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| Thread: Need help with SOD HACK&SLASH#2: BLACK SHEEP! | |
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Cabranth
Adventuring Hero
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posted March 16, 2006 03:27 PM |
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Need help with SOD HACK&SLASH#2: BLACK SHEEP!
I'm playing H3 complete for the first time and am stuck on the Black Sheep campaign episode. I can't seem to get built up enough before knights come through and attack. I JUST managed to defeat the first one but lost nearly 80% of my troops. Then more knights invade the very next week with almost as many troops as the first knight! How do I counter two castles with my pathetic one and a half strongholds? I'm playing HARD difficulty level and can't imagine playing this on IMPOSSIBLE level. Is there some trick to this? I would greatly appreciate a walkthrough from someone who has completed this. I would really like to finish this campaign tree!
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Guitarguy
Responsible
Supreme Hero
Rockoon.
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posted March 16, 2006 05:43 PM |
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This scenario gave me trouble a while ago. In fact, I talked about it in my first HC thread ever. You can read a little about it here.
This map is tricky, because you need to get Crag Hack south, which is past a lot of nasty Castle towns. It's not worth trying to capture most of the enemy's towns if you feel you're going to lose plenty of troops. Instead, you're probably going to have to out-maneuver the enemy knights while heading south. I don't remember a lot about the map itself, but you're probably going to need a lot of movement points to accomplish the mission goals. If you can outfit Crag Hack with the Boots artifact as well as the Logistics skill, that'll really help. Pathfinding is also good.
Anyway, don't worry if you need to restart the level several times. I had to do that, but it helped me to become very familiar with the map and how the enemies attack. If you need more help, just ask. 
-Guitarguy
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Cabranth
Adventuring Hero
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posted March 16, 2006 08:59 PM |
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THX guitarguy for the reply. Are you saying just buy everything in week 3 or so and go south? like army-rushing that works in so many previous campaign maps? I think it took me week 3 just to have enough troops to attack the wandering monsters/mine guardians, much less have the resources to buy cyclops cave and behemoth lair. The beginning monster stack #'s are VERY large for starting out and cost significant losses to my army. If I hadn't been joined by stack of 7 or 9 cyclops kings I would've lost even sooner. My Crag Hack is well outfitted with expert Wis/EthMgk, has Artillery,Logistics also so movement is not a prob. I just don't see how I can raise enough troops in time having 1 stronghold with no income and the other with crappy army-building #'s. And by the way you have to travel AND fight your way through monsters just to CLAIM the second stronghold, THEN you can start developing the income buildings in it, which also, by the way, COSTS money needed for army, creature buildings, whatever. And if you are saying to army-rush, should I take the non-garrisoned way to the other side? Fighting even 1 faerie dragon for the blue tent HURTS. I just don't see how to win this. Even though I know you can, it is just such a different type of strategy/tactics required that I'm gabberflasted.
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Guitarguy
Responsible
Supreme Hero
Rockoon.
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posted March 16, 2006 10:48 PM |
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I know where you're coming from. I looked for an old save of Crag Hack #2, but apparently I had none. So I decided to play through #1 and was severely beaten by the unbalanced AI. It was purely bad timing and bad luck.
The Shadow of Death campaigns are filled with bogus mission objectives that require a lot of cold, hard luck. You're often up against enemy heroes who, by the 3rd week, have combined armies from three or more towns of the same type. You, of course, only have one town. In some games you run into them early; in others, you might run into them later. It's almost impossible to beat without some measure of luck on your side.
I've kind of given up beating the SoD campaigns because it's just too much frustration and little reward. It got to the point where constantly restarting the levels just got tiring after all those wasted hours. If you've played the entire RoE campaigns before, you might've noticed that they are much easier when it comes to beating the levels. SoD seems to have been made solely for the increased challenge. That's the way I feel about it, personally.
There were a lot of people who knew the campaigns in and out here at HC. Most of them seem to have left, but I know that some are still around. Try sending an IM to Russ, because I think he's played through all the campaigns on Impossible difficulty. You might want to ask him for some pointers.
-Guitarguy
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Nebuka
Promising
Supreme Hero
Save me Jebus!
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posted March 16, 2006 11:40 PM |
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For starters, I'd take that +4 attack mace as a bonus.
You have expert earth, which is good (maybe air would be better), for wisdom I think you went in too early. Not sure if castles can even build lv4 spells in this scenarios. Plus logs (great), and artillery (also great).
Get Crag his ballista, and with his great attack, most wandering monsters wont be a problem.
Also, on hard, you get 15000 gold, 15 wood and ore, and 7 of precious resources, right? Forget about cyclops at all, they are not worthy in this scenario. Go straight for rocs, and beths, and if you can, castle as well in first week. Also, go as soon as possible to that tavern that is a little bit south and buy a hero or two (later more). Quicker to transfer troops, and picking resources.
Don't think AI can build it's level 7 dwelling so that's a plus here. Ancients are that big of an advantage. So that's why forget cyclops. Most likely you'd be able to build them late week 2, or more likely week 3, and imo those crystals are much better to use for upgrading beths.
You'll fill rest of your army slots with castle one which you'll take over.
For money, think there's a trading post near as well, use it. You only need crystal, wood and ore. If castle towns can build higher mage guilds, build them later then. Before tackling that objective hero.
I'll replay the scenario now, to see if I gave some wrong advice, but played it recently on impossible, with just slight problems.
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Cabranth
Adventuring Hero
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posted March 17, 2006 05:14 AM |
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Thx guitarguy and Nebuka for the responses. Guitarguy first: I agree that at least this one campaign of SOD is really built against the player. I guess I'm just used to the maps that END with a big, bloody, but ultimately DECISIVE battle, not one that kicks me when I'm down. I did read up for Hack&Slash #1 and won fairly easily for having had such a screwed-up power base. Didn't get crushed in week 3 by super-killer-enemy-army like others did, and like is happening to me in #2. I don't know how to instant-message yet since I've only been on-line for 3 months and I'm still learning about stuff like that. If you could contact Russ and ask him to post any ideas he has here I would be most gratefull. Nebuka: Thx for the reply and advice. As far as my wisdom I wasn't given a better choice during level-ups. Also reflex to me are ranged units. Thats why I worked so hard to get my cyclopses. I'll try ignoring them for ancient behemoths when I try again if you say so. Also, recruiting from the Tavern? well no-duh. THX!
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pacifist
Famous Hero
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posted July 09, 2008 11:10 AM |
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I'm playing that campaign right now and am in the beginning of second week (day 9). At 200% diff I choose 5000 gold as start bonus, claimed ore wood and gold mines with very few casualties (some goblins). You need to lose as few troops as possible. I hired 2 heroes in tavern day 5 and then with mixed troops captured cristal mine and with all heroes managed to gather enough ressources to build citadel + behemoths first week. No way to find enough to build castle and behemots. Wolf raiders guarding star axis and ressources joined and I captured second gold mine guarded by ogres and lords without casualties. A pity it takes 2 days to build just to have a ballista. I din't try it but maybe it's possible to take orc dwelling bonus and build cyclops and castle but the 20 wood for ogres are painfull.
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http://www.youtube.com/user/alkoriak#g/u
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jancx
Tavern Dweller
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posted January 03, 2023 04:23 AM |
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I was lucky at refugee camp - got angel here And after that several neutral stacks was ready to join me. (they didnt before)
Waterwalk spell from previous scenario was useful as well.
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