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WARHAMMER: DARK OMEN FAQ.
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Game Information:
Title: Warhammer: Dark Omen
Type: Real Time Strategy
Format: Playstation
Game's Age Limits: 11+
Author: Robert "Robbie B" Blowes
Contact: thefollower44@hotmail.com
FAQ Version number: 2.1
Last Update: 5th April 2003 -Completion of mission 11 done, special
items list updated all that usual stuff. Updated enemy list breezing
through the FAQ in good pace, Merc Ogres added to allies list.
FAQ Version 1.0 - 10th DEC 2001: Introduction - Section 1.0 updated
FAQ Version 1.1 - 11th DEC 2001: Started Section 2 added List of
terms. OFFICIAL RELEASE
FAQ Version 1.8 - Mission 7 completed with no casualties.
FAQ Version 1.9 - Added +/- on allied units section. Control FAQ
section started due to popular demand. Redesign and redrafting of FAQ
results in complete deletion of walkthrough.
FAQ Version 2.0 - Added +/- on temporary unit section. Control FAQ
for controller just about finished. Missions 1 through 4 now re-
written with much more simpler and easier battle tactics than ever
before! *Cough* ok can't get carried away. Lots more re-written and
re-drafted, missions 5a, b and c* to be completed soon (battle
planning being done again).
FAQ Version 2.1 - Missions 1 through 11 completed, enemy list ever
growing. Any contributions to what to add to the +/- section send my
way, I'll probably change them a bit though since it all depends how
lucky you are in the game (i.e. Greatswords demolishing an entire
army of Orcs and undead when they usually flee sort of thing).
Ogres added to allied list, please note that I haven't done the
missions that gain them yet.
This FAQ is copyright 2001-2002, Robert Blowes.
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INTRODUCTION
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Welcome to Robbie B's FAQ. This FAQ aims to cover everything on the
game: Warhammer: Dark Omen. If I have missed anything please do not
hesitate to contact me and I will check to put whatever I have missed
into this FAQ. The Basic content of this FAQ starts off with unit
information and basic information, which you may need to know to gain
a clearer view of the story. The general walkthrough is here and
covers all decisions you as the player makes. Thank you for reading
this FAQ I hope to hear from you soon.
Special Note: Dark Omen is based on the tabletop Warhammer: Fantasy
Battles. If you are an owner of the game then ALL enemy stats based
in the game (exception to bosses) will be found in the respective
Battle books of Warhammer: Fantasy Battles. I have used my knowledge
of Warhammer FB to try and help clear up the battle system, however
if anyone possesses the ENTIRE collection of books of the tabletop
game WHEN Dark Omen was released I'd be very happy if you could send
all information about the units including their stats.
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Table of contents:
1.0) Story and basic information
1.1) Definition of Terms
1.2) Skull and Shield rating explanation
2.0) Details of units (allies)
2.1) Details of units that join for a short time
3.0) Bestiary
4.0) F.A.Q'S
5.0) Walkthrough
6.0) Special Items/Weapons List
7.0) Magic Book
8.0) Control FAQ
9.0) Secrets/Codes
10.0) Legal disclaimer
11.0) Credits and How to contribute.
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*Section 1.0*
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Story and Basic Information
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If Warhammer: Dark Omen is your first Warhammer game then you will
more than likely not understand why you the main character is out in
the wilds of the Empire fighting goblins and Orcs.
The story actually starts in Warhammer: Shadow of the horned Rat in
which you the player was the commander of the young Grudgebringer
Mercenary army famed in the north but trying to make a career in the
southern areas known as the Border Princes.
In the game you of course come across a huge enemy plotting to
destroy the world and so on. Of course a feat which has rarely been
done is YOU went and defeated the Skaven warlord along with his
puppet Orc Boss Urgat Rip-eye.
Now, several years later you end up in the Empire back to being a
small mercenary army once again. This time though a new threat
arrives and it's up to you to defend the world from the terror of
death.
*******************
*Basic Information*
*******************
Basic information you just need to know about this game and what all
the rest of this guide will tell you about.
This guide is SPOILER free and if there is any possible spoilers it
will be marked clearly. You also should know how to play the game
which I hope you do, if not please refer to the Game Control FAQ.
As you are a commander of the army I should hope you know what a
commander has to do! The main things a commander should understand is
defence is much better than attack.
The reason for this is that it's simply a LOT easier when defending
to get the upper hand. For example when defending you have the
advantage of firing off artillery and narrowing down enemy numbers in
your solid fortified positions that if planned right allow for
flanking attacks. When you attack you lose the advantage of sitting
back and allowing the enemy to fall into your trap, and in most cases
you will have to send several orders (quickly mind) to get your
troops into a solid attacking position. Personally I feel it's easier
and on the whole a LOT safer to just sit back and defend as opposed
to running into ambushes as you attempt to attack. (As a rule of
thumb attacking plans are easily broken up i.e. ambushed as opposed
to defending plans, which generally can adapt to anything the enemy
throws at you)
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
|Section 1.1|
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
*********************
*Definition of terms*
*********************
Flanking: This means getting your units around the enemy and
attacking from the sides or behind.
Flanks: This is the left and right sides of your army.
Centre: This is obviously in between the flanks
Rearguard: This is the back of the army.
Vanguard: Not to be confused with Rearguard. The vanguard is the
front of the army.
Cavalry: Soldiers on horses, beasts and mostly anything that is big
enough to allow a mount. Powerful and vital for your cause, they are
generally the fastest units you can deploy and as such are BEST used
for flanking. Keep them out of battle so if you encounter trouble you
will have a fast and strong unit to reinforce collapsing lines. Or
you can choose to use them as crack troops (as they generally are
anyway)
Infantry: Foot soldiers. Treat them as cannon fodder if you wish,
however Infantry troops are the best for close range fighting and
should ALWAYS be in the front line.
Archers: Wield longbows, firing rate is pretty good range varies.
They can fire over allied units so as a general rule of thumb you
would like to have archers over crossbowmen in battle (unless you use
the Kamikaze tactics explained later)
Crossbowmen: These use the more powerful crossbows, long range but
slow to reload they cannot fire over allied units (if they can they
do a great job of shredding through the rear ranks :\) *Robbie B's
note: Crossbowmen are GREAT kamikaze guys. Just sit them halfway up
the battlefield and pepper the enemy with crossbows. When the enemy
gets into charge range fire one last round of arrows. Now point and
laugh as the leader flees, his comrades dead around him... (you might
want to start crying if it doesn't work though :D)*
Artillery: War machines, cannons, mortars and so on usually stupidly
powerful but immobile. Mortars are the only artillery unit that can
fire OVER allied troops so try not to get a unit in front of a cannon
when it starts firing yea?
Skull Rating: This is shown in the troop roster and on the battle
map (press select then highlight a unit). The number of skulls shows
the rank or "threat" of a unit. Needless to say a unit with 1 skull
is hardly going to hurt your mighty three skull elite's! Always think
about this before sending that Infantry unit to attack a little group
of enemies since you could be sending a 2 skull infantry into a 4
skull bunch of elite's... Needless to say your butt will be handed back
to you on a plate.
Shield rating: This is also in the troop roster but NOT viewable on
the battle map (so no chance of seeing enemy armouring). This is how
well protected your units are. Generally put this can be vital in the
later stages of the game.
Melee: Hand to hand combat!
Flee: Not to be confused with melee! It means: RUN!!!!!
Attack: An attack is basically and attack of some sorts whenever by
missile or by swords.
Re-enforcement: This is the term I use in attacking missions. In
attacking missions when you practically wipe out the enemy a bigger
stronger unit appears, these are reinforcements sent basically to
help them out and you aren't going to let that happen!
Wave: A wave is the battle phrase during defensive battles. When you
are defending something, the enemy will attack in waves. Basically a
group of 4 or more units attack one particular area of your defences
and when they fall or are in trouble another four units or comes to
back them up and keep up the assault... In other words the second batch
of enemies is the "second wave of attack".
Waves: Waves is the battle phrase used when more than one attacking
wave is launched at your units. For example in mission 1 there are
two waves of attacks by 2 units while in mission 3 there are SIX
waves of attacks by 1 unit. It's easy to learn!
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
|Section 1.2|
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Skull and Shield explanation:
Skull and Shield is the way a unit is rated in terms of both strength
and defence.
Skulls:
Skulls are the way troops are determined to be a threat. How much
experience they have, how many kills they have made and how much of a
threat they are on the battlefield. This was employed in Warhammer:
Shadow of the Horned rat to limited success but is the heart of
Warhammer: Dark Omen
1 Skull: Recruits.
This is the rate given to people who come fresh out of the barracks!
It's also given to troops who have no experience. These troops have
little skill in using their weapons; they are unorganised and not
exactly brilliant in combat. They flee a lot, make rash decisions and
get into the wrong place at the wrong time.
Examples include Night Goblins, Brigands (thugs) and Zombies (Normal
people brought back to life). Villagers can be included here although
some would be a 0-skull threat as opposed to 1 but hey that's the
game.
2 Skulls: Regular Troops
This is the rate given to "normal" troops. Troops you would find in
almost every army. They have the average skill in combat; they use
their weapons with good skill, are organised and flee only when
losing a battle. They have average leadership are an experienced
bunch of soldiers. In reality men who go into battle a lot but aren't
exactly top of the art soldiers.
Examples include: Helmgart Bowmen (poor shots), countess Guards (flee
at fear!), Orc Boyz (organised and strong)
3 Skulls: Elite Troops (Veterans)
This is usually given to troops who are the core of the army. They
are powerful troops who utilise their weapons with amazing skill!
They never flee unless faced with certain defeat or are overwhelmed.
They have brilliant leaders, are very organised and loyal men. They
are top of the art fighters in reality the best troops you can find
strong and resilient. They usually lead the front line.
Examples include: Grudgebringer Cavalry (class pure class), Orc Boar
Boyz (nasty), Carlsson's Cavalry (class) and Necromancers (nasty)
4 skulls: Rare troops (Total Veterans)
This is given to troops who are totally rare. You will be hard
pressed to find them anywhere in the world. They wield their weapons
with unbelievable skill, are led by inspirational leaders, rarely
flee unless face with utmost defeat and are total specialists in what
they do.
In reality these are state of the art soldiers who you should beg to
have on your team. They are the best units you can have specialising
in a certain area of battle.
Examples include: Grudgebringer Cannon (state of the art cannoners),
Grudgebringer Cavalry (it's easy to level them up).
Shields:
Shields basically give you an idea of how well protected your men
are. Gold Shield is the minimum amount of armour you can have.
Shields for infantry:
1 Shield: Basically normal clothes.
2 Shields: This is a troop with normal armour. Basically light armour
or a shield.
3 Shields: This means the troops have heavy armour or light armour
with a shield.
4 Shields: Given to troops who have heavy armour and a shield. Strong
protection but they will be slower than normal.
(The above changes depending on weapons e.g. countess guards can't
have shields because they require two hands to use their weapons 1
shield is light armour and 2 shields is heavy armour)
Shield for Cavalries:
2 shields: The minimum, 1 shield for being mounted (hard to hit) and
1 shield for light armour.
3 shields: Heavy armour, or light armour and shield plus being
mounted.
4 shields: Heavy armour, or barded horse.
5 shields: Heavy armour, shield and barded horse.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
|Section 2.0|
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
This section gives you all the information required on YOUR units.
This is PLAYER controlled units and not NPC'S or enemies. This
section also contains, background information, information on how to
use the unit to best effect and loads of other stuff.
**************
*Allied units*
**************
Permanent Units (Units which NEVER leave your army or units which
rejoin your army later)
Name: Grudgebringer Cavalry
Led by: Commander Bernhardt.
Background: Taking their name from their commander's powerful sword
'Grudgebringer' these mercenaries form the core of the army known as
the Grudgebriners. They are skilled in combat and ride to battle on
mighty war-horses.
How to use:
As the background says they are the CORE of your army. Lose these
guys and the game is over. However these guys are the toughest unit
in the game period especially at the start.
This cavalry unit has 16 men and horses and since it is war-horses
you get an extra attack for the horse!
They start off with potent three skulls and three shields of a
possible five. At the start of the game they can easily wipe out any
unit for no casualties!
Although you may like I be tempted to storm them through the main
enemy units which is a dangerous thing at times, the best tactics to
use with these boys is to keep them in the flanks and once your
archers and cannon crew has cut the enemy down as much as they can
send in these guys.
I tend to get them to attack enemy units of skull skill two or three
rather than 1 since the less experienced fighters should take out
those pesky 1 skull boys!
Advantages:
+ You're the LEADER!
+ Fast and reliable
+ Overly powerful can hold their own against insane odds.
+ Starts out with a nice magic weapon "Grudgebringer Sword"
+ Can upgrade to FIVE armour slots, very nice!
Disadvantages:
- You're the LEADER! (In other words die and it's all over)
Name: Grudgebringer Infantry
Led by: Sergeant Gunther Schepke
Background: These warriors are highly experienced and proficient
fighters led by Sergeant Gunther Schepke, Bernhardt's second in
command. As part of the respected mercenary army known as the
Grudgebringers they are completely loyal to their commander.
How to use:
I recommend you try and keep these boys alive for as LONG as
possible. They are the biggest Infantry unit in the game having a
total of 20 men max!
They start the game with a skull rate of two, which is basically
what I would consider an "average" rate. Also they start with 2
shields of a possible 3.
I recommend upgrading their shield to three at the start of the game
so they will stay alive long enough to get more lethal!
With a skull rate of two these boys are capable of taking on most
enemy units. If you see a two-skull enemy or even better a 1-skull
enemy send these guys in to attack they should be able to handle
them. However I suggest you don't send them in to face elite units
(skull: 3+) unless you have serious backup with them just in case
things go wrong. (The Cavalry is a good backup unit here)
The best tactics to use here is to send these guys into the enemy
front rank then circle the cavalry to attack the enemy flanks or
rearguard. Don't expect the cavalry to save their butts all the time
though, train them up and don't worry about losing them you shouldn't
lose them unless you are THAT bad or just plain unlucky (They can run
pretty fast for humans you know ;)).
Advantages:
+ BIGGEST Infantry unit in the game
+ More than able to defeat ANY enemy
+ Solid front line troops.
Disadvantages:
- Not always reliable. They flee quite a bit, which is a shame.
- Is it just me or does the green/white banner scream "Fire the
arrows here please!"?
Name: Grudgebringer Crossbows
Led by: Unknown
Background: As part of the respected Grudgebringer mercenary army
these troops are skilled in their art and loyal to their commander.
They are armed with powerful crossbows, which have long range but
require line of sight to their target. Although they wield their
crossbows with considerable skill they are not particularly effective
in hand to hand combat. ONLY the front rank of the unit may fire.
How to use:
Simple here, DON'T get them in hand to hand combat unless you really
are desperate however I applaud you if you sacrifice them for the
cannon crew!
Line of sight basically means they can't stand in front of a
building and shoot the enemy like longbow archers can! But these guys
can be very useful _sometimes_! They aren't entirely good most of the
time (in my case) getting 4 kills in the entire battle! However in
missions where you can't take your cannons these boys become VITAL!
They have a ton of weaknesses and will become useless when you get
some archers. As they can't fire UP in the air I suggest you do NOT
put them directly behind your own men because you'll end up killing
your soldiers and have the enemy laughing at you! (Keep your men
about 1 regimant size away from the crossbows as they can still get
hit at the sides sometimes.)
Put them on a hill or even better put them in the middle of two
units of infantry fire away then when the enemy get too close pull
them back and get the infantry to close in.
They have 16 men MAX and a skull rate of 2! Another 'average' unit.
Shields though are 1 of a maximum of three at the start of the game
and should remain so unless you seriously intend to send them into a
melee!
Advantages:
+ Powerful crossbow troops
+ Great for the Crossbow Kamikaze tactic
+ Are decently accurate
Disadvantages:
- Agonisingly slow at loading
- Can't fire OVER allied units
- Are USELESS in hand to hand combat *require protection*
- Are often important in missions without a cannon (they're your only
artillery in some battles and thus you need to know how they are, how
fast they reload and such so you can get the covering fire in time.)
- Can go through the entire game without picking up a kill!
Name: Grudgebringer Cannon
Led by: Unknown
Background: This machine fires heavy cannonballs which, can tear
through enemy regiments and light buildings with ease, but is
progressively more inaccurate the further it fires. Its enormously
long range is only matched by Orc Rock Lobbers, but it requires line
of sight to its target as the cannonball is fired in a very shallow
arc. Armour is USELESS against hits from a cannon.
How to use:
Now I'm presuming you don't intend to get these men into a fight
with a bunch of skeletons am I right? I do hope so! The cannon is
gained from the start of the game and has 4 men; a MINIMUM of three
is required to even shoot! Remember that!
However this is the MOST LETHAL unit you have at the start of the
game oh yes. Guess how many skulls? That's right! FOUR the max
possible! However it's shield rate is 1 of a possible 3 not that it
accounts to much since you won't want to get them in hand to hand
combat!
How do you use them then? Sit them down and shoot like mad. However
they have the exact same weaknesses the Grudgebringer crossbows have.
They still shoot your own men and believe me one shot through the
rear of your men will simply be enough to get them fleeing well off
the battle map unless you are LUCKY and if you're unlucky you'll wipe
your own men out. Congratulations dude you just hit a game over!
Putting them on a hill helps, putting them behind a hill doesn't!
Just get them in a place with good line of sight and make sure they
can't blow your own men up and you'll be fine with these guys.
PLEASE PLEASE don't get them killed. They are very much VITAL for
all missions.
Advantages:
+ It's a CANNON!
+ Cannon shots bypass armour. GREAT against bosses and tough enemies.
+ Decent reload time
+ Insanely long range.
Disadvantages:
- PATHETIC accuracy at times. (Although they can hit wizards in one
shot)
- Can't fire over allies
- Insanely long range (are you sure that none of your allies are in
the way *hint hint*)
- Couldn't even kill a chicken in hand to hand combat. *Requires
protection*
Name: Bright wizard
Background: Having spent years studying his art at the Bright college
in Altdorf, a bright wizard is able to control magical energy to
produce spells of flame and heat. Although extremely powerful in
battle, wizards do not fare well in hand to hand combat. A wizard may
NEVER wear armour.
How to use:
The bright wizard is one of the most powerful wizards in the whole
game! Since most of the enemy in the mid-final parts of the game are
undead you'll have a lot of fun just burning them to death since
Undead units are weak against fire!
Note when the background information says: NEVER wear armour and DO
NOT FARE WELL IN HAND TO HAND COMBAT? Well unless you are like me
(crazy as hell) do NOT ever put him in hand to hand combat since the
poor fool will more than likely have his head chopped off.
Although I have got him in battle with a whole unit which he somehow
managed to hold out until the cavalry saved him (very funny too) I
don't recommend doing this. And yes he only killed 4 in that battle
too!
Basically with this guy combined with the Grudgebringer Cavalry unit
the two can be an unstoppable force for the undead units. Use him
wisely and check out the spell book in section 7.0 for more tips.
*Danny's tip: Back in the days when I used to play with Danny on
Warhammer he gave me quite an impressive display of power in Dark
Omen. In several of the missions you can win with ONLY the Bright
Wizard... Although I wouldn't suggest people try it, it does show you
how powerful the wizard can be. The way to do it is simple, mass cast
fire wall spells (the one where fire erupts out of the ground and
burns for a while) in areas where you KNOW the enemy reinforcements
will appear... Anything undead that walks into this will be nothing but
charred ashes and yes you're abusing the game but it works with
practice (you have to be precise on your timing and positioning to
eliminate entire armies with just the wizard and cavalry here)*
Advantages:
+ FIRE Spells (A LOT of undead enemies are weak against fire and you
fight like... A LOT OF UNDEAD ENEMIES!)
+ Can teleport out of danger situations
+ Stupidly overly lethal
+ Can teleport RIGHT next to enemy mages for battle purposes (or
scouting whatever)
Disadvantages:
- Has no armour
- OH MY GOD! He CAN kill a chicken in hand to hand combat! That
doesn't mean he can kill Elite units though, KEEP HIM OUT of hand to
hand combat.
- Is an idiot at times refusing to do the thing you want correctly.
- Lack of variety... This guy's obsessed with FIRE!
Name: Dwarf Warriors
Led by: Unknown
Background: Determined and confident, Dwarfs are immensely strong and
resilient although slow on their feet. They will flee in only the
most desperate circumstances and their hatred for Orcs and Goblins
makes them even less likely to rout when fighting them.
How to Use:
They are slow really so don't try and get them into a fight with
archers. They are powerful though and the second largest Infantry
unit in the game with 19 Dwarfs and 2 of three shields filled. They
start out with a two skull rating as do most infantry!
When fighting Orcs and Goblins these guys practically fight to the
death and so are very useful in fights against the greenskins!
However against other units they are also pretty good if a bit slow.
The best way to use them is to simply keep them back until an enemy
gets close then charge them in. Because they are slow it is hard to
send them out to attack and so it's best to keep them close by to
defend a cannon or the archers.
The Dwarf warriors first join you after you re-take or defend
Helmgart. If you choose to help them they will join you then leave
you and later in the game they will re-join you. However don't help
them and they "die" or "refuse to help" you.
(As it is... if you have cash to spend max out the Dwarves armour.
Dwarves suffer no penalty on movement in this game so no matter how
much armour you put on or remove they will always move the SAME speed
(unlike humans who will generally go painstakingly slow if packed up
with armour)
Advantages:
+ Cuddly little guys!
+ Have beards
+ Are powerful front line troops
+ WILL rarely flee from battle against Orcs and Goblins.
+ Are the BEST defending the cannon and archers.
Disadvantages:
- Slow...
- Prone to running away
- Flee a lot more if fighting with elves.
- Are sitting ducks against archers.
- Not very good attacking units.
Name: Imperial Greatswords
Led by: Unknown
Background: Imperial Greatswords, like all swordsmen of the Empire,
are highly trained and proficient fighters. The swords they wield are
so large they must be swung with both hands and therefore strike with
great force. Due to this fact these troops are limited in the amount
of armour they can utilise.
How to use:
They use two hand swords so basically because of the sheer force
they hit plus the sheer weight of the swords they use, they attack
LAST. Doesn't matter who they fight they attack last. Therefore
please don't even THINK about getting them into a fight with cavalry
or Orc Boar Boyz and Goblin Wolf Riders because they'll be
slaughtered more often than not.
They can't use much armour so I would recommend buying one more
piece of armour so they can live longer! Although you might not use
them that much they can be useful. They tend to retreat a lot so I've
heard and seen.
Basically don't get them into fights against cavalry. Keep them
against infantry units and they should be alright. They only have 15
men though so you may want to keep them back to protect a cannon. On
the other hand as well as attacking last they are annoyingly slow.
Trust me on this but don't even THINK of getting them into a fight
with archers... SHOT DOWN is what will happen to them if you do so.
As with most other infantry units they start with a 2 skull rating
and 1 of 2 shield slots filled. Sucks eh?
*Robbie B's research tip: These guys are not worth being on the field
of battle. Unless you were careless and wasted units then these boys
are in the most extreme cases going to be nothing more than "mop up"
troops. Only use them if you don't have any other decent infantry
units. *
Advantages:
+ POWERFUL!
Disadvantages:
- They attack last.
- They don't have brilliant armour
- They attack last and in general get slaughtered before they hit a
blow.
- Slow
- Runs away from battle quicker than Homer Simpson does when he sees
a free doughnut sale.
Name: Flagellants
Led by: Unknown
Background: Flagellants are men who have been driven over the edge of
sanity by some personal disaster or catastrophe, causing them to
travel the Empire preaching their vision of doom. Their madness gives
them superhuman strength and resilience and they fight with
outstanding fury. Flagellants wear only tattered robes and will not
wear armour.
How to Use:
Ok so, as you should know by now. Infantry unit... 2 skull. The catch?
They can wear no armour meaning they are defenceless as well... imagine
a hedgehog on a highway and you get my point.
Only 9 men in a unit and basically mad as anything. They use flails,
which are quite nasty, especially since they can break your jaw in
one blow! Right now if I haven't put you off using this unit then I
know you aren't a guy who believes loads of armour and hitting power
= instant win!
Although they may look frail they are excellent fighters. Send them
to fight a unit of 20 goblins and they probably WILL win! Small in
numbers, weak in armour yet their hitting power, their insanity makes
them unbeatable. Because they are "mad" they refuse to even retreat
unless either half-dead or just about getting wiped out!
The other interesting fact of this madness is that it grants them so
much power they can easily smash through units like a knife through
butter. A unique unit so don't waste them. They are pretty good at
times better than the Imperial Greatswords anyhow!
Try not to send them headlong into archers (have I stressed this
enough?) because they'll be easily shot to pieces. Basically have
them attack either infantry or small units of cavalry. Try not to
lose them either because they can be a nice part of your plans!
Advantages:
+ Religious fanatics (They make the BEST troops;))
+ Only retreats when they've lost a leg.
+ Nicely powerful
+ Can be the trump card in battle if used right.
Disadvantages:
- No armour
- Small unit (9 men)
- Can be wiped out if you aren't careful.
- Tend to fight to the death.
Name: Imperial Cannon*
Background: : This machine fires heavy cannonballs which, can tear
through enemy regiments and light buildings with ease, but is
progressively more inaccurate the further it fires. Its enormously
long range is only matched by Orc Rock Lobbers, but it requires line
of sight to its target as the cannonball is fired in a very shallow
arc. Armour is USELESS against hits from a cannon.
How to Use: Just like the Grudgebringer Cannon enough said really.
Advantages and Disadvantages: Same as Grudgebringer Cannon
*Note: After mission 9 you have the choice of choosing the Imperial
Cannon or Mortar. If you choose the Cannon then you get this... Skip
ahead and read the Mortar section for more information.
Name: Imperial Mortar*
Background: This machine fires explosive shells high into the air,
sending them crashing down into enemy ranks. It has an extremely long
range and can shoot over obstacles and terrain as the shell is fired
in an arc, but it is progressively more inaccurate the further it
fires. Armour provides no protection against hits from a mortar.
How to Use: This 4-skull machine is just like your Grudgebringer
Cannon in experience, armour and lethality. However unlike the cannon
it has the advantage of firing OVER allies and does NOT require a
line of sight to bombard enemies. The mortar has the ability to fire
over a hill to bombard enemy ranks and that gives it a significant
advantage over the cannon as your first choice artillery unit
Advantages:
+ Long range
+ Can shoot over allied units and obstacles
+ Gives you an extra attacking option
+ Extremely vital in missions where you can't use the cannon (because
buildings prevent you from shooting the enemy for example)
Disadvantages:
- Requires protection
- Fires up into the air, enemies can easily move out of the way
especially cavalry units.
- Can't fight in hand to hand combat
- The cannon is better when firing at close range as the cannonball
goes straight into the enemy as opposed to UP then back DOWN.
- The Mortar is obviously not too accurate at long range
*Note: You must choose between the mortar or the cannon. I personally
vouch for the mortar as you really don't require two cannons and the
mortar is something different
Name: Mercenary Ogres _FEAR_ (see note)
Background: These massive creatures stand at twice as tall as a man
and are far more strongly built. Although they are not particularly
intelligent they are strong and tough and fight ferociously. They are
notoriously indiscriminate about who they fight for as long as they
are rewarded. Due to their large and threatening appearance Ogres
provoke fear.
How to Use: An infantry unit that for once is THREE skull. The catch
is the max size of this unit is limited to THREE men. The Mercenary
Ogre unit of three also can only wear ONE shield of armour. This may
sound like it makes them a useless bunch of troops and potetionally
they are. However these troops tend to be better than even the
Imperial Greatswords and as a bonus they cause fear, which is great
when facing either Orcs or undead. Orcs and goblins will flee from
the Ogres most times and the fact that Ogres cause fear makes them
immune to fear that undead units cause!
Be careful how you use them as they are a small unit it would be
wasted to get them killed. Against any one skull troop they can
usually hold their own but in the case of large 2skull units or any
3skull unit you should always have a backup unit help them out. The
Ogres may benefit most with the special item "Enchanted Shield" so
give that to them if you want.
NOTE: The Ogres will only join you if you agree to help them attack
the Orc and Goblin Army.
Advantages:
+ Cause fear
+ Are stronger and tougher than humans
+ Unit of three ogres counts to about 6-9 humans.
+ Start at three skulls!
Disadvantages:
- Small unit, easily wiped out if you aren't careful
- Flee if the odds are against them
- Low armour
- Are only really effective as a backup unit unless you're lucky
enough to get the enemy to flee straight away!
*************
*Section 2.1*
*************
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
|Units, which join then, leave your army |
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Units, which join and then leave your army, are indicated with a
green arrow on their emblem in the troop roster. SOME units will re-
join you later in the game and become permanent units; these units
are listed in Section 2.0.
Units here will NEVER join you permanently at all during the game and
will only stay for a brief time.
Name: Carlsson's Cavalry
Led by: Unknown
Background: These warriors form part of the militia commanded by the
Border Prince and former mercenary Sven Carlsson, a personal friend
of Bernhardt. They ride into battle on mighty war-horses and are
proficient in combat.
How to use:
Carlsson's Cavalry are much better than in the first game where they
were two useless units of infantry! The Cavalry is given to you for a
few battles at the start of the game and should be used to good
effect.
Use them to attack and support the Grudgebringers most of the time
since they are equal in skill to the Grudgebringers and MORE heavily
armoured! A 3 skulled unit with 4 of 5 shields covered! Don't buy
them additional armour since they WILL leave.
Basically these guys won't get wiped out unless you are that
unlucky! They are tougher than nails and although only have 14 men
compared to the Grudgebringer cavalry's 16 they never do get many
casualties.
Use them for support, and if you don't care about experience points
send them in as a main attack force.
Advantages:
+ As strong as the Grudgebringer Cavalry
+ Have MORE armour than your cavalry and are thus less likely to die.
+ Reliable in the midst of battle!
Disadvantages:
- Flee more than the Grudgebringer Cavalry.
- Only stick around for 2 missions.
Name: Helmgart Bowmen
Led by: Unknown
Background: Like all warriors of the Empire these bowmen are highly
trained in their art. They are aimed with standard bows, which have a
medium range. Although they wield their bows with skill they are not
particularly effective in hand to hand combat. Only the front two
ranks of archers may fire.
How to use: These guys are utter crap. I could shout 50 rude words
and you could get the picture of how BAD these archers are! Believe
me if you were moaning about the Grudgebringer Crossbows being crap
shots these guys excel in being totally utterly useless at shooting!
The Crossbowmen are the BEST crossbow unit in the game and although
I've been saying that ARCHERS or BOWMEN are better don't even bother
with the Helmgart Bowmen because they pale in comparison.
A 2 skull, 1 of three shields filled, these boys are "average"
bowmen the same as the Grudgebringer Crossbowmen except worst shots!
If you are going to use them then do as they walkthrough says, they
have good range and don't really need line of sight however though if
you get them in a firefight with another enemy unit of archers they
will much like the did in the first game lose and die! They do
however have huge numbers, 20 in all but that means nothing for
archers!
Advantages:
+ Are bowmen thus can fire OVER allies.
+ Above average rate of fire.
Disadvantages:
- Awful shots, even your own crossbow unit is better.
- Easily wiped out in a firefight with enemy archers.
- Slow and unreliable.
Name: Countess Guards
Led by: Unknown
Background: These fighters like all the Empire's infantry, are highly
trained and proficient fighters. They are skilled in combat and the
halberds they wield are heavy weapons, which hit with great force.
These weapons must be wielded with both hands, so these troops are
limited in the amount of armour they can utilise.
How to Use: The countess Guard come with the Helmgart Bowmen and are
basically the guys who protect the countess. After seeing the
Helmgart Bowmen and these guys in action I will assure you, you'll
understand just why the Empire needs men like you to do the dirty
work.
The Countess Guards aren't that bad in all honesty but because of
the two handed weapons they use they hit LAST all the time no matter
what. And when you are facing a unit of 20 zombies this is not
something useful! They also tend to flee about three times more than
your own units would which makes me laugh sometimes.
They are as usual an average unit of 2 skull rating and have 1
shield of a possible two! Because of the lack of armour it's no
surprise the ranks of these sturdy 10 men seem to get demolished all
the time. (Low armour + always hit last + 10 men = Death)
You won't use them much so can't really offer any tactics!
Advantages:
+ Bodyguards!
+ Aren't too shabby in battle compared to most units.
+ Are likely to cause havoc if they are charged.
Disadvantages:
- Have low armour and generally get slaughtered
- Small Unit (10 men)
- Hit last in battle
- Hit last, small unit, low armour = bye bye.
- Are a "guard" unit... In other words they're the LAST line of defence
- As a guard unit they are worthless holding the front line
- Retreat a LOT.
Name: Imperial Steam Tank:
Background: This machine is in effect a mobile cannon and is very
heavily armoured. In battle it cannot be engaged in hand to hand
combat as it would simply run over any troops in its path. The
cannon, which has a very long range but is progressively more
inaccurate the further it fires, launches heavy cannonballs, which
can tear through an enemy regiment with ease. Armour provides no
protection against hits from cannonballs.
How to Use: The Steam Tank is an impressive 4 skull unit operated by
1 man. Like the Grudgebringer cannon it's a great artillery the added
bonus being you can move this thing and it can simply not be
destroyed via any means but other cannons/archers. There's not much
advice I can give since I don't really use this mainly because I've
never required to.
Advantages:
+ It's a cannon that can move
+ Is immune to hand to hand combat
Disadvantages:
- You probably won't ever need to use it.
*************
*Section 3.0*
*************
Advance notice: The following bestiary can be used to plan or make up
your own battle tactics and complete the game without the use of the
walkthrough. This is very useful if you do not wish to be forced to
use my own tactics and methods to win the game.
You can though use the bestiary and the walkthrough to see what to
do if you feel up to it. However for those who wish to get STRAIGHT
to the game then go to the walkthrough section. The bestiary is here
to give you additional information and options of taking on the game.
- Robbie
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
|Bestiary: All enemy units and how to deal with them. |
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Note: This is listed in the order you will find them. If the same
unit re-appears but with the same strength then they will not be
included.
*********************************************************************
"Name of Enemy:" Threat Rating out of ten (1=laughable, 10=RUN!!!).
Recommended Unit to be used taking them on. Lowest-biggest unit (if
one number all units have same amount of men). "flee rating" out of
ten 1= Runs all the time, 10= never flees.
Any special notes will be highlighted like this:
_FEAR_ This unit causes fear. Depending on your unit's leadership
rating (hidden in game) your unit will either flee or fight. If you
told your unit to attack they will either not attack or they will
charge.
-_-_-_-_-_
/INFANTRY/
-_-_-_-_-_
Night Goblins: 1/10, Grudgebringer Infantry, 15-21, 2.
The 1 skull variant of night goblins appears in mission 1. They will
reappear to be slaughtered in mission 7. Your Grudgebringer Infantry
unit should easily slaughter them. Remember against all types of
goblins you should send LARGE infantry units (like the
Grudgebringers) because goblin units tend to be large enough to win
by sheer numbers rather than skill so be careful.
Orc Boyz: 6/10, Grudgebringer Infantry/Cavalry, 9-14, 5.
2 skull troops appear in mission 2 and 9. They are easily taken out
with the Infantry however Orcs tend to be harder to kill than most
creatures plus they hit harder so make sure the Infantry has the
advantage of numbers. (Example don't send the infantry in again a
unit of 15 or more because the odds of winning will then turn 50-50
and you'd rather be guaranteed a win.) In events of large numbers
send in the Cavalry.
Zombies: 1/10, Grudgebringer Infantry, 12-19, 3.
One-skull zombies appear in mission 3, 5a-b and 11. They really
aren't any harder than Night Goblins but LIKE night goblins they have
the advantage in numbers. Always send a strong and sturdy unit to
eliminate them, the Infantry will do fine but the Cavalry will slice
them down if you're in a rush. Remember that Zombie units are
destroyed when they flee as their master's control over them weakens
enough for them to return to the grave.
Two-skull zombies appear in mission 6, you'll require a little more
strength to win. The Infantry should easily win against these too.
Ghouls: 4/10, Grudgebringer Cavalry, 12-18, 4.
Two skull troops, Ghouls appear in mission three and are easily
thwarted by the Cavalry. You may want to use the Infantry though
however the Cavalry slices through these like a hot knife through
butter. Nothing to worry about here move along now!
Ghouls reappear later in large numbers in mission 10 and 11.
Brigand Swordsmen: 2/10, Any infantry unit, 14, 5-7
One skull troops that appear in Mission 4. They aren't good fighters
so you should easily eliminate them, however you may notice they have
a "5-7" rating on leadership. This is because they are fighting for a
LOT of money and thus you can say they are "Determined". In other
words they'll take an ass of a time to flee from melee combat but
they'll usually always flee if you damage them a LOT with your cannon
and archers. Unless it's safe to do so bombard them before engaging
them in hand to hand combat.
Skeleton Warriors: 9/10, Grudgebringer Cavalry, 15-16, 10
Two-skull troops that appear in mission 5a-c, 6 and 11. Skeleton
Warriors are solid units that _NEVER_ flee from melee combat no
matter how bad you hurt them. Even if you shoot them to 1 man they
will never run away, instead opting to fight to the death. For this
reason send in strong units preferably ELITES like the Cavalry
against weakened skeleton units. If the enemy is at FULL strength
you'd be well advised to outnumber then 2-1 in order to reduce
casualties and as a safeguard from your own units fleeing. Never
underestimate these units.
Wights: 9/10, Grudgebringer Cavalry, 7-10, 8-10 _FEAR_
Two-skull infantry that make their appearance in mission 5c or 6 if
you skipped the optional mission. They appear again in mission
11.Wights rarely retreat from battle and cause fear. Be careful when
entering battle with them as although a small unit they are
incredibly hard to break down, they can last longer than a 16 man
strong skeleton warrior unit if you need to know their full
potetional.
Mummies: 6/10, any strong infantry unit, 4, 7 _FEAR_
Three-skull crack troops of the undead horde that make their
wonderful appearance in mission 6. They take double damage from fire
attacks so the Grudgebringer sword's fireball attack and the bright
wizard are usually well suited to combat these. Provided you don't
flee and you get a decent unit in battle with them they shouldn't
give you too much trouble. Don't underestimate them though they can
force the whole army to retreat as I learnt the hard way.
Orc Big Uns: 7/10, Grudgebringer Cavalry or Flagellants, 9-12, 7
These 2 skull infantry troops appear in mission 8. They are easily
dispatched by any good infantry but the Flagellants who are around
the same size as a Big Un unit should be used to make it harder to
win! Haha!
Wraiths: 9/10, Grudgebringer Cavalry, 4-5, 8 _FEAR_
Wraiths make their unwelcome appearance in mission 10 and continue to
appear in mission 11. They are 3skull troops and come in small
manageable numbers for 16 strong Cavalries. Do not send in even the
Flagellants alone against these as they are easily one of the
toughest units to break down.
-_-_-_-_-
/ARCHERS/
-_-_-_-_-
Night Goblin Archers: 2/10, Grudgebringer Cavalry and Cannon, 14-15,
1
The 1 skull variant of Night Goblin Archers appears in mission 1.
They reappear to be slaughtered in mission 7. A direct hit from your
cannon should easily send them packing but if they get too close the
Cavalry should quickly wipe them out.
Orc Arrer Boyz: 8/10, Carlsson Cavalry or Grudgebringer Cavalry, 9-
15, 4
2-skull variants of the arrer boyz appear in mission 2 and show up in
huge numbers in missions 8 and 9. In mission 2 these guys tend to
make a beeline for your cannon crew, as of such because of the
positioning the best placed troops to take them on would be the
Carlsson Cavalry. An attack from behind by these will send them
running easily. Arrer Boyz should be treated with respect, they may
seem pathetic but they have a NASTY bite.
Brigand Archers: 0-10/10, Grudgebringer Cavalry, 14, 6
One skull troops that appear in mission four. Like all archers when
they are not fighting they are a HUGE threat, do your BEST to
eliminate them with the Cavalry. In hand to hand combat these are no
problem, outside of it they can be a major threat. Take note that
these men are not afraid of shooting their own units to kill you so
don't get into a fight anywhere near them unless you're fighting
them! Unlike most archers they'll take a longer time to flee.
Skeleton Archers: 9/10, Grudgebringer Cavalry, 11-18, 10
Two-skull archers, these skeletons are very good shots. These appear
in mission 5a-c and 6! They also appear in mission 10 and 11
You could probably survive a fire fight against these on even ground
but it's pretty unlikely. Send your Cavalry if they're free to
demolish them although you might want to send in your Infantry
instead (pepper them with arrows to distract them). Like all
skeletons these units fight to the death and _never_ flee from
combat. Always make sure you've covered your flanks _before_ engaging
these units in hand to hand combat.
-_-_-_-_-
/CAVALRY/
-_-_-_-_-
Orc Boar Boyz: 8/10, Grudgebringer Cavalry, 6-8, 8
These are elite Orc Troops and have a three skull rating. They appear
in mission 2 and re-appear in missions 8 and 9. They are pretty
lethal to the point that they can easily overwhelm units. The
Grudgebringer Cavalry is most suited to taking these boys on although
the Infantry DOES stand a chance. Keep in mind that the Boar Boyz
have TWO attacks compared to the normal one.
Skeleton Horsemen: 10/10, Grudgebringer Cavalry and other unit, 12-
16, 10 _FEAR_
Skeletons... on skeleton horses, they appear in mission 5a2 and b.
These are the kind of troops you really want to run away from. They
are an UTTER pain in the butt. They cause fear, are quicker than your
cavalry, will NEVER flee, FIGHT TO THE DEATH, and just about love to
make your life a misery. They move too fast to "cannon" to death, to
fast to "shoot", don't get hurt much by fire spells and the firestorm
spell takes too long to start up to be effective. Your CAVALRY will
flee from these! Now to take them out always use TWO units due to the
"fear" and "fight to the death" rules. The easiest way to take them
down is to use the "Banner of defiance" which will cause your unit to
be immune to fear and likewise you'll be able to fight without fear
of EVERY unit running away!
-_-_-_-_-
/WIZARDS/
-_-_-_-_-
Necromancer: 10/10, Grudgebringer Cavalry, Bright Wizard, 1, 7
The Necromancer makes it's appearance in mission 4 where it will flee
when approached by your units. In mission 5a1 and 5b you will easily
be able to dispatch the necromancer in one shot generally, they also
make an appearance in 5a2. An example of the necromancer's power is
shown in mission 5c where he will do teleport raids on your cavalry
or any frontline unit. Necromancers are generally more dangerous in
the later missions as you will find out the hard way. When charging
them have your wizard cast dispel on whichever unit you send to fight
them to nullify all spells cast against them.
Night Goblin Shaman: 4/10, Grudgebringer Cavalry, 1, 5
Night Goblin Shaman have a habit of killing themselves by casting
spells. They make their first appearance in mission 7 and should
easily be dispatched by the Cavalry. Be warned they can cause a weak
unit (greatswords *hint*) to flee.
Orc Shaman: 7/10, anyone, 1, 9
They appear in mission 8 and 9 but are easily wiped out before they
get a chance to move.
Vampire Lord: 10/10, EVERYONE, 1, 4
The Vampire Lord makes his appearance in mission 10. In mission 10 he
comes with a wand of jet that obviously doubles his capability of
destroying your units in one shot. A 4-skull unit, treat him with
respect and fear, shoot him down if possible.
Mannfred von Carstein: 10/10, EVERYONE, 1, 10, _BOSS_
The first boss of the game is a vampire lord named Mannfred Von
Carstein. A 4 skull guy who is not to be messed with, Carstein loves
to fight dirty sniping your men off with teleport raids. What's more
he'll fire blast spells into your ranks WHILE you are fighting the
enemy just to annoy you. When you wipe him out laugh and spit at his
dead... er... twice-dead body!
-_-_-_-_-
/MOUNTS/
-_-_-_-_-
Boars: 4-10/10.
Boars are pretty nasty creatures to fight. The Orcs tend to use them
as Cavalry mounts and for a good reason too! Boars like Orcs are
slimy and gruesome and in general aren't exactly good looking. Boars
can outrun even War-horses (Grudgebringer Cav's) and they can attack
in battle (giving the entire unit TWO attacks per men). Units who
ride Boars also gain the advantage of gaining more attack strength
and power AND attacks when they charge, simply crushing the enemy.
*Robbie's note: DO NOT Ever let anything on boars charge. In most
cases you'll see your men slaughtered. When mounts on boars charge
the rider has 1 attack, the BOAR gets an attack and due to the boar's
tusks counting as lance gets double strength. If the rider has a
spear or lance double the strength again. That means the enemy gets a
grand total of 2 extra attacks at four times its strength. Charge
them... or pay for it.*
Skeleton Horse: 0/10
Fast but I don't believe they have an extra attack (anyone of W:FB
correct me here). They're fast though so NEVER try to outrun them.
-_-_-_-_-
/MONSTERS/
-_-_-_-_-
Giant Scorpion: 7/10, Grudgebringer Cavalry, 1, 6, _FEAR_
Giant Scorpions appear in mission 7. They cause fear but can usually
easily be dispatched by anyone really as they don't have great
courage in battle.
Gigantic Spider: 8/10, Grudgebringer Cavalry, 1, 8, _FEAR_
These also appear in mission 7. They cause fear and are slightly more
lethal than scorpions. They can be ridden as mounts by goblins but
provided your men don't flee you should easily wipe them out in melee
even with your Crossbow unit. Just be careful when handling enemies
that cause fear.
-_-_-_-_-_-
/ARTILLERY/
-_-_-_-_-_-
Orc Rock Lobber: 10/10, Grudgebringer Cavalry, 4, 8.
This war machine is the Orc army's answer to your Grudgebringer
cannon. Same range but crap accuracy even so still a dangerous weapon
that you should aim to take out quickly. They don't mind shooting
their own troops (who said Orc's were smart?) in order to get you.
(Example: Mission 9 the Rock Lobber fired at my infantry completely
missed and hit their own Arrer Boyz sending them fleeing. What a
whacky case of "friendly fire"!)
Orc Rock Lobbers appear in mission 9 as a 1 skull war machine.
Orc Bolt Thrower: 7/10, Grudgebringer Cavalry, 4, 7
This war machine is kind of like an arbalast (however you spell it
lol). The bolts have short range and tend to sail up over your units
especially fast cavalry units. Don't underestimate them though as
they have the ability to shred a row of your men to their deaths.
They appear in mission 9 as 1 skull war machines.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
|Section 4.0|
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
********
*F.A.Q.*
********
1) Are there any hidden units I can find?
A) Yes there are but they aren't exactly hidden. In fact most units
that are "hidden" are those that leave and re-join later. The Dwarfs
for example join you if you choose to help them get home. All hidden
units are listed in the Allied Units area and the walkthrough.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
*************
*Section 5.0*
*************
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
|WALKTHROUGH|
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Quick Mission Name Guide: (optional missions marked with a * while A
and B are missions you can take by choosing one path i.e. you cannot
take mission 5a1 and 5b. You can however take optional missions after
any choice i.e. mission 5a1 and 5c or mission 5b and 5c)
1) Trading Post
2) Border Princes
3) Grissburg (Defence at)
4) Brigands Attack
5a1) Bogenhafen
5a2) Assault on Helmgart
5b) Defence at Helmgart
5c*) Axebite Pass (Encounter at)
6) Ambush at the Great Forest
7) The night goblin ambush
8) Conflict at the great forest
9) Siege of the Blighted Towers (The,)
10) Skirmish at Sylvania
11) The tunnels of Darkenhof Castle
Starting a new campaign takes you to the unit selection screen.
First off enter the troop roster to view your units and buy some more
armour for the Grudgebringer Infantry, the largest and best infantry
unit in the game. (1,200G)
Back on the unit select screen choose all available units for battle,
the cavalry, infantry, crossbows and cannon.
Mission 1: Trading Post 1
Objective: Protect the village and defeat all enemies
Enemies: Night Goblins x2, Night Goblin Archers x2.
A rather simple battle here. There's simply no way you can lose
unless you're unlucky so try out some risky tactics and such to
figure out the AI. If you wish however for a comfortable victory you
shouldn't need too much help.
Place the Cavalry and Infantry to the right of the battlefield (put
the Cavalry closer to the forest so it's "hidden") Set it so that the
infantry will move up to the forest below the road (move up then
right). The Cannon should be placed just below the cliff face away
from the forest where it can fire it's long range cannonballs far at
the Archers and Infantry units up ahead. The Crossbow unit is pretty
much useless in this battle because you start at the bottom of a hill
meaning if you engage the enemy archers they'll be shot to pieces
(and they'll have to get closer) and if you shoot the enemy infantry
you'll only get one or two rounds off. However if you take the
Crossbowmen place them to the right of the cannon and set them to
move away from the cliff (preferably beside the Cavalry where the
Infantry were).
If you're feeling risky and don't mind wasting a few lives move the
crossbows to the bottom of the cliff where they can shoot. Order the
cannon (and crossbows) to fire at the Night Goblin Archers while you
set up the Infantry for battle. When in range have your infantry
intercept the Night Goblins and if possible charge the enemy in the
flanks or rear with your Cavalry. Once finished send the Cavalry to
finish off the archers if they're still alive.
A second batch of archers and infantry will approach. Take them out
the same way, charging their rear will cause them to flee almost 9
times out of 10 so you'd be smart to try pincer attacks. (If the
archers flee then come back you can easily pincer attack the archers
by sending the cavalry one way and the infantry the other, I'll let
you figure out the rest)
Don't forget to grab the chest of gold in the village at the end of
the fight.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Expected amount of Casualties: 4 (It's possible to only lose 3 men
and most likely possible to lose NO men in this battle but it really
doesn't matter too much unless you want to save money. You should
only ever lose 4 men no more than that.)
Expected defeated units: None. The Infantry will take the most damage
as will the crossbows if you were unlucky. The Cavalry should NEVER
have a single death by this stage!
*Robbie's notes: Try and have the Infantry do most the fighting since
you really want to "beef" them up quickly*
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Mission 2: The Border Princes
Objective: Ambush the retreating Orc Army and slaughter them.
Enemies: Orc Boyz x2, Orc Arrer Boyz x1, Orc Boar Boyz x1.
Another fun battle that this time sees you attacking instead of
defending. Fans of the original game will be laughing in delight as
you for once actually get to AMBUSH the orcs on LEVEL terms. The
Carlsson Cavalry (infantry in the original game) join you here and
are just about as strong as the Grudgebringer Cavalry. If you failed
to do so earlier you should upgrade the Infantry's armour.
All you have to do is simply "trap" the enemy in a flank attack. You
are strong enough to take them on head on however doing so is rather
risky as it leaves you open for attack. If you decide to fight head
on try to keep a cavalry unit free to attack the archers who really
can make short work of your cannon crew.
For those who want to flank and slaughter the enemy read on. For
deployment notice where the cannon is placed? Surprisingly the cannon
is in a PERECT shooting position. Place the Grudgebringer Cavalry
just to the bottom left of the cannon and place the Grudgebringer
Infantry just to the top right (not in the firing line please!) Now
you've got two units flanking the cannon that is going to prove vital
in this attack, time to sort out the other flank!
Move the archers as FAR right as possible on the hilltop (they can
stand right on the edge) until you get an arrow with an eye on it
when you choose to fire at an Orc unit. Place the Carlsson Cavalry
RIGHT up to the bottom of the hill and leave them there.
When you start the battle it is VITAL you keep an eye on the enemy
units. Straight away if you hadn't done so in the deployment stage
get the cannon to shoot at the regiment of 9 Orc Boyz, the cannon
will usually miss however the shots that miss will sail into the
regiment of archers behind!
Have your own crossbowmen fire at the other Orc Unit and quickly
order the Carlsson Cavalry to attack the Orc Archers. Now wait and
keep you eye on the Orc Infantry units. As soon as they get too close
(which they will since your cannon and crossbows will miss a lot)
send the Grudgebringer Cavalry over to the forest to intercept the
regiment of 14 orc boyz. Have the Infantry on stand by to intercept
the regiment of 9 Orc Boyz if the cannon doesn't finish them off
(timing is everything, just remember to tell the cannon to hold fire
or you'll blow your own Infantry away as they cross over).
By now you should tell the crossbows to stop firing as you will be
laughing at the massacre. Your cavalry should be slaughtering the
regiment of 14 orc boyz, the Carlsson Cavalry should be chasing down
the Arrer boyz (who should be by now well and truly DEAD) and your
Infantry will be chopping away at the nine Orc Boyz (who have a
potion of strength although that's impossible to gain).
Prime your cannon up for firing duty. As soon as you eliminate two
units (or just the archers I believe) a regiment of Orc Boar Boyz
will come into view. Fire with the cannon and crossbows and
Immediately get your cavalry units on stand by to intercept. The Boar
Boyz are ORC ELITE troops so you might want to send both cavalry
units or if you want to take a risk and gain some experience have
your infantry charge and have the Cavalry attack the rear if things
go wrong (or just use your own troops and not the Carlsson guards for
the exp!)
Once you kill the boar boyz they will usually drop a chest, grab it
and search for other chests before leaving the battle.
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Expected amount of Casualties: None! I'm being serious here you can
complete this battle with NO losses. I lost 2 men once by friendly
fire (and you can lose a lot of men if you don't attack, the archers
act as a decoy and fire if you don't take them out) but in general
you can complete this with no defeats.
Expected defeated units: None, the Cannon is most likely to get
slaughtered if you do a "frontal assault" and not my flanking attack
so be careful either way.
*Robbie's notes: Try not to use the Carlsson Cavalry in this battle.
Use them to take out the Arrer Boyz but then dump them you really
need experience for YOUR own cavalry and infantry units. Once again
you can safely leave the crossbows behind in this battle too 'cos
they do practically NOTHING (that or they miss a helluva lot!)*
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Mission 3: Grissburg
Objective: Defend the town and eliminate the undead threat.
Enemies: Zombies x4, Ghouls x2.
The Bright Wizard joins you for this mission. You can safely leave
behind the cannon and Carlsson's Cavalry for this mission as your
Grudgebringer Cavalry, Infantry and Crossbowmen along with the wizard
are more than well equipped to take out zombies and Ghouls.
The cannon will find it impossible to attack the graveyard as
buildings are in the way so I wouldn't bother (You aren't going to
sit back and wait now are you?)
Place your units to the LEFT of the building on the FAR right of the
deployment zone. You want it in this order: Infantry-Wizard-Cavalry
followed with the Crossbows from behind. Order them to move up the
road to the top of the village where the Zombie unit was facing.
When you start the mission your aim is to create an ambush situation.
You will want to use a "bowl" formation kind of like |_| where the
enemy is lured into the centre and surrounded thus slaughtered. To
start off with when you get to the turn in the road you should be
seeing the zombie unit again. You want the Cavalry to the north of
the road (scroll up on the map in other words), the infantry south
and the crossbows in the centre. Have the wizard remain by the
Cavalry. Now simply make all units face the enemy that advances. By
this time the second zombie unit should have appeared. Wait patiently
and order your crossbows to fire (they might be a little slow so you
may want to wait) and order your mage to fire a "Blast" spell or any
other decent fire spell that is quick to cast at the NEAREST Zombie
unit.
Now depending on which way the zombie unit goes intercept them with
your Cavalry or Infantry (example: Zombies go south attack with
infantry) and provided that the other zombie unit isn't too close
send the Cavalry charging into the rear. However if the other unit is
too close for your liking attack them instead. Remember to tell your
archers to stop firing!
Once you slaughter the two zombie units another unit of zombies and a
unit of Ghouls will appear. Get your men back into the 'bowl'
formation and wait patiently. Use Blast spells with the wizard (these
work great) and have your crossbows fire like crazy at the Ghouls.
Intercept the ghouls with your cavalry and send the Infantry to mop
up the zombies, when the Cavalry is done quickly aid the Infantry and
move back into position. Another unit of Ghouls and Zombies appear,
just pepper them with blast spells and arrows and send the Cavalry on
the Ghouls and the Infantry on the Zombies. All in all this should
end the mission easily for you, after the battle why don't you reward
yourself by upgrading the Cavalry's armour if you think you're taking
too many losses.
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Expected amount of Casualties: Three. Less is possible I suppose but
with the above tactic you'll use the Cavalry quite a lot (they
slaughtered 45 compared to like 5 or so by the infantry proving that
they are quicker killers too! (note: and they fought LESS!))
Expected defeated units: None whatsoever.
*Robbie's notes: The Carlsson Cavalry will be leaving soon so why use
them? Second... the cannon takes too much to "hit" enemies in this
level so why bother there either? If your crossbows are as bad hits
as mine then leave them behind too! Even better! Leave EVERYONE
behind and murder the bloody mission with the Cavalry! Although I
think it's probably safer to take the Infantry but it's quite easy to
win with just the Cavalry... Unless I took drugs again and saw
hallucination's there? *
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Mission 4: Brigand's Attack
Objective: Eliminate all ambushing units.
Enemies: Brigand Swordsmen x3, Brigand Archers x2, Necromancer x1.
A rather simple fight here if you know how to win. If you don't know
where the enemies are which unless this isn't your first playthrough
you won't then it will usually be a massacre resulting on your
defeat. The overall problem with this battle is you are in the centre
flanked by trees with openings to the left, right and top (east, west
and north or in other words BOTH flanks exposed and your vanguard.)
The Carlsson Cavalry leave (boo!) and in their place you have the
Helmgart Bowmen and Countess Guards. I'd rather keep the Carlsson
Cavalry but I suppose we'll have to make do with a few rubbish units
for once.
In order to win this battle with little casualties you will have to
be quick and in most cases lucky. To the FAR left just under the
forest place your Cavalry and have them march to the hilltop. To the
"north" where the Brigand Swordsmen are place your cannon-infantry
and then crossbows in that order just to the left of the bunch of
trees on your right. Place the wizard in a "safespot" behind the
cannon. (You may wish to put the Countess guards here in place of the
infantry but it's fine either way.)
Place the Helmgart Bowmen and the Countess Guards facing the East
flank with the Guards CLOSER to the southern forests.
Make sure you've ordered your cannon and crossbows to fire for fun at
the only visible enemy on the map... and let hell freeze over.
Follow the cavalry, they will find a bunch of archers firing at your
cannon by now. The archers should only get enough time to fire off
one round before you manually CHARGE your cavalry into their flanks.
Quickly select and move to the Helmgart Bowmen and order them to fire
on the Swordsmen that have emerged from the forest. The hard part
comes now, you must be quick on the controller to switch between the
Grudgebringer Infantry and the Countess Guard. In most cases the
enemy approaching from the North will flee right off the battlefield
due to your "crossfire" situation of the cannon and crossbows. If so
laugh and switch to whichever infantry unit you have guarding the
East flank. Also in most cases if you're lucky the Helmgart Bowmen
will cause the unit there to flee (they fire faster than the
crossbows being the reason we've put them there) if however they
don't wait until the last possible second before you dare to charge
the enemy. The reason I've suggested putting the countess guards to
the East rather than the North is because if the enemy on the north
doesn't retreat you can easily charge them while not having to worry
about charging the other unit (Countess Guards get an extra strength
attack if they get charged), plus the unit at the north could very
well go for your cannon and crossbows while the one on the East
_always_ attacks the southern unit being your infantry!
With both Infantry units fleeing re-arrange your formation. The
Cavalry being on a hill and most likely STILL fighting the archers
should see another unit of Swordsmen approaching from the North-East.
The countess guard will spot a unit of archers and a Necromancer to
the hill on the East. Now The archers _can_ attack you from here so
you might want to pull back (don't get in a firefight with them
please). Re-arrange your army so that your infantry are now on the
East and not to the north (the enemy will come down and attack the
East flank and your Infantry are more reliable than the guard unit).
You will need to be quick if you fail though... then just send every
unit into battle to rescue whomever got attacked.
By now your Cavalry should be free, send them AROUND the forest(s)
and if you are lucky you will be able to trap the swordsmen in a
pincer attack! Be careful though any units that retreated may turn
back and attack so if there are any of those get the Cavalry to hunt
them down. (The north should be easily covered by your cannon and
archers.) if you wish send the Cavalry in to charge the Archers
however QUICKLY use the Wizard's teleport spell to appear behind the
Necormancer and BLAST him with whatever attack spells you have. Most
of the time however the Necromancer will flee as soon as the Cavalry
or Wizard appear in attack range.
Wipe out the last remaining archer units with whoever you have left
and rest easy, you just slaughtered everyone.
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Expected amount of Casualties: Three again, you might get sniped by
archers though so probably a little more losses especially if this is
your first playthrough or you're not fast on the controls. In general
though three men lost should be the exception. (Enemy archers don't
care about firing on their own men so just be careful)
Expected defeated units: None at all, the Cannon, Wizard and the two
newer units that joined you are all easily wiped out though so be
careful with them. The wizard has a habit of getting sniped as does
the cannon so be quick on the Cavalry wiping out the enemy archers.
*Robbie's notes: In most cases your wizard will never see any action.
He'll be shot if he moves West or East and he'll be blocking your
infantry if he moves North so you might want to leave him behind.
Everyone though should get a few experience points from this fight.*
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You will be coming up to one of many path selections soon. I strongly
suggest you always take optional battles as they give you more
experience points and could have special items. They also give good
money if you're greedy! I will tell you the advantages and
disadvantages of each path as they come up, the end choice is up to
you however I strongly suggest you take optional missions for they
make the game a lot easier later on... (easier as in you'll have a hard
time as opposed to you'll get slaughtered!)
=====================================================================
Choice selection:
1) Stay and Fight (Go to Mission 5a1)
2) Continue to Helmgart (Go to Mission 5b)
The countess guard requires you to "defend" her however the tower of
Helmgart is under siege and is unlikely to hold out much longer. If
you stay and fight you will defend the Countess and retain the
services of the Countess guard for one more fight. You also get a
special item for it although it's not much. Also the Helmgart Bowmen
will stay with you as they can't fight alone now can they? However
should you stay and fight it is likely the Tower of Helmgart will
fall.
If you choose to stay and fight you will go through two tough
battles and gain TWO special item, you will also come out with triple
the amount of experience as opposed to fighting one normal fight. I
personally strongly suggest you choose path one "stay and fight" as
the experienced gained by going through two tough battles are a lot
more benefiting in the long run than one simple fight. However like I
said the choice is yours.
Mission 5a1: Bogenhafen
Objective: Destroy the undead attack.
Enemies: Zombies x4, Skeleton Archers x1, Skeleton Warriors x2,
Necromancer x1.
I congratulate you here for your bravery. This battle takes place
inside Bogenhafen... The countess will hide in a church so your main
aim is to defend the church from attack, luck will play a slight role
in this battle.
Set your Cavalry to the top left with the Wizard behind them. Put the
Crossbows in the middle of the northern area slightly south a little
and the cannon to it's right. You want the crossbows slightly south
so when you order them to fire to the north-west they won't move into
the firing line of the Cannon.
Now place your Infantry to the southeast, the countess guard to the
southwest and the Helmgart Bowmen to the south.
Start the battle. Straight away a unit of zombies approach from the
northwest, here is where you need your luck, send your cavalry to
intercept them. Now get your crossbows, wizard and cannon to fire at
the unit of zombies that appear (they WILL in all cases surround the
cavalry but by now your cavalry should be strong enough to take both
of them on.) Remember to order them to hold their fire when the
zombies get into battle (if you're lucky they should flee as soon as
they charge).
Now to the southern front. Get the bowmen to fire at the approaching
zombie unit. They alone should easily wipe them out however if they
fail the zombie unit will charge your Infantry so no need to worry
(if they go for your archers get the countess guard to help NOT your
infantry). If you wipe them out then immediately order your Countess
guards to move north and get your cavalry back into position. Order
the Grudgebringer infantry to face the next unit of zombies and
CHARGE when in range (do NOT move to intercept them as you want to
allow the Bowmen to fire as MUCH as possible.)
Once they have been eliminated have the bowmen fire at the skeleton
archers when they come into range and send the Infantry to charge the
bowmen. The countess guard and Cavalry should charge the Skeleton
Warriors quickly. Now focus to the North and have your cannon,
archers and wizard throw EVERYTHING at the Necromancer to slaughter
him and then have all three fire at the approaching Skeleton
Warriors. IF you FAIL to kill the Skeleton warriors then CHARGE them
with your crossbows, wizard (if you're sure) and then the Cavalry
when they're free. Send the countess guard south to help your
infantry. Congratulations the mission is over but before you finish
up here send the wizard south and blast a few fireballs at one of the
buildings there (if you remember where you placed the countess guards
when the battle started just trace their position and HEAD SOUTH,
it's that building there I believe). As a reward you should get the
Book of Ashur (pick it up before you leave).
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Expected amount of Casualties: Three again excluding the Countess
Guards and Helmgart Bowmen who don't really matter. But if it's a
grand total then you should go anywhere over about 5 or 6 casulties.
Expected defeated units: None, the cannon can be wiped out if you
aren't too careful but overall no one should be wiped out.
*Robbie's notes: Everyone should get kills here especially the
cannon. Remember that Skeletons _Never_ retreat and they're plentiful
here so be careful. *
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Mission 5a2: Assault on Helmgart
Objective: Destroy the undead forces and retake Helmgart.
Enemies: Zombies x3, Skeleton Archers x2, Skeleton Horsemen x1,
Skeleton Warriors x1, Necromancer x1.
Defending the Countess has predictably delayed you enough that the
tower/fort (whatever I say Tower!) of Helmgart has fallen into enemy
hands. It's now your business and your job to retake Helmgart in the
name of the Empire! (And the name of the living of course!)
The main thing any up and coming strategist will see here is this
battle is an awful attacking front but an excellent defensive
fortress. HOW the Empire lost is beyond believable. To start with you
will be at the bottom of the map the only possible entrance to
Helmgart is up north through a narrow canyon surrounded by mountains.
As you'll see there are TWO units of skeleton Archers on the first
cliff face meaning... if you go into that canyon not only will you be
most likely trapped by enemy soldiers but shot to death! It's a
massacre to even try and re-take this fort but you must...
Notice the deployment zone's row of white flags, well your aim is to
place units around a "unit length" from the line of white flags on
the "north" of the deployment zone. The reason being if you are
anywhere near those flags when the battle starts you'll be shot to
death.
Set the cannon bottom right not too far though, make sure they can
shoot the archers and position them just right so you can see the
Zombie unit behind them. In the following order from right to left
place these units down next to the cannon... The Cavalry, Infantry,
Wizard, Crossbows and finally Helmgart Bowmen. Leave enough space so
your wizard doesn't get shot.
Order your archers (all of them) to attack the zombie unit with
arrows, get the cannon to fire on the archers. Now sit down and wait,
and wait... and wait!
By the time the zombies get in range of your cavalry they'll flee...
Reason being you've shot them to pieces. Now you'll have to wait
until the Skeleton archers are destroyed by your cannons (or they
pull back) before you bait the enemy. Send the Cavalry up through the
narrow canyon just enough to spot the two zombie units. Now run back
get all archers and cannons to fire, wizard to spell cast too!
(remember Line OF SIGHT, as a rule of thumb DO NOT SHOOT unless the
path is clear. In general fire with your bowmen first then cannon
when you know the path is clear and finally crossbows)
The zombies should retreat giving your archers and cannons a MASSIVE
experience gain but your cavalry and infantry may need to finish them
off. Once again send the Cavalry out and "bait" the enemy. You'll
lure a unit of Skeleton horsemen (these usually cause you to retreat
so be careful), a unit of Skeleton warriors, the archers and a
necromancer. AT ALL COSTS DESTROY THAT NECROMANCER.
Use all archers and fire at the necromancer, get the wizard to shoot
too! Use the cannon to fire against the horsemen and CHARGE them with
the infantry and cavalry. One they're done go and slaughter the
warriors then the necromancer if he's still alive and finally the
archers.
If the cannon gets charged FLEE, the rest is up to luck and how well
you've trained your men.
Now that you've retaken Helmgart move on to mission six! Or just skip
the next part and read the SECOND path selection of the game which
will take you to either mission 5c or mission 6.
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Expected amount of Casualties: Four this time really. Three is
possible however if you fail to kill the Necromancer (bad luck maybe)
then you can expect up to 10-20 defeats. On a bad day my Infantry
lost 10 men and killed none!
Expected defeated units: None, the cannon can be wiped out if you
aren't too careful but overall no one should be wiped out.
*Robbie's notes: Everyone should get kills here especially the cannon
and crossbows. Remember that Skeletons _Never_ retreat and they're
plentiful here so be careful. In ALL cases your archers and cannon
will be laughing. The cavalry should now be a 4 skull troop if they
aren't already and as you've "levelled" buy them some armour. The
only weak spot _might_ be the Infantry who may not even get a kill
even if they have been in combat (like in my case!) *
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*********************************************************************
If you chose to continue onto Helmgart you will now fight this
mission. However if you chose to stay and fight at the last choice
selection skip this part.
*********************************************************************
Mission 5b: Defence at Helmgart
Objective: Defend Helmgart from the undead attack.
Enemies: Skeleton Archers x2, Skeleton Warriors x2, Necromancer x1,
Zombies x3, Skeleton Horsemen x1.
A rather simple battle here compared to the two you would have had
had you chosen the other path. Personally I find this battle great
for sharing out the experience points for everyone although the
cannon and wizard may not get anything on an unlucky day, however
it's a great exp. booster for the infantry.
You start on top of a hill with a narrow canyon being the only way to
attack you. Even a blind man who dropped out of high school should
realise how easy it is to win this. Put the Cavalry at the far right
end of the deployment zone where they can face the canyon, place the
infantry shortly up and right from their position as a backup unit.
The crossbows should be placed on the hill just by the Cavalry but
not anywhere too close. You may want to buy them armour before this
battle, as they'll be entering a "firefight" with enemy archers. The
cannon should be to it's left the wizard behind the cannon out of
range and the Helmgart Bowmen FAR left where they can see the
Necromancer.
Have the bowmen fire at the necromancer, the cannon and crossbow fire
at the visible archer unit (or skeleton warrior unit) and then hit
the START button. Get the wizard to cast Dispel on the Helmgart
Bowmen so they don't get slaughter by the Necromancer's spells and
just from this point on be quick with the halt, fire and charge
commands.
Two zombie units will usually be the first to get close, charge them
with the Cavalry AND Infantry. The Skeleton Warriors will enter the
battle as usual. Have your archers and cannons fire at the enemy
archers (have you killed the necromancer? Everything will flee
quicker if you did). As soon as you eliminate all ground troops
provided your crossbows aren't dead yet (they shouldn't be don't
worry) then hold fire and charge in with your Cavalry and Infantry.
With the archers dead you now have two choices. You can "bait" more
of the enemy out or you can go wild and get into a clusternut of a
fight. If you bait the enemy with you Cavalry you'll draw out a bunch
of Skeleton horsemen followed by Zombies and Skeleton Warriors!
Baiting them will allow you to take them out one on one. However the
Skeleton Horsemen can practically outrun you so you might not want
to. If you choose the fun way and the risky way throw the Cavalry and
Infantry down at the Horsemen, the Zombies and Warriors will charge
you from behind after you pepper them with arrows and cannonballs (if
they even HIT!) and of course if you had a bit of crap luck like me
one of the units will run (in my case the Cavalry but they'll stop
and turn back right into a unit of skeleton warriors they just
'lured' haha)
In any case your Infantry should be well equipped to take on both the
Skeleton horsemen AND zombies if you took out the necromancer and as
Zombies instantly get destroyed as soon as they flee you've really
got no excuse for losing with the Infantry (except perhaps.. bad
luck?)
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Expected amount of Casualties: 14 is generally a decent estimate
mainly from the Cavalry and archers who will be in firefights and
stupid odds of fighting! You can of course get less but does it
really matter in this battle? It's not like you'll lose unless you're
that bad... (Think mission 1 kind of easiness here)
Expected defeated units: None.
*Robbie's notes: If the cannon is having a bad day you can expect it
to be shooting forever and it still wouldn't hit a thing (like it did
with me once). Overall though you should have good kill totals for
each of your units. *
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=====================================================================
Choice selection:
1) Help fight the undead (Go to mission 5c*)
2) Return to Altdorf
Well, another choice selection here. Helping to fight the undead
takes you to an optional battle (more experience points!) gains you a
potion of strength and of course gains you the services of the Dwarf
Warriors later in the game (the second biggest infantry unit).
Returning to Altdorf however does nothing but starts mission 6 after
an FMV so it's up to you really. Skip this and continue to mission 6
or take this optional mission, gain a little item, the services of
another infantry unit and a nice amount of experience points. Totally
up to you. If you choose to help fight the undead read the next part
of the walkthrough, however if you decide not to help your old
friends out then skip ahead to mission 6.
Mission 5c: Axebite Pass
Objective: Break through the undead forces.
Enemies: Skeleton Archers x3, Zombies x2, Wights x2, Skeleton
Warriors x1, Necromancer x1
A rather easy battle that luck plays a rather heavy part in. Wights
appear in this mission and cause _FEAR_ they are also rather tough
cookies to break. You must be utterly careful in this mission as the
majority of the fighting will be taking place right next to your
cannon and archers, meaning that a lot of your own men will be killed
to friendly fire.
The Dwarf Warriors will join you here and the Helmgart Bowmen
predictably leave. You will be in a long winding path called Axebite
Pass and it's a brilliant spot for ambushes.
Place your cannon on the far right followed with the crossbows,
wizard, cavalry, infantry and finally dwarf warrior unit. (Make sure
they're out of range of the enemy archers!)
Now first off have the cannon fire away for fun against the archers
until they pull back. When they pull back it's pretty much a waste of
time trying to hit them (you can however hit them) so it's up to you
whenever to wait or use the Cavalry as bait. If you bait you will
draw out a unit of 8 zombies who between your cannon, archers and
wizard should easily be dispatched. Now have your wizard move up
ahead on his own, cast dispel on the Cavalry and order your cannon
and archers to FIRE like crazy at the teleporting Necromancer. Your
wizard should use whatever spell he has fireball and the burning head
are good spells. Keep firing until the Necromancer drops dead (pardon
the pun) and then laugh at the fact that it's usually your cannon
that manages to blow the Necromancer away!
Bait again with the Cavalry (move the wizard just a little north of
where your dwarves are. You'll lure out a unit of wights and Skeleton
warriors. The wights can instantly end the battle here so bombard
them with flamestorm, cannonballs and arrows. When they get too close
CHARGE with the cavalry and get everyone to fire at the skeleton
archers (I was unfortunate enough to mistime my charge and get hit in
the rear with a cannonball... Friendly fire indeed, luckily they didn't
retreat!).
Charge all your men into battle hold fire and watch as the Wights and
Skeleton Warriors fall. Once they've fallen a unit of Zombies should
appear, a well-timed flamestorm will cut them in half and your
archers followed by the cavalry and all infantry units should wipe
them out in a hit.
There's nothing to do now but send ALL infantry units and the Cavalry
up to charge whatever archers remained alive from your cannon
bombing. Send the wizard and crossbows up as you will spot another
unit of Skeleton archers (they will shoot their own unit to kill
you). Distract the new batch of archers with your own (you should
force them to pull back) and once your infantry units get free (The
dwarfs should be heading towards these archers by now anyway) send
the Cavalry in and slaughter them. KEEP your Grudgebringer Infantry
free as a unit of wights will appear from the north. The infantry
should win easily here if they don't retreat and you've won the
battle.
The Skeleton archers drop a chest of gold so pick it up before you
leave the battlefield.
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Expected amount of Casualties: Never more than THREE on a good day.
Including friendly fire and retreats and you should have over 20
defeats. The worst I've ever had is 11 with 8 of those being to that
cannon shot from behind!
Expected defeated units: None.
*Robbie's notes: This battle seems tough for the fact you're fighting
dangerously close to the artillery units. By now you should have
enough money to cover for any losses but do try to keep them to a
minimum. Remember every time you level up buy the unit new armour, by
this time your cannon should have levelled. In reality don't worry
about levels too much as it's completely random how good the unit
does in battle. (My infantry got no kills once despite being in
combat more than my Cavalry and yet got more kills than my cavalry
when they weren't even in combat!) On another note, you don't have to
follow that general rule but I figured the stronger that unit gets
the more you'd like to keep them alive and armour plays a heavy part
in that role! *
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Mission 6: Ambush at the Great Forest
Objective: Break through the undead ambush.
Enemies: Zombies x2, Skeleton Warriors x2, Skeleton Archers x2,
Mummies x1, Wights x1
A rather easy battle for most the part at least until the end. This
undead ambush is lead by a unit of wights that hold the sacred banner
of defiance. This banner causes fear, makes the bearer immune to fear
and makes the wear stubborn to the point of fighting to death. This
makes for rather difficult dispatching of such a strong unit anyway!
This unit of wights are deployed at the top of the screen as a decoy
next to a rather tempting treasure chest (which the wights will pick
up when you're busy fighting later so forget about it for now). Now
deployment; place the cannon smartly in the centre of the battlefield
in line with the wights (as in opposite the wights). Place the wizard
next to it on the right as a "guard" the Infantry next to the wizard.
The Cavalry should be on the cannons left hand side with the
crossbows to the Cavalry's left. In this battle the Cavalry will do
the most fighting.
Fire a hit or miss shot with your cannon at the wights (most of the
times you'll miss but you never know) and wait until the wights
retreat before baiting the enemy with your Cavalry. You will lure out
two units of zombies (who are now 2-skull troops) for your crossbows
and cannons to pepper to death. Get the wizard to cast a flamestorm
at the zombie unit closest to the Cavalry as you REALLY need to be
quick killing them here.
Charge the left zombie unit with the cavalry and the right hand unit
with the Infantry (use flamestorm there if need be) and get the
Crossbows ready for a surprise attack on it's left flank. A unit of
Skeleton Warriors will appear use the kamikaze tactic (wait until the
last possible second and SHOOT!) if the Cavalry aren't quick enough
with the Zombies. In most cases you'll wipe out the zombies easily
enough so get the Cavalry to intercept the Skeleton warriors (use the
last second shot here too just before the Cavalry charge in!)
A bunch of skeleton archers now appear and make their way down to
you. The general idea is to enter a firefight with them, so like any
bad officer you will order your men to death by shooting them yep? Of
course! Get the crossbows and cannon to fire away, the catch here is
you'll get a LOT less casulties in the long run. Why? Because you're
going to order your wizard to cast flamestorm on the stupid Skeleton
archers who will sit there all day long trigger happy until you end
up with a... pile of burnt bones really. (I believe that's a glitch but
it's too funny to laugh at the pathetic AI there!)
When everyone is done get them back into positions. Cancel the
flamestorm spell when you've slaughtered the enemy and then bait the
enemy again. This time you'll draw out a bunch of Skeleton warriors
and a unit of 3-skull mummies. Fire away at the skeletons and get
your wizard pompey to use flamestorm on the mummies who just happen
to be drench in some substance called oil!
Charge in and wipe out the mummies and skeleton warriors, all the
while have fun laughing as another skeleton archer unit appears (you
know the drill... FIRE away literally with a flamestorm spell on their
position AS WELL as cannons and arrows for fun!)
Once done the hard part comes. Your cannon will be generally useless
around now so arrange your army into a bowl formation. Cavalry on the
left, infantry on the right and crossbows in the centre with the
wizard shortly behind. Shift the Crossbows so they "trail" behind the
cavalry as you move upwards (this allows you a DIRECT shot on the
wights when they come down). Unfortunatly the wights aren't the only
unit up north. A bunch of Skeleton warriors appear, shoot with your
arrows and focus the cannon on the wights. CHARGE with the cavalry,
now once the wights charge your own cavalry PRAY that they don't run
away and then charge the Infantry into the rear. Order everyone to
hold fire! You might want to charge in the crossbows too since this
is practically all up to luck.
If anyone retreats the whole army will fall back. Fire away with your
cannon and cast BLAST spells with your wizard. Retreat if the wizard
gets charged continue blasting away with the cannon and charge the
wights in the rear with whatever units decide to turn around (usually
all of them will so relax don't panic so much if they do run.)
When you beat the wights pick up their magic banner and the chest of
gold.
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Expected amount of Casualties: 10 last time I played through. There's
no MINIMUM or MAX amount of casualties I can suggest here because of
the wights' magic banner.
Expected defeated units: None.
*Robbie's notes: Such a tedious battle but one where your crossbows,
cavalry, cannon and most likely your wizard will benefit. The
infantry may not do anything special here. You gain the banner of
defiance for your troubles here! *
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Mission 7: The night goblin ambush.
Objective: Break through the goblin ambush
Enemies: Night Goblin Archers x2, Night Goblins x2, Night goblin
Shaman x1, Gigantic spider x2, Giant Scorpion x2
The Imperial Greatswords and Flagellants join you here.
A surprisingly easy battle if you know how. A lot of people have
emailed me about losing the flagellants on this battle but this
tactic should ensure you never lose a unit.
Place the cannon at the top by the road (next to the cavalry) where
it will be firing at most monster units in this battle. Move the
wizard to just below and to the right of the cannon as a backup in
case the cannon fails to hit the enemy.
Move the cavalry to the left a little south facing west and put the
Imperial Greatswords to the left of the cannon as a "guard" unit. Now
move the flagellants below the Cavalry as they're a small infantry
unit and are surprisingly quick due to no armour. Have them face west
too. Now, have the Infantry down the bottom right corner facing East
and the Crossbows above them as artillery.
The battle starts with a unit of Night Goblin archers approaching on
the right (East) flank fire at them with the cannon and crossbows,
they should flee straight away due to the cannon's shot. On the west
flank a unit of goblin archers appear, charge them with the Cavalry
AND flagellants for a quick rout then immediately charge the shaman
with the cavalry and have the flagellants collect the dropped chest.
Have the cannon fire at the oncoming Giant scorpion and use BLAST
spells with the wizard to finish the job once it moves in range.
During this time send the Cavalry and Flagellants back into
formation.
Get the archers to fire at the spider approaching on the east and
have the Cavalry charge the scorpion approaching from the southwest,
the scorpion should flee quickly enough.
Immediately send the Infantry to intercept the Goblin unit and if the
spider isn't dead get the Cavalry to help the Crossbows (if they
aren't fleeing by now).
Get the Imperial Greatswords and Flagellants up to fight the Goblins
in the north west and then fire at the spider that approaches in the
same area with the cannon. Quickly get the cavalry to charge the
spider when they're free. Pick up all 4 treasure chests the night
goblins drop and pat yourself on the back for a rather easy win.
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Expected amount of Casualties: 17 is my lowest total so far, aim for
the same number.
Expected defeated units: None but a lot of people lose the
flagellants.
*Robbie's notes: A simple battle, everyone should gain good exp. The
cannon and wizard will have the lowest number of kills but overall
this mission is a good all round experience gain for the troops. *
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Mission 8: Conflict at the Great Forest.
Objective: Defeat the Orc army.
Enemies: Orc Arrer Boyz x3, Orc Big Uns x3, Orc Boar Boyz x1, Orc
Shaman x1.
Dunno if I was lucky here but I found this stupidly easy. Leave the
cannon and wizard behind you only need all infantry units for this
battle as well as the crossbows.
Place the cavalry to the left of the hill (facing north) and the
infantry on the right of the hill facing north. The crossbows should
be behind the infantry by quite a bit. Have the Imperial Steam Cannon
that joined you just now in the centre of the map and the flagellants
and Imperial Swordsmen opposite. Send these two units south to the
hill and have the Cavalry and Infantry along with the crossbows move
UP the cliff.
You will unveil three units of Orc Big Uns and a unit of Orc Arrer
Boys that carry the Banner of Wrath. Charge the Cavalry into the two
units of Big Uns on the left and have the crossbows fire away while
charging the other unit of big uns with the infantry. Have the
crossbows get in hand to hand combat (or have them fight the Arrer
boys in a shoot out not suggested though). Now once finished with the
big uns send the Cavalry and Infantry to wipe out the Arrer boys to
gain their banner (it is STRONGLY suggested for this mission you have
the Cavalry use the banner of defiance to prevent any sob stories of
how they flee!)
Once you wipe them out a unit of Boar Boyz, two units of arrer Boyz
and a Orc Shaman will appear far south where your Imperial
Greatswords and Flagellants will be waiting. Send the Flagellants
spiralling into the Orc Boars and get the Greatswords to ambush the
Shaman. If things go the right way the arrer Boyz will be suckered
into melee combat and between your flagellants and Greatswords you
should wipe the entire southern attack out before your cavalry even
gets down to help them. Pick up the banner of wrath dropped by an
arrer boy unit and rejoice!
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Expected amount of Casualties: 16 due to the banner of wrath!
Expected defeated units: None of course!
*Robbie's notes: No point bringing anything but fighters here. You
shouldn't have any trouble really just focus on the north then the
south area if you want to do it in a more "reliable" way! *
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Mission 9: Siege of the Blighted Towers!
Objective: Retake the Blighted Towers
Enemies: Orc Rock Lobber x1, Orc Bolt thrower x2, Orc Boar Boyz x4,
Orc Boyz x2, Orc Arrer Boyz x3, Orc Shaman x1
The Imperial Mortar and Cannon join you for this mission and MUST be
taken. Because of this leave the Grudgebringer Cannon and the Steam
Tank behind.
First things first, notice that the enemy now has artillery. This
makes the game twice as annoying in terms of difficulity. Before it
was easy simply because you could bomb the enemy down to manageable
numbers. Now the enemy can do the same to you.
The Orc Rock Lobber has the same range as your cannon so you need to
be careful when positioning your troops. Firstly leave the mortar in
place as it's well out of combat range and can hit anything on the
hill ahead. Now place all your units to the right of the mortar in
the following order; Greatswords, Infantry, Cavalry, Cannon and
crossbows. Put the wizard to the left of the cannon it's unlikely
he'll see any action so you may want to leave him behind. The
flagellants should be behind the crossbows and should move to the
crossbow's right at the start of the battle.
Have the mortar target the arrer boyz and the cannon and Crossbows
target ALL and ANY troops that come down the hill. The first should
be a bunch of Boar Boyz. The cannon and archers should lessen their
numbers to the point that your Infantry with the Banner of Wrath
should be able to take them out. Fire against the Orc Boyz unit
coming up and charge them with the flagellants. DESTROY them because
they contain the Shield of Ptolos. Don't pick it up just yet just
fire at the other oncoming unit of Orc Boyz, charge in with the
cavalry if they don't retreat.
Two units of arrer boyz should now make their way down the hill with
a shaman in their ranks. Fire away unit you slaughter them or make
them flee get the mortar to help too. Pick up the Shield with the
crossbows or whoeever you want to have it with and then prepare to go
gung-ho.
The Cavalry with the banner of defiance and the infantry with the
banner of wrath should be enough. Send those two up for a massacre.
The Cavalry should target the bolt thrower to the right while the
Infantry should go for the arrer boyz. Send the Greatswords and
Flagellants up with the Cavalry as you will spring a wave of attack
by THREE Orc Boar Boyz. Your Cavalry should easily take them on since
they have the banner of defiance but even so send in your flagellants
and Greatswords in attempt to lessen the defeats. If the Boar Boyz
flee then send the Greatswords to help the Infantry and keep the
flagellant on hold in case any of the Boar Boyz turn and fight again.
Charge the Rock lobber with the cavalry and the Bolt thrower with
the Infantry to end the mission. It shouldn't be too much of a fight
and you get a nice magic item.
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Expected amount of Casualties: 14 in all and only the Cavalry and
Infantry should be harmed in any way since they're your main attack
units.
Expected defeated units: None of course!
*Robbie's notes: This battle sucks really. I mean why does this game
LOVE making you have to retake towers and forts on HILLS. Much less
with artillery it's just a waste of lives. *
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You now get a choice of whenever to hire the Mortar or Cannon. Choose
mortar since you already have a cannon.
Mission 10: Skirmish at Sylvania
Objective: Destroy all enemies
Enemies: Ghouls x5, Skeleton Archers x2, Wraiths x2, Vampire Lord x1
An annoying mission that takes a lot of guts to win though rather
easy at the end of it anyway. You will start this mission on the
opposite end of the river where the wonderful 4 skull Vampire Lord
resides. The Vampire Lord can wipe out enemies in one hit because he
has the magic item "Wand Of Jet" which you shall pick up after you
kill him with your Bright Wizard so make sure he has a slot free.
Make sure one of your infantry units for this battle has a magic item
slot free as there are TWO magic items to be gained in this level.
Notice the amount of buildings facing to the west? Well if you chose
the cannon and not the mortar earlier then you've lost a bombardment
choice.
In the deployment zone is one building, your aim is to deploy your
troops under that building (anywhere NORTH of that building puts you
in range of the enemy archers). From where the mortar is positioned
place below them the Cavalry, Infantry and Crossbows with the wizard
slightly in front of the infantry. Place the Greatswords and
Flagellants behind the Cavalry and Infantry as backup troops. The
cannon should be pulled back under the building where it can STILL
hit the enemy archers but yet remains out of range.
Start the battle and with the cannon and mortar fire away at the
archers (don't worry about the Vampire lord the idiot teleports all
over the place and you can't hit him yet anyway). Have your own
crossbow unit fire at the unit of Ghouls that will be marching
towards you. The wizard should use blast spells on the Ghouls be
careful not to hit your cavalry in the process. Use the Banner of
Wrath and Grudgebringer swords while you're at it for fun as they'll
flee soon enough.
Fire away at the archers continously because they being dead don't
have brains and thus walk back into your line of sight every so often
(in other words bad AI). If you want more fighting send the wizard to
the back where the cannon is and then bait the enemy with the
Cavalry. You'll draw out a unit of Ghouls and Wraiths. Shell the
Ghouls with the mortar and have the archers take pot shots at the
Wraiths. When they get too close (the ghouls should flee use banner
of wrath and grudgebringer sword while you're at it) charge them with
in no specific order... The Cavalry, Infantry and Greatswords. Don't
waste your Flagellants you need them full strength for later anyway.
Mortar and cannon fire any remaining archers and once they've been
wiped out spend the next few minutes attempting to kill the Vampire
Lord (shouldn't be too hard). Once he's out the rest is rather easy.
Send ALL your units to the west in a line formation like so: | with
the Cavalry and Flagellants up top with the crossbows behind them,
the Greatswords and Infantry down south. The wizard should follow
from behind as well.
When you uncover the Wraiths and Ghouls fire away with the archers,
banner of wrath and Grudgebringer sword. The Greatswords should
instantly send the Ghouls fleeing if not charge with the Infantry and
have the Flagellants and Cavalry dismantle the Wraiths.
Move everyone up in a line formation like so: ---- With the Cavalry-
Infantry-Flagellants-Greatswords in that order with the Crossbows and
Wizard behind them. Move up and then charge the Ghouls on the west
with the Cavalry (banner of wrath while you're at it) Have the
crossbows attempt to fire at the other unit of Ghouls and Wraiths on
the East (if they can't then don't bother) and charge in with the
infantry against the Ghouls and Flagellants and Wraiths against the
Wraiths.
Charge in the cavalry to help whoever needs help and have the Wizard
and Crossbows shoot down anyone who flees in case they turn around
and fight.
When you're done send the wizard to get the wand of jet (book icon)
wherever you killed the Vampire Lord and then have both the cannon
and mortar blow up the Tower on the north river. The tower will
"drop" the Hellfire sword so go pick it up and relax for another
mission well done!
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Expected amount of Casualties: 22 preferably anything UNDER 20 would
be better.
Expected defeated units: None.
*Robbie's notes: A bit of an annoying mission where everyone should
get nice experience gains. Two magic items that you can now use
although if your wizard isn't levelled up yet then you won't be able
to use both wizard items yet. If you're lucky enough you should now
have levelled up the Cavalry again although if unlucky like me you'll
be 1xp away from a level! *
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Mission 11: The tunnels of Drakenhof Castle
Objective: Destroy the undead army.
Enemies: Skeleton Warriors x3, Zombies x1, Wraiths x1, Skeleton
Archers x3, Ghouls x1, Wights x1, Count Von Carstein.
Note: Make sure the Crossbows have the Shield of Ptolos for this
mission.
Annoying mission here, fans of the original will be able to relate to
this as it's tunnel fighting. Tunnel fighting is basically fighting
underground in mines or tunnels. Basically any regiment without one
shield rating is screwed and mortars and cannons are not deployed
because they'd bring the entire tunnel down! In this battle you are
severely outnumbered and have the masterful Count Von Carstein as the
"boss" fight so to speak. You will suffer a LOT of losses here but
you can't really sit back and wait and you can't attack one area and
then go onto the next. This battle requires you to fight on TWO
fronts with a bloody wizard shooting bolts up your backside!
You can leave the wizard behind here unless you don't mind getting
him into a one on one match with the Count, either way it's up to
you.
Line up your men in this order; Wizard(if you took him), Cavalry,
Crossbows, Greatswords, Infantry. Have the Flagellants BEHIND the
Cavalry as a backup for the Cavalry.
Sit and wait for the first few units, 9 skeleton warriors a unit of
1skull zombies and another unit of skeletons. Fire at the unit of 9
warriors and have the wizard conjure up flamestorm for the zombies.
The zombies should flee but if not the Greatswords and Infantry
should take BOTH them and the Skeleton warriors on. Have the Cavalry
charge the other unit of Skeletons and have the Flagellants charge in
too. Immediately cast Dispel on the Greatswords because the Count
loves doing teleport raids.
Now that's sorted! Send the crossbows up and East and send EVERYONE
else to the west. The Crossbows provided you gave them the Shield of
Ptolos will be entering a firefight with skeleton archers, your men
with the magic shield should win hands down. Charge the Cavalry and
Flagellants into the Skeleton Archers on the west but get the
Infantry and Greatswords to charge the Count and if he flees then
charge the Wraiths before they do any damage.
The wizard if you brought him should fire away all his spells at the
Count in hope of killing him.
Archers down, charge the unit of Skeleton warriors from the west.
When the Wraiths are dead charge the wights up from the North, your
own crossbows should have won by now keep them there because another
unit of Archers (9 men though) will approach fire away.
Finally with everything dead and buried you can now laugh evily as
you charge everyone in on the Count or if you kept a unit free charge
away (I charged my flagellants who had 2 men left because that Count
fired a couple of bolts when they were in battle so, revenge indeed.)
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Expected amount of Casualties: 28... You can probably get less but it
depends how the count is... Usually he snipes you while you're in
combat... See he likes fighting dirty (ok that's enough excuses from me
I guess)
Expected defeated units: None.
*Robbie's notes: I hate this battle. Ah well without the artillery
it's kind of harder isn't it? Just do your best and it should be over
in no time at all! The Cavalry should level up by now. *
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*********************************************************************
SECTION 6.0: SPECIAL/MAGIC ITEMS
*********************************************************************
Name: Rating, special effects, and unit who should be equipped with
this.
Grudgebringer Sword: 9/10, Hits are more accurate plus ONE fireball
per magic cycle, Grudgebringer Cavalry.
This marvellous sword is in your possession from the start of the
game! You can shoot fireballs which I recommend you do *just* before
you charge an enemy! It *sometimes* makes them flee! It also is a
brilliant weapon as it allows whoever uses it to hit more accurately!
This should be kept with the Grudgebringer Cavalry at all times.
(You have it at the start of the game)
Potion of Strength: 3/10 increases commander's strength for one turn,
anyone in melee combat.
This potion is found with the Dwarf Warriors once you help them. It
can only be used once and basically lets you do more damage in close
combat for one round only. Useful if you fight a STRONGER unit than
yours or if you're losing the fight and need that little "ooh la la"!
Give to the Infantry or anyone really not the wizard!
(Found if you help the dwarfs)
Book of Ashur: 8/10 allows wizards to enter battle with ONE
additional spell, any wizard preferably the bright wizard.
The Book of Ashur can only be used by wizards so you generally NEED
to take the bright wizard to pick up this book in battle. It grants
an extra spell slot very useful for low level wizards who you haven't
managed to level up yet.
(Found in mission 5a1)
Enchanted Shield: 4/10, Extra Shield rating (invisible), anyone who
needs additional armour.
This just gives an extra shield rate although it isn't shown. It does
not work for wizards. Basically if a unit has NO armour then this
shield gives them 1 armour rating. You may want to give this to the
Grudgebringer Infantry to beef them up to 4 shield ratings
(Given to you after mission 5c if you decided to help the dwarves)
Banner of Defiance: 8/10, Unit causes _FEAR_, is immune to _FEAR_ and
will _NEVER_ flee from melee combat, Grudgebringer Cavalry or any
MELEE unit.
This makes your unit fight to the utter death. Useful indeed however
giving it to the cavalry has its downsides though. If they die since
they NEVER flee the games over. Give it to your wonderful Infantry or
a unit that flees a lot.
(The unit of Wights in mission 6: Ambush at the Great Forest, have
this banner. Destroy their unit for them to drop the banner, this
shouldn't be too hard as they'll never retreat.)
Banner of Wrath: 9/10, Can attack enemy units with SIX bolts of
lightning per magic cycle, Infantry or any other melee unit.
This banner has the power to fire lightning bolts at any enemy within
range and does NOT hit allied troops. A very nice banner to have.
(Mission 8 destroy the unit of Orc Arrer Boyz to the north for the
banner. Note: If they flee you won't be able to get it.)
Shield of Ptolos: 8/10, grants the unit a certain immunity to arrows,
bolts and cannon attacks also provides the unit with a BASIC level of
armour if they have none, Grudgebringer Crossbows or any melee unit
you want to be your "archer stomper".
The Shield of Ptolos grants a certain immunity to archers and war
machines. Given to your archers pretty much gaurentees they will
never get destroyed in a firefight with enemy archers.
(Mission 9 the first Orc Boyz unit carries this, their destruction
obviously ensures you win the shield)
Wand Of Jet: 10/10, All spells cost 1mp, Bright Wizard.
The Wand of Jet reduces all spell costs to 1 magic point. This really
allows you to abuse how many spells you cast, repeated flamestorms
anyone?
(Mission 10, kill the Vampire Lord for the wand.)
Hellfire Sword: 6/10, magic sword that can cast fire magic, any melee
unit you will send into battle ALONE.
I am not sure whenever the hellfire sword like the Grudgebringer
Sword grants the user more accuracy when attacking. However the sword
does grant a magic fire attack that can be used ONCE per magic phase
that goes out in a circle in melee combat. It has been said that this
attack hurts other ALLIED units in the same battle but I'll test this
later.
(Mission 10, destroy the tower on the north shore of the river with
your cannons)
Heart of Woe: 3/10, pendent that explodes if the wearer dies, anyone
you plan to kill LOL. Seriously give this to a unit that is easily
killed like the Imperial Greatswords or Flagellants.
The Heart of Woe explodes if the owner dies. This causes wonderful
amounts of damage to your enemies so it's useful as a kamikaze tactic
probably in the later levels when the odds are against you. Combine
the Heart of Woe with the Banner of Defiance and you have a unit that
will fight to the death and when slain will take the enemy with it!
Preferably you wouldn't do this with the Cavalry now would you?
(After successful completion of mission 10 (or before mission 11 take
your pick) you will be given this by the Countess.)
=====================================================================
*************
*Section 7.0*
*************
Spell book:
Bright Wizard spells:
1. Dispel Magic: Costs 1 magic point: 10/10
Description: Dispel Magic creates an aura of Anti-magic around the
chosen friendly regiment, and any offensive magic entering this zone
of protection may be neutralised. It may also be casted on a unit,
which is currently engulfed with magic. Dispel magic is more
effective when more magic is channelling into it, but its potency is
reduced after each attempt to dispel.
Effectiveness: Against those Necromancers you'll need this every day
of the week. It's handy against every spell that the enemy uses. Use
it on a unit that you know will face an enemy wizard beforehand and
they'll be safe!
2. Fireball: costs 1 magic point: 9/10
Description: A fiery ball of energy blasts forth from the mage's
hands and hurtles towards its target wounding any troops in the blast
area. The spell has a medium range and armour offers NO protection
from the searing blast. By channelling more magic into the spell, the
mage can produce multiple fireballs
Effectiveness: Use against zombies and an on target fireball will
wreck the unit. Effective against some other units especially heavily
armoured Orcs and Necromancers I suggest using these as a missile
option. Shoot them into the enemy right before a charge from the
cavalry and you'll have them running away! This is a simple but
effective spell.
3. Sanguine Sword: costs 3 magic points: 7/10
Description: Magical flaming swords will materialise around the mage
and will attack enemy units on behalf of their invoker. The swords
fly towards any nearby enemies, each dealing a powerful blow before
returning once more to the caster's side. The spell lasts for a short
while before the sword's fade away.
Effectiveness: Use when close to enemy units or in hand to hand. I've
never seen this really and I've never got the spell in a battle
before! Although I have seen the one in the first game. Anyone
willing to send in a personal rating send to my email please.
4. Blast: costs 2 magic points: 9/10
Description: A powerful attack, blast launches a lethal volley of
burning energy at the target. The range is of a medium distance, but
the flames deal a lethal blow to all but the hardiest of targets.
Effectiveness: This should wipe out some zombies or skeletons. If
you're lucky enough you'll blast through 3 or 4 lines of enemies.
ABUSE IT! I prefer this over the fireball spell when up against
multiple units. It's slightly more accurate too and very effective.
5. The Burning Head: costs 2 magic points: 7/10
Description: A phantasmal flaming skull flies from the mage's hands
and travels a short distance until the spell expires or hits a solid
object. The disembodied head causes a good amount of damage to any
target it passes through, and its unearthly laughter can cause units
to flee in fear.
Effectiveness: Used against Orc's and Goblins this can be handy.
Against the undead though I wouldn't really know. It effects allies
as well so use caution when deploying this spell!
6. Conflagration of Doom: Costs 3 magic points: 8/10
Description: This powerful spell creates a flaming meteor, suspended
in the air high above the heads of enemy troops. The meteor crashes
to the ground delivering an awesome blast to anything onto which it
falls. The mere sight of the flames descending from the sky is often
enough to make the enemy flee in fear.
Effectiveness: Undead forces don't fear anything because they cause
fear. In effect though a successful hit from this spell will wipe
them out!
7. Flamestorm (fire wall): costs 2 magic points: 10/10
Description: A fierce column of fire erupts from the ground spewing
forth flame and ash. All troops who are caught in the blast are
burned and attempt to back away from the flames. The spell stays in
effect for a short time unless dispelled or cancelled by the casting
mage. Only one flamestorm can be in effect at any one time.
Effectiveness: Oh hell yeah! This is an awesome babe of attacks when
placed in front of your troops causing the enemy to walk into a wall
of fire to BURN! The thing that comes to my mind when thinking of
this spell is "burn baby burn!" Use against zombies and skeletons of
course seeing as skeletons will just stand in the flames and die!
(This spell is easy to abuse in several missions but I'm leaving this
to you to find out since I don't want to make the game too easy now
:))
8. Crimson Bands: Costs 3 magic points: 9/10 if you ever get it.
Description: Twisting bands of energy entwine the enemy unit,
entangling them and rendering them unable to move, fight shoot or
cast spells. It remains in effect for a short time until dispelled or
cancelled by the caster.
Effectiveness: Sweet spell. I hadn't thought of using this against a
mage I MUST try that! Of course use it against an enemy unit and
shoot at them and laugh as they die die die! Mwahaha.
9. Wings of fire: 2 magic points: 10/10
Description: The mage is lifted up on ethereal fiery wings and is
transported to another part of the battlefield. This can take the
mage into close combat with the usual advantages, but not into any
areas that are normally inaccessible.
Effectiveness: Handy to get the hell out of a nasty situation and to
appear next to a necromancer.
*********************************************************************
Section 8.0 Control FAQ.
Notes: After being emailed several times from readers I realised that
I had forgotten completely about the CONTROLS section of the FAQ.
While this may be quite strange that this section is right down the
end there is a general point to it. This section of the FAQ was
intended as a separate FAQ to be written by me. However given that it
is unlikely some sites will accept a "control" FAQ given this
information comes direct out of the manual book, I have decided not
to bother and instead put all information into this FAQ where chances
are the control FAQ will remain viewable for all, especially those
without a manual who have been kind enough to persuade me into
writing this here.
For those who have sent emails about it I trust you have a copy of
this section of the FAQ.
-_-_-_-_-_
/CONTROLS/
_-_-_-_-_
Controller:
START Button: Deploys Troops (on Map), pauses game (AFTER Deployment)
SELECT Button: When paused triggers in-game options menu.
(unpaused:) Triggers overhead map (press select to
leave map).
(in menus/at camp) toggle in game options menu.
Directional buttons: Moves on screen cursor
X Button: When placed over regiment's flag, selects regiment.
When regiment selected: move regiment to cursor's location
When cursor over enemy: Attack/fire at enemy
X Button and Directional button: Moves camera around the battlefield
X button and L1 or L2 button: Rotates camera clockwise
X button and R1 or R2 button: Rotates camera anticlockwise
X button and L1 + R1 buttons: Zooms out
X button and L2 + R2 buttons: Zooms in
Square Button: Switches between fire/hand to hand attacks (only for
certain units)
Square Button: In combat boosts the unit's HERO power.
Triangle Button: Halt or if in combat RETREAT (unit must be selected)
O button: Opens and closes Spell menu.
X button: Selects spells and changes cursor to wand (place over enemy
or ally unit and press X to cast spell)
L1 or R1: Cycle through Allied Units
L2 or R2: Cycle through enemy units
*********************************************************************
Legal Disclaimer:
This FAQ is copyright 2001-2003; Robert Blowes (Robbie B). This FAQ
may not be used, copied or modified without permission of the author.
Use of this FAQ in anyway without written permission of the author is
a criminal offence.
Use of this FAQ for financial gain no matter how small is not
allowed.
Permission to host this FAQ has been granted to these sites listed
below:
Gamefaqs: www.gamefaqs.com
Psxcodez: www.psxcodez.com
Neoseeker: www.neoseeker.com
Gamesover: www.gamesover.com
Cheat Happens: www.cheathappens.com
*********************************************************************
Section 11: Credits and how to contribute.
*********************************************************************
How to Contribute:
Simply send an email tagged "Dark Omen info" to my email address
found at the top of this FAQ. All information will go directly onto
the FAQ and your name printed here. Keep in mind that I will test
your information to prove credibility, anyone sending in false
information will be ignored.
Credits:
Paulo from Gamefaqs for allowing me to use his Magic Items guide to
find items I haven't been able to find on my own yet and also for
confirming what some of the items do.
Thanks to all the guys on the Warhammer: Dark Omen board who
encouraged me to write this FAQ, and who constantly humour me with
discussion of Warhammer 40K!
CJC for being the first to post this guide.
ALL of you who read this FAQ, and to those who email me with much
needed feedback about this FAQ.