Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Shadow of Death/New Beginning

Gem arrives from Enroth fresh from the Succession Wars. She first helps the Clovergreen Militia and then aids a wizard's apprentice against the Necromancers of Deyja. (campaign description, taken from the game itself)

Clearing the Border

 * Win condition: Defeat all enemies (only one in this case).
 * Loss condition: Gem is defeated in combat

Player begins with 2 towns in SW (names may vary): Rainhaven, with our heroine Gem at entrance (zone A), near southern edge of map; Serenity, at NW of Rainhaven, near western edge of map (zone B).

Choice at start of scenario: probably best is to get wood and ore.

First week (of utmost importance)
Hire 1-2 secondary heroes (depends of what troups and abilities he/she has; if resource generator - get him/her!). Give all Rampart troops to Gem. Flag ore pits, sawmills (1 for each town) and others mines not guarded by shooters. Visit Hut of the Magi (just north of Serenity) to reveal locations of interest: town Emerald Moor, Rampart (zone C), central-south, Subterranean Gate immediately at south of it; town Forest Glen, Rampart (zone D), central-west; Ghostwind, Necropolis (zone E), central-east. A secondary hero will go from zone B to zone C (road between) and will pick loose resources. Gem goes eastward along road (from zone A), beats monsters guarding access to zone C, flags Enchanted Spring, recruits 5 Pegasi and returns to Rainhaven so as to be in that town at end of day 7. At end of week player should have: Serenity - Centaur Stables, City Hall; Rainhaven - Centaur Stables, Homestead, Enchanted Spring, Town Hall, Mage Guild Level 1 Note: if choice between gold and experience points, player should choose gold always.

Second week
First day of week build Upgraded Homestead, then recruit all Grand Elves, Pegasi and all Centaurs with Gem; bring another Centaurs to Gem with secondary hero(es) - there are two Centaur Stables in zones A and B. Flag Crystal Cavern (NNE of Rainhaven). Flag Gold Mine form zone B (north of Serenity). Gem goes into zone C, followed closely by a secondary hero. Flag some resource generators from zone C (here are Alchemist Lab, Sulfur Dune, Gold Mine, Ore Pit, Sawmill, Gem Pond). Conquer Emerald Moor; if necessary, stop here with Gem at end of day 7 and build Mage Guild Level 1. Flag (recommended) Homestead NNW of Emerald Moor (also in this zone, as Enchanted Spring east of Emerald Moor). Build City Hall and Citadel; build Treasury in Serenity. Be sure to visit (zone C) School of Magic (choose +1 knowledge) and Learning Stone with Gem. Until now no sign of computer oponent.

Third Week
Flag all remaining resource generators from zone C with Gem; meantime secondary heroes ferry troops from Rainhaven and Serenity for Gem who goes from zone C to zone D and conquer Forest Glen. Flag Sawmill near C-D pass. Flag (eventually) Crystal Cavern north of Forest Glen. If monsters guarding mines want to join for greater glory, accept, especially if they are level 3 or 4. At end of week player should have: No sign of enemy yet in zones A,B,C,D
 * Rainhaven - Centaur Stables, Dwarf Cottage, Upgraded Homestead, Enchanted Spring, Dendroid Arches, Unicorn Glade, Castle, Capitol
 * Serenity - Centaur Stables, Dwarf Cottage, Upgraded Homestead, Treasury
 * Emerald Moor - City Hall
 * Forest Glen - Town Hall
 * Gem (about level seven): throng of Centaurs, lots of Wood/Grand Elves, lots of Pegasi, pack/lots of joining-for-greater-glory monsters (mostly another two types, for morale penalty sake) two secondary heroes (level 2 both) - pack/lots level 1-2 creatures

Fourth week
In the beginning of week enemy should break pass NE of Forest Glen into zone D and from N into zone E (hero with about one week army). Gem should attack enemy hero around Forest Glen (Subterranean Gate NE of it). A secondary hero should raise an army from Rainhaven (pack of Pegasi, lots of Centaurs, pack of Dwarves, several Unicorns, pack of Grand rand Elves). Enemy hero attacked with Gem should be slightly weaker than our heroine; his/her army - few Liches, horde of Walking Dead, throng of Skeletons, horde of Wights, pack of Vampires, probably some joined creatures (undead have no morale penalty for mixing from several types of creatures). Gem (with better tactics) should win and get around level 9, losing 60%-70% of own army. Hero who raised army from Rainhaven should transport it to Gem. After receiving this army, Gem should break northward through now-free pass into zone F and march west until reach Cessacioun (Necropolis), remaining here at end of week; Cessacioun should not have Castle, but City Hall. After conquering Cessacioun, Gem should have: lots of Wood/Grand Elves, pack of Pegasi, horde of Centaurs, several Unicorns. Now Gem should leave in Forest Glen all remaining non-Rampart troops, if any. Not all mines in zone D will belong to player. Enemy hero conquered Ghostwind. Probable state at end of day 7: Serenity - Centaur Stables, Dwarf Cottage, Upgraded Homestead, Enchanted Spring, Dendroid Arches, Unicorn Glade, Treasury, Resource Silo, Castle; Rainhaven - same as Serenity; Emerald Moor - City Hall, Resource Silo; Forest Glen - same as Emerald Moor.

Fifth week
Gem goes eastward until crossroad (where she turned left last time towards Cessacioun), get some more army from secondary hero and beyond into zone G and conquer Terminus (should have Castle and City Hall); now she should reach level 10 (maximum permitted by scenario). Conquer Ghostwind (zone E) with Gem. Build Dragon Cliffs in Serenity and Rainhaven. Upgrade Centaur Stables, Enchanted Spring, Unicorn Glade and homestead if not already. Hire 2 heroes to defend Cessacioun (build Castle here) and Terminus. Another 3 secondary heroes are useful. Flag some mines around Terminus and Cessacioun if possible; beware of enemy (do not let it to recapture a town).

Sixth week and beyond
Gem should visit Red Tent (underground; get there through Subterranean Gate north of Terminus) and stay in zones H or G. Recruit army for secondary hero (with green dragons and matching troops); visit with him/her Green Tent (underground; get there through Subterranean Gate from zone C). Bring this hero to Gem (and let him/her stationed here to guard against possible enemy attacks), then get Gem to SE of map (entrance underground guarded by pack of Green Dragons; get through Subterranean Gate from zone D or Subterranean Gate from zone E) and break Dragon Utopia (only for artifacts); while there, visit Arena and then return to zone H/G where remained secondary hero. Beware of two-way monoliths linking zone F with zone containing last enemy town (NE of map); recruit all troops every first day of week in Cessacioun and Terminus. Build Mage Guilds (only to level 3 at most) if spells wanted (not really necessary). Around end of second month Gem, with an army composed of several Green Dragons, horde of Grand Elves, pack of silver Pegasi and pack of War Unicorns, should attack last enemy town (NE of map) and defeat enemy hero inside with two-weeks army. On defeating this hero, enemy is vanquished and scenario completed.

After the Amulet

 * Win condition: Acquire the Amulet of the Undertaker.
 * Loss condition: Either Gem, or Clancy is defeated in battle.

At start, player should choose 15 wood between options offered. We begin with Gem (level 10 Sorceress) and Clancy (level 7 Ranger) at entrance of Clifftree (Rampart town) in south-west of map (zone A).

First week
Gem takes all troops from Clancy, from Centaur Stables just south of Clifftree, from town itself and battles monsters guarding mines from this zone (if they are not shooters or too tough); flag Sawmill SE of Clifftree and Ore Pit SW of Clifftree if possible. There is a Subterranean Gate south of Clifftree guarded by pack of Wraiths; do not attack them yet. Next, Gem should free Water Wheel and Marletto Tower (+1 defense) and then march northward on road, pass into zone B (no battle here because there are no guarding monsters), reach town of Emerald Moor, beat the pack of Vampires at entrance and occupy it. Also, this week Gem should try (if possible) to claim Water Wheel and Dwarf Cottage from zone B. At end of week player should have: The two Marketplaces are needed for City Halls later. There is a Treasure chest guarded by pack of level 4 creatures in zone B into a pocket; get it and choose gold. Gem should reach now level 11.
 * Clifftree - Mage Guild level 1, Town Hall, Citadel, Centaur Stables, Dwarf Cottage, Homestead, Enchanted Spring, Marketplace (if possible) with Clancy in garrison
 * Emerald Moor - Town Hall, Marketplace (if possible)

Second week
This week player should flag all remaining mines and buildings, except maybe Dwarven Treasury (zone B) with Gem. Zone B has 1 Sulfur Dune, 1 Sawmill, 1 Alchemist Lab. Visit Witch Hut if gives something useful. Recruit another secondary hero and gives him/her troops to Gem.

At end of week player should have: Gem should reach level 12 and have several Pegasi, pack of Grand Elves and horde of Centaurs.
 * Emerald Moor - Town Hall
 * Clifftree - City Hall, Centaur Stables, Dwarf Cottage, Upgraded Homestead, Enchanted Spring

Third week
From zone A Gem goes eastward on road (after recruiting some more army from Clifftree), destroy the pack of Vampires Lords and enter zone C (central-south part of map), conquering Kanan (of Castle alignment). Zone C has: Ore Pit north-east of Kanan, Gem Pond south-west of Kanan, Crystal Cavern east of Kanan; flag two of them (better Gem Pond and something else). If some wandering monsters desire to join for greater glory, accept if they are level 3-4. Until now, no sign of enemy (red banner only). Player should have:
 * Clifftree - Capitol, Castle, level 1-5 creature generators
 * Emerald Moor - City Hall
 * Kanan - Town Hall

Fourth week
After getting reinforcements from Clifftree, with Gem, from zone C, attack northward that pack of Liches and enter zone D. Steer from pass a little NW and get to Cornerstone (Castle type). Conquer it (probably the enemy had it before ...) easily (almost sure no Citadel). By it there is a one-way exit monolith; beware. North of Cornerstone is a Garrison with a-week-worth of undead troops (few Bone Dragons and the like). Do not attack it yet. Recruit secondary hero(es) to visit Water Wheels every week (1 in zone A, 1 in Zone B). Explore zone D; it communicates toward east with a dirt zone (there is a Garrison better guarded than the northern-of-zone-D one). Also in zone D there are: Abandoned Mine (guarded by a throng of Troglodytes, not including here lots of level 5 monsters in front of it), Sawmill. Recruit another hero for Cornerstone. Another points of interest: north of Cornerstone - Subterranean Gate (guarded by level 6 monsters); north-east of Cornerstone - one-way entrance monolith blocked by Light blue Border Guard. Flag Sawmill and Ore Pit from zone D id possible; at least crush the guarding monsters. At end of week player should have: Gem should be at level 13 now and have an army composed of pack/lots of Grand Elves, throng of Centaurs, pack of Pegasi, other joined for greater-glory pack(s).
 * Clifftree - Capitol, Castle, level 1-6 creature generators (upgraded where possible), Mage Guild level 2, Resource Silo, Treasury, * Dendroid Saplings, Miners Guild
 * Emerald Moor - City Hall, Resource Silo
 * Kanan - Resource Silo, City Hall
 * Cornerstone - City Hall and some creature generators

Fifth week
Gem should attack garrison from east side of zone D, goes eastward and conquer Dark Eternal (of Necropolis alignment); this zone (E) is eastern of map. At end of week: Gem should be at level 14.
 * Clifftree - Dragon Cliffs, upgraded buildings for level 1-6 creatures
 * Cornerstone - Castle, level 1-5 creatures' buildings (for defense against a possible attack through north-of-zone-D garrison)
 * Dark Eternal - City Hall, Resource Silo, some creature generators

Sixth week and beyond
In Cornerstone player should build all permitted creature generators (level 1-6), Castle and Griffin Bastion to maximize creature production. Gem returns to get some more and better troops from Clifftree (Green Dragons, War Unicorns, Grand Elves, Silver Pegasi, Centaur Captains). While Gem is away, Cornerstone should be the target of an attack from enemy with packs of level 1-5 and several level 6 undead; hero garrisoned inside should be able to defeat attacker staying inside and letting as much as possible the turrets to do the job of killing enemy forces. Build City Hall also in Cornerstone. Also, Dark Eternal could be retaken by enemy simultaneously with the attack on Cornerstone. After getting a good army (without Dendroid Soldiers or Battle Dwarves) and after Cornerstone successful defense against attacker, Gem goes into zone E (passing by Cornerstone she should get all available Royal Griffins), conquer again if necessary Dark Eternal, goes northward into zone F, reach a town (Dark Cloud, Necropolis) and conquer it. Also, a week after Gem, Clancy should recruit army including accumulated Dendroid Soldiers and Battle Dwarves, goes to zone D, break through garrison north of Cornerstone, enter zone G (center-north of map), find town of Middleheim (Castle type) and conquer it. So, in two months player should control most of map (7 towns = 2 Ramparts, 3 Castle, 2 Necropolises). Gem, after conquering Dark Cloud, enter Subterranean Gate north of that town and underground flag a Gold Mine (now she should be at level 15, maximum permitted by scenario). Clancy, after conquering Middleheim, goes to zone A, beats Wraiths guarding Subterranean Gate and enter underground; here he flags Homestead and Crystal Cavern; also he visits Red Keymaster Tent (he should be level 10-11 by now). If desired, build creature generators in Emerald Moor (not really necessary). Build Upgraded Portal of Glory in Middleheim and City Hall in every town (if not already present). Build Upgraded Dragon Cliffs in Clifftree. Now Gem goes to zone D, enter underground through Subterranean Gate, flags Gold Mine and observe from a distance the exit to surface guarded by a pack of Red Dragons (but do not attacks them yet). Flag all remaining mines with secondary heroes. Bring Clancy to zone D and E to prevent enemy surprise attacks through one-way monoliths (Clancy could have Castle army and Gem Rampart army). After Gem gets a serious army, (Gold Dragons, ...), beats Red Dragons (now lots and there are Blacks among them ...), arrives at surface into zone H (town Coldreign, Necropolis), conquer it and chase any enemy heroes left around (beware, one-way exit monolith from zone E has its entry here, so some enemy hero(es) could try to escape using it; watch with Clancy). NW of Coldreign is a School of Magic (visit it with Gem and Clancy; choose +1 Knowledge). So, in first half of third month enemy should be vanquished. Finishing: Gem goes past one-way monolith, reach Red Guard Tower, open it and visit Light Blue Keymaster Tent so Clancy can get her (zone G, north-west of map) through monolith from zone D. Eastward of Light Blue Keymaster Tent is a School of War; visit it with both Gem and Clancy. Just south of this School of War is an ambush of 40 Bone Dragons and 20 Ghost Dragons; beat them with Gem (she lose much army here). Bring now Clancy, give him the best army and artifacts and march south-east of ambush place where are a horde of Ghost Dragons. Behind them is the Amulet of Undertaker, our goal. Attack with Clancy to get him at level 15 too. After dragons are destroyed, pick the Amulet to complete scenario around third week of third month.

Retrieving the Cowl

 * Win condition: Bring Vampire's Cowl to the town of Leafhall.
 * Loss condition: Either Gem, or Clancy is defeated in combat; lose Vampire's Cowl.

Intro video tells us that Terek is kept in an underground prison and we must free him because he has Vampire Cowl. So one objective is to find that prison.

We begin with Gem and Clancy (hopefully level 15 both). Gem should have either Expert View Earth or Expert View Air (best both) and use it/them. Start town: Still Water (Rampart), located in north-wetern part of center of map (zone A). Speed is THE key to winning this map. Pick Town Hall or 15 wood from choices offered at the beginning of scenario.

First week

Gem takes all available troops from Clancy and Still Water and flag Sawmill NW of town; near Sawmill are 1 Centaur Stables; flag them and recruit Centaurs. At east of Sawmill and north of Still Water is Hut of the Magi which shows us subterranean area where is imprisoned Terek (see image).

From Still Water: - a road winds to SW and is blocked by a pack of level 6 monsters on cursed ground; beyond them we see a Crystal Cavern guarded by pack of level 4 monsters (zone C) - another road goes to SE and is blocked by a pack of level 7 monsters; beyond them is zone D with Gem Pond, Sulfur Dune, Tree of Knowledge (guarded each by a pack oflevel 4 monsters), Den of Thieves. Zone A contains also an Ore Pit (east of Still Water), Dwarf Cottage (east of Still Water; flag and recruit); we have as well Naga Bank, Learning Stone, Temple, two Shrines of Magic Incantation. After visiting Hut of the Magi and Dwarf Cottage, Gem marches eastward on road which bends toward north and then westward; alongside of road there are Homestead (flag it; recruit Wood Elves), mines (Sulfur Dune, Alchemist Lab, Crystal Cavern guarded by packs of level 4 monsters; do not attack them yet), two artifacts guarded each by a pack of level 4 monsters. Gem arrives in zone B (north part of map) with the town of Gladeroot(Rampart), conquers it and recruits all available troops; hire secondary hero (level 4 already) of Druid/Ranger type and give all his/her troops to Gem. With this secondary hero visit Witch Hut on road from Zone A to zone B (so not to load Gem with something of little usefulness) and Homestead from zone B (north of Gladeroot). Gem visits Windmill and flags Ore Pit SE of Gladeroot. At end of week: Still Water - Centaur Stables, Dwarf Cottage (if not already built at start of scenario, forget it for now), Homestead, Enchanted Spring, Citadel, City Hall Gladeroot - Centaur Stables (maybe Dwarf Cottage too), Mage Guild level 1 Gem(level 15): 14 Wood Elves, horde of Centaurs, variable number of Dwarves (greater if Dwarf Cottage built at start of scenario) West side of zone B are: Subterranean Gate guarded by pack of level 3 monsters; road going westward into another zone, blocked by a pack of level 4 monsters (let them be in peace for now). Clancy remains in starting town of Still Water.

Second and third week

Gem flags Crystal Cavern along road from zone A to zone B, pick artifacts if useful (crushinh guarding monsters before; general tactic for battles - put Elves in middle surrounded by Centaurs and Dwarves so monsters cannot attack Elves hand-to-hand; shoot with Elves and punch with others until here are only corpses left on field fron enemy :-) ). If there are monsters trying to join for greater glory (should be), accept! Recruit Wood Elves on Gem from Homestead on road from zone A to zone B and bring them to Still Water (same with Centaurs Stables from zone A and zone B). In second week Gem beats level 6 monsters on cursed ground and flags Crystal Cavern, Gem Pond, Gold Mine, Alchemist Lab (zone C); here is a one-way exit monolith (beware later!); visit Crypt; ground exit from this zone to SE is blocked by a pack of level 7 monsters and by a Garrison with a pack of Dread Knights and two packs of Vampire Lords (leave them for now). If possible, flag Alchemist Labor Sulfur Dune along road from zone A to zone B. At end of third week : Still Water - Capitol, Castle, Upgraded Centaur Stables, Upgraded Homestead, Upgraded Enchanted Spring, Dwarf Cottage, Dendroid Arches, Miners Guild Gladeroot - City Hall, Resource Silo Gem (level 16) has about 50 Grand Elves, about 130 Centaur Captains, 25-30 Silver pegasi, pack(s) of joined-for-greater-glory level 3/4 monsters Clancy (level 15) - lots of Dwarves (conmpensate their slowness with Expert Logistics; almost sure he has it). secondary level 4 hero - few Dwarves Meantime the enemy has also taken mines from zone D ("cleared" there), but did not dare attack the pack of level 7 monsters; most probably underground prison surroundings are still untouched.

Fourth week

On first day of week recruit from Still Water all Centaur Captains, Silver Pegasi and Grand Elves, put them on Gem and begin the attack of enemy territory through zone C. Attack pack of level 7 creatures and Garrison (should have few casualties if any; depends on having Expert Earth Magic; could have zero losses if Gem casts Expert Slow and level 7 monsters are not Titans, i.e. not shooters, or not faster than Silver Pegasi). From Garrison toward south on road Gem arrives at town of Haunt's Wind (Necropolis; zone E, south of map), conquers it easily (maybe it has not even Citadel; level 1-5 creature generators). At once Gem marches to north-east on road until arrives at a Garrison (two packs of Vampire Lords and one pack of Dread Knights), break it and goes on road again toward north-east until town of Cessacioun (Necropolis, zone F, east part of map) and conquers it (it has Castle and level 1-5 creature generators). Immediately Gem marches on road to north until crossroads; to west is Garrison with two packs of Vampire Lords and one pack of Dread Knights (connects zone F with zone D); to north is Garrison with two packs of Power Liches, two groups of several Death Knights and one pack of Bone Dragons (connects zone F with zone G). Fortunately to east is unguarded Subterranean Gate which Gem uses, of course; she enters a subterranean passageway between zones F and G with mines (Gold Mine, Gem Pond, Alchemist Lab; flag them); Gem surfaces in zone G, marches on the road to SW until town of Terminus (Necropolis, east of map, but north of zone F) and conquers it (Castle and level 1-5 creature generators too). While Gem does these, probably an enemy hero will appear from south-west of map (with horde of Skeletons, pack of Wights, few Vampires and lots of Walking Dead) and recapture Haunt's Wind (no worry!). At end of fourth week: Still Water - same as third week, Resource Silo, Treasury, Dendroid Saplings Gladeroot - same as third week Cessacioun - City Hall (maybe built by enemy) Terminus - City Hall (maybe built by enemy) Haunt's Wind - City Hall (maybe built by enemy) Could be another hero(es) at edges of zones F and G (wimpy level 1, of course) Gem - level 17 In the meantime Clancy should flag Ore Pit (zone A) and, if possible, Sulfur Dune (ground passageway from zone A to B); he recruits Wood Elves from Homestead around here. Visit Windmill (zone B) with secondary hero. West of Terminus (zone G) there is one-way entrance monolith which goes to zone D; do not use it!; at east of Terminus there is two-way monolith which transports entering hero to west of map; Gem should go there if she has any movement left because of School of War (+1 Attack/Defense) At this time the enemy probably already got into underground prison zone, flagged Gold Mine and broke Dragon Utopia (no need to worry although).

Fifth and sixth week

Gem leave from zone G though underground tunnel to zone F. Hire another secondary hero to guard Terminus, kill wimpy enemy heroes around and flag mines (recruit all available troops in Terminus for him/her). After passing Gem in zone E, hire another secondary hero in Cessacioun (same purpose as hero in Terminus). Probably enemy hero who recaptured Haunt's Wind won't wait Gem's arrival and pass into Zone C and flag mines. But clancy recruits Grand Elves, Centaur Captains (already had many Dwarves), goes from Still Water into zone C, attack invading hero, crushes him/her and flags again the mines. After beating that hero, Clancy gives all his army excepting Dwarves to Gem and returns to Still Water. With this reinforcements, Gem conquers again Haunt's Wind, then goes to south-west on the road until crossroads (west is Garrison guarded by two pack of Power Liches, two groups of several Death Knights and one pack of Bone Dragons; north is Subterranean Gate), enters underground, walk through subterranean cave towards north, surfaces into zone H, marches to south-west on the road, arrives at Dark Eternal (Necropolis) and conquers it (losses are unimportant). At this very moment there may have been left an wandering enemy hero; after Gem takes over Dark Eternal, he/she will attack a town, but, being all guarded well, will lose battle and so the enemy wil be vanquished during sixth week. After enemy disappearance we flag all mines from zones E,F,G,H as possible. At end of sixth week: Still Water - level 1-7 creature generators (all upgraded) Gladeroot - Fort, Treasury Cessacioun - Castle, Resource Silo, level 1-5 creature generators Terminus - Castle, Resource Silo, level 1-5 creature generators Haunt's Wind - Castle, Resource Silo, level 1-5/6 creature generators Dark Eternal - Castle, Resource Silo, level 1-6 creature generators Gem (level 18) - lots of Grand Elves, pack of Centaur Captains, pack of Silver Pegasi, several/packs of joined-for-greater-glory troops Clancy (level 15) - throng of Centaur Captains, lots of Grand Elves, throng of Battle Dwarves Hire two more heroes (one in Gladeroot and one in Still Water to flag mines, grab resources, transport troops) during fifth week.

Seventh week and beyond (finishing map)

What follows should be done in no particular order. Gem and Clancy must fight as many battle as possible in order to attain level 20 both and must visit all stat enhancers: - School of Magic (through two-way monolith from zone I, north-west of map, where is town of Leafhall; beat every and all monster around) - School of War (west of map; through two-way monolith from zone G) - Tree of Knowledge = +1 level for 10 gems (zone D) Build Mage Guild level 5 in all towns and learn all available spells. Free terek from underground prison (Green Keymaster Tent needed to open Green Border Guard is in zone I); bring Vampire Cowl in front of Leafhall (with Terek or another hero). After Gem and Clancy are both level 20, have visited all stat enhancers and learned all available spells, hero with Vampire Cowl enter Leafhall to end scenario. Is likely to take another month from vanquishing the enemy, so scenario end should be during third week of third month.

Driving for the Boots

 * Win condition: Bring Dead Man's Boots to Gem's starting town.
 * Loss condition: Either Gem, or Clancy is defeated in battle; lose Dead Man's Boots.

We begin in center of northern part of map, having town of Fortune Keep (town names may vary) of Rampart alignment (zone A); Gem and Clancy are the starting heroes (is recommended to have at start on both some Wood Elves; restart until get them). At east of starting town there is a Garrison guarded by 25 Gold Dragons, 30 War Unicorns, 30 Dendroid Soldiers, 45 Silver Pegasi, 2 stacks of 75 Grand Elves and 200 Battle Dwarves. The following strategy works for the case when we cannot get this army on Gem/Clancy (probably a bug); if we could, it would be piece of cake with that army on day 1 ...

First week

Gem takes all starting troops (Clancy retains 1 Dwarf) and frees Ore Pit (southwest by west from town; follow road) and Sawmill (northeast by east of Fortune Keep; follow road). Other point of interest in this region: Waterwheel southeast of town (visit it), Dwarf Cottage at south of Fortune Keep (visit and recruit), Dwarven Treasury at NW of town (plunder it); a little eastward from Dwarven Treasury is Green Border Guard; at north of town is Centaur Stables (visit and recruit); at ne of Town there is Light blue Keymaster Tent guarded by pack of level 6 creatures (do not attack them); SW of town is Garrison guarded by 3 stacks of Bone Dragons on cursed ground(leave them in peace for now). Clancy should pick up chests (choose gold) and laying-around resources. In battles Gem will use magic extensively; if monsters want to join, accept (will go to Clancy). Status at end of week: Fortune Keep - Centaur Stables, Homestead, Enchanted Spring, Town Hall, Castle, Resource Silo (if possible) Gem should have an army composed of about 50 Centaurs, few Dwarves and 10-12 Wood Elves.

Second week

Gem takes troops and goes eastward; she passes through Garrison with 25 Gold Dragons into zone B; here there are Gold Mine (south), Sulfur Dune (southeast), Alchemist Lab (east), Gem Pond; flag them all. Stables building (center) helps to move faster. other points of interest: Learning Stone (east; +1000 experience points); Homestead (center); Rally Flag (north); Genevieve the Seer (north; seeks 25 Ghost Dragons). Towards NW of Genevieve meanders a road blocked by pack of Ghost Dragons (let them be for now). At end of week Gem should be in Fortune Keep (magic points recharge) and Clancy at Centaur Stables from zone A. Around day 6-7 of this week an enemy hero should slip through Garrison SW of our town; he/she has few Liches, pack of Walking Dead, lots of Skeletons, pack of Wights (maybe another pack of joined-for-greater-glory level 4 monsters); almost sure he/she wil go towards Dwarf Cottage; beside it there is Imp Cache which he/she will plunder; thus this computer hero will be reachable in less than one-day-worth of travel from Fortune Keep at end of day 7.

End of week: Fortune Keep - Centaur Stables, Upgraded Homestead, Enchanted Spring, City Hall, Resource Silo

Third week

First day Gem recruits all Pegasi and Grand Elves, plus Centaurs as much as possible, and attacks above said hero, defeating him/her. On second day of week Gem attacks Garrison (that with Bone Dragons); with adequate tactics and about 100 Centaurs, about 45 Grand Elves and about 20 Pegasi, break it with minimal losses and enters zone C (south of starting zone A). Meanwhile Clancy goes into zone B. Gem follows road toward south until reaches crossroads (path to west and southeast), goes eastward passing by an Idol of Fortune until reaches Shadow Keep (Necropolis), attacks and conquers it; this town should have Castle and level 1-5 creature dwelling built; with this conquest pink enemy is vanquished. Hire another hero (preferably one with resource specialty) who should flag mines already freed by just-vanquished enemy; zone C has Sawmill NE of town, Sulfur Dune east of town, Crystal Cavern south of town (near Cavern lies Green Border Guard, blocking pass to another dirt-terrain zone), Gem Pond SW of town, Gold Mine SW of town, Alchemist Lab north of town, Ore Pit NW of town. After conquest returns to Fortune Keep, flagging as she passes by that above said Alchemist Lab. Meantime Clancy recruited Wood Elves, broke Crypt (west of zone B) and left all Rampart troops in Fortune Keep. End of week: Fortune Keep - Capitol, level 1-6 creature generators (upgraded only Homestead), Miners Guild, Dendroid Saplings, Resource Silo, Gem :) shadow Keep - City Hall, Castle, Resource Silo, level 1-5 creature dwellings Gem - about 100 Centaurs, about 50 Grand Elves, 15-20 Pegasi secondary hero (level 4; Rampart alignment of course) - 1 Dwarf

Fourth week

Gem takes all troops (if possible), visit Light blue Keymaster Tent (now we see that pack of Ghost Dragons are guarding one Dragon Cliffs structure), then she goes to zone C, freeing mines guarded by monsters (if any) so secondary hero hired at Shadow Keep could flag them, then she goes westward, breaks Crypt and passes Light blue Border guard, entering zone D, marches towards NW, attacks and conquers Bath'iere (Rampart). Here we hire another secondary hero (Gem takes his/her starting troops = Centaurs, maybe Elves too). Next Gem frees Sawmill (SW of Bath'iere) and Gold Mine (NW of Bath'iere); secondary hero just hired flags mines freed by Gem. visits Mystical Garden (SE of Bath'iere). End of week: Fortune Keep - as in third week + Dragon Cliffs Shadow Keep - same as third week Bath'iere - Town Hall Gem (level 21) - over 200 Centaurs, 65-70 Grand Elves, 25-30 Pegasi. gem should have all schools of magic, especially Earth Magic, Air Magic and Water Magic, Wisdom and Intelligence. Secondary hero recruits Walking Dead and Skeletons from Graveyard and Cursed Temple (zone C). Now we should see movement from red enemy (south of our zone).

Fifth week

Gem frees all mines and other points of interest from zone D (Ore Pit, Sawmill, Gold Mine, Crystal Cavern, Dwarven Treasury, Windmill). A secondary hero will visit Mystical Garden and Windmill every week. Next Gem break northward (blocking monsters are on cursed ground) and enters zone E, where conquers Marishen (of Rampart alignment). Zone E contains also Ore Pit (SW of Marishen), Sawmill (E of Marishen), Crystal Cavern (N of Marishen), Windmill (N of Marishen), Unicorn Glade (NW of Marishen), Green Keymaster Tent, Town Portal Scroll (guarded by several Ghost Dragons), an artifact (guarded by pack of level 6 monsters), Marletto Tower (S of Marishen), Den of Thieves (W of Marishen); will be flagged only some of them (Ore Pit, Sawmill). Week's end: Fortune Keep - level 1-6 upgraded (maybe not Dwarf Cottage), Treasury, week 4 items Shadow Keep - level 1-7 creature generators Bath'iere - City Hall, Resource Silo Marishen - level 1-4 creature generators Do not forget to visit with Gem the Marletto Tower.

Sixth week

Gem frees the rest of mines and points of interest (a secondary hero will be occupied with flagging), beats that Ghost Dragons for the Town Portal scroll, pass by Green Border Guard into starting zone A, leaves Centaurs, Grand Elves and Pegasi in Fortune Keep, takes all available Dendroid Soldiers (about 25) and Battle Dwarves (about 90). End of week: Fortune Keep - same as last week + level 4 Mage Guild Marishen - same as last week + level 1-7 creature generators, Castle Bath'iere - same as last week + Treasury

Seventh week

Beginning with this week, day 1 Dragon production is 3 (three). Gem defeats that pack of Ghost Dragons (with some losses), flags Dragon Cliffs, recruits 1 Dragon and returns to Fortune Keep (if desired, with Town Portal). Until Gem returns, we recruit all from Marishen (maybe even from Bath'iere), bring all troops to Fortune Keep and upgrade them. Gem, after returning, stays one day into Fortune Keep only with Gold Dragons into her army (to maximize movement for the next day); toward end of week takes all troops (upgraded!), Town Portal to Shadow Keep, marches southward, open and passes by Green Border Guard (begins invasion of enemy territory); after passing by Temple, turns SE between Temple and Sanctuary, find again the road at a mountain pass, passes through towards east until Agony (Necropolis alignment) where an enemy hero (same stats as Gem except Intelligence where Gem should have much more) barricaded himself/herself with an army composed of pack of Ghost Dragons (12), lots of Dread Knights (20-25), 40-50 Vampire Lords, about 50 Power Liches, 140-15- Wraiths, 200+ Skeletons Warriors (or Walking Dead/Zombies). Gem has an army composed of 10-11 Gold Dragons, 40-45 War Unicorns (maybe less), 40-45 Dendroid Soldiers, 80-85 Silver Pegasi, 140-145 Grand Elves, 140-145 Battle Dwarves, 350-400 Centaur Captains. Here the player has two options: (a) if computer player (red enemy) decides to attack outside of town, the ensuing battle will inflict heavy casualties on Gem's army (because of computer player retreating before we can cast Expert Resurrection or Expert Sacrifice enough times); cast Expert Prayer, Expert Slow, Expert Shield to limit losses and Expert Ressurection/Sacrifice to raise some own dead troops; be careful not to loose all Gold Dragons; (b) if computer player decides to defend in town, it is better because enemy cannot retreat and because we can end fight with 7-8 Gold Dragons and almost all Centaurs lost (Gold Dragons cannot be resurrected); use wait in first turn at least for Gold Dragons; use Expert Ressurection at end, when enemy very few troops left; be careful not to loose all Gold Dragons. After (a) battle (which takes place on first day of week 8) Gem should reach level 22; in case (b) Gem reaches level 23 and captures some useful artifacts (and some less useful of course). Recommended strategy: player should save before battle (to be able to load savegame if computer player attack outside castle) and follow path (b). If Gem does not have left magic points (all spent on Ressurection), she should stay a day in Agony for speel point recharging; after, Town Portal to Marishen and Fortune Keep (in this order) to recruit some more Gold Dragons. At end of week: cities - same as week 6 Gem - level 23, Expert Air/Earth/Water/Fire Magic, Expert Wisdom, Expert Intelligence, Expert First Aid (given at campaign start) Gem should cast every day Expert View Air to track enemy heroes movements. Eighth week and beyond

Hardest part is over; now player must first concentrate on hunting down enemy heroes and conquering remaining cities. Red enemy now has 1 good heroes left; orange enemy has 1 good hero left; Gem will track computer movements with Expert View Air in order to beat that good heroes. Enemy territory is as follows: - at west of zone with Sanctuary and Temple is another dirt zone with Coldreign (Necropolis alignment) pertaining to red enemy (as was Agony just conquered); - at south of central zone with Temple and Sanctuary is Dark Eternal (Necropolis alignment) for orange enemy.

Watch with Clancy around Shadow Keep to not let some enemy hero slip into our territory OR guard well Shadow Keep (recruit all). Clancy should wander around to recruit Rampart army from creature generators and from towns. Enemy (red and orange) should be vanquished in about 2-3 weeks (during week 2 of third month). After defeating all enemies, we must recruit 25 Ghost Dragons and get them to Northeast of map (zone B) at Genevieve the Seer (in exchange she gives Sandals of the Saint = +2 all stats) Visit Dark blue Keymaster Tent located SW of Agony and Red Keymaster Tent situated north of Coldreign (mandatory). Gem has Sandals of Saint on her (or in backpack), goes to southwest of map (see image).

There she visits Library of Enlightenment (Dragon Utopia was surely ransacked by some computer player). After that pass by three Guard Towers (Red, Light blue, Dark Blue) and one Quest Guard (here she gives Sandals of the Saint for permission of passing). Just ahead are Dead Man's Boots; after a warning message at Gem's attempt to pick them, a battle with undead follows; Gem fights 25 Ghost Dragons, 60 Dread Knights, 75 Power Liches and 60 Vampire Lords and, destroying them all easily, gets Dead Man's Boots. after battle she should reach level 25 (maximum permitted); if not, there is a Tree of Knowledge close to above-mentioned Temple and Sanctuary which gives +1 level for some resources. After getting Gem at level 25 and with Dead Man's Boots in her possession, Town Portal to starting town of Fortune Keep to end scenario and campaign in fourth weeek of third month.