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{{{---((--$ HEROES OF MIGHT AND MAGIC III: ARMAGEDDON'S BLADE $--))---}}}
{{{---((--$ HEROES OF MIGHT AND MAGIC III: ARMAGEDDON'S BLADE $--))---}}}
version 1.1
12-15-99
by Nicholas Yu
azif@hotzp.com
http://www.hotzp.com/
http://www.hotzp.com/staff/nick/
**---------------------------------------------------------------------------**
* DISCLAIMER: This FAQ is Copyright 1999 Nicholas Yu under the international *
| Copyright laws. Please contact the author via e-mail if you |
| wish to publish or reprint this work. Anyone attempting to |
| pass this work off as his own will be sent to bed without |
| dinner and laughed at, because really, who would be lame enough |
* to pretend to have written a game FAQ? *
**---------------------------------------------------------------------------**
Heroes of Might and Magic III: Armageddon's Blade FAQ/Walkthrough
Contents:
I. Armageddon's Blade
A. Catherine's Charge
B. Shadows of the Forest
C. Seeking Armageddon
D. Maker of Sorrows
E. Return of the King
F. A Blade in the Back
G. To Kill a Hero
H. Oblivion's Edge
II. Dragon's Blood
A. Culling the Weak
B. Savaging the Scavengers
C. Blood of the Dragon Father
D. Blood Thirsty
III. Dragon Slayer (forthcoming)
IV. Festival of Life (forthcoming)
V. Playing with Fire (forthcoming)
SCENARIO 1: Catherine's Charge
DESCRIPTION: Catherine must defeat all of her enemies or they will flood Erathia
with their evil. If Queen Catherine dies then all hope is lost and the devils
of Eeofol will easily win. Catherine will be allowed to advance to 18th level
and carry over her experience, skills, and spells into her next scenario.
ALLIES: Blue
ENEMIES: Red
DIFFICULTY: Hard
STARTING BONUSES: A. 30 Pikemen
B. 20 Archers (Recommended)
C. 8 Griffins
STARTING HEROES: A. Sorsha - Level 4 Knight
Specialty: Swordsmen
Troops: Random
Starting Location: Pandathalyn
B. Cuthbert - Level 4 Cleric
Specialty: Weakness
Troops: Random
Starting Location: Marshallston
SPECIAL NOTE: If you restart the scenario, the heroes might not be exactly the
same the next time around. You can do this repeatedly if you want to try and
tweak the heroes to your liking. This holds true for any hero who is not
carrying over from a previous scenario. Also, the names of towns may vary when
you restart, but I have given them names so that you may reference them with
their information and location.
STARTING TOWNS: A. Pandathalyn - Castle Town (Blue)
General Location: Southwest corner
Garrison Troops: 50 Swordsmen
Starting Buildings: Town Hall
Fort
Tavern
-Brotherhood of the Sword
Blacksmith
Marketplace
Mage Guild
-Level 2
Griffin Bastion
Upg. Guardhouse
Upg. Archers' Tower
Upg. Griffin Tower
Upg. Barracks
Upg. Monastery
B. Marshallston - Castle Town (Blue)
General Location: Northwest corner
Garrison Troops: 100 Marksmen
Starting Buildings: Town Hall
Fort
Tavern
Blacksmith
Mage Guild
-Level 2
Griffin Bastion
Upg. Guardhouse
Upg. Archers' Tower
Upg. Griffin Tower
Upg. Barracks
Upg. Monastery
C. Defiance - Castle Town (Blue)
General Location: Middle western edge
Garrison Troops: None
Starting Buildings: Capitol
Castle
Tavern
-Brotherhood of the Sword
Blacksmith
Marketplace
Mage Guild
-Level 4
Stables
Griffin Bastion
Upg. Guardhouse
Upg. Archers' Tower
Upg. Griffin Tower
Upg. Barracks
Upg. Monastery
Upg. Training Grounds
NEUTRAL TOWNS: A. Nothenden - Conflux Town
General Location: Northern edge
Brief Description: Very limited town, but better than nothing
B. Southerdale - Conflux Town
General Location: Southern edge
Brief Description: Very limited town, but better than nothing
C. Endelstadt - Castle Town
General Location: Upper middle.
D. Goldenton - Castle Town
General Location: Lower middle
ENEMY TOWNS: A. Darqtane - Inferno Town (Red)
General Location: Northeast corner
B. Jhantaqua - Inferno town (Red)
General Location: Middle eastern edge
C. Noximaar - Inferno town (Red)
General Location: Southeast corner
ADVICE: Basically, you start out controlling the west side of the screen, and
the computer controls the east side (and possibly the two Castle towns in the
middle). The 3 Inferno towns are protected by 2 Garrisons on the north and
south ends of the screen.
The best (and fastest) way to conquer this map is to get early control of the
two Castle towns and the Gold Mine in the middle. While it's nice to also have
control of the Conflux towns, they are far too limited in scope to be all that
useful in this scenario. More than anything, the Conflux towns are an
annoyance, as they will be pretty easy for the computer player to capture if
you're not careful.
Once you have control of the middle, the computer player will make constant
excursions out of the Garrisons in an attempt to capture the middle. By this
point, you should have a clear advantage. The two Castle towns ought to be able
to defend themselves with the help of a couple of heroes, so bring in one or
more burly heroes to start capturing the Inferno towns.
If you've beaten the regular game campaigns without breaking too much of a
sweat, this map will be a cakewalk for you. Before totally vanquishing Red,
leave him with a solitary castle and camp right out in front of it with a very
buff hero (not Catherine). Catherine herself will be busy running around
hitting all the buildings which give her experience and improve her primary
skills. Make sure you finish this map with Catherine at level 18.
SCENARIO 2: Shadows of the Forest
DESCRIPTION: Gelu must defeat all enemies in this area using guerilla tactics.
He is the only one with the skills to lead this raid, for without him all is
lost. Gelu will be allowed to advance to 12th level and carry over his skills,
experience, and spells to the next scenario.
ALLIES: Green
ENEMIES: Red
DIFFICULTY: Hard
STARTING BONUSES: A. 20 Marksmen
B. 15 Grand Elves
C. 10 Sharpshooters (Recommended)
STARTING TOWNS: A. Diasamere - Rampart Town (Green)
General Location: Upper middle eastern edge
Garrison Troops: 50 Swordsmen
Starting Buildings: Town Hall
Fort
Tavern
Mage Guild
-Level 2
Upg. Centaur Stables
Upg. Dwarf Cottage
Upg. Homestead
Upg. Enchanted Spring
NEUTRAL TOWNS: A. Whitespire - Conflux Town
General Location: Northern edge
Brief Description: One of the first towns you should consider
capturing.
B. Dova Saera - Rampart Town
General Location: Northwest corner (below the river)
Brief Description: If you capture Whitespire first, this
should probably be the next town you go
after. It suffers the same building
limitations as your starting town.
ENEMY TOWNS: A. Reavers Gate - Inferno Town (Red)
General Location: Northeast corner
B. Jakta - Inferno Town (Red)
General Location: Lower middle (SE of Dragonbane)
C. Dragonbane - Inferno Town (Red)
General Location: Upper middle (NW of Jakta)
D. Moribund - Inferno Town (Red)
General Location: Southwest corner
ADVICE: This scenario isn't too bad, either. There are two ways you can first
strike out. One approach, as sketched out earlier, is to break out west to
capture the Conflux town and then the other Rampart. Unfortunately with this
strategy, you leave the enemy unmolested for awhile. The other approach (the
one I used) is to try going after Red right away.
All the ranged units around Diasamere who join with Gelu will basically make him
an unstoppable juggernaut from the get-go. Don't worry too much about improving
everyone into a Sharpshooter; upgrade the Wood Elves normally to Grand Elves and
leave the Archers as they are as you will be picking up additional units from
Archers' Towers, but you should feel free to upgrade the Marksmen at the first
opportunity (building and upgrading your town takes priority). Also, pick up
the Golden Bow artifact at the first opportunity, I believe it's north of your
starting town.
There are 3 Garrisons which serve as bridge crossings over the river. They are
located as follows: 1. South of Diasamere; 2. Just north of Dragonbane; and 3.
On the western edge between Dova Saera and Moribund. Depending on whether or
not you captured Whitespire, you should first cross over through Garrison 1 or
2.
I would suggest first capturing Reavers Gate and then moving west from there
onto Jakta, Dragonbane, Moribund, and Dova Saera, in that order. This will
throw Red off balance, and will disrupt his stockpiling process. You can let
Red capture and keep the Conflux town at the very end while you send Gelu around
the board to maximize his skills and experience.
SCENARIO 3: Seeking Armageddon
DESCRIPTION: Xeron must gather the Sword of Hellfire, Breastplate of Brimstone,
and Shield of the Damned. If he dies, Eeofol's hopes die with him. He will be
able to advance to 12th level, all of his experience, skills, and spells shall
transfer with him to the next scenario.
ALLIES: Red
ENEMIES: Tan
DIFFICULTY: Hard
STARTING BONUSES: A. Speculum
B. Equestrian's Gloves (Recommended)
C. Necklace of Swiftness
STARTING HEROES: A. Olema - Level 1 Heretic
Specialty: Weakness
Troops: 45 Magogs
Starting Location: Mourningdale
STARTING TOWNS: A. Mourningdale - Inferno Town (Red)
General Location: Northeast corner
Garrison Troops: None
Starting Buildings: Town Hall
Fort
Tavern
Mage Guild
-Level 1
Castle Gate
Imp Crucible
Hall of Sins
Kennels
Demon Gate
B. Havoc Peak - Inferno Town (Red)
General Location: Southwest along lower edge
Garrison Troops: None
Starting Buildings: Town Hall
Fort
Tavern
Mage Guild
-Level 1
Castle Gate
Imp Crucible
Hall of Sins
Kennels
C. Blackpool - Inferno Town (Red)
General Location: Southwest along lower edge
Garrison Troops: None
Starting Buildings: Capitol
Fort
Tavern
Mage Guild
-Level 1
Castle Gate
Imp Crucible
Hall of Sins
Kennels
B. Havoc Peak - Inferno Town (Red)
General Location: Southwest along lower edge
Garrison Troops: None
Starting Buildings: Town Hall
Fort
Tavern
Mage Guild
-Level 1
Castle Gate
Imp Crucible
Hall of Sins
Kennels
Demon Gate
Hell Hole
ENEMY TOWNS: A. Shantalla - Conflux Town (Tan)
General Location: Lower middle western edge (NW of Havoc Peak)
B. Tieldis - Conflux Town (Tan)
General Location: Just left of the middle
C. Sevenar - Conflux Town (Tan)
General Location: Northern edge
D. Phaedral - Conflux Town (Tan)
General Location: Northwest corner
POINTS OF INTEREST: A. Purple Keymaster's Tent
General Location: Northwest of Blackpool
B. White Keymaster's Tent
General Location: West of Blackpool
C. Green Keymaster's Tent
General Location: West of Mourningdale
D. Light Blue Keymaster's Tent
General Location: Southeast of Tieldis, protected by a
Green Border Guard
E. Sword of Hellfire
General Location: Near Phaedral, protected by a Purple
Border Guard
F. Shield of the Damned
General Location: Near Shantalla, protected by a Purple
Border Guard
G. Breastplate of Brimstone
General Location: NW of Tieldis, protected by a Purple
Border Guard
H. A Whole Bunch of Crap
General Location: East of Sevenar, protected by a Light
Blue Border Guard
ADVICE: The map is bisected along the west to east diaganol by a mountain range.
You control the lower right half (with 3 Inferno towns) while the enemy Conflux
forces control the top left half with 4 towns. There are 3 valleys which
connect the two halves located in the following positons: 1. West of Havoc Peak
and south of Shantalla; 2. Northwest of Blackpool and east of Tieldis; and 3.
West of Mourningdale and southeast of Sevenar.
As you can see, there is a plethora of Keymaster's Tents and Border Guards. You
don't need to completely wipe out the Conflux army in order to win, but it sure
as heck makes it a lot easier to complete the scenario. I would start moving in
on Conflux territory roughly in the order that the enemy towns are listed.
I left Phaedral as the last standing enemy town while I ran Xeron around to hit
all the skill-improving buildings before acquiring the final necessary component
to create Armageddon's Blade, in my case, the Sword of Hellfire. Again, make
sure he leaves the scenario at the highest possible level.
SCENARIO 4: Maker of Sorrows
DESCRIPTION: Xeron must seek out Grand Forgesmith Khazandar and force him to
make Armageddon's Blade. If Xeron falls, all is lost. Xeron is only allowed to
advance to 24th level.
ALLIES: Red
ENEMIES: Teal
DIFFICULTY: Expert
STARTING BONUSES: A. 5 Pit Lords
B. Loins of Legion (Recommended)
C. Upg. Kennels
STARTING HEROES: A. Xeron - Level 12 Demoniac
Specialty: Devils
Troops: Random
+ Starting Bonus
Starting Location: Vandal Hall
Special: Sword of Hellfire
Breastplate of Brimstone
Shield of the Damned
+ Starting Bonus
B. Random Level 12 Demoniac/Heretic
Troops: 30 Magogs
Starting Location: Scorch
C. Random Level 12 Demoniac/Heretic
Troops: 20 Hell Hounds
Starting Location: Dagger Peak
D. Random Level 12 Demoniac/Heretic
Troops: 10 Pit Fiends
Starting Location: Azrael Field
STARTING TOWNS: A. Mourningdale - Vandal Hall (Red)
General Location: Northeast corner
Garrison Troops: 30 Demons
60 Gogs
15 Pit Lords
Starting Buildings: Capitol
Fort
Tavern
Blacksmith
Mage Guild
-Level 2
Castle Gate
Birhting Pools
Cages
Imp Crucible
Hall of Sins
Kennels
Demon Gate
Hell Hole
+ Starting Bonus
B. Scorch - Inferno Town (Red)
General Location: Lower eastern edge
Garrison Troops: None
Starting Buildings: Town Hall
Fort
Tavern
Mage Guild
-Level 1
Castle Gate
Imp Crucible
Hall of Sins
Fire Lake
Forsaken Palace
C. Dagger Peak - Inferno Town (Red)
General Location: Middle eastern edge
Garrison Troops: None
Starting Buildings: Town Hall
Fort
Tavern
Mage Guild
-Level 1
Castle Gate
Imp Crucible
Hall of Sins
Kennels
Demon Gate
D. Azrael Field - Inferno Town (Red)
General Location: Right northern edge
Garrison Troops: None
Starting Buildings: Town Hall
Fort
Tavern
Mage Guild
-Level 1
Castle Gate
Imp Crucible
Hall of Sins
Kennels
Demon Gate
ENEMY TOWNS: A. Shelindra - Conflux Town (Teal)
General Location: Right upper middle
B. Soal - Conflux Town (Teal)
General Location: Middle
C. Ciara - Conflux Town (Teal)
General Location: Left southern edge
D. Dicara - Conflux Town (Teal)
General Location: Northwestern corner
E. Kaffinar - Conflux Town (Teal)
General Location: Middle western edge
F. Frelin - Conflux Town (Teal)
General Location: Southwestern corner
POINTS OF INTEREST: A. Light Blue Keymaster's Tent
General Location: South of Shelindria
B. Red Keymaster's Tent
General Location: Middle southern edge (SE of Ciara)
C. Green Keymaster's Tent
General Location: Southwest corner
D. White Keymaster's Tent
General Location: Northwest corner
E. Subterranean Gate
General Location: Left of middle, betwen Kaffinar and
Soal
F. Seer's Hut (Khazandar)
General Location: Northwest path underground, protected
by Light Blue, Red, Green, and White
Border Guards
G. Purple Keymaster's Tent
General Location: Southeast of Seer's Hut (Khazandar)
H. Seer's Hut (Khazandar's Apprentice)
General Location: Southwest path underground, protected
by a Purple Border Guard.
ADVICE: I had a _really_ hard time with this scenario. Like "The Fall of
Steadwick" scenario in the original game campaign, I tried too hard to try and
win through by sheer brute force; but the odds are stacked pretty highly against
you, as the computer starts off with two more towns. You only need to find
Khazandar and get him to make Armageddon's Blade in order to win this scenario.
Whether or not you have all the enemy towns captured or none at all is
irrelevant to the final outcome (well, not totally irrelevant).
Basically, I just built up Xeron's army to an incredibly obscene level and used
the rest of my heroes as a diversionary tactic. Xeron would win through to all
the Keymaster's Tents, capturing what towns he could but not really ensuring
that I kept control of them. Then I sent him down under to find Khazandar.
When underground, head northwest first. This will take you to Khazandar, who
will give you the Sphere of Permanence to take to his apprentice in another
Seer's Hut. It's just easier to use Xeron here, as he should have all the other
necessary artifacts you collected in the previous scenario. Be prepared to
fight off a big burly Conflux hero here on the level of General Morgan Kendal in
the aforementioned "The Fall of Steadwick" before being able to visit Khazandar.
Don't forget to tag the Purple Keymaster's Tent before heading back.
When you're back at the Subterranean Gate, choose the southwest path this time.
You'll hear a message about crackling flames, so ready yourself to do battle
with a lot of Phoenixes. If you took down the hero by Khazandar's Hut, these
fiery avians should not be too problematic. Wind your way through the tunnel,
pass by the Purple Border Guard, and complete your mission by presenting the
Sword of Hellfire, the Breastplate of Brimstone, the Shield of the Damned, and
the Sphere of Permanence to the inhabitants of the last hut.
From this point on, you will see Xeron as a foe only, so it may not be wise to
maximize his skills and level at this point if you are given the opportunity,
though it may not matter if he is automatically set to a certain status.
SCENARIO 5: Return of the King
DESCRIPTION: Roland must defeat the demonic armies camped on the other side of
the Great Lake. Without Roland, the men will go their separate ways. Roland
will be allowed to attain 24th level. All of his experience, skills, and spells
will carry over to his next scenario.
ALLIES: Blue
ENEMIES: Red
DIFFICULTY: Expert
STARTING BONUSES: A. 5 Zealots
B. Torso of Legion (Recommended)
C. Upg. Monastery
B. Roland - Level 11 Knight
Specialty: Swordsmen
Troops: 50 Champions
35 Monks
80 Marksmen
5 Angels
40 Royal Griffins
10 Cavaliers
Starting Location: Faler-on-Sea
STARTING TOWNS: A. Highcastle - Castle Town (Blue)
General Location: Northwest corner
Garrison Troops: None
Starting Buildings: Town Hall
Castle
Tavern
Blacksmith
Mage Guild
-Level 1
Griffin Bastion
Upg. Guardhouse
Upg. Archers' Tower
Upg. Griffin Tower
Upg. Barracks
Training Ground
B. Faler-on-Sea - Castle Town (Blue)
General Location: Southwest corner
Garrison Troops: None
Starting Buildings: Town Hall
Castle
Tavern
Blacksmith
Marketplace
Mage Guild
-Level 2
Upg. Guardhouse
Upg. Archers' Tower
Griffin Tower
Upg. Barracks
Monastery
Training Grounds
+ Starting Bonus
C. Keventry - Castle Town (Blue)
General Location: Middle western edge
Garrison Troops: None
Starting Buildings: Capitol
Castle
Tavern
Blacksmith
Marketplace
Mage Guild
-Level 4
Upg. Guardhouse
Upg. Archers' Tower
Upg. Griffin Tower
Upg. Barracks
Monastery
Training Grounds
Portal of Glory
D. Gelliston - Conflux Town (Blue)
General Location: Left northern edge
Garrison Troops: None
Starting Buildings: City Hall
Citadel
Tavern
Blacksmith
Marketplace
Mage Guild
-Level 2
Magic Lantern
Altar of Air
Altar of Water
Altar of Fire
Altar of Earth
E. Shaynda - Conflux Town (Blue)
General Location: Lower left middle
Garrison Troops: None
Starting Buildings: Town Hall
Fort
Tavern
Blacksmith
Marketplace
-Resource Silo
Mage Guild
-Level 2
Upg. Magic Lantern
Upg. Altar of Air
Upg. Altar of Water
Upg. Altar of Fire
Upg. Altar of Earth
ENEMY TOWNS: A. Chillwater - Inferno Town (Red)
General Location: Middle (surrounded by water)
B. Bane Bridge - Inferno Town (Red)
General Location: Right northern edge
C. Doom's Crest - Inferno Town (Red)
General Location: Northeast corner
D. Death's Gate - Inferno Town (Red)
General Location: Upper eastern edge
E. Reaver Cove - Inferno Town (Red)
General Location: Lower right middle
F. Sorrow Glen - Inferno Town (Red)
General Location: Southeast corner
POINTS OF INTEREST: A. Green Monolith
General Locations: 1. South of Gelliston
2. Southern island with a Gold Mine
B. Red Monolith
General Locations: 1. Southwest of Keventry
2. SE island with a Black Market
3. East of Death's Gate
C. Shipyards
General Locations: By Chillwater and Reaver Cove
ADVICE: This is a pretty straightforward map; and although the enemy has a two
town starting advantage, I think that you have a very defensible position that
makes this scenario a little easier. Also, since this is the first time you've
seen Roland, you can keep restarting the scenario to try and get skills you like
(don't accept it if he has lame skills like Navigation or Scouting). One of the
first things you should do is tag the Gold Mine through the Green Monolith for
that extra 1000 a day.
After that, concentrate your efforts on capturing Bane Bridge and Death's Gate.
Then, after you've accomplished those, close out Doom's Crest and Chillwater,
then Reaver Cove, leaving Sorrow Glen to the computer. Since you start out with
a considerable number of units, you may want to strike out early to disrupt
Red's plans. Shaynda is your only starting town that can build a Shipyard, and
you should send out a stupid hero fairly early whose only purpose will be to
collect all the floating goodies.
When concentrating on capturing enemy towns, don't put all your eggs in one
basket, however; leave a very sizeable force at Keventry, as Red will be
incredibly annoying by sending large forces of troops to attack you through the
Red Monolith. Also, don't fret if Gelliston gets captured. It's okay so long
as you retain control of Highcastle and everything south of it on your side of
the map. One of the best times to go on the offensive is after Red has dashed a
sizeable army to pieces against Keventry's walls and chase him back through the
Monolith.
Once you have captured all of the towns except Sorrow Glen, take your cue to
send Roland all around the board to maximize his skills and level before
finishing the scenario.
SCENARIO 6: A Blade in the Back
DESCRIPTION: Gelu must defeat all of the Eeofol armies in this region and cut
off any escape route. Without him, this quest shall fail. Gelu will be allowed
to advance to 24th Level and all of his skills, spells, and experience will be
carried over to his next scenario.
ALLIES: Green
ENEMIES: Red
DIFFICULTY: Expert
STARTING BONUSES: A. Endless Sack of Gold (Recommended)
B. Upg. Dendroid Arches
C. Angel Feather Arrows
STARTING HEROES: A. Gelu - Level 12 Ranger
Specialty: Sharpshooters
Troops: Random
Starting Location: Asha's Cairn
Special: + Starting Bonus
B. Erdamon - Level 18 Planeswalker
Specialty: Earth Elementals
Troops: 40 Fire Elementals
Starting Location: Flann
C. Ciele - Level 18 Elementalist
Specialty: Magic Arrow
Troops: 45 Water Elementals
Starting Location: Caledoorn
STARTING TOWNS: A. Asha's Cairn - Rampart Town (Green)
General Location: Northwest corner
Garrison Troops: 60 Grand Elves
3 War Unicorns
1 Green Dragon
Starting Buildings: Capitol
Castle
Tavern
Blacksmith
Marketplace
Mage Guild
-Level 3
Dendroid Saplings
Miner's Guild
Upg. Centaur Stables
Dwarf Cottage
Upg. Homestead
Enchanted Spring
Dendroid Arches
+ Starting Bonus
B. Flann - Conflux Town (Green)
General Location: Upper eastern edge
Garrison Troops: None
Starting Buildings: City Hall
Citadel
Tavern
Blacksmith
Marketplace
Mage Guild
-Level 1
Upg. Magic Lantern
Altar of Air
Altar of Water
Altar of Fire
Altar of Earth
C. Caledoorn - Conflux Town (Green)
General Location: Left northern edge
Garrison Troops: None
Starting Buildings: City Hall
Castle
Tavern
Blacksmith
Marketplace
Mage Guild
-Level 1
Magic Lantern
Altar of Air
Altar of Water
Altar of Fire
Altar of Earth
ENEMY TOWNS: A. Moortanis - Inferno Town (Red)
General Location: Northeast corner
B. Zaridon - Inferno Town (Red)
General Location: Middle
C. Ultana - Inferno Town (Red)
General Location: Southwest corner
D. Jagos - Inferno Town (Red)
General Location: Southeast corner
ADVICE: This is a simple divide-and-conquer recurrence relation. Oops, wait,
too much discrete math is warping my fragile little mind. You will need to
divide and conquer here, though. I thought this map was basically a cakewalk,
and I marched through it pretty handily.
Although Red has one more town to begin with, you have a whole lot less
territory to defend. Red spreads himself pretty thin on this map. Zaridon is
the first town I captured, and I just left Erdamon there with a large army to
defend it. I then captured Moortanis and Ultana, in that order, leaving Red
Jagos while Gelu ran around the board, tagging buildings and getting obnoxiously
ripped (by the end of this map, Gelu's Chain Lightning did 1200 damage to the
first target).
The only thing to keep in mind is to always cover the valleys by your Conflux
towns with decently large armies. The second Red gains a foothold in your
pocket of the world, then you've already lost. Basic sound strategy will win
you through here. I didn't think this map merited the Expert label.
SCENARIO 7: To Kill a Hero
DESCRIPTION: Catherine, Gelu and Roland must defeat the Demoniac hero Xeron. If
any one of them falls, all is lost. Catherine, Roland and Gelu will be allowed
to reach 36th Level and carry over all spells, skills, and experience to the
next scenario.
ALLIES: Blue
ENEMIES: Red
DIFFICULTY: Expert
STARTING BONUSES: A. 5 Firebirds
B. Town Portal
C. Sword of Judgment (Recommended)
STARTING HEROES: A. Catherine - Level 18 Knight
Specialty: Swordsmen
Troops: Random
Starting Location: Reyn Tarrina
B. Roland - Level 24 Knight
Specialty: Swordsmen
Troops: Random
Starting Location: Fayadon
C. Gelu - Level 24 Ranger
Specialty: Sharpshooters
Troops: Random
+ Starting Bonus
Starting Location: Shanimar
Special: + Starting Bonus
STARTING TOWNS: A. Reyn Tarrina - Conflux Town (Blue)
General Location: Southwest corner
Garrison Troops: 50 Fire Elementals
15 Psychic Elementals
3 Phoenixes
40 Storm Elementals
25 Magma Elementals
Starting Buildings: Capitol
Castle
Tavern
Blacksmith
Marketplace
-Resource Silo
Mage Guild
-Level 5
Magic University
Upg. Magic Lantern
Upg. Altar of Air
Upg. Altar of Water
Upg. Altar of Earth
Upg. Altar of Thought
B. Fayadon - Conflux Town (Blue)
General Location: Southwest corner
Garrison Troops: 30 Air Elementals
100 Sprites
30 Fire Elementals
30 Water Elementals
30 Earth Elementals
3 Phoenixes
Starting Buildings: City Hall
Fort
Tavern
Blacksmith
Marketplace
-Resource Silo
Mage Guild
-Level 5
Magic University
Garden of Life
Upg. Magic Lantern
Upg. Altar of Air
Upg. Altar of Water
Upg. Altar of Fire
Upg. Altar of Earth
Upg. Altar of Thought
C. Shanimar - Conflux Town (Blue)
General Location: Northeast corner
Garrison Troops: 30 Earth Elementals
2 Firebirds
30 Fire Elementals
Starting Buildings: City Hall
Citadel
Tavern
Blacksmith
Marketplace
-Resoruce Silo
Mage Guild
-Level 5
Magic University
Garden of Life
Upg. Magic Lantern
Upg. Altar of Air
Upg. Altar of Water
Upg. Altar of Fire
Upg. Altar of Earth
Altar of Thought
Pyre
ENEMY TOWNS: A. Tormentalis - Inferno Town (Red)
General Location: Lower western edge
B. Shadowden - Inferno Town (Red)
General Location: Lower middle
C. Kelvishen - Inferno Town (Red)
General Location: Middle
D. Xent'a - Inferno Town (Red)
General Location: Left northern edge
E. Xent'ara - Inferno Town (Red)
General Location: Middle eastern edge
ADVICE: Although I usually pick cool units over artifacts for the starting
bonus, artifacts do carry over to the next scenario, and Gelu plays a mostly
defensive role on this map (at least the way I played it).
Between the two of them, Roland and Catherine can combine to put some serious
hurt to the enemy. I wandered out with them very early on and captured
Tormentalis and Shadowden almost immediately. After capturing them, I combined
the armies of Catherine and Roland and kept Roland out (since he was higher
level) to defend the newly captured Inferno towns. I sent Catherine back to
gather reinforcements and accumulate her own army.
I kept Gelu hanging around Shanimar, as Red will try to capture it often with
forces out of Xent'a and Xent'ara. After I had buckled down and kept solid
control of Tormentalis and Shadowden, I sent Catherine (with her newly huge
army) up to capture Xent'a while Gelu went south to hit Xent'ara with an
absolutely monstrous bestiary.
By now, your heroes should be obscenely powerful, so that this scenario won't be
too difficult. Although it's boring to parade your hero around at the end of
each scenario, now is the time that all that seemingly pointless marching around
pays off.
As you've no doubt guessed, Xeron is hiding in Kelvishen, which is protected by
Garrisons that lead out to Tormentalis and Shadowden. Although he is a tough
nut to crack, I never caught him leaving the confines of that area, so I never
worried about him leaving to capture on of those towns with his huge army,
although you will still have to watch out for other heroes coming out of
Kelvishen and run-on sentences; however, they will not have very large armies as
the bulk of the troops will go to Xeron.
After you have the rest of the towns captured, give one of your heroes all of
your troops. He can then perch right outside Kelvishen and ensure that no new
heroes can emerge and keep Xeron boxed in. You can then run your other two
heroes around to maximize their levels and skills (though it may not be totally
necessary). After one has completed a circuit, send that hero to relieve the
one guarding Kelvishen so that he may also maximize his levels and skills.
At this point, you army should be tough enough to step up to Xeron and his
nasties; so powerful as it is, Armageddon's Blade probably won't swing the
battle's favor in Xeron's way. Make sure that Gelu is the hero who defeats
Xeron as it makes things easier in the next and final scenario. Also,
distribute your artifact goodies among your heroes before defeating Xeron as
artifacts do carry over, but give Gelu the lion's share of the prizes as he will
need them.
SCENARIO 8: Oblivion's Edge
DESCRIPTION: You have 60 days for Gelu to take Armageddon's Blade to the Eeofol
capitol of Kreelah before the forces of the Dungeon Overlords arrive to
reinforce King Lucifer. If Gelu, Roland, or Catherine is lost, your war ends
here.
ALLIES: Blue
ENEMIES: Red
DIFFICULTY: Impossible
STARTING BONUSES: A. 10 Phoenixes
B. 75 Sharpshooters (Recommended)
C. 25 Magic Elementals
ADVICE: I don't want to totally ruin the game for you, so I'll leave you mostly
to your own devices for this last scenario; but I will provide ample hints.
Your final destination, Kreelah, is located roughly in the center of the map. A
large Garrison protects the town.
Speed is of the essence, given the 60 day time limit, though you will probably
either lose a hero or win the game before then. This map is only "Impossible"
if you try to capture each and every Red town before time expires.
SCENARIO 1: Culling the Weak
DESCRIPTION: Crush your enemies, but be careful not lose [sic] Mutare. Mutare
will be limited to level ten, but will transfer to the next scenario. Gain the
Charm of Mana from the Seer's Hut and carry it into the next scenario to access
a bonus area.
ALLIES: Red
ENEMIES: Blue, Tan, Green
DIFFICULTY: Hard
STARTING BONUSES: A. Pillar of Eyes (Recommended)
B. Quiet Eye of the Dragon
C. 12 Harpy Hags
STARTING HEROES: A. Mutare - Level 1 Overlord
Specialty: Dragons
Troops: Random
+ Starting Bonus
Starting Location: Death Kiss
Special: + Starting Bonus
STARTING TOWNS: A. Death Kiss - Dungeon Town (Red)
General Location: Southeast corner (surface)
Garrison Troops: 50 Swordsmen
Starting Buildings: Village Hall
Fort
Tavern
+ Starting Bonus
NEUTRAL TOWNS: A. Chillwater - Dungeon Town
General Location: Middle southern edge (surface)
B. Lost Hold - Dungeon Town
General Location: Middle eastern edge (surface)
C. Shadowden - Dungeon Town
General Location: Middle western edge (surface)
D. Darkhold - Dungeon Town
General Location: Middle northern edge (surface)
E. Sinkhold - Dungeon Town
General Location: Southeastern corner (underworld)
F. Deepshadow - Dungeon Town
General Location: Middle eastern edge (underworld)
G. Dragonnade - Dungeon Town
General Location: Middle western edge (underworld)
H. Sorrow Crown - Dungeon Town
General Location: Northwestern corner (underworld)
ENEMY TOWNS: A. Harpy's Rock - Dungeon Town (Green)
General Location: Southwestern corner (surface)
B. Coldshadow - Dungeon Town (Blue)
General Location: Northwestern corner (surface)
C. Dead Timber - Dungeon Town (Tan)
General Location: Northeastern corner (surface)
POINTS OF INTEREST: A. Subterranean Gate
General Location: Connects Death Kiss and Sinkhole
B. Subterranean Gate
General Location: Connects Harpy's Rock and Dragonnade
C. Subterranean Gate
General Location: Connects Coldshadow and Sorrow Crown
D. Subterranean Gate
General Location: Connects Dead Timber and Deepshadow
E. Brown Monolith (One Way)
General Location: West of Sinkhole, exits to southern
underworld chamber
F. Green Monolith (Two Way)
General Locations: Southern underworld chamber, NE of
Dragonnade, northern underground
chamber, SW of Deepshadow
G. Blue Monolith (One Way)
General Location: SE of Sorrow Crown, exits to northern
underworld chamber
ADVICE: Capture Sinkhole through the Subterranean Gate very early on, so you can
have the extra gold and troops from an early additional town. Also, try and
take Chillwater and Lost Hold quickly, but don't worry too much about upgrading
them as they will be hotly contested pieces of property. Don't get too upset if
control of them changes hands frequently in the opening month or two.
After that, though, you should be able to buckle down and retain total control
of them. Then don't forget to upgrade them as needed. Whenever you first
capture an enemy town, don't forget to also capture the town through the nearby
Gate. You also must watch out for enemy Heroes popping through the Green
Monoliths. This should also be one of your early ploys to capture an enemy
town. After you feel secure defensively, hop on through the Monolith near
Sinkhole, and then ride the next one (the Green Monolith) through to an enemy
town. Be warned, however, that the towns next to the Green Monoliths may also
change hands frequently.
Hopefully, you will have more towns than the enemy early on, and that alone
should make the difference as you face 3 separate enemies who have not joined
forces against you (yet). Aside from the possible trickiness with the Gates and
Monoliths, this is a fairly standard "build up your faces and then smash the
living hell out of the enemy" map. If that is not really a standard kind of
map, then by Jove, it ought to be.
SCENARIO 2: Savaging the Scavengers
DESCRIPTION: Obliterate your opponents, but once again do not lose the hero
Mutare. To do so would mean instant destruction. Mutare will be limited to
eighteenth level, but will carry over the Dragon Scale Shield to use in the next
scenario.
ALLIES: Red
ENEMIES: Tan, Green
DIFFICULTY: Hard
STARTING BONUSES: A. Quiet Eye of the Dragon
B. Dragon Wing Tabard
C. 4 Medusas (Recommended)
NEUTRAL TOWNS: A. Gloom Cave - Dungeon Town
General Location: Southeast corner (surface)
B. No Quarter - Dungeon Town
General Location: Middle (surface)
C. Gruen Point - Dungeon Town
General Location: Middle western edge (surface)
D. Red Spider - Dungeon Town
General Location: Right northern edge (surface)
ENEMY TOWNS: A. Dank Rock - Dungeon Town (Tan)
General Location: Southwest corner (surface)
B. Fetid Cavern - Dungeon Town (Green)
General Location: Northeast corner (surface)
POINTS OF INTEREST: A. White Keymaster's Tent
General Location: Left southern edge (surface)
B. White Border Guard
General Location: Middle eastern edge (surface)
C. Black Keymaster's Tent
General Location: Middle eastern edge (surface)
D. Black Border Guard
General Location: Middle southern edge (surface)
E. Subterranean Gate
General Location: Connects area between No Quarter and
Gloom Cave and SE pocket
F. Subterranean Gate
General Location: Connects Gruen Point and SW pocket
G. Subterranean Gate
General Location: Connects northwest corner and NW pocket
H. Subterranean Gate
General Location: Connects Red Spider and NE pocket
I. Dragon Scale Shield
General Location: SE pocket
J. Brown Monolith (One Way) (3)
General Locations: Near No Quarter, Gruen Point, and Red
Spider, exit to NW corner
K. Red Monolith (One Way)
General Location: NW corner, exits to Black and White
Border Guards
ADVICE: Do this scenario quickly. You and your two adversaries start on fairly
equal ground. Hurry up and capture No Quarter. If you're fast enough, you may
even be able to control Gruen Point and Red Spider. If you get stuck in a
drawn-out battle, you should still win but there are a few more things you'll
need to know.
Firstly, don't worry about enemies popping out of the Subterranean Gates to
surprise you. The Gates lead only to isolated cave pockets in the underworld.
There are lots of goodies in those pockets, so don't forget those, especially
the Dragon Scale Shield which carries over to the next scenario. Also, all the
Monoliths near the neutral towns lead to the same place, the northwest corner.
The only Alchemist's Lab is there. The Border Guards also protect two of the
level's Sulfur Dunes. The Alchemist's Lab, the Sulfur Dunes, and the Gem Pools
will all be guarded by mid and high level monsters, so they won't be easy to get
at right away.
This map isn't too bad compared to some of the rest of them. If you've gotten
this far legitimately, you won't have any trouble beating this scenario. Once
again, and I'm sure you're sick of hearing this kind of reminder, make sure
Mutare is at the maximum level and that you've hit all the skills-improving
sites.
SCENARIO 3: Blood of the Dragon Father
DESCRIPTION: Find the Vial of Dragon Blood before Ordwald or lose the race.
Also, losing the hero Mutare means instant destruction. Mutare and two of her
best heroes will be transferred to the next scenario, without level limitations.
ALLIES: Red
ENEMIES: Blue
DIFFICULTY: Hard
STARTING BONUSES: A. Endless Purse of Gold (Recommended)
B. Labyrinth
C. 1 Red Dragon
STARTING TOWNS: A. Chillwater - Dungeon Town (Red)
General Location: Southeast corner (surface)
Garrison Troops: None
Starting Buildings: Village Hall
Fort
Tavern
Warren
+ Starting Bonus
ENEMY TOWNS: A. Deepshadow - Dungeon Town (Blue)
General Location: Lower middle (surface)
B. Shade - Dungeon Town (Blue)
General Location: Lower right middle (underworld)
C. Malev - Dungeon Town (Blue)
General Location: Middle western edge (surface)
D. Veks - Dungeon Town (Blue)
General Location: Northwest corner (surface)
E. Darkburrow - Dungeon Town (Blue)
General Location: Northeast corner (surface)
POINTS OF INTEREST: A. Light Blue Keymaster's Tent
General Location: NE of Chillwater (surface)
B. Light Blue Border Guard
General Location: W of Darkburrow (surface)
B. Light Blue Border Guard
General Location: Northwest corner (surface)
C. Shipyard
General Location: Middle southern edge (surface)
D. Red Keymaster's Tent
General Location: Lower middle (underworld)
E. Red Border Guard
General Location: Southwest corner (surface)
F. Red Monolith (One Way)
General Location: Protected by Red Border Guard, exits to
right southern edge (underworld)
G. Whirlpool
General Location: Left lower middle, connects surface and
underworld
H. Green Keymaster's Tent
General Location: SW of whirlpool (underworld)
I. Green Border Guard
General Location: Middle eastern edge (underworld)
J. Subterranean Gate
General Location: Connects middle eastern edge
(underworld) and right middle (surface)
K. Monolith (One Way) (3)
General Locations: By Malev, Veks, and Darburrow, exit to
right middle Subterranean Gate
L. Subterranean Gate
General Location: Connects right middle (surface) and
middle pocket (underworld)
M. Subterranean Gate
General Location: Northwest corner, connects surface and
underworld
ADVICE: This is a pretty tricky scenario. This is another map where it is
incredibly difficult to win through sheer brute force. Instead, you must rely
on stealth and cunning, or whatever reasonable facsimiles of those attributes
you possess.
The following is an explicit list of actions to take in what order:
1. Capture Deepshadow.
2. Don't let the enemy hero tag the Light Blue Keymaster's Tent! Tag it
yourself.
3. Build a ship and capture all the floating goodies.
4. Rescue Alamar down the river and hit the gold mine while you're at it.
5. Cross through the whirlpool and hit the Green Keymaster's Tent.
6. Now head west and tag the Red Keymaster's Tent in case you want to use the
Red Monolith in the future as a shortcut.
7. Now capture Shade if possible. Don't strain yourself trying to retain
control of it, though.
8. If you killed the monsters by the Green Keymaster's Tent, you can claim your
reward at the nearby Seer's Hut.
9. Head north, passing through the Green Border Guard and Subterranean Gate.
10. Head straight to the Gate in the northwest corner. Do not tangle with the
enemy, do not pass Go, do not collect $500.
11. Now you're in the quest area. This is the order in which to kill the
dragons: Bone, Ghost, Green, Red, Gold, Black, Faerie, Rust, and Crystal.
12. Go back and open Pandora's Box. Pandora got a surprise, too.
I didn't enjoy this scenario, because some it seems to rely too much on luck.
If Ordwald finds you early on, then you might as well pack the bags and head
home. I also don't particularly care for time limit scenarios, but oh well.
SCENARIO 4: Blood Thirsty
DESCRIPTION: Find the Vial of Dragon Blood before Ordwald or lose the race.
Also, losing the hero Mutare means instant destruction. Mutare and two of her
best heroes will be transferred to the next scenario, without level limitations.
ALLIES: Red
ENEMIES: Blue, Orange, Purple, Teal
DIFFICULTY: Expert
STARTING BONUSES: A. 2 Crystal Dragons
B. 3 Faerie Dragons
C. 6 Black Dragons (Recommended)
ADVICE: Again, I'll let you alone with the last scenario but offer some decent
advice. You primarily will need three good heroes for this scenario. Luckily
for you, your two best generals also transferred over. Equip all three with
large armies, but give Mutare the largest. Capture the towns to the north and
south of you and defend the entrance tunnels to them with your generals. Send
Mutare out in one direction to start conquering everything in her path. You
will also need a chain of heroes to be able to pass reinforcements along
expediently. Good luck!
HoMM3 CHEAT CODES:
A quick word about cheat codes in general: Don't use them. Period. I have them
listed below, because hey, this is supposed to be a FAQ, and people quite
frequently ask questions about cheat codes.
[Tab] + [Cheat Code] + [Enter]:
CHEAT CODE: EFFECT:
nwcquigon selected hero levels up
nwcpadme selected hero gains 5 Archangels in each empty
stack
nwcdarthmaul selected hero gains 10 Black Knights in each
empty stack
nwcr2d2 selected hero gains Ballista,
Catapult, and First Aid Tent
nwcpodracer selected hero gains unlimited movement
nwcmidichlorians selected hero gains all spells and
999 spell points.
