Posts from Heroes 2: Beginner’s Guide

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Brief Introduction.

The materials you are about to study were written by me between September 2004 and mid-2006.
This was preceded, naturally, by gaming experience, the study of previously written materials, and the creation of information-analytical tables. The basis of my presentation is reference information, while my primary focus was on comparative characteristics. Different fragments of the text were written at different times, so the material currently lacks stylistic and literary unity – perhaps someday a "fourth edition" will appear (you are currently reading the third), which will be a truly unified work at the intersection of science, art, and sport, celebrating the magnificent strategy – "Heroes of Might and Magic. Part 2".

Perhaps to start, I should roughly outline the place of the second part of "Heroes of Might and Magic" among other versions of the game using a few distinctive features.
1. HOMM1 and HOMM2.
First: HOMM2 has 2 more castles ("titans" and "Necromancer").
Second: a "grid" appeared on the combat field, the number of unit speeds increased, and game tactics changed slightly.
Third (perhaps the most important): skills and secondary abilities appeared.
2. HOMM3 and HOMM2.
First: different heroes of the same class have different starting troops.
Second: different heroes have different specializations; this is likely the main difference;
Third: the magic system changed - different schools of magic appeared, along with the resulting features;
Fourth: extremely important: the ability to wait ("wait") appeared during battle, not all flying units reach the enemy immediately, and damage from a ranged attack at full distance is halved. All this brought global changes to battle tactics.
Fifth: the Dungeon was added.
3. HOMM4 and HOMM2.
First: a hero can fight without troops, and troops without a hero. This is a key difference.
Second: the magic system of the world changed.
Third: a large number of troops gained their own magic.
Fourth: the process of assaulting/defending castles changed fundamentally.
Nevertheless, HOMM4 turned out to be more similar to HOMM2 than one might have assumed: starting heroes of the same type are equal, unlike in HOMM3.
A few words regarding the differences in HOMM2 versions.
In the updated HOMM2 (The Price of Loyalty, Gold), a number of objects appeared that added dynamism to the game, although it is not easy to definitively evaluate their significance.
1. A building appeared in the Necromancer castle. In my translation, for some reason, it is called "holy" (absurd), but in reality, it is a necromancy booster that adds an additional 10% of raised skeletons to all Necromancer heroes. Moreover, the effect of these objects in several castles is cumulative!!! My assessment: the addition of this object, especially in the case of several Necromancer castles, makes Necromancers extremely dangerous opponents!
2. Objects where elementals can be hired for money. I consider this addition positive for the game's dynamics.
3. The Stable. This is a structure on the terrain, visiting which allows the hero to have a larger movement reserve during the week. In addition, cavalry are upgraded to champions there free of charge. This undoubtedly increases the chances of the Knight castle.
4. The Crypt or whatever it's called.
In this structure, one can hire witches. The presence of witches in the army in the vast majority of cases means a technical victory. That is, a victory that does not depend on the player's skill or random circumstances and requires no intellectual effort from the player. Building other creatures is also unnecessary. Gold is not needed.
In my view, including this element in the game is redundant.
For your information: there is a way to fight witches (provided the player using witches lacks the magic "Haste", "Mass Haste", "Anti-Magic", "Remove Spell", "Heal").
Black Dragons. On the first turn, cast Mass Slow. And starting from the second turn, Armageddon. When witches are close - fly away. Repeat until complete destruction. But the computer doesn't think of this ...

I want to specifically note that almost all the material was written BEFORE the release of "Heroes VI".

Now a few words about the current state of HOMM2.
By my estimates - HOMM2 currently shares 3rd-5th place among computer turn-based strategies, losing in popularity to HOMM3 and HOMM5. The main reasons for this are primarily the lack of a quality random map generator (and it is precisely its presence that lies behind the success of HOMM3!), as well as insufficient balance of the castles. Experienced players have long since learned to bypass the second aspect (how is another question), but as for the generator ... Yes, it practically doesn't exist. And that is why, after playing HOMM2 for a year or two, people abandon it for a year, and then return to it again, and so on. Alas, I am not a programmer, so my dream that a normal random map generator will one day appear in HOMM2 remains only a dream ...

For ease of presentation, I will conditionally divide all players into five groups:
beginners;
amateurs;
veterans;
fathers;
grandmasters.

Tips for beginners.
If, after reading the previous posts, you have hesitations: maybe I should try(?), I can dispel all doubts: absolutely!
Where to start learning to play?
A good option: with the "old" campaigns: Ronald and Archibald. By completing these two campaigns, you will be playing at a fairly decent level and will enjoy both the gameplay process and the plot.
If you encounter any problems while completing the campaigns - write to us, we'll help!

Well then, let's talk a bit about the characteristics of various castles.
Let's start with the Barbarian.
First of all, I would like to note that this castle is often underestimated not only by beginners, but also by amateurs and even veterans.
Quite in vain!
On a significant number of maps, this castle is not only equal to the others but is one of the strongest!
Let's start with a brief description of the castle's troops.
So, the troops are: goblins, orcs, upgraded orcs, wolves, ogres, upgraded ogres, trolls, upgraded trolls, cyclops.
Goblins, with their average speed (4), health 3, and—importantly—the same "dwelling" frequently found on the terrain (a building where monsters are given for free), are a perfectly acceptable first-level unit, but only for a hero with good strength parameters. Attack 3, defense 1, damage 1-2.
Orcs, with their very low speed (2), relatively small arrow reserve (8), and health 10, are more like expendable material in the very first stage of the game. They can be interesting in number (since heroes often start with second-level units immediately), especially if there is a building on the terrain where orcs are given once a week to whoever wants them first. Attack 3, defense 4, damage 2-3.
Orc Chiefs: speed 3, arrows 16, health 15. Quite normal fighters for their level considering shooting and damage (3-4). Attack 3, defense 4.
Wolves: speed fast (6), double attack (damage from one "bite" 3-5), decent attack (6). The weak point is defense (2) and number of hit points (20). Nevertheless, at a cost of 200, the unit is quite interesting, particularly due to the ability to mechanically "cover" shooters BEFORE the enemies arrive/reach them, as well as for magical initiative in a number of battles.
Ogres. On one hand, 40 health. On the other, speed is very low (2). Practice suggests that this is not the most useful unit, although it possesses the best health-to-cost ratio. Attack 9, defense 5, damage 4-6.
Ogre Lord. Health 60!!! This is a record holder for the fourth level in terms of hit points. The rest is not as important; however, average speed (4), attack 9, defense 5, damage 5-7.
Advice for beginners and amateurs: the computer loves to blind this unit, keep that in mind!
Troll. Health 40, shoots, average speed. Attack 10, defense 5, damage 5-7. But that's not the point! It regenerates! That is, after each battle round ends, the troll has 40 health again!
Advice for beginners and amateurs: by using this feature of this unit, you can fight a large number of battles without losses in the early and middle stages of the game.
War Troll. Differs from the troll by higher speed (5) and a slightly increased damage value (7-9).
Cyclops. Speed brisk (5), health 80, attack 12, defense 9 (a bit too low!), damage 12-24. In addition to gold (750), it costs crystals (1). Distinctive features: hits two targets (like a dragon or phoenix), and in 20% of cases can cast the "paralyze" spell.

Now a few words about the specifics of building up this castle.
Guys, you need stone. A lot. Very much so. In addition to stone, you will need wood and crystals. And that's it; other resources are not needed (not counting, of course, the construction of the Mages' Guild).
Advice for beginners: when playing as Barbarians, capture stone mines as early as possible.
The main "highlights" among the troops are trolls and ogre lords.
Advice for veterans: think about whether it is necessary to build up cyclops?
Besides everything else, there is another interesting nuance that significantly affects gameplay with this castle. This is the presence of a special building within reach (the so-called "fort on the hill"), in which orcs and ogres are upgraded for FREE. The difference between upgraded and non-upgraded troops in this case is very great—health increases one and a half times, and troop speed also increases.
A couple of words about the native Barbarian hero.
Parameters: 3-1-1-1, but there is no magic book; secondary skill "Pathfinder" level 2. At first, attack is mainly leveled up, then attack and defense in roughly equal shares, and spell power and knowledge in slightly smaller shares.
For a Barbarian hero, it is extremely important to obtain wisdom. This is the main problem when playing with this hero.
Advice for veterans: consider whether you should level up wisdom above the first level early on.

Not tired yet?
Alright, let's continue for now.
I'll tell you about another power castle—the Knight.
A few words on player preferences. Yes, most players of all levels do not very much like playing with this castle. Most, but not all!
In this regard, I want to share a rather interesting observation with you.
There is such a thing in HOMM2 as the "oracle" (analogous to several thieves' guilds), where you can find out: who has the stronger army, who has more castles, resources, etc. Now listen! On most maps in weeks 1-4, the oracle shows that the strongest army belongs to the computer playing specifically as Knights! So let's not underestimate this castle!
As per tradition, we will start the description with a brief overview of the troops.
Troops: peasants, shooters, upgraded shooters (archers), pikemen, upgraded pikemen, swordsmen, upgraded swordsmen, cavalry, upgraded cavalry (champions), paladins, upgraded paladins (crusaders).
What catches the eye immediately? Of course, the large number of possible upgrades—5 (for example, in the Barbarian castle we analyzed before, there were only 3).
Peasants. By general opinion, the weakest unit in HOMM2. Speed is very low (2), health 1, etc. Distinctive feature—fixed damage (1), which makes curse/bless magic pointless.
Shooters. Health 10, attack 5, defense 3, damage 2-3, speed very low (2), they shoot, although... An important feature is that buildings where these shooters are given "for free" are found quite often on the map. Generally mediocre fighters.
Archers. Health is also 10, but otherwise... Speed is average (4), other parameters are like the shooter's, but they shoot twice!! A very decent unit; its health-to-damage ratio is amazing, but only when shooting! When blocked (that is, when an enemy warrior stands nearby, preventing them from shooting), it deals 4 (!) times less damage...
Pikeman. Speed average (4), attack 5, defense 9 (!), damage 3-4, health 15... Not super, in a word.
Veteran Pikeman. Speed brisk (5), health 20, other parameters are like the pikeman's. A mediocre third-level unit, although the relatively small number of hit points is compensated by a decent defense value (9).
Swordsman. Speed average (4), attack 7, defense 9, damage 4-6, health 25. Not the best option.
Master Swordsman. Speed brisk (5), health 30, other parameters are similar to the swordsman's. Normal, although honestly not great for a fourth level—too few hit points.
Cavalry. Attack 10, defense 9, damage 5-10. Speed fast (6), though health is only 30. However, the price is only 300! For a fifth-level unit, this is very cheap!
Champion. Attack-defense-damage parameters are like the cavalry's, but... Speed—very fast (7); along with phoenixes, the champion is the fastest unit in HOMM2 (some mistakenly believe that the phoenix has higher speed. This is not true.) Health 40, and the price is 375. Very good value for money. Due to high speed, having this unit in the army can unexpectedly decide the outcome of a doubtful battle in favor of the Knight.
Paladin. Hm... Speed brisk (5), attack 11, defense 12, damage 10-20, health... 50. But it hits twice. Definitely the weakest among sixth-level units. However, it is the cheapest—600 gold. And if it can deal an unanswered blow (and a double one at that), for example after a preliminary attack by cavalry or champions, then damage of 10-20 per each of the two hits will greatly impress the opponent! Thus, this unit (considering the double hit) is a record holder based on the cost-to-damage ratio.
Crusader. Attack-defense-damage parameters are like the paladin's. An underestimated unit for many! And many paid for this underestimation! Speed fast (6), health, alas, 65, but it hits twice, curse magic does not work, and no additional resources are required upon purchase. Very strong against "undead" troops.
Now a few words about the specifics of building up, while simultaneously discussing the troops.
Wood is needed. A lot. And stone is also needed. And crystals. Other resources are not needed (if you don't count the construction of the Mages' Guild).
Unfortunately, for the upgrade of many creatures, buildings of subsequent levels are required. Another very curious aspect: you can build the sixth level, bypassing the fifth. Beginners and amateurs, take note of this!
Furthermore, you may have the opportunity to upgrade some of your troops for free. Keep this in mind when considering whether it is expedient to build an upgrade in the castle. Such troops include pikemen, swordsmen (foundry), and cavalry (stables, only in HOMM2 POL—"The Price of Loyalty").
Now a "word about heroes". Initial parameters of a Knight hero: 2-2-1-1, but there is no magic book. At first, defense is mainly leveled up, and attack slightly less. At higher levels, all parameters are leveled up more or less evenly.
Leadership and Ballistics skills are given immediately. What does this mean in practice? It means that when a Knight attacks you, half of its troops start moving twice. And when these are crusaders, archers, or champions, it's no laughing matter...
Besides this, it should be noted that upgraded troops possess one of the highest average speeds among the top five troops (5.4). So before you can even look back, they have already reached you ))
And the question of wisdom is naturally relevant. If offered—take it!
Advice for amateurs and veterans: before building upgrades for cavalry, pikemen, and swordsmen, think and carefully examine the map.
Advice for beginners and amateurs: after building the first four levels, look closely: perhaps you can build paladins instead of cavalry?
Advice for beginners: when playing as Knights, capture a lumber mill as early as possible.
Advice for veterans: think about whether it makes sense to level up wisdom above the first level?
Warning to all: beware of the berserker!

Now let's summarize the initial overview of "power castles".
So, both Barbarians and Knights have neither a starting magic book nor normal initial magic parameters. That is why I conditionally called them "power castles".
Moreover, they have no flying squads.
From this follows the following:
1) storming castles is not very simple; it may make sense for a Barbarian to take the Ballistics skill if given the chance, and for a Knight to level it up once before the assault;
2) fighting strong enemy shooters is difficult;
3) and against an experienced mage with a substantial spellbook, things can get tough.
Conclusion: do not stall. Develop—and move forward! Time works against you, understand this! Mages are leveling up, titans and dragons are being built, skeletons are increasing!

Well then, today we have analyzed the basic features of "power castles". Now I suggest you try your strength in practice. Beginners should try a medium-sized map on the level indicated by the knight chess piece. However, no more than 3 games should be played at this level. By the second game, the superiority of powerful human intelligence will be clearly felt. Therefore, it is better to move to the difficulty level indicated by the rook chess piece, "hard," or as veterans say, on "hard," after the very first victory. Amateurs can certainly practice on hard on medium and large maps.
And veterans can easily gather in groups of four to six and launch a good old map like "Good and Evil".

So, let's continue the conversation.
I want to talk to you about a unique castle that is especially preferred by beginners and amateurs, a castle radically different from all others. Of course, it is the city of the dead - Necropolis.
Traditionally, we start with a brief description of the troops and some specific aspects.
Troops: skeletons, zombies, zombie mutants, mummies, royal mummies, vampires, vampire lords, liches, power liches, bone dragons.
Skeletons, in the computer's opinion, are the strongest first-level troops. This can be disputed (thieves and centaurs are also quite tough), but average speed (4), 4 health, 4 attack, 3 defense, and 2-3 damage command respect.
Zombies. Attack 5, defense 2, damage 2-3. Generally considered one of the weakest units of its level. Characterized primarily by very low speed (2), which makes them poorly suited for fighting non-flying units. They do have 15 health, but...
Zombie mutants. A decent second-level squad. Average speed (4), 20 health. But you shouldn't rely on them too much: other parameters are the same as ordinary zombies, including defense 2...
Mummies. Decent. Speed is average (4), 25 health, attack and defense both 6, although damage is low – 3-4. On occasion, they can slightly hinder an enemy unit by casting a curse on it.
Royal mummies. Quite decent. Speed is brisk (5), 30 health. Other parameters are the same as the mummy.
Vampire. As a rule, this unit is used quite rarely by human players. Vampire lords are just so good! But still, a few words should be said about them. They fly. Speed is average (4), 30 health. Unanswered attack. Attack 8, defense 6, damage 5-7.
Vampire lord. A unique unit. The presence of vampire lords (along with the "necromancy" skill) explains the strength of the Necropolis. So: speed is brisk (5), they fly, 40 health, unanswered strike, other parameters are same as vampires. And now the most important part! Vampire lords have the ability to regenerate. During a strike, they regain an amount of health equal to what they took from the attacked squad (but not more than their initial amount before the battle). Therefore, when a substantial number of vampire lords accumulate, they become a very serious force, fighting many battles without losses.
Lich. The only shooting unit in the castle under consideration. They tried to compensate for the more than modest health (25) with defense (12). Speed is brisk (5), attack 7, damage 8-10. To be honest, the unit is not the strongest.
Power lich. Health 35, defense 13 (!!!). Shoots fireballs that hit everyone indiscriminately (including their own) within a one-cell radius. The fastest unit in this castle – fast (6), other parameters are same as the lich.
Bone dragon. Flies. Costs only money, no resources, 1500. Health 150, speed is average (4). A decent sixth-level unit, especially considering the reduction of opponent morale and very respectable damage (25-45). Attack 11, defense 9 (not impressive).
General characteristics of troops. Mind-affecting magic (specifically blindness, berserk), as well as curse and blessing, do not affect any troops of this castle. Shooters are weak and, moreover, die quickly. Most often, the fight is led by vampire lords, skeletons, and bone dragons; royal mummies enter the game less frequently, other units even less so.
The Hero of Necropolis. Starting parameters: 1-0-2-2. Has a magic book containing one of the strongest first-level spells – haste. Initial secondary skills: wisdom, necromancy. And although I will explain the topic of secondary skills much later, in this case, I will dwell on it in detail. Necromancy allows you to raise part of the fallen troops as skeletons after a battle!!! First level – 10%, second – 20%, third – 30%. That is: if you kill a hundred peasants with second-level necromancy, the hero gains 20 skeletons! As a result, playing this castle has a special character. In particular, until the end of the game, the main hero uses first-level units, which by that time accumulate from several dozen to several thousand. The hero's growth is fairly harmonious, although at the beginning, magic stats grow slightly faster. It should also be noted here the specific necromancer magic. Besides waves of death that destroy all living things, there is an extremely powerful spell of only the third level – animate dead (raise corpse). I would like to note that a similar spell for "living" troops is fifth-level ("true resurrection"), and accordingly, it is encountered less often and is harder to learn. Maxed out necromancy, a sufficient number of vamp-lords, and the presence of "animate dead" magic give this castle very serious advantages.
Now a few words about building specifics.
Main feature: it is possible to build levels 5-6 without level 4. What does this mean in practice? That in the first week, you can build either vampires or liches (on sufficiently high difficulty levels). A number of strong players choose vampires – this allows for an earlier start, and a force of 13 vamp-lords is very often preferable to 3 bone dragons (paradoxically, the strength of vamp-lords increases non-linearly, rising sharply as their number increases). Furthermore. Very often a choice arises: upgrade vampires or build liches/dragons. This depends on the situation.
And one more thing: in the HOMM2 "The Price of Loyalty" version, an additional building appears in the castle that increases the necromancy skill by 10% (this same building moved to HOMM3 under the name "necromancer's tower"). Moreover, the effect from these buildings is cumulative: build them in 3 necropolises – you get a 30% bonus to necromancy!
Let's try to summarize.
Necropolis is one of the strongest castles, especially on medium and large maps. Main pros include the large number of skeletons resulting from necromancy, vampire lords, relatively cheap bone dragons that require no additional resources when purchased, the heroes' starting spell – haste, as well as the potential ability to learn and use an extremely powerful third-level spell – "Animate Dead".
Cons can include the not-so-high average speed of main troops, as well as the relative weakness of shooters. And it should be understood that necromancy needs "potential skeletons" - numerous squads on the map, and the hero's initial power parameters are still not very high...
Tip for beginners and amateurs: when a "living squad" joins the necromancer army, its morale will be –1; two "living squads" from different castles – morale –2. Necropolis troops will have neutral morale.
Tip for amateurs and experienced players: do not overestimate vampire lords.
Tip for experienced players: a clash with knight troops led by a strong human player can lead to extremely unpleasant consequences.

And now let me tell you about the most beautiful castle in HOMM2 – the castle of beautiful sorceresses, fairies and, of course, phoenixes.
First – a word about the troops.
Fairies, dwarves, upgraded dwarves, elves, grand elves, druids, upgraded druids, unicorns, phoenixes.
Fairies. First of all, fairies are the only flying first-level unit. Secondly, fairies have an unanswered strike. Now for the rest. Speed – average (4), health 2, attack 4, defense 2, damage 1-2. Low health and low defense lead to these unique creatures dying in large numbers. Moreover, they are practically helpless against direct damage magic. Nevertheless, fairies are an excellent means of neutralizing shooters in the early stage of the game.
Dwarves. Speed is low (2), that's the trouble. There are pros: 20 health, attempt to resist magic, attack 6 (!), defense 5, damage 2-4. A decent unit in the fight against flying troops, weak against shooters.
Upgraded dwarf. The strongest second-level unit according to the computer. Health 20, speed average (4), has a chance to resist magic. Attack-defense – 6.
Elf. Speed average (4), shoots, and does so twice. Attack 4, defense 3, damage 2-3. Health 15.
Grand elf. Oh, they are good! Speed fast (6), attack-defense 5, shoots twice, and does it excellently! Good in every way, only has 15 health, so they die from melee combat and/or magic...
Druid. Shoots. Speed brisk (5), attack 7, defense 5, damage 5-8, health 25.
Great druid. Speed fast (6), otherwise similar to the druid, only slightly higher defense (7 vs 5 for the non-upgraded unit)...
Unicorn. Speed brisk (5), health 40, has a chance to blind the opponent. Attack 10, defense 9, damage 7-14. A decent unit, especially if blinding works.
Phoenix. The most beautiful unit, and it dies very beautifully. Speed – very fast (7) – one of the two fastest units in HOMM2 along with champions (Knight). Attack 12, defense 10 (a bit low), damage 20-40, health – 100, double strike (like dragons from the CD castle and cyclops), immunity to half of direct damage magic, specifically ice bolt, lightning, and storm of elements.
Building specifics. First, mercury is needed. A lot of it. Moreover, it's needed for buying phoenixes (1000 gold + 1 mercury). Because of this, druids are usually upgraded late (mercury is required). Second, elf upgrades are possible only after building druids. Third, a lot of stone is needed.
Important nuances: houses where dwarves live are quite common on the map. If you enter them, they will gladly accompany you further. Also, small houses are sometimes found in trees. These aren't birdhouses – fairies live in them. And if there is only one tree, the fairies will go with guests; if several trees stand there, they will ask for money. And second: in a specific building called "hill fort", dwarves are upgraded absolutely free of charge.
Heroes of this castle have initial parameters 0-0-2-3; during leveling, knowledge grows first and foremost, slightly less magic power, then roughly equally magic power and knowledge, and slightly less attack-defense.
A same-start magic book is given, which contains the blessing spell.
Skills: wisdom, second-level navigation.
The approach to the game can vary greatly, but we will move on to questions of strategy and tactics for various castles later.
So, main conclusions.
Three out of six units of this castle possess various magical abilities, and this, along with the high average speed of creatures and, in particular, the highest speed of phoenixes, is a clear plus. At the same time, one cannot overlook the low health of 3rd-4th level shooters, as well as the substantial amount of mercury and stone required for building. And more: the weekly growth health of this castle is the lowest in HOMM2. That's how it is.
Tip for beginners: capture deposits of mercury, stone, and wood as early as possible.
Tip for amateurs: think about which hero to make the main one.

Every moment of our lives could be the last. Therefore, let us proceed with the further review of the main characteristics of various castles in HOMM2.
Today I will tell you about the castle of mighty shooters and wise mages, a castle that is one of the most difficult from both a strategic and tactical point of view. Today we will talk about the titanic castle.
Troops: halflings, pigs, iron golems, steel golems, rocs, mages, arch-mages, giants, titans.
Halflings/hobbits. Shoot. Speed slow (3), health 3, attack 2, defense 1, damage 1-3. Only suitable for ranged attacks, mainly in the early stages of development. Important nuance: they are quite often found in structures on the map ("burrow").
Pigs. The main thing is speed fast (6). Health 15, attack 5, defense 4, although damage is 2-3.
Iron golem. Speed very slow (2), that's what's unpleasant. Health 30, attack 5, defense 10 (!!!), reduced damage from direct hit magic.
Steel golem. An extremely powerful unit underestimated by many, the strongest of its level. Speed slow (3) – the only minus, but... Health 35, attack 7, defense 10. Damage 4-5. Reduced damage from direct hit magic. Very strong against flying units, decent defense for shooters.
Roc. Flies. Speed average (4), health 40. Attack 7, defense 7, damage 4-8. Not bad for a flying unit.
Mage. Shoots. Speed brisk (5), health 30, attack 11, defense 7, damage 7-9. Plus, melee without penalty. The problem is the low amount of health.
Archmage. Shoots quite well. Speed fast (6), health 35, attack 12 (!), defense 8, damage 7-9, melee without penalty. In certain cases, casts "dispel magic". A good but rather quickly dying unit; moreover, building is not easy.
Giant. Speed average (4), health 150, attack 13, defense 10, damage 20-30. Rarely purchased by human players.
Titan. Speed fast (6), health 300, attack 15, defense 15, damage 20-30. The strongest shooter in HOMM2. No penalty in melee. Mind-affecting magic does not work, specifically blindness and berserk.
Building specifics. Gems are needed. For building titans, for example, you need 45!!! Not a small amount? Therefore, this castle depends very, very strongly on the presence of leprechaun gardens, which occasionally give out 5 gems. If there are no gardens, it will be very difficult. By the way, to buy titans, you need 2 gems for each titan.
Further. There is a specific building – the library, which gives one additional spell of each level of the magic tower. The problem is as follows: both for building the library and for building the guild, the same gems used for titans are needed!!! That's how it is...
There are also little treats. For example, a library is required to upgrade mages.
Heroes. Native hero – 0-1-2-2, second-level wisdom, has a book, stone skin spell. At first, magic power and knowledge grow mainly, then all parameters roughly equally, but magic power and knowledge are still higher.
Tip for amateurs and advanced players: think about which hero to make the main one.
Main conclusions. You cannot play this castle by inertia. You really need to think about the development strategy. By the way, a specific structure on the map can help – the foundry, where golems can be upgraded free of charge. In the first stage of the game, free hobbits are a good bonus, if you find them, of course.
This castle is a record-holder for the number of shooting units, so it makes sense to think about the "archery" skill. Overall I can say: unfortunately, on most maps you will have to choose: either magic or titans.
Tip for beginners: capture gem deposits as early as possible; don't forget to visit the leprechaun garden every week.
Tip for amateurs: having pigs in the army may allow you to cast magic before your opponent in many cases; pigs can mechanically protect a shooter.
Tip for advanced players: don't forget about the second strategy – steel golems, archmages, fifth-level magic with a library. In certain cases, this option is truly worth considering.

So, it's time to move on to the description of the castle of black mages and black dragons.
Troops: centaurs, gargoyles, griffins, minotaurs, upgraded minotaurs, hydras, green dragons, red dragons, black dragons.
Centaurs. Speed average (4), shoot, health 5 (!), attack 3, defense 1, damage 1-2. One of the strongest units of its level, especially in the early stage of the game fighting against slow non-flying and non-shooting troops. In the computer's opinion, it is the second strongest unit of its level.
Gargoyle. Flies, speed fast (6). Not bad, right? Health 15, attack 4, defense 7 (!!!), damage 2-3. Gargoyles are considered by the computer to be the second strongest unit of their level; they are very strong against shooters and, thanks to high speed, provide a chance to cast magic first.
Griffin. Flies, speed average, health 25, attack 6, defense 6, damage 3-5. In the computer's opinion, it is the second strongest unit of its level. Among other things, it responds to an unlimited number of strikes. Especially strong against shooters.
Minotaur. Speed average, health 35. Other parameters are very serious for its level. Attack 9, defense 8, damage 5-10.
Royal minotaurs. Speed fast (6). Health 45, attack 9, defense 8, damage 5-10. In the computer's opinion, it is the second strongest unit of its level.
Hydras. The only minus – speed very slow (2). Health 75 (!!!) – simply a fantastic figure for a fifth-level unit, attack 8, defense 9, damage 6-12. In addition, an unanswered strike on all enemy units standing in immediate proximity. In the computer's opinion, it is the strongest unit of its level.
Green dragon. Speed average (4), health 200, attack 12, defense 12, damage 25-50. Full immunity to magic. Attack reaches two cells.
Red dragon. Speed brisk (5), health 250, attack 13, defense 13, damage 25-50. Full immunity to magic, attack reaches two cells. In the computer's opinion, it is the second strongest unit of its level after the black dragon, although many players believe titans are stronger than RD.
Black dragon. According to the computer and most players, it is the strongest unit in the game. Speed fast (6), health 300, attack 14, defense 14, damage 25-50, strike reaches two cells.
Building specifics. Sulfur is needed. For building BD – 50. By the way, for their construction you also need 50 stone, and if including the statue and cellar - 65. This is generally the only thing that opponents of BD can hope for. But there's another nuance. You don't have to build BD; you can limit yourself to red or even green dragons (by the way, the computer rightly considers green dragons as fourth strongest in HOMM2 after black and red dragons and titans). For information: the cost of building green dragons is 25000 + 40 ore + 30 sulfur + 10 gems (if adding statue, well, and cellar, then another 15 ore, 5 wood, 4750 gold), which in principle is not that much for troops of such strength. A couple more nuances regarding building the castle. Hydras are built quite easily; it's not necessary to place minotaurs first. And also: buying a red dragon requires one sulfur, and buying a black dragon – 2. And another thing: let's compare the purchase cost of a titan (5000 + 2 gems), BD (4000 + 2 sulfur) and red dragon (3500 + 1 sulfur). That's how it is... But that's not all! Only this castle has an additional building (cellar) that brings in 500 gold a day!!!
Heroes. Initial parameters: 0-0-3-2, skills initial wisdom and advanced scouting, has a book containing curse (what else to expect from black mages). First, magic power grows, slightly less knowledge, then all indicators roughly equally, but still with an emphasis on magic power and knowledge.
Tip for amateurs and advanced players: think about which hero to make the main one.
Main conclusions. Potentially this castle is the strongest. Highest amount of health in weekly troop growth, a unit completely immune to magic. Lowest price per rating point of weekly growth according to computer classification. Highest income. Strongest initial army for the hero. Starting hero with magic power 3. If dragons are built not too late – great chances of victory. However, in case of sulfur and stone deficit, other castles can significantly outpace BD in development... Also a minus could be the lack of strong shooters in the middle stage of the game (until dragons enter battle). But there is one more nuance. The combination of dragon + Armageddon magic (storm of elements is weaker but also works) is so powerful that it breaks the already quite shaky balance in the wonderful strategy "Heroes of Might and Magic Part II".

Excellent review. The last decent review of the second game I read was about 1996, in a separate book called "Best Games of 1996."
Those were the days when such literature was selling like novels by Nick Perumov.

I'll learn all this... and I'll take revenge on Dust in St. Petersburg. :smile54:

I think it's never too late to express gratitude, right?

It was extremely interesting to read, thank you to the author.

Thank you. Very good review.

After playing for a long time, I got the impression that defensive spells have some kind of bonus effect on human troops. I'm curious to know how it actually works.