"Nearly everything in the game will provide more information if you right-click on it. This is a great way to learn things - especially if you're new to the game."
"The town hall and fort buttons on the lower left of the town screen provide shortcuts to the build menu and a menu to recruit any unit from that town, respectively."
"Shift-click on a unit stack in your army to split it into two equal stacks. Alt-click will combine stacks, while Ctrl-click will move one unit into a new stack."
"Skills can be sorted on the hero screen by left-clicking the skill icon, which will send it to the last slot. The two starting skills for each hero cannot be moved."
"Press the spacebar or click the "activate" button (the helmet) to activate a map object that your hero is on without needing to move off of it."
"Click on the button at the bottom left of this window to access your Thieves' Guild. It will provide useful information about your opponents."
"The 'movement shadow' combat option allows you to see where the currently-active unit can move as well as any other unit if you hold shift while hovering on them."
"Allied heroes can exchange units, war machines, and artifacts when they meet on the map. Having "supply runner" heroes helps keep others on the front lines."
"The heroes available for hire each week will be the same in any of your towns. Which classes can appear is determined by which faction you begin the game as."
"Heroes who surrender or retreat from battle will appear in your tavern when you next enter it. If the hero surrendered, they will still have all of their troops."
"For each level attained, heroes will increase one of: Attack, Defense, Magic, or Knowledge. The odds of which stat goes up vary depending on the hero's class."
"Unit attacks deal 5% more damage per point of attack higher than the target's defense, or 2.5% less for each point lower. These values cap at a difference of +/-30."
"Heroes from "good" factions tend to have higher Defense and/or Knowledge stats whereas evil heroes generally have more Attack and Magic."
"Tower, Dungeon, and Conflux are the most magic-focused factions while Stronghold and Fortress are by far the most might-oriented."
"The odds of which skills heroes are able to learn when they level up vary depending on their class. Some skills may not be learned by certain classes at all."
"The three "neutral" factions are the most heavily specialized in a single area: Offense (Stronghold), Defense (Fortress), and Magic (Conflux)."
"Regardless of class, all heroes will be given the opportunity at least once every four levels (three for magic heroes) to learn an elemental magic skill."
"Almost every class has a different skill that all of its heroes always start with, such as Leadership for Knights or Wisdom for Wizards."
"Every hero has a unique specialty, providing a bonus to a specific type of unit, skill, or spell. This is the main individualizing trait amongst heroes of the same class."
"Heroes with a unit specialty provide that unit with additional Attack, Defense, and one of Health (melee units), Damage (ranged units), or Speed (flying units)."
"Heroes who specialize in most spells receive a flat bonus to them, but the bonus of several support spells is dependent on the target unit's level."
"Most skill-based hero specialties improve with each level. Initially weaker than unit or spell specialties, they will become much more powerful over time."
"A hero's spell point pool can be raised only through Knowledge - the most difficult stat to raise artificially through equipment - and the Learning skill."
"Heroes will naturally regenerate between 1 and 4 spell points each turn depending on how many movement points were unspent at the end of the previous turn.
"Heroes can fully restore their spell points by ending their turn in a town with a mage guild or by drinking from a magic well or spring on the adventure map."
"A hero's movement points are determined by the speed of the slowest unit in their army. The Logistics skill acts as a reduction to the penalty for having slow units."
"Moving through rough terrain requires more movement points than on flat land unless on a road. This penalty can be reduced or eliminated by the Pathfinding skill."
"Armies consisting entirely of units native to rough terrain (wasteland, sand, snow, swamp, or volcano) will ignore their additional movement point costs."
"Units fighting on their faction's native terrain will have boosted attack, defense, and speed. Siege battles will always occur on the defending town's native terrain."
"In addition to increasing a hero's visibility on the map, the Scouting skill will also allow them to carry some of their unused movement points to their next turn."
"Unlike on land, water travel is not affected by the speed of a hero's troops. However, it costs an entire turn to board or unboard a boat without the Sailing skill."
"Most random units on the map will offer to join a hero who is powerful enough and has enough gold. Without the Diplomacy skill, the cost will be very high."
"Heroes who specialize in a unit will receive a bonus to their Diplomacy - even if they don't have the skill - when encountering them as random units on the map."
"Random units on the map will group together in fewer stacks the stronger your army is than they are. If too outmatched, they will attempt to flee rather than fight."
"Random units on the map whose alignment opposes your hero (i.e. good hero vs. evil units) are less likely to offer to join or flee due to being outmatched."
"The Tactics skill can help you reach enemy troops in fewer turns, but its benefit will be reduced or eliminated when facing an enemy hero who also possesses it."
"Each point of luck and morale grants a 6.25% chance of their respective effects, up to a maximum bonus of 8 (50%). For negative morale, these odds are doubled."
"Extra actions from positive morale can help you reach your enemies faster, but the extra damage from good luck helps you take less damage from retaliations."
"Armies consisting entirely of units from the same faction will gain a morale bonus while those mixing three or more will suffer increasing penalties."
"Unliving units are not affected by morale, positive or negative. Undead units will also negatively impact the morale of any living units in the same army."
"Unliving units are not able to be revived except through the Sacrifice spell (the sacrifice cannot be unliving, however) or the Reanimate spell for undead units."
"Undead units, in addition to having the immunities (and drawbacks) of unliving units, are also unaffected by the Curse and Bless spells."
"The special abilities of most undead units are ineffective against unliving units, as is the Necropolis-exclusive Toxic Cloud spell."
"The "Wait" command will delay a unit's action until the end of the combat round, thus allowing your foes to move into a position more advantageous for you."
"The "Defend" command will consume a unit's action to boost its defense for that round and is often a better course of action than attacking a stronger opponent."
"Always protect your ranged troops in combat! They can't shoot if there are any enemy units adjacent to them and their melee damage is significantly reduced."
"Ranged units are most effective against slow-moving units. Fast-moving units are good for blocking enemy shooters, but tend to be weaker than slower units."
"Ranged attacks do less damage (indicated by a broken arrow cursor) if the target is at least 10 hexes away or behind a wall. Some units ignore one or both penalties."
"Ranged units who throw projectiles have very few shots without an ammo cart, but they're also more effective at melee combat than traditional ranged attackers are."
"Any melee unit which becomes a ranged attacker when upgraded will retain its ability to fight effectively at close quarters."
"Flying units are able to bypass defensive barricades and walls, other units, the Fire Wall spell, and any other obstruction on the battlefield."
"Most units are only able to retaliate against one melee strike per round. It's best to keep track of which enemy units are still able to do so and attack them accordingly."
"Some units are able to strike multiple opponents at once. In this case, only the "focused" target (the one that was clicked on) will be able to retaliate."
"Physical damage dealt to your units is reduced by the Armorer skill while magical damage - which includes elemental ranged attacks - is reduced by Resistance."
"The Shield spell greatly reduces damage from physical ranged attacks; resistance spells do the same for ANY damage of that element, be it physical or magical."
"Units with elemental resistance (O-Fire, O-Water, or O-Shock) are immune to spells of and will take half damage from enemy unit attacks of that element."
"Units with an elemental weakness (X-Fire, X-Water, or X-Shock) will take double damage from spells and enemy unit attacks of that element."
"Resistance to Magic ("O-Magic") reduces the damage from spells as well as elemental ranged attacks fired by certain units. It also helps resist magical status effects."
"Some units have the ability to set negative statuses on their foes. The odds of doing so depend on the relative sizes (up to a 3:1 ratio on either side) of each stack."
"In addition to reducing magical damage, the Resistance skill also protects your troops from negative statuses set by hostile spells and enemy units."
"Status effects set by units are mostly physical (resisted by "O-Body") whereas several spell effects are mental ("O-Mind"). Unliving units are immune to both."
"The paralyze and petrify statuses both stop units from acting. Attacking will not remove the status, but petrified units will take substantially less damage."
"Non-immobilizing physical statuses like poison and disease take a very long time to wear off naturally and are best removed with a first aid tent or the Cure spell."
"Statuses with opposing effects such Haste/Slow, Bless/Curse, and Fear/Heroism will replace their counterpart status when applied to a unit stack."
"Which spells may appear in a mage guild depends on the town type. Inferno towns, for example, are very likely to have fire spells and will never have water spells."
"Visiting heroes may purchase any available spell from a town's Mage Guild. However, they will not be able to cast high-level spells without the relevant magic skill."
"Air is the most common school of magic and has spells that focus mostly on offense and speed, including the game's most powerful single-target damage spell."
"Earth is the most defensive school of magic and also the least common, with only Rampart, Necropolis, and Fortress towns having a strong preference for it."
"Fire is the school of magic most closely affiliated with "evil" towns. It is the most offensive element by far, focused almost exclusively on damaging enemy units."
"Water is the school of magic most closely affiliated with "good" towns. It focuses on support, healing, and has several spells to assist with travel on the map."
"Most spells can only be cast during combat, but there are several "adventure map" spells that provide you with information or facilitate easier travel."
"Heroes may cast spells once per round during combat. The Wisdom skill allows up to three more, but each element may only be used once per round."
"Low-level spells may be cast without the associated elemental skill, but will be less effective. High-level spells (lv.3+) require the skill."
"First-level spells do not become more powerful beyond basic expertise in their associated elemental skill, while second-level skills cap at expert level."
"Lower-level status spells will affect an entire army with the associated elemental skill. Higher-level status spells are mostly single-target, but are much more powerful."
"Because the effect of most status spells is static and magic power affects only their duration, they are more useful to might heroes than those which deal damage."
"Magic heroes with sufficient skill and mana to destroy their enemies with spells alone don't need their units to fight - just to survive!"
"High speed doesn't just help your units reach their enemies faster - it can also help them stay away!"
"In combat, the team with the fastest unit will act first. This is especially important for magic heroes, as this gives them the first opportunity to cast a spell."
"Some spells, namely Dispel, Quicksand, Berserk, and all non-combat spells, do not consider the caster's magic stat and are thus useful for any hero."
"Dispel can remove any magical status, but not physical statuses set by enemy units. At higher levels, it can selectively remove only the statuses you want gone."
"The Zoom spell increases a unit's speed and allows it to fly. It's useful for getting a slow, powerful stack over to enemy lines or a blocked ranged attacker to safety."
"The Repair spell can be used on damaged war machines in combat to keep them functional. With Earth Magic, it can fix broken war machines, both in and out of battle."
"The Recall spell will return a hero to the tavern where they can be re-hired at your leisure. This effectively acts as a cheaper version of the Town Portal spell."
"Beware of damaging your own units when casting the Chain Lightning spell. They will be targeted if they are too close or if there are too few enemy stacks."
"Some artifacts will provide a bonus to certain skills such as Learning or Resistance. Except for Resistance, these will not work unless the hero possesses that skill."
"Certain artifacts will increase the damage of all units of a specific level. These can be particularly valuable to Conflux heroes due to their unique unit structure."
"Certain artifacts, when combined, will create a more powerful artifact which will possess a new effect in addition to all those of its components."
"The durability of war machines scales with the level of your hero. Initially quite fragile, they can grow to become very sturdy in the hands of a high-level hero."
"Broken war machines can be repaired by ending your turn in a town with a blacksmith, a blacksmith on the map, or the Repair spell at basic level."
"A ballista is a good investment for any hero since it's still free damage even without the Ballistics skill to maximize its effectiveness."
"Even if you aren't in need of their primary effects, war machines like ammo carts and first aid tents also give your enemies something to attack other than your units."
"Without the First Aid skill, a tent can only heal damaged units. With it, tents can remove physical statuses and heal units beyond their maximum health."
"Every Blacksmith sells catapults, which destroy fortifications and turrets in siege battles. It is very unwise to attempt taking an enemy town without one."
"The base damage of siege turrets depends on the type of town. If a defending hero is present, they will deal more damage depending on the hero's Attack skill."
"Shots fired by siege turrets will deal the same type of damage as the units which man them; their damage can only be lowered by the appropriate skill or spell."
"The durability of defensive walls and turrets both vary depending on town type. In any case, both are always easier to destroy on the edges than at the center."
"Defensive barricades will damage and end the turn of any crossing unit. Further, any unit standing in a barricade will take more damage from physical attacks."
"In most cases, it's best when building up towns to prioritize income and then unit growth. Build a City Hall/Capitol first and then focus on dwellings."
"The Estates skill directly increases the income of your kingdom. It is an excellent choice on secondary/"runner" heroes who do not need combat skills."
"The exchange rates of all trade buildings are based on the total number of marketplaces you control in your towns, capping at a maximum of four."
"Trading Posts, Black Markets, and Mercenary Guilds on the map will always offer exchange rates one step higher (i.e. +1 marketplace) than your towns will."
"Wood and Ore are common resources often found in abundance. Gems, Crystals, Sulfur, and Mercury are rarer and worth twice as much when trading."
"Several units such as Paladins and Magic Avatars have "aura" abilities which will directly benefit any allied units in hexes adjacent to them."
"Several units such as Archangels, Master Genies, and Ogre Magi have the ability to cast spells on their allies. To do so, simply target the ally with your cursor."
"Monks, Rogues, and Sprites are able to attack without triggering a retaliation from their opponents. Pegasi and Harpies can also do so when upgraded."
"Pikemen and Halberdiers receive twice the usual bonus when defending. Defending also allows Halberdiers to strike first when retaliating."
"Horsemen and Crusaders receive a damage bonus for every hex they traveled that turn to reach their targets. Crusaders receive twice the bonus of regular Horsemen."
"Use caution when attacking large groups of Battle Dwarves: they deal considerably more damage in retaliation than they do with regular attacks."
"Grand Elves are a powerful ranged unit, able to fire two shots per turn. However, they only carry two more arrows than regular elves and thus will run out faster."
"Great Dendroids will use their roots to entangle their victims when attacking, binding them to their current location until the Dendroids are destroyed or move."
"Gremlin Engineers have the ability to repair friendly war machines by hitting them. They are thus best kept near to them and away from the front lines."
"The shot of an Archmage or attack from a Pixie will dispel any positive statuses on its target, making them potentially very useful in multiple stacks."
"Familiars will convey a small discount to the casting costs of spells in battle, but only during their turn."
"Magogs throw fireballs which explode on impact and damage all units surrounding the target except those which are immune to fire."
"It's best to avoid engaging Efreet Sultans at melee if at all possible, as one quarter of all non-ranged damage dealt to them will be returned to their attacker."
"Necromancy raises Zombies from your enemy's dead after combat if there is room in your army for them. This is most effective on large numbers of weak units."
"When a stack of Phoenixes or upgraded Skeletons is killed completely, they will regenerate back up to roughly 20% of their original numbers."
"Wraiths will raise Ghosts from the souls of everything that they kill. Because of this, they are especially dangerous against large numbers of weaker units."
"Vampire Lords absorb health from their targets and can even use it to revive their own dead. Because of this, they are extremely difficult to kill in large numbers."
"The shot of a Power Lich will explode into a noxious cloud of gas that will also damage any living units in the vicinity of its initial target."
"The attack of a Ghost Dragon can age its victim, cutting its health in half. This is a great help for taking down high-level units, but you must act before it wears off."
"Troglodytes can smell fear, and if upgraded will deal additional damage to any unit whose morale is lower than their own (excluding unliving/undead units)."
"The strength of Minotaur Kings will increase in combat with every attack they make. This includes retaliations, so it is wise to avoid attacking them with weak units."
"The special ability of Thunderbirds can deal a significant amount of additional damage, but can be resisted or nullified just as a regular lightning spell."
"Cyclops Brutes are able to damage defensive walls and turrets with their shots just as a catapult would."
"Mighty Tauruses possess a devastating breath attack that allows them to instantly kill one or more units in a target stack, regardless of their total health."
"Hydras are able to attack in all directions at once and, when upgraded, can regenerate health each turn. They are slow, however, and best fought from a distance."
"Flies and Zombies are relatively weak units, but can be useful in large quantities due to their ability to spread disease, which will weaken your opponents."
"Beware engaging Medusas or Basilisks at melee due to their ability to petrify opponents. Empress Medusas are able to do so with much greater reliability."
"Poison slowly reduces the health of a unit stack over time. Try to keep your distance while it works and then move in once your target has been worn down."
"Elemental avatars are very commonly-encountered units, especially at the beginning of each month. Elemental resistance spells make them much easier to deal with."
"Elemental avatars are dual-elemental when upgraded. Resistance spells of either type will lower their damage, but will only be half as effective unless combined."
"Damage dealt by Mind and Magic Avatars is halved by O-Mind and O-Magic, respectively. Both are also reduced by the Resistance skill instead of Armorer."
"Enchanters are special units which can cast support spells on their allies. Because of this, they are most effective when split into multiple stacks."
"Although slow and weak, Mummies are extremely dangerous due to their ability to enslave units, effectively turning your army against itself."
"Peasants are the weakest of all units, but they can be added to any army without incurring a morale penalty for mixed factions."
"The breath of a dragon will pierce through its target and damage any unit behind it - be it friend or foe!"
"Look out for locations on the adventure map - as well as special buildings in certain towns - which permanently boost the stats of any hero to visit them."
"Buildings which provide permanent stat increases to any visiting hero can be found in Tower, Inferno, Dungeon, Stronghold, and Fortress towns."
"Buildings which grant stat bonuses to defenders during siege battles only work if a defending hero is present; those which boost luck and/or morale work regardless."
"Castle, Necropolis, Fortress, and Conflux towns can build shipyards if there is a coastline to the north. They are more cost-effective than external shipyards."
"Castle towns have buildings which boost movement both by land (Stables) and by sea (Lighthouse). Both can also exist as standalone locations on the map."
"Rampart towns can construct a treasury which will generate interest on stored funds. The more gold you save early on, the more it will pay off later."
"Rather than a traditional moat, Tower towns instead have land mines. They are invisible until triggered, so be careful when approaching a fortified Tower."
"Inferno towns can build a portal which will teleport heroes to any other town you control. The trip is one-way, however, unless it's to another Inferno town."
"Necropolis towns can build a special structure which converts any living unit into an undead one. Most units will become Zombies, but some have different results."
"Dungeon towns can build a portal which will summon the nearest friendly hero on the map to it. There is no cost for this, but it can only be used once a week."
"Defending heroes cannot retreat from siege battles unless they are defending a Stronghold town with an Escape Tunnel constructed."
"Conflux towns can construct a Magic University, which will teach any magic skill to any hero... for a price. (Class restrictions apply, see the Printme for details)"
"Dwellings on the map that you control will also provide a growth bonus to dwellings of the same type in any of your towns."
"Certain locations on the map will temporarily boost your army's morale or luck. This bonus will last until the end of your hero's next battle."
"Objects on the map which increase movement such as Watering Holes and Bouys may be visited once per day or at any time after winning a battle."
"Windmills and Water Wheels provide resources every week. Be sure to keep a hero available to check them!"
"Scrolls allow heroes to cast a spell at basic (or minimum required) level regardless of skill. They may be bought from shrines on the map or from Tower towns."
"Taverns on the adventure map will have different heroes available for hire than in your towns and they are less likely to be classes from your starting faction."
"A Den of Thieves on the map will provide information on random units, enemy heroes, and towns. This is useful for finding random units willing to join you."
"A hero inside a Sanctuary may remain there indefinitely without being attacked. This can make it easy for a player to maintain control of nearby mines or dwellings."
"Since the movement bonus from Stables lasts until the end of the week, they are most beneficial when visited as early on in the week as possible."
"Basic units can be upgraded at a Hill Fort, but it will cost more to do so there than it would in a town. The higher-level the unit, the more of a premium you'll pay."
"Blacksmiths on the map sell all three of ballistas, ammo carts, and first aid tents, albeit at a higher price than you would pay at an in-town blacksmith."
"During your travels, you may find teachers willing to train your hero in a skill free of charge. A University will offer more variety, but you'll pay for it."
"An Arena or Library of Enlightenment will provide a substantial boost of might or magic, respectively, to any hero strong or wise enough to be permitted entry."
"A Wise Tree will provide your hero with attribute and skill growth as if they had gained a level, but without actually increasing their level or experience."
"Altars of Sacrifice allow any hero to sacrifice units in exchange for experience. Rebel Camps are similar, except artifacts are donated rather than units."
"Leprechauns can get you so drunk that you'll forget the last skill on your list. You can sort skills by alt-clicking them, but starting skills cannot be moved or forgotten."
"Garrisons on the map provide siege walls and a barricade to defend units within. Some garrisons are also enchanted to block the use of all magic."
"Certain special terrain allows spells of a given element to be cast cheaply and effectively regardless of skill. This is especially useful for spells like Town Portal."
"Battles taking place on cursed ground will negate all effects of luck and morale, as well as provide a native terrain bonus to all undead units.
"Finding every obelisk will lead you to a powerful object which will boost a town's growth and income along with a substantial bonus to heroes defending it."
"You can view your progress toward discovering the location of the grail at any time by clicking on the "Puzzle" button in the "World Map" screen."
"Thanks to everyone who has contributed to, promoted, or simply even played this mod. To all of the wonderful people in the NG+ community, you are the real heroes."
~~~sirens permanently raise water movmement

















































































