying
each time you read another book on it. A good
strategy would be to cast this when you open a
door to a room filled with monsters and wait outside.
Every enemy that comes out to play will have
deminished health and therefore greater chances
of losing against you. Another good use for this
spell is against gruops of enemies with projectiles.
They usually form a horizontal line in front of
you and hurl their weapons/spells. Cast the lightning
wall spell rightaway and watch them shiver. I
most certainly recommend trying your best to find
books on this spell if you want to finish the game.
f) Ring of Fire - Imagine a Firewall whose ends are made to meet to
form a ring and the picture you get is actually
that of a Ring of Fire spell. Not much strategy can
be applied to this spell that cannot be more or
accomplished by the firewall.
g) Immolation - Loved the awesome power of the fireball? You'll go
gaga over this one: a spell that launches multiple
fireballs scattered in all directions, much like a
nova spell, but each charged bolt contained in it
is replaced with a fireball!
h) Jester - another manifestation of the random accessing skills of
this well-conceived game. Cast this and you can get anywhere
from a Charged Bolt to an Apocalypse! But also because
of its randomness, is recommended for use only on situations
when you have no mana left and are despearate for a spell.
DO NOT spend a dime for this spell, just take them(staves
and scrolls) as they come.
* These areas of worship come your way throughout the whole game. All
you have to do is click on them and they'll give you something in
return. Be warned, though: not all the time you'll like what they'll
give. They have different names, different things to say, and therefore
different corresponding effects.
______________________________________________________________________
Name_________|_Message___________________|_Effect____________________|
| | |
Abandoned | The hands of men may be | +2 Dexterity |
| guided by fate | |
| | |
Creepy | Strength is bolstered by | +2 Strength |
| heavenly faith | |
| | |
Cryptic | Arcane power brings | restores mana , one free |
| destruction | Nova spell |
| | |
Divine | Drink and be refreshed | two free full potions, |
| | restores health and mana |
| | |
Eerie | Knowledge and wisdom at | +2 Magic |
| cost of self | |
| | |
Eldritch | Crimson and azure become | all health and mana |
| as the sun | potions in your inventory |
| | become rejuvenation |
| | |
Enchanted | Magic is not always what | -1 SL to one spell, +1 SL |
| it seems to be | to the rest |
| | |
Fascinating | Intensity comes at the | +1 SL to Firebolt spell, |
| cost of wisdom | -10% max mana |
| | |
Glimmering | Mysteries revealed in the | indentifies all items |
| light of reason | |
| | |
Gloomy | Those who defend seldom | +2 armor to all items |
| attack | that apply, -1 max damage |
| | to all weapons |
| | |
Hidden | New strength is forged | -10 dur to one item, +10 |
| through destruction | to the rest |
| | |
Holy | Wherever you go there you | free phasing spell |
| are | |
| | |
Imposing | A surge of blood | moves 25% of mana to |
| interrupts your thoughts | health |
| | |
Magical | While the spirit is | one free Mana Shield |
| vigilant the body thrives | spell |
| | |
Mysterious | Some are weakened as one | +5 to any stat, -1 from |
| grows strong | the rest |
| | |
Mystic | Your skills increase, but | +700 experience points, |
| at a price | lose all gold but 1 |
| | |
Orante | Salvation comes at the | +1 SL to Holy Bolt spell, |
| cost of wisdom | -10% max mana |
| | |
Quiet | The essence of life flows | +2 Vitality |
| from within | |
| | |
Religious | Time cannot deminish the | repairs all items |
| power of steel | |
| | |
Sacred | Energy comes at the cost | +2 SL to Charged Bolt |
| of wisdom | spell, -10% max mana |
| | |
Secluded | The way is cleared when | completes automap for the |
| viewed from above | level you are in |
| | |
Spiritual | Riches abound when least | all empty inventory boxes |
| expected | are filled with random |
| | amounts of gold |
| | |
Spooky | When avarice fails, | restores health and mana |
| patience gains reward | of all other players |
| | |
Stone | The power of mana | recharges all staves |
| refocused renews | |
| | |
Supernatural | You hear a strange cry | monsters will do more |
| from a distance | damage but will have |
| | lessened HP |
| | |
Tainted | Those who are last may | random shrine effect on |
| yet be first | another randomly chosen |
| | player |
| | |
Thaumaturgic | What once was opened now | all chests are randomly |
| is closed | filled with new items |
| | |
Traditional | There's no place like | free town portal spell |
| home | |
| | |
Weird | The sword of justice is | +1 max damage to all |
| swift and sharp | weapons |
| | |
----------------------------------------------------------------------
* notes: what to do before you access these shrines
Cryptic - lure enemies near it
Eldritch - go back to town and spend all you want on full potions
Gloomy - unequip all your weapons
Imposing - restore full mana
Magical - restore full mana
Mystic - unequip all your gold
Spiritual - empty your inventory
Thaumaturgic - open all chests and collect all treasures for the level
* Other, shrine-like areas:
1) Goat Shrines - does a random shrine effect. To find out what, you'll
just have to rely on what it has to say. These shrines
are found in the middle part of the game
2) Cauldrons - does a random shrine effect and just like the goat
shrine, you can only find out what it did by reading
its quote
3) Blood Fountains - restores one hit point everytime you click on it.
The number of times you can click on it is infinite.
4) Fountains of Tears - +1 to one stat and -1 to another
5) Murky Pools - one free Infravision spell
6) Purifying Springs - restores one mana everytime you click on it.
The number of times you can click on it is
infinite.
* there is no exact location for these books as Diablo randomly generates
its levels. But they're somewhere there...
1. The Great Conflict -
Since the beginning, the forces of light and darkness have engaged
in an eternal war: The Great Conflict, whose victor will rise from the
apocalyptic ashes to hold sway over all creation. To ths end, the angels
of the high heavens adhere to strict militaristic disciplines. Seraphim
warrioirs strike at the enemies of light with swords imbued with righteous
wrath and justice. The angels believe that only absolute discipline can
properly restore order to the myriad realms, while the demonic denizens
of the burning hells hold that absolute chaos is the true nature of all
things.
The battles of the Great Conflict rage across both time and space
often infringing upon the very fabric of reality itself. From the Crystal
Arch at the very heart of the high heavens to the arcane Hellforge of
the underworld, the warriors of these eternal realms journey to wherever
their timeless conflict carries them. The legendary deeds of the heroes
of the realms beyond elicit both veneration and insight.
The greatest of these heroes was Izual, lieutenant to the arch-angel
Tyrael and bearer of the angelic runeblade Azurewrath. He once led a fierce
attack upon the Hellforge as the creation of the dark demonblade Shadowfang
was nearing completion. His quest was to destroy both wielder and weapon---
a charge that he was destined never to complete. Izual was overcome by
the legions of chaos and, tragically, was lost to the Darkness. His fate
stands as testament to the fact that Angels and Demons alike shall fearlessly
enter into any domain---so long as their hated enemies dwell within.
Although the Great Conflict burned hotter and longer than any of
the stars in the sky, neither side could gain dominion over the other
for long. Both factions sought some way to turn the tides of the war to
their favor. With the ascension of man and his mortal realm, the Great
Conflict ground to a mysterious halt. Both armies paused in a breathless
stalemate, waiting to see to whose side man would eventually turn.
Mortals had the unique ability to choose between darkness and light,
and it was held that this would be the deciding factor in the outcome
of the Great Conflict. Thus, the agents of the nether-realms descended
to the mortal realm to vie for the favor of man...
2. The Sin War -
The coming of the Great Conflict to the mortal realm is known as
the Sin War. Angels and demons, disguising themselves while traveling
amongst men, attempted to secretly lure mortals to their respective causes.
Over time, the forces of darkness discovered that mortals responded much
more to brute force than to subtle coercion, and so began to terrorize
man into submission. The angels fought to defend humanity against this
demonic oppression, but all too often their austere methods and severe
punishments succeeded only in alienating those whom they sought to protect.
The violent battles of the Sin War occurred often, but they were
seldom witnessed by the prying eyes of man. Only a few "enlightened"
souls were aware of the supernatural beings that walked amongst the huddled
masses of humanity. Powerful mortals arose and accepted the challenge
of the Sin War, allying themselves with both sides in the Great Conflict.
The legendary deeds of these great mortal warriors served to earn both
the respect and hatred of the netherworlds. Although lesser demons kneeled
before those possessing power and strength, they also cursed the very
existence of mortal man. Many of these fiends believed that the deadlock
brought about by the emergence of Man was a perverse offense to their
"higher" role in the great scheme of things.
This jealousy of man led to harsh, atrocious acts of violence by
the demons against the mortal realm. Some men learned of this deep hatred
and used it against the denizens of the underworld. One such mortal,
Horazon the Summoner, delighted in summoning demons and then breaking
them to his will. Horazon, along with his brother Bartuc, were members
of the Eastern mage clan known as the Vizjerei. This mystic clan studied
the ways of demons and had catalogued their lore for generations. Empowered
by this knowledge, Horazon was able to take the work of the Vizjerei and
pervert it for his demented purposes. The denizens of hell sought revenge
against this bold mortal, but Horazon managed to keep himself well protected
within his arcane sanctuary.
Bartuc, the brother of Horazon, was eventually lured to the side
of darkness. He was granted exceptional strength and longevity, and fought
alongside the legions of hell against the cursed Vizjerei, and eventually
his own brother during the Sin War. Although Bartuc was renowned amongst
the warriors of many realms, his dominance in battle came with a terrible
price. An insatiable lust for mortal blood pervaded his every thought
and deed. Bartuc soon became as fond of bathing in the blood of his enemies
as he did of shedding it, and in time he came to be known only as the
Warlord of Blood.
3. The Dark Exile -
"Seven is the number of the powers of Hell, and Seven is the
number of the Great Evils."
Duriel, the Lord of Pain
Andariel, the Maiden of Anguish
Belial, the Lord of Lies
Azmodan, the Lord of Sin
These are the true names of the lesser of the great evils. For
ages uncounted each have ruled over their own domains within the burning
hells, seeking absolute dominion over their infernal brethren. As the
lesser four continuously vied for the control of those forces that dwelled
within their realms, the greater three held absolute power over the whole
of Hell. The lesser four used dark and evil measures in their quest for power,
and herein begins the legend of the Exile.
Mephisto, the Lord of Hatred
Baal, the Lord of Destruction
Diablo, the Lord of Terror
These are the prime evils of hell that wielded their power as
a dark, sovereign triumvirate. The three brothers ruled over the lesser
four by brutal force and malicious cunning. Being the eldest and strongest
of the evils, the three brothers were responsible for countless victories
against the armies of the light. Although they never held sway over the
high heavens for long, the three were justly feared by enemies and subjects
alike.
With the ascension of man and the subsequent standstill of the
Great Conflict, the three brothers began to devote their energies to the
perversion of mortal souls. The three realized that man was the key to
victory in the war against Heaven, and thus altered their rigid agendum
that they had propagated since the beginning. This change caused many
of the lesser evils to question the authority of the three, and so brought
about a great rift between the prime evils and their servitors. In their
ignorance, the lesser evils began to believe that the three were afraid
to continue the war with heaven. Frustrated by the cessation of the war,
Azmodan and Belial saw the situation as their chance to overthrow the
prime evils and take control of hell for themselves. The two demon lords
made a pact with their minor brethren, assuring them that the wretched
plague of humanity would not deter the ultimate victory of the Sons of
Hell. Azmodan and Belial devised a plan to end the stalemate, achieve
victory in the Sin War and ultimately ride the bloody crest of the Great
Conflict straight into the very arms of Armageddon. Thus, a great revolution
was set into motion as all of hell went to war against the three brothers...
The brothers fought with all of the savagery of the underworld,
and to their credit, annihilated a third of Hell's treacherous legions.
In the end, however, they were overcome by the Horned Death led by the
traitors Azmodan and Belial. The prime evils, weakened and bodiless were
banished to the mortal realm where Azmodan hoped that they would remain
trapped forever. Azmodan believed that with the three set loose upon
humanity, the angels would be forced to turn their focus upon on the
mortal plane---thus leaving the gates of heaven abandoned and defenseless.
Those few demons who still pledged allegiance to the three brothers fled
the wrath of Azmodan and Belial, escaping to the realm of man to seek out
their lost masters.
As the warfires died out upon the battlefields of hell, Azmodan
and Belial began to argue over which of them held the higher authority
The pact that they had made quickly fell to ashes as the two demon lords
took up arms against each other. The legions of hell that remained were
polarized behind either warlord, launching themselves into a bloody civil
war that has lasted to this day...
4. The Binding of the Three -
In the ancient days, before the rise of the western empires,
the dark and terrible entities known as the three evils were exiled to
the world of man. These eternal entities wandered throughout the waking
world and fed upon the lusts of men, leaving chaos and attrition in their
wake. The evils turned father against son and prompted many great nation
into brutal and petty wars. Their exile from hell left them with an insatiable
hunger to bring suffering and pain to all those who would not kneel before
them, and so the three brothers ravaged the lands of the far east for
countless centuries.
Eventually, a secretive order of mortal magi was gathered together
by the enigmatic arch-angel Tyrael. These sorcerers were to hunt the three
evils and put an end to their vicious rampage. The order, known as the
Horadrim, consisted of wizards from the diverse and numerous mage-clans
of the east. Employing disparate magical practices and disciplines, this
unlikely brotherhood succeeded in capturing two of the brothers within
powerful artifacts called Soulstones. Mephisto and Baal, trapped within
the swirling, spiritual constraints of the Soulstones, were then buried
beneath the dunes of the desolate eastern sands.
The powers of hatred and wanton destruction seemed to diminish
in the east as a nervous peace began to settle over the land. Yet, for
many decades the Horadrim continued their grim search for the third brother,
Diablo. They knew that if the Lord of Terror was left untamed, there could
never be any lasting peace within the realm of humanity.
The Horadrim followed in the wake of terror and anarchy that spread
throughout the western lands. After a great battle which claimed the lives
of many brave souls, the Lord of Terror was captured and imprisoned within
the last of the Soulstones by a group of Horadrim monks led by the initiate
Jered Cain. These monks carried the cursed stone to the land of Khanduras
and buried it within a secluded cave near the river Talsande. Above this
cave the Horadrim constructed a great monastery from which they could
continue to safeguard the Soulstone. As ages passed, the Horadrim constructed
a network of catacombs beneath the monastery to house the earthly remains
of the martyrs of their order.
Generations passed in Khanduras, and the numbers of the Horadrim
slowly dwindled. With no quests left to undertake, and too few sons to
sustain their guardianship, the once powerful order faded into obscurity.
Eventually, the great monastery that they had built fell to ruins as well.
Although villages grew and thrived around the shell of the old monastery,
no one knew of the dark, secret passageways that stretched into the cold
earth beneath it. None could have dreamed of the burning red gem that
pulsed within the labyrinth's heart...
5. The Lands of Khanduras -
Years after the last of the Horadrim had died, a great and prosperous
society grew in the lands of the west. As time wore on, many eastern pilgrims
settled in the lands surrounding Khanduras and soon establish small,
self contained kingdoms. A few of these kingdoms bickered with Khanduras
over holdings of property or routes of trade. These squabbles did little
to upset the lasting peace of the west, and the great northern kingdom
of Westmarch proved to be a strong ally of Khanduras as the two lands
steadily engaged in ventures of barter and commerce.
During this time, a bold, new religion of the light known as Zakarum
began to spread throughout the kingdom of Westmarch and into many of its
northern principalities. Zakarum, founded in the far east, implored followers
to enter into the light and forsake the darkness that lurked within their
souls. The people of Westmarch adopted the statues of Zakarum as their
sacred mission in the world. Westmarch began to turn towards its neighbors,
expecting them to embrace this "new beginning" as well. Tensions rose
between the kingdoms of Westmarch and Khanduras as the priests of Zakarum
began to preach their foreign dogma whether they were welcomed or not.
It was then that the great northern lord Leoric came unto the
lands of Khanduras and, in the name of Zakarum, declared himself king.
Leoric was a deeply religious man and had brought many knights and priests
with him that comprised his Order of the Light. Leoric and his trusted
advisor, the Arch Bishop Lazarus, made their way to the city of Tristram.
Leoric appropriated the ancient, decrepit monastery on the outskirts
of the town for his seat of power and renovated it to match its time-lost
glory. Although the free people of Khanduras were not pleased with being
placed under the sudden rule of a foreign king, Leoric served them with
justice and might. Eventually, the people of Khanduras grew to respect
the kind Leoric, sensing that he sought only to guide and protect them
against the oppression of darkness.
6. The Awakening -
Not long after Leoric took possession of Khanduras, a power long
asleep awakened within the dark recesses beneath the Monastery. Sensing
that freedom was within his grasp, Diablo entered the nightmares of the
arch-bishop and lured him into the dark, subterranean labyrinth. In his
terror, Lazarus raced throughout the abandoned hallways until he at last
came to the chamber of the burning soulstone. No longer in command of his
body or spirit, he raised the stone above his head and uttered words long
forgotten in the realms of mortals. His will destroyed, Lazarus shattered
the soulstone upon the ground. Diablo once again came into the world of
man. Although he was released from his imprisonment within the soulstone,
the Lord of Terror was still greatly weakened from his long sleep and
required an anchor to the world. Once he had found a mortal form to wear,
he could begin to reclaim his vastly depleted power. The great demon weighed
the souls residing in the town above, and chose to take the strongest
of them---that of King Leoric.
For many months King Leoric secretly fought the evil presence
that twisted his thoughts and emotions. Sensing that he had been possessed
by some unknown evil, Leoric hid his dark secret from his priests, hoping
that somehow his own devout righteousness would be enough to exorcise
that corruption growing inside him---he was sorely mistaken. Diablo stripped
away the core of Leoric's being, burning away all honor and virtue from
his soul. Lazarus too, had fallen under the sway of the demon, keeping
close to Leoric at all times. Lazarus worked to conceal the plans of his
new master from the Order of Light, hoping that the demon's power would
grow, well concealed amongst the servants of Zakarum.
The priests of Zakarum and the citizenry of Khanduras recognized
the disturbing change within their liege. His once proud and rugged form
became distorted and deformed. King Leoric became increasingly deranged
and ordered immediate executions of any who dared to question his methods
or authority. Leoric began to send his knights to other villages to bully
their townspeople into submission. The people of Khanduras who had once
grown to see great honor in their ruler began to call Leoric the Black
King.
Driven to the brink of madness by the Lord of Terror, King Leoric
slowly alienated his closest friends and advisors. Lachdanan, captain of
the Knights of the Order of Light and honored champion of Zakarum, tried
to discern the nature of his King's deteriorating spirit. Yet at every
turn the arch-bishop Lazarus would waylay Lachdanan and admonish him from
questioning the actions of the King. As tensions grew between the two,
Lazarus charged Lachdanan with treason against the kingdom. To the priests
and knights of Leoric's court, the prospect of Lachdanan committing treason
was ridiculous. Lachdanan's motives were honorable and just, and soon
many began question the reason of their once beloved King.
Leoric's madness was growing more obvious with each passing day.
Sensing that the advisors of the court were becoming increasingly suspicious
of foul treachery, Lazarus desperately sought to contain the eroding
situation. The arch-bishop masterfully convinced the delusional Leoric
that the kingdom of Westmarch was plotting against him, secretly planning
to dethrone him and annex Khanduras into its own lands. Leoric flew into
a rage and summoned his advisors to his side. Manipulated by the arch-bishop,
the paranoid king declared a state of war between the kingdoms of Khanduras
and Westmarch.
Leoric ignored the warnings and admonishments of his advisors
and the royal army of Khanduras was ordered to the north to engage in
a war that they did not believe in. Lachdanan was appointed by Lazarus
to lead the armies of Khanduras into Westmarch. Although Lachdanan argued
against the necessity of the coming conflict, he was honor-bound to uphold
the will of his king. Many of the high priests and officials were forced
to travel to the north as emissaries on errands of diplomatic urgency,
as well. The desperate ploy of Lazarus had succeeded in sending many of
the King's more "troublesome" advisors to their certain deaths...
7. The Darkening of Tristram -
The absence of prying advisors and inquisitive priests left Diablo
free to assume total control over the king's battered soul. As the Lord
of Terror attempted to strengthen his hold upon the maddened king, he
found that the lingering spirit of Leoric fought with him still. Although
the control over Leoric that Diablo held was formidable, the demon knew
that in his weakened state he could never take complete possession of
his soul as long as a glimmer of his will remained. The demonlord sought
a fresh and innocent host upon which to build his terror.
The demon relinquished his control over Leoric, but the king's
soul was left corrupted and his mind crazed. Diablo began to search
throughout Khanduras for the perfect vessel to act as his focus, and found
such a soul easily within his reach. Enjoined by his dark master, Lazarus
kidnapped Albrecht---the only son of Leoric---and dragged the terrified
youth down into the blackness of the labyrinth. Flooding the boy's defenseless
mind with the essence of pure terror, Diablo easily took possession of
the young Albrecht.
Pain and fire raced through the child's soul. Hideous laughter
filled his head and clouded his thoughts. Paralyzed with fear, Albrecht
felt the presence of Diablo within his mind as it seemed to push him down,
deeper and deeper into darkness and oblivion. Diablo gazed upon his surroundings
through the eyes of the young prince. A lustful hunger still tortured
the demon after his frustrating bout for control over Leoric, but the
nightmares of the boy provided ample substance to sate him. Reaching deep
into Albrecht's subconscious, Diablo ripped the greatest fears of the
child from their hiding places and gave them breath.
Albrecht watched, as if out of a dream, twisted and disfigured
forms appeared all around him. Unholy, writhing visages of terror danced
about him chanting choruses of obscenities. All of the "monsters" that
he had ever imagined or believed that he had seen in his life became flesh
and were given life before him. Large bodies comprised of living rock
erupted from the walls and bowed to their dark master. The ancient, skeletal
corpses of the Horadrim arose from archaic crypts and lumbered off into
the red washed corridors beyond. As the cacophony of madness and nightmares
hammered its final blow against Albrecht's spirit, the blood-lusted ghouls
and demons of his mind scattered and scrambled maniacally into the lengthening
passageways of his waking nightmare.
The ancient catacombs of the Horadrim had become a twisted labyrinth
of raw, focused terror. Empowered by Diablo's possession of young Albrecht,
the creatures of the boy's own imagination had gained corporeal form.
So strong was the terror that grew inside of Albrecht, that the borders
of the mortal realm began to warp and tear. The burning hell began to
seep into the world of man and take root within the labyrinth. Beings
and occurrences displaced by time and space, and long lost to the history
of man were pulled screaming into the ever-expanding domain.
The body of Albrecht, fully possessed by Diablo, began to distort
and change. The small boy grew and his eyes blazed as tendril-like spines
ripped through his flesh. Great, arched horns erupted from Albrecht's
skull as Diablo altered the form of the child to match that of his demonic
body. Deep within the recesses of the labyrinth, a growing power was being
harnessed. When the moment was right, Diablo would venture once more into
the mortal world and free his captive brothers Mephisto and Baal. The
prime evils would be reunited, and together they would reclaim their rightful
place in hell.
8. The Fall of the Black King -
The war against the zealous armies of Westmarch ended with a horrible
slaughter. With the army of Khanduras ripped to shreds by the superior
numbers and defensive positions of Westmarch, Lachdanan quickly gathered
together those who were not captured or killed and ordered a retreat back
to the safety of Khanduras. They returned to find the town of Tristram
in shambles.
King Leoric, deep within the thrones of madness, went into a rage
when he learned that his son was missing. After scouring the village with
the few guards that remained within at the monastery, Leoric had decided
that the townsfolk had abducted his son and hidden him somewhere. Although
the townsfolk denied any knowledge of Prince Albrecht's whereabouts,
Leoric insisted that they had crafted a conspiracy against him, and that
they would pay the price for such treachery.
The mysterious disappearance of the arch-bishop Lazarus left no
one in Tristram with whom the king would take council. Overcome by grief
and dementia, Leoric had many of the townsfolk executed for the crime
of high treason.
As Lachdanan and his fellow survivors returned to confront their
king, Leoric sent his few remaining guards against them. Believing that
Lachdanan was somehow part of the townsfolk's conspiracy, Leoric decreed
that he and his party were to die. Lachdanan, finally realizing that Leoric
was beyond salvation, ordered his men to defend themselves. The ensuing
battle carried them down into the very halls of the darkened monastery,
bringing a final desecration to the once holy sanctum of the Horadrim.
Lachdanan won a bittersweet victory as his men were forced to kill all
of Leoric's deceived protectors. They cornered the ravenous king within
his own sanctuary and begged him to explain the atrocities he had committed.
Leoric only spat at them and cursed them for traitors against both his
crown and the light.
Lachdanan walked slowly towards his king and sorrowfully drew
his sword. Full of grief and rage, all honor having been cast to the winds,
Lachdanan ran his blade through Leoric's shriveled, blackened heart. The
once noble king screamed an unearthly death-cry, and as his madness finally
overtook him, he brought down a curse upon those who had so betrayed him.
Calling upon the forces of darkness that he had spent his entire life
combating, Leoric condemned Lachdanan and the others to eternal damnation.
In that last, fleeting moment within the heart of the monastery, all that
was ever virtuous or honorable about the stewards of Khanduras was shattered
forever.
9. The Reign of Diablo -
The Black King lay dead, slain at the hands of his own priests
and knights. The young Prince Albrecht was still missing, and the proud
defenders of Khanduras were no more. The people of Tristram looked about
their lifeless town and were greatly dismayed. Awash in feelings of both
relief and remorse, they soon realized that their troubles had merely
begun. Strange, eerie lights appeared in the darkened windows of the monastery.
Misshapen, leathery-skinned creatures were seen venturing forth from the
shadows of the church. Horrible, wounded cries seemed to linger in the
wind, emanating from deep underground. It became apparent that something
quite unnatural had infested the once holy sight...
Travelers on the roads surrounding Tristram were accosted by cloaked
riders that seemed to now constantly roam the deserted countryside. Many
villagers fled Tristram, making their way to other towns or kingdoms,
fearing some unnamed evil that seemed to wait in the shadows all around
them. Those few chose to remain seldom ventured out at night, and never
tread foot upon the grounds of the cursed monastery. Whispered rumors
of poor, innocent people being abducted in the night by wicked, nightmarish
creatures filled the halls of the local inn. With no king, no law, and
no army left to defend them, many of the townsfolk began to fear an attack
from the things that now dwelt beneath their town.
The arch-bishop Lazarus, frayed and disheveled, returned from
his absence and assured the townsfolk that he too had been ravaged by
the growing evil of the monastery. With their desperate need for reassurance
clouding their good judgement, Lazarus whipped the townspeople into a
frenzied mob. Reminding them that Prince Albrecht was still unaccounted
for, he persuaded many of the men to follow him into the depths of the
monastery to search for the boy. They gathered torches and soon the night
air glowed with the flickering light of hope. They armed themselves with
shovels, picks and scythes and so prepared, they boldly followed the treacherous
arch-bishop straight into the fiery maw of hell itself...
The few who survived the horrible fate that awaited them returned
to Tristram and recounted what they could of the ordeal. Their wounds
were terrible, and even the skills of the healer could not save some of
them. As the stories of demons and devils spread, a stifling, primal terror
began to consume the hearts of all the town's inhabitants. It was a terror
that none of them had ever known...
Deep beneath the foundations of the ruined monastery, Diablo gorged
himself upon the fears of the mortals above him. He slowly sank back into
the welcoming shadows and began to harness his depleted power.
He smiled to himself in the sheltering darkness, for he knew that
the time of his final victory was fast approaching...
* now, these books are found on the respective levels of the quests they
activate, read on...
1. Book of Blood (activates the quest, "Valor")
...and so, locked beyond the Gateway of Blood and past the Hall
of Fire, Valor awaits for the hero of light to awaken...
2. Mythical Book (activates the quest, "Chamber of Bone")
Beyond the Hall of Heroes lies the Chamber of Bone. Eternal death
awaits any who would seek to steal the treasures secured within this room.
So speaks the Lord of Terror, and so it is written.
3. Book of the Blind (activates the quest, "Halls of the Blind")
I can see what you see not,
Vision milky then eyes rot.
When you turn they will be gone,
Whispering their hidden song.
Then you see what cannot be,
Shadows move where light should be.
Out of darkness, out of mind,
Cast down into the halls of the blind
4. Steel Tome (activates the quest, "Warlord of Blood")
The armories of hell are home to the Warlord of Blood. In his
wake lay the mutilated bodies of thousands. Angels and man alike have
been cut down to fulfill his endless sacrifices to the dark ones who
scream for one thing---blood.
* And lastly, these messages, courtesy of Anapan (aspenth@pokemonfactory.com)
are found in the different tomes in the game. Their titles, however,
are courtesy of Patrick (GalahadPC@aol.com). Here's what the latter's
got to say bout these books:
"There are three story "cycles," as I call them, one of which will be
given to the player, randomly decided when the labyrinth is generated.
On the 4th, 8th, and 12th levels you get an installment of the chosen
cycle, which unfolds the story of Diablo from one of three perspectives."
Well, here goes (grouped in threes, of course):
1. The Great Conflict -
Take heed and bear witness to the truths that lie herein, for they
are the last legacy of the Horadrim. There is a war that rages on even
now, beyond the fields that we know - between the utopian kingdoms of the
High Heavens and the chaotic pits of the Burning Hells. This war is known
as the Great Conflict, and it has raged and burned longer than any of the
stars in the sky. Neither side ever gains sway for long as the forces of
Light and Darkness constantly vie for control over all creation.
2. The Wages of the Sin War -
Take heed and bear witness to the truths that lie herein, for they
are the last legacy of the Horadrim. When the Eternal Conflict between
the High Heavens and the Burning Hells falls upon mortal soil, it is called
the Sin War. Angels and Demons walk amongst humanity in disguise, fighting
in secret, away from the prying eyes of mortals. Some daring, powerful
mortals have even allied themselves with either side, and helped to dictate
the course of the Sin War.
3. The Tale of the Horadrim -
Take heed and bear witness to the truths that lie herein, for they
are the last legacy of the Horadrim. Nearly three hundred years ago, it
came to be known that the Three Prime Evils of the Burning Hells had mysteriously
come to our world. The Three Brothers ravaged the lands of the east for
decades, while humanity was left trembling in their wake. Our Order---the
Horadrim---was founded by a group of secretive magi to hunt down and capture
the Three Evils once and for all.
The original Horadrim captured two of the Three within powerful
artifacts known as Soulstones and buried them deep beneath the desolate
eastern sands. The third Evil escaped capture and fled to the west with
many of the Horadrim in pursuit. The Third Evil - known as Diablo, the
Lord of Terror - was eventually captured, his essence set in a Soulstone
and buried within this Labyrinth.
Be warned that the soulstone must be kept from discovery by those
not of the faith. If Diablo were to be released, he would seek a body that
is easily controlled as he would be very weak - perhaps that of an old man
or a child.
--------
4. The Dark Exile -
So it came to be that there was a great revolution within the Burning
Hells known as The Dark Exile. The Lesser Evils overthrew the Three Prime
Evils and banished their spirit forms to the mortal realm. The demons Belial
(the Lord of Lies) and Azmodan (the Lord of Sin) fought to claim rulership
of Hell during the absence of the Three Brothers. All of Hell polarized
between the factions of Belial and Azmodan while the forces of the High
Heavens continually battered upon the very Gates of Hell.
5. The Sin War -
Many demons traveled to the mortal realm in search of the Three
Brothers. These demons were followed to the mortal plane by Angels who
hunted them throughout the vast cities of the East. The Angels allied
themselves with a secretive Order of mortal magi named the Horadrim, who
quickly became adept at hunting demons. They also made many dark enemies
in the underworlds.
6. The Binding of the Three -
So it came to be that the Three Prime Evils were banished in spirit
form to the mortal realm and after sewing chaos across the East for decades,
they were hunted down by the cursed Order of the mortal Horadrim. The Horadrim
used artifacts called Soulstones to contain the essence of Mephisto, the
Lord of Hatred and his brother Baal, the Lord of Destruction. The youngest
brother - Diablo, the Lord of Terror - escaped to the west.
Eventually the Horadrim captured Diablo within a Soulstone as well,
and buried him under an ancient, forgotten Cathedral. There, the Lord of
Terror sleeps and awaits the time of his rebirth. Know ye that he will seek
a body of youth and power to possess - one that is innocent and easily
controlled. He will then arise to free his Brothers and once more fan the
flames of the Sin War...
--------
7. The Realms Beyond -
All praises to Diablo - Lord of Terror and Survivor of The Dark
Exile. When he awakened from his long slumber, my Lord and Master spoke
to me of secrets that few mortals know. He told me the kingdoms of the
High Heavens and the pits of the Burning Hells engage in an eternal war.
He revealed the powers that have brought this discord to the realms of
man. My lord has named the battle for this world and all who exist here
the Sin War.
8. Tale of the Three -
Glory and Approbation to Diablo - Lord of Terror and Leader of
the Three. My Lord spoke to me of his two Brothers, Mephisto and Baal,
who were banished to this world long ago. My Lord wishes to bide his time
and harness his awesome power so that he may free his captive brothers
from their tombs beneath the sands of the east. Once my Lord releases his
Brothers, the Sin War will once again know the fury of the Three.
9. The Black King -
Hail and Sacrifice to Diablo - Lord of Terror and Destroyer of
Souls. When I awoke my Master from his sleep, he attempted to possess a
mortal's form. Diablo attempted to claim the body of King Leoric, but my
Master was too weak from his imprisonment. My Lord required a simple and
innocent anchor to this world, and so found the boy Albrecht to be perfect
for the task. While the good King Leoric was left maddened by Diablo's
unsuccessful possession, I kidnapped his son Albrecht and brought him
before my Master. I now await Diablo's call and pray that I will be rewarded
when he at last emerges as the Lord of this world.
I have tried spells, threats, abjuration, and bargaining with this
foul creature---to no avail. My methods of enslaving lesser demons seem
to have no effect on this fearsome beast.
2. His Power Grows -
In its ranting, the creature has let slip its name---Na-krul. I
have attempted to research the name, but the smaller demons have somehow
destroyed my library. Na-krul...the name fills me with a cold dread. I
prefer to think of it only as a creature, rather than ponder its true
name.
3. The End -
My time is quickly running out. I must record the ways to contain
the demon, and then conceal that text, lest his minions find some way to
use my knowledge and free their lord. I hope that whoever finds this journal
will seek the knowledge.
No matter which character you choose, you end up with the same ending.
Only your voice will change depending on your character, nothing else.
The guys there at Blizzard didn't even change the graphics. They just
created an unclear figure that can be taken as any of the four classes.
Anyway, here's the ending:
Diablo is finally crushed, his body lying helplessly on the ground. You
get a pocket knife, and carve a gem out of his forehead. Almost instantly
He turns to ashes, leaving behind the body of his host (presumably Prince
Albrecht, approx. ten years old, and son of King Leoric---see quests
section) You look at the gem, which holds Diablo's essence, and decide
to bury it---in your own forehead! You have contained his essence in your
own and that he cannot control since he is weak from centuries of sleep.
He can, however, make your life a living hell so you decide to isolate
yourself from the masses to be able to concentrate on keeping him a bay.
Prima Secrets and Level Master IV for a big, big part of my charts
Red Phoenix (red_phoenix_1@hotmail.com) for info on the whats and hows
of ASCII arts
RPGGodGamer@aol.com for the Traditional and Supernatural Shrine info
LordSkywalker for all the townsfolk comments (sorry I forgot your email
address, man, but thanks a HEAP!)
Deathmark_wiz@hotmail.com for reminding me bout the cool Jester spell
Sandor (Sandor23@aol.com) for saying that the Nova and Apocalypse spells
can be found in books in Hellfire and for secret
character info
Anapan (aspenth@pokemonfactory.com) for the tomes in the books section
Patrick (GalahadPC@aol.com) for the names of the tomes in the books section
Marcus (grave-digger@mindspring.com) for this (unconfirmed by yours truly)
info(similar but not a direct quote):
"I have encountered two unique monsters you did not mention. A vortex
lord named Windspawn on Level 12 and a Balrog named Blackskull on
Level 13." |
|-> confirmed!
Patrick Soth (fearless_decoy@mindspring.com) for two great advices:
1) "I remember a minor trick involving the Gotterdamerung. When you pick
it up, do not have it identified. This way, you get the 60 armor without
the 0% resistances. It's obvious to tell if an un-ID'd helm is the gotter...
It tells you it's got 60 armor..."
2) "There's a good number of mages running around whacking thing with fireballs....
My personal picks are Naj's light plate, an arch-angel's staff of (fill
in the blank), magic/dexterity boosting rings and amulet, and a Thinking
cap. The only thing is the Cap's 1 durability is a pain. But there is a
way to get around it. The Hidden Shrines randomly add or remove 10 durability
to an item when touched, so touch one with only the cap on, and it's got
11 durability. With luck repeated shrines can add more to that...I've
had one at 41 durability. With this gear you get level 20 spells. Nasty
stuff...."
Gamefaqs.com for paying attention to this faq
Blizzard and all its affiliates for creating such a great game
Sierra and all its affiliates for the expansion
Ms. AsianCuteness for inspiring me in just about everything I do!
v2.1 - added a few uniques
v2.0 - added special quests section
v1.9 - added tomes in books section
v1.8 - added secrets and a few details here and there
v1.7 - added the Jester spell
v1.6 - added townsfolk's comments and quest activators
v1.5 - added experience points chart
v1.4 - corrected some errors
v1.3 - improved ASCII art
v1.2 - added books section
v1.1 - added Journals on Na-krul section
Please feel free to email me if there's something about Hellfire I left out
(I'm sure there will be as this faq barely tries to tell everything about
such a big, big game) or if you just want to comment on my work. Thank
you. If ever I revise this faq and add something you feel came from one
of your emails to me, email me again and remind me bout it so I can give
you credit. Thanks again.
I've found a number of uniques in Hellfire which I can in no way prove
not to exist in Diablo. If you ever see any of these in Diablo, mail
me bout it, ok?
____________________________________________________________________
Type___|_Name__________|_Traits____|_Damage_|_Dur_|_Reqment_|_Hand_|
| | | | | | |
bow | Gnat Sting | Multiple | 1-2 | inf | str:20 | 2 |
| | Arrows | | | dex:35 | |
| | Quick | | | | |
| | Attack | | | | |
| | | | | | |
--------------------------------------------------------------------
____________________________________________
|_Type__________|_Name_____________________|
| | |
| vortex lords | Windspawn |
| | |
| balrogs | Blackskull |
| | |
--------------------------------------------
Patrick (GalahadPC@aol.com) has a few strategies to add:
1) " A use for basic spells - drawing out off-screen monsters. If you suspect
a mess of beasts with long-range attacks are waiting in ambush (very
likely in the last few levels), lob off a weak spell like Firebolt,
one at a time, in a spread in front of you, until you hear the sound
of a monster grunt (indicating a hit). The offended monster will usually
come running to get you back, but without their pals! Pick them off
at your leisure. Also, you don't want to use multi-hit spells like
Fireball or Lightning Bolt, as the whole point is to avoid getting
the attention of many monsters at once! Sure, you could wind up killing
a bunch of them, but if they happen to be resistant to fire or lightning,
you're just going to get swarmed by pissed-off, fully-intact foes. "
2) " Firebolt and Holy Bolt, among a couple others, are spells which increase
in damage potential based on character level, not spell level. Level
increases for these two spells reduce mana cost and increase the traveling
speed of the bolt. For a Sorcerer of high enough level, these are an
attractive alternative to missile weapons, as they can prove to be
faster, more powerful, and cheap enough to make the casting cost (and
costs for mana potions) negligible. At least as long as you are up
against few mosters at a time, and they are vulnerable to these spells. "
3) " Once a Sorcerer learns the healing spells and gets them to a moderate
level, he'll never need healing potions again. Using these spells and
restoring oneself with mana potions is more efficient, as mana potions
cost the same as healing ones, and the Sorcerer can cast such spells
quickly enough to make them effective in the heat of battle. "
4) " The powerful Flash spell is probably meant with Warriors in mind, as
it is designed to hit anything immediately adjacent to the caster.
Since Warriors are at their best when wading into the fray, they are
most likely to get themselves surrounded on all sides, and if they
happen to be in over their head, a desperate use of Flash may take
out a few attackers and open an escape opportunity for them. Too bad
they can't cast it very fast though, or this would be a real life
saver. "
Ok, this ain't for beginners cause you'll learn practically nuthin from
this part. I'm just including this for fun.
Na-krul - 6
Diablo - 5
Others(!) - 1
valid reasons for voting NA-KRUL according to e-mailers:
- " He's got two things rarely both present in any boss---fastest attack
and fastest hit recovery. " by Kokuryuha
- " A great warrior at heart, given all these warrior-like skills "
by M. Bryan
- " He'll kick Diablo's butt ANYTIME! " by Snake
- " When you fight him, it is you vs. him, not 20 million other monsters
coming at you. " by Deathmark_wiz
- " What other characters talk to you when you are fighting? (Thanks for
letting me out, by the way...) " by R. Hathaway
- " Not that I have seen him yet - but he just sounds cool, and, if I
recall my Diablo times correctly, Diablo himself wasn't too tough.
In fact, it was quite disappointing, because I was prepared for a
hell of a fight." by M. Kluncker
and after seeing Na-Krul for himself,...
" He doesn't have the brains, but he's got the look." And besides, I
just liked the way the rumbled his greetings to Diablo. "
by M. Kluncker
- " Na-krul can easily kick diablo. my monk can dispose of diablo in a
couple of blows, while if i open Na-Krul's door without using the
books, he kicks me good." by F. Vera
valid reasons for voting DIABLO according to e-mailers:
- " Tons of mages, witches, and knights by his side " by E. Gill
- " Looks plain cooler, and definitely harder to defeat " by J. Basson
and B. Sager
- " At Na-krul I used 6 out of the 8 full mana (I use Mana Shield) before
he died, and at Diablo I used all 8... And of course Diablo has "friends"
to protect him " by U. Schou
- " Na-Krul was a baby compared to Diablo! I was able to defeat him using
the Savage Bow of Fire and a handful of healths " by CalDude
other comments:
- " I think that there is a demon far better that Diablo or Nakrul...the
one and only SNOTSPILL. Maybe it's just me but I think that little
dude rocks. " by V. Groenink
- " For best name, it would have to be snotspill or pukerat the unclean.
They kind of suck fighting-wise, but they have great names. And how
exciting is Diablo, or Nakrul? " by R. Hathaway
And just in case you read the last part of this faq before the first,
allow me restate my legal notice...
By gaining access to this faq you agree to the following terms:
___________________________________________________________________________________
===================================================================================
|| ||
|| 1) I, Joseph Christopher, the author of this faq, is not in any way ||
|| liable for any harm that anybody thinks came from reading this faq. ||
|| Examples of this harm include physical ones, such as getting mauled ||
|| by someone who lost to you via a technique found in this faq, and ||
|| emotional ones, such as experiencing humiliation upon the use or ||
|| most likely misuse of yet another technique found in this faq. ||
|| ||
|| 2) If this faq was accessed from a source other than gamefaqs.com, nine ||
|| out of ten chances are it is not in its latest update. You must ||
|| therefore read the latest version of this faq first at the said web ||
|| site before sending in any comments, suggestions, and/or corrections. ||
|| As for webmasters, web page contibutors, and all similar personnel, ||
|| posting this faq on any other website requires every last sentence, ||
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|| ||
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|| 4) You will not use even a single phrase, sentence, or concept found ||
|| anywhere in this faq on your own work, even if you expressed it in ||
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|| the author of this faq, full credit for it. If you in any way ||
|| incorporated even a very minute part of the strategies found in this ||
|| faq with your own in your work, then you must at the very least give ||
|| me partial credit for it. ||
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|| ||
===================================================================================
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHH
HHH HHH HHH HHH HHH HHH HHH HHH HHH HHH HHH HHH
HHH HHH HHH H HHH HHH HHH HHH HHH H HHH H
HHH HHH HHH H HHH HHH HHH HHH HHH H HHH
HHH HHH HHHHH HHHHHHH HHH HHH HHHHH HHHH
HHH HHH HHH H H HHH HHH HHH HHH HHH H H H HHHH
HHHHHHHHHH HHH HH HHH HHH HHH HHH HHH HH HH HHH
HHH HHH HHH HHHH HHH HHH HHH HHH HHH HHHH HHH HHH
HHH HHH HHHHHHHHHH HHHHH HHHH HHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHH
HHH HHH
HHH HHH O F M I G H T A N D M A G I C I I
HHH HHH
HHHHH HHHHH
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Heroes of Might and Magic II
Frequently Asked Questions
Version 0.6
Latest Update in April 16, 2000
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
By Joseph Andro Artanto
E-mail: arsin@indosat.net.id
ICQ : 55139575
Site : http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Dragon/3939
Hi! I have decided to make a FAQ for Heroes 2. However, I cant take if you
rip off my work here or selling this walktrough for own profit, so if you
did, I'll found out and I will put you in the losers contents. This
walktrough and future revisions of it can be found at :
- http://www.gamefaqs.com/
- http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Dragon/3939
or you can e-mail me at arsin@indosat.net.id
Unpublished work Copyright 1999-2000 Joseph Andro Artanto.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Ia. VERSIONS
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
*Version 0.1 (10/9/1999)
The initial release.
*Version 0.2 (23/10/1999)
Filled the Roland's and Archibald's campaign strategy.
Minor corrections.
*Version 0.3 (28/11/1999)
Layout corrections, Minor corrections. Contact me by ICQ (55139575).
*Version 0.4 (29/12/1999)
A really, really big update. Added some more sections (General Tips,
Using certain hero types, and some more normal strategies). The artifact
list and spell list also have been updated now.
*Version 0.5 (6/1/2000)
Strategy Guides for normal maps section added. Minor corrections.
*Version 0.6 (16/4/2000)
Updates the General Tips sections. Completed the Expansion Pack
campaign maps Guide section. Created the Questions of the Month
section. Layout corrections. Minor corrections.
I. VERSIONS/CONTENTS
II. GAME SYSTEM
III. SPECIAL PLACES LIST
IV. BUILDING LIST
V. ARMY LIST
VI. SPELL LIST
VII. ARTIFACT LIST
VIII. GENERAL TIPS
IX. USING CERTAIN HERO TYPE
X. STRATEGY GUIDES (BEGINNER)
a.Normal Strategies
b.First Week Building Tips
c.Tips on Upgrading
d.Fighting the Dragons
e.Secondary Skills Tips
f.Using Diplomacy
g.Troops Assignments Tips
h.The Dirty Tricks
XI. STRATEGY GUIDES
a.Guides for Normal HOMM2 Campaigns
b.Guides for HOMM2 Expansion Pack Campaigns
XII. STRATEGY GUIDES (Guides for Normal Maps)
XIII. QUESTIONS OF THE MONTH
XIV. DISCLAIMER
XV. CREDITS
Unpublished work Copyright 1999-2000 Joseph Andro Artanto.
This FAQ and everything included within this file cannot be reproduced
in any way, shape or form (physical, electronical, or otherwise) aside
from being placed on a freely-accessible, non-commercial web page in
it's original, unedited and unaltered format. This FAQ cannot be used
for profitable purposes (even if no money would be made from selling it)
or promotional purposes. It cannot be used in any sort of commercial
transaction. It cannot be given away as some sort of bonus, gift, etc.,
with a purchase as this creates incentive to buy and is therefore
prohibited. Furthermore, this FAQ cannot be used by the publishers,
editors, employees or associates, etc. of any company, group, business,
or association, etc., nor can it be used by game sites and the like.
It cannot be used in magazines, guides, books, etc. or in any other
form of printed or electronic media (including mediums not specifically
mentioned) in ANY way, shape, or form (including reprinting, reference
or inclusion), without the express written permission of the author,
myself. This FAQ was created and is owned by me, Joseph Andro Artanto
(arsin@indosat.net.id). All copyrights and trademarks are acknowledged
and respected that are not specificially mentioned in this FAQ.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
II. GAME SYSTEM
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Heroes of Might and Magic II (HOMM2), is a strategy-adventure-RPG game
created by New World Computing and has been published in PC and Macintosh.
However, many beginners feels confused when they play it the first time.
Originally, you could choose your own map, you can just choose the campaign
(recommended) or just play a map created by you or other peoples. In the
first screen, you can choose New Game and choose what kind of game you want
to play (campaign, standard, multiplayer). Campaign leads you to a series
of scenarios. And standard will let you to play any map in your MAPS
directory. Finally Multiplayer will let you have a multiplayer battle
against your friend via modem, network, or seat-by-seat/Hotseat. Hotseat is
a multiplayer game in one Computer (max. 4 players).
Load game is used to load your previous game. You can see some preview of
some games created by NWC in the door (click the door on left area of the
main menu).
When you first enter a 'choosing maps' menu (by standard or multiplayer),
click the upright button to choose your map, the info of that map is below
the map name (like how many players, what type of heroes you want, it is
optional). Now you will enter the main game screen, which lead you to the
real game. Note, this game has experience status, this mean your level will
be increased when you have enough experience.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
III. SPECIAL PLACES LIST
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
This only apply in the world map screen, so take a note about that. If you
want to know about the buildings (inside a castle or town), armies, spells,
etc, see the contents.
As you know, special places are spreaded around the world, to know what the
use of certain places, see below.
There is a couple of mouse icon in this game. Sword means you need to fight
that special places (like castle,army camps,etc), horses means you can walk
to that place.
For easy references, use 'find' and write your desired special places.
* Castle
This is where you can rest, buy troops, learn new spells, or build your own
castle. If its flag isn't your own flag, it is enemy's castle.
* Town
Same as castle, but you cant build any buildings inside the town. You can
upgrade a town into a castle if allowed.
* Gazebo
A place that makes you meet an old man that teach you some skills, and this
means you get some experiences by his lesson. Note that one hero only can
get exp by this old man once.
* Obelisk
A place to get maps to reach the Ultimate Artifact (to dig the land, you
must have full 'yellow').
* Fountain
Your luck is increased until the next battle ends.
* Temple
Your moral is increased until the next battle ends.
* Mines
This where you get minerals like ore, crystal, gems, etc. you get some of
them per day if you have them.
* Woodfields (or something like that)
Like mines, but you get woods instead minerals.
* Alchemy Lab
You get mercury per day.
* Shrine of 1st circle, 2nd circle and 3rd circle
the place where you get certain magic of certain classes. the 1st circle
let you get a random magic from class 1 magic.
* Witch Hut
You can get certain skills from her (like navigation, wisdom, etc). Only
basic ones.
* Artifacts
An important thing in this game, Artifact can make your strength or magic
power increased, even some of them will protect you from some damaging
spells. See the Artifact list section for more info.
* Mineral/Wood/Gold/Mercury
These are all treasures scattered around the world, collect them to get
some small amount of them.
* Treasure Chest
This chest will lead you to 2 choices. The one will give you some gold, and
the other will give you some experiences.
* Army Camp
This where you mainly see the enemies. Go to them and you will enter a
battle. You may get certain events by touching them. Like the enemies want
to join you, etc.
* Heroes
I know you know it. But beware of the hero's flag, as it will be the sign
whose the ally and foe.
* Idol
Same as Fountain. Give you a luck until the next battle ends.
* Tree of Knowledge
This tree will give you a level if you have enough leadership. If not, he
will give you a fee to level up (around 10 gems).
* Fort
Give you 1+ defense skill. Once for a hero.
* Mercenary Camp
Give you 1+ attack skill. Once for a hero.
* Witch Doctor's Hut
Give you 1+ knowledge skill. Once for a hero.
* Stonehege
Give you 1+ spell power skill. Once for a hero.
* Ruins
You can buy some Medusas here.
* Genie Lamp
You can buy some Genie here.
* Peasant Hut
Some peasant will agree to join you.
* Archer's House
Some archer will agree to join you.
* Goblin's Hut
Some goblin will agree to join you.
* Centaur Cave
Some Centaur will agree to join you.
* Dwarf Cottage
Some Dwarf will agree to join you.
* Oasis
Give you a several 'yellow' points.
* Artesian Spring
Doubles your 'green' points (magic points,manna).
* City of the Death
Beat some undead units and you can buy some lich.
* Skeleton
You might found an artifact or treasure from the dead bodies.
* Wagon
Same as skeleton.
* Sign
Something written in there.
* Bottle
Something written in there.
* Magellan House (or something like that)
You can buy the map of the sea of the current map.
* Flotsam
You might found gold or woods from there.
* Treasure Chest (on the ocean)
You might found an artifact or gold.
* Tree House
Some sprites will join you.
* Tree City
You can buy some sprites in there.
* Pyramid
Fight some undead and take the treasures. If the undead have been defeated,
then you get bad luck instead.
* Demon's Cave
Fight the servants or face the demons, it your decisions.
* Factory
Upgrade your iron golem to steel golem.
* Hill Fort
Upgrade some of your troops to the upgraded type.
* Dragon's City
Fight some dragons and you will be able to buy some red dragons.
* Sphinx
Solve the riddle and get the prizes. If you fail, your heroes will be dead,
remember, not all prizes are good.
* Well
Fill up your 'green' points to full status.
* Buoy
Give a morale to your troops until the next battle ends.
* Graveyard
Fight some undead and take the treasures. If the undead have been defeated,
then you get bad morale instead.
* Lighthouse
Your ship yellow points is increased.
* Rogue's Camp
You can buy some rogues from there.
* Road
Used to make your hero's movement longer. Note that heroes always take the
shortest way.
* Abandoned Mine
Fight some ghost first, then the mine will be changed into a gold mine.
* Wrecked Ship (there are 2 type of them)
Fight some ghost first, then take the treasures. If the ghost have been
defeated, you get bad ones instead.
* Event
In certain cases, you may get an event.
* Whirlpool (sea only)
Teleport your ship to a different random whirlpool. Note that some weak
armies (like peasant) might be killed if they enter the whirlpool.
* Dimension Door (there are 3 types of them)
Teleport your hero to a different dimension door (the same type only).
* Watch Tower
Some orcs will join you.
* Halfling Hole
Some halfling will join you.
* Windmill
Give you some resources every week when visited.
* Water Wheel
Same as Windmill, but give you gold instead.
* Magic Garden
Same as Windmill
* Trading Post
Exchange some resources with another resources. Same as Marketplace in a
castle or town. If you have more marketplace, the exchange rate is better.
* Oracle
See opponent's status.
* Troll Bridge
You can buy some trolls here after you fight them.
* Desert Tent
You can buy some Nomads in there.
* Execution Site
Some Skeletons will join you.
* Xanadu
He will teach you some skills when you have enough diplomacy skill.
* Faerie Ring
Give you a luck until the next battle ends. Same as fountain.
* Lean-To
Get some resources here. One time only.
* ??? (maybe im missing something)
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
IV.BUILDING LIST
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
This is apply inside a castle or a town. Some of them will allow you to buy
some troops, give you a new spell, increases your moral, etc.
--Knight--
----------
* Peasant Hut -> Peasant
* Archery Range/(Upgraded)-> Archer/Ranger
* Armory /(Upgraded)-> Pikeman/Veteran Pikeman
* Blacksmith /(Upgraded)-> Swordman/Master Swordman
* JoustingArena/(Upgraded)-> ? /Champion
* Cathedral /(Upgraded)-> Paladin/Crusader
* Well -> Give you 2 more units every dwelling
* Statue -> Give you 250 gold every days
* Farm -> Give you more Peasant every dwelling
* Tavern -> Increases your defending troops moral
* Moat -> Hold enemy's fighter
* Mage Guild 1-5 -> Provides spells for your heroes
* Right Turret -> Attack opponent's army every turn in castle
* Left Turret (battle)
* Fortiffication -> Increases the toughness of the wall
* Captain's Quarters -> Acts as a hero inside a castle
* Shipyard -> Used to create a ship
* Thieves Guild -> Provides info about your opponents
--Wizard--
----------
* Halfling Hole -> Halfling
* Pen -> Boar
* Cliff Nest -> Roc
* Foundry /(Upgraded)-> Iron Golem/Steel Golem
* Ivory Tower /(Upgraded)-> Mage/Archmage
* Cloud Castle /(Upgraded)-> Giant/Titan
* Well -> Give you 2 more units every dwelling
* Statue -> Give you 250 gold every days
* Orchard -> Give you more Halfling every dwelling
* Tavern -> Increases your defending troops moral
* Moat -> Hold enemy's fighter
* Mage Guild 1-5 -> Provides spells for your heroes
* Right Turret -> Attack opponent's army every turn in castle
* Left Turret (battle)
* Library -> Give you more spells of every class
* Captain's Quarters -> Acts as a hero inside a castle
* Shipyard -> Used to create a ship
* Thieves Guild -> Provides info about your opponents
--Sorcerer--
------------
* Tree House -> Sprite
* Archery Range/(Upgraded)-> Elves/Grand Elves
* Cottage /(Upgraded)-> Dwarf/?
* Stonehege /(Upgraded)-> Druid/Greater Druid
* Fenced Meadow/(Upgraded)-> Unicorn
* Red Tower -> Phoenix
* Well -> Give you 2 more units every dwelling
* Statue -> Give you 250 gold every days
* Crystal Garden -> Give you more sprites every dwelling
* Tavern -> Increases your defending troops moral
* Moat -> Hold enemy's fighter
* Mage Guild 1-5 -> Provides spells for your heroes
* Right Turret -> Attack opponent's army every turn in castle
* Left Turret (battle)
* Rainbow -> Give the defending armies more luck
* Captain's Quarters -> Acts as a hero inside a castle
* Shipyard -> Used to create a ship
* Thieves Guild -> Provides info about your opponents
--Necromancer--
* Execution Site -> Skeleton
* Graveyard /Upg-> Zombie/Mutant Zombie
* Pyramid /Upg-> Mummy/Royal Mummy
* Mansion /Upg-> Vampire/Vampire Lord
* ? /Upg-> Lich/Power Lich
* Laboratory -> Bone Dragon
* Well -> Give you 2 more units every dwelling
* Statue -> Give you 250 gold every days
* ? -> Give you more skeletons every dwelling
* Tavern -> Increases your defending troops moral
* Moat -> Hold enemy's fighter
* Mage Guild 1-5 -> Provides spells for your heroes
* Right Turret -> Attack opponent's army every turn in castle
* Left Turret (battle)
* Storm -> Give the defending armies more spell power
* Captain's Quarters -> Acts as a hero inside a castle
* Shipyard -> Used to create a ship
* Thieves Guild -> Provides info about your opponents
--Barbarian--
* Goblin's Hut -> Goblin
* Stick Hut /Upg-> Orc/Orc Chief
* Cave -> Wolf
* Adobe /Upg-> Ogre/Ogre Lord
* Bridge /Upg-> Troll/War Troll
* Pyramid -> Cyclops
* Well -> Give you 2 more units every dwelling
* Statue -> Give you 250 gold every days
* Garbage Heap -> Give you more goblins every dwelling
* Tavern -> Increases your defending troops moral
* Moat -> Hold enemy's fighter
* Mage Guild 1-5 -> Provides spells for your heroes
* Right Turret -> Attack opponent's army every turn in castle
* Left Turret (battle)
* Colosseum -> Give the defending armies more moral
* Captain's Quarters -> Acts as a hero inside a castle
* Shipyard -> Used to create a ship
* Thieves Guild -> Provides info about your opponents
--Warlock--
* Cave -> Centaur
* Crypt -> Gargoyle
* Nest -> Griffin
* Maze /Upg-> Minatour/Minatour King
* Swamp -> Hydra
* Green/Red/Black Tower -> Green Dragon/Red Dragon/Black Dragon
* Well -> Give you 2 more units every dwelling
* Statue -> Give you 250 gold every days
* Waterfall -> Give you more centaurs every dwelling
* Tavern -> Increases your defending troops moral
* Moat -> Hold enemy's fighter
* Mage Guild 1-5 -> Provides spells for your heroes
* Right Turret -> Attack opponent's army every turn in castle
* Left Turret (battle)
* Dungeon -> Give you 500 gold every day
* Captain's Quarters -> Acts as a hero inside a castle
* Shipyard -> Used to create a ship
* Thieves Guild -> Provides info about your opponents
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
V. ARMY LIST
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
As you know, I will only give description for some powerfull and usefull
troops, as it will take years to describe all of them one by one. (Long)
means that unit attack with long range attack. (Fly) means it is a flying
type troops. (Fight) means it is a fighter unit. You CAN split your army,
here is the way: press shift, drag a unit you want to split to an empty
box, a menu will appear and ask you how many units you want to split.
--Knight--
* Peasant (Fight)
* Archer/Ranger (Long)
* Pikeman/Veteran Pikeman (Fight)
* Swordman/Master Swordman (Fight)
* Paladin/Crusader (Fight) -> Attack 2 times on a unit
--Wizard--
* Halfling (Long)
* Boar (Fight)
* Roc (Fly)
* Iron Golem/Steel Golem (Fight)
* Mage/Archmage (Long) -> Sometimes causes Dispel
* Giant(Fight)/Titan(Long) -> Titan is 1/2 strongest unit
--Necromancer--
* Skeleton (Fight)
* Zombie/Mutant Zombie (Fight)
* Mummy/Royal Mummy (Fight) -> Sometimes causes curse
* Vampire/Vampire Lord (Fly) -> Live again if kills some units
* Lich/Power Lich (Long)
* Bone Dragon (Fly)
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
VI. SPELL LIST
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
--Level 1 Magic--
-----------------
HASTE
Most useful 1st level spell.. since it can turn otherwise deficient monster
stacks in killer armies. Examples.. a big stack of Steel Golems can now
reach the opposing army in 2 turns. Your big stack of slow or average
shooter troops can now shoot before the enemy flyers or shooters. The
Hydras become very, very dangerous. A huge stack of skeletons can reach the
other side in 2 turns while your cheap sacrificial stack of shooters draws
the fire... In general, it can give you the very important first attack.
SLOW
Opposite of Haste... almost as useful but less versatile since if you cast
it too soon the enemy spellcaster will probably dispel it. Can save your
butt against fast flyers since this will give your shooters time to destroy
them. Also useful combined with Blind to stop the enemy from fleeing before
you have a chance to destroy him. Timing is foremost when using this potent
spell. Either use it after the enemy casted his own spell or on the fast
troop going up next which you want to attack first.
BLESS
Very good on certain troops that have a large range of damage. Also assures
you of inflicting maximum damage. For example, Bless used on crusaders and
phoenix double up their damage inflicting points permitting you, under
ideal conditions, to kill double the monsters you would usually have
destroyed with an unblessed stack doing minimum damage. Of course, doing
minimum damage with an unblessed unit is very unlikely since the damage
done by any stack is an average.
CURSE
Opposite of Bless. Very good also but more "passive" than his counterpart
since you can't always control which of your stacks, the enemy stack will
attack first (unless you have shooters). The enemy will rarely dispel this
spell. Use it against the monster stack that scares you the most : the fast
flyer troops or the big stack of enemy shooters.
SHIELD
Extremely nice to have when you go up against big shooter armies. Use it on
your strongest shooter stack who will draw the majority of attacks from the
AI. Unfortunately, the usefulness of Shield is limited because it does not
protect against ballista and turret fire.
DISPEL MAGIC
One of the tough spells to use well. More useful in the later parts of the
game. Try to use this spell against an enemy stack having multiple positive
spells. I typically use it against the most dangerous enemy stack,
especially if it already has bless and steelskin. I use Cure instead of
Dispel Magic when I want to remove negative spells from one of my stacks.
MAGIC ARROW
The first *direct* offensive spell. Good against low-level troops and very
good when you have a high spell rating but no lightning or not enough
spells points left to cast it. Also good when you don't want the enemy to
flee, which it will usually do, when it only has a couple of monster
stacks left.
CURE
Did you know that this spell not only cures your hit points but also
removes all negative spells ? Making this almost the equal of Dispel Magic.
I rated it so low because the number of hit points gained when casting it
is much too minimal. I mostly use it on my high-level monster stacks (like
Phoenix or Bone Dragons).
BLOODLUST
Attack +3. In concrete terms, what this means is that, under ideal
conditions, you could get a 30 % damage bonus. I cast it when I have
nothing else better to cast.
STONESKIN
Defense + 3. In concrete terms, this means that, under ideal conditions,
you could get 30 % less damage (if the difference between his attack and
your defense skill were 3 points or higher before you casted) from an enemy
attack on the stack that is stoneskinned. I cast it when I have nothing
else better to cast.
VIEW MINES
I only use it in the beginning game to check out where the *necessary*
mines are hidden. By *necessary* mine, I mean the mine that produces the
resource you need most to build the advanced-level structures. For example,
sulfur for Warlocks, wood for knights, ore for barbarians, gems for
wizards, etc.
VIEW RESOURCES
I will use it if I have it.. but I prefer getting the other spells. Can be
useful if there are no nearby mines of the type you desire.
--Level 2 Magic--
-----------------
BLIND
One of the most underestimated spells out there. What good is the killer
monster stack of the enemy if it cannot move or attack due to the Blind
spell ? Timing is very important for this spell : either cast it on the
fastest troop of the enemy, wait until he has already cast his own spell,
or time it so that the blinded stack is the one going up next. If the enemy
dispels it after his unit has already lost his turn then it's too late for
the current turn. If he dispels it before that blinded stack would have
normally gotten its turn, then the stack will attack normally. Generally
cast Blind on the most dangerous monsters... faster units first. Also
useful in keeping the enemy from fleeing. A sure way to insure that an
enemy stack will lose the current turn is by attacking it before the
computer opponent has a chance to dispell it. Something we rarely, if ever,
think about is that a blinded creature retaliates with half-damage unless
you shoot it from afar with missiles or offensive spells in which case the
enemy gets no retaliation at all. Finally, keep in mind that this spell
doesn't work on undeads and Titans.
LIGHTNING BOLT
The best "direct" offensive spell that damages a single stack. I use it all
the time. Its use is pretty straightforward : point and shoot. Useful for
destroying remaining enemy units you don't want to see fleeing. As always,
cast Lightning on the most dangerous unit that can attack you right away
(that means walker troops are the last target choice).
VISIONS
One of the best spells if you manage to get it. It's one of the rarer
spells because of it's great usefulness. If New World Computing did not
want us to have it very often, they should have given it a higher-level
spell rating. Visions tells you how a nearby wandering monster stack will
react when you encounter it (join, flee, attack). It also gives you the
number of units present. From intuition and experience, I can usually tell
if an enemy stack will join me or not, but having this great spell makes my
job easier. Don't cast Visions on everything though, cast it on stacks that
you must absolutely pass or that you suspect might join you.
STEELSKIN
+6 on Defense. Quite good when you want to protect one of your important
stacks. I usually cast it on my best shooters or the flyers who are
attacking deep in enemy territory. In concrete terms, this spell can lower
the damage received by about 40 % on the steelskinned unit, under ideal
conditions (if the attacker's attack rating is 5 points or higher than the
defender's defense rating.. before you cast the spell).
COLD RAY
Not a bad spell similar to Lightning Bolt but less powerful. I never cast
it if I already have Lightning unless I have the cold icicle item. It's a
point-and-shoot offensive spell.
DISRUPTING RAY
-3 on Defense each time you cast it. Some people like this spell because
it's permanent and cumulative. Well, I rarely use it because I think it
costs too much. I guess you could use this instead of Curse if you're
really scared of the offensive power of a given enemy stack. The enemy
can't dispel it.. so that's good. I still think the AI uses this spell too
often.
DRAGON SLAYER
+5 attack against Dragons. This is a must against Dragons. It also works
against Bone Dragons. Cast it on your highest-level stack (Titans, Phoenix,
etc). Can possibly inflict 50% more damage on any Dragon stack. Dragon
slayer combined with Bless makes your attacking unit quite dangerous. If
you don't know what to cast against Dragons, which are immune to all magic,
this one is a good bet...
DEATH RIPPLE
Another very specialized spell only useful if you army is entirely composed
of undead troops. Don't cast it unless your hero has a high spell power
rating. The power of this spell is not strong enough imho (only x5 Power),
but it's a 2nd level spell so that's too be expected. The good point is
that it affects all living troops equally. Can serve as a weak mini-
armageddon spell. Possibly useful combined with Anti-magic.
SUMMON BOAT
Summons any nearby boat that you "control" or that has never been
previously controlled by anyone. Can be quite good in water-based
scenarios... For example, you disembark on one side of the desert island,
explore it, reach the other side, cast Summon Boat and board the boat. This
spell can save you a lot of exploring time.
HAUNT
Renders a mine useless for all players until the protecting ghosts are
defeated. In the rare times, I got it, I barely used it. Of course, don't
use this on your own nearby mines :-) Can be useful if a spellcasting scout
hero goes deep into enemy territory and casts it on essential mines of the
enemy (ex : Haunt on the sulfur mines of the enemy warlock).
VIEW ARTIFACTS
I almost never use this because I usually have a lot of scouting heroes
showing me exactly what nearby items are good enough to risk my valuable
troops. If I get it, I will cast it one time just to see if there might not
be a "clump" of items close by. The funny part is : that they are usually
guarded by a very strong army...
--Level 3 Magic--
-----------------
MASS HASTE
Makes all your own monster stacks quicker. I gave Haste the first place in
the first part of my spellcasting guide therefore it's only fair that I
give it the same "honor" in the 3rd part ;-) All that I said for Haste
applies here too but on a larger and better scale. If you play well, and
because most of your troops will attack before your enemies, you can really
devastate the opposition. Extremely useful when you have a fast army or
better (think Sorceress). Your opponent cannot dispel all those hastes,
even if he has Mass Dispel, because he may not even have the chance to get
his turn :-) Watch out for the remaining couple of enemy troops, they could
flee.
TELEPORT
A very rare spell but very good when you manage to find it. This can
teleport any one of your ground troops on the other side of the map
therefore providing you with a quicker attack. Use it on tough very slow,
slow or average troops (Hydras are the best) when it is their turn. Expect
this teleporting stack to suffer some heavy casualties. Useful for
teleporting ground troops inside or outside castles. I also teleport my
ground troops next to the enemy's shooters most of the time (between 2
stacks of shooters if I can).
PARALYZE
A better version of the already nice Blind spell. You use it the same way
as Blind (see part 2) except you don't have to worry about retaliation so
much anymore. Therefore faster and weaker creatures that would die from a
retaliation (against a blinded enemy) can give the first strike (against a
paralysed enemy). It's a little more expensive than Blind but most of the
time it's worth it.
ANTI-MAGIC
This is a must-have spell if you go up against powerful spellcasters. In
general, I cast it on my strongest highest-level or more damaging stack. If
you have shooters in your army that you want to keep, then it's a good idea
to cast Anti-Magic on them before your best stack since the AI will almost
always attack the shooters first. If you also have an all-damaging spell
(like Elemental Storm or Armageddon) then you can attack with only one
tough monster stack... casting Anti-Magic on the first turn and the all-
damaging spell on the second turn. If you see that a spellcaster is
constantly casting negative spells on the same unit stack, by all means
cast Anti-Magic to protect this valuable stack.
MASS BLESS
The spell to use if you want to beef up your offensive potential. Most of
the tips for the simple Bless (see part 1) also apply here. Very good if
your stacks have a big "range" of damage (ex: Phoenix with 20-40 points or
Nomads with 2-5 points each).
MASS CURSE
The spell to use when the enemy has a lot of very damaging units. Most of
the tips for the simple Curse (see part 1) also apply here. Very good if
the enemy's stacks have a big "range" of damage.
ANIMATE DEAD
The resurrect spell for the Necromancer hero ! Only a 3rd level instead of
5th level therefore providing a certain advantage to the Necromancer player
if he manages to get it. You have a better chance of getting it than the
resurrect spell but it's mostly useless for the other types of heroes. A
specialized spell that should be rated much higher if you play the
Necromancer and lower if you play any other kind. I usually cast it on my
Vampire Lords or Bone Dragons...
MASS DISPEL
The spell to use when a lot of your stacks have negative spells on them. It
won't happen very often though since the AI seems to prefer casting many
different negative spells on the same unit (most of the time : your best
shooter stack). The Dispel is useless against Disrupting Ray. Most of the
tips for the simple Dispel Magic (see part 1) also apply here.
EARTHQUAKE
An underestimated spell... Destroys the castle walls sooner therefore
making the castle ballistas destroyed sooner. Castle ballistas destroyed
sooner means a lot less casualties for your shooters. A lot less casualties
for your shooters means a stronger army. A stronger army means a quicker
victory ! Particularly good if you cast it 2 consecutive times at the
beginning of the battle. Less useful if you attack a new lightly-built
castle with only one ballista.
DEATH WAVE
Stronger version of Death Ripple. Cool spell effect that damages all living
troops. Only useful for Necromancer players. Can serve as a mini-armageddon
spell. If your Necromanger gets this spell, the Death Ripple spell will
almost never be used anymore. Having a good spell rating for the hero
casting it is a "must". Death Wave is rated higher for Necromancer players
and much lower for all the other types of players.
HOLY WORD
Very good if you go up against a Necromancer player that doesn't have the
item countering it. Specialized spell only useful against undead. Useless
for the necromancer army and of limited use for the other hero types if
there is no Necromancer present on the map. Can be used to kill wandering
undead troops
FIREBALL
First general area-damaging offensive spell. Because of its lack of
"destroying" punch, I prefer to use the good old Lightning spell. This
spell should be given a power boost. Useful if you have a high spell-rating
and/or when you attack low-level stacks (like halflings or goblins). Also
good for stopping the enemy from fleeing if he only has a couple of stacks
left.
COLD RING
Similar to Fireball but with a slight twist. It creates a "ring" of
damaging ice around one of your units not killing your own stack. Not bad
if one of your good units is surrounded. Good against low-level troops,
useless against high-level troops. Also nice to have when you go up against
wandering low-level shooter stacks (cast it between the 2 enemy stacks).
Like Fireball, it badly needs a power boost.
VIEW HEROES
Not bad but not extremely good either. Can show the exact number and
location of heroes that each of your opponents has. Frequent use of this
spell can save your scouting heroes from ambush. Useless when you have
explored most of the map.
VIEW TOWNS
Only useful to give you a general attack direction. I will cast it once or
twice and forget about it. Can also show you if your enemies have captured
any new towns or built up castles.
IDENTIFY HERO
Most useless 3rd level spell since I generally have enough thieves guilds
by then to know the size of the opposing army. My agressive tactics also
mean that the first defended castle I take will be lightly-defended by a
beginner or intermediate hero. BTW, it may not be pretty, but if you attack
an enemy army and you find out too late it's too strong for you, there's
always retreating and surrendering ;-)
--Level 4 Magic--
CHAIN LIGHTNING
My personal favorite spell. It may not be the strongest or most versatile
spell but it packs a lot of offensive punch anyway. When I have the good
fortune to find it, I use it almost exclusively along with my best
spellcaster and army. No other offensive spell (that does not kill your
troops too) is this damaging to your enemies with the exception of
Armageddon and Dragons. Of course, you have to watch out, when you cast
this potent spell, about not zapping your own troops. I usually cast Chain
Lightning on my first turn while all the opponent stacks are on the other
side of the map close together. My first target will be the most dangerous
and immediately damaging unit. Therefore, I will usually shoot the bolt at
a big stack of shooters close to flying troops or vice-versa. You can still
cast the spell when you go up against only 3 enemy stacks since the 4th
victim (one of your stacks) will suffer practically no damage. I almost
never cast it against an army of only 2 units. If you cast the spell on the
second or third turn, watch out for your own flyers who may already have
engaged the enemy. Never cast it on a enemy unit close to yours unless you
don't care about killing your own unit too. This spell is usually better
in the early and midgame. In the endgame, Mass Slow is better.
MASS SLOW
Ever wonder why this spell is rated a 4th-level spell while his opposite
counterpart Mass Haste is only a 3rd-level spell? It's in part because this
great underestimated spell will give you first strike against the majority
of the opposing stacks. But the real reason is that it will stop all enemy
flyers from reaching your shooters in only one turn ! The enemy shooters
will also fire last giving you a chance to devastate them with your own
army. Some ground enemy troops will arrive to your side sooner than others.
That way, you can concentrate on usually 1 or 2 walker stacks instead of 4
at the same time. Fleeing, for the enemy, is also rendered more difficult.
A well-cast Mass Slow combined with good tactics can give you the victory
before your opponent even has a chance to take one turn ! Most of the tips
for Slow (see part 1) also apply for Mass Slow.
BERSERK
I consider this spell better than the 5th-level spell Hypnotize. Why ?
Because even though you cannot control the actions of the berserked unit,
you can decide to berserk almost any kind of enemy stack with no regard to
its strength. The berserk spell will dissipate after one attack so make it
count. Imagine you're going up against a superhero with 8 Red dragons and
50 Minotaur Kings next to each other. You know that your spells cannot
affect the dragons so you cast Berserk on the Minotaur Kings who go up
next. If you're lucky, the Minotaur kings will attack the dragons (or the
nearby gargoyles) and get attacked in return ! Presto : the MK stack has
lost its turn, the attacked unit has lost the ability to retaliate for the
rest of the turn (unless it has unlimited retaliation) and both stacks are
decimated :-) The best part is that Berserk doesn't cost a lot to cast
(only 12 points). Casting it at the correct time is very important since
you don't want to see it dispelled. In any given turn, either cast it at
the enemy unit that will go next, the fastest enemy stack or when the enemy
has already cast his own spell. A secondary usage of this spell would be to
stop a single unit army from fleeing. Sometimes, you will also want to stop
a particular enemy stack from getting his turn until you are ready to
attack it. Blind and Paralyse are better in that respect, but sometimes you
won't have them. Last warning : do not attack a berserked unit until it has
already attacked one of his own.
METEOR SHOWER
A very nice offensive spell that usually damages 2 units but can sometimes
damage more (if they're all close together). A clever use of this spell is
to send a flyer stack next to an enemy shooter stack without attacking. All
the close enemy walkers and flyers (if you have no shooter troops) will
then proceed to attack this lone flyer stack. Cast Meteor Shower when
they're all clumped together. You will lose your own flying stack but will
have done a lot of damage to the majority of his units. A variation on this
tactic is the sacrificial shooter unit which will attract all enemy flying
troops. On the first turn of a combat, I usually cast Meteor Shower between
a shooter stack and flying stack since they're the most likely to damage me
right away. On the next combat turns, if I see no enemy "clumps" then I
will proceed to cast it again on the shooters if they're close to any other
significant enemy unit. If the shooter stack is alone, then cast Lightning.
Another likely target for Meteor Shower is a group of walkers slowly coming
towards me. The power and range of this spell makes it more useful than
Fireball, Cold Ring and Fireblast imho.
TOWN GATE
Finally a good useful adventure spell :-) It is very rare. Probably because
of its effectiveness. It will transport the hero casting it to your nearest
town. What this means is that you can afford to be more reckless. Even
attacking sooner than would be prudent will not be a problem, since if you
have enough spell points, you can "gate" back to your town for
reinforcements. Extremely useful for strong heroes with depleted armies
that have done a lot of battles deep in enemy territory or weak midlevel
scouts who stumble upon a stronger enemy hero. After coming to a deadend
while exploring, you can teleport back to avoid losing precious travel
time.
HOLY SHOUT
A very specialized spell that only damages undead creatures. Can be quite
useful against Necromancer troops if you have a high-level spellcaster. The
power is good and it kills only undead troops not your precious living
troops. Therefore if you have a knight, barbarian or wizard army, you can
use this as your own little Armageddon without killing your own troops too
(see Storm for Sorceress and Armageddon for Warlock). Mostly useless for
Necromancer heroes unless they are lucky enough to find the magic item
making them immune. On maps with no Necromancer opponents, Holy Shout can
still serve to kill wandering undead armies. If you get this spell, you
will most likely forget about Holy Word.
STORM
A little more powerful than Holy Shout but it also kills all troops, making
no discrimination between dead and living. If you play anything other than
a sorceress or a warlock, then this spell only serves when you want to
weaken a powerful enemy army approaching your castle. You hire a wizard (or
any hero with advanced wisdom), make sure he has a very fast unit and
attack the enemy. You cast Storm on your first turn. You will die right
away but will have weakened the enemy a bit. Try to redo this as long as
you have enough money and/or wizards. This spell could also be useful for
high-level spellcasters with Anti-Magic. They should stomp around with one
very tough single stack, cast Anti-Magic on the first turn and Storm on the
second. Storm with Phoenix is a killer-combination since Phoenix are immune
to all elemental spells and almost always strike first :-) It gives a
needed little secret weapon to the sorceress player.
RESURRECTION
Well.. what can I say about this one. If you have a sufficiently strong
army combined with an adept spellcaster hero, you can win almost any single
combat against any army whatsoever (except Dragons of course ;-). But it
can save your butt in only one combat since the resurrected troops will
dissapear at the end... If the fight was the least bit close-matched, then
you will have very few surviving troops left and no more spell points. Make
sure you have at least ONE non-resurrected troop still surviving by the end
of the tough battle or you will eliminated along with your opponent.
FIREBLAST
I almost never use it because the great area of effect is upset too much by
the low power of the spell. I prefer using Meteor Shower, Chain Lightning
and Lightning. The only real use I see for it.. is if you go up against a
lot of similar low-level troops. That means that Fireblast will be mostly
used against wandering monster stacks and NOT against an enemy hero army
(unless his army really sucks :-). Could possibly be useful as a way to
avoid enemy fleeing if the enemy has 2,3 or 4 low-numbered low-level stacks
remaining.
MASS SHIELD
Halves the damage from enemy shooters for all your troops. Most of the
time, I have better spells to cast than this. Since the all enemy shooters
will usually concentrate their fire on your best shooter stack, why not
cast a single Shield and a Steelskin on your victimized shooter stack ? Use
your precious spell points for something better. Of course, there are
always exceptions... Against wandering armies of mid or highlevel shooters
and against heroes with lots of different shooter troops, this spell can
literally save your life. I still think this should have been a 3rd-level
spell. The tips for the simple Shield (see part 1) also apply for Mass
Shield.
MASS CURE
Mostly useless since the power of the curing spell power is not powerful
enough (only 5x spell power). If you use it, cast it as a Mass Dispel on
your own troops. It won't happen very often anyway except in very big
battles at the end of the game. The tips for the simple Cure (see part 1)
also apply for Mass Cure.
VIEW ALL
By the time I get this, I usually have explored most of the map. So I am
very disappointed when one of my two precious 4th-level spots is filled by
this "dud". Could be useful in large or extra-large maps if only to keep
track of the moving heroes and by showing you where the towns are located.
By knowing where the towns are, you then have a better chance of guessing
from where the enemy armies will come. It also gives you a better general
sense of direction :-) All the tips for all the other View Spells apply
for View All.
SET AIR/EARTH/FIRE/WATER GUARDIAN
What a coincidence... number 13 :-) As it stands now this spell is more of
a liability than something helpful. With the current bug (hopefully fixed
by the 1.2. patch), you cast this to protect your mines, the enemy hero
comes along with his big army, captures the mine and your own Elementals
now guard the mine against you. How nice ;-) I will probably rate it higher
when the patch comes out but not a LOT higher.
Update : The terrible bug exposed in the previous paragraph has been fixed
by the latest patch. Unfortunately, I still don't like or cast those kind
of spells very much. The cost is too high (15 spell points !) and the
results are not that great. As for Haunt, it can be useful if you really
want to stop a certain opponent from getting resources from a certain type
of mine (ex : sulfur for a Warlock). Contrary to Haunt, the mine will stay
in your possession but defended by Elementals against any opponent who
would dare to take it. If you're being invaded or suspect you'll get
invaded by strong attackers, Set Elemental Guardian is a nice way to keep
your mines. Of course, you would have to setup those protections BEFORE the
enemies steal your mines and forces you to flee or stay in your castle.
Those spells are more rare than others of the same level.
--Level 5--
-----------
TOWN PORTAL
Imho, the best spell in the HOMM 2 game. It will teleport you to *ANY* of
your own towns. This spell is so powerful that when you get it, the game
is pratically finished for your adversaries. The designers probably know
this too because they made this spell so rare. In all the games I've
played, I've gotten Town Portal a grand total of only 2 times! With a high-
level spellcasting hero you teleport from one castle to the next, taking
the best troops in each. You're almost dead and deep in enemy territory,
you cast Town Portal and your hero is saved. You have your killer army
exploring far away from the front and one of your weaker castles there is
about to be captured ? Simple, you teleport inside the attacked town at the
last possible moment and trounce the surprised enemy. You need to get a
particular spell from one of your faraway castles ? Again you're only a
little Town Portal away. You need to get from one point of an extra large
map to another in a hurry ? Chances are that you have a nearby castle that
can save you days or weeks of slow ground travel. This spell eliminates
distances and permits you to leave almost of your castles practically
undefended. The only thing to watch for is the number of spell points you
currently have. Of course, you also need to have scouted the map
beforehand and control more than 1 castle for Town Portal to be useful ;-)
DIMENSION DOOR
The 5th-level spell that costs the least. You also need a hero with a very
high knowledge rating to make the most of it. Dimension Door can serve most
of the same kinds of functions than Town Portal but with a little more
difficulty. Any hero in trouble can teleport himself away from danger.
Your best army can still reach the undersieged castle in good time (not
true if it's too far away). Dimension Door can sometimes teleport you in
treasure-rich areas protected by monsters otherwise too strong for you. It
can also make you reach otherwise inaccessible parts of the maps. You don't
have to take the big detour anymore to pass the great chain of mountains.
You can pass it easily by teleporting. This spell generally saves you a lot
of travel time. Teleporting next to wells is really a "must" when using
Dimension Door. When there are no wells present and you are almost out of
spell points, go to your nearest castle and stay the night. A high
Logistics skill and items that increase your movement (like Boots) permit
you to cast Dimension Door more often. In theory, if you found a well each
time you were almost out of spell points, you could traverse the length of
the map in a matter of days.
RESURRECT TRUE
This is the best combat "defensive" spell you can get... since the best
protection is not dying permanently :-) I usually cast it on my best and/or
most useful stack (4th-level monsters or higher). Since the computer enemy
really likes to attack your shooters, you will probably end up
"resurrecting" those kind of stacks more often. Calcutate the numbers of
possible resurrected troops before casting it by multiplying the Spell
Power rating of your hero by 50x. For example, a Warlock with 20 spell
points will resurrect for 1000 hit points of dead troops. In other words,
it could be 3 Titans, 16 Ogre Lords or 100 Rangers. This spell, possibly
combined with Mirror Image, makes your Titans better than Dragons. Please
note that Dragons (unfortunately) cannot benefit from any spells because
they are immune to all magic. Remember also that the Necromancer can also
create more skeletons with his necromancy skill and that Vampire Lords in
sufficient numbers can regenerate their numbers while in combat. Animate
Dead costs 5 points less to cast than Resurrect True but only works on
undead troops. On the other hand, Resurrect and Resurrect True work on all
living creatures except Dragons but not on undead.
ARMAGEDDON
Extremely useful with Dragons.. much less useful when you have other
troops. The Dragon-Armageddon combo is something all advanced HOMM 2
players should know about. For those who are in the dark about this
excellent strategy, here's how it works: You give only Dragons (preferably
Blacks) to your hero who has expert wisdom and lots of spell points. Since
the Dragons are immune to magic, your super-spellcaster can cast Armageddon
to his heart's content (at least until you run out of spell points) without
losing any troops ! The only way you can lose a few of your Dragons is if
the opponent has a much, much bigger and better army than yours, if he has
Dragons too or if he casts Anti-Magic on his highest-level monster stack.
This won't happen very often (if ever) against computer opponents but watch
out against sneaky human adversaries :-) The 2 other uses for this spell
are good if you don't have Dragons in your army. In the first HOMM 1 game,
you could hire a lot of Warlocks and make them do kamikaze attacks (with
one very fast unit) on the huge enemy army approaching your castle. It was
a great way to weaken an otherwise invincible army into more manageable
numbers if you had lots of gold. Well in HOMM 2, it's not so easy
anymore... The best you can hire as a starting spellcaster is a hero with
advanced wisdom which is not enough to cast Armageddon. There's always the
option of kamikazing a mid-level hero with expert wisdom but I consider
this a waste. Don't despair, there is still hope. You can use Elemental
Storm as a substitute if you're lucky enough to get it :-) There's also the
option of casting Anti-Magic on your best stack and Armageddon on the
second turn. See part 4 of this guide for the Phoenix-Storm combo and the
Holy Shout-Living Troops combo.
SUMMON ELEMENTAL
Quite a good spell but also the most expensive one to cast. Getting the
Elemental-friendly items are a great help. As for most of the level-5
spells, the effectiveness of Summon Elemental is directly related to the
Spell Power rating of your hero. This spell is almost as rare as Town
Portal. I won't go into all the different immunities and weaknesses of the
different elementals but be aware of them. With luck, you can use a mass-
destruction spell combo or get a much-needed spell immunity with the kind
of elementals you manage to get. Examples of Elemental-Destructive Spell
combos are : Air-Meteor Shower (you keep your Elemental stack close to a
majority of enemy stacks), Earth-Chain Lightning, Fire-Fireblast (not very
good) and Water-Cold Ring (just a joke :-). Keep in mind that ALL
Elementals are immune to ALL mind spells. I'm not sure about this but I
think the AI has a tendancy to attack the Elemental stacks first (after
your shooters). Casting 2 or more Summon Elementals in the same combat can
definitely "stack" the odds in your favor. Here is a handy little chart for
determining which elemental is immune to which spell :
ELEMENTAL TYPE = SPELL IMMUNITIES
EARTH = Lightning, Chain Lightning, Meteor Shower
AIR = Meteor Shower
FIRE = Fireball, Fireblast
WATER = Cold Ray, Cold Ring
MIRROR IMAGE
Also a very good spell which could have been rated much higher. Level-5
spells ratings are mostly a matter of personal preference so please don't
flame me too much :-). I use Mirror-Image on my best and/or highest level
creature stack (usually Titans, Phoenix or Bone Dragons) with the possible
exception of sometimes casting it on a huge stack of shooters or flyers
which are fast and can attack first. Timing is everything on this spell,
because you don't want the enemy to dispel it with one lousy shot or spell
:-) Raymond Bingham explains the issues of Mirror-Image timing better than
I do.. so please read his comments. Another less-well known usage of this
spell is as an enemy attack "magnet". The AI will usually attack the
mirror-imaged stack before the real one. This is especially useful on the
first turn of a battle, casted on your best shooter stack which will
receive most of the attacks. At the very least, it could save you from the
attack of 1 big enemy stack. Of course, this little tip doesn't work so
well against human opponents.
HYPNOTIZE
This one wins The Quebec Dragon Most Useless and Overrated Spell Award !
When I get Hypnotize in my only 5th-level spot after all the time and
resources it took to get to the 5th-level mage guild... I cringe in disgust
:-) In fact, I prefer Berserk over Hypnotize. Berserk will work on almost
every unit, Hypnotize will work only on the "lesser" units of the opponent.
Berserk is a 4th-level rare spell.. Hypnotize is a 5th-level frequent
spell. Berserk usually lasts one turn, Hypnotize unfortunately lasts only
one turn too. By the time I get Hypnotize, almost all monster stacks of
the enemy are rendered immune because of their high numbers. The fact that
I'm controlling the enemy stack for one turn doesn't make Hytpotize any
much better imho. Besides, I will always have a better spell to cast than
the "crappy" Hypnotize. The designers should really consider giving this
spell a lower-spell rating (4th level perhaps ?) or boosting its power
considerably. As it stands now, the only 2 uses I see for it are : 1)
Eliminating the turn of a stack that scares you (better left to Blind or
Paralyse) or 2) Lowering the numbers of two stacks by attack and
retaliation (better left to a good area-effect offensive spell). If you
would like to prove me wrong about the uselessness of Hypnotize, go ahead,
I would like to hear from you...
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
VII. ARTIFACT LIST
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
It takes a really long time, but it is finally finished. Thanks to Rob
Merrit for these.
-Ammo Cart: endless ammunition for troops that shoot.
-Ankh: doubles effectiveness of resurrect and animate spells.
-Arcane Necklace of Magic: increases spell power +4.
-Armored Gauntlets of Protection: increase defense skill +1.
-Ballista of Quickness: catapult fires twice per turn.
-Black Pearl: increases spell power and knowledge +2.
-Book of Elements: doubles effectiveness of summoning spells.
-Caster's Bracelet of Magic: increases spell power +2.
-Defender Helm of Protection: increases defense skill +1.
-Divine Breastplate of Protection: increases defense skill +3.
-Dragon Sword of Dominion: increases attack skill +3.
-Elemental Ring: halves casting cost summoning spells.
-Enchanted Hourglass: extends duration spells by 2 turns.
-Endless Bag of Gold: 750 gold every day.
-Endless Cart of Ore: 1 unit of ore every day.
-Endless Cord of Wood: 1 unit of wood every day.
-Endless Pouch of Crystal: 1 unit of crystal every day.
-Endless Pouch of Gems: 1 unit of gems per day.
-Endless Pouch of Sulfur: 1 unit of sulfur every day.
-Endless Purse of Gold: 500 gold every day.
-Endless Sack of Gold: 1000 gold every day.
-Endless Vial of Mercury: 1 unit of mercury every day.
-Evercold Icicle: cold spells do 50% more damage.
-Everhot Lava Rock: fire spells do 50% more damage.
-Evil Eye: reduces casting cost of curse spells by half.
-Fire Cloak: halves damage troops take from fire spells.
-Fizbin of Misfortune: Greatly decreases morale.
-Foremost Scroll of Knowledge: increases knowledge +5.
-Four-Leaf Clover: increases luck in combat.
-Gamblers Luck Coin: Increases luck during combat.
-Giant Flail of Dominion: Increases attack skill +1
-Golden Bow: halves penalty shooting past obstacles.
-Golden Goose: 10,000 gold every day.
-Golden Horseshoe: increases luck in combat.
-Gold Watch: doubles the effectiveness of hypnotize spells.
-Hideous Mask: No wandering troops will join you.
-Holy Pendant: troops immune to curse spells.
-Ice Cloak: halves damage troops take from cold spells.
-Kinetic Pendant: troops immune to paralyze spells.
-Lighting Helm: Halves the damage done by lighting spells.
-Lightning Rod: lightning spells do 50% more damage.
-Lucky Rabbit's Foot: increases luck in combat.
-Mage's Ring of Power: increases spell power +2.
-Magic Book: allows the casting of spells.
-Major Scroll of Knowledge: increases knowledge +3.
-Medal of Courage: increases morale.
-Medal of Distinction: increases morale.
-Medal of Honor: increases morale.
-Medal of Valor: Increases morale.
-Minor Scroll of Knowledge: increases knowledge +2.
-Nomad boots of Mobility:Increases movement on land.
-Pendant of Death: troops immune to holy spells.
-Pendant of Free Will: troops immune to hypnotize spells.
-Pendant of Life: troops immune to death spells.
-Power Axe of Dominion: increases attack skill +2.
-Power Ring: returns 2 extra power points to your hero.
-Sailors' Astrolabe of Mobility: increases movement on sea.
-Skullcap: halves casting cost of mind influencing spells.
-Seeing Eye Pendant: Troops are immune to blindness spells.
-Serenity Pendant: troops immune to berserk spells.
-Snake ring: Halves the cost to case bless spells.
-Spike Helm: Increases attack and defense +1 each.
-Spike Shield: increases attack and defense skills +2.
-Statesman's Quill: reduces cost of surrender to 10% of the total
cost of troops you have in your army.
-Stealth Shield of Protection: increases defense skill +2.
-Superior Scroll of Knowledge: increases knowledge +4.
-Tax Lien costs you 250 gold pieces per day.
-Telescope: increases terrain hero reveals by 1 extra square.
-Thunder Mace of Dominion: increases attack skill +1.
-Traveler's Boots of Mobility: increase your movement on land.
-True Compass of Mobility: increases movement on land and sea.
-Ultimate Book of Knowledge: increases knowledge +12.
-Ultimate Cloak of Protection: increases defense skill +12.
-Ultimate Crown: increases all basic skills +4.
-Ultimate Shield: increases attack and defense skills +6.
-Ultimate Staff: increases spell power and knowledge +6.
-Ultimate Sword of Dominion: increases attack skill +12.
-Ultimate Wand of Magic: increases spell power +12.
-Wand of Negation: protects troops from Dispel Magic spell.
-White Pearl: increases spell power and knowledge +1.
-Witch's Broach of Magic: increases spell power +3.
-Wizard's Hat: increases duration of spells by 10 turns.
Artifacts are man-made (more accurately magic-wielder-made) items that have
a particular effect or function. Artifacts can turn a barbarian into a
high-level magic-user or a sorceress into a powerful fighting unit.
Artifacts can make the most craven of hero troops gallant warriors.
Unfortunately, the wrong artifact can also drain a kingdom of gold, turn
the populace against the heros, and demoralize the best. Artifacts can be
broken down into nine basic groups...
Skill Boosters. Skill boosters come in the forms of swords, shields,
crowns, rods, scrolls, broaches, and basically just about any form you can
imagine. The lesser of these artifacts might raise one of your basic skills
(offense, defense, power, and knowledge) by one point. The larger ones can
increase one of your basic skills by up to twelve points or multiple skills
by up to six points. Possession of such artifacts can be crucial in the
first part of the game where all heroes are starting off with a lack of
specific skills. By the time the game has progressed half way, the value of
these artifacts can decrease as heroes gain high skill levels through
experience and visiting skill enhancing structures. Grab all the skill
boosters you can get, but at mid-game start trading them for protective
artifacts when you can on your more buff heroes.
Protection. Protective artifacts come in the form of amulets, rods, cloaks,
and so on; and can save you from missiles, lightning, heat, and other forms
of physical attack or magical bespellment. It never hurts to have
protection. Protective artifacts are a boon during all phases of the game
but especially so towards the end when the fire balls are big, the
lightning bolts bad, and longe-range troops are massive.
Movement Enducers. Speed Baubles (as I like to call them) give you a
greater movement each day either on land or sea or both and can be found in
form both as various footware and medallions. Do NOT sell these apparantly
low-effect items short -- they can save your hero's life or help bring aid
to an unprotected castle under siege. All terrain movement enducers are a
value through the entire game -- in the beginning they help you to "Hoover"
up the resources laying around before your opponent does; and during the
middle and end parts of the game they allow you to run away from too-tough
opponents or to get back to your castle before an opponent can attack it.
Speed baubles are a great item to have when you don't have Town Portal or
Dimension Door!
Spell Cost Reducers. Artifacts that reduce the cost of spells come in a
myriad of oddly shaped items. They allow you to cast spells using much less
spell power. So you can cast more spells before having to rest and
regenerate your mana. Since they only usually help decrease the cost of a
particular spell or spell type (ie, Bless) they are of dubious value. By
mid-game, usually your spell casters have more than enough mana to perform.
Spell Cast Enhancers. Artifacts that make your spells more destructive or
longer in duration (like the Spell Cost Reducers) come in a myriad of oddly
shaped items. They can make your lightning bolts more butch or make your
troop stopper spells (blind, paralyze, slow, etc.) last longer. Again,
spell duration enhanncers are of more benefit at the start of a game then
they are later when the spell caster's abilities automatically increase the
duration of spells. But the enhancers that make a damage spell stronger are
very important are of great value to all spell caster types.
Luck And Morale Generators. Coins, medallions, clovers, and the like make
up this group of artifacts. They counter the ill effects of having undead
in your troops or having troops of more than two alignments. You should try
to equip each of your heroes with one of each (luck and morale) whenever
possible. Don't be fooled by the whimsy of these items: They give your
troops double attacks and maximum damage... they win battles!
Resource Generators. MarketPlace In a Pouch! Resource generators provide
you with one or two units of a particular resource every day or from 500 to
10,000 gold pieces if it's a gold generating artifact. So which would you
pick up if you had a choice: Endless Pouch Of Gems or Ultimate Crown? If
you control one or more wizard castles believe it or not, you would want
the pouch. Resource generators are a big ticket item at the start of the
game when resource piles are rare and at the middle of the game when you
are building the more costlier structures. But wizard castles, warlock
castles, sorceress castles, and barbarian castles all need a constant and
large source of gems, sulfer, mercury, and crystals respectively. And the
control of these sacks, pouches, carts, and cages can be a huge factor in
the outcome of the game.
Cursed Artifacts. Luckily, these are few and far between. Basically cursed
artifacts provide you with something you DON'T want. Coming in ANY form
conceiveable, they can do anything from draining your gold on a daily basis
to preventing you from recruiting troops from home-bases. With the advent
of the expansion pak, we now have a new quasi-form of cursed artifacts --
artifacts that provide a benefit with an equal and opposite bad affect (see
the expansion pak page for details). While you will never want a truely
cursed artifact, the benefits of the quasi-cursed artifacts that provide a
blessing and a curse will have to be experienced to be rated.
Miscellaneous Artifacts. These are special artifacts that provide a unique
function that can't be included in one of the other categories. The
Statesman's Quill which allows you to surrender with a discount, the Golden
Bow which halves the penalty your long-range troops have shooting past
obstacles, and the Crystal Ball which allows you to scrye information on
nearby sites, troops, and opponents are examples of this type of non-
classed artifact. There is no blanket value on this group of artifacts.
Each artifact has a particular, unique value depending on the hero type and
circumstances.
--Rating Artifacts By Hero Type--
---------------------------------
by: Astral Wizard
The level of value that an artifact provides any particular hero not only
varies by the usual map size, terrain, type of opponents, and so on; it
also varies specially based on the hero type. Given the exact same map,
starting point, and even troops; each hero type will still require a
different set of artifacts to enhance their activity. Non-spellcaster types
such as Knights and Barbarians would require a different set of artifacts
than spellcaster types such as Wizard, Warlock, Sorceress, and Necromancer;
and the Necromancer would even require a different set of artifacts than
the other spellcaster types. This is based on the inherit difference in
skill sets of the hero types and also in the logical recruiting and
deployment of troop types. Let's look at the three basic types of heroes:
non-spellcasters, spellcasters, and necromancers (spellcasters but handled
separately due to their unique aspect).
For Any And All Heroes. Some artifacts will provide maximum benefit
regardless of which hero type is in possession of them. You can NEVER go
wrong by acquiring these artifacts!
Ultimate Crown :
Increases ALL primary skills +4 but only takes 1 slot.
Breastplate,Helm,And Sword Of Anduran :
Combined, these three artifacts provide a single hero with +5 to
attack, defense, and power as well as maximum luck and morale and the
town gate spell while only taking up one slot!!!
Legendary Scepter:
Increases ALL primary skills by +2 but only takes one slot.
Ultimate Shield :
Increase both your attack and defense by +6 but only takes one slot!
Ultimate Staff :
Increases both your spell power AND your knowledge greatly while only
taking up one slot!
Lightning Helm :
Halves your damage from lightning.
True Compass Of Mobility :
Gives you extra movement everywhere.
Non-SpellCasters. Barbarians and Knights are basically non-spellcasters.
They are hired without spellbooks which is your first major clue that
spellcasting is not their forte`. Oh, sure: you can buy them books and send
them to school, but they will always be behind true spellcasters... unless
you buff them up with spell enhancing artifacts! Indeed, with the advent of
the expansion pak, we now have two methods of equalizing the spell power
difference between non-spellcasters and spellcasters.
Method Number One. Three Words: Sphere Of Negation! This one little
artifact truely makes the combat totally fair between Barbarian and
Necromancer... between Knight and Warlock! It prevents all use of magic
spells during combat. I believe this artifact will become the "Holy Grail"
for all Barbarian and Knight hero types in any map from now on. No longer
will the Barbarian or Knight need to worry about Armaggedon, Elemental
Storm, or Chained Lightning taking out the majority of their troops. Now
(pardon the expression, Ladies) it's a real man's fight with sword and
arrow, tooth and claw. With magic out of the picture, the Barbarian's and
Knight's troops can leverage their natural offensive and defensive
attributes into a powerhouse army. In fact, if you have the Sphere Of
Negation, then you don't need to pick up ANY spell enhancing artifacts for
that particular hero. Indeed, you want to avoid them and go for the offense
and defense enhancing artifacts. Magic is now a non-issue and it comes down
to sheer phsyical strength and numbers. Load such a hero up with offense
and defense artifacts, mobility artifacts, and luck and morale artifacts!
Method Number Two: But if the Sphere Of Negation is not to be found for a
particular Barbarian or Knight hero, then what? Then you need to get four
things: elevated spell power, elevated knowledge, expert Wisdom (a
secondary skill), and... spells! And you need to get them fast! Wisdom
comes from experience. Spells come from mage guilds, shrines, and (thanks
to the expansion pak) singleton scrolls. No problem. But where does the
elevated spell power and knowledge come from? A little from experience and
training. A lot from artifacts. And as the Barbarian or Knight hero roams
the land, they should be concentrating on finding spell enhancing
artifacts. Don't worry that much about offense and defense: those are
natural skills that increase rapidly in Barbarian and Knight hero types and
are abundantly enhanced by the natural attributes of the type of troops
these hero types usually command.
Go for spell power and knowledge enhancing artifacts first. Once your
Barbarian and Knight heroes have achieved a certain level of spell power
and knowledge, they should then begin concentrating on getting their wisdom
increased so that they can use the medium and high-level spells. Protection
and luck/morale are of equal benefit and should be concentrated on at mid-
game as the action gets hot and the combat gets tough.
What artifacts would particularly suit a Barbarian or Knight hero (if they
don't have the Sphere Of Negation)? For spell power and knowledge... It is
best to boost your spell knowledge first so any artifact that increases
spell knowledge is of major benefit since it keeps you from having to
return to a castle or magic well repeatedly.
Any knowledge scroll -- they increase your knowledge from +2 to +5 so you
can cast more spells.
The Pearls -- they each increase both your spell power and your knowledge
but only take up one slot each.
Enchanted Hourglass -- it increases the duration of your spells.
For protection... All protection artifacts are of sound benefit with the
exception of the Pendant Of Death. Picking up ANY protection artifact is
going to help you. But these four I think provide the most aid to
Barbarians and Knights.
Holy Pendant -- protects you from curse spells so that your bless spells
can boost you to victory!
Serenity Pendant -- makes you immune to bezerk spells.
Pendant Of Life -- makes you immune to death spells.
Miscellaneous enhancements that will help the Knight or Barbarian hero once
he or she has built up their spell power, knowledge, and protection provide
an almost equally important boost to the hero's personae.
Snake Ring -- halves the cost of Bless spells... a blessed Crusader stack
is a serious thing!
Any luck artifact -- gives you extra damage on your attacks.
Any morale artifact -- gives your troops extra turns.
Masthead -- gives you both luck and morale benefits at sea and is great for
maps that have large water terrain areas.
True-SpellCasters. Sorceresses, Wizards, Warlocks, and Necromancers make up
the category of spellcasters. You won't find a true spellcaster without his
or her spellbook. Why not? Because without spells, the true spellcaster is
a feeb! Oh, sure: you can send them to boot camp and make them watch Jake;
but point for point, they will always be behind the Barbarians and Knights
when it comes to attack and defense. Unless you pump up their physical
skills by training, experience, AND...? Right! And artifacts!
But not just any artifacts! Spellcasters need defense more than any thing
else! The very first thing that spellcasters should begin to do as they
seek out training structures to increase ALL their skills is to find
defense artifacts to increase their immunity to physical attacks. Dull the
edge of sword and arrow, blunt the point of tooth and claw. You are already
ahead of the non-spellcasters in spell power and knowledge; but that does
you no good if you get few chances to cast your spells. At mid-game, seek
spell power and knowledge boosters as well as luck and morale boosters. The
spells you are acquiring at this point are greatly enhanced by spell power
(Chained Lightning and Fireblast) and knowledge lets you make longer
forays. The luck and morale boosters now start to increase your attack
capabilities by giving you extra turns and full damage. In the final
stages, seek real attack artifacts so that on the final big battles you are
insured of making your physical attacks do as much damage as your heavy
spells.
What artifacts would particularly suit a Sorceress, Wizard, or Warlock
(I'll leave Necromancers for their own section)?
For defense... It is best to boost your defense first so any artifact that
increases defense is of major benefit since it keeps your troops alive
longer in battle.
Spiked Shield -- increases both your defense and attack by +2 and only
takes one slot.
Sword Breaker -- increases your defense by +4 and your attack by +1.
Divine Breastplate of Protection -- increases your defense by +3.
For spell power and knowledge... Any booster of this type picked up by a
spellcaster will turn them from a dangerous spellcaster into a deadly
spellcaster. But these listed here provide the best overall benefit to the
spellcaster.
Any knowledge scroll -- they increase your knowledge from +2 to +5 so you
can cast more spells.
The Pearls -- they each increase both your spell power and your knowledge
but only take up one slot each.
For attack... All attack artifacts are of sound benefit. Picking up ANY
attack artifact is going to help you. But these four I think provide the
most aid to spellcasters.
Holy Hammer -- increases your attack by +5.
Sword Of Anduran -- increases your attack by +5.
Dragon Sword Of Dominion -- increases your attack by +3.
Power Axe Of Dominion -- increases your attack by +2.
For protection... The same artifacts that provide the best benefit to
Barbarians and Knights also provide the best protection to Sorceresses,
Wizards, and Warlocks.
Holy Pendant -- protects you from curse spells so that your bless spells
can boost you to victory!
Serenity Pendant -- makes you immune to bezerk spells.
Pendant Of Life -- makes you immune to death spells.
Miscellaneous enhancements that will help the true spellcaster differ
slightly from those that help the non-spellcaster.
Power Ring -- restores +2 spell points per turn.
Any luck artifact -- gives you extra damage on your attacks.
Any morale artifact -- gives your troops extra turns.
Masthead -- gives you both luck and morale benefits at sea and is great for
maps that have large water terrain areas.
Necromancers. The Necromancer is basically an aggressive spell-caster --
aggressive meaning that the normal Necromancer starts out with one attack
point whereas the other spell-casters don't. This means very little in the
over all game.
However, the Necromancer has special skill that needs to be cultivated and
exploited. This skill is the Necromancy skill. This skill allows the
Necromantic Hero to turn the combat dead into skeletons. This is no small
thing -- although skeletons are the least of the minions of the Necromantic
Hero, in hordes they are quite deadly.
The Necromancer will want to acquire the same artifacts that the normal
spell-casters do for the same reason. In addition, two artifacts that are a
must have (when available) for the Necromancer are:
Arm of The Martyr (+3 to spell power, and the necromancer laughs at the
undead morale penalty)
Gravedigger's Shovel (increases the necromancy skill by 10%)
Evaluating the Worthiness of an Artifact
Now having listed out what I consider to be some "must have" artifacts for
each hero type, I'd like to challenge my own statement: "Must have"?
Really??? A Player asked this question last week: "I came across an
artifact that I could purchase for 3,000 gold pieces and five gems. I
didn't take it. Should I have?" The answer to that question is a resounding
and definite "Maybe!... Maybe not...!"
Normally, you acquire an artifact by just "finding" it, fighting a guardian
or a pack of scalywags for it, winning it off a defeated opponent, or
through an event. But sometimes one of these annoying little leprechauns
goes retail and tries to sell you an artifact. Whether you should purchase
it or not depends on the artifact AND the situation.
First of all, if the artifact offered is a relatively useless artifact then
skip it? What constitutes a useless artifact? A morale booster is useless
if your heroes all have expert leadership and are already carrying morale
boosting artifacts. An endless pouch or sack of anything is useless if all
of your castles are completely built and you don't need the particular
resouce (for instance, it's the Endless Pouch Of Gems and you only control
totally completed Knight's castles). Statesman's Quill is useless if you
never surrender. I'm sure you'll find other situations where an evaluation
of the state of the union tells you that you don't really need this
particular artifact at this particular time for this particular map
scenario.
But what if the artifact is extremely good and you really need it for a
hero? Evaluate that need with the needs of your current castles'
development and your control of resources. Do you still have critical
castle structures to build? For instance, are you only at Level 3 on your
Mage Guilds and you have only one or none of the mines that produce the
resource that is required to purchase the artifact? Don't do it. Do you
have no control of any mines that will replenish the resource cost used to
purchase the artifact? Don't do it. Is it asking for gems, sulfur, mercury,
or crystals and you control a wizard's castle, warlock's castle, sorceress'
castle, or barbarian's castle, respectively? Don't do it. Did one of the
opponent's heroes just waltz into your view with a few dragons in his
troops while you're still excited over having just built your basic ivory
tower? You're in trouble! Forget the silly artifact and get that castle
built!!
And the final consideration (for now) in determining whether to acquire an
artifact whether you purchase it or just pick it up is this: You can't drop
artifacts. You are limited to the number of artifacts your heroes can hold.
It doesn't matter if the artifact is free, if it takes up a crucial slot
that a better artifact could have taken. Consider this: would you rather
have the Ultimate Crown or the Endless Cord Of Wood? As your heroes'
artifact slots begin to fill up, begin getting more picky about what
artifacts you acquire and ignore the lessor ones. Shop smart!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
VIII. GENERAL TIPS
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
* Exploring your vicinity
In most cases it is very wise to purchase at least one more hero to
your starting one. Of course, if you have an observation tower in front of
your castle and can see from there that all ways out are blocked by some
stronger armies and you only have a little space to explore, a second hero
won't be needed... yet.
* Main advantages of two-heroes exploration:
-In early stage - that 'round the castle' exploration - you will
usually profit from having two heroes by having more goodies gathered
quicker. Applies to mines, resources, artifacts and even the fact of
uncovering the map. [More heroes can be used, if your financial
situation seems good and exploration is possible. These guys usually
pay back quite soon.]
-Further in the game, when you assemble a task force strong enough to
go after your enemy, a second guy in backup can be used for several
things:
1.takes care of resources, mines and full exploration of conquered
land (here I often purchase new heroes at conquered castles,
because within a few days the money is back in resources from
taken mines.)
2.holds backup armies for your main hero
3.can build up quite solid experience
4.can take out some of the wandering armies
5.can take care of some minor enemy heroes/towns
* How to select your primary/secondary hero?
With the exception of necromancer, there's no need at all to use a hero
corresponding with the castle class (and even with the necro castle, you
should consider buying another type if there's not any large quantities
of skeleton reserves scattered around the map). How to make your choice?
-Primary hero:
* Knight
for both quick and long tasks. Should be definitely chosen in cases
where magic resources are very scarce. In later phases the knights
develop significant skills in magic, too, but their main advantage is
very strong defense, closely followed by attack. Very good for
walker-based armies due to Ballistics and Leadership, but since they
get archery pretty often, even shooter-based task forces will be glad
to be under a knight's command.
* Barbarian
for both quick and long tasks. Should be definitely chosen in cases
where magic resources are very scarce. The barbarian's magic skills
will remain puny without artifacts. Their main advantage is
definitely attack. The defense can remain surprisingly low for Might
class hero. Excellent in rough terrain, they guarantee quick
exploration and also outrunning your enemies (both offensive and
defensive ;-)).
* Sorceress
For quick and mid-term games. Their Navigation makes them a must for
water-based maps. With excellent knowledge and fair spell power
they're good ones to rely on Summon Elemental spells in battle. If
you manage to get some direct damage spells, they can gain quick
victories on their Might opponents, but in the long term, they lose
to their strength, unless they happen to get high-tech spells. (This
is common for all magic heroes - and the high-tech spells are
berzerker, mirror image and ressurecting, possibly global damage
spells - but at those the sorceress isn't that good due to lower
spell power.) The remarkably high knowledge is very important in
longer journeys in unexplored lands.
* Warlock
If you're gonna to gain access to your opponents quickly and if
their forces are weak, you can take a warlock and bet on spells. His
early Spell Power dominance with slight positive inclination to
attack skill gives opportunity to teach enemies lessons in direct
damage spells from 2nd level Mage guild, which can be built easily in
most cases. In the long term, they lose to strong Might heroes with
strong magic troops ;-)
* Wizard
Being a good compromise between Sorceress and Warlock, their magic
abilities are quite reliable, with little inclination to defense.
Combine comments on those classes and bear in mind that the wizard is
worse than them in their primary positive, yet better in their
negative ;-). In the long term, they lose to strong Might heroes.
* Necromancer
They are of little use as main heroes with living armies. However,
if there are significant numbers of skeleton-providing low-level
armies, it might pay back well to pick a necromancer. Within a few
levels gained from chests and gazebos, his Necromancy skill should
improve to Expert and then it's time to get some armies. Gaining more
levels to A/D than other spell casters, necros aren't that vulnerable
in battles, while still profit from quite strong spells. In the long
term, they lose to strong Might heroes, unless their skeleton hordes
are in four-digit values - this depends strongly on the particular
map.
To sum and extend those comments on heroes, a few notes of my personal
experience follow:
If you plan using high-end magic, make your main hero a spellcaster.
However, if you plan a long-term campaign with huge armies involved,
you'd better choose a knight or barbarian, depending on the chosen
strategy, terrain, number of castles and available troop types. Maps
with easy terrain, close strong opponents (and therefore defensive
strategy), lots of castles and scarce resources (and therefore weaker
armies in low counts) a knight is better, while distant enemies, rough
terrain and numerous armies suit the barbarian.)
Having a sorceress in sea-rich scenarios gives you great advantage -
gathering resources, artifacts and events before the enemy may well
help you win a map.
Wizard's wisdom may be useful with some potent spells like Berzerker,
which is the best way using enemies' own power against them.
Necromancer may be worth it if large amounts of skeleton producing
wandering armies are located nearby - the recruited skeletons make
excellent garrison troops.
My usual practice is to hire a Barbarian (unless I'm sure I'll need a
knight to defend frontier castles) and concentrate the experience with
him. In many cases I manage to get Wisdom, so I can use some good
spells from captured castles. However, Knight heroes have greater
probability of acquiring wisdom, spell power and, which is the most
important, knowledge.
The barbarian should also try hard to get Archery and possibly
Ballistics, as the shooters aren't strong enough to rely exclusively on
them, especially against shooter based opponents as Wizard or
Sorceress).
This concept of relying on the Might in the Long Run has only a few
holes, but those do NOT apply to games against AI. The holes are
Paralyze and especially Berzerker. With those spells, a good
spellcaster can kick your butt. You'll need to be careful with casting.
The only good remedy is those pendants that protect against these.
Oh,well,if the opponent makes a mistake and gives you an opportunity to
dispel those spells, DO that! (Best by using AntiMagic.)
Direct damage spells (maybe except Armageddon) aren't a big threat,
because with large armies the damage caused by those can be compensated
by supportive spells on your troops - I.e. Bless on 30 crusaders gives
an average of +300 damage - equal to Spell Power 12 Lightning Bolt,
Mass Bless on whole army giving even better results compared to
ChainLightning.
The only things that I miss when playing Might heroes is making long
journeys using Dimension Door, but a) even that sometimes gets
possible, b) anyway, after some tens of games won by DDing around, this
thing becomes boring, as it spoils most of the challenge.
Note that in Ways of ... particular hero classes, there are common
strategies to use when fighting other heroes. Those of course mean fighting
armies belonging to that particular hero type. All those strategies assume
all those armies included in the battle (for nit-pickers: five out of six
possible, by best choice under particular circumstances...). If there's any
army missing, the strategies must be reworked to reflect that. If there's
any army added (from other castle types or neutral troops), the strategies
must be reworked. Since there are way too many combinations, I'm not gonna
do that.
Getting secondary skills:
Check Way of particular class to see which skills suit the best your troops
and strategies. There are some general rules to follow. See description of
advanced skills below for most of them. Many of the skills are just
generally good (Luck,Leadership) while others are case-specific (Mysticism,
Wisdom, Logistics, Ballistics) where the conditions cover anything from Map
size, number of castles, type of main hero, type of most used troops,
amounts of resources available and all other things up to terrain types. Of
course, the hero class is very important. I.e. Leadership and Luck provide
much better advantage to Might Heroes, whose troop damage ratings (that
profit from their skills) are generally high. On the other hand, for a
spell caster skills like Mysticism and Expert Wisdom are a must, because
those expand his strong features.
-Secondary hero:
* Knight
Used mainly for defensive purpose - if you need a hero to command
the garisson of a beseieged castle (and don't have any strong spells
in there), use a knight. For active usage there's about nothing
significantly good.
* Barbarian
Can be as well used for defense instead of knight, but in rough
terrain makes an excellent resource gatherer - the kind that runs
between all the weekly-available sources of anything. If your main
guy is a barbarian, try to get another one to accompany him on the
long journeys, picking up all the resources etc. (If your backup guy
doesn't keep the pace up with the main one, he kinda loses his
importance in the two-hero strategy.)
* Sorceress
Use whenever high seas are close - try to improve navigation quickly
in gazebos etc. and rush out to pick up all that floats on the high
waters before your enemies can do so. No other real use.
* Warlock
Use in very early stages as explorer. Leave him only his gargoyles
and let him to help reveal the map. Try to get Expert scouting ASAP
to improve his performance.
* Wizard
Of no much use. The only good thing is that the hero comes bundled
with a few boars and therefore can reach good speed simply by
dismissing the halflings.
* Necromancer
Of almost no use. Comes with slow units and no particular good
skill. However, if you have tons of peasants and other low-level
skeleton-providing scum in vicinity, you can take a necro, get a few
levels to improve necromany, then, before shuttling one or two weeks
of castle production to your main hero, wipe out these armies and
use the skeletons - either with the necro as his main troops or with
the main hero as an improvement to his strike force (if he has some
leadership)).
I personally prefer to take warlocks as secondary, unless I need
barbarian (due to terrain) or unless I need to get more troops for the
primary hero, in which case I take the same class (which is always
offered in first week). Why warlock? Ideal for exploration - has
Scouting and Very fast units at start - can even share the gargoyles
with the main hero, thus giving me two swift explorers at the very
start.
When your secondary heroes happen to gain levels, bear in mind that
really important among secondary skills are movement skills -
Logistics, Pathfinding and Navigation (only when can be applied,
though), Scouting and Estates.
Also remember that the two-hero strategy doesn't implicate use of ONLY
two heroes, but AT LEAST two heroes. The larger the map, the more
heroes may be used.
The so-called backup guy should be taking his share of experience.
Especially later, when the main hero will need large amounts of
experience to advance, it's usually better to let the chests to the
backup guy, because he'll profit them much more. The only exception
should be the case when the main guy desperately NEEDS to upgrade some
advanced skills.)
The main purposes of the backup guy are carrying reinforcements,
killing minor enemies and wandering armies and sometimes possibly
softening up enemy resistance, even at the cost of sacrificing himself.
If the secondary hero survives, he might often 'inherit' all the main
hero's armies - especially if you happen to capture enemy castle with
some 6th level troops left inside unpurchased. In that case the main
hero buys all the big guys and those often carry more firepower that
his entire regular army. In this moment, the backup guy becomes sort of
another main hero and at those moments you really appreciate that
you've already let him to get some levels.)
[Or, if he's still pretty weak, you might consider giving HIM the
dragons, who tend to take minimal losses, grab some quick experience by
defeating wandering armies etc. - and later switch the armies. This
applies in cases where the main hero's army relies very much on his
skills and with the weak secondary guy would suffer many losses.]
There might be a bunch of 'tertiary' heroes that can take care of
collecting resources, gold and armies from self-refilling sources
(usually one hero can do that easily) and for shuttling reinforcements
to the front lines. Those guys need no experience, but should (if that
doesn't mean BIG delays) visit gazebos and possibly trees of knowledge
(if they're for free) to try and get scouting, logistics or estates).
* Task sharing between the heroes:
The main hero should spend his time doing only things that number two
cannot do himself. The former are usually battling armies, getting
artifacts and treasure chests, while the latter are usually occupying
mines, picking up resources and exploring Witch huts. Of course, things
like visiting gazebos and other skill increasing facilities are common.
One more thing should the second guy do - probe trees of knowledge,
because they're more valuable later in the game and you don't want to
waste their potential in the beginning.
* Experience and advancement handling:
-In witch huts you can get random Basic skill. [Random in sense that
level creator cannot affect which skill will it be, but every time the
level is started, the skill is set and remains the same for the single
playtime.] So, the backup hero has one important role: If your main
guy still has some secondary skill slots free, his friend will check
every witch hut and sacrifice his free slots to learn, what the hut
has to offer.
-Treasure chests and other sources of experience. As the experience
needed to gain a level rises with levels already gained, it is pretty
obvious, that if you have a hero with some 40000 exp. and his backup
guy has some 3000 from temples only, then when ever you run into a
treasure chest, you'd better take it by the second guy... Coz getting
another +1 skill for your main guy is usually not as good, as getting
some +6 for the same price... Okay, sometimes you take them with the
main guy, because you desperately need some advanced skill to be
upgraded... [Here I strongly recommend checking every now and then,
how much the hero needs to advance to next level. Even with 100000+
experience points, the hero sometimes is just a 'chest-far' from next
level.
-The same thing comes with wandering armies... If the backup guy can
take them out, let him do it and leave only hard targets to your main
guy. There is one exception... If the main guy has a strong army, it
is a good strategy to leave him one empty stack when touring the
landscape... (The backup guy will carry the fifth army in case it
would be needed for a castle siege or enemy hero onslaught). Thus,
wandering armies can join you. So, if you happen to have a force
strong enough to defeat any wandering army, approach those you'd like
to join you (or buy, having advanced/expert diplomacy) with the main
guy. If they will join you, you can either use them immediately or
give them to the backup guy, if they don't fit for the main guy's
alignment, combat style or speed. Those armies can be then used by the
backup guy as forces to kill other wandering armies and towns for
experience, and later maybe to be left as garrisons in captured
castles and towns (ogres and hydras are excellent for this purpose,
because their high HPs will either prevent any weaker heroes from
attacking your towns or, at least, cause some losses to enemy armies.)
-One more comment on treasure chests - always bear in mind that they
are also a good source of GOLD! If you plan to rely in diplomacy or
build very expensive structures, it's worth it to take gold with the
secondary heroes.
-Also, if your secondary hero explores a closed area that you don't
want to visit with the main guy (maybe there's nothing important
except a few chests, or he's in a hurry to somewhere else), you might
grab gold or exp. with the secondary guy even at early stages of the
game, where the main hero could profit them, but it'd cost too much
time.
-Daemon caves are a bit tricky thing... If you enter and fight the
daemon servants, usually there are about 10 earth elementals, after
whose defeat you get usually 2500 gold. Refusing to fight them, you
risk one of four possibilities (getting the gold and 1000 exp, getting
the exp. only, losing 2500 gold (the hero dies if you don't have 2500)
or receiving some gold and an artifact), that generally are much
better.
-All other sources of experience and skills can be used by more heroes
(temple, stonehenge, witch doctor hut, mercenary camp, fortress, arena
and tree of knowledge, which has the same price for all heroes(decided
at startup, can be nothing, 10 gems or 2000 gold)). In case that a
Tree of Knowledge wants no payment, the level advancement is done
immediately (which is why it's better to try those with the backup
guys first, because using a tree of knowledge before you already have
some 50000 exp. is a real waste.)
-EP features Harpyas - a good way how to transform useless armies to
exp. points. [If you have tons of cash or just some armies you won't
need, give them to a hero, who has a little experience, and send him
there. Harpyas will slaughter some of his armies and reward him with
exp. totalling the sum of slaughtered armies' HPs.Ideal for dismissing
joint golems, ogres, hydras and other (usually useless) stuff. Can get
you a few levels for a beginner hero. Generally not of much use, but
it's there and works alright. And, sometimes this helps human players,
because computer heroes sometimes visit harpyas with their main armies
and thus make your job of killing them later easier.
* Artifacts
Always take time to sort the artifacts you have and have the least
possible number of them with your main hero... All spell-protective
amulets have gained on importance as the AI in it's latest upgraded
version has started using spells like Paralyze and Blind frequently. In
older versions, it never did so and those artifacts were just wasting
space. And, remember one thing - those artifacts will protect you even
from special ability attacks that are similar to the spells - both
Unicorns and Cyclopes will NOT be able to inflict their special spells on
your troops.
So, give those to the backup hero, along with all resource-or-gold-
providing artifacts. That leaves artifacts improving basic skills, morale,
luck and movement. And even then, if you're readying to capture a strong
enemy hero (best in his castle, so he can't flee), think a lot about which
ones you could miss for that fight, coz you might salvage much better ones
from the enemy. (Usually you won't need magical artifacts with
knights/barbarians and sometimes A/D artifacts with spellcasters that plan
to rely on their strong magic...
Also some morale and luck stuff can be missed for that battle, not
mentioning movement artifacts.) Don't hesitate to get rid of unwanted
artifacts by sacrificing a hero to enemy [if you wish to pass the artifact
to enemy - good with tax lien, hideous mask and magical stuff like broach
of shielding and hearts of ice and cold, depending on what spells do you
have ;-)] or just dismissing him and hiring another one. I often even hire
a hero to be dismissed with the negative stuff. NWC should have made
negative artifacts stick to the hero... as it was in the original HOMM.
* Movement rules
The total movement points of your hero depend not only on his skills, but
on his armies, too, and the difference is 4 movement points between very
slow and very fast armies. (Always matters the slowest army, in case you
didn't figure it out). So leave hydras, ogres, dwarven armies and possibly
orcs and archers at home, unless you'll really need them. The additional
movement points may often be the only difference between life and death,
i.e. if you run across an enemy hero with large army during your
exploration and he starts right after you.
Just came to my mind that this could be a good way to waste your
opponent's time - once the enemy wanders onto the edge of your territory,
get close enough to him to let him see you. But be sure to have very fast
armies, possibly logistics or a movement increasing artifact... and every
turn, keep just a few steps ahead of him... And run around the map, wasting
the time of the powerful enemy army...
Also, use always appropriate heroes! If you've got a ship and vast seas
to conquer, buy a sorceress, try to get her some levels to improve her
nagivation to expert, dismiss her dwarves and here we go. (The dismissed
dwarves won't speed up her sailing, but she'll have two extra movement
points for land duties - and those can often save her a whole day if she
can land, snatch resources and board her boat all within one turn. Same
with barbarians exploring deserts, swamps etc. - leave orcs in castle, try
to get expert pathfinding.
Every hero has eight slots for advanced skills. Therefore you have to be
picky and choose only those you'll profit from. The simple fact that your
hero would profit from a skill doesn't mean that you want to take it...
There always could be more skills to profit from. A good example may be a
knight that gets offered Advanced Leadership and Basic Archery. A newbie
will snatch the archery, while the Pro will stop here, think about waiting
for wisdom/logistics with the free slot and therefore will take the
advanced one. This waiting is generally affordable in cases where the basic
offered to you isn't a rare skill for your hero, or in cases where you
don't need it any badly right now.
* Ballistics:
A must for walker based armies, in every scenario with
lots of castles it will save you some losses to your vulnerable
shooters...Either by destroying enemy castle installations or just
making way for your armies to run in and slay the defending troops sooner.
Not needed much for flyers/shooters based armies, such as dragon or titan
task forces. Yet shooters profit from destroyed castle walls by having no
obstacle penalty.
* Archery:
Increased damage from ranged attacks usually comes in pretty
handy, unless you have small stacks or none shooters at all. (I.e.
warlock, necromancer).
* Logistics:
A must, except for Small, sometimes Medium and those island
realms scenarios.
* Pathfinding:
A must, whereever large desert, swamp or snowy areas require exploration.
Otherwise useless.
* Navigation:
Don't have to tell you that you won't need that, when you have no
seas/rivers to conquer, do I? ;-)
* Necromancy:
Not of much use, unless you manage to get expert one and find large masses
of cannon fodder such as peasants. However, in necromancer's hands it's a
powerful weapon. Only warlocks can ever get basic necromancy... and a witch
hut will never teach that.
* Mysticism:
Very useful for long journeys without castles, if you need to use magic.
The better knowledge your hero will have, the lesser need of that skill you
have. (Warlock/Necro needs that far more than Sorceress, to be exact. Also
Knight/Barbie could consider taking this skill, especially in cases where
he already knows Haste/Slow and plans to use those frequently.)
* Wisdom:
Unless you build higher level of mage guilds, you won't find much use to
it, but take this rather than other, worse skills, coz somebody might build
the guild levels for you (either in your or his city). In large scenarios,
even magic-hating/fearing knights/barbies should take this one - it will
give them access to spells in conquered castles and MassHaste/Slow or
Paralyze/Berzerker are spells that may greatly improve their battle
efficiency, not to mention getting i.e. TownGate.
* Diplomacy:
If you get it in early stages, comes quite handy, coz with expert level of
this skill, you get quite a fair price for new units. [And you can see how
many they are, before fighting them... and hell, there IS a difference
between 'lots' and 'lots', 20 and 40 ogre lords definitely aren't a bit the
same easy bait. A few times, having adv/expert diplomacy saved my life,
because I could avoid fighting a stack of grand-elves, that would have beat
crap out of my armies.] I think that the total price is always the same -
the price you'd have to pay for the troops if you were recruiting them,
EXCLUDING magic resources!. Dependant on level, 1/4, 1/2 or all the troops
offer themselves for that price. You should check the areas you have
already explored to see if there are any troops you'd want on your side
(and if their numbers aren't too high - I can't remember the exact value,
but they'll offer to join for money only if your army is somewhat bigger
than their in HPs.) There's one more important thing: This threshold value
for joining is smaller than the value needed for the army to be too scared
to fight you - in other words, if you have diplomacy and a free slot (or a
matching stack in your army), you can avoid fighting armies that would
otherwise fight you, which can be extremly important while facing very fast
shooters or dangerous flyers.)
* Scouting:
Useful for exploration, coz you'll be able not only to see resources and
mines you're looking for, but sometimes you'll spot your enemy soon enough
to turn back or even spot him without him spotting you.
* Eagle Eye:
Learning spells from your enemies is a good concept, especially if you
don't have enough resources to build your own guilds. But I personally
prefer other skills and take this only when I either have to or know I'll
need it. (Being offered Navigation on land-based scenario, it's really
lesser evil to take Eagle Eye.)
* Estates:
Having this skill in expert level is fine, although there are better
ones. Usually I take it in early stages, if either the other
skill is even worse or I'm in dire need of cash. All secondary/tertiary
heroes should take this one - better is only logistics or pathfinding,
where applicable - if the heroes are supposed to travel long-distance
repeatedly and quickly. If you plan to rely on Diplomacy, take Estates
along with the main guy, if you can spare the slot.
* Luck:
Causing double damage can't be a bad thing, ever ;-), but it's never
a thing I'd wait for to come.
* Leadership: Can sometimes save you a lot of trouble and losses. I
prefer it to Luck, as it gives you more tactical benefits. (You can let
enemy units share the double damage you're granted.)
My personal preferences would be: Logistics, Pathfinding, Navigation,
Leadership, Ballistics, Archery, Mysticism, Wisdom and then others. But
if you get Diplomacy or Estates pretty soon, always take them rather than
Eagle Eye or other, in some cases useless skill.
Diplomacy may prove extremely useful in all maps where castles are scarce
and gold is abundant. Especially with stronger armies you'll have an easy
task in acquiring reinforcements among wandering armies.
In general, when deciding about a particular skill, you should always
bear in mind particular conditions in that particular game. You won't
need Estates, if you have a few goldmines/endless bags. You won't need
Diplomacy, if you're very short of gold or if there are only a few armies
that you would want to join you. You won't need Pathfinding on grassland
landmasses. You won't need logistics in a Small map. You won't need luck
with strong armies. Always remember that if something comes handy, you
don't NEED it yet.
* Spell Casting - adventure spells
When an adventure spell is cast, ALL your heroes profit from it. So, if
you have some spare guy at home, cast all view spells and identify hero
spells with him, sitting in his castle. You can identify a hero, that is on
the other end of map, so why use spell points of your killer guy, which
needs to know this opponent before killing him ;-) I don't have to mention
profits of dimension door, do I? Remember one thing, though. Plan your DD
journeys well, considerings wells ;-). It's good to be able to travel half
the map in one day, but is even better to end your trip with almost full
spellpoints, in case you might need them - i.e. to travel back. It's always
nice to see a computer hero DDing onto a little island and then waiting a
week to regain ten points to get back -especially if he has his pack of
titans with him and not in his home castle...
The town portal is even bigger bastard than DD. Suppose you capture an
enemy castle with some heavy losses - you warp home, get new armies, run
to a well, that often is near your starting castle, and then, warp back
to the newly captured castle, all in one turn!
Town portal (without troops) can be emulated even if you don't have it,
at least in some ways. Remember, that in one turn, you can repeatedly
attack somebody/something,retreat and re-hire the hero with new movement
points! [I personally began to dislike DD and Town Portal, finding them
very unbalancing to the game.]
Dirty Trick: Hit'n'Run:
Although the following is nasty and almost cheating, you can do this:
Having i.e. a warlock or a wizard (very fast units), an enemy near your
castle with a huge army and some offensive spells in your guild: Split
your very fast units into 5 stacks, if possible. Just have the five
stacks occupied by 1 unit each. Attack the enemy, demolish his stacks
with spells, retreat, hire again and repeat. If you'll have a well
nearby, you can do this as long as you have the cash. Having 5 stacks of
1 unit often allows you to cast 2 or even 3 spells per battle. (Remember,
you must FLEE, don't get killed!).
This way, you can reduce the enemy's army to quite poor numbers and then,
either fortify at your castle, or even slay him with your main army, that
was resting in your castle all the time (and maybe providing the very fast
units for those repeated attacks). Note that sometimes it would be better
to use non-offensive spells, eh, I mean berzerker ;-))
In early exploration, casting View Resources, View Towns or View Mines
may have crucial impact on your success. Especially View Mines is often
helpful, because there are often scattered respective resources near a
mine, so it's important to be there sooner than your opponents.
* Building
General rules on building are these:
You should always start with money generating structures (statue/dungeon),
with a small exception. Before you build the statue/dungeon, check if
you'll be able to get enough resources, usually laying around your castle
or mines, to build all important dwellings. Applies strongly to barbarian
and warlock as the money
generators are ore-based. When upgrading dwellings, consider these points:
-The most important upgrades are those that increase speed of your
fastest unit. This applies especially to those cases where the fastest
unit of your is only Fast or Average. Getting an upgrade to very fast
means that you'll at least sometimes get first shot in battles.
-The second most important upgrades are those that increase speed of
your slowest unit(s). They give you extra movement points for each
turn.
-The alternative second most important upgrades are those that give
your units some specials. Why alternative second-most? It's good for a
barbarian to move one step faster with his orc chiefs (or two steps
with ogre lord, if he won't use orcs), yet it's comparatively good
(yet in different ways) for giants to start throwing their weapons or
for vampires to start drinking blood of their enemies in large scale
-Other upgrades are important, too, but not enough to be n-th most
important ;-)
A statue built on day one will result in extra 500 gold on first day of
next week (and then extra 1750 every first day of week).
Always try to build most of dwellings before day one of next week. All
miscellaneous buildings like Mage Guild, Tavern, Thieves guild etc. can
wait. If you really don't know what to do with cash, build other
structures. Short notes on them:
-Thieves guild can be quite handy, if you're getting into enemy or
neutral territory with armies, that would have troubes with stronger
opposition defeating neutral/enemy castles/towns. I'd say that it's a
must to have at least one - so you can check at least the troop types.
-Marketplaces generally come to work well in large numbers. [The more
marketplaces you control, the better conversion rates you get. Three
marketplaces get you the same rates as trading posts. With eight or
more the rate drops to 1:2 in resources.]
-Tavern is, well, ehh, of not much use, but if you can spare the cash
and wood, the +1 morale and sometimes useful tips can be worth it.
-City defenses and class dependant buildings (that always somehow
affect defensive actions in city) can be of use, especially in castles
adjacent to enemy. I'd say that the moat is most important, because it
gives you usually one more turn to shoot and cast before the walkers
get to you, and also creatures in moat are more vulnerable. [They
suffer between 15 and 30% more damage, having their defense rating
reduced by three.] The firepower of tower and turrets depends on
number of buildings in city, while the attack bonus is increased by
levels of mage guild built. (And, of course, by hero/captain skills).
My personal experience says this: I almost never build castle defenses and
special buildings. If an enemy starts moving inside my territory, I build
moats in endangered castles, if I ever want to hold them, along with
Turrets, if given enough time. But remember - if an enemy will be still
able to capture the castle, YOU will then have to siege it and suffer from
the improved defenses. If you have a first-strike army like sorceress, you
can afford that and the extra losses imposed by the fortifications on the
enemy force will reduce your losses in recapturing. However, if your armies
are slower, they might suffer more losses from the castle than they would
suffer from the extra troops that the enemy wouldn't have lost while
conquering the castle.
* Combat tips
Combat tips could be divided into several categories:
-Using knowledge of computer intelligence
[This is a non-combat section with tips on how to initiate battles]
If a strong hero comes close to your castle, you can often beat him by
following tactics:
Rather than getting defeated (although heavily damaging his armies) in
your castle, grab all you can and run away. Usually the hero will
leave some of his armies as new garrison in the castle and head
somewhere else (yet he may try to kill you, so you have to move around
wisely). This new garrison is usually no match for your main army, so
you kill it, get the exp. of it ;-)(plus the 500 for castle siege ;-))
and run again. Computer hero again takes your castle, splits his
armies and leave. Repeat until you can beat the enemy with little
losses (or until he stays in your castle - coz in such case you'll
have to either fight it out or find y'self another castle ;-)) [This
works best in cases where the enemy isn't strong enough to attack you,
yet you'd suffer great losses in battle with him - i.e. from direct
damage spells that the AI doesn't include as a decisive factor before
battle.] This technique is very useful with villages, coz there's no
garisson archers and also computer heroes can almost never resist the
temptation to capture undefended village, but will NEVER stay inside
to let you die out after 7 days of homelessness ;-))
AI has also quite simple algorithm for attacking your heroes and
castles. Usually they won't attack unless they have a bigger army (in
HPs). So it often helps to buy anything you can in the castle your
enemy is heading towards and he changes his mind (although he would
easily win, i.e. with a band of shooters and strong magic against a
pack of hydras) Sometimes you'll have to use your main army as this
deterring factor. If the enemy can see your castle, he'll head for it
almost everytime he notices it's empty or lightly defended. But if you
stay in your castle with all your forces for a few days, all these
days he'll be going after other targets, which will give you then
enough time to do your tasks around your castle.
[Note that this also works the other way 'round... If the opponent has
at least once been near to a castle, he'll often launch a task force
to capture it every time he sees it poorly defended. You may benefit
from that in two ways... Either you have your main hero nearby,
that'll smash the incoming enemy, or you'll just get some strong
armies (either by purchase or by moving a hero in) into the castle
just when the opponent is almost there... And he, seeing a defending
army too strong for him, will have to find another target - possibly
somewhere deep back in his territory, which means that you've
succesfully wasted his time and offensive potential of his armies.]
A good idea is always (if you can do without gold) to buy out units in
turn one and then let the opponent capture your castle, retaking it
back just after a week - computer usually does a good job improving
city buildings for you.
* Always make sure you KNOW, what army will play next. The rules are
these:
-First comes speed. If there's a stack, that is faster, than any
other, it plays first.
-When both sides have stacks of same speed, in the first round the
attacker gets the first move
-If both sides have stacks of same speed, the rounds go zig-zag. Once
all stacks of that speed have moved, next lower speed army moves and
if both sides have that speed in their ranks, then again moves side,
that hadn't had made the last move.
-On every side, armies with same speed play in order of appearance on
the screen, when the battle begun. So, if you have two armies of the
same speed, the ORIGINALLY upper plays always sooner, even if it moves
below the other army.
* Always try to use appropriate targets in order to attend your goals.
Your goals may be one of the following:
-winning the battle at any cost
-causing maximum damage (i.e. defending a captured castle)
-winning with no losses
-not letting enemy flee.
There's a different way to each of those goals, but most of them require
you to know exactly the order of play, as well as to know approximately
the damages, that your and enemy stacks can cause.
Order of play is important for one more thing. If i.e. both you and
opponent have some shooters of the same speed, you'll have to determine,
if yours will play sooner, and if so, you can direct your other attacks
to other enemy units (assuming that your shooters will cripple enemy
shooter stack enough to cause you no casualities).
* Combat rules:
How the damage is counted?
DAM= (1+((A-D)*X))) * A_count * RND_damage
In words: Number of attackers times damage caused by a single unit [this
one is the only random factor - damage lies somewhere within damage
range] times modifier based on Attack skill of Attacker and Defense skill
of defender.
Value of X: X equals 0.1 if A is bigger than D, which means that the
damage is increased by 10% for every point between A and D X equals 0.05
if D is bigger than A, so damage is decreased by 5% for every point
between D and A.
We'll show a black dragon fighting different opponents. Damage modifier
counted below will in combat be multiplied by number of dragons and
random value between 25 and 50, which is black dragon's damage range.
So, black dragon attacking peasants: [Assume heroes with A and D=0]
Modifier = (1+(14-1)*0.1) = 2.30 or 230%, which gives damage from 68 to
115.
Now, the same dragon, attacking other black dragon:
Modifier = (1+(14-14)*0.1) = 1.00 or 100% which gives, of course, damage
from 25 to 50
And now, the same dragon attacking other black dragon, whose commanding
hero has the ultimate cloak of Protection, having defense bonus +12:
Modifier = (1+(14-26)*0.05) = ((1-12)*0.05) = 0.4 or 40%
There are limits to those numbers. Attack modifier is limited to 300%,
defense modifier is limited to 20%. That means that there's no need to
cast bloodlust on your army if it's attack is higher than it's target
defense + 20, or steelskin, if your unit's defense is higher than
attacking unit's attack + 16. Is that clear?
* Try to get to know your enemies as well as your units.
Memorize most units' HPs and other numbers and be able to estimate, how
much damage will your armies deliver, in order to use them most
effectively.
It always makes me sick seeing somebody (and happy,if it's the computer)
running with a stack of blessed paladins to crush a few centaurs, while
my blackdragons or minotaur kings will then give them hell, not fearing
the ten master swordsmen, which could have dealt the centaurs, but will
instead perish in the dragons retaliation...)
In the battle, always keep an eye on current state of any unit,
especially the number of HPs. If the stack with badly wounded unit can
get out of enemy range, try it. If you can finish a badly wounded enemy
dragon or another big beast, do it. Two dragons, if which one has
miserable 5 HPs left, still do damage of two dragons. If you have two
stacks with equal HPs left, always sacrifice the one that you need less.
(It's always better to lose a minotaur than a dragon.)
* Remember counterstrike rules!
Any close range attack is retaliated, but every unit retaliates only once
every turn. (see exception list below) So, if your enemy has a strong
stack, you'll want to either attack with a stack strong enough that
decimated enemy will NOT revenge enough to kill any of your units, or
sacrifice a small, cheap unit to waste enemy retaliation.
[Ideal for this are gargoyles, with their speed. If you have two heroes,
use the backup one to carry a stack of gargoyles and give the main hero
one gargoyle before every battle, that would require this technique. (For
example, if a barbarian has a stack of cyclopes, that could slay some of
your black dragons in retaliation, if you sacrifice the gargoyle, the
dragons will have one free attack on cyclopes. But remember, of course, the
gargoyles have to play BEFORE the dragons ;-)]
* Learn the ways computer fights - it uses only a few rules:
-Attack! anytime you can.
-Attack shooters if possible
-Attack flyers if possible
-Attack other units
It always tries to attack the strongest (in total HPs) stack of one of
the mentioned classes, and if there are equal stacks, it picks the
topmost on the screen (topmost at the start of the battle, of course.)
[There are two exceptions - liches and ghosts have different strategies.]
Rule a) means, that the computer will attack, whenever possible, even if
the target should have lesser priority than other your stacks.
Example: You can lure average units with your cheap flyers (gargoyles fit
there best) to give your shooters more time to deal with enemy walkers...
i.e. facing a barbarian army with one strong stacks of ogre lords:
normally, they would get to your shooters in the third turn. But, if you
in the second turn move one single gargoyle to the opposite side of
battlefield, close enough to the ogre lords (they have radius of four
squares, so that four squares between them and the gargoyle is just
enough), they will gladly run after the gargoyle, thus giving you TWO
more shooting turns, before they get to your shooters, which often is the
difference between life and death, coz you can also cast spells on these
two extra turns...)
Rules b and c mean that AI will always pick shooters/flyers as a target,
if the attacking unit has more enemies in it's range, and also units, that
cannot attack in this turn, will try to move towards those preferred
targets.
Knowing what the AI's going to do can help a lot in defeating him.
* Use special abilities to your full advantage.
I'm talking mainly about two-field attacks (dragon, phoenix, cyclope),
and I'm talking about yours as well as your enemy's. For example,
annoying bunch of ogres can be easily smashed sacrificing one gargoyle to
the next stack of cyclopes, if the gargoyles attack from the right
direction. (The cyclopes retaliation will work quite nice, possibly even
paralyzing the ogres ;-))
Of course, many other specials come in handy - i.e. non-retaliating
attacks of hydras (plus their ability to strike at ALL surrounding
units), rogues, sprites and vampires, multiple retaliation of griffins
and all others. Especially the griffins can be used to mop lesser enemy
armies within one turn.
* Tricks battling computer heroes
Computer controlled heroes follow some patterns in their battle behaviour
(as well as non-battle behaviour, see below. Usually, if an enemy hero has
some artifacts, he'll try to flee, when the battle turns bad for him,
preferrably after smashing a lightning bolt into your stack of shooters.
So, try to do your best and plan your crushing attack in a way that will
not allow computer to flee. [Usually this means letting him come closer and
then smashing all his units in counter attack... here comes very handy good
usage of spells, knowledge od abilities, order of playing units and careful
planning, using effectively your damage-causing capabilities. See more in
class dependant strategies - Way of [classname]]
When you don't want to have losses to your strong flyers/walkers, take a
few shooters as a bait for AI. I once managed (with some High Level
sorcery including Meteor Shower, and a Sorceress with no big A/D skills)
to take out 16 phoenixes with 10 phoenixes and 3 centaurs on my side -
grouping the phoenixes as 2x5 and the centaurs as 3x1, losing no
phoenixes. And I did it four times in a row.
The AI is stupid enough to waste it's excellent firepower to smash one
stupid harmless shooter.
* Order and sizes of stacks
Unless you have to, never place your shooters next to each other - this
way you allow enemy flyers to block two units at once. Always try to have
your shooters at both ends of screen, with the strong protective walkers in
the middle. A good example is barbarian, whose Ogre Lords with radius of 4
hexes can walk from their middle lane right in front of your topmost or
bottommost stack, possibly attacking any enemy flyer or fast walker, that
managed to get there.
Always line up your troops wisely, using knowledge about your enemy.
Remember that your Average units can reach enemy Very Fast or Fast
walkers, that are approaching them in their lane. Applies well for
goblins, skeletons, ogre lords etc.etc. (Other pairs work as well - your
Fast can reach enemy Averages, your very Fasts can reach enemy slows.)
Sometimes it's wise to have one BIG stack in total HPs. This will often
lure the computer into casting Disrupting Ray repeatedly, even when he's
a strong spellcaster, that would cause heavy damage with offensive
spells. Best armies for this purpose are Titans, Crusaders, Ogre Lords,
Raised Tons of Skeletons etc.
When battling wandering walkers or mixed enemy armies, think before
ordering your troops. If you have Liches or plan to use area damage
spells, position the primary target to the 5th slot. All the walkers will
try to walk diagonally accross the field, which means that those from upper
slot will get into the way of those in the lower slots, they'll walk around
each other. This will have two advantages - first they'll be placed nicely
together for area damage spells, second some of them will get to you later
than they originally could.
However, if you have strong walkers that have the same speed as the enemy
(and especially Fast+ - cyclopes, crusaders, wolves, whatever), place your
primary target (the strongest shoter) into the 1st slot. Thus, after the
first walker has moved directly after your shooter, you can move some
walker of yours to kill this one without getting in range of other enemy
armies. (Note that if your shooter was in the 5th slot, the first walker
would come diagonally towards you and attacking him at this moment would
expose the attacking army to other enemies of the same speed.) I hope that
you understand what I mean.
* Spell Casting - combat spells
Before casting a combat spell, always think carefully what will your
casting cause. Remember the following:
-Sometimes a non-offensive spell on your unit will give you better
results, than an offensive on enemy. Casting Bloodlust on 10 Titans
will kick your damage by 30%, which can often bring much more, than an
offensive, direct damage spell.
-This applies also to non-offensive spells cast on enemy units!
Disrupting ray can also decide a hard battle, because strong slow
units like hydras or ogres are a pain in the ass in big numbers, but
once their defense is set to 1 with no possible cure, any good attack
acts as a pain reliever ;-) I personally won MANY battles by casting
disrupting rays instead of lightning bolts.
-Generally, you should be able to estimate what spell will have bigger
impact on the enemy. Just count up your damage capabilities and
compare this number, multiplied by the Attack modifier, with the
damage that would your offensive spells deal to the enemy. Usually,
four disrupting rays on enemy hydras stack will mean about 100% or
more damage, so if your armies can deal more than 500 damage at the
start of the battle, they'll score an additional 500+ for the
disrupting rays - you would need spellpower 6+ to beat that with four
lightning bolts. Of course, number of enemy units matters here, as
well, because if you would smash the hydras with the bolts, before
they got to you, there's no need to hesitate, but if you would have to
attack the hydras stack more than once, it's always better to lower
their defense permanently. [And this applies for stronger monsters
even more, especially titans...]
-If you can afford it, let the enemy cast first. [AI always casts at
the very first opportunity] Usually it's better to be able to remove
enemy spells efect. I.e. a curse on 20 titans is worth removing by a
bless.
-Remember that your spell casting can often cause a reaction from the
AI. This covers all non-offensive spells: Blinding, paralyzing,
cursing or slowing an enemy unit can force the AI to cast Haste,
Bless, or even AntiMagic to remove your spell. Sometimes this is
better, than letting the enemy fry your shooter stack with a 300 worth
of lightning bolt, but sometimes an attempt to slow down crusaders
results in them having the Blazing speed rating next turn, wreaking
havoc on your troops. Also, remember this: When you cast Slow, Blind
or Paralyze and the enemy dispels it in the same turn, the affected
unit WILL move in the same turn, even if units of the same speed were
played already. [With the spell removed, the unit's order of play will
follow regular rules - if it's speed hasn't had it's go yet, it will
come regularly. If the speed has been played in the turn, this troop
will play immediately - it has the highest speed of units that haven't
played yet. Thanks Qurqirish Dragon for that one!]
-Use Blinds, Paralyzes, Hastes and Slows wisely! Always be sure to
know, what impact on play order will your spells have. If you know
that you'll wipe four of five enemy stacks within the first turn and
without computer moving, be sure to cast a Blind on his last stack.
Attack blind units only under these conditions:
-Either you've faster units than this stack is
-Or you can cast blind at the end of this turn again! Why? Attacked
blind unit doesn't get it's move within this turn, but will be able
to move in the next and if it is as fast as your fastest unit, it
will move FIRST!
-Cast the blind always right before you skip your last unit (last of
those who move before the enemy!). This applies mainly for a
sorceress. Imagine that you face a stack of average speed. You shoot
with druids and elves and then, before skipping or moving unicorns,
cast the blind. Then a new turn begins. Again, you shoot with your
very fast units, and then either move/attack or skip unicorns. Enemy
loses the blind condition, but within this turn, it WON'T move. So
you can shoot with the shooters for the third time and then decide,
if the unicorns can take the enemy out (within some help of offensive
magic) or blind the enemy again. So generally, if your shooters are
faster, than the only enemy stack, you'll have to cast blind every
second turn (and can cast offensive/supportive magic the other half
of turns) without giving the enemy a move opportunity.
-Rules for paralyze are the same.
-Rules for using haste are simpler,because you'll have to slay the
enemy before his regular move comes. (Haste will not only let you play
sooner, but extend your range by two hexes! Always remember that and
use it wisely. Especially hasted very fast profit from that!] One of
the most profitable uses of Haste is: Play the battle without spells
until your massive army (esp. Skeletons or Ogre Lords) get their turn.
By that time, many of enemy units have moved. If you cast Haste right
now, your Ogres will be able to reach enemy average units, AND, in the
next turn (if you have spell power greater than 1) they'll be probably
among the fastest units. Thus, you have two sequential strikes with a
very offensively oriented stack.
A typical situation is a necromancer with Vampire Lords and Skeletons
battling i.e. bunch of Fast units. In the first round, you should do
without magic until the skeletons get their turn.Then give them Haste,
which should let them reach the approaching enemy. They'll play first
in the next turn, thus giving you the opportunity to cast Haste on the
VLs and get two attacks (one the hasted skeletons and one the hasted
VLs) before the enemy starts doing anything. That means a total of
three consecutive attacks by your troops. In many cases it's enough.
-Slow is usually better,because it reduces speeds by half (rounded up)
(Ultra fast becomes Average(7/2=3.5), Very fast becomes Slow (6/2=3),
Fast becomes Slow, Average becomes Very Slow!), but there's one bad
thing:If you happen to Slow a Fast unit and FAIL to kill it,enemy can
give it haste, which means that not only it will travel as UltraFast
accross most of the battle field to strike at your shooters, but it
will get the first move in the next turn,unless you have ultra fast or
faster units! Even skeletons or mutant zombies will be VERY FAST!, and
those for sure, because Haste is necromancer's DEFAULT spell! Always
remember that!
* Use offensive spells to cause maximum damage. It means:
-Don't cast a 300 Lighning bolt on a stack with 50 HPs, unless you
really NEED to kill it! Use magic arrow instead, or bolt something
else, that will suffer the whole 300 damage!
-Always know which enemy stack means bigger danger to your armies. A
nice example would be my favorite: One titan has 300 HPs. 99
Halflings have 297 HPs. So the AI will always strike at the titan.
But the titan will do 20-30 damage (plus maybe 140%, considering his
high attack), while the halflings will do 99*(1-3), which gives
100-300 damage (plus maybe some more, they have some attack skill,
too). On the other hand, there are cases, when the numerous stacks of
poor creatures, such as centaurs, mean much lesser threat than a
stack with the same HP total, consisting of i.e. very fast and quite
strong minotaurs etc. [You should take into consideration whom will
the possible targets of your magic attack - sometimes the shooters
would cause damage, while the walkers would kill - if the minotaur
kings cannot get to titans, they might decimate your halflings, while
the centaurs would only damage your titans.]
* Fighting shooters
If there are wandering armies of shooters, think before you attack them.
You should always bear in mind how much damage your armies can sustain
without losses, how much damage the enemy can deal to you. Think well
about order of play, spell casting etc.
During the play, keep an eye on damage to your armies. (Sometimes it's
i.e. wiser to NOT attack with the flyers, coz you save damage from
retaliation. - use this rule, if you wouldn't kill at least half of the
enemy stack.) Also, sometimes it's wiser to NOT attack blocked shooters,
if you have an army with the same speed as those shooters, that wants to
attack some others... sometimes it's crucial that a particular damaged
and blocked stack is alive so that your army of the same speed gets it's
turn before an unblocked stack would play.
Before fighting shooters, divide strong stacks of shooters, too. You
don't need 20 druids to attack 5 archers, it's better to attack 2x5
archers with two stacks of ten druids.
If you have fast flyers, divide them to block the enemy. Griffins and
rocs do best here. Gargoyles too, since they're expendable.
Among the regular, weaker armies, most dangerous are grand elves, which
usually score some damage.
* Fighting flyers
You'll have to pay big attention to order of play and try to protect your
shooters with your other units (and it's wise to think about it before the
battle and reorder your units so that this will be an easy job. (Good for
this thing are all two-field creatures - griffins, unicorns, champions,
boars make excellent blockers. Also, using the condensed army setup - the
toggle button in upper left corner of hero screen - that will help much,
making less free space around your shooters. I use this rarely, but a few
times it has proven worth it. Best example is a situation where you have
one shooter stack and four very slow armies - all of them can attack anyone
near the shooter, because they don't have to travel any far.)
Though, beware strong monsters (dragons, phoenix), unless you have
hydras, which will profit from the fact, that the two-field attacks will
strike their friends almost as much as the hydras. The hydras can take
out much stronger armies, than you would think. (Using steelskin, bless,
bloodlust is a good thing here. Out of five enemy dragon stacks four will
strike each other while attacking you.
[In place of hydras any other two-hex creature will do. But make sure
that this stack will be primary target for the AI and will remain so even
if heavily damaged. Phoenixes or rocs fit there well. With Ressurect-true
you'll have an easy job even with some spellcaster, although knight hero
fits there best, possibly with artifact-boosted defense. The hydras are
best, though, because they'll strike at all enemies and they'll not
retaliate.]
[Note that the creature used for this doesn't have to be a two-hex. A
good ogre lord band will do a nice job defeating some decent dragon army
as well.
* Fighting walkers
There are a few good tricks against walkers.
First one touches a bit specific conditions... If you have a strong stack
capable of two-hex attack and the enemy has units with slow or higher
speed, you can do a nice combo. Ideal example are the graveyard garisson
zombies. Suppose we have some Phoenixes.
Ok, we'll just plain attack them zombies... But how? Fly your phoenixes
over to the third stack of zombies and attack from the front side - the
sword cursor horizontal. You fry this middle stack. Next, you shoot your
shooters onto the fourth and fifth stacks of zombies. Now, the first
zombie stack plays its move - walking down to phoenixes, standing just
between the phoenixes and second stack of zombies... A blow, doing
damage... some retaliation, and voila, three stacks of zombies killed in
one turn by the phoenixes, which suffered only one attack.
Note that this trick can be performed even against mixed armies. You only
have to pick a walker with at least Slow speed, stand TWO stacks down (or
up) from him (frying another stack, standing there) and waiting for him to
come after you. However, you'll need to assure that this selected stack
will be the first to attack your two-hex-attack army.
Another trick fits well against average walkers - using bait flyer stacks
of one unit in size - described above with the gargoyle/ogre lord setup. A
sacrificer may help you align enemy troops for your two-hex sweeps. When
fighting walkers with your armies that contain mainly shooters, take mental
notes on how much damage you cause to the enemy stacks. Especially if the
enemy walkers are of the same speed as some of your units. The trick is:
Sometimes it's wiser to let a damaged stack that is closing on your
shooters to attack those shooters. If they're of the same speed, this stack
will attack them, die in retaliation and those shooters then can go
shooting at another stack. A typical example may be war trolls against
veteran pikemen - if the first pikemen stack has been seriously damaged by
the trolls, while the second is full strength yet, let your walkers and
orcs kill the remaining three stacks. In the next round, the damaged first
stack will attack trolls, die there and the trolls can shoot at the yet
unharmed second stack. This often helps to win battles with no losses.
* Concentrate your firepower
As in most strategy games, even here works the approach of taking the
enemies out one by one. Here the thing is based on the fact that all
enemies except griffins retaliate only after first attack.
The only exception is fighting (mostly wandering) shooters, which should
be (in most cases) taken out simultaneously to prevent them from shooting
at you at all. Enemies led by a hero are a bit more dangerous, because the
simultaneous approach can cause losses to walkers and flyers. But sometimes
those losses are a fair cost for protection of your shooters.
* Prevent the enemy from concentrating his firepower.
Always try to determine the primary and secondary target of your enemy
and IF the secondary target is either less important or more durable, try
to let the least possible amount of enemies attack the primary one.
A typical example may be knight troops. The primary target are always the
rangers, while the secondary are most often the crusaders. The crusaders
will suffer losses after six times heavier damage is caused to them (which
with their high defense means about 8-12 times more enemies
attacking them. And furthermore, the crusaders will be surely able to
kill enemies in retaliation, whereas the rangers have lesser Attack skill
and quarter damage at close range.)
And how to prevent enemies from going after their primary target? There
are two different situations:
* The enemy are walkers with the primary target still out of their range.
In that case you need to move any unit into their range, while keeping the
primary target out of their range. The AI rule of attacking
whenever possibly will force them to go after the bait unit. The
gargoyle-ogre lords trick is described elsewhere in the Ways of...
articles.
* The enemy are either walkers with the primary target in their range, or
flyers. In that case the only remedy is surrounding targeted troop with
other units. Best in this task are fast two-hex creatures. Just place the
primary target into first or last slot and the two-hex unit right beside
it. If the two-hex unit plays before the enemy flyers, move it as close to
the primary target as possible, from below/up. Thus, you'll leave only one
free hex to attack the primary target from. If another unit of yours still
plays before the enemy fliers, you can move it onto that last free hex in
front of your shooter. Thus all the flyers will go after the secondary
target, which is usually the strongest walker stack (crusaders, hydras
etc.).
Classical example is knight with Rangers, Champions (or Cavalry) and
Crusaders against Fast or slower flyers. In that case, a total of two or
three flyers will go after the crusader (three, if the first one is
killed by retaliation) and the rest after next strong stack. This works
with little limitations even against Very Fast units - if the first flyer
(that plays before the crusader and can attack the rangers) dies in
rangers' retaliation, place the crusader into the now-freed hex. If the
flyer survives, just leave him here, attack him only if you're sure you
won't kill him!
Always use the terrain well to block enemy units. I.e. if there are two
ways to your shooter - when there are those two long horizontal obstacles
on the battle field, dividing it into three corridors - and the enemy
walkers are average or slower. Let's say that your shooter stack is in the
1st slot. The obstacles always leave two hexes of free space on the rear
side of field. Typical example is fighting any average walker with knight
troops. Let's say that we'll put the rangers in the 1st slot, 2nd and 3rd
will be occupied by those Fast infantrymen. First turn, the infantry will
seal up the top access route, rangers will shoot at whichever unit, all
enemy units try to move in the middle corridor.
Second turn: infantry moves below the rangers, occupying the two hexes
that are between the end of screen and the obstacle. All of those average
walkers that cannot reach the infantry in this turn (and therefore have no
immediate target) spot a way to the primary target 0 the rangers. All of
them turn back and head to the top corridor. In the next turn, you'll again
seal the top corridor, all of them move into the middle. You can repeat
that as long as the rangers have some arrows to shoot. Note that it won't
work against Fast+ units and sometimes, some of the average units may get
too close and attack your infantry. If that should mean losses, it's time
to switch to normal strategy - remove the infantry to give the rangers one
shooting turn and then an all-out attack (or in case that the enemy is
still too strong and would survive the attack and get to the rangers, all-
out attack is launched immediately, keeping the walkers somewhere in the
middle to protect rangers (and let them shoot again.)
Any two-hex creature can be used to block the access from the middle
corridor, but plan carefully, because you'll need to be able to switch
the blocks every turn and not let any of your blockers get into range of
the enemy. This strategy will let you (with the luck of getting the right
terrain) defeat armies that would be able to crush you in a flat field.
This is a cheap trick that I've discovered recently by pure luck, yet it
works miraculously.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
IX. USING CERTAIN HERO TYPES
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
--Using Knight--
----------------
Strengths:
Ideal for fast conquering, smaller scenarios. Invaluable attack and
defense...
Quite cheap armies, especially rangers, who can also be upgraded from
archers found in archer houses and conquered villages, and often bear
main offensive tasks. Until you start to build crusaders, you'll
probably have no big financial problems (that is, if you can do without
one of the walker types.)
High morale in connection with four stacks, that can cross the
battlefield in two runs, often makes battles easier.
Very potent offensive capabilities in champions, that can be built
without magical resources (only the trolls have the same advantage) and
strike against two-field creatures in first round. No crystal needed to
buy crusaders (they're the only one 6th levels with this advantage,
that are an excellent weapon with their good speed and specials.
Three of the armies are upgradeable for free - financial saves. (Of
course, cavalry only in expansion pak games...)
Archers can be recruited for free and found often in captured villages.
Weaknesses:
Armies have quite low HPs - get used to have some losses, esp. due to
magic.
Only very slow stacks available in the beginning - slower exploration,
unless you hire a warlock to get some gargoyles ;-)
Army Evaluation:
Peasant 1/1/1/1/2/20
The only unit in the game, that is totally useless for the side that
has it... (However, pretty useful for necromancers ;-)) Yet, they're
the best unit in the game in the ratio of damage dealt to their own
hitpoints ;-)))
Well, to be true, use of peasants has helped me a few times winning
castle defenses against wimpy computer heroes, but in general, peasants
are really useless, unless in four-digits numbers.
Personally, I never waste money on them. But if you happen to have
several peasant huts in castle vicinity, let the peasants grow there
and if you think you might need them, call up a mobilization. This
usually yields those three-digit numbers. And some hundreds of peasants
for free mean a good stationary defensive potential that can prevent AI
from attacking, even if it would easily win using shooter armies.
TreeBeard says that once peasants saved his life, when being sacrificed
to an army of ghosts, that stood between him and quite a powerful
enemy, which was just about to attack.
Archer 3/5/10/2-3/2/150
Ranger 4/5/10/2-3/4/200
Upgraded: Shoots twice.
Pretty dangerous cheap little fellows. Well, dangerous when upgraded,
because their speed assures first two strikes against orc chiefs,
halflings and other shooters. With some battle tactics, you can even
manage to cripple enemy average flyers (green dragons, bone dragons,
vampires, rocs, griffins, sprites...).
Their availability at Archer houses, which are, due to their nice look,
used more often than other dwellings in many maps, results in fact that
their numbers may get quite high, making a valuable enemy of them.
Definitely not bad for 2nd level creature, esp. due to double strike.
A ranger is for 50 more gold worth two archers and is not far from
grand elves (who are 3rd level), but they die a lot and you should
expect to have none of them in later game. (There are only a few ways
of protecting them, and none of them brings anything good apart from
protecting them.)
Pikeman 5/9/20/3-4/4/200
Veteran Pikeman 5/9/25/3-4/5/250
Swordsman 7/9/25/4-6/4/250
Master Swordsman 7/9/30/4-6/5/300
Both troop types are quite reliable, carrying moderate attack and
excellent defensive potential. Their Fast speed after upgrade allows
them to control most of the battle field, reaching stationary enemies
within second turn.
Their high defense combined with their speed also allow them to
function as blocking armies to protect rangers together with either
champions or crusaders, a matter of big importance esp. against enemy
Average flyers.
As neither swordsmen nor pikemen are AI's primary target, their losses
aren't high and they profit strongly from the fact that most enemies
somehow underestimate them.
Both can be upgraded at foundry, which is another map structure, that
is used more than often due to nice look ;-)
Cavalry 10/9/30/5-10/6/300
Champion 10/9/40/5-10/7/375
This troop is important for many reasons. Being Ultra-Fast assures the
knight first shot in every turn. Being two-hex gives the champions
opportunity (with a little luck considering clear terrain) to strike in
the very first move against enemy two-hex creatures. Most useful
against centaurs, rocs and griffins. The upgrade also makes them 33%
tougher (and, in fact, cheaper per HP...)
Before upgrade, they lack most of their positives, but still remain
pretty strong in both defensive and offensive tasks. One bonus is again
free upgradability (in EP maps only, though).
Paladin 11/12/50/10-20/5/600
Crusader 11/12/65/10-20/6/1000
Both: Attack the target twice.
Upgraded: Cannot be Cursed, scores 2x damage vs. undead.
An army of great potential. Crusaders' special double damage against
undead would make bone dragons tremble with fear, if they only could
have any feelings.
Their 20-40 damage per turn is third best in the game, also they can be
blessed and crusaders cannot be cursed, giving you an assured average
of 30 damage per piece. They're capable of scoring some 160+ against
weaker undead - one blessed crusader without hero skill bonuses can
take out 8 mutant zombies or 40 skeletons in one turn.
Although they're the worst 6th level army by HPs, in real use they're
very potential opponents to face and a very dangerous weapon to
possess.
Knight Castle building in the first week:
+--------------------------------------------------------+
¦ Day 1: ¦ Statue ¦ 1250 gold + 5 ore ¦
+--------+----------------+------------------------------¦
¦ Day 2: ¦ Well ¦ 500 gold ¦
+--------+----------------+------------------------------¦
¦ Day 3: ¦ Tavern ¦ 500 gold + 5 wood ¦
+--------+----------------+------------------------------¦
¦ Day 4: ¦ Archery Range ¦ 1000 gold ¦
+--------+----------------+------------------------------¦
¦ Day 5: ¦ Blacksmith ¦ 1000 gold + 5 ore ¦
+--------+----------------+------------------------------¦
¦ Day 6: ¦ Armory ¦ 2000 gold + 10 ore + 10 wood ¦
+--------+----------------+------------------------------¦
¦ Day 7: ¦ Jousting Arena ¦ 3000 gold + 20 wood ¦
+--------------------------------------------------------+
20 ore should be an attainable goal (usually it's there, at least on
Normal setting).
35 wood poses much more trouble, because it requires two heaps of wood
(total 10-20) and capturing a sawmill somewhere between day 4 and day 7
(6-0 wood). However, in most cases the wood can be found within the
week, and the second half of supply is needed only at day 7 - up to
this date you'll have enough with the starting stock.
10 000 gold is quite easy to accumulate (The castle yields 7500 in
those six days, which must be lowered by 1250 for the statue, another
7500 should be the starting stock. That will give you at least 4000
gold for day 1 purchases, which makes the knight the strongest in the
early game.)
Another 20 wood and 10 ore will be needed for upgrades of dwellings.
May not be necessary, though - if foundry/stables are near.
The farm is almost absolutely useless.
If you happen to be lucky and get that 20 crystal needed for Cathedral,
it may be often wise to purchase that instead of Jousting Arena at day
7. The paladins' double attack and all higher numbers are a good
advantage. However, if there is a Sorceress enemy nearby with good
prospects on building Phoenixes, the champions may have an important
role in getting you the first attack, which may be pretty critical
factor.
Rough castle output will be 1250x7 - 8750 gold/week.
Weekly armies without the crusaders will cost 5840 before upgrades,
7285 after upgrades.
HPs grown weekly 870 at 12.97 g/HP
This means that knight will be able to actually save money for building
crusaders, while the other classes will have to either leave some
armies unpurchased home or acquire gold sources. This is important
mainly for barbarians, who are otherwise able to compete with knights'
quick starts.
Strategy
The highest priority at the early game is wood - which can usually be
found nearby. However, you'll be able to build first four dwellings
without any additional wood gathered, and after that, even
well-defended sawmills should be acquirable.
One good thing about being addicted to wood is the fact that wood can
be acquired at seas easily - so if you happen to run accross any harbor
town or just a ship (giving a Summon Boat a try at seashore applies
here, too), you may get quickly large amounts of wood. Especially
effective is this technique when your home castle already has a
shipyard - the 10 wood for the ship is usually more than back within
the 7 days of sea travel... Try to hire a sorceress for that purpose -
the money comes back, too!)
The second highest priority may be either gold, if you seem to have
enough crystal, or crystal, if you seem to have enough gold ;-)
Crusaders will burden your budget with 4000 extra gold, which means
that you'll be two thousand/week short. Compared with barbarian, you
have less ranged attack potential and therefore need the durability of
crusaders to keep up the aggressive exploration.
Forces combination:
I usually take all the rangers, champions and master swordsmen on the
road, while the pikemen remain as reserve. Though, especially in cases
where crystal is rare and there is no need to save money for crusaders,
I'll buy all the pikemen to give them to the backup guy as his main
army. Their numbers will usually prevent secondary AI heroes from
attacking him, so he can dare to venture a bit away from the main hero.
In cases of dire need, the pikemen can be still given to the main guy
to help with offensive. In cases of low gold income that is needed to
save for the crusaders, you might as well omit the swordsmen.
My usual practice with the main hero is: Rangers split into two stacks,
placed in first and last slot. Between them, Champions, Crusaders and
Master Swordsmen in any order.
Position of champions is operationally changeable in dependance on any
two-hex creatures present in enemy armies.
In case you have only two walker stacks (Swordsmen and pikemen,
Swordsmen and champions) and plenty of rangers, split the rangers into
three stacks - that gives you more control over damage distribution,
less firepower wasted by blocking flyers, enemies changing their mind
as the stacks of equal sizes lose their priority target status after
taking slightest losses, which causes enemy slower walkers to change
their projected path, possibly wasting a turn.)
The swordsmen are the stack that will suffer the least from enemies. As
you'll maybe have some from villages (and even more pikemen), and
definitely lots of them from castles that you don't have resources
enough to build up to jousting arenas and cathedrals), you'll find that
all of a sudden, they're your biggest stack by HPs - often big enough
to scare the hell out of spellcasting enemies, who'll in turn start
casting Disrupting Ray on them.
Always remember that strongest skill of knights is defense and their
troops are designed to conform with this system.
Always have crusaders in 2nd/4th slot - so they can get into the moat
the very first turn in castle sieges and possibly break in in the
second. Champions will make it from the border slots. Swordsmen can do
well in the 3rd slot.
Special strategies against particular classes:
* Fighting fellow knights:
Once your enemy has army about equal to yours, you might probably
forget about having rangers after the battle ;-). With four armies
capable of getting to the other side in second turn, the rangers'
only task will be to eliminate their counterparts, so that your
walkers will not be disturbed while dealing with his walkers, that
have already come to you. Enemy champions will probably die at
blades of your crusaders in the first round. The crusaders are a
tougher nut to crack. Unless you block your rangers, they'll wipe
them out, as you have no way to prevent them from playing before
your crusaders in the second battle turn (omitting magic, though.)
In case the rangers are blocked, the enemy crusaders will go after
their counterparts and that's no good. So it's maybe better to
sacrifice some of pikemen/swordsmen and attack the crusaders in the
first round, when they come into range.
* Fighting barbarians:
This is always a tough job. The barbie will get first shot with his
trolls, which usually means 2-5 dead rangers per enemy troll. That
is bad. If the trolls aren't upgraded and aren't the topmost
average stack, the first shot goes to you, which is much better.
However, against barbarians you cannot afford to rely on defense,
as their range firepower is far greater than yours. You'll probably
have high losses in rangers. All your walkers should approach the
enemy carefully, as you should do your best to get first strike and
decimate enemy units in order of speed - Champions should smash
wolves easily, Crusaders will engage the cyclopes, swordsmen and
pikemen will take on the shooters. With a bit of luck you might be
able to take out wolves in the first round, thus getting first TWO
shots in second round, giving you better chances of minimizing
losses from cyclopes. Orcs are no match for you at close range, so
make sure that one of your fast units will make it to them at least
as a blocker. The Qurqirish Dragon has a good point about the most
dangerous unit of barbarians changing after the first round: Once
the trolls and orcs are blocked in round 2, the worst threat by far
are the Ogre Lords. With a very good attack, and decent defense,
and a whopping 60 hit point per unit they're as bad as cyclopes,
especially since they will probably outnumber the cyclopes as well.
99% of the time, if a barbarian survives a battle with only 1 stack
left, it will be a fairly large stack of ogre lords. The crusaders
should concentrate on them rather than the cyclops, unless there
are equal numbers of the two (which is unlikely). Also, by not
getting the retaliation attack from the cyclops, there is a lesser
chance of the crusaders being paralyzed (and thus beaten up by BOTH
ogre lords and cyclops).
* Fighting Sorceress:
With Champions, you can stand up against Phoenixes. Getting into
the same lane with them gives you first shot. The champions are not
any weak army and the losses are worth it. The Phoenixes will smash
the rangers, but your Crusaders will be already on the way to
prevent Grand Elves and Greater Druids from second shot, while
Swordsmen and Pikemen shoud beat the crap out of the Phoenixes.
TreeBeard says: But then, the crusaders will get hurt from the
unicorns that might be blessed and blind them. Also, expect the
sprites to go after the rangers if the sorceress have attacked the
knight, but not the phoenixes, which means you'll have to attack
with all your walkers. Iniciative will be very important in such a
battle.
* Fighting Warlock:
As in other cases, the rangers are deemed to die as enemy will
probably have two very fast flyers to go after them. Warlock is a
strong opponent. Your only chance is aggresivity. Dragon Slayer on
Crusaders will make wonders here, The rule about concentrating
firepower is extremely important here - the dragons must be taken
out ASAP. The rest should be easier then - the minotaur kings and
flyers are usually taken as a by product of the dragon-slaying,
because they'll get over to you pretty soon. The hydras can be then
Blinded and a massive attack arranged, that will give them no
chance to move. TreeBeard says: Beware of Magic! A simple berserker
on your crusaders and you're knee-deep in trouble, not to mention
Draggagedon combo, which is extremely efficient against the low
HPed Knight troops (Imagine that for every one point of enemy spell
power, you'll lose two pikemen, almost two swordsmen, five rangers,
one champion and almost one crusader... and 50 peasants, of course
;-))
* Fighting Wizard:
The titans are the obvious threat. Since you cannot block them,
they'll cause you great losses. Unless you have ranger stack big
enough to survive titans' and archmagis fire, you might as well
forget about protecting those rangers and run straight after the
enemy shooters. If any of your rangers survive and play before
enemy rocs, use them to cripple halflings. Champions, if they
haven't already attacked boars or rocs, should be able in the
second turn to give hell to archmagi, possibly sacrificing
themselves to block titans - or even attack titans to waste their
retaliation and slice them with crusaders. Swordsmen and Pikemen
should be enough to deal with rocs and boars without suffering any
great harm. TreeBeard says: Again, beware of magic. The best way is
to attack before the wizards manage to get titans.
* Fighting Necromancer:
With Crusaders' double damage versus undead, there's no need to
stress the fact that crusaders should do most of the job. Unless
you can haste your archers, enemy Vampire Lords will go after them.
Depending on the size of the bone dragon stack, you might wish to
block your arches against their attack - they'll then go after the
crusaders and if are outnumbered, will die there. However, if you
want first shot at them with the golden boys (and that might save
you a good number of them), let them toast your rangers and wipe
them in the next turn. Champions should be able to toast enemy
skeletons, unless in extremely high numbers. The undead walkers are
a threat only if their numbers are high. Be sure to concentrate
your fire onto Vampire Lords within one round as to lower their
ranks in the best possible way. A good thing to prevent computer
from raising them from the dead is positioning a unit atop their
ashes... A good thing is to try and send your champions to deal
with power liches ASAP, because that will give you two shot combo
(champions-crusaders) in every subsequent round.
Hero benefits:
No need to comment. Comparable with barbarian - both in very quick
offensives and in long-run campaigns very valuable, outranked by
spellcasters only in mid-terms.
Compared with barbarian, Knight gets far more levels in magic and thus
may partially stand up to spellcasters, especially by using Mass spells
or helping himself slaying weaker stacks. The most proficient way is
Disrupting Ray on strong and slow enemy stacks. (Remember that with
every Ray hitting the enemy, you increase damage your troops cause to
that stack by 15 to 30%m the higher value much more likely, since your
units should already have greater A than enemy D is.). Also, the knight
has twice the barbarians' chance of getting wisdom. (Well, not exactly
twice, since that would need a LOT of counting...)
important for the troops and strategy:
Archery is useful especially in cases where larger quantities of
archers become available, as well as in maps where you plan to conquer
wizards or sorceresses pretty quickly and use their troops later. (Very
recommended, anyway. Having a few titans to attract enemy attention
also gives the rangers some breathing (and shooting) room.)
Leadership is critical, because all your walkers are able to reach
enemy in one turn, if they get the extra morale. With the enormous
close range firepower that your walkers carry, you should in fact rely
on morale boosts.
Ballistics is very important, too, as you'll need to get inside the
enemy castle as fast as possible to minimize losses on your rangers..
Wisdom comes very interesting in larger maps, where you can expect your
knight to get both sufficient magic skills and enough levels to get the
wisdom to advanced or expert level. In shorter maps, you'll probably do
without wisdom. Usually the decision should be affected by availability
of 3rd level spells (from captured guilds and map shrines).
Diplomacy may be very important in the long run, because knight's
troops tend to take minimal losses and once you're on the road, you
stop buying units at home and start to accumulate gold, which could be
later used to buy wandering armies - especially efficient to replenish
ranger stacks that have suffered losses, or to get another powerful
shooter stacks - especially elves/grand elves fit there.
Beyond all doubt, the knight troops are the wimpiest in the game, in
overall long-run look. The knight's strength lies in short-term
exploration and conquering, in fearsome crusaders and in the ability to
use magic quite well. Knights get magic levels far more often than
barbarians.
Your rangers are quite weak for an AI's primary target, so you'll
probably suffer quite high losses. It helps greatly to use Steelskin or
Shield for protection and Haste/Slow to give them their chance to prove
themselves.
As a knight, I do not rely much on my own troops, because a few weeks
worth' of them is enough to gain access to somebody else's troops. As
soon as you locate an enemy castle with suitable troop types built,
take it at almost all costs. I usually use my original troops as a
garrison, preventing weaker enemies from reclaiming their home town,
and use local troops (mostly dragons, titans etc.) for further
conquest. But even with Phoenixes the Knight is usually capable of very
good opposition. (Not to mention adding some 20 war troll to your
army...)
--Using Barbarian--
-------------------
Strengths:
Quite good for small to medium scenarios and fast conquering.
Sturdy, tough units with very good offensive.
Can profit from map bonuses - at forts two armies can be upgraded for
free - financial saves.
Three main stacks have special abilities, all quite useful.
Toughest fourth dwelling creatures - ogres are excellent for castle
defense, especially after the upgrade.
Sometimes the pathfinding skill is a decisive factor, especially for
conquering in early stages. The shooters do excellent job, especially
against wandering armies.
Orcs can be recruited for free and found in villages often.
Weaknesses:
Lower speed of units - opponents get quite often a chance to play.
Lack of ore at startup.
Sometimes hero gets only attack skill upgrades and remains quite
vulnerable even in longer gameplay. Must use most aggressive approach
then, which can even mean taking some losses while grabbing artifacts,
searching graveyards etc. (I remember getting a 10/1/1/1 barbie without
artifacts.)
Quite expensive armies and especially dwellings. After upgrading troll
bridge in second week, you'll have very little money left for buying
troops. However, overall prices are quite fair - wolves, ogre lords and
war troll cost 7900 per week, which is more than covered by castle
output. With some luck (in the nearby fort) you'll save quite a bit on
the ogres and may as well afford slower orc chiefs.
Army evaluation:
Goblin 4/1/3/1-2/4/40
Among the 1st levels their standing is moderate. In high numbers, they
make an excellent unit for defense of shooters as they can deal quite
considerable bits of damage. High numbers are pretty common, because
the goblin hut is one of those nice little buildings ;-)
They carry cosiderable attack punch. With average speed, they're able
to have first strike on approaching enemy walkers with fast+ speed
(Royal mummies, upgraded knight infantry, unicorn and all very fasts.).
I usually use goblins only in large numbers - i.e. when I have multiple
castles and/or goblin huts. Usually stationed as defense reserves,
bought and employed only when I'll need them
Orc 3/4/10/2-3/2/140
Orc Chief 3/4/15/3-4/3/175
A powerful shooter, definitively in comparation with other 2nd level
troops. The upgrade is a must, as it increases HPs by 50% and damage by
33%, not mentioning the higher speed. Since they're available in watch
towers, which are used quite often (due to the nice picture) in many
maps, it may be possible to gather very large armies of orcs. Since
their upgrade can be made in forts for no fee, they're usually a must.
Their lower speed will often get compensated by their leader's
pathfinding, making the barbarian as fast as other heroes, or even
faster. However, they'll often suffer losses in battles. TreeBeard
scores a good point here: Often. But most maps have a huge grass
regions, which means you'll get slow. That's very frustating to try to
run from a mighter hero using those slow troops, not to mention that,
if you have a Very slow or Slow troops, the opponent will get
initiative next turn.
Wolf 6/2/20/3-5/6/200
Attacks the target twice.
A must, especially in the beginning. While they're not strong by HPs
compared to other 3rd levels, they have two good attributes - speed and
doubled attack, which is supported by the relatively good Attack skill.
Usually, they're very valuable against wandering shooters. The very
fast speed will often give you first strike (and opportunity to cast
some spell, too!)
Being two-hex makes them a good blocker for protecting shooters. In
terrain with obstacles, you may even fool wandering walkers by blocking
one side of shooter stack in second turn - see the end of Way of Hero
article for better description of this trick.
TreeBeard says: But their pitiful defense and low HP mean heavy
casualities. They must be protected and only strike to kill, preferably
in the first strike.
Ogre 9/5/40/4-6/2/300
Ogre Lord 9/5/60/5-7/4/500
One of the most remarkable armies. After the upgrade, they often become
the main punch of your army. Since they're there from the very first
week, you'll have plenty of them.
Their biggest advantage is that they're upgraded at forts and with
those 60HPs they beat all other 4th levels (that range from 25 of gr.
druids to 45 of Minotaur Kings.) Their skills and damage are also quite
remarkable.
In the beginning, you probably won't have enough gold to take them on
the road, but if you manage so, you'll benefit from the high HPs in one
more way - wandering armies will give you much more respect, giving you
the opportunity to decide, if you want the exp. for their killing or
rather let them flee, taking no losses from flyers/shooters. Of course,
many more of those armies can now offer you to join them.
Troll 10/5/40/5-7/4/600
War Troll 10/5/40/7-9/5/700
Both: Regenerates to full HP at start of every battle turn.
An excellent shooter. The troll special of regeneration gives
significant advantage i.e. at castle sieges, where total damage points
generated by defensive ballista fire are greatly reduced and with
weaker castles even totally eliminated. Of course, as TreeBeard
corrects me, this regeneration advantage diminishes with time because
it's importance is inverse to enemy army size.
The upgrade gives also a remarkable damage increase, making war troll a
killing machine.
The upgrade is necessary - being Fast gives you a good chance to fire
before enemy average flyers/shooters can take their part. I.e. prevents
blocking by Rocs, Griffins, Sprites, Vampires (to take one army of each
probable enemy ;-)).
Besides, they usually draw enemy attention, which makes a nice combo of
war trolls placed next to Ogre lords, who in their turn smash the
opposing flyers.
Cyclope 12/9/80/12-24/5/750+ 1cr
Two-hex attack, 10% chance to Paralyze enemy after hit.
With Fast speed and two hex attack, a remarkable opponent. Also, the
Paralyze special can give very big advantage, because paralyzed stack
doesn't retaliate - so you can take care of other enemy stacks, then
surround the paralyzed one by all your bashers and give him hell.
However, Cyclopes are costly to build, as the barbarian's gold
consumption for trolls, wolves and orcs is quite high. On the other
hand, not including the crystal, they themselves are quite cheap - 4 of
them cost less than 5 war trolls and as much as 6 ogre lords.
And one personal experience - they're the only one-hex creature with
two-hex attack... and one often forgets about that and either in attack
or, much more often, in retaliation the cyclopes harm their own troops.
When the enemy has the initiative in form of faster troops, you'll have
to be very careful with moving cyclopes around the battlefield.
Upgrading priorities:
* Stick hut: Low priority. Although the upgrade is significant, the
global importance of orcs in the barbarian army is much less
significant. Wait until you're sure there's no fort close to your
castle or somewhere on the way to your enemies.
* Adobe: Medium priority. Ogres are crippled in the battles by their
low speed. The upgrade helps them in many ways. Applies the above
considering waiting.
* Bridge: Highest priority. Increased damage and speed are very
important.
Barbarian Castle building in the first week:
+---------------------------------------------------+
¦ Day 1: ¦ Statue ¦ 1250 gold + 5 ore ¦
+--------+-----------+------------------------------¦
¦ Day 2: ¦ Stick Hut ¦ 750 gold + 5 wood ¦
+--------+-----------+------------------------------¦
¦ Day 3: ¦ Den ¦ 1000 gold ¦
+--------+-----------+------------------------------¦
¦ Day 4: ¦ Well ¦ 500 gold ¦
+--------+-----------+------------------------------¦
¦ Day 5: ¦ Adobe ¦ 3000 gold + 10 ore + 10 wood ¦
+--------+-----------+------------------------------¦
¦ Day 6: ¦ Bridge ¦ 4000 gold + 20 ore ¦
+---------------------------------------------------+
So, we have there one day reserve, sometimes more.
There's one thing to stress (thank TreeBeard) - unless you're sure
you'll be able to get extra 15 ore, don't rush for the statue - this
might prevent you from getting trolls within the first week.
(Stick Hut has some chance to be there in a random castle, while the
map makers often give the castles Statues/wells)
The reserve may be used for Garbage Heap (1000 gold) or Mage Guild
(1000 +5w +5o)
Now, we'll need 10 more ore for upgrade of Bridge, 5 more wood for
upgrade of Stick Hut and 20 ore and 20 crystal for Cyclopes, along with
those large gold sums.
Building Coliseum is very optional, while the fortifications and moat
may come handy, if you ever expect your enemy to get close to your home
castle. But that can wait. Resource summary:
You'll need 15 wood, 30 ore and 8100 gold for the dwellings alone,
another 5 ore and 1250 gold for statue and well.
Another 10 wood, 15 ore and 6200 gold is needed for dwellings upgrades
(provided that there's no fort nearby to save on ogres and orcs)
Weekly armies without the cyclopes cost 8400 gold before upgrades,
10450 gold after upgrades.
An interesting idea from TreeBeard is to not use goblins and orcs in
the same task-force, just use one of them and when they suffer some
heavier losses and become weak, replace them with the other type and
let the weakened stack grow at home into more usable size.
Total production (inc. cyclopes) cost/week 11400, 13450 with upgrades
The rough castle output will be 1250x7 - 8750 gold/week.
HPs grown weekly 1250 at 10.76 g/HP
All that sums up to the fact that gold will be prety scarce.
Strategy
The highest priority at the early game is ore - which can usually be
found near. If it seems that there won't be any free ore nearby, you'll
have to get a mine fast. No cost is high enough. It always pays back
soon to sacrifice most of your starting armies (you should have 10+
orcs, 20+ goblins and five wolves by day 2) to sweep out some level1-2
monsters guarding an ore mine.
The second highest priority is beyond all doubt gold.
You'll need two villages to support your weekly troops production
(without cyclopes) and bigger sources to accumulate money for cyclopes,
mage guilds etc.etc.)
Depending on the resources available in close vicinity to your
heroes/castles, the first issue should be statue, if affordable.
You'll need 30 ore for ogres and trolls. If there is a mine nearby, get
it at all costs. Sacrificing a few orcs and goblins is never a too high
price. An useful thing here is to buy a second hero (whenever you
expect the explorable area to be big. Leave him with one goblin to have
some speed. The main hero should occupy the ore mine, get all the
treasure chests for experience (ok, maybe those that offer 500exp/1000
gold should be converted to cash, if you don't have surplus. Sometimes
it might be better to go for gold needed for structure building.)
By the end of first week, you should have bridge built. At day 1, week
2 you'll probably not have enough cash to buy all trolls. Wait then.
With 8 trolls split into two stacks and possibly 12 wolves you should
be able to take out weaker armies and gain access to more resources,
artifacts and towns. This force is capable of capturing a town with
some 15 orcs, some wolves and goblins - which is the usual garrison of
neutral barbarian towns. Other towns should not pose any big trouble.
The touhgest opponents could be warlock and sorceress towns - they have
average or faster shooters/flyers. But having your trolls upgraded to
War trolls should solve this (at least partially).
Remember that trolls regenerate, and make sure that the troll stack
will have more HP's in total than the orcs or other shooters you might
have, so that enemy units will go after the trolls. (Of course, only if
you want them to! If you're sure you'd take losses, it's usually better
to take losses to the lower-dwellings troops.)
It works great esp. with weaker castle garrisons, that will waste their
firepower, often causing some 35 damage per round... which the trolls
promtly restore ;-)
Forces combination:
I usually prefer to walk around with all wolves and trolls I can buy,
with addition of orcs, preferrably upgraded. The orcs aren't required
for exploration. I often leave Ogres and Orcs at home, until I need
them, or at least until I locate a fort for free upgrade.
Generally, you must decide whether or not you will aim for building and
using cyclopes. If so, then you can probably leave ogres at home
unpurchased in reserve and save the money for cyclopes.
If you're not planning to build pyramid, you'll probably take the ogres
on the road, as they have excellent potentials in damage causing,
damage absorbing and intimidating wandering armies into joining. In
heaviest final battles, the ogres are often the only stack that remains
on the battle field. For battle purposes, it is unbearable to go
without upgrade. Upgraded Ogre Lords not only have 50% more HPs, but
also move around within 4-field radius, which in battle is far much
better than two-field of the Slow Ogres.
Recommended order of stacks: If you have non-upgraded ogres and orcs,
let them stand next to each other, the ogres let to be playing first.
With both stacks being very slow, they'll be playing usually last in
the turn, which means that the orcs will be often already under attack
- in first round from flyers, in next rounds from faster walkers. In
both cases the Ogres can either smash the opposition or at least waste
their retaliation, so that the orcs can attack at close range, too,
without suffering additional losses.
Once the Ogre Lords are upgraded, be sure to position them into the
third slot, so that they'll be able to reach both upper and lower side
of battle field. Other armies can be placed everywhere, with Goblins
possibly in the 2nd/4th slot, Trolls and Orcs NOT next to each other.
Wolves and Cyclopes are usually able to reach anywhere they need. The
order of War Troll and Cyclopes should be changed operationally, as
sometimes the cyclopes will be needed to clean the space around the
trolls.
Order of Goblins/Ogre Lords depends on size of those stacks. Sometimes
a small force of goblins can be sacrificed to waste retaliation of some
strong enemy stack to give the Ogre Lords a free shot, but in most
cases the order should be reversed, as the ogre lords seldom take
significant losses where the goblins would get decimated.
If you're exploring, your backup hero can carry your orcs. If you have
a considerable firepower in wolves, cyclopes and trolls, you can give
the backup guy also ogre lords and goblins. This way, the backup guy
will have a force strong enough to occupy villages, defeat most
wandering armies and, last but not least, defeat those bothering weak
computer bastards that have nothing better to do than claim mines that
you've already taken for yours. For important battles, those secondary
forces can be used by the main hero.
Always remember that strongest skill of barbarians is attack and their
troops are designed to conform with this system.
Be very careful about positioning your cyclopes! If you place them next
to wolves or any other two-hex creature, you risk that any attack on
the cyclopes will cause them to harm the wolves in the retaliation.
This is most likely against human players, who will definitely try to
use their very fast flier to do so. The computer might do that if he
cannot attack your shooters.
Special strategies against particular classes:
* Fighting fellow barbarians:
This is usually a tough job. You need to accomplish several things
before your opponent does. You have to do your best to get first
shot with trolls and first shot with orcs. When fighting AI, you
may help yourself much using Blind or Paralyze spells. The opposing
wolves should be killed once they run across the field, using
cyclopes and ogre lords. The enemy cyclopes shouldn't be allowed to
attack your shooters - either use slow and fry them with your
shooters or go after them with your own cyclopes and ogre lords,
possibly both in the same round. Fighting barbarians means usually
quite heavy losses.
* Fighting knights:
Here the biggest threat lies in crusaders... Champions that go
after your shooters should be no match for your cyclopes. Depending
or sizes of your orc stack and enemy ranger stack you'll have to
decide, whether you'll smash rangers with trolls or, using some
spell, have the orcs play before the rangers and kill them. You'll
have to pay attention, though, not to let crusaders start the
second round, because they would cripple your shooters. Often it
means that you'll have to attack them with your Cyclopes and Ogre
Lords, suffering some losses. Having Blind or even better Paralyze
will help much. You have two possibilities - either you keep your
wolves alive along with enemy Champions (though severely damaged)
to keep the opportunity to play after them and somehow disable
Crusaders (by spells or by blocking them), or you'll kill the
Champions and assure that your opponent plays the last move of the
first round... However, if you have orcs/orc chiefs and he's got
only average or faster units, you can't do that and the Crusaders
will play before you. Most effective is Haste on the Trolls. If the
champions are dead, Slow on Crusaders works well, too. But be
careful about Slowing them in the first round, because AI will
dispel that as soon as possible.
* Fighting Sorceress:
There's nothing you can do. The sorceress will almost usually have
first strike with Phoenixes, going after your trolls. Unless you
have some useful spells (see below), Grand Elves and Greater Druids
will probably have time to shoot, too, and possibly even sprites
will come after your trolls. It may be good to keep your shooters
with the backup hero and deal with the sorceresses with strong
walkers only. They will suffer lesser losses that shooters, whose
value is higher in general concept of barbarian warfare. However,
if you battle sorceress with all your forces, you should try to
protect your wolves as they're the only unit that gives you an
opportunity to cast a spell before the nasty very fast shooters of
your enemy take their action, which is made worse by the fact that
Sorceress ALWAYS has Bless spell.
* Fighting Warlock:
Without Haste spell, the enemy will get first attack at your
shooters. If the dragons will already be black ones, your trolls
will get their butt kicked. Among the best strategies are: Using
Dragon Slayer spell on your strongest stack (most often Ogre
Lords), having one very fast flyer (purchased at any captured
warlock village) to waste the dragons' retaliation in first round,
thus allowing you to smash them with all your walkers. Against AI
use a few orcs as a bait to waste the dragons' power, keeping your
main shooters with the backup hero.
* Fighting Wizard:
The titans are the obvious threat. Since you cannot block them,
they'll cause you great losses. Your task is to eliminate rocs as
fast as possible. Often is that done by shooting with trolls, the
rocs usually survive, fly to the trolls and die there. The orcs
should take out the archmagi. Cyclopes and Ogre Lords are powerful
enough to take on the Titans. The titans can be Slowed, Cursed, or
Disrupted - which are all good ways to help yourself with minor
spells. However, the losses are obvious here. Since the enemy will
probably have three shooter stacks, you might minimize those losses
by casting Shield/Steelskin on the Trolls.
* Fighting Necromancer:
The most threatening are Bone Dragons (with second best raw damage
in the game!) and Vampire Lords with their regeneration. The
walkers are not a match for ogre lords. Skeletons can be dangerous
in very high numbers, but with their weak defense they're toast
once your orcs get aim at them. Usual procedure is to eliminate
Bone Dragons and possibly Vampire Lords within the first round.
There it's important to play with trolls sooner than the Vampire
Lords - they fly back to trolls and the Cyclopes can then finish
them. If you happen to have the Slow spell, the Bone dragons are
solved by that pretty easily. Or, as Qurqirish Dragon suggests, you
might as well Slow the VLs - very effective, if your trolls are
able to 'minimize' the Boners in one shot. The power liches are
about the only stack that will cause damage in the first round.
However, be careful about the Slow spell - if you play last move in
the first round and the Power Liches are still there, enemy will
Haste the VLs and give your trolls hell. (It may help to leave your
orcs and goblins with the backup hero, keeping only the Ogre Lords
in the Average speed class - the enemy often has skeletons AND
mutant zombies or regular mummies, thus assuring your Wolves first
move in second round - and the opportunity to Slow/kill Liches and
get another free shot on the VLs with trolls and also scoring a
good damage with Cyclopes.)
Hero's benefits:
The barbarian doesn't need any extra comments - it's about the best
type for both long-run campaigns and very quick offensives -
outrankedspellcasters only in mid-term, where their direct damage spells
are
already available and dangerous.
Skills important for the troops and strategy:
Archery can give your troops significant boost as your forces should
rely on it.
Balistics is a very good pick, because your three walkers are all very
potent in damage dealing.
Wisdom is less important here, as Barbarians are rarely good
spellcasters, unless helping themselves greatly by artifacts. But as a
general rule, you won't get many chances on Wisdom, so whenever you
think you might need it, take it. (Especially in larger maps it comes
handy in the end, because spells like Mass Haste/Slow and Berzerker can
do wonders and don't rely much on spellpower.)
Generally it's clear that the way of barbarian in battle is pretty
tough, but so is the barbarian himself. His strength is in quick,
aggressive exploration, resource gathering, good movement in rough
terrain.
In the battles, all tactics get changed if you happen to have Mass
Haste or Mass Slow, because those turn the tables greatly in your
favor. Having their minor versions isn't that good, yet having your War
Trolls Ultra Fast can never be any bad.
--Using Necromancer--
---------------------
Strengths:
The undead concept itself with getting skeletons for free ;-)
Very fast shooter with excellent defense.
Vampire lord special. If you give the necros a lot of time, they'll
smash you. A stack of some 40 or more vampire lords is virtually
indestructible, even by equal or stronger armies. If you manage to get
a good attack rating, you've in fact won.
Cheaper resurrection (both in obtaining and casting.)
All armies immune to Mind magic along with Curse (this is really great
advantage!)
Cumulative Castle Special Building in EP maps.
Necromancer is the fastest to build (under favorable conditions) the
6thlevel dwelling - on day 4.
Weaknesses:
Resource and financial problems - without a gold mine or two you'll
never have enough, not even barely enough.
Slow armies at start, not much better later.
The necromancy bound to the hero, who cannot compete with Might ones in
A/D matters.
Army evaluation:
All troops have no morale and are immune to Mind magic as well as
Bless/Curse.
Skeleton 4/3/4/2-3/4/75
Real little bastards. Their speed allows them to decide many battles,
especially in connection with the fact that Necro's default spell is
Haste.
The 2-3 damage is far the best among 1st level creatures - all others
have 1-2 (halflings 1-3, but lower attack skill).
The fact that their map dwelling does align well only with desert
background is far, far more compensated by the fact that the necros
don't have to rely on recruiting/buying skeletons ;-)
Zombie 5/2/15/2-3/2/150
Mutant Zombie 5/2/20/2-3/4/200
Without the upgrade it's pain in the ass to have to use them.
One of the poor fellows that end up on the fact that Necros are poor in
financial means.
I personally almost never purchase those - the only exception are
desperate castle defending missions.
They're definitely not worth the money they cost, with their puny
defense skill.
Mummy 6/6/25/3-4/4/250
Royal Mummy 6/6/30/3-4/5/300
Both: 20% chance to Curse enemy after hit. I think the Royals have 30%
here, but I'm not sure.
They're quite similar to zombies, only a bit tougher and a bit more
expensive.
Their only positive is quite solid defense skill and, after the
upgrade, their Fast speed rating.
Yet, due to financial shortages, I use mummies only in cases where I'm
able to build only one of better armies.
Vampire 8/6/35/5-7/4/500
Vampire Lord 8/6/40/5-7/5/650
Both: Non-retaliated attack.
Upgraded: Regenerates dead units within one battle based on HPs of
killed enemies.
Vampires are pretty useful. In fact, they're the only higher monster
that does unretaliated attacks (the other two are 1st level wimps.) (Of
course, hydras do have the same ability, but it's greatly crippled by
the fact that they don't fly and move very slowly...)
They do moderate damage and have sufficient A/D skills.
After the upgrade, they become tougher in HPs, faster, and above all,
start to regenerate from the blood of their enemies.
This is a terribly strong feature. Once their numbers reach some 30-40,
they're much harder to kill.
An example... a 100 of Vampire Lords is able to deal Average damage of
600 (to opponent with defense 8), which means regenerating 15 of
previously killed stack members. So, in order to kill a VL stack with
100 pieces, you need to deal more than 1200 damage to it per turn.
(They retaliate, too! In fact, much more than that, because you need to
kill this stack pretty fast since there other stacks to go after within
the same battle ;-)
Lich 7/12/25/8-10/5/750
Power Lich 7/13/35/8-10/6/900
Both: Area attack striking 7 hexes with target hex at center.
An underestimated unit (at least by many players), the liches are far
stronger than you might think.
After the upgrade, they're the only Very Fast unit in Necro camp,
giving the Necro chance to Haste (as this he always can do) Bone
Dragons or Vampire Lords that can then block enemy shooters.
Having defense rating of 13 (which is the same the Red Dragons have)
they'll suffer quite low damage from enemy shooters/flyers, yet will
draw the enemy attention.
Their area attack with an excellent damage of 8-10 can cause
significant losses to enemy troops, especially those that have
surrounded the AI's primary target in your ranks - usually those
offensive VLs or Boners. You have to be pretty careful to not hit your
own armies - and often you'll have to plan your moves well to keep at
least one enemy unit free for them as a target.
However, with their miserable 35 HPs, they'll often become subject of
direct damage spells that prove pretty effective against them.
Bone Dragon 11/9/150/25-45/4/1500
Induces -1 morale on all enemy.
A terribly powerful unit with average damage of 35, they're a must.
Their special of reducing enemy morale also comes handy as it helps to
prevent those nasty knights from getting some of their extra attacks
and kicking your butt too soon.
Their only disadvantage is their low speed, but that can be compensated
by Necro's default spell
