Top 10 tips for everybody starting the game! (non-spoiler)

[es253]

At round 10 of a battle i got a message in battle log: -Extended combat has sapped the strength of your warriors and decreased their capacity to channel magical energy. Mana restore and rage increase are HALVED.-

[WhiteMage]

This game appears to be great, but a suspected major deficiency:
1. Is there a way to estimate castle defenders?
2. Is there a way to estimate item keepers' strength?

These are major leaps of faith, which do not fit my personal style of playing, where defeat is a defeat and reload due to failure is not in my personal honor code. I simply lose interest playing on.

Ps. The original King’s Bounty had a feature to estimate castle defenders, which was the main point of the whole game in capturing villains. In this game getting quests to attack castle defenders when my hero is level 4 and still losing when my hero is level 14 due to unknown castle defenders is very disappointing.
I already searched 2 hours on Google and in this forum, but I gave up, so I ask here now.
I suspect that the answers are no (or something close to that), but please confirm or enlighten me. Thanks.

[Vulture]

Get Scouting in the Mind tree and hold down right mouse button over the castle.

[WhiteMage]

It did not work for me. It states “The castle is covered with slime and swamp grass” and “Castle Karmag”. What patch version do I need?

[ywenli]

Originally Posted by WhiteMage

This game appears to be great, but a suspected major deficiency:
1. Is there a way to estimate castle defenders?
2. Is there a way to estimate item keepers' strength?

These are major leaps of faith, which do not fit my personal style of playing, where defeat is a defeat and reload due to failure is not in my personal honor code. I simply lose interest playing on.

Ps. The original King’s Bounty had a feature to estimate castle defenders, which was the main point of the whole game in capturing villains. In this game getting quests to attack castle defenders when my hero is level 4 and still losing when my hero is level 14 due to unknown castle defenders is very disappointing.
I already searched 2 hours on Google and in this forum, but I gave up, so I ask here now.
I suspect that the answers are no (or something close to that), but please confirm or enlighten me. Thanks.

Laugh, I pretty much play every game like this now...Too bad losing a fight in this isn't game over, but a trip back to the castle.

Every game for me so far is in Ironman mode and I just restarted again playing the Paladin. Got as far as Lvl 5 or so with a mage on Impossible and didn't want to rely solely on Gift and Inquisitors even though I didn't die yet. Trying to do a no casualty game for my first play through. The key point seems to be picking your fights so far.

Usually, get impatient and sloppy though.

Will have to check these castles out when my time comes. Lvl 3 now and mostly just wandering picking stuff up right now and saving runes for EXP boost.

[Fatt_Shade]

Hm . . . investing runes in learning skill isn`t so good at starting locations in my opinion : greenworth, arlania, verlon forest, marshan swamp. Those fights gives you low exp starting from 30 up to 300, so all bonus exp from learning skill wont be more then just 1 fight later in dead lands, or demon realm. Better in start invest runes in glory (at least 1 lvl), some magic school (for heal, stone skin, gift, fear for larger stacks of low lvl enemy if your lucky to find it), or try to rush for quick draw initiative is very important in this game and all archer build is interesting to play. Also i recommend 1 archmage for magic shield on your main tank unit they are much more common then inquisitors at start. Rest depends of army at your disposal.
Have fun