Unity of the Elements

I plan to reduce the experience gained from the Sphinx and add impenetrable guards to the city gate.

If I get around to editing the map, I think it would be better to reorient the Sphinx – let it give out an artifact or hints, but not experience. It would be good to move the mentor out of the basement (it's cold and damp down there) to the desert near the city: he would fit the setting better there and be more useful in his role. The city guard is a flaw that adds character to the map. It shouldn't be completely eliminated (impenetrable guard). At the very least, the experience gained this way isn't exactly free (you have to spot and exploit the garrison's weakness), and not many will dare to attack. It's definitely necessary to change the guard setup; otherwise, I've already explained and shown how to use this "flaw." As an option, add a couple of stacks of magical golems, about 2,000 each, to the gate. We could go further: make taking the city by force a player choice for a more challenging map playthrough. He (the player) would no longer receive Academy cities, i.e., he would be left with only one. As a bonus for this non-standard approach, immediately give him a chainmail and a turban of enlightenment.