Walkthroughs for custom maps.

This is the first map I've completed by the author of widely known mapmaking hits: "The Empire of the World" 1 and 2, "The Search for the Cloak", and "Wings of heaven".
I played as Blue. At the start, you have two different castles: a Stronghold and a Rampart with two heroes, and between them are lands that still need to be cleared of monsters. We have 3 ordinary enemies who, like us, start from scratch: Brown, Purple, and Turquoise, and one main enemy – Pink (Conflux).
The starting hero of the Stronghold, Crag Hack, didn't suit me because barbarians aren't meant to have water magic, yet it plays an important role. Therefore, I later hired Dessa, who became the main heroine.
Forts on the hill allow you to save on troop upgrades and do without upgrading dwellings in cities.
By assembling the Legion Statue from its parts, we get increased troop growth.
The Mage Hut will reveal some interesting locations on the map.
Pay attention to the sea cartographer: on our lands, he is located in the far southeastern corner. By visiting him, you can boldly set sail without fear of a sudden enemy attack.
In one place I got unexpectedly lucky: 19 green dragons, whom I was prepared to fight, joined my army!
In the Ramparts, I obtained essential spells: in Emeraldmore – Prayer and Town Portal, in Forestglenn – Resurrection (a later look in the editor showed that I simply got lucky with this too).
After Arlash (Brown) raided me from the same dungeon to the southwest, I quickly rushed to intercept him and defeated him. Then I descended underground myself and soon moved to active offensive actions.
From prisons in the center of the surface world, I freed several assistants, one of whom taught my heroes useful spells.
And on the 1st day of the 4th month "something terrible happened": plague month! :( And no matter what I did, replaying the previous day, I couldn't outsmart the same "evil generator". Probably a compensation for the luck with the dragons. Well, I had to accept it and play with what was there (I only hired as many troops on the 7th day as my funds allowed).
On 5-3-4, green dragons wanted to join me again (this time there were as many as 37)! I decided they wouldn't be extra and accepted them.
On 5-4-1, Brown's last hero perished. Only the main enemy remained.
Note: Fly on this map is not a luxury, but a means of transportation: in two places you will need to fly over obstacles! You can obtain it by defeating angels in the east of the underground world and taking Angel Wings, or by capturing the Conflux in the center of the surface world and taking the Wizard's Hat.
When I saw in the tavern that Pink was already weaker than me, I rejoiced and rushed into his domains. Fortunately, the way there turned out to be short and easy: after some time, a whirlpool swept me to the right place.
The showdown with Pink wasn't long or difficult; in fact, I didn't even visit all the Libraries and other "boosters". The battle with Kult on cursed land was slightly unpleasant but not difficult.
Victory over Gelar and victory in the game were achieved on the 6th month, 1st week, 3rd day (143-rd day) with a score of 353 points. I didn't find or dig up the Grail; I was simply too lazy since I hadn't visited all the obelisks and had little desire to search for them once it became clear that the game could be finished now.
Summing up, I can say that I liked the map: the art is good, the density of objects is high, there are no hidden objects or passages anywhere, and the walkthrough wasn't long or difficult. Probably one of Darklord's easiest maps – whether this is true will become clear when I complete others.

Added after 19 hours 22 minutes

A Dragon Adventure

Author: maygwan
Download link: http://www.maps4heroes.com/heroes3/maps.php?keywords=a+dragon+adventure&type=&size=&difficulty=&sort=2

After a series of strategic maps, I wanted something more RPG-like, and at that time this map was posted on Maps4Heroes along with several others by the same author. I had only completed one of his maps before (Undead apocalypse), and I liked it very much.
Plot: After the defeat of the dragon lords, Mutare's father managed to save her by sending her to remote lands, where she would safely gather strength to settle scores with her enemies. She begins her journey alone, but later she will be able to free tribesmen and allies – elves – from prisons.
The author's description is a gameplay description, while the plot unfolds in small portions as you progress forward:
You play has Mutare and you are about to start an Epic Adventure. First half of map clearing areas, breaking out many prisoners and flagging important castles and dwellings aswell has takin out some pirates. Also doing many quest and sidequest with a bit of story. 2nd part will be epic fights.
The RPG nature of the map is obvious from the start: we have one heroine with one gold dragon, necessary secondary skills, and a Rampart that has only a few buildings, and nothing more can be built. However, you still need to reach the city; for now, Mutare has Armageddon's Blade (which will have to be given away almost immediately) and Magic Arrow.
Specifically for those who are not very familiar with RPG maps and are not very patient, I'll say in advance: gradually you will have plenty of everything (troops, cities, heroes, artifacts, spells), but far from immediately.
The temptation to describe my walkthrough in detail is great, but first, I don't want to rob adventure lovers of the pleasure (gradual map revelation is one of the "pillars" that sustain interest in plot maps), and second, the story would be very long. Therefore, I will limit myself to marking key moments so you don't get confused, and give a number of useful tips:
18 seers at once is, in my opinion, overkill. Tasks like "bring a legion of dwarves" are optional, but for freeing Gelu and Mutare Drake, you can receive a good reward. Too many side quests is a minus, as there will be many tasks, and sometimes you'll have to remember where you need to go now. Further, pay attention to tasks involving killing enemies and freeing prisoners: you will inevitably complete these (as they will open the way forward each time), and the rewards will be very welcome. After every victory, check the quest log so as not to miss anything.
Snake hives are located at the edges of the road not for beauty: it is necessary to take them, as wyverns from them will become the main strike stack in the first stage.
Capture hydra dwellings and pay attention to the converter in the first Necropolis: by turning hydras into dragons, you will soon assemble a good squad of spectral dragons, which will then take over the role of the main strike stack.
In the first Rampart, we cannot learn Resurrection (and gold dragons are immune to it anyway), but they give Raise Dead there, so try to avoid losses with its help.
By freeing Drac from prison, you will receive a Sphere of Vulnerability, Resurrection, and something else. From this point on, Mutare won't have to waste time gathering troops. And soon after capturing Ramparts and external dwellings, gold dragons will become the main strike force.
Don't forget about the Summoning Portal in the Dungeon: an extra dragon or hydra per week wouldn't be redundant!
Since there are no taverns in your cities, you won't be able to see the guards of neutral cities and garrisons, so prepare for the worst before taking them. But more importantly, freed heroes must not be lost (even though there will be many of them), otherwise it may turn out that you cannot enter somewhere or cannot obtain an important artifact.
Once you go to sea, defeat ice elementals: they have the Admiral's Hat.
By finding and visiting the black tent, you will receive a pass to the outer seas. Contrary to the author's warning, you can dive into whirlpools with the Hat without fear: this will give you an overview of several places on the map and allow you to sometimes see pirate movements; you can defeat the weak ones, but stay away from the strong for now; behind the black gates you will be safe (though not infinitely: later you will see another black tent in the sea, heavily guarded, but one day enemies will be able to kill the guards).
Dwellings of dwarves, snipers, and generally all creatures below level 7 should not be captured: since you will have several Dungeons with Summoning Portals, it is much more useful to guaranteedly receive an additional dragon in each Dungeon.
Very important: as long as you don't have Shackles of War, try not to let enemies escape in battles (except those sitting in cities)! It would be very disappointing if it turned out that you cannot progress further because someone fled the battlefield! Therefore, sometimes it is better to avoid a battle if the enemy's flight is inevitable.
A specific problem awaits you when defeating pirates: they often have a huge pile of looted artifacts (and many identical ones), so most unnecessary items must be given to other heroes and divided among them each time, and whenever possible, assemble composite artifacts (Wizard's Well, Horn of Plenty), otherwise Mutare's overflowing backpack won't even allow her to change the Hat or use the Wizard's Well (in one place I even had to replay a bit because of this)! Some artifacts can be traded with seers for something useful, some exchanged for experience at the Sacrificial Altar (remember: only elf heroes can do this!). However, do not sacrifice extra Admiral's Hats: there is a very important quest where they will be needed!
Another problem specific to this map, or rather a pitfall: because of the heap of Ramparts and Treasuries, gold grows faster with every week. This is pleasing, but you must remember: if gold exceeds 2 billion, a numerical overflow may occur, and it will become minus 2 billion! To avoid this or at least delay it, always buy all troops in all cities, and some gold can be exchanged for other resources. For the same reason, you should not capture mines after you see that the amount of resources is growing faster than you spend them. Also, remove from all heroes and put into backpacks all artifacts that give resources – it's better to use parts of the Legion Statue to increase troop growth.
You can sail in many directions, but considering the intended order of completion, you need to find a place in the south where a whirlpool sweeps you to a guard who requires you to be Pink's hero, and on the shore nearby – a lighthouse and entrances to one-way monoliths (you should go there after obtaining Town Portal). Here on holy land stand dwellings of fairy dragons, a Rampart (currently inaccessible), further in rocky lands – a prison with scout Fetcher, another inaccessible Rampart, but most importantly – in the east stands a Necropolis with Jack Racham, victory over whom will open the way forward.
After victory over Jack Racham, you need to free Gelu (now you will have a strong stack of snipers growing) and go fight Charles Vane west of Gelu's Place (and rescue Drag from prison).
The blue tent is hidden in the forest behind one of the Necropolises (the others, fortunately, are in plain sight). By the way, remember which tents you have already visited.
By defeating Blackbeard, you will wipe the first enemy off the map. Here, finally, you will find the Sacrificial Altar and be able to use an elf hero to get rid of excess artifacts (I would have preferred this happened earlier, but the author isn't very merciful).
The island with prisons where Gelu's 4 brothers languish is located in the east. But for their liberation, another 4 Vials of Life are needed. Do not rush to free them: enemy lands (Blue, Brown, Green, and Red), the way to which they will open for you, are very heavily guarded, and a Vial of Life is more valuable as it allows assembling the Elixir of Life; direct and immediate benefit – the ability to get a few more snipers.
On the islet behind the guard who requires killing Blackbeard, you will find 4 Pandora's Boxes where Vials of Life lie under powerful guard, and a seer giving Shackles of War for 4 Admiral's Hats – I repeat, Shackles are extremely important to ensure all enemies are defeated (however, they can also be obtained in another place for victory over the Purple mages)!
To make it easier for you, I will write in what order it is best to fight the following enemies (considering the strength of garrison guards), and which prisoner is needed to enter the corresponding land:
Red - Gela
Brown - Geli
Blue - Gelo
Green - Gele
Try not to let enemies visit the tents you've found (especially the black one): this will limit their movements and give you a guarantee of safety for your domains. It is also worth catching all enemies attempting to flee.
After some time, you will notice that almost all enemies (except necromancers, who are no more) leave their domains through one-way monoliths, the entrances and exits of which are in several places, including on a small snowy islet in the southeast. It is very convenient to track them here and intercept them, pursuing if necessary. Soon there will be almost no pirates left.
Exploring the seas, you will find both a sea cartographer and a tavern (you'll likely not need to hire heroes anymore, but getting some information about enemies would be useful; however, even visiting it, you'll learn very little; later you'll find full taverns in captured enemy cities).
At the beginning of the 6th month, Red (Inferno) broke through the guard and left his lands (since this happens via a one-way monolith, you cannot reach him that way). To invade him, you need to break an anti-magic garrison.
The red two-way monolith in rocky lands south of Jack Racham's lair will lead you to the dragon islands. And now you must find Mutare Drake: he will open your former domains (and another most important combat spell)! The way to him is blocked by border gates of 4 colors and a legion of nag queens.
The snowy island with five Purple mages is an optional trial. The first three mages are easy to defeat, Halon will also be destroyed sooner or later (and you will assemble the Angel Alliance); it's only important to have a leveled-up Mutare with the necessary army and double mana reserve to finish the battle without losses. Ain is impossible to defeat, but that's not necessary (although one really wants to get Fly and Dimension Door!).
On Red's lands, the process will be livened up by strong ambushes before some cities.
Getting to Blue, Brown, and Green is already much harder: anti-magic garrisons at the entrance to their lands are guarded by legions of monsters and archangels. Dealing with monsters is easier: in the first round they don't yet reach our squads, and with Prayer from the Angel Alliance all our troops, including shooters, strike first.
The showdowns with Brown and Blue weren't difficult, and nothing interesting was found on their lands. The barbarians' domains are located on cursed land – this only slightly saddened me but didn't complicate their extermination.
Orange sat quietly in his single castle, and he was gone in one day.
When I invaded Green's lands, after Mutare approached the anti-magic garrison with crusaders in the southeast behind the blue gates (and I hadn't found the blue tent yet), Sylvia popped out. It was necessary to intercept her without letting her visit the green tent (there is another one in the east), and for Mutare this was easy.
The battle with the garrison on the approaches to Purple's capital was tough, but since it wasn't anti-magic, it ended without losses. However, Solmir had a Cloak of Denial, and it was necessary to find the right approach and replay to keep losses to a minimum.
After capturing Purple's only Tower, you need to wait a week, and Ain will disappear. Now you can calmly take the Tome of Air and Wizard's Hat and fly to Green's last Castle, where 3 heroes await us.
Result: the last enemy was defeated on the 9th month, 4th week, 3rd day (248 days), 442 points (there is no Grail in this land).
Summary: a very interesting map, completed without great strain. Especially good that at no stage did "stalling" occur due to the need to simply hoard troops or level up a hero to satisfy some passage guard (which, alas, often happens on RPG maps). What's also noteworthy: with the Angel Alliance equipped, Mutare reached maximum primary skill values.
Among the map's downsides, it can be noted that Gelu's brothers are only needed to open the way to enemy lands and then must be hidden or dismissed; it would have been better if they brought some other benefit. Or more valuable heroes like Magic Man and Mr Might could have been used for this, whom I also freed but who turned out to be optional characters. It was also a pity that the Elixir of Life couldn't be kept.
It was interesting to play with these heroes and dragon troops. By the way, the author has a couple more maps telling about the adventures of dragon lords – those should also be tried.