Posts from Uninvited guests.

The demon won the very first siege on the 3rd week. He has upgraded machines that immediately destroyed the gates, and his ballista decimated half of my army. Now that's what I call a special tactic!))))

You need to analyze who is coming "to visit" you. If you see a "Debilka" (likely a nickname for a specific unit or hero), you know she'll bring her plasma cannon. Look for artifacts that provide protection against magic (specifically fire) and don't place your units in a tight group to avoid area-of-effect damage from her shots. If you can't win right away, replay a couple of turns and prepare.

For example, her "special tactic" is completely useless against dwarves because almost all of their higher-tier units are immune to fire. So, to kill one "chicken" (another likely nickname), even a heavily upgraded ballista (three shots per turn) from Debilka will take more than 5 turns, while a "Vitek" (another likely nickname) can take down a couple in one turn.

Something didn't work out with Rupert. He's a specialist – a ballista operator.

I tried playing as Rupert with a warrior. Well, it's just ridiculous. Absolutely useless race, in my opinion, with its counterattack; on this map, the specialization is useless. What second specialization are we talking about? The ballista, yes, 3 shots are great! In the very first game, a demon won on the 3rd week; he had upgraded machines that immediately destroyed the gates, and his ballista buried half of my army; now that's what I call a specialization! I even lasted longer playing as dwarves. When I played as barbarians, there were no attacks at all; they didn't even dare.

Something didn't work out with Rupert. Specialization - ballista.

I also decided to try playing as humans, since there are so many complaints about them; my hero is "hero."
After about three months, it became boring - the hero is already level 27, and no one dares to attack the castle because the danger has long been medium and lower, even for the generals. I also don't bother them unnecessarily because I know they will return with an even larger army, but they won't give me artifacts. They occasionally wander past the castle and sometimes have skirmishes with each other.
Support heroes appear rarely; I try to catch them as much as possible, which is very difficult because the hero has become ridiculously strong - he has become a dull, rich, and lucky fighter who doesn't know how to run :(
No matter how hard I tried :smile35:, I couldn't give him dark (or at least summoning, or, at worst, chaos) magic and logistics; all the time, "light," "defense," and stupid human specializations appeared.
Due to the above, I had to hire two "runners," Vitka and Aksya (I wanted to find Rutgar, but he didn't appear either). I use them to intercept the enemy's army near Rupert and catch up with them, destroy them, and loot them in case support heroes appear. And in case of trouble, they can escape to a safe place or run to a tavern; fortunately, Aksya can now use a portal. It's a pity that there are simply not enough nearby monsters to fully level up these heroes.
Now, I just need to wait until I have enough strength to take outposts without significant losses and start eliminating players. There is also the option of going to Hotabych (the monsters guarding him no longer pose a significant threat) and retraining Rupert so that he is developed "according to the rules," but it clearly won't yield good results in terms of time, so I don't want to continue.
In general, it was much easier to play than with the Afroknights; if I had to constantly fight "on the verge of defeat" with the risk of being defeated, then here there were no particularly dangerous moments.

I also decided to try playing as Humans, since there are so many complaints about them; my hero is a "hero."

I haven't gotten around to the Order of the Dawn yet; I'm trying to play as Dark Rangers. I have a mod that's conflicting with some other map (I still don't know which one) – the Twilight Dragons have 3k HP and they're casting Fireballs at maximum power... It's quite overpowered. So, I immediately retrain them into alternative subtypes. Otherwise, the game quickly becomes uninteresting.
For my second hero, I wanted to take Iranu with her agile Furies. But no matter how hard I tried to reload the map, she wouldn't appear... It kept giving me Orcs, Demons, and Humans... I only saw Vaishana and Letos from the Dark Elves. I stopped at the latter.

No matter how hard I tried :smile35: I couldn't give him Dark (or at least Summoning, or, at worst, Chaos) magic and Logistics; "Light," "Defense," and stupid Human specializations kept appearing.

Light magic is perfect for Humans! Righteous Strike, Divine Might, Haste with Stone Skin in large numbers – a deadly combination, I tell you! And maxed-out Counterstrike on top of that! The enemy will be bleeding! Divine Vengeance at the very end, if you're almost dead – it's fun!
"Stupid Human specializations" – is that Morale/Luck? They shouldn't be underestimated either. Hitting more often and harder – it's quite interesting, I tell you.
Just remember Alaric from the original campaign. That shady guy gave me a lot of trouble... He didn't give my Orcs time to attack with his Light magic. Gotai only had time to shout to build up Rage... It was very difficult to fight him without a Shaman.

My mod conflicted with some other map (I still don't know which one) – the Twilight Dragons have 3k HP and cast Fireballs at maximum power... It's quite overpowered. That's why I immediately retrain them into alternative subtypes. Otherwise, the game quickly becomes uninteresting.

You just need to clean the "maps" folder from other maps.

I wanted to take Iran with her agile Furies as my second hero. But she wouldn't appear, no matter how many times I reloaded the map... It kept giving me Orcs, Demons, and Humans... I only saw Vaishana and Letos from the Dark Elves. I stopped at the latter.

You should choose the starting Castle of the race you plan to play as; then, your first hero will always be of that race, and with the second, if you're lucky ;)

"Stupid human specifications" - is this about morale/luck?

No, "stupid specifications" refers to "Super Control" and "Counter Strike," which are effective if you have a lot of units that can be hit many times (I try to play with minimal losses, meaning I try to ensure that the enemy can attack as rarely as possible).
And the most useless skill is "Experienced Leader," IMHO – it's a very questionable advantage that can bring meager benefits in the very distant future when you have a lot of resources and money (I try not to stretch the game out that much), while your main hero must be in the city by the end of the week, which is not always (or rather, rarely) the case. And on this small map with one city and very limited resources, it's generally not very effective.

For Humans, Light Magic is the best! Righteous Strike, Divine Might, Haste with Stone Skin in large numbers – a deadly combination, I tell you! And a fully developed Counter Strike on top of that! The enemy will be bleeding!

I'd like to see how this "best" helps in a battle against several hundred creatures of level 5-6 when you only have a few dozen, or sometimes even fewer, units at your disposal. ;)

For the sake of the experiment, I deleted all the maps. A specialist in mega-units appeared almost immediately. There was probably a conflict between the mods. Each race has its own strong stack of creatures. For Necromancers, it's zombies; for Orcs, it's warmongers; for Humans, it's infantry, and so on. With a developed defense skill and artifacts that boost HP, armor, and resistance, they can hold out for quite a while. Fury helps them in this regard. The only downside is that it's difficult to increase their mobility and initiative. You need to choose the right artifacts and skills for that. You can defeat a numerically superior enemy with small, but frequent attacks. Light magic, advanced morale... This is the opposite of dark magic and destruction. For some time, I underestimated the "Spellcasting" skill. But then, on one of the maps, I got this skill. The opponent didn't have time to attack, while my hero was closing the spellbook. I'll also play through this map with humans, depending on my mood.

I tried playing as the Demons ("hero"). It was a drag. No, to be more precise, it was utter darkness. I restarted five times with Kaan, but this hero is terminally ill. He suffers a lot and doesn't live long. By the time the first AI main hero (Necromancer level 17) arrives, I never managed to level Kaan above level 12. In all cases, only the "attack" parameter grows for him, "spell power" remains at 1, rarely reaching 2. So, Kaan's special ability is purely decorative. Also, the AI seems to be able to read my posts. The most common random spell before battles was "grief" and "weakness." During the entire game, "plague" appeared only once, and "disrupting ray" appeared three times. Once, I found Lestos in a tavern. I took him. Compared to him, Kaan is like a hand saw against an angle grinder. The peculiarity of the Demon castle is that there is only one ranged unit, and the rest are melee units. Therefore, when the AI main hero arrives, the castle walls don't help much, and you have to fight against superior forces. The gate cannot compensate for the difference in the number of troops of the besiegers and defenders. The Necromancer brought an army to the castle that was 1.5-2 times larger than the Demon army, and the imps, sticking their tongues out, quickly ran into their last battle. A quick start is necessary on the map. Kaan, in his current form, can provide it, but only if too many conditions are met. It is necessary that two native heroes appear in the tavern on the first day. The protection of objects should mainly not be ranged. There should be sulfur among the random resources near the castle. Even when everything works out, he can only fend off the first AI main hero. The second hero will crush him like a bug. It is uncomfortable to play the map with the Demon castle, and hopeless with Kaan. Groll is a little better, and Daleb lasted the longest. She reached level 26, but the economic reasons for developing the castle also ruined her. P.S. I looked at the new Rupert. He is a good hero, but lacks "spark." As someone here already called him, he's a "chopper." It's simple to play with him. The main thing is that there is almost the same standard hero in the Human castle, and therefore playing with him is not very interesting.

I won the map playing as Demons on "Veteran" difficulty, in 160 days. The starting conditions were exceptionally favorable. The tavern offered Daleb and Jezebeth, so I decided to start by developing Kahn, but even then, things didn't go smoothly, although it was somewhat better than starting on "Hero" difficulty. I retreated and made Daleb my main hero. Since resources were better, the Castle developed steadily for a while. Problems started with the Magic Tower, where, out of all the "Darkness" spells, only "Vampirism" was offered. The mages and the Utopia also didn't offer anything useful. Building dwellings of levels 5-7 took a long time. I should say that the "Witch Gathering" event on "Veteran" isn't very scary. The first strike still has consequences, but the others are barely noticeable. Daleb easily repelled the attacks while staying behind the Castle walls, but in the field, she was overwhelmed. The game became almost static; my main hero from the Castle could only move within a two-day range. I was forced to develop Kahn. With Daleb's broad back protecting him, he thrived. The AI didn't bother him, he could move around the entire map, and he leveled up to 20. Unexpectedly, he managed to break through the gates and capture the enemy Demon Castle. From that point on, the process went quickly. Finally, Kahn captured the Necromancer's Castle. In conclusion, a few words about the unconventional Demon hero. Kahn is quite weak up to level 15. At a higher level, he is still weak, but a large army helps to mask these shortcomings. All his upgrades are in attack. At level 20, his defense was -1, magic was -2, and knowledge was 5. If it weren't for the added artifacts, his magic would be useless. Moreover, the special ability, which activates before the start of the battle, pushes him to the end of the initiative order, and even "Sharp Mind" doesn't help. Due to the random selection of the target and the type of spell, the battle almost always starts badly.

I wonder, has anyone managed to complete a map playing as an Orc Hero?

Added 3 minutes later

It didn't work out with Rupert. Specialization - ballista.

It's actually not difficult to complete a map as Rupert, considering his skills and abilities. Develop Machine Mastery, Attack, Defense, Luck (Morale), and choose a school of magic (Light or Dark).
Also, artifacts that enhance the main skills will help.

I wonder, has anyone managed to complete a map playing as an Orc hero?

There's enough information about the Orc to get an idea of what to expect. But if you have any doubts, suggestions – take the Orc and give it a try. You'll be a pioneer. Everyone will be interested to read about how the life of a Barbarian unfolds at the "heroic" level.

I wonder if Rambo1969 will be able to complete the game playing as an Orc on Hero difficulty.

Excellent map! There is one problem: After fleeing, the Barbarian stops inspiring his troops at the beginning of the battle. And a question: Is the lack of the ability to use a portal to enter the city for the Barbarian (the scroll is useless, the portal is forbidden) a bug or a feature?

The inability to use a portal to travel to a city for the Barbarian (the scroll is useless, portals are forbidden) – is this a bug or a feature?

The Barbarian relies solely on his strong warriors. He can yell at his lazy hooligans. Let the mages clutter their pockets with wands and scrolls.
This is a racial characteristic of the Barbarians.

Played on "hero" difficulty as the orcs. There were many restarts; I tried almost every hero from this castle because the suggested Urkrass is a useless hero, but more on him below. It turned out that the only ones with a chance of winning as a starting hero are Argat or Haggesh. The main difficulty is bargaining for them in the tavern on the first day. For some reason, the AI is extremely reluctant to offer them.
Haggesh is a super choice. She probably starts the fastest of all heroes from various castles. Comparable perhaps only to Lucretia. With the correct development, by the time the enemy heroes appear, Haggesh reaches level 18-19, while the opponents arrive at 15-17. In such scenarios, no one attacks her. The enemies only charged the castle in a horde after the first hit of the coven. An orcish castle, even in a normal state, suffers from a lack of funds, and on this map, with constant destruction of the castle/capitol, there is practically no money for anything. Based on my experience, I didn't even try to build the capitol. From the moment of the first hit of the coven, the slow decline of the orcish advantage began. Due to an error by the author in the "city portal" for the orcs, movement was limited to within two days of the castle. After a month of gameplay, there was nothing left to gather there; you don't get experience from neutrals. The AI heroes arriving there pounded Haggesh like a pile driver, knocking out precious centaurs time and time again. This further convinced me that the computer does not place opponents randomly. Some "kind people" cleared the way to the castle: Lestos, Sveya, Alastor, Naadir. "Darkness" and "chaos" surrounded the orcs. To survive at all, I had to urgently abandon "logistics" in favor of anti-chaos and anti-darkness. Haggesh broke the paralysis; she no longer left the castle, waiting for the next hero to come and finish her off. The mines and centaur dwelling were taken. Then the coven hit for a second time. The final catastrophe crept in; at that moment, I didn't believe it was possible to repel the wave of attack. Everything—the end. The money was enough either to restore the Stronghold or to buy another hero. Finally, Argat appeared in the tavern. I bought him anyway and it paid off. From that moment, the star of the orcs began to rise higher every day. Through mentoring, I poured experience into Argat, gave him whatever troops I had, left the castle under the guard of a group of goblins, and moved Haggesh to the Sanctuary. Argat carried out a fantastic cavalry raid, wiped out the AI's secondary heroes around the castle, and reclaimed the centaur dwelling. The main AI heroes twitched toward him but didn't leave the castle, however, Lestos decided to give chase and mowed down everyone in his path. Argat captured mines, gathered money and artifacts, and occupied dwellings. After a week, the map was unrecognizable—orcish flags were everywhere, and no secondary AI heroes were flickering about. I decided to direct Argat to suppress the coven; for him, it was very close, just a stone's throw away. All the AI main heroes gathered in the Dungeon by the river; having nothing better to do, they fought each other again, and the dwarf won. But he waited in vain. Argat, via another exit, was already approaching the home castle. The respite was beneficial; I managed to build the capitol, the castle, and buy almost all troops, except for the cyclopes, who weren't upgraded yet. Moreover, the new week happened to be the week of the goblins. Argat had only wyverns left; Haggesh brought back the rest. The AI rushed the castle, but it turned out that casting spells against Haggesh was no longer fashionable. Over 1k shamans reliably blocked such attempts. The situation became stable, and there was an opportunity to level up Urkrass. He could stomp into any corner of the map without fear; the AI main heroes didn't react to him, and Argat crushed the secondary ones. A month passed. Everything was quiet and predictable, but then the AI suddenly showed its fangs. Sveya launched an assault. She had acquired Mass Diminish, Pyrokinesis, and her spell power had reached nearly 50 (!). She wore greaves and a shield from the dwarf set. She had no bears or berserkers in her army, but instead had priests in two stacks of 150 each, various grades of spear throwers at 400 each, and stacks of 80 jarls/earls. The computer took into account the dwarves' failures related to the destruction of the catapult. I replayed this battle dozens of times before I managed to get a moderately acceptable result. I had to move faster. Without sparing money, I upgraded the cyclopes and bought them all. Urkrass received experience from Haggesh up to level 30 and all troops except centaurs and goblins. The task was simple: take the dwarf castle. He calmly passed the newly reborn and bloated Sveya on the road. The orcish castle lived in anticipation of the "ninth wave." Meanwhile, Argat performed a miracle. After slaying another batch of the AI's "cockroaches," he got a bow from one and a quiver from another. He passed the "Archer's Dream" to Haggesh right under Sveya's nose. The dwarves tore Argat apart. But during the assault on the castle, the centaurs shot the shorties like a machine gun, with practically no losses on their side. Urkrass somehow broke through the garrison that same day, and subsequently occupied the almost empty dwarf castle. A week later, the TE disappeared, then the demons. Lastly—the necros. In the end, victory came to the orcs after 156d.
The promised conclusion on Urkrass. He might appeal to lovers of "papuan dances"—he creates a lot of useless running around. In practical terms, he is only useful for clearing neutrals, and even then, only with a huge material advantage. He does this particularly well if there is a large stack of executioners. His inspiration is haphazard, almost always targeting those who don't need it. But after that, he flies to the end of the initiative scale, and the orcs make the first move on their own. "Aid" can only be placed every other turn, and inspiring the needed stack takes about one and a half to two turns. Such a failure in hero behavior is an even worse option than the demonic Kana. There, you can smooth over the consequences with magic, but here, what is lost is lost.

Did you manage to complete the Haven campaign?