Testers needed.

In the new version, to banish phoenixes, you will only need the Ring of Banishment and the Sphere of Light.

Thank you very much.

A secondary quest will appear from the witch, involving collecting monazite and finding the Mask of Justice for the curse of Dominick (reducing characteristics, morale, and luck). So, by the time the quests are completed, you won't need to accumulate troops for a castle siege, but can attack immediately. I removed the dwarven artifacts from Dominick that grant immunity to dark spells.

This seems a bit redundant. If "darkness" is available, the number of troops and Dominick's parameters are not so important. Although, I forgot about the witch; I haven't visited her. In the new situation, there will be a reason to meet her. (According to the plot, they know each other well and perform a ritual together at the end). Everything is for the better. To make the battle interesting, it's good to have heroes with different schools of magic. Varens has more "darkness," and Dominick, accordingly, has all "light." Based on my experience playing as Varens, I can say that the best spell against him is "Divine Vengeance." If Dominick gains skilled spellcasting (I really hope the computer will use its abilities correctly), the battle will be unpredictable. The accumulation of troops is largely hindered by a lack of money. In the castle, after capturing dwellings, there are troops (the price of upgraded units, excluding peasants) worth 40.6k, in 4 castles - 161.2k. The player's income: capital - 2000, town hall - 4 * 2000 = 8000, 2 gold mines, artifact - 1000, skills - 500, peasants (Elaina, closer to the end of the game) - 6000. Total: 19.5k/day, 136.5k per week. Without taking into account the purchase of troops in dwellings (and there are quite a few), the deficit is 24.7k/week. That is, there is not enough money, at least, for 3 gold mines. If you plan on training, then 4, but, in my opinion, it's too much for the player. It's better to have a shortage of money. I am saddened that the discussion of the map has turned into a dialogue. Beauty lies in the diversity of opinions.