Posts from Demon invasion. Auto-translated

Dude, you're just not playing the second mission correctly, especially the part where you have to play as Sigrid. Basically, the idea is this: at the beginning, generate the map as many times as possible until you get a spell from the first chest, and it's essential that the witch gives you either Sorcery, Chaos, or Enchantment (this is very important because you won't get far in this mission without these skills). In Sorcery, go for Attraction and take +2 spells there; in Enchantment, go for Secret Knowledge and take another +2 spells. And it's really important to take Chaos and develop it through Fire up to Pyromancy.
Also, an important point is that you definitely need the spell generator at the beginning because there are bears nearby that you need to kill; there's an artifact that gives +3 and a statuette that gives +1.
It's also a good idea to take Defense and grab "Last Stand" there; it will help a lot.
And the most important thing: after you clear everything out, there will be mummies standing nearby, guarding an artifact (the Phoenix Feather). You absolutely have to kill them; they'll be blown away by Devil's Strike.
Then, go after the Necromancer; I only lost 2 Imps in the fight against him.

The Devilish Strike really does the trick. I remember struggling for about 5 hours trying to kill the Necromancer with a chain attack, and I didn't even use it at first. With a magic-focused build, everything is different: in the first mission, I won the Dungeon in less than 2 months (here's a battle with the last demon around week 7: ). In the second mission, I defeated the Necromancer on the first try without any problems; I completed the third mission in just over 3 months (but there, Dark Magic is a must-have to get the garrison to the orange portal), and the fifth mission in 3 months, 3 weeks, and 5 days (there, machines are essential to defeat the golems/gargoyles). In total, it took 701 days (using the "u.s." - hero) to complete. I received the Dragon Arcat badge, and there are definitely areas where I could improve; maybe I'll try to get the Thunderstorm sometime.

The Devilish Strike really makes a difference. The first few times, I played without using it, and I remember struggling for about 5 hours, trying to kill the Necromancer with a chain spell. With a magic-focused build, everything is different: in the first mission, I won the dungeon in less than 2 months (here's a battle with the last demon around week 7 ). In the second mission, I defeated the Necromancer on the first try without any problems; I completed the third mission in just over 3 months (but there, Darkness is a must-have to get the garrison to the orange portal), and the fifth mission in 3 months and 5 days (there, machines are essential to defeat golems/gargoyles). In total, it took 701 days (u.s. - hero), and I received the Dragon Arcat badge. In principle, there are some areas where I could improve; maybe I'll try to get the Thunderstorm sometime.

Tell me, in the second mission, when should I leave with Shio? You said that when you talk to the mentor, he gives a hint to get rid of something, but I don't understand what.

Tell me, in the second mission, when should I leave with Shio? The mentor says something about getting rid of something, but I don't understand what.

You need to have only 2nd-tier demons in your army.

As I was replaying the second mission (again, as a hero), I got incredibly lucky – I found a Tom of Power, the witch had the Education skill, I found a staff somewhere, and I had a Phoenix Cloak – I was dealing 16 spell power and (!) using the Phoenix Cloak. I took down the Necromancer, and not many troops were left (I lost a few along the way, and after the battle, I had about 20-30 Imps and around 5 Dogs left), but basically, I got lucky with 24 spell power. Meanwhile, things are bleak and depressing down below; the Mentor is surrounded by hordes of uncontrollable creatures, and not every neutral will fall in battle when you choose them. So, I killed the first Knight using a cheat, just in case, because I can't possibly defeat him in a month while he's cut off from the path back. It's a kilometer to him (I couldn't reach the portal near the Dark Elves in a month – what kind of Knight is he if even the neutrals are barely defeated?), and an attack there will wipe out most of his troops. The hero only gained 15 levels in a month, there's enough meat for experience, but it's hard to make progress. Meanwhile, I've completed all the Sigrif quests except for the demon transformation. I'm looking at the drunken creatures with their unimproved armies – it's a disaster. And there are no spells; Wave doesn't work (because of the demons). Once I complete the ritual, all the unimproved creatures will turn into Black Demons (strength * 1.5-2), and there are so many of them that they'll crush everything, and you can't hire any kamikaze units or anything. Except, perhaps, to hide in the Necropolis, because, as before, after breaking through the garrison, I filled it with Imps to open the path to the Necropolis. But, I didn't download the updated map; the author wrote that he removed the randomness from some artifacts, so maybe I just need to update the map. I found the second mission to be very difficult; I played as a Warrior, and they destroyed 4 of my cities. And there will be fewer neutrals there. So, I won't be playing this mission as a hero

I did the same in the second game. I, of course, leveled up Nimue. In the cities, I built gold production first, and then a building that provides +10% to the gate, as quickly as possible, regardless of the losses. I then created a one-way portal near the Castle that leads to the lower right Castle – there's easier prey for leveling up, plus a couple of dwellings. Before the first enemy arrives, the main goal is to build the Castle and upgrade it to levels 1-4, and also upgrade the guild to at least level 4 in the first and lower right cities. You can ignore the other cities and upgrades. I took heroes to level 20+, with stats like logs/darkness/luck/attack/defense. On the previous page, I posted a screenshot of a battle with the first enemy after such preparation - https://imgur.com/tXdZS4Y. After that, there are no problems.

And in Heroes of Might and Magic 3, there's a feature with the heroes. Near the top Castle, there's a two-way portal – if you enter it, the enemies behind Sigrid won't follow, and you can stay behind it, calling in reinforcements from the cities above, and at the beginning of the week, intercept the enemy's Castle, take the reinforcements, and then retreat back into the portal. This is how I accumulated troops, and then easily defeated both demons in the Castle on the Darkness map. Here's a battle with Grok that I found -

I built 10% of the summoning structures quite quickly. But there's a problem with combat buildings: if there's an ore mine, there's no wood. Wolves can't be defeated right away. You build Imps and unupgraded Demons, and that's where it ends. With these Imps, unupgraded Demons, and random troops from the refugee camp, you can't kill much. My hero has problems precisely because of the lack of combat buildings and the inability to build them, while the average neutral army consists of 4th-level creatures. You spend a week gathering troops, always upgrading them, sacrificing 1 Imp at the altar for 2 luck points, and all of this allows you to fight 1-2 battles a week with a good percentage of losses (the losses themselves are small, but the percentage of losses is high, even for the same ore mine). If you're lucky with the ballista, it's okay, but if not...

Near the second castle, everything shoots, especially the Elves along the way to it; you can't get there without being well-developed.

That portal was guarded by 500+ Manticores. I wouldn't have been able to pass them even if the author hadn't made them 7th-level undead with a small set of spells, but even if they were the same useless creatures as before, they still couldn't be defeated :) you could only hide in your Necropolis.

I passed the Knights of Death because of the narrow passage using the Crystal of Secret Knowledge

Neutrals are random, yes. It's especially great when high-level gnomes spawn and block the paths to the castle. I even decided that it's better to reload for the sake of the surface neutrals than for Sigrif's spells. I didn't touch the wolves; I only cleared the mine and a one-way portal. I bought wood; luckily, there are many markets.

Manticoras are definitely the regular ones there; some mod must be changing them.

I acted this way in the second game. I, of course, recruited Nimues. In the cities, I built gold mines first, and then a building that gives +10% to the gate, as soon as possible, regardless of losses. I broke through a one-way portal near the castle that leads to the lower right castle – there’s easier prey for leveling up, plus a couple of dwellings. Before the first enemy arrives, the main thing is to build the castle + 1-4 upgrades + a guild to at least level 4 in the first and lower right cities; you can ignore the other cities and upgrades. I got to level 20+, with stats like: logs/darkness/luck/attack/defense. On the previous page, I posted a screenshot of a battle with the first enemy after such preparation - https://imgur.com/tXdZS4Y. And after that, there are no problems.

And there’s a feature in the Shio campaign with the heroes. Near the top city, there’s a two-way portal – if you enter it, the enemies won’t follow you past Sigrif, and you can sit behind it, calling in reinforcements from the cities above, and at the beginning of the week, intercept the enemy’s castle, take the increase, and go back through the portal. This is how I accumulated troops, and then I easily defeated both demons in the dark castle. Here’s a battle with Grok that I found -

I might have a bug in the game, but in that part of the game, in the second mission, where there are four demons with castles, my opponent, Benedict, has been standing near his garrison with one adept for the third month and isn’t moving, I haven’t had to defend myself from anyone, but in the second part of the game, where Sigrif is, everything seems to be okay.)

Added 4 minutes ago

I built the 10% summoning building quite quickly.
But there’s a problem with combat buildings; if there’s an ore mine, there’s no wood. Wolves can’t be killed right away. You build imps and unupgraded demons, and that’s all. With these imps, unupgraded demons, and random troops from the refugee camp, you can’t kill many. I have problems with the hero precisely because of the lack of combat buildings and the ability to build them, while the average neutral army is a level 4 creature. You spend a week gathering troops, and you always max out the stats, sacrificing 1 imp at the altar for 2 luck, and that’s all it takes to have 1-2 battles per week with a good percentage of losses (the losses are small in themselves, but large in terms of the percentage of losses, even for the same ore mine). If you’re lucky with the ballista, it’s okay, but if not.

Near the second castle, all the ranged units shoot, especially the elves on the way to it; you can’t get there without leveling up.

That portal was guarded by 500+ manticores; I wouldn’t have passed them even if the author hadn’t made them level 7 undead with a small set of spells, but if they were the same useless creatures, you still couldn’t pass them :) you could only hide in your necropolis city.

I passed the Death Knights because of the narrow passage with the crystal of secrets.

I killed these manticores easily, thinking that it was the passage, but it was just the path to the mines and the arena. I had a devil strike with a feather that dealt 2000 damage + pyrokinesis, which dealt an additional 700 damage per turn

Exactly, the map with hellish creatures changes things.

But, 500+ regular noob manticores can't kill a griffin with 30+ fire wave spells, there are too few of them in the army.

If I had a knight stationed in the castle, I would have already passed the upper level with luck, and I could also pass the lower level without knights, but unfortunately, he's not there.

I need the demons to be only 2nd tier in the army.

I still don't understand what to do after I talked to Khabeleth in the second mission and he told me to find a way out, where should I go? I couldn't figure out how to get to the portal where the succubi are. You said I need 2nd tier creatures, but I only had 2nd tier creatures except for the devils, and I couldn't find any 2nd tier devils. Then I tried deleting the entire army and going through with only 1st tier creatures, but that doesn't work either. I'm completely confused about what to do.

only black demons are allowed; upgrade regular units in the guild fort, discard the red ones, or use them as bait in battle (they cannot be upgraded further, but there's no reason not to use them as expendable units :), and if all else fails, assign them to the mine.

only black demons are allowed; upgrade regular ones in the guild hall; discard the red ones or use them as bait in battle (they cannot be upgraded further, but why not use them as expendable units? :) If nothing else, assign them to the mine.

Understood, thank you.

Well, in the new version, you start with a tunic and no random elements. The enemy hero arrived on day 2 months, 2 weeks, and 7 days. He leveled up better than the previous one, reaching level 16, Nimues https://c2n.me/3ZtHNiD, but is weaker than the previous Sigryph, level 22 https://c2n.me/3ZtHO4x, who can't cast Hellfire and hasn't attacked the Necropolis yet (no excessive luck with 16 SP + feather, the Witch gave machines instead of education). In the first city, Imps are upgraded, all units up to the horses are unupgraded, and the other cities have upgraded and basic Imps and dogs. If it gets stuck, it will be easier, but the Knight doesn't have 1 adept, and Nimues needs to say goodbye to 2 Death Messengers and go home to gather an army. The guild isn't great, but upon returning, I'll get some resources and have 5 units. It seems playable, but there's no logistics, and the mentor is with 250+ Thunderbirds (I probably won't be able to defeat him). But with this setup, at least I can move around. So, the Knight went straight to the Castle with the tavern through the Dark Elf portal – didn't touch the rich castle or the lower one, went straight to the tavern – the result is somewhat predictable. The caravan from the lower castle didn't make it. I have to replay again. I replayed – this time, the enemy castle suddenly had Death Stride in its defense, which made me think, "Oh no," but it wasn't that bad. With 36 Succubi, I barely defended the castle. The drunkard ran straight to the tavern again, but ice solved the problem – although the catapult managed to break down the wall, which cost me very expensive (not in gold, but in quality) Vampires, to whom the Imps gave mana for a couple of conversions. (But he would have killed them anyway with his hero, the tent was weak). Before that, I wandered near the lower castle, and in a raid, I took out 300 archers, 3 angels, and 2 war machines, which made things easier, and portals took away 2 angels and some other troops, which also didn't hurt, because the Blood Drinkers are very strong. The hero is level 23 (before the battle, 20 with advanced war machines, darkness, education; before the battle with the trident and armor, 2 SP). https://c2n.me/3ZvBuU2, Sigryph, level 26, with BDP, is doing well with 10 SP, BDP, and a feather. https://c2n.me/3ZvBBLQ. Well, let's play, but the mentor is with Phantom Dragons, so I'll have to develop my own. But all the castles are intact. The biggest mistake in this battle was not taking Dispel from Alastor, who was always hanging around doing nothing. Advanced Dispel can easily disable monks for 5 turns (per SP). After that, everything goes smoothly – here's a screenshot, "how to properly beat 1 kg of Manticores, level 7" - https://c2n.me/3ZwSfxF. Things are going well, the flight is normal. Due to the lack of logistics, I lost the nearby Demon city – I was chasing livestock, but I didn't make it – I was in front of the mentor, who was guarded by legions of Phantom Dragons with "medium" danger. To catch up with the enemy, I sacrificed Imps and half of the dogs (I thought they would destroy at least half of the army), defeated the dragons, and took logistics – but I was 1 turn late. 4 Inferno castles are intact, and in the destroyed one, there was only a Phantom – that's the most annoying thing, that the Phantom hero doesn't have one. But at the stage of upgrading, he couldn't afford logistics. I later took care of the enemy, but unfortunately, I couldn't get the castle back. I don't feel bad about the troops, because there's just no money for them, but that castle also gave 1k gold. In the end, I cleared out the Gnomes, Grol, level 34, and 3 other heroes, level 31, with BDP and maximum damage – only Berserk is missing, it didn't drop in Dragon Utopia or the cities, but that's okay. Upstairs, in Dragon Utopia, I found Vampirism and Blindness – I got the Vampirism spell in an unequal battle with an opponent who was twice as strong, losing only Imps, 3 horses, and 1 archer – as Gerther wrote, Demons don't go to Dragon Utopia, so I attacked from there, and after 8 attempts, I won the unequal battle, then I killed the wandering Deleb, who lost her fear due to the strong Jezebeth nearby. Subjugation/Berserk, Dragon Utopia, and the castle near the portal didn't give me anything. I had to fight without Demons, because if I took them, the initiative scale gave the enemy Succubi a turn before my clever hero, and they would remove my Succubi in the first turn, leaving only one. I'm attaching an unequal battle; all the battles below are unequal and interesting. Using a similar tactic – Vampirism in 1 HP with BDP – I defeated Grok in the castle's defense, losing Imps and dogs, and 3 horses and 3 offspring for resurrection with a summon. Ahead are 2-3 final battles, and that's it, I won with this hero. And since I found Sigryph's Mage Staff in Dragon Utopia, things will go even easier. Screenshot of an attempt to defeat 100k Astral Dragons: https://c2n.me/3ZzosBu, disappointed that I need to gather an army, I decided to smash the Astrals, guarding the ring with 20% initiative, and then beat 35k Phantom Dragons, guarding the tree, the 4th Gnome item (armor), and the 8th Dragon item (cloak) + arena + 1 SP + ring with 10 initiative. I'll have to do all this even at the cost of the army, because the 8th Dragon item is more valuable than 100 creature bonuses. And there was no Wall of Swords anywhere, which is a pity, so I have to fight the Dragons with education and a set for experience. https://c2n.me/3ZzoXGW. It's a pity it crashed. https://clip2net.com/s/3ZzqmOR. I replayed, put on the Scholar's set, the Elf set, boots, and a shield with the Dragon ring for initiative - https://c2n.me/3Zzta6q )) 112k. I killed him in an hour. https://c2n.me/3ZzAM5m It would be annoying if the next week of fame turns out to be useless. The ring with +20 initiative is mine. The hero jumped from level 31 to 35, now it's time to get Phantom Dragons for a full set of Gnomes and Dragons. YOUR HERO RECEIVED: 26,948,025 experience! YOUR HERO RECEIVED: 8,800,000 experience! (for the Phantom Dragon garrison) YOUR HERO RECEIVED: 7,889,844 experience! (Wyverns for the garrison) and twice a million and a half for Golden Dragons and Champions at the arena. I killed the Overlord; his army is huge – I gathered all the buffs, except for the Idol of Luck, and attacked in the week of rest (-20% initiative for Dark creatures) – I lost logistics, so I couldn't take the Idol buff in time, so I took the Flag of Luck and the Sacrificial Altar (2 luck). His army, unsummoned creatures, gave 1.2 million experience without percentage bonuses (no items or skills left). * 188 Phoenixes, Astral, and Phantom Dragons * 282 Archdevils * 470 Banshees and Cave Lords * 752 High Liches * 1594 Nightmares * 2631 Vampire Princes * 2350 Cerberi * 3948 Fire Demons and Rotting Zombies * 5400 Red Imps * 5170 Skeletons with Clubs For the week of -20 initiative for him and me, I didn't even take the Idol buff (I didn't wait for the week specifically – it just came up, and I decided it was time). Outfits, 2 rings of speed 20/10, Archer set, Gnome set, necklace +1 damage, clover (nothing better was available, on this slot, clover, horn, and the Markal skull, the last one to put in, I didn't get a horseshoe), luck in the end is 4, not 5. Light – Storm Wind, Anti-Fire magic of light, protection (without BDP, because it's useless), attack, machines. The army gathered without the stupid accumulation mode – while it was gathering in the castles, the hero was dealing with the dead dragons. https://c2n.me/3ZzMn03 – this is what my strongest hero has – I hope that 3 assistants will figure out how to reduce it, because there are two of them (and this one is weaker), it's scary. Assistant 1 in action http://c2n.me/3ZzMPkv :) I won :) 3 assistants, level 31, reliably destroyed hopeless armies, then Grol came and personally, in the Gnome set, finished everything in the open field. All they were able to do was break the lower castle and kill the dogs and half of the jumping demons (Duncan destroyed, the Elf destroyed 30 Succubi, and that's it), but this battle was the last and didn't matter – I won

It's a bit challenging with the hero in the 3rd game, but I'm managing after a replay. It hasn't even been a month, and already two Orcs came with armies (not very large, but huge compared to mine). I'm defending in the castle, and they gave me some artifacts. I got lucky with the neutrals at the start. I found a wand, armor, and a luck charm myself; the rest, the Orcs provided. https://c2n.me/3ZCWwIY

The leveling is working so far, but I'm desperately looking for a Blessed attribute, and it won't give me two levels yet. I should have taken Evasion when it was offered. https://c2n.me/3ZCWBFF
Screenshot taken one day before the start of the second month.

I wonder if the 5th level will be achievable for the hero?)
I cleared the 1st level with mentoring.
The 2nd level with luck and vampires. :)
The 3rd level, I don't know yet... waiting for Blessed.

In a battle, another barbarian, having gathered several reinforcements, attacked me with a significant numerical advantage. My hero has 5 spell power. The victory was purely tactical – using his own Cyclops and the Demon Sign. Cursed Earth is a huge hindrance. He brought me the Sandro's Cloak, Phoenix Feather, and Mage's Ring, plus a bunch of other minor stuff. I took Evasion, but no Blessed yet. I've advanced Darkness, but in the guild, I have Blindness :( and I can't build Mercury. I remember playing before, and there were problems with Mercury...
For now, the tactic of eliminating/whittling down small armies, which can be burned with Wave, and hiding in the castle from large armies that attack from two sides, is working. They attack with high danger and bring artifacts with them. :)