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I played through this hero mission in version 3.0 this weekend. The beginning was great – Ghilraen fled the battlefield without firing a single shot. But then everything went wrong.
Remembering that in version 1.5, the northwest Castle is guarded by a hero with a symbolic army, I immediately rushed to capture it. Ignoring the losses, I broke through the mages and a hundred earth elementals. But then, Talannar appeared out of nowhere with a decent army and attacked Agrael. No chance.
I started over and built up an army before trying to break through the mages and elementals again. Apparently, I waited too long. Before I could reach the Castle, Ghilraen cut off my retreat. I decided to head for Ghilraen's capital. There are two exits from there. And you can't escape from the western Castle.
But there, I was also met with hostility. There was a hero with a decent army in the Castle. And I approached him at the worst possible moment – the first day of the week. After the assault, 13 imps survived. The Castle is fully built, but, of course, all the growth has been bought out before me.
I captured the nearby mines and prepared for defeat and to replay the mission. Next time, I wouldn't try to break through the mages and elementals. I would go around through 700-800 zombies. They can be broken through without losses using fairies.
But then a miracle happened. No one went to my new capital until the end of the week. I bought out the growth and found a berserk scroll nearby. This is already a significant advantage. However, I decided to wait another week and, with double the growth, go and crush everyone.
But I didn't succeed. Talannar and Ghilraen approached simultaneously from the south. Each has an army larger than mine. Therefore, I had a choice – to run and capture the eastern Castle, or to defend the capital. I calculated the odds – they have a numerical advantage, but I have a Castle, a phantom, a berserk, and Agrael – one of the strongest heroes in the vanilla game and both expansions (in my opinion). That's a 4:1 advantage in my favor. Well, maybe a little less, considering that Agrael's army consists of foreign soldiers. I decided to defend the capital.
Talannar attacked first, followed immediately by Ghilraen. Talannar fought to the end, and Ghilraen fled when everything was already clear. Despite Ghilraen fleeing, a cutscene played where he asked to be killed. The task was completed, and Ghilraen did not appear again. All that remained was to level up Agrael and capture the remaining 2 Castles. Without Ghilraen, this is a simple task.