Part 9: Level 4

Update 9

Just a quick reminder as to our goals this map. Jep, very original kill everyone!

Day 1

Welcome to Nightshadow! A beautiful castle fully equipped with the latest in peasants and achers.
Our main hero for today is the sane looking Lord Maximus. He apparently has his roots in Might and Magic 3 and is a half orc. We don’t do discrimination here, so that’s just fine with us.


I buy him some archers and off he goes. There is a pile of ore there and usually that means that there is an ore mine nearby as well.


Found it! Also, peasants!


Just what this army needed, more warm bodies. He picks up the gold chest (+1.000) next to the peasants and is out of movement.


I remember this map, I got stuck here. This map is a wide open space with four castles somewhere on it. We’ve already seen that I’m in one corner, so the rest is probably in their own corner. I want to get a second castle ASAP. So I’m actually considering buying two extra heroes to cover more ground.

I think I’ll buy the guy with the fancy hat first. He’s a barbarian named Ergon. He comes with goblins and orcs. The goblins are medium speed allowing him (and by proxy me) to cover slightly more ground. One of the advantages of being a knight, your units are dirt cheap so feel free to throw some money around.


This of course only works if I leave the orcs behind and so it is done.


Now I have a warlock In addition to the knight. I’ll get the warlock also for speed reasons, but also because his centaurs and gargoyles fix some of the knight town problems.


He picks up two chests for 1.000 and for 1.500.


± one to go please.

Day 2

The warlock (Falagar) changes positions with Maximus. Maximus heads down to attack the peasants, I hope that they will join him due to the combo of same army and overwhelming strength. Meanwhile Falagar can use his extended vision and walking speed to look around.

That tree has a rock behind, so the enemy peasants need to walk around it to reach me. Guess how this goes for them.


They should've joined me.


Ergon gets the gold (1.500) and the wood (+18).
Back home a Blacksmith is built.

Day 3

Ergon finds a piece of map.


And he ends his turn contemplating his fate.


Falagar picks up 21 in ore and heads to the water wheel. The water wheel is a building that acts a bit like the windmill. Except instead of resources it provides either 500 or 1.000 in gold each week. ...I’m not exactly sure how this works in relation to the windmill. Is this like a hydropower plant?


So last time I played this level I got stuck here because I’m too slow. I want to go on hyper offensive so I’m considering buying another knight hero. He can ferry his extra units and the extra units I can already buy to Maximus and Maximus can attack the Swordsmen. Hopefully they will join and I can continue on to the left side of the map. On the other hand I already have 3 heroes and I will have little defenses left here if Maximus leaves.


Instead of all that, I hire Dimitri and buy a mage guild to get him a spell book. I luck out and get bless and curse.


Spell book in hand and being at the same level as Maximus I decide that Dimitri is better suited to attack at the moment. So he gets our mighty host of units and continues on!


Dimitri is poised to attack and Maximus scouts out that forest.

Day 4

There wasn’t a lot for Maximus to scout without units, so he heads back again.


Ergon heads to where Falagar was so Falagar can attack the peasants guarding the campfire and statue.


Attack!


It’s times like this that you notice the lack of attack on a warlock. The gargoyle has to move to defend the centaurs who can’t kill a stack of peasants in a single shot. But after a single shot they fall to about two or three left. Meaning they’re slightly more dangerous to your health than eating a banana without allergies.


All done. He picks up the campfire and visits the statue for a morale boost.


I get cold feet. That’s stack is lots of swordsmen. I think I’m being overconfident.


I need some confidence, time to beat up someone weaker than me.

Day 5

Now this I can handle.





Man I am surrounded by archers, this is annoying. I need that sawmill. So I’d better suck it up.


I’m not going to like this.


It takes 3 turns to cross and the enemy archers gang up on my archers.


Killing far too many.


Well, at least I see a sawmill and an obelisk. I also see a trap! That blue medal? That’s the Fizbin of Misfortune. An artifact that has been engraved upon my soul as I managed to pick it up the first time I played this game. Unlike the other artifacts it provides a permanent (for as long as you have it) -2 to your morale.
Heroes1 and Heroes2 contained negative artifacts, but they were removed in Heroes3 and 4. A shame really, I rather miss them and their ability to screw you over in later games. Nothing quite like defeating a grand army and claiming your prize, a minus to your morale. I actually already posted another cursed artifact (from Heroes2) in my first update, I wonder if anyone noticed.
Poil informs me that an artifact that I will count as negative shows up again in Heroes5.
I also count the Heroes2 Arm of the Martyr as a negative, even if the negative morale can be easily offset.


Ergon and Falagar continue scouting the area.

Day 6

The barbarian will be pleased.


Maximus picks up the wood and the gold that was near him. I discover that the cavalry guarding the Fixbin block my way to the obelisk. So Dimitri heads home and Maximus heads to flag the lumbermill.


Ergon flags the mines.


Falagar collects resources and heads to flag the second lumber mill.


Back home a blacksmith is built.

Day 7

Ergon picks up 1.500 gold and a crystal mine. I didn't build my cathedral last time and I rather missed my paladins last round so I would like to have them this time...if you don't mind.


Scouting is going really fast with 4 guys working on it. Falagar just picked up another sawmill, some goblins and a pile of wood. The other sawmill is flagged by Maximus.


Now this is an army. Let’s get killing.

Day 8

Ergon finds another obelisk.


At least there are enough resources everywhere.


Those pikemen have such a strange position as they’re not guarding anything and you can just chachacha right past them. I’m hoping that it means that they will join me.

Back home I could build another mage guild, but I’m going to save up for a cathedral.

Day 9

This doesn’t look much like joining.


The enemies cunning formation ensures that it will take a long time for them to reach me. Meanwhile, my archers only kill one each turn.


One of the fools attacked and the entire stack was killed by my cavalry and swordsmen.


Always great when this happens.


The first attack wasn’t enough, annoyed at leaving his work half finished he tries again and slays the rest.


“PEEK-A-BOO!”


Don’t fuck with these peasants.
Peasant kill count: 4


No seriously, don’t fuck with them.


I really wanted to give the honors to my peasants. The only stack that could kill more than 3 at a time. No losses, well done.


A headless horsemen or just enemy just out of sight is coming. Not sure which. I can’t check it yet.


Hmm, I think those legs should be attached to something. There may be another enemy there.
I wish a market existed in this game, I have a 109 ore weighing a ton in my pocket.


Run away!


Not that I would’ve lost anything had he died. I just don’t want to give them more experience.

Day 10

Dimitri finds another piece of the map and the enemy hightails it out of there.


Thanks to Falagar finding a chest of 2.000 gold I can build my cathedral. Sweet!


He also finds a piece of the map. If I can find some dessert part I can probably guess where the artifact is at.


Maximus picked up a very welcome 1.000 gold at the water wheel. Time to buy some crusaders for him.

Day 11
The yellow hero that turned Ergon into Ergone just killed herself on a village.


Also, blue thinks I’m blind.


The rogues are the most dangerous since they can hit hard. So we waited a round and lost an archer by doing so. Still, time to slaughter and watch the enemy run away. After killing 23 rogues in a single hit, they still managed to do 23 damage to my swordsmen. Just 2 points short of killing one.


Peasant kill count: 7


I hate runners!


Falagar is doing great.


Back home the computer throws me a bone. Blind!

Day 12

Falagar continues enriching us. Dimitri reclaims the ore mine the enemy took and continues in the direction they came from. I want their castle, preferably this update.

Maximus returns home and gets an army? He also learns to read.

Day 13

New week, new units!


Teambuilding! Falagar and Dimitri wave at each other.


Maximus buys all the paladins and cavalry that he can and attacks some archers.


This goes great for him.

Day 14

Maximus picks up the obelisk near the Fizbin and he picks up a chest of 1.500 gold.


I’ve also found the desert! Considering the map I probably have to cross it to find the ultimate artifact.

Day 15

I see a blue hero pop up and I quickly move in her direction. Dimitri found a castle and it’s the Warlocks.

Meanwhile Falagar keeps collecting whatever he can get his hands on.


Back home I build a thieves guild to check out our new home. There’s some pest problem, but nothing Dimitri can’t fix with copious amounts of luck.

Day 16

I don’t know where the blue hero went, but not parking her ass in the castle was a mistake. Charge!


That’s a lot of hydras and 40 centaurs to back them up. Fortunately the first hit on the wall fails! I’m doomed.


So that didn’t go very well. Time to reload a save. I don’t really want to, but I don’t want to lose this battle and my army already. A second attempt goes even worse with the enemy getting constant morale boosts and the wall staying up until the third turn. The AI has a serious ton of cheap units. I just need higher leveled guys.


So Dimitri starts by walking around and he finds the blue hero and an obelisk.

Maximus starts to trek to where Dimitri is and Falagar collects resources.

Day 17

A new bit of map. Dimitri looks around, Falagar collects resources and Maximus hurries.

Day 18

When suddenly this happens. Leaving only some Hydras behind. Time for round two.


Finally at turn 3 does the catapult kill a wall.


Now to whittle down the hydra’s huge 75 hitpoints. Well placed spells keep me in the race.


And believe it or not, the peasants are very important. Their huge stack hits hard enough to matter. Their first hit kills a Hydra.
Peasant kill count: 8


Now no more making fun of peasants, okay guys?
Peasant kill count: 9


Almost there! I now notice the other way that they attempted to balance the hydra, their damage output on a single unit is on the low side.


Oh god yes! I have taken the castle!


Thanks guys for working as hard as you did. I will not let your sacrifice be in vain.


Unfortunately the computer already bought most units from here. Let’s hope I can keep it.


Maximus collects a timely 1.000 at the water wheel.


Which allows me to buy gargoyles.


Well, the tower killed half their centaurs and I paralyzed the other half. Let them come.


The sprites and small map are horrible. No one can reach them to kill them off.


As is this. I’m having flashbacks.


Of course her dwarves are unaffected.


Many waiting turns and another storm later.


Hold them off!


This is the third time this is cast.


It’s a tie! Everyone loses. Sorry guys that died to get me this castle. At least we still have the jpgs.

Day 19

I lost the castle already. I only have money for 3 gargoyles.


So Maximus hands off his units to Falagar who runs like the wind to get the castle back.


That was surprising.


I’m a little bitter after this.

Day 20




Maximus gets the gold and heads home to get his third army of this map. He’s having trouble keeping them.


I really wanted to do that but with blue.

Next time I try to take that castle again and I'll keep it this time.

You know I’m having trouble seeing my victory in this map under the current conditions. I checked the thieves guild. Green has vanquished yellow, so unless I get another castle I’m going to get into big problems. Meanwhile blue has a substantial army and even worse, they have storm and are not afraid to use it. Well, we’ll see how this goes.