There's a magical solution: the Recruit and Warrior difficulty levels. The difficulty ranking is maintained by map scripts. The difficulty indicated in the header is for the Hero and is based on the average young player. I'll remind you that "The Necromancer's Path" also had a Very High difficulty (I changed it to High with the release of "Faces"), but it didn't even come close to being considered hardcore among experienced players.

So, this is just a warning, not a hard fact. You won't find the hand of a Master here, unfortunately. My map balance aims for approximately the level of RedHeavenHero.

The map is, of course, super awesome! Thanks to the author. I completed it in 165 days on "War" difficulty. I got the Cave Horror artifact. I didn't over-level in mentors; I focused on: Darkness + Logistics + Charisma + Offense + Defense. I didn't complete the Thief and Faceless quests. I played at a fast pace even without boots. The only problem was after losing my army; it was the old "friend" Agrael with 15,000 HP, but I sacrificed everyone except the Cave Horrors, locked him in with Crystals, and attacked with the remaining units. That's how I did it. I won the final battle with 189 Cave Horrors. I really liked the map. Pace is key. I will play it again. Good luck to everyone and have fun with your builds!