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Game Strategies for Heroes 3 Races.

Section Contents:

Inferno Game Strategy

Fortress Game Strategy

Necropolis Game Strategy

Ramparts Game Strategy

Fortress Game Strategy

Stronghold Game Strategy

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BASICS


Inferno is not an easy town to play. By building and upgrading all creature dwellings, you receive 2035 Hit Points per week, which is significantly lower than other towns. (Ramparts has the most - 2650, followed by Tower - 2420 and Stronghold - 2370.) Furthermore, your Hit Points are the most expensive, as you pay 28090 gold + 4 Mercury for them, averaging 13.8 gold per point. (Ramparts is the cheapest at 10.05, while Castle, the next most expensive after Inferno, pays 13.2 gold per point). Building the town itself is also costly. To build and upgrade all creature dwellings (including the Fort, Tavern, Castle, and Capitol), you need 95300 gold and, specifically, 62 Mercury. Only Castle requires more gold - 98500, while the most expensive in terms of a single resource are Ramparts (65 Crystals), Dungeon (64 Sulfur) and Tower (61 Gems). In favor of Inferno, however, is the fact that it does not require as much Wood and Ore as other towns (95 of each, including the Fort). To build all structures in Inferno, 115300 Gold is required, which is more than any other town. On the other hand, it requires the least amount of Wood and Ore (120 each). In terms of primary resource expenditure, it ranks third with 86 Mercury (after Ramparts - 95 Crystals and Tower - 89 Gems).

HEROES

Your heroes are the Heretic (magic) and the Satanist (might). The development of both is well-balanced. While up to level 9 the Heretic leans slightly more toward Power and Knowledge, and the Satanist toward Attack and Defense, priorities even out after level 9. This balance is also reflected in the probability of obtaining secondary skills. A typical level 19 Heretic looks like 5 5 7 6, and a typical Satanist - 7 7 5 5 (without artifacts or visiting map objects). The Heretic is the most versatile hero of all; he can theoretically learn any secondary skill, including Necromancer and Leadership (together!), whereas the Satanist cannot learn Necromancer. However, this is not such a great disadvantage, as all other skills can be found on him. For the Heretic, same as Financier, Leadership, Luck, Navigation, and Water Magic are quite rare; Air Magic, Diplomacy, Logistics, Pathfinding, Resistance, and Reconnaissance are also uncommon. He leans toward Ballistics, Fire Magic, First Aid, Intelligence, Mysticism (highest probability), Scholar, Sorcery, and Wisdom (which every Heretic has). It is difficult for the Satanist to learn Air Magic, Eagle Eye, First Aid, Intelligence, Luck, Scholar, and Water Magic. They prefer Armorer, Archer, Artillery, Ballistics, Logistics (highest probability), Offense, Resistance, Reconnaissance, and Tactics. Remember that for Satanists, there is no mandatory skill that every one of them is equipped with initially. It is important to consider the probability of acquiring skills in magic guilds. Both heroes naturally lean toward Fire Magic, followed in descending order by: Earth, Air, and Water. For the Heretic, the probability across all four schools is slightly higher, so an average Heretic always has Fire Magic and very often - Earth Magic, while an average Satanist often has Fire Magic and frequently Earth Magic. Finding either of these heroes with Air Magic, let alone Water, is very difficult. Everyone knows how important it is to increase a hero's primary skills. Another important thing: until you have the advanced spell Town Portal, you need to have AT LEAST TWO GOOD HEROES. One for exploration and capturing objects, another for defending the starting town. One of the problems when playing on Impossible level is that you cannot afford to take experience from found treasure chests in the first week, as you need gold. This leaves your hero without secondary skills and without primary growth. Therefore, you must use every opportunity to train your hero. FIGHT ALL ROAMING MONSTERS that you can defeat, even for 100 - 200 experience points. Visit every object. Capture any mine encountered on the way, even at the cost of most of your meager army. It will pay off. Take every artifact, but only if it is free (for nothing).

SPELLS

One of the advantages of Inferno is the ability to build all 5 levels of the Mages' Guild. The first level should be built as quickly as possible, as heroes cannot be left without spells entirely, especially since Satanists do not initially have a Spellbook, and without it, they cannot learn spells along the way from Shrines. So if you start with a Satanist, buy him a Book first. Inferno cannot have all spells. The following spells never appear in its Guild: Bless, Ice Bolt, Death Ripple, Raise Dead, Frost Ring, Prayer, Magic Mirror, Call Air Elemental and Call Water Elemental. In principle, this is not so bad, as all of them (except Necro-spells) belong to the Air and Water schools, which are not leading in your specialization. Earth and Fire spells of the first level start being used early and play an important role for Inferno heroes. It must be remembered that the total Hit Points (HP) of Inferno creatures is very low, so the primary task is preserving HP. Of course, this applies to all town types, but especially for Inferno, as we will see below. Curse, Bloodlust, Shield, Slow and Stone Skin - all have a mass effect at expert level. Curse, Shield, and Stone Skin will reduce damage dealt by the enemy to your units, while Bloodlust and Slow increase damage you deal to the enemy. Magic Arrow may appear in your Spellbook very early and remain your only attacking spell for a long time, as you will lack Mercury to continue building the Mages' Guild. If you manage to build the second level of the Guild and the same Vision spell is there, use it often to view information on neutral monsters, as some may want to join you. Blindness and Berserk in combination with Fire Magic skills are among the best combat spells. Cast at expert level, Blindness causes paralysis of the specified unit, so you can attack it without fear of a counterattack (one way of preserving HP). Berserk at expert level is the most destructive spell, as it not only neutralizes 4 enemy units for one round of battle but also forces them to fight each other, attacking and, note, counterattacking and losing HP. Additionally, it creates significant confusion in the enemy's combat order and tactics. Sacrifice is a spell that allows even a hero with a low level of Spell Power to restore an incredibly large number of HP in battle, but the problem lies in choosing the right moment to cast it and the sacrificial group of creatures. Usually, Imps and Familiars should be sacrificed, but in battle they die first. So it may happen that by the time you need to revive your Arch Devils, Efreets, or Pit Lords, there is no one left to sacrifice. In this case, it would be reasonable to sacrifice Magogs. Meteor Shower is a very destructive spell if enemy groups are crowded in a limited space. In these cases, Fireball or Inferno can also be used, but they are weaker and should be applied when your hero has enough same mana points in reserve. The use of Earth spells like Town Portal, Restore, and Explosion needs no comment. Armageddon is a spell specifically for you, as you have one of the three creatures immune to its effect (Efreets). The other two are Black and Gold Dragons, but Ramparts cannot have Armageddon in its Mages' Guild. (in the Armageddon's Blade version, Phoenixes and Magic Elementals are added - translator's note).

CREATURES

Imps/Familiars At a cost of 15 gold per HP, Familiars are very wasteful. They lose to other creatures in everything except speed and the ability to pump enemy mana into their hero's disposal. The AI opponent loves to destroy them first, so they can safely be categorized as <cannon fodder>. Upgrade the Retort early enough if you cannot upgrade something more useful or simply want to save money. In many scenarios, you have one or two Retorts in the vicinity of your castle, so it makes sense to hire 15 Imps there for free weekly and upgrade them in town. This results in 15 Familiars for 150 gold - quite cheap. However, Familiars should not be bought directly in town until you have extra money. Gogs/Magogs These second-level shooters are decent creations. Unfortunately, low-level shooters are quite useless in the early stages of the game when you don't have the money to hire them in large numbers and your heroes are still weak. The loss of half the damage dealt from a distance is a significant reason not to spend scarce funds on more valuable creatures. Do not buy them until you have an excess of cash. You do not need them at the start of the game. Moreover, Gogs are very slow (speed 4) and will significantly slow down the hero in his travels, so it's better to leave them home at first. The Hall of Sin upgrade should not be done early, although many believe otherwise. Of course, Magogs are better than Gogs in all parameters, but their Ball Lightning attack performs well in the middle and late stages of the game when the enemy usually has all 7 stacks occupied by units plus three war machines, and a hit on one target spreads to two adjacent ones. This is not the case at the start of the game. Therefore, it's preferable to upgrade later; besides, it takes 5 Mercury, which is a scarce and extremely necessary resource for you. Hell Hounds/Cerberi These are creatures of choice for you. Kennels should be built in the first week (should be the first creature dwelling you build) and must be upgraded on the first day of the second week. They are fast, have good Attack and Defense stats, and the enemy does not counterattack after their hits. All this for 250 gold, which is quite cheap, especially compared to other Inferno monsters. Give one hero all the Cerberi born in the first week, preferably dividing them into two stacks, and send him on a campaign. To strengthen him, you can also give him Familiars if you already have them, but only that. Do not attach other types of creatures, as they will significantly slow down the hero's movement without providing significant support during clashes with enemies. Capture every mine, fight any monsters that can be defeated with current forces. You will be pleasantly surprised by how effective Cerberi are in battle, and your losses will be minimal. Support all their attacks with spells, keeping in mind the idea of preserving HP. Thus, Cerberi will be your main fighters for a while. Demons/Horned Demons In battle, they cover the rear. The epithet <substantial> fits Demons and Horned Demons. They have no special abilities, but they give your hero strength in the struggle against tough creatures such as all types of Golems, Elementals, and 4th-level monsters. It is desirable to upgrade them quickly to get greater speed and additional HP. Once you have Horned Demons, reinforce the main hero's Cerberi with them. Demons play a special role in the Inferno army, as Pit Lords can restore killed groups of creatures specifically in the form of Demons (see below). Pit Fiends/Pit Lords Another expensive monster. You do not need to upgrade the Pit early, as you need the second level of the Mages' Guild (4 Mercury), and the upgrade costs 5 Mercury, which must be saved for building the Abandoned Palace. Do not buy Pit Fiends. Both they and their elder brethren are quite fragile creatures with only 45 HP, and in small numbers, they provide no benefit. Therefore, accumulate them in town until you can perform the upgrade. The special ability of Pit Lords is not so easy to use correctly. To revive using them, one of your stacks must be completely destroyed. Pit Lords restore Hit Points calculated as Demons, so after revival, you do not receive more HP than was there before. This means that 9 killed Familiars are revived into 1 Demon, which is not very impressive. If you have Pit Lords in your army, you should organize Familiars into a stack that is a multiple of 9, for example 27. If there is free space in the army, create 2 stacks of Familiars; then one of them will be <sacrificial>, actively attacking and taking damage to be completely destroyed, and then Pit Lords can revive it as Demons. If you do this, ensure the complete destruction of the chosen stack, because if even 1 Familiar survives, all your efforts will be in vain (and the Familiars will die for nothing :). Therefore, strategic planning of your actions is important, as is an objective understanding of the enemy's ability to deal damage to your army, in order to skillfully create a <sacrificial> unit in your army. The following deserves attention: if the battle is going poorly and you have lost some of your very important units, such as Efreets or Devils, organize a <kamikaze attack>for the few survivors, so that after their death they can be returned in the form of Demons to restore lost HP. For example: you have lost three of your four Efreets. You need the last Efreet to perish as well to restore this stack in the form of Demons. Four fallen Efreets will ultimately yield 10 Demons (provided, of course, that you have at least 10 Pit Lords), and the lost HP will be restored. Sometimes, Magogs with their Ball Lightning attack can be used to destroy your own monsters. However, after the Magogs have done their dirty work, the enemy may prevent you from using the Pit Lords to their full potential (blind them, attack powerfully and sharply reduce their number, etc.), so be careful. Any resurrection via Pit Lords returns HP more expensively than you purchased them in the town, with one exception: when a stack of Demons is completely destroyed, you resurrect them without losing money, but this happens infrequently; moreover, in such a case, you will likely lose the battle anyway. Furthermore, you probably won't have enough Pit Lords to resurrect all the Demons. Therefore, the following tactic can be applied: if there is a free slot in your army, divide the Demons into two stacks, one of which should not exceed the number of Pit Lords estimated to survive the upcoming battle. This stack will be . Let it attack first, losing HP and taking the enemy counterattack. When the stack is destroyed, resurrect it. This path is the most economical use of the Pit Lords' ability, but it is quite difficult to execute and requires corresponding practice. Efreets/Efreet Sultans As soon as Efreets appear in your town, hire them immediately. Do not wait for the upgrade. You will not be able to do it quickly, as you need Mercury to build the Abandoned Palace, but you need the Efreets. They are fast (speed 9), they have a lot of HP, they deal significant damage to the enemy, and they are immune to fire magic (Blinding, Berserk, Curse and, importantly, Armageddon). In melee combat, Efreet Sultans have a natural Fire Shield that deals 20% of the damage produced back to the attacking enemy. Therefore, the opponent usually tries to attack Efreet Sultans using shooters or magic, so attack them immediately; move the Efreet Sultans to the front line and have them attack the shooters before the shooters can attack first. If you have a hero with good Spell Power and the Armageddon spell, you can give him 7 Efreets, placing them 1 per stack. Since Efreets are immune to Armageddon and Blinding, you can effectively strike the enemy by casting Armageddon, but only if there are no Gold or Black Dragons in their army. The described tactic is not foolproof. If the enemy survives your first Armageddon attack, they may counterattack with Chain Lightning (and destroy 3-4 stacks of Efreets). The fastest creatures, such as Archangels or Ghost Dragons, can attack the Efreets in the first round of battle, so there is a chance you could be crushed. However, it should be noted that usually any average army can be quickly destroyed using this method if it lacks a stack of creatures with high HP (such as a horde of Magik Ogres, several Titans, or a crowd of Knights of Fear). Devils/Archdevils They have little HP. They are expensive. They do not deal as much damage as other level 7 monsters. They have high Attack and Defense. They are fast. They reduce the enemy's luck. After their attacks, the enemy does not counterattack. As soon as you build the Abandoned Palace, hire Devils immediately. If your heroes are far away, leave the Devils in the garrison. No Devil should remain unhired, because during a Plague week (epidemic), you lose half of them. Do everything possible to preserve them. It is excellent if you have Resurrection or Sacrifice spells that can be used to revive Devils fallen in battle. If you do not have such spells, be very careful. Do not carry out reckless attacks against groups of sturdy ground creatures, such as those from the swamps, because in this case your Devils may perish very quickly.

CONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT

As before, these tips are given for large and huge maps on Very Hard and Impossible difficulty levels. When you play on Impossible, you have neither money nor resources at the start (except in cases where you receive a bonus). So, to build something on the first day, you must immediately move your hero to collect money and resources. If you find a treasure chest, take gold rather than experience. When you discover an Alchemist's Laboratory, capture it immediately if there is any chance at all. You need mercury. On Very Hard (but not Impossible), you should hire another hero and equip them with a Spellbook (if they don't have one). If you start with two towns, focus all your attention on one of them. Build the Town Hall (Prefecture) in the second town as quickly as possible, but then ignore it until you have enough Wood. Then build the Mages' Guild, Market, Smithy, and City Hall (Municipality) there. Further development of the second town can begin once you have managed to capture the first enemy town, but in this case, it is important to decide if it is better to upgrade the captured one, as there are usually already many buildings there and they are quite advanced. First Week 1. Mages' Guild (buy a Spellbook for the Satanist) 2. Town Hall 3. Market 4. Smithy 5. City Hall 6. Kennel 7. Cages This will be possible on Very Hard. On Impossible, there may be problems related to a lack of resources or money. The budget for the described construction is as follows: 13500 gold (+ 2500 gold for the second hero + 500/1000 gold for Spellbooks), 25 Wood and 5 Ore, so you need to find wood supplies three times (and capture a Sawmill), as well as Treasure Chests and gold. Remember that you will need 5 Sulfur on the eighth day to upgrade the Kennel. The minimum construction for the first week is: Mages' Guild, Town Hall, Kennel, and Cages (7000 gold, 15 Wood, 5 Ore). You must hire a second hero as soon as possible. He will collect gold and resources, which will quickly pay back the 2500 gold spent on him. If Fiona is in your tavern, hire her. She has Pathfinding at an advanced level, which will allow you to quickly scout the location of mines and resources. Additionally, her ability improves the attack and defense of Cerberi, which will be relevant in the second week. Second Week 1. Upgrade Kennel (buy Cerberi) 2. Upgrade Retort 3. Hall of Sins 4. Demon Gates 5. Stronghold 6. Fire Lake 7. Abyss/Castle It is unlikely you'll be able to build everything described. Most likely, some resource or money will be lacking, especially if you didn't build every day during the first week. Without the last building, you need 12000 gold, 5 Wood, 25 Ore, 3 Gems, 3 Mercury, and 8 Sulfur. Due to the high consumption of Ore, it may be impossible to build the Castle on the last day (another 10 Ore is needed). In this case, the Abyss is a good alternative, as it requires no resources (only gold). Third Week 1. Upgrade Demon Gates 2. Castle/Abyss Hire Cerberi, Horned Demons, and Efreets (only). From this point on, you need to save funds for building the Capitol and Abandoned Palace. In the third week, you will face a choice: whether to build the Resource Storehouse or not. You need Mercury, but 5000 gold is also useful, so act according to the situation. If you are playing on Impossible, you still won't be able to build the Abandoned Palace before the 4th week, so the mercury shortage will not be as acute. 3. Capitol 4. Order of Fire 5. Birth Pools/Resource Storehouse Fourth Week 1. Abandoned Palace/Resource Storehouse After building the Abandoned Palace, the Mercury problem remains acute, so the Resource Storehouse is necessary. Every important upgrade, including the construction of the Mages' Guild, requires Mercury. Since the second level of the Mages' Guild is necessary to upgrade the Abyss, it needs to be built early, which requires 4 Mercury. The Abyss upgrade is needed because in this case you have Pit Lords capable of restoring fallen fighters as Demons. Building higher levels of the Mages' Guild is a double-edged sword, as you spend many resources and the appearing spells may not be worth it. On the other hand, obtaining useful high-level spells is MORE IMPORTANT than upgrading the Abandoned Palace. A difficult choice:

MILITARY FORCES

If you are fighting a weak opponent, your Devils and Efreets can quickly decide the outcome of the battle. However, if the enemy is strong enough, it makes sense to leave your units in wait mode during the first round. The opponent may shoot, but due to the distance, their shooters will not deal significant damage. Let the enemy's slow creatures move, then cast mass Slow, thereby gaining a double attack effect for your army. In any battle, your priority task is preserving same-unit stacks (PU), as you have relatively few of them. Below are several examples of correct spellcasting with this goal in mind. You initially leave your fastest units without moving to be able to cast 2 spells before the battle fully unfolds. If the enemy occupies 5 or more stacks, you can use a combination of Curse and Shield, naturally at the expert level. Here is an example of the effectiveness of this combination: your army of 60 Cerberi and 30 Horned Demons (+ someone else) meets an enemy army of 80 Royal Griffins and 40 Crusaders (+ someone else). Suppose the heroes are roughly equal in strength, and on the first turn, the enemy used some spell—for example, blinded your Magogs or dealt damage with Chain Lightning, or something else. In the first round, you cast mass Curse; in the second, mass Shield. Enemy shooters (Archers or Monks) will certainly deal some damage in the first round, but not much. Curse will reduce the same-unit stacks' ability to deal damage for Archers to 1 and for Monks to 9; furthermore, distance will halve these values even further. So, Griffins attack Cerberi. Without Curse and Shield, the effect of a Griffin attack would be between 240 and 480 damage, which would destroy 9 - 19 Cerberi. With Curse applied, Griffins deal 160 damage. Shield reduces this by another 30%, so 80 Griffins deal 112 damage, destroying only 4 Cerberi. FOUR! Feel the difference! The heroes' strength is the same, but 80 Griffins kill only 4 Cerberi. Now let's see what the Cerberi do. In the first case, the remaining 41 - 51 Cerberi counterattack with a force of 82 - 255 damage. When it is their turn to attack, they will do so without fearing a counterattack. Thus, they destroy 6 - 20 Griffins (compare this to 9 - 19 killed Cerberi). In the second case, 56 Cerberi counterattack with a force of 112 - 280 damage and deal the same damage during their own attack. Thus, they destroy 8 (worst case) - 22 (lucky case) Griffins. So, in the first case, the number of fallen Griffins and Cerberi is roughly equal. In the second, the number of killed Griffins per round will be 3 - 4 fewer than the Cerberi you lose. Now Crusaders attack Horned Demons. With their double attack, Crusaders deal a lot of damage and are quite devastating. Usually, 40 Crusaders deal 280 - 400 damage on the first attack, killing 7 - 10 Demons. The surviving 20 - 23 Demons counterattack and deal 140 - 207 damage, killing 4 - 5 Crusaders (let's assume 5). Now the remaining Crusaders deliver a second strike (245 - 350 damage), killing 6 - 8 Demons. Your losses: at least 13, at most 18 Demons. The remaining 12 - 17 Demons make their attack and deal 84 - 153 damage, killing 3 Crusaders in the luckiest scenario, and the remaining Crusaders counterattack with a force of 224 - 320 damage. Total Crusader losses: average 8. Demon losses: 18 - 26. Not good. With Curse and Shield applied, the first attack by Crusaders deals 168 damage, destroying 4 Demons. Surviving Demons counterattack with a force of 182 - 234 damage, killing 5 - 6 Crusaders (let's assume 6). The second strike from surviving Crusaders deals 142 damage, killing another 3 Demons. Feel the difference: 7 killed Demons versus 13 - 18 in the first case. The remaining 23 Demons attack with a force of 161 - 207 damage and kill 5 or 6 Crusaders (let's take 5). The remaining 29 Crusaders counterattack, deal 122 damage, and kill 3 Demons. Total Crusader losses - 11. Total Demon losses - 10. Impressive? Moreover, the 2 spells you cast continue to work in subsequent rounds of battle, while you can cast new ones, including direct attacking spells like Chain Lightning. If you do not have the Curse spell or are fighting forces of the Necropolis (Curse and mind-affecting spells like Blind and Berserk do not work on undead), a different tactic is required. Mass Slow cast in the first round allows almost all your creatures to move before the enemy does. Let all your units initially remain in wait mode. Then you will have a double turn—at the end of the first round and at the beginning of the second. In the second stage, you cast mass Shield and gain full advantage on the battlefield. If you are not fighting undead, casting Blind completely removes an enemy stack from participating in the battle; however, this spell is easily removed (and if done at the right moment, it will be an unpleasant surprise for you, so be careful). When casting spells, choosing the right moment is very important. If you cast mass Slow or mass Curse and the opponent immediately responds with mass Haste or mass Bless, they not only neutralize your spell but also gain an advantage. So the general rule is as follows: if you want to cast a spell, wait as long as possible until the last moment it still makes sense. The opponent may cast before you, in which case you have control over the situation. Mass Slow can be used quite early, but if the opponent decides to leave their fast units in wait mode, you can slow them slightly later (but within the same round). And even if they don't wait, the effect of Slow will not be significantly reduced by waiting a little bit. The same recommendations apply to mass Curse. As long as the opponent allows it, there is no need to rush. The secondary skill Armorer should be chosen, as it reduces damage dealt to your army, which plays an important role in preserving PU. Based on this same reasoning, if you have to choose between improving attack or defense, choose defense. You need it. If you are choosing between Spell Power and Knowledge, take the skill that is currently lower for you, as both of these skills develop roughly equally. Spell Power determines the duration of your spells, and you probably won't like it if a spell you cast lasts only 1 or 2 rounds, but you also need Knowledge to be able to cast high-level spells.

COMBAT TACTICS DEPENDING ON THE OPPONENT.

As an opposition to Gorgons, Minotaurs, or even Dendroids, Pit Lords are ineffective. They are more vulnerable, so it is advisable to keep them in reserve and use them to attack lower-level creatures or those who cannot counterattack because they have already been attacked this round. Crawlers have the same speed as Pit Lords, so in the combat formation, they should be to the left of the Pit Lords. Use them to deliver the first strike on an enemy unit, then attack that same unit with Pit Lords. Efreets and Demons are also suitable for taking counterattacks (but not Cerberi or Devils). Demons are slower than Pit Lords, so it makes sense for the latter to wait initially and move after the Demons. Never rush. Your creatures have good speed stats, which gives them a tactical advantage; furthermore, you need to buy time to cast spells. It is possible to use Demons as a force to attack the enemy in order to absorb their counterattack. If you do this, aim for the complete destruction of the Demon stack in battle, and then use the Pit Lords' ability to resurrect them. You need a of heroes with good Logistics to reinforce your main hero with fresh troops and to move resurrected Demons back to the castle for upgrading. When attacking a city, you have a significant advantage because your two strongest monsters can fly over its walls. Therefore, poorly defended cities can be captured by Efreets and Devils alone. With the Berserk spell and expert skill in Fire Magic, fear no one. Go forward and conquer! Castle Fear nothing. Cast spells. If Archangels attack immediately, your goal in the first round of battle is clear. Let the Devils wait for now; let the enemy approach you. Beware of Crusaders. If possible, break them with Devils. Do not worry about enemy shooters. As long as you are at a distance, they will not cause significant harm. Mass Slow is very useful, especially for fighting Champions (reduces their tournament bonus). Dungeon Difficult. Dragons and Minotaur Kings are a headache; furthermore, there is no counterattack against Harpy Furies, and Evil Eyes and Medusa Queens are very strong shooters. Magic does not work against Dragons, so hand-to-hand combat with them is unavoidable. It would be good to destroy Dragons quickly so the enemy hero doesn't use Armageddon, if they have it. When all 7 of your stacks are occupied, Dragons can attack two in one strike, so it makes sense to enter battle with Dungeon using only 6 stacks. If you have the Tactics skill, arrange your troops to eliminate the double attack of Dragons. Attack Minotaurs and Scorpicorns with Devils, and hit Dragons with ground troops. The Curse spell is especially effective against Harpies and Minotaurs. Cerberi are very effective against lower-level creatures, especially against Harpies. Necropolis Undead are insensitive to Curse, but they are slow, so it's a good idea to slow them even further. Ghost Dragons are easy to deal with, but Dread Knights, Liches, and Vampire Lords are quite dangerous. Hit Vampire Lords with Devils, attack masses of Skeletons with Cerberi, then Demons; avoid Dread Knights as much as possible and attack Liches in the second round. If you have cast mass Slow and are waiting out the enemy's turn to create a double-attack effect on your side, remember to move ground troops so that Liches can only attack one stack with their shot. Fortress Same as Castle. Don't be afraid. There are no clever shooters or dangerous fast creatures. Attack Gorgons using magic. Cast mass Slow, then blind Gorgons and Hydras if the enemy casts their own spells rather than neutralizing yours. If they neutralize, organize a double turn with Devils and Cerberi: wait, then attack and return back at the beginning of the second round. Remember, swamp dwellers have high defense stats, so it will take a lot of work to destroy them. Sylvan Here there are no medium-speed monsters, so the enemy can either wait until they bring up their Dendroids and Dwarves, or attack with only Dragons, Unicorns, and Pegasi. If they approach you, great. If not—arrange your troops. Remember that if nothing happens in the first round, your Archdevils will have the last turn in the first and the first turn in the second round of battle. Attack Elves with them and then immediately return back. As in the case with Dungeon, it makes sense to enter battle with only 6 stacks due to the presence of Dragons. Stronghold Devils attack Behemoths. First wait, then attack twice in a row without a counterattack from their side. Remember that Barbarians are strong in attack but weak in defense, so a fast attack pays off. Mass Slow works well. Your Cerberi are ideal for fighting Goblins and Wolf Riders, while Crawlers attack Ogres and Thunderbirds to take their counterattacks. Tower Attack! The enemy has strong shooters and may wait. Beware of Naga Queens, as there is no counterattack against them, but you have no choice. Efreets were created to destroy Genies, so use that. Of course, it would be preferable to first hold the Devils and Efreets in place to manage to move ground groups, but you simply don't have time for that.

BASICS

Fortress is an unusual city for the game, as its strategy can vary depending on the specific characteristics of its opponents. A fully built city allows you to purchase creatures with 2212 hit points per week, which is average. This same indicator for Necropolis is 2192, Dungeon is 2202, and Castle is 2245. These 2212 points cost 26220 gold, averaging 11.85 gold per point. Only the Forest Stockade (10.05) and Stronghold (10.35) are cheaper; compare this with Necropolis (12.3) and you will see that the price of swamp creatures is quite reasonable. To build and upgrade all creature dwellings (including the Fort, Tavern, Castle, and Capital), 85400 gold is required. Only Stronghold is cheaper (80200), while Necropolis costs the same. Building a Fortress does not require Crystals or Gems, and 19 Mercury and 39 Sulfur are not much compared to the needs of other cities. However, while Ore requirements are also relatively low (95), you need a large amount of Wood: 155, more than in any other city. Building all components of the Fortress does not make it much more expensive. At 92400 gold, you pay 200 more than in Stronghold, the cheapest of cities. Thus, the main concern during construction is Wood, and to a lesser extent Sulfur.

HEROES
Your heroes are the Beastmaster (might) and the Witch (magic). The Beastmaster starts with Defense 4, and upon developing to the ninth level, he improves it in five cases, and most likely Attack in the remaining three. After that, he has a 30% chance to increase Attack or Defense and 20% for Might or Knowledge, so a typical level 19 Beastmaster looks like 6 12 3 3 (without any artifacts or visits to map objects). Among secondary skills, he leans toward Archery, Armorer (every Beastmaster has it), Artillery, Ballistics, First Aid, Leadership, Training, Logistics, Navigation, Offense, Pathfinder, Resistance, Search, and Tactics. He cannot learn Fire Magic, and Air Magic is unlikely. Of the magic schools, Earth Magic is most likely, followed by Water Magic, which has an equal probability with Wisdom. It is difficult to find a Beastmaster with both Wisdom and two schools of magic simultaneously, but if you are looking for a hero with defensive inclinations, the Beastmaster is what you need. Due to the characteristics of swamp inhabitants, if you have hired a Beastmaster and use him in battles, I advise having expert Ballistics in his skill arsenal to attack well-defended cities. Resistance and Tactics are also very necessary skills for him. The Witch is primarily oriented toward magic. Usually, upon developing to the ninth level, Might and Knowledge increase by three points and Defense by two. Then—20% for Attack and Defense and 30% for Might and Knowledge, so a typical level 19 Witch looks like 2 5 8 8 (without any artifacts or visits to map objects). Thus, the Witch is a sorceress with enhanced defensive capabilities. Her secondary skills are mainly Eagle Eye (highest probability), Intelligence, Mysticism, Navigation, Scholar, Sorcery, and Wisdom (every Witch has it). Acquisition of Armorer, Ballistics, Earth and Water Magic, Training, Logistics, Luck, and Necromancer is also likely. If you have to choose between Ballistics and one of the Schools of magic, take the School. The Witch cannot learn Resistance and Finance, while Fire Magic, First Aid, and Leadership are unlikely. Learning Necromancer is worth it only if there is a real chance to capture a Necropolis (or you have already captured it), then you can equip the Witch's army with undead. If no Necropolis is at your disposal and none is foreseen, it is better to learn something else instead of Necromancer, for example, one of the magic schools, as skeletons raised after battles in your army will significantly lower the morale of the rest of the troops, and their number will not reach such high figures as to compensate for this drawback. Everyone knows how important it is to increase a hero's primary skills. Another important thing: until you have the advanced spell Town Portal, you need to have AT LEAST TWO GOOD HEROES. One for exploration and capturing objects, another for defending the starting city. One of the problems when playing on impossible level is that you cannot afford to take experience from found treasure chests in the first week, as you need gold. This leaves your hero without secondary skills and without primary growth. Therefore, you must use every opportunity to train the hero. FIGHT ALL ROAMING MONSTERS that you can defeat, even for 100 - 200 experience points. Visit every object. Capture any mine encountered on the way, even at the cost of most of your meager army. It will pay off. Take every artifact, but only if it is free of charge (for free). ZAKLINANIYA Magic is not your friend when you play as Fortress. You can build the Mages' Guild only up to the third level, and this is a clear minus. But, taking into account the fact that heroes cannot be left completely without magic, do not forget to buy a Spellbook for Beastmasters and build the Mages' Guild as much as possible. Besides 4th and 5th level spells and two Necro-spells, Fortress cannot obtain Curse, Cloak, and Protection from Earth (one is Fire school and two are Air). Fortunately, these schools are not leading in the skill system of swamp heroes. Therefore, if your hero has the Earth and/or Water School in their skill arsenal, you should focus on memorizing spells of these schools from the available first three levels, as they are very effective in battle during the early stages of the game. Shield, Slow, and Stone Skin are frequently used Earth spells, but you also need third-level Earth spells—Anti-Magic and Earthquake. Even more important are Water spells—Bless, Heal, Dispel, Call Boat (if there is water on the map), Weaken, Forgetfulness, and Teleport. Since your two strongest creatures—Gorgons and Hydras—move by land with average movement speed, you need Dispel or Heal to protect them from enemies' negative spells. Shield, Stone Skin, and Weaken are mass at expert level and enhance your natural defensive capabilities and weaken the enemy's attack. Your warriors may deal little damage, but mass Bless eliminates this drawback, especially for low-level creatures (including Basilisks) and Hydras. Mass Slow and Quicksand delay enemies and allow you to gain time on the battlefield. Mass Forgetfulness is an excellent spell aimed at shooting units (excluding Titans and Liches), but it is better used during city defense if the enemy has strong shooters. Expert Teleport is a necessary spell for a Fortress hero, as it can move Hydras behind the city walls during a siege. If you do not have Teleport, and the hero does not have high-level Ballistics skill, Earthquake can be used during a city siege. At expert level, it destroys 4 wall fragments, and your soldiers must reach the destroyed sections as quickly as possible. On maps with a large amount of water, Call Boat is necessary, as at expert level this spell creates a boat in 100% of cases.

CREATURES
Gnolls/Marauder Gnolls Marauder Gnolls have the highest defense level of all first-level creatures (along with skeleton warriors). They also have the lowest attack level of all upgraded first-level creatures (along with Clingers and Master Gremlins). For their level, they deal decent damage in attack (2-3). Unfortunately, they (especially Gnolls) are not very fast. You need a lot of Wood to build the city, so it is difficult to find the necessary 10 for upgrading to Marauders in the first two or even three weeks. Gnolls cost 70 gold per unit, so DO NOT BUY Gnolls. You do not have the money for this. Lizardmen/Lizard Warriors Your only shooting soldiers. Again, high defense level, but disproportionate weakness in attack. Do not buy them until free funds appear. In the early stages, they will only slow down your movement across the map and provide no significant help in battle. In later stages, they justify the invested funds, as enemy shooters (including castle towers) regularly attack them, thereby distracting from more useful units. So, if possible, forgo Lizardmen until the third week. Flies/Dragonflies Dragonflies are the fastest creature in Fortress. Attack and Damage are low, as are Hit Points, but Defense strength is acceptable, and their good speed allows them to attack enemy shooters before they have a chance to fire. The special ability of Dragonflies is the dispelling of all positive spells on enemy units, so it is useful to attack those under the effect of Haste, Stone Skin, etc. You must build the Hive during the first week and upgrade it on the first day of the next. Buy all Dragonflies on the eighth (or ninth) day, equip one of the heroes with only them (this will give him maximum speed), and try to capture all mines within sight. Later, you can give a few dragonflies (and no one else) to a hero with expert Search skill for fast reconnaissance of the area. Thus, the use of Dragonflies in the Fortress army is quite diverse. Basilisks/Great Basilisks Although not the best of 4th-level creatures, they are one of your two multipurpose units. When the Basilisk Pit is built, it needs an upgrade immediately. The cost for it is not that high, and doing so is advisable, as the Great Basilisk's Hit Points, Attack, Defense, and Speed values increase. They have the best Defense among all 4th-level units (along with Crusaders and Archmagi), and only Mage Ogres have better Attack. Buying a Great Basilisk for 400 gold is not too expensive, especially considering its special ability (which the simple Basilisk also has): a 20% chance that the attacked creature will turn to stone. A petrified creature does not participate in battle for three rounds unless Dispel or Heal is cast on it. On the other hand, a petrified creature takes only 50% damage when attacked, while the counterattack is carried out at full strength, so when attacking such a unit, you need durability or attack from a distance. Great Basilisks should be bought. In early stages, they give your army weight. Later, when you have higher-level creatures, Great Basilisks are used as a reserve force to attack those not hit by Gorgons and Hydras, or for finishing off already attacked creatures, or even for attacking stronger units so that the latter use their counterattack in this round (besides, there is a chance there will be no counterattack due to petrification). Gorgons/Supergorgons Truly exceptional creatures. While Gorgons are slow, sturdy (70 Hit Points!) bulls with low Attack and high Defense, Supergorgons are the most deadly creatures around. Forget about Archangels and Archdevils, Black and Gold Dragons, forget Titans, forget Ancient Behemoths. They are all dead meat when they encounter Supergorgons. You should not buy Gorgons; you must wait until an upgrade is possible. If you buy a Supergorgon, do not take few. Take at least 11. They have the highest number of Hit Points (70) and the highest Defense (16) among all 5th-level creatures, so they are truly tough. Their Attack and Damage are not as high, and they do not deal much NORMAL damage. However, they have the most interesting feature among all creatures—the Deadly Gaze. And for only 600 gold! See the table below. The word will be repeated very often hereafter, so we will replace it with SG. Number of Supergorgons Chance to kill opponents with gaze
1 2 3 4
1 10%
2 19%
5 41%
10 65%
11 68.5% 30%
15 79.5% 45%
20 88% 61%
21 89% 63.5% 35%
25 93% 73% 46%
30 96% 81.5% 59%
31 96% 83% 61% 37.5%
40 98.5% 92% 77.5% 57.5%
This table is interesting from several perspectives. The first thing that stands out is that starting from 10 SG, the chance to kill at least one opponent with a gaze is two-to-three or better. Furthermore, while one SG has a 10% chance to kill 1 enemy with a gaze, 11 SG have a 30% chance to kill two, 21 SG have a 35% chance to kill three, and 31 SG have a 37.5% chance to kill four enemies. It follows that: the more SG you have, the greater the chances of immediately killing the maximum possible number of enemies with a gaze. In other words, if you have 75 SG, the chance to destroy 8 opponents at once with a gaze will be higher than killing three when having only 25 SG. Conclusion: increase the number of SG at any cost! Another interesting point: the idea arises to SPLIT your SG into two or more groups (and leave Gnolls and Lizards at home). Huh? First rule: never split SG if there are 11, 21, 31, 41, etc. With every number ending in 1, the odds increase if the SG are kept in one group. Second: suppose you have 2 SG. When attacking as one group, you have a 19% chance to kill 1 enemy with a gaze. When attacking as two groups of 1 SG each, you have the same 19%, but in reality, it is slightly different: you have an 18% chance to kill one and a 1% chance to kill TWO (one for each SG). A more obvious example: you have 30 SG (see table). You split them into two groups of 15 SG each. Unexpectedly, you get a 20% chance to kill FOUR opponents with a gaze (this probability does not exist when attacking as one group of 30 SG)! (Obviously, in this case, you should not split the SG into groups of 20 - 10). Of course, splitting SG also has its downsides. If the resulting groups are small, they can simply be wiped out even by weak creatures, so a tip: NEVER SPLIT SUPER GORGONS IF YOU HAVE FEWER THAN 32! Due to the described unique feature of SG, their attack targets should be 7th-level creatures. There is no need to first attack these monsters with your other troops to absorb the counterattack. SG will handle it without that. If the enemy has 15 Archangels and you have 48 SG (you might even have more by the time the opponent scrapes together 15 archangels!), do not panic. The Archangels may not know it, but they are already dead men walking. Look. With the first attack, SG will destroy five, perhaps six Archangels. The Archangels' counterattack cannot kill more than 10 SG (maximum). Your next two attacks will leave only one or two Archangels alive, while you will retain 25-30 SG. This will be enough for the rapid destruction of the remaining, weaker enemy units. Only if there are no 7th-level enemies on the battlefield can SG attack 6th and even lower-level creatures. Remember: DO NOT TRY TO ATTACK LARGE CONCENTRATIONS OF LOW-LEVEL CREATURES WITH SUPER GORGONS! That task is for Hydras. To conclude the story about Super Gorgons — a fly in the ointment: all undead are immune to the effect of the Deadly Gaze. Therefore, do not rely on this in battle with the forces of the Necropolis. Wyverns/Monarch Wyverns Wyverns and Monarch Wyverns are your second multipurpose creatures. Their role in the army is inconsistent, but they are usually used as light flying cavalry. They cannot successfully attack 7th-level creatures, most 6th-level, and even some 5th-level ones. Among 6th-level units, Wyverns are effective only in battle against Scorpicorns and Cyclopes. Do not try to deliver the first strike with Wyverns against King Minotaurs and Dendroids (5th level!), especially if you lack numerical superiority. Wyverns should not fly behind the castle wall in the first round of battle when the city is still well-defended. Under normal conditions, you should not buy Wyverns; an upgrade is necessary. Monarch Wyverns are very fast flying creatures, but they have very low Attack, Defense, and Hit Points for 6th level. They can attack high-level creatures only after those have already been attacked in that round, to avoid a counterattack. Wyverns should primarily attack single, isolated groups of low and medium-level shooters, or particularly dangerous mid-tier creatures like Vampire Lords, preferably along the edge of the battlefield. In the first round of battle, Monarch Wyverns should always wait and not even stand in front of shooters. Their special ability (50% chance to poison an enemy group, so that creatures in it lose health every round) helps destroy enemies as the poisoned group's Hit Points decrease. If you have already attacked a strong enemy group in this round (and the Monarch Wyverns waited), it is advisable to carry out a second attack on that same group with them. If it becomes poisoned, each subsequent attack on it will be significant. Wyverns and Monarch Wyverns are quite vulnerable, so protect them and avoid suicidal attacks. Hydras/Chaos Hydras Chaos Hydras have many Hit Points and deal significant damage. Their Attack and Defense are not as high, but the lack of a counterattack from the enemy combined with a multi-headed attack guarantees substantial destruction. Chaos Hydras are not the fastest creatures (speed 7), but they cannot be called too slow either. When you build the Hydra Pond, hire them immediately. You do not need Sulfur for this, so you will save it for building the Mages' Guild or upgrading the Pond. Except for some situations (siege or battle with undead), Hydras and Chaos Hydras serve as support for Super Gorgons. They can attack creatures of any level, but they should do so WHERE SEVERAL ENEMY GROUPS HAVE ACCUMULATED IN A LIMITED AREA. Only by using their multi-headed nature can Hydras and Chaos Hydras deal maximum damage. Hydras do not choose; they kill all enemies around them. The enemy must consider that if they attack Hydras, the counterattack affects all adjacent groups, not just the attacking one. Therefore, the best place for your Hydras and Chaos Hydras is in the thick of events, surrounded by several enemy groups. If the enemy tries to destroy your Gorgons through sequential attacks, including many low-level creatures, lead the Gorgons away from there and send Hydras instead.

CONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT
The following recommendations are primarily valid when playing on large and huge maps, and on very hard and impossible levels. Smaller maps and easier levels require faster development of your creatures. When you play on impossible level, you have neither money nor resources at the start (except in cases where you receive a bonus for them). So, to build something on the first day, you must immediately move your hero to collect money and resources. If you find a treasure chest, take gold rather than experience. When you discover Sulfur mines or an Alchemist's Laboratory, capture them immediately. You need these resources. On very hard (but not impossible) level, you need to hire another hero and equip him with a Spellbook (if he doesn't have one). If you start with two cities, focus all attention on one of them. Build the Town Hall (Prefecture) in the second city as quickly as possible, but then ignore it until you have enough Wood. Then build the Mages' Guild, Market, Blacksmith, and City Hall (Municipality) there. Further development of the second city can begin once the first enemy city has been captured, but in this case, it is important to decide if it is better to upgrade the captured one, as there are usually already many buildings there and they are quite advanced. It is interesting to note that there are two paths for Fortress development. To build the Wyvern Nest, you only need the Lizard Den, so there is a real possibility (even on very hard level) to get 6th-level creatures by the end of the first week. However, this option is NOT RECOMMENDED. In this case, you spend all your Wood reserves, which will cause serious problems with construction in the second week. Moreover, throughout the second week, you will be fighting with only 4 Wyverns (Lizardmen in small numbers are weak and will not provide significant support in the early stages of the game). First Week 1. Mages' Guild №1 (buy a Spellbook for the Beastmaster) 2. Town Hall (Prefecture) 3. Market 4. Blacksmith 5. City Hall (Municipality) 6. Dragonfly Hive 7. Citadel or Basilisk Pit All this costs 14500 Gold, 20 Wood, 10 Ore, 2 Mercury with the Citadel and 14000 Gold, 25 Wood, 15 Ore, 2 Mercury and 2 Sulfur with the Basilisk Pit (+ 2500 gold for a second hero + 500/1000 for Spellbooks). On impossible level, the construction rhythm may be disrupted due to a lack of one resource or another. When on the seventh day you can create both of the proposed buildings, the choice depends on the tactical situation. If there is already visual contact with the enemy, build the Basilisk Pit. If not (and you have enough Ore), build the Citadel. The Dragonfly Hive must be built in the first week, so you need a little Mercury and Sulfur. If on the 7th day you don't have enough for either the Citadel or the Basilisk Pit, you can alternatively upgrade the Hive, as this is the first thing that needs to be done at the start of the next week. Second Week You cannot build every day, as it will require a lot of Wood. 1. Upgrade Dragonfly Hive (and buy all Dragonflies). This is important. If you cannot buy them all, buy the remaining ones on the ninth day. If you built the Citadel in the first week, then you have 20 dragonflies (plus perhaps a few more that heroes had at the start). Take your best hero, give him all the Dragonflies (in two or three groups), and no other creatures. Send him far away (meaning, across the map:). Your hero will move quite quickly. Capture all mines that were not occupied in the first week. For this purpose, Korbak is the most suitable hero. He gives his Dragonflies additional speed, attack, and defense, so no shooting monsters can attack them from a distance. If attacking strong enemies, use magic such as Stone Skin or Shield. Protect the Dragonflies; you need them. All new buildings and upgrades require Wood, so if you spot any, take it immediately! A number of unpleasant problems may arise during the second week. You can get Great Basilisks in two days of construction, costing 4000 Gold, 10 Wood, and 15 Ore. Great Basilisks are fast and sturdy creatures; moreover, their creation does not require as much Wood. You can hire them immediately and add much more stability to your army of Dragonflies. On the other hand, you need to build the Gorgon Den (and for that first — the Lizard Den) and the Castle. Gorgons themselves are not bad, but they aren't Super Gorgons, so you will be reluctant to hire Gorgons. It is better to wait with their hiring until the upgrade. The Lizard Den, Gorgon Den, and Castle cost 8500 Gold, 25 Wood, 20 Ore, 5 Mercury, and 5 Sulfur. Here is the optimal layout: 2. Basilisk Pit or Citadel 3. Upgrade Basilisk Pit 4. Lizard Den 5. Gorgon Den 6. Castle 7. Captain's Quarters (the order may be changed) While there should seemingly be no problems with money, you need 35 Wood, 35 Ore, 5 Mercury, and 5 Sulfur for this. Even having two Sawmills and two Ore Mines, you will only get 28 Wood and Ore per week, so if you do not find more additionally, you cannot build according to the described scheme. The question is what NOT to build if you lack resources. One option is to skip the Castle. Keep in mind that this means fewer creatures for hire, so it must be built as soon as possible, but the Castle costs 5000 gold, 10 Wood, and 10 Ore, so skipping it will free up funds for hiring Great Basilisks and significantly reduce Wood and Ore costs. The second option is to skip the Gorgon Den (and even the Lizard Den). This saves 2500 (3500) Gold, 10(15) Wood, and 10 Ore and makes it possible to build the Capitol earlier, which will allow for significantly more Gold in the third week. The third option is to skip the Basilisk Pit (and, accordingly, its upgrade), which saves 4000 Gold, 10 Wood, and 15 Ore. Since there will be no Basilisks for hire, you save Gold and also build the Capitol early. If something is skipped, it may become possible to add a second level to the Mages' Tower. Which option is preferable depends on the specific situation. Enemy close? Then take Basilisks and do not build the Gorgon Den and Lizard Den. If the enemy is far, try not to build many creature dwellings at once (for example, on a huge map). In this case, it will be useful to save money and build the Capitol as early as possible. Third Week You need the Capitol. Try to build it as soon as possible. Build the remaining creature dwellings, excluding the Hydra Pond. Most likely, you will have neither the money nor resources for this, and even if you do, none will remain for hiring creatures. If you still haven't built the Basilisk Pit, do it now and immediately upgrade it. You also need a Resource Storehouse as a prerequisite for upgrading the Gorgon Den, so build it immediately after the Capitol to quickly increase reserves of Wood and Ore. Fourth Week You must build the Hydra Pond and upgrade some of the existing creature dwellings. The upgrade order is as follows: Dragonfly Hive (already done); Basilisk Pit (already done); Gorgon Den (in rare cases where the Gorgon Den and Resource Storehouse are built before the Basilisk Pit, the order may be changed); Wyvern Nest; Hydra Pond; Gnoll Hut; Lizard Den. Upgrading the Hydra Pond depends on the Sulfur situation. If it is scarce and you have enough Wood (but only under this condition), you can upgrade the Gnoll Hut and/or Lizard Den before the Hydra Pond. The Blood Obelisk, Signs of Fear, and Commanders' Dungeon can be erected on intermediate days when there are not enough resources for dwelling upgrades. Completing the Mages' Guild depends on your heroes' knowledge of magic. Until one of them is an expert in Earth or Water Magic, do not expand the Guild. As soon as one of the heroes reaches expert level in one of the schools, begin the upgrade. The presence of expert skills in both schools (Earth and Water, of course) for any hero is a direct indication of the need to erect the third level of the Mages' Guild.

COMBAT TACTICS
As they say in Odessa, there are two big differences whether you fight in an open space or storm a city. In open terrain, you feel at home and fear nothing except enemy magic. You will have to usepassive magic. This means that you should not cast spells until the opponent does. In most cases, the enemy will do something like Blind your Gorgons or Hydras, to which you will respond with Dispel or Cure. An exception is the Teleport spell. If you have it and a strong group of Hydras, move them into the thick of the enemies. They will cause confusion in their ranks. Only if the enemy has cast a spell that is not aimed at weakening your units or strengthening their own can you cast something from attacking magic. It also rarely makes sense to cast Haste on Hydras. Do not do this unless the Hydras can immediately attack at least three enemy groups with their move. Instead, use mass spells. Mass Blessing, for example, makes ALL your units much more dangerous. But your main task is to protect Gorgons and Hydras with their unique abilities. Do not make mistakes and do not rush your 2 flying units into battle if the opponent has a sufficiently serious army. They will not cope on the front line without support from ground creatures. If the enemy has strong shooters, do not panic. All your units have good Defense and can remain in place for now. DO NOT CAST MAGIC ON ENEMY SHOOTERS UNTIL THE OPPONENT CASTS A SPELL THEMSELVES! If you blind the shooters, the opponent will almost certainly do the same to your Hydras. Leave all units in a waiting position (not defense!), then move the ground creatures and leave the flyers behind. In the second round, attack on all fronts, but again, first with ground units, and then with flying ones. Attack level 7 monsters with Super Gorgons, move Hydras into the thick of smaller but numerous enemies, and only then attack enemy shooters with Dragonflies and Monarch Wyverns. The tactics for storming a city differ quite significantly. If the castle has a strong garrison (such that your Dragonflies and Wyverns cannot handle it), you have a lot of problems, as you need to break through the castle walls with ground creatures under fire from towers and enemy shooters. There are two ways to do this: 1). Teleport ground units inside the castle. 2). Destroy the walls as quickly as possible. You can only teleport behind the walls if you have an expert in Water Magic. If that is the case, the problems practically disappear. Remember: if the opponent has blinded the Hydras, you can still teleport them just to block enemy shooters. The enemy will not attack them, as this would cause them to be dispelled and trigger a counterattack on all nearby units. (though if the enemy is an expert in Fire Magic, no counterattack will occur, but the Hydras will attack in the next round). If you do not have Teleport or are weak in Water Magic, you will have to break the walls. Expert Ballistics is a significant help in this case, but it will not solve all problems. In the late stages of the game, when armies are large enough, the opponent can use Titans, Archangels, or Dragons to destroy your catapult! (of course, the computer won't think of this, but a human might!). If this happens, you will be unable to breach the wall, and even if all enemy Dragons die, you will not be able to achieve victory with Dragonflies and Wyverns alone. So, if good teleportation is impossible, you MUST have the Earthquake spell in case the Catapult is destroyed, as most likely at this stage of the game you will already be an expert in at least Earth Magic. All this means that your magic will play a much more aggressive role than in a battle in the open field. Keep in mind that if you cast Teleport or Earthquake, the opponent can blind Hydras or Gorgons, can cast some mass spell, can do EVERYTHING. That is why the Beastmaster should have the secondary skill of Resistance. With an expert in this area, one of five enemy spells will be instantly neutralized. This is very important, especially when storming a city. It is also obvious that it is extremely useful to have artifacts that neutralize magic, such as: Pendant of Second Sight (immunity to Blind), Pendant of Impartiality (immunity to Berserk), and three artifacts that increase your magic resistance: Necklace of Impenetrability, Cloak of Balance, and Boots of Counteraction. Leadership and Tactics are also necessary skills for the Beastmaster. (Tactics reduces the distance between you and the opponent and allows bypassing obstacles on the battlefield, while Leadership, as is known, gives a chance for additional attacks). Logistics never hurts. (I will add from myself that Logistics is ALWAYS needed for your main hero! - translator's note). Thus, the Beastmaster should look approximately like this: Armorer, Ballistics, Wisdom, Earth Magic, Water Magic, Resistance and a choice of two out of three: Tactics, Leadership or Logistics. (I would prefer Logistics and Leadership - translator's note). If you can choose what to upgrade — Attack or Defense, choose Attack. If choosing between increasing Power or Knowledge, for the Beastmaster ALWAYS CHOOSE KNOWLEDGE. The surrounding environment also plays a role in battle. Hydras are two cells wide, so in limited space (behind city walls or with a large number of obstacles on the battlefield) their maneuverability may be hindered. On the other hand, in such an environment, their ability to attack several opponents at once is more apparent. So try to use the features of the terrain for your own benefit.

SPECIAL TACTICAL QUESTIONS APPLICABLE TO VARIOUS OPPONENTS.
If you have Gnolls in your army, use them however you like. For example, to take enemy counterattacks. The tactics for those from the swamps are similar in cases of clashes with all types of creatures except monsters from the Necropolis, as they are immune to the Deadly Gaze of Super Gorgons. When storming cities, take a waiting position; do not sacrifice your Dragonflies and Wyverns. Castle. Super Gorgons take on Archangels. Basilisks attack Griffins, Hydras — Champions and Crusaders. Wyverns can attack Monks, and Dragonflies — Archers, but again, not in the first round of battle. Dungeon. Super Gorgons attack Dragons (this is obvious), but they must beware of Minotaurs, as those will deal quite sensitive blows to them. Hydras fight against Minotaurs and Scorpioks, as well as against hordes of Troglodytes, while Wyverns attack shooters. Dragonflies can attack Harpies. Basilisks will help either the Hydras or Wyverns, depending on the situation. Inferno. As always, for Super Gorgons, the most responsible task is fighting Devils. For Hydras, there is no obvious target; they fight everyone who happens to be nearby. Wyverns attack Cerberi. Dragonflies attack Magogs and Sticklers. Basilisks support the Hydras. Necropolis. This is a special case because, as I repeat, undead are immune to Deadly Gaze. Fortunately, Ghost Dragons are far from the strongest level 7 creatures, which clearly works in your favor. Hydras fight everyone in a row, especially hordes of Skeletons, Vampire Lords and Knights of Fear. Wyverns attack Vampire Lords and Liches. Due to their resistance, Gorgons can fight everyone, including Ghost Dragons and hordes of Skeletons, but they should avoid meeting Knights of Fear. Basilisks, as usual, are on standby where they are most needed. Sylvan. Gorgons take on Dragons. Wyverns fight against Pegasi and Elves, while Hydras work with Dendroids and Unicorns. Basilisks can deal with Dwarves and Centaurs. Fortress. Gorgons — for Behemoths. Beware of Magog Ogres. They seem specifically created to attack your Gorgons. Weaken them with Hydras, then finish them off using Basilisks. Thunderbirds can be attacked by Wyverns, but the first strike can also be dealt by Basilisks. Tower. Attack Titans and then Nagas with Gorgons. Wyverns attack Mages, and Hydras — Djinns and low-level creatures. Basilisks can fight anyone, while Dragonflies — only Goblins and Gargoyles. If you are storming a Tower, do not panic due to the enemy having good shooters. At the same time, try not to attack well-defended Towers unless you have Ballistics at least at an advanced level (or expert Teleport or Earthquake). If you start the assault anyway, do not try to immediately bring your flying creatures into battle, as Nagas behind the castle walls will enter the fight and prevent great harm from being dealt to their shooters. You will have to wait a bit and initially take damage (though at half strength due to distance) from enemy shooters and castle towers. Be prepared for serious losses, but everything can change in your favor when battle breaks out between ground creatures

BASICS

From a statistical standpoint, the Necropolis is a weak town. When fully built and upgraded, you have 2192 Hit Points (HP) per week, which ranks second to last. (Ramparts has 2650 HP, followed by Tower with 2420 and Stronghold with 2370. Inferno has the fewest - 2035). For your HP, you pay 26920 Gold + 2 Mercury, so on average, one HP costs 12.3 Gold. (Ramparts is the cheapest at 10.05, and the most expensive is Inferno at 13.8). The damage dealt by Necropolis forces is the lowest both relatively (averaging 0.206 damage points per 1 HP) and absolutely (451 damage points per week). The average attack power of Necropolis creatures is only slightly higher than that of the Fortress, so fighting will not be easy. On the other hand, building the town can be quite cheap. To erect all creature generators (dwellings), including the Fort, Tavern, Castle, and Capitol, 85400 Gold is required (only Stronghold is cheaper); furthermore, there is no single resource that you particularly need in excess. You need 105 Wood, 110 Ore, 17 Crystals, 17 Gems, 32 Mercury, and 22 Sulfur. Only the Castle has such a balanced requirement of resources. Building all structures in the Necropolis requires 97400 Gold, which is cheaper than Stronghold and Fortress. Resource consumption is balanced. Of these, you need Mercury (60) most - compare this with the same indicator for Ramparts (95 Crystals).

HEROES
Your heroes are the Death Knight (might) and the Necromancer (magic). The Death Knight develops their primary skills quite balancedly, while the Necromancer from levels 2-9 primarily develops Might and Knowledge, after which priorities even out. A typical level 19 Death Knight looks like 6 7 6 5, and a Necromancer - 4 4 8 7 (without artifacts and visiting map objects). All Necropolis heroes have the secondary skill of Necromancy. The Death Knight cannot obtain the skills: same as Financier, First Aid, and Leadership, while the Necromancer can only not get Financier and Leadership. For the Death Knight, it is difficult to learn Air Magic, Diplomacy, Fire Magic, Luck, and Scholar. There are high chances of obtaining Eagle Eye, Earth Magic, Training, Mysticism, Pathfinding, own Search, Sorcery, and Water Magic. For the Necromancer, Sniper, Armorer, Fire Magic, Luck, Fortitude, Search, and Tactics are unlikely, while there are high chances to learn Air Magic, Artillery, Diplomacy, Financier, Training, Logistics, Offense, and Water Magic. Almost all Necropolis heroes have solid unique abilities. For example, among Death Knights: Clavius (+350 gold), Galtran (Skeletons), Isra (Necromancy); among Necromancers: Nagash (+350 gold), Tant (Raise Dead), Vidomina (Necromancy). Everyone knows how important it is to increase a hero's primary skills. Another important thing: until you have the advanced spell Town Portal, you need to have AT LEAST TWO GOOD HEROES. One for exploration and capturing objects, another for defending the starting town. One of the problems when playing on Impossible level is that you cannot afford to take experience from found treasure chests in the first week, as you need gold. This leaves your hero without secondary skills and without primary growth. Therefore, you must use every opportunity to train your hero. FIGHT ALL ROAMING MONSTERS that you can defeat, even for 100 - 200 experience points. Visit every object. Do not pass by Mills, as they give you 1000 (500) Gold and resources once a week. Capture any mine encountered on the way, even at the cost of most of your meager army. It will pay off. Take every artifact, but only if it is free of charge, that is for free (on the house). Since Tactics and Fortitude are very important skills (see section), and the Death Knight obtains these skills with a higher probability than the Necromancer, one of your two main heroes should be a Death Knight. Air Magic is also necessary, as the Mass Haste spell is very important for Necropolis creatures, and it is easier for the Necromancer to learn; therefore, the second hero should be a Necromancer. If you cannot acquire the specified skills through normal means, look for them in Universities or Witch Huts. It follows that you will need a third hero slightly later (to check Huts). If a Hut provides an unnecessary skill, then accordingly, do not lead your main heroes to it.
SPELLS
One of the advantages of the Necropolis is the ability to build all five levels of the Mages' Guild. The first level should be built as soon as possible so that heroes have at least some spells. It is important to note that the Death Knight, being a hero of might rather than magic, nevertheless starts with a Spellbook. The Necropolis cannot have all spells. The following spells are unavailable in the Necropolis: Bless, Heal, Turn Undead, Hypnotize, Prayer, Magic Mirror, and Summon Fire and Water Elementals. Two necro-spells (Death Surge and Raise Dead) have a high probability of appearing in the Guild, but this does not mean they will necessarily appear there. Death Surge is not very relevant, but Raise Dead is simply essential; so if it is not in your Guild, that is very unfortunate, as this spell cannot appear anywhere except the Necropolis. If you do not have Raise Dead in your town and there is no other Necropolis nearby, you can try to obtain this spell in two ways: 1). Hire Tant, who has it initially, and a hero with the advanced Scholar skill to transfer it to others. 2). By checking all level 3 magic shrines - perhaps you will be lucky. Undead are not affected by mind-affecting spells; neither Bless nor Curse works on them, so despite the fact that the Necromancer can easily learn three magic schools and the Knight of Fear two, in reality, few combat spells can actually help the Necropolis. The most important is Raise Dead. Since this is a third-level spell, it is easier to obtain than the similarly acting Resurrection (4th level). Furthermore, raised undead remain with the hero even after the battle ends, even if they do not have a skill in Earth Magic. All this suggests that if you have Raise Dead, you should use it constantly. Necropolis creatures are quite slow, so it is useful to cast Mass Haste; then even Skeletons and Zombies acquire decent movement qualities (speed increase of 5). Mass Slow reduces the speed of all enemies by 50%, which is also good, so the question of what to choose is decided individually. Against roaming monsters, Slow is usually used if they do not shoot, and Haste in battle with shooters. Against an AI hero, you must wait until he casts a spell, and then cast yourself depending on the situation. Against a strong humanoid player, you should adhere to the following: Your magic strategy depends on the main factor: which of the heroes has the fastest monster and, accordingly, who will make the move LAST. If the last word is yours, you can cast Mass Haste at the end of the round and immediately, at the beginning of the next - Mass Slow, which gives you full freedom of movement across the battlefield and the ability to attack all enemies at once before they have a chance to respond. If the fastest monster belongs to the enemy, then you need to wait until the last moment, since you do not know when he will cast his spell. In this case, it is useful to have the Tactics skill (details in section). If you are storming a town and the opponent is strong enough, you will encounter problems. Your Dragons, Vampires, and Ghosts are capable of flying over walls, but Skeletons and Death Knights must be brought into battle. Both Necropolis heroes have good chances to learn Ballistics; also, Earthquake and Teleport spells will provide significant help. Teleporting hordes of your Skeletons behind the walls of an enemy castle never hurts (however, you must be an expert in Water Magic), while Earthquake allows you to quickly bring Knights of Fear into battle, even if your Earth Magic is only at the advanced level. Teleport is also useful in open field battles. You can hit 7th-level enemies with hordes of Skeletons (ideally it's better to strike first with Zombies, but in most cases this is impossible), and attack survivors with your strong creatures, like Dragons. This is possible in the first round when the opponent leaves their troops waiting (or has Titans, which he shoots with but does not move). On the other hand, when the enemy leaves all his units waiting, you provide him easy prey if you teleport your Skeletons directly into his camp, resulting in a risk of irreplaceable losses. In general, among third-level spells, you most need Raise Dead, Teleport, and Earthquake. Mass Counterattack is quite effective, even if it only lasts for one round. Since all your troops receive two additional counterattacks, the number of hits dealt by Skeletons, Vampires, Dragons, and Death Knights will be very high. (from translator: it is especially useful to have additional counterattacks for Vampire Lords, as with EVERY attack on an enemy they drain life from him, restoring their own fallen in the process). This spell makes sense to use at the beginning of a round, but only when the opponent has already moved more than one unit. Shield, Stone Skin, and Weakness have very limited application, even at expert level. There are better spells. Chain Lightning deals good damage, but it is advisable to use it when there is a chance to completely destroy several enemy groups so that the hero cannot escape. Clone is a decent spell, especially with an expert in Water Magic; however, the additional attack it provides to your chosen creature is easily obtained by other town types if the hero has good morale. If you use cloning, apply it either to the group that deals a lot of damage to the enemy (usually hordes of Skeletons) or to Vampire Lords, as there is no counterattack against them, and to destroy the double, the enemy hero will have to either spend a spell or use an attack from one of his units. Summon Elementals can help in a number of situations, as it gives you a and acts permanently throughout the battle. However, keep in mind that summoned elementals appear on your side of the battlefield and will enter combat immediately only if the enemy attacks you. If the enemy defends on their own side, time must be spent to bring the elementals into the thick of events.

CREATURES
Skeletons/Skeleton Warriors Skeletons mean a great deal for the Necropolis. For first-level creatures, they and their upgraded brethren have good attack and defense stats, deal sufficient damage, and have 6 HP, making them worthy warriors. Their only drawback is that they are SLOW. With a speed of 4, you constantly face situations in battle where they do not reach a certain part of the field. This is bad, especially in the early stages of the game when you have no fast units, a small arsenal of spells, and few magic points in reserve. Another drawback resulting from the slowness of Skeletons is that your hero slows down while moving across the map. On the other hand, you need the support of Skeletons in any battle. The number of Skeletons your hero can raise from fallen warriors after a battle ends depends on the development of their Necromancy skill, so this skill should be improved at every opportunity (exceptions - developing Logistics and acquiring Wisdom, Tactics, and any of the magic schools ONLY at basic level). The power of Necromancy can be increased by building a Necromancy Amplifier (see ). Expert Necromancy and the presence of an Amplifier allow you to raise 40% of the number of killed enemies as Skeletons (excluding artifacts). This is quite a lot. To quickly accumulate hordes of Skeletons, it is necessary to become an expert in Necromancy as soon as possible. When all slots in your army are full and you have Skeleton Warriors instead of Skeletons, you will raise Skeleton Warriors from the fallen, but in smaller numbers. They are faster and more dangerous than simple Skeletons, but it is better to have a free slot in the army to raise Skeletons and then upgrade them in Hill Fort (for free!) or in one of the Necropolises, though Logistics is required for these purposes. In the early stages of the game, you will buy Skeletons because you need them. Later, do this only if you have spare funds, as you will have enough Skeletons after battles. When a group of roaming monsters wants to join your hero, you have a choice. You can enter battle with them and get part of the killed enemies as Skeletons plus experience. You can accept the monsters into your army and transform ALL of them into Skeletons in the castle, but then you will not receive experience. Make it a rule: if relatively high-level monsters want to join (usually in small numbers), it is more rational to enter battle with them. This question is decided based on the Skeleton/Experience ratio. Let's explain with an example: say, 70 Gnolls want to join. If you kill them, you will get 420 experience and 28 Skeletons (with expert Necromancy and Amplifier). If you take them with you and transform them in the Necropolis, you will get 42 more Skeletons but no 420 experience. Thus, one Skeleton equals 10 experience, so it makes sense to let the Gnolls join. Another example: 15 Nagas want to join. If you crush them completely, you will get 1650 experience and 6 Skeletons versus 15 if you use the Transformer. One Skeleton equals 183 experience, so it makes sense to fight. In general, without going into details, the average price of one Skeleton is equal to 50 experience points; decisions should be made based on this. Dead/Zombie Dead are even slower than Skeletons and do not deal much damage. They have 15 HP, which is little, so you might feel a desire to send them back to the graveyard; however, they also fulfill their mission until you have Vampire Lords and even later. In the initial stages of the game, while your hero has few Skeletons, the goal is to lose as few Skeletons in battles as possible. Thus, Dead can be used as <cannon fodder>. If they are all destroyed, buy new ones. At a cost of 100 Gold, they are quite cheap; furthermore, you do not need much money for construction in the first week, and you can spend it on buying Dead. Wait with Skeletons; first strike with Dead and then finish off with Skeletons. You do not need much Wood and absolutely no Ore to upgrade the Graveyard, so it is advisable to do it early. The upgrade to Zombies adds HP and speed, making Zombies comparable to ordinary Skeletons; moreover, the special ability of Zombies is very relevant in the early stages. If you have Skeletons in your army, Zombies will not slow down your movement (which is already small), so why not use Zombies as the first strike force before Skeletons (and even before Dragons)? Place Zombies to the left of Skeletons and to the right of Liches, and Dragons to the right of Skeletons. When it is the Zombies' turn, attack the most powerful enemy group with them (they can do this if Mass Haste is cast). Even if a counterattack kills them, it is not a problem. Later they can be resurrected using Raise Dead. Do not buy Zombies for the purpose of turning them into Skeletons in the Transformer—that is simply a waste of money. There are already plenty of free Skeletons obtained after battles. The special ability of Zombies (disease) does not seem so destructive (reducing the enemy unit's defense and attack by 2), but if it happens, dealing with a strong enemy group will be easier: Many still consider Zombies to be poor fighters. However, it should be noted that your enemy must certainly take into account that you can use Zombies as . Since you place Zombies next to Skeletons, Liches, and Dragons, whoever attacks these strong groups will inevitably deal with suicidal Zombie attacks. Ghosts/Wraiths Many Necropolis heroes already have several Ghosts in their army upon hire from taverns. This is good, as their specific ability—to fully restore damage taken by those remaining alive before their turn—is relevant specifically in the early stages of the game. Like Zombies, they can be used to deliver a preemptive strike before the Skeletons' attack, but thanks to their peculiarity, Ghosts do not take as much damage as Zombies. It is interesting to note that the Soul Grave stands apart among the Necropolis dwellings—its presence is not a requirement for building any other buildings, so in principle, it can be left unbuilt. Whether to build it or not depends on your ability to get Vampire Lords at your disposal. If you see that in the near future you will not be able to have Vampire Lords, then you must not only build the Soul Grave but also upgrade it and hire Wraiths, as you need faster creatures. Wraiths have decent speed and can cross the battlefield in two turns, which is important when encountering ranged monsters. They cost 230 gold, which is quite expensive, but the costs pay off since the Wraiths' ability to drain mana from an enemy hero is especially useful at the start of the game, while heroes do not have high Knowledge stats and the loss of mana in each battle round is quite significant. If you have enough Wraiths in your army, you can divide them into several stacks, as EACH of them drains 2 mana points per round and each is capable of restoring damage taken before their turn (of course, there is no point in dividing Ghosts, as they do not possess the ability to drain mana). In the late stages of the game, Wraiths no longer provide significant support, as they are very vulnerable and often it simply makes no sense to take them into battle. Vampires/Vampire Lords Vampire Lords are magnificent fighters, so your goal is to build the Mansion in the first week and upgrade it as soon as possible. They are fast, have average attack, defense, and HP stats, and do not deal much damage to the enemy, BUT: with two excellent features—regeneration when attacking living creatures and the absence of a counterattack—Vampire Lords, along with Super Gorgons, have the best price/quality ratio. The more Vampire Lords you have, the stronger they are due to a sharp increase in regeneration ability. Note this fact: it is significantly harder for five Vampire Lords to restore one than for fifty to restore ten. Example: for 5000 gold, you can buy 10 Vampire Lords or 1 Archangel. If 1 Archangel fights 10 Vampire Lords, he will win (Round 1: Archangel deals 100 damage; 8 Vampire Lords counterattack with a strength of 20-32, then attack and most likely (87.5%) will not restore any. Round 2: another 100 damage, the number of Vampire Lords decreases to 6, they counterattack and attack and possibly restore one. Then the Archangel relentlessly finishes off the remaining Vampires.). Now let 10 Archangels fight against 100 Vampire Lords. With the first strike, Archangels will destroy 25 Vampire Lords, but the remaining 75 will counterattack with a strength of 187-300 and restore 4-7 of their own, then attack with a strength of 198-328, restoring 5-8 Vampires in the process, thus destroying one or two Archangels per round. In the second round, 8-9 Archangels already fight against 84-90 Vampires and it becomes obvious that the Vampires will win (you can check for yourself). From this it follows: DO NOT BUY VAMPIRES, and if you do, leave them in the city. You cannot afford to lose a single Vampire while waiting for the Mansion upgrade. As soon as you have Vampire Lords, many problems will resolve themselves. Vampire Lords may not lose a single unit over many battles, while the number of Skeletons in your army will steadily increase! With Vampire Lords present, do not buy Zombies and Wraiths until you have surplus funds. When fighting undead or non-living creatures (like Gargoyles or Golems), protect the Vampire Lords! Send Skeletons into battle. If Vampire Lords nonetheless make contact with such an enemy, try by all means not to lose a single one. Support them with all available spells like Stone Skin or Shield. Unfortunately, Blessing cannot be applied to them, but Curse does not scare them either. Liches/Greater Liches Another good monster. Greater Liches are some of the best shooters and are a real pain for your enemies. Try not to buy Liches; it is better to upgrade the Mausoleum. Greater Liches have 10 more HP, they are faster, have a larger shot reserve, deal more damage, and are only 50 gold more expensive. Do not place them at the edge of the battlefield and try to cover them with your other units, as Inferno has Magogs with their Ball Lightning attack, Dungeon and Sylvan have Dragons capable of attacking two units in front of them, and Tower, Castle, and Rampart have good shooters in their armies. Only in battle with swamp creatures does it make sense to put Liches in the corner and cover them with Zombies and Wraiths (and perhaps Dragons—on the right). When choosing a target for Liches, look for a spot where their ability to deal a strike that spreads to adjacent areas can be manifested. Black Knights/Knights of Terror Again, excellent warriors. Along with Naga Queens and Efreet Sultans, they are among the best 6th-level creatures. As soon as you have built the Hall of Darkness, hire Black Knights. Even without an upgrade, they are good enough. In a week, you get 4 Knights of Terror, who have more HP than 2 Ghost Dragons (also per week); moreover, they deal more damage even without manifesting special abilities. Black Knights have a 20% chance to cast Curse on the attacked squad. Knights of Terror additionally have a 20% chance to deal double-strength damage. Imagine a group of Knights of Terror dealing a double strike, especially if Luck smiles upon them! Knights of Terror are fast, fight well against any monsters, and moreover, they are very tough, so do not be afraid to use them in battle. Bone Dragons/Ghost Dragons Your seventh-level monsters are quite weak. Bone Dragons are very vulnerable, so it is better not to hire them into the army at all. Their speed does not matter, as they are no faster than Vampire Lords and Knights of Terror. Ghost Dragons are better, mainly due to good speed, but with 200 HP and only 19 attack and 17 defense, they are also quite vulnerable. They have a 20% chance to age the enemy stack attacked, after which the HP of all its components is halved, but this happens AFTER the Dragons' attack. Both types of Dragons reduce the morale of the enemy army by 1 upon appearing on the battlefield, but usually in practice, this is not very noticeable. After the Dragons' attack, those remaining alive counterattack and deal a lot of damage, perhaps even killing one. For more effective use of Ghost Dragons, it is desirable to strike with them at already attacked creatures so that there is no counterattack, but in practice, this is not always possible. If you cannot immediately destroy all enemies (by casting Mass Haste and attacking with Dragons, Knights of Terror, Vampire Lords, Liches, and maybe even Wraiths or a Chain Lightning strike followed by finishing survivors with Dragons), then do not attack with Dragons immediately. Wait with them. Never attack those monsters who can survive in sufficient numbers to perform a decent counterattack. Here is an example of unsuccessful use of Ghost Dragons. Magik Ogres are a worthy example of 4th-level creatures, as they have a high HP stat. You have 10 Ghost Dragons, and the opponent has 50 Magik Ogres. Your heroes are equal in strength. With the first attack, Dragons will deal 400-800 damage, killing at most 13 Ogres. The remaining 37 Ogres counterattack with a strength of at least 200, destroying 1 Dragon. This is the best case. In the worst case, 44 Ogres survive and deal 475 damage in return, killing 2 Dragons. In general, when the first round ends, you will lose 3 Dragons, and this is in a battle of level 7 against level 4! The losses are great. Compare this to a case where 10 Archangels encounter those same 50 Ogres. With the first strike, Archangels deal 1075 damage, killing 17 Ogres. The surviving 33 counterattack with a strength of 114-228, not destroying a single Archangel. With their own attack, they will still kill one. But only one! The difference is obvious. On the other hand, if Dragons attacked 50 Ogres without fearing a counterattack, they would deal substantial harm, and in case of aging the Ogres after the strike, they would lose half their HP and practically become easy prey for you. Remember that an aged army does not lose its attacking potential! Aged Archangels still deal massive damage. Ideally, Zombies should attack first, and then Dragons strike. See below for more detail.

CONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT
The following recommendations are primarily valid when playing on large and huge maps, and on very hard and impossible levels. Smaller maps and easier levels require faster development of your creatures. When you play on the impossible level, you have neither money nor resources at the start (except in cases where you receive a bonus for them). Therefore, to build something on the first day, you must immediately move your hero to collect money and resources. If you find a treasure chest, take gold rather than experience. When you discover a Gem Pond or Crystal Cave, capture them immediately. You need these resources to upgrade the Mansion. Sulfur is also required, as it is needed to build the Mausoleum, which in turn is necessary for constructing level 6 and 7 dwellings. Thus, although Mercury has the highest consumption of all resources, you should first pay attention to the others. On the very hard (but not impossible) level, you need to hire another hero; fortunately, both the Necromancer and Black Knight appear already with a Spellbook. If you start with two cities, focus all your attention on one of them. Build the Town Hall (Prefecture) in the second city as quickly as possible, but then ignore it until you have enough Wood. Then build a Mages' Guild, Market, Forge, and City Hall (Municipality) there. Further development of the second city can begin once you have managed to capture the first enemy city, but in this case, it is important to decide whether it would be better to upgrade the captured one, since there are usually already many buildings there and they are quite advanced. If you are not playing on the impossible level and a hero from the Tower appears in the Necropolis Tavern, it makes sense to hire him, thereby obtaining 60-70 Gremlins, which should be immediately sent to the Transformer, thus receiving 60-70 Skeletons (which costs 3600-4200 gold) for only 2500 gold (the hero's price). After this, you can use the Tower hero depending on the situation or simply dismiss him. First Week 1. Magic Tower 2. Necromancy Amplifier 3. Town Hall (Prefecture) 4. Graveyard 5. Mansion 6. Market 7. Forge It is desirable to hire a second hero as quickly as possible so that they collect resources, and the 2500 gold spent on them will be quickly recouped. Ideally, the Necromancy Amplifier should be built before your first battle. So if you are not scheduled to participate in a fight on the second day, it is better to build the Prefecture first. The construction order may change depending on the availability of certain resources and money. The Mansion must be built. The seven listed buildings cost 10000 gold, 20 Wood, and 15 Ore, plus 2500 Gold for the second hero. If you lack Wood, build the Skeleton Transformer instead of the Forge. If it is obvious that in the near future you will not be able to upgrade the Mansion due to a lack of Crystals or Gems, it makes sense to build the Soul Grave on the 7th day and upgrade it on the eighth (the upgrade requires neither Wood nor Ore, so it is a good alternative). Second Week The priority tasks are the earliest possible upgrade of the Mansion with the hiring of Vampire Lords and the construction of the City Hall. Later, a Capitol will also be needed. Everything is very expensive, so you will have to save on something. Here is a list of what is desirable to build in the second week: 1. Upgraded Mansion 2. City Hall 3. Citadel 4. Castle 5. Mausoleum You can add the Skeleton Transformer/Exhumed Graves/Shroud of Darkness to the construction budget at any time. If you cannot upgrade the Mansion first, then upgrade the Soul Grave (in which case you need to build the Soul Grave on the 7th day of the first week). Buy all Vampire Lords or Ghosts, equip one of your heroes with them, and capture every mine you come across. Try to find and capture a second Sawmill and Mine; then it will be possible to build the Hall of Darkness earlier (but not on the impossible level). Third Week You must buy all Vampire Lords. You need to upgrade the Mausoleum, build the Capitol and the Hall of Darkness. Later, it is desirable to continue constructing the Mages' Guild, but only up to the third level. If you have a hero like Tant and any other hero with an advanced Scholar skill, DO NOT UPGRADE THE GUILD AT ALL UNTIL YOU BUILD SOMETHING ELSE. Building a resource store makes sense only if you were unable to find a second Sawmill and Mine. On the impossible level, even if you have enough money on the third week to build the Dragon Crypt, DO NOT DO IT! Save gold and buy all Vampire Lords, Powerful Liches, and Black Knights, as Dragons are not the main force right now. Fourth Week Upgrade the Hall of Darkness, buy all Vampire Lords, Powerful Liches, and Knights of Fear, and then build the Dragon Crypt. Bone Dragons are not an essential component of your army, so it is better to wait with their hiring until the Crypt is upgraded. You need at least one Ghost Dragon in your army so that your hero has a speed advantage on the battlefield. COMBAT TACTICS During the game, Skeletons gradually accumulate and become one of your main striking forces, so they must be brought into battle as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, they are slow, so you will often have to cast Mass Haste in the first round. It is better to cast Haste immediately before the Skeletons' turn, as the opponent may respond to your early Haste by using Mass Slow and the entire effect of your spell will be lost. This does not matter, of course, when you have the fastest monster on the battlefield or your hero is strong in Tactics. Zombies should be used as . Ghosts may face the same fate if necessary. When you attack a city that is not very well defended, and your Vampire Lords, Powerful Liches, and Ghost Dragons can handle the enemies together, there is no point in casting any spells early. It is desirable to save mana for Raising Dead during the battle. If the city is reasonably well-defended and Vampire Lords cannot cope even with frequent use of Raise Dead on them, it is necessary to provide support from Skeletons and Knights of Fear as quickly as possible. The easiest way to do this is via Teleport, but for this you must be an expert in Water Magic. If you lack this skill, you need to destroy the walls quickly. Ballistics combined with Earthquake and Mass Haste spells will help here. Remember that you need to either be an expert in Water Magic and have Teleport, or be an expert in Earth Magic and have Earthquake, as in the late stages of a large game, the enemy may destroy your catapult and then simply shoot down the remaining ground creatures. The Master Gremlin rush and Skeleton/Vampire lord rush (of course, the heading is translated clumsily, but if anyone can translate it in the following context "The Master Gremlin rush and Skeleton/Vampire lord rush" — they are great, and we are just their sons — translator's note). The Master Gremlin rush is notoriously infamous. This is when a Chapel upgrade is made in the Tower, all income structures are built, along with the Library, Mages' Guild, Artifact Shop, and then a hero armed with hordes of Master Gremlins devastates the map. In case of obvious defeat, he surrenders, keeping the surviving fighters, then immediately re-hires at the Tavern, all money is again invested in acquiring Master Gremlins, and the hero continues his dark work. This tactic is recognized as stupid, boring, uninteresting, and disgusting, but since such a phenomenon exists, it requires close attention and study. Theoretically, any city can act as described above, but this is usually difficult because lower-level creatures do not spawn in such quantities as Master Gremlins and furthermore do not possess the ability for ranged attack, thus suffering heavy losses in battles against shooters. However, Necropolis is quite suitable for such a tactic, since Skeletons appear in very decent volumes, especially if you have a hero like Galtran (Black Knight, has about 50 Skeletons upon hiring); he can be hired, then he retreats and reappears in the Tavern and again provides you with a decent number of Skeletons. (as I understand it, the author is describing the situation for Restoration of Erathia. In Armageddon's Blade, the hero who fled the battlefield appears in your tavern with a single first-level creature, so Galtran after such an operation will appear with one Skeleton — translator's note). The Necromancy skill provides you with Skeletons for free, in large quantities far exceeding the losses you will incur in battles with roaming monsters. Additionally, you have two more trump cards: first, Vampire Lords can become available to you quite early — you only need to build the Necromancy Amplifier and Graveyard, after which you can upgrade the Mansion and hire fast, flying, self-regenerating monsters against whom there is no counterattack and mind-affecting spells do not work. Second, you have a structure such as the Skeleton Transformer. There, you can turn into Skeletons not only those monsters who joined you on the road, but also, as mentioned above, hire a hero from the Tower for the purpose of turning his Master Gremlins into Skeletons (thus receiving 60-70 Skeletons for only 2500 gold). However, do not plan for a blitzkrieg. The combination of Skeletons and Vampire Lords is not invincible. For a successful assault on a city, they need powerful magic support (Raise Dead) and the hero must have Ballistics at expert level. In light of this, it becomes clear that capturing a city located on Cursed Ground can become a very difficult or even unsolvable task, especially if the opponent has strong shooters. It will also be difficult to fight against Arch-Devils, against whom there is also no counterattack. Hordes of Skeletons on Cursed Ground can lose to just one Arch-Devil. Therefore, after capturing any enemy city, it makes sense to add strong creatures from there to your army. In the late stages of the game, when your opponents have strong armies and strong heroes, you need fast creatures in your host. Like Archangels. Otherwise, the following unpleasant thing is possible: a strong enemy hero, having only one Efreet or Black/Gold Dragon, attacks your army, immediately casts Armageddon or Fireball on the hordes of Skeletons and flees the battlefield, but then immediately returns and repeats this until his mana supply runs out. Artifacts that increase morale are useful to you if your army consists of more than just undead. Since we mentioned artifacts, let's talk about those you need most. First, these are three artifacts that enhance your Necromancy skill: Undertaker's Amulet (+5%), Vampire's Robe (+10%), Dead Man's Boots (+15%). These three artifacts simply allow you to get even more skeletons after a battle. The next group — artifacts that increase the health of your warriors, since one of your striking groups consists of first-level creatures. Ring of Vitality and Ring of Life increase health by 1, and Ring of Living Blood by 2. The Legion's Torso artifact allows you to get 3 more Vampire Lords per week. Artifacts that increase the speed of your troops in battle also hold a significant place: Necklace of Swiftness, Cloak of Speed, and Traveler's Ring. Try to capture another Necropolis to build a second Necromancy Amplifier in it. Upgrade Skeletons to Warriors, preferably in the Hill Fort (for free). If you encounter a Tower hero who has a huge number of Master Gremlins in his ranks (and no one else), the initiative belongs to you, as the first word is yours (Vampire Lords are faster), and you can simply blind the Gremlins, then bring up your Skeletons and attack. However, be careful if the enemy has a Ballista or First Aid Tent, as he may have the Artillery or First Aid skill, and when it's his war machine's turn, he can cast Dispel Magic on the Master Gremlins and neutralize your Blindness. If the enemy has a Ballista and you have the Tactics skill, cast Haste on the Skeletons. If you lack Tactics, you will have to take the first hit yourself, then teleport the Skeletons to the Master Gremlins and attack. If the enemy has more than one stack of Gremlins, divide the Skeletons into the same number, and if you have Tactics, cast Mass Haste and attack. If you lack Tactics, similarly take the first hit, then cast Mass Haste (or Mass Slow if the opponent hastened their Gremlins, and in the second round — Mass Haste) and attack. Practice shows that you should win. Special questions of Necropolis tactics applied to various opponents. It is very important to position your troops correctly. Here is an approximate order (right to left): Powerful Liches, Zombies, Skeletons, Dragons, Knights of Fear, Ghosts, Vampire Lords. Remember: if you cannot leave the Skeletons aside and cannot organize<kamikaze attack> on strong enemy units; never use Bone Dragons for the first strike, except in cases where they will immediately destroy an enemy stack; Dread Knights are better suited for this purpose, as they can deal double damage (and even quadruple, with good Luck). Tactics and Resilience skills are very important. Expert-level Resilience allows you to neutralize one of five enemy spells cast on your units, which could happen at the most critical moment. But Tactics is even more important. Try to reach expert level in it as soon as possible. With Tactics, you can reduce the distance to the opponent on the battlefield (if necessary, of course!). If you have reduced the distance, you can cast Haste to try and destroy all enemies before they can attack themselves. At least 3 of your creatures (and perhaps 5) will be able to attack first—these are Dragons, Vampire Lords, Dread Knights, and possibly own powerful Liches and Ghosts. You should prioritize attacking fast enemy units; then, after their destruction, you can finish off the remaining slow ones using Skeletons and Zombies. If the opponent has the first turn, there is obviously no need to reduce the distance using Tactics. Since your fastest units are Dragons, they should be positioned so that the opponent cannot destroy them with their first attacks if they use Haste. If the Dragons survive, you will get the chance to make a counter-move sooner and, accordingly, use magic. On the other hand, the opponent might first cast Slow. This will reduce your Dragons' speed to 7, allowing the enemy to attack consecutively with all their units whose speed is greater than 7 without hindrance. Therefore, before the battle begins, you must position your troops so that the enemy deals minimal damage to your most useful units and their attacks are least advantageous. In short, if you are playing against a strong humanoid player, the Tactics skill is simply essential (translator's note: when I play against the computer, I try to make sure my heroes NEVER learn Tactics. It is useless against the computer; it only takes up space in the skills list). Moving on to specific questions of Necropolis combat tactics relative to different opponents, I note that the most dangerous cities for you are Inferno and Dungeon. However, their heroes rarely have Air Magic in their arsenal of skills, so they usually will not use Haste. Castle The strength of the Castle lies in its ability to deal massive damage; furthermore, it has the fastest creature in its composition, so it gets the LAST word in a battle round. You must place Skeletons in such a position that they fight against Archangels and Champions, then cast Haste or Slow. Unfortunately, the enemy may, in turn, dispel them. Focus on your advantages. Keep your troops together, so if the enemy attacks your important yet vulnerable units (Dragons, Liches), you can strike back with your slow but numerous creatures. At the right moment, cast Haste to quickly bring Skeletons and Zombies into battle. Attack Archangels and/or Champions first with Zombies, then with Skeletons and/or Dragons. Destroy Crusaders with Dread Knights. Focus Vampire Lords on lower-level creatures and Fanatics. The best target for Ghosts is Archers; however, they can be used as to absorb the counterattack of a strong enemy group. Do not forget to bring back the dead using Raise Dead. Dungeon Zombies perform suicide attacks on Dragons and/or Minotaurs. Vampire Lords strike at shooters and Harpies. Your Ghost Dragons either deal a second blow to Black Dragons or Minotaurs, or attack Scorpiods or hordes of Troglodytes. Dread Knights hit Minotaurs and/or Scorpiods, while Skeletons attack Black Dragons (after Zombies have absorbed the latter's counterattack). If Black Dragons avoid Skeletons, strike them with Dread Knights. The best target for Ghosts is Harpies. Do not hesitate to sacrifice them if necessary. In a battle with Dungeon, the initiative belongs to the opponent, as their Dragons cannot be slowed by spells, so Slow does not have such an effect. It is better to use Haste. But the main spell is Raise Dead. Fortress Fortress is not very dangerous for you, as undead are immune to the Deadly Gaze of Super Gorgons. Additionally, your shooters are incomparably better, and the initiative belongs to you, as the enemy is forced to bring their main forces toward you slowly, by land. Cast Haste in the first round, but later; at the beginning of the second—Slow, after which focus on striking Hydras, as they represent the greatest danger to you. Destroy them quickly and mercilessly. Gorgons are tough but will not deal much damage. Great Basilisks can cause even more damage, as can Monarch Wyverns. In general, you should not fear swamp dwellers once you have dealt with the Hydras. Inferno Since Archdevils do not deal much damage and have a relatively low HP count, they are the only level 7 monsters that your Ghost Dragons can attack immediately without waiting to absorb a counterattack. Dread Knights are very effective but should be used to strike Demons and Pit Lords. Since Magogs deliver a Ball Lightning strike, position your forces correctly. Try to attack Efreet Sultans with Liches or using magic, or organize a suicide attack with Zombies and/or Ghosts. Vampire Lords can fight well against all creatures from Inferno, but their primary targets are Cerberi and Magogs. Dragons attack Devils or Pit Lords. Ghosts are used as or attack Leeches and Magogs. An Inferno hero holds the initiative on the battlefield, so cast Haste in time and use Raise Dead. Sylvan Your Liches will do little harm to enemy Elves, Dwarves, and Dendroids (distance!), so you will have to attack them with Dragons, Vampire Lords, and Ghosts. Vampire Lords will have no problems fighting Dendroids, and ideally, that is who they should fight. Treat Gold Dragons the same as Black ones, while Dread Knights attack Unicorns. Pegasi are an ideal target for your Dragons. Ghosts fight Dwarves well. The opponent has the initiative (Gold Dragons!), so cast Haste in time and use Raise Dead. Rampart There are no fast creatures here. Cast Haste at the end of the first round and immediately follow with Slow, which will give you full control over the situation. Absorb the counterattack of Behemoths and Mag Ogres, then finish them off with Dragons and Skeletons. Attack Thunderbirds with Dread Knights. Vampire Lords attack Cyclops, while Ghosts and Liches strike lower-level creatures. Tower There are good shooters here, so the enemy will not approach you on their own. One problem is that three of the four non-shooting units—Gargoyles, Golems, and Nagas—do not restore health for Vampire Lords. The second problem is that your powerful Liches will not last long against a combined attack of Titans, Archmages, and Master Gremlins. The third problem is that Master Djinns can cast positive magic on their troops. Whether you like it or not, you will have to take the first hit from enemy shooters. Do not panic and advance toward the enemy with Dragons leading. Your best course of action is as follows: the last word in the first round belongs to your Dragons. As soon as the opponent casts any spell, cast Haste and immediately at the start of the second round—Slow (but when attacking a city, your first task is to destroy the walls). After that, each of your units should choose a target. Hit Titans with Zombies and Skeletons; attack Golems with Dread Knights (but only if there are many Golems; otherwise, Dread Knights should fight Nagas). Ghosts attack Master Gremlins, Dragons attack Gargoyles or Djinns (depending on enemy numbers—if there are many Gargoyles, Dragons attack them; otherwise, the Djinns). Vampire Lords attack Mages. If Djinns are near Mages, position Vampire Lords so they prevent Mages from shooting, but deliver the strike to the Djinns. If Nagas far outnumber Titans, let Zombies and Skeletons attack them. Starting from the third round, use Raise Dead

BASICS

With a fully built town and all upgrades, you can recruit 2370 Combat Points per week, ranking fourth among all towns. (Sylvan gives 2650, Conflux - 2588, Tower - 2420; in last place is Inferno - 2035). For your CP, you pay 24530 Gold + 2 Crystals, which averages to 10.35, and this is quite cheap (only Sylvan is cheaper at 10.05, while Inferno is 13.8). All your creatures deal decent damage in attack but are very vulnerable in defense. Building the town is cheap, but only in terms of money. To build all upgraded dwellings (including the fort, tavern, castle, and capitol), you need 80200 Gold (the lowest of all), but this is supplemented by 132 Ore (the highest of all), second place for wood - 137 (after Fortress) and many Crystals (50). On the other hand, you only need 5 Gems and have absolutely no need for Mercury or Sulfur. Building all structures in the Stronghold is also very cheap - 92200 Gold.

HEROES
Your heroes are the Barbarian (might) and the Battle Mage (magic). Battle Mages develop their primary skills balancedly, while Barbarians are pure representatives of an attacking style, and their Knowledge and Power remain underdeveloped. A typical 19th-level Battle Mage looks like 7 5 6 5, and a Barbarian - 12 5 4 3 (without any artifacts or visiting map objects). All Barbarians have the secondary skill Offense, all Battle Mages have the Wisdom skill. Barbarians cannot learn Water Magic, and Battle Mages cannot learn Navigation. Barbarians rarely master Diplomacy, Eagle Eye, Financier, Fire Magic, Intelligence, Navigation, First Aid, Necromancy, Scholar, Sorcery, and Wisdom. There are high chances of getting Air Magic, Earth Magic, Training, Luck, and Mysticism. Battle Mages infrequently study Financier, Fire Magic, Luck, and Necromancy, while Ballistics, Eagle Eye, Intelligence, Logistics (highest probability), Offense, Sorcery, and Tactics are characteristic for them. Stronghold heroes usually have a secondary skill set like this: Wisdom, Earth Magic, Air Magic, Logistics, Tactics, Ballistics, Offense, and Resistance. Resistance is very important, as its presence means that if the enemy uses mass spells on your units, NOT ALL of them will be affected by the magic. On maps dominated by very rugged terrain, the Pathfinder skill will be useful. If there is a chance to learn Water Magic (from the University or Witch's Hut) - do it! If you have a choice, take a Battle Mage rather than a Barbarian. In the process of reaching tenth level, a Barbarian will receive at most one increase to Power or Knowledge (but not both at once). There is an opinion that Battle Mages are ineffective due to restrictions in building the Mages' Guild, but this is incorrect. You need expert skill in Air Magic, Mass Haste and expert in Earth Magic plus some amount of Power and Knowledge so that the spells you cast last more than one turn, and so that more than one spell can be cast in a single battle. Thus, Battle Mages are more acceptable. The best choice is Terrek, but Saurug, Dessa, Wei, and Gundula are not inferior. Everyone knows how important it is to increase the hero's primary skills. Another important thing: until you have the advanced Town Portal spell, you need to have AT LEAST TWO GOOD HEROES. One for exploration and capturing objects, another for defending the starting town. One of the problems when playing on impossible level is that you cannot afford to take experience from found treasure chests in the first week, as you need gold. This leaves your hero without secondary skills and without primary growth. Therefore, you must use every opportunity to train the hero. FIGHT ALL ROAMING MONSTERS that you can defeat, even for 100 - 200 experience points. Visit every object. Do not pass by Mills, as they give you 1000 (500) Gold and resources once a week. Capture any mine encountered on the way, even at the cost of most of your meager army. It will pay off. Take every artifact, but only if it is free of charge, that is for nothing (for free). Artifacts can be bought only after you have a Capitol.

SPELLS
Magic is a blind spot for you; do not forget about it. You can build only 3 levels of the Mages' Guild, your Might hero does not always study Wisdom, and your Magic hero usually has only two schools - Air and Earth. Therefore, your task in any scenario is to capture an enemy castle with a well-developed Mages' Guild. You need new spells! Besides 4th and 5th level spells, you will not encounter two necro-spells (Raise Dead and Death Wave) in the Stronghold, nor Curse. Barbarians cannot learn Water Magic, and it is also rare for Battle Mages, so your heroes will not be able to use any mass spells except Haste and Slow. Therefore, if the enemy uses, for example, Mass Curse, you will not be able to counter this with either Mass Heal or Mass Dispel. With a three-level limit on the Mages' Guild, you will have very few useful spells. The most important is Haste. Slow is also useful, and Stone Skin and Shield are good in prolonged battles. When storming castles or in battles with armies equipped with good shooters (Tower, Dungeon, or Castle), Air Shield (mass, of course) can be useful. Anti-Magic helps in many situations; in some cases when storming castles, Earthquake will be useful. Even if you manage to get Water Magic, Teleport will not be that useful. The only benefit of its use is trying to move Behemoths across the castle wall, but even in such a situation other spells can be used with greater efficiency.

CREATURES
Goblins/Hobgoblins Goblins and their swift brethren, Hobgoblins, are among the weakest first-level creatures. However, they are some of the fastest in their class, which can be significant in the late stages of the game when Hobgoblins accumulate in large numbers. Although upgrading the Goblin Barracks is very useful, it requires 5 Wood and 5 Ore—resources that are scarce early in the game—so you will not be able to do it quickly. You should not buy Goblins in the early stages of the game. Let them accumulate so they can later be hired as Hobgoblins. The high speed of the latter, combined with their numbers, is very useful in the late stages of the game. If the opponent does not stop them, they can even block enemy shooters by utilizing the same reduction in attack power that occurs in melee combat. Hobgoblins can also be used to initiate attacks on strong enemy units, absorbing their counterattack, or to finish off groups already attacked in the current round. Wolf Riders/Wolf Warriors These creatures vividly demonstrate both the strength and weakness of the Stronghold. While Wolf Riders are merely very weak 2nd-level units with average speed, Wolf Warriors are fast-attacking monsters who are extremely vulnerable when they are the ones being attacked. The problem is that you cannot upgrade them quickly, as you first need to upgrade the Goblin Barracks (costing 5 Wood and Ore), and only then find another 5 Wood and Ore, which is difficult to achieve early in the game. As with Goblins, do not hire Wolf Riders in the early stages; they are very vulnerable. Increase their numbers, perform the upgrade, and hire only Wolf Warriors. High speed, double attack, and a relatively high Attack stat (which, when doubled, exceeds that of many Stronghold creatures) make Wolf Warriors dangerous to any enemy creature. If you use them for the first attack of the round on an enemy stack, ensure they can destroy at least two-thirds of the creatures in it with the first hit. But that is in theory. In practice, such a case occurs very rarely, so try to destroy at least a quarter of the enemy stack with the Wolf Warriors' first strike. There is an exception to this rule: you can attack without dealing such damage if the strike is against enemy shooters who have limited strength in melee combat. However, it is still better to strike stacks that have already been attacked, as the double attack of Wolf Warriors will be most effective due to the absence of an enemy counterattack. Let's provide an example of the offensive and defensive capabilities of Wolf Warriors against high-level monsters. Suppose 60 WW encounter 10 Scorpicorns. The Scorpicorns have already been attacked this round, so they will not counterattack. The Attack/Defense ratio between them is -6, but it should be noted that the attack power of a Stronghold hero is significantly higher than the defense of an underground hero, so we will assume this ratio to be zero. Both hits delivered by WW will deal 180-240 damage each, which would destroy an average of 5 Scorpicorns—not bad at all. Let's see what happens if the Scorpicorns counterattack. The first hit from WW kills 2 Scorpicorns; the remaining 8 counterattack. The Attack/Defense ratio here will be 11, and since the defensive capabilities of Stronghold heroes will not exceed the attack power of an Overlord (or may even be lower), it could increase further. Thus, 8 Scorpicorns will deal 112-160 damage (or even 173-248), destroying 17-24 WW with a probability of paralyzing them. The remaining ~40 WW deliver the second hit (120-160 damage), destroying another 2 Scorpicorns. As we can see, in the second example, WW attack with almost the same efficiency, but their losses amount to a third of the total number, which is quite significant. Of course, when encountering an underground army, you may find that Evil Eyes are a much more acceptable target for WW, regardless of whether they counterattacked this round or not. Let 60 WW attack 45 EE. The Attack/Defense ratio is +6 (with the same heroes as above), so the first hit from WW will cause 234-312 damage, destroying 10-14 EE (roughly a quarter of the total). The Attack/Defense ratio for EE will be +5, so the remaining 33 EE will deal 124-206 damage, killing 12-20 WW (we'll assume 16). The surviving 44 WW will deliver 171-228 damage on the second attack, killing another 8-10 EE. Thus, WW destroyed half of the enemy stack while losing only a quarter of their own (remember that EE do not lose strength in melee combat!). Moreover, every Stronghold hero can be an expert in Offense, which would add 30% to the WW's attack! Ideally, WW should attack an enemy stack already hit by Magik Ogres, but this is not always possible due to the latter's low speed. To enhance the attacking ability of WW, you can split Magik Ogres into two stacks, one of which casts Bloodlust on the WW, but this is also not always possible because in most cases you will lack magical initiative. If you leave WW exposed to a hit, they will melt before your eyes like ice under the sun, so try to protect them by all possible means. All the above means that WW are not "trash" monsters like many low-level creatures (such as Zombies). On the battlefield, WW can perform various tasks, often turning the tide of battle in your favor. Orcs/Orc Chieftains The first of your two shooting units is essentially a 2nd-level monster, only with increased HP. They do not deal much damage, and the 20 HP of Chieftains is unimpressive due to their low defense level. When you get the Orc Tower, upgrade it as quickly as possible, and if you buy Chieftains, buy them in large numbers. With a speed of 5, they will most often shoot from a significant distance, dealing only half of the potential damage. In large numbers, however, they are more effective, as they force enemy monsters to close in on them faster, allowing your Magik Ogres to make their presence felt sooner. Ogres/Magik Ogres Ogres, and especially Magik Ogres, have a good amount of durability. Unfortunately, building their dwelling requires many resources—20 Wood—so this likely won't happen before the third week. Before building the Ogre Fort, ensure you have enough resources for a quick upgrade. Do not purchase ordinary Ogres. Magik Ogres not only have 50% more HP and +1 speed but also possess the ability to cast Bloodlust on friendly troops once per round (no more than three times per battle). If your army has Magik Ogres and not all 7 stacks are occupied, it makes sense to split them into two (or even more) stacks: one containing the main mass, and others with 1-2 Magik Ogres for casting spells (or to be used as kamikazes to absorb an enemy counterattack). The high attacking and defensive capabilities of Ogres and Magik Ogres allow them to deal serious damage to the enemy. They are very good for delivering the first strike, but unfortunately, their speed is low; therefore, they are primary candidates for the Haste spell (or Mass Haste), but if for some reason you don't do this, position them between Cyclops and Orcs to serve as bodyguards for the shooters. In general, Magik Ogres should be brought into battle as quickly as possible, as they represent a serious threat even to own non-strong 7th-level monsters (such as Ghost Dragons). Rocs/Stormbirds These are your most important monsters. It is necessary to build the Cliff Nest in the first week regardless of your resource reserves. You can wait with the upgrade, since the difference between Rocs and Stormbirds lies only in speed and the latter's ability to strike with lightning. At the start of the game, Rocs with their speed of 7 (they can cross the battlefield in 2 turns) will be sufficient. You need to build the Cliff Nest on day 6 or 7 (if you started with a Wolf Den, then on day 6 is fine) and buy all the Rocs on the first day of the second week. You will have at least 6 Rocs, which is enough for a clash with a typical stack of neutral monsters, such as 20-30 2nd-level creatures. After the upgrade, Stormbirds are your fastest monster. They have no obvious drawbacks (though defense could be higher), they fly—so castle walls are not an obstacle—and if the lightning strike triggers, they deal damage comparable to that of 6th-level creatures. This is a multipurpose unit. They can take the first or last turn in a round, depending on your hero's Tactics or the use of Mass Haste. While your Behemoths focus on destroying the most powerful enemy units, Stormbirds handle weaker troops, especially dangerous mid-tier creatures like Crusaders or Vampire Lords. Given that the Cliff Nest is built in the first week, you should accumulate enough Stormbirds to deal with 5th, 6th, and even 7th-level enemies, defeating them through skill or sheer numbers. Cyclops/Cyclops Kings Since building the Cyclops Cave requires a large number of Crystals (which are also required for the Behemoth Den), this dwelling is usually constructed last. Consequently, other cities will have more 6th-level creatures than you. Remember that Kings are much better than ordinary Cyclops. In addition to the +2 Attack, +1 Defense, and +8 Shot bonuses, their clear advantage is a speed of 8 (versus 6). Due to their speed, Kings will act before any other shooters in the game except Titans (and Snipers—translator's note). Let's see what happens when Cyclops or Kings encounter dangerous ground creatures with a speed of 7 (such as Hydras, Naga Queens, or Great Basilisks). Against ordinary Cyclops, these monsters can remain idle in the first round, forcing them to take the first shot from a distance and lose half the potential damage, then perform a rapid double march and close in on the Cyclops, forcing them again to act at half-strength in melee combat. Kings, however, can wait for the enemies' turn, and after they move, deliver two full-power hits in succession (at the end of the 1st round and start of the 2nd). A huge difference. Another important advantage of Kings when storming an enemy castle is their ability to strike walls at an advanced level of Ballistics; thus, they are often used as a second catapult for the rapid destruction of fortifications, since your strong units—Behemoths and Magik Ogres—move by land. Therefore, as soon as you build the Cyclops Cave, upgrade it as quickly as possible, especially since Crystals are not required for this. Cyclops may be the last unit you obtain, but they are extremely necessary. You can do without them while fighting roaming monsters or enemy heroes in the open field, but during a castle siege, you are incapacitated without them. All opponents, AI or human, will target them, so there should not be few of them. 6 is the absolute minimum; 10 is better. Use them wisely. Remember that when attacking an enemy behind a fortress wall, Cyclops lose half their damage due to distance and half of the remainder due to the walls. Thus, potential damage of, say, 200 will be reduced to 50. Therefore, in the first round while the enemy is far away, it is more practical to use Cyclops to strike the walls. This is for the benefit of the Behemoths. Behemoths/Ancient Behemoths Behemoths are unique monsters because the amount of damage they deal is practically independent of the attacking hero's Attack power and the defending hero's and stack's Defense power; in any case, they deal serious damage. Here are two examples: Ancient Behemoths, led by a novice Barbarian with an Attack power of 4, attack Archangels led by a veteran Knight with a Defense power of 20. The AB's Attack power is 23. The Archangels' Defense power is 50, but the Behemoths' special ability reduces it to 10! Therefore, 1 AB will deal 50-82 damage, which is very high for the heroes in question. If a Barbarian with experience similar to the Knight leads the Behemoths, 1 AB will deal 75-125 damage—and that's without considering an additional 30% damage from Expert Offense! On the other hand, all Behemoths have a low Defense level, making them vulnerable despite the 300 HP of the Ancients. Therefore, it is preferable to attack with Behemoths the stack that has already been attacked this round. They are ideal for attacking Archangels or Dragons. Unfortunately, Behemoths are among the slowest 7th-level creatures (only Hydras are slower), and furthermore, they move by land, which is a major disadvantage when storming an enemy castle. Therefore, it is important to find a worthy target for them and attack it.

CONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT
As before, the tips are provided for large and huge maps on very hard and impossible difficulty levels. When playing on impossible, you have neither money nor resources at the start (except in cases where you receive a bonus). Therefore, to build something on the first day, you must immediately move your hero to collect money and resources. If you find a treasure chest, take gold rather than experience. When you discover a Crystal Cave, Sawmill, or Mine, capture them immediately if there is even the slightest chance. You need these resources. On very hard (but not impossible) level, you should hire another hero and equip them with a Spellbook (if they don't have one). Try to find and capture a second Mine and Sawmill. If you start with two towns, focus all your attention on one of them. Build the Town Hall (Prefecture) in the second town as quickly as possible, but then ignore it until you have enough resources. Then build a Mages' Guild, Market, Blacksmith, and City Hall (Municipality) there. Further development of the second town can begin once you have managed to capture the first enemy town, but in this case, it is important to decide if it isn't better to upgrade the captured one, as there are usually already many buildings there and they are quite advanced. Interestingly, there are two different chains for developing dwellings in the Stronghold. In any case, you need Goblin Barracks as a base, but then there are two paths: 1). Wolf Lair - Rock Nest - Behemoth Lair and 2). Orc Tower - Ogre Fort - Cyclops Cave. The first branch consists of fast attackers. You need 13500 Gold + 20 Wood + 10 Crystals for it. The second branch consists of shooters and slow cover, which requires 6500 Gold + 25 Ore + 25 Wood + 20 Crystals. It is better to start with the first branch (you need Rocks); moreover, you might not have 20 Crystals for the Cyclops Cave or even find 20 Wood for the Ogre Fort at the beginning of the game. First Week 1. First level Mages' Guild (acquire Barbarian Book) 2. Town Hall 3. Market 4. Blacksmith 5. City Hall 6. Wolf Lair 7. Rock Nest This costs 14500 Gold, 25 Wood, and 15 Ore. On impossible level, you may be unable to build every day, or the building order may change depending on the availability of certain resources. If 25 Wood is too much for you, you can start immediately with the Town Hall and build the Wolf Lair as a prerequisite for the Rock Nest. Since no Wood is needed to build the latter, it will likely be possible to build it in the first week. If your town already had a Wolf Lair at the start of the game, it makes sense to build the Citadel on the 7th day. Second Week Buy all Rocks for the first (and perhaps second) day of the second week, equip one of your heroes with them (only them), and set out to capture mines within sight. If you are not playing on impossible level, you can try to build the Capitol and Behemoth Lair in the second week. You need to build the Citadel, Castle, and Capitol. If there aren't enough resources for the Behemoth Lair, you can construct the Valhalla Hall, Chaos Hall, Orc Tower, and upgrade it. This upgrade is inexpensive but very practical. The Ogre Fort requires 20 Wood, which may not be sufficient under normal conditions, so you need to find loose wood debris. Wood is in short supply, but if you lack money for the Behemoth Lair, build the Ogre Fort. There is another interesting building - the Slave Market. If you have a severe shortage of resources (Crystals!), but your finances are decent, and you have some not-so-useful roaming monsters in your army (undead, level 1 or 2 creatures, or very slow beings like Stone Golems), you can build this market to sell these creatures for resources. BUT! The Creature/Resource exchange rate depends on the markets available to you (REGULAR, not slave markets). One Market Creature Gold Wood,Ore Other res
Goblin 12 1/21 1/42
Hobgoblin 15 1/17 1/33
Wolf Rider 30 1/6 1/17
Wolf Warrior 42 1/6 1/11
Orc 45 1/6 1/11
Orc Chieftain 50 1/5 1/10
Ogre 90 1/3 1/6
Ogre Mage 120 1/2 1/4
Rock 180 1 1/3
Stormbringer 210 1 1/2
Cyclops 225 1 1/2
Cyclops King 330 1 1/2
Behemoth 450 2 1
Ancient Behemoth 900 4 2
Three Markets Creature Gold Wood,Ore Other res
Goblin 20 1/13 1/25
Hobgoblin 25 1/10 1/20
Wolf Rider 50 1/5 1/10
Wolf Warrior 70 1/4 1/7
Orc 75 1/3 1/7
Orc Chieftain 83 1/3 1/6
Ogre 150 1/2 1/3
Ogre Mage 200 1 1/3
Rock 300 1 1/2
Stormbringer 350 1 1
Cyclops 375 1 1
Cyclops King 550 2 1
Behemoth 750 3 1
Ancient Behemoth 1500 6 3
The exchange rate for two markets is roughly in the middle. When buying resources with money, you pay 2500/5000 Gold per unit at one market. With three markets, these numbers are halved. Thus, it is obvious that the exchange rate at the Slave Market is significantly more favorable than at a regular one. If you have no desire to sell high-level creatures, trade Goblins and Hobgoblins. A first-level dwelling normally provides 15 creatures per week, which does not strengthen your army much. Of course, the Slave Market is not the place to buy resources in large quantities. Third Week If you don't have a Behemoth Lair yet, you need to build it. Building the Stronghold in the early stages usually causes no problems, but difficulties begin afterward. A resource store will not give you additional Crystals, which are so necessary for erecting the Cyclops Cave. You need an upgrade for the Wolf Lair, but even with a low cost (1000 Gold + 5 Wood + 5 Ore), you must first upgrade the Barracks at the same price. So the true cost of the upgrade is 2000 Gold + 10 Wood + 10 Ore, which is not much in money, but significant in resources. The Cyclops Cave requires not only 20 Crystals but also 20 Ore. There may not be enough Wood (20) for the Ogre Fort. Plus, 10 Wood and 10 Ore are needed to upgrade the Behemoth Lair (not counting 20 Crystals and 15000 Gold). All this means that you will likely fail to erect all of it during the third week. If you can build the Cyclops Cave, forget about upgrading the Behemoth Lair this week. It is unlikely that you will have 20 Crystals at your disposal, so it makes sense to buy them at the market. You can sell all Mercury and all Sulfur and almost all Gems (leaving a few for the Ogre Fort upgrade). Forget about the 2nd and 3rd levels of the Mages' Guild. They will take all your Crystals, and the spells obtained will hardly help you in battles. If you found 20 Crystals and Ore to build the Cyclops Cave and still have ore left, what should you do with it? Most likely, the Orc Tower upgrade is already done (this is important). Upgrading the Wolf Lair is very useful, but for that, a Goblin Barracks upgrade is required. So if you have a little Ore left, upgrade the Ogre Fort; if a bit more - then both the Ogre Fort and the Cyclops Cave. Fourth Week Upgrade the remaining dwellings. Ensure there is enough for the Behemoth Lair upgrade. Trade at the markets. You need Crystals not only for upgrades but also to acquire Ancient Behemoths, so you will have to wait to build the 2nd and 3rd levels of the Mages' Guild.

FORCES
Your fastest unit is the Stormbringer with a speed of 11, so all towns, except for the Tower (depending on the surface where the battle takes place and who is attacking), will have initiative in combat. They can attack quickly or wait. They can immediately cast a mass spell, or they can wait until you do. But you also have an advantage. Your slowest unit has a speed of 5, so the difference between the fastest and slowest is only 6. Mass Haste gives a speed bonus of +5 (Terek, who has the Haste specialty, gets even more). The result is as follows: Stormbringers have a speed of 11. When it's their turn, you cast Mass Haste, and your SLOWEST unit gains a speed of 10 (and for Terek, even 11 or 12). After this, you get the right to move all your units in succession, WITHOUT GIVING THE OPPONENT A SINGLE TURN. If they have a unit capable of fitting into the gap between your creatures, you can direct aggression toward it and destroy it preemptively. Having Tactics helps a lot, as you can not only move your troops closer to the enemy (specifically Ogre Mages) but also use terrain features. At the same time, you can move your shooters closer to the enemy so they fire at full strength if you apply Mass Haste and are sure the opponent will not present any unpleasant surprises. What can the opponent do? They may have Tactics at a higher level than you and prevent you from positioning your troops as you wish. They may immediately cast some destructive spell. They may have artifacts that prevent you from applying Mass Haste in time, specifically those increasing their units' speed (the Sphere of Suppression is rare; besides, it only benefits Barbarians, doesn't it?). Let's look at the situation through your opponent's eyes. You encounter a Castle army (not in a town). Suppose you have the tactical advantage and positioned your troops as you saw fit. It is the opponent's turn, and they have little choice - usually, they leave Archangels on wait. Since their next unit has a speed of 9, it is the turn of your Stormbringers (11), and you can immediately apply Mass Haste, allowing you to move all your units in succession, sowing confusion and panic in the enemy camp. Of course, the opponent can cast some spell immediately, but what can they realistically oppose? Strike with some attack magic? No problem. Mass Slow? No problem, either if you have the Resistance skill or if you position your troops out of reach (in one turn) of enemy units (except Archangels) and beyond a 10-cell distance from shooters. Blindness? Of course, it's bad if they do this to your Behemoths, but in that case, initiative passes to you, and you can, for example, apply Mass Slow, and at the start of the second round - Cure or Dispel on the Behemoths. There are only two spells dangerous to you: 1). Mass Haste. The enemy applies it immediately and attacks with several units (not all), dealing a lot of damage and possibly permanently crippling some of your valuable units. A weak consolation is that magical initiative is now on your side, and you can apply Mass Slow as soon as it's your turn. 2). Mass Prayer. This is even worse, as the enemy deals significantly more damage, and you will likely fail to oppose anything immediately. So when playing as Stronghold, you need the Haste spell with expert skill in Air Magic and Tactics. The Resistance skill is also strongly recommended, which is not too hard to get. Against this backdrop, Terek looks good, as he starts with Tactics, a Haste specialty, and the Haste spell in his book, so you don't depend on the Mages' Guild to learn it! When storming an enemy castle, the picture is different. The combination of Tactics and Mass Haste does not work as well (at least at first) due to fortress walls and the moat. You have one flying unit and two shooting units for immediate attack, but this is not enough to take a well-defended city. Therefore, you must destroy the castle walls as quickly as possible. The Ballistics skill at advanced or expert level plays a significant role. Earthquake with an expert skill in Earth Magic is also good, but you're unlikely to have this spell (third level of the Guild!). Teleport and expert Water Magic are good, but you'll likely not study this school of magic. So use your Cyclops as additional catapults to destroy walls. If you have a free stack, split the Cyclops (but do this only during a siege; in a regular battle, split the Ogres!). In this case, you can make a breach in the wall very quickly. Leave all your units on wait except for the Cyclops. Do not cast spells too early. The opponent might blind the Behemoths, and you will be unable to oppose it. As soon as a gap appears in the wall, move the Behemoths there. In this case, you can also deliver a successful strike with Stormbringers at the end of the round. Additionally, the enemy hero may not be experienced enough and lack mass spells. Attack while casting Mass Haste (or Slow). The movement order of your units is: Stormbringers, Ancient Behemoths, Wolf Warriors, Cyclops Kings, Hobgoblins, Ogre Mages, Orc Chieftains. Thus, you have no unit capable of acting as a kamikaze, striking first to absorb the counterattack. For the first strike, Hobgoblins would work as kamikazes or Ogre Mages due to their endurance, but these are some of your slowest units. Therefore, it is a good idea to place Cyclops Kings to the left of the Wolves so they attack before them. This will give you the opportunity to weaken a potentially strong enemy stack before the Wolf attack. Do not allow an enemy stack to survive in small numbers, as it will then act as a kamikaze and absorb the counterattack. Some Stronghold heroes can increase the speed of individual units: Gretchen accelerates Hobgoblins to 8 (and later to 9), making them faster than Wolf Warriors and even Behemoths, which is good; Tiraxor accelerates Wolf Warriors to the level of Behemoths or even faster, allowing them to attack before Behemoths, but this is NOT RECOMMENDED, so place Wolves to the right of Behemoths. Terek accelerates units simply magnificently. For example, after 14th level, his Mass Haste will have the following effect: Stormbringers 17 (+6), Wolf Warriors 16 (+8), Hobgoblins 15 (+8), Cyclops Kings 14 (+6), Ancient Behemoths 14 (+5), Orc Chieftains 12 (+7), Ogre Mages 12 (+7). With this, you get complete freedom of action and can move Hobgoblins and Wolves before Behemoths, so the Wolves can deliver their double strike to a unit attacked by Stormbringers.

SPECIFIC TACTICAL QUESTIONS APPLICABLE TO OTHER TOWNS

It doesn't matter as much which opponent you face; a great deal depends on the Tactics skill and the terrain where the battle takes place, as well as the Mass Haste spell. By quickly attacking all enemy units, you are capable of dealing significant damage, leaving the enemy with only small squads of surviving creatures, and ideally blocking them so they cannot approach your shooters. To achieve this, you must position your attacking units in front of the enemy shooters and try to destroy their flying units. Mass Haste cast during the turn of Stormbirds is a formidable weapon. Remember that your main goal is to deal as much damage to the enemy as possible during the first massive attack. Do not be fooled if you have Tactics at a high level—the opponent may also possess it. Position your units in this order (top to bottom): Cyclops, Hobgoblins, Ogres, Orcs, Behemoths, Wolves, Stormbirds. Another possible option: Cyclops, Stormbirds, Ogres, Hobgoblins, Behemoths, Wolves, Orcs. The only concern (besides a clear advantage in manpower) is the fact that the opponent may immediately use Mass Haste or Mass Prayer and begin rapidly destroying your army. For this, the enemy hero must be an expert in Air or Water Magic, so it is important to be able to predict, based on observations, which hero has a chance of obtaining these skills and in which city the actual appearance of Prayer is possible. Only three cities are real contenders for this (Castle, Tower, and Rampart). There are high chances of studying Water Magic among Knights and Clerics. Rangers and Alchemists have half the chance, while Druids and Wizards are somewhere in the middle. Thus, an enemy from Castle is the most dangerous in this regard. With Air Magic, it is as follows: 1. Wizard 2. Alchemist, Cleric, Battle Mage 3. Knight, Barbarian, Heretic, Necromancer 4. Demoniac, Death Knight, Warlock, Witch, Druid 5. Overlord, Beastmaster, Ranger. Thus, Dungeon, Fortress, and Rampart most often do not have Air Magic in their arsenal. Necropolis and Inferno may have it, but a significant amount of time must pass before they reach expert level. Tower and Castle are the main contenders. Therefore, Castle is the primary candidate to present you with unpleasant surprises. Knights very often have Tactics in their arsenal, while Clerics do not. Alchemists also study Tactics well, whereas Wizards rarely do. If you have a tactical advantage, position your troops taking into account the striking characteristics of Gogs and Liches (the hit extends to areas adjacent to the attacked one). You should position your forces so that you can reach the enemy in one turn after applying Mass Haste, while the enemy, conversely, in case they apply Mass Slow, cannot reach you with all their forces in this round. Try to destroy fast enemy units. In general, you will usually have a tactical advantage against magically oriented heroes. However, in a clash with Might heroes, you often will not have it, so you will have to enter battle with troops positioned on the rear line of the front. In this case, there is no particular sense in using Mass Haste in the first round, as not all your units will be able to reach the enemy immediately (exception—Terek at a high level). As soon as the opponent casts a spell, apply Mass Slow. If they do not have Mass Haste, you can destroy them with shooters and position your slow units in a state of readiness for an immediate attack. At the beginning of the second round, cast Mass Haste and attack the enemy with all your strength. Remember that the Resistance skill will provide significant help. With a large tactical advantage, you can position your shooters within a 10-cell range so they deal full damage to the enemy, but due to their initiative, the opponent may apply Mass Slow first, allowing their shooters to attack earlier and deal equal full damage to you. All shooters (except Titans and Cyclops Kings) have a speed less than or equal to your ground units. With Resistance, there is a good chance that Mass Slow will not affect all your stacks, which will allow you to seize the initiative, apply Mass Haste, and move your shooters before the enemy's. Everything said about Resistance, of course, applies to opponents as well (especially Rampart), so your Mass spells may also fail to achieve the desired goal. When meeting a human player, the psychological factor also plays a role. A massive attack by all your units, considering the damage dealt by Ancient Behemoths and Wolf Warriors (especially if the latter do not fear a counterattack), hits the opponent's morale and willpower hard (not the units, but the player!). The destruction of two of their solid stacks, which they perhaps considered their striking force, leads them to think that the battle is lost (although in reality it may not be so), and the opponent may simply surrender or flee! So demonstrate your strength to the opponent by attacking; demoralize them. Just like Suvorov—eye for detail, speed, onslaught! Castle Fighting Castle is difficult (see above). There is a real danger of the opponent using Mass Haste. You will suffer heavy losses before you can apply Mass Slow. If the opponent does not have Haste, everything is much better. Position your troops out of reach of Champions and Royal Griffins, as well as outside the direct hit zone of Shooters and Fanatics, and beyond the action radius of hastened Crusaders and Halberdiers. If you have to fight hand-to-hand with Royal Griffins in the first round, keep in mind that you need to destroy them within two attacks so that their specialization in counterattacks does not exert its destructive effect. Possible targets for Stormbirds (they move first) are Fanatics, Crusaders, Champions, and Griffins. The attack will cost you no more than 15% of your Stormbirds. Ancient Behemoths move next and can be used everywhere. If they attack Archangels, it is very desirable that the latter be completely destroyed in this round (with the help of other units for this purpose). Then in the second round, you will move first (if the opponent has not slowed you) and can immediately cast the most appropriate spell. Cyclops Kings are suitable for attacking any unit. Wolf Warriors are good for attacking already attacked stacks to deal maximum damage (double attack) with zero losses. The same applies to Hobgoblins. Try not to lose them in reckless attacks. A good target for them are Shooters, who deal only half damage in melee, so your losses will be minimal. Orcs and Ogres generally suit strikes against all units, but it is better to use them where they can completely destroy an enemy stack with their attack. The problem is that all Castle creatures deal quite a lot of damage. Griffins are more dangerous in defense, so either attack them with all your strength, destroying them quickly, or do not attack at all. Crusaders are more dangerous in attack than in defense, so reach them as quickly as possible. The power of Champions increases with the distance they travel, so try to block them. Shooters deal only half damage from afar, so for some time it is better to simply stay away from them. Dungeon Problems: extended fire attack of Dragons; both shooting units—Evil Eyes and Medusa Queens—do not lose their abilities in melee; the attacking potential of Minotaur Kings is very high. If the tactical advantage is on your side, position your troops outside the normal reach of Harpies and Minotaurs and outside the direct same-fire zone of Evil Eyes and Medusas. If the opponent immediately applies Mass Slow and attacks with Dragons and Scorpios (which a computer most likely will), cast Mass Haste, destroy all Dragons and as many Scorpios as possible, and at the beginning of the second round apply Mass Slow and advance on the enemy. If it was not possible to destroy the Dragons in the first round, do not forget about their extended attack and position your units so as not to give them such an opportunity. It is especially dangerous when Dragons attack your weak unit, while a strong one standing behind it is subjected to the extended attack. Then the enemy deals very much damage without receiving a counterattack in return. And positioning your troops across the entire battlefield taking into account this Dragon feature while effectively attacking the enemy is not always possible. So if there are enough Dragons, attack them with Behemoths and then other units. With heroes of equal strength and same-level expert Offense, three Ancient Behemoths are needed to instantly destroy 1 Black Dragon. Usually, you will have 2–4 more Behemoths than the enemy has Dragons, so they will not suffer as much from the latter's counterattack. Remember—there is no alternative! If you attack Dragons, it must be the Behemoths who do so first. Stormbirds attack anyone except Dragons (exception—if their attack can kill Dragons outright). It is impractical to attack Troglodytes with them, and one must also be careful with Minotaur Kings—if they are not seriously maimed by the first hit, their counterattack will be quite severe. Thus, a good target for Stormbirds are shooters, as well as Scorpios, because there are usually significantly fewer of the latter than Stormbirds. Returning to Black Dragons, we note, however, that their presence on the battlefield can serve as a bad omen if the opponent possesses the Armageddon spell, so they must be destroyed as quickly as possible. If your Wolf Warriors are not participating in consecutive attacks on Dragons, a good target for them is Harpy Crone. In most cases, Wolves handle them independently without help from Cyclops. Remember, however, that your goal is to DESTROY the stack, not just reduce the number of units in it. For Hobgoblins, battle with Dungeon forces is a hard time. Any enemy counterattack significantly reduces their numbers. So attack those enemies who can no longer counterattack. Ogres and Orcs can destroy clusters of Troglodytes. Fortress Swamp heroes rarely study Air Magic, so they are unlikely to be able to use Mass Haste. Most likely they will leave Dragonflies in a waiting position, and now it is your turn. You have three main targets for rapid destruction: Chaos Hydras, Supergorgons, and Monarch Wyverns (the latter are not as dangerous but have speed 11, which allows them to move before your hastened Orcs and Ogres, attacking effectively). A good idea is an immediate attack on Wyverns by Stormbirds. They will deal decent damage, losses from counterattack will be small; they might be poisoned, but that's not scary. Suppose 27 Stormbirds attack 14 Monarch Wyverns. Let the Attack/Defense ratio for Stormbirds be 0 and for Wyverns +2. Stormbirds will deal 297–405 damage, killing an average of 5 Wyverns. If successful, a lightning strike will finish off another three. The remaining 9 Monarch Wyverns will deal 178–218 damage, killing 3 Stormbirds. This is little. If the lightning strike works, you will lose only 2 Stormbirds. Since Stronghold heroes often have the Offense skill and Fortress heroes have the Armorer skill, this is even better for barbarians. Behemoths can attack Supergorgons only if they immediately destroy all of them, which is unlikely. Therefore, it's better to finish off Wyverns with them or attack Hydras. Five Behemoths will immediately destroy 2 Hydras, so the number of the latter can be quickly reduced, and they in turn do not counterattack as well. The surrounding terrain can also work for you, helping to block enemy forces. Four ground units of the opponent, three of whom are 2 cells wide, will experience difficulty moving, so one can try to make it so that Hydras attack only one of your units during their move. Stormbirds in a quantity of 27 can effectively fight approximately 21 Supergorgons. Also attack them with Cyclops, Orcs, Hobgoblins, or Ogres. The number of the latter will, of course, decrease, but they are unlikely to be completely destroyed. If you cannot quickly kill all Supergorgons, reduce their number to 10 and switch to Hydras. Keep Behemoths away from Supergorgons; this is a general rule for all level-7 monsters. Keep in mind that the opponent may apply simple Haste to Hydras, making them a quite formidable force capable of dealing much damage to several of your units at once without fearing counterattack. Therefore, do not forget about Hydras while destroying Gorgons. When the opponent has fewer than 11 Supergorgons left, the probability of dealing damage with their Deadly Gaze is low, and it kills no more than one creature. Without Deadly Gaze, the damage from Supergorgons is small and they can be handled, while Behemoths can destroy Hydras with high efficiency. Inferno Contrary to popular belief, a clash with an Inferno army may not turn out to be so easy. The units here are fast, and a hero with expert skill in Air Magic and the Haste spell can cause you a lot of trouble. Fortunately, Inferno heroes rarely study Air Magic. However, the forces of the Underworld are dangerous for you. There are two units here that are faster than your fastest, and these same two units are the strongest in the enemy army. If you have a tactical advantage, position Cyclops outside the reach of Efreet Sultans, even at the cost of moving Cyclops more than 10 cells away from the enemy and dealing only half damage. Efreet Sultans have a fire shield, so blocking them with Cyclops and entering melee is especially unpleasant. This is particularly relevant when meeting hero Rashka, as the effectiveness of the fire shield of Efreet Sultans he controls increases from 20% for a beginner to 75% and even 80% for Rashka above level 20. If Efreet Sultans were the only problem, everything would be wonderful, but there are others. Archdevils are faster than even hastened Stormbirds, so as long as they are alive, the opponent will have the first (or last) word every round. Moreover, there is no counterattack to their hit. Cerberi do not deal that much damage, but they also do not fear counterattack, and their 2- or even 3-headed attack doubles and triples this effect. Magogs in large numbers also deal a lot of damage due to the Ball Lightning attack. Pit Lords can revive a fallen stack as Demons. Although Demons are not the strongest creatures in the game, their additional appearance on the battlefield is always unpleasant. From all the above follows: 1) It is necessary to destroy as many Efreet Sultans as possible withwith the help of shooters. 2) Quickly reduce the number of Pit Lords 3) By the end of the first battle round, Magogs must either be destroyed or at least unable to shoot and forced into melee combat. 4) Devils and Cerberi must die! Even if only 1 Pit Lord survives from the entire stack, he is capable of raising one Demon from the dead, who in turn can easily act as a kamikaze to absorb the counterattack of your strong stack. Try not to give the opponent such an opportunity. What if you send Stormbirds against Pit Lords? Say, a ratio of 25 to 21 in your favor. Likely, the Attack/Defense ratio will also be on your side, plus the Offense skill. Then the Stormbirds will destroy 10-11 Pit Lords without a lightning strike, and 15-16 if lightning strikes. Not bad. Surviving Pit Lords will counterattack and kill 2-3 Stormbirds, which is not much. Behemoths against Devils? The latter have only 200 HP, so Behemoths are deadly to them, and every 2 Behemoths will destroy one Devil. If you have more Behemoths than the opponent has Devils, then the latter will be quickly destroyed. When the turn passes to Cyclops, it is time for mutual concessions. Since you positioned them out of reach of Efreet Sultans, they are far away and will deal only half damage due to distance. Therefore, 10 King Cyclops are required to destroy one Efreet Sultan, and the advantage is not on your side. The application area of Wolf Warriors is limited. They can attack Devils or Pit Lords that have already been attacked. They can attack Cerberi or Magogs. If Cerberi are located near Magogs, attack the Cerberi, but in such a way that the Wolves block the same shots from Magogs. Everything said is also true for Hobgoblins, only Slimes act instead of Cerberi. Often, however, Demons are located next to Magogs. In this case, you simply need to attack Magogs with Hobgoblins. Try to bring Ogres closer to the action, positioning them between Demons and Magogs and attacking the Demons. If Hobgoblins are capable of finishing an attack on Pit Lords or Devils, let them do so. Otherwise, it is a task for Ogres. Orcs act the same as Cyclops, but when using two shooting stacks, do not forget that your goal is to quickly wipe Devils and Pit Lords off the face of the earth. Necropolis First of all, try to position your troops so that accelerated High Liches cannot get a double target. Stay outside the normal range of Dread Knights and accelerated Skeletons. Under normal conditions, a Necropolis hero will not claim initiative unless they can immediately bring hordes of Skeletons into battle. Also, it is impractical for them to attack with Vampire Lords before they themselves are attacked, as otherwise their self-healing ability will not be manifested. The main concerns when meeting the forces of the Necropolis are the following factors: Vampire Lords, Dread Knights, High Liches, Ghost Dragons, hordes of Skeletons, and the Animate Dead spell. High Liches deal only half damage in melee, and Ghost Dragons have only 200 HP with low Attack and Defense stats. Dread Knights are perhaps the most dangerous, but their power depends heavily on their number. Vampire Lords are a real pain for you, but they have a low level of damage dealt. Make it a rule—you must either attack them continuously until complete destruction or not attack at all. If necromancers build a Mansion in the first week, you will have to face a large number of Vampire Lords. The same applies to Skeletons—in mass, they are capable of dealing a lot of damage to your troops. Keep in mind that Skeletons and Zombies are usually located not far from Liches, so if you decide to quickly destroy the latter, your attacking stack will receive massive damage from hordes of undead. Zombies can act as kamikazes, after which Skeletons, Dread Knights, and Ghost Dragons will complete the rout of your vanguard without fearing a counterattack from its side. What can you oppose? The first question you must solve is choosing a target for Stormbirds. Just not Skeletons. One Stormbird will destroy 4-5 Skeletons, while the remaining 200 in turn can kill 6 Stormbirds. These are serious losses. If you intend to attack Skeletons with Stormbirds, you must ensure that the counterattack of the latter destroys no more than 10-15% of your Stormbirds. Vampire Lords? Two Stormbirds will destroy 1 VL. This is not bad, but only when you have more Stormbirds than the opponent has Vampires. Liches would be a good target, but only if the number of Skeletons does not pose a serious danger. You can attack Ghosts, but they do not represent a serious threat to you. Ghost Dragons? They are no match for Stormbirds. Say, 25 Stormbirds meet 5 Ghost Dragons. Against a Necromancer, you will likely have a positive Attack/Defense ratio; against a Black Knight, it will be around zero. Stormbirds will deal 275-375 damage without a lightning strike. With an expert in Offense, the amount of damage will be 357-487, and 2 Ghost Dragons will die (a lightning strike will add more). During a counterattack, 1 Dragon will destroy 1 Stormbird, so your losses are small. Thus, a fivefold numerical superiority of Stormbirds ensures them an easy victory. The remaining Dragons will be finished off by Wolf Warriors and, if necessary, Orcs. Behemoths attack either Skeletons or Dread Knights. 1 Behemoth kills 1 Dread Knight, so they can be dealt with. Attacking Skeletons is especially advisable if they stand near Liches, so that Behemoths, hitting the Skeletons, simultaneously block the shots of the Liches. It is desirable that the attack of Behemoths on Skeletons be supported by additional strikes from Hobgoblins and, if necessary, Ogres. Shoot Dread Knights with Cyclops and Orcs. If Behemoths are fighting the latter, your shooters can switch to Skeletons, Hobgoblins to Liches, and Ogres help Behemoths destroy Dread Knights. Note that you have no units other than Behemoths to defeat hordes of Skeletons without significant losses, so if Behemoths attack Dread Knights, the latter must be completely destroyed as quickly as possible. Do not make suicidal attacks with low-level creatures on hordes of Skeletons. If you manage to destroy Ghost Dragons in the first round, that is very good, as then you possess the fastest unit on the battlefield. If Skeletons are a big problem, wouldn't it be better to leave troops in a waiting position so that the enemy approaches you? Then the Skeletons will fall behind due to slowness. See what happens: the enemy has the right of the last move (Dragons), he casts Mass Slow on you (necromancers love Earth Magic), and at the beginning of the second round—a simple Haste on Skeletons. After this, he quickly brings all troops into battle (including hordes of Skeletons, which in combination with a strike from Dread Knights can deal irreparable damage to your Behemoths). Ghost Dragons attack Wolves or Orcs, and Vampire Lords supported by Ghosts and same shots from Liches complete the rout. So do not delay; procrastination is like death. Forest Blockade If you are fighting a forest army, you find yourself between two fires. A Forest Blockade is a combination of high HP and strong shooters. If you have a tactical advantage (more often against a Druid, less often against a Ranger), then before deploying troops, you need to pay attention to the following circumstances: whether Pegasi are upgraded, where Elves are located, and who is next to them. Let's study Grand Elves. The Forest Blockade provides 14 of them per week, and they are very effective. With a separate Elf dwelling in addition, you may encounter 75 Grand Elves somewhere around the 6th week of the scenario. These 75 GE deal 450-750 damage. With an expert level Marksmanship skill (BOTH forest heroes are capable of this), these numbers increase to 675-1125. Reducing by half due to distance, we get an average number of 450. Against your low-level creatures, the damage will be even higher, and given your low defensive potential, they can be significant even for high-level monsters. If any of your stacks ends up in an area where GE make full-power shots, it will be disabled immediately! This means you have no choice; you must apply your usual tactics: a fast, overwhelming attack with all forces, blocking the GE before they have time to make their shot. Forest heroes rarely have Air Magic in their arsenal, but often (especially Druids) have Earth Magic. Even a Ranger can present magical surprises, so it is useful to have the Resistance skill when meeting a powerful hero from the forest. Place your shooters and low-level creatures outside the normal range of Silver Pegasi. Everyone else—out of reach of Combat Unicorns and Centaur Captains. At the same time, all your units must be beyond the full range of Grand Elves. This will reduce your losses in case the opponent starts with Mass Slow. The computer will most likely start with an attack by Gold Dragons and a spell. In this case, on your turn, use Mass Haste and destroy the Dragons, making the first attack on them with Behemoths. You probably could have attacked Grand Elves immediately, but the stack that does so is a clear dead man. So you will have to wait with this. For now, let only your shooters attack the Elves. If you have destroyed the Dragons and have a stack that has not yet moved, leave it waiting (in any case, Stormbirds should be waiting), then when the opponent moves all his units, he may find a suitable target. If you have relatively high Spell Power and an impact spell, at the beginning of the second round you can simply apply it to the Elves and remain waiting, out of reach of Unicorns. If Unicorns can reach you, cast Mass Shield or Mass Stone Skin and attack. If there are many Dendroids and they cannot be destroyed in one round, do not attack them until other enemy stacks are destroyed. Dendroids will counterattack and immediately remove the attacking stack from the game. First of all, destroy Unicorns, because when only Dwarves and Dendroids remain for the opponent, destroying them with shooter support will not be difficult. A human opponent most likely will not immediately attack with Dragons, but rather use them and Silver Pegasi to cover Grand Elves. In this case, cast Mass Haste as soon as you get the right to move and attack Elves only with shooters. Let other units remain waiting. If the opponent cannot dispel or cancel your Haste, then you will get the right to a double turn (interrupted only by Gold Dragons). Use this. As they say in Odessa, there is a big difference whether the opponent has simple Pegasi or Silver ones (there is a possibility that he will not find enough Crystals for their upgrade). If there are no Silver ones, then your tactics can be much more offensive, especially if you have the Resistance skill. Place your shooters in a 10-cell range, but try to do this out of reach of Pegasi, Unicorns, and Centaur Captains. Even if the opponent uses Mass Slow, you will get the right to move before his Elves enter battle. Cast Mass Haste and attack everyone in a row, but do not touch Dendroids. If the enemy has completely covered the Elves, they are still in the full fire zone of your shooters. Tower Since Tower and Stronghold have the same speed for their fastest units, and also Tower heroes very often study Air Magic, it is very important for you to have the right of the first move. On a neutral surface without special artifacts, the attacker moves first. Iona and Tain specialize in Djinns, so they can increase the speed of Master Djinns up to 12. Therefore, on maps where you have to meet Tower armies, Shiva is a good hero for you, increasing the speed of Stormbirds. The beginning of the battle with Tower is relatively easy for you. Position shooters within a 10-cell range, cast Mass Haste and attack. Attack Djinns with Stormbirds, Titans with Behemoths, add strikes on Titans with Wolves, attack Gremlins with Hobgoblins, bring Ogres to Mages as quickly as possible (but it is not necessary to attack Mages with them; you can simply block the latter by attacking a nearby stack). Shooters deal strikes to Nagas. If your hero is not Terrek, strike Titans with the first five stacks. When Terrek is in battle, Wolf Warriors can be used to strike Djinns already attacked by Stormbirds. Try, however, to avoid battle with a Tower force comparable to yours in strength and led by a good hero. If this fails, the opponent may have the right of the first move; then position troops outside the 10-cell range and out of reach of accelerated Golems, and if possible, also outside the action zone of accelerated Naga Queens. Tower deals a decent blow with its shooters. If Stormbirds survived the first attack, position them in front of Master Gremlins and let Golems move. Do not make the mistake of attacking Gremlins with all your accelerated ground troops. Golems will deal substantial damage to them, and if Nagas had not moved and were outside their range, they will now actively enter the game, crushing everything in their path (without counterattack!). Cast Mass Slow (gives you initiative in the second round) and destroy stacks that approached you (Djinns, Gargoyles, maybe Nagas). If the opponent does not send his units to attack, wait out his turn, then attack powerfully, trying to extract maximum benefit from the double move effect.

BASICS

With a fully built town and all upgrades, you receive 2650 HP per week, which is more than in any other town. For this, you will pay 26620 gold + 4 Crystals, so on average, 1 HP costs 10.05 gold, which is cheaper than anywhere else. To build and upgrade all dwellings, including the Fort, Tavern, and Capitol, you need 90500 gold (this is neither much nor little, averaging between the Dungeon and Tower), but you need 65 Crystals, more than other precious resources, while Wood and Ore consumption is also average. To fully build the town, with all additional structures, you need 106000 gold (also an average figure). Of all resources, Crystals require the highest expenditure - 95, which is the highest indicator for a primary resource among all towns. HEROES Your heroes are the Ranger (strength) and Druid (magic). Both types of heroes are typical for their class. A level 19 Ranger looks like 7 10 3 4, and a Druid - 3 5 7 8 (without artifacts and visiting map objects). The Ranger has no skill that must necessarily be present upon hire, while Druids always have Wisdom. Rangers rarely obtain Air Magic, Eagle Eye, own Logistics, Scholar, Sorcery, or Water Magic (the latter is still more frequent than Air Magic). There are high chances to learn Ballistics, Diplomacy, Earth Magic, First Aid, Training, Mysticism, Navigation, and Wisdom, with Resistance being the most likely. Druids reluctantly study Air Magic, Artillery, Fire Magic, Leadership, Navigation, Offense, Resistance, Pathfinding, and Tactics, while there are high chances to get Armorer, Ballistics, Diplomacy, Earth Magic, Logistics, Training, and Water Magic. The most likely skill is Luck. Remember that both types of heroes are the first candidates for learning Archery and Logistics (as well as Luck and Pathfinder). Usually, a Ranger from the magic schools has only Earth Magic, while a Druid most often has Earth and Water. It follows that even a well-developed Ranger is a stranger in the world of magic. This is somewhat compensated by the fact that every Ranger is capable of learning Resistance, and the forest creatures they control have special abilities that enhance your magic resistance. The above is also true for Druids, as they are far from the strongest wizards among magic-oriented heroes. Resistance is a necessary skill for any hero, but in combination with the special abilities of Dwarves, Unicorns, and Dragons, its value is even more significant. Druids study Resistance less frequently (the probability is lower than for Artillery, Fire Magic, Tactics, and Offense), however, Rangers usually either have it upon hire or learn it later. In general, it should be noted that Druids upon hire and development usually do not have the most necessary skills. The situation is different with Rangers. Ivor has Archery and Offense upon hire, and his specialty is Elves. Enova brings you a daily income of 350 gold. Kirri comes with Archery and Logistics skills, which he also has as a special ability. Mephala has Leadership and Armorer, and also specializes as an armorer, so when developed to level 12, she reduces damage dealt to her troops in melee by 24%. Riland has Leadership and Diplomacy upon hire (note that wandering monsters of various types will join him more often, and at the same time he will maintain their morale), and his specialty - Dendroids - allows your slowest unit to move faster. Thorgrim has Resistance at an advanced level and this same specialty, so if he is developed to a high level, he may prove quite invulnerable to enemy magic. Clancy and Ufretin are not as good as those mentioned above, but Ufretin's specialty - Dwarves - can be useful in the early stages of the game, as his Dwarves' speed will be higher. However, there is one more advantage Rangers have over Druids. One of the key skills - Tactics - is rarely found in a Druid, while Rangers receive it much more often. Tactics allows you to properly position your troops before the start of battle, protect Elves, or reduce the distance to the enemy so as to bring Dendroids into combat as early as possible. However, if you have no Ranger at your disposal at the start, you will have to choose a Druid as your main hero. This can have far-reaching consequences. It is unlikely that you will manage to learn Resistance and Tactics; moreover, your hero will not reach a high level of Attack and Defense. On the other hand, Druids are stronger in magic and have higher Knowledge stats (Elleshar is a good choice). Having a Druid as your main hero, you must build all 5 levels of the Mages' Guild before upgrading the Dragon Roosts! Keep in mind that if you have the Resurrection spell, it makes sense not to rush the upgrade of the Roosts (Resurrection works on Green Dragons, but not on Gold ones!), or to do it later, much later, when you have built the entire Mages' Guild and accumulated enough Crystals for the upgrade. Such a delay will save you a lot of money and resources; moreover, you can cast Resurrection, Prayer, and Clone on Green Dragons! Unfortunately, they are vulnerable to Berserk and Armageddon, so keep the situation under control and beware of heroes from Inferno (they tend toward expert-level Fire Magic). Since Druids have greater magic power than Rangers, the destructive effect of their spells will be stronger, allowing them to deal more damage to the opponent and, as a result, suffer fewer losses themselves. Everyone knows how important it is to increase a hero's primary skills. Another important thing: until you have the advanced Town Portal spell, you need to have AT LEAST TWO GOOD HEROES. One for exploration and capturing objects, another for defending the starting town. One of the problems when playing on impossible level is that you cannot afford to take experience from found treasure chests in the first week, as you need gold. This leaves your hero without secondary skills and without growth in primary ones. Therefore, you must use every opportunity to train the hero. FIGHT ALL WANDERING MONSTERS that you can defeat, even for 100 - 200 experience points. Visit every object. Capture any mine encountered on the way, even at the cost of most of your meager army (especially the Crystal Cave). This will pay off. Take every artifact, but only if it is free of charge, that is, for nothing. SPELLS You can fully build the Mages' Guild, but if your main hero is a Ranger, high-level combat magic is not the priority for you. Since you need many Crystals to build dwellings, you will have difficulties erecting the 4th and 5th levels of the Guild. The Forest Mages' Guild cannot have Bloodlust, Curse, Necro-spells, Armageddon, Sacrifice, or Summon Air and Fire Elementals. In principle, this is not so bad, since you do not study Fire Magic anyway. For a number of reasons, first-level Earth spells and mass Water spells are the most important for you. Four 4th-level spells are especially good: Town Portal, Resurrection, Prayer, and Clone. If at least two of them are at your disposal - that is good. In some cases, with an expert in Water Magic, Mass Bless is useful. Shown below is how much on average Mass Bless increases damage dealt by your upgraded creatures (amount produced per week, against a monster with attack and defense 10). The first number is the average damage without Bless, in parentheses - with Bless and the percentage improvement. 1. Centaur Captains 63 (100; 58.7%) 2. Combat Dwarves 55 (92; 67.3%) 3. Grand Elves 109 (163; 50%) 4. Silver Pegasi 68 (97; 42.6) 5. Dendroid Soldiers 93 (117; 25%) 6. Combat Unicorns 100 (115; 15%) On average, the increase in damage dealt is 35%, which is quite good, especially considering that for lower-level creatures (including Elves), this indicator is even higher. CREATURES Below is a list of all creatures from the Forest outpost compared with creatures of similar levels from other towns (excluding Conflux), with three indicators: X/Y/Z, where X is the absolute strength of this monster compared to others (1-strongest, 8-weakest); Y is its cost (1-most expensive, 8-cheapest); Z is the price/quality ratio, where 1 is the best ratio and 8 is the worst. 1. Centaur 1/1/3 2. Centaur Captain 1/1/2 3. Dwarf 1/4/1 4. Combat Dwarf 5/4-5/2 5. Wood Elf 6/3-6/6 6. Grand Elf 3/6/4 7. Pegasus 3/7-8/1 8. Silver Pegasus 4/7/1 9. Dendroid Guardian 7/8/2 10. Dendroid Soldier 7/8/5 11. Unicorn 5/5-6/2 12. Combat Unicorn 5/8/2 13. Green Dragon 4/4/3 14. Gold Dragon 3/4-5/2 When determining the relative cost of Dragons, only Gold was taken into account (without Crystals). From this table, it is evident that although forest dwellers are not the strongest warriors, in terms of price/quality ratio they are very successful, and this is a strategically advantageous factor. Centaurs/Centaur Captains The best among first-level creatures. Even a simple Centaur is better than all, even upgraded, 1st-level creatures (except Halberdiers), and a Centaur Captain is as strong as most non-upgraded 2nd-level creatures (and even stronger than the Archer, Lizardman, and Undead). Thus, their relatively high cost is fully justified. Upgrading the Centaur Dwelling costs 1000 gold and 5 Wood. Since the costs are relatively low, you can upgrade quite early. Centaur Captains have decent speed (8) and deal a fair amount of damage, making their use appropriate even in later stages of the game. In large numbers, they are capable of destroying enemy lower-level creatures on their own, and can also attack stronger monsters when the latter no longer have a counterattack. Dwarves/Combat Dwarves Tough creatures with a high HP indicator, which combined with 20% - 40% magic resistance provides them with a solid durability reserve. With a Miners' Guild in town, the weekly growth of Dwarves is 20, which is 400 HP. In large numbers, Dwarves are not very dangerous in melee, but because of their resistance, they are simply indispensable in ramming attacks to absorb enemy counterattacks. On the other hand, neither Dwarves nor Combat Dwarves play an important role in the early stages of the game, as they are slow and will reduce the hero's ability to move across the terrain. Therefore, leave all Dwarves that appear with hired heroes in the town. Upgrade them after Centaurs and buy only Combat Dwarves. Note how resistant Dwarves actually are. Suppose 60 Dwarves led by a Ranger encounter 54 Wolf Riders led by a Battle Mage. Differences between hero Attack/Defense are reduced to zero. Wolves are faster, so they wait for the Dwarves' turn and attack. With the first strike, they deal 162-216 damage and kill an average of 9 Dwarves. 51 Dwarves survive, and with an Attack/Defense difference of +2, they counterattack with a force of 112-224, destroying an average of 16 Wolves. The remaining Wolves deal a second strike of 114-152 damage, killing another 7 Dwarves. Result: after the first round, 44 Dwarves and 38 Wolves remain alive, which is not very good for the latter. Using Dwarves as Let's show this with an example: 90 Combat Gnomes attack 14 Monarch Wyverns. The Attack/Defense ratio is -7, and considering that the Beastmaster's defense is usually higher than the Ranger's attack, this ratio can reach as low as -10. In this case, 90 Combat Gnomes will deal 135-270 damage, killing 3 Wyverns, which is not impressive. But since we are using Gnomes to absorb the counterattack, what matters is not how many Wyverns are killed, but how many Gnomes remain alive. The Ranger's defense is usually slightly higher than the Beastmaster's attack, so the Attack/Defense ratio of Wyverns and Gnomes will decrease from +7 to, say, +4. In this scenario, 12 Monarch Wyverns will deal 239-316 damage, killing only 13 Gnomes. As we can see, your losses are also not too great. Due to their defensive resilience, Combat Gnomes are an indispensable screen for your Elves, especially in the early stages of the game. Later on, their sphere of application expands. Elves/Grand Elves Grand Elves are very impressive creatures. Their strength comes from a combination of double shot (making them similar to 4th-level shooters) and high growth (14 per week). Compare the average damage dealt by various shooters in the amount of weekly growth to monsters with defense strengths of 4/12/20: own same as source - Improved Archer - 99/76/58, Fanatic - 92/66/52, Evil Eye - 72/53/42, Queen Medusa - 72/53/42, Lizard Warrior - 42/33/25, Magog - 73/56/43, Powerful Lich - 150/109/86, Master Gremlin - 48/38/28, Archmage - 89/64/51, Titan - 200/160/120, Storm Elemental - 75/55/43, Ice Elemental - 72/54/42. And finally Grand Elves - 140/104/81. With the Sniper skill at expert level, which both types of forest heroes can easily achieve, the figures are even higher - 196/155/121, which is comparable in effectiveness to Titans! So, as long as Grand Elves are shooting, they are very dangerous for the enemy, but as soon as the enemy reaches them in melee, they perish extremely quickly. The damage they deal decreases almost 4 times (the Sniper skill no longer helps), and with only 15 HP, they are dangerously vulnerable even to low-level enemy units. Therefore, it is very important to provide them with maximum protection in battle, shielding them like a wall with your other creatures. Regardless of the difficulty level, you need to build the Manor in the first week and upgrade it on the 8th day (this is for impossible level; on easier levels, this can be done sooner). Then you buy all the Grand Elves, form 2 or 3 stacks of Centaurs to protect them, and set off to capture mines. Later, your tactics will depend on how well the Elves handle enemy shooters, so they are certainly among your most valuable creatures. Pegasi/Silver Pegasi One of the most unusual monsters in the game. Firstly, their growth is 10 per week, unlike the usual 8 for this level. The price difference between them is small. Since you cannot get Unicorns and Dragons in the city without building the Enchanted Spring, you need to invest 10 Crystals into it as early as the second week, but it will be difficult to find another 5 for the upgrade, as Crystals are needed for constructing the Magic Guild and Dragon Crags. If there is still an opportunity to upgrade, it's better to postpone the construction of Dragon Crags for a whole week. It is worth it. But even simple Pegasi are a good addition to your army, so they should be hired immediately after building the Enchanted Spring. Their special abilities are very useful, especially in a clash with a Might hero who has a low Knowledge level, as they force the enemy hero to spend 2 more mana points when casting a spell. This is not as relevant in the late stages of the game, but in the mid-game it can play an important role, as even simple, low-level spells cost the enemy quite dearly. In addition to everything, Pegasi and Silver Pegasi are fast creatures; they can be used as flying cavalry to destroy low-level creatures or can protect Elves by blocking 2 cells. When they accumulate in sufficient numbers, they can threaten any monsters, and their relatively low HP level (30) is not so terrible, so the use of Pegasi in your army is quite diverse. Guardian Treants/Soldier Treants With Branching Trees in the city (which increase Treant growth), they are born 8 per week, which amounts to 520 HP. This figure is very high and is surpassed only by the weekly HP production of Ancient Behemoths, Black Dragons, Titans, and Firebirds/Phoenixes. Even on impossible level, you have a good chance of building Treant Arbors in the first week, so it's possible that your stack of Treants will have the highest HP value in the entire area. Unfortunately, it will likely also be the slowest stack. Since constructing and upgrading Arbors requires only Gold and no resources, it makes sense to build them quite early. Because Guardian Treants are even slower than Soldier Treants, and you need to erect more important buildings than upgrade Arbors, it is advisable to leave Treants in the city at first. They slow down your hero's movement across the map too much. Later, you will need a lot of HP. The best role for Treants is to serve as a screen for Elves, but without the Tactics skill, they might not manage to do this in time. In any case, whether the enemy moves toward you or you actively attack, your goal is to bring the Treants into battle as quickly as possible. They have relatively low Attack, but this is compensated by their number. Their special ability - to root any attacked creature in place - is very useful. With roughly equal hero strengths, it's unlikely that the enemy will be able to deal with Treants using a single stack; they will have to bring others here, leaving other parts of the front unprotected. Severe damage can be dealt to them by Ancient Behemoths and Archangels, as described below. Starting from the seventh week, you may have 46 Soldier Treants in your army. You might have to face 9 Archangels or 11 Ancient Behemoths. So, 9 Archangels attack your 46 Treants. The Attack/Defense difference is 18, it could be less - 16 when meeting a Knight and 12 against a Cleric, due to the Ranger's high defense level. Therefore, the Knight's Archangels will deal 810 damage, and the Cleric's - 720, destroying 11-12 Treants with the first attack, which is a quarter of their total number. The Ancient Behemoths' attack reduces the enemy's defense, so the Attack/Defense difference will be +24 or thereabouts. 11 Ancient Behemoths will deal 726-1210 damage, killing 11-18 Treants. A word about magic. Fireball is cool, isn't it? You might meet an enemy with Might 15, expert Earth Magic, expert Sorcery, and the Fireball spell. If he tries to use it on Treants (and it can be reflected), he will deal 1638 damage, destroying 25 Soldier Treants, but 20 will still remain! When Treants participate in battle, remember the following: they are capable of holding all attacked enemies in place. The primary candidates for this are high-speed high-level creatures like Dragons, Angels, Devils, Efreets, and even Thunderbirds and Phoenixes. It is especially useful to root Champions (depriving them of their tournament bonus). Root Supergorgons so they cannot use their abilities on your 7th-level creatures. All those who do not encounter a counterattack (Vampires, Nagas, etc.) can also be successfully attacked by Treants. Multi-headed Hydras should also be included in the list of potential targets for Treants. Once attacked by them, they are practically out of action until the Treants retreat or die. Therefore, the choice of target for Treants must be very well thought out. Unicorns/Combat Unicorns Since ordinary Unicorns have the same unique features as Combat ones, it would not be a mistake to hire simple Unicorns if an upgrade is impossible. You need them. This unit is average: 90 HP, average attack and defense, average speed, average price. Not the strongest, but not weak either. However, special features make them better. A 20% chance to blind the enemy upon attack means a 20% chance of not receiving a counterattack; furthermore, a blinded unit is out of action for 3 rounds. The second property - a 20% chance to reflect enemy magic for your nearby creatures, which is added on top of the hero's existing Resistance and the Gnomes' own resistance. The upgrade adds 2 speed and 20 HP to Unicorns, and the price increases insignificantly, so the upgrade is useful. Unicorns and Combat Unicorns deal serious damage to the enemy, so do not hesitate to attack with them; moreover, this can lead to blinding an enemy stack. However, keep in mind that the Unicorns' special ability does not work on some monsters (specifically, all types of undead). If you position your troops near Unicorns (for magic protection), beware of those monsters in the enemy army that can perform multi-headed attacks (Hydras, Cerberi, Magic Elementals). Additionally, the attack of these creatures meets no counterattack. Green Dragons/Gold Dragons Upgrading Green Dragons to Gold is the second most effective upgrade in the game (the first being the upgrade from Giants to Titans). It is not recommended to buy and fight with Green Dragons. Of course, Green Dragons are not the worst fighters, but Gold ones are more than twice as effective, so do not delay the upgrade. Dragons can hold their own and can effectively attack any monsters except Supergorgons (the latter's deadly gaze can kill even the strongest creatures - see article(Fortress). But this, of course, does not mean that they can fight other creatures on their own without backup. The support of Dragons and their coordination with other forest creatures are described in the section dedicated to combat tactics. CONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT As before, advice is given relative to large and huge maps on very hard and impossible difficulty levels. When playing on impossible, you have neither money nor resources at the start (except for cases where you receive a bonus). Therefore, to build something on the first day, you must immediately move your hero to collect money and resources. If you find a treasure chest, take gold rather than experience. When you discover a Crystal Cave, Sawmill, or Mine, capture them immediately if there is even the slightest chance. You need Crystals, Wood in the early game, Ore, and Crystals once again! On very hard (but not impossible) level, you should hire another hero and equip him with a Spellbook (if he doesn't have one). Try to find and capture a second Crystal Cave as soon as possible. If you start with two towns, focus all your attention on one of them. Build the Town Hall (Prefecture) in the second town as quickly as possible, but then ignore it until you have enough Wood. Then build a Mages' Guild, Market, Blacksmith, and City Hall (Municipality) there. Further development of the second town can begin once you have managed to capture the first enemy town, but in this case, it is important to decide if it isn't better to upgrade the captured one, as there are usually already many buildings there and they are quite advanced. First week 1. Tower of Magic (buy a Book for the Ranger) 2. Town Hall 3. Market 4. Blacksmith 5. City Hall 6. Manor 7. Citadel/Treant Arches/Enchanted Brook/Dwarf Cottage In principle, it is not very important whether there is already a built Cottage at the start of the scenario or not, as this building stands alone and is not a prerequisite for constructing any other dwelling. The first 6 buildings will cost you 12500 gold, 25 Wood, and 5 Ore. On impossible, you probably won't be able to build every day; it is also possible that the construction order will change depending on the availability of money and a particular resource. However, in any case, it is necessary to build the Manor during the first week. To upgrade the Manor, you need 10 Wood, so building the Cottage can wait. By building the Citadel, you increase the growth of Elves and take an important step toward constructing the Capitol. If you have 10 Crystals available, build the Enchanted Brook rather than the Treant Arches, as Pegasi are mobile given sufficient strength, while Treants will significantly slow down your hero's movement. On most maps, it makes sense to acquire a second hero, especially if he is one of the 6 Rangers or has the +350 gold per day ability. Second week 1. Manor Upgrade This is mandatory. Hire all Grand Elves plus, if possible, several Pegasi, equip your most advanced Ranger with them and set out to capture mines. Pegasi and Centaurs will cover the Elves in battle. If you have the Tactics skill, two covering stacks will be quite sufficient. If you don't have Tactics and the speed of enemy monsters is 7 or higher, three such stacks are necessary. Divide the Elves into 2 stacks, one of which contains only 1 unit, and place them at the edges of the battlefield. In a battle with shooting monsters, the Elves must be divided into 3 stacks. What you build during the second week depends on resource availability and what was built on the 7th day. The Capitol needs to be built as soon as possible, so constructing the Citadel and Castle is advisable. Sometimes it makes sense not to build for 1-2 days in order to save gold and quickly erect the Capitol. Remember: building the Capitol is same only when you see that you will be able to accumulate resources to build Dragon Rocks by the end of the third week. Otherwise, it is better to create a Unicorn Glade. Next, it is possible to build the Cottage, Treant Arches, and Miners' Guild. Forget about the Treasury, as you have no gold for its construction. Forget about the Mystic Pond, as you cannot spend resources on it now, and the return from it will come very late. Do not make mistakes in construction, otherwise you may never build the Capitol. Third week If you still haven't built the Capitol, build it immediately. Save money if necessary. Once you have the Capitol, you can build the Resource Storehouse. You need it. Build everything described for the second week that you haven't managed to build yet. Build the second level of the Mages' Guild, as it is required for constructing Dragon Rocks. It doesn't matter whether you can build the Rocks immediately after this or not. In general, you will have serious problems with resources for Dragon Rocks, so it may be necessary to exchange your Mercury and Sulfur for Crystals and Ore at the Market. Again, forget about the Treasury. Build it only if your daily income is at least 7000 gold (1 Capitol, 1 City Hall, 1 gold mine). Fourth week Dragon Rocks must definitely be built. The 7th day of the fourth week is the deadline for their construction. It would be great if there is a Hill Fort nearby, as you will upgrade Green Dragons to Gold ones right there and save a lot of money and resources on upgrading the Rocks. This will allow you to continue building new levels of the Mages' Guild. If not, you have a difficult choice—whether to build the Mages' Guild or save funds for the Dragon Rocks upgrade. In any case, you need at least the third level of the Guild, so build it. Further choice depends on the characteristics of your main hero. Is his Spell Power 4 or more? Knowledge 6 or more? Does he have Wisdom at an advanced level? Is there a skill in Earth Magic at least at the advanced level for Resurrection and Town Portal spells to work successfully? Are there any other magic skills, especially in Water Magic, even at expert level? If you answer yes to most of these questions, build the Guild (especially if your main hero is a Druid). If not, why do you need high levels of magic when you are resistant to it yourself? Save funds and buy all emerging creatures so that an accidental epidemic doesn't destroy them. FORCES Consider several simple points. 1. You are strong in Tactics, have expert Water Magic and the Prayer spell (even Druids far from always have Air Magic in their arsenal, and Haste does not play a big role. Without Air Magic at least at advanced level, Haste will give Treants only +3 speed bonus (and soldier-Treants will not have speed 7 on grass), and they can cover the distance to the opponent in one turn only if there is full tactical superiority (you are an expert, and the enemy has no Tactics), but even then your Dwarves will remain far behind, and the enemy hero can cast any spells after you have cast Haste). No problem. Position troops wisely (against Castle and Inferno so that Archangels and Archdevils cannot attack Elves, however, position your cover such that it is also possible to attack), after this, when the turn passes to your Dragons, cast Mass Prayer and first attack those enemy units that possess higher speed, trying to destroy all of them before the turn passes to the opponent. If the battle continues, then in the second round cast Mass Bless and finish off the enemy. 2. If the enemy has no strong shooters and good magic, everything is simple. Let the enemy come closer, shoot with Elves and finish off the rest using your high attack power and casting one or two spells at the right moment. However, it may happen that the enemy has good spells they can use against Elves. Or you have no advantage in Tactics, and the enemy can direct their strong and fast flying units toward them, such as Archangels, Efreet Sultans, Black Dragons, after which the Elves will not be able to shoot and will quickly perish. Additionally, it is dangerous to place cover near Elves in battles with the following towns: Dungeon (extended fire attack of Dragons), Conflux (extended fire attack of Phoenixes), Necropolis (death cloud of Liches), Inferno (ball lightning of Magogs). Moreover, Fortress (Hydras), Inferno (Cerberi) and Conflux (Magic Elementals) can perform multi-headed attacks. The remaining towns—Castle, Stronghold and Tower—have good shooters (at least two types), and their heroes often study Air magic and can cast Mass Haste. Summing up, it should be noted that every advantage of yours has a flip side; strength and weakness are equally inherent to forest troops: 1. Magic resistance. Your great advantage. This quality is fully applicable only to Rangers, and they in turn cannot be strong wizards themselves. Gold dragons are resistant to most enemy negative spells, but they are also immune to all your positive ones. 2. Grand Elves. Truly strong shooters, but they are strong only as a single large stack, and thus they are easy to attack. Protect Grand Elves by all possible means. 3. Attack points. You produce more attack power than in any other town, but 35% of them are so slow that it is difficult to carry out an attack with their help. Summing up the second and third points, note that if Elves are eliminated as a threat, your army loses very serious support and may lose the battle, but while Elves deal significant damage to the enemy, you can fully use the superiority in attack power. If you are fighting against a large army led by a strong hero, it would be a big mistake to divide your troops by attacking with fast units and covering Elves with slow ones. In this case, you must attack with ALL forces, as 35% of your attack points are slow. So, without strong magic support (Prayer), your goal is to keep the Elves untouched and take out enemy shooters. On the other hand, if the enemy has taken out the Elves and you want to approach and attack him, do not rush! Your fast units may not cope without the support of slow and sturdy ones. Thereby you will give the enemy a chance to destroy your monsters one by one. When you have Dragons in your army, keep the following in mind: It is a well-known fact that Dragons can destroy their own troops with fire as well as enemy ones, so be careful when positioning your units. If you have neither Mass Haste nor Mass Prayer, or if the enemy has units faster than your Dragons, you need to position troops wisely before battle. This is relevant even if your hero has Tactics, as the enemy may possess Tactics too. Rule A: place Dragons in the center slot. In this case, they will not burn their own troops if they are immediately attacked. Rule B: during your attack, NEVER place your unit such that there is one unoccupied cell between it and the Dragons. Position them either next to the Dragons or at a distance of at least two cells. Following this rule, you will not always be able to effectively attack the enemy, but there is no alternative: otherwise your unit will be burned by its own Dragons when they counterattack. On the other hand, wisely use the Dragons' ability to perform an extended attack. It is preferable that they do not receive a powerful counterattack from the enemy during this. It is best to attack weak enemy units with Dragons, next to which stronger ones stand within the zone of extended fire attack. When you have Dragons, Mass Slow is very useful, as the enemy's ability to move is reduced and he cannot always move his units out of the extended attack. Gold dragons are immune to all spells except 5th-level spells. This means that you will not be able to cast Prayer, Clone, or Resurrection on them, but then again, Armageddon, Berserk, and Chain Lightning do not affect them. However, the enemy can use Explosion against them. Sacrifice is a useful spell and capable of reviving some killed Gold dragons, but you cannot get it in the Forest Enclave (and no other town except Dungeon, Inferno, and Necropolis). Furthermore, your heroes cannot have Fire Magic skill, so the enemy will be able to use Explosion much more often and effectively to destroy Dragons than you can use Sacrifice to restore them. The essence of this spell is that it is better to sacrifice a large number of creatures with low attack power than a small number of monsters with high attack power. Example: having a hero with Spell Power 6 and no Fire Magic, you need to sacrifice 11 soldier-Treants (715 AP), 20 Pegasi (600 AP), 26 Dwarves (520 AP) or 40 Centaur Captains (400 AP) to revive 3 Gold dragons. Remember that you only need 75 PEASANTS (75 AP!) or 58 Master Gremlins or Imps/Suckers (232 AP) to get the same effect. Interesting observation: the immune properties of Gold dragons allow for high efficiency in using the Magic Mirror spell on them. This, firstly, means that you need to quickly build the Mages' Guild up to the fifth level; secondly, the enemy is unlikely to dare use Explosion against them. On the other hand, your heroes have a number of more successful spells at their disposal than Magic Mirror. Using it makes sense when you have a clear superiority in army strength, your hero is a Ranger, and the enemy hero is strong in magic, while you cannot destroy his army immediately. Then, by applying Magic Mirror, you will protect Gold dragons from enemy magic. On the other hand, in such a situation, it might be better to cast Anti-Magic on Grand Elves. Another interesting spell is Cloning (at the right moment). Despite the fact that you cannot clone Gold dragons, you can do this with Elves, Unicorns and even Treants! A Treant clone can attack and immobilize a second enemy stack, but only if it has already used its attack and counterattack. Two words about Teleportation. The first candidate for this is Treants, and in some cases the effect can be very good. On the other hand, it's better to do this in the middle of the round, as if the enemy has already used a spell, Mass Slow or Mass Bless may prove more useful. If not, then don't do this against fans of Air Magic—Castle, Stronghold and Tower. You cannot allow the enemy to cast Mass Haste with impunity

FOREST SETTLEMENT TACTICS AGAINST OTHER TOWNS
It is assumed that you do not have Mass Haste and Mass Prayer. A Ranger is taken as the primary hero. If you have a Druid instead, their battles involve active use of magic, especially the Fireball spell if you have it. At the same time, there are much stronger wizards than Druids, and creatures more resistant to magic than Gold Dragons. The Castle holds the Initiative advantage, as the Archangels get the first word. Fortunately, the Castle has few opportunities to exploit this advantage. Immediate use of Mass Haste or Mass Prayer, or even Mass Slow, can be neutralized in advance by clever tactical positioning of troops. However, keep in mind that if enemy Champions and Royal Griffins can attack you immediately, and Fanatics and Archers fire before your turn begins, the enemy may instantly destroy your Elves. Suppose you have a tactical advantage. In this case, you can shield the Elves from an immediate Archangel attack. After that, the goal is to take out the Archers and Fanatics as quickly as possible. If the enemy casts a spell immediately (and it has no prolonged effect), cast Mass Slow and leave your units in wait position, except for the Elves. At the start of the second round, cast Mass Bless, Mass Shield, or Mass Stone Skin and start the slaughter. If the opponent does not cast immediately, the situation becomes more complicated. Fanatics are faster and clearly stronger than Elves, and a simple Haste cast on Archers will also allow them to fire earlier. Additionally, there is a chance that good Knight morale will allow them to fire again; furthermore, the opponent may possess the Archery skill (remember that Orrin has Archery as his own specialty, so his shooters will be even stronger). In this case, try to respond immediately by casting Mass Slow on the enemy or simple Haste on the Elves so they can fire first. However, a Knight-type hero may possess some magic resistance, which should be kept in mind. An interesting situation arises when neither opponent is in a hurry to cast spells. In this case, the Castle cannot wait until the very end when it's the turn of the waiting Archangels, because you, having gained the turn for Pegasi or Gold Dragons (who were also waiting), can simply blind the Archangels, thus depriving the enemy not only of the ability to cast in this round but also of the Archangels' turn! If you do not have a tactical advantage, the Archangels will be able to attack the Elves (or even the Dragons) immediately, possibly supported by magic. In this case, there is simply nothing you can do. On the other hand, in this scenario, you have a clear target for attack while the rest of the enemy troops are still far away. Even if the enemy casts Mass Prayer or Mass Haste, you can in turn apply Mass Slow or Mass Dispel, so only enemy shooters will deal damage to you (and even then at half size) while you strike the Archangels time and again. It would be a mistake to attack them immediately with Dragons or Pegasi, as surviving Archangels will cause significant damage with their counterattack. If possible, try to destroy the Archangels in the first round without involving Dragons and Pegasi, leaving them in wait position to have a double turn for the latter (last in the first round and first in the second). To this end, hit the Archangels with Unicorns, Dendroids, Centaurs, Dwarves, and remaining Elves; they will do nothing better in this situation. If very few Elves remain after the first Archangel strike, it makes sense to sacrifice the rest by dealing the first blow to the Archangels and forcing them to use their counterattack. When all your units have moved and it is the turn of the waiting Pegasi, attack the Archers with them, and the Fanatics with Dragons. This will give you an advantage, but the battle is far from over. Crusaders and Griffins will have their say. The best unit for fighting Griffins is Dendroids, while Unicorns face off against Crusaders. Dragons fight Champions, and Dwarves, Centaurs, and Pegasi are quite sufficient for fighting Halberdiers and supporting other groups. Keep in mind that it is vital to conduct the battle with all units simultaneously, so at the start of the second round, it may make sense to move the Dragons and Pegasi back! Dungeon Even though initiative is in your hands (Gold Dragons are faster than Black), the enemy has an advantage because their troops are better prepared for immediate melee combat. Enemy 7th and 6th level units can attack you immediately, and their 5th level is twice as fast as yours and capable of dealing great damage. Magic immunity and the high speed of Black Dragons represent a serious threat to you. The chances of learning Air Magic are equal for a Wizard and a Druid, and for an Overlord and a Ranger. So if your Ranger cannot use Mass Haste, it is most likely that the Overlord will not either. A Wizard is more capable of this, but he cannot have Tactics, which gives you a chance to position troops wisely at the start of the battle. This chance may not exist in a clash with an Overlord. In general, if you do not have Expert-level Tactics, you will have serious problems. A small tactical advantage over underground troops is easily neutralized by simple Haste on King Minotaurs, allowing them to attack your troops quickly and very effectively. When meeting a Wizard, it is better if you have a Ranger on your side. The Wizard may be an unsurpassed mage, but your Resistance skill will neutralize some of his spells, while the tactical advantage and clear superiority in the hero's Attack and Defense are on your side. Unfortunately, the Wizard may possess very good spells, such as Resurrection. Both armies have Dragons in their composition and, consequently, cannot cover their shooters. This is bad for you, as your shooting power is concentrated in one stack. The enemy has two shooting units that cannot be taken out by Dragons alone (the enemy can do this). Furthermore, Elves are stronger than enemy shooters in ranged attack but far more vulnerable in melee. They have fewer HP and deal only half damage in close combat, while both enemy shooting units deal 100% damage in melee, and Medusas can additionally cause an enemy stack to turn to stone for a time. This means the enemy can do much more if they take out the Elves with Dragons or Scorpidons, while your Dragons will only take out half of their shooters. Additionally, Elves will suffer significantly greater losses than Evil Eyes and Medusas under Dragon attack. If you have a tactical advantage, your opponent is likely a Wizard. Protect the Elves. Place them in a corner of the field. Position Dragons diagonally in front of them, leaving free space between them. Put Dwarves behind the Dragons so that only one cell remains between the Dwarves and the Elves. Position Dendroids behind the Dwarves, so that the prolonged attack of the Dragons can only damage them and the Dwarves, but not the Elves. Place other groups outside the reach of Scorpidons. Once you have positioned the troops, leave the Gold Dragons in wait position and see what the opponent does. If he attacks immediately with Black Dragons, deal the first blow to them with Dendroids. Leave all troops in wait position, except for the Elves, who should shoot at Evil Eyes, Medusas, or Dragons (if necessary). The enemy may use a Fireball spell against the Elves or Gold Dragons, and there is no defense against this unless the Resistance skill triggers. Do not cast spells until the enemy does so first. If he casts Mass Slow, slow him down as well. It is only bad if the enemy has very destructive spells and uses them. Keep in mind that competing in magic with a Wizard is useless, even if your hero is a Druid, since the Wizard's magic power is greater, and Resurrection still does not work on Dragons. Meteor Shower can deal a lot of damage, including to Elves. The enemy will cast such spells quite early. In this case, use whatever magic is available to you and attack the enemy. You cannot wait, otherwise the enemy's magic will simply destroy you. If you do not have a tactical advantage, it means you are fighting an Overlord. He is not as skilled in magic, so he will not deal much damage with destructive spells. Unfortunately, you will not be able to cover the Elves during the tactical phase. When facing a strong Overlord (he WILL have the Tactics skill), a good idea is to leave the Elves with your second hero and go into battle with 6 stacks. The enemy will not have the opportunity to deal a prolonged strike with Black Dragons, and Gold Dragons are faster, so initiative is yours. Attack incoming Black Dragons with any stack for the purpose of using a counterattack, then finish them off with Gold Dragons. Another option—if possible—is to immediately attack Black Dragons with Gold ones so that during the counterattack they and their unit. This, however, is a clear grave for Gold Dragons, and possibly only in the case where the enemy has all 7 stacks filled. Your Dendroids need speed. If the enemy hasn't cast any mass spell in the first round, use Mass Slow, then simple Haste on the Dendroids, which will give you wide freedom of maneuver. Dendroids can enter the battle quickly even without using Haste if the enemy immediately tries to close in for melee. If this happens, do not attack Black Dragons with Unicorns, as this nullifies the Unicorns' ability to blind the enemy. Try to deal with the Scorpicores quickly due to their paralyzing ability. As long as you are more than 10 tiles away from the enemy shooters, they won't deal much damage and there is no particular need to approach them. But if you have entered their full attack range, do not let them shoot; instead, engage in direct contact. Harpy-Kargis can be quite dangerous, especially if Blessed, so take care of them. Dwarves are fully capable of handling them, as are Pegasi, but they may be needed to fight Medusas or Evil Eyes, or even to destroy the last Dragons and Scorpicores. Use Dendroids wisely: remember, a stack attacked by them cannot move, but strike only the one that is in front of the Dendroids. Centaur Captains can effectively attack large clusters of Troglodytes or even Harpies, and can also support their comrades' attacks on stronger enemy units, though they won't deal much damage in this case. Fortress The enemy is forced to advance toward you by land, and that is good. It is unlikely they know Air Magic, so as with the Dungeon, there is no need to fear Mass Haste. Of course, slowing the enemy even further is useful, but keep in mind that swamp heroes often know Water Magic, so they may remove spells cast on them with Mass Cure or Dispel. Moreover, they often know the Teleport spell and can deliver a very unpleasant surprise—teleporting a stack of Supergorgons to attack Gold Dragons and immediately destroy many of them. A teleported stack of Chaos Hydras can truly bring chaos to your ranks, destroying several stacks at once without fearing a counterattack. Against the Witch, you have a tactical advantage. Use it to cover Elves with Dwarves and Unicorns. You also need to protect Gold Dragons from teleported Supergorgons using Dendroids and Pegasi for this purpose. Leave everyone in wait position and try to apply Mass Slow. Mass Bless is also useful. Cloning Elves would not be a mistake (ensure there is room for the clone). Focus on destroying Gorgons (Dendroids are good for this) and Hydras (with Dragons and Unicorns). Elves are much stronger than Lizard Warriors, but until you destroy the latter, there is no point in using cloning (even one frail lizard will destroy your strong clone with a single hit). Against the Beastmaster, there likely won't be a tactical advantage. Immediately cast Mass Slow, then position troops as in the tactical phase against the Witch, and shoot with Elves. Usually this works well, and victory will be yours, although many warriors will not return alive. Inferno Many believe there is nothing to gain here. The greatest danger for you is the enemy having expert Fire Magic and the Berserk spell. Since the first move is theirs, they can apply it immediately. Furthermore, they can immediately attack with their two strongest units. Remember that BOTH types of Inferno heroes are proficient in Tactics, and you may not have an advantage at the start of the battle; but even if that's not the case, Magogs are as fast as Archers, have better Attack and Defense, more HP, and are very dangerous given their damage effect on tiles adjacent to the target. So if you cover the Elves in the tactical phase, the Magog attack will be quite sensitive. Thus, if you have a tactical advantage and have covered the Elves, immediately cast Mass Slow so that the Elves shoot before the Magogs (but note that this won't work in battles on lava; moreover, the enemy may have Resistance). On the other hand, you remain defenseless against expert Berserk or Curse. Here is the usual movement order for forest troops: Dragons, Pegasi, Unicorns, Centaurs, Elves, Dwarves, and Dendroids. Expert Berserk captures 4 stacks out of 7 filled and 3 out of 6. For the enemy, the best moment to cast Berserk would be before the turn of Efreet Sultans, to apply it to Pegasi, Unicorns, Centaur Captains, and Elves. For this, the specified units must be in slots 2-5 or 3-6. A second convenient moment is before the Cerberi's turn—on Centaurs, Elves, Dwarves, and Dendroids. Remember that there is no particular need to place Dragons in the center slot before battle: Devils do not trigger counterattacks, so if they attack Dragons, you needn't fear scorching friendly units. However, the enemy may apply simple Haste to Efreet Sultans, who in turn can attack Dragons such that the latter counterattack and hit their own troops; therefore, the middle slot is still the safest place for Dragons. The following troop arrangement is recommended (left to right, slots 1 - 7): Silver Pegasi, Centaur Captains, Battle Dwarves, Dragons, Unicorns, Dendroids, Elves. If you have a tactical advantage and decided to cover the Elves (for example, if the enemy doesn't have many Magogs), do so using Dendroids and Unicorns. Resistance can help you against Berserk. Whether you covered the Elves or not, let the enemy approach you. Try to cast Mass Slow. Shoot at Efreets. Dragons wait and can attack Magogs at the end of the round. In most cases, it's better to let Magogs make one shot (even considering their Ball Lightning attack) than to attack them immediately. Efreet Sultans are a major threat. If the enemy used Mass Curse, counter it with Mass Bless or Mass Slow. Inferno has the lowest HP of all cities, so try to use your advantage in this regard. Necropolis Those who think Necropolis is a weak city are gravely mistaken. When you encounter a full army of undead led by a good hero somewhere in the middle of the second month or later, they may even have more HP than you! A good Necromancer with a Necromancy Amplifier and even without Necro-artifacts raises 40% of fallen enemies as skeletons. Your weekly HP production is 450 higher than that of Necropolis, but that's only 75 Skeletons. To get them, the Necromancer must destroy 200 creatures a week, and the ability to do this depends on the map. Where there are many large clusters of low-level creatures, this is quite possible, and the enemy will accumulate a huge mass of Skeletons, and their HP will be greater than yours. Both types of Necropolis heroes are strong in magic, and in this regard, they are better than your Druids. This means that even a Death Knight (power hero) casts better than a Druid (magic hero) and better than a Ranger, because Necropolis heroes can know all spells at expert level except the Fire school, Bless, and Prayer, including Cloning and Teleportation for hordes of Skeletons. Keep in mind that on any terrain other than grass, or when your hero is Ivor, Strong Liches will shoot before your Grand Elves. Furthermore, they have an expanded damage area similar to Magogs, but attack significantly stronger. Their Attack/Defense ratio is +8 against Elves, +1 against Dendroids, and -1 against Unicorns. A powerful group of 24 Liches will deal enough damage even with a half-attack at range. On grass, you can immediately cast Mass Slow (you have the initiative). This will allow you to cover the Elves and let them shoot at Liches first. This technique works well against Necromancers, but Death Knights, like all Power heroes, have Resistance abilities, and then 1 or 2 of their stacks will not react to Slow. Of course, it is very important to quickly remove Liches from the fight, but it would be a mistake to immediately attack them with Dragons or Pegasi. The latter could be quickly destroyed in such a case. However, the enemy may well send their Ghost Dragons to attack your Elves, as Dragons are far from his best units. Hordes of Skeletons cause greater concern; indeed, without good support from shooters, it may even be impossible to oppose them. 600 Skeletons deal 600-1800 damage when attacking! In a clash with Gold Dragons, this number will be halved due to the Attack/Defense ratio, but it is still better to attack Skeletons with other units. Additionally, in a Necropolis army, there is always a kamikaze stack that can be used to absorb counterattacks. Necromancers will always attack first with Zombies and only then with Skeletons, so if flying Dragons or Pegasi are subjected to such an attack, they will be killed. Vampire Lords represent a much smaller danger. Simply ignore them at first. They won't do much harm, but only if you attack them with high-level creatures to reduce the Vampire Lords' opportunities for self-regeneration. It is desirable to attack Skeletons with Elves to reduce their number to one that can be handled in melee. Quickly cast Mass Slow, cover the Elves and shoot at Liches, then attack the latter with Dragons at the end of the first round. After this, Elves switch to Skeletons or Knights of Terror (depending on the quantity of either and their ability to deal damage), but keep in mind that Elves can deal more damage to Skeletons, and also take into account the distance to the target. Try to handle Skeletons at a distance, but if that fails, attack them with several stacks at once without fearing counterattack, quickly reducing their number. Pegasi are ideal for destroying Spirits, especially after the death of Ghost Dragons, when they can deal a double hit—at the end of the round and at the beginning of the next. The Ranger does not have many magic points, so it is useful to destroy Spirits quickly since they drain mana from the hero. Dendroids should carry out the first attack on Knights of Terror, while Gold Dragons can handle Ghost Dragons without outside help. Unicorns cannot use their Blinding ability here; their primary target is Vampire Lords. And finally, the Raise Dead spell. A Necromancer with magic power 10 and expert Earth Magic skill can restore 660 HP for 12 magic points. This is 110 Skeletons, 16 Vampire Lords or Strong Liches, 5 Knights of Terror, or 3 Ghost Dragons. This is a lot. Be prepared that some enemies will have to be defeated twice! Fortress Both types of enemy heroes (Barbarian and Battle Mage) will almost certainly have Tactics and Air Magic. You will not have a tactical advantage, but it is important not to give it to the opponent, as even a small difference in Tactics (2 tiles) will allow the enemy to advance their troops, then apply Mass Haste and wipe you off the face of the earth. On any surface except potholes, you should cover Elves with Dragons and Silver Pegasi, as they will move before the fastest barbarian unit. Mass Slow will allow Elves to shoot before any hit is dealt to them. But be careful, as both types of Fortress heroes study Resistance well. Moreover, the enemy may apply Mass Haste over Slow, giving them a speed advantage. A Barbarian has the same probability of studying Air Magic as a Ranger does Earth Magic, and a Battle Mage has the best chances in both schools. Here are approximate options for conducting the first round against an enemy who used Mass Haste: 1. You can apply Mass Stone Skin, Mass Shield, or Mass Bless. 2. You can wait until the enemy makes their moves and then apply Mass Slow. 3. You can blind Behemoths. Second round - continuation of 1: 1. The opponent begins the turn with Thunderbirds, but you have Dragons who are faster. 2. Try to find good targets for attack so that you can apply Mass Bless in time. 3. You disrupt enemy plans because without Behemoths he is capable of little. Regardless of the option, Behemoths must be destroyed as quickly as possible. Since the unit that attacks them first will pay for it in blood, choose such a unit wisely. Deal the first blow to Behemoths with Elves (Cyclopes will have already shot by this time, and Orcs are not as dangerous), except, of course, if you blinded the Behemoths. Since Dragons and Pegasi have already moved to cover the Elves (if you didn't have a tactical advantage), you don't have many forces at your disposal. Dendroids are better used against Thunderbirds. Centaur Captains and Dwarves fight well against Goblins and Wolves. Unicorns will likely continue the attack on Thunderbirds started by Dendroids. In the second round, Mass Slow must be applied as quickly as possible. You need to take care of two stacks—Behemoths and Ogres. Usually, Dendroids are capable of handling Ogres, but what about Behemoths? Having slowed the enemy, you should not hesitate yourself. Attack Cyclopes with Dragons, and Orcs or surviving Thunderbirds with Pegasi. Unicorns go for Behemoths, as there is a chance they will blind them. If not, each surviving Behemoth will kill a Unicorn. Elves also shoot at Behemoths. Centaur Captains destroy Goblins, Wolves, or remaining Thunderbirds, or continue the attack on Behemoths started by Unicorns (they will deal significant damage only if Bless is cast on them). The same applies to Dwarves. Dendroids attack Ogres. If the tactical advantage is on your side at the start of the battle, cover Elves with Dendroids and Unicorns and attack with Dragons and Pegasi at the end of the first round and beginning of the second. Tower There are very strong shooters here. There is no need to cover Elves. Tactical advantage becomes very important. You have every chance for this, as the Wizard has the lowest probability of studying Tactics among all heroes, and the Alchemist has the lowest probability among all power heroes. Thanks to Tactics, you will reduce the distance to the enemy army for Dwarves and Dendroids and bring them into battle already in the second round. Applying Mass Slow and an immediate attack with all forces is possible in a battle against a weaker army or against a strong army led by a weak hero. The ideal place for positioning dragons is the gap between Titans and Naga Queens (attacking Nagas and protecting your troops from the ranged attack of Titans), or where they can apply extended fire attack. The enemywill not be able to quickly destroy the Elves with ranged attacks, but since Tower heroes are strong in magic, they can present you with many unpleasant surprises. Another option is to teleport Dendroids directly to the Titans and fly Dragons to the Mages, and Pegasi to the Master Gremlins. However, on their turn, the enemy may cast Haste and actively attack the Pegasi and Dragons (keep in mind that Titans fight in melee just as well as they shoot; furthermore, they can move quickly across the battlefield), while Gargoyles will block the Elves, leading to a great deal of bloodshed—and not in your favor. Such tactics are not recommended against a strong hero. Position your troops 10 tiles away from the enemy shooters. Do not cast any spells yet. Leave everyone in wait mode. Ignore what the enemy does to the Elves (he will, of course, maul them). If the enemy casts Haste, apply Slow. If he casts Slow, remove it with Dispel or Cure. Start the second round of battle with Slow. If the enemy is already slowed, apply Bless. A Wizard cannot learn Resistance, but an Alchemist can, so some of his units might not be slowed; therefore, try to attack them first. After waiting, you can attack with Pegasi and Dragons (Unicorns will likely still be far away, 10 tiles off). Pegasi take on the Master Gremlins or Gargoyles, while Dragons burn the Mages or Genies (if a sustained attack is not possible). In the second round, attack the Titans with Dragons and Pegasi (try to block their shooting and movement). Try to destroy the Genies and Mages with Unicorns and Centaurs. Stop the Golems with Dwarves, and the Nagas with Dendroids. Another option is to concentrate Dragons and Unicorns on the Nagas. This makes sense if there are more Nagas than Titans, and in such numbers they are clearly stronger