"HW rulez" mod (add-on) for HoMM3.

You can immediately spot the Jebus enthusiasts. It's only there that a Castle's second level is utterly useless.
And the same goes for a mandatory second level. Personally, 50% of my restarts are due to the lack of this.

I do not consider myself a Jebus enthusiast =). The second level for Castle can be skipped even on a mininost template. If the second level were mandatory, other reasons for restarts would emerge (only two stacks arrived or only one native hero in the tavern). You have to play with what you're dealt.