Posts from Tactics for Rampart.

You know, starting with the swamp is actually good!. Build up Wyverns - and half the map is yours ;) That's one
Second - creatures in the swamp possess special abilities - therefore, saying they are weaker is incorrect.
And finally - third - when playing against people, you usually only use level 1-2 magic. You simply don't have time to build more ;) And if you do, by that point you'll have captured a second castle anyway!
And last thing - why would the swamp need magic above level 3? At level three there's teleport for 3 mana (with water expert - and the swamp gets water expert oh so often!). Hydras teleporting into the thick of the enemies - and that's it =)) It's simple!!!

P.S. I love the swamp!

What's the point of competing with the Swamp in defense? The swamp-dwellers will have higher defense anyway because it's "in their blood."
And personally, I've very rarely seen Mephala as the main hero for the Rampart, and I wouldn't play her against the Fortress myself.

I'd say the strategy for Rampart is pretty standard and raises no questions: the main bet is on Elves, covered by centaurs, Pegasi, and Unicorns. i.e., a bet on speed and maneuverability both during battle and while moving across the map. Or do you always carry Dendroids and Dwarves with you?

And the swamp-dwellers, imho, have a very good chance of beating the elves in an open field. Dragonflies easily block the only shooters, and "flushing out" these pests can be extremely difficult, especially if they have good defense. Wyverns cause huge trouble due to their speed, decent damage, and defense (by the way, it would be interesting to calculate how much damage is needed to kill 1 creature - quite a lot, that's obvious).
Mighty Gorgons are a good counter to Unicorns and even Dragons, if they are bought out and present in the army. And, of course, Basilisks with the very unpleasant ability to turn opponents to stone, and Lizards, who are certainly not snipers, but hold their own due to good defense and health stats.



I don't know exactly what you mean, but in most games, the second castle is taken in the first or second week. Or do you manage to erect the 5th floor of the Guild in that time? :)

Well you know, I'd ask you not to slander the Stronghold. In my opinion, it's a very strong castle, my favorite in HoMM3. Very strong attack replaces magic at the start, and the spells above the third level can be leveled up in captured cities, which can be seized quite and quite quickly with such attack and such troops.

Farmer, you're a Swamp hater. :D Just admit it.
According to your logic, Swamp can't win at all. But statistics say otherwise. :)

2. Explosion, blindness, regeneration, mass slow, and so on, and there are no swamps. The only thing that's really intimidating in the swamp is the mighty Gorgons. But one is not a warrior in the field.

Interesting, what is this statistic?

1. Wyverns are ordinary meat, the weakest creatures of level 6. Regarding the construction speed. For example, undead dragons can be built even faster, as well as death knights. Nagas and manticores are also built quickly.
2. Elves also have creatures with abilities that I think are no worse. And all the annoying creatures from the swamp are blocked by blindness and taken out one by one without losses.
3. Hydras are also meat + there are the spells of blindness and resurrect (restoration)

Listen, I'm too lazy to quote all your memoirs, to be honest, but one question (I've already realized that it's impossible to persuade your, excuse me, stupid logic)
do you play against the computer on large maps????? or what??? I haven't figured that part out, please explain.


and also, by the way, please teach me how to build dragons as Necros before wyverns in the swamp, ok?

It's not all that smooth. :)
Rampart has only one unit whose speed exceeds that of Dragonflies — the Gold Dragon. As for the moment of its appearance, it can only be said that it will happen much later than when Dragonflies appear in the Swamp army.
This means that in most cases, the Swamp will move first, not the Rampart. And accordingly, Blind, Slow, or Explosion will be cast on you first. :)

Elves will be blocked in any case, and if the opponent casts expert Haste, all the swamp creatures will be right next to you in the blink of an eye and will beat you so hard you'll feel it. :D



I mainly operate based on game reports from heroesportal

Hmm... well, how to put it... maybe as 6th level creatures wyverns aren't the strongest — but they are built immediately — even on 200% difficulty in the 1st week almost certainly!!! With a lucky layout — on the 2nd day! Understand this... And by the time you get to unicorns — how much time will have passed???
So regarding speed, you are really wrong... Their build speed is the FASTEST. It doesn't get faster. And to build nags — you need such a HUGE amount of resources... Nonsense... it won't work. The 2nd week is the MAXIMUM!!! Or even the 3rd with difficulty. Manticore are the same. Death Knights even more so. You have to build so much before them that you'll barely save up enough resources! Believe me...

Next — regarding the blocking by Blind and so on — I already said, the Swamp has the highest chance of getting Water Magic. Leveling it to expert is not a problem. And almost 100% there will be either Cure or Remove Spells. So everything is easily solvable ;) It's not a problem at all!

Regarding Hydras — yes, cannon fodder. But fodder with retaliation, maxed-out defense, and hitting all enemies around :D :D :D Teleport — and half of the Rampart army (protecting the elves) is deeply knocked out. ;)

And the elves are blocked by dragonflies on the very first move. The enemy army swarms the dragonflies — like, let's beat them so they don't interfere. That's exactly where we teleport the hydras :)

P.S. I love Rampart and other races very much — but you can't insult an excellent castle — the Swamp. I'm just explaining the tactics. Please do not take this as an attempt to persuade or even more so as an insult ;)

On large maps, if I play against the AI, I only choose 1 vs. 4 (200% difficulty) and higher.

1. They won't have those spells at all, unless it's blindness and slow on one creature – the Swamp will almost wipe them out at this stage.

How will they beat me? They focus on defense – their damage will be laughable, and I repeat, at this stage, the Swamp will already be fighting for the Castle, otherwise it will disappear from the face of the earth in 2 days.

1. Wyverns are ordinary fodder, the weakest creatures of level 6. As for the construction speed, for example, dragons in the Undead faction can be built even faster, as well as Death Knights. Nagas and Manticores are also built quickly.
2. Elves also have creatures with abilities that I think are no worse. And all the annoying creatures from the Swamp can be blinded and taken out one by one without losses.
3. Hydras are also fodder, plus there are the Blindness and Resurrection spells.

Added 9 minutes ago

1. Maybe the defense will be higher, but not by much. All their defense is easily countered by magic.
2. Explosion, Blindness, Resurrection, Mass Slow, and so on, and there's no Swamp. The only thing that's really intimidating in the Swamp is the Mighty Gorgons. But one Gorgon doesn't win a battle.
3. I only play on large maps, and it's almost impossible to take an enemy Castle in 2 weeks. As for neutral Castles:
there might not be any at all
they might be of the same type
the Castle might not have a Fort
the Castle might not be fully destructible
and in 1 out of 5 cases, there will be a normal Castle, but if you develop magic there, what about the army? Anyone can come and wipe you off the map.
Therefore, this is very poorly designed.

Added 12 minutes ago

The Stronghold has some very effective tactics; this Castle is stronger than the Swamp. And in principle, it can create a decent threat. But again, all their attack is countered by normal magic.
And why is that:
1. Goblins are fodder.
2. Wolf Riders are fodder.
3. Orcs are also poor archers.
4. Ogres are slow, and we shoot them down.
5. Rukh are already pretty good.
6. Cyclops are hard to build.
7. Behemoths are real creatures.
Therefore, Castles like the Swamp and the Stronghold make sense to take on small or medium maps, where mages cannot develop their full power.
There is also the Sphere of Suppression artifact, which is a really bad artifact; it has ruined my nerves so many times.

Harder than 200%? You're a maniac! :D


For what reason exactly? :) It will likely be either expert slow or haste, which, however, is all the same. Even elementary haste (without the Air school) will be enough for the Serpents and Wyverns to attack you. And all other creatures can be healed during the battle—as already mentioned above, the Swamp often has Water magic.

I don't want to say, of course, that the Swamp is stronger than the Rampart, I'm just against your phrasing that it's weaker. :)


True, they focus on defense and you'll struggle to take them down. Your army will melt faster than theirs, and the Elves won't be shooting. That's how they'll beat you.

1. I'm very curious how you'll block all the annoying creatures of the swamp. Firstly, there are several of them, and secondly, blindness can be removed.
2. You've listed a series of spells here; firstly, Explosion is a fairly rare spell and not very effective even though it's very powerful, simply because there is too much mana. And all other spells are easily removed by expert dispel; furthermore, many of them are below the third level, so the Swamp will have the same spells, and the question arises: will you be the first to cast slow or blindness?
Regarding the Stronghold, goblins handle their tasks quite well, although I indeed often use them as meat. Wolf Riders are a good unit; they are quite fast and deal two hits. Orcs are indeed not great, but for the third level, they are a very decent shooter. Ogres are indeed slow, but they are an excellent blocking unit used to soak up a counterattack or draw someone scary to themselves, and on top of all that, they can cast Bloodlust. Cyclopes are indeed hard to build, but it's worth it, as it provides a huge bonus in assaults. Additionally, unlike other towns, monsters only require one crystal to be purchased in their upgraded state, so crystals can be accumulated quite quickly, provided you build the monsters first.

1. I meant harder than 1 vs 4, i.e., 1 vs 5, 1 vs 6, and 1 vs 7.
2. Yes, given the fact that the swamp is already almost wiped out—it won't be able to develop properly.
3. The swamp's only decent unit is gorgons; all other creatures are worse than those of the Rampart, and the amphibians won't show anything serious.
4. The swamp is either weaker than the Rampart or stronger; you disagree with my phrasing that it is weaker => you believe it is stronger.
5. I won't break a sweat wiping them out—I'll have real magic and I'll take out all the hydras like children, then restore everyone and win without losses. That's usually how it goes with the swamp. Barbarians can at least deal decent damage, but it's high time these reptiles were sent to China to be eaten.
The swamp (Stronghold) has a chance if:
the map is medium or small
there is a Sphere of Banishing
the Grail is built.
The last 2 points are rare, and if the game is played on medium or small maps, I'll choose humans over the swamp (Stronghold).

Added after 15 minutes

1. The thing is, the swamp is just cannon fodder. Not only are they physically weak, they don't know a thing about magic—not a castle, but one continuous disappointment. 3 gold dragons are enough to smash their entire helpless army. I think it's clear which spell I'm talking about. Even without it, I say again: Meteor Shower, Chain Lightning, Berserk, and that's it—nothing will be left of the swamp. Moreover, they'll barely develop even to expert spells of the simplest level. Plus, I'm sure the swamp hero will have much less mana => eventually he won't even be able to remove Blindness.
2. Goblins, wolf riders, orcs, ogres (the latter only because of their speed) rule when there are many of them. But gathering them is very, very difficult. Next. Birds are wiped out immediately, as are the serpents from the swamp, because they always fly forward. By the time you build cyclops, the opponents will already have 20-30 level 6 creatures—that's insanely disadvantageous. Behemoths are the only decent creatures in the Stronghold; if only they could fly... Again, the castle has more downsides than upsides.

From what I understand, you're saying that the strength of the Hive and Stronghold depends on the circumstances. Yes, of course—and the main circumstance is the player. If you believe that the Hive and Stronghold can only win if the map is 10x10 squares, you have everything built in your castle, and a level 100 hero right away, while the enemy's castle is empty, then I would simply advise you to play with someone who plays this castle well. Apparently, you can only be convinced if they win under the conditions in which you believe the Hive cannot win.

Added after 5 minutes
Why is it hard for them to level up an expert? As far as I remember, Expert Water is guaranteed. This means he will dispel all your efforts, and you can't get far on attack magic alone. I think there will be enough mana until the end of the battle; in the fight against your creatures, their strong defense will be very helpful, and the fact that they are so easily wiped out is unlikely.
2. Everyone is strong when there are many of them, even skeletons. The birds might be wiped out first—because there's no reason to fly them forward immediately, exposing them to attack. I don't think that if you quickly capture the crystal mine and find a few crystals along the way, and also visit wind and water mills, you'll have a problem with cyclops.

Well you know, it depends on how one plays))
Goblins might be fodder and towers always shoot at them, but they walk far, and that can be useful) especially with expert haste)
Wolves, same thing (speed), defense isn't great either, but the damage is very good for level 2, especially with two attacks... if I play against them, I try to hit them before they hit me)
Orcs are obviously not elves, but they are tougher, and accuracy can be fixed with an accuracy spell)
Ogres, one of the best lvl 4, imho ) lots of hp + decent defense, I always throw them into battle with strong creatures to help the behemoths, it makes a good duo) strong and durable) and speed can be fixed with the same haste) by the way, Barbarians seem to get Air more often than other schools)
Birds, and other flyers, I never send forward as fodder) especially alone)) it's better to wait, and then strike when many enter) and the birds stay intact and there's a profit)) and then you can fly away, since they move among the first)
Cyclops are also not super archers and they are expensive ) but you can gather them and cast accuracy)
Behemoths... some of my favorite units)) and some of the strongest lvl 7)) everything has already been said about them)) the main thing is to strike first! =)

Regarding the Hive... they seem weak at first and so on.) I used to think so myself) but after studying them better, you realize that's not the case)) ... I'm playing the Playing with Fire campaign as Adriana, and there you fight Necropoles with the Hive)) very interesting campaign, especially the last map (that's where I stopped))... try it, you might like it)... and also, they might have lvl 3 magic, but the main spells are exactly there) and 4 and 5 are mainly combat, and you can level up resistance against them), and if you level up a school of magic with many mass curses, I don't think the enemy will cast combat spells)) he'll likely either remove them or curse himself and so on.)
I rarely use combat spells myself, they only help at the beginning... otherwise, from lvl 4 and 5, only elementals are good (when few armies are left), Town Portal (lvl 4 or 3? I don't remember), Berserk (especially with expert fire), and maybe something else) Gates are rarely needed, turns are spent anyway, and it takes a lot of mana... useful only to jump over mountains or forests)

And now I've reached the elves)) well, nothing to say here... one of the strongest races and one of the best balanced ))

PS it's a pity of course that we are discussing the Stronghold and Hive in a thread about the Rampart... )))

3. Again, about our favorite swamp... About the weakest Castle... Well, it will remove blindness, and I'll cast Meteor Shower on them, and that's the end for those creatures. If the spells are strong, you can get very far, and by that time, they will definitely be strong. Besides, it's easiest to avoid losing anyone with the Swamp.

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Added 14 minutes ago

1. So what good is their speed if their fastest creature, the Thunderbird, has a speed of 11? That's a very low speed compared to higher-tier creatures. With mass slow, the Barbarians will barely crawl, and the explosion will do its job.
2. The Swamp Castle doesn't seem weak; it is weak – it's a Swamp Castle, after all. The main spells are at level 3? Hmm, which ones are those? Teleport (which is the only thing the Swamp Castle needs, along with the Barbarians) and Earthquake (also only useful for them). That's it. The only level 3 spell that's really good is Raise Dead. Portal to Town is a spell that's hard to manage the game without, and it's level 4. The Swamp Castle doesn't have access to it.
3. Think about it; they didn't call it the Swamp Castle for no reason. The name itself suggests something low and base. That's why it's impossible to effectively use this Castle because it's the lowest form of life in Heroes. :)
The same goes for the Barbarians – they have strength but lack intelligence. :)