Kingdom Under Fire: Heroes Character FAQ: Rupert version 1.0 Copyright (c) 2005 Erik Harris demian23[at]stanfordalumni[dot]org Please email corrections, suggestions, or errata to the above email address ;) TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction 2. Rupert 3. Adjutant Officers 3.1 Paroth 3.2 Seth 4. Mission Walkthrough 4.1 Mission 1: Stormdeen 4.2 Mission 2: Greenhill 4.3 Base 1: Advance Base 4.4 Mission 2.5: Unknown-South (optional) 4.5 Mission 2.75: Unknown-North (optional) 4.6 Mission 3: Steel Mounds 4.7 Base 2: Longdust 4.8 Mission 3.5: Unknown-North (optional) 4.9 Mission 3.75: Unknown-South (optional) 4.10 Mission 4: Blackedmark 4.11 Base 3: Longdust 4.12 Mission 4.5: Unknown (optional) 4.13 Mission 4.5: Unknown (optional) 4.14 Mission 5: Posterous Green 4.15 Base 4: Advance Base 4.16 Mission 5.5: Unknown (optional) 4.17 Mission 6: Hironeiden Inner Castle 5. Troop Guide: Human Alliance 5.1 Infantry 5.2 Heavy Infantry 5.3 Spearmen 5.4 Knight 5.5 Cavalry 5.6 Heavy Cavalry 5.7 Storm Rider 5.8 Archer 5.9 Longbow 5.10 Mortar 5.11 Sapper 5.12 Pyro Technician 5.13 Bomber Wing 5.14 Ballista 5.15 Catapult 5.16 Earth Golem 5.17 Ice Maiden 5.18 Thunder Rhino 5.19 Flame Wraith 6. Revision History -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Introduction -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rupert is the second campaign in terms of complexity and difficulty. Even though he requires at least one completed campaign (Ellen or Walter), you're far better off completing Ellen first, Rupert second, and Walter third. If you try to complete Walter first, you may become frustrated, having not become accustomed yet to the controls and the finer points of tactics and unit selection. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Rupert ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rupert is one of Gerald's loyal adjutants officers, and he will be fondly remembered by those who played KUF: Crusaders. Rupert is the biggest personality in any of the armies, and is definitely the loudest, crudest, and least subtle. He is reminiscent of Gimli for Lord of the Rings, or The Black Whirlwind from Jade Empire. He loves drinking, fighting, more drinking, and Dwarvish women (or so the rumors go). As a playable character, Rupert is the slowest and most powerful fighter of the seven. His moves are similar to Ellen's in that he has spinning slashes and a coup de grace, but he plays nothing like Ellen at all. Rupert is much better at the edge of combat, singling out leaders and individual fighter as he can be quickly overwhelmed when surrounded. When he is not spinning, he should stay out of the center of melee to avoid being slashed at by multiple enemies. He has no defensive moves at all, and the B button instead executes an offensive head-butt or an over-run attack. These attacks have the added bonus of stunning an enemy, and should be used to compensate for the slowness of Rupert's other attacks. A good combo from Rupert would be -> B, A -> A, A + X , or Overrun, Heavy slash, Heavy swing, Finish downed enemy. Lots of other similar combos canbe initiated from a Overrun or Headbutt that stuns an enemy to set them up for some heavy damage. Rupert's spins are the best moves for racking up SP, but they take some time to pull off and can easily be interrupted, either by the enemy, or by friendly Mortar or Ballista fire. For this reason, Rupert should start the spin from the edge of melee, and move toward the middle. Combos: X X Quick slash + Butt thrust X X X Quick slash + Butt thrust + Butt charge X X X A Quick slash + Butt thrust + Butt charge + Overhand Smash X X A Quick slash + Butt thrust + Heavy swing X X B Quick slash + Butt thrust + Overrun A -> A Heavy slash + Heavy swing A A (A A) Heavy slash + spinning slash (+ spinning slash) A AAAA YYYY Heavy slash + spinning slash + wide area spinning slash A + X Finish downed enemy (coup de grace) B Headbutt -> B Overrun Y Uppercut Hold Y Spinning Uppercut ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Adjutant Officers ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------, 3.1 Paroth| -----------' Paroth is the messenger that Gerald assigned to Rupert's troop, probably for healing. Despite his effete and sarcastic attitude toward Rupert, he's actually quite useful. His ability to cast Heal is indispensible in that it allows Rupert's unit to melee constantly without having to withdraw to heal. You can simply cast Heal from within melee, and keep swinging. The longer you stay in melee, the more SP. The more SP, the more you can cast Heal. Hooyah. Skill: ------ Melee 1 Holy 1 Empty - Equipment: ---------- Sword / Axe Staff / Cane Cloak Special Ability: ---------------- Active: Heal Curatio Available: Required Skill ---------- -------------- Heal Holy 1 + Staff or Booster Curatio Holy 1 Fireball Fire 1 + Staff or Booster Kaleidoflamma Fire 5 + Staff or Booster Meteor Fire 5 Electric Shock Lightning 1 + Staff or Booster Lightning Bolt Lightning 5 + Staff or Booster Thunderstorm Lightning 5 Chilling Touch Ice 1 + Staff or Booster Ice Spear Ice 5 + Staff or Booster Blizzard Ice 5 Poison Sting Earth 1 + Staff or Booster Poison Gas Earth 5 + Staff or Booster Vine Earth 5 ----------, 3.2 Seth | ----------' Seth is Rupert's Fire Mage. Although he doesn't say much, nor does he seem to have much of a part in the story, he can cast Kaleidoflamma. Get his Fire skill above 10 to really cause some serious damage in melee. Open up with this power at the very start of a battle when the enemies are thick to cause the most damage. It causes far less when enemies are spread out. Skill: ------ Melee 1 Fire 1 Empty - Equipment: ---------- Sword / Axe Staff / Cane Cloak Special Ability: ---------------- Active: Fireball Meteor Available: Required Skill ---------- -------------- Heal Holy 1 + Staff or Booster Curatio Holy 1 Fireball Fire 1 + Staff or Booster Kaleidoflamma Fire 5 + Staff or Booster Meteor Fire 5 Electric Shock Lightning 1 + Staff or Booster Lightning Bolt Lightning 5 + Staff or Booster Thunderstorm Lightning 5 Chilling Touch Ice 1 + Staff or Booster Ice Spear Ice 5 + Staff or Booster Blizzard Ice 5 Poison Sting Earth 1 + Staff or Booster Poison Gas Earth 5 + Staff or Booster Vine Earth 5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4. MISSION WALKTHROUGH ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4.1 Mission 1: Stormdeen ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After a short intro narrated by Gerald about the events the occurred during Crusaders, we are told that Rupert's campaign is the story of what happened when Rupert was sent to summon the help of the Elves and Dwarves to aid Hironeiden with the defense of Esse against the siege of the Dark Legion. After the spoken intro, you'll be dumped right into battle! Overview: --------- This mission is a cakewalk. The only slightly difficult part is in the optional battle at the very end. With only one Infantry troop to manage, there is no tactical complexity at all. Walkthrough: ------------ ----------------------------- Battle: Orc Infantry lvl. 15 ----------------------------- This battle is fairly straight forward. Kill all the orcs, and if you need healing, use the white button for the Paroth's Heal skill (nice that you get this automatically in Rupert's standard troop configuration). You can also use the black button for Seth's offensive fire magic. Once you're done with the orcs, Gerald will tell you to follow him Northeast. If you get too far behind, he'll complain. Gerald will stop you before you get to a line of lvl. 30 Orc Infantry holding high ground directly to the North. ---------------------------------------- Optional Battle: 5 Orc Infantry lvl. 30 ---------------------------------------- I would strongly recommend avoiding this fight the first time around. I don't believe it's even possible using only Rupert's lvl. 10 troop, but might be fun to replay with a more buffed troop after you've won Rupert's campaign. Gerald (and the game tips) tell you to skirt around the line of orcs and move North through the woods to the West. If you get too far behind Gerald, he'll whine at you... The real reason not to get too far behind Gerald is that you don't want him stealing too much of your EXP when he gets sandwiched by two Orc troops in the woods. ------------------------------- Battle: 3 Orc Infantry lvl. 15 ------------------------------- Simple, straight forward hack n' slash here, nothing poetic or tricky. Just get the job done, eh? Use Paroth's healing skill when you see more than 20% of your troop's life bar in the red. ------ Traps ------ After finishing the Orcs, and following Gerald North for a ways, you'll run across a marked rectangle stretching across the field in front of you that contains traps. In order to detect the traps, send a Scout out (you now have the Scout ability). To send a Scout, or use any other abilities, use the D-pad side arrow buttons to highlight the Scout ability, and press A. The Scout will move either to the reticle on the field, or to the location on the mini-map that you select. In most cases, you'll want to use the mini-map to send your Scout to unexplored locations, but in this location, use the Scout directly from the field to spot the red circles on the ground where traps lay. Use the black button to tighten Rupert's formation, and move him between the red circles. Once you're through, Gerald will follow. He'll let you take the lead in moving toward the goal in the Northeast corner. ----------------------------- Battle: 2 Scorpions lvl. 10 ----------------------------- You'll encounter two Scorpions in the top center of the board. Set your units to loose formation using the white button and charge in. Scorpions are very vulnerable to fire, so use the fireball with the black button once in combat. When meleeing with Rupert, use the Overrun attack repeatedly ( -> B ). Rupert's other attacks are slow, and if he gets hit, he'll have a hard time closing distance with the Scorpion again, so stick with the Overrun. Once both Scorpions are dead, heal up and head Northeast again. ----------------------------------- Battle: 1 Dark Elf Fighter lvl. 20 ----------------------------------- When you get to the marker, there will be a troop of Dark Elf Fighters waiting for you. Gerald says to kill the leader first. You can do this if you like, but it will mean less EXP for you because you'll get fewer total kills. Be careful when fighting Dark Elves with Rupert. Their fast attacks can really cause Rupert trouble if he gets surrounded. It's critical to keep Rupert near the edge of the melee, singling out foes one-by-one. When the first round of Dark Elves is finished, two more troops of Dark Elves will charge Gerald. Gerald will tell you to clear out and head to the North center. You can do this, or not... If you choose to run, simply walk up to the marked point on the map, and Mission Accomlished. I finished this way with 76 Kills for 1314 EXP and about 5000 Gold. ----------------------------------- Battle: 1 Dark Elf Fighter lvl. 20 3 Dark Elf Fighter lvl. 30 ----------------------------------- If you choose to fight this battle, you'll get quite a bit more EXP and gold. Really, it's quite possible if you keep using Rupert's spin attack to pile up SP while dealing damage to the hordes of elves. Use the SP to heal your troop, and be patient. Eventually you'll mow through all 4 troops of Dark Elves. If you do succeed, you'll get a 150 EXP roleplaying bonus for Rupert, as well as about double the normal mission kills and triple the gold. I finished this battle with 153 kills for 3930 EXP and 14746 Gold! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4.2 Mission 2: Greenhill ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Overview: --------- Dark Elves are pursuing your party. Rupert wants to face them, but Paroth would rather face the unknown at Greenhill and avoid them. Seems a task force of soldiers went there three days ago and never came back. Spooky... Seems like a force of lost Sappers might be in the area, and it's up to you to find them if you can (you can, and you will). Unit selection: --------------- Rupert Infantry - locked Walkthrough: ------------ Since there are a number of traps in the area, and several patrolling troops of orcs, you will want to Scout the area. You'll find the Sappers to the North of your position. Go join up with them to give yourself a little more fighting strength and the ability to set and disarm traps. Disarming and setting traps properly will make this board a lot easier. Walk Rupert near the Sappers to have them join your party. Tzu'Mish, the Sapper leader will tell you that there is also an Infantry and Archer troop stranded to the East and to the North. As Tzu'Mish is talking, you will likely be rushed from behind by a patrolling Orc troop. ------------------------------- Battle: 1 Orc Infantry lvl. 15 ------------------------------- This battle is nothing new, you've already fought several lvl. 15 Orc Infantry. Use the Sappers for a little extra help in melee. At lvl. 10, they're almost as good as your Infantry troop, and Paroth's Heal skill will heal them as well so long as they're meleeing in the same area as Rupert's troop. *TIP* Paroth tells you the secret of trap laying and picking up. Sappers gain SP from pulling up traps, and spend SP to lay them. This is true even when picking up your own traps! Since you gain Gold from spending SP, your Sappers become Gold miners for as long as you want to camp out in a quiet place putting down and pulling up traps. Paroth also suggests that you lay down traps, and lure enemies into them with a Scout. This is a good idea. There are two patrolling troops of lvl. 15 Orc Infantry moving up and down the unforested corridors running North and South near the bottom center of the board. Set some traps at the lower end with the Sappers, and use the Scout to lure them in. Try to get them one at a time for a cleaner fight. ------------------------------- Battle: 1 Orc Infantry lvl. 15 ------------------------------- ------------------------------- Battle: 1 Orc Infantry lvl. 15 ------------------------------- ---------------------------------- Battle: 1 Dark Elf Archer lvl. 15 ---------------------------------- At some point while you're fighting these Orcs, a troop of lvl. 15 Dark Elf Archers will show up in the Southwest corner of the board where you started! Stay in the trees as long as you can before engaging them. You can also leave them here, but killing them nets EXP, so always try to kill everything that you can. *NOTE* Once, the Dark Elves simply disappeared on me while I was killing the Orcs. Perhaps the game is scripted to have the Archers ambush for as long as you're meleeing with the Orcs, but as soon as the orcs are gone they disappear? In any case, take out the Elves first since they'll cause a lot of damage firing in on a melee. Leave the Sappers to mop up the Orcs (shouldn't be a problem if you're fighting on top of your own traps) and send Rupert after the Elves. You have the choice of going North first, or East. I think Archers are more useful than Infantry, so I went East first after the Archers. Hug the bottom of the board to avoid traps and a huge mess of troops in the Northeast. In the bottom of the board, there's a troop of Dark Elf Archers that casts Meteor. Come at them scattered so you don't get hit too hard with the Meteor. ---------------------------------- Battle: 1 Dark Elf Archer lvl. 15 ---------------------------------- Once you have the Archers in melee, it's easy to clean house. Again, use the Sappers to speed things up. Your lvl. 10 Archers are in the Southeast corner. Collect them with Rupert, then head back across the map toward the Northwest to collect your Infantry. Remember to send a Scout ahead to avoid traps. Also, take a look at the "pig farm" in the Northeast. Stay far enough away for now that they can't see you. Along the way, there are two more Orc Patrols near the center of the board, and one more on the Western edge patrolling East and West. You can set traps, or just melee them directly. ------------------------------- Battle: 2 Orc Infantry lvl. 15 ------------------------------- ------------------------------- Battle: 1 Orc Infantry lvl. 15 ------------------------------- Once you collect your lvl. 10 Infantry, go back around the map carefully to avoid any traps. Try to approach the "pig farm" from the rear. This way, you can pick off the Dark Elf Archers one by one. If you keep your distance, you may not even activate the Orc Infantry while you fire with Archers from higher ground. ---------------------------------- Battle: 4 Orc Infantry lvl. 15 2 Dark Elf Archer lvl. 15 ---------------------------------- This battle will be the toughest you've faced yet. 4 Orc Infantry will be quite a handfull if they are supported by two Dark Elf Archer troops. The Dark Elf Archers will fire several meteors at you if you don't engage them in melee. Set your Archers up in the far Northeast corner and have the Sappers lay several traps in front of them to protect them from a charge. Use The Archers to pick away at the Dark Elves while supporting them with Curatio from Rupert's troop. Your Archers will take damage, and probably a few hits from Meteor, but if you keep them healed, they will take out most (or all) of the Dark Elves. Once the Dark Elves are either eliminated or reduced significantly, position the Infantry on top of the traps, the Archers and Sappers behind them, and charge the bottom of the bowl with Rupert. Either mop up the Dark Elves, or just bait the Orcs into chasing you. Have them chase you uphill into a hail of arrows and all the traps. Then engage with your ground units. Easy cheezy. The traps should kill the Orcs about 75%, and may kill them completely if you can tangle them up in the trap zone. After the "pig farm" units are eliminated, it's Mission Accomplished. I finished with 286 kills for 4015 EXP and 15609 Gold. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4.3 Base 1: Advance Base ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Operations: Get some food, Paroth says... No problem. I'll just heat up this microwave pizza... After you visit the Pub, Paroth will explain that you're going to the Mineral Trade Center to the Northeast to contact the Dwarves. But first, he wants to take out the Dark Elf pursuers by turning and holding a position at the Steel Mountains. Barrack: Time to level up. There are a number of ways to level, but I would suggest adding to Rupert's Melee ability. Boost it to 15 so you can convert his troop to Knights. Upgrade the Scout ability as well, since having a fast, far-sighted Scout is important (this skill is maxed out at 3). Also, I would give Winavon Holy, allowing him to cast Curatio, and upgrade his Range ability. Holy is the single most important spell-casting skill, especially for ranged units. You should never enter a battlefield without at least one ranged unit that has Holy. I upgraded Greme to a Mortar unit, since Mortars are extremely good against Dark Legion troops. I also added to Paroth's and Seth's Holy and Fire skills to allow them to pack more firepower in melee. If you want, you can give Tzu'Mish a Ranged skill, and upgrade to a Catapult or Ballista! Really, you have a lot of flexibility with Rupert's initial units, especially if you use the X button from the Unit selection screen to reset each officer's Skills. All of your officers have very broad skill selection, and you can pretty much create whatever troop mix you want. When equipping units, try to buy items that have an added ability. The best items are those that provide an EXP bonus, but items are random, so you have to buy the best available for the unit at the time. Buy weapons for first for Heroes and troops, buy defensive items first for Officers. Your adjutant officers' equipment will not add any offensive bonuses, but their defensive bonuses stack, meaning that your Hero's troop can have a total of FOUR defensive resistance bonuses (one from your troop, one from the Hero, and one from each adjutant officer). Pub: We find out that Rupert volunteered for the escort mission because he wanted to get away from a situation involving Ben's daughter. Some of the other men mention having an involvement with Ben's daughter as well. You cannot hire mercenaries yet. Main Gate: You can't go out until you go to the Pub and get your next mission from Paroth. After you get Paroth's briefing (and upgrade at the Barracks) you'll have TWO Unknown optional missions, and one story-line mission. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4.4 Mission 2.5: Unknown-South (optional) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Overview: --------- This is the Southern Unknown mission. It's a swampy board with sparse trees and rainy weather. Fire arrows won't be effective here, but arrows in general will be. Sappers are also VERY effective on this board as all the enemies are stationary ground troops that are susceptible to being lured by a Scout. The only tough fight you'll face here are the lvl. 19 Flame Wraiths near the center and Northern edge of the board. Unit selection: --------------- Rupert Infantry - locked 3 Open 1 Support Walkthrough: ------------ ------------------------------- Battle: 5 Orc Sapper lvl. 21 6 Orc Infantry lvl. 12 4 Dark Elf Archer lvl. 12 2 Flame Wraith lvl. 19 ------------------------------- Search out each unit, and engage them individually by luring them out of their position. If you charge in, you'll have to engage multiple units. The tactics aren't too complicated. For the Sappers and Infantry, lure each one into the range of your ranged units and/or traps. Engage them in melee with Rupert when they get where you want them. For the Dark Elf Archers, charge in with melee units under the cover of trees, then fire with the ranged units on the melee. The Flame Wraiths will be slightly tougher, but they aren't too tough. If you brought Cavalry, use them. Flame Wraiths are vulnerable to Frontal attacks. They are resistant to all conventional attacks, but are less resistant to Explosions (Mortar Fire) and Melee. Surprisingly, they aren't at all resistant to Fire! Let fly with Kaleidoflamma. After you've killed all of the above enemies, your Mission is Accomplished. I finished with 305 kills for 5317 EXP and 9527 Gold. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4.5 Mission 2.75: Unknown-North (optional) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Overview: --------- This is the Northern Unknown mission. Unlike the Southern mission, this one is on a clear and sunny board with thicker forest. This mission is also more difficult, having a more potent mix of troops. The enemy will come with Archer and Wyverns in support of some fairly high level Dark Elf Fighters and Axemen. Don't bring Cavalry to this battle. Longbows and Knights are a must. Mortars and Sappers or Pyro-Techs are also good choices. Unit selection: --------------- Rupert Infantry - locked 3 Open 1 Support Walkthrough: ------------ ----------------------------------- Battle: 5 Orc Axemen lvl. 17 6 Dark Elf Fighter lvl. 25 4 Dark Elf Archer lvl. 12 2 Wyvern lvl. 12 ----------------------------------- The enemies on this board are more aggressive, and likely you will be immediately engaged from the moment the level starts. Keep your ranged units out of melee, and take on the enemy ranged units first. When fighting Wyverns, stay under the cover of the trees and shoot with the Longbows. After the initial wave of enemies, use a Scout to pinpoint the location of each enemy troop. Isolate and engage until all enemies are eliminated. After you've killed all of the above enemies, your Mission is Accomplished. I finished with 288 kills for 6671 EXP and 10705 Gold. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4.6 Mission 3: Steel Mounds ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Overview: --------- This mission will be the first true challenge you will face in Rupert's campaign. The board is fairly flat, and the Northern and Southern halves are separated by a stone wall. The mission structure is a series of four battles of increasing difficulty. You will face both Orc and Dark Elvish units, as well as a Scorpion. All of the enemy units will be strong Infantry supported by Dark Elf Archers, so you won't have to worry about anything tricky. Good troop picks for this board are Cavalry, Longbows (with healing), Sappers, Pyro-Techs, Knights, Mortars, or Paladins. You'll face a number of Meteor attacks, so anything with Fire resistance would be good also. The Cavalry are good for disrupting enemy ranged support and Meteors. Sappers and Pyro-Techs are useful because you'll face waves of enemies all travelling nearly the same path. Mortars, Knights, and Paladins are useful against melee troops, and Longbows with healing are universally useful. Unit selection: --------------- Rupert Infantry - locked 3 Open Walkthrough: ------------ You'll start out in the Southwest corner of the board with a little space behind you. Very soon, you'll be attacked by a lvl. 20 Dark Elf Fighter troop that will come out of the Southwest, probably behind you. ----------------------------------- Battle: 2 Dark Elf Fighter lvl. 20 1 Dark Elf Knight lvl. 20 ----------------------------------- Engage immediately since you won't want to get flanked. Very soon after you engage the first troop, two more will issue out of the Southwest. You will probably get hit with a Meteor, even if you try to engage quickly. Use healing spells, preferably Curatio cast by a ranged unit since it's cheaper than Heal, and cast Kaleidoflamma. You ought to mop up with little trouble, even if you get hit with a Meteor. After you succeed, you'll be directed to the next checkpoint for the next round of battle. Don't rush though, they'll come to you. Through all of these fights, it's advantageous to hang back near the start in a sound tactical position. Keep your ranged units in a field, and your melee units up near the edge of the forest. This way, you can engage the melee units in the open field, giving your ranged units a clear shot at their troops. At the same time, you will force the enemy's ranged support to fire from within the forest, making them only half as effective. You also will be less vulnerable to being attacked from more than one direction since the enemies will be coming from the same direction (i.e. the way you were supposed to have gone to get to the next fight). ----------------------------------- Battle: 1 Dark Elf Fighter lvl. 20 2 Dark Elf Knight lvl. 20 1 Dark Elf Archer lvl. 20 ----------------------------------- The tactics for this battle are very similar to the last. There are more enemies here, and they come at you staggered. You'll almost certainly get hit with a Meteor. Engage the Dark Elf Archers first. If you have Cavalry, send them out to melee the Archers while you mop up the shock troops in front. And... on to the next one. ----------------------------------- Battle: 1 Orc Infantry lvl. 20 1 Orc Axemen lvl. 20 1 Orc Heavy Infantry lvl. 20 2 Dark Elf Knight lvl. 20 2 Dark Elf Archer lvl. 20 ----------------------------------- Whew! This one's pretty tough. You'll face an onslaught of pretty strong melee troops supported by Dark Elf Archers. The fact that Axemen are in the mix will make using Cavalry tougher than it otherwise would be. Not to mention, You'll get hit periodically with Meteor from Dark Elves that haven't yet joined in melee. As if that weren't enough, the enemy melee units are fast, and will actively try to flank you to attack your ranged support. Your best bet is to hang back a bit with the ranged support, and send your Infantry forward. Use shock troops to try to suck all the units you possibly can into melee early on. Charge the Archers, and the Orcs and Knights should join the fight. This is the time to move your ranged support in, once the enemy infantry has committed to melee. Use copious healing and lots of Kaleidoflamma. If you have Cavalry, charge them through the melee for lots of damage and SP to fuel your fight. You will have to watch your life gauge carefully, because with three to five troops fighting you all at once, your life will begin to deplete very quickly. Try to finish the fight with SOMETHING left in the tank. The last fight is difficult enough that you'll need some life left. ----------------------------------- Battle: 1 Orc Infantry lvl. 30 1 Dark Elf Fighter lvl. 30 1 Orc Heavy Infantry lvl. 25 1 Dark Elf Knight lvl. 30 1 Dark Elf Archer lvl. 30 1 Scorpion lvl. 30 ----------------------------------- This fight is similar to, but not as difficult as the last in my opinion simply because the enemies are less varied. No Axemen, and only one Archer. The Scorpion could cause some problems unless you take it out first. Introduce it to Kaleidoflamma and your Mortars (if you have them). If you have Cavalry, charge them through melee until you see the Archers. As soon as you see the Archers, have the Cavalry melee with them. It will take them out of the fight while you mop up the melee units. The key to this fight is to pick your ground to fight on, and stand on it. Don't go anywhere near where you're "supposed" to go, or you'll get surrounded and cut to pieces. Instead, use the strategy I detailed above and lie in wait. The enemy will come. Send a Scout out to determine their location and composition to maneuver for best advantage. After you've killed all of the above enemies, your Mission is Accomplished. I finished with 533 kills for 11606 EXP and 28239 Gold. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4.7 Base 2: Longdust ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Operations: Paroth and Dolghan negotiate to an impasse while Rupert gets bored. Rupert goes for a drink after Dolghan offers him an all-you-can-drink ticket at the pub. Barrack: Level up again. Pub: Turns out you're looking for Dolghan, the Dwarf Elder. Seems like Rupert might fit in better here than Paroth. Rupert later gets drunk at the pub, too drunk to follow Paroth the speak with the Elves. This part is funny! Paroth doesn't come back for two days, and Rupert eventually gets worried enough to come after him. Dolghan joins your party. Main Gate: The Main Gate will take you to two Unknown missions and Blackedmark, the Elvish village. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4.8 Mission 3.5: Unknown-North (optional) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Overview: --------- This is the Northern Unknown mission. It's a clear board with mixed forest and good weather. This isn't a terribly difficult board, and is possible with any troop mix just like the Southern Board. Of the two, this one is easier having fewer and lower level enemies. Unit selection: --------------- Rupert Infantry - locked 3 Open 1 Support Walkthrough: ------------ ------------------------------- Battle: 5 Orc Sapper lvl. 20 5 Orc Infantry lvl. 25 3 Dark Elf Archer lvl. 23 3 Scorpion lvl. 30 ------------------------------- Search out each unit, and engage them individually by luring them out of their position. If you charge in, you'll have to engage multiple units. The tactics aren't too complicated. For the Sappers and Infantry, lure each one into the range of your ranged units and/or traps. Engage them in melee with Rupert when they get where you want them. For the Dark Elf Archers, charge in with melee units under the cover of trees, then fire with the ranged units on the melee. The Scorpions you've dealt with before. Deal with them the same way, with fire, siege weapons (Mortars, Ballistae, Catapults) and melee. After you've killed all of the above enemies, your Mission is Accomplished. I finished with 295 kills for 8185 EXP and 9823 Gold. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4.9 Mission 3.75: Unknown-South (optional) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Overview: --------- This is the Southern Unknown mission. It's a clear board with mixed forest and good weather. This isn't a terribly difficult board, and is possible with any troop mix. The only absolute need is Longbows to deal with the three Dirigibles. Unit selection: --------------- Rupert Infantry - locked 3 Open 1 Support Walkthrough: ------------ ------------------------------- Battle: 5 Orc Sapper lvl. 22 1 Orc Infantry lvl. 27 3 Dark Elf Archer lvl. 23 5 Orc Heavy Infantry lvl. 27 3 Dirigible lvl. 26 ------------------------------- Search out each unit, and engage them individually by luring them out of their position. If you charge in, you'll have to engage multiple units. The tactics aren't too complicated. For the Sappers and Infantry, lure each one into the range of your ranged units and/or traps. Engage them in melee with Rupert when they get where you want them. For the Dark Elf Archers, charge in with melee units under the cover of trees, then fire with the ranged units on the melee. The Dirigibles will inflict devastating casualties unless you deal with them first. Use Longbows as soon as you see them. Thankfully, they will die very quickly, but don't stand still underneath them or you will be very badly damaged. After you've killed all of the above enemies, your Mission is Accomplished. I finished with 305 kills for 11825 EXP and 20411 Gold. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4.10 Mission 4: Blackedmark ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unit selection: --------------- Rupert Infantry - locked 3 Free Overview: --------- There are a lot of enemy units on this board, but it isn't terribly difficult so long as you use the terrain to your advantage. There's a harsh glare from the sun, so keep it at your back. Almost any units will be good on this board. Fire resistance, as always, is a good thing to have since you'll get hit with Meteor a few times. All enemies on this board are lvl. 20, and there are at least 3 Wyverns, so bring Longbows. If you completed the optional missions, this one will be easy. Walkthrough: ------------ You'll start out in the West center of the board. In order to have the sun at your back and high ground, move directly North. You will run into several Kaedes units. Dalghon will remark that the Elf patrols you're looking for must have been eliminated. ---------------------------------- Battle: 3 Dark Elf Knight lvl. 20 1 Dark Elf Archer lvl. 20 ---------------------------------- If you've fought all of the Optional battles, you should be quite a bit higher level than these units by now. This won't be a hard fight at all, especially not with Dalghon's lvl. 40 troop on your side. Move into the Northwest corner and send out a Scout. There are a number of patrolling Dark Elf units. Lure them in with a Scout while holding higher ground. With Dolghan's help, these battles will be easy. North Center patrol: ---------------------------------- Battle: 2 Dark Elf Archer lvl. 20 1 Wyvern lvl. 20 ---------------------------------- Northeast patrol: ---------------------------------- Battle: 3 Dark Elf Archer lvl. 20 1 Dark Elf Knight lvl. 20 ---------------------------------- Center patrol: ---------------------------------- Battle: 2 Dark Elf Archer lvl. 20 2 Dark Elf Knight lvl. 20 ---------------------------------- After these patrols are destroyed, Dalghon will tell you to rescue an Elvish patrol. Kill the Dark Elf knights attacking the Elf Ranger troop. ---------------------------------- Battle: 1 Dark Elf Knight lvl. 20 ---------------------------------- Easy cheesy. You'll learn that Snowstone is fighting off Kaedes that attacked the Elf village. Now it's time to fight off some more Dark Elves. ---------------------------------- Battle: 1 Dark Elf Archer lvl. 20 4 Dark Elf Knight lvl. 20 1 Wyvern lvl. 20 ---------------------------------- You'll have some help from the Elvish Rangers with this one. Eliminate the Wyverns first, then focus on the Archers. You'll have to contend with a few Meteors if you leave any of the Dark Elf troops free to cast. As soon as these troops are eliminated, two more Rangers show up from the South. You're instructed to protect them. They will join your force, and bring guests! ---------------------------------- Battle: 5 Dark Elf Archer lvl. 20 5 Dark Elf Knight lvl. 20 1 Dark Elf Cavalry lvl. 20 1 Wyvern lvl. 20 ----------------------------------- I'm not really sure if my unit counts are right here since it's hard to keep straight who's who in this battle. Suffice it to say, there's at least this many, and possibly more. Despite the number of enemy units, they're all lvl. 20, which means they should all be lower level than your troops. Couple that with the fact that you have help from about 6 Elf Ranger troops, Dolghan, and Snowstone joins the battle halfway through! This battle really is a lot more fun than it is difficult. The Elf Rangers will engage enemy Archers one by one, eliminating the enemy's ability to fire and cast. You will have a great time running from melee to melee putting smack down. If you have Cavalry, you'll rack up more SP than you're going to be able to spend, even casting spells on the melees. Jackpot. I finished this level with 566 kills for 13594 EXP and 33074 Gold! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4.11 Base 3: Longdust ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Operations: Time to go back to Hironedien. Barrack: You should have plenty of EXP and Gold to spend by now. You should definitely invest in a Bomber Wing if you don't already have one. You might also consider investing in an Elemental unit. See the Troop Guide at the end of the FAQ for guidance on which are best suited for the missions ahead. Pub: Plot development. We learn that the relationship between the Dwarves and Elves and Ecclessia is strained. Paroth was successful in his negotiations with both because the Dwarves actually WANTED to enter the war in order to reclaim the Levantz mountains. However, they needed Hironeiden to give them a good excuse in order to avoid confrontation with Ecclesia. The Elves want to enter the war because they want to reclaim Arein. They need Hironeiden's help to do this, however. Main Gate: The Main Gate will take you to either the optional Unknown battle or Posterous Green. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4.12 Mission 4.5: Unknown (optional) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Unit selection: --------------- Ellen Infantry - locked 3 Free 1 Support Overview: --------- This is a rainy board with aggressive enemies. The mix of unit types is good, but overall, the enemies are relatively low level. The greatest challenge will come from the lvl. 35 Wyverns. Stay under the trees, and shoot them down with Longbows. Keep your support troop a long safe distance away from any Wyverns or they will get OWNED. Wyverns will chase them down, so have them hide in a corner. Walkthrough: ------------ You've done this before. Scout and bait, or charge in. Your units should be high enough level that they will have little trouble except against the Wyverns. One is in the Northeast, and the other is in the Northwest. ----------------------------------- Battle: 3 Dark Elf Archer lvl. 26 6 Dark Elf Knight lvl. 21 1 Scorpion lvl. 24 4 Ghoul lvl. 19 2 Wyvern lvl. 35 ---------------------------------- Once all of the above enemies are eliminated, your mission will be a success. I finished with 362 kills for 9303 EXP and 11116 Gold. Enough for a new set of greaves! After this battle, you can move to the next optional battle. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4.13 Mission 4.75: Unknown (optional) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unit selection: --------------- Ellen Infantry - locked 3 Free 1 Support Overview: --------- Here we go again with another Unknown Optional mission! This one is an evening mission that lends itself to sneaking around. Walkthrough: ------------ This mission has some high quality opposition, but not high quantity. Any unit selection will work, but the board tends to favor explosive power. There will be a few Dark Elf units that will use Earth magic, which is a new wrinkle. If they cast Vine, walk away and attack from a new direction. The Heavy Infantry can be a handful, but a sufficiently buffed Kaleidoflamma will take them down very quickly. They're also very vulnerable to Bomber Wings if you find them without Archer support. You'll find the Archers in the center, and in the Southeast corner. The Earth Golem and the Wyverns will be the tough customers on this board. If you brought a Bomber Wing, hunt down the Earth Golem first. He doesn't have any Archer support. Dealing with the Wyverns is the same as on the last board. Target them with Longbows, and keep the Longbows out of melee by blocking pursuing troops with Infantry. The Earth Golem is on the Western edge about halfway down. The Wyverns are in the center and in the Northeast. ------------------------------------- Battle: 6 Orc Heavy Infantry lvl. 31 3 Dark Elf Archer lvl. 28 2 Wyvern lvl. 28 5 Ghoul lvl. 28 1 Earth Golem lvl. 21 ------------------------------------- Once all of the above enemies are eliminated, your mission will be a success. I finished with 194 kills for approximately 15058 EXP and 9530 Gold. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4.14 Mission 5: Posterous Green ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unit selection: --------------- Ellen Infantry - locked 3 Free 1 Support Overview: --------- Escort missions... The scourge of gaming in most cases, but not here. This mission is actually quite fun and simple. The goal of the mission is to make sure at least 5 of 10 lvl. 10 Supply Wagons make it from the Northeast corner of the board to the Southeast. The sole benefit to an escort mission is that the enemy is forced to stop attacking you if they are to attack your escortee. If you've levelled properly, you should be stronger than all units that attack you here, meaning you can decimate them quickly enough that they won't substantially damage the wagons (if they even manage to get to them). You'll see a few Orc Riders on this board, a few Wyverns, and even a Swamp Mammoth at the very end. The Riders are no reason to take Spearmen, but you should take Longbows. Your support unit should definitely be a Bomber Wing, if nothing else than for the last wave of enemies. Walkthrough: ------------ You'll have a fair amount of help in this level. Allied lvl. 25 Archers and Infantry will assist you from the very start. ------------------------------------- Battle: 5 Orc Infantry lvl. 30 2 Dark Elf Archer lvl. 30 1 Orc Axemen lvl. 30 ------------------------------------- Because you have help, this battle will be easy. The wagons won't be on the board yet, and you should be able to mop up before they arrive. Focus on the Archers first, then the Infantry. After the battle is finished, the wagons will arrive in the Northeast corner. Enemies will attack from the Southeast. ------------------------------------- Battle: 4 Dark Elf Fighter lvl. 30 3 Dark Elf Archer lvl. 30 ------------------------------------- These enemies will come up through the forest. You shouldn't have any trouble engaging them. Try to flank the Archers with at least one fast melee unit. You can use Cavalry, or a Range-resistant elemental very effectively here. Since you'll have plenty of help, no one should get through, and all three wagons should make it across successfully. As soon as the wagons make it safely, make sure you're ready for several Fighters to come in quickly from the East. ------------------------------------- Battle: 6 Dark Elf Fighter lvl. 30 1 Orc Rider lvl. 30 1 Orc Axemen lvl. 30 1 Dark Elf Archer lvl. 30 2 Wyvern lvl. 30 2 Scorpion lvl. 30 ------------------------------------- At first, you'll only have the four Fighters to contend with. No problem. Try to finish them quickly, because in no time, the rest of the crew will show up, and they bring some heat. The Wyverns and Cavalry are especially dangerous. Since your allies will likely charge in first, let them take the brunt of the attack while you deal with the Archers, Wyverns, and Scorpions from a safe distance. The Cavalry will probably charge through your Infantry, but that's no problem unless you're engaged in melee. If you're far enough away from the Archers and Wyverns, use your Support unit to chase down the Cavalry. If you are patient, you should get through this fight without being very damaged if at all. Oh, and your supply wagons should all make it through also. Last battle. These enemies will come in from the South, and they'll be fanned out. Focus on one end of their line, and work your way to the other. The key is not to get spread out chasing down individual troops so that you'll be able to present a powerful and united opposition when the REAL trouble arrives. ------------------------------------- Battle: 2 Dark Elf Fighter lvl. 30 6 Orc Infantry lvl. 30 1 Orc Axemen lvl. 30 1 Scorpion lvl. 30 1 Orc Rider lvl. 30 1 Swamp Mammoth lvl. 30 ------------------------------------- The first enemies to come out are Dark Elf Fighters, Orc Infantry, and a Scorpion. No problems here. The reinforcements include Orc Riders, Axemen, and (doh!) a Swamp Mammoth. The wise will stay FAR FAR away from the Mammoth. The Swamp Mammoth is easily the most powerful ground unit in the game. For the Starcraft fans out there, they're like living Siege Tanks. Fortunately, this is the one wave in which the enemy didn't bring any anti-aircraft, a tactical mistake you can run roughshod over with a Bomber Wing (preferably) or Storm Riders. Stay North, and take out the Cavalry first. Then start mopping up the closest groups of enemy infantry. Support your allies with healing if you can spare it. After the last supply unit makes it home, Rupert will call off the battle and urge his troops to head to the Southwest corner to extract from the Mission. Hah! Got EXP? Stick around to kill the Mammoth and the 2 Orc Infantry following. These are sitting ducks for your aerial support and easy EXP for the Bomber Wing (or Storm Riders). I finished with: 537 kills for 21548 EXP and 15640 Gold. Not a bad day's work. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4.15 Base 4: Advance Base ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Operations: Time to rescue Hironeiden. Or maybe do an Unknown mission? Barrack: Since this will be the last time to level up, complete the optional unknown mission, then dump all of your EXP into Rupert and two other troops of your choice. I recommend Longbows and either an Elemental, Cavalry, Ballistae, or a second Mortar troop. You'll be supplied with a level 30 Bomber Wing and Mortars. Use X to strip out all the EXP from your other units and max out the three you'll be taking. Also you'll want to sell all the equipment not otherwise being used and upgrade Pub: Hironeiden is burning! Main Gate: The Main Gate will take you to either the optional Unknown battle or the final battle, Hironeiden Inner Castle. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4.16 Mission 5.5: Unknown (optional) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unit selection: --------------- Rupert Infantry - locked 3 Free 1 Support Overview: --------- More search and destroy of Dark Legion troops. This is slightly more difficult, but overall the same as you've done before. There's some good EXP to be had on this board, but take it slow. Rushing in will only mean you have to fight all the enemy troops at once. Divide and conquer. Walkthrough: ------------ The tough fights here are the two Earth Golems in the West and Northwest. One of them is supported by a Wyvern, making it a good fight indeed. Lure the Earth Golem into the woods and administer a beating using Rupert's heavy attack (A button). At the same time, attack the Wyvern with your Longbows. You did bring Longbows, right? The fighting on the Eastern edge of the board is easier, and you may want to tackle this side first. Once all of the above enemies are eliminated, your mission will be a success. I finished with 339 kills for 20044 EXP and 15149 Gold. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4.17 Mission 6: Hironeiden Inner Castle ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unit selection: --------------- Rupert Infantry - locked 2 Free Mortar - locked Bomber Wing - locked Overview: --------- Hironeiden is burning, and it's up to Rupert to save Gerald's bacon. The game has finally come full circle to the point where Rupert returns during Gerald's campaign in KUF:Crusaders to turn the tide of battle. You should be high enough level that this mission won't present much of a problem. You'll have substantial help from allied troops in this mission, so keep your troops close together and behind the lines. Don't be too aggressive. Since this is the last mission, there's no need to build EXP and it doesn't matter how many kills you get as long as you survive. You'll see no less than three Swamp Mammoths on this board, but no Wyverns, and few archers. Mortars and Ballistae are definitely the strongest units on this board. An elemental could also be useful. ----------------------------------- Battle: 12 Ghouls lvl.30 - 40 4 Scorpions lvl. 40 ---------------------------------- Take out the Scorpions when they get close. Otherwise, engage the Ghouls as opportunity presents itself. Try to target the Scorpions with the Mortars and Bomber wings while engaging the Ghouls with melee troops for SP building. ----------------------------------- Battle: 5 Dark Elf Fighter lvl. 35 2 Dark Elf Archer lvl. 35 1 Scorpion lvl. 35 ----------------------------------- Be careful here with your Bomber wings. Pull them back rather than risk them with Archers being in the mix. Take out the Archers and Scorpion first, then focus on the Fighters. Your allies will hold them in check for the most part, but make sure the Mortars aren't engaged in melee. ----------------------------------- Battle: 2 Dark Elf Fighter lvl. 40 1 Dark Elf Archer lvl. 40 1 Swamp Mammoth lvl. 30 ----------------------------------- You'll need to stretch the enemy line a little to get the support units away from the Swamp Mammoth. Run the opposite direction, then take them out as they chase you outside of the range of the slower Swamp Mammoth. If you charge in, you'll probably be too badly hurt to finish the mission, assuming you survive. As soon as the Archers are dead, the Mammoth is easy prey for the Bomber Wing. Just run everyone else out of range. You can attack the Mammoth with a very strong melee unit if you want to hold it in place and hit it with Mortars too. If you try to engage with Mortars only, and no diversionary melee unit, the Swamp Mammoth is very capable of taking out all the Mortars even if you support them with healing. ----------------------------------- Battle: 6 Scorpion lvl. 40 2 Swamp Mammoth lvl. 30 - 40 ----------------------------------- If your Bomber Wing survived, this will be super easy. Just pull back and wait for the Bomber Wing to kill everything. Without Archers, these heavies are just sitting ducks. If your Bomber Wing didn't survive (mine got shot down earlier in the battle once), it's still possible if you brought a melee resistant Elemental or another troop with high melee skill and good armor. Have this troop engage the Swamp Mammoth in melee while the mortars bombard from a distance. If you don't melee like this to disrupt the Mammoth's ranged attack, it will quickly wipe out your mortars. Hopefully you have some healing capability, because even a very resistant troop will take some heavy damage from standing underneath a Swamp Mammoth for as long as it will take to kill it. As soon as you're done with all these heavies, Lucretia shows up to "finish" the battle. ------------------------------------------ Battle: Lucretia Dark ELf Knights lvl. 50 3 Dark Elf Fighter lvl. 40 2 Dark Elf Archer lvl. 40 1 Scorpion lvl. 40 ------------------------------------------ Let Gerald engage Lucretia. The Scorpion and Archers are a priority since they go down the easiest, but could also take YOU down easily if you get bogged down in melee while they fire in on you. Once all it becomes obvious that Lucretia's position is untenable, she will retreat. Mop up any stragglers and Rupert's mission is complete! You'll be rewarded with a cut-scene, and the ability to replay Rupert's missions at a higher level (if you sit through the credits). You'll also have unlocked Cirith's campaign. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. Troop Guide : Human Alliance ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------, 5.1 Infantry | --------------' Infantry are the basic unit of the Human Alliance. All other units start out as Infantry, but they shouldn't STAY Infantry. The ONLY reason to use basic Infantry in combat is because you have to (as in Rupert's first mission). Infantry are resistant to arrow attack if you place them in closed formation. Required Skill Equipment Resistance -------------- --------- ----------------- Melee 1 Sword / Axe Melee 0 Buckler / Shield Range 21 Armor Explosion 0 Frontal 0 Fire 0 Lightning -19 Ice -150 Holy 0 Earth -50 Curse -19 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------, 5.2 Heavy Infantry | --------------------' Heavy Infantry are more heavily armed and armored fighting men. They are not quite as strong as Knights, but have the advantage of slightly greater speed and less vulnerability to lightning. They can also can equip shields, where Knights cannot. Heavy Infantry in closed formation are resistant to arrow attacks, though they will move very slowly. Required Skill Equipment Resistance -------------- --------- ----------------- Melee 10 Sword / Axe Melee 0 Buckler / Shield Range 21 Armor Explosion 0 Frontal 0 Fire 0 Lightning -79 Ice 0 Holy 0 Earth -50 Curse 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------, 5.3 Spearmen | ---------------' Spearmen are essentially Infantry that are specialized to kill Cavalry. They have great resistance to Frontal damage (from charging Cavalry) and their spears are deadly to oncoming Cavalry. Spearmen in melee are identical to regular Infantry, and are not able to deal Frontal damage to charging Cavalry (though they are still resistant to the damage). Spearmen should only be used in battles where you expect to see enemy Cavalry. There are only a few such missions in Rupert's campaign, and all of these are possible without using Spearmen. Generally speaking, other unit types are more useful even on boards where enemy Cavalry appear. Required Skill Equipment Resistance -------------- --------- ----------------- Melee 2 Spear Melee 0 Frontal 3 None Range 21 Armor Explosion 0 Frontal 75 Fire 0 Lightning -19 Ice -150 Holy 0 Earth -50 Curse -19 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------, 5.4 Knight | ------------' Knights are the strongest human infantry unit, and Rupert should upgrade his troop to Knights as soon as possible. The achilles heel of Knights is their weakness to Lightning. Fortunately, you will not see any enemies wielding Lightning magic in Rupert's campaign. Knights share the ability of Heavy and regular Infantry to resist arrow attacks when using a closed formation. Required Skill Equipment Resistance -------------- --------- ----------------- Melee 15 Two Handed Sword Melee 11 None Range 29 Armor Explosion 0 Frontal 0 Fire 0 Lightning -200 Ice 0 Holy 0 Earth -50 Curse 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------, 5.5 Cavalry | -------------' Cavalry are mounted horsemen with lances. They are able to fight effectively in melee, but are most effective when charging through units that are already engaged in melee. This allows them to inflict Frontal damage instead of Melee damage in addition to racking up large amounts of SP. Because of their speed, Cavalry are effective at quickly charging and engaging ranged and magic using support units, disrupting these units abilities to use magic and ranged spells. Waypoints should be used when charging cavalry through battle. Set a waypoint on the enemy, one past the enemy, one on the enemy, one past the enemy, one on the enemy, etc... for as many passes as you wish to execute. You can also route cavalry from enemy troop to enemy troop to make "rounds" of a battlefield, racking up SP while harrying the enemy. Cavalry do substantially more damage to enemies that are engaged in melee already. Required Skill Equipment Resistance -------------- --------- ----------------- Melee 5 Lance Melee 0 Frontal 2 Equipment Range 5 Riding 2 Armor Explosion 0 Frontal -50 Fire -150 Lightning -19 Ice 0 Holy 0 Earth -50 Curse -150 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------, 5.6 Heavy Cavalry | -------------------' Heavy Cavalry are in all ways the same as regular Cavalry with the exception that they are tougher (more HP), more resistant to ranged attacks, and more vulnerable to lightning. You should upgrade your regular Cavalry to Heavy Cavalry as soon as possible since you won't be seeing any lightning in Rupert's campaign. Required Skill Equipment Resistance -------------- --------- ----------------- Melee 7 Lance Melee 0 Frontal 5 Equipment Range 21 Riding 5 Armor Explosion 0 Frontal -50 Fire -150 Lightning -200 Ice 0 Holy 0 Earth -50 Curse -150 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------, 5.7 Storm Rider | -----------------' Storm Riders are trained giant eagles that have been trained and equipped for combat. They are one of two aerial support units available to the Human Alliance. Storm Riders have the advantage of being fast (the fastest unit in the game), and able to attack air and ground units. They have the disadvantage of being very fragile. They cannot stand against any other unit able to hit them, and will very quickly be eliminated by any type of magic. They also cannot attack ground units that are in a forest. This combination of strengths and weaknesses makes Storm Riders great scouts and raiders, but very poor front line combatants. Very often, you will find yourself running critically injured Storm Riders out of range of the Archers that they got too close to for a few seconds. Overall, Bomber Wings are a far better choice of Support Unit. Required Skill Equipment Resistance -------------- --------- ----------------- Melee 10 None Melee 0 Frontal 8 Equipment Range -200 Riding 10 None Explosion -100 Frontal 0 Fire -400 Lightning -400 Ice -400 Holy -50 Earth -400 Curse -400 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------, 5.8 Archer | ------------' Archers are bowmen that can also fight in melee. They are able to use Fire Arrows to set forests on fire, and Direct Shot to fire a focused volley at short range for great damage. Archers are able to attack both air and ground targets, and are especially strong against air units. Archers get an advantage when firing at an enemy from higher ground, or with the sun at their back. The main advantage of Archers is that you can give their officer the Holy skill so they can cast Curatio. Archers/Longbows are the only ranged units that have two skill slots available for an additional magic skill. You could give them any magic skill, but being able to cast Curatio with ranged units that generally stay out of melee is a huge advantage. Required Skill Equipment Resistance -------------- --------- ----------------- Melee 1 Bow Melee 0 Ranged 1 Sword / Axe Range 0 Armor Explosion 0 Frontal 0 Fire 0 Lightning -19 Ice -150 Holy 0 Earth -50 Curse -19 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------, 5.9 Longbow | --------------' Longbowmen are upgraded Archers with greater range and HP. They also have slightly more resistance to physical attacks. In all other ways, they are the same as Archers. Upgrade your Archers to Longbows as soon as possible. Required Skill Equipment Resistance -------------- --------- ----------------- Melee 3 Bow Melee 6 Ranged 7 Sword / Axe Range 6 Armor Explosion 6 Frontal 6 Fire 0 Lightning -19 Ice -150 Holy 0 Earth -50 Curse -19 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------, 5.10 Mortar | -------------' Mortars are small field artillery, but they do HUGE damage. Mortars are quite possibly the best unit available to the Human Alliance. They can't stand alone, but used properly, they are overwhelmingly powerful. Their main advantage is that they have very long range, and inflict splash damage. Catapults and Ballistae also have long range, but fire and move slower, and don't inflict splash damage. Mortar fire also knocks down units that are hit, disrupting opposing missilers and slowing the pace of damage dealing in melee. The main disadvantage of Mortars is that they can't hit aerial units. In order to make your Mortars more effective, upgrade the Gunpowder skill to at least 15. Required Skill Equipment Resistance -------------- --------- ----------------- Melee 5 Mortar Melee 21 Ranged 7 Sword / Axe Range 0 Gunpowder 10 Armor Explosion 0 Frontal 0 Fire -150 Lightning -150 Ice 0 Holy 0 Earth -50 Curse -19 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------, 5.11 Sapper | -------------' Sappers are combat engineers that set and remove traps on the battlefield. Sappers can be very effective when used properly, but because of their poor melee skill, most of the time you will want to bring a more powerful combat unit whose damage dealing doesn't rely on the enemy moving toward YOUR forces. Required Skill Equipment Resistance -------------- --------- ----------------- Melee 1 Pickaxe Melee 0 Teamwork 1 Knapsack Range 0 Armor Explosion 0 Frontal 0 Fire 0 Lightning -19 Ice -150 Holy 0 Earth -50 Curse -19 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------, 5.12 Pyro Technician | ----------------------' Pyro Technicians are upgraded Sappers that set explosive mines instead of traps. They also have the ability to set fires. If you use Sappers, you should upgrade to Pyro Technicians as soon as possible to get more damage out of their traps. Required Skill Equipment Resistance -------------- --------- ----------------- Melee 4 Pickaxe Melee 0 Teamwork 4 Knapsack Range 0 Gunpowder 5 Armor Explosion 0 Frontal 0 Fire -150 Lightning -150 Ice 0 Holy 0 Earth -50 Curse -19 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------, 5.13 Bomber Wing | ------------------' Bomber Wings are small dirigibles that drop explosives into combat. They are the second support unit available to the Human Alliance, and are better damage dealers than Storm Riders. Actually, the damage they deal is quite substantial, especially with an upgraded Gunpowder skill. They are, however, very weak to all forms of physical and magical attack, and are unable to attack other aerial units. Bomber wings can be devastating against the slower, more powerful Dark Legion ground units like Swamp Mammoths, Scorpions, and Ghouls. Required Skill Equipment Resistance -------------- --------- ----------------- Melee 9 None Melee -19 Teamwork 10 Aviation Gear Range -200 Gunpowder 12 None Explosion -100 Frontal 0 Fire -400 Lightning -400 Ice -400 Holy -50 Earth -400 Curse -400 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------, 5.14 Ballista | ---------------' Ballistae are huge crossbows used as field artillery and as siege weapons. They are slow moving and firing, but deal great damage, and knock down humanoid units They also have the longest range of any unit, and are most effective with a Scout being used as a spotter. Ballistae are especially effective against aerial units and large Beast units like Swamp Mammoths and Scorpions. Ballistae will probably be more useful than Mortars on boards where a large number of Wyverns or Swamp Mammoths appear. Required Skill Equipment Resistance -------------- --------- ----------------- Melee 6 Ballista Melee 50 Ranged 6 None Range 25 Teamwork 10 None Explosion -50 Frontal 81 Fire 0 Lightning -19 Ice -150 Holy 0 Earth -50 Curse -19 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------, 5.15 Catapult | ---------------' Catapults are large siege weapons that hurl stones. They have long range, great damage, and inflict knockdown on humanoid troops. They can't, however, hit aerial units. In all other ways, Catapults are the same as Ballistae, but with less range and fewer HP. Mortars are in all ways better than Catapults, so stick with Mortars and use Ballistae if you need more range. Required Skill Equipment Resistance -------------- --------- ----------------- Melee 3 Catapult Melee 50 Ranged 3 None Range 25 Teamwork 4 None Explosion -50 Frontal 81 Fire 0 Lightning -19 Ice -150 Holy 0 Earth -50 Curse -19 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------, 5.16 Earth Golem | ------------------' Earth Golems are a single large, rock creature that is nearly indestructible by normal attacks. Earth Golems cast a very powerful poison Vine. The Earth Golem is not the best Elemental to use in Rupert's campaign because you'll be exposed to quite a bit of Frontal and Explosive damage in his later missions. Required Skill Equipment Resistance -------------- --------- ----------------- Melee 5 None Melee 61 Earth 25 Range 91 Explosion -200 Frontal -150 Fire 25 Lightning -150 Ice 25 Holy 0 Earth 0 Curse 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------, 5.17 Ice Maiden | -----------------' Ice Maidens are feminine shaped ice spirits that are very difficult to kill conventional attacks. They have the ability to cast a potent Blizzard. Ice Maidens are the worst Elemental to use in Rupert's campaign because you'll be hit ad nauseum with Meteor cast by Dark Elf units on almost every board. Required Skill Equipment Resistance -------------- --------- ----------------- Melee 5 None Melee 61 Ice 25 Range 91 Explosion 0 Frontal -50 Fire -400 Lightning 25 Ice 0 Holy 0 Earth 25 Curse 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------, 5.18 Thunder Rhino | --------------------' The Thunder Rhino is a large thunder spirit animal with a strong Thunderstorm attack. The Thunder Rhino is vulnerable to Explosion and Frontal attacks just like the Earth Golem, and thus is a second best choice. Nonetheless, they are the coolest LOOKING Elemental, and Thunderstorm is a great spell. Required Skill Equipment Resistance -------------- --------- ----------------- Melee 5 None Melee 16 Lightning 25 Range 91 Explosion -200 Frontal -150 Fire 0 Lightning 0 Ice 25 Holy 0 Earth -19 Curse 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------, 5.19 Flame Wraith | -------------------' Flame Wraiths are a cadre of sword weilding Fire spirits with a powerful meteor spell. They have better resistances than the other elementals, but aren't as resistant to melee attacks, and are very susceptible to Ice magic. You'll see a few Blizzards in Rupert's campaign, but much more in the way of Explosive and Frontal damage. Fire Elementals are the best choice for Rupert's campaign for this reason. Use them to chase down and engage enemy ranged support units. Required Skill Equipment Resistance -------------- --------- ----------------- Melee 5 None Melee 36 Fire 25 Range 91 Explosion 21 Frontal -50 Fire 0 Lightning 25 Ice -150 Holy 0 Earth 25 Curse 0 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6. REVISION HISTORY -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10-31-2005 version 1.0 - First draft of walkthrough: sections 1-6