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The first order of business is the accruing of finance. You will see that a tile of gold flashes, ready to be tagged. Tag the flashing gold with the left mouse button. This will instruct your Imps to dig it out, and you may watch them take the gold back to your Dungeon Heart. The Dungeon Heart will store a maximum of 16,000 gold. Any gold that exceeds this amount will be left on the ground where it is mined. Keepers of the original battles take note: gold may now be stored in the Dungeon Heart, not just a Treasury. Once you've successfully mined one tile of gold, netting you 3,000 gold, you are advised to continue to mine gold until your Dungeon Heart holds 12,000 - an ample sum for your needs in this simple land. You'll have to get your Imps to tunnel through the rock which separates them from the rest of the gold: just tag where you want them to dig. You'll find that the impenetrable rock which surrounds your dungeon cannot be tagged: it's not possible for you to dig this out. Once the princely sum of 12,000 gold is yours, the Mentor will congratulate you and tell you that you are now ready to recruit more creatures. A Portal is revealed and a route towards it highlighted: tag this and let your Imps dig to the Portal and claim it by jumping up and down. Why do Imps claim in this way? Who can say, but it keeps them amused. Once the Portal is yours, your first creature will emerge. He's a Goblin, a useful grunt trooper although he fights best in large numbers. He needs somewhere to sleep, so the Mentor flashes an area 3 tiles wide by 5 high, just to the west of your Dungeon Heart. Tag this so that your Imps will dig it out. Once this has been excavated and claimed, you must build a Lair for your Goblin to make his bed in. The Rooms panel tab will sparkle (unless it's already open). Click on this and then on the Bed icon to select Build Lair. Now click and drag within your claimed cavern to build a nice big Lair for your Goblins to sleep in. Your Portal will allow 15 creatures to enter your realm, and each of them needs a tile of Lair to make his bed on. Your Goblin now goes into the Lair and makes his bed, and more Goblins begin to enter through the Portal. Your next task is to feed your hungry minions. To do this you need to build a Hatchery. A suitable area will flash - dig it out and build the room in the same way you built the Lair. You will need to build a hatchery at least 3x3 in size. Once your basic dungeon is established, some local heroes notice your evil presence and attempt to eliminate you from their land. Two pathetic Dwarves tunnel down from the north, and your Goblins should make short work of them. Give your Goblins a little time to rest after the fight. Soon you will have 6 or more Goblins and can easily take on the feeble Lord Antonius, who is ill-prepared to battle with even your minor army. Tunnel northwards, beyond where the Dwarves broke into your dungeon. You will pass a single tile of gold: dig this out before going any further north and you will find an Increase Level Special. As soon as your Imps have claimed the land underneath it, click on this golden box and all your creatures will advance a level in experience, thus gaining extra strength and skill. Now dig through the last tile of rock separating your dungeon from Lord Antonius' keep. On seeing your Imps, he will rush into the fray, confident that he can single-handedly slaughter your Goblins and destroy your Dungeon Heart. But fear not, your Goblins will overpower him and the Portal Gem will be yours.
Begin by ordering your minions to excavate suitable caverns and building a Lair and Hatchery, just as you did in the previous realm. Grab the initiative and command a tunnel dug to the west and claim the Portal so that creatures can enter your realm. Your basic dungeon is complete, but that is but a foundation to the full glory you can achieve. Demand a four-by-four chamber and establish a Library. This will be large enough to have four bookcases, and each of these will attract another Warlock into your dungeon. Your first Warlock will arrive shortly after your Library is built, and after conjuring a bed in the Lair he will head off to the Library and devote himself to proactive support of evil and destruction. Your growth strategy should next include a four-by-four Training Room. This will motivate your Goblins will go into the Training Room and start practicing against the dummies in the center. The number of such targets which determines how many creatures can train. The more, the better. However, once a creature reaches level 4 it will be unable train any further. After that, only the experience gained through real blood-and-bone combat allows a creature to progress to higher levels. Training creatures costs gold, and you will probably need to mine some of the gold near to your Dungeon Heart. Such is the nature of finance. Train, research, mine ... and oh yes, reinforce the walls. It's your dungeon of Depravity, not a hole in the ground. It's best not to break out into the open area to the north until you're sure you're ready. So keep your creatures at work training and researching for the time being. Your researching Warlocks will discover the spell Create Imp for you. Finally you can snap your fingers and summon a servant from thin air! Open the Spells Panel by clicking on the sparkling tab, and then click on the symbol of the Imp's Head. Cast the spell by clicking on any of your claimed land (this includes rooms). An Imp will spring forth fully formed and scurry off to find something useful to do. Shortly after discovering Create Imp, your Warlocks will discover the spell Thunderbolt. Ah, the power! Who says research can't be market-driven? This is a sizzling spell, expensive on the Mana but most satisfying as it allows you to strike down enemies with a bolt of lightning. Not only does it damage them, but also they will be stunned for a time, allowing your creatures a window of opportunity to attack them unopposed. Now it's time to concentrate on the opposition. Finally the short-sighted Heroes of this realm begin to notice you. A band of hopping, screaming Dwarves will break into your dungeon from the north. As soon as they step onto your territory, give the Thunderbolt spell a go. Smite a Dwarf with your spell. Then let your eager Goblins finish the little pest off. A new area is now exposed, containing pools of water and some more gold, which might be useful if you've built extra large rooms or if many Pay-Days have passed. More is more, that's your motto. Meanwhile, your Warlocks will continue to Blue Sky research. Although there are no new spells to be discovered in this realm, extra knowledge improves your existing spells. In fact, given enough time, they'll upgrade Create Imp so that the icon turns gold and level 4 Imps will be created. The improved Thunderbolt spell will do extra damage at no extra cost. When you and your slavering hordes are ready, tunnel northwards again to find Lord Darius' keep. It's well defended by a nest of Dwarves but by using your trained Goblins for close quarters fighting and placing your Warlocks a little further away, you'll defeat them. Don't mind casualties, that's in their job description. Of course, you shouldn't drop your creatures too close to the enemy, since they will be stunned for a few seconds and unable to defend themselves from the stumpy enemy berserkers. As soon as the Dwarves have been dealt with, drop some Imps up there to claim your new acquisition. There's an Increase Mana special which is located to the south-east of the keep. Activate this as soon as the land beneath it is claimed, and your Mana reserve will be boosted. Once most of the Dwarves defending the keep have been defeated, Lord Darius will appear through the Hero Gate leading another herd of Dwarven warriors. Wait with the patience of a snake until he's solidly onto your land, then stun him with the Thunderbolt spell while your creatures attack him. Finally he will fall and you can claim the Portal Gem as your rightful possession.
As mundane as it may seem, first you're going to need to do a touch of housekeeping. Dig out a series of chambers to hold all your rooms, and send miners to dig out the handy bit of gold to the east of your Dungeon Heart. Use the four land-bridges to connect your rooms to your Dungeon Heart, since your Imps can only claim land which is adjacent to land you already own. Obviously you'll need to build a Lair, and immediately thereafter a new Workshop. Keep in mind it needs to be at least 3x3 so that it will have an anvil for your workers. This will attract a Troll, who is a skilled artisan and can be set to work building all manner of useful and unpleasant devices. Once you've claimed your Portal, a Firefly will be recruited. He's a fragile creature, true, but a highly valuable scout when it comes to exploring dark tunnels. Once you've got your Trolls brewing up some grim gadgets, open up the Workshop panel and select Sentry Trap. You can place a S.T. blueprint by clicking on any claimed land, but a little forethought will buy extra benefit. For instance, between your Dungeon Heart and Portal is a good spot since then it can defend both areas. Now a Troll will head off to the Workshop and build the trap, and then one of your Imps will drag it to the blueprint. Meanwhile you can concentrate on designing and building your dungeon. Keep in mind the Mana usage of a Sentry Trap. Three or four is a sensible number at this point. No point in getting carried away and running out of juice. Next on your agenda is to get your creatures training and your Warlocks researching. When you enter a new realm, you lose the advanced spells which you had developed in the previous realm (a phenomenon is commonly referred to as Brain Drain) and thus will need to be researched again. Meanwhile, back at the front ... the first of Lord Avaricious' subjects, a Dwarf, will break into your dungeon some time around now. If you've been preparing at all for your conquest and subjugation of all the light and good, your Traps and fighting creatures will obliterate him almost instantly, but this will open your dungeon up to the lake to the north. Here you can see three pillars of gold. Nice, yes? If you dig those out, you're sure to lure Lord Avaricious out of his miserable, cowardly hiding. Although patience is a virtue, it's still worth exercising here. You're not yet strong enough to challenge Lord Avaricious. So your best move is to mine out the pillars to either side and the gold just north of your Portal, but leave the gold which separates your land from the Hero area to the north. That will give him a warm, fuzzy and false sense of security and keep him at home. Build up your minions and train them well. Keep an especially watchful eye on your Fireflies: if they get into trouble with the Hero Sentry Traps you should pull them out and drop them in the Lair to heal. Make sure to train them up before sending them out, otherwise you're just wasting resources. A plan recommended by the Committee of Chaos is to build five or six Sentry Traps at the entrance to your dungeon, and place a Wooden Door or two to slow the Heroes down. As your Dungeon Heart gets filled with gold, you should put in a Treasury near any main gold supplies. Time is money. Time and money are both strategic resources. Any dungeon Designer who does not take this into account will be short of money, short of respect, and inevitably short of lifespan. Once you've got a good strong force, your Sentry Traps are lined up ready to go, and your Thunderbolt spell has been upgraded, then it's time to go. Dig out the last few tiles of gold, then pull your creatures back and wait for Lord Avaricious to come within range. When he comes encounters your Sentry Traps, drop your Goblins and Trolls just far enough away that they'll recover before he reaches them (you do know how long it takes them to get back up, don't you?), and drop your Warlocks at the limit of their range. Between your hand-to-hand fighters, the barrage of fire from your traps, your Warlocks' rapid fireballs and your own Thunderbolt spell, poor Avaricious doesn't stand a chance. Don't forget your maniacal laugh at this point. It's required.
Roll up your sleeves and do the job right. This kind of schedule doesn't occur very often: no milestones to hit, no deadlines to pester you. Things can progress with a slow and steady pace, bringing death inexorably closer and closer to your enemies. Mine out all of the gold around your dungeon; build nice big Training Room, Lair, Hatchery, Workshop, Library and Treasury. Make them as large as you like, provided you don't oversize anything to the point you can't build one of everything. Once this is done, claim the portal to the north to entice a nice range of creatures to your dungeon. Encourage the Warlocks to research and your Trolls to build a few Sentry Traps. It's recommended to place a few by the portal and at least two by your Dungeon Heart, this will ensure that any errant heroes are assured of a warm welcome. It's not a party without fireworks, is it? Once your dungeon is thusly secured, tunnel out to the west and to the east. There lie the Guard Rooms, and once you secure these areas it will be easy to attract Dark Elves into your dungeon. Just before you reach the Guard Rooms you will notice two convenient alcoves; these can best be used for a remote Lair and Hatchery, thus allowing any guarding creature to sleep and eat without straying too far from its duties. Now sit back and listen to the sounds of progress. Hmmm. You can actually hear evil incorporating into the very foundation of Shadygrove. Now, enough of that, it's time to head north. Beyond the Portal is a solitary block of gold. Send your minions to mine this and they'll reveal a third Guard Room. Claim this, of course, and train your Guarding creatures up. Mine the gold. Beware the two hero gates in this area. These will spew forth opponents for you to face ... and unless you've been remiss in your preparations, they'll encounter a few carefully placed Sentry Traps as well as any loyal servants buffing up in the Guard Room. You did put Sentry Traps near the hero gates, didn't you? These miserable excuses for an away team should never even set foot into your dungeon proper. When you acquire a Possession spell, try your hand at directly controlling a creature. Possession is a marvelous pastime for an evil overlord. Not only does it confirm your absolute control over the lower life forms, you also gain a considerable bonus in speed and damage when you attack your foes with possessed fighters. Even handier, you will be able to collect them together with the Grouping Skill. Once your defenses meet your standards of excellence, concentrate on the hero-owned door to the north. Direct your imps to claim all the territory up to it, and then amass your creatures at that point, ready to attack. Beyond lies a new type of foe, the Guard. Whilst this over-muscled mercenary does not possess any special power (as does the Wizard or the Thief), he is a fearsome warrior that will require a few goblins before he goes down. The result of all of this effort is well worth it: a second Portal. This will allow additional five creatures into your dungeon. Make sure they have everything they need to be satisfied with their new workplace. Now it's time to do a bit of "financial exploration" in other words, mine out the gold and then skirt your way along the water. You will eventually discover seams of gold running through impenetrable rock, and that's where you should begin to dig. (Set up a Treasury nearby, to keep things rolling smoothly. Before long you will spy Old Bob, who guards the entrance to Lord Ludwig's fort. Keep your enthusiastic creatures at bay and possess a Dark Elf. By selecting her long range weapon (Number 2 Key) you can take him out quickly and silently. (Pressing Insert will allow you to zoom in and ensure an easy kill.) If Old Bob should escape your servants he shall call in some powerful reinforcements ... and it is more convenient to avoid these at this point. Once the Guard is dead you will have the problem of the moat separating your land from the Hero Keep. Your Imps cannot claim directly across so two options lie before you. The most direct method is to Group a band of your strongest creatures together and lead them across the moat, there to face and destroy the lord of the land. That is quick, to the point and eminently satisfactory. Another effective attack is to mine through his walls. On the other side there is a path which leads to the back entrance of the castle. You can slip in, surprise the heroes in their own home, and slaughter them at your convenience. However you get there, Lord Ludwig should fall beneath you minions attacks, and the Portal Gem will be yours.
Keeper. Your first order of business is to recruit creatures into your domain. That means that you'll have to instruct your Imps to carve out a tunnel to the nearest Portal. Bear in mind, however, that the good people of Elm Shadow are not the types to hide from your presence, as did the cringing crusaders of Lord Ludwig. No, they will strike out at you at their earliest opportunity. Prepare for this by digging a 3x3 space beside the Portal and establishing a Guard Room. As the early heroes make their first forays, your Guards will dispatch them, earning easy experience points in the process. Now you have some time to devote to building a suitable fortress of your own. Build a Lair, Hatchery and Workshop, perhaps to the south of your Dungeon Heart. As you excavate and mine gold, you'll discover that there is land north of your Guard Post which is inaccessible to your imps. Build a Bridge to that place, and command that about Sentry Traps be established there. Arrange them closely together, and have them remain close enough to your Guard Room that they will receive immediate back-up support. You can expect raiding parties of Dwarves and Thieves to begin fairly early. Lay down plans for the rest of your rooms. There should be at least one of each, no smaller than 3x3. Send an exploration party to the south of your territory. Beware of any open areas. Should you find (and you should find) some territory that belongs to Lord Constantine, immediately claim enough territory to place a few Sentry Traps, and then have your Imps claim the rest of the area. There have been reports that this land has Wizards that will confront you. Expect these to have powers unlike any you have faced before. Find and claim the neutral Prison to the east of the hero area. Be prepared for resistance ... in fact, hope for it, as any enemies killed on your land (or bridge) will be dragged to your Prison. Therein, their corpses will be imbued with your malign influence, and once the unwilling flesh has rotted away, the skeletons will rise as your loyal troops and go off to seek battle. Your task will be to defend your fortification until your troops are seasoned enough to manage a frontal attack. For this backwater territory, twelve or so creatures at levels two or three will probably suffice. At that point, build a Bridge to the enemy stronghold. Because the simpering do-gooder has done some rudimentary studies of your arts, he will seek to paralyze your minions with the same power you frequently use: fear. Your troops will encounter Fear Traps, but if you are quick, you can disable them by dropping skeletons near them and commanding them to attack. Fear is a frailty of the flesh, and dry bones are immune. When those traps are dispatched, encourage your Imps to claim as much territory as they can, as quickly as they can. This will enable you to drop creatures close by any Knights you encounter. These canned pests will offer strong resistance, but nothing you cannot control with careful resource management (i.e., dropping in more creatures as necessary). Constantine will remain put until he actually sees proof of your forces in his realm. As your Imps claim land closer and closer to him, he will not fail to see them and react to the threat. He will first call for reinforcements before racing for your Dungeon Heart. Regroup your troops in your main area and wait ... by the time they've battled past the Sentry Traps, they'll be so weak that you'll be able to scythe them down like brittle hay. You may pry the gem from his cold, dead fingers. Such is the fate of those who oppose your rule.
The first order of business is to bridge out in every direction. Your dungeon is surrounded by small islands, which must be claimed immediately. This will both provide you with precious mana, and provide you with a buffer area. The immediate goal is to give you a fighting area, so you can drop your creatures into battle against the heroes outside of your dungeon, minimizing the damage they do to it. Command your Imps to mine the gold to the south east of the dungeon; this will keep your finances in good order while you attend to business. Once done you can attend to the matters at hand, torturing and converting the heroes. You will have noticed that in your prison are a number of already-captured heroes. How convenient. Simply pick these up and drop them onto the torture devices in the Torture Chamber. The sturdy heroes will take a fair bit of damage from the their harsh treatment (which is of course the point), and although you can expect some to die from your ministrations, you'll usually be able to squeeze information about their territory from them. Even better, however, is what can be done after your researchers have perfected the Heal spell. By allowing your torturers to prolong their agony indefinitely, their spirit will break and they shall join your side. Capture and convert as many heroes as come within your grasp, until you have a sufficient force to storm Lord Ironhelm's Keep. Meanwhile, a little reinforcement is called for. Seal off the entrances to your dungeon with barricades. These are relatively cheap and will slow the heroes down considerably. Keep in mind, however, that while barricades are effective in stopping creatures engaged in hand to hand combat, creatures with ranged weapons are able to fire over the top. A wise dungeon keeper places Sentry Traps behind the barricades this make a lethal combination. Don't forget that Sentry Traps cost mana, though, so you'll have to keep an eye on your resources to keep everything balanced. You may or may not have discovered from your interrogations of the enemy fighters that there are three methods into the Keep. First is the front entrance, which leads up centrally to the heavily defended Dungeon Heart. This path is not recommended unless you wish to get your hands dirty with constant warfare you'll be fighting every step of the way. The second and third routes are to either side of the main entrance: two forts that are linked to the castle by bridges. Within these forts are hero gates from which pour out Lord Ironhelm's forces, and additional rooms. The prudent method of conquest is to claim all of the land around these hero gates and closing them down. This ensures that your dungeon won't be hassled by inconvenient flank attacks. In addition, the rooms of the hero gates contain valuable items, an Increase Level special and some Sentry Trap Crates are located in the workshop, and the Treasure room holds much gold and a Make Happy Special. Claiming these rooms and closing down the hero gates, ensures that you are only attacked from the southwest ... and these few heroes can easily be dealt with and converted to the cause of darkness. Once you have built a solid army of converted heroes, combine them with the most useful of your original creatures and attack the Keep of Lord Ironhelm. You can either take the direct route over the hero-gate bridges, or enter through the secret passages that lead directly into the heart of the Castle. These secret passages are to the east and the west of your dungeon: the eastern passage is marked by a small section of Hero Owned wall near a gold seam, the western passage leads from the south-western Hero Gate. Remember that while these passages are the easiest way to reach the Castle, it isn't a stroll through the cemetery. Fear Traps and Guards will hamper your progress, but these you can easily destroy. Both passages emerge in a prison containing an additional mistress, from here it is only a few swift strikes to Lord Ironhelm. Don't expect him to just surrender or run away. Although he doesn't have the iron strength of evil to give him backbone, Lord Ironhelm is not entirely without sense, and has been recruiting heroes to serve as his personal bodyguard. The longer you leave your final assault on his castle, the more heroes he will have amassed to protect him. Lastly, remember that the first part of the Horny Talisman is yours to use on this level and on this level alone. If you find yourself in difficulty or if you just feel cranky, summon him and he shall massacre any foes which stand in front of you.
Your loyal minions have captured an enemy Wizard. Put him to good use and torture the whereabouts of Lord Ironhelm out of him. Time is essential, and knowledge is power. Once you have revealed the Lord of the Lands location place the Wizard back into the Prison, he will die and serve you well as a skeleton. This realm is essentially a warren of maze-like tunnels and caverns. You will need to know what is going on nearly everywhere, nearly all the time. Use the mini- and full-scale views to keep track of your domain ... and your soon-to-be domain. Omniscience is one of the most important skills to develop for your reign as Dark Lord. Begin your Grand Construction. Your first priority should be a Library for your warlocks to research the Heal Creature Spell. Unfortunately you'll discover that the portal is a long way off, and you cannot afford to lose too many creatures before it is claimed. Therefore a workshop is vitally important, as it will allow the manufacture of traps and a new type of door, the Barricade. This shall prove very useful in Sweetwater as it is comparatively cheap and acts as an effective impediment to Lord Ironhelm's flight. Know that it is not a wall although it impedes flight and stymies hand-to-hand combat, ranged and projectile weapons can cross a barricade unhindered. Wherever you build a Barricade, you should consider placing a Sentry Trap behind it, if you can afford the Mana. These two tools, used in combination, are a lethally effective force. Once your dungeon is constructed to your satisfaction, and you have one of every room you think you'll need, take your troops out for your first sortie. You will discover a hero bridge leading to three doors, with a small group of heroes patrolling the bridge. Capture and torture these heroes as per standard procedure, and they shall reveal numerous bonuses scattered throughout the level, including a group of neutral Tolls, gold seams and piles of manufacture crates, all left here by Lord Ironhelm should he have need of them. Well, he's going to need them, and that's too bad, since you're going to have them. Sinister laughter echoing down the corridors is quite rewarding at that point. Back to business. Seek out and secure these areas and use the items found therein to stockpile for an ambush. Once your Warlocks have researched the Heal Creature spell, your captured heroes can take on another use. Even standard methods of torture conflict savage amounts of damage to Heroes and being the fragile creatures they quickly perish. However, if you Heal them whilst they wither in prison or are tortured, their suffering is prolonged and despair will set in. Their spirits will break, and they will convert to your side. There are few threats like unrelenting, never-ending suffering to make someone see reason. Higher-level corporate meetings are based on this axiom, as well. You do not need these extra fighters indefinitely, but they definitely make a welcome addition to your forces until you can locate the outside portal. Not be long after you have captured a few heroes, you will notice that time becomes a critical element. A countdown appears, and the numbers begin to tick away. This indicates that Lord Ironhelm has begun preparations for his escape, and you must thwart his plans. Before the timer reaches zero, you must have prepared your defenses. Located between the Castle and the Hero Gate lies an ideal killing ground. Send your minions in to fight their way to the front of the enemy fortress, with Imps claiming land as the fighters progress. Once you've reached the killing field, fill the entire area with barricades and all manner of traps. You'll find that the manufacture crates you have amassed will ensure the speedy construction of this ambush. If you complete your preparations before Lord Ironhelm bolts, you might have to wait for the Lord to flee. How tedious. If you grow impatient, simply send in an imp or a few creatures to lure Lord Ironhelm out, once he realizes he is surrounded, he will take flight. After that, it is merely a matter of watching the panic and confusion of the forces of good as they flail about in your traps, crash against your barricades, are toasted by your Sentry Traps and finally the survivors are slaughtered by your forces, some of whom are their own ex-comrades converted to the furtherance of darkness. The whole thing is utterly delightful, don't you think?
You start out with a respectable number of minions, which is good because you're going to need to be able to both defeat anyone who attacks you in the beginning, while simultaneously building a workable dungeon. Don't spend too much time in sinister contemplation, it's time to roll up the ol' robe sleeves and get those whips cracking. Right off the bat, a lone hero Giant will head to your dungeon to make trouble, but don't be too concerned ... reinforcements will arrive in time to clobber him. What you should be primarily concerned with is your growth statement: quickly dig out the area to the south and build a Prison and Torture Chamber. You'll need these as your forces begin to take a toll on the enemy ranks. Waste not, want not. In these troubled times it would be a shame to simply kill something as valuable as a Giant just because you didn't have the means to convincing him it is a good time for a career change. Still, you're going to need more troops. Command that a small Lair and Hatchery be built. Without these, you'll find it impossible to recruit creatures in and you've got a serious headcount shortage to make up before you can take on the other Giants that guard the empty dungeon. Now comes time for a management decision. You want to clear out the "excess" Giants. The most conservative course of action would be to place traps at all the entranceways to your dungeon, and wait for the Giants to come to you. As natural-born pounders, they'll eventually be drawn to your halls by the opportunity of making your loyal subjects go squish. One by one they'll come to you, and you won't have to go to the trouble of finding them. On the other hand, you can close down the Giant's Hero Gates by bridging across to their barracks (you did know you could use the neutral "stepping stones", didn't you?), claim all the land around the gates, and then close down the gates themselves. It has the attraction of being more proactive and straightforward, but it's more dangerous to your workers. If you decide on this method, be sure to send some fighters along with your Imps, to protect them from any wandering Giants who might be offended by the invasion. Your next project is to break through to the Guard Room. Once again, claim all of the neutral path leading up to it (killing/capturing any of those pesky hero who get in your way) and then launch your attack. You can either smash down all three doors at once of you only attack one door, they'll come around and flank you, not a good tactic or dig through a block of hero wall between 2 doors. If you decide to knock down walls, don't skimp. Break a large whole to allow yourself as much room as possible for getting your minions into the fight. Once you've hit your Guard Room objective, you'll want to find the best route to Lord Sigmund. This is where Sight of Evil comes in handy. While you're peering into the private world of Sigmund and company, you might also find routes that, while not so direct, do offer specials or more creatures to convert. It's entirely up to you to determine the path you think will be most beneficial. There is an obstacle to due consideration. There is an enemy Wizard who is wise enough to fear you, but goody-two-shoes enough to try to face you down. The sniveling sneak hides behind barricades and fires spells at your fighters. Your best option in this situation might be the judicious usage of a combination of Possession and Salamander. Try it .. it's eminently gratifying. Your next major milestone will be to take on the strike force waiting for you a group of heroes (4 Giants, 2 Wizards and a Knight) have designs. Destroy them utterly and continue to Lord Sigmund's Castle. There is a level increase special 25 on the way, of which it is highly recommend you take advantage. Now it is time to destroy the enemy and claim everything they hold of value. There are two different venues of attack front or back. The plan should hinge on whether you have plenty of fire-walking creatures (or you have an unhealthy faith in the strength of your bridges). If so, then simply attack through the front door, watching out for hero reinforcements that appear through the castles hero gates. If your troops are the more tradition sort, you can claim territory all the way around to the back of the castle. Then use a wooden bridge and an Imp to claim the neutral tile and break through the back door. This will mean a bloody battle with a large bank of Sentry Traps, but the benefit is that you will be able to use all of your creatures in the final battle, not just the fire-proof ones. Then all that is left is picking up the gem, and there you have it: the only thing this this miserable place called Emberglow has to interest you.
You begin with a few creatures, a Troll, two Mistresses and three Salamanders. Now, while being aware that under most situations, individual lives mean nothing to one of your stature, you are obliged to protect these creatures most carefully until you have claimed the Portal, for if they die your plans are doomed. The first order of business is to dig out the tile of gold just north of your Dungeon Heart, and use the gold to build a Stone Bridge across the lava to the Lair. Your Mistresses must now help your Salamanders kill the Heroes who guard the Lair. Now allow your creatures to heal in their beds and you'll be ready to move on. Phase two is to dig through the gold to the west and take the Hatchery, again slaughtering the Heroes who guard it. You'll still be very short on Mana, so place injured creatures in the Lair to heal. Don't get too complacent, though. Yes, you have a Hatchery and a Lair, and are nearly set to claim the Portal and begin recruiting creatures from the outside. Nearly. Use Stone Bridge to reach the Bridge in front of the door leading to the Portal. Smash down the door but then pull your creatures back: as soon as any of your minions sets foot upon the Portal, the level 1 Wizard in the room beyond will be alerted by a Hero Alarm Trap. Your best plan is to send an Imp to claim the neutral territory leading up to the Portal. This will lure lure the two Dwarves just inside the Portal onto your land. Kill them. Send any injured creatures back to the Lair to heal whatever you do, don't grow impatient. Now it's time to make our next sortie against the Portal. Let an Imp start trying to claim the Portal. The level 1 Wizard will rush forward with his Guards and Dwarves, and once they're out in the open you can use your minions to ambush them. If any of your creatures falls over lava, build Stone Bridge and drop an Imp to rescue them. This is not kindness, this is stark necessity. Inhuman resource is at a premium, especially until the Portal is officially under your control. Once you have the Portal you can take a breather. Sack any Fireflies who arrive: you need Fighters not Scouts in this land. There's no use in wasting space. Smash through the door to the east of the Portal so that you can mine the gold and take the "Make Happy" Special. Don't touch the Fear Trap for now: if you destroy it and send creatures past it, that will alert the level 3 Wizard who guards the land beyond. So leave it alone for the moment, and when you've got five or six Goblins, prepare to attack the level 2 Wizard to the west. Build a Stone Bridge to the door west of your Hatchery. Break the door down and take out the patrol beyond it. Then move west again and claim the Treasury, which is only guarded by one level 2 Dwarf. Now, although in general you can't afford to sell a room you've claimed and build another, this is an exception. It's a good investment to sell the Treasury and build a 3x3 Prison here. (If you can afford it, also build a 3x1 Torture Chamber in the passage which leads off to the north.) This will allow you to start making use of the Heroes you've defeated, generating at least a few Skeletons and with luck converting a couple of Guards for your own use as well. It'll take a bit of planning since Mana is hard to come by in this land, but you should be able to cast Heal enough to convert a few selected Heroes and this will make your quest easier. Take the Guard Room which lies at the end of that corridor and build a Wooden Bridge leading up to and along the Hero Portcullis and Hero Barricades. Behind these is the Level 2 Wizard who thinks he is invulnerable. Use all your creatures in one mass assault and you should dispatch him. Use Heal judiciously and you should win without too many casualties. It's a very good idea to pull your creatures out before they knock down the door leading to the Training Room. It's vital that you heal your creatures in their Lairs before tackling the Guards in the Training Room. There's gold beyond the Hero Gate. Building a Wooden Bridge to surround the Hero Gate will allow you to retrieve any gold which has fallen upon it. As soon as your creatures have had a chance to heal up, take the Training Room. Although you may feel you're too short of gold to afford a Training Room, it's a nice addition if you can afford it it attracts Salamanders, and these are a useful addition to your army of Goblins. Once you've consolidated your forces after taking out the level 2 Wizard, it's time to take out the level 3 Wizard who is beyond the Fear Trap. Bridge to the Fear Trap and destroy it. This will alert the Wizard and he'll summon a party of level 3 Thieves and Dwarves to try your defences. Make swift work of them, and of the second party which follows shortly afterwards. Don't be afraid to commit all your forces to the fight: it's better to crush them utterly than to give them any chance to kill your precious creatures. Again, get all your creatures into tip top fighting shape and then lead them into the attack against the level 3 Wizard. Use Call to Arms to start a massed attack and keep a close eye on the fight, since this is your toughest challenge so far and there are a couple of nasty traps in wait as well. Build Wooden Bridges around this Hero Gate as soon as possible, so that your Imps can retrieve your fallen creatures you're bound to lose a few in this fight. See if you can capture the Wizard: he'll make a very handy convert to your army. Now you can take time to recuperate and build up. Make sure that the little things get attended to: mining gold, torturing captives and taking the only-lightly guarded Workshop. Place a couple of Sentry Traps on the tiles overlooking your Dungeon Heart, and some Gas Traps in place of the doors you have destroyed. You'll find an Increase Mana Special hidden behind some of the gold. That's a sweet present for them to have left for you, don't you think? Meanwhile, take the Casino which lies between the 2nd and 3rd Wizards' areas. It might look tempting, but don't break through the northern doors of the Casino as yet that would alert the level 4 and 5 Wizards and they have tough followers. Set the Casino to generate gold for you, and you'll be able to fund your Training the old-fashioned way: by cheating your creatures out of their wages. The Casino will attract Rogues to your dungeon. Possess one and you'll be able to move unseen, and stab enemies in the back. In addition, he's the one creature who can pick up gold from land which you don't own. When you have a good strong force of full-health creatures, you're ready to enter the level 4 Wizard's territory. Break down the door in the northwest corner of the Casino and head west so that you can take the Prison. This isn't easy: you'll have to defeat a hefty patrol of 4th-level Dwarves, but by now they shouldn't cause you much trouble. Besides, the rewards are considerable: a decent-sized Prison and a couple of neutral Dark Elves who will be delighted to join your side once they're freed. Then push north from the Prison and take out the level 4 Wizard. This will yield you a couple of Increase Gold specials, some handy captives and a very tasty Torture Room. The Mistresses held captive within it will join your army and set to work converting your captives with their own special skills. Attacking the level 4 Wizard alerts the last Wizard, and he'll occasionally send level 5 Giants to try to soften you up. It's a good idea, but since each one is sent out alone, you should be able to pull them down and convert them. Consolidate your new toys and when you're ready (or when you start to feel a bit strapped for cash again), break down the door in the northeast corner of the Casino and bridge to the second Hatchery. Take out the level 5 Guard and claim it, then bridge to the Level 5 Wizard's Hero Gate and take him out. Take the Library and gloat over the Specials within it. Make haste and make ready: Lord Titus will attack you soon. It's up to you whether to prepare your creatures to withstand his attack, or to push forward and assault him directly. Either way, he doesn't stand a chance.
First you want to get the basics covered. Do you have a Lair? Hatchery? Library? Are they all up and in working order? Good. Once your basics are up and running, you can start off building some of your secondary rooms. If you've been watching, you know that the next most important thing in a realm like this is to build a Prison. You're going to be fighting, and it's a sad waste to have to kill enemies who, were they snug behind sturdy steel bars, might at the very least rot away and become loyal skeletons. Definitely get that underway. Meanwhile, start your Imps digging both to the east and west. To the east lies a neutral Torture Chamber, and you've got to admit that's always an advantage ... in combination with the Prison it makes a sinister ensemble. The westward-digging Imps are, in fact, preparing for an attack on the second outpost. Here's a secret, there's a patch of diggable rock alongside some impenetrable rock (near the neutral Torture Chamber) that actually is supporting the solid-looking but weak impenetrable rock. Dig it out what you can by commanding the Imps to dig a 3 by 1 Torture Chamber into the wall. This will cause the nearby impenetrable rock to collapse, giving a neutral path to the 3 by 3 Chamber and a neutral Mistress. Make sure she feels welcome, and claim all the territory your Imps can get to. Turn it all in to one large Torture Chamber, the better to win friends and influence people later. Now it's time to get ready to invite guests over. Take some time and do it right. Despite what the common misconceptions are about the unhallowed Armies of Darkness, it's a rare situation where you actually have enough minions to completely overpower the massed forces of sweetness and light. By this time, the happy people of Harmonia are aware of the blight spreading throughout the land, and they've got a bit of an attitude about it. You've noticed that you don't sneak up on them while they're singing happy songs and dancing around in group hugs. No, they're all armed to the teeth and pretty snarly about invasion forces of evil digging around in the bedrock. So what you need to do is this: dig out all the rock except the last block leading to the middle outpost. As you dig, get your people busy placing traps all the way down the corridor. In case you haven't tried it, you can throw a vicious little one-two punch by a gas trap placed in front of a few Sentries. The plan is to lure the Guards onto your territory, where they'll have to face your defenses before taking on your fighters. Once you have a favorable lay-out of traps you can dig out that last block, bridge to the closest wall of the Outpost and dig through it. They'll answer your friendly knock, you can be sure. Don't try to face them there, but let the Guards chase your Imps into your traps. Then, of course, capture their bodies and convert them to your cause. Don't miss an opportunity to use their own against them. It's one of those little occupational perks that gives a dungeon keeper the warm fuzzies. When you've taken care of business thus far, claim the rest of the second Outpost and fortify it with Barricades, Sentry Trap, Gas Traps, etc. Move on to the third Outpost, luring any opposition you meet back into your death-trap killing ground. Repeat this for the third Outpost but this time be wary of the extra traps that surround it. They're getting tricky, so you'll need to be careful. In fact, you should place only a few traps on this Outpost, as a precautionary measure, since you'll actually be trying to stop him at Outpost 2. You do understand that if a trap or barricade is destroyed in the course of a battle, you'll need to build it up again before heading out to stir up more warriors. You don't want to let a hole be punched through your defenses when a little extra time will repair the cracks. As you breach Outpost 3, Voss, the Lord of the Land will be notified, and like the good ruler he is, will arm himself and lead the attack personally. Let him come to you, all the way through to the barricades at Outpost 2. Whatever you do, don't build bridges between the Outposts and then try to Thunderbolt him. He's a bit nervous, and if he sees that kind of firepower, he'll start running and won't stop. Which may not be a stupid reaction, but it is definitely inconvenient when it comes to going through his pockets looking for Portal Gems. When the Lord reaches Outpost 2, he'll try and smash his way through any barricades that are in his way. If you've prepared properly he'll be getting fired at the entire time he's battering the barricades, which has got to hurt. Once he gets a distance into the Outpost, drop creatures behind him so as he has nowhere to run. Let your minions shred him, and then take the prize.
Don't dally around in Woodsong, you've got better things to do than stroke your chin and plot out your atrocities. You must be proactive. Immediately have your Imps dig out 4 5x5 chambers, and one 6x6, off your Dungeon Heart, one for a lair, one for a hatchery, one for a training room. The other two are slightly different. The fourth is to become your well, let's call it a "Converting Chamber" shall we? This would be an all-purpose room where the walls are lined with Torture Chamber and the middle is a Prison. This works fine, and it's beautifully convenient when you want to pick up a captive from the Prison cell and drop him on one of your patented devices. Reinforced the wall furniture and you'll get extra torture devices. Now that's interior decorating! The final chamber, the 6x6, is a combined Library and Workshop each 3 x 6. Once these areas are carved out and the rooms laid down dig to the Portal to the south and claim the Neutral Mistresses. In addition there is a Make Safe special, activating this will add wall furniture to all of your rooms allowing them to become fully functional. To the north of your dungeon is a broken seam of gold. This is where you're going to build your killing ground. The goal is to make a place so deadly that even a large incursion of enemy Heroes will be stymied by it, giving you breathing time. Command your workers to mine out this area and fill it with Spike Traps, Barricades and Sentry Guns. This little playground will protect your Dungeon Heart whilst your minions are attacking Asmodeus. Additionally claim the second Portal as early as you can to ensure you get the full compliment of creatures. Slow creature particularly Bile Demons will only slow you down, ensure that plenty of Mistresses and other fleet-footed creatures populate your dungeon. You can expect to be attacked from the left and right by heroes flooding from hero gates. Whilst useful to convert, especially Giants who make excellent manufacturers in your Workshop, these will need to be closed down else eventually they will overwhelm you. Keep an eye on the clock, as you will not remain undiscovered for long. Closing down the hero gates is a prime opportunity to possess a creature and lead your troops yourself, if that's the sort of thing that appeals to you. It'll be a fight, that for certain, but nothing you can't handle. Send in your shock troops first, then send in your ranged-weapon fighters. Drop them at the right distance so they use their weapons to the maximum advantage. Make sure your Imps remain motivated to claim all the territory around the gates, because that's the real purpose of the whole battle claim all the land around the gate to destroy it. Once you have closed down all of the Hero Gates you will need to prepare for your assault on Asmodeus. The heroes, once they realize that you are there, will launch a full scale attack on your dungeon, and it is through this that your creatures will have to charge to reach Asmodeus' dungeon. Cast a Call to Arms just by your second Portal and drop all of your creatures so that they are ready to go. To the east and west of Asmodeus defenses are weak spots, neither re-enforced nor claimed; these provide an excellent opportunity to avoid the well crafted walls of Asmodeus' dungeon. Mine the last section of rock that separates your dungeon from the heroes and place the Call to Arms by the Weak Point in Asmodeus' dungeon, drop a few imps at there as well and instruct them to dig north into the rock. After only a little while they will enter a cavern which allows you to skip most of Asmodeus' dungeon, cast Tremor to weaken his walls and instruct your imps to dig through the now weakened rock. Asmodeus dungeon is now exposed so now place the Call to Arms at his heart. Meanwhile your creatures will be trying to break through the heroes lines trying to reach the call to arms, they will need some help, heal them as much as possible to ensure that they are at their best when they reach Asmodeus' dungeon. The Heroes, having seen their Siege broken will attempt to attack Asmodeus themselves, thus you must destroy his Dungeon Heart before the heroes do, and quick enough before further heroes can destroy your Dungeon Heart.
The first and most obvious step is to claim the Portal near your Dungeon Heart followed immediately by build your rooms as quickly as possible. Get your creatures training at once and make sure to recruit a good range of fighters you do this by building different types of rooms of the right size (for the best minimum size, see ??, p. XX). After you've got that underway, claim the second Portal to the northeast but otherwise remain within your walls of stone until your creatures are well trained. Of course, those interlopers are going to be trying to make inroads on your own territory, so make sure to defend your dungeon against invasion by placing a judicious mix of traps and doors around it. Sentry Traps are an old favorite but since they drain Mana it makes sense to place each one carefully places most likely to be attacked or that you want to defend and use Spike and Gas traps widely, especially along corridors. Your new traps allow you to plan your defenses well: remember though that Boulder Traps will damage your own creatures as well as the enemy. They are best used as offensive traps, since you can build them at the edge of enemy territory, then slap them to set them off when a good number of enemy creatures are in sight. Trigger Traps can be coupled with Sentry Traps to take out even high-level foes. Keep an eye on the mini-map: you can tell by the color of the Portals which Keeper they belong to. Drako (green) will eventually defeat one of his neighbors and take the Portal most likely it will be Morgana (yellow) to fall to his forces, though it may be your near neighbor Belial (blue). In the latter case, watch out for an attack by Drako. Once you've got 20 creatures and most of them have reached level 4, it's time to make your move. One route would be to launch an attack on Raksha's exposed Portal in the top center of the map. The benefit is that as you take this, you'll capture a good number of Raksha's creatures, and get a good foothold in her territory. Get to work converting the captives and then start bridging towards her Dungeon Heart. However, be aware that Raksha has mined her territory with traps: if you lose too many creatures to them you could be in real trouble. If you don't happen to have a high-level Salamander, you could always dig a path along the south side of Raksha's territory until you can tunnel into her southern cavern ... that's where a level 10 Neutral Salamander has his home. It's a good way in, and if you convert the neutral Salamander, you've more than made up for the hassle. Watch out that you don't get into a scrap with Drako on the way though you're not ready for him until you've taken over at least one other territory so if you encounter his territory it's best to bridge around it. Once you've defeated Raksha and taken her rooms and Portals, you can strike south from her Dungeon Heart. Take Drako's Portal and then work down to his Dungeon Heart. Finally, you may or may not have to deal with Belial (depending on whether Drako has killed him) but you should be able to manage him without any real problems by now.
Again, get your creatures training as fast as possible and make sure that your force comprises a well-balanced mix of fighters build different types of rooms of the right size (for the best minimum size, see ??, p. XX). Protect the entrances to your dungeon with traps and be on the watch for threats or invasions. Mine the gold in the southwest corner of your land and build a bridge so that you can claim the Neutral Mistress. Once your creatures are well trained and you are ready for some action, Kronos is a good choice. He has only one Portal and no really high-level creatures. Order your miners to dig out the gold in the northwest corner of your caverns, and make a strike for Kronos' Dungeon Heart. Next target Belial ... defeating him will bring you great rewards in the form of Portals, rooms and territory. With three Portals (you will, of course, claim the neutral one to the northeast of Belial's Portal) you will soon be ready to assault Drako. Don't underestimate him, he a tough one. Use Stone Bridge to get your creatures to his Dungeon Heart quickly, and make sure to neutralize his traps before they can do too much damage. Drako has several high-level creatures which will make excellent converts if you can only capture them. When you're against Drako, be fairly free with Healing your creatures. Once you have taken Drako's land you will also be able to claim the land which Drako has taken from the feeble Morgana. This will give you an excellent platform to strike directly at Raksha's Dungeon Heart, bypassing all Morgana's traps. Don't forget to explore a bit ... there's a Level 10 Salamander that would be prudent to add to your forces. Finish your conquest the old-fashioned way with brute force and no quarter.
Your first priority is to attack and attack wisely. That means ignoring Belial (blue) although he may look like a tempting target, and instead focusing attention to the feeble Morgana (yellow). Bridge to her Dungeon Heart and set your fighters to attacking it. Meanwhile, while your warriors are hammering on that, send some Imps and a fighter over to her Portal and take that from her. Granted, you'll have to withdraw one of your fighters from the attack on the Dungeon Heart in order to secure the Portal, but this is well worthwhile as it will allow you to start recruiting all the sooner. Morgana's measly forces should not prove too much of a hassle. It will, however, take some time. However, while your fighters are hammering on her Dungeon Heart, you can start building up your dungeon. Place a Lair in the empty space to the west of your Dungeon Heart, and get your Imps digging out some more rooms so you can start recruiting a better class of creature. Time is of the essence ... you will not have long before you are yourself attacked by a greedy neighbor. Once Morgana is taking a dirt nap you can start building up in earnest. Get your creatures trained and recruit a strong and balanced force. Set your Imps to work on the Gem block and your money problems will be over. Tunnel north from there to recruit the Neutral level 10 Salamander, who will be a most valuable minion. Get some traps up just in case, especially on the north side of your dungeon since that's where Raksha (purple) will attack from. By the time Raksha attacks you should be reasonably well prepared with a good strong force. Hold her off and make sure to capture her best creatures, and then begin a drive towards her Dungeon Heart. Stone Bridges will allow you to bypass most of her traps and break straight through to her Dungeon Heart. Keep Healing your creatures and you should be able to destroy her. After this epic battle you should be able to move in on Belial and finally across to Kronos (green) without too much trouble. Thus ends anyone who dares stand against you.
It's not a secret that you will have to create an army of Undead to serve you in your quest to destroy rival Keeper Malachai and take his Gem. The trick is how to go about it. Your first order of business is to find out what is available in the neighborhood. To this end you can either randomly explore, or else go the omniscient route and simply dig directly to the west and claim the three neutral Skeletons there. It's not much, but it's a start. The skeletons will be enough to ward off the first wave of Dwarves, which you can expect to come around in short order. Set your Imps to work claiming the graveyard so their bodies don't go to waste. (Remember it takes five bodies to make one Vampire.) Meanwhile, allocate some Imp resources to build a Prison. Since your actual goal is to make Skeletons, you won't want to be taking too many Heroes prisoner: dead bodies are actually a bit more valuable here. The Prison is, however, quite useful as a Skeleton pen. Skeletons tend to wander and stir up trouble around here, and if you drop them in the prison, you know where they are. Oh, and don't' forget to lock the Prison door, otherwise bodies will be taken here rather than the Graveyard. Vampires are the goal: they're much tougher than Skeletons. Don't even bother with converting Dwarves ... they're next to useless here. Just kill 'em and plant them in the Cemetery. Directly after the Prison, start work on a Lair, Hatchery and Library. These will keep the Vampires happy ... and although terror is an excellent managerial tool in keeping production high, job satisfaction is what keeps them around. Next on your list should be a Training Room just to help everyone along. Once you have a Training Room, drop your Skeletons in for as long as it takes to get them up to Level 4. Since they can't get higher than that on mere practice, pick any Level 4 Skeletons out of the Training room and drop them back into the Prison until you need them. Once you've got those offices finished, do some more excavation and dig a little farther out to the other caves near you. There you'll find yet more neutral Skeletons, which you can recruit and either Train or imprison ... another Dwarf attack will probably happen while you're doing this, just send your Skeletons and any Vampires to deal with them.
You now have a choice of three options:
1) Dig up the left-hand side of this realm. This is a medium-dangerous run, but
interesting. The terrain has a few Specials to offer to the cause, and there is a fair
number of neutral Skeletons. Even better, you'll be slaughtering all the Dwarves you find
and dragging them to the Graveyard. When you've cleared out the side, you'll simply launch
a full-scale siege on either the back or the front entrance. This is good for Keepers who
prefer to have a large army at their backs.
2) Mine out the right-hand side of the realm. It's a bit less exciting than the previous
option, definitely more cloak-and-dagger. For one thing, there are fewer Skeletons and
Specials, and not quite as many Dwarves. The good part is that there is an interesting
secret passage into Malachai's dungeon. Look into your soul and decide if you're feeling
sneaky, and confident in your abilities without overwhelming numbers.
3) Charge straight up the center of the realm. Without a doubt, this is the most
straightforward, sword-in-your face scenario. This is where there are heroes to be killed
and lots of them, which is good for experience and fairly useful for stocking up the
cemetery, but can be dangerous to your oh-so-important headcount. Heroes really hurt.
You'll also find extra rooms in which to build, a higher-level neutral Skeleton in the
mausoleum and a variety of ways into Malachai's dungeon. Whichever option you decide to
take, you must make the choice of whether to destroy the Hero Gate. This deserves a little
though: the constant attacks are more than a little annoying, especially because you have
no way to build traps. If you kill the Hero Gate, you've shut down your best source of new
minions. You don't have a gate of your own, you have to depend on finding neutral
creatures or making your own which is either conversion (which doesn't give you fighters
strong enough to overcome your opposition), skeleton-creation (much more effective, but
takes a long time and gives you only a first-level skeleton) or growing Vampires (takes a
long time and a lot of bodies). If you kill the Hero Gate, though, your people have a much
longer life-span. If you do decide to take out the Hero Gate, then probably the best route
would be directly attacking the castle, ransacking it of all useful loot and using the
bodies of those who lurk there as fodder for the undead. Train up the creatures as high as
possible, then dig out the route to Malachai's Portal and simultaneously attacking from
the fronts at once: front, back and secret. Kill everyone and then make yourself at home
among the corpses. You've got to admit there's a feeling of satisfaction in a job well
done.
Once again, it is the business of setting up house that takes priority over leading your people into battle. You will no doubt be tempted to take the Portal to the north, but it is guarded by a group of Monks. As they stand, they're too tough for you and therefore the Goblins with which you begin the level will need to be trained as much as possible before you send them out to the Monks. Therefore build for them a Lair and a Hatchery, followed by a Training Room. As soon as possible, "encourage" them get work on their fighting techniques. Meanwhile, mine all of the gold you can. You're going to need it. When you can, build a Prison and Torture Room close to each other. Also, of course, build a Library and Workshop. It's a good idea to build an entire area solely for the converted heroes (Lair, Hatchery, etc.), as you shall be relying on these greatly. This will ensure that they do not become angry by working and mingling with your own creatures whom they hate. Take your level 3 or 4 Goblins and send them out through the northern entrance of your dungeon. Command them to destroy the door separating your dungeon from the Monks. Make sure they allow the monks to wander onto your land before attacking them because it is vital that you capture them (you can only kill them on their own territory) and put them in your prison. Torture them until they "see the dark" and join you. Meanwhile, take some time to look after your finances. Send your Imps out and mine the individual blocks of gold that line the path leading south. (The holes in the rock made by mining the individual blocks of gold now form alcoves, perfect for placing sentry traps.) From the Portal chamber you'll see a seam of gold heading east ... follow this until you find a large deposit containing a gem block. This will take care of any monetary problems you might encounter. Vampires are unable to cross water, and if forced to will take considerable damage. There are two routes leading from Malleus' dungeon to yours, one across land, the other across bridges. It's a good idea to take both routes, but then sell the bridges. By destroying the bridges control where the invasion will occur ... and it will all be vampire-friendly. More than that, you can then trap and barricade this route, which can only help. In fact, barricades are an absolute must. Eventually you'll find an area dominated by twin Hero Gates. Resist the temptation to bridge around these (thus closing them down) as only monks appear from them. Remember, an enemy monk is only two steps away from being your own creature of comfort. (If you capture the Hero Prison and Torture room you can craft your own patented Monk Maker.) There is something important about the Gates, though. The easternmost Hero Gate has a single piece of ordinary rock making up one part of the wall, by mining this and following it through the solid rock, you will reach the back of the Hero Battery. Two doors lead of this chamber: don't go into the one to the north yet. The one to the east leads to a Hero Treasury containing not only another Gem Block but also the Secret Level Special for this level. Ha! Following the Path that leads from the Monk Maker will lead you to a Hero Gate from which the annoying patrols have come. Close this Hero Gate down and prepare to siege the Monastery. Numerous high level monks reside here and if captured quickly they can be turned before Malleus launches his attack. To the southwest of the Monastery lies a Hero Battery it's nearly impossible to destroy it, it's actually best to just leave it alone. There are some elves nearby that while not your allies, are more than happy to attack Malleus' Vampiric Hordes. Let them. By the time Malleus launches his attack, there should be only one route for his Vampires to follow and that should be well defended. If you've done that, you're on the path to victory. You'll notice the Vampires move quickly, far quicker in fact than your Monks, so be prepared to use Thunderbolt to slow them down long enough for your monks to fall upon them. Don't forget to practice your newly-researched Turncoat spell. Once the Vampires have been killed, Malleus' Heart will be exposed, but be warned he has saved a few of his minions for its defense. That's not a problem ... just a few monks should be more than enough to seal your victory.
When dungeon Keepers get together and chat about business before trying to poison, spell or stab their competitors, the talk often turns toward gold. Sometimes Gems, but usually Gold. As well they should ... it is perhaps one of the most complicated tasks involved with carving your realm from empty ground: gold management when there just isn't much gold. Such constraints may seem annoying, but successful villains just think of it as an opportunity to work themselves into a towering frenzy. That's where quality evil is crafted. Nevertheless, this pestiferous land is very short of gold, and your business plans will have to revolve around that fact. This means no unnecessary building, and judicious use of fortified walls to provide the chamber furniture that you usually only get with wide open spaces. It also means being a bit picky about who you accept into your employ (Skeletons are always a good budget brawler), and being quick to sack anything you have too many of, or don't suit your current business goals. Putting this philosophy into action, you'll need to build up a very basic dungeon. Very basic. Start off with just a Lair, Hatchery and a Workshop. (For minimum effective sizes, look at ??, page XX.) Try not to build a Training Room, as this will deplete your gold too much. Dig out the gold near the Portal and build a Prison and a 3x1 Torture room against solid rock or fortified wall to get yourself a torture wheel. It's okay to scrimp as long as your captives still scream is a good rule of thumb. Unfortunately there is one little catch ... more of a snag really ... don't dig to the east. Yes, it's true that every Keeper's heart yearns to conquer and destroy every inch of space ... but this will lead you into a Hero gate that will leave you prone to attacks at this early, vulnerable stage. If prudence is annoying, just weight it against ignominious defeat. If it is left alone, you will not be invaded. If you really feel you must raze everything in your path, at least try to put this off until you've got the monster-power to handle the invasion forces. Instead, dig north through the gold (you should have been doing this anyway), and build traps along the narrow passage. Paranoia is as effective a character train as viciousness and cunning, and twice as important. As you suspected, a party of shining, well-intentioned Heroes will attack, but unless you've been neglecting your duties, they'll be so battered by your traps that your creatures should be able to knock them senseless with a minimum of fuss. Imprison and convert as many heroes as you can. Cheap labor is a good thing. If you can afford a separate lair, that's good, if not, don't pamper the starch-pressed crybabies. Don't spent time and resources fighting the Magic door. Instead, build a bridge to one side of it, and tag the rock next to the door so your Imps can dig it out. That's real management. Once inside the hero area, quickly claim the tiles surrounding the Hero Gates to collapse them. That's priority, after which you can claim the 2 mana vaults nearby. No time for back-patting, though. Press ever onwards, stopping long enough to put a Boulder trap along the corridor to protect yourself. (It's that prudent paranoia thing again.) Once in the central section, bridge to the Sentry traps and get your creatures to attack them. It'll be painful and carnage will be terrible, but with the Mana from the two vaults you should be able to keep your fighters Healed enough to make it through okay. Once you've gotten those traps taken down your path is pretty clear. It's not a bad idea to go get the Specials to the west, but you can keep going north, in the direction of Lord Tiberius. Truth to tell, you don't really need to take out the second Hero Gate to the east, but you will be able to claim 2 more mana vaults and stop all hero attacks. That's worth something, if only to get that feeling of accomplishment. Also, going to this area will allow you to dig south and find more gold and the neutral Salamanders. Neutral Salamanders are one of the happy things in a D.K.'s career. Just be sure you keep them happy. Once you have enough mana to cast Summon Horny, he will let you know. You should try to wait until you have maximum mana (200,000) before you cast him, as this will make him stay longer. Once you feel ready, cast him towards the north towards Lord Tiberius. As he progresses keep your Imps busy claiming the land behind him, enabling you to drop your creatures down to help him. Yes, sometimes even Horny can use an extra hand or twenty. Once Horny has battled everyone, he should find Lord Tiberius. Sit back, and savor the carnage. You earned it.
A
This is one of those "limited resources" challenge that seem so prevalent in
this, your chosen career path. The good news is that you actually have the upper hand: the
heroes are reactionary and straightforward, and you are charismatic and evil enough to be
irresistible to all the local talent ... and ladies and gentlemen, these locals are
talented. Crack the whip and get those Imps moving: it's digging and polishing time. You
need to claim all the territory to Prison 3 as fast as you can. This is mostly a
precautionary measure that you're familiar with ... and thus you understand that while
actually tunneling speed is most important, it's really helpful if you can stop those
little diggers from breaking through any time you see a reason to believe they're about to
go through a last line of bricks. That's when you stop them and send them to help their
brethren make the rough corridor fit for your domain. Anyway, back to the work at hand.
You'll pass a Mana Vault on the way, and while that's definitely worth a detour to claim
the vault and the Mana therein, you can do that just fine with one Imp. Give the Imp a
fighter-escort if you think it's necessary. Give it a slap if you think it's fun. Welcome
the Black Knight into your band of miserable monsters, and head back for home. Return to
your Dungeon Heart. Don't take the time to try any interior decorating, just send your
Imps digging south. You'll find Knud the Mad Troll, who may or may not be enjoying his
life of solitude, no matter what he says, and recruit him. If Mad Troll can't be happy
with you, what's the world coming to? He'll be useful in your Workshop, and that's what's
important, anyway you need traps, and he's the troll for the job. You know what they say:
"A corridor without traps is just a Hero Highway", and should be avoided
whenever possible. This next breakout will take a bit of finesse to do right, although it
can be done quite handily with simple brute force. Keep an eye out for the Guards of
Prison 2. The best time to break in is when the begin to head to Prison 4. Have your Imps
dig on your command. With luck you'll be able to claim the Prison before you're
discovered, or if that's not possible, lure them onto your claimed territory before you
kill them ... then claim the Prison. Next on your list is Prison 4 and the Combat Pit.
You've just got to love the way Combat Pit sounds coming off the tongue. Who'd have
thought these flighty fairies would have such a rec room? The whole thing looks kind of
homey, so claim the Prison and the Pit. Also, a rudimentary exploration should reveal a
mana vault and (upon a slightly closer look) a secret area. Now another Black Knight and
unlimited wealth are yours! Gold at last! Now that you have resources, use Knud to start
cranking out traps and barricades back on your home turf, and command the Black Knights
already under your command to rescue the rest of their kin from Prison 1. Remember, when
you command what traps should be used in setting up your dungeon Defense, that your own
people will likely need to go down those corridors themselves. Only place those traps that
are lethal to your own kind in places where you're pretty sure they won't wander. By this
time the secret of your presence is no longer a secret. Fairies and other assorted Heroes
will begin to attack, coming out of the castle like a swarm of angry bees. Let them buzz
... if you've already established your traps and barricades your Dungeon Heart will be as
safe as you can make it. If fighters get past you and head toward your Heart, make sure
that someone goes to finish them off after the Traps knock the holier-than-thou look off
their faces. It shouldn't take much backup power at all. Push forward at a slow pace,
claiming the rooms one by one. Go ahead and assign each claimed room a use so your
creatures don't have to trek so far away to get fed, get rest, get paid, etc. Also
important would be a Prison/Torture Chamber. Meanwhile, try to kill/capture your enemies
on your own territory whenever possible, so that your new Prison and Torture Chamber is
put to immediate use. One would like to think that the nearby screams of their comrades
would incite the Fairies & Friends into foolish actions, but there has been no
documented evidence of this to date. Now it is down to the wire. The best method to take
with a cowardly Realm Lord is to be quick and decisive. If he gets enough time to call in
reinforcements, you'll be in the midst of a major battle right when victory seemed most
sure. Get in, gut him, get gem. If you think there's going to be any trouble doing it
quickly, try to have an Imp claim enough land that you can drop in reinforcements as
quickly as possible. The Heroes have access through numerous secret doors into Lord
Volstag's room, and you'll be surrounded before you can say "Curses." B
Your first task should be to order the necessary forces to move north to Portal 1. This is
the only unguarded Portal, and there is plenty of gold en route to build up an excellent
foundation for your fledgling dungeon. After you have that under control, leave most of
your Imps to do the tidying up, but take a few and the bulk of your fighting force and
head to the southern Portal closest to you. This one has two Fairies guarding it ... and
these can come as a real shock even if you're expecting them! Kill them both, take care of
your creatures and then take a short breather. Invest in a Combat Pit as soon as you can
afford one at this point. That it will attract Black Knights is reason enough to spend the
time and money. The added bonus that it can train your troops up to Level 8 without
needing actual combat time is equally valuable. Once you've got that underway, send your
miners out to the north and south to the Portals that are farther out. Claim territory as
you go, because you can expect to encounter some random Fairies, just fluttering around
for the exercise or whatever it is that Fairies flutter for. Kill or capture them, and
then oke around and claim the Mana Vaults and neutral rooms as you come to them. All this
time you should be claiming the Portals and doing general housekeeping. Housekeeping means
[putting in traps and doors and barricades and what have you because once you crack that
fortress, you're going to have a Fairly flood on your hands. There should be no passageway
going to the castle that isn't one long death walk. Now to the attack ... if you're
thinking of just knocking down the front door and barging in like malevolent missionaries,
think again. Do not attack through the main entrance, attack from the sides and avoid the
main Fairy army for now. The textbook flank attack is to avoid the rounded rooms that are
directly to the north and south of the main entrance and aim your legions instead for the
square rooms that are to the west of them. Nice and out of the way, where they're not
expecting a full force attack. Once there kill the Heroes within and get your Imps
claiming as fast as they can (being careful of any doors they're Spike Trapped). Once you
break through the locked braced doors that lead to the rest of the castle, all of the
Heroes in the eastern half of the castle will be alerted to your presence ... and they're
prepared to do something about it. This is where those traps you've been putting down come
in handy. Crushed the Heroes as they fight through the traps, and close down the eastern
Hero Gates. Next, head around to the western side of the castle killing all who dare
oppose you. Claim the western Hero gates and use main force to smash down the Magic Door
that blocks your way to Lord Volstag's chamber. Now only the Lord and his few remaining
knights remain between you and the Gem. (Yes, yes, you could take an easier and much more
boring route claiming the tile at the front of the secret route and then attacking only
from the western side of the fortress, avoiding all contact with those heroes that await
you in the east. But then that looks an awful lot like either cowardice or mercy ... and
we wouldn't want that. Of course not.) Time for the sinister laugh again ... remember to
use the diaphragm for projection.
Prepare yourself for a challenge ... even though this realm will be won more by skulking and hiding than smashing and hitting, doesn't mean it's going to be any easier than others. This will truly test the mettle of your soot-black soul. First off, lock the door. By ensuring that the Wooden Door to the north of your dungeon is locked, you will keep any errant Imps from wandering into view and causing an alarm to go up. Keep them busy, instead, and command them to mine out the two areas of rock and gold and put down a Lair and Hatchery. Remember the old dungeon adage "An Imp in the hand is worth two in the bush" Imps do not become angry when picked up, so this is the best way of ensuring that they do only what you tell them to do. Have them mine out the lone bit of solid rock and then onward to the Workshop. Therein are two neutral trolls who will prove to be invaluable. Do not let the Imps mine into the castle, as the Heroes who patrol the Castles corridors will notice them, and concentrate on destroying you and your dungeon. Claim the Workshops you'll find several Secret Door crates in the Workshops. These will be enough to keep you going for a while. Take one and immediately seal any dungeon entrances that Heroes might possibly stumble across. You will now need to recruit some of the local talent. Gnashing his fangs in Prison is a Goblin, which you can reach from the eastern workshop through a passage dug through ordinary stone ... there's one that snakes its way through the impenetrable rock. When you dig up to the Prison stay alert: the prisons are patrolled by guards. If they see you, they will hunt you down and you probably don't have the ability to take them on yet. (Sight of Evil proves a very useful method of keeping your eye on things.) Claim the cell and replace the wooden door with a Secret Door. Lock the door. From this first prison, mine east to reach a second cell containing a Mistress. Repeat this process until all of the Cells are yours. Don't get careless ... you cannot afford to be reckless and have a do-gooder poking his nose into your affairs, so always replace the wooden doors on the cells with secret doors. Once this is done this area is secure and can be used for whatever purpose you so desire so long as the secret door remains locked. Gold will probably have been fairly scarce up to now, but now you can fix that. To the north of your Workshop lie two hero treasuries. Wait for the Hero Patrols to go past before launching an assault and claiming the rooms. An alarm may be raised, but as long as the Patrols are nowhere near at the time your new-found creatures should take care any Heroes they find. Use the gold to finance a Torture Chamber so no good Hero goes to waste. Of course, these deposits of gold will only last for a short time (what with wage demands, room construction, etc.), so another solution must be found. From the western Workshop another passageway snakes away towards a library. A lone wizard researches there but as long as you ensure that the hero patrol is nowhere near, he's an easy mark. Sight of Evil is an absolute necessity from now on in as you move into unknown territory. (You did set a Secret Door at the entrance to this Library, didn't you.) Once you've recruited a Warlock, set him to researching. Once he discovers how to "Create Gold", you're set for life. Notice that there are channels of ordinary rock and lava skirting the exterior of the castle, which provide a safe route between rooms. Follow these and capture the Graveyard and the Combat Pit: with these you can recruit some truly powerful creatures. If you ever feel in doubt, wait: there is no time constraint. If your creatures get into a fight it is best to pull them all out, enemy reinforcements will soon arrive and you may be faced with a battle that you cannot win. Furthermore, you can only afford to be spotted a few times before Lord Pureheart grows suspicious and calls in extra patrols. When you complete your circuit of the Castle, you'll find a Portal. Claim this, and slap a Secret Door on it. Take your time and mine out the rock to the north and allow your minions to build lairs in this new area. Your dungeon should now be complete and you will be able to train your creatures to a sufficient level to slay Lord Pureheart who resides deep within his fragile, compromised castle. When you're ready, flood the corridors and leave no one alive.
This is another one of those "watch the clock" realms ... with speed equating to survival on a very real level. The problem, of course, is that everyone knows how important speed and timing is. In other words, you have enrolled in a carnage competition and there's no time to dilly-dally. Tunnel to the east and west to reach the Portals, and direct your Imps to carve out a series of 5x5 chambers around each Chamber. Mine all of the gold as quickly as you can (having a Treasury nearby is useful), and create all of the Imps you can. A good goal is to have a separate mini-dungeon around each Portal to minimize the amount of time your creatures spend wandering around. Rooms such as a large Combat Pit and Training Room serve well on one side, whilst your Library and Workshop can be constructed at the other. Each separate dungeons will obviously need their own Lair, Hatchery and Treasury. On the other hand, you'll only need one Prison, Torture Room and Graveyard, so you can build these closer to your Dungeon Heart, but remember ... these rooms are for converting the enemy Keepers' creatures, not the Heroes. Heroes must be killed: blood and death are the only things that attract Dark Angles. Do not forget to construct a killing ground, full of traps and barricades, near every entrance to your dungeon. You have to fight a battle on more than one front, and you'll lose just as quickly if the enemy Keepers convert your creatures than if they kill the Heroes first. In the interest of speed, take not of the two Mana Vaults that lie to the north of the eastern Portal. With this extra Mana you will be able to create many more Imps ... and more Imps mean bringing your dungeon to its maximum efficiency quicker. In addition, north of the western Portal lie two gem blocks, which will fund your endeavors. Be sure to keep these areas as safe as possible with traps, etc. Meanwhile, you should be keeping your goals firmly in mind. You're in luck, because at each corner of the Temple Complex you'll find a guard room containing numerous heroes. Slaughter these as soon as possible, and you will gain an advantage over the other Keepers. Every bit counts. But take note: these Heroes are inevitably at a higher level than your creatures, and they'll be very difficult to kill. You're going to need to cheat before you can be assured of your troops ... you're going to have to "pre-damage" them as much as possible. Therefore, in front of your dungeon, construct Boulder Traps that can be slapped into the Temple Complex to soften up any marauding good guys. Any time your rivals gain an upper hand in the race to kill twenty heroes, this same boulder-slapping technique can be used to keep their creatures to a minimum. Eventually your minions will be of sufficient level so that you can attempt to take the Temple for yourself, instead of merely luring Heroes out and killing them. Be warned, though, that it is guarded by The Royal Guards. These staunch and muscular warriors will prove to be a tough challenge even for a group of battle-hardened Black Knights. As your troops take on the Guards, try to have your Imps claim as much territory as possible. Even more effective, once one patrol of heroes has been killed it may well take some time before their replacements arrive. Take advantage of this time claim as much of the Temple Complex as you can. The more of the Temple you control, the more you can cast spells down on the Heroes and Heal your own. This obviously means that you are going to need as much Mana as you can get, so back on your own territory you should make sure that praying creatures are racking up as much mana as they can. This is, in fact, a decisive tactic. You haven't forgotten that More is More, have you? Remember your goals are, and don't lose track of the priorities. Kill Guards, keep Keepers from killing guards, keep Keepers from killing you. Don't spend too much time fighting the enemy Keepers unless they are engaged in fighting the Heroes. Once twenty heroes have been slain by your minions the Dark Angels shall be yours. Essentially, once you get these, you've won. Allow them to establish homes in your Lair and then put the to work. Their power is immense and they should be able to take the rival Keepers on their own, although the sheer carnage of letting all your creatures wreak havoc is heart warming. Combine your forces and lead assaults on the Hearts of the enemy Keepers which the Dark Angles have revealed, and another Portal Gem will be yours.
Frankly, Keeper, if ever you desired to just let your evil inclinations have rule, this is the realm for you to follow through on your impulses. Everything and anything is possible ... there are no spell or room restrictions, no time constraints, nothing but admittedly difficult opponents to crush before they crush you. However, if advice would make you feel more comfortable .... The first targets for your acquisition are whatever's in the neighborhood. You could set your eye on any or all of the nearest rooms, which include a Portal, a Neutral Prison and a Torture Chamber. Sequence is not necessarily important, although that order is as good as any. A Training Room is a good thing to make, as you can start increasing your creature's experience, and will also be ready in the event you find any Salamanders. When you have a few creatures, claim the second Portal. It is next to a Hero Gate. You can expect a few hero parties of Elven Archers to arrive periodically, and probably an elite unit of a higher level Knights and a couple of Royal Guard before the Gate collapses. Recruit the neutral Salamanders (good thing you have a Training Room, yes?) and bridge across their lava expanse to the entrance to the small Hero Fort. Expect heavy resistance from the Warriors there. If you can sneak in and claim the first chamber before you're attacked, it will certainly help matters. Not only can you place Traps to your heart's content as many as you can conveniently fit, anyway but you can provide instant backup and Healing where necessary. Don't forget to convert them. Claim as much of the Fort is convenient, and then dig through the eastern wall of the fort into the watery area populated by Fairies. Vanquish them, and then bridge to and claim the neutral Temple. Dig to the Gems and build a Treasury close by. That's always a happy thing! Meanwhile, explore as much of the river as possible. Time is now on your side ... you've got an infinite supply of money and enough rooms to be attracting all sorts of mighty minions. Crack your knuckles and get to work exploring the possibilities of the 4 possible breach points into the "Dons" territory. Keep in mind that you only have to kill Nemesis the Keeper in the center: he is the one who holds the Gem. There are several ways to take the enemy Keepers, and it's worth taking the time ... just keep your ultimate goal in mind. Training Rooms good enough for doing preliminary work, but Combat Pits are almost necessary for you to actually tackle Nemesis at the end. A recommended approach is to first attack Fabian by bridging as close to him as possible and then building a bank of Sentry Traps. When those are in place, knock an entrance through his walls about three "holes" wide. Then drop your creatures behind the Sentry Traps and place a Call to Arms on his Dungeon Heart. Your creatures should stream into his dungeon, taking on all comers and wreaking general havoc. It will be especially aggravating to Fabian if you send in your Imps to claim his land while his creatures are still fighting their final battle. This, of course, increases the chances of your being able to capture your opponents. On Fabian's destruction, his father and brother will move in to attack, this is actually quite good news. It is obvious to any tactician that the more creatures sent on away-missions to attack you, the less there are guarding their respective dungeons. Claim all of Fabian's rooms and give your creatures time to rest an recuperate. When they're all feeling refreshed and ready to rumble, it's time to launch an attack into the side of Nemesis's dungeon. Bridge to his western most Barricades and drop a few creatures down to break through as soon as they are destroyed, drop some Imps in and command them to dig through. Your goal is to cast Tremor. You can also cast whatever else seems appropriate and affordable, but get at least one Tremor in to rattle him around a bit. Once Nemesis' walls are breached, place Call to Arms on his Dungeon Heart and drop creatures as close as possible. The overall effect is even more deadly if can place them so they arrive at roughly the same time. This may sound easy, but don't forget that while you are doing this both Nemesis and Faust (if he's still around) will be attacking your troops. To ensure an easier victory, try leading a Black Knight and a few other Grouped creatures straight to Nemesis's Heart while your other creatures fight off his forces. Don't forget to use that Heal spell ... that can mean the difference between a successful battle. If you have the Mana for a summon, Horny is always a welcome arrival at this point. There. A job well done. Congratulations, Most Sinister One!
This is your penultimate challenge ... grab the Princes, break their tender hearts, twist their shiny souls. How can you help but love your job? First off, you start off in a dungeon that already has plenty of space ready-dug and claimed by your industrious Imps, including a Prison, Torture Room and Treasury. That's an excellent beginning. It's entirely up to your own inclinations when to bridge over to the Portal at the center of your dungeon. It really doesn't matter much, as long as you get to work mining gold and building your choice of rooms first. However, be warned that as soon as you open up your dungeon to the lava that surrounds you on three sides, a group of Fairies will attack you. That's going to hurt, so make sure you've got some strong fighters first. In fact, it's a good idea to go introduce yourself to the Neutral level 10 Dark Knight who resides to the west. Your absolute, number one, no-jokes-about-it priority is to not lay a finger on any of the three Princes until you are sure that you are completely ready to stop them from escaping. Unfortunately, you've got a band of blood-thirsty, trouble-making leg-breakers working for you, so it's not a bad idea to sack all your Fireflies (you don't need random exploration around here) and to lock all the other creatures in your dungeon to prevent them from starting anything when you're not looking. That's what they do, and it would be disastrous under the circumstances. Meanwhile, now that your creatures are happily Training and eating and sleeping or what have you, send an Imp out to collect the Specials. Keep your eye on this creature. All you want is the Specials, not a chance encounter with one of the skittish Princes. The Specials in the lava that surrounds your dungeon are all Increase Levels: these are obviously very useful. The Giants to the north are guarding a Reveal Map this is invaluable for watching the movements of all those Princes. Information is the key word here. Omniscience is one of those really, really useful skills. Take a look at your dungeon: ignore your brute squads and death dealers for the moment and look at your manual laborers. Doors and bridges are going to play a large role in the upcoming battles. Do you have a good supply of strong doors? Do you have a lot of Imps ready to put things in place? Do you have enough money to build stone bridges wherever you want? That's what you want to concentrate on right now. When you're ready, carefully send out some Imps, and make sure they do only what you want them to do. Consider Prince Balder. He patrols the south of the realm, and can be rendered helpless without too much effort. Build Stone Bridges over to the Bridges that the Prince patrols. Claim the Hero Bridges. Then all you have to do is wait until he is on the island between them, and sell the bridges. It's almost pathetic how easy it is to cut him off from all the Hero Gates. He's apparently not very popular either, since you can leave him there for as long as you like and no one will head out to build him an exit. Tsk tsk. Now turn your attention to the other two Princes, Felix and Tristran. You've got two main choices here: attack them both at the same time (preferably at the point where their patrols intersect) and hope that you can bring them both down, or cut them off from their Hero Gates. There are a variety of ways this can be accomplished. For instance, you could lure them out onto spurs of your own Stone Bridges, and then sell back enough to cut them off from the Hero Gates. That's always satisfying. You could also block their routes with locked Secret Doors. Trapped like rats in a box, they'll no longer be able to find their way to the Hero Gates. Once you've got them all trapped, you can move on to the next stage. Send out an army of Imps to stand by, drop a fighter in with each Prince and allow him to knock each one out. Then set your Imps to work building any necessary connecting bridges, and don't forget to unlatch any locked doors. Drop an Imp on each one to drag them back to your Prison. The fun is just beginning. Now torture them with tender care and lots of Heal spells, and the secret of the Portal Gem will be yours. Note that once a Prince has converted to your side, he has told you all he knows and if he dies after that (say at the hands of his brother) it will be no loss to you. Now it is time to face the ultimate task!
This is not only one of the most difficult realms to conquer, as befits the last bastion of right and goodness, but you can expect it to be one of the longest ones, as well. Initially, you can expect to spend most of your time just surviving. There's no reason to hold anything back, and they know it. There are going to be waves of assaults, which you'll have to not only fight back, but you're going to have to fight forward, pushing the Heroes back until you're finally fighting near the Hero Gate, hoping against hope that your Imps will be able to claim all the way around the Hero Gate before the next wave appears. Heal as many as you can, but expect to lose many a brave Imp. Swear to avenge them or simply shrug them off as acceptable losses. You'll get your revenge as you capture whatever Heroes are unfortunate enough to be captured and "persuaded" to see things your way. Then turn your attention northwards, toward the next Hero Gate. As your Imps begin their work, a party of level 10 Guards will try to prevent. Your minions will probably outnumber them, but they will have considerably less experience. It will be a bloody battle, but with your occasional intervention, your forces should emerge victorious. Once you have disabled all the Hero Gates, slow your pace and consolidate your dungeon. Try to ensure that your dungeon is as comfortable and accessible as possible, and that it is running smoothly. Your search will now be to accumulate as much treasure as possible in order to finance further expansion. What you need, obviously is a Gem block. Sadly, there are none convenient. Keep an eye on your finances, train your forces up as much as possible, and place Traps and Barricades in preparation for an invasion. Boulder Traps are always a useful choice, so make sure they're in the mix. When your redecoration is complete, it's time to strike directly for the King. Beware the traps! As you tunnel around both sides, be at least forewarned that they are aware of the likeliness of an invasion, and have left defenses. Whenever faced with an enemy territory that's probably mined, dig a path down the of the corridor to avoid any death-traps. If that's not possible, the best tactic is usually to posses a low-level Imp and run down the path. Soon you'll see the objective circle that is your target. There's a very angry King on the other side, and when you break down the walls, he and his warriors will charge your minions. You can use this to your advantage, by picking up your Imps and placing them down the corridor a ways, then as the King gets closer, picking them up and dropping them even farther. Eventually he will no longer be on his own land, but on yours. When your Boulder Traps roll down upon his Guards, it will knock them flying. As they pick themselves up, use your hand to roll the boulder back in their direction, again and again. And again. When used with skill and a blood-thirsty intent, one boulder can wipe out not only King Reginald but his entire retinue. Thus you'll extinguish the last flicker of light in Harmonia. Of course, there is the more direct approach of taking your entire horde to the King's fortress for one grand battle, but that is more risky, and why be forthright when you can be conniving? Meanwhile, you still have work to do, although there is not much of a time constraint upon you. Place a Call to Arms in the King's Chamber and let your minions swarm there. There will be traps, there will be some casualties, but they will be minor compared to the much sought-after final conclusion. Now you will face the Stone Guards that are all that stand between you and the lands of light above. These are the greatest enforcers for the cause of good. They can withstand all your spells, all your warriors, all your efforts to drive past them into the world you have rightfully won. There is only one force strong enough to defeat them only one slayer who can shatter the rock that the gentle world above is depending upon. This moment calls for the great one himself, the demon Scythe-man, a pestilential devil in humanoid form, the awe-inspiring ... Horned Reaper. When Horny appears, the Stone Knights are doomed. Smashed into a thousand pieces, they'll leave the path open for you and your fledgling reign of terror. The Gem The Final Gem will appear. You are the victor, there is nothing left to hinder your progress in the conquest of all things. Congratulations, you've won.