Difference between revisions of "TheEasternInvasion"

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:''This walkthrough is in the process of being updated for version 1.16+''
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:''This walkthrough is in the process of being updated for version 1.18+''
  
  
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In this campaign you play the role of Gweddry, a human Sergeant who has the responsibility of dealing with a powerful Lich who wants to destroy Wesnoth. As a sargeant, Gweddry has the potential to level up into a Grand Marshal, a level 4 unit that can empower his troops significantly through Leadership. You start with the support of a White Mage named Dacyn, who will be by your side throughout the campaign.
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In this campaign you play the role of Gweddry, a human Frontier Sergeant who has the responsibility of dealing with a powerful Lich who wants to destroy Wesnoth. As a sergeant, Gweddry has the potential to level up into a Grand Marshal, a level 4 unit that can empower his troops significantly through Leadership. You start with the support of a White Mage named Dacyn, who will be by your side throughout the campaign.
  
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As any other walkthrough, this document describes plot details that can be considered spoilers. This is particularly true for this campaign, since it contains quite a few surprises along the way, and at some points you will have to make choices that will have important repercussions for later scenarios. You may wish to read ahead to see what you will be facing. In particular, you might wish to read about the scenarios ''Captured'', ''Evacuation'' and ''Weldyn Under Attack'' in order to plan ahead.
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As any other walkthrough, this document describes plot details that can be considered spoilers. This is particularly true for this campaign.
  
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You will encounter different types of enemies, mostly undead units (especially towards the beginning and the end of the campaign), as well as orcs and trolls.  Mages and Heavy Infantrymen will provide the backbone of your army. You'll probably want to level up at least one extra Mage of Light (other than Dacyn), and a few Arch/Silver Mages and Iron Maulers. You can also recruit Spearman, Cavalryman and Horseman units (the latter a few scenarios into the campaign), but their importance is perhaps less pronounced in many of the scenarios.
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Spoiler 1: Expect game-altering surprises and scenario modifiers that flip your strategy on its head. Every battle is a completely unique challenge!
  
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You will encounter a few tough challenges along the way, so be prepared, and be careful assigning experience to your units, especially during the first few scenarios.
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Spoiler 2: Unit AMLA behavior has changed to grant +8 HP bonuses or +1 damage bonuses, and there are a handful of items that permanently change your unit's attributes. In other words, don't give up on the Spearman line just because it's bad against Skeletons in the early game.
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Spoiler 3: There will come a point where you will have to choose your favorite 6-12 recalls, and abandon the rest. Therefore, it is better to have a small, diversified squad of elites than a large roster of redundant roles.
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You'll probably want to level up at least two extra Mages of Light (other than Dacyn), and a few Arch/Silver Mages. Spearmen and Bowmen are highly effective if granted one of the many artifacts in the campaign that grant ''Arcane'' damage. Heavy Infantry are indispensable in the early game, but be wary of relying on them too much, since their low mobility will be a severe hindrance in several challenging scenarios.
  
 
=== The Outpost ===
 
=== The Outpost ===
  
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* **Objectives**: Defend the outpost, then move Gweddry to the trapdoor.
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* '''Objectives''': Defend the outpost, then move Gweddry to the trapdoor.
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* **Lose if**:  Gweddry or Dacyn dies, or turns run out.
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* '''Lose if''':  Gweddry or Dacyn dies, or turns run out.
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* **Turns**: 16.
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* '''Turns''': 11
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* **Starting units**: Gweddry, Dacyn.
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* '''Starting units''': Gweddry, Dacyn.
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The best approach is to recruit heavy infantry and optionally a mage. Build a line using the heavy infantry, using the castle hexes and other hexes to the northwest. When and if you have more money available later, purchase additional heavy infantry.
 
  
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Just hold out for the enemy attack during night time; only rotate wounded units if possible, but do not counter-attack. At dawn, start your counter-attack without worrying too much about keeping the original line intact. Instead, try to level 2 or 3 HI to Shock Troopers. The enemy's forces quickly will cease to be any danger to yours.
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Your 3 opponents will recruit slightly different units. The northernmost enemy will recruit Bats and skeleton troops, the middle one will recruit Walking Corpses, and the southern one will recruit skeletons including Bone Shooters and Revenants.  
  
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On turn 7, Dacyn will mysteriously disappear, and you'll briefly meet Mal-Ravanal, the leader of the undead. On turn 10 (easy) or 12 (hard) the white mage returns and points out a trap door to exit the level. (Note that this trap door will be near your starting fort, so you'll either need to hold the fort or be prepared to get back to it by turn 16).
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On turn 7, Dacyn will mysteriously disappear, and you'll briefly meet Mal-Ravanal, the leader of the undead, who summons tough ghost units and says mean things to the player. At end of turns, Dacyn returns and points out a trap door, near your starting fort, to exit the level. All of the enemy leaders will get a big gold boost -- there's no use fighting.
  
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Use the remaining turns to level as many units as possible and only move your leader onto the trap door in the very last turn. You may be able to finish with a couple of shock troopers, another white mage, or a level 2 Gweddry.
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There are several approaches to this scenario, but the common factor in all of them is that 50% of your recruits should be heavy infantry, since their impact attacks are effective against skeletons, and they have excellent resistances against blade and pierce. Supplement with a few Magi -- if you can feed one enough EXP to obtain a second White Mage, you'll be in great shape. Fencers aren't much use, but you can use one to hold your western villages against Bats, or send one as fodder to occupy Walking Corpses.
  
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On challenging, ignore most the above advice. The goal is to fall back and defend the western bank of the river up through turn 9, then counterattack across the bridge on turns 10-11 so Gweddry is in position to immediately exit on turn 12. Recruit 4 HI and 2 magi on turn one, then keep recruiting more HI as often as you can up through turn 5. Use the magi and Dacyn to hold the central villages from bats while Gweddry recruits and your HI take up their positions on the far river bank. As darkness falls, you should abandon the villages and get your final units across the river as well. Most of the undead won't be able to reach your positions until dawn, when you'll have the advantage of daylight to slaughter anything crossing the river. This should destroy most of the first wave. By dusk, start preparing your forces to mass on the bridge, where they want to punch through any undead stragglers and reoccupy the city on turn 11 for a final last stand. As soon as Dacyn reappears on turn 12, get Gweddry to the trap door before your survivors are overwhelmed.
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Just hold out for the enemy attack during nighttime; only rotate wounded units if possible, but do not counter-attack. At dawn, your enemies will flee, but they'll be back stronger than ever on the second night. Don't try to push for the enemies' keeps, instead keep your path to the trap-door clear and fall back to Gweddry's starting keep if needed.
  
 
=== Escape Tunnel ===
 
=== Escape Tunnel ===
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* Objectives: Move Gweddry to the end of the tunnel.
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* '''Objectives''': Move Gweddry to the end of the tunnel.
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* Lose if: Gweddry or Dacyn dies, or turns run out.
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* '''Lose if''': Gweddry or Dacyn dies, or turns run out.
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* Turns: 26/24/22 (easy/medium/hard).
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* '''Turns''': 17/15/13 (Easy/Medium/Hard).
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* Starting units: Gweddry, Dacyn.
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* '''Starting units''': Gweddry, Dacyn.
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* Other:
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* '''Other''':
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** Permanent holy amulet in north.
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** Crystal Quiver in the Northeast cave
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** Treasure of 200 gold in southeast (50 in 1.13).
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** Treasure of 50 gold in Northeast cave
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This scenario occurs in a small cave occupied by trolls and dwarves. You start on the far west of the map, and your mission is to take Gweddry all the way to the opposite side.
 
  
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Take some time to choose your supporting units, depending on which ones you want to level up the quickest. Heavy Infantry are excellent frontline units, but the downside is that they move very slowly in caves. However, since Gweddry is the only unit that ''has'' to get quickly to the far east, this might not be a big problem. You can also go for a group of mostly Mages, and a couple of Spearmen. One keep of units in total should easily be enough—there's also a convenient keep with one castle tile to recruit additional units in the middle of the map, in case you need it during the battle.
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This scenario occurs in a small cave occupied by trolls and dwarves. You start on the far West of the map, and your mission is to take Gweddry all the way to the opposite side.
  
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The map is quite small. A little east from your keep the path is forked into three directions: north is a small area with a holy amulet, east is the troll keep and south is the dwarven keep. These two last paths will merge again to the east, leading to the exit, where Gweddry needs to go. The dwarves are friendly and will help you fight your enemies.
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You'll be unable to recruit heavily on this small map, and a prolonged battle is folly against the swarms of Undead who will appear on turns 12/10/8. Instead, recruit/recall a Bowman and 1 other speedy unit at the small keep just east of Gweddry, then hoof it to the southern tunnel.
  
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Given that you will probably be using inexperienced units, it's perhaps best to avoid going directly into the troll keep, but you can hold your position near the crossroads, on the southern path, where you can easily witness a lot of action between trolls, dwarves and undead (who are following you and show up on turn 6 from the west). The different armies will all fight each other. If you want to take a defensive stance, after having moved all your units south position one strong unit (a spearman or HI) at the end of the path leading south (so only one unit a turn can attack him) and position the White Mage right behind him to heal it every turn. These two units should easily keep of the enemies following you until the end of the scenario.
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The Dwarves to your south are friendly and will distract the centrally-located Trolls for you. The trolls and undead are hostile to each other, as well as to you and the dwarves.  
  
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The holy amulet to the north is a very useful item, which will make all the attacks (melee and ranged) of the unit that picks it up of type ''arcane''—and, unlike in other campaigns, this holy amulet is permanent! Send a quick Spearman there or Gweddry. Giving Gweddry the holy amulet (instead of a Spearman) allows him to level very quickly, which is important, since he can advance to Grand Marshal. This gives benefits in other ways on a number of later scenarios as well, such as the scenario ''The Crossing'', where you can get an easy first turn kill against the undead leader and take his castle.
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In the northeast, a Crystal Quiver is lightly guarded. This permanent item makes all the ranged attacks of the unit that picks it up of type ''Arcane'' and grants ''Illumination''. Give it to a Bowman, since Magi already have effective Ranged damage versus undead, and all your other units are primarily melee.
  
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Move Gweddry to the northeast escorted by other units, to help him fight individual trolls if necessary, but before moving him to the end of the cave (which ends the level) send one of your units to the cave south–east, past the funny signpost warning you of the troll hole. In the cave you will discover a chest containing a troll treasure amounting to 200 gold (or 50 in 1.13).
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You don't have enough time on this map to do much more than pick up the Quiver. However, you can use the eastern tunnel bottlenecks to slow-roll the Trolls and grant your Quiver-bearer some EXP, before escaping at the east end. Stepping on/through the last cave hex will trigger victory.
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[Thrash: Alternately, I used predominately Heavy Infantry on this level. I found (on medium) they were tough enough to hold the central cave and pretty much beat the trolls into submission long enough for Gweddry to run north to the the amulet and then cover his retreat south, only then recruiting a mage when the troll numbers were lower. With other units, I had problems with the trolls overrunning them and getting Gweddry trapped to the north. Also a heavy infantry in the village by your starting fort will hold off the undead for a long time.]
 
  
 
=== An Unexpected Appearance ===
 
=== An Unexpected Appearance ===
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* Objectives: Defeat either enemy leader.
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* '''Objectives''': Defeat either enemy leader.
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* Lose if: Gweddry or Dacyn dies or turns run out.
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* '''Lose if''': Gweddry or Dacyn dies or turns run out.
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* Turns: 20/18/16 (easy/medium/hard).
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* '''Turns''': 24
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* Starting units: Gweddry, Dacyn.
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* '''Starting units''': Gweddry, Dacyn.
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* Other:
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* '''Other''':
 
** Your next scenario depends on which leader you defeat.
 
** Your next scenario depends on which leader you defeat.
 
** Both Dacyn and Gweddry never miss when they attack on turn 1.
 
** Both Dacyn and Gweddry never miss when they attack on turn 1.
  
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In this scenario you have to defeat one of the dark sorcerers on the edges of the map. Your next scenario will depend on the enemy you choose to kill. Killing the one to the west (Mal-Skraat) will take you to the ''Elven Alliance'' scenario, while the one to the east (Mal-Kallat) takes you to ''The Undead Border Patrol''.
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In this scenario you have to defeat one of the dark sorcerers on the edges of the map. Your next scenario will depend on the enemy you choose to kill. Killing the one to the West will take you to the ''Elven Alliance'' scenario, while the one to the East takes you to ''Ill Humors''.
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Going east is more difficult, especially on hard, but brings you more reward, such as the chance to go to Mal-Ravanal's Capital, which gives you the opportunity to get extra experience (a lot for whoever survives) and a loyal Paladin and several Knights.
 
  
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Firstly, expel Mal-Tar out of your keep: either shoot him with Dacyn's ranged and Gweddry's melee attacks for a 1-turn kill, or attack using melee only to wound him (Dacyn is likelier to emerge less wounded this way). If you don't kill him the first turn, Mal-Tar recruits 3 soulless then retreats to the nearby village to heal. But that gives you more easy xp to farm... so food for thought.  
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Going East is more difficult, especially on hard, but brings higher rewards: more EXP, loyal Dunefolk units, and/or loyal Paladin and Knights.
  
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You will be fighting a mix of skeletons & skeleton archers, along with skeleton riders and soulless (in the west) and vampire bats and ghouls (in the east). So recruiting Heavy Infantry and Magi work well (and recall whomever you gave the amulet to in the previous scenario), plus a single spearman or cavalry to grab villages and/or act as expendable blocker if you can't afford a last HI/mage. Dacyn might be wounded, so send him to a village to heal ASAP, as he will be the core mobile healer of your army unless you have another white mage.  
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First, expel Mal-Tar out of your keep. Your leaders can't miss on their first turn, so a turn 1 kill is guaranteed. Then, prep for battle. You will be fighting assorted undead (in the West) and Vampire Bats and Ghosts (in the East). This is an easier scenario, so focus on leveling units: Magi, your Quiver-bearer, and Gweddry himself (get that Leadership bonus!). Strive for a big early finish bonus.
  
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Magi can generally fend for themselves in towns vs bats, unless the bats arrive in groups.  
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Approach 1 (going East): Send Magi and Spearmen east, along with a healer and Gweddry himself (once he's finished recruiting). Send your Quiver-bearer west with some Heavy Infantry and Mage backup (and a second White Mage if you have one). Neither Dark Sorcerer leaves their keep to fight, so you can bottleneck the Western enemy in the mountains and farm EXP, while the Spearmen and Magi press east.
  
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On easy or medium difficulty the attackers should be no problem, so focus on leveling units with Dacyn positioned at the epicenter of your assault so he can heal the wounded. If you move quickly you should only need to fight the attackers from one leader. Of course you can have some of your units double back to engage the second set.  
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Approach 2 (going East): Recruit the same troops, but send all east, using the Heavy Infantry as a rearguard, to minimize any losses on that flank.
  
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On hard difficulty going west, the bats will catch up mid-battle and try to snipe your wounded units in the night. On hard heading east, be wary of the skeleton riders catching up from behind and being caught between the two main undead forces. Luckily the mix of bats and the single-path out of the eastern swamp means those forces arrive fairly dispersed. Aggressively pressing your attack eastward should take them out in small batches so when the western forces catch up you won't have to fight too many at once.
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Approach 3 (going West): Recruit more lightly and push West. You should be able to kill the Western enemy before the other enemy's forces can reach you.
  
 
=== Diverging Campaign Path ===
 
=== Diverging Campaign Path ===
  
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==== Elven Alliance ====
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==== An Elven Interlude ====
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* Objectives: Defeat enemy leader.
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* '''Objectives''': Move any unit to the signpost in the northwest.
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* Lose if: Gweddry, Dacyn or Volas dies or turns run out.
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* '''Lose if''': Gweddry or Dacyn dies, or turns run out.
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* Turns: 24/22/20 (easy/medium/hard)
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* '''Turns''': 25
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* Starting units: Gweddry, Dacyn.
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* '''Starting units''': Gweddry, Dacyn.
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* '''Other''':
 +
** Addogin will join as a loyal unit if defeating him before capturing 10 villages
  
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The Orc's warning about the assassin is overrated; Volas can probably take care of it himself, although you might want to leave ONE unit near him to make sure. The assassin disappears into the forest, but you won't bump into him, he'll just reappear near the elf leader on turn 6.
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The warning about the assassin is overrated. The assassin disappears into the forest, but you won't bump into him, he'll just reappear when anyone dies.
  
 
Recruit / recall a wide assortment of units, mostly mages, spearmen and cavalry. Send mages and spearmen up to fight the opponent, send cavalry down as scouts. Any heavy infantry should go up to fight also; they will probably arrive late, and be good for reinforcements when the first troops are wounded.
 
Recruit / recall a wide assortment of units, mostly mages, spearmen and cavalry. Send mages and spearmen up to fight the opponent, send cavalry down as scouts. Any heavy infantry should go up to fight also; they will probably arrive late, and be good for reinforcements when the first troops are wounded.
Line 87: Line 85:
 
Align the troops in the forest, so that the enemy will be on grass; this gives you a tactical advantage. Use Dacyn to heal those who need it most - those on the corners, and any mages who are on the front lines.
 
Align the troops in the forest, so that the enemy will be on grass; this gives you a tactical advantage. Use Dacyn to heal those who need it most - those on the corners, and any mages who are on the front lines.
  
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There is a village at {20,8} that can prove tactically very useful, because the elves usually fight somewhere near it.
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There is a village at {20,12} that can prove tactically very useful, because the elves usually fight somewhere near it. Be careful grabbing villages that you don't accidentally get 10 -- if you do, the outlaws will flee and you'll lose the chance to gain Addogin, a loyal Outlaw. "Kill" him to add him to your roster and cause all his other forces to flee.
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The elves are defeated most of the time, and the orcs claim this village; it is crucial to kill the orc on this village and take it over with a resilient spearman, or a HI.
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Once you have gotten past turn 6, it will be day. When the assassin appears, you may ignore it unless you have a unit close-by. In that case, use it to fight the assassin. Keep pressing up. It is possible to kill the orcish leader by turn 9 for a nice gold bonus.
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==== Ill Humors ====
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* '''Objective''': Defeat Mal-Skraat
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* '''Lose if''': Gweddry or Dacyn dies, or turns run out.
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* '''Turns''': 24/23/22.
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* '''Starting units''': Gweddry, Dacyn.
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* '''Other''':
 +
** An optional extra mission is possible
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** Any of your units that are adjacent to Swamp hexes will be Poisoned
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You have two immediate concerns on this map: the antagonistic wildlife, and the toxic swamp. Recruit/recall a keep's worth of units to deal with the nearby Swamp Lizard, and grab nearby villages.
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On Turn 2, you will be introduced to Hahid, a loyal Dune Apothecary, and his assistant Safyam, a Dune Burner.  You'll also notice several Dunefolk units to the southwest. Hahid forms an alliance, and tells you to keep your units safe from the swamp by collecting alswdan herbs on specially marked, randomly placed tiles. Once you collect the 5th herb, Hahid will offer you 3 choices on how to proceed:
  
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Once you have gotten past turn 6, it will be day, and the orcs will be very easy to defeat. When the assassin appears, you may ignore it unless you have a unit close-by. In that case, use it to fight the assassin. Keep pressing up. It is possible to kill the orcish leader by turn 9 for a nice gold bonus.
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* Pay 50 gold to end the scenario and begin ''Mal-Ravanal's Capital'', a challenging and rewarding bonus scenario inserted before ''Northern Outpost''.
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* Pay 0 gold to lose the Dunefolk from your team and proceed to ''Northern Outpost'' by killing Mal-Skraat.
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* Pay 150 gold to add ''all'' dunefolk to your team permanently, then defeat the northwest leader and proceed to ''Northern Outpost''.
  
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==== The Undead Border Patrol ====
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Any of these options can succeed. However, bear in mind that the Dunefolk army all has the ''Mercenary'' ability, meaning they fight better when the player has gold, and worse when the player's gold is 0 or less. They are complex to manage, and may be a liability in larger battles.  
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* Objective: Defeat either enemy leader.
 
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* Lose if: Gweddry or Dacyn dies, or turns run out.
 
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* Turns: 20.
 
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* Starting units: Gweddry, Dacyn.
 
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* Other:
 
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** Your next scenario depends on which leader you defeat.
 
  
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This scenario also depends on which way you want to go. There is a Dark Sorcerer in the north-west corner and a Lich in the south-east corner. Defeating the Lich (Mal-Telnarad) will give you the chance to go to ''Mal-Ravanal's Capital'', a challenging but rewarding scenario, while defeating the sorcerer (Mal-Skraat) is easier, and takes you directly to ''The Northern Outpost''.
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To go to ''Mal-Ravanal's Capital'': Send folks into the swamp to your east, and have Hahid and Safyam explore near where they appear. Fight off the swamp creatures, using White Magi to keep your team healthy. Don't over-recruit, and anticipate your team's upkeep costs! A nimble unit like a Fencer helps to snag faraway herbs quickly for a big finish bonus (you'll need it).
  
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If going NW, it is fairly straightforward. The terrain is more open and the necromancer has less gold to recruit with than the lich. Do the same as in Unexpected Appearance—you may recruit a couple of suicide cavalrymen to distract bats and grab distant towns. One might even get enough XP this way to be worth recalling in later scenarios. Because of the open terrain, it is recommended to use mostly heavy infantry and your holy amulet unit on this level backed up by a few magi. As in most scenarios against undead, white magi are very useful for their arcane attack as well as mobile healers. Try to get the opponent to fight you from the sand; this gives you a significant advantage.
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To recruit the dunefolk before ''Northern Outpost'': Same strategy, but more scrappy.
  
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If you go East, expect to take some time getting over the river and through the swamp, but the lich can be drawn out of his fortress to fight in the swamp as soon as you come within range. Gweddry can lure enemy units into chasing him by moving southwest into the mountains, thereby diverting many undead from contesting the river crossing. A small force recruited to defend the fort will keep troops from the NW off of your backside and they'll pick up a good amount of experience in the process, though alternatively Gweddry can lure these too. Finishing early is quite advantageous, as you'll want as much starting gold as possible to improve your chances in the next scenario.
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To go directly to ''Northern Outpost'', no dunefolk: you can collect 5 alswdan herbs and refuse to pay, or you can just kill Mal-Skraat. With corpses and bats, he's not much of a threat; the swamp poison is the scariest part.
  
 
==== Mal-Ravanal's Capital ====
 
==== Mal-Ravanal's Capital ====
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* Objective: Escape from the capital by killing one of the two dark sorcerers.
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* '''Objective''': Escape from the capital by killing one of the two dark sorcerers.
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* Lose if: Gweddry or Dacyn dies, or turns run out.
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* '''Lose if''': Gweddry or Dacyn dies
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* Turns: 26.
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* '''Turns''': n/a
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* Starting units: Gweddry, Dacyn.
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* '''Starting units''': Gweddry, Dacyn
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* Other:
 
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** The paladin's location is randomly chosen from among the six prison cells at the start of the scenario.
 
  
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Only reachable from ''The Undead Border Patrol'' scenario, but you may skip it and go directly to ''Northern Outpost''.
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Only reachable from ''Ill Humors'' scenario, but you may skip it and go directly to ''Northern Outpost''.
  
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The main reason to get here is to acquire a cavalry force of one Paladin (a loyal unit) and five Knights. Focus on freeing the horsemen as quickly as possible. To do this, kill the 6 Revenants guarding the cages (they will not attack unless you stand next to them first), but note the number of Knights available is reduced by one for each of your troops that die *after you rescue the first one*. You might want to make sure any expendable troops are "expended" before this. Each rescued unit pops in with full moves.
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The main reason to get here, besides XP, is to acquire a cavalry force of one Paladin (a loyal unit) and several Knights. Focus on freeing the horsemen as quickly as possible. To do this, kill the 6 Deathblades guarding the cages (they will not attack unless you stand next to them first). Powerful ranged units like your Quiver-bearer and White Mages make the perfect assassins.
  
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The regular Time of Day cycle does not apply here. Instead, dusk and night are twice as long as usual. The large accumulating mob of undead will mull around in the center until turn 7 or so before swarming in Gweddry's general direction. Prior to that you can 'pull' the mob north or south by relocating Gweddry or alternatively by moving decoy units closer to the center, so adjust your tactics accordingly. Most importantly, try to finish the mission quickly.
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You have until Turn 10 until Mal-Ravanal notices Dacyn and gets serious. To free the cavalry in time, you'll probably need to split your forces up. Send your first recalls southeast towards the Paladin -- if you're lucky, you can free it on same turn you meet the victory condition. Soon after, send a small assassin squad [landofMordor: I used a White Mage and my Quiver-bearing Bowman] north to free the topmost Knight; once he's free, send him to reinforce another group and send your assassins due east to free the Knight there.
  
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''On easy'': This is still a very challenging scenario. I started with only 100 gold, so I recalled one Mage, two Shock Troopers, one Heavy Infantry, and my holy Halberdier. I defended the starting castle for about 10 turns until the Revenants had made their way over to me. Upon killing several of them, I freed some imprisoned Knights and a Paladin. I moved my forces to kill the Death Knight, and then split my forces. I sent one group to attack Mal-Ravanal and the other to kill the Necromancer in the NW corner. By turn 30, my Eastern assault force was in position to attack Mal-Ravanal. However, when I attacked him I wasn't able to defeat him. When I was ready, I killed the NW Necromancer and progressed to ''The Northern Outpost''.
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Now, while your hit squads are gallivanting around killing Deathblades, you need to occupy the bulk of Mal-Ravanal's forces. A healer and Heavy Infantry (or even Spearmen) can do the trick at the impassable bottleneck due east of your starting keep. Don't try to push forward or gain ground; instead, just hold the line and allow one or two units to come through the bottleneck at a time.
  
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[Thrash] My take on just getting the paladin and 5 knights quickly is you want to send units in parallel to attack the NW enemy and free as many of the knights at the same time. The trick is you free the knights and then kill the NW leader right after before all your troops get overwhelmed by units from the East (and center). Time of day is critical - if you can get to the revenants before dusk, a white mage or shock trooper can kill them in one turn, after that it will take two turns or a little help (like a previously freed knight). Gweddry, even with an amulet, will probably take 3 turns to kill one, but with his one turn head start, that's OK. With one fort of recruits (2 white mages and 4 shock troopers), I was able to free 5 of the 6 and kill the NW enemy leader on turn 6 [?in which version?]. I sent 3 shock troopers and a white mage at the NW enemy, diverting one of those to freeing the 6th knight probably would have gotten me 6 out of the 6.
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Finally, once Gweddry is finished recruiting, send him and any disposables southwest towards that Dark Sorcerer, freeing the Knight along the way. That crew should be enough to overwhelm the puny Walking Corpse army there, stall if needed until the Paladin is free, and fight your way free.
  
 
=== The Northern Outpost ===
 
=== The Northern Outpost ===
−
* Objectives:
+
* '''Objectives''':
 
** Find the outlaw leader in the villages and kill him.
 
** Find the outlaw leader in the villages and kill him.
 
** Defeat the undead leader.
 
** Defeat the undead leader.
−
* Lose if: Gweddry, Dacyn or Owaec dies, or turns run out.
+
* '''Lose if''': Gweddry, Dacyn or Owaec dies, or turns run out.
−
* Turns: 20.
+
* '''Turns''': 20.
−
* Starting units: Gweddry, Dacyn, Terraent.
+
* '''Starting units''': All available from Gweddry, Dacyn, Terraent, Addogin, and Hahid
−
* Other:
+
* '''Other''':
−
** A holy amulet is located on the south-west.
+
** A holy amulet is located in the South-West.
−
** Horseman units can now be recruited.
 
 
** Owaec joins your team after the fight is over.
 
** Owaec joins your team after the fight is over.
  
−
This scenario is reachable from the ''Elven Alliance'', ''The Undead Border Patrol'', and ''Mal-Ravanal's Capital'' scenarios.
+
This scenario is reachable from the ''Elven Alliance'', ''Ill Humors'', and ''Mal-Ravanal's Capital'' scenarios.
  
−
Here, there are two enemies that you must defeat: the undead and the outlaws. It is a good idea to create a separate task force for each.
+
Here, there are two enemies that you must defeat: the undead and the outlaws. It is a good idea to create a separate task force for each of a keep's worth of veterans. You won't have Dacyn for this mission (until the bandits are slain)
  
−
The undead are fairly straightforward to defeat, and in any case Owaec usually does a good part of the work. To finish off the undead, it's useful to have a white mage, since Dacyn will be busy with his special spell to reveal the outlaws for this scenario. If you don't have a white mage, you can try recruiting a few mages or else go back one or more scenarios and promote a mage to white mage. In addition to the mages or white mage, recall whomever picked up the holy amulet in one of the previous scenarios and have them accompany Gweddry to the southeast. If Gweddry is the one with the holy amulet and you have a white mage, then you can supplement them with a mage. You should also send a cavalryman/horseman or quick spearman to pick up the new holy amulet in the southwest.
+
For the undead task force, send one non-impact melee unit to get the Amulet by the southwest temple, which makes all damage ''Arcane''. That unit will have the damage output of a mage and the mobility and durability of a regular solider! That alone is enough to shred the undead to the north along with Gweddry, a healer, and a few disposable HI. Help Owaec's forces stay alive, if you can.  
  
−
By contrast to the undead, the outlaws require a novel strategy. Recruit/recall fast units, e.g., cavalry and horsemen. You may supplement them by recalling quick spearmen and quick shock troopers. The challenge is that criminals will sometimes appear randomly around the villages you flag. Therefore, before flagging a village, make sure you have several healthy units around it. Note that you will get a chance to kill any newly appeared outlaws before they get a move. Outlaws will not appear in the villages that Owaec flags, so don't worry about him uncovering enemies for you. Send your outlaw hunting posse up the eastern side of the map flagging villages and fighting the bandits. One of the villages has the assassin that is the outlaw leader, and there are a lot of villages, so speed is of the essence.
+
For the bandit task force, send about 5 units north to the villages. You might not need a healer, but prepare to fight L1 outlaws in Forest-heavy terrain. About 3 groups of enemies will spawn randomly, about 3 units in each group until the leader (a Rogue [easy] or Assassin) is found with a larger cadre of goons. Note that you will get a chance to kill any newly appeared outlaws before they get a move, so be prepared to ambush the ambushers.
  
−
Once your undead task force has finished the undead, form them into a second outlaw hunting posse, transferring units as needed from the first posse. When you come across the village where the bandit leader hides, divert any available units to the battle, as the bandits have a bite.
+
Upon defeating either leader, Owaec and his cavalry will join your roster. If the undead fall first, turn that task force to hunting outlaws.
−
 
 
−
Note: A Cavalry force (such as the one acquired in Mal-Ravanal's Capital) makes short work of the bandits.  Lower level units have trouble against the bandits, especially at night.
 
−
 
 
−
Also note, that from this scenario on you can recruit horsemen. You might want to level up a paladin or two, for fast mobile undead removal services (and quick leader assassination).
 
−
 
 
−
[Thrash] When I played, Oweac only recruited a couple mages, so he needed significant help as they get slaughtered quickly - I'd say 3-4 units. Also you don't really need to surround a village before flagging it, just have units in range to sweep in and attack if bandits pop out; this can save you some turns as move around as you can send one unit in to flag a village and move the rest on if nothing appears. Finally, the outlaw leader ran away when I played, so be prepared to chase him down.
 
−
 
 
−
=== Two Paths ===
 
−
* Objective: Defeat either enemy leader.
 
−
* Lose if: Gweddry, Dacyn or Owaec dies, or turns run out.
 
−
* Turns: 18/17/16 (easy/medium/hard).
 
−
* Starting units: Gweddry, Dacyn, Owaec.
 
−
* Other:
 
−
** Your next scenario depends on which leader you defeat.
 
−
 
 
−
You must choose between going north to attack the orc leader or going north-west to attack the undead leader.
 
−
 
 
−
One option is going north on the very east side of the map trying to fight your enemies from solid ground and mountains while they stand on sand ground with weak defense. As your troops move very slowly on this terrain, you will likely take some heavy losses however, as your enemies keep surrounding you. Also this will presumably take too many turns to reach the orc leader in time.
 
−
 
 
−
Thus the preferred choice is to recall a couple of shock troopers and white mages and move them on the path to the north-west in a tight formation towards the undead leader. Once you survived the first enemy onslaught without loosing units, the rest of this scenario becomes rather easy as the remaining enemies come one by one. Make sure to keep on moving fast to the north-west to reach the undead leader before turns run out.
 
−
 
 
−
On hard (and version 1.8.3), what will probably work better is an all-out suicidal cavalry charge to assassinate the undead leader as quickly as possible.
 
−
 
 
−
It's worth noting that killing the orc leader results in what appears to be an easier and more rewarding subsequent scenario (The Crossing) than killing the undead leader (Undead Crossing).
 
  
 
=== Diverging Campaign Path ===
 
=== Diverging Campaign Path ===
  
−
==== Undead Crossing ====
+
==== Undead Crossing & Capturing the Ogres ====
−
* Objective: Defeat the enemy leader.
+
'''Undead Crossing'''
−
* Lose if: Gweddry, Dacyn or Owaec dies or turns run out.
+
* '''Objective''': Defeat the enemy leader.
−
* Turns: 18.
+
* '''Lose if''': Gweddry, Dacyn or Owaec dies or turns run out.
−
* Starting units: Gweddry, Dacyn, Owaec.
+
* '''Turns''': 18.
 +
* '''Starting units''': Gweddry, Dacyn, Owaec.
  
−
You need to cross the river, but not without first defeating a necromancer who is occupying a small island to the north.
+
You need to cross the river, but not without first defeating a necromancer who is occupying a small island to the North.
  
−
A good general strategy can be something like the following: recall a couple of quick swordsmen (or about-to-level quick spearmen), two white mages, a red mage or multiple regular mages, and any units with holy amulets. Shock troopers are too slow. Send these units as quickly as possible northwest through the swamp towards the eastern crossing. Meanwhile, recruit/recall cavalry. The cavalry should run as fast as possible along the southern board edge (so as to not attract undue attention from bats and swimming undead) and then up the western crossing. You can divert a couple of cavalry and Owaec to snatch up villages and then those units can join the eastern assault.
+
A good general strategy can be something like the following: recall a couple of quick swordsmen (or about-to-level quick spearmen), two white mages, a red mage or multiple regular mages, and any units with holy amulets. Shock troopers are too slow. Send these units as quickly as possible Northwest through the swamp towards the Western crossing. Meanwhile, recruit/recall cavalry. The cavalry should run as fast as possible along the Southern board edge (so as to not attract undue attention from bats and swimming undead) and then up the Western crossing. You can divert a couple of cavalry and Owaec to snatch up villages and then those units can join the Western assault.
  
 
Now, this scenario has a nasty surprise... Once you have fought off the bats and skeletons, you will find this was not all, as the undead leader summons a number of cuttlefish monsters (1, 2 or 4 according to the difficulty level: easy, medium or hard respectively), which appear in the water between the two crossings. These always appear on turn number 10. Be very careful where to position your troops as the cuttlefish have a very nasty melee attack.
 
Now, this scenario has a nasty surprise... Once you have fought off the bats and skeletons, you will find this was not all, as the undead leader summons a number of cuttlefish monsters (1, 2 or 4 according to the difficulty level: easy, medium or hard respectively), which appear in the water between the two crossings. These always appear on turn number 10. Be very careful where to position your troops as the cuttlefish have a very nasty melee attack.
Line 186: Line 168:
 
You have at least three options for the crossing. Option 1 is to just try to get a couple of your cavalry across each of the two crossings, while the rest of your units run like hell away from the water and swamp. Option 2 is to send across more units while tossing a spearman into the water as bait. Option 3 is to fight the cuttlefish, which is extremely hazardous. For a fight, maneuver your units to encourage the cuttlefish to separate, then use good melee troops backed by Gweddry (for leadership) and a white mage to kill them one at a time. Good luck. Make sure you leave your units enough time to cross the river and kill the undead leader before turns run out.
 
You have at least three options for the crossing. Option 1 is to just try to get a couple of your cavalry across each of the two crossings, while the rest of your units run like hell away from the water and swamp. Option 2 is to send across more units while tossing a spearman into the water as bait. Option 3 is to fight the cuttlefish, which is extremely hazardous. For a fight, maneuver your units to encourage the cuttlefish to separate, then use good melee troops backed by Gweddry (for leadership) and a white mage to kill them one at a time. Good luck. Make sure you leave your units enough time to cross the river and kill the undead leader before turns run out.
  
−
==== The Crossing ====
+
Leads to ''Capturing the Ogres''.
−
* Objective: Get Gweddry and Owaec across the river.
 
−
* Lose if: Gweddry, Dacyn or Owaec dies or turns run out.
 
−
* Turns: 24.
 
−
* Starting units: Gweddry, Dacyn, Owaec.
 
−
* Other:
 
−
** Special bonuses if the objective is completed while the Ogre leader is still alive:
 
−
*** Ogre leader joins you as recallable a loyal unit
 
−
*** You get two additional recallable Ogre units
 
  
−
Looking at the level, one might imagine the challenge in this scenario is crossing the wide river - where units are very vulnerable, and have very restricted mobility (particularly horses). However, this will likely prove to be the lesser of your concern: The Orcish force on the Northern bank is preoccupied with the Ogres for a good several turns, and the opponents going after you will be the Undead from the South.  
+
'''Capturing the Ogres'''
 +
* '''Objective''': Capture the ogres.
 +
* '''Lose if''': Gweddry, Dacyn or Owaec dies.
 +
* '''Turns''': Unlimited.
 +
* '''Starting units''': Gweddry, Dacyn, Owaec.
 +
* '''Other''':
 +
** To add ogres to your army, "capture" them by ZoC-locking them.
  
−
On Turn 2, the first contingent of Undead will appear to the South-East of your keep: A weaker leader (Revenant on Medium) "unpacks" a keep and recruits it full of units (on Medium these are L1 recruits). If Gweddry and Owaec are already in the water, you may find yourself pretty bloodied by the encounter; and the Revenant has Gold to spare for more recruiting.
 
  
−
On Turn 8, the Undead are reinforced by a powerful Lich (on Medium) and a few leveled units (on Medium - two Revenants and a Bone Shooter) - and they get initiative, i.e. they get a round of action before you can attack them. Do you have units ready to take the blow? They might not be numerous, but they're quite deadly when ganging up on a unit of their choice. If, however, your units remain at a distance, the Lich will enter the keep and recruit...
+
This can be a confusing scenario to understand. Basically, your three units just have to survive. However, if you want to be able to recall ogres later, you need to "capture" them by surrounding them. Any ogre which cannot move more than one hex in every direction will be added to your recall list. Ogres which reach the rocky borders will "escape".
  
−
On the North bank, the Orcs and the Ogres are exchanging blows. Within a couple of turns it becomes apparent the Ogres are going to lose - but you want their leader alive. That means you either have to draw much of the Orcish forces to chase you into the river, or alternatively get Gweddry and Owaec across fast enough so that the Orcs aren't completely done with the Ogres (the Leader will most probably be the last one to die).
+
Ogres are especially mobile on mountains (such as in the scenario ''Lake Vrug'') and in caves (in the scenario ''Captured''). Being of neutral alignment, ogres can be helpful at night (especially in the scenario ''Weldyn Under Attack''). It's best to capture at least two.
  
−
So, when can you afford to send Gweddry and Owaec, and/or other units, up into the water? A slight tactical error in judgement can mean either numerous casualties by the undead, or alternatively loss of your potential Ogre ally.
+
==== Soradoc & Ogre Crossing ====
 +
'''Soradoc'''
 +
* '''Objective''': Get Gweddry and Owaec across the river.
 +
* '''Lose if''': Gweddry, Dacyn or Owaec dies or turns run out.
 +
* '''Turns''': 24.
 +
* '''Starting units''': Gweddry, Dacyn, Owaec, loyal unit
 +
* '''Other''':
 +
** Keep Yannic alive and talk to him with Owaec, or kill 3 enemy leaders, to recruit him later and get a Plague Staff in the next scenario.
  
−
If you ''do'' manage to cross before the Ogre leader is dead, he will agrees to help you; you'll get the bonuses listed above and will skip the ''Training the Ogres'' scenario, proceeding directly to ''Xenophobia''.
+
Really difficult if you didn't go to '''Mal-Ravanal's Capital''' earlier and gain the Paladin and Knight(s).
  
 +
Send your Paladin, Dacyn, Owaec, and a few other veterans due west immediately to assassinate the Death Knight there. If you have a Knight with a holy amulet, that's a good option. Owaec is needed in this group so he can rush up and talk to Yannic afterwards.
  
−
[Allefant]: I had only 100 gold, so recruited some units and went straight North from turn one on. The fighting in the water was quite hard, with some orcs coming down from the north. The Undead only appeared when I was in the middle of the river, so no encounter with them, and the ogre's helped get rid of the orcs on the north side.
+
Send the rest of your army (at least 1 healer) due north post-haste. You need to smash through the base there and clear a path to the north. If you do well enough, you can even wipe out the other undead armies before completing the objective. The more leaders you defeat, the easier the next scenario will be.
  
−
[Thrash] Make sure to cover your rear flank with some expendable troops (such as Heavy Infantry) as the Undead can move more quickly through the water than your units. Alternately, if you kill the first wave of Undead quickly enough (by turn 3), you can make it across the river before the second wave catches you from behind.
+
On turn 4, Mal-Ravanal appears in the southeast corner, summons some high-level Ghosts (including Shadows) behind your lines, and peaces out. Be prepared for this ambush.
  
−
Another strategy is to go straight into the water after killing the first Undead leader using the deep water in the middle of the path to Seperate the orc forces. You go to the right with Gweddry and Owaec and some support troops while letting the ogres kill many of the orcs in your way.  Knights and a Paladin can hold off the Orcs enough to get across while the Undead behind you are not an issue.
+
If you rescue Yannic and he doesn't die, he'll give you a Plague Staff in the next scenario. The Plague Staff might not be "good" per se, but it's awesome: it turns its bearer chaotic, allows it to recruit Walking Corpses, and grants it the Plague Staff attack. Later, Yannic will join your team just when you need him most.
  
−
I had problems with the Ogre leader dying before I could get to him with this strategy, but sending Oweac into the river on turn 1 seemed to draw enough of the Orcs south to solve this problem.
+
'''Ogre Crossing'''
 +
* '''Objective''': Get Gweddry and Owaec across the river.
 +
* '''Lose if''': Gweddry, Dacyn or Owaec dies or turns run out.
 +
* '''Turns''': 24.
 +
* '''Starting units''': Gweddry, Dacyn, Owaec, loyal units
 +
* '''Other''':
 +
** Special bonuses if the objective is completed while the Ogre leader is still alive:
 +
*** Ogre leader joins you as recallable a loyal unit
 +
*** All the other surviving Ogres can be recalled for half as much normal units (only 10 gold!)
  
−
[Hipparchos] Agreed this is the only way to save the ogre leader (all others are too slow). I played this several ways before deciding the easiest is to recruit/recall only units with 6+ movement (Horsemen, Cavalrymen, quick Mages and quick Spearmen) which move 2 hexes through the water. Send them immediately South to the Undead leader's keep and defeat the units there within the first few turns. Then occupy the keep and wait for the reinforcements while one Horseman rides West to take villages. With no keep, the reinforcements are small and easy to defeat. Then you have no problems to your rear as your fast units catch up to Oweac and cross the river. You'll take some hits on the far bank but should get through in time to keep the Ogres alive.
+
Looking at the level, one might imagine the challenge in this scenario is crossing the wide river - where units are very vulnerable, and have very restricted mobility (particularly horses). However, this will likely prove to be the lesser of your concern: The Saurian force on the Northern bank is preoccupied with the Ogres for a good several turns, and the opponents going after you will be the Undead from the South (unless you killed them all in ''Soradoc'').  
  
−
=== Training the Ogres ===
+
However, you need the Ogre leader alive! The Ogres will need help against the Saurians, so scamper across with some Cavalry and/or fast Mages, bringing your leader in the rear. A few Nibblers will bar your way way but they are easily dispatched, once a unit arrives next to the far shore Grug (the Ogre leader) will have himself a big think and join your side immediately allowing you to control him and his fellow ogres. All of those that survive we be recallable for only 10 gold (as opposed to the normal 20), but importantly you can only recall the survivors not recruit any more ogres!
−
* Objective: Capture the ogres.
 
−
* Lose if: Gweddry, Dacyn or Owaec dies.
 
−
* Turns: Unlimited.
 
−
* Starting units: Gweddry, Dacyn, Owaec.
 
−
* Other:
 
−
** To add ogres to your army, "capture" them by ZoC-locking them.
 
  
 +
=== Xenophobia  ===
 +
* '''Objective''': Defeat all enemy leaders.
 +
* '''Lose if''': Gweddry, Dacyn or Owaec die or turns run out.
 +
* '''Turns''':
 +
* '''Starting units''': Gweddry, Dacyn, Owaec, loyal units
 +
* '''Other''':
 +
** A Shield near the Dwarves' keep.
 +
** You will have 100% gold carryover, but 0 starting gold, for the next several scenarios. Save up!
  
−
This can be a confusing scenario to understand. Basically, your three units just have to survive. However, if you want to be able to recall ogres later, you need to "capture" them by surrounding them. Any ogre which cannot move more than one hex in every direction will be added to your recall list. Ogres which reach the rocky borders will "escape".
+
This is a fun and silly level as all parties in the scenario (i.e. Naga, Orcs, Dwraves, and yourself) decide to fight each other instead of forming alliances. The scenario is not very difficult, so you can use this time to gain some experience for your units and pick up another permanent item. This one, near the Dwarvish keep, is a shield that will redirect all damage from adjacent allies to the shield-bearer! It's tricky to use, but consider giving it to an expendable Spearman and using him as an extra ~40 HP for the units who matter, if (or likely when) he dies have another expendable unit pick it up to replace him.
−
 
 
−
Ogres are especially mobile on mountains (such as in the scenario ''Lake Vrug'') and in caves (in the scenario ''Captured''). Being of neutral alignment, ogres can be helpful at night (especially in the scenario ''Weldyn Under Attack'').  It's best to capture at least two.
 
−
 
 
  
−
=== Xenophobia  ===
+
You can likely split 2 keepfuls of troops between a Northern strike force and a Eastern one. The North force will eliminate the Dwarves and rejoin the main Eastern force, which can sweep north through Orc territory and then south to the Naga. Capture and hold as many villages as you can, and give as much EXP to Gweddry and other desired units (prioritizing loyal ones is a good option). If you don't have a few extra White Mages already now is a good time to get them.
−
* Objective: Defeat all enemy leaders.
 
−
* Lose if: Gweddry, Dacyn or Owaec die or turns run out.
 
−
* Turns: 40/36/32 (easy/medium/hard).
 
−
* Starting units: Gweddry, Dacyn, Owaec, Terraent, Grug.
 
−
* Other:
 
−
** A holy amulet near the orcs' keep.
 
  
−
This is a fun and silly level as all parties in the scenario (i.e. elves, orcs, drawves, and yourself) decide to fight each other instead of forming alliances. The scenario is not very difficult, so you can use this time to gain some experience for your units and pick up another permanent holy amulet (in the north, roughly in the middle between the dwarf and the orc keep).
+
If you have 500 gold, you should be pretty set for the next scenarios. You can survive with as little as 300.
  
−
You have two obvious options: attack the elves first or the dwarves first. Don't worry, they will be distracted by the orcs. After you kill the first leader, proceed to the orcs and then finish off the remaining leader.
+
=== Castle In The Ice ===
 +
* '''Objective''': Move to the castle stronghold
 +
* '''Lose if''': Gweddry, Dacyn or Owaec dies, or turns run out.
 +
* '''Turns''': n/a
 +
* '''Starting units''': Gweddry, Dacyn, Owaec, loyal units
 +
* '''Other''':
 +
** The intense cold damages your troops every turn.
 +
** Cold damage intensifies the longer you spend in this scenario.
  
−
Attacking the elves first has the advantage that they have the richest lands, i.e., the most villages, so it means more gold for you by the end of the scenario. It has the side effect that you're more likely to face a live orc leader relative to if you had attacked the dwarves first, as the elves are pretty good at killing him.
+
Basically: follow the path through the fog to the castle, defeating the Drakes and wild beasts along the way. Your core loyal units are more than enough for this task.
  
−
Attacking the dwarves first has the advantage that it's probably easier, since the orc leader is more likely to die at the hands of the elves. It has the disadvantage that you have to spend time getting out of the dwarven mountains and then you will ultimately fight a lot of elves, though most of them will have come out of their forests by then.
+
Optional: There's a 1-hex keep close to the first village you find. You can send Grug and an extra healer southeast from there, defeat the group of Ghosts, and continue onwards to find another group of Ogres. Those Ogres will join your team if you have Grug, unlocking an achievement.
  
−
In either case, you have a lot of ground to cover, so try to do without any non-quick shock troopers. Cavalry, white mages, red mages and spearman track units (preferably quick) are all good.
+
Even further along the Ogre route, you'll find a L4 Yeti. Defeating it will grant 1 unit immunity from cold and ''double'' it's base hitpoints. Giving it to Grug makes him the tankiest of lads and a good choice for the magic shield item.
  
−
By the end of this scenario, it's very useful to have Gweddry at least on level 3, allowing you to use his leadership ability on other units like ogres (who reach their maximum at level 2). Leveling up a group of key units will also be very important for the upcoming scenario ''Captured'', where you won't be able to recruit, but a group of your most experienced veterans will have to fight their way out of a cave. You may want to prepare several mages and knights.
+
Don't recall more than 1 extra healer. You'll need your gold later!
  
−
=== Lake Vrug ===
+
=== Dark Sanctuary ===
−
* Objective: Defeat the Trolls and Gryphons (Drakes in 1.13), and move Dacyn to the stronghold
+
* '''Objective''': Move Dacyn, Gweddry, and reinforcements into Mal-Ravanal's sanctuary, defeating the leader
−
* Lose if: Gweddry, Dacyn or Owaec dies, or turns run out.
+
* '''Lose if''': Death of Gweddry, Dacyn, or Owaec
−
* Turns: 30.
+
* '''Turns''': n/a
−
* Starting units: Gweddry, Dacyn, Owaec, Terraent, Grug.
+
* '''Starting units''': Gweddry, Dacyn, Owaec, loyal units
−
* Other:
+
* '''Other''':
−
** The stronghold provides 100 gold.
+
** 100% gold carryover with 0 starting gold
 +
** Dacyn will have better outcomes stepping on runes
 +
** Night lasts longer here
  
−
This is a very confusing hide and seek scenario that could take you several pointless restarts until you have finally discover the enemy leaders.
+
Recall 4-6 reinforcements into Dacyn's creepy gate (fewer than 6 if you're sending some of your loyal units in). Your main enemies are ghostly and skeletal units, but there will also be Goblins and Ants, so bring a mix of units and roles. Moreover, you'll have 3 separate special items to collect (more on that later), which will help you feed EXP to mid-level units. Recruiting a few L2 people will also save you some upkeep costs.  
  
−
There are three keeps, all north of the river. The troll leader has his keep on the northeast (go to the right into the mountains directly after crossing the bridge). To find the other two keeps, go west right after crossing the river; if you stay close to the southern line of mountains, you'll find the Gryphon keep pretty easily. Finally, there is a stronghold straight north from the Gryphons, and Dacyn must reach this fortress to complete the level.
+
Owaec will loiter outside and have to repel several incursions from Orcish armies. Use fresh L1 Spearmen to force the Orcs to fight from the snow, giving Owaec most of the XP. (Grug can help, too, if you didn't send him inside.)
  
−
Gryphons are vulnerable to the impact damage of heavy infantry and shock troopers, so recall two or three, preferably quick ones. Also recall another white mage to supplement Dacyn and as many ogres as possible, because they are probably the most useful unit for this scenario. The reason is simple: the enemy keeps are surrounded by high mountains which some of your troops cannot pass, but which the ogres handle quite easily. You might also want to recruit a horseman to scout ahead, although using that money for another mage or ogre may be a better investment.
+
Inside the chambers, you'll have 2 directions to go, southwest and northeast. You can split up your forces after killing the Wyvern and grabbing its gold pile.
  
−
The action for this scenario can be divided into two phases. The first phase will be surviving the first onslaught of Gryphons and trolls coming your way. This will start around turn 4 with quite a number of Gryphons appearing from the northwest. On hard, the onslaught will be especially difficult to handle. When you see the first Gryphon swoop out of the fog, watch out! This means many others are coming behind. So, fall back away from the fog and form a defensive line that will eventually become a circle. Keep in mind that you can grab good terrain, i.e., the mountains, as Gryphons are only too happy to attack you wherever you are, and your ogres will hold up well there. Once you have wounded units, position your heavy units such as shock troopers and ogres very tighly around them, as the Gryphons really have quite a large moving range and thus mercilessly slay unprotected injured units.
+
Southwest group: You'll be facing L0-L1 Goblins in groups of 4-6. Bring a healer. The special item on this corridor is the red vial inside the potion room at {15, 13} -- it grants Steadfast and Healthy to its drinker. The unit who gains the most from doubled resistances is, funny enough, Cavalry, since troops like Heavy Infantry can't have their resistances doubled past 50%. (All other potions are not beneficial). After picking up this potion, head south to find one door key. The Goblins in this room can be distracted by stepping on the rune at the end of the corridor, which releases two Ghouls into the Goblin chamber (or all of them if Darcyn is the one to step the rune).
  
−
Just when you thought you had the Gryphons wrapped up, here come the trolls across the bridge. They may be only a minor nuisance on medium or easy, but on hard it's a strain facing a large number of trolls with troops bloodied by the swarm of Gryphons. Trolls are really no match for your shock troopers, however, who happily troll-crack away. Place these troopers on the grassland tiles on the edge of the river, so the trolls coming from the bridge will be forced to attack from unfavorable terrain for them (ice).
+
Northeast group: You'll face several Ghost/Wraith, one Deathblade/Draug, and some optional units. Use a mage to cook the skeleton guarding the library; Ghosts will spawn afterward. Fight through to get the second door key. Go southeast from this room (avoiding the floor runes) and you'll find a cave full of Ants, and a collapsed wall leading to a treasure room. Upon entering this area, a Djinn will spawn and attack.  
  
−
Once you have dealt with this first wave of enemies, the remaining phase consists in crossing the river, finding the enemy leaders and finishing them off, which will be much easier in comparison. Unfortunately, the shock troopers won't do you much good in this end phase. When taking the enemy keeps, use the ogres, who can move well on the high mountains, unlike most of your other units.
+
After killing the Djinn, collect the Holy Amulet, treasure, and Baneblade from the room. The Baneblade is a 7x4 draining Arcane attack, but has the Berserk ability, so it's a mixed blessing. I'm not sure who wields it best, but Heavy Infantry and Pikeman are solid options. The treasure room can be opened from the inside.
  
−
[revolting_peasent] Starting with version 1.13, the Gryphon leader recruits Drakes: First Glider Drakes (for the onslaught), then Sky Drakes. The former can be pretty safely defeated by a half-HP Ogre, the latter - not really, even individually. So even one of these can be very troublesome. This is especially true if they somehow gets near Dacyn, which they seem to have an inclination to do.
+
After obtaining both keys and moving both strike forces back to the central chamber, a large group of low-level monsters will spawn. Fight onto the second creepy platform, then charge the Death Knight leader to end the scenario.
  
 
=== Captured ===
 
=== Captured ===
−
* Objective: Rescue Gweddry, Dacyn, and Owaec, then escape through the south-west tunnel.
+
* '''Objective''': Rescue Gweddry, Dacyn, and Owaec, then escape through the South-West tunnel.
−
* Lose if: Gweddry, Dacyn or Owaec dies, or turns run out.
+
* '''Lose if''': Gweddry, Dacyn or Owaec dies, or turns run out.
−
* Turns: Unlimited, then 16.
+
* '''Turns''': Unlimited, then 16.
−
* Starting units: Rescue leader and two sidekicks.
+
* '''Starting units''': Rescue leader and two sidekicks.
−
* Other:
+
* '''Other''':
 
** No recruiting, but a group of your veterans will be available.
 
** No recruiting, but a group of your veterans will be available.
−
** A holy amulet to the south.
+
** The door to a large gold reserve will be unlocked after the orcish leader dies
  
−
Three of your recall troops will escape from a cell and plot a rescue operation. The scenario tries to select a level 3, level 2, and level 1 unit, but it is possible to end up with many variations. This group only needs to fight an orcish grunt and a few bats as they travel west, then south. Shortly after they encounter the orcish trash heap, one of your rescuers will don a disguise to sneak past the troll guards.
+
Three of your recall troops will escape from a cell and plot a rescue operation. The scenario tries to select a level 3, level 2, and level 1 unit, but it is possible to end up with many variations. At first, they're unarmed, so flee the Bats you find, first running west and then south. You'll retrieve your weapons, and then one group member will don a disguise to sneak past the guards.
  
−
The disguised unit can open a cell door to release the prisoners within. Try to select a cell containing ogres; a quick ogre has the best chance of reaching and opening another cell in the same turn. Your three heroes will also be freed, and either Dacyn or Gweddry can reach the final cell to release the last of your troops. You'll be surrounded by Troll Warriors, and unlikely to do enough damage to kill them in the first turn. Sacrifice some of your less experienced troops to block the trolls from reaching any important units.
+
The disguised unit can open any cell door to release the prisoners within. Try to select a cell containing ogres or Knights; a quick ogre has the best chance of reaching and opening another cell in the same turn. Upon releasing prisoners, your leaders will also seek the fight; you'll have to keep Dacyn alive by fleeing to the spot of shallow water to his northeast, and shielding him from attacks using Gweddry and Owaec.
  
−
Victory occurs when Gweddry moves through the exit in the southwest corner. There is a holy necklace in the southeast. Preferably grab the holy amulet with a horseman or something similar. He will come in very hand in later scenarios (if he survives the next scenario, that is).
+
If you're fast and lucky, you can kill the Orcish leader before many reinforcements arrive. This will unlock the orcs' treasure horde from a cell. Then, move Owaec to the Southwest tunnel to end the level, farming XP with your other units as you go.
  
−
If you have a large group of recallable units, loses in this scenario are not a big deal, as you're only going to be able to bring a fraction of your recall list past the next scenario, which is likely to kill off all but a few veterans. However, the steady stream of orc reinforcements can provide one last chance to level key units for ''Evacuation'', the next scenario.
+
Losses in this scenario are not a big deal, as you're only going to be able to bring a fraction of your recall list past the next scenario, which is likely to kill off all but a few veterans. However, the steady stream of orc reinforcements can provide one last chance to level key units for ''Evacuation'', the next scenario.
  
 
=== Evacuation ===
 
=== Evacuation ===
−
* Objective: Destroy the bridge or defeat all enemies.
+
* '''Objective''': Destroy the bridge with Owaec
−
* Lose if: Gweddry, Dacyn or Owaec dies, or turns run out.
+
* '''Lose if''': Gweddry, Dacyn or Owaec dies, or turns run out.
−
* Turns: 12.
+
* '''Turns''': 12.
−
* Starting units: Gweddry, Dacyn, Owaec, Terraent, Grug, Engineer.
+
* '''Starting units''': Gweddry, Dacyn, Owaec, loyal units
−
* Other:
+
* '''Other''':
−
** Every unit not on the south side of the river when the bridge is destroyed will be lost (including units in your recall list).
+
** Every unit not on the South side of the river when the bridge is destroyed will be lost (including units in your recall list).
  
−
There are two options in this scenario: you can either defeat all enemy leaders or blow up the bridge in the south. If you finish by passing the bridge, all your units that are not on the south side of the river by the time you blow up the bridge are killed by the explosion. Cruelly, this includes your un-recalled units! Of the two options, killing all the enemy leaders is preferable if you can pull it off, so that you can keep your un-recalled troops.  
+
Obviously, recall everybody you care about, including your item-bearers. This will be about 12 recalls total. Afterwards, gold permitting, recruit a keepful of Spearmen to distract the Wolves for another turn or two.  
  
−
This is one of those scenarios many deem "impossible" (at least on Hard) - but it is by no means impossible. You will, however, have to wrap your mind around an unpleasant truth: It may be necessary to accept significant losses of higher- level troops. You should have a large number of level 2 and 3 units to recall to start this scenario, with level 2 units with high experience and close to advancement being your best asset.  
+
Don't get caught fighting; don't expose units to ZOC-lock. Keep your healers in the center and press southwest in tempo with your slowest evacuees. Don't go so slowly that the Drakes can cut you off in front.  
  
−
Whichever objective you choose to pursue, watch out for the very tight time limit of 12 turns. And watch out for the (Level 3) Warrior Trolls: They can defeat and kill most of your single units within a single turn at night. Best fight them with Mages or arcane-damage-dealing cavalry. Your mounted units are well resistant to impact (30% for Horsemen/Knights, 40% for Cavalry/Dragoons, respectively) and can deal with trolls, especially Paladins, or mounted units with an amulet (-10% Troll resistance instead of +20%). Also, you _will_ run out of money here - either on Turn 1 or on Turn 2, so don't let that large keep make you think all of your buddies will be joining you like in the last scenario.
+
Once you get bottle-necked on the bridge, hold a large enough rearguard of expendables that the people you do care about don't get ZOC-locked by flying Drakes while trying to cross the span. If you make it out with 5-10 veterans in addition to the special-item-bearers, then count yourself lucky!
  
−
Luckily, you can (versions 1.12.2, 1.13.4) lure out the Eastern and the Southern Orc Warlord leaders on Turn 1, and since their recruits can't move on that turn, they will both have opened themselves to be taken out during the next turn. Plan your Turn 1 recruiting and Turn 2 attack carefully, to have enough muscle to take out the leaders and enough brawn and speed not to expose the damaged units too much to the two keep-full's of recruits who will scream bloody murder (literally...).
+
=== The Spoils of War ===
  
−
The Western Troll-Warrior-lead contingent cannot reach you in full force until turn 3 and (on Medium) may not attack all-out even then, so regardless of the leader lure gambit - deal as much damage as possible during the first day, while maintaining some reserve for defense during the night.  
+
An easier mission to help rebuild your forces. Terraent (if you have him) or Owaec will need to free groups of prisoners, who arrive alternating between Northern and Southern routes. The most critical prisoner to free is a special, loyal Dark Adept who will arrive from the south -- it's very worthwhile leveling them up.
  
−
The second option - blowing up the bridge - is quite a bit easier to pull off, especially if you're on Hard or short on gold. Run South with a sufficient amount of screening units and hopefully those units you want to try and evacuate (they shouldn't be slow ones). Focus on running the Engineer - using other units to block for him, creating a ZOC corridor. Keep in mind that almost everyone is expendable (sigh...). Engage the enemy sparingly, only at those points necessary to clear the way for the evacuee units, or where you see an opportunity to level-up and heal. With the large keep in this scenario you have no excuse to dilly-dally.
+
Note that each group will be freed once the Deathblade named "guard" is slain. Bats will spawn after each freeing and chase the nearest cluster of units -- you can exploit this behavior to protect your weaker units.
  
−
On Hard, If you finish the scenario with just the required units plus about three level 3 units, don't panic. You can indeed finish the rest of the scenarios, starting with just a few level 3's. Note that the next scenario, ''The Drowned Plains'', is good for leveling raw recruits. However, if you have a lot of level 3's, it would certainly be easier to tackle another upcoming "impossible" scenario, namely ''Weldyn Besieged'', so you may wish to replay ''Evacuation'' to get a better result.
+
Once all groups are freed, kill the southern enemy leader.
−
 
 
−
WanderingHero: While this scenario is cruel, its not as asinine as it appears. You've already beaten the hardest scenarios of the campaign, so you don't have much to worry about taking losses. Try saving a White Mage, and maybe a Knight that's close to Paladin or a Paladin; although even this is hardly essential. Your heavily armored units and able-bodied Ogres can be used to wall the enemy. Although the situation looks grim, you're actually near the end of the campaign, and the worst is behind you. You'll see the Checkered flag soon enough...
 
  
 
=== The Drowned Plains ===
 
=== The Drowned Plains ===
−
* Objective: Defeat Khrakrahs.
+
* '''Objective''': Defeat the 3 enemy leaders.
−
* Lose if: Gweddry, Dacyn or Owaec dies, or turns run out.
+
* '''Lose if''': Gweddry, Dacyn or Owaec dies, or turns run out.
−
* Turns: 28/26/24 (easy/medium/hard).
+
* '''Turns''':  
−
* Starting units: Gweddry, Dacyn, Owaec, Terraent, Grug, Engineer.
+
* '''Starting units''': Gweddry, Dacyn, Owaec, loyal units
−
 
+
* '''Other''':
−
Khrakrahs is a level-4 Skeletal Dragon that will be found in or near the castle (located on an island in the south).  In getting there, you need to proceed slowly and carefully through the swamp. That is because there are lots of fairly high level undead hidden there, waiting to ambush your troops. Don't panic. They are easy to take one at a time, and you can offer the killing blow to troops that you are eager to promote. Think twice about trying to maneuver more units around the back of the one you're trying to kill, as there may be more ambushing undead there.
+
** Walking Corpses, Soulless, and Ghouls will ambush you from the swamp
−
 
+
** Sighting any enemy leader will cause stronger waves of the undead
−
The dragon wanders around near the castle but only attacks units which he can kill instantly. If only strong units come near him, he tries to flee. Because of the fog the major challenge of this scenario is finding him and then getting him surrounded so he cannot just move away again. Once you have him trapped like this, slaying him should be easy using your stronger units —preferrably using impact weapons because the dragon has a low resistance there. Magical attacks from your magi are also very effective against the dragon.
+
** A holy amulet is located on the southwest bank of the lake.
  
−
This scenario is a good opportunity for all the units with holy amulets you still have with you. Use them against the ambushers.  Since there's a good early finish bonus, just recruit a keep of your best anti-undead units, find and kill the dragon and reap the reward.
+
After a little bit of narrative, Dacyn will find himself heavily damaged, surrounded by 6 hexes of impassable pit, and beset by several high-level Ghost units! To rescue him, create a buffer of ZOC with your loyal units, and recall a strong Mage to barbeque the ghosts. Dacyn will shortly thereafter lose his ability to illuminate or cure, due to Mal-Ravanal's dark influence, so recall an extra healer to help against Ghoul poison.
  
 +
Each castle is strongly defended, so it doesn't make sense to split up your main army. However, a few speedier scouts (including, perhaps, the Merfolk you rescued last scenario) are useful to capture and hold some of the far-flung villages. Then, recall a force of veterans who will be able to take on armies of 8-10 level 2/3 undead units, and head due south.
  
−
=== Approaching Weldyn ===
+
The southern-most castle will recruit Chocobones and Skeleton Riders when you get line-of-sight on the keep. Keep your units bunched up so that they can't be surrounded and killed by the Chocobones' charge attacks. Also, the Walking Corpse ambushes will intensify once you sight any enemy leader.
−
* Objective: Get Gweddry to Weldyn.
 
−
* Lose if: Gweddry, Dacyn, Owaec or Konrad II dies, or turns run out.
 
−
* Turns: 24.
 
−
* Starting units: Gweddry, Dacyn, Owaec, Terraent, Grug, Engineer.
 
  
−
The objective is simple enough; Gweddry has to reach the castle occupied by Konrad II. This is simply a matter of moving him there quickly. The end.
+
To the southwest lies Khrakrahs, a level-4 Skeletal Dragon who recruits L2-3 Undead. Yikes. His infernal aura makes lower-level troops fight worse [1.18.0 this won't necessarily be reflected in the combat preview, unless your unit begins adjacent to Khrakrahs]. Use Gweddry's Leadership to counteract this, and then burn Khrakrahs down with Mages.
  
−
There is no challenge here, but with undead around you can pick up some XP with your fast moving arcane-enhanced troops (i.e., the ones that picked up holy amulets in earlier scenarios.) Try not to overrecruit or dilly-dally, though, as you need all the gold you can get for the next scenario, ''Weldyn Under Attack''.
+
To the northwest is another skeletal horseman, who recruits more undead mounted units and Ghouls. Compared to Khrakrahs, a walk in the park.
  
−
=== The Council ===
+
=== Return to Wesnoth ===
−
 
+
Story only.
−
Only plot in this. You see the inside of the castle.
 
  
 
=== Weldyn Under Attack ===
 
=== Weldyn Under Attack ===
−
* Objective: Survive until end of turns.
+
* '''Objective''': Survive until end of turns.
−
* Lose if: Gweddry, Dacyn, Owaec or Konrad II dies.
+
* '''Lose if''': Gweddry, Dacyn, Owaec or Konrad II dies.
−
* Turns: 18.
+
* '''Turns''': 18.
−
* Starting units: Gweddry, Dacyn, Owaec, Terraent, Grug, Engineer, Konrad II.
+
* '''Starting units''': Gweddry, Dacyn, Owaec, loyal units, Konrad II.
−
* Other:
+
* '''Other''':
 
** At the end of this scenario you will have to choose whether to fight Mal-Ravanal directly in a duel, or repel his invasion with all you've got. This dictates the final scenario you'll play for this campaign.
 
** At the end of this scenario you will have to choose whether to fight Mal-Ravanal directly in a duel, or repel his invasion with all you've got. This dictates the final scenario you'll play for this campaign.
  
−
At scenario start, you find your keep in the center of an island. Three allied leaders also have their keeps on the island around yours. There are three enemy leaders (Liches) with equal amounts of gold at their disposal. The southwestern enemy leader is the only one that recruits Nightgaunts, the Southeastern Lich is the only one that recruits Blood Bats, and the Northern Lich is the only one that recruits Spectres.
+
At scenario start, you find your keep in the center of an island. Three allied leaders also have their keeps on the island around yours. There are six enemy leaders surrounding Weldyn.
  
−
The time of-day cycle in this scenario is 3 times slower than usual, and it starts at sunset, so the first 3 turns are Dusk, and then it's night-time (first and second watch) during another half of the entire scenario, which is painful - literally, considering the damage the Undead will deal your troops. Fearless or Neutral-alignment units are important, as is careful use of your Mages of Light's Illumination (see also below).
+
Dacyn will turn into a "nega-Mage of Light" during this scenario, complete with a dark aura ability. Don't count on him to heal your troops!
 
   
 
   
−
Your strategy should be to kill off one of the Liches and his troops, so that you can take over his defensive position. It's probably easiest to take the Northern keep.
+
Super ambitious: Kill all the enemy leaders, possibly with a strike force of fast Paladins and Magi to break through at the south and then sweep clockwise.
  
−
Typically, the backbone of your army will be Heavy Infantry track units, Mages, and your Mages of Light (Dacyn and hopefully at least another one). On the first turn, recall one of each, plus 3 Cavalry units to the rear, preferably quick. Send the cavalry to rob your allies of their villages. They won't mind. Later, the cavalry can run around to distract the enemy. Send your Heavy infantry types, Mages, and Mages of light towards the target enemy stronghold. You should supplement them with any units with arcane attacks: Arch Mages, Silver Mages, White Mages, and any units that picked up amulets in previous scenarios.
+
Medium ambitious: Just hold the lines of Weldyn, keeping your allied generals alive (gets much harder around Turn 10, but easier again around Turn 14).
  
−
However, if you managed to get your forces off the lake Vrug island in ''Evacuation'' (without blowing up the bridge), it's likely you are now able to recall a good number of Level-3 units with arcane attacks and maybe you even have a couple of Ogres. If that's the case you stand a chance (on Medium and v1.13.4 anyway) to assassinate the Northern Lich before he runs out of money. The way to do it is instruct the North-Western allied leader to attack the Northern Lich. Your units will set up in the fortified positions near the bridge due North, and in the villages - drawing some enemy units into the water and clearing one or two for your ally - while he, brilliant tactician that he is, sends his units blindly forward, North across the bridge and the stream to tackle the Lich's recruits head-on. This will bring the Weldyn units (mostly Mages probably) within range of the Lich himself, and he may come out for an attack - and into the water. If this happens (possibly on Turn 4 or 5) - make a gambit for his life: One unit can attack him from the bridge and one or two from the water. Of course these have to be arcane attacks, otherwise you're probably not going to kill him off; and apply Illumination to the attacker and maybe the Lich itself (i.e. make a Mage of Light one of the attackers). To complete the gambit, have some high-HP units defend the wounded attackers of the Lich from the side, so they don't get picked off easily the next round. Still, an L2 unit or even a Paladin is not a terrible loss in exchange for a Lich leader and his 100-gold-or-more in unrecruited units.
+
Conservative: Just hold the inner island of Weldyn, abandoning the allied generals completely. This is really easy to defend, and Konrad will be able to fight here, but you lose out on some upside.
−
 
 
−
... But it's more likely not to have such a convenient strike force, in which case you probably not be able to assassinate the Lich before he is out of gold. When he dashes out to attack, check his gold. If he's broke, you might wish to ignore him for a turn or two while you kill off other units.
 
−
 
 
−
After you take over the stronghold, you may be able to recruit some more troops, if you saved some gold and/or did a good job capturing villages with your cavalry. Note that saving gold is of no use for ''The Duel'', so spend it now if you're in a bind (saving gold is a luxury in this level which would help you in 'Weldyn Besieged'). Next, you should start preparing for the assault waves of the other two Liches. The combined assault waves may be more than your forces can survive. Therefore, while your main force braces itself, you should send out some ogres, cavalry, and/or silver Mages as distractions, mostly along the board edges. They can even get in a few kills.
 
−
 
 
−
For your main force, unless you have taken over the South-Western keep, you need to mind those invisible, infiltrating, backstabbing Nightgaunts that can be up to no good... they are now headed your way.  Have your units form a block with their back to the board edge. Round the corners of the block towards the enemy (so that you don't have one unit face four attacks.) Keep your whole line solid and heavily wounded units buried deep inside.
 
−
 
 
−
In addition to Nightgaunts, you have the threat of Banebows, which can do 52 ranged damage in one turn. However, they are fairly easily killed with proper strategy. Move a mage of light adjacent to blind the Banebow (i.e., remove its +25% bonus) and provide light for your lawful unit's attack (i.e., remove its -25% adjustment.) Move a Shock Trooper (or similar, preferably arcane enhanced) adjacent to the banebow and mage of light. Move a General up to lend Leadership to the attacker. You may kill the Banebow in one attack. Otherwise, if the Banebow is quite wounded, you can use the mage of light to finish it off.
 
−
 
 
−
If you lose when you try to make a stand, you could instead try splitting your forces in two to attack the remaining two Liches. Some players have had success with this, killing the last leader by turn 14 or 15. Just remember that the objective is to survive until the end of turns, and Nightgaunts may be a problem. Killing all three leaders is a victory though and will earn you a early finish bonus of 54/turn, which is important if you go on to ''Weldyn Besieged''.
 
−
 
−
If you have one or two Silver Mages available, they are quite useful in this scenario. The map is rather large so have some fast-moving units like horsemen run through enemy territory and capture individual villages. Then use the teleport ability of your silver mage to perform hit-and-run (or rather: hit-and-teleport) attacks. Make sure you do not get him killed, though, by holding out too long after attacking. Make good use of Gweddry's leadership ability (he should be a Grand Marshal by now), and of Konrad's Sceptre of Fire to get rid of the most dangerous enemies coming your way.
 
  
−
At the end of the scenario, you must choose between challenging Mal-Ravanal to a duel (''The Duel'') or defending Weldyn against the final Undead attack (''Weldyn Besieged''). ''Weldyn Besieged'' is intended as a challenging final scenario; players without a good recall list and sizable warchest will find ''The Duel'' much more accommodating.
+
At the end of the battle, Gweddry will be able to choose whether to duel Mal-Ravanal (easier), or take on his whole army (possibly unlocks a bonus scenario).
  
 
=== Diverging Campaign Path ===
 
=== Diverging Campaign Path ===
  
 
==== The Duel ====
 
==== The Duel ====
−
* Objective: Defeat Mal-Ravanal while Dacyn is nearby.
+
* '''Objective''': Defeat Mal-Ravanal while Dacyn is nearby.
−
* Lose if: Gweddry or Dacyn dies, or Dacyn is not nearby when Mal-Ravanal is defeated.
+
* '''Lose if''': Gweddry or Dacyn dies, or Dacyn is not nearby when Mal-Ravanal is defeated.
−
* Turns: Unlimited.
+
* '''Turns''': Unlimited.
−
* Starting units: Gweddry, Dacyn.
+
* '''Starting units''': Gweddry, Dacyn.
−
* Other:
+
* '''Other''':
 
** You can only recruit for the first turn.
 
** You can only recruit for the first turn.
  
Line 389: Line 368:
 
Except for Konrad II, you will have all of your units available in the recall list (including Owaec). Recall mages of light and other high-level arcane troops. Advance onto the battlefield, but stop just short of the enemies' range. After the enemies move closer, concentrate your attacks on a few of their units, particularly those with the strongest attacks. "Cowardly" Gweddry may be able to grant leadership bonuses to your troops, however he should probably refrain from actual fighting so he does not accidentally get killed.
 
Except for Konrad II, you will have all of your units available in the recall list (including Owaec). Recall mages of light and other high-level arcane troops. Advance onto the battlefield, but stop just short of the enemies' range. After the enemies move closer, concentrate your attacks on a few of their units, particularly those with the strongest attacks. "Cowardly" Gweddry may be able to grant leadership bonuses to your troops, however he should probably refrain from actual fighting so he does not accidentally get killed.
  
−
Try to finish the fight quickly, as Mal-Ravanal plays unfair and every so often recruits another 3 units, albeit not so tough as the first batch of 6. If you position a weak unit within Mal-Ravanal's movement range the arrogant lich will gleefully charge out onto the battlefield and leave himself wide open for your counterattack.
+
Try to finish the fight quickly, as Mal-Ravanal plays unfair and revives dead units as lower-level copies of themselves. If you position a weak unit within Mal-Ravanal's movement range, the arrogant lich will gleefully charge out onto the battlefield and leave himself wide open for your counterattack. Owaec's hammer should make short work of him.
  
 
==== Weldyn Besieged ====
 
==== Weldyn Besieged ====
−
* Objective: Defeat Mal-Ravanal while Dacyn is nearby.
+
* '''Objective''': Defeat Mal-Ravanal while Dacyn is nearby.
−
* Lose if: Gweddry, Dacyn, Owaec or Konrad II dies, any enemy unit reaches your keep, or Dacyn is not nearby when Mal-Ravanal is defeated.
+
* '''Lose if''': Gweddry, Dacyn, Owaec or Konrad II dies, any enemy unit reaches your keep, or Dacyn is not nearby when Mal-Ravanal is defeated.
−
* Turns: Unlimited.
+
* '''Turns''': Unlimited.
−
* Starting units: Gweddry, Dacyn, Owaec, Terraent, Grug, Konrad II.
+
* '''Starting units''': Gweddry, Dacyn, Owaec, Terraent, Grug, Konrad II.
  
 
This battle is intended as a substantial challenge, and is inadvisable with low gold or an inadequate recall list. You face off against seven enemy leaders, with the goal of finding and eliminating Mal-Ravanal among them. The liches' names aren't revealed until they are attacked, and Mal-Ravanal is more likely to be revealed later in the scenario (the names are randomly assigned when you attack). Attacking a lich gives it a small boost of gold, but killing the wrong lich gives every other lich extra gold.
 
This battle is intended as a substantial challenge, and is inadvisable with low gold or an inadequate recall list. You face off against seven enemy leaders, with the goal of finding and eliminating Mal-Ravanal among them. The liches' names aren't revealed until they are attacked, and Mal-Ravanal is more likely to be revealed later in the scenario (the names are randomly assigned when you attack). Attacking a lich gives it a small boost of gold, but killing the wrong lich gives every other lich extra gold.

Latest revision as of 06:56, 19 July 2024

This walkthrough is in the process of being updated for version 1.18+


In this campaign you play the role of Gweddry, a human Frontier Sergeant who has the responsibility of dealing with a powerful Lich who wants to destroy Wesnoth. As a sergeant, Gweddry has the potential to level up into a Grand Marshal, a level 4 unit that can empower his troops significantly through Leadership. You start with the support of a White Mage named Dacyn, who will be by your side throughout the campaign.

As any other walkthrough, this document describes plot details that can be considered spoilers. This is particularly true for this campaign.

Spoiler 1: Expect game-altering surprises and scenario modifiers that flip your strategy on its head. Every battle is a completely unique challenge!

Spoiler 2: Unit AMLA behavior has changed to grant +8 HP bonuses or +1 damage bonuses, and there are a handful of items that permanently change your unit's attributes. In other words, don't give up on the Spearman line just because it's bad against Skeletons in the early game.

Spoiler 3: There will come a point where you will have to choose your favorite 6-12 recalls, and abandon the rest. Therefore, it is better to have a small, diversified squad of elites than a large roster of redundant roles.

You'll probably want to level up at least two extra Mages of Light (other than Dacyn), and a few Arch/Silver Mages. Spearmen and Bowmen are highly effective if granted one of the many artifacts in the campaign that grant Arcane damage. Heavy Infantry are indispensable in the early game, but be wary of relying on them too much, since their low mobility will be a severe hindrance in several challenging scenarios.

The Outpost

  • Objectives: Defend the outpost, then move Gweddry to the trapdoor.
  • Lose if: Gweddry or Dacyn dies, or turns run out.
  • Turns: 11
  • Starting units: Gweddry, Dacyn.

Your 3 opponents will recruit slightly different units. The northernmost enemy will recruit Bats and skeleton troops, the middle one will recruit Walking Corpses, and the southern one will recruit skeletons including Bone Shooters and Revenants.

On turn 7, Dacyn will mysteriously disappear, and you'll briefly meet Mal-Ravanal, the leader of the undead, who summons tough ghost units and says mean things to the player. At end of turns, Dacyn returns and points out a trap door, near your starting fort, to exit the level. All of the enemy leaders will get a big gold boost -- there's no use fighting.

There are several approaches to this scenario, but the common factor in all of them is that 50% of your recruits should be heavy infantry, since their impact attacks are effective against skeletons, and they have excellent resistances against blade and pierce. Supplement with a few Magi -- if you can feed one enough EXP to obtain a second White Mage, you'll be in great shape. Fencers aren't much use, but you can use one to hold your western villages against Bats, or send one as fodder to occupy Walking Corpses.

Just hold out for the enemy attack during nighttime; only rotate wounded units if possible, but do not counter-attack. At dawn, your enemies will flee, but they'll be back stronger than ever on the second night. Don't try to push for the enemies' keeps, instead keep your path to the trap-door clear and fall back to Gweddry's starting keep if needed.

Escape Tunnel

  • Objectives: Move Gweddry to the end of the tunnel.
  • Lose if: Gweddry or Dacyn dies, or turns run out.
  • Turns: 17/15/13 (Easy/Medium/Hard).
  • Starting units: Gweddry, Dacyn.
  • Other:
    • Crystal Quiver in the Northeast cave
    • Treasure of 50 gold in Northeast cave

This scenario occurs in a small cave occupied by trolls and dwarves. You start on the far West of the map, and your mission is to take Gweddry all the way to the opposite side.

You'll be unable to recruit heavily on this small map, and a prolonged battle is folly against the swarms of Undead who will appear on turns 12/10/8. Instead, recruit/recall a Bowman and 1 other speedy unit at the small keep just east of Gweddry, then hoof it to the southern tunnel.

The Dwarves to your south are friendly and will distract the centrally-located Trolls for you. The trolls and undead are hostile to each other, as well as to you and the dwarves.

In the northeast, a Crystal Quiver is lightly guarded. This permanent item makes all the ranged attacks of the unit that picks it up of type Arcane and grants Illumination. Give it to a Bowman, since Magi already have effective Ranged damage versus undead, and all your other units are primarily melee.

You don't have enough time on this map to do much more than pick up the Quiver. However, you can use the eastern tunnel bottlenecks to slow-roll the Trolls and grant your Quiver-bearer some EXP, before escaping at the east end. Stepping on/through the last cave hex will trigger victory.

An Unexpected Appearance

  • Objectives: Defeat either enemy leader.
  • Lose if: Gweddry or Dacyn dies or turns run out.
  • Turns: 24
  • Starting units: Gweddry, Dacyn.
  • Other:
    • Your next scenario depends on which leader you defeat.
    • Both Dacyn and Gweddry never miss when they attack on turn 1.

In this scenario you have to defeat one of the dark sorcerers on the edges of the map. Your next scenario will depend on the enemy you choose to kill. Killing the one to the West will take you to the Elven Alliance scenario, while the one to the East takes you to Ill Humors.

Going East is more difficult, especially on hard, but brings higher rewards: more EXP, loyal Dunefolk units, and/or loyal Paladin and Knights.

First, expel Mal-Tar out of your keep. Your leaders can't miss on their first turn, so a turn 1 kill is guaranteed. Then, prep for battle. You will be fighting assorted undead (in the West) and Vampire Bats and Ghosts (in the East). This is an easier scenario, so focus on leveling units: Magi, your Quiver-bearer, and Gweddry himself (get that Leadership bonus!). Strive for a big early finish bonus.

Approach 1 (going East): Send Magi and Spearmen east, along with a healer and Gweddry himself (once he's finished recruiting). Send your Quiver-bearer west with some Heavy Infantry and Mage backup (and a second White Mage if you have one). Neither Dark Sorcerer leaves their keep to fight, so you can bottleneck the Western enemy in the mountains and farm EXP, while the Spearmen and Magi press east.

Approach 2 (going East): Recruit the same troops, but send all east, using the Heavy Infantry as a rearguard, to minimize any losses on that flank.

Approach 3 (going West): Recruit more lightly and push West. You should be able to kill the Western enemy before the other enemy's forces can reach you.

Diverging Campaign Path

An Elven Interlude

  • Objectives: Move any unit to the signpost in the northwest.
  • Lose if: Gweddry or Dacyn dies, or turns run out.
  • Turns: 25
  • Starting units: Gweddry, Dacyn.
  • Other:
    • Addogin will join as a loyal unit if defeating him before capturing 10 villages

The warning about the assassin is overrated. The assassin disappears into the forest, but you won't bump into him, he'll just reappear when anyone dies.

Recruit / recall a wide assortment of units, mostly mages, spearmen and cavalry. Send mages and spearmen up to fight the opponent, send cavalry down as scouts. Any heavy infantry should go up to fight also; they will probably arrive late, and be good for reinforcements when the first troops are wounded.

Align the troops in the forest, so that the enemy will be on grass; this gives you a tactical advantage. Use Dacyn to heal those who need it most - those on the corners, and any mages who are on the front lines.

There is a village at {20,12} that can prove tactically very useful, because the elves usually fight somewhere near it. Be careful grabbing villages that you don't accidentally get 10 -- if you do, the outlaws will flee and you'll lose the chance to gain Addogin, a loyal Outlaw. "Kill" him to add him to your roster and cause all his other forces to flee.

Once you have gotten past turn 6, it will be day. When the assassin appears, you may ignore it unless you have a unit close-by. In that case, use it to fight the assassin. Keep pressing up. It is possible to kill the orcish leader by turn 9 for a nice gold bonus.

Ill Humors

  • Objective: Defeat Mal-Skraat
  • Lose if: Gweddry or Dacyn dies, or turns run out.
  • Turns: 24/23/22.
  • Starting units: Gweddry, Dacyn.
  • Other:
    • An optional extra mission is possible
    • Any of your units that are adjacent to Swamp hexes will be Poisoned

You have two immediate concerns on this map: the antagonistic wildlife, and the toxic swamp. Recruit/recall a keep's worth of units to deal with the nearby Swamp Lizard, and grab nearby villages.

On Turn 2, you will be introduced to Hahid, a loyal Dune Apothecary, and his assistant Safyam, a Dune Burner. You'll also notice several Dunefolk units to the southwest. Hahid forms an alliance, and tells you to keep your units safe from the swamp by collecting alswdan herbs on specially marked, randomly placed tiles. Once you collect the 5th herb, Hahid will offer you 3 choices on how to proceed:

  • Pay 50 gold to end the scenario and begin Mal-Ravanal's Capital, a challenging and rewarding bonus scenario inserted before Northern Outpost.
  • Pay 0 gold to lose the Dunefolk from your team and proceed to Northern Outpost by killing Mal-Skraat.
  • Pay 150 gold to add all dunefolk to your team permanently, then defeat the northwest leader and proceed to Northern Outpost.

Any of these options can succeed. However, bear in mind that the Dunefolk army all has the Mercenary ability, meaning they fight better when the player has gold, and worse when the player's gold is 0 or less. They are complex to manage, and may be a liability in larger battles.

To go to Mal-Ravanal's Capital: Send folks into the swamp to your east, and have Hahid and Safyam explore near where they appear. Fight off the swamp creatures, using White Magi to keep your team healthy. Don't over-recruit, and anticipate your team's upkeep costs! A nimble unit like a Fencer helps to snag faraway herbs quickly for a big finish bonus (you'll need it).

To recruit the dunefolk before Northern Outpost: Same strategy, but more scrappy.

To go directly to Northern Outpost, no dunefolk: you can collect 5 alswdan herbs and refuse to pay, or you can just kill Mal-Skraat. With corpses and bats, he's not much of a threat; the swamp poison is the scariest part.

Mal-Ravanal's Capital

  • Objective: Escape from the capital by killing one of the two dark sorcerers.
  • Lose if: Gweddry or Dacyn dies
  • Turns: n/a
  • Starting units: Gweddry, Dacyn

Only reachable from Ill Humors scenario, but you may skip it and go directly to Northern Outpost.

The main reason to get here, besides XP, is to acquire a cavalry force of one Paladin (a loyal unit) and several Knights. Focus on freeing the horsemen as quickly as possible. To do this, kill the 6 Deathblades guarding the cages (they will not attack unless you stand next to them first). Powerful ranged units like your Quiver-bearer and White Mages make the perfect assassins.

You have until Turn 10 until Mal-Ravanal notices Dacyn and gets serious. To free the cavalry in time, you'll probably need to split your forces up. Send your first recalls southeast towards the Paladin -- if you're lucky, you can free it on same turn you meet the victory condition. Soon after, send a small assassin squad [landofMordor: I used a White Mage and my Quiver-bearing Bowman] north to free the topmost Knight; once he's free, send him to reinforce another group and send your assassins due east to free the Knight there.

Now, while your hit squads are gallivanting around killing Deathblades, you need to occupy the bulk of Mal-Ravanal's forces. A healer and Heavy Infantry (or even Spearmen) can do the trick at the impassable bottleneck due east of your starting keep. Don't try to push forward or gain ground; instead, just hold the line and allow one or two units to come through the bottleneck at a time.

Finally, once Gweddry is finished recruiting, send him and any disposables southwest towards that Dark Sorcerer, freeing the Knight along the way. That crew should be enough to overwhelm the puny Walking Corpse army there, stall if needed until the Paladin is free, and fight your way free.

The Northern Outpost

  • Objectives:
    • Find the outlaw leader in the villages and kill him.
    • Defeat the undead leader.
  • Lose if: Gweddry, Dacyn or Owaec dies, or turns run out.
  • Turns: 20.
  • Starting units: All available from Gweddry, Dacyn, Terraent, Addogin, and Hahid
  • Other:
    • A holy amulet is located in the South-West.
    • Owaec joins your team after the fight is over.

This scenario is reachable from the Elven Alliance, Ill Humors, and Mal-Ravanal's Capital scenarios.

Here, there are two enemies that you must defeat: the undead and the outlaws. It is a good idea to create a separate task force for each of a keep's worth of veterans. You won't have Dacyn for this mission (until the bandits are slain)

For the undead task force, send one non-impact melee unit to get the Amulet by the southwest temple, which makes all damage Arcane. That unit will have the damage output of a mage and the mobility and durability of a regular solider! That alone is enough to shred the undead to the north along with Gweddry, a healer, and a few disposable HI. Help Owaec's forces stay alive, if you can.

For the bandit task force, send about 5 units north to the villages. You might not need a healer, but prepare to fight L1 outlaws in Forest-heavy terrain. About 3 groups of enemies will spawn randomly, about 3 units in each group until the leader (a Rogue [easy] or Assassin) is found with a larger cadre of goons. Note that you will get a chance to kill any newly appeared outlaws before they get a move, so be prepared to ambush the ambushers.

Upon defeating either leader, Owaec and his cavalry will join your roster. If the undead fall first, turn that task force to hunting outlaws.

Diverging Campaign Path

Undead Crossing & Capturing the Ogres

Undead Crossing

  • Objective: Defeat the enemy leader.
  • Lose if: Gweddry, Dacyn or Owaec dies or turns run out.
  • Turns: 18.
  • Starting units: Gweddry, Dacyn, Owaec.

You need to cross the river, but not without first defeating a necromancer who is occupying a small island to the North.

A good general strategy can be something like the following: recall a couple of quick swordsmen (or about-to-level quick spearmen), two white mages, a red mage or multiple regular mages, and any units with holy amulets. Shock troopers are too slow. Send these units as quickly as possible Northwest through the swamp towards the Western crossing. Meanwhile, recruit/recall cavalry. The cavalry should run as fast as possible along the Southern board edge (so as to not attract undue attention from bats and swimming undead) and then up the Western crossing. You can divert a couple of cavalry and Owaec to snatch up villages and then those units can join the Western assault.

Now, this scenario has a nasty surprise... Once you have fought off the bats and skeletons, you will find this was not all, as the undead leader summons a number of cuttlefish monsters (1, 2 or 4 according to the difficulty level: easy, medium or hard respectively), which appear in the water between the two crossings. These always appear on turn number 10. Be very careful where to position your troops as the cuttlefish have a very nasty melee attack.

You have at least three options for the crossing. Option 1 is to just try to get a couple of your cavalry across each of the two crossings, while the rest of your units run like hell away from the water and swamp. Option 2 is to send across more units while tossing a spearman into the water as bait. Option 3 is to fight the cuttlefish, which is extremely hazardous. For a fight, maneuver your units to encourage the cuttlefish to separate, then use good melee troops backed by Gweddry (for leadership) and a white mage to kill them one at a time. Good luck. Make sure you leave your units enough time to cross the river and kill the undead leader before turns run out.

Leads to Capturing the Ogres.

Capturing the Ogres

  • Objective: Capture the ogres.
  • Lose if: Gweddry, Dacyn or Owaec dies.
  • Turns: Unlimited.
  • Starting units: Gweddry, Dacyn, Owaec.
  • Other:
    • To add ogres to your army, "capture" them by ZoC-locking them.


This can be a confusing scenario to understand. Basically, your three units just have to survive. However, if you want to be able to recall ogres later, you need to "capture" them by surrounding them. Any ogre which cannot move more than one hex in every direction will be added to your recall list. Ogres which reach the rocky borders will "escape".

Ogres are especially mobile on mountains (such as in the scenario Lake Vrug) and in caves (in the scenario Captured). Being of neutral alignment, ogres can be helpful at night (especially in the scenario Weldyn Under Attack). It's best to capture at least two.

Soradoc & Ogre Crossing

Soradoc

  • Objective: Get Gweddry and Owaec across the river.
  • Lose if: Gweddry, Dacyn or Owaec dies or turns run out.
  • Turns: 24.
  • Starting units: Gweddry, Dacyn, Owaec, loyal unit
  • Other:
    • Keep Yannic alive and talk to him with Owaec, or kill 3 enemy leaders, to recruit him later and get a Plague Staff in the next scenario.

Really difficult if you didn't go to Mal-Ravanal's Capital earlier and gain the Paladin and Knight(s).

Send your Paladin, Dacyn, Owaec, and a few other veterans due west immediately to assassinate the Death Knight there. If you have a Knight with a holy amulet, that's a good option. Owaec is needed in this group so he can rush up and talk to Yannic afterwards.

Send the rest of your army (at least 1 healer) due north post-haste. You need to smash through the base there and clear a path to the north. If you do well enough, you can even wipe out the other undead armies before completing the objective. The more leaders you defeat, the easier the next scenario will be.

On turn 4, Mal-Ravanal appears in the southeast corner, summons some high-level Ghosts (including Shadows) behind your lines, and peaces out. Be prepared for this ambush.

If you rescue Yannic and he doesn't die, he'll give you a Plague Staff in the next scenario. The Plague Staff might not be "good" per se, but it's awesome: it turns its bearer chaotic, allows it to recruit Walking Corpses, and grants it the Plague Staff attack. Later, Yannic will join your team just when you need him most.

Ogre Crossing

  • Objective: Get Gweddry and Owaec across the river.
  • Lose if: Gweddry, Dacyn or Owaec dies or turns run out.
  • Turns: 24.
  • Starting units: Gweddry, Dacyn, Owaec, loyal units
  • Other:
    • Special bonuses if the objective is completed while the Ogre leader is still alive:
      • Ogre leader joins you as recallable a loyal unit
      • All the other surviving Ogres can be recalled for half as much normal units (only 10 gold!)

Looking at the level, one might imagine the challenge in this scenario is crossing the wide river - where units are very vulnerable, and have very restricted mobility (particularly horses). However, this will likely prove to be the lesser of your concern: The Saurian force on the Northern bank is preoccupied with the Ogres for a good several turns, and the opponents going after you will be the Undead from the South (unless you killed them all in Soradoc).

However, you need the Ogre leader alive! The Ogres will need help against the Saurians, so scamper across with some Cavalry and/or fast Mages, bringing your leader in the rear. A few Nibblers will bar your way way but they are easily dispatched, once a unit arrives next to the far shore Grug (the Ogre leader) will have himself a big think and join your side immediately allowing you to control him and his fellow ogres. All of those that survive we be recallable for only 10 gold (as opposed to the normal 20), but importantly you can only recall the survivors not recruit any more ogres!

Xenophobia

  • Objective: Defeat all enemy leaders.
  • Lose if: Gweddry, Dacyn or Owaec die or turns run out.
  • Turns:
  • Starting units: Gweddry, Dacyn, Owaec, loyal units
  • Other:
    • A Shield near the Dwarves' keep.
    • You will have 100% gold carryover, but 0 starting gold, for the next several scenarios. Save up!

This is a fun and silly level as all parties in the scenario (i.e. Naga, Orcs, Dwraves, and yourself) decide to fight each other instead of forming alliances. The scenario is not very difficult, so you can use this time to gain some experience for your units and pick up another permanent item. This one, near the Dwarvish keep, is a shield that will redirect all damage from adjacent allies to the shield-bearer! It's tricky to use, but consider giving it to an expendable Spearman and using him as an extra ~40 HP for the units who matter, if (or likely when) he dies have another expendable unit pick it up to replace him.

You can likely split 2 keepfuls of troops between a Northern strike force and a Eastern one. The North force will eliminate the Dwarves and rejoin the main Eastern force, which can sweep north through Orc territory and then south to the Naga. Capture and hold as many villages as you can, and give as much EXP to Gweddry and other desired units (prioritizing loyal ones is a good option). If you don't have a few extra White Mages already now is a good time to get them.

If you have 500 gold, you should be pretty set for the next scenarios. You can survive with as little as 300.

Castle In The Ice

  • Objective: Move to the castle stronghold
  • Lose if: Gweddry, Dacyn or Owaec dies, or turns run out.
  • Turns: n/a
  • Starting units: Gweddry, Dacyn, Owaec, loyal units
  • Other:
    • The intense cold damages your troops every turn.
    • Cold damage intensifies the longer you spend in this scenario.

Basically: follow the path through the fog to the castle, defeating the Drakes and wild beasts along the way. Your core loyal units are more than enough for this task.

Optional: There's a 1-hex keep close to the first village you find. You can send Grug and an extra healer southeast from there, defeat the group of Ghosts, and continue onwards to find another group of Ogres. Those Ogres will join your team if you have Grug, unlocking an achievement.

Even further along the Ogre route, you'll find a L4 Yeti. Defeating it will grant 1 unit immunity from cold and double it's base hitpoints. Giving it to Grug makes him the tankiest of lads and a good choice for the magic shield item.

Don't recall more than 1 extra healer. You'll need your gold later!

Dark Sanctuary

  • Objective: Move Dacyn, Gweddry, and reinforcements into Mal-Ravanal's sanctuary, defeating the leader
  • Lose if: Death of Gweddry, Dacyn, or Owaec
  • Turns: n/a
  • Starting units: Gweddry, Dacyn, Owaec, loyal units
  • Other:
    • 100% gold carryover with 0 starting gold
    • Dacyn will have better outcomes stepping on runes
    • Night lasts longer here

Recall 4-6 reinforcements into Dacyn's creepy gate (fewer than 6 if you're sending some of your loyal units in). Your main enemies are ghostly and skeletal units, but there will also be Goblins and Ants, so bring a mix of units and roles. Moreover, you'll have 3 separate special items to collect (more on that later), which will help you feed EXP to mid-level units. Recruiting a few L2 people will also save you some upkeep costs.

Owaec will loiter outside and have to repel several incursions from Orcish armies. Use fresh L1 Spearmen to force the Orcs to fight from the snow, giving Owaec most of the XP. (Grug can help, too, if you didn't send him inside.)

Inside the chambers, you'll have 2 directions to go, southwest and northeast. You can split up your forces after killing the Wyvern and grabbing its gold pile.

Southwest group: You'll be facing L0-L1 Goblins in groups of 4-6. Bring a healer. The special item on this corridor is the red vial inside the potion room at {15, 13} -- it grants Steadfast and Healthy to its drinker. The unit who gains the most from doubled resistances is, funny enough, Cavalry, since troops like Heavy Infantry can't have their resistances doubled past 50%. (All other potions are not beneficial). After picking up this potion, head south to find one door key. The Goblins in this room can be distracted by stepping on the rune at the end of the corridor, which releases two Ghouls into the Goblin chamber (or all of them if Darcyn is the one to step the rune).

Northeast group: You'll face several Ghost/Wraith, one Deathblade/Draug, and some optional units. Use a mage to cook the skeleton guarding the library; Ghosts will spawn afterward. Fight through to get the second door key. Go southeast from this room (avoiding the floor runes) and you'll find a cave full of Ants, and a collapsed wall leading to a treasure room. Upon entering this area, a Djinn will spawn and attack.

After killing the Djinn, collect the Holy Amulet, treasure, and Baneblade from the room. The Baneblade is a 7x4 draining Arcane attack, but has the Berserk ability, so it's a mixed blessing. I'm not sure who wields it best, but Heavy Infantry and Pikeman are solid options. The treasure room can be opened from the inside.

After obtaining both keys and moving both strike forces back to the central chamber, a large group of low-level monsters will spawn. Fight onto the second creepy platform, then charge the Death Knight leader to end the scenario.

Captured

  • Objective: Rescue Gweddry, Dacyn, and Owaec, then escape through the South-West tunnel.
  • Lose if: Gweddry, Dacyn or Owaec dies, or turns run out.
  • Turns: Unlimited, then 16.
  • Starting units: Rescue leader and two sidekicks.
  • Other:
    • No recruiting, but a group of your veterans will be available.
    • The door to a large gold reserve will be unlocked after the orcish leader dies

Three of your recall troops will escape from a cell and plot a rescue operation. The scenario tries to select a level 3, level 2, and level 1 unit, but it is possible to end up with many variations. At first, they're unarmed, so flee the Bats you find, first running west and then south. You'll retrieve your weapons, and then one group member will don a disguise to sneak past the guards.

The disguised unit can open any cell door to release the prisoners within. Try to select a cell containing ogres or Knights; a quick ogre has the best chance of reaching and opening another cell in the same turn. Upon releasing prisoners, your leaders will also seek the fight; you'll have to keep Dacyn alive by fleeing to the spot of shallow water to his northeast, and shielding him from attacks using Gweddry and Owaec.

If you're fast and lucky, you can kill the Orcish leader before many reinforcements arrive. This will unlock the orcs' treasure horde from a cell. Then, move Owaec to the Southwest tunnel to end the level, farming XP with your other units as you go.

Losses in this scenario are not a big deal, as you're only going to be able to bring a fraction of your recall list past the next scenario, which is likely to kill off all but a few veterans. However, the steady stream of orc reinforcements can provide one last chance to level key units for Evacuation, the next scenario.

Evacuation

  • Objective: Destroy the bridge with Owaec
  • Lose if: Gweddry, Dacyn or Owaec dies, or turns run out.
  • Turns: 12.
  • Starting units: Gweddry, Dacyn, Owaec, loyal units
  • Other:
    • Every unit not on the South side of the river when the bridge is destroyed will be lost (including units in your recall list).

Obviously, recall everybody you care about, including your item-bearers. This will be about 12 recalls total. Afterwards, gold permitting, recruit a keepful of Spearmen to distract the Wolves for another turn or two.

Don't get caught fighting; don't expose units to ZOC-lock. Keep your healers in the center and press southwest in tempo with your slowest evacuees. Don't go so slowly that the Drakes can cut you off in front.

Once you get bottle-necked on the bridge, hold a large enough rearguard of expendables that the people you do care about don't get ZOC-locked by flying Drakes while trying to cross the span. If you make it out with 5-10 veterans in addition to the special-item-bearers, then count yourself lucky!

The Spoils of War

An easier mission to help rebuild your forces. Terraent (if you have him) or Owaec will need to free groups of prisoners, who arrive alternating between Northern and Southern routes. The most critical prisoner to free is a special, loyal Dark Adept who will arrive from the south -- it's very worthwhile leveling them up.

Note that each group will be freed once the Deathblade named "guard" is slain. Bats will spawn after each freeing and chase the nearest cluster of units -- you can exploit this behavior to protect your weaker units.

Once all groups are freed, kill the southern enemy leader.

The Drowned Plains

  • Objective: Defeat the 3 enemy leaders.
  • Lose if: Gweddry, Dacyn or Owaec dies, or turns run out.
  • Turns:
  • Starting units: Gweddry, Dacyn, Owaec, loyal units
  • Other:
    • Walking Corpses, Soulless, and Ghouls will ambush you from the swamp
    • Sighting any enemy leader will cause stronger waves of the undead
    • A holy amulet is located on the southwest bank of the lake.

After a little bit of narrative, Dacyn will find himself heavily damaged, surrounded by 6 hexes of impassable pit, and beset by several high-level Ghost units! To rescue him, create a buffer of ZOC with your loyal units, and recall a strong Mage to barbeque the ghosts. Dacyn will shortly thereafter lose his ability to illuminate or cure, due to Mal-Ravanal's dark influence, so recall an extra healer to help against Ghoul poison.

Each castle is strongly defended, so it doesn't make sense to split up your main army. However, a few speedier scouts (including, perhaps, the Merfolk you rescued last scenario) are useful to capture and hold some of the far-flung villages. Then, recall a force of veterans who will be able to take on armies of 8-10 level 2/3 undead units, and head due south.

The southern-most castle will recruit Chocobones and Skeleton Riders when you get line-of-sight on the keep. Keep your units bunched up so that they can't be surrounded and killed by the Chocobones' charge attacks. Also, the Walking Corpse ambushes will intensify once you sight any enemy leader.

To the southwest lies Khrakrahs, a level-4 Skeletal Dragon who recruits L2-3 Undead. Yikes. His infernal aura makes lower-level troops fight worse [1.18.0 this won't necessarily be reflected in the combat preview, unless your unit begins adjacent to Khrakrahs]. Use Gweddry's Leadership to counteract this, and then burn Khrakrahs down with Mages.

To the northwest is another skeletal horseman, who recruits more undead mounted units and Ghouls. Compared to Khrakrahs, a walk in the park.

Return to Wesnoth

Story only.

Weldyn Under Attack

  • Objective: Survive until end of turns.
  • Lose if: Gweddry, Dacyn, Owaec or Konrad II dies.
  • Turns: 18.
  • Starting units: Gweddry, Dacyn, Owaec, loyal units, Konrad II.
  • Other:
    • At the end of this scenario you will have to choose whether to fight Mal-Ravanal directly in a duel, or repel his invasion with all you've got. This dictates the final scenario you'll play for this campaign.

At scenario start, you find your keep in the center of an island. Three allied leaders also have their keeps on the island around yours. There are six enemy leaders surrounding Weldyn.

Dacyn will turn into a "nega-Mage of Light" during this scenario, complete with a dark aura ability. Don't count on him to heal your troops!

Super ambitious: Kill all the enemy leaders, possibly with a strike force of fast Paladins and Magi to break through at the south and then sweep clockwise.

Medium ambitious: Just hold the lines of Weldyn, keeping your allied generals alive (gets much harder around Turn 10, but easier again around Turn 14).

Conservative: Just hold the inner island of Weldyn, abandoning the allied generals completely. This is really easy to defend, and Konrad will be able to fight here, but you lose out on some upside.

At the end of the battle, Gweddry will be able to choose whether to duel Mal-Ravanal (easier), or take on his whole army (possibly unlocks a bonus scenario).

Diverging Campaign Path

The Duel

  • Objective: Defeat Mal-Ravanal while Dacyn is nearby.
  • Lose if: Gweddry or Dacyn dies, or Dacyn is not nearby when Mal-Ravanal is defeated.
  • Turns: Unlimited.
  • Starting units: Gweddry, Dacyn.
  • Other:
    • You can only recruit for the first turn.

This is a somewhat strange scenario: you get to recall/recruit exactly five units and then have to fight Mal-Ravanal and his six chosen troops. Mal-Ravanal will recruit mostly level 3 units so this looks difficult. However, it is, in fact, quite manageable. Your goal is to attack first and hit hard—you should be able to eliminate two or three enemy units before they even get the chance to attack.

Except for Konrad II, you will have all of your units available in the recall list (including Owaec). Recall mages of light and other high-level arcane troops. Advance onto the battlefield, but stop just short of the enemies' range. After the enemies move closer, concentrate your attacks on a few of their units, particularly those with the strongest attacks. "Cowardly" Gweddry may be able to grant leadership bonuses to your troops, however he should probably refrain from actual fighting so he does not accidentally get killed.

Try to finish the fight quickly, as Mal-Ravanal plays unfair and revives dead units as lower-level copies of themselves. If you position a weak unit within Mal-Ravanal's movement range, the arrogant lich will gleefully charge out onto the battlefield and leave himself wide open for your counterattack. Owaec's hammer should make short work of him.

Weldyn Besieged

  • Objective: Defeat Mal-Ravanal while Dacyn is nearby.
  • Lose if: Gweddry, Dacyn, Owaec or Konrad II dies, any enemy unit reaches your keep, or Dacyn is not nearby when Mal-Ravanal is defeated.
  • Turns: Unlimited.
  • Starting units: Gweddry, Dacyn, Owaec, Terraent, Grug, Konrad II.

This battle is intended as a substantial challenge, and is inadvisable with low gold or an inadequate recall list. You face off against seven enemy leaders, with the goal of finding and eliminating Mal-Ravanal among them. The liches' names aren't revealed until they are attacked, and Mal-Ravanal is more likely to be revealed later in the scenario (the names are randomly assigned when you attack). Attacking a lich gives it a small boost of gold, but killing the wrong lich gives every other lich extra gold.

A quick scout unit can charge past the undead hordes to attack and identify a lich. Once you've found Mal-Ravanal, send Dacyn and any mounted arcane-attack units to attack. You can draw Mal-Ravanal out of the keep by positioning a sacrificial horseman nearby. Once the lich is out in the open, your arcane damage cavalry should have no trouble finishing the battle in a single turn.

Meanwhile you'll need the rest of your troops to hold the central keep against the undead onslaught. If you can spare the funds, a few sacrificial troops can delay the incoming enemies on one side, giving you the opportunity to focus your firepower on the undead approaching from the other side(s). Note, however, that each enemy killed causes the lich to recruit another. If things turn grim, retreat to the castle and make your final stand.

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This page was last edited on 19 July 2024, at 06:56.