I got mine picking up a "nautical map". If you already have the location the map would have shown you, it spawns you a random "Traveler's Scroll". It's not always Call of the Colossus, I was just lucky to get it.

There is exploit:
use containers of creatures (eggs, coffins, etc) with random number of creatures. example: snake eggs (generate random number units). dragon eggs does not approach (generate 1 units).
It will change "random sid" for scroll.

example:
- save game
- use scroll
- creatures not approach
- load game
- use 1 snake egg
- use scroll
- creatures not approach again
- load game
- use 1 snake egg
- use 1 snake egg again
- use scroll
...
etc

I must say that the Call Colossus scroll is the best possible boost to your army early on, and the earliest that you have a CHANCE to get it is in Scarlet.

In Debir, just make sure you pick up both nautical maps: Scarlet and Bolo. Then once you go to Scarlet there is an undefended nautical map which most likely is the Bolo map. Since you already have Bolo, it will generate a random Wanderer Scroll, and if you are lucky it just might be a Call Colossus scroll.

In my impossible paladin game, I actually replayed the game from the start since I discovered that the Bolo map in Scarlet always gave me Call Colossus. First run I only had 1,100 leadership, giving me a possible Ogre or Troll. Since I was playing paladin, was able to concentrate on Glory (and Learning at the same time); with two items that gave +100 and +200 leadership plus no-loss victories I was able to get to 2,000 leadership to get a Red Dragon (see attached screenshot).

I used the tactic above of using my snake eggs and sprouts one at a time to check which creature I got; for the Red Dragon, I used 12 snake eggs and 3 sprouts ONE AT A TIME. Other choices that I had were 2 Ogres, Troll, Ancient Ent, Archdemon, Bone Dragon, Green Dragon and Tirex.

I wanted something with high initiative and speed, and the Green Dragon would have been technically better (in combo with Phantom), but Rusty Anchor gives you one as a reward for a quest, and two level 5 unit types are better than one. Archdemon could not be Healed, and while Tirex self-heal with each kill they didn't combo well morale-wise with the Green Dragon, and I had the blue dragon pet which gave +1 initiative to animals and dragons.

So Red Dragon it became, which works GREAT in making itself more lethal in working towards upgrading the Battle Alchemy medal. :grin:

I feel red dragon is the best lvl 5 creature.
Of course it is situational what is the "best" but avarage i think it is the winner.
Green is a bit two slow (initiative), Black or Archdemon cannot be healed, others cannot fly/slow or cannot be healed.
Its special attack is great.
The only weakness that somtimes fire damage can be worthless

I miss Titans from Homm :)

I would say Reds are best as well, followed by blacks. As much as you can't heal blacks, they also have the best resistances in the game, being 'immune' to two different damage types, and still having innate physical resistance.

Red's though, are almost as good... and you can Phantom them, stone skin them, timeback them, etc.

I think that a lot of the level 5 units in this game end up being more worth it than in TL. The Archdemon 'halve' ability is very impressive, especially in boss fights. I just wish Humans had a level 5'er. Screw Titans, I want Seraphs or Archangels or ... something. Maybe some sort of 'hero'? Not sure what would fit the KB lore best.

Edit: Oh, and Shield of Rekross is better than Call Colossus, as it will provide you with dragons of various types for many levels to come, whereas the scroll will give only a couple early on.

Without a doubt the Shield of Rekross is better than Call Colossus. But for some reason, I have yet to see the shield spawn on Debir or Scarlet. I used the KBScanner on 10 save game files and the earliest island it spawned in was in Verona (sometimes no Shield of Rekross at all, like in my current game). This is all well and good since you could map-kite up to Verona, but if you are going for a 7-day game then map-kiting is not an option.

I believe that even though items are random you only get to spawn some items in some areas. I've seen this happen when I was trying to get an Ancient Amulet and Gladiator Sword in the initial academy and castle (around 100 tries); the items generated in both buildings are limited to a few items only.

On Impossible difficulty the first few levels are the hardest if going for a 7-days/no-loss game. I read that you have 1 in 40 chance per chest to get a wanderers scroll, and in the first 120 chests I opened in Debir and Scarlet I found 4 such scrolls (Ancient Knowledge, Magic Flow, Call of Death, Titan Armor), and that was not including the Call Colossus I got in replacement of the duplicate navi map.

I may be wrong though, so if anyone found the Shield of Rekross in Debir/Scarlet/Bolo/Rusty, please correct me.

I'm fairly sure I got the shield really early on my normal mage playthrough. but i cant remember where exactly i got it. Probably at on of the first 4 islands though.

The earliest chance you can get the Shield of Rekross is in the cave in Scarlet Winds where it requires a password to get through. Obviously you are also expected to deal with the blocking heroes army who likes to annoy you with poison skull, and an army consisted of zombies and beholder.

Are you talking about Rob Cuttlefish's hideout? Then you can't pick it up early on since you need to be powerful enough to take out the guard who is around level 20 I think (and equivalent invincible enemy stacks).

On the other hand, a Call Colossus from 120 chests is quite probable at level 8.

Yes i think its here I got mine actually!