HeirToTheThrone

This is a walkthrough of Heir to the Throne, the campaign featuring Konrad. It contains spoilers.

The suggestions herein are based on the "Medium" and "Hard" difficulty levels. It should be possible to win "Easy" level without trying very hard. If you feel comfortable with turn-based games, especially ones featuring units moving on a hex map, then you can play the Tutorial and then dive right into "Medium" to get a feel for the elements of the game. After you have played a few scenarios and are ready to restart from the beginning (and yes, it is very likely you will have to restart the first time you play Wesnoth), try reading AdvancedTactics. You should also be familiar with the basics in WesnothManual -- this is a walkthrough, not an exposition of basic game mechanics.

The walkthrough below was originally written for game versions 0.8 to 0.8.11. A revision is in progress based on 0.9.x. Descriptions that still need updating include Test of the Clans (renamed and redone), Princess of Wesnoth (now harder), and Crossroads (now easier).

Each scenario has an individual forum thread where you can provide feedback to the authors. See also the forum posts Suggestions for Heir to the Throne walkthrough and Yet another "Heir to the Throne" walktrough (sic) for more. Ye Compleat Walkthrough To "Heir To The Throne" is a detailed guide, with illustrations, to the first several scenarios.

Finally, some replays were posted by Uwe Hermann.

Warning spoilers ahead!

The Elves Besieged

Scenario objectives: Both Konrad and Delfador must survive, and Konrad must escape to the signpost in the northwest corner of the map by turn 16.

Terrain dictates two routes to the signpost: west to the druid and then north, or north over the bridge and then west. If Konrad goes west, consider sending Delfador north to encourage the northern army to split. Otherwise, Konrad's route might be blocked by enemy units. If you take the northern path, veer west just south of the rough terrain.

You have enough gold to build 6 units (4 costing 17 or 18, 2 costing 14). For example: two scouts, a shaman, an archer, and two fighters. If you recruit scouts, send them south to capture villages that do not have red flags. They will also delay the southern orcs. Use the ctrl-v command to see how far all enemy units will be able to move on their next turn. Click on an unoccupied hex and then move the cursor over an enemy unit to see how far that unit will be able to move. Position the scouts so only one enemy can attack each scout at once. Do not let them be surrounded, or they will be pinned down and killed!

Your allies will attempt to defend a corridor for Konrad to reach the signpost. Your primary goals in this scenario are to learn how your units move and fight, and observe the strengths and weaknesses of the orcish units. Do not attempt to stand and fight! Not only are you and the elves outnumbered, but many of the orcs are level 2 and 3 units.

Your secondary goal is for some of your units to earn experience points, so they can start advancing. Let your allies lead the attack and bear the brunt of the enemy blows before you slip in an elf to deliver the killing blow. Earning experience in this scenario, without having your units killed, is quite difficult, because the orcs are very strong and your elvish allies are just as eager to earn experience as you are! Note that Delfador is already at his maximum level, try to use him only to weaken enemies, without finishing them off (not always so easy).

Another strategy is to do no recruiting and instead move Konrad west to the castle. After a turn or two, the Elven Lord there will move out and allow Konrad to move to the Keep and do some recruiting. This will change where the orcish units move.

Finally, you can do no recruiting, avoid combat, and move Konrad to the signpost as fast as possible for a nice gold bonus -- but then you will have no units to recall in the second scenario. There are two options on the Preferences dialog that will speed things up: "Skip AI Moves" and "Accelerated Speed".

Early finish bonus: 30 gold per turn.

See also the forum discussion.

Blackwater Port

Scenario objectives: Survive 12 turns (9 on Hard), or kill the enemy leader.

The opening dialog will introduce a new friend, Haldiel. He is a loyal Horseman, and costs less each turn than those you recruit, so try to keep him alive.

Beginning players should start with at least 200 gold that will be used to recruit or recall units. If you have less, redo the first scenario and try to finish before turn 14. If you recall units, choose those that have enough experience to be worth the 2 to 6 gold difference over fresh recruits, or that have specific traits that you need.

Recruit or recall some fast units (scouts or horsemen) to take the villages to the south and southwest. Do not overspend on Horsemen. Acquire at least 4 to 6 elves, including some shamans. (Even if you don't think they are very useful.)

An aggressive strategy is to recruit heavily. Move your elves to the woods east of the enemy's castle and hold a defensive position during the night. When day comes, attack every enemy unit in the hills, then continue onto the enemy castle and destroy the leader. You will probably need to start with at least 250 gold for this to work.

A fiscally conservative strategy is to form up inside the closer woods out of range of the orcs. At dawn, move the horsemen to lure the orcs into the open ground. Be patient and let the enemy come to you. Position your horsemen in the grasslands and your elves in the woods to improve your defence. The knights provided by your ally will cover your northern flank. Mix your units in with your allies and try to get the finishing blow after they have weakened enemy units.

You can also send Haldiel west as fast as possible and attempt to take the village due south of the enemy castle. This will draw the orcs south and make it more likely you will be able to engage them in the woods, where your elves rule. Be careful to not let Haldiel get pinned down and killed.

Feel free to send units to take the villages close to your ally's castle. After all, Sir Kaylan would only use the gold to recruit troops that would steal your experience!

Early finish bonus for killing the enemy leader.

See also the forum discussion.

Isle of Anduin

Scenario objectives: Kill the enemy leader.

The key to victory is to control the villages, earning the gold you need to recruit or recall troops. Send elvish scouts south through the forest and horsemen west across the river and into the plains. This will also encourage the enemy to split their forces. Avoid serious engagements until you have built up a powerful army.

The following strategy works well if you take care of your unit placement. Protect units you cannot afford to lose from multiple attacks at night or when weakened, particularly new horsemen and mages.

First recall or recruit 3 elvish scouts. Send two scouts to the southern villages, and the third to the village to the northwest. Recruit 3 fighters; send one to the south and the other two to the southwest. This works best if one scout is "quick" and the fighter recruited to fill the southeastern hex of your castle is also "quick". If not you may have to modify this strategy. Send Delfador up to the northwest on the first turn to find the mage and send the mage down to the village next to the castle. Konrad should take two nearby villages in the first two turns, because you have no money left anyway.

One of the scouts goes as far south as possible, taking villages and distracting the enemy. This scout is usually destroyed by turn 4. That's OK. The other scout in the south usually has to retreat to survive. You try to take all the villages in the south you can and then reinforce the south slowly and move south. Now your main push is in the west because most villages are there and you need an income of over 20 per turn to recall all of your good troops. I usually use the scout I have sent to the northwest village on the island to take all of the far northwest villages. Delfador can destroy an enemy unit each turn, especially saurians, because these pesky units can kill weakened units in the rear. Horsemen take too long to cross the forest south of your castle but are strong on the western plains during daytime. Send newly-recruited horsemen to the west along with mages. A shaman is useful to the south and later one can be sent to the west.

Approaching turn 10-12, you should have assembled two reasonably powerful forces on each side of the lake. The westerly one usually is based on Delfador and horsemen-mage combos with fighters and archers for ZOC purposes, and the eastern force almost entirely of elves. Remember mages work best against trolls and grunts, and horsemen against archers.

Move south in tight groups, trying not to get too aggressive at night with the west group, until they meet at the far southern end of the island, and assault the castle together.

If you are a new player, you've probably been focusing on game mechanics and how the units and terrain interact. If so, it's time to give serious thought to leveling up some units by allowing them to strike the killing blow. When Konrad or an elven fighter is at level 2, they get the "leadership" skill. When a shaman levels up, they get the "cure" skill.

Early finish bonus for killing the enemy leader.

See also the forum discussion.

Bay of Pearls

Scenario objectives: Kill one or both enemy leaders.

You must fight the sea leader, a sea orc, bats, and nagas with the mermen. It will be nigh impossible for your horsemen and elves to wade to the island to fight the sea leader in time, so try to preserve your mermen for this. Mermen and nagas both have high defense in water, so combat can be a bit slow and frustrating. Concentrate three or four mermen on a single enemy unit at a time, rather than spreading your attacks piecemeal.

On the first turn, have Konrad recruit or recall some units. Which units, and in which order, is your first tactical decision. If you recruit/recall in pairs, with one fast (6 movement points or more) and one slow unit, then one will be able to move onto the island the next turn, while the other is still wading through the river.

Then, move Konrad to the cage on the island just to the east. This will free some mermen. (How many depends on whether you are playing on Easy, Medium, or Hard.) One of these can go open the second cage, and so on. There is another cage to the northeast, and one far to the north. Your second tactical decision is which of these two objectives will receive the bulk of your mermen.

Even further north is the Storm Trident, which must be picked up by one of your mermen. This ranged attack will be crucial in defeating the sea leader. If you win the sea battle, you can use the mermen in one of two ways. You can harass or even assassinate the land orc leader, although you should expect heavy losses. Or, you can attempt to lure the land orcs into the water, where they will be easy prey.

On land, you have to fight off a wave of orcs and trolls heading south and then west. Your third tactical decision is how far west to engage the enemy. Consider carefully the time of day! You are hindered by the limited recruitment you can do each turn, and how long it takes your elves and horsemen to trickle across the river. You will probably need to advance and retreat your units several times, depending on time of day.

Careful management of your killing blows should allow several units to get to Level 2. A charging horseman does so much damage it will be easy for the horsemen to get all the kills, but try to get at least Konrad, a shaman, the merman with the trident, and an elven fighter leveled up.

The outcome of this battle affects the next scenario you play. If you kill the sea leader you wind up on Isle of the Damned. If you kill the land leader you wind up on Muff Malal's Peninsula. If you kill both, you can choose. You fight undead either way.

New players should take the land route to Muff Malal's Peninsula, where you can easily level up your existing units or collect an early finish bonus. Experienced players who are looking for an interesting tactical exercise shoud take the sea route to the Isle of the Damned: you can't recall your usual units but you can recruit outlaws and perhaps recruit a loyal White Mage for future scenarios.

Early finish bonus for killing both enemy leaders, and the ability to choose the next scenario.

See also the forum discussion.

Diverging campaign path

Muff Malal's Peninsula

Scenario objectives: Kill the enemy leader.

This is an easy scenario, and your aim here should be to build up your gold by controlling most villages, while earning experience against enemy forces. The enemy recruits bats to capture villages, and hordes of Walking Corpses to keep you busy. The occasional Dark Adept can be dangerous on Hard difficulty, but is vulnerable to melee attack, especially from knights.

One approach is to recall a few level 2 units supported by a mage. These units build a defensive position in the central part of the map, using hills and forest for cover, and hold off the first wave of Walking Corpses. Mounted troops capture villages in the north and west, and can charge down the flanks at daytime. A merman or two distract enemy bats and capture sea villages. If you can recall the merman that picked up the trident in Bay of Pearls, it will be able to dispatch bats easily on its own.

During daytime, your main force advances to one of the villages in the south-east, where you wait for more Walking Corpses to attack. A level 2 melee unit (eg. Elvish Captain) can use the village defense bonus to survive attacks, and heal between turns. By the time it is low on hit points, it should be advancing to level 3.

You should now control most villages and have some gold, so recruit or recall additional troops. Launch an offensive with your central force, supported by your horsemen advancing at the sides. Don't forget to use Konrad in the attack.

Try to attack with human units only at day, when the undead are at their weakest, and hold the lines with your elves at night.

Early finish bonus for killing the enemy leader.

See also the forum discussion.

Isle of the Damned

Scenario objectives: Kill the enemy leaders, or survive for 24 turns.

Konrad is washed overboard during a storm, but is rescued by two mermen. You start out with 100 gold and cannot recall any units. You are joined by Urlaf, a level 2 Outlaw. In addition to Mermen, you can recruit his friends: Thugs, Poachers and Footpads. This is the only time in the campaign that these units can be recruited, but any outlaw units surviving this scenario can be recalled later. Your gold from Bay of Pearls (minus the usual 20% discount) is saved for the next scenario.

Moremirmu is a White Mage with a holy sword which is very effective against undead. He is hiding in one of the three temples, and will join your cause if you find him. Beware: Xakae, a Revenant with a retinue of Walking Corpses, is waiting to ambush you in another temple. Moremirmu and Xakae are randomly placed; the third temple is always empty. Xakae and the Corpses can be a useful source of experience if you have the troops to deal with them.

Mermen can be used succesfully to harrass the undead in their rear. Typically the undead responds by withdrawing forces to deal with your mermen. Occasionally this tactic can be used to isolate and trap an undead leader while their forces are busy with your land troops. Don't expect the mermen to survive, though.

Moremirmu is critical to winning but also quite fragile. He will die quickly if he is attacked by multiple undead.

Early finish bonus for killing both enemy leaders. Moremirmu (and his holy sword) will join you in future scenarios only if both are defeated.

See also the forum discussion.

The Siege of Elensefar

Scenario objectives: Kill both enemy leaders.

Konrad arrives at the southern end of a large map. The island city of Elensefar dominates the center, and the cave of the necromancer Muff Jaanal is far to the north. The orcish warlord Agadla has taken the city. You know what to do!

Your first objective is to retake the city. You could choose to charge across the bridges and fight your way onto the island, taking heavy casualties from the level 2 orcish warriors along the way. Or, you can lure the orcs into the water where they are easy to hit. Remember that mermen, especially the one with the Storm Trident, move quickly and defend quite well in water or on the bridges.

Konrad will recieve some help from the Thieves Guild. Apparently, an orcish occupation is bad for business. They will either show you a hidden ford onto the island, or attack the north gate after you take one of the island villages. Whether you choose to storm the city, and which aid to accept, depends in large part on how much of a hurry you are in. Every turn, the undead march southward, and you'll have quite a fight on your hands after they reinforce the orcs in the city proper.

After you defeat the orcs, you must fight your way north. Fighting against the undead requires a different mix of units than fighting the orcs. Your mermen are too slow on land. Horsemen and elvish units do reduced damage to skeletons. Here, you need... mages. Lots and lots of mages. And a paladin, if you've leveled a unit that high enough. Expect to spend many turns fighting through the northernmost six hexes. You are fighting in a cave, which slows your units down. Being underground, it is also treated as night for the time of day penalties.

By now, you should have either Konrad or a level 2 elven fighter with the Leadership ability. A unit adjacent to a leader receives a +25% bonus to damage. Likewise, carefully position shamen or white mages in your lines so they can heal wounded units. Two adjacent healers will heal each other.

Early finish bonus for killing both enemy leaders.

See also the forum discussion.

Crossroads

Scenario objectives: Kill the north-eastern enemy leader.

There are two strategies: either to "run for it", or "kill them all". Which you choose will probably depend on whether you want to earn lots of gold, or level up lots of units.

If you choose to run, recall two turn's worth of troops. Most should be level 2, but you should recruit one or two units as sacrifical lambs. Having two healers (who will stay adjacent to each other for mutual healing) is almost a necessity. Move the units in formation (probably in two packs) along the road. Do not be tempted to move units into the mountains. The increased defence is not worth the risk of triggering ambushes. Drive your way to the leader in the northwest, kill them, and reap the early finish bonus.

The second strategy is to methodically destroy all enemy units on the map. Recruit two turns worth of units, and then drive south. Overcome the southern leader, and recruit more troops in his castle. Move back north, moving into every town and through the mountains, in order to trigger ambushes. This strategy is trickier to pull off, but careful management of your kills should allow you to level multiple units. (Just be careful not to run out of turns...)

See also the forum discussion.

The Princess of Wesnoth

Scenario objectives: Subdue Li'sar to win

Konrad's life now takes an interesting turn, as he meets the Princess of Wesnoth, Li'sar. Instead of dying when you "kill" her, she surrenders.

Li'sar is supported by troops from the Loyalist faction. Even your tough level 2 units make tempting targets for her lawful horsemen; they will charge and probably kill them. Use terrain and position sacrificial level 1 screening units while the sun is high. Likewise, you can try for a quick kill by charging Li'sar with your own horsemen or knights.

This otherwise straightforward battle is enlivened by reinforcements that Li'sar summons on turns 5 and 10. Also, a level 2 Duelist will defend the Princess' honor when you approach her. Capture the villages on the eastern side as you cross the river, and position units to cover the north-eastern plain to prevent Li'sar's mounted units from capturing these villages.

By the end of this scenario, you should have learned a painful lesson in how the computer player targets its attacks...

See also the forum discussion.

The Valley of Death

Scenario objectives: Survive 12 turns.

There are two holy water bottles on the map. The unit which picks them up will have their melee attacks be holy for the duration of this scenario. These are especially useful for powerful melee units like Elvish Heroes or Champions which otherwise do little damage to the undead. Or, you could recruit Horsemen and have them grab the holy water. They should easily level to level 2 Lancers or Knights, and maybe even to a Level 3 Paladin by the end of the scenario. As in previous scenarios, mages will be effective against most of the undead enemies.

One strategy is recruit a large army, defeat one of the enemies, and hole up in that enemy's castle. The southern enemy is popular for this strategy. It apparently also works to pack the lake around the starting castle with mermen, and hole up there. Don't underestimate the power of the Walking Corpses (WCs) recruited by the eastern necromancer. They are slow but there are so many that they can overwhelm and kill even your most powerful units if given the chance. On the other hand, do not underestimate the crowd-clearing ability of a Paladin or blessed Champion! A WC will lurch next to your unit. It will attack. It will die, leaving room for another WC to lurch forward. (Windscion: Unfortunately, this is also a good way to get a high level unit killed: 10 WCs in one turn can be deadly. I prefer a line of archers backed by healers.)

If you don't have the money to recruit a large or powerful army, recruit a few Elvish Fighters and send them to the forest north of your castle. Their job is to slow the Revenant for several turns and then die gloriously. Flee with Konrad and the rest of your army to the south-east corner. If you're lucky, the WC horde will be too slow to reach you before the scenario ends. A cowardly tactic, yes -- but you'll survive...

If you played Isle of The Damned without killing both Lichs, and Moremirmu survived, then he will reinforce you with three White Mage buddies between turns 7-10. You can't recall them after this scenario, so they are expendable.

Early finish bonus if you somehow manage to defeat all enemy leaders. If you do, feel free to boast about your accomplishment at the forum discussion.

Gryphon Mountain

Scenario objectives: Kill the enemy leader.

Konrad starts in the lower left corner of the map. General Robert, commanding Loyalist troops, is in the upper right. In the middle of the map, surrounded by mountains, is the Mother Gryphon and three sleeping Gryphons.

If you kill the Mother Gryphon before the Loyalists do, you will have access to gryphon eggs, allowing you to to recruit Gryphon Riders in future scenarios. Opinions differ as to whether their ability to capture far-flung villages, safely lure enemy troops, and ability to pierce the map shroud are worth their high cost. Even if you decide not to attack the Gryphons, the enemy will -- and then the wild beasts of the air might decide to attack you.

For a quick victory to earn the early finish bonus, head up the right side of the mountains. To earn experience, head towards the Mother Gryphon, and the enemy will come to you.

Early finish bonus for killing both the mother gryphon as well as the enemy leader.

The Ford of Abez

Scenario objectives: Move Konrad to the north side of the river

The wide Abez river cuts across the middle of the map from left to right, with Konrad starting on the lower right side. Princess Li'sar starts on the lower left, and an orc band is on the north side of the river. If you have lots of gold, if you have a plethora of well-seasoned fighting troops, and you think you're ready for a challenge, you could try and attack the Princess. But do a save first; you'll need it after you are wiped out by her Royal Guards.

Your major decision (after you learn that the Princess's escort is just too tough) is whether to have Konrad recruit for one turn or two. Do not recruit land troops with less than five movement points, as they will have trouble wading across the ford. You're under immense time pressure. The chaotic orcs will attack from the north, the Princess's lawful Loyalists will attack from the south, and... a new enemy (alignment: hungry) will be attacking from downstream. They'll all be focused on killing Konrad. Except for the hungry ones, they will be focused on killing anything in their path; this might assist you somewhat as they will probably hit the orcs and humans before trying to snack on your forces. Also, the orcs and humans will fight if they happen to cross paths.

Remember those loyal mermen from in the Bay of Pearls? They should comprise your principal fighting force. Be sure to send one downstream to acquire the Storm Trident there. Lure the orcs into the water, where your mermen have excellent defence and the orcs are highly vulnerable. If you captured the eggs last scenario, consider using a gryphon to distract the enemy.

Early finish bonus for getting Konrad onto dry land.

Northern Winter

Scenario objectives: Kill the two orc leaders. More snow falls on turns 6 and 12, making the tundra patches larger.

Early finish bonus for killing both enemy leaders.

Mountain Pass

Scenario objectives: Move Konrad to the end of the road, in the north-west, or defeat both enemy leaders.

There are two mages in the mountains, one recruiting trolls and the other ogres, mages and trolls (or gryphons instead of trolls on Hard). Usually you are better off killing the mages instead of getting Konrad to the end of the road, since the mages are in your path anyway. You will probably need some mages against the enemy trolls.

Early finish bonus for killing both enemy leaders.

The Dwarven Doors

Scenario objectives: Enter the Dwarven Caverns

This scenario offers the usual strategic choice -- run for the exit and an early finish bonus, or slowly and carefully exterminate the enemy forces. If you choose to follow Delfador's advice and flee in terror, recruit one turn's worth of elven riders or gryphons to sacrifice as screening units. If you choose to attack, you'll be in for a struggle. For a real challenge, move to the middle of the map and get attacked from all sides...

The main door by the lake is barred from the inside. Further, there is the usual tentacular horror hiding in the lake near the ancient subterranean Dwarven Kingdom. If you fought on the Isle of the Damned, one of your outlaws will tell you about a Bandit who will be willing to ally with you.

Early finish bonus for finding the right door, or killing all three orc leaders.

Plunging into the Darkness

Scenario objectives: Find the dwarves.

Since you're reading this walkthrough, you'll also be interested in locating the secret passage leading to a chest of 200 gold pieces. However, said chest is guarded by a rather nasty poison-biting, slow-web-throwing level 3 spider. Beware the blood bats, seek out a niche in the wall, and be wary exploring the secret passage!

No early finish bonus.

The Lost General

Scenario objectives: Kill both leaders

Moving underground is slow, especially for elves. Their fighters and archers are also ineffective against undead. Outriders and slyphs might be worth recruiting, if you can afford them. Likewise, gryphons and horsemen are bogged down. Recruit dwarves for speed, and mages to back them up. (However, a griffon can pass the small pond quickly, and there are four towns on the other side.)

You are fighting Lionel, a former general turned Death Knight, who starts trapped in the south. To the west is the usual orc/troll force. In the north is a dwarven ally, although if you are too slow they will be overwhelmed by the orcs.

Dwarven fighters do well against the undead, while the Thunderers do best against the orcs and trolls. If you choose to go for money, rush troops both south and north, reinforcing the native dwarves and triggering the appearance of the undead. If you choose to go for experience, ignore the undead until you have killed the orcs, then return en masse to destroy the undead. Don't take too long, as Lionel will break forth on turn 20.

There are two ways to get to Lionel: an entrance opens in the pond on turn 19/20; and walls collapse when units move into tiles just south of the sign that says "Guest Quarters", regardless of when this happens.

Early finish bonus for killing both enemy leaders.

Hasty Alliance

Scenario objectives: Kill the enemy leader.

Li'sar is about to attack, when you are surrounded by orcs and trolls. She joins forces with you to defeat the troll leader, bringing her Royal Guards and 500 gold worth of allied troops to the struggle.

Your greatest challenge will be to survive the first few turns, as the death of any of Konrad's companions will end the scenario. Once you have defeated the first wave, it is relatively easy to finish off any remaining trolls and move north to the troll leader. Try and encourage your allies to go first and take the hefty damage from the Level 2 and Level 3 trolls, while your mages and dwarves get the experience for killing blows.

Early finish bonus for killing enemy leader, and a 200 gold present from Li'sar.

The Sceptre of Fire

Scenario objectives: Have Konrad or Li'sar claim the Sceptre

The map changes each time, so if you're save-scumming, be sure to checkpoint right after the scenario starts, and replay once you know where the scepter is. Give Li'sar the sceptre as it gives her a ranged attack, as Konrad be able to pick up another artifact later on.

No early finish bonus, so if you have the gold, this is a good place to level up.

A Choice Must Be Made

Scenario objectives: Kill either leader.

You must choose whether to go north or south. A Death Knight and the undead lie to the south, guarding the way to the Swamp of Dread. This path is easier, as the undead are hampered by the swampy terrain even more than you. To the north are the usual orc horde, fighting in the hills. A tougher battle, but success will lead to the Snow Plains, where Konrad can find his own magic artifact.

Whether you go north or south, recruit a few level 1 units as sacrifices, or use fast-moving gryphons to delay the other force.

Early finish bonus for killing either enemy leader.

Diverging campaign path

Snow Plains

Scenario objectives: Kill the enemy leader.

Konrad will find the Flaming Sword (15-4 melee, fire, magical) hidden in one of the northern villages. Don't worry; none of your other units can claim it. It will take Konrad a while to slog through the snow, forest, and hills, so you'll have to think about how many turns he will recall units. Dwarves will do well in the mountains, as will the flying gryphons.

Early finish bonus for killing the enemy leader.

Swamp Of Dread

Scenario objectives: Kill all enemy leaders.

There are lots of undead, but also many villages. You can earn lots of gold if you can capture and hold villages. It may be useful recruiting cheap units to defend villages against bats.

Early finish bonus for killing all 5 enemy leaders.

Home of the North Elves

Scenario objectives: Reach the forest kingdom of Emetria.

This is a very large map with some interesting challenges. First, Konrad needs to move all the way across to the right side, and if you're playing on Medium or Hard, you don't have many turns to waste. Second, Fog of War is turned on, so you won't know where the enemy is until you blunder into them.

On the other hand, while both the orc and human sides will attack you, you can lure them into attacking each other. The orcs start in the north central part of the map, while the humans begin in the southeast. You must decide whether Konrad will try and sneak along the northern map edge, or try and thread between the two opponents.

In order to win, Konrad must be in the Elvish castle by the end of the last turn. There is a early finish bonus, a rather substantial one: 44 gp per turn. However, you only get it if you kill both enemy leaders. Also, if both leaders are dead, it no longer matters whether your hero has reached the elven castle. Therefore, if one's dead already, killing the other makes for a workable 'plan b' if you realise your 4 turns away from the castle, but only 2 away from the timer running out.

The Elven Council

This is a cut-scene furthering the storyline. No combat takes place.

The Valley of Statues

Scenario objectives: You must kill all leaders, including the orc.

You therefore need to unfreeze the orcs, by sending a unit to the temple in the south-east: a Gryphon Rider or Master is very useful for this. If you want to make sure it arrives alive at the temple: send two or three. All the statues (including any of your own units that were turned to stone) are then unfrozen at once, and all cockatrices vanish.

There is also an enemy Yeti in the cave in the west. It is very useful for getting experience (it gives 32), so a good idea is to send some 2nd level units to finish it off, probably using mostly ranged attacks, and with a druid to slow it down. You might want to give a 1st level unit a killing blow, so it almost immediately advances.

The orcs will fight you as well as the mages, once unfrozen; you can use this to your advantage. If you surround the orcish leader before unfreezing the statues, you don't give them time or space to recruit or get in formation. However, some might consider it cheating, since it is using prior knowledge of the scenario.

Early finish bonus for killing all three enemy leaders.

Return to Wesnoth

Scenario objectives: Kill all three enemy leaders.

Three Halbardiers appear when Josephus dies. The bridge across the river is a good place to establish a defensive position, since attackers have to use the beach and water hexes to attack. Use the forests to your advantage: elven troops are best in forest, while the loyalists and orcs are seriously slowed by the trees.

Early finish bonus for killing all enemy leaders.

Test of the Clans

Scenario objectives: Kill all 4 enemy leaders, or kill any enemy leader after having killed 25 enemy units.

You are facing mostly knights and horsemen, so fast and powerful units like Grand Knights, Lancers or Paladins are important. When any of the enemy leaders is killed, it is replaced with one or two knights (two or three in Hard). Reportedly, one way to win is to gang up on Bayar with fast units while attacking the south-eastern leader with the rest of your army.

If you want to have a long field battle, you can put groups of dwarves or elves in the hills. The enemy will tend to attack the hills, thus giving you some advantage. Hills also make a good safe haven for healing your mounted units. Try to kill the south-eastern leader early so you don't have to divert so many of your resources to the south flank.

Early finish bonus for killing 25 units plus a leader (in that order).

The Battle for Wesnoth

Scenario objectives: Defeat Asheviere and, by killing her, reclaim the throne.

Healers are useful for your army, as are high level units to take the large amounts of damage the enemies deal. You don't need to worry about saving them for later, because this is the last scenario. Useful recruits are Dwarvish Fighters and Elvish Shamans to aid the rest of your army. Try to level some of them up. Since the enemies are so high-level and numerous, it is surprisingly easy.

You can make a line with new and higher level dwarves in the front ranks. Put leadership units and healers behind. Behind that, let the wounded units rest. Put the line quite near your castle so your fresh recruits can reach the front line in 1-2 turns. A shorter line will also be easier to manage. Some seem to put heavy emphasis on healing units here, but the battle is so short and intense, that some prefer more fighters, and fewer healers.

After you have killed most of the enemy units, advance your powerful units towards Asheviere for the kill. Your main units, Delfador, Li'sar, and the rest, are good here. Especially Li'sar with skirmisher and the Scepter (if you gave it to her), who can do a quick and deadly assassination once the enemies have reduced in numbers. Knights are probably good here as well. Asheviere has exactly 48 HP, so three hits of a 16-damage weapon, like the Scepter, or four 12-damage hits, is enough for the kill.

A quick assassination can even be performed by Master Gryphons: you can recruit a castle of them on turn 1, send them south, elude enemy forces sent by the general in the futile attempt to catch you, then approach Asheviere for the kill (she will not have many troops at her own protection). Using this strategy, I won on turn 6 (and without losses).

A good bonus from The Test of the Clans should be enough to win this scenario.

No early finish bonus, but the campaign ends here so it hardly matters!

See Also

• ScenarioDiscussion