impossible gameplay tactics on XL.

Greetings, oh master of Black Magic! Please, don't kick me while I'm down. My friends and I often play Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Shadow of Death, but they only play on the hardest difficulty (no starting gold) and on the largest random map (no dungeons). It's allowed to abandon the game on the first day if there's no path, or if stones or trees are guarded by level 2 or higher creatures (or similar monsters). Basically, I always get beaten: :smile13: Could you suggest a strategy for this type of game, specifically for the Elemental Castle? Here's what I do: I choose Gelar (for gold and water magic) and try to upgrade him to Water Expert in the first week. I also look for Blessing and upgrade levels 2 and 3 of the Elementals. Then, I try to build a Griffin in the third week and after that, find the Fire Book (for Armageddon) or dig up the Grail if I'm lucky. Am I missing something? Are there other options (like a Blitzkrieg strategy) for the largest map? Or maybe there's another race that's more suitable for this type of game? P.S. I forgot to mention the main problem: I play rationally for the first two weeks, but then it turns into pointless hero movement back and forth, and I end up getting beaten again. Could you suggest a strategy for playing from the third week onwards? What absolutely needs to be done, and what can be ignored?