Posts from Examples of how to conduct complex battles (detailed turn by turn). Everyone must read this!

For me, when I was repeating what you wrote, it was much easier and faster to repeat the designations with numbers, but with Latin letters, I got confused (oh well, probably because I'm not a chess player :() , that's why I copied your first version, even though the second one was already available.

Once again, respect for the description; so far, this is the best and most detailed description of a battle that I have seen, from start to finish...

Can anyone tell me how to determine the level of a treasure hoard (with dwarves, preserves, etc.) in a mine or platinum mine? I heard that you can tell if there's only one stack of upgraded units guarding the treasure. How does the strategy for capturing treasure hoards and preserves differ in different terrains? What is the probability of them appearing (maximum, single, etc.) on grass, snow, lava, etc.?
Please provide detailed information or a link!

Can anyone tell me how to determine the level of a treasure hoard (with dwarves, preserves, etc.) in a town or fortress? I've heard that you can tell if there's only one stack of upgraded units guarding the treasure. How does the tactic for capturing treasure hoards and preserves differ in different locations? What is the probability of them appearing (maximum, single, etc.) on grass, snow, lava, etc.?
Please provide detailed information or a link!

Check the physics manual; Amber explained everything in detail there. There's a topic about it in the general forum. By entering a town, refusing the battle, and exiting, you can get an approximate idea of the monster composition by right-clicking on it.

Can someone tell me how to determine the level of a treasury (with dwarves, cans, etc.) in SoD or Platinum? I heard that it can be determined if one stack among the treasury guards is upgraded. How does the strategy for taking treasuries and cans vary across different terrains? What is the probability of them spawning (maximum, minimum, etc.) on grass, snow, lava, etc?
Please provide detailed information or a link!

To find out who is guarding a particular object, you need to approach it, and when asked if you want to attack, click "no". Then, right-click on the object and see who is guarding it.
For example: if a dwarf treasury is guarded by 50-99 dwarves, it means there are either 10 in each stack or 15. If there are 100-249 common ones, it could be either 100 or 150. If there are 10-19 combat dwarves and 20-49 common ones, then the dwarf treasury is a minimum spawn with 10 in each stack. Accordingly, if there are 20-49 combat and 50-99 common, then the dwarf treasury is at 100. But if there are 20-49 combat and 100-249 common, then it's already a maximum spawn. There is nothing complicated here; just think logically and do the math. Similarly, you can find the approximate number of guards in medusa nests, cans, Dragon Utopia, and other structures, except for crypts.

Taking the Necropolis with 6 Centaurs and 14 enhanced Elves, without magic. The original author is unknown to me.

We divide the Centaurs, placing one at a time. We position the Warrior near the hero, followed by Centaurs, then Elves, then Centaurs again (C-Centaur). The Elves are placed in the middle. On the first turn, the Elves shoot at the Vampires, dealing -5 damage. Centaur 1 runs towards the Elves, and Centaurs 3 and 5 move close to the Ghosts. Centaur 6 moves to the bottom row, 4 squares away from the Zombies. The remaining Centaurs wait. The Necropolis army advances. The Zombies move along the perimeter, and the Ghost kills a Centaur. The remaining Centaurs run to the upper left corner. On the second turn, the Elves finish off the Vampires. Centaur 6 positions itself in front of the Ghost, and the other Centaurs run away from everyone. The Ghost kills the second Centaur. The Skeletons and Zombies are now close to the Elves. On the third turn, the Elves run to the corner where the Vampires were previously. The Centaurs scatter so that no one can reach them. One of the Centaurs remains near the Ghost. The Ghost kills the third Centaur. The Skeletons and Zombies move towards the Elves. On the fourth turn, the Elves kill the Skeletons. The Centaurs run after the Zombies, but stay out of their reach. The Ghost eventually flies towards the Elves. The Zombie joins the chase after the Centaurs. Then, the Elves deal with the Ghost, and the Centaurs lead the Zombie around. In the end, only 3 Centaurs die in the Necropolis. I hope I explained everything more or less clearly (although there is a chance that the Vampire won't be defeated with two shots, but it's a very small chance).

Added 7 minutes later

It should be added that all examples are taken from the "Online Beginner's School" topic on HeroesPortal.

Can you provide a link to this topic?

Taking the Crypt with 6 Centaurs and 14 Enhanced Elves, without magic. The original author is unknown to me.

We divide the Centaurs, placing one at a time. We position the Warrior next to the hero, followed by Centaurs, then Elves, then Centaurs (C-Centaur). The Elves are placed in the middle. In the first turn, the Elves shoot at the Vampires, dealing -5 damage. C1 runs towards the Elves, and C3 and C5 stand close to the Ghosts. C6 stands at the very bottom, 4 squares away from the Zombies. The rest of the Centaurs wait. The Crypt army advances, the Zombies move along the edge, and the Ghost kills a Centaur. The remaining Centaurs run to the upper left corner. In the second turn, the Elves finish off the Vampires. C6 positions itself in front of the Ghost, and the other Centaurs run away from everyone. The Ghost kills the second Centaur, and the Skeletons and Zombies are already close to the Elves. In the third turn, the Elves run to the corner where the Vampires used to be. The Centaurs scatter so that no one can reach them. One of the Centaurs remains near the Ghost. The Ghost kills the third Centaur, and the Skeletons and Zombies move towards the Elves. In the fourth turn, the Elves kill the Skeletons. The Centaurs run after the Zombies, but not close enough for them to catch up. The Ghost eventually flies towards the Elves, and the Zombie joins the chase after the Centaurs. Then, the Elves deal with the Ghost, and the Centaurs lead the Zombie. In the end, only 3 Centaurs die in the Crypt. I hope I explained everything more or less clearly. (although there is a chance that the Vampire won't die from two shots, but it's very small).

Added 7 minutes later

Can you provide a link to this topic?

Incorrect description, as you did not specify what skills and abilities the hero had. The starting hero of level 1 (I checked on Ivore) cannot kill 14 Enhanced Elves and 5 Vampires (even with the most favorable distribution - 6 Vampires still remain after the first shots), and as a result, after two turns of Elves attacking the Vampires, 2 Vampires remain alive. Also, 10 Witches cannot be killed in one turn - only 7, and 3 Witches remain (although the Crypt can still be taken with such an army, but with greater losses of Centaurs, and it also matters whether it was on grass or not)

Can you provide a link to this topic?

Yes, no problem:

http://www.heroesportal.net/tavern/?id=130078&pagenum=1

Incorrect description, as you did not specify which skills and abilities the hero had. The starting hero of level 1 (I checked on Ivore) cannot kill 14 ranged elves with 5 vampires (even with the most favorable distribution – 6 vampires still remain after the first shots), and as a result, after two turns of elves attacking the vampires, 2 vampires remain alive. Also, 10 witches cannot be killed at once – only 7, and 3 witches remain (although the Crypt can still be taken with such an army, but with significant losses of centaurs, and it also matters whether it was on grass or not).

Thank you for the clarification (I apologize, I will try to be more attentive next time). I haven't found that save with 14 (to check the parameters) yet, but regarding the starting hero, I found a starting Ivore with 16 upgraded elves on grass (without magic). After several tests, I came to the conclusion that in this case, the given algorithm works correctly (the vampires were always killed in two turns, the witches had a maximum of 2 HP left, which were finished off by one centaur)

Rizzy takes level 1 maximum crypt on snow for a tower on the first day! No magic or morale!
There might be a better way, but I'll share mine, as I didn't find any screenshots or detailed descriptions in this thread, and it shouldn't just be lost.
These screenshots describe the most difficult scenario, where gremlins deal weak damage. You can use a magic arrow to help where needed, and if morale drops, you can get away with just a couple of gargoyles.
Use it to your advantage!
P.S.: For those who want to test themselves and me, I've attached a save file! :)

Taking a level 1 maximum crypt with Kalh on neutral territory for Inferno :smile51: on the first day! Without magic and morale!
It turned out that my favorite Inferno was classified as a weak faction, and no tactics are written for it... At the request of the community, I decided to write about taking a crypt.
Unfortunately, the map generator doesn't place crypts on lava, i.e., on Inferno's native territory :smile18:, but you can penetrate into neighboring territory, for example, on grass, where there are plenty of crypts!
The disadvantage is that you have to start with Kalh, and you need more than 30 Gogs, which is not so common (although external dwellings are still an option), and the hero in the tavern must bring dogs, although if Gogs are built, you can cheat and build a Canorus (although there are also hidden spots)
In general, HERE IT IS! Use it! The save is also available!

You can also capture the crypt behind the swamp using a different strategy. An army of 20 lizards, 46 simple gnolls, and 3 flies. The hero is Tazar, level 1, with losses of approximately 6 gnolls and 1-2 lizards.

Deployment: fly, lizards, 1 gnoll, fly, 44 gnolls, 1 gnoll, fly.

Round 1:
The first fly flies towards the vampires, the second fly flies downwards, positioning itself 4 squares to the left of the zombies. The third fly positions itself above the second.
The vampires kill the first fly while remaining in place. The lizards wait, and the witches kill a gnoll. The remaining gnoll moves to the eighth row from the top, on the left edge, as bait for the vampires in the next turn. The gnolls wait. After the computer makes its move, the lizards shoot at the witches, and the gnolls attack the skeletons but don't kill them.

Round 2:
Two flies occupy the 7th and 8th squares on the left in the second row from the bottom. The vampires kill a gnoll. The lizards shoot at the witches (~5). The witches attack a fly. The gnolls finish off the skeletons, moving to the 3rd square from the left in the second row (important). The zombies crawl along the bottom row.

Round 3:
With a healthy fly, move to 4 squares to the right of the zombies in the first row. The damaged fly flies to the bottom left corner, where it is finished off by the vampires.
The lizards move upwards and to the right. The witches and zombies move towards the fly.
The gnolls defend.

Round 4:
The remaining fly flies to the 4th row from the bottom, on the right edge.
The vampires fly. We shoot at them with the lizards; there are 9 vampires. The witches attack the fly. The gnolls wait for the zombies to move, and then we kill the witches.

Round 5:
With the fly, we fly to the left and don't touch it until the vampires are gone. The vampires fly. We attack the vampires with the lizards and the gnolls; there are 4 left. The zombies make their move.

All remaining rounds:

We attack the vampires with the gnolls to prevent the zombies from reaching us. We move the lizards away. The vampires will attack the lizards. Then, we lead the zombies with the fly and finish them off with the lizards.

Result: 18-19 lizards, 1 fly, ~40 gnolls!

By the way, using a similar tactic, you can solve Anton's quest without losing any vipers or lizards. Army: 2 vipers, 20 lizards, three mosquitoes, 2 simple gnolls (to make it more challenging). Tazar, level 9, with expert armor, skills 2-9-11.

Hello everyone, I read the posts and didn't find how to deal with the Nagabanks, so here's an example for variety:
Minimum Nagabank: 2 Royal Nagas and 8 simple ones.
We have Shakti, level 3, with advanced attack and 118 Trogols. Ideally, there should also be harpies and troops from 3 heroes, but without them.
Speed: The buffed Nagas go first (7), then all our Trogols (6), and the simple Nagas have a speed of 5.
Placement: One Trogol each, the main stack under #2.

Round 1.
The Royal Nagas don't reach the main stack of Trogols, they attack the central unit #4.
Unit #1 takes retaliatory damage from the Royal Nagas (remember, a simple Naga deals 20 damage, and a buffed one deals 30).
The main stack of Trogols attacks the Royal Naga, dealing 117-352 damage, with a high chance of killing it. And it positions itself at the bottom so that the Nagas from the upper left corner can't reach it.
Unit #3 moves to the left edge so that the Nagas from the upper left corner can't reach it, one cell away.
Unit #5 runs to the upper right corner, exposing itself.
Unit #6 waits.
Unit #7 runs to the lower right corner, also exposing itself.
The Nagas from the upper right corner attack unit #5.
The Nagas from the lower right corner attack unit #7.
The Nagas from the center right flank and from the upper left corner move towards the Trogols.
Trogol unit #6 runs to the lower right corner.

After round 1.
A stack of Trogols stands slightly below the center, to the left, and to the left of it is unit #3. Closer to the lower right corner is unit #6.
Stacks of Nagas are in the upper right and lower right corners.
Another stack of Nagas is to the right, 2 cells away from the Trogols, and the 4th stack is above and to the left of the Trogols.
We will attack it now.

Round 2.
The main stack of Trogols runs to the left of the Nagas and attacks. They manage to kill them.
Stack #3 runs up the map.
Stack #6 runs as far to the right as possible.
The Nagas from the upper right corner move vertically down towards unit #6.
The Nagas from the lower right corner attack unit #6.

After round 2.
A stack of Trogols stands in the left part of the map, with unit #3 slightly above it.
Next to them is a stack of Nagas, and two more stacks of Nagas are far to the right.

Round 3.
The Trogols attack 2 Nagas. Unit #6 waits and runs to the right. The 2 remaining stacks of Nagas move to the right.

Round 4.
The main stack of Trogols runs to the lower left corner, and the unit stands at the top of the map.
The Nagas move to the right.

Round 5.
The Trogols attack the nearest stack of Nagas.
Round 6. The Trogols attack the last stack of Nagas.

The losses are minimal if the attacking stack of Trogols eliminates 2 Royal Nagas in the first round (which means all the single Trogols are lost). And if only one Naga remains, then the losses will be about 20-30 Trogols, maybe even more!!

Taking over hives, examples of playing with any of the castles: 1. Dungeon. Takes the maximum hive on week 1. For example: End of week 1, at the top, Shakti level 5 with an attack expert (in this and subsequent examples, there will be no wild rush, no external dwellings, but we will say that everything was good, like we broke the crypt, took resources and money...). Army: 1 stack - 1 harpy, 2 stack - 1 harpy. 3 stack - 139 troglodytes, 4 stack - 10 eyes, 5 stack - 20 pikemen, 6 stack - 1 harpy, 7 stack - 3 harpies. Due to the 1-turn fly, the arrangement is not critical. Round 1. Flies hit pikemen, harpies, and eyes, only 2 eyes remain. The flies' morale drops twice during the turn. Our turn, troglodytes knock out one stack, the rest skip their turn. Round 2. Flies hit the remaining harpies and beholder-eyes. Troglodytes unsuccessfully hit the fly stack, 4 remain. After 2 rounds - 132 troglodytes against 4 stacks of flies (2 full stacks of 18 each, 1 stack - 17, 1 stack - 4 flies). Round 3. Flies reduce the number of troglodytes to 105, troglodytes reduce the stacks to (17-8-7-4-). Round 4 - the senseless melee continues, etc. In the end, there were from 30 to 60 troglodytes left, but the 12 units of level 6 (!) received as compensation allow further development. 2. Fortress. Bronze level 4, defense expert. Basilisks are built. End of week 1. We won't take the maximum, but we can take 12 flies in a stack. Army. 1 stack - 1 gargoyle, 2 stack - 9 basilisks, 3 stack - 45 gnolls, 4 stack - 34 gremlins. 5 stack - 9 lizardmen, 6 stack - 2 gargoyles, 7 stack - 8 snakes (they are not upgraded, so as not to confuse them with the flies from the hive - I call them snakes). Obviously, we are dragging the gremlins through the swamp to be sacrificed in the hive. Round 1. Flies get demoralized, knock out all the gremlins and 2 gargoyles. Our turn. The remaining gargoyle takes revenge, the remaining units knock out one stack of flies. Round 2. Flies finish off the lizardmen. Our turn, 9 basilisks, 45 gnolls, 8 snakes remain against 4 full stacks of flies. We use the snakes to take revenge, and knock out another stack. Round 3. Fly attack, after which all the basilisks and gnolls and 1 snake remain. Obviously, it is used to take revenge, we knock out another stack of flies. Round 4. One basilisk is lost - it was attacked by 2 remaining stacks. The basilisks wait, the gnolls attack, take revenge, then the basilisks, etc. After the battle, 8 basilisks and 39 gnolls remain. How to find out. 18 or 12 flies in a stack, because they write about both an army and a horde? I don't know, if you really want to - put a scout on check, although it is wasteful. 3. Necromancer. If necromancy is allowed, I won't even describe it. If not, it's thick meat with a fighter bias. The cheapness of buildings allows you to break the hive with 8 wyverns, I haven't tried the maximum. 4. Rampart. It seems that the fly horde cannot be broken on week 1, but a crowd can. So, Kirr level 5, broke less than Shakti, but due to speed, he did not fall behind in development. In the first slot, we put 40 centaurs, in the second - 1 gargoyle, in the third - 13 gnomes, in the 4th stack - 3 dryads, in the 5th - 1 gargoyle. In the 6th - 35 gremlins, 7th stack - 2 gargoyles. Hive with 9 flies in a stack. Round 1. Flies almost completely knock out the harpies and gremlins, the remaining 2 gremlins take revenge on the flies, 1 stack of flies is almost knocked out by the combined efforts of centaurs, gnomes, and dryads. After round 1, 40 centaurs, 13 gnomes, 3 dryads, 1 gargoyle remain against the flies - 4 stacks of 9 plus 1 fly. Round 2. Flies hit the gnomes, 9 remain, a gargoyle is killed. The gnomes take revenge, the rest of our stacks continue. After 2 rounds - 40 centaurs, 3 dryads, and 6 gnomes against flies (9+8+8+2+1). Round 3. Flies hit the gnomes again, the same combination. Round 4. Flies finish off the gnomes and hit the centaurs. During our turn - 38 centaurs and 3 dryads against flies (9+8+2+1). Here you need to decide what we need more - dryads or centaurs. In the short term - centaurs in conjunction with elves, in the long term - dryads for a powerful stack in utopia. Whoever is less needed takes revenge and is further hit by the flies. After the battle, in one case, we will have 38 centaurs left, in the second - 25 centaurs and 3 dryads. Did you notice that we didn't take elves? Let's add 7-10 elves and 6 wyverns to the 38 centaurs - a very combat-ready army. 5. Castle. I won't go into their hive on week 1. Everything is tied to horses, a bunch of secondary buildings - a forge, a stable, often archers are also upgraded. The striking force is excellent due to them - there is no fighter force. But on week 2, with 4-6 horses and support, hives are broken very well. 6. Tower. The same. I don't want to sacrifice gremlins, and building 4 dwellings creates problems - the castle is resource-intensive. But on week 2, with nagas, golems, and minor units for sacrifice, it is taken well. 7-8. I don't allow Stronghold and Inferno when writing, but on week 2, birds, bears, and minor units (or ifrits and various devils).

Sorry for the off-topic.
SEM_56. If you want to do a good job, back up the information with save files and screenshots, otherwise it's not very clear! I'm sure you have save files, and taking screenshots shouldn't be a problem:smile20:
Regarding the Hives, the scary part about them isn't the snakes themselves, but the guards protecting the Hive!

Taking the maximum Griffin Conservatory for Inferno on lava with a 2nd-week bonus:

Setup: 1-6 with a castle, no dogs.
Army: 80 Imps, 36 Magogs, 9 Pitfiends, 12 Demons, 6 Efreet, 30 Trogols, or another army from the left hero that won't die after the first Griffin attack.

Hero - Marius with Expert Armor. Attack/Defense 5-8.

General Considerations: Out of 10 attempts, it was possible to win in seven cases. Critical moments: it's very bad if morale triggers for the distant Griffins in the first two rounds; then the battle can be lost if morale triggers 1-2 more times. In a real game, Demon units usually also level up Knowledge and Strength, and the Grand Mage is already built by the 1st week. Therefore, with a spellbook, the probability of winning increases significantly (if there's Bless, it's >90%). It's also good to have Shield or Stone Skin; then, one morale trigger for the distant Griffins won't affect the entire battle.
If attacking without a spellbook, it's desirable to have at least Advanced Ranged Attack (Expert is better), or the Spirit of Discord artifact, or morale boosters. 1-2 morale triggers on the Magogs throughout the battle noticeably eases the battle.
If there's a reserve of Demons or Magogs, the probability of success is also very high.

Also, if there's Offense, losses will be less.

Deployment (80 Imps, 12 Demons, 30 Trogols, 9 Pitfiends, 1 Imp, 36 Magogs, 6 Efreet)

Round 1:
Attack the bottom-left stack with Efreet, then attack with Imps. Move to the 2nd cell from the bottom left. Place 1 Imp on the 4th cell from the top right. Place the Demons directly above them on the right edge.
Attack the bottom-left stack again with Pitfiends; about 19 Griffins remain.
Shoot at the top-right with Magogs, killing ~5 Griffins.

The bottom-left Griffins attack the Trogols (morale is not critical). The top-left Griffins finish off the Trogols (morale is also not critical here). But there's a small chance that the first Griffins will attack the Magogs. Then GG. Therefore, if there's magic and Slow, slow down the top-left stack.
The distant Griffins kill the single Imp and surround the Demons.

Round 2: Attack the smaller stack of Griffins with Efreet. Wait with Imps.
Defend with Demons. If there's magic, cast Shield/Stone Skin on them; this will be insurance against morale.
Move the Pitfiends to the 2nd cell from the bottom left, creating a "pocket" and move the Magogs into it.

Now, if morale didn't trigger for the distant Griffins, they will stand in a stack on the right side of the screen.

The close Griffins attack the Imps (there's a small chance they'll attack the Efreet). Attack the large stack of Griffins with Imps, and they die in retaliation.

Round 3:

Move the Efreet to the place of the Imps and attack the large stack of Griffins. Attack the same stack with Pitfiends. Shoot at the distant stacks with Magogs. The close Griffins attack (most likely the Efreet); the distant ones fly in. With a spellbook, cast Bless/Accuracy on the Magogs or defensive spells here and further, or weaken the Griffins.

Round 4:

The Efreet and Pitfiends attack the large stack of Griffins. The Magogs wait; the distant Griffins fly in. If morale didn't trigger here and the Griffins became a pair, then you can consider that the battle is 95% won (now the only trouble can come from the large stack of Griffins in the next round), and it's just a matter of losses. Shoot at the pair with Magogs.

Round 5 and subsequent rounds:
Then, look at the situation; if any of our stacks are weak, defend with them; otherwise, we can attack or defend; shoot at the stacks with Magogs; if the cover is destroyed, finish them off in melee.

The best result without magic was: 3 surviving Pitfiends and two Efreet, all Magogs.