The Nivalovites swore for a long time that they had returned to the ideals of the third part. They were so convincing that I almost believed in the death of the series - after all, the third part, by its nature, is a dead end. Despite all its advantages, it does not provide opportunities for growth. Luckily things turned out much better...
In general, the rules remained the same as those familiar to us from the previous "Heroes" (especially the third part). Heroes walk around the map and lead armies of fairy-tale creatures; when colliding with an enemy, including a neutral monster, a tactical fight occurs. All of this is step by step.
Armies are acquired in cities; to do this, you need to capture the city (if it is not yours initially) and rebuild the necessary buildings in it. There are seven resources, as has been customary since 1995: gold, wood, ore, mercury, sulfur, crystals, gems. All of them are mined in the mines (which must be captured for this), collected on the map, and the city itself produces gold and the "main" resource of the race.
All this has always been. But if you look a little deeper, the changes will appear immediately.
Tip: if you want classic "hero" gameplay without scenario frills, you should play network cards. The single player maps here are like mini-campaigns.
City and economy
In the early Heroes, building in the city was arranged according to the principle of "tree": to create, say, a green tower, you need to have a labyrinth and a swamp (plus a fair amount of gold, sulfur and ore). Now requirements in the form of “such and such buildings are needed” are encountered, but not very often.
The main parameter in construction is the so-called city level: is simply the number of buildings already built in it. Therefore, if the dwelling of some monster needs level 10, it doesn’t matter at all what kind You will erect 10 buildings. Improvements to existing buildings also count.
On a note: in the lower right corner of the right menu during construction there is a button that allows you to see those buildings that cannot be built yet (due to the level or lack of other necessary objects). Turn this mode on immediately and do not turn it off. It is completely incomprehensible why this “good service” was needed - to hide most of the building menu from the player. Otherwise, you won’t understand - the level of the city is not enough or something specific is needed.
What can be built right now is shown in green (available improvements - in blue), what lacks resources - in red, already completed buildings are drawn, as they say in heraldry, "in the proper colors."
The buildings of the races do not differ too much. Therefore, in the chapters on races, we will talk about the special buildings of each race, and here - about what is the same for all. True, the requirements may differ slightly; for example, in the Academy, in order to build a town hall, it is necessary to create a magic guild, which is quite natural, while other cities do without it.
Monster dwellings. They are called differently, but it is always clear from them who lives in them: for example, the "garden of unicorns" or "workshop of gremlins." All buildings have an improved version, some also have an "extension" attached to them, accelerating their growth.
House of Elders and its improvements determines the rate of growth of money in the city ( house- 500 gold per day, town hall - 1000, magistrate - 2000, Capitol- 4000). Upgrades require city levels 3, 9, and 15, respectively, and the capitol can only be built in one city per nation.
It is important: if you already have a capitol, then by capturing the enemy one, you will automatically destroy it.
magic guild grants heroes in the city the right to learn spells; range is random. The first level of the guild opens the first circle of enchantments, the second - the second, and so on. On the first three circles, 3 spells are given, then their number decreases. Building guilds is not as expensive as it once was: the first level requires 1 unit of each of the rare resources, the second - 2 each, the third - 3 each, the fourth - five, the fifth - 10. In the second "Heroes", I remember, already 4 units were needed for the second level.
Market allows you to exchange one resource for another; the rate, as before, depends on the number of markets (with one market, for example, 20 units of ore or wood, 10 units of a rare resource, or 5000 gold) are spent for one rare resource. Market Improvement - stock- gives 1 unit per turn of a key rare resource for the race. Another building coming from the warehouse gives random resources once a week.
On a note: the concept of a "key resource" is no longer as rigidly defined as it once was. For example, for the Dungeon, sulfur is considered to be such, but the development of the city is quite in need of crystals and gems.
Fort and his improvements fortify the city; Moreover, the next step is citadel- increases the growth of creatures by one and a half times, and lock- in 2.
Forge allows, as in the third "Heroes", to purchase combat vehicles - a first aid tent, a ballista and an ammunition cart.
It is important: one of the main advantages of owning such a cart is that the enemy AI has an irresistible passion for destroying it, and this often saves the lives of much more valuable units. Passion, by the way, is unjustified, since the battles in the fifth "Heroes" are quite fleeting and dynamic, and most shooters do not have time to run out of charges. The AI also likes to mock the first aid tent. But less.
Resources are mined, as before, in deposits or in the form of “gifts” freely scattered around the map. Fans of the old Heroes will quickly notice that on many maps, the mines and sawmills are much more heavily guarded than has been customary until now. True, the initial amount of resources at low difficulty levels is such that sometimes you can build a dragon dwelling without collecting anything at all. Unless, of course, you try to build everything.
In general, we can say that managing has become easier and at the same time more interesting. Choosing the order of actions is now far from being as banal as in previous series. Quite often, to hire "higher" monsters, you do not need anything other than the level of the city; but you have to choose the right moment. The main thing is to quickly rebuild the town hall, the magistrate and the capitol as far as possible, and not to put things off indefinitely: gold will certainly not be enough.
One of the most important questions when managing is whether it is necessary to improve the dwellings of monsters. Previously, this question was almost always answered with “Yes! Of course! As soon as possible!”, now it is not so obvious, because the improvements are very expensive and can seriously slow down development. But for the sake of convenience, we've introduced an "upgrade rating" for each monster that you'll be introduced to in the Races chapter.
How to fight
As in all NoMMs, except for the fourth part, life stops without a hero. Only the hero has the right to lead troops into battle (and also for a walk), only he explores the map and captures prizes. At the same time, at least one soldier must be with him, otherwise the hero, offended by such inattention to himself, goes on a distant pilgrimage and can later, if the chip falls like that, be hired again. And not the fact that to you.
Everything returned to the ideals of the third part, you say? Yes, not so. In battle, the hero no longer stands aloof, sometimes conjuring something.
Initiative and move order
The whole structure of the battle has changed. Now there is no such thing as "blue move" and "red move". Each fighter, including the leader here, has his own initiative, that is - its own turn. If earlier monsters with initiative 10 simply acted every turn before creatures with initiative 5, now during the time when the lazy creature makes one action, the nimble monster will have time to walk twice. As a result, the initiative becomes almost the most important characteristic.
At the same time, the concept of "move" has changed. That is, for example, most creatures can respond to an attack once per turn - this means once in the interval from one to another of their actions.
In order not to get confused in this system, a strip with the order of moves is displayed below the battlefield, and you can see the sequence of actions. Just don't treat it as the final one: it's modified by the effects fighting spirit. Due to the high spirit, the creature sometimes moves closer to the top of the list in the order of moves. During the fight, morale can grow from defeating enemies - in other words, from destroying enemy fighters. But you can count on the fact that the enemy moves will not move to the top of the list in your move; favorable changes for each side occur only when that side moves.
If the warrior whose turn it is to move has nothing to do at the moment, he can either skip move, increasing your defense (key D or center menu button), or postpone him, shifting his initiative "later" with no other positive effects. This is done with the key W, but there are no means for this in the menu, and therefore not everyone knows about this possibility.
Hero in battle
Accordingly, the hero also has his own initiative and his own move, and only then can he use his spells (and not when he wants to).
And if there is no reason to conjure him right now? Then he can make a normal attack on one of the enemy creatures. The strength of the attack depends on the level of the hero; however, it doesn't seem to deal normal damage, but instead kills some fixed number of creatures, quite a small amount. In other words, in the absence of strong arguments against it, it is more profitable to attack the “fattest” of the enemy creatures if the hero kills at least one creature from the squad with his attack. By attacking weaker opponents, he will remove significantly less hit points. In general, this attack is not strong enough to outweigh the effect of the spell; but still it is worth considering. In particular, because it reduces the role of high-level creatures.
The hero himself is still nothing but the destruction of his army, cannot be hurt. You can't direct your attacks at him.
Creature Actions
Ordinary creatures can attack in melee combat, some are also capable of shooting or casting (or both). You can also move, but after that, only melee attacks, no shooting, and no spells are allowed.
The "grid" of the battlefield is no longer hexagonal, but a regular square. And the bulk of creatures occupy one cell on it, but many (property " big creature”) occupy four at once, in a square. Thus, they often block the path, sometimes even (if there are many obstacles on the field) blocking each other.
If any spell or ability hits the area and hits at least one of the four cells of the "big creature", it will be hit. And it doesn't matter if the fireball covers, say, one or all four cells with a genie - the damage will be the same. But you can aim with such a spell at any of the cells of the creature - the effect differs in what additional cells will be covered.
Combat vehicles (ballista, catapult, first aid tent, ammo cart) cannot move, but act on their own and can be destroyed, including by spells.
The damage of most shooters depends on the distance: at a long distance it is halved, the same happens if the shooter fights in close combat. Magic depends only on the number of creatures in the squad. The mana of the spellcasting creatures is their own, not borrowed from the hero, and is restored after each battle. The shooter cannot shoot if there is an enemy next to him, but this does not prevent the magician from conjuring.
A melee attack is retaliated; he is considered after causing damage, so that if everyone died, there will be no one to answer. Only succubi can respond to shooting. If the opponent has already answered since his previous move, he usually cannot do it again; whether he answers or not will be seen when you move the attack cursor over him.
There are also special abilities of creatures that always work or (like, say, blinding by a unicorn) randomly. Other abilities are under your control. But about this - in the chapter "Race".
What can heroes do?
The role-playing system is not too different from the fourth part of the game. Namely, the hero has:
- classic basic parameters, unchanged since the first "Heroes" - attack, defense, witchcraft, knowledge;
- skills developed to one degree or another, and abilities dependent on them;
- a set of spells in the book;
- equipment;
- secondary parameters calculated from all this: luck, morale, maximum amount of mana;
- current amount of mana.
Now - in more detail.
Nothing fundamentally changed with the basic parameters. Attack and defense are added to the attack and defense of your creatures. Thus, the hero constantly affects the parameters of his entire army, regardless of his actions. Sorcery is a magical power, the number by which the damage of combat spells is multiplied, as well as the duration (in turns) of all continuous spells. Knowledge is multiplied by 10, and you get the maximum amount of mana - magical energy.
The equipment, as was customary from the third part, is distributed by position: the hero can carry one headdress, one weapon, one shield, and so on, all the "surpluses" are put into a duffel bag and do not work. It's a pity, between us, but realism requires sacrifice, and for some reason many do not refuse it.
Spells are determined by what magical guilds or individual buildings the hero has visited - and what strength of magic his skills allow him to learn. By default, only level 1-2 magic is available to the hero, everything else must be obtained through abilities.
But with skills, the system is so serious that it deserves a separate chapter.
Game description
The fifth part of the super popular and old fantasy series Might and Magic and the first game with a full 3D world.
The game received the most diverse reviews from critics and players. But, despite this, it is, in general, a worthy continuation of the series itself, which then immediately received 2 plot additions and a continuation in the form of a first-person RPG slasher Might And Magic: Dark Messiah.
Plot
The story is told separately from the rest of the Heroes of Might And Magic series and has, apparently, a separate universe under it.
The game is divided by plot into 6 Campaigns by 6 races: Order of Order, Inferno, Necropolis, League of Shadows, Forest Union and Academy of Magic. Each subsequent Campaign opens the next one (the game starts with an available Order of Order) and follows the storyline, despite the fact that it is already being conducted on behalf of a different race and a different Hero.
Campaign stories:
1) Order of Order (Queen)
The story is told about Queen Isabel. About a strong queen who cannot sit quietly on the throne while an army of demons attacks her lands. Therefore, she decides for the first time to take up a sword and command her kingdom right on the battlefield.
She will face many trials in order to learn how to command her first army and adequately defend everything that is dear to her.
2) Inferno (Demon)
The story is told about Agrail. A demon who secretly fell in love with Isabelle. Bound by the power of Inferno, he cannot help the queen in any way and, in this case, is forever doomed to be an enemy of the Order.
Agrail will have to find a way to rid himself of ties with demons and learn how to help the Order.
3) Necropolis (Necromancer)
Forgotten and banished by everyone from the Order, the necromancer Markell found out about the problem of his former masters. Taking advantage of the moment of the occasion, he, manipulating the feelings of Queen Isabelle, offers her a deal that she cannot refuse.
The queen does not suspect how subtly Markell manipulates her.
4) League of Shadows (Warlock)
In the League of Shadows, there is a tournament in which any dark elf or warlock is eligible to participate. The tournament is a duel in which the winner will become the Leader of the League. Everything would be fine, but among the applicants there appears an unfamiliar, new dark elf Railag.
From now on, Railag, like Isabelle, will have to not only prove his strength of Leadership before the League, but also manage it wisely. And Isabelle does not even suspect how well she knows him.
5) Forest Union (Ranger)
The story tells of Faidaen, who guards the borders of his forest kingdom. But soon the corruption of Markell and the curse of demons gets to his territory. Faidaen has no choice but to get involved in the beginning of a new war and help the Order.
6) Magic Academy (Mage)
The story follows the mage Zehir, whose father died in a war against the undead. Zehir, using the skills of magic and tactful mind, is going to free his ruined house first. And then help your future allies the Order of Order, the Forest Union and even the League of Shadows to resist the army of the undead and demons.
Gameplay
A lot can be said about the gameplay in any game with a genre like TBS. But something like Heroes Might and Magic V can be talked about forever. Especially when compared to other parts.
On this, in general terms, we can say the following:
As expected TBS game is not played in real time. Everywhere and everywhere the gameplay process is divided by moves, for each of which you need to carefully consider all your plans for the front and their options.
The game has an extremely highly developed RPG system for leveling a character, city, military, magic, and even the location itself, in which the game takes place.
Each of the races has its own unique RPG elements, despite the fact that all races can learn the same magic and have a common military hierarchy.
Every race on every map has at least one City. In the City, you can create and develop your army. If the City falls under the onslaught of a hostile race, then in most cases this marks the defeat of the defeated race.
You can extract resources in mines, ores, and other sources that are always guarded by a group of monsters.
The hero controls the entire army and the city, which the player himself controls. The hero also learns magic, arranges battles, keeps an army with him, etc.
The Heroes themselves cannot fight each other, just as their own troops cannot harm the Heroes. Therefore, in battle, they have the unpunished right to attack the enemy army and strengthen their own. But as soon as the last unit of the Hero falls he himself will fall. In many cases of the Campaign, this also marks the end of the game.
The races themselves in Heroes Might and Magic V and the battles between them are best compared to chess: they all have their own “bishops, queens, pawns, rooks”, etc. but the colors are different for everyone and, therefore, the battle strategy for each race and each "figure" has its own.
Races:
Order of Order
They lean on defense and healing. Their peasants can bring income to the City, Angels and Priests heal, buff and resurrect.
Inferno
Demons specialize in debuffs, attack, and creating portals from which they can summon more of their minions. Their Imps can drain the enemy Hero's mana, while Cerberus and Succubus can attack multiple targets at the same time.
Necropolis
Necromancers hit with numbers and "debuff" magic. Able to revive the dead enemy army or mercenaries in the form of undead and transfer to their side.
League of Shadows
Among the players, it is considered the strongest race, as they are completely focused on attack and attack magic. In addition, they can find the weaknesses of the enemy (for example, weakness in front of some element) and enhance their attacking properties.
Forest Union
Light Elves also specialize in attack, but no longer in magic and in finding weaknesses, but in keeping a distance. Among all races, it is the best "long-range race" and the fastest in moves, due to the increased strength of initiative and luck.
Academy of Magic
Sorcerers, Magicians, Miracle Workers, Wizards, etc. devoted themselves entirely to magic at the expense of protection. They can craft items that give various reinforcements to the troops. Accordingly, they have the highest magical attack and can learn the strongest spells.
In the battles themselves, only Heroes are upgraded (and receive the corresponding skills). The military can only be strengthened in its own Cities.
Speaking of the military, the battle strategy takes a bet not only on quality, but also on quantity. During the battles, on each “figure”, not the health of the unit is displayed, but the amount of which you have obtained the corresponding type. Each unit has its own health, but when there are many of these units, the strength of all their abilities and attacks increases. Therefore, it also happens that a thousand half-dead peasants can kill one super-strong Archdemon unit, as they attack all at once. Therefore, when you attack enemy units, you not only take away health, but also simply kill them, thereby thinning the army and reducing their number.
Outcome
Many people criticize the game recalling the former Heroes Might And Magic III or Heroes Might And Magic IV. Others, on the contrary, praise for the progress and bold revolutions in graphics and gameplay.
But one thing is for sure. It's still the same Heroes Might And Magic. One of the best and oldest TBS series to ever come out, thanks to its extremely advanced strategy and RPG system.
Perhaps you may not like it, or perhaps you will consider it the best. But the main thing remains one thing it is. And if you love TBS, then it will definitely be in your collection of completed games.
Heroes of Might and Magic V: Hammers of Fate
The first expansion for Heroes of Might and Magic V, bringing a lot of interesting things to the game.
The most important component of the addon is the new formation "Northern Clans", which adds a new race of gnomes to the game, with unique creatures and a system of rune magic. The plot of the game continues from the end of the original game: the war with the demons is about to end, but the time of peace has not come - Isabelle, upon returning from the kingdom of Shio, is not the same as before, the lords of the empire resent her power, all this leads to a civil war, in which the dwarves who have remained on the sidelines so far have entered. The player will participate in this war over three campaigns with 5 missions each.
Also with the addition were introduced:
- random map generator
- pseudo-simultaneous moves mode
- new neutral monsters
- new objects on the map and artifacts
- new cards
- reinforcement caravans
- new semi-faction - Renegades
Publisher in Russia: Nival Interactive / "1C"
Introduction
So the second and last add-on for the fantasy turn-based strategy "Heroes of Might and Magic V" has been released. This series was first developed by the Russian company Nival Interactive, and the success of the experiment by Ubisoft (the copyright holder of the Might and Magic and Heroes of Might and Magic brands) is evidenced by the fact that the sixth part of the game is already being created within the walls of the Russian developer, who returned "Heroes of Might and Magic" to its former glory.In this article I will describe my notes on the passage of the missions Heroes of Might and Magic V - Tribes of The East (in Russia the game is released under the name "Lords of the Horde"). I have the original English version of the game (the disc was sent by Ubisoft Corporation), but I hope that this will not create any problems during the description process...
Important note: all description is tied to the passage on the Normal difficulty level
Game version: 3.0
Rage of the Tribes introductory campaign
Mission 1. "A Murder of Crows"
The main task is to take the city of Voron Peak and free all the captured orcs (appears later). So, the war with the demon-possessed double of Queen Isabelle (aka Biara) continues. This time, the orcs suffered, from whom their relatives were driven into slavery. At the beginning of the mission, we are shown a video in which the shaman Kujin spoke about the signs she saw in a vision when communicating with the spirits of her ancestors.
The impatient leader Quroq says that those who want to continue to wait for signs and visions can stay in the camp, and he goes to the rescue of his fellow tribesmen. You have at your disposal a hero named Quroq, a level 5 barbarian. Immediately striking is the new building on the map, which allows you to hire orc Warriors units.
Having studied the interface, you will also note the modification of Spellbook "a - for barbarians, this book looks like this:
So, from the very first steps you are introduced to the most important characteristic of the barbarian race - Rage (military spirit). When attacking an enemy, barbarians receive the so-called. Rage points - rage points that accumulate and, upon reaching a certain level, give bonuses to the squad that has accumulated them. For example, the Warrior unit has a 5 HP increase and a 1 Speed increase.
For centaurs, when they accumulate the required number of rage points, their attack increases by 6 units. In general, the characteristic of Rage is worked out quite deeply. There are several levels of rage, reaching each of them brings its own bonuses, but in order for your creature to benefit from moving to the second level of rage, the hero must "pump" a special skill. In addition, changes are made to the tactics of combat. For the fact that the squad uses the actions "wait" and "defense" - part of the rage points is removed from it. Rage is affected by various skills acquired by the hero. For example, the Memory of our Blood skill - before the start of the battle, bestows a certain amount of rage points on barbarian units.
The design and buildings of the city of barbarians, although noticeably different from ordinary cities, are still not revolutionary. Fans will notice the differences for themselves, and novice fans will easily figure out the new features without too much trouble.
Let's get back to the mission. In principle, it is not difficult. You can safely explore the entire right half of the map and "pump" your hero. As the story progresses, buildings will appear in the lower right corner, allowing you to hire units of the barbarian race. The castle you need to capture is in the upper left corner. One or two "red" heroes can periodically crawl out of the castle, which, however, does not cause any special problems. After capturing the castle, it collapses and your mission is over.
Separately, I cannot but say thanks for the very extraordinary implementation of the "goblin" unit by the barbarians. This is something! When an enemy hits, he cowardly runs away from him, and if your Cyclops is running out of health and the unit is about to die, then there is no problem - you can devour your own goblin right on the battlefield, and your health will noticeably improve. Moreover, the cyclops can throw goblins at enemies (if a detachment of these unfortunate creatures is prudently placed by you next to the cyclops). To top it all off, your goblin squad might get scared and go over to fight on the side of the enemy. These are such funny creatures, these goblins ...
The Will of Asha Campaign
Mission 1. "Last Soul Standing"
Mission for a knight named Ornella, who wants to become a necromancer. Tasks: take the city of Iluma-Nadin in three months, which will require finding two halves of the key (guarded by dragons) and fusing them in the forge (which will require a certain amount of ore). The secondary task is to find out from the witch information regarding new units (alternative creature upgrades that appeared in Heroes of Might and Magic V - Tribes of The East). Yes, now you will have the opportunity to choose one of two options for upgrading creatures - carefully study their characteristics and choose those who will more harmoniously fit into your battle tactics.
In this mission, we are introduced to the innovation of the Necromancers - Dark Energy. Under the resource panel, a strip with "dark energy" is displayed, the amount of which depends on the level and corresponding skills of the hero, the number of necromancer heroes, the presence of special buildings in cities, etc. After the battle, you may be offered to replenish your army with creatures in exchange for Dark Energy points.
Once a week, the number of dark energy points is replenished.
As for the mission itself, we can say the following - the hero is allowed to "pump" up to level 12, only at the end of the mission Ornella will become a necromancer instead of a knight, starting from level 1 (and further moving up depending on the experience gained in the final battle). The map is simple, there is enough time, first capture one, then the second castle of the Necropolis, then build up muscles and get both halves of the key, forge them and after that the one-way portal in the center of the map will become operational. Jump into it and calmly conquer Iluma-Nadin...
Mission 2. "The Grim Crusade"
You have to find out the reasons for the union of some magicians with demons. There are many tasks on the map - several primary and secondary, and they are added dynamically, according to the plot. Initially, you have three opponents - orange, yellow and red. The map is not very difficult - capture and quickly develop the castles of the necropolis in time, while "getting" a couple of additional heroes.
In the mission, you will see such an innovation as a thematic set of artifacts from a common "suit".
The mission is quite long, especially if you decide to develop quietly. On the map, as you can see, there is also an underground area, but it is, in general, auxiliary. In the first dungeon, call for vampires to fight, otherwise in the cities of the necroolis, according to the story, it will not be possible to erect buildings to hire them. The second dungeon hides an enemy demon hero with the key to the third underground area, leading to the last lock, which you take to complete the mission.
Mission 3. "The Bull's Wake"
The task for Ornella is to meet with the main character of the campaign, the necromancer Arantir. There will also be side quests - to gather the undead under the banner, to capture the castle. After meeting with Arantir, the final task appears - to capture the castle in which the knight Orlando is hiding.
The map is simple, there is no underground part. The only thing I remember is that you can be a little pestered by the knights of the red player - but after meeting with Aranthir you will quickly capture two castles of the Haven faction and the raids will stop. There is nothing to advise, just quickly develop (plus call a couple of heroes from the tavern to help Ornella). The levels of Ornella and Arantir are limited - you can only develop up to level 20.
Mission 4. "Beasts and Bones"
A map of two areas - the main, above-ground, and "auxiliary", underground (in the underground, there are mainly only corridors to the right places and a couple of key objects). Opponents - Blue (barbarians), Yellow (barbarians) and Red (demons) players. It is impossible to take the yellow castle in the southeast in the normal time aspect (four or five hundred cyclops alone will quickly cool your ardor), but I caught the yellow hero and "slammed" so that he would not annoy me. But first, you will quickly destroy the "red" faction (first destroy the city of the Inferno faction in the east, then the portal to Sheog in the dungeon). There are almost a dozen primary and secondary tasks in total, but they are all completed without any problems. The mission will end after the capture of the "blue" city in the northwest (a cutscene will open - a dialogue with the shaman of the orc tribe). Before this final, pump the main characters to the maximum - Ornella and Arantira ...
Mission 5. "Heart of Darkness"
The main task is to capture the city of Flammschrein and destroy the werewolf demon Orlando. There are two opponents on the map - Blue (Haven faction) and Red (demons). There are a lot of portals on the map, when you open the whole territory - feel free to choose long transitions by indicating the end point - and the pathfinding implemented in the game will find the shortest route (guiding you through portals). There are also a lot of different objects (directly a hotbed of miracles), often guarded by strong detachments of neutral creatures.
The main (and only) city of the necropolis will be supplied with caravans with reinforcements (unimproved creatures of the necropolis, several of each creature, including one bone dragon). This will be a good help in capturing the four cities of the Haven faction. Naturally, you should also use Dark Energy points tactically, replenishing the armies of Ornella and Arantir with the necessary undead units (without exchanging for small things like zombies). Near the four captured cities of the Order of the Order, you will see altars with pentagrams - at the end of the mission you will have to drive all your necromancer heroes into them (including Ornella, but not Aranthir!) - and perform the ritual of opening a magical barrier that closes the entrance to the road to Flammschrein. Before placing the last necromancer hero on the fourth pentagram - make sure you surrender all the heroes' troops to the castle or Arantira - otherwise all creatures will die along with the necromancer heroes. Yes, at the cost of the death of four heroes, you open the road to Flammschrein, where Arantir goes with his army (personally, I was not too lazy to run around all the cities of Haven and collect every single creature growth).
The final battle is not too difficult, but going through it the first time is not so easy either - the enemy hero constantly replenishes his mana by picking up the souls of killed units, and the troops of hell call for help, increasing their numbers (plus the enemy hero often creates phantoms) . I won like this: firstly, I immediately killed the enemy ballista (she has four shots, and with fire arrows!); secondly, he took control of a detachment of enemy devils and made them rustle in the defensive formations of the enemy; thirdly, he destroyed the created phantoms and nearby creatures with "carpet bombardments" - fireballs or meteor showers (a phantom squad can repel a simple blow - due to the fact that it is incorporeal).
At the end of the mission, we watch a video about the release from the captivity of the soul of Queen Isabelle.
Very important: pump Arantir properly - he will face the final battle in the last mission of the game!
To Honor our Fathers Campaign
Mission 1. "Collecting Skulls"
The beginning of the campaign for the orcs (very strong associations with the monogolo-tatars!). You are a young leader of Gotai, whom the dying Quroq (remember, the first mission-tutorial?) asked to avenge him on the sectarians from the Order of Order. The task for the mission is to collect 1000 enemy skulls. You roam the map, killing detachments of neutral creatures and replenish your deadly piggy bank. Burn villages (an object that gives an increase in peasants) - they give a lot of heads for them and initially give preference to peasant units - they are weak, and at the same time numerous. Your competitor is not too fast, but also not asleep. At the end of the "harvest" - return to Kujin (green hero). In principle, the mission is very easy, and personally I didn’t even need the trick of bribing goblins to steal the missing heads from a competitor (secondary task for the mission).
Mission 2. "One Khan"
In this mission, you play as the Yellow Hero - Kujin - a female shaman who helps the young leader Gotai unite the barbarian orc tribes. In addition to you, initially there are four more factions on the map - Orange, Brown, Green, Blue. First you go to the orange city, and after the dialogue - the orange faction turns yellow, passing under your control.
Further, as soon as you accumulate a little strength, immediately "punch" your way through the garrisons to the brown hero's castle, otherwise, if you start to sit out, the Blue Hero with an impressive army, which will be difficult to defeat, accumulating resources in only one city.
After joining the brown player - you have to swim to the island in the northeast corner of the map - to the Green hero. This is where the surprise will come - three purple heroes will appear on the map - two from the dark elves faction, and one - an ordinary elf. The army of all three is not bad, so gather all the troops in advance from one of the strongest heroes and let's fight back unexpected guests.
After joining the green castle - you should sail to the last, blue barbarians. To do this, bring the hero on the northeastern island to this place:
And use the "summon ship" spell (you can get it by buying a talisman in any barbarian city, click on the talisman icon in the leftmost menu in the city interface). Arriving on the island, you fight the army of the militant vassal of the Blues and then speak with the leader himself, completing the mission.
The mission is long enough, you can’t go through it with a swoop, get ready to systematically build up and realize your advantage. Do not ignore the development of ballista and help tent control skills - they were very useful to me, especially in the fight against units of neutral creatures.
Mission 3. "Father Sky's Fury"
In this mission, you will terrify the peasant settlements and cities of the Order of the Order (both blue and red). Opponents are at war among themselves, and you need to destroy five cities, after which the mission ends. There is a small dungeon on the map where you can fight with neutrals and collect treasures and artifacts.
If you wish, you can use catapults near cities - one shot at a city costs 15 units of ore. Three shots - and the city is not on the map, it turns into ruins along with the garrison guarding it. The main trouble is delivered by enemy heroes - they snoop around here and there, so pumped logistics will not hurt your barbarian commanders at all.
In general, the mission is not so difficult, but quite long (especially if you decide to climb the dungeon). Think carefully and weigh all your moves at the very beginning of the mission, build troops on time, hire several heroes, quickly build a ship (or run to the teleport in the upper left corner of the map) - otherwise the catapult will destroy the building you need so much, allowing you to hire troops of the orc faction. You will only have one home castle, so the sooner you destroy the enemy ones, the less problems you will have when completing the mission...
Mission 4. "Mother Earth's Wisdom"
The most enjoyable mission in the orc campaign. The head about the construction of castles does not hurt, and the strategic element gives way to role-playing. You'll explore the map, recruit neutral troops from your "barbarian" faction, listen to oracle rants, collect keys, and traverse the map fighting neutral units. Various side quests will appear, they carry exclusively adventure content, since your main task is to run to the northwestern corner of the map, where a red demonic hero is waiting for you (very weak against the background of your orc army painstakingly assembled and improved in the fort). Don't miss - if you forget to press the Complete Quest button in the oracle's hut dialog and run to another segment of the map, the quest will fail. Summing up - an easy and pleasant card, a real vacation!
Mission 5. "Hunting the Hunter"
The end of the orc campaign is not a simple final battle, it's a big map with a lot of castles, with three opponents: factions - Red, Orange and Blue. What can be recommended here? Carefully calibrate your every move, quickly conquer the second barbarian city in the north, do not let the orange player turn around. It is critically important to upgrade several heroes at once and give them powerful armies (due to the large distances, the tactic "the whole army - with one hero" here at the beginning and middle of the game will not work). Gotai is very strong, and is able to "break" any opponent with an equivalent army, use it as a battering ram exploring the map.
Of the tips, I will also indicate the mandatory choice of money in chests, because without this you will not be able to develop and recruit an army in time (the missing experience will come by itself, because there are enough neutrals and enemy heroes on the map).
Ignore the necromancers - they are your allies (although they attacked me for some reason, but this is probably due to the fact that I climbed into their territory). Necromancers will sooner or later be destroyed by the "orange", and then you will have to pay a visit and capture the Necropolis.
There are two major battles - one for the city of magicians in the southeast, and the second - the decisive battle with Alaric, a cleric of Biara (in the guise of Isabelle). In general, fight, the mission is long, distribute forces and calculate the strategy in advance. Personally, I got tired after several hours of playing and did not open the whole map, taking the key city and meeting Alaric who ran out from the northern part of the map face to face (see screenshot)...
Flying to the Rescue Campaign
Mission 1. "Dark Ways and Deeds"
The beginning of this campaign, which consists of four missions, is quite extraordinary: first, you are given a level 25 hero, who then, after landing from heaven (!) right on the ground of the Academy city, descends in development to level 9.
The map has two parts - a small upper one (a corner with an island and your city) and a large underground one. The main task on the map is to destroy the purple enemy. On the map, the move also goes to the brown player, but I never saw any active actions on his part. Again you have to run, so upgrade the logistics of the heroes. The portal system at the beginning of the game will give the enemy an advantage - his heroes will jump back and forth, and you will be puzzled where they came from until you open the entire map. So actively develop the captured castles of the dark elves, using the market near the city of the Academy to recruit the necessary resources.
From time to time, indulge in replenishing Zehir's army with the help of a weekly call of golems from the Silver Cities - sometimes this action (albeit at the cost of 1500 experience points) will help you in "breaking through" the road to the castles of enemies. Naturally, upgrade Zehir's ability to summon fire elemental shooters in time. Then in any battle with the help of their call, and then the "create phantom" spell chosen at the start of the map (you made this choice, right?), you will greatly facilitate your further battle.
The mission forces you to think over your steps, and the lack of information due to an unopened map will be compensated by you "rollback" using autosaves (be sure to enable this game option) and a change in action planning.
Personally, I did not even have time to open the entire map to the end - the purple player, left without the last city, attacked my city, guarded by an impressive garrison, and died ingloriously.
Mission 2. "Tearing the Veil"
The mission begins with an attack by a mad red knight. Considering Zehir's ability to summon elementals, the battle should not be difficult. The first half of the mission is to search for Asha's tear (in the English version of the game - "Asha"), for which you will have to swim in the dungeon. The red player will not bother you, so calmly carry out searches, fully develop your city. It would be useful to periodically replenish your army with genies sent from the Silver Cities (then, in battle, "xxer" their squad with a phantom spell, and here's a weighty argument for you in the battle). Then, when the "tear" is found, you have to go through a purification ritual, which involves three priests invited by you and yourself. Before going to the ritual, you have to prepare properly - recruit an impressive army (in several weekly increments), because an impressive army of demons will jump out at the ritual site - three dozen archdevils, a hundred succubus, etc. At the same time, you will not be able to leave the place of the ritual - you will have to fight with what you have.
After the victory, the second half of the mission begins - Frieda and Duncan meet with Zehir, and he leaves for the dwarves, leaving you with these two heroes (each has a frail, assorted army of order order creatures). Go to the north of the map, take troops from the adjoining garrison, destroy the blue hero, and settle in your city. Accumulate a little strength (with the help of one of the heroes and troops gathered in the garrison - go "carry out" the upper city of the devils, and the second hero at this time will collect the second half of the army - from the castle and from nearby recruitment buildings). Destroy the red heroes and castles - and now, the mission has been successfully completed. Very important: carry out all actions by Frieda (let Duncan "rest" in the castle), pump her to the maximum and give her all the artifacts - this will help you in the final mission of the game!
Mission 3. "Summoning The Dragon"
The map is divided into underground and overground. At first, you develop underground - it is critical to quickly capture the second city of the dwarves in the northwest. Your main enemy - the yellow faction - periodically annoys you with their raids from portals, and one of the enemy heroes can disappear (teleport), which will slightly piss you off. Yellow cities - located in the dungeon, the entrance to which was guarded in my case (at the time when I got to them) - 247 improved thanes. I did not want to contact them, because I felt sorry for the accumulated army for the final battle. Therefore, he simply ran as one hero (Wulfsten) with an impressive army (regularly replenished with two weekly gains) through the dungeon and shuged the "yellows", taking back his mines. By the way, according to the scenario - Wulfsten cannot go up, so Zehir will explore the upper part of the map. He will also fight for the entrance to the portal to the Temple of Arcat - Rolf, a mad and power-hungry dwarf, will block your way (he will be strong enough - the army is led by 20 lava dragons and 50 improved thanes, etc., so be careful).
Don't be greedy, summon the academy's flying city for 20,000 experience points. Having recruited an army there, and given useful mini-artifacts to the key units of creatures in your army (primarily those that increase initiative), you will calmly run across the map, replenishing the treasury and the treasury of experience (plus you will gain artifacts).
After the final battle, you will enter a portal and a cutscene will begin, summoning the dwarven deity, who will appoint Wulfsten as the new king. Very important: upgrade Wolfsten to the maximum, give him some useful artifacts - this is necessary for a smooth passage of the final mission of the game!
Mission 4. "A Flamboyant Exit"
The map is also divided into underground and overground. First, you run Zehir through the overground, you have to capture a couple of dwarf treasures in order to bleed Biara's reserves. Do not ignore the possibility of weekly replenishment of the army with four titans (for this, keep an eye on the stock of experience points and gems at the end of the week). Hire a couple of heroes in the tavern - they will be useful to you for various "running around" (exchanging resources in the Trading Post, for example). Grab a couple of keys (red and blue) and go down to the dungeon, guarded by an army of demons in the east (you will not be allowed into the northern entrance to the dungeon according to the story). Capture both mines and a scene will begin, at the end of which Wulfsten will attack the city of Inferno, defended by the demon Jezebeth of the 27th level (and even "pumped" with artifacts).
The battle seems difficult at first glance, but the runic magic of the dwarves turns everything into a cakewalk. Carefully calculate your moves and tactics, send strong squads of units into the thick of the enemy and use the attack rune of all nearby enemies without their retaliatory attacks. When more than half of the creatures (about two-thirds) in your squad have already died, use the rune to restore 40% of the fallen creatures. Well, do not forget that each of the above runes can be used twice, but for a triple cost of resources. In addition, an important contribution to the victory will be the use by Wolfsten at the very end of the battle of Vengeance spells (destruction of a certain number of creatures in the enemy unit, depending on how many of your units were killed by this enemy unit during the entire battle). Spend mana only on Vengeance, and only at the end of the fight! Having killed one and a half hundred succubi or two dozen archdevils with this spell in one fell swoop, you will appreciate all its charm...
Then you will run around the map, clearing the area around the key city - Talongard and causing scenes of attacks on Inferno cities by heroes - the knight Frida, the female shaman Kujin, and also the right hand of Railag - Elijah. The fights are about the same as in the case of Wolfsten. Here you will understand how important it was to pump Wolfsten, Frieda, Kugin and Elijah in time. Since the characters retain the main artifacts in the campaign, you will also understand how important it was to supply these heroes with them. In addition, the fights will be a headache for Arantir and, of course, Zehir - carefully "rock" them too. Unfortunately, various forums are filled with indignant messages from players who missed the opportunity to "pump" and provide artifacts to one of the above heroes. For some players, completing these battles even at the Easy level becomes an impossible task.
I must say that I also had such problems - one of the battles was replayed twenty times (a dozen times on Normal and a dozen times on Easy). I did not get ANY positive emotions from the passage of this card. The game should be fun and enjoyable for all and sundry, and not be a tool to hone the skills of game veterans fighting online. For beginners - to face a disastrously difficult battle due to the fact that, it turns out, in the last mission, this particular hero will be weak and will not be able to resist his opponent (demonic hero) - terribly unpleasant. And Nival also claims that programmers are taught to create AI with the only task - "beautifully surrender to the player." Alas, there is a flaw with the balance: many inexperienced players had problems (most of them re-played the campaign, or even the entire add-on - this time specially "pumping" heroes for battles on the final map). Such an arrangement is, of course, depressing. I hope that this information will help you plan your actions in advance and avoid unnecessary "bumps" while enjoying the game...
conclusions
There are enough innovations in the add-on - one race of barbarians and alternative upgrades of all creatures are worth something, but there are also thematic sets of artifacts, "forgetting" skills in a shop on a magic carpet... For this - we put a definite plus sign. We also put a plus for a lot of non-standard mini-inclusions and turns of events (one flying city of Zehir is worth something), which makes the game not as boring as it could be.Among the minuses: I personally felt sick in the campaign for necromancers - I hate this race. When, finally, will the time come for thematic and independent campaigns, clearly divided into light and dark forces?
I also advise you to read the description of the last mission of the add-on - and you will not step on a rake that has filled a lot of cones. And first of all, the developers who planned and balanced the last campaign are responsible for this rake. I'm sure the patches will correct the balance by taking care of those players who "missed" the development of one of the heroes participating in the epic battles in the final.
All in all, I can't say that I enjoyed Lords of the Horde as a whole. I really liked many moments, many missions, but the last map spoiled the whole impression of the add-on (in the third mission I pumped Duncan, not Godric's daughter, but in the final one of the battles it was Frida who fought, who was not strong enough for me ). I hope that the patches and information that I provided in the article will save enough fans of "Heroes of Might and Magic" from disappointment, allowing them to finish the game on a positive note!
Ratings
Graphic arts: 75%
Sound: 80%
Game process: 75%
General impression: 77%
Heroes of Might and Magic 5, also known as Heroes of Might and Magic V, is a turn-based strategy game released in 2006.
Heroes of Might and Magic 5, being already the fifth part of the famous series, has not deviated from the principles that brought fame and recognition to the project. The gameplay is practically the same as the third part, but the action takes place in a fully three-dimensional world. The authors borrowed several ideas from the fourth part, this concerns the system of skills and abilities, in the first place.
As for the differences between Heroes of Might and Magic 5 and its predecessors, there are quite a few of them, even without taking into account the three-dimensional graphics. So, in multiplayer, the "Quick game" option appeared, thanks to which you can significantly speed up the gameplay due to the limit on the number of moves. New modes "Duel" and "Duel 3x3" have appeared, where in the first one we are invited to choose one of almost three dozen available heroes (three for each faction) and each of them has a unique ability, its own army and artifacts. The second is different in that we choose three heroes at once, and not one.
Heroes of Might and Magic 5 continues the glorious tradition of its predecessors, retaining all the best that was in the series, and at the same time pleased with the appearance of three-dimensional graphics, so fans of the series should not be disappointed.
In 2006, the next part of the famous turn-based strategy HOMM V was released by the joint efforts of Nival Interactive and Ubisoft. Now all fans of the heroes can carry out their exploits in a completely new universe, which was performed in three-dimensional graphics.
Now you can view the traces left by the enemies, which can change, increase or decrease, depending on the size of the hero's army. The multiplayer has also been slightly changed, the developers have added a quick game function to it, where it became possible to set a limited number of moves to speed up the gameplay.
Cities
In Heroes of Might and Magic V, there are 6 types of cities, which are essentially the only place to hire troops and heroes. In each type of castle, only certain creatures can be recruited. For example, Haven is inhabited by brave warriors and priests who have been fighting the filth and the undead for a long time. In this type of castle, you can hire peasants who are quite mature by the fifth. But in a castle like Inferno, demons, devils and other evil spirits live. In the Dungeon, you can hire dark elves, and in the underground level, basically all the heroes are women, because of the matriarchy that reigns in this race. An Academy-type castle is inhabited by wizards and mages of varying powers. And in Necropolis it serves as a habitat for necromancer sorcerers. There is also a special kind of castle, the inhabitants of which are rarely found on the battlefield: druids, elves-archers and dendroids.
Just like in the previous parts, in the game Heroes of Might and Magic 5 in the cities you need to build different buildings, and for this you need to have enough resources. There is also a restriction on the construction of buildings - no more than 1 daily. All buildings can be improved, thereby increasing the level of the hero. Some buildings can only be built after others have been built, for example, in order to build a vampire mansion in the Necropolis, you must first build a tavern.
Some types of buildings are common to all factions, and some are available only to certain creatures. Consider the common buildings for each type of city:
Dwellings of creatures - monsters are hired here, the building is subject to modifications in order to hire higher-level creatures in the future.
- House of Elders - daily replenishes the treasury by 5000 gold coins and can be upgraded first to the town hall, then to the magistrate, and - to the capitol.
- Shipyard - in HOMM V this is a place where you can do shipbuilding.
- Forge - here you can buy diverse combat vehicles.
- Castle - the main function of this building is to strengthen the city walls.
- Market - here you can exchange resources and sell artifacts.
- Citadel - this building is also aimed at strengthening the city, because after construction a tower and a moat appear, and also accelerates the growth of all creatures living in the territory.
- Warehouse - daily replenishes the hero's property with one valuable resource, with which you can hire or improve level 7 monsters in the city.
- Fort - adds fortification in the form of walls to the city, can be upgraded to a citadel.
- Tavern - here you can find out information about other users and hire creatures. This place also affects the morale of the army defending the city.
- Guild of Mages - in this building you can learn magic spells.
As in the previous series of the game, the special role of the Grail has not changed in Heroes of Might and Magic V, which can be built only after the hero has a rare artifact called the Tear of Asha (formerly the Grail) at the disposal of the hero. After the construction of this amazing building, the hero will receive many bonuses that increase not only his characteristics, but also for the city in which the Grail is located, namely: creatures will respawn 4 times faster, and the treasury income will increase to 5000 gold coins every day.
Characters
Unlike previous releases, heroes have the opportunity during their turn not only to use spells against their opponents, but also to attack them.
Even if the entire hero's army is destroyed, his death is simply impossible. So it is provided by developers initially. You need to wait a certain amount of time, and then go to one of the city taverns to find your hero. It is worth noting that the character may be deprived of a number of improvements.
After the release of HOMM V, not two classes of heroes can live in each type of castle, but only one. Knights live in the Order of Order castle, barbarians live in the Great Horde, and magicians live in the Academy of Magic. The castle of the Northern Clans serves as a habitat for the rune priests, and the Forest Union - for the rangers. If you need warlocks, then you should go to Necropolis for them, and for demon lords - to Inferno.
The changes also affected the development system of the hero. Each character is endowed with four main parameters: 2 power and 2 magic. They can be developed as you progress through the levels. At the same time, a hero can have no more than 6 skills out of 12. It is worth noting that this number of skills must necessarily include one that belongs to racial features. All skills can be developed, there are 3 development levels in total.
The development of skills leads to the opening of access to the study of several special abilities. Leveling one skill opens up access to three new skills, which are divided into common ones for all creatures, regardless of class affiliation. There are unique skills in the game that each faction has. After pumping a racial skill to the maximum, access to the study of superpowers opens.
Magic
In Heroes of Might and Magic 5, you still need to spend a certain amount of energy (mana) in order to use spells. All magical abilities are divided into 5 levels. In each city of the hero there should be a building of the Magic Guild, which is also divided into 5 levels. Each character who visits a city with such a magical structure can enter it and learn all the spells available to him. The fact is that it is simply impossible to learn all spells at once, more complex ones become available only after studying simple ones.
There are 4 magic schools in Heroes of Might and Magic V:
1. Summoning Magic - having studied the spells of this school of magic, it becomes possible to summon creatures on the battlefield.
2. Magic of Light - this magical school trains heroes with spells that give a bonus to their combat units in the form of increasing the characteristics of warriors. For example, using the "Holy Word" spell, you can inflict damage on all evil spirits on the battlefield in one fell swoop. And with the help of "Regeneration" you can restore the health level of the squad or resurrect the selected creatures. Also in this magical school they teach such a spell as "Teleport", with which all allies can be moved in a few seconds to an empty part of the battlefield.
3. Magic of Darkness - students of this school gain access to curse spells used to weaken enemies. The higher the level of a disciple of Dark Magic, the more likely he is to learn how to control the minds of opponents. With the help of "Vampirism" spells, you can turn an army or one unit into undead in order to replenish the level of health and be able to resurrect dead allies.
4. Chaos Magic - in this magical school, spells are taught that cause damage to one of the 4 elements: Fire, Water, Air and Earth.
Factions
In the game Heroes of Might and Magic 5, there are 6 factions that inhabit the universe of Ashan: the Order of Order, the Academy of Magic, the Forest Union, Inferno, Necropolis and the League of Shadows. There are also neutral creatures that do not belong to any of the above factions. There is one moment that unites all game factions - this cult of one of the dragons, which was directly involved in the creation of the world of Ashan. Each faction has its own:
Necromancers worship Asha;
- The Empire of the Griffin - to the dragon Elrath;
- Dark elves revere Malassa;
- Free cities of the East - Ilatu;
- Forest elf worship Sylanna;
- Dwarves revere - Arcata;
- Nagi - Shalasse;
- Representatives of Inferno worship Urgash;
- Mages from the Academy of Magic bow their heads before the dragon Sar-Eelam.
The plot of Heroes of Might and Magic V does not intersect in any way with the stories of the previous parts. He tells the players about the events of a century ago, in which there was a confrontation between Urgash and Asha. Both dragons were so exhausted that they began to look for allies. Askha fought with the Moon, and Urgash with her demons with Shio. From this place, demonic beings could only escape when there was a total lunar eclipse. However, Askha and his allies created a unique artifact - the Heart of the Griffin, which instantly destroyed the demons trying to break free. The story of HOMM V begins 20 years after the last battle with the demons took place. King Nicholas wants to marry Isabelle, but there is a lunar eclipse on the day of their marriage. The wedding is invaded by demons that have escaped from Shio's prison. Their attack was repulsed, but the king of the Griffin Empire began large-scale preparations for war...
List of campaigns in the game Heroes of Might and Magic 5: "Queen", "Demon", "Necromancer", "Warlock", "Ranger", "Mage". New stories, consisting of 5 scenarios each, new heroes and adventures await the players.
Graphic arts
As mentioned earlier, the game Heroes of Might and Magic V has moved to a new level - in 3D. Now you can watch your favorite characters in three dimensions at once, but it takes some getting used to. Cards deserve special praise, which can be called a masterpiece of design art. Everything is clear and worked out to the smallest detail. Lots of beautiful locations from which you just don't want to leave.
It is worth noting that a new parameter has been added to the Heroes of Might and Magic 5 cards: "initiative". With it, you can calculate how often combat units will attack enemies. The lower the initiative, the more clumsy the soldier is, who makes almost no effort to defeat the enemy, and vice versa. Also, by activating the "quick battle" mode, you can replay the battle.
The developers also worked on the interface, adding a lot of buttons and tabs, which are quite difficult to figure out quickly. It is because of the lack of intuitive control that there are many difficulties at the beginning of the game. In addition, artificial intelligence has not moved to a new level, but everything also works with great interruptions and inconstancy.
Another novelty is the "ghost mode". Each hero has at his disposal a spirit that can inflict damage on opponents and on their resource deposits. The mana pool of a ghost is directly dependent on the duration of the opponent's previous turn. The spirit spends energy on movement and on its pumping. Each ghost is endowed with 6 skills that can be pumped. However, it is worth noting that the spirit works intermittently and it is a little unclear to what level it is necessary to increase its skills in order to gain 100% confidence in its evil eye or monster control.
The obvious pluses that HOMM V brought to the game include a new online mode - a duel. Now two level 15 heroes, along with their huge armies, can face each other until the one whose tactics turn out to be the best wins.
At the end of the review, we can summarize that the project turned out to be uneven and cannot receive an unambiguous assessment. A lot of innovations that essentially do not change anything, only complicate the life of the players who, in spite of everything, continue to be fans of the series.
5 is a strategy game that gamers have loved for a long time. The whole essence of the game is as follows: the player has a certain hero (or heroes) who can develop their own magical skills, abilities and, of course, their army. The game features several races: barbarians, humans, undead, demons, magical and underground creatures, gnomes. In a single player game, the player can choose any side and fight for it to the bitter end.
The campaign in the game Heroes of Might and Magic 5 is a separate, interconnected story, which has its own unique heroes, plot, non-standard twists, etc. It should be noted that the campaign in this game lasts a very long time (at least 12 hours of gameplay), and besides the original The game has two special additions that continue the story. As a result, it will not work to complete the game in one or two evenings.
Passage of game Heroes of Might and Magic 5
It is worth noting one important nuance that will lead to the final and unconditional victory - the player needs to develop his hero as quickly as possible and at the same time not forget about his army.
The very plot of the game begins with a campaign for the people. The first one does not contain anything complicated. The player just needs to get on the road to the end of the path, while developing the skill of logistics and machine control. In the second mission, you need to capture the city of "Longbows" and "Ash". To capture the second one will require a small army, so you need to stock up on materials and develop. After capturing the castle, 100 archers should be hired and the mission will end. The third task is to capture the gold mine and destroy all opponents on the map. The mission will end when the last enemy hero is destroyed. The fourth task involves the capture of the city of "Svetlolesye", after which you need to meet with the plot hero. The fifth task is the most difficult of all the above. The player must hold back the siege of the castle and simultaneously protect an ally - Godric.
The second campaign is for demons. In the first mission, you have to go along the road, fighting hordes of enemies along the way. In the second task, everything is about the same - you need to go along the path to the fort and capture it, after which the siege of the castle will begin. The first enemy must be killed, and the second can be lost. This completes the task.
The third campaign involves the capture of all enemy forts. To do this, you need to collect a good army and take each of them in turn. In the fourth mission, everything is also extremely simple. The player has a castle that needs to be gradually developed (hiring creatures, building buildings, etc.). When the army becomes strong enough, you can go along the road, destroying all the enemies, and eventually capture the enemy ship. In the fifth mission, everything is very confusing. To complete it, you need to explore a number of islands, one of which contains a dungeon. In this dungeon there will be met, which can only be destroyed if the army is strong enough. After their destruction, the player enters another island and the final cutscene appears.
The epochal "Heroes of Might and Magic" of the third issue is still a huge success. Recently, the game has received a new revival, in addition, there are rumors about the reincarnation of the third version by the manufacturer. Against this background, many gamers want to master the Heroes of Might and Magic as quickly as possible, even on the most difficult map.
Character and city selection
At the beginning of the passage of "Heroes" in most maps it is proposed to choose a character and a city with which you will begin your development. In total, eight different races are implemented in the game of the third edition. Castle-type cities include hero-priests (clerics) and knights. The former have increased magical inclinations, the latter are born warriors.
In the Castle, it is desirable for the hero to develop the skills of "Leadership", "Shooting", "Luck", "Logistics", "Wisdom", "Sorcery" and "First Aid Tent". Clerics develop magical abilities. For knights, choose the Attack and Defense skills. It is desirable to study the magic of the elements, at least two: earth and air.
How to develop a hero
The development of the hero occurs when he receives new experience, which can be found in treasure chests, on altars, or after winning a battle. The harder the battle was, the more experience the winner will receive. When gaining experience, the hero is offered a choice of two secondary skills until 8 of them are recruited (for the Wog modification of Heroes, additional learning of two skills is possible). Each skill allows the hero to develop certain skills. Therefore, they should be carefully selected in accordance with the inclinations of the hero.
How to choose skills for a hero
In the cities of Conjugation, Tower and Stronghold, magicians also coexist with warrior heroes. Heroes in these cities can be developed according to a scenario similar to that described for the Castle. Mages need to gain elemental skills, as well as skills: "Mysticism", "Resistance", "Sorcery". Knowledge of Eagle Eye and Diplomacy will come in handy.
When passing the "Heroes" with the cities of the Fortress and the Citadel, the main emphasis is on the strength of the direct attack of monsters and the personal defense of the army of heroes. Here magic is in its infancy with the most primitive spells. Therefore, it is wiser for heroes from these cities to choose the skills of "Defense", "Attack", "Shooting", "Ballistics", "Tactics", "Artillery", "Finding the Way", "Navigation", "First Aid Tent" and "Eagle Eye" ". Usually these cities have a weak economic base, so it is desirable to have the Economy skill as well. Of great importance in battles is the skill of tactics, which allows you to advantageously arrange troops before the start of the battle. This equalizes the chances of a hero from a Fortress or Stronghold when fighting a magically pumped enemy.
The passage of "Heroes of Might and Magic" with the city of Inferno or Dungeon should also go with an emphasis on the magical abilities of the characters. However, sorcery must be balanced by good attack power. Therefore, a large skew in any one direction should be avoided. The Intelligence skill will help you explore the map more actively.
Passage of "Heroes" on a necromancer
Separately in the third "Heroes" is the city of Necropolis - the city of the dead and the undead. Here there is the same division into necromancers-mages and black knights-warriors. All heroes from the Necropolis need the Sorcery skill, which allows the heroes to raise the dead and call up to 30% of the creatures that died during the battle into their troops.
It is desirable for necromancers to learn the magical skills of "Wisdom", "Magic of the Earth", it will not interfere with the passage of "Heroes" and "Magic". Black knights are desirable "Tactics" and defensive-attacking skills, including the skill of "Artillery" and "Ballistics". By developing your necromancer in this way, you will enhance his innate characteristics and make him one of the strongest enemies for any character pumped through the line of sword and magic.
Start the game with any city with the development of the economic base, but build the dwelling of the highest level monsters at least two weeks in advance, otherwise the chances of successfully completing the "Heroes of Might and Magic" are low.
