Impossible Warrior challenge

[sector24]

Originally Posted by Zhuangzi

I don't think that was aimed at me, probably the likes of Calinda, sector24 and MajorS, but I am getting tired of your inferiority complex. I don't think any of them have cheated or made stuff up (why would you bother?). They have just learned how to master the game.

Just from my personal point of view, the score exists for people to compete for the best scores. It's definitely not the kind of thing that everyone wants to shoot for, and I can totally understand why people would think that min/maxers are silly. I just chose a personal challenge that I thought would make the game more fun, and I can tell you that it was significantly more entertaining for me. None of the fights were boring and some of the fights were epic where if I was just playing and didn't care about losing a few guys they'd have been routine. I think some of the zones have a few too many fights that can kind of erode your desire to play, and this was one of the ways to keep things interesting for me.

[Zhuangzi]

Originally Posted by sector24

Just from my personal point of view, the score exists for people to compete for the best scores. It's definitely not the kind of thing that everyone wants to shoot for, and I can totally understand why people would think that min/maxers are silly. I just chose a personal challenge that I thought would make the game more fun, and I can tell you that it was significantly more entertaining for me. None of the fights were boring and some of the fights were epic where if I was just playing and didn't care about losing a few guys they'd have been routine. I think some of the zones have a few too many fights that can kind of erode your desire to play, and this was one of the ways to keep things interesting for me.

Um, yeah. I've almost played this through four times now, which is just nuts given that it takes 60 hours to play the game, and certain areas really seem to grind more than others. On the other hand, I didn't want to try the no losses challenge myself because I know you were doing it (and the russian guy shd has done it before) and also because I knew it would take a lot longer to play.

I love this game more than any game in maybe the last five years, but there are too many fights and the level progression does slow down a bit much. It's a bit stupid how the main quest fights don't scale up in difficulty, meaning that you can defeat General Karador for example but not the dragon that prowls around outside.

Some areas seem to grind more than others as well. I've decided now that Freedom Isles and Kordar are the worst grindfest. Darion, on the other hand, is still extremely fun, and I like Ellinia and the Land of the Dead too.

I'm up to level 23 in my game now. Money is a bit of an issue (only 500,000) but other than that, the game is breezing by. I've already unlocked Haas' Labyrinth but I need to grind through the rest of Ellinia, Land of the Dead and Demonis to increase my level.

[MajorS]

Day 10 7:00am just back from defeating Karador and omw to Demonis.

ETA for finish Day 12-13

So far Warrior doesnt play much different than mage (bit harder in the beginning, bit easier now). Im still using Thorns in a stack of 2500 with 4-6 damage (crown + 2x +1 damage weapons) dealing more damage at long range than Elves.

Originally Posted by Zhuangzi

I don't think that was aimed at me, probably the likes of Calinda, sector24 and MajorS, but I am getting tired of your inferiority complex. I don't think any of them have cheated or made stuff up (why would you bother?). They have just learned how to master the game.

Agree. Its not like such a game has never been there before. Everyone that played HoMM, AoW or the Original Kings Bounty already knows basics and some obviously some of the tactics like Angas + Fairies is already common knowledge.

[Calinda]

Dunno, in my new game I'm lvl. 10 at 7:00AM on day 3 at freedom isles, with 95% from the starting areas done, all things from there bought, and still have 114k gold . Its too bad that I'm still missing some important spells, but hopefully I'll find them soon.

[Zhuangzi]

Okay, so I finished for the fourth time. I posted some stats in the high score thread.

My thinking on the idea that Warrior is harder than Paladin, which is in turn harder than Mage, is as follows:

The difficulty settings disadvantage the Warrior because of the penalty for spirits of rage.

Money is also more of a problem earlier in the game for the Warrior due to increased losses.

Mages start with Fireball 1 (very useful in Darion) and Paladins with Resurrection 1 (very useful all game). The Warrior gets nothing.

Mages get Sprites/Lake Fairies (and I think Paladins do too?) at the beginning, which you can stash until you get Sacrifice and Anga's Ruby. This is potentially very useful.

Higher Magic is the best unique skill. It is absurdly powerful. The Paladin's Runic Stone is very useful in maxing out a lot of the upgrade tree. And the Warrior gets Iron Fist, which is WAY worse.

All of this makes the Warrior harder IMO, especially earlier in the game. By about half way through though, there isn't much difference. I was able to max Chaos, Order and Distortion by the end of the game, and the Warrior does have higher leadership and some very nice upgrades (Tactics, Onslaught). So if you can get through to Ellinia, things will get much easier.

It took me 30 days this time, which surprisingly was my quickest time. It would have been about 28 if I hadn't wasted time flying when I could have gone through the mines, and I think it would have been 24 or below had I not flown around as much.

[milo]

I think you under estimate the benefit of the warrior anger ability. Warrior gain rage and the accompanying rage ability upgrades far more easily than the mage or the paladin. Higher magic is not available until probably mid game or later. Warrior is harder at the beginning than mage but progressively gets more competitive as rage abilities become more potent. I am least impressed with the paladin, even with the runic stone ability still didnt have anywhere near enough magic or might runes

[MajorS]

I finished on Day 11 at 11:00 pm

And some Damage Scores for sector24 to beat

[Zhuangzi]

That is nuts. Congrats.

What level where you at the end? Don't say 28+ because I don't see how that's possible. You must have rushed through doing the main questline only, right?

EDIT: Okay, I saw in the high scores thread that you were level 30. I give up. I could perhaps do this in 20 days but 11? You win. :p

[MajorS]

I did 2 things. Plan your actions to minimize travel. For an example first visit to the Elven lands i had to leave most of the undead world unfinished, because my flight was leaving (i spend almost exactly 24h on that first visit) But make sure to get the obelisks. On the second and final visit i cleared that area + maze + Murok in 16h. And i also did 2 trips to Freedom Island. I dont think you can clean it on your first visit in 24h anyway, and coming back with huge leadership and better troops helps alot.

Day 1-2: Start clearing everything in Darion. I went for the quest first that gives the free ship and picked banners and treasure before even doing a single fight outside the Training Hall. On Day 3 before 7am with lev 5 i went to kill the turtle(the travel back should happen shortly before 7, or you waste alot of time).

Day 3: Kill Turtle, do more stuff in Darion

Day 4: (shortly before 7am) travel to Freedom Isles. Run around pick up all treasure, runes, banners.

Day 5-6: defeat Redbeard, get Maps and return to Darion (shortly before 7am ), rest of the day clean rest of Darion and pick up everything thats not nailed down in Kordar and Demonis. I was Lev 11 with 8k leadership at the end of Day 6, also got 5 Giants and max level target (i think if i had gotten the castle in the mines, ork embassy retake quest would have been available, made a mistake here) It may be better to try squeeze this into 1 day and do the rest later, but not sure. I wanted the whip

Day 7: Travel back to Freedom Islands (before 7 am). Spend the rest of the day killing everything including Kraken.

Day 8: Return from Freedom islands (before 7) Clean as much as possible in Kordar.

Day 9: Travel to Ellinia (before 7) and do as much as goes into 1 day. (make sure to get all obelisks, so on the last return to Kordar you can finish the Obelisk quest)

Day 10: Return to Kordar/Darion(before 7) finish everything including Demonis. (i made sure to have Sprites and Dryads in my Reserve slots, so i could carry more than my Leadership allowed, since i would get more soon)

Day 11: Return to Ellinia(before 7 of course). Finish undead area, Maze and Murok. I somewhat cheated in the Maze tho. On my way back to turn in the Incarnations quest i saved and if i made too many mistakes picking the path i reloaded. This wasnt really necessary, because i already had the final fight troops (Knights and Horseman in Reserveslot) with me anyway, but i wanted that Quest too. And it was very close in the end.


And my offer again, i can provide all savegames (83 this time). I also stuck with my 1 wife policy (Feanora had the perfect slots and bonus anyway) In addition to that i didnt purchase a single scroll in the game (thats why i ended up without resurrection but i wouldnt have used it anyway)

[Calinda]

It can be done faster than this. I just killed Redbeard at 1:15 AM on Day 4, and will be Lvl 12 before I go back to Darion in the morning. Probably 10 days is the fastest, dunno, we'll see. Or may be even 9.
BTW MajorS, I killed turtle on day 2.