==================================================================== ______ ______ ______ \ / \ / \ / | | | | | | __ __ _ __|__| |__| _|__|_ _ ___/\_________ |_ \ / _|/_\ /_ _ \ / _ \ /_ _ \ /_\ \ __/\__ __/ \ \ / / //_\\_ | |_)| |/ \/ | |_)| //_\\_ ||_ | | \ \/\/ / / ___ _\| _ / || | | _ / / ___ _\| _| | | \_/\_/ /_/ \\ |_| |\ |\_/\ |_|||\/_/ \\ |_\ /___\ __________|__|__\___/___|__|____________ \___T_H_E___F_R_O_Z_E_N___T_H_R_O_N_E__/ /____\ /____\ /____\ _ _ _ _ ____ _______ __ ____ | | | | | \ | | | __ \ | _____| / \ | __ \ | | | | | \ | | || \ \ | |__ / __ \ || \ \ | | | | | |\\ | | || | | | __> | /__\ | || | | | \____/ | | | \\| | ||__/ / | |_____ | ____ | ||__/ / \______/ |_| \__| |____/ |_______| |_| |_| |____/ F A Q ==================================================================== Last updated 6/15/04 By Dandude776 ========================================= T A B L E O F C O N T E N T E N T S ========================================= *NEW!!!* I just added the shortcut system. Pick the section you want to read and look at its shortcut. Hold down the Control key and press the F key to start the find program. Then, copy and paste the shortcut into the search. Press find to skip to that section. I'm still fixing some bugs, so some shortcuts may not work. E-mail me if any are glitched!! -CONTENTS- -SHORTCUT- PART I: THE FAQ 1. Version History/Coming Soon!.........................$Hist 2. Introduction/Terms...................................$Intro 3. Nerfs and Notes (Patch 1.15/402 BETA Info)...........$Nerfs PART II: YOUR BASE 4. Undead Buildings.....................................$Bldng 4.1 Necropolis........................................$Ncrop 4.2 Halls of the Dead.................................$HotD 4.3 Black Citadel.....................................$BCit 4.4 Haunted Gold Mine.................................$Gold 4.5 Ziggurat..........................................$Zigg 4.6 Spirit Tower......................................$SprtT 4.7 Nerubian Tower....................................$NrbnT 4.8 Crypt.............................................$Crypt 4.9 Graveyard.........................................$Grave 4.10 Altar of Darkness................................$Altar 4.11 Temple of the Damned.............................$TotD 4.12 Slaughterhouse...................................$Slght 4.13 Sacrificial Pit..................................$Scrif 4.14 Boneyard.........................................$BYard 4.15 Tomb of Relics...................................$ToRlc PART III: YOUR MILITARY 5. Undead Units.........................................$Units 5.1 Acolyte...........................................$Aclyt 5.2 Ghoul.............................................$Ghoul 5.3 Crypt Fiend.......................................$Fiend 5.4 Gargoyle..........................................$Garg 5.5 Necromancer.......................................$Necro 5.6 Banshee...........................................$Bnshe 5.7 Meat Wagon........................................$MWagn 5.8 Abomination.......................................$Abom 5.9 Obsidian Statue...................................$Obsid 5.10 Destroyer........................................$Dstyr 5.11 Shade............................................$Shade 5.12 Frost Wyrm.......................................$FWyrm 5.13 Skeletal Warrior.................................$SkelW 5.14 Skeletal Mage....................................$SkelM 5.15 Infernal.........................................$Infnl 5.16 Carrion Beetle...................................$Beetl 6. Undead Heroes........................................$Heros 6.1 Comparisons.......................................$Cmpar 6.2 Death Knight......................................$DKngt 6.3 Dreadlord.........................................$DLord 6.4 Lich..............................................$Lich 6.5 Crypt Lord........................................$CLord 7. Neutral Heroes and the Undead........................$Neutl 7.1 Pit Lord..........................................$PLord 7.2 Dark Ranger.......................................$DRngr 7.3 Pandaren Brewmaster...............................$BrewM 7.4 Beastmaster.......................................$Beast 7.5 Naga Sea Witch....................................$SWtch 7.6 Goblin Tinker.....................................$GTink PART IV: TIPS 'N' TRICKS 8. Short Strategies.....................................$Short 8.1 Undead Basics.....................................$Basic 8.2 Undead Advanced...................................$Advnc 8.3 Harassment........................................$Haras PART V: IN-DEPTH STRATEGIES THE GOLDEN RULE!!!......................................$Goldn 9. Combos...............................................$Combo 9.1 Meat Wall.........................................$MWall 9.2 Night of the Angry Dead...........................$NotAD 9.3 Fiends and Statues................................$F&Obs 9.4 Wyrm Frenzy (Thanks to Dan Harris)................$WyrmF 9.5 Ultimate Handicap (Thanks to blood_s3m)...........$Hndcp 9.6 Possess and Destroy (Thanks to Daltamare).........$Poss 9.7 Infernal Distraction (Thanks to LichKing).........$IDist 9.8 Nuke and Possess (Thanks to temlavxeno)...........$NukeP 10. Allied Assault......................................$AllyA 10.1 Revenge (Thanks to Stephen Hsu)..................$Rvnge 10.2 Oops, I missed (Thanks to Stephen Hsu)...........$Oops! 10.3 Lost Temple Wyrm Frenzy (Thanks to blood_s3m)....$LTFrn 10.4 Rumbling Decay (Thanks to The Silver Skull)......$RmDcy 10.5 Spider Pigs (Thanks to Slasher_Weiyou)...........$SpdPg 11. Heroes Startegy.....................................$HeroS 11.1 Tri-Nuke.........................................$Nuke 11.2 Surprise Winter (Thanks to The Silver Skull).....$Wintr 11.3 Big, slow and... STEALTHY!? (The Silver Skull)...$Stlth 11.4 Better than Real (Thanks to The Silver Skull)....$BReal 11.5 Return of Dracula (Thanks to Janus5000)..........$Drcla 12. Other Strategies....................................$Other 12.1 Expand and Conquer (Thanks to Sanquinsactis).....$Exp&C 12.2 Stone Wall Hammering (Thanks to Daltamare).......$SWHam 12.3 Stampede of What!? (Thanks to Daltamare).........$Stmpd 12.4 Creep's Revenge (Thanks The Silver Skull)........$Creep 12.5 My Strategy (Thanks to me).......................$Dndud 12.6 Fast Expansion...................................$Expo 12.7 Tastes Like Chicken..............................$Crpse 12.8 The Great Cornholio (Thnks to Avatar of Dragonia)$Decoy 12.9 Kill the Messanger (Thanks to Avatar of Dragonia)$Mssag 12.10 Like Flies in a Web (Thnks 2 Avatar of Dragonia)$Flies PART VI: UNDEAD V.S. THE WORLD 13. Versus Humans.......................................#V.HUM 13.1 Seeing the Light (Versus Paladin)................#Pally 13.2 Shortening the Dwarf (Versus Mountain King)......#MKing 13.3 Magically Delicious (Versus Arch Mage)...........#AMage 13.4 Bloody Elves (Versus Blood Mage).................#BMage 14. Versus Orcs.........................................#V.ORC 14.1 Hoofin' It (Versus Tauren Chieftain).............#Taurn 14.2 Dances with Wolves (Versus Far Seer).............#FSeer 14.3 Chop Sui (Versus Blademaster)....................#BlMas 14.4 Jamaican Me Crazy (Versus Shadow Hunter).........#SHunt 15. Versus Night Elves..................................#V.ELF 15.1 Searing Pain (Versus Priestess of the Moon)......#PotM 15.2 Thorny Situation (Versus Keeper of the Grove)....#KotG 15.3 Panda-Blades (Versus Demon Hunter)...............#DHunt 15.4 Silent but Deadly (Versus Warden)................#Wardn 15.5 Will-O-Wisp (Thanks to Stephen Hsu)..............#WillO 16. Versus Undead.......................................#V.UND 16.1 Knight of the Living Dead (Versus Death Knight)..#DKngt 16.2 Darkness Calls (Versus Dreadlord)................#DLord 16.3 A Cold Day in Heck (Versus Lich).................#Lich 16.4 Insecticide (Versus Crypt Lord)..................#CLord 16.5 Necro-Drop.......................................#NecDR 16.6 Thanks for the Upgrades! (The Silver Skull)......#Upgrd 17. Versus Everyone.....................................#Every 17.1 Instant Diet (Versus Pit Lord)...................#PLord 17.2 End the Silence (Versus Dark Ranger).............#DRngr 17.3 Hangover Cure (Versus Pandaren Brewmaster).......#BrewM 17.4 To the Zoo (Versus Beastmaster)..................#Beast 17.5 Fishsticks for Everyone (Versus Naga Seawitch)...#SWtch 17.6 Power Surge (Versus Goblin Tinker)...............#GTink 17.7 Creeping.........................................#Creep 17.8 Build Orders.....................................#Order PART VII: CLOSING STUFF 18. Frequently Asked Questions..........................$FAQ 19. Contributor Info....................................$Cntrb 20. Contributor Recognition.............................$Recog 21. Thanks..............................................$Thnks 22. Legal Stuff.........................................$Legal *NOTE! THIS GUIDE IS MEANT FOR USE IN VERSION 1.15/402 BETA. *NEW!!!* I just added the shortcut system. Pick the section you want to read and look at its shortcut. Hold down the Control key and press the F key to start the find program. Then, copy and paste the shortcut into the search. Press find to skip to that section. I'm still fixing some bugs, so some shortcuts may not work. E-mail me if any are glitched!! ___ _ ___ _____ ___ _ _____ _ _ ___ ___ _ ___ | _ \/_\ | _ \_ _| |_ _(_) |_ _| || | __| | __/_\ / _ \ | _/ _ \| / | | | | _ | | | __ | _| | _/ _ \ (_) | |_|/_/ \_\_|_\ |_| |___(_) |_| |_||_|___| |_/_/ \_\__\_\ $Hist =========================================================== 1. V E R S I O N H I S T O R Y / C O M I N G S O O N ! =========================================================== Version 1.0 - 7/23/03 -First version done! Version 1.1 - 7/26/03 -Tons and tons of spelling and grammatical corrections, some strategies, and info about using Neutral Heroes with your army. I also added Undead Basics and removed the skill-point-orders for heroes, because it's too hard to come up with orders that satisfy every situation. Also, I'll be away for the next 2 weeks, but if people keep contributing, there will be a BIG update when I return! Version 1.6 - 8/10/03 -I've decided to jump the version up 5 points, due to the bunches of contributions I got. New strategies, changed section 3 to Nerfs and Notes, 3 new websites to host the FAQ... lot's of new stuff! Keep contributing, and enjoy! Version 1.7 - 8/13/03 -A few new strategies, some typo corrections, and better info about Locust Swarm. Also, I tried to organize the Undead Advanced section a little better. Version 1.8 - 8/14/03 -A new harassing technique and stats for the Pit Lord and the Dark Ranger. Plus I organized the In-Depth strategies into different races. Please send Race- specific strats!! Version 2.0 - 8/17/03 -Stats are done for ALL the Neutral Heroes and new stuff has been added to Undead Basics. Plus, I put in some mini-strategies for fighting each race. If you have any strategies for other races AND Undead counters to those strats, send them to me! On a smaller note, for every unit and hero I added whether or not they could attack air. That's all. Version 2.01 - 8/18/03 -About the smallest update someone could possibly make. A bunch of spelling mistakes, and some slightly modified stuff about the Dreadlord's Inferno spell. I'm going away for a week, but when I come back you can expect a bunch of new strategies as long as people keep e-mailing me. Also, I'm going to add the cooldowns of each spell and ability that has... well... a cooldown. Keep e-mailing! I really need some race specific strats. Version 2.1 - 8/25/03 -I added a bunch of new strategies, and this Coming Soon! section where I'll list the things that you can expect me to add eventually, and a few things that I'll probably never get around to. Keep contributing new race-specific strats! Version 2.2 - 8/27/03 -There is now a much better layout for spells under each unit and the Undead heroes, and a few new additions to the race-specific strategies. I desperately need people's race-specific ideas, and mission-specific strats. That's it! Version 2.3 - 8/27/03 -Well I just got back from a friends' house and have nothing to do, so I'm updating. The new spell layout has been used for the Neutral heroes, there are now 2 new strategies, thanks to The Silver Skull, and I just tinkered around with the numbers in the Table of Contents. I can't stand using #.#A so I just changed around everything to make it fit nicer! I still need more race-specific strats and mission strats. Version 2.35 - 8/28/03 -This just in... I'm a moron! In the last update I wrote in the Version History section that the layout was changed for all the Neutral heroes, and forgot to actually change it! Okay, NOW the layout has been changed done. Also, I realized that I had been spelling Altars as alter, so I changed that. I may have missed a few though. Also, I tried to make the Banshee's Possession Upgrade bonus easier to understand due to a few people being confused on the gameFAQs message boards. Version 2.4 - 8/29/03 -Just thought I'd do a few more updates before I have to go to school next week. Just added the "Thanks for the Upgrades!" strategy versus Undead and fixed a few random typos. I also realized that you can't Possess allies so I changed that too. Version 2.5 - 9/5/03 -Still waiting for more contributions :D. So while I wait I'm just adding some Undead counters to other heroes. I have the Human heroes done (Although I still need contributions). I'll try to complete the other races within the next week or so. I also added a section on Harassment in the Short Strats section, but it too is really lacking. Anyone who contributes will get... their name in the credits! Or something. So please contribute something. Version 2.8 - 9/5/03 -... *%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*% %*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%* SUPER ULTIMATE MEGA 14TH UPDATE SPECTACULAR!!! *%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*% %*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%* Woot! Woot! To celebrate the 14th update to this FAQ I redid the title, added a few new strats (Thanks to The Silver Skull!) and finished up the hero counters! Hurray! Anyway, I'm still waiting for the great hero-counter contributions I know (hope?) to receive... eventually. So contribute! Right now! GOGOGO!!! Version 2.9 - 9/8/03 -A bunch of new strategies thanks to The Silver Skull (Is he the only one out there who has strats!?) and LichKing. Also, thank to the guys on the GameFAQs message board for telling me that units pass through Shades, and Kodos can't regurgitate. My school started a few days ago so updates will become rarer now, although there have been rumors about a new WC patch floating around, and if it's true, a new update will be released soon! Version 3.0 - 9/12/03 -The FAQ's 51 day anniversary! Yes, it's been around for exactly 51 days and counting. Wow. Just note that because people haven't really been SUMBITTING HERO-COUNTERS I'm inserting lots of subliminal messages into this update. Maybe it will work (SUMBIT HERO-COUNTERS!!). Maybe not (SUMBIT HERO-COUNTERS!!). Oh well. Just in case you missed it, SUMBIT HERO-COUNTERS!! Got it? Good. Anyway in this update you'll find the usual: More strategies (Thanks - as usual - to The Silver Skull), and little changes here and there. Oh, I also finally came up with a name for the Versus Death Knight section (Knight of the Living Dead). That's all. SUMBIT HERO-COUNTERS!! Version 3.01 - 9/15/03 -Just a new web host (www.actiontrip.com) and a few minor tweaks. It's almost time for a big layout change... When I get around to it I will organize the in- depth strats into better section including: Combos (Necros + A-Bombs, Fiends + Statues... etc) Allied Assaults (Undead + Orc, Undead + Human... etc) One Creature Armies (Surprise Winter, Big, slow and... Stealthy!?... etc) Beefed Up (Frost Wyrm Frenzy... etc) And I'll think of more eventually. It will just be easier to find useful strategies. Also, a Creeping/Mercenaries section is on the horizon. Look for this and more... eventually!!! Version 3.1 - 9/20/03 -OK, like I kept saying, I finally redid the layout so it's easier to find strats you're looking for. A few more race specific stuff, and little changes here and there. I'm sure that there are a bunch of new glitches/mistakes due to the layout change (Such as strategies missing, strategies that are posted twice, bad numbering... etc). So next update, I'll fix stuff. Also, in this update I once again put in skill orders for UD heroes, so Neutral skill orders are coming soon! As usual, CONTRIBUTE ALREADY!! To quote "Bonzai" (Which is both the funniest and the stupidest show ever)... "WHAT YOU WAITING FOR, STUPID?!?!" Version 3.15 - 9/21/03 -Another tiny update. LichKing noticed that I spelt Paladin wrong so I changed that. Also, so sorry Silver Skull (say that 3 times fast...), but I have to remove the Infernal Extinguisher strategy due to the fact that Infernals are unsnareable (no, that's not a word). Also, I put in my skill-orders for the neutral heroes. That's all, folks. Version 3.16 - 9/22/03 -I'm just allowing IGN to host my FAQ. That's all. Version 3.2 - 10/1/03 -The new layout is almost complete. I finally added a shortcut system to the table of contents so you can skip ahead. I'm still working some shortcut kinks out, so e-mail me if you try a shortcut and it's messed up. I also noticed that in the Table of Contents I listed the Crypt Lord as a Crypt Fiend. Silly me. Anyhoo, there's just a few little tweaks and changes, but not much. Version 3.25 - 10/7/03 -Some small changes here and there. Plus, some typos in the Brewmaster area. New layout for the In-depth strategies section. I'm almost half way done with that layout change. Look for the rest soon! Version 3.5 - 11/11/03 -Wow. I've been busy for a while, but I decided to go back and update. More strategies, some corrections, and other stuff. Janus500 convinced me to eventually do a neutral/creeping section, so that's coming soon. And thanks to Blood s3m for noticing all the strategies and tips that don't work (Kodos can't be devoured, Shades don't get backpacks, Phoenix Eggs are spell immune, and Devour Magic can't eat auras) Anyway, due to some glitch on my computer, some strategies that people submitted got deleted. If you sent one in, but it's not here, resend it. Thanks. Also, I WILL finally finish the in-depth strategy layout changes soon. Really. Version 3.6 - 11/15/03 -OK, thanks to Janus5000 for (re)sending me strategies. Some new hero counter stuff, more changes, layout switch complete, neutral stuff (Creeping, items, neutral hero counters) coming soon. Version 3.7 - 12/16/03 -Neutral/Creeping Stuff will be done next time, but for now I'm just adding in patch 1.13 information. Hurray! Patch! Unfortunately, not a lot of people are happy. Too bad. Changes have been made, along with the addition of a fast expo strategy. Expect strategies to change in the next update due to patch changes. Eh. Version 4.0 - 1/6/04 -HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! HURRAH!!! OK, now that that's over with, on with the updates. Neutrla stuff complete, but highly lacking. Any neutral hero counters, creeping tips, build orders, or questions for the actual FAQ section are appreciated. As usual, submit stuff, but now it can Build Orders or Creep Tips too. Also, this FAQ is now, officially, a FAQ, with the addition of a Frequently Asked Questions section. Ask me questions by mail, and if it's good, it might go in. Version 4.1 - 1/15/04 -Well patch 1.14 came out pretty quickly, so I'm updating. A few more questions added to the FAQ section, minor changes, and other junk. Version 4.25 - 2/14/04 -Pretty big update. More strats, little changes, and other stuff you probably won't notice. Enjoy. :D Version 4.3 - 2/16/04 -Reread the entire FAQ, changing a whole bunch of stupid comments I made when I first wrote this. I noticed that under Aboms, I said that Disease Cloud is pretty good. What was I thinking?! So just changes all over the place. Version 4.4 - 3/6/04 -Realized that I had some bad info in the upgrading stealing areas, so they're changed. More itty bitty changes all over the place. Version 4.5 - 3/21/04 -Been working on my Warcraft map lately, so haven't updated in a bit. I added my big strategies for Orcs and Night Elves (They're found under the basic tips), so Humans and Undead will come soon. -Version 4.6 - 5/2/04 -Woohoo! Blizzard has released the open beta test for version 1.15, which includes lots of balance changes, new clan/battle.net features, and a 6th neutral hero, the Goblin Tinker. This FAQ version will have a few parts that are slightly messed up, as it includes lots of in-progress features from the beta, so expect a lot of stuff to change. Also, the section on the Goblin Tinker now includes very little, as his stats/ability stats are changing quickly with each update patch, and I have yet to really use him extensively. Enjoy for now, and look forward to the full 1.15! -Version 4.7 - 6/15/04 -Some more update stuff, along with updated Goblin Tinker stats now that he's real. Yup. -COMING SOON!- In this section I'll be listing stuff that's, well, coming soon. E-mail me with ideas for new sections/additions. Seriously. Anything you can think of. -More Goblin Tinker stuff will be added as I use him more $Intro ======================================= 2. I N T R O D U C T I O N / T E R M S ======================================= Hey, hey! Welcome to my Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, Undead FAQ. I've been playing Warcraft since the very first game, and I must say that the Undead is definitely my favorite race. I saw that there were no FAQs detailing Undead units and stuff, so I decided to write this. MAKE SURE to e-mail any strategies you have to me, at Dandude776@aol.com. Build orders, skill-point distribution, hero use... whatever - just MAKE SURE to e-mail with whatever you think of! *NOTE* All of the strategies that you'll find in the rest of the FAQ are just my or other people's ideas. To win, I guarantee that you will have to modify the strategies. Totally feel free to add or remove units from the ones suggested, whatever. Also, don't e-mail me that the strategies suck because you lost with them. It's called CONSTRUCTIVE CRITISM. Tell me what I should change! Thanks in advance. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~GLOSSARY~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Now, here is a short glossary of terms I might or might not use in the FAQ. I know that most of them are painfully obvious, but I know some people who won't know this stuff: ----------- ---RACES--- ----------- -UD: Undead. -HU: Humans. -NE/NElf: Night Elves. ------------------ ----SPELL TERMS--- ------------------ -PASSIVE: This aura/spell/whatever is not cast, and is always activated. -EXAMPLES: True Sight, Unholy Aura, Cleaving Attack, Disease Cloud -CHANNELING: This spell requires the caster to be immobile and channel it. So if a Beastmaster is casting Stampede (A Channeling spell) he must stand still while the stampede occurs. It will end prematurely if the Beastmaster is interrupted by attacks such as Impale or given a new order. -EXAMPLES: Death and Decay, Possession, Blizzard, Flamestrike -AUTO-CAST: Right-clicking on this spell allows the caster to continuously use the spell whenever it has the chance, and enough mana to spare. -EXAMPLES: Raise Dead, Curse, Carrion Beetles -NUKE: A combination of high-powered direct damage spells cast on one unit in an effort to kill or seriously weaken it. The Undead Tri-Nuke is any combination of Death Coil (Death Knight), Carrion Swarm (Dreadlord), Frost Nova (Lich), and Impale (Crypt Lord). -EXAMPLES: Holy Light (Versus UD), Frost Nova, Shadow Strike, Storm Boly -INTERRUPT: Interruptions are spells that are used to stop Channeling spells (see above) -EXAMPLES: Sleep, Impale, Cluster Rockets, Inferno (The stun from the drop) -BUFFS: Buffs are bonuses or status effects to units. It is also a term for making a unit stronger in a new patch. So if a unit does 20 damage and costs 100 gold in version A, but Blizzard makes a patch and in version B the same unit now does 25 damage and costs 90 gold, this unit has been buffed. -EXAMPLES: Any aura, Inner Fire, Spirit Touch, the healing from Healing Wards -NERF: A nerf is the opposite of a buff: When a unit is made weaker in a new patch. -FOCUS-FIRE: The act of having all or most of your units focus on destroying one specific unit. This is mostly accomplished with ranged units, because only a limited number of melee units can surround and attack a target at once. -EXAMPLES: Having all your Fiends attack one low-HP Footy as it tries to run. -AOE: Area of effect. Attacks and Spells with AOE damage hurt multiple targets with one strike. Spells with AoE buffs give the buff/effect to multiple units. -EXAMPLES: Blizzard, Frost Nova, Drunken Haze, Fan of Knives, Warstomp ------------------------ -----GAMEPLAY TERMS----- ------------------------ -TIERS: Your tech-tree is divided into tiers. Tier 1, is all units and buildings that require a Necropolis. Tier 2 is all buildings and units that require a Halls of the Dead. Tier 3 is all buildings and units that require a Black Citadel. Fiends are considered tier 1.5, because they are tier 1 but require a Graveyard. Frost Wyrms and Destroyers are considered tier 3.5, because they require tier 3, and also other buildings/upgrades. -MICRO: The art of micromanaging your armies/units. You NEED to get good at this if you want to do well. It's basically just controlling individual units, instead of telling your entire army to attack-move. Here are some basic skills: Moving damaged units out of battle and back in once the enemy redirects, focus- firing on the weak, using spells effectively, moving your hero around a lot to make the most of its bonuses, attacking ranged/caster units to fry them before they fry you. -MACRO: The art of managing your base/economy. Not too hard, especially with Undead. Just have 5 Acos on gold, about 3-4 Ghouls on wood, get expansions, and organize your base! Upgrade your units when you've hit max food and are waiting for more Ziggs, and don't build buildings for no reason. Don't let heroes get stuck between buildings! -HP: Hit points, health, whatever you want to call it. When a unit loses all of it's HP it is dead. -MANA: Magical energy. Required to cast spells. -MP: Magic points. Another name for Mana. -TP: Town Portal. Your first hero starts with a Scroll of Town Portal, which allows the hero and nearby units to teleport back to base. Try to always carry one. ------------------------- ---UNITS and BUILDINGS--- ------------------------- -A-BOMBS: Abominations. The Undead's tier 3 heavy-assault melee unit. -NECROS: Necromancers. The Undead's primary spell-caster. -FIENDS: Crypt Fiends. The Undead's anti-air support unit. -SKELLIES: Skeletons. These refer to all types of Skeletons: Skeleton Warriors, Skeleton Mages, Lesser Dark Minions, Dark Minions, and Greater Dark Minions. -FROSTIES: Frost Wyrms. The Undead's aerial tank. -STATUE: An Obsidian Statue. An Undead unit that can heal your troops. -ACOS: Acolytes. The Undead's worker units. -DESTROS: Destroyers. The Undead, heavy-flying-anti-magic unit. -ZIGG: Ziggurat. Undead Farm. -HotD: Halls of the Dead. Tier 2 Undead Command Center. -ToR: Tomb of Relics. Undead shop. -FOOTIES: Footmen. Human tier-1 melee. -RIFLES: Riflemen. Human tier 1.5 ranged. -SORCS: Sorceresses. Human casters. -BREAKERS: Spell Breakers. Human Anti-casters. -HH/ZERKS: Head Hunters and Berserker upgrades, the Orc tier 1.5/3 ranged. -GRUNTAPULT: Not an Orc catapult which fires Grunts. It's a common Grunt strategy which uses a combo of Grunts and Demolishers. -SHAMS: Shamans. Orc casters. -HUNTS: Huntresses. Night Elf tier 1.5 melee. -FDs: Faerie Dragons. Night Elf light-flying-anti-casters. -HIPPOS: Hippogriphs. Night Elf flying-anti-air. Can mount Archers to attack ground. -MGs: Mountain Giant: Night Elf massive tanks. -CHIMS: Chimeras. Night Elf heavy-assault air. ------------ ---HEROES--- ------------ -DK: Death Knight. Undead healer, nuker, supporter. -DL: Dreadlord. Undead supporter, anti-harasser. -CL: Crypt Lord. Undead tank, AoE attacker. -Lich. Undead super-nuker, frail but powerful caster. -AM: Arch Mage. Human summoner, AoE attacker, supporter, caster. -PALLY: Paladin. Human healer, nuker (versus UD), and defender. -BM/BlM: Blood Mage. Human AoE attacker, supporter, mana blaster. -MK: Mountain King. Human nuker, tier-1 killer, army of one (With Avatar). -Warden. Night Elf harasser, tier-1 killer, hero assassin, nuker, army of one. -PotM: Priestess of the Moon. Night Elf supporter. -KotG: Keeper of the Grover. Night Elf harasser, nuker, supporter, caster. -DH: Demon Hunter. Night Elf tier-1 killer, mana blaster, nuker. -BM: Blademaster. Orc harasser, hero assassin. -FS: Far Seer. Orc harasser, summoner, supporter, caster. -TC/Marn: Tauren Chieftain. Orc tank, AoE attacker, tier-1 killer. -SH: Shadow Hunter. Orc supporter, healer, anti-air. -PL: Pit Lord. Huge tank, AoE attacker, status ailer. -BM/BeM: Beastmaster. Summoner, power creeper. -BM/BrM/Panda: Brewmaster. Support, status ailer, tank. -DR: Dark Range. Summoner, support, status ailer/anticaster, FFA power. -SW/Naga: Naga Seawitch: Support, status ailer, caster. -GT: Goblin Tinker. New support hero, siege weapon of doom at higher levels. Ummm... That's all I could think of off the top of my head. If anyone asks me what a word means I will add it to the glossary. $Nerfs ================================= 3. N E R F S A N D N O T E S ================================= Okay, Frozen Throne's been out for long enough so I'm changing this section. Now, whenever a new patch is released, I will list the updates. These are only stuff that affects everyone, or just UD. And also, for those of you who don't know, a nerf is basically just a tweak on a unit, such as changing it's HP or strength. Okay, these are for version 1.15 BETA, and also included changes for 402 BETA (Both of these are only available on the beta Westfalls server). (By the way, thanks to LichKing for suggesting I add this section) --------------------------------------- --------PATCH 1.15 BETA CHANGES-------- --------------------------------------- -Gameplay/Features: -New neutral hero: The Goblin Tinker. -In an attempt to reduce "smurfing", accounts are now matched up for ladder games based on their win/loss record, not level. -Clan updates: -There is a now a clan ladder, so your wins/losses contribute to your clan ranking! -There is now clan info in your player profile. -When in a clan channel, the icons of clan mods are now changed. -FFAs have been changed. You can now no longer see the names of the other players, in an effort to stop pre-teaming. -For Orc and NE: You can now select your worker while it's building. -Glitch fixes: -No more getting stuck in Zeppelins and other loadable structures. -AMS now shows up fine after Fiends unburrow. -Your TP is no longer wasted if you teleport as your town hall is destroyed. -Inferno now stuns magic immune units. -Glitches involving Web not showing up properly. -Brewmaster now regains HP correctly when split. -Breath of Fire aims better. -Acolytes are registered as idle if they are Entangled while mining. -Blight is not removed when enemy structures are built on it. -Blight can be correctly dispelled. -Animate Dead no longer gives you free upgrades. :'( -Undead Balance changes -Frost Nova: Cold only lasts 2/3/4 seconds on heroes instead of 4/6/8 -Animate Dead costs 175 mana instead of 250. -Death Coil cooldown is now 6 seconds instead of 5. -Banshees now take 166% damage when Possessing, instead of 225% -AMS now costs 75 mana, and can be self cast. -Ziggurats have 1 armor now instead of 5. -Devour Magic cooldown is 7 seconds instead of 8. -Aboms now have 1175 HP instead of 1080. -Obsidian Statues now have 550 HP instead of 700. -Frost Wyrms take 65 seconds to build instead of 80. -Boneyards take 70 seconds to build instead of 80. -Necromancer build time is now 24 seconds instead of 30. -Skeletal Longevity costs 50 gold and 75 wood (Instead of 100/75), and takes 30 seconds to research instead of 60. -Exhume Corpses is now tier 2 (Needs HotD) instead of tier 3 -Level 2 and 3 Carrion Beetles are now smaller. -Neutral Balance changes -Dark Ranger starts with 21 agility instead of 19 -Breath of Fire now dead 65/130/195 instead of 50/100/150, and has different range. -Level 3 Quillbeasts have less splash -Zeppelins are available at start of second day. -Item changes -Boots of Speed are now level 3 permanent items, are available at first nightfall, and cost 250 gold. -Red Drake Eggs are level 4 instead of level 5 -Talisman of the Wild is level 5 instead of level 4 -Legion Doom Horn is level 5 instead of level 4 -Wand of Lightning Shield has 2 charges -OTHER -Auto-cast buffs now all have a 1 second cooldown -All heroes now have 30% spell resistance (Used to be 25%) ___ _ ___ _____ ___ ___ _ __ _____ _ _ ___ ___ _ ___ ___ | _ \/_\ | _ \_ _| |_ _|_ _(_) \ \ / / _ \| | | | _ \ | _ ) /_\ / __| __| | _/ _ \| / | | | | | | _ \ V / (_) | |_| | / | _ \/ _ \\__ \ _| |_|/_/ \_\_|_\ |_| |___|___(_) |_| \___/ \___/|_|_\ |___/_/ \_\___/___| $Bldng =================================== 4. U N D E A D B U I L D I N G S =================================== Undead buildings are basically a mix between the Protoss and the Zerg from Starcraft. Like the Zerg's Creep, Undead Buildings need to be made on Blight. The only exceptions are the Necropolis and the Haunted Gold Mine. Those two building create a field of Blight anyway. Like the Protoss, Undead Buildings aren't "built," they are summoned. You can have one Acolyte summon one building and then move away and the building will summon itself. Therefore, you only need one Acolyte to build, as he can just run around summoning each building before the others are finished. This can be very helpful. Now, I will go in depth describing each building, its stats, and its role. Here's how to read each building's section: NAME (The building's name) ROLE (The building's role in the scourge) GOLD (How much Gold the building costs) WOOD (How much Lumber the building costs) HP (The building's Hit Points, or how much damage it can take before exploding) ARMOR (How much armor the building has) GROUND ATTACK (How damaging the building's ground attack is) (Averaged) AIR ATTACK (How damaging the building's air attack is) (Averaged) RANGE (How far the attack reaches)(Also, if the attack hits air units) COOLDOWN (How long between each attack) DAY SIGHT / NIGHT SIGHT (How far the building can see in the day and the night) SUMMONING TIME (How long it takes for the building to be summoned) REQUIRED BUILDINGS (Buildings that need to be summoned before this building) ----------ABILITIES----------- UNITS THE BUILDING CAN TRAIN, AND UPGRADES THE BUILDING CAN RESEARCH (Self explanatory) ---------COMMENTS------------- OTHER STUFF ABOUT THE BUILDING If one of these things doesn't apply to the building, it just won't be included. The Tomb of Relics (Store) is set up a little differently. It's just a list of each item sold, the price, the cooldown between charges (if it has charges), how long before the shop gets more in stock, and a comment about each item. $Ncrop ======================== 4.1 N E C R O P O L I S ======================== NAME: Necropolis ROLE: Command Center GOLD: 255 WOOD: 0 HP: 1500 ARMOR: 5 SIGHT: 90/60 SUMMONING TIME: 120 seconds ---------ABILITIES---------- -TRAIN ACOLYTE: Trains an Acolyte to work for the Scourge. -BACKPACK (20 seconds) (Requires Tomb of Relics): This upgrade allows some Undead units to carry (BUT NOT USE) items. Not very useful in my opinion. -UPGRADE TO HALLS OF THE DEAD: Upgrades the Necropolis to the Halls of the Dead, which allows for the building of tier 2 buildings and units. ---------COMMENTS----------- The Necropolis is the Undead's Command Center, and is therefore very important. Due to the new anti-hide-the-farm rule, which requires you to have a Command Center or else the enemies will eventually see your base, it's important to build a Necropolis in your expansions. Make sure to upgrade the Necropolis quickly, as its upgrades (Halls of the Dead, and Black Citadel) can actually attack enemies and are extremely durable. I don't find the backpack upgrade very useful, but you should experiment and decide whether you like it or not. *WARNING* I'm just adding this because I've played a few Battle.net games with newbies. YOU DON'T NEED TO BUILD A NEW NECROPOLIS AT EACH EXPANSION!!! Remember that if you're new. If you have some extra cash, you might want to build a Necropolis at the expansion farthest from your base (Although you should only have 1 or 2 expansions anyway). That way, you can use a Scroll of Town Portal to warp there if you need to get somewhere fast, or if an enemy is attacking the expo. $HotD ====================================== 4.2 H A L L S O F T H E D E A D ====================================== NAME: Halls of the Dead ROLE: Command Center/Heavy Tower GOLD: 320 (In addition to Necropolis Cost) WOOD: 210 HP: 1750 ARMOR: 5 GROUND ATTACK: 11.5 AIR ATTACK: 11.5 RANGE: 80 COOLDOWN: 1 SIGHT: 120/80 SUMMONING TIME: 140 seconds REQUIRES: Necropolis ---------ABILITIES---------- -TRAIN ACOLYTE: Trains an Acolyte to work for the Scourge. -BACKPACK (20 seconds) (Requires Tomb of Relics): This upgrade allows some Undead units to carry (BUT NOT USE) items. Not very useful in my opinion. -UPGRADE TO BLACK CITADEL: Upgrades the Halls of the Dead to the Black Citadel, which allows for the building of tier 3 buildings and units. -FROST PASSIVE Adds a cold element to all of the Halls' attack which slows down the targets. ---------COMMENTS----------- The Halls of the Dead is a great building. It acts as the Undeads Command Center, and has its own attack (Although it's gotten weaker over the (past few updates). Plus, with the addition of this, you can start building tier 2 buildings, including the Temple of the Damned, the Slaughterhouse, and the Sacrificial Pit. Upgrade to this quickly. $BCit ============================== 4.3 B L A C K C I T A D E L ============================== NAME: Black Citadel ROLE: Command Center/Heavy Tower GOLD: 325 (In addition to Necropolis and Halls of the Dead Costs) WOOD: 230 (In addition to Necropolis and Halls of the Dead Costs) HP: 2000 ARMOR: 5 GROUND ATTACK: 14 AIR ATTACK: 14 RANGE: 80 COOLDOWN: 1 SIGHT: 120/80 SUMMONING TIME: 140 seconds REQUIRES: Halls of the Dead, Alter of Darkness ---------ABILITIES---------- -TRAIN ACOLYTE: Trains an Acolyte to work for the Scourge. -BACKPACK (20 seconds) (Requires Tomb of Relics): This upgrade allows some Undead units to carry (BUT NOT USE) items. Not very useful in my opinion. -FROST PASSIVE Adds a cold element to all of the Citadel's attack which slows down the targets. ---------COMMENTS----------- The Black Citadel is great during the late-game, because it allows you to get those all important tier 3 units and upgrades. You need this to build the Boneyard, which allows you to build the Undead tanks, the Frost Wyrms. Also, it's required if you want Abominations. Plus, it's more powerful than the Halls of the Dead, so it can defend itself quite well. $Gold ==================================== 4.4 H A U N T E D G O L D M I N E ==================================== NAME: Haunted Goldmine ROLE: Gold Source GOLD: 255 WOOD: 220 HP: 800 ARMOR: 5 SIGHT: 90/60 SUMMONING TIME: 100 seconds ----------COMMENTS---------- The Haunted Goldmine is by far one of the most important Undead Buildings, because you must haunt a goldmine before your Acolytes can harvest from it. The Undead have a great advantage to the other races, because the Haunted Goldmine does not need to be near you Command Center. Therefore, once you want to expand, send your scouting party out (Your heroes, and a few units) to clear out a goldmine. Once the creeps are dead, have your Acolyte come over and summon a Haunted Goldmine. Unfortunately, Blight will not appear until the goldmine is done being Haunted, so you might want to drop a Sacrificial Skull so the Aco can summon a Zigg and upgrade it for safety. If you have enough gold, you should also eventually build a Necropolis and upgrade it to Halls of the Dead. This is for two reasons: It's a tower with a lot of HP, and its good incase your primary base gets destroyed. $Zigg ==================== 4.5 Z I G G U R A T ==================== NAME: Ziggurat ROLE: Food Supply GOLD: 150 WOOD: 50 HP: 550 ARMOR: 1 SIGHT: 90/60 SUMMONING TIME: 50 seconds ----------ABILITIES--------- -UPGRADE TO SPIRIT TOWER (35 seconds, 145 Gold, 40 Wood): Upgrades the Ziggurat into a Spirit Tower. -UPGRADE TO NERUBIAN TOWER (30 seconds, 100 Gold, 20 Wood): Upgrades the Ziggurat into a Nerubian Tower. ---------COMMENTS--------- Obviously, Ziggurats are important, because they are your main food source. Therefore, you need a lot if you want to build a big army. However, one thing that sets the Ziggurat apart from other race's food sources is that the Ziggurat is upgraded into either of the Undead's two towers. If the enemy is NE or Orc, build your first few buildings close to the goldmine and Necropolis, and consider upgrading the Zigg closest to the Acos into a Nerubian tower. This can be handy against harassers. However, later on towers aren't as effective. $SprtT ============================ 4.6 S P I R I T T O W E R ============================ NAME: Spirit Tower ROLE: Food Supply/Primary Tower GOLD: 145 (In addition to Ziggurat costs) WOOD: 40 (In addition to Ziggurat costs) HP: 550 ARMOR: 5 GROUND ATTACK: 29.5 AIR ATTACK: 29.5 RANGE: 70 SIGHT: 160/80 COOLDOWN: 1 SUMMONING TIME: 35 seconds REQUIRES: Graveyard, Ziggurat ----------COMMENTS---------- Spirit Towers are one of the 2 upgrades you can build from Ziggurats. Essentially, Spirit Towers are more powerful, but Nerubian Towers are cheaper and slow down enemies. Only build a Spirit Tower if the enemy is harassing, or a few to guard an expansion. They're not very powerful for real defense. $NrbnT ================================ 4.7 N E R U B I A N T O W E R ================================ NAME: Nerubian Tower ROLE: Food Supply/Support Tower GOLD: 100 (In addition to Ziggurat costs) WOOD: 20 (In addition to Ziggurat costs) HP: 550 ARMOR: 5 GROUND ATTACK: 9.5 AIR ATTACK: 9.5 RANGE: 70 SIGHT: 160/80 COOLDOWN: 1 SUMMONING TIME: 30 seconds REQUIRES: Ziggurat ----------ABILITIES--------- -FROST PASSIVE Adds a cold element to all of the Tower's attack which slows down the targets. ----------COMMENTS---------- Nerubian Towers are one of the 2 upgrades you can build from Ziggurats. Essentially, Spirit Towers are more powerful, but Nerubian Towers are cheaper and slow down enemies. Try to have a Nerubian Tower if the enemy is Orc or NE, so you'll be ready if they ahrass. If you're building an expo, build 2 Spirit Towers and 1 Nerubian Tower. Frost is very helpful when used in conjunction with a group of Spirit Towers, especially when the enemy is sending melee units. The frost slows down the melee units that are running towards your towers, and the Spirit Towers can focus fire and eliminate each slowed threat before they reach you. $Crypt ============== 4.8 C R Y P T ============== NAME: Crypt ROLE: Primary Troop Production Building GOLD: 200 WOOD: 150 HP: 1300 ARMOR: 5 SIGHT: 90/60 SUMMONING TIME: 60 seconds ----------ABILITIES--------- -TRAIN GHOUL (18 seconds, 120 Gold): Trains a Ghoul. Ghouls are your tier 1 melee units. More info later. -RESEARCH CANNIBALIZE (30 seconds, 75 Gold): Cannibalize allows Ghouls and Abominations to devour nearby corpses and regain HP. -RESEARCH GHOUL FRENZY (45 seconds, 100 Gold, 150 Wood): Ghouls move faster and attack more often. Requires Black Citadel. -TRAIN CRYPT FIEND (30 seconds, 215 Gold, 40 Wood): Trains a Crypt Fiend. Crypt Fiends are powerful, ranged, tier 1 units. More info later. Requires Graveyard. -RESEARCH WEB (30 seconds, 150 Gold, 150 Wood): Allows Crypt Fiends to become effective anti-air units that can bind enemies to the ground. Requires Halls of the Dead. -RESEARCH BURROW (45 seconds, 75 Gold, 75 Lumber): Allows Crypt Fiends to burrow like the Zerg in Starcraft. When burrowed, Crypt Fiends are invisible to enemies, and regain HP quickly. Requires Halls of the Dead. -TRAIN GARGOYLE (35 seconds, 185 Gold, 30 Wood): Trains a Gargoyle. Gargoyles are light, ranged, air-units. Requires Graveyard, and Halls of the Dead. -RESEARCH STONE FORM (40 seconds, 75 Gold, 150 Wood): Allows Gargoyles to turn into stone. While in stone form, Gargoyles cannot attack, but they get extra armor and regain HP quickly. Requires Graveyard and Black Citadel. ----------COMMENTS---------- The Crypt is your primary troop production building, and should therefore be built quickly. Cannibalize is important for creeping, because after destroying each creep-camp, your Ghouls can eat the corpses and prepare for the next creep- camp strike. Ghoul Frenzy is important if you plan on using your Ghouls extensively, but you might also consider getting it as a defense. If your enemies attack and you aren't prepared, you'll only have your lumber-harvesting Ghouls as a defense until your main force returns. Therefore, you might consider upgrading your Ghouls so you'll be prepared. Web is very important, because Crypt Fiends are one of the Undead's only anti-air units. Make sure to get this. Burrow is great for watching chokepoints. Burrow your Crypt Fiends near Gold- mines (so you'll know if your opponents are building an expansion), outside your opponents base (So you can strike as soon as the enemy attack-force leaves), and right outside the edge of your base (So you'll have a trip-wire system for when your opponents attack. The Gargoyle's Stone Form can be used like Cannibalize during creeping or even during battle when you want to recharge. $Grave ====================== 4.9 G R A V E Y A R D ====================== NAME: Graveyard ROLE: Primary Upgrade Building GOLD: 215 WOOD: 0 HP: 900 ARMOR: 5 SIGHT: 90/60 SUMMONING TIME: 80 seconds ----------ABILITIES--------- -UNHOLY STRENGTH (60 seconds, 125 Gold, 50 Wood): Increases strength of Ghouls, Meat Wagons, Abominations, Skeleton Warriors, and Skeleton Mages. -IMPROVED UNHOLY STRENGTH (75 seconds, 200 Gold, 150 Wood): Increases strength of Ghouls, Meat Wagons, Abominations, Skeleton Warriors, and Skeleton Mages. Requires Halls of the Dead. -ADVANCED UNHOLY STRENGTH (90 seconds, 275 Gold, 250 Wood): Increases strength of Ghouls, Meat Wagons, Abominations, Skeleton Warriors, and Skeleton Mages. Requires Black Citadel. -UNHOLY ARMOR (60 seconds, 125 Gold, 50 Wood): Increases armor of Ghouls, Meat Wagons, Abominations, Skeleton Warriors, and Skeleton Mages. -IMPROVED UNHOLY ARMOR (75 seconds, 200 Gold, 150 Wood): Increases armor of Ghouls, Meat Wagons, Abominations, Skeleton Warriors, and Skeleton Mages. Requires Halls of the Dead. -ADVANCED UNHOLY ARMOR (90 seconds, 275 Gold, 250 Wood): Increases armor of Ghouls, Meat Wagons, Abominations, Skeleton Warriors, and Skeleton Mages. Requires Black Citadel. -CREATURE ATTACK (60 seconds, 150 Gold, 50 Wood): Increases strength of Crypt Fiends, Gargoyles, Destroyers, and Frost Wyrms. -IMPROVED CREATURE ATTACK (75 seconds, 200 Gold, 125 Wood): Increases strength of Crypt Fiends, Gargoyles, Destroyers, and Frost Wyrms. Requires Halls of the Dead. -ADVANCED CREATURE ATTACK (90 seconds, 250 Gold, 200 Wood): Increases strength of Crypt Fiends, Gargoyles, Destroyers, and Frost Wyrms. Requires Dark Citadel. -CREATURE CARAPACE (60 seconds, 150 Gold, 75 Wood): Increases armor of Crypt Fiends, Gargoyles, Destroyers, and Frost Wyrms. -IMPROVED CREATURE CARAPACE (75 seconds, 200 Gold, 200 Wood): Increases armor of Crypt Fiends, Gargoyles, Destroyers, and Frost Wyrms. Requires Halls of the Dead. -ADVANCED CREATURE CARAPACE (90 seconds, 250 Gold, 325 Wood): Increases armor of Crypt Fiends, Gargoyles, Destroyers, and Frost Wyrms. Requires Dark Citadel. ----------COMMENTS---------- The Graveyard is important because it is where you upgrade all of your troops. Also, it is needed to build some higher tier buildings and units. At the beginning of a game, decide whether you want to focus on researching the Unholy upgrades or the Creature upgrades, because it is far too expensive to upgrade everything unless it is very late in the game. If you are playing with allies, make sure to coordinate with them. It's normally better to have more units than more upgrades, though, so only upgrade if you don't have enough food and are waiting for more Ziggs, or just have way too much gold. $Altar ======================================= 4.10 A L T A R O F D A R K N E S S ======================================= NAME: Altar of Darkness ROLE: Hero Facility GOLD: 180 WOOD: 50 HP: 900 ARMOR: 5 SIGHT: 90/60 SUMMONING TIME: 60 seconds ----------ABILITIES--------- -TRAIN CRYPT LORD: Trains the Crypt Lord Hero. -TRAIN DEATH KNIGHT: Trains the Death Knight Hero. -TRAIN DREADLORD: Trains the Dreadlord hero. -TRAIN LICH: Trains the Lich hero. -REVIVE HERO: Revives your slain heroes. ----------COMMENTS---------- If you are a newbie, you should know that Heroes are just about the most important determining factor in a battle. The Altar of Darkness is where new heroes are trained, and dead heroes are revived. Wait. Dead, Undead heroes. Weird. Anyway, although the Undead have 4 heroes, they may only have 3 per game, and the second hero may only be trained once you reach tier 2, while the third hero may only be trained once you reach tier 3. Also, you need an Altar to hire a neutral hero. Finally, remember that the first hero is always free. Reviving heroes take longer and cost more in proportion to the level of the dead hero. Higher level heroes cost more. $TotD ============================================= 4.11 T E M P L E O F T H E D A M N E D ============================================= NAME: Temple of the Damned ROLE: Caster Production Building GOLD: 155 WOOD: 140 HP: 1100 ARMOR: 5 SIGHT: 90/60 SUMMONING TIME: 60 seconds REQUIRES: Halls of the Dead, Graveyard ----------ABILITIES--------- -TRAIN NECROMANCER (30 seconds, 145 Gold, 20 Wood): Trains a Necromancer. Necromancers are your primary spell casters, and are great for massing. More info later. -RESEARCH NECROMANCER ADEPT TRAINING (30 seconds, 100 Gold, 50 Wood): This important upgrade gives Necromancers more HP, more MP, damage, faster MP regeneration, and the ability to cast Unholy Frenzy. -RESEARCH NECROMANCER MASTER TRAINING (45 seconds, 100 Gold, 150 Wood): This upgrade gives Necromancers even more HP, more MP, damage, faster MP regeneration, and the ability to cast Cripple. Requires Black Citadel. -TRAIN BANSHEE (35 seconds, 155 Gold, 30 Wood): Trains a Banshee. Banshees are your support spell casters, and while I don't use them often, their spells can be very helpful in certain situations. -RESEARCH BANSHEE ADEPT TRAINING (60 seconds, 100 Gold, 50 Wood): This important upgrade gives Banshees more HP, more MP, damage, faster MP regeneration, and the ability to cast Anti-Magic Shell. -RESEARCH BANSHEE MASTER TRAINING (75 seconds, 100 Gold, 150 Wood): This upgrade gives Banshees even more HP, more MP, damage, faster MP regeneration, and the ability to possess units. Requires Black Citadel. -RESEARCH SKELETAL LONGEVITY (60 seconds, 50 Gold, 75 Wood): This upgrade is very important if you plan on using Necros often. It makes Skeleton Warriors and Skeleton Mages last 15 seconds longer, which can be very helpful in battle. -RESEARCH SKELETAL MASTERY (45 seconds, 125 Gold, 150 Wood): Like the above upgrade, this is crucial if you plan on using Necromancers a lot. It makes one of the 2 skeletons raised from each corpse to be a Skeletal Mage, basically a long-ranged, more powerful Skeleton Warrior. Requires Black Citadel. ----------COMMENTS---------- The Necromancers' Raise Dead ability is very important for increasing the size of your army, and Skeletal Longevity, and Skeletal Mastery help increase the power of your skeletons. Also, it is important to train your spell casters to Master Training, because they will need all the HP and MP they can get. If you are planning on using spell casters a lot, try building 2 Temples: One to pump out units, while the other researches upgrades. This will give you a powerful army twice as fast. $Slght =================================== 4.12 S L A U G H T E R H O U S E =================================== NAME: Slaughterhouse ROLE: Advanced Troop Production Building GOLD: 140 WOOD: 135 HP: 1200 ARMOR: 5 SIGHT: 90/60 SUMMONING TIME: 60 seconds REQUIREMENTS: Halls of the Dead ----------ABILITIES--------- -TRAIN MEAT WAGON (45 seconds, 230 Gold, 50 Wood): Trains a Meat Wagon. Meat Wagons are invaluable because they are your only Siege weapon. Plus, they are very beneficial to your Necromancers, due to the fact that they can collect and store corpses for later use. -RESEARCH EXHUME CORPSES (20 seconds, 125 Gold, 100 Wood): This upgrade allows Meat Wagons to generate a fresh corpse every 15 seconds. Requires HotD. -TRAIN ABOMINATION (45 seconds, 240 Gold, 70 Wood): Trains an Abomination. The A-Bombs are very powerful tier 3 melee units that should be used as tanks in late-game. Requires Black Citadel. -RESEARCH DISEASE CLOUD (45 seconds, 100 Gold, 200 Wood): This upgrade gives A- Bombs and Meat Wagons a noxious aura that damages enemies nearby. Requires Black Citadel. -TRAIN OBSIDIAN STATUE (45 seconds, 200 Gold, 35 Wood): Trains an Obsidian Statue. These statues are great support units that can transform into powerful, magic-support air-units. Requires Tomb of Relics. -RESEARCH DESTROYER FORM (60 seconds, 175 Gold, 150 Wood): Allows Obsidian Statues to transform into Destroyers. Requires Tomb of Relics, and Black Citadel. ----------COMMENTS---------- Later in the game, the troops that your Crypt produces just won't be enough. That's when it's time to break in the Slaughter House. This is where you'll buy your late-game units, including the Meat Wagon, your siege weapon, the Abominations, your tanks, and the Obsidian Statues, your support. Actually, if you combine those three units, you've got yourself a party. Obsidians should be a must for any army: One for healing and one for mana. Meat Wagons are less useful, but helpful if you're using Necros. Aboms are fairly good tier 3 melee, but don't bother wasting gold on Disease Cloud. It stinks. If you scout ahead and see an enemy getting lots of buffs, get some extra Obsidians and Destroyer Form. $Scrif =================================== 4.13 S A C R I F I C I A L P I T =================================== NAME: Sacrificial Pit ROLE: Special Ops Center GOLD: 75 WOOD: 150 HP: 900 ARMOR: 5 SIGHT: 90/60 SUMMONING TIME: 45 seconds REQUIRES: Halls of the Dead ----------ABILITIES--------- -SACRIFICE (15 seconds): Targets an Acolyte for Sacrifice. Once an Acolyte sacrifices itself it turns into a Shade. ----------COMMENTS---------- The Sacrificial Pit is a very important building, because it allows you to keep an eye on your enemy and prepare for attacks. If you have enough food and Acolytes, Sacrifice 2 Acolytes. Have 1 stationed at the enemy's base so you'll know what types of troops your opponent is building. Then use this trick: have your 2nd Shade follow (Right click on) your enemy's hero. That way you can see where the other team's main force is. If you have another Acolyte to spare, have him patrol the most direct route from your base to your enemy's base. This way, you'll know when your enemy is attacking so your force can teleport back home if they were out creeping. Also, you might consider keeping a Shade at your base, because its True Sight allows you to watch for invisible enemies. $BYard ===================== 4.14 B O N E Y A R D ===================== NAME: Boneyard ROLE: Heavy-Assault Weapon Production GOLD: 175 WOOD: 200 HP: 1500 ARMOR: 5 SIGHT: 90/60 SUMMONING TIME: 70 seconds REQUIREMENTS: Black Citadel, Sacrificial Pit ----------ABILITIES--------- -TRAIN FROST WYRM (60 seconds, 385 Gold, 200 Wood): Trains a Frost Wyrms. Frost Wyrms are your late-game heavy artillery. They are essentially big, powerful, flying tanks. They cost a lot of food (7!) so you probably won't mass them (anti-air can bring them down quickly anyway), although it's handy to have a pair or so around. -RESEARCH FREEZING BREATH (60 seconds, 150 Gold, 275 Wood): This upgrade allows Frost Wyrms to Freeze enemy buildings solid, disallowing towers from attacking, and temporarily halting unit/upgrade production. Very handy for demolishing enemy bases. ----------COMMENTS---------- There's not much you can say about the Boneyard, other than the fact that this is where you get your heavy-assault weapons, the Frost Wyrms. Late game, these guys can really clean up, as long as your opponents don't have anti-air. Frost Wyrms are multi-use, super weapons: Their Freezing Breath kills towers and acts like a siege unit, they destroy buildings insanely fast, and by focus-firing, they can wipe out heroes in the blink of an eye. Just bring along some powerful melee units (A hero and some A-Bombs are nice) to wipe out the anti-air, and you've got yourself a party. $ToRlc ================================= 4.15 T O M B O F R E L I C S ================================= NAME: Tomb of Relics ROLE: Store GOLD: 130 WOOD: 30 HP: 475 ARMOR: 5 SIGHT: 90/60 SUMMONING TIME: 45 seconds ------ITEMS FOR SALE------ -ROD OF NECROMANCY (150 Gold, 3 charges, 22 Seconds Cooldown, 60 Seconds Restock): Creates 2 skeleton warriors from a corpse. Very useful early game. You can use it from your graveyard to help instantly creep an orange creep camp, and it will help you to creep stronger and faster. It's nice for rushes too. -SACRIFICIAL SKULL (50 Gold, 60 Seconds Restock): Creates a small area of Blight at the target location. Handy for a few reasons: If you're building an expansion, it's good because you won't have to wait for the Necropolis to finish or the Mine to be haunted. Also, if you're just haunting a Gold Mine somewhere, it's a good idea to build 2 or 3 spirit towers to defend. Also, if you're attacking an enemy, it's helpful to build some kind of troop-building nearby, so you can create reinforcements as the battle wages on. *BIG THANKS TO Sanguinsanctis FOR THIS* In case you didn't notice, Undead units regenerate HP much faster on Blight. So during a big battle, sprinkle it around! It will heal your units. -DUST OF APPEARANCE (75 Gold, 4 charges, 20 Seconds Cooldown, 60 Seconds Restock): Reveals any invisible units in the target area for 20 seconds. Not very useful, because you can just get shades. Only buy it if you're sure that your opponent is building cloaked units, the enemy is harassing with Shadowmeld (NE), or if they rush you with a Blademaster. -POTION OF HEALING (150 Gold, 120 Seconds Restock): Heals 250 HP. Important item for your hero to have, but you should sell it later in the game when you start getting Potions of Greater Healing, and stuff like that. Requires Halls of the Dead. -POTION OF MANA (200 Gold, 120 Seconds Restock): Restores 150 MP. Pretty much same as above. Important at first, but not strong enough later. Requires Halls of the Dead. -SCROLL OF TOWN PORTAL (350 Gold, 120 Seconds Restock): After 5 seconds of channeling, teleports your hero and all of your nearby units to the selected Necropolis (Or similar Command Center). Plus, you can just double-click and warp to your highest upgraded Necropolis. This item is a must have, and luckily all heroes start out with 1. Great for a bunch of reasons: If you're attacking and the enemy is destroying you, warp back home. Make sure that you definitely have no chance, because in an allied game, your allies will get angry if you ruin the assault by wussing out. Anyway, this is also a great item in case the enemy is attacking your base and you're away. Just teleport back. This also goes for if your ally is taking a beating. Finally, try hit-and runs to piss your enemies off. Just run in, kill a few units, and then teleport out. Remember the 5 second channeling though, as that can ruin everything. And if the enemy kills your hero as your channeling, well, too bad. Also keep at least 1. Requires Halls of the Dead. -ORB OF CORRUPTION (375 Gold, 120 Seconds Restock): Adds 5 bonus damage to your hero's attack, gives your hero a ranged attack against air-units, and reduces enemy units' armor by 5 for 5 seconds. If you have a Crypt Lord, Death Knight, or Dreadlord it gives you an anti-air defense, and if you have a Lich it gives him some extra strength. Plus, the armor reduction is very helpful. If you have Destroyers, you can strike enemies and then devour the armor-loss for +20 damage! Requires Black Citadel. -SCROLL OF HEALING (250 Gold, 120 Seconds Restock): Heals 150 HP to all friendly biological units around you. That means that Meat Wagons, Obsidian Statues, and any mechanical units your allies have are not healed. Anyway, this item is great. Just carry 1 or 2 and use them during a fight. Very useful if you're massing dual-aura Ghouls. Don't waste it though. Requires Black Citadel. ___ _ ___ _____ ___ ___ ___ _ __ _____ _ _ ___ | _ \/_\ | _ \_ _| |_ _|_ _|_ _(_) \ \ / / _ \| | | | _ \ | _/ _ \| / | | | | | | | | _ \ V / (_) | |_| | / |_|/_/ \_\_|_\ |_| |___|___|___(_) |_| \___/ \___/|_|_\ __ __ ___ _ ___ _____ _ _____ __ | \/ |_ _| | |_ _|_ _/_\ | _ \ \ / / | |\/| || || |__ | | | |/ _ \| /\ V / |_| |_|___|____|___| |_/_/ \_\_|_\ |_| $Units =========================== 5. U N D E A D U N I T S =========================== The Undead have a wide variety of units, including a few powerful summons. In this section, I will take an in-depth look at each unit, and discuss its strengths and weaknesses. Also, note that every Undead unit besides the Meat Wagon and the Obsidian Statue is classified as Undead. The Meat and Wagon and the Obsidian Statue are both mechanical. Here's how to read each unit's section: NAME (The unit's name) ROLE (The unit's role in the scourge) GOLD (How much Gold the unit costs) WOOD (How much Lumber the unit's costs) FOOD (How much Food the Unit requires) HP (The unit's Hit Points, or how much damage it can take before dying) MP (The unit's maximum Mana, or how much energy the unit has for casting spells) ARMOR (How much armor the unit has) ARMOR TYPE (The type of armor the unit has) GROUND ATTACK (How damaging the unit's ground attack is) (Averaged) AIR ATTACK (How damaging the unit's air attack is) (Averaged) ATTACK TYPE (The type of attack) RANGE (How far the attack reaches, if ranged) COOLDOWN (How long between each attack) DAY SIGHT / NIGHT SIGHT (How far the unit can see in the day and the night) UPGRADES (Upgrades this unit benefits from) SPEED (How fast the unit moves) TRAINING TIME (How long it takes for the unit to be trained) TRAINED AT (The building where this unit is trained) REQUIREMENTS (Buildings required before this unit can be trained) ----------ABILITIES--------- The unit's abilities ----------COMMENTS---------- Comments and strategies for using the unit If something doesn't apply to a unit, it won't be included. $Aclyt ================== 5.1 A C O L Y T E ================== NAME: Acolyte ROLE: Primary Worker Unit GOLD: 75 WOOD: N/A FOOD: 1 HP: 220 MP: N/A ARMOR: 0 ARMOR TYPE: Medium GROUND ATTACK: 9.5 AIR ATTACK: N/A ATTACK TYPE: Normal RANGE: Melee COOLDOWN: 2.5 DAY SIGHT / NIGHT SIGHT: 80/60 UPGRADES: None SPEED: Slow TRAINING TIME: 15 TRAINED AT: Necropolis/Halls of the Dead/Black Citadel REQUIREMENTS: None ----------ABILITIES--------- -RESTORE COST: Depends on length of restoration AUTO-CAST It's repair with another name. This very important ability allows you repair buildings and mechanical units that need HP. A building regains HP more quickly if more Acolytes are repairing! -GATHER Allows you to harvest Gold from a Haunted Gold Mine. -SUMMON BUILDING (Cost depends on the building) Obviously, this summons a building. See the Buildings Section for more details. -UNSUMMON BUILDING This skill is unique to the Undead. It allows you to "Unsummon" a building and recover half of the resources you spent building it. -SACRIFICE Kills the Acolyte at a Sacrificial Pit and turns it into a Shade. See the Shade section for more. Requires Sacrificial Pit. ----------COMMENTS---------- Acolytes are your main worker units, so you obviously need them. Make sure to have 5 Acolytes harvesting Gold from your Gold Mines at all times, while another Acolyte summons the buildings. Also, if you're attacking with either Meat Wagons or Obsidian Statues, you might want to have an auto-casting Acolyte following. Unsummon is helpful for 2 reasons: If the enemy is destroying one of your bases (Assuming you have an expansion), Unsummon some buildings to save money. Also, if you REALLY need money and your allies won't give you any, Unsummon buildings that you don't need anymore. This includes the Sacrificial Pit if you already have a Shade and the Graveyard if you've already upgraded. Use the money to Haunt a Goldmine and then just rebuild. Remember that the more Acolytes restoring a building, the faster it regains HP! Sacrifice is important for scouting, but kills the Acolyte. $Ghoul ============== 5.2 G H O U L ============== NAME: Ghoul ROLE: Basic Melee Unit/Secondary Worker Unit GOLD: 120 WOOD: N/A FOOD: 2 HP: 340 MP: N/A ARMOR: 0/6 when upgraded ARMOR TYPE: Heavy GROUND ATTACK: 13/17.5 when upgraded AIR ATTACK: N/A ATTACK TYPE: Normal RANGE: Melee COOLDOWN: 1.3/1.05 when upgraded DAY SIGHT / NIGHT SIGHT: 140/80 UPGRADES: Unholy Strength/Armor Upgrades, Cannibalize, Ghoul Frenzy SPEED: Average/Fast when upgraded TRAINING TIME: 18 TRAINED AT: Crypt REQUIREMENTS: None ----------ABILITIES--------- -CANNIBALIZE Devours a nearby corpse to heal 10 HP/sec. ----------COMMENTS---------- Ghouls are your bread & butter units, but they also get you your lumber. Therefore, even if your main force is out hunting, the Ghouls getting lumber at your base can defend in case of attack. This is very handy, due to the fact that Scrolls of Town Portal need 5 seconds of channeling now. Once fully upgraded Ghouls become more powerful than you'd think. They can swarm enemies and quickly rip them to shreds with Ghoul Frenzy researched. Also, if they take a beating they can Cannibalize and regain health. Use Ghouls as your front line while your higher-end units take down the enemy from the side. Also, Ghouls become insanely good when they are fully upgraded and have both the Death Knight's Unholy Aura, and the Dreadlord's Vampiric Aura. They move extremely fast, are very pretty powerful, and regain health very quickly. Massing them makes a force to be reckoned with, as long as you have some Gargs for anti-air. Also, make sure to use Scrolls of Healing to heal bunches of them at once. -LAMBCHOPS FOR EVERYONE!- When doing early creeping don't forget that you can kill critters like Sheep and Pigs and Cannibalize the corpses! $Fiend ========================== 5.3 C R Y P T F I E N D ========================== NAME: Crypt Fiend ROLE: Support Unit/Anti-Air Defense/Sentry (With Burrow) GOLD: 215 WOOD: 40 FOOD: 3 HP: 550 MP: N/A ARMOR: 0/6 when upgraded ARMOR TYPE: Medium GROUND ATTACK: 28.5/39 when upgraded AIR ATTACK: N/A ATTACK TYPE: Pierce RANGE: 55 (Ground) COOLDOWN: 2 DAY SIGHT / NIGHT SIGHT: 140/80 SPEED: Average UPGRADES: Creature Attack/Carapace Upgrades, Burrow, Web TRAINING TIME: 30 TRAINED AT: Crypt REQUIREMENTS: Graveyard ----------ABILITIES--------- -BURROW/UNBURROW The Crypt Fiend buries itself underground. It is invisible to opponents, and regains 5 HP/second. Unburrow takes the Crypt Fiend out of the ground. -WEB COOLDOWN: 12 seconds AUTO-CAST RANGE: 40 Allows the Crypt Fiend to bind enemy air-units to the ground, so your ground units can attack it. ----------COMMENTS---------- Crypt Fiends are very powerful support units that are also great anti-air. Decide whether to use Fiends or Gargs, though, because they basically contradict each other's bonuses. Fiends web enemies which weakens the Garg attacks, but when Gargs use their powerful melee, Fiends can't attack. If you clear out the Creeps by a Gold Mine but don't want to use it as an expansion, burrow a Crypt Fiend right there. That way you'll know if the enemy is expanding there. Also burrow a Crypt Fiend or 2 along the path from your base to the enemy. If you are playing on a map with a large central zone, burrow there too. This allows you to keep a constant watch around the map, and is very helpful. However, don't even bother trying to harass opponents by attacking their base, burrowing when they attack you, and then repeating when they leave. Eventually they will get a Gem of True-Seeing or a detector and you just wasted a few valuable Fiends. Anyway, Web is crucial for your anti-air support. It brings enemy flying units to the ground so that your ground units can pound them. Make sure to set Web to auto- cast. $Garg ==================== 5.4 G A R G O Y L E ==================== NAME: Gargoyle ROLE: Light Air Support Unit/Anti-Air GOLD: 185 WOOD: 30 FOOD: 2 HP: 410 MP: N/A ARMOR: 3 (15 Stone)/9 (21 Stone) when upgraded ARMOR TYPE: Unarmored GROUND ATTACK: 19.5/27 when upgraded AIR ATTACK: 65.5/82 when upgraded ATTACK TYPE: Pierce (Ground)/Normal (Air) RANGE: 30 (Ground)/Melee (Air) COOLDOWN: 2.2/1.4 DAY SIGHT / NIGHT SIGHT: 160/80 SPEED: Average UPGRADES: Creature Attack/Carapace Upgrades, Stone Form TRAINING TIME: 35 TRAINED AT: Crypt REQUIREMENTS: Graveyard, Halls of the Dead ----------ABILITIES--------- -STONE FORM COOLDOWN: 30 seconds Stone Form allows Gargoyles to turn into stone, giving them lots of bonus armor, HP regeneration, and Spell Immunity. Has 30 second cooldown. ----------COMMENTS---------- First of all, note from the stats above that Gargoyles are pretty average when attacking ground units, but rip air units to shreds. Got it? Good. Gargoyles are excellent air support for your Ghouls, but don't work well with Fiends. Decide whether to use Fiends or Gargs, though, because they basically contradict each other's bonuses. Fiends web enemies which weakens the Garg attacks, but when Gargs use their powerful melee, Fiends can't attack. When in the heat of battle, make sure to put your Gargoyles in Stone Form whenever they take a lot of damage. This allows them to heal quickly and gives them lots of armor. Gargoyles are also very powerful against enemy air-units, so build them if you know you need anti-air. Also, use Gargoyles for hit-and-runs. It's very fun to fly around to the back of your enemy's base, kill some of their Peasants/Peons/Wisps/Acolytes. This can really disrupt your opponent's economy, and is great because most players don't build lots of towers and defense in the back of their base. Finally, remember that Gargoyles are only tier 2, so you can build them earlier than you used to. Finally, don't underestimate the cost! Gargs are very cheap, and take only as much food as a Ghoul. $Necro ========================== 5.5 N E C R O M A N C E R ========================== NAME: Necromancer ROLE: Primary Spell Caster GOLD: 145 WOOD: 20 FOOD: 2 HP: 305/380 when upgraded MP: 200/400 when upgraded ARMOR: 0 ARMOR TYPE: Unarmored GROUND ATTACK: 8.5 AIR ATTACK: 8.5 ATTACK TYPE: Magic RANGE: 60 (Air/Ground) COOLDOWN: 1.8 DAY SIGHT / NIGHT SIGHT: 140/90 SPEED: Average UPGRADES: Necromancer Adept/Master Training, Skeletal Longevity/Mastery TRAINING TIME: 24 TRAINED AT: Temples of the Damned REQUIREMENTS: None ----------ABILITIES--------- -RAISE DEAD COST: 75 mana COOLDOWN: 8 seconds RANGE: 60 Raises 2 Skeleton Warriors from a corpse. Can be auto-cast. -UNHOLY FRENZY COST: 50 mana COOLDOWN: 1 second RANGE: 50 Increases the target units attack rate by 75%, but makes them lose 4 HP per second. Lasts 45 seconds. Requires Necromancer Adept Training. -CRIPPLE COST: 175 mana COOLDOWN: 10 seconds RANGE: 60 Slows the target by 75%, reduces their attack rate to 50%, and weakens their attacks by 50%. Lasts 60 seconds against normal units and 10 seconds against heroes. Requires Necromancer Master Training. ----------COMMENTS---------- Due to the fact that Necromancers are your primary spell casters they are used a lot, and everyone has different strategies for using them. First of all, make sure to get their upgrades, but especially their Training. At Master Training, Necros have twice as much MP as they started with! If you're serious about using your Necros as a main unit, build 2 Temples of the Damned: 1 to train and 1 to upgrade. Now for the spells. Raise Dead starts of turned off, and you should auto-cast it after you move away from any useless corpses (like the skeletons outside your Graveyard). Raise Dead is very helpful because it increases the size of your army and creates tons and tons of meat shields. This is very important for a ranged army, because the Skeleton Warriors will rush at the enemies and create a wall in front of them as your ranged units attack from afar. Once you get Skeletal Mastery, one of the two skeletons will be a Skeleton Mage. These Mages are a great 2nd line of defense in case the enemy breaks through the Warrior meat shields, and they are more powerful. Early game, if you kill Creeps and raise the skeletons, make sure to send the skeletons to scout the enemy base. This really annoys the enemy too, and if you're playing against a really twitchy opponent, they may teleport their hero back to base thinking that you're attacking with your full force. A great way to waste the enemy's Scrolls of Town Portals. However, be wary of enemies using dispels. They can easily wipe out entire armies of Skellies, and it just gives their hero extra experience. Unholy Frenzy is a great spell for your Hero, because the Heroes HP regeneration counters the HP loss. It's really just making your Hero faster. If you're playing online, be careful about casting this on allies. They may get angry about the HP loss. Now for something that very few people think of: Cast Unholy Frenzy on the enemy. This is especially helpful if the enemy is retreating. Quickly cast Unholy Frenzy on as many of their units as possible. Any units with under 180 HP will die, and the others will be severely weakened. If you and your allies have lots of Hero Spells that stun the enemy, cast Unholy Frenzy on the enemy, and take turns using your stun moves. Take that! Also, check out the Strategies Section for a few strategies involving Necros. Cripple is an amazing spell. It slows the enemy to a crawl, makes them attack only half the time, and weakens them like crazy. Cripple enemy heroes quickly, and have other Necros cripple them again after the 10 seconds are up. Also try crippling normal enemy units like Frost Wyrms, Wyverns, etc. Because they are normal units they stay crippled for a full minute. Ha. Remember to add Cripple in with a Tri-nuke to weaken the target even more. $Bnshe ================== 5.6 B A N S H E E ================== NAME: Banshee ROLE: Secondary Spell Caster GOLD: 155 WOOD: 30 FOOD: 2 HP: 285/365 when upgrade MP: 200/400 when upgraded ARMOR: 0 ARMOR TYPE: Unarmored GROUND ATTACK: 11 AIR ATTACK: 11 ATTACK TYPE: Magic RANGE: 50 (Air/Ground) COOLDOWN: 1.5 DAY SIGHT / NIGHT SIGHT: 140/80 SPEED: Average UPGRADES: Banshee Adept/Master Training TRAINING TIME: 35 TRAINED AT: Halls of the Dead REQUIREMENTS: None ----------ABILITIES--------- -CURSE COST: 50 mana AUTO-CAST COOLDOWN: 1 second RANGE: 40 Causes the target unit to miss 1/3 of the time for 2 minutes. -ANTI-MAGIC SHELL COST: 75 mana RANGE: 50 Cause the target unit to be able to absorb up to 350 points worth of spell damage -POSSESION COST: 250 mana/Your Banshee CHANNELING (For 4 seconds) RANGE: 30 Begins channeling (From a longer range than it used to), stunning the Banshee and the target for 4 seconds. During this time the target is invulnerable, while the Banshee takes 225% damage. After this time, the Banshee possesses the target as usual, killing the Banshee but giving you control of the unit. The target must be level 5 or below and cannot be flying. Any upgrades the target has are instantly researched for you. So if you Possess an enemy Master Necromancer, you'll automatically research Master Necros for free, and instantly! ----------COMMENTS---------- Not many people use Banshees, but they have some important abilities. Curse is an okay support spell, but the other 2 spells are much more useful. Anti-Magic Shell is great when cast on your Heroes because it renders then invincible to enemy spells. Also, try casting Anti-Magic Shell on the enemy hero so that the enemy can't cast positive spells on themselves. If the enemy is focusing on Magic, make sure to get Banshees. Also, cast Anti-Magic Shell on your units with heavy-armor. Heavily-armored units take extra damage from spells, so this will protect them. Also, cast Anti-Magic Shell on your heroes (And allies) when casting channeling spells (Earthquake, Big-Bad-Voodoo, etc.), because normally spells can interrupt you. I'd say that Possession is the real reason that a lot of people get Banshees: This powerful spell allows the Banshee to sacrifice herself and take control of a target unit. Unfortunately, you can't Possess Creeps above level 5, flying units, or heroes. Oh well. This spell is still great during big fights, because you can possess high end units like Tauren and Knights, but also spellcasters and support units like Kodo Beasts. Always try to Possess Level 5 Creeps, because they are typically very powerful. A highly underused aspect of Possession is that it gives you access to upgrades you don't have. Look at the strategy "Thanks for the Upgrades!" for more details and stuff. Note that now in patch 1.13, the spell is channeled for 4 seconds, during which time the Banshee and the target are immobile. The target is invulnerable, but the Banshee takes 225% damage while channeling. $MWagn ======================== 5.7 M E A T W A G O N ======================== NAME: Meat Wagon ROLE: Siege Weapon/Skeletal Support GOLD: 230 WOOD: 50 FOOD: 4 HP: 380 MP: N/A ARMOR: 2 ARMOR TYPE: Heavy GROUND ATTACK: 79.5/108 when upgraded AIR ATTACK: N/A ATTACK TYPE: Siege RANGE: 115 (25 minimum)(Ground) COOLDOWN: 4 DAY SIGHT / NIGHT SIGHT: 140/120 UPGRADES: Unholy Strength Upgrades, Disease Cloud, Exhume Corpses SPEED: Slow TRAINING TIME: 45 TRAINED AT: Slaughter House REQUIREMENTS: None ----------ABILITIES--------- -GET CORPSE AUTO-CAST Allows the Meat Wagon to pick up a nearby corpse for use later. -DROP COPRSES Allows the Meat Wagon to drop all the corpses it is carrying. -DISEASE CLOUD PASSIVE This aura allows thrown corpses to explode is a cloud of poisonous gas which lasts for 2 minutes and deals 1 damage/second to enemies in the clouds. ----------COMMENTS---------- Meat Wagons serve a dual purpose: First, they are your siege units, which means that you will need them for wrecking enemy towers. Second, they can hold corpses which can be eaten by Ghouls and Abominations, and raised from the dead. Because of the siege ability, Meat Wagons are a must for all base assaults. They are crucial for destroying enemy towers and luring troops to you. Because in many maps each player has a small area for their base, with a tight opening, it can be hard to squeeze your entire army in. Instead, keep your army out in the open, and send a Meat Wagon in. Have the Wagon attack the enemy from just out of their range, and the enemy will target your Meat Wagon. Now just roll the Wagon out and have your main troops rush in. Meat Wagons are also crucial for Skelly Strategies. You can pick up the bodies of creeps and drag them into a big battle so your Necros can raise the dead quickly. Exhume Corpses is also a must. Note that the corpses are all Ghouls, just in case you are using a DK to Animate the Dead. Finally, make sure you have some backup, because Meat Wagons cannot hit enemies that attack from really close. $Abom ========================== 5.8 A B O M I N A T I O N ========================== NAME: Abomination ROLE: Heavy-Assault Melee Tank GOLD: 240 WOOD: 70 FOOD: 4 HP: 1175 MP: N/A ARMOR: 2/8 when upgraded ARMOR TYPE: Heavy GROUND ATTACK: 36/48 when upgraded AIR ATTACK: N/A ATTACK TYPE: Normal RANGE: Melee COOLDOWN: 1.9 DAY SIGHT / NIGHT SIGHT: 140/60 UPGRADES: Unholy Strength/Armor upgrades, Cannibalize, Disease Cloud SPEED: Average TRAINING TIME: 45 TRAINED AT: Slaughter House REQUIREMENTS: Black Citadel ----------ABILITIES--------- -CANNIBALIZE Devour a nearby corpse to heal 15 HP per second. -DISEASE CLOUD PASSIVE Gives the Abominations a cloud of gas (farts?) that damages nearby enemies for 1 HP per second. ----------COMMENTS---------- Abominations are melee, heavy-assault tanks. They have a variety of uses. If you were using Ghouls during the early game, then these guys are a logical next step, due to the fact that they share most of the same upgrades. Aboms are very powerful, and don't forget that they can Cannibalize like Ghouls. Coil them to keep them alive. Finally, don't research Disease Cloud. It's basically a waste. -LAMBCHOPS FOR EVERYONE!- When doing early creeping don't forget that you can kill critters like Sheep and Pigs and Cannibalize the corpses! $Obsid ================================== 5.9 O B S I D I A N S T A T U E ================================== NAME: Obsidian Statue ROLE: Support GOLD: 200 WOOD: 35 FOOD: 3 HP: 550 MP: 600 ARMOR: 1 ARMOR TYPE: Heavy GROUND ATTACK: 7.5 AIR ATTACK: 7.5 ATTACK TYPE: Magic RANGE: 57.5 (Air/Ground) COOLDOWN: 2.1 DAY SIGHT / NIGHT SIGHT: 120/80 UPGRADES: Destroyer Form SPEED: Average TRAINING TIME: 45 TRAINED AT: Slaughter House REQUIREMENTS: Tomb of Relics ----------ABILITIES--------- -ESSENCE OF BLIGHT COST: Up to 10 AUTO-CAST COOLDOWN: 2 seconds AOE: 60 The Obsidian Statue can heal up to 6 nearby units for 10 HP each. The mana cost is proportional to the number of targets. -SPIRIT TOUCH COST: Up to 10 AUTO-CAST COOLDOWN: 2 seconds AOE: 60 The Obsidian Statue can give up to 6 nearby units 5 mana each. The mana cost is proportional to the number of targets. -MORPH TO DESTROYER COST: The Obsidian Statue The Destroyer within the Obsidian Statue breaks free, destroying the Statue but giving you access to a Destroyer. ----------COMMENTS---------- Get Obsidian Statues as soon as you can, because they are one of the most important support units in the Undead army. These great units can heal allies or give back mana. Start out with 2 Statues for every group: 1 to heal HP, and 1 to give mana. Just note that you can only auto-cast one or the other. The only bad thing about these guys is that they are mechanical so they can't heal each other. Whenever they stop back at your base though, repair them with your Acolytes. Destroyers are fairly helpful magic, flying units. You can morph some Obsidian Statues but always keep some around. The best way to use Statues is to just right-click on your hero so they'll follow your army and heal them from behind. ++CHEAP DOUBLE-BUFF++ (Thanks to Redmage) Here's a really sneaky strategy that allows you to get double the buff from one statue. Auto-cast one of the spells, and then just click really quickly on the other. Depending on your speed-clicking ability you can heal health and mana at almost the same speed! Also, Jerry Shen e-mailed me that with a group of statues, you can keep clicking on the heal button to heal the group at once. This is very helpful during, or after a fight. $Dstyr ======================= 5.10 D E S T R O Y E R ======================= NAME: Destroyer ROLE: Aerial Ant-Magic Support GOLD: 0 (200 including Statue cost) WOOD: 0 (35 including Statue cost) FOOD: 2 (5 including Statue cost) HP: 900 MP: 400 ARMOR: 4 (10 when upgraded) ARMOR TYPE: Light GROUND ATTACK: 22.5 (30 when upgraded) AIR ATTACK: 22.5 (30 when upgraded) ATTACK TYPE: Magic RANGE: 45 (Air/Ground) COOLDOWN: 1.35 DAY SIGHT / NIGHT SIGHT: 140/100 UPGRADES: Creature Attack/Carapace Upgrades SPEED: Fast TRAINING TIME: N/A (45 including Statue time) TRAINED AT: N/A (Upgrades from Obsidian Statue) REQUIREMENTS: Black Citadel, Destroyer Form Upgrade, an Obsidian Statue ----------ABILITIES--------- -ABSORB MANA COST: All of the target's mana RANGE: 90 Takes Mana from one of your units and gives it to the Destroyer. -DEVOUR MAGIC COOLDOWN: 7 seconds RANGE: 60 AOE: 20 Removes all Magic buffs (positive and negative) from an area. The Destroyer receives 50 HP and 75 MP for each unit that loses a buff. Summoned units lose 180 HP. -ORB OF ANNIHILATION COST: 25 mana AUTO-CAST This auto-cast spell makes the Destroyer attack more powerful (+20) and adds AOE damage. -SPELL IMMUNITY PASSIVE Just what it sounds like: The Destroyer is immune to spells. ----------COMMENTS---------- The Destroyer is extremely helpful if your opponent is using lots of casters. For those Human players, Destroyers are pretty much flying, extra-powerful, tier 3 Spell Breakers. The main weakness of the Destroyer is that it is constantly draining mana, and it starts with 0. You can use Absorb Mana to steal energy from friendly units, so the best way to handle this is to absorb your hero's mana and then have the hero drink a Potion of Mana or something. Devour Magic is great for if your opponent is using lots of buffs (buffs include moves like Roar, Lightning Shield, and those Scrolls of Speed and stuff), and it damages Summoned Units too! Helpful if your enemy is using moves like Slow (Dang Sorceresses), or massing weak summons like Skellies. Orb of Annihilation should be auto-cast because it makes the Destroyer much more powerful. You won't be able to use it until you get some mana anyway. Really, Destroyers are only worth their cost if the enemy is using lots of casters, but when they're needed, they work wonders. And besides, it's inevitable that the enemy will get casters eventually, and because Destroyers are the only UD anti-casters you might as well get some now and then. Destroyers need mana to use their powerful Orb of Annihilation. But what if the enemy has no buffs for you to eat? Well if you let your heroes carry Orbs of Corruption, the armor-reduction counts as a buff. Run in, reduce the enemy's armor, and then eat it for mana! ~HEAVY METAL~ (Thanks to Johannes Brun) About the Destroyers: They are not just good against magic users, but also against most heavy armor using armies like Orcs. Think about it: Destroyers do 26 damage as average when fully upgraded. And their attacks are magic which means they do a whopping 200% damage against heavy armor, which means 52 damage per shot. Add to that Orb of Annhilation (+20 damage and splash) and you have a pretty darn good and heavy armor unit. It's flyer to so heavy armors can't hit them themselfs. Now, if where Orc, and had lots of Grunts and Taurens, I would be pretty scared if I had 6-7 destroyers attacking my army. Look out for anti- air though. $Shade =============== 5.11 S H A D E =============== NAME: Shade ROLE: Scout GOLD: 0 (75 including Acolyte cost) WOOD: 0 FOOD: 0 (1 including Acolyte cost) HP: 125 MP: 0 ARMOR: 0 ARMOR TYPE: Medium GROUND ATTACK: N/A AIR ATTACK: N/A ATTACK TYPE: N/A RANGE: N/A COOLDOWN: N/A DAY SIGHT / NIGHT SIGHT: 190/80 UPGRADES: None SPEED: Fast TRAINING TIME: 15 (30 including Acolyte cost) TRAINED AT: Sacrificial Pit REQUIREMENTS: An Acolyte ----------ABILITIES--------- -TRUE SIGHT PASSIVE The Shade can see invisible enemies. ----------COMMENTS---------- Shades are amazing Scouts. They are invisible, so you can just sneak them into an enemy's base. If you have enough food and Acolytes, Sacrifice 2 Acolytes. Have 1 stationed at the enemy's base so you'll know what types of troops your opponent is building. Then use this trick: have your 2nd Shade follow (Right click on) your enemy's hero. That way you can see where the other team's main force is. If you have another Acolyte to spare, have him patrol the most direct route from your base to your enemy's base. This way, you'll know when your enemy is attacking so your force can teleport back home if they were out creeping. Also, you might consider keeping a Shade at your base, because its True Sight allows you to watch for invisible enemies. Just beware if you suspect your opponent has detectors. NOTE: Shades cannot pass through other units and buildings DOUBLE NOTE: I used to have the Invisible Robbery strategy here, but Blood s3m told me that backpack doesn't affect Shades. Whoops. $FWyrm ========================= 5.12 F R O S T W Y R M ========================= NAME: Frost Wyrm ROLE: Aerial Heavy-Assault Tank GOLD: 385 WOOD: 120 FOOD: 7 HP: 1350 MP: 0 ARMOR: 1/7 when upgraded ARMOR TYPE: Light GROUND ATTACK: 95/113 when upgraded AIR ATTACK: 95/113 when upgraded ATTACK TYPE: Magic RANGE: 30 (Air/Ground) COOLDOWN: 3 DAY SIGHT / NIGHT SIGHT: 160/80 UPGRADES: Creature Attack/Carapace Upgrades, Freezing Breath SPEED: Slow TRAINING TIME: 65 TRAINED AT: Bone Yard REQUIREMENTS: None ----------ABILITIES--------- -FREEZING BREATH PASSIVE This skill allows the Frost Wyrm to freeze enemy buildings, which halts unit/upgrade production, and renders towers unable to attack. ----------COMMENTS---------- Frost Wyrms are the Undead's late-game tanks. They take a ton of time and money to build, but they can really mop the floor with your opponents. Because they take a full minute to train, you should build multiple Bone Yards if you are really serious about building them. I instead prefer to just build 2 or 3 to tag along with my troops. While Frost Wyrms are powerful, anti-air units can destroy them easily. Get Freezing Breath before you assault an enemy base. Make sure to freeze towers and unit-production buildings. If you kill and enemy hero, quickly freeze the Alter and destroy it when you get the chance. Once you wipe out the enemy troops, they won't be able to make any more and you can just destroy their base. +Orc Warning+ A few Troll Batriders can use Unstable Concoction to blow your Frost Wyrms' Minds, so beware. Therefore, it's probably better not to mass Frosties, because when your opponent finds out, they WILL get Batriders. $SkelW ===================================== 5.13 S K E L E T A L W A R R I O R ===================================== NAME: Skeletal Warrior ROLE: Summoned Meat Shield GOLD: N/A WOOD: N/A FOOD: N/A HP: 180 MP: N/A ARMOR: 1/7 when upgraded ARMOR TYPE: Heavy GROUND ATTACK: 14.5/19 when upgraded AIR ATTACK: N/A ATTACK TYPE: Normal RANGE: Melee COOLDOWN: 2 DAY SIGHT / NIGHT SIGHT: 80/60 UPGRADES: Unholy Strength/Armor Upgrades, Skeletal Longevity SPEED: Average TRAINING TIME: N/A (Summoned by Necromancer) TRAINED AT: N/A REQUIREMENTS: N/A ----------COMMENTS---------- Skeletons aren't that powerful, but that's not what they are meant for. They are meant to be meat shields. Upgrade their armor, and then when you attack the enemy, set Raise Dead to auto-cast for your Necros. The raised skeletons will overwhelm the enemy and make it hard for them to reach your fragile Necros. Many times, your enemy will simply be overwhelmed by the dozens of skeletons attacking them. Unfortunately, Skeleton Warriors can be dispelled easily. Now for upgrades. Skeletal Longevity is helpful, but Skeletal Mastery is more important. More info on that in the Skeletal Mage section. Even during Creeping, raise the dead and send the Skellies to harass your opponent. This will also let you scout his base. Sometimes, a twitchy opponent will even TP back to base, thinking that you are mounting a full scale attack. $SkelM =============================== 5.14 S K E L E T A L M A G E =============================== NAME: Skeletal Mage ROLE: Summoned Caster GOLD: N/A WOOD: N/A FOOD: N/A HP: 230 MP: N/A ARMOR: 0/6 when upgraded ARMOR TYPE: Medium GROUND ATTACK: 11.5/16 when upgraded AIR ATTACK: 11.5/16 when upgraded ATTACK TYPE: Pierce RANGE: 70 (Air/Ground) COOLDOWN: 1.5 DAY SIGHT / NIGHT SIGHT: 140/90 UPGRADES: Unholy Strength/Armor Upgrades, Skeletal Longevity SPEED: Average TRAINING TIME: N/A (Summoned by Necromancer) TRAINED AT: N/A REQUIREMENTS: Skeletal Master ----------COMMENTS---------- Once Skeletal Mastery is researched, 1 of the 2 skeletons that a Necromancer raises will be a Skeletal Mage. These guys are slightly weaker than Skeletal Warriors, but they are ranged and can attack air. Over all these guys are worth it and you can use the same strategies for them that you would use for a Skeletal Warrior. $Infnl ===================== 5.15 I N F E R N A L ===================== NAME: Infernal ROLE: Ultimate Summon GOLD: N/A WOOD: N/A FOOD: N/A HP: 1500 MP: N/A ARMOR: 6 ARMOR TYPE: Heavy GROUND ATTACK: 54.5 AIR ATTACK: N/A ATTACK TYPE: Chaos RANGE: Melee COOLDOWN: 1.35 DAY SIGHT / NIGHT SIGHT: 140/80 UPGRADES: None SPEED: Fast TRAINING TIME: N/A (Summoned by Dreadlord) TRAINED AT: N/A REQUIREMENTS: N/A ----------ABILITIES--------- -PERMANENT IMMOLATION PASSIVE The Infernal burns nearby enemies for 10 HP per second. -SPELL IMMUNITY PASSIVE The Infernal is immune to spells. -RESISTANT SKIN PASSIVE Negative spells have a decreases duration when cast on the Infernal. ----------COMMENTS---------- The Infernal is the ultimate summon. A Level 6 Dreadlord can summon one of these giants to wreck complete havoc on the enemy, and there isn't much strategy. When you're in the heat of a huge battle, summon one of these guys and watch the fun begin. Hahaha!!! $Beetl ================================= 5.16 C A R R I O N B E E T L E ================================= NAME: Carrion Beetle ROLE: Basic Summon/Scout GOLD: N/A WOOD: N/A FOOD: N/A HP: 140/275/410 MP: N/A ARMOR: 2 ARMOR TYPE: Heavy GROUND ATTACK: 8.5/16.5/24.5 AIR ATTACK: N/A ATTACK TYPE: Normal RANGE: Melee COOLDOWN: 1.5 DAY SIGHT / NIGHT SIGHT: 120/80 UPGRADES: N/A SPEED: Average TRAINING TIME: N/A (Summoned by Crypt Lord) TRAINED AT: N/A REQUIREMENTS: N/A ----------ABILITIES--------- -BURROW The Carrion Beetle buries itself underground. It is invisible to opponents, and regains 5 HP/second. Only available to Beetles of levels 2 and 3. ----------COMMENTS---------- Beetles are great permanent summons that are made by the Crypt Lord. Unfortunately, you can only have 5 of these guys at a time. When fully upgraded these guys are actually pretty strong, and they get burrow which is awesome. If you clear out the Creeps by a Gold Mine but don't want to use it as an expansion, burrow a Beetle right there. That way you'll know if the enemy is expanding there. Also burrow a Beetle or 2 along the path from your base to the enemy. If you are playing on a map with a large central zone, burrow there too. This allows you to keep a constant watch around the map, and is very helpful. $Heros ============================= 6. U N D E A D H E R O E S ============================= The Undead have some great Heroes. The Dreadlord is great for putting enemy heroes out of action with Sleep, and Vampiric Aura is awesome. The Death Knight is both an amazing healing and hero killer, plus he can use Death Pact to stay alive. The Crypt Lord is one of the best tanks in the game, with a lot of HP, Spiked Carapace, and Beetles for backup. And the Lich, while fragile, is a force to be reckoned with if microed properly. Just a note: Whenever you see a few numbers with a / between them, these are normally referring to what a spell does in Level 1/2/3. $Cmpar ========================== 6.1 C O M P A R I S O N S ========================== These are just comparisons between the heroes. Right now it's only stat-wise, but soon I'll add more (Which heroes are good in which situations, etc.) Yay. Health: Crypt Lord -> Death Knight -> Dreadlord -> Lich Mana: Lich -> Dreadlord -> Death Knight -> Crypt Lord Damage (Early-Mid Game): Crypt Lord -> Death Knight -> Dreadlord -> Lich Damage (Late Game): Crypt Lord -> Lich -> Death Knight -> Dreadlord Strength: Crypt Lord -> Death Knight -> Dreadlord -> Lich Armor: Death Knight -> Dreadlord -> Crypt Lord/Lich (NOTE: The Spiked Carapace ability bumps the Crypt Lord's armor up a lot) Agility (Early-Mid Game): Dreadlord -> Crypt Lord/Lich -> Death Knight Agility (Late Game): Dreadlord/Death Knight -> Lich -> Crypt Lord Intelligence: Lich -> Dreadlord -> Death Knight -> Crypt Lord $DKngt ============================ 6.2 D E A T H K N I G H T ============================ NAME: Death Knight ROLE: Warrior Hero/Healer GOLD: 425 WOOD: 100 FOOD: 5 ARMOR TYPE: Hero ATTACK TYPE: Hero STRENGTH PER LEVEL: 2.7 AGILITY PER LEVEL: 1.5 INTELLIGENCE PER LEVEL: 1.8 RANGE: Melee COOLDOWN: 2.33 DAY SIGHT / NIGHT SIGHT: 180/80 SPEED: Fast TRAINING TIME: 55 TRAINED AT: Altar of Darkness PRIMARY ATTRIBUTE: Strength ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | LV | HP | MP | ATTACK | STRENGTH | ARMOR | AGILITY | INTELLIGENCE | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 1 | 675 | 255 | 30 | 23 | 4 | 12 | 17 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 2 | 725 | 270 | 32 | 25 | 4 | 13 | 18 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 3 | 800 | 300 | 35 | 28 | 5 | 15 | 20 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 4 | 875 | 330 | 38 | 31 | 5 | 16 | 22 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 5 | 925 | 360 | 40 | 33 | 5 | 18 | 24 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 6 |1000 | 390 | 43 | 36 | 6 | 19 | 26 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 7 |1075 | 405 | 46 | 39 | 6 | 21 | 27 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 8 |1125 | 435 | 48 | 41 | 7 | 22 | 29 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 9 |1200 | 465 | 51 | 44 | 7 | 24 | 31 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 10 |1275 | 495 | 54 | 47 | 8 | 25 | 33 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------ABILITIES--------- -DEATH COIL COST: 75 mana COOLDOWN: 6 seconds RANGE: 80 This useful spell damages non-Undead enemies for 100/200/300 damage, or heals an allied Undead unit for 200/400/600 HP. -DEATH PACT COST: 50 mana/1 unit COOLDOWN: 15 seconds RANGE: 80 Kills a target allied unit and heals the DK for 100%/200%/300% of the targets remaining HP. -UNHOLY AURA PASSIVE AOE: 90 Nearby allies regain HP 50%/100%/150% faster than usual, and move 10%/20%30% faster. -ULTIMATE: ANIMATE DEAD COST: 175 mana COOLDOWN: 180 seconds RANGE: 40 AOE: 90 Raises 6 nearby corpses who become invulnerable and fight for your team for 40 seconds. The raised dead have the same stats (besides HP) that they did when they were alive. This spell can be used to revive members of the other team, and if there are more than 6 corpses, the 6 most powerful will be animated. ----------COMMENTS---------- While the Death Knight can be used as a tough warrior, he is also a superb support hero. Death Coil is great for early creeping, and is a great hero-killer later in the game. If a hero is giving you trouble, hit them with the Undead's tri-nuke: Death Coil, Carrion Swarm, and Frost Nova. This should kill them quickly. Death Coil is also your primary healing early game. Use it wisely. Death Pact basically kills one of your own units, but heals the DK. You may not like killing units, but learn to use it. Killing a Ghoul (120 gold), heals 330 HP, while buying a Potion of Healing (150 gold) heals only 250 HP! At level 3, Pact kills a lowly Ghoul to heal 990 HP!! Your enemy will likely focus-fire on your DK, as he acts as the backbone of the UD army a lot of the time, but a quick pact can help. -"Avatar of Dragonia" writes: Much of the logic I have applied to Dark Ritual here could also apply to the Death Knight's Death Pact skill as well, except that Death Pact is more forgiving. Even at level 1 sacrificing a healthy ghoul gets you a good 330 HP, which is a larger boost than most health potions give you. At level 3 a healthy ghoul would net you 990(!) HP, excellent when the enemy player tries to focus fire on the Death Knight. As with Dark Ritual, however, beware the long cooldown. Unholy Aura is an amazing aura, and is very helpful for Ghouls. Fully upgraded Ghouls with Unholy Aura move blazingly fast. Plus, if you get a Dreadlord, get Vampiric Aura too, which just makes even stronger Ghouls. Animate Dead is great during a big battle. Try to animate power units like Knights, A-Bombs, Taurens, or Bears. The best part is that they are invulnerable! Even Animated Ghouls are helpful. They move so fast that you can rush them into the enemy base and easily kill off a bunch of workers. Then get the farms. After a battle, even if you are retreating, send the Animated into the enemy's base to wreck some quick havoc. One problem with the Death Knight is that he has a painfully slow rate of attack, so try to get items that make him swing faster, along with a few Mana Potions to refill him for Death Coils. -Skill order (General): Death Coil, Unholy Aura, DC, UH, DC, AD, UH, Death Pact, DP, DP $DLord ====================== 6.3 D R E A D L O R D ====================== NAME: Dreadlord ROLE: Warrior Hero/Control GOLD: 425 WOOD: 100 FOOD: 5 ARMOR TYPE: Hero ATTACK TYPE: Hero STRENGTH PER LEVEL: 2.5 AGILITY PER LEVEL: 1 INTELLIGENCE PER LEVEL: 2.5 RANGE: Melee COOLDOWN: 1.8 DAY SIGHT / NIGHT SIGHT: 180/80 SPEED: Average TRAINING TIME: 55 TRAINED AT: Altar of Darkness PRIMARY ATTRIBUTE: Strength ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | LV | HP | MP | ATTACK | STRENGTH | ARMOR | AGILITY | INTELLIGENCE | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 1 | 600 | 270 | 27 | 20 | 3 | 16 | 18 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 2 | 650 | 300 | 29 | 22 | 3 | 17 | 20 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 3 | 725 | 345 | 32 | 25 | 3 | 18 | 23 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 4 | 775 | 375 | 34 | 27 | 4 | 19 | 25 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 5 | 850 | 420 | 37 | 30 | 4 | 20 | 28 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 6 | 900 | 450 | 39 | 32 | 4 | 21 | 30 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 7 | 975 | 495 | 42 | 35 | 5 | 22 | 33 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 8 |1025 | 525 | 44 | 37 | 5 | 23 | 35 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 9 |1100 | 570 | 47 | 40 | 5 | 24 | 38 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 10 |1150 | 600 | 49 | 42 | 6 | 25 | 40 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------ABILITIES--------- -CARRION SWARM COST: 110 mana COOLDOWN: 10 seconds RANGE: 70 AOE: 15 Sends out a wave of bats that deal 75/125/200 damage to enemies in the way. -SLEEP COST: 100/75/50 mana COOLDOWN: 6 seconds RANGE: 80 Puts the target unit to sleep for 20/40/60 seconds. Heroes are put to sleep for 5/10/15 seconds. The sleeping unit wakes up if it is attacked. -VAMPIRIC AURA PASSIVE AOE: 90 Friendly melee units gain HP equal to 15%/30%/45% of their attack damage for every successful attack they make. -ULTIMATE: INFERNO COST: 175 mana COOLDOWN: 180 seconds RANGE: 90 AOE: 25 Calls down an Infernal. The initial drop causes a small earth-quake that deals 50 damage to nearby enemies and stuns them for 4 seconds (2 for heroes, air units aren't stunned). The Infernal lasts for 180 seconds, and more info on Infernals can be found in the Units section. Also, notice that the Infernal lasts for as long as the spell's cooldown. That means that you summon a new Infernal the instant your old one's time is up. Unless your Infernal is killed, you should always have around. ----------COMMENTS---------- The Dreadlord is a common choice for a first hero, because he has so many uses. For early creeping, sleep is a great choice. When you attack a camp, put the strongest creep to sleep and then kill his cronies. Once he wakes up, you can surround and kill him. This is also great for attacking enemies: You can put their hero to sleep and wreck their army! If your enemy hero rushes you, Sleep the hero, surround him with Ghouls, and then wipe him out. Carrion Swarm is helpful also, and at higher levels it can do a lot of damage to heroes. Try the line-of-fire strat: Move your Crypt Lord and Dreadlord to the side of a battle. You can use Impale to stun all the enemies in a straight line and then Carrion Swarm them to death. Vampiric Aura is very helpful, especially when used in conjunction with Unholy Aura (DK). A good early strategy is for you and your allies to all get heroes with auras and attack the enemy with super-charged units. Just remember not to get it if you're massing Fiends. They don't get the Aura's bonuses due to their ranged attacks. Inferno is the ultimate summon. Use it in the heat of battle to stun entire armies and then let the Infernal wreck havoc. Try hit and runs too: Run your DL into an enemy base, drop and Infernal, and get out of there! -Skill Order (General): Sleep, Vamp Aura, S, VA, S, Inferno, Carrion Swarm, VA, CS, CS -Silver Skull's Rush Skill Order: Sleep, Carrion Swarm, CS, S, CS, Inferno, S, Vamp Aura, VA, VA -Silver Skull's Normal Skill Order: Sleep, Vamp Aura, VA, Carrion Swarm, VA, Inferno, Sleep, CS, S, CS The logic behind the above is that Sleep and Vamp Aura are great for creeping. The level 2 Sleep comes after Inferno, because by then you're opponent will probably have some Channeling spells, and Sleep is a great interrupter. $Lich ============ 6.4 L I C H ============ NAME: Lich ROLE: Caster Hero GOLD: 425 WOOD: 100 FOOD: 5 ARMOR TYPE: Hero ATTACK TYPE: Hero STRENGTH PER LEVEL: 2 AGILITY PER LEVEL: 1 INTELLIGENCE PER LEVEL: 3.4 RANGE: 60 (Air/Ground) COOLDOWN: 1.9 DAY SIGHT / NIGHT SIGHT: 180/80 SPEED: Average TRAINING TIME: 55 TRAINED AT: Altar of Darkness PRIMARY ATTRIBUTE: Intelligence ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | LV | HP | MP | ATTACK | STRENGTH | ARMOR | AGILITY | INTELLIGENCE | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 1 | 475 | 300 | 25 | 15 | 2 | 14 | 20 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 2 | 525 | 345 | 28 | 17 | 3 | 15 | 23 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 3 | 575 | 390 | 31 | 19 | 3 | 16 | 26 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 4 | 625 | 450 | 35 | 21 | 3 | 17 | 30 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 5 | 675 | 495 | 38 | 23 | 3 | 18 | 33 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 6 | 725 | 555 | 42 | 25 | 4 | 19 | 37 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 7 | 775 | 600 | 45 | 27 | 4 | 20 | 40 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 8 | 825 | 645 | 48 | 29 | 4 | 21 | 43 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 9 | 875 | 705 | 52 | 31 | 5 | 22 | 47 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 10 | 925 | 750 | 55 | 33 | 5 | 23 | 50 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------ABILITIES--------- -FROST NOVA COST: 125 mana COOLDOWN: 8 seconds RANGE: 80 AOE: 20 Hits the target for 100 damage and damages nearby enemies for 50/100/150 damage. It also slows enemies and lowers their attack rate for 4/6/8 seconds (Heroes are slowed for 2/3/4 seconds). -FROST ARMOR COST: 40 mana AUTO-CAST COOLDOWN: 2 seconds RANGE: 80 Gives the target 3/5/7 bonus armor, and slows enemies for 5 seconds whenever they attack (melee only) the armored unit. -DARK RITUAL COST: 25 mana/1 unit COOLDOWN: 15 seconds RANGE: 80 Kills the target allied unit and transforms 33%/66%/100% of its HP into mana for the Lich. -ULTIMATE: DEATH AND DECAY COST: 250 mana COOLDOWN: 150 seconds RANGE: 100 AOE: 30 Everything within the AOE loses 4% of its max HP per second for 35 seconds. Also damages buildings and trees. ----------COMMENTS---------- The Lich is a difficult Hero to use, due to its low HP and armor. The trick is to use heavy units (such as A-Bombs) as meat shields. I don't really get the Lich that often, but when I do I like having a Crypt Lord around to shield. The leveled-up Crypt Lord acts as a super-meat-shield for the Lich, absorbing tons of damage while the Lich wrecks havoc. Frost Nova is the Lich's power spell. It is extremely powerful, and it slows units. Use it often. The only problem is its high mana cost.... And that's where Dark Ritual fits in. It kills one of your units, but gives you some good mana in return. Ghouls are cheaper than Potions of Mana, and you don't need to wait for tier 2 to buy them, so if you decide to Lich+Ghoul rush, get Nova first, and Ritual as your second skill. Don't be afraid to kill of Ghouls. Nova is more powerful than a Ghoul anyway. -"Avatar of Dragonia" writes: Your suggestion that the Lich use Dark Ritual on Skeletons is not likely to pay off very well. The more health a unit has, the more mana the Lich gets. Even at full power, using Dark Ritual on a skeleton warrior is not going to get you more than 155 mana (factoring in the 25 mana cost of Dark Ritual), and only 185 mana if used on a skeletal mage. Not exactly a lot of mana since the Lich has rather expensive spells. Sure, skeletons are expendable, but Dark Ritual itself has a rather high cooldown of 15 seconds--even with skeletal longevity, you will not be able to get many sacrifices before the skeletons disintegrate, plus most of them will be below full health at that time, making it less efficient. You can get comparable results by sacrificing a cheap-and-quick-to-build ghoul at level 1 for 85 mana, or for 195 mana at level 2. Even better would be sacrificing crypt fiends. While they take noticeably longer to build, sacrificing one at level 1 gets you 158 mana, and 341 mana at level 2. This is noticeably more cost effective than buying and using a mana potion at your tomb of relics. Frost Armor is a useful spell, but the mana is probably worth better spent on Nova. Use it on Aboms, or a Crypt Lord for better tanking. Death and Decay works much like the Far Seer's Earthquake spell, in that it's very useful for wrecking enemy towns. Unfortunately, it's a channeling spell, which means that the Lich cannot do anything while casting it, and if the Lich is interrupted the spell will stop. Remember that Death and Decay hurts your own units, so focus on using it to destroy towers and stuff. Also, it's important to know that when you are aiming Death and Decay every building that is being affected (They will turn green) will take EQUAL damage! Don't think that buildings on the edge of the AOE take less. Therefore, make sure to hit as many buildings as possible. Just be careful because focus-fire can easily kill you. The Lich benefits from carrying Potions of Health and Mana, and a Boots of Speed. The best way to use the Lich is to run him in, cast Frost Armor on allied heroes, Frost Nova clusters of units and then run out. Also, check the In-Depth Strategies section for the Lich strategy Surprise Winter. -Skill Order (General): Frost Nova, Frost Armor, FN, Dark Ritual, FN, Death & Decay, FA, DR, FA, DR -Avatar of Dragonia's Order: Frost Nova, Frost Armor, Dark Ritual, DR, FN, FA, FN, DR, Death & Decay, FA. This skill order is eminently more practical if you plan on using the lich as your first or second hero, as it will ensure that the Lich should always have a good amount of mana Death and Decay _can_ kill anything that is continuously exposed to it for 25 seconds, but it is a channeling spell, hurts your own units too and has a rather small area of effect. Thus it is best used with targets that cannot run--ideally buildings--or in combination with strategies/spells that give no room for the enemy to run (perhaps a Keeper of the Grove who spams entangling roots?). Because of this, it is best to leave Death and Decay out of the Lich's repertoire unless or until you plan to assault an enemy base or you have a strategy that will allow your enemy no escape. Remember, 25 seconds is a long time to fight your way out of any trap, and while you could hasten the enemy's defeat by sending your own units in, they too would most likely take heavy damage from the spell, and from the enemy units. $CLord ======================== 6.5 C R Y P T L O R D ======================== NAME: Crypt Lord ROLE: Warrior Hero/Super Tank GOLD: 425 WOOD: 100 FOOD: 5 ARMOR TYPE: Hero ATTACK TYPE: Hero STRENGTH PER LEVEL: 3.2 AGILITY PER LEVEL: 1.2 INTELLIGENCE PER LEVEL: 1.6 RANGE: Melee COOLDOWN: 1.9 DAY SIGHT / NIGHT SIGHT: 180/80 SPEED: Average TRAINING TIME: 55 TRAINED AT: Altar of Darkness PRIMARY ATTRIBUTE: Strength ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | LV | HP | MP | ATTACK | STRENGTH | ARMOR | AGILITY | INTELLIGENCE | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 1 | 675 | 210 | 31 | 26 | 2 | 14 | 14 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 2 | 750 | 225 | 34 | 29 | 3 | 15 | 15 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 3 | 825 | 255 | 37 | 32 | 3 | 16 | 17 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 4 | 900 | 270 | 40 | 35 | 3 | 17 | 18 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 5 | 975 | 300 | 43 | 38 | 3 | 18 | 20 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 6 |1075 | 330 | 47 | 42 | 4 | 20 | 22 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 7 |1150 | 345 | 50 | 45 | 4 | 21 | 23 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 8 |1225 | 375 | 53 | 48 | 5 | 22 | 25 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 9 |1300 | 390 | 56 | 51 | 5 | 23 | 26 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 10 |1375 | 420 | 59 | 54 | 5 | 24 | 28 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------ABILITIES--------- -IMPALE COST: 100 mana COOLDOWN: 9 seconds RANGE: 70 AOE: 25 Slams a spike through the ground that impales enemies in a line. Enemies that get impaled are thrown up into the air, take 50/80/110 damage, and are stunned for 2/3/4 seconds. Heroes are stunned for 1/2/3 seconds. -SPIKED CARAPACE PASSIVE The Crypt Lord gets 3/5/7 bonus armor, and each time a melee unit attacks the Crypt Lord they take damage equal to 15%/25%/35% of their attack. -CARRION BEETLES COST: 30 mana AUTO-CAST COOLDOWN: 6 seconds RANGE: 90 The Crypt Lord creates a Carrion Beetle from a corpse. Carrion Beetles are permanent, and more info on them can be found in the units section. -ULTIMATE: LOCUST SWARM COST: 150 mana COOLDOWN: 180 seconds AOE: 80 The Crypt Lord releases a ton of angry Locusts that fly around dealing damage to enemies and healing the Crypt Lord with each successful strike. This releases 20 locusts, which do 0.75 damage per second for one locust. The maximum number of locust attacking one unit is 7 locusts. That means that with 7 locusts attacking one unit, they will do 5.25 damage/sec. 7 Locust can do up to 157.5 damage to 1 unit (5.25 damage/sec for 30 seconds). The locusts return to the Crypt Lord after 30 seconds and heal him. So if all 20 locusts are doing 0.75 damage/sec for the entire 30 seconds, they will do 450 damage total and heal the Crypt Lord for 450 HP. Whew. Too many numbers. (Thanks to Redmage for the basic numbers, and Falcon20386 for the calculations) ----------COMMENTS---------- The Crypt Lord is a great all around hero. Early on, Carrion Beetles are excellent for scouting, and when they level up you can just send a few to different expansion-locations and burrow them. Impale is great for damaging groups of enemies, and stunning retreating heroes. Early on, a lot of people like harassing by sending one hero to your base. You can impale the hero as it tries to get away and then surround it with your Ghouls! Free experience! Spiked Carapace is great, because it increases the Crypt Lord's armor and deals damage to enemies. Use the Crypt Lord as a tank for your spellcasters: He can absorb the damage from the front lines. In a 1 vs. 1 or 2 vs. 2 game you should get Carrion Beetles first for scouting and burrowing near important chokepoints. Plus, they make great meat shields if you're rushing and using Fiends. For 3 vs. 3 or 4 vs. 4 games Impale is probably a better choice since there will be so many enemies anyway. Locust Swarm is a great Ultimate that works a lot like the Carriers from Starcraft, but also gives you back health! For a nice Crypt Lord strat, read the "Big, Slow, and... Stealthy!?" strategy later on. Finally, you might want to stock the Crypt Lord with a bunch of Mana Potions because he very limited mana early levels. -Skill Order (1 vs. 1/2 vs. 2): Carrion Beetles, Spiked Carapace, CB, SC, Impale, Locust Swarm, CB, SC, I, I The logic behind the above is that Beetles are great meat shields. Impale comes at level 5 so you can interrupt enemy channeling spells. -Skill Order (3 vs. 3/4 vs. 4): Impale, Spiked Carapace, I, SC, I, Locust Swarm, SC, Carrion Beetles, CB, CB Beetles aren't very helpful in large team games. -Silver Skull's Skill Order: Impale, Carrion Beetles, I, Spiked Carapace, CB, Locust Swarm, CB, I, SC, SC Impale is for early creeping, and Carrion Beetles are for reinforcements. Pretty simple order. $Neutl ========================================================= 7. N E U T R A L H E R O E S & T H E U N D E A D ========================================================= One of the best new features in The Frozen Throne is the addition of Neutral Heroes. A few of the maps (I want more!) have a building called a Tavern where you can hire Neutral Heroes. Neutral Heroes work the same as normal heroes: They level up, gain new skills, and really put the smack down on enemies. Here are some things to know about Neutral heroes and Taverns. -Like items at Goblin Merchants, and mercenaries, Neutral heroes aren't available until a certain item. -However, they appear immediately (Instead of training) -You need an Altar to hire a Neutral hero. -You may hire a neutral hero with any unit. -Neutral heroes (And your race-specific heroes) may be revived at the Altar or the Tavern. -Reviving heroes at a Tavern is instant, but costs twice as much. Plus the hero will have half health and no mana. $PLord ==================== 7.1 P I T L O R D ==================== NAME: Pit Lord ROLE: Super Warrior Hero/Super Tank (NOTE: footprint deceased in patch 1.13) GOLD: 425 WOOD: 100 FOOD: 5 ARMOR TYPE: Hero ATTACK TYPE: Hero STRENGTH PER LEVEL: 3.2 AGILITY PER LEVEL: 1.3 INTELLIGENCE PER LEVEL: 1.5 RANGE: Melee COOLDOWN: 2.05 DAY SIGHT / NIGHT SIGHT: 180/80 SPEED: Fast TRAINING TIME: 55 TRAINED AT: Tavern PRIMARY ATTRIBUTE: Strength ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | LV | HP | MP | ATTACK | STRENGTH | ARMOR | AGILITY | INTELLIGENCE | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 1 | 700 | 210 | 31 | 24 | 2 | 14 | 14 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 2 | 775 | 225 | 34 | 27 | 3 | 15 | 15 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 3 | 850 | 255 | 37 | 30 | 3 | 16 | 17 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 4 | 925 | 270 | 40 | 33 | 3 | 17 | 18 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 5 |1000 | 300 | 43 | 36 | 4 | 18 | 20 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 6 |1100 | 315 | 47 | 40 | 4 | 20 | 22 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 7 |1175 | 345 | 50 | 43 | 4 | 21 | 23 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 8 |1250 | 360 | 53 | 46 | 5 | 23 | 25 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 9 |1325 | 390 | 56 | 49 | 5 | 24 | 26 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 10 |1400 | 405 | 59 | 54 | 6 | 25 | 28 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------ABILITIES--------- -RAIN OF FIRE COST: 85 mana COOLDOWN: 8 seconds RANGE: 80 AOE: 20 Rain of Fire casts down fire balls from the sky for 3 seconds that burn all units in their path (Even yours). Now has damage cap (Only hits 5 units per wave). -HOWL OF TERROR COST: 75 mana COOLDOWN: 12 seconds AOE: 50 Enemies' attacks are 30%/40%/50% weaker for 15 seconds. Kind of like a reversed Roar. -CLEAVING ATTACK PASSIVE With every attack the Pit Lord makes, 25%/45%/65% of the damage will be splash damage. Now has longer race in patch 1.13. -ULTIMATE: DOOM COST: 150 mana COOLDOWN: 120 seconds RANGE: 65 The target (non-hero) unit takes 40 damage per second until it dies. Once it dies, the unit is transformed into a Demon that fights for you. ----------COMMENTS---------- The Pit Lord is a natural choice for an Undead player, because the Pit Lord is Undead. This allows you to heal the Pit Lord with the Death Knight's Death Coil. The Pit Lord is a huge, uber-powerful tank. This is good, because he is extremely powerful, but it's bad because his gigantic size makes it difficult for him to get out of a jam. There are two basic ways to use the Pit Lord: as a spell caster and as a meat tank. You can have him hang back with your spell casters, using Howl of Terror to scare enemies and Raining Fire on their skulls. Rain of Fire is like an extra-powerful Blizzard. Just make sure to have your Banshees cast Anti-Magic-Shield on you tough units that get caught in the blasts. The other way to use a Pit Lord is to have him rush into the battle headfirst, Cleaving his way through the enemy. Make sure he has some Potions of Healing though. Doom is a lot like the Dreadlord's Inferno, but it kills a target no matter what. Try to target tough enemies like Taurens and Knights. Or, if you want to really piss off an opponent, rush a Pit Lord into an enemy base, Doom a Peasant/Peon/Acolyte/Wisp, get out of there, and watch the fun begin. GWAHAHA!! -Skill Order (Version A): Howl of Terror, Cleaving Attack, HoT, CA, HoT, Doom, CA, Rain of Fire, RoF, RoF -Skill Order (Version B): Rain of Fire, Cleaving Attack, RoF, CA, RoF, Doom, CA, Howl of Terror, HoT, HoT The logic behind the above 2 is that the Pit Lord lacks mana most of time so it's better to focus on 1 spell. Pick one and go with it. $DRngr ========================== 7.2 D A R K R A N G E R ========================== NAME: Dark Ranger ROLE: Cunning Hero/Super Banshee GOLD: 425 WOOD: 100 FOOD: 5 ARMOR TYPE: Hero ATTACK TYPE: Hero STRENGTH PER LEVEL: 1.9 AGILITY PER LEVEL: 1.5 INTELLIGENCE PER LEVEL: 2.6 RANGE: 60 (Air/Ground) COOLDOWN: 2.46 DAY SIGHT / NIGHT SIGHT: 180/80 SPEED: Fast TRAINING TIME: 55 TRAINED AT: Tavern PRIMARY ATTRIBUTE: Agility ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | LV | HP | MP | ATTACK | STRENGTH | ARMOR | AGILITY | INTELLIGENCE | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 1 | 550 | 225 | 26 | 18 | 4 | 21 | 15 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 2 | 575 | 255 | 27 | 19 | 4 | 22 | 17 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 3 | 625 | 300 | 29 | 21 | 5 | 24 | 20 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 4 | 675 | 330 | 30 | 23 | 5 | 25 | 22 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 5 | 725 | 375 | 32 | 25 | 6 | 27 | 25 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 6 | 775 | 420 | 33 | 27 | 6 | 28 | 28 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 7 | 825 | 450 | 35 | 29 | 6 | 30 | 30 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 8 | 875 | 495 | 36 | 31 | 7 | 31 | 33 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 9 | 925 | 525 | 38 | 33 | 7 | 33 | 35 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 10 | 975 | 570 | 39 | 35 | 8 | 34 | 38 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------ABILITIES--------- -SILENCE COST: 75 mana COOLDOWN: 15 seconds RANGE: 90 Stops all units in a target area from casting spells for 16/20/24 seconds. Heroes are stopped for 8/10/12 seconds. -BLACK ARROWS COST: 6 mana AUTO-CAST COOLDOWN: 0/0/0 seconds. The Dark Rangers attack gets a +2/10/20 bonus, and enemies that are killed by Black Arrows turn into Dark Minions (skellies) with 200/260/320 health. Level 1 Dark Minions now do less damage to compensate for the 0 cooldown. -LIFE DRAIN COST: 75 mana COOLDOWN: 8 seconds CHANNELING RANGE: 50 The Dark Ranger sucks 20/35/50 HP/second from the target over the course of 8 seconds. -ULTIMATE: CHARM COST: 150 mana COOLDOWN: 45 seconds RANGE: 70 Allows you to take control of a non-hero unit that is under Level 6. The creature can also be flying or spell immune, which possessible units may not. When you Charm and enemy, you automatically get all of it's upgrades. So Charming an enemy A-Bomb with Poison Gas researched, automatically gives you Poison Gas for your A-Bombs. ----------COMMENTS---------- Like the Pit Lord, the Dark Ranger is an easy pick because she is Undead and can be healed by Death Coil. Silence is very powerful, as it prevents enemies from casting spells. As soon as you run into an enemy army, silence their casters, hero, anything. It's especially important to stop enemies late game before they can cast level 6 ultimates, or any powerful spells.. Use it if your enemy has a bunch of casters grouped together. Black Arrows require micro, because the kill- shot needs to be a Black Arrow for the victim to turn into a Dark Minion. Useful if you are using Necros a lot, because it just adds more powerful skellies into the fray. Life Drain is a great move, because it damages an enemy while healing the Dark Ranger. Unfortunately, because it's channeling, enemies can cancel you. Try to Drain heroes. Charm is an awesome Ultimate. You can use Charm every 45 seconds to add a unit to your army, be they neutral, enemy, flying, or spell immune (Thanks to bloods3m) Remember that you can get free upgrades by Charming. See the strategy "Thanks for the Upgrades!" for more details and stuff. -Skill Order: Life Drain, Black Arrows, LD, Silence, BA, Charm, S, BA, LD, S The logic behind the above is to get Silence for your 5th skill, which is usually around the time the enemy is using casters. If you know that you're opponent is going with a caster hero, then by all means get Silence first and then follow the order. $BrewM =========================================== 7.3 P A N D A R E N B R E W M A S T E R =========================================== NAME: Pandaren Brewmaster ROLE: Strength Hero/Tank GOLD: 425 WOOD: 100 FOOD: 5 ARMOR TYPE: Hero ATTACK TYPE: Hero STRENGTH PER LEVEL: 3 AGILITY PER LEVEL: 1.5 INTELLIGENCE PER LEVEL: 1.5 RANGE: Melee COOLDOWN: 2.22 DAY SIGHT / NIGHT SIGHT: 180/80 SPEED: Average TRAINING TIME: 55 TRAINED AT: Tavern PRIMARY ATTRIBUTE: Strength ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | LV | HP | MP | ATTACK | STRENGTH | ARMOR | AGILITY | INTELLIGENCE | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 1 | 650 | 225 | 29 | 22 | 3 | 14 | 15 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 2 | 725 | 240 | 32 | 25 | 4 | 15 | 16 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 3 | 800 | 270 | 35 | 28 | 4 | 17 | 18 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 4 | 875 | 285 | 38 | 31 | 4 | 18 | 19 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 5 | 950 | 315 | 41 | 34 | 5 | 20 | 21 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 6 |1025 | 330 | 44 | 37 | 5 | 21 | 22 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 7 |1100 | 360 | 47 | 40 | 6 | 23 | 24 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 8 |1175 | 375 | 50 | 43 | 6 | 24 | 25 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 9 |1250 | 405 | 53 | 46 | 7 | 26 | 27 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 10 |1325 | 420 | 56 | 49 | 7 | 27 | 28 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------ABILITIES--------- -BREATH OF FIRE COST: 70 mana COOLDOWN: 10 seconds RANGE: 50/70/70 AOE: 15 Blows a cone of fire at enemies that deals 65/130/195 damage. Units that are in a Drunken Haze ignite and take 7/14/21 damage per second for 5 seconds! -DRUNKEN HAZE COST: 70 mana COOLDOWN: 12 seconds RANGE: 55 AOE: 20 Drenches an enemy is beer, slowing them by 50% and making them miss 45%/65%/80% of the time for 12 seconds (5 seconds for heroes). Drunken enemies also burn if they are hit by Breath of Fire. -DRUNKEN BRAWLER PASSIVE The Brewmaster dodges attacks 7%/14%/21% of the time, and 10% of the time his attack is 2/3/4 times as powerful as usual! -ULTIMATE: STORM, EARTH, AND FIRE COST: 150 mana COOLDOWN: 180 seconds The Brewmaster splits into 3 pandas, each representing a different element. After 60 seconds, if any of the elements survived, the Brewmaster is remade! -STORM: Has 1000 HP, and can cast Dispel Magic, Cyclone, Windwalk, and has Resistant Skin. -EARTH: Has 1500 HP, and can cast Pulverize, Taunt, and has Spell Immunity and Resistant Skin. -FIRE: Has 900 HP, and has Permanent Immolation and Resistant Skin. ----------COMMENTS---------- First of all, he has a good one-two punch: You can drench an enemy in beer, and then light them on fire! ALWAYS use Drunken Haze on an enemy before using Breath of Fire, but don't be afraid to use Drunken Haze a lot. Heroes get really messed up if you get them drunk, even if it is only for 5 seconds. I like getting Drunken Haze as my first spell, because it is handy for rushes and for creeping. Drunken Brawler is another awesome spell. It not only gives you evasion, but gives you a chance to do extreme damage. If you have Drunken Brawler and a drunken enemy swinging at you, there is VERY LITTLE chance of them hitting. Storm, Earth, and Fire is a very unique spell, because it gives you 3 units that you only have a few seconds to learn to use properly. Earth the tank of the group, with high HP, Spell Immunity, and Resistant Skin, he is a powerhouse. Taunt is great if your casters are taking a beating, because it requires your opponent to micro a lot. And it doesn't matter if Earth dies, because only one Panda needs to survive! If you really want to play it safe, get one of the elements out of the battle to safety, so no matter what the Pandaren Brewmaster will come back. Storm is the trio's spell caster. Dispel enemies, cast Cyclone on tough enemies, and use Wind Walk if you want to get your Panda out of the action for a little. There's not much to using Fire. He has Permanent Immolation, so you'll probably want to get him right in the action. Basically, leave all the Pandas in the fight, and if Storm starts taking a beating, Wind Walk him out of there. This also gives you a safety in case the other Pandas fall. The Brewmaster doesn't do much to benefit only the Undead, but he still is an awesome hero! Pandas bring Panda-Monium!!! -Skill Order: Drunken Haze, Drunken Brawler, DH, DB, DH, Storm Earth & Fire, Breath of Fire, DB, BoF, BoF $Beast ========================== 7.4 B E A S T M A S T E R ========================== NAME: Beastmaster ROLE: Strength Hero/Summoner GOLD: 425 WOOD: 100 FOOD: 5 ARMOR TYPE: Hero ATTACK TYPE: Hero STRENGTH PER LEVEL: 2.9 AGILITY PER LEVEL: 1.3 INTELLIGENCE PER LEVEL: 1.8 RANGE: Melee COOLDOWN: 2.2 DAY SIGHT / NIGHT SIGHT: 180/80 SPEED: Fast TRAINING TIME: 55 TRAINED AT: Tavern PRIMARY ATTRIBUTE: Strength ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | LV | HP | MP | ATTACK | STRENGTH | ARMOR | AGILITY | INTELLIGENCE | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 1 | 725 | 225 | 32 | 22 | 2 | 14 | 15 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 2 | 775 | 240 | 34 | 27 | 4 | 15 | 16 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 3 | 850 | 270 | 37 | 30 | 4 | 16 | 18 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 4 | 925 | 300 | 40 | 33 | 4 | 17 | 20 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 5 |1000 | 330 | 43 | 36 | 5 | 19 | 22 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 6 |1075 | 360 | 46 | 39 | 5 | 20 | 24 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 7 |1150 | 375 | 49 | 42 | 5 | 21 | 25 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 8 |1225 | 405 | 52 | 45 | 6 | 23 | 27 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 9 |1300 | 435 | 55 | 48 | 6 | 24 | 29 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 10 |1375 | 465 | 58 | 52 | 7 | 25 | 31 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------ABILITIES--------- -SUMMON BEAR COST: 125 mana COOLDOWN: 40 Summons a Bear with 600/900/1200 HP. At Level 2, the Bear gains Bash, and at Level 3 it gains Blink. The bear lasts 70 seconds, so you'll be able to have 2 bears at once (Summon again when the cooldown wears off) -SUMMON QUILBEAST COST: 75 mana COOLDOWN: 20 seconds Summons a Quilbeast with 425/515/600 HP. At Level 2, the Quilbeast gains Frenzy, and at Level 3 it gains splash damage. The Quilbeast lasts 20 seconds, so you can summon more when the cooldown is over. -SUMMON HAWK COST: 35 mana COOLDOWN: 70 seconds. Summons a Hawk with 300/450/650 HP and True Sight (can see invisible enemies). At Level 2, the Hawk can attack, and at Level 3 it is invisible. The Hawk lasts 70 seconds. -ULTIMATE: STAMPEDE COST: 150 mana COOLDOWN: 180 seconds CHANNELING RANGE: 30 AOE: 100 Summons a stampede of explosive Thunder Lizards that do 60 damage per victim and wreck buildings. The stampede lasts 30 seconds or as long as the Beastmaster is channeling. ----------COMMENTS---------- The Beastmaster is the master of summoning. With 3 powerful summons and a crazy Ultimate, he is pretty powerful. The Bear is a tank, the Quilbeast is a long- range killer, and the Hawk is a scout but later becomes a Harasser. Most people get the Bear first because he is a tank, but the Undead already have enough (Crypt Lord, A-bombs...). Bears are awesome meat-shileds that eventually do insane damage due to Bash. And Blink is just crazy. Hawks are insanely helpful. They only cost 35 mana. Later, the Hawk gets invisibility, which gives you a great harasser. Just fly the Hawk behind enemy lines and kill of their worker units. Ha! The Quilbeast starts off fairly weak, but quickly becomes very powerful thanks to Frenzy. Plus, the Quilbeast is great for killing casters. Get him as close as you can and kill them from long-range. The AOE hurts multiple casters at a time! Stampede is considered by many to be cheap, because it totally wrecks buildings. Unfortunately, a smart enemy knows that because this is a channeling spell, it can be cancelled. Therefore, you need to protect the Beastmaster while he rampages. Note that the Beastmaster is a quick pick for enemy NE players, because Moon Wells can give him a large mana pool for more summoning. Beware. -Skill Order: Bear, Hawk, B, H, B, Stampede, Quilbeast, H, QB, QB $SWtch ================================ 7.5 N A G A S E A W I T C H ================================ NAME: Naga Sea Witch ROLE: Mystical Hero GOLD: 425 WOOD: 100 FOOD: 5 ARMOR TYPE: Hero ATTACK TYPE: Hero STRENGTH PER LEVEL: 2 AGILITY PER LEVEL: 1 INTELLIGENCE PER LEVEL: 3 RANGE: 60 (Air/Ground) COOLDOWN: 1.9 DAY SIGHT / NIGHT SIGHT: 180/80 SPEED: Fast (Slowed a bit in patch 1.13) TRAINING TIME: 55 TRAINED AT: Tavern PRIMARY ATTRIBUTE: Intelligence ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | LV | HP | MP | ATTACK | STRENGTH | ARMOR | AGILITY | INTELLIGENCE | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 1 | 475 | 330 | 29 | 15 | 3 | 16 | 22 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 2 | 525 | 375 | 32 | 17 | 3 | 17 | 25 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 3 | 575 | 420 | 35 | 19 | 3 | 18 | 28 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 4 | 625 | 465 | 38 | 21 | 4 | 19 | 31 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 5 | 675 | 510 | 41 | 23 | 4 | 20 | 34 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 6 | 725 | 555 | 44 | 25 | 4 | 21 | 37 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 7 | 775 | 600 | 47 | 27 | 5 | 22 | 40 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 8 | 825 | 645 | 50 | 29 | 5 | 23 | 43 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 9 | 875 | 690 | 53 | 31 | 5 | 24 | 46 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 10 | 925 | 735 | 56 | 33 | 6 | 25 | 49 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------ABILITIES--------- -FORKED LIGHTING COST: 110 mana COOLDOWN: 11 seconds RANGE: 60 Blasts up to three units with lighting dealing 100/175/250 damage per unit. -FROST ARROWS COST: 7 mana AUTO-CAST Attacks slow the enemy's attack rate and movement speed by 30%/50%/70% for 5 seconds or 1.5 seconds for heroes. Also adds 5/10/15 damage to attacks (Thanks to Robbert) -MANA SHIELD COST: 25 mana to activate COOLDOWN: 10 seconds While activated, the Naga Sea Witch loses 1 point of mana for every 1/1.5/2 points of damage. Essentially, mana becomes health. -ULTIMATE: TORNADO COST: 250 mana COOLDOWN: 120 seconds CHANNELING RANGE: 70 Creates a user-controllable Tornado that hits nearby enemies with cyclone and deals 50 damage/second to buildings under it. The tornado lasts 40 seconds ----------COMMENTS---------- I don't know why, but the Sea Witch is my least favorite hero. Anyway, Forked Lighting is a good hero-killer, but is also useful for killing units that are grouped together. Frost Arrows are pretty nice, as you can slow an entire army with good micromanagement. However, I seem to prefer the Lich for Nova ability. Mana Shield is a great spell, but there's no point in protecting a fairly average hero, when you could just get a better one. If you do plan on using the Sea Witch, give her a bunch of Mana Pendants and Mana Potions. Tornado is a great spell for wrecking bases, but the enemy can easily interrupt you. If you want a cold hero, stick with the Lich. $GTink ============================== 7.6 G O B L I N T I N K E R ============================== *****NOTE*****: As the Goblin Tinker is currently in Beta stages of testing, his stats are highly generalized, and his spells are unbalanced. When he is actually put into the normal servers, expect lots of changes. NAME: Goblin Tinker ROLE: Support/Melee-Intelligence Hero/Becomes a seiger at level 6 GOLD: 425 WOOD: 100 FOOD: 5 ARMOR TYPE: Hero ATTACK TYPE: Hero STRENGTH PER LEVEL: 2 AGILITY PER LEVEL: 1 INTELLIGENCE PER LEVEL: 3 RANGE: Melee COOLDOWN: 2 DAY SIGHT / NIGHT SIGHT: 180/80 SPEED: Average (With his abilities factored in, he becomes Very Fast) TRAINING TIME: 55 TRAINED AT: Tavern PRIMARY ATTRIBUTE: Intelligence ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | LV | HP | MP | ATTACK | STRENGTH | ARMOR | AGILITY | INTELLIGENCE | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 1 | 600 | 300 | 25 | 20 | 5 | 15 | 20 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 2 | 650 | 330 | 27 | 22 | 5 | 16 | 22 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 3 | 700 | 375 | 30 | 24 | 5 | 17 | 25 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 4 | 775 | 405 | 32 | 27 | 5 | 18 | 27 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 5 | 825 | 450 | 35 | 29 | 6 | 19 | 30 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 6 | 900 | 495 | 38 | 32 | 6 | 20 | 33 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 7 | 950 | 525 | 40 | 34 | 6 | 21 | 35 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 8 |1000 | 570 | 43 | 36 | 7 | 22 | 38 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 9 |1075 | 600 | 45 | 39 | 7 | 23 | 40 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 10 |1125 | 645 | 48 | 41 | 7 | 24 | 43 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------ABILITIES--------- -POCKET FACTORY COST: 125 mana COOLDOWN: 40 seconds RANGE: 50 The Tinker tosses out a small factory which lasts for 45 seconds. Every few seconds, the factory produces a small Clockwerk Goblin, which has little health, deals small damage, and only lasts a few seconds. When it's timer runs out or it is killed, the Clockwerk Goblin explodes, dealing 30/60/80 damage, and small splash at level 3. If creeps are blown up by Goblins, they now go straight for the Factory. -CLUSTER ROCKETS COST: 75 mana COOLDOWN: 7 seconds RANGE: 80 The Tinker fires a barrage of rockets which stun the targets for 1 second and deal damage. Each rocket does 30/55/80 damage. Can be used on buildings. -ENGINEERING UPGRADE PASSIVE The Tinker upgrades himself, dealing +2/+4/+6 damage and moving 10%/20%/30% faster with each level. Each level of upgrade also makes the Tinker's other spells more powerful. With each level of Engineering Upgrade, the Pocket Factory produces Clockwerk Goblins faster, the Tinker fires more Cluster Rockets at once, and Robo-Goblin increases in armor, strength, and Demolish effectiveness. -ULTIMATE: ROBO-GOBLIN COST: 25 mana COOLDOWN: 1 seconds In this unusual Ultimate, the Goblin Tinker transforms into a Robo-Goblin or back to normal Tinker Form. Note that this works like the Druid of the Claw's Bear Form, in that it is activated or deactivated, not like the Demon Hunter's Metamorphosis which only works temporarily. While in Robo-Goblin form, the Tinker has bonus strength and armor, has the Demolish ability (Deals up to 3X damage to buildings), and is mechanical (Is immune to most spells and effects, and can be repaired by workers). ----------COMMENTS--------- As I've mentioned, the Tinker is still in Beta testing and thus will be changed a lot when he is fully released, and I have not had much time to practice with him and therefore don't really know him that well yet. The first thing to notice is that he's a melee, intelligence hero. That means that he fights in the front lines, but isn't very powerful. Make sure to constantly heal him and move him back if he's getting pounded. So far I have not been able to use Pocket Factory very well, but have seen some replays of it being put into good use. It no longer works for power-creeping (As it did early in the patch), as the creeps now go for the Factory instead of the Goblins. It is slightly bad at low levels, but once at level 3, with a few levels of Engineering Upgrade, you end up with a fast stream of powerful Clockwerks. It works very well in large team games, when there's so much chaos that no one will easily notice and destroy the Factory, and the splash can devastate large groups of enemies. Cluster Rockets are fairly useful. The stun is good fun interrupting channelers, but it's so small that it's negligible. Get some Engineering Upgrade with it for a large supply of rockets. The damage is really only good when you have a lot of rockets. Luckily, to make up for the small damage, the mana cost and cooldown are very small, so you can be firing constantly throughout a fight. Engineering Upgrade is an awesome spell. The speed boost is actually very powerful, and at later levels the Tinker runs blazingly fast. The upgrading of your other spells is also very nice. For your build-order, choose either Factory or Rockets, and just alternate with EU. Robo-Goblin is a very nice ultimate. The Tinker becomes a powerful siege machine, and with all the speed boosts you get you can do some very nice hit- and-runs. Just drive in, pound a building a bit, and get out when the enemy arrives. If your enemy likes nuking you, just Robo to stop them. Beware though that the Tinker becomes immune to many beneficial spells, so either move him out of the front lines, de-Robo, heal, and get back in, or keep some Acos handy to repair him. ___ _ ___ _____ _____ ___ _____ ___ ___ ___ _ _ _ _ | _ \/_\ | _ \_ _| |_ _\ \ / (_) |_ _|_ _| _ \/ __| ( ) \| ( ) | _/ _ \| / | | | | \ V / _ | | | || _/\__ \ |/| .` |/ |_|/_/ \_\_|_\ |_| |___| \_/ (_) |_| |___|_| |___/ |_|\_| _____ ___ ___ ___ _ _____ |_ _| _ \_ _/ __| |/ / __| | | | /| | (__| ' <\__ \ |_| |_|_\___\___|_|\_\___/ $Short ============================ 8. S H O R T S T R A T S ============================ These are just short strategies and basics. E-mail me!!! Basics are aimed towards newbies who have no idea how to play the Undead, while Advanced is aimed towards those that know the different units and such but don't really know specific strategies. $Basic ============================== 8.1 U N D E A D B A S I C S ============================== These are just the basics for using the Undead and are really just for newbies. E-mail me if you think there are any other important basics that I left out! -The Undead have two worker units. -Acolytes harvest gold, while Ghouls harvest lumber -Ghouls are also your tier 1 basic units. -You really only need 5 Acolytes for every goldmine you control. -A goldmine must be "haunted" before you harvest gold. -Try to have about 3 Ghouls harvesting lumber. -Ghouls harvest 20 lumber at a time. -Acolytes "summon" buildings instead of actually building them. -One Acolyte can summon every building, and then go back to the goldmine. -You don't need a Necropolis (Command Center) to harvest gold. -Once you control a goldmine, just send an Acolyte over to haunt it. -All Undead buildings besides the Necropolis (Command Center) and the Haunted Goldmine require Blight on the ground. -The Necropolis and the Haunted Gold Mine create Blight. -Every new building you build generates more blight. -You can create Blight by using an item called the Sacrificial Skull. -The Sacrificial Skull can be bought at the Undead buildings, Tomb of Relics. -All Undead units regain HP much faster when on Blight. -Looking for the Undead tower? -The Ziggurat (farm) upgrades into one of the two Undead towers -Spirit Tower is more powerful -Nerubian Tower is weaker, but cheaper and slows enemies -The Undead tier 1 units are: -Acolyte (worker) -Ghoul (worker/basic melee unit) -Crypt Fiend (anti-air/support unit) -The Undead tier 1 buildings are: -Necropolis (command center) -Haunted Goldmine (allows Acolytes to harvest gold) -Ziggurat (farm) -Nerubian Tower (tower/upgrades from Ziggurat) -Spirit Tower (tower/upgrades from Ziggurat) -Crypt (basic troop production) -Altar of Darkness (hero production) -Graveyard (upgrades) -Tomb of Relics (shop) -The Undead tier 2 units are: -Gargoyle (light air support/anti-air) -Meat Wagon (siege/caster support) -Obsidian Statue (support) -Necromancer (primary caster) -Banshee (secondary caster) -Shade (scout) -The Undead tier 2 buildings are: -Halls of the Dead (command center/upgrades from Necropolis) -Temple of the Damned (spellcaster production) -Slaughterhouse (advanced troop production) -Sacrificial Pit (specialized scout production) -The Undead tier 3 units are: -Abomination (heavy melee tank) -Frost Wyrm (heavy air tank) -Destroyer (flying anti-magic unit/upgrades from Obsidian Statue) -The Undead tier 3 buildings are: -Black Citadel (command center/upgrades from Halls of the Dead)(Thanks to Janus5000 for pointing out that I stupidly forgot this) -Boneyard (specialized heavy-assault unit production) $Advnc ================================== 8.2 U N D E A D A D V A N C E D ================================== These are more advanced Undead strategies. Contribute!! -The following are all courtesy of blood_s3m. Thanks a lot!! -Massing Ghouls -Most players know that undead early unit, the Ghoul, is quick to build, and cheap. With DK and DL, some players suggest the Double Aura (Vampiric Aura, and Unholy Aura) with mass Ghoul, especially with full upgrades, of course. Moreover if you're paired with Human (auto-cast inner fire), NE(roar), or Orcs (Kodo, Bloodlust), Ghouls become very powerful. -Keep in mind that there are some spells that can do area damage. A lv.3 Shockwave (Tauren Chieftain) + Chain Lightning (Far Seer) is more than enough to nail many of the Ghouls. If they are paired with Warden's Fan of Knives, Dreadlord's Carrion Swarms, or Mountain King's Thunder clap, they can kill many of Ghouls in an instant, regardless of any Aura they have, since they have only 340 HP. -Casters and Meat Shield Warnings -If you're thinking about massing casters and using Abominations as shields, watch out for siege units (Mortar Team, Meat Wagon etc). It can mess up your casters without piercing through your meat shield. (Siege attacks do extra damage to unarmored). Casters have low HP while Siege do AOE damage. -A massive amount of auto-casted spells can be broken by a single AOE type of dispel (Dispel, Disenchant, Devour magic, Wisp's Detonate). That means you've lost mana for nothing. Though Dryads have no area dispel, she can autocast. Devour-Magic will do even worse for you. -If you're thinking of massing skeletons, better worry about dispels again. a mass of destroyed skeletons will cost you only corpses and mana, right?! Think again! It gives plenty of Experience to enemy Heroes. So while your Hero works hard for Exp, they get plenty in 2 or 3 dispels. -Massing in General -Don't harass with burrow-unburrow Crypt Fiends. Dust of Appearance, Faerie Fire, Shades etc will ruin it. Besides, certain spells could still damage them if done correctly. Use Burrow only for ambushes or to regenerate HP. -Don't mass Gargoyles. Web or Ensnare will fail it. Besides, Gargoyle's ground attack is poor and has slow attack rate. Use some Gargoyles against air units if you're not using Crypt Fiend's web. -Don't mass Frost Wyrms also. Ever seen 4 Unstable Concoction crush 4 Frost Wyrms? Not a pretty site. -Miscellaneous -Take a Shade with your troops to avoid raids by Shadow-melding Elves, Stasis Traps, Burrowed Fiends, and other invisible units. -Give Anti Magic Shell to Heavy Armor Unit, so Magic Damage won't hurt them. In the late game, tier 3 creatures (Frost Wyrms, Chimeras, Gryphons...) can do massive damage to Heavy armored unit. Give it also to (allied) Heroes while performing Channeling Spells, so they won't be cancelled by other spells, e.g. Sleep, Stun. $Haras ======================== 8.3 H A R A S S M E N T ======================== This section is devoted to Harassment in Warcraft. Unfortunately, the Undead do not have any particular means of harassment early in a game, so this is mostly going to be about defending against harassment. I could use some contributions here! -Building your base -Try to build your base as tightly as possible, unless they're Human -DO NOT build your base tightly packed if the enemy is Human. An Arch Mage or Blood Mage will use their AOE spells, and the tighter your base, the more damage they'll do -Put a few Ziggurats in between the Gold Mine and your Necropolis (Acos don't need to deliver gold anyway). -You can build your Altar and Crypt right next to the Ziggs. As long as you rally your units to the front of the base, they will always pop out on the tight side and never get stuck. -The point of this, is that if an enemy harasses you, their primary targets will be your workers and their secondary targets will be Ziggs (Your source of food). -Due to this set-up, harassers will have a very hard time getting to your workers and food. -Cheap Trick -The main goal of harassing is to make you waste time and/or money. -If you see a harasser entering your base, use this cheap (free, actually) tactic: -Immediately select all of your Ziggs and have them all start upgrading into either type of tower. -The harasser may continue to kill a worker or two, but once they see the towers upgrading they'll run off, thinking that they have accomplished their task of forcing you to waste money on defense. -Lucky for you, as soon as the harasser leaves you can just cancel all of the upgrades! -Your opponent will (probably) not return to harass, because he will think that your base is now surrounded by expensive towers. Haha. ___ _ ___ _____ __ ___ ___ _ _ ___ ___ ___ _____ _ _ | _ \/_\ | _ \_ _| \ \ / (_) |_ _| \| |___| \| __| _ \_ _| || | | _/ _ \| / | | \ V / _ | || .` |___| |) | _|| _/ | | | __ | |_|/_/ \_\_|_\ |_| \_/ (_) |___|_|\_| |___/|___|_| |_| |_||_| ___ _____ ___ _ _____ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ / __|_ _| _ \ /_\_ _| __/ __|_ _| __/ __| \__ \ | | | / / _ \| | | _| (_ || || _|\__ \ |___/ |_| |_|_\/_/ \_\_| |___\___|___|___|___/ OK, here's how the new In-depth strategy layout works: UNITS: The units used in the strategy. Some of them are required for the strategy, while others are optional. The strategy itself will outline which units are needed. I kind of assume that you will always have a pair of Obsidian Statues, by the way. ITEMS: Any items your hero will/might need ALLIES: You might need specific allies with specific units/skills SKILLS: Any hero skills, or unit skills that are used. CIRCUMSTANCES: When to use this strategy. Just a suggestion by the way. $Goldn --------------------------- G O L D E N R U L E ! ! ! --------------------------- This is the golden rule to winning: Scout and counter!! Did you get that? SCOUT AND COUNTER!!! Good. The way to win to scout early, find out what units your enemy is producing, and counter them. If you're opponent is going air, make anti-air!! If your opponent is using lots of casters, use Destroyers!! If they're using ground units that have no air attack, use air!! Just remember to scout early and counter your opponent. $Combo =============== 9. C O M B O S =============== These are combinations of your troops that complement each other and work pretty well. If you have any good ideas that are not already listed, e-mail them to me. Got it? OK. $MWall ---------------------- 9.1 M E A T W A L L ---------------------- UNITS: Necromancers Abominations Crypt Lord Lich Death Knight ITEMS: Wand of Necromancy SKILLS: Auto-cast Raise Dead (Necromancers) CIRCUMSTANCES: When the enemy has only melee, and no dispels (Priests or Spell Breakers for Humans, Spirit Walkers for Orcs, Dryads for Night Elves, Destroyers for the Undead) This strategy is awesome if your enemy is focusing on melee, but still works on ranged. Get a bunch of upgraded Necros ready, along with A-Bombs and A Crypt Lord. When the enemy attacks, the A-Bombs will swarm the enemy making a huge meat shield. The huge wall will make it very difficult for the enemy to get through and kill your fragile Necros. The Crypt Lord acts as a tank, and can also impale any enemies that sneak through. Make sure the Necros have Raise-Dead on auto cast, and you'll also get a new line of skeletons as each line of the enemy's army is killed. This strategy also works well if you have a Lich as your hero. The Lich is powerful, but VERY fragile, and can hang back behind the lines as your A-Bombs block the enemy. Also, if you have a Death Knight he can easily Death Coil any dying units. $NotAD --------------------------------------------------- 9.2 N I G H T O F T H E A N G R Y D E A D --------------------------------------------------- UNITS: Necromancers Meat Wagons Death Knight Dark Ranger ITEMS: Wand of Necromancy ALLIES: Human (Paladin) Night Elf (Warden) SKILLS: Animate Dead (Death Knight) Resurrection (Paladin) Avatar of Vengeance (Warden) Auto-cast Raise Dead (Necromancers) Black Arrows (Dark Ranger) CIRCUMSTANCES: If your enemy has no dispels (Priests or Spell Breakers for Humans, Spirit Walkers for Orcs, Dryads for Night Elves, Destroyers for the Undead) This is the ultimate way to swarm your enemy with skeletons. Mass Necros, a few Obsidian Statues and bring a Death Knight and a Dark Ranger as your hero. As you fight, the Necros will keep raising the dead, while the Statues supply mana and health. You need to constantly micro so that the Necros and the Death Knight keep switching targets as soon as an enemy is about to die. Then have the Dark Ranger hit them with a Black Arrow and raise a Dark Minion. Once some of the enemy's higher end units die (Tauren, Knights, A-Bombs, and Bears), have your Death Knight Animate the Dead. If you really want to make it nearly impossible for the enemy to drop your guys, have a Human ally train a Paladin until they get Resurrection, and a Night Elf ally train a Warden until they get an Avatar of Vengeance. WHOOPS!! I forgot to add that you should definitely bring a corpse-exhuming Meat Wagons. Thanks to a bunch of people including LichKing and olipark for reminding me. $F&Obs ---------------------------------------- 9.3 F I E N D S A N D S T A T U E S ---------------------------------------- UNITS: Crypt Fiends Obsidian Statues SKILLS: Web One of the most currently popular strategies, this involves simply massing Crypt Fiends, using your heroes effectively, and throwing in a pair of Obsidian Statues. It works fairly well if used correctly, but you may have a tough time against Humans who's Footmen can Defend against the Fiends. Make sure to get Web for anti-air. $WyrmF -------------------------- 9.4 W Y R M F R E N Z Y -------------------------- THANKS TO DAN HARRIS FOR THIS ONE UNITS: Necromancers Frost Wyrms Death Knight SKILLS: Unholy Frenzy (Necromancers) Freezing Breath (Frost Wyrms) Death Coil (Death Knight) CIMCUMSTANCES: Works best if enemy has no anti-air The Necromancers' Unholy Frenzy can turn a pack of Frost Wyrms into a very fast, very efficient, base-destroying machine. Group 4-6 Wyrms with 5 Necromancers, and cast unholy frenzy on all of the Wyrms before entering an enemy base. The Wyrms will attack so quickly that buildings will fall at an alarming rate. Even enemy units, ground or air, will take so much damage from the cold attacks coming at an increased rate that even decent anti-air measures won't be able to stop it. Throw a Death Knight with Death coil into the mix, and there's not a lot that can stop them. I usually leave Raise Dead off of auto-cast for the Necromancers, until the actual battle begins, to conserve mana for Frenzy. Having a wall of skellies will help keep them alive to Frenzy the Wyrms again later. $Hndcp -------------------------------------- 9.5 U L T I M A T E H A N D I C A P -------------------------------------- THANKS TO BLOOD_S3M FOR THIS ONE UNITS: Pit Lord Dark Ranger Necromancers Banshees ITEMS: Staff of Silence (If you don't have a Dark Ranger) SKILLS: Howl of Terror (Pit Lord) Silence (Dark Ranger) Cripple (Necromancers) Curse (Banshees) CIRCUMSTANCES: If your enemy has no dispels (Priests or Spell Breakers for Humans, Spirit Walkers for Orcs, Dryads for Night Elves, Destroyers for the Undead), or magic immune units This strategy needs a Pit Lord, a Dark Ranger, many Necros, a few Banshees and Obsidian Statues. Pit Lord's Howl of terror reduces 30/40/50% of enemies' damage. Necro's Cripple reduces 50% damage of enemies' reduced damage. Dark Ranger needs to cast Silence on dispellers (Priests/Spirit Walkers/Shamans/Banshees). Banshees may auto-cast Curse and Statues provide mana. With Level 3 Howl of terror, Enemies' has 66% chance to hit you with about 25% damage and very slow movement and attack rate. Silence keeps it effective for (16/20/24) seconds. Oh, that's not all, if you're using Lich also, get Frost Armor, so the damage done to you will be reduced even more. Don't use it if they're massing Spell Immune unit, especially Spell Breakers. $Poss ------------------------------------------ 9.6 P O S S E S S A N D D E S T R O Y ------------------------------------------ THANKS TO DALTAMARE FOR THIS ONE UNITS: Ghouls Death Knight Dread Lord Lich Banshees SKILLS: Dual Auras (Unholy and Vamparic) Possession (Banshees) Frost Nova (Lich) CIRCUMSTANCES: Much better if enemy lacks air. Anywhere where you can flank your opponent. This one is actually highly effective. When Ghouls are on their own, dual aura is useful. Regardless of whom you are, with good micro, this is a winning combination over and over. However, taking 6 - 10 Banshees can pose a terrifying strategy and a damaging alternative. The Curse concentrated on the enemy's air assault (that may cause Ghoul armies issues) can twist a battle into the favor of the Ghouls dramatically. However, the strategy being Possess and Destroy, you're relying mostly on Possession here. People make the underestimation of believing Banshees must be defended. However with dual aura Ghouls ... well, try this. Standard undead start: mass Ghouls. Amass dual aura army and continue as normal. This should do you fairly well but occasionally you will go under. This is when Possess and Destroy can swerve the odds to your favor again. Taking another Ghoul army, create 6 - 10 Banshees with possession. Attack head on with your ghouls while training a 3rd hero to walk with your ghouls. The Lich is a good choice. Now take your Ghouls head on to battle and bring your banshees and Lich around to the side of there army to flank them. A quick nova blast against their Archers or ranged units can cripple. Let the Banshees do a few Curses and then Possess their stronger units: Preferably the ones across the front line just behind the first line of attack. This means the first line of attack will get sandwiched, while you have removed a chunk of his army into attacking your Banshees. The possessed units will "crunch" the first line, and then become your meat shield while your Lich runs in and out with Nova and Dark Ritual, sacrificing any units you might not need, while obviously hitting level 2 somewhere in the occurrence of the battle. This can switch favors hilariously fast. $IDist -------------------------------------------- 9.7 I N F E R N A L D I S T R A C T I O N -------------------------------------------- THANKS TO LICHKING UNITS: Dreadlord Banshees Meat Wagons ITEMS: Infernal Stone (If you don't have a Dreadlord) SKILLS: Inferno (Dreadlord) Possess (Banshees) CIRCUMSTANCES: Enemy has Possession-worthy troops/lacking air Use a Dreadlord, Banshees, and some Meat Wagons. Keep the Banshees away from the army as opponents will focus-fire on the banshees quickly. Summon an Infernal in the heat of a battle, stun the enemies, then micro all the Meat Wagons and focus-fire at the enemy hero, hoping that the enemy will focus-fire on the Infernal and ignore your troops for a while. Possess the units of the opponent as he will be distracted for a while... $NukeP ------------------------------------ 9.8 N U K E A N D P O S S E S S ------------------------------------ THANKS TO TEMLAVXENO UNITS: Death Knight Dreadlord Lich Banshees Gargoyles SKILSS: Death Coil (Death Knight) Sleep (Dreadlord) Frost Nova (Lich) CIRCUMSTANCES: Enemy has mainly biological units (No mechanical units) In this strategy you use your heroes as hero killers-Death knight heals your heroes-Dread Lord sleeps enemy heroes-Lich novas enemy heroes. The banshees use possess to control any enemy ground units while the gargoyles will wipe out the enemies air units. It is an interesting strategy that works fairly often and can devastate orcs and night elves. If the Gargoyles do not seem to work that well, try to focus on Crypt Fiends or possibly a combo of Gargoyles/Wyrms to slow the enemy air. $AllyA ================================== 10. A L L I E D A S S A U L T S ================================== All of the following strategies depend on you and your teammate(s) working together to achieve a really great victory. If you have any good ideas that are not already listed, e-mail them to me. Got it? OK. $Rvnge ------------------- 10.1 R E V E N G E ------------------- THANKS TO STEPHEN HSU FOR THIS ONE UNITS: Crypt Lord Lich ITEMS: Orb of Corruption Wand of Lightning Shield (If you don't have allied Shamans) ALLIES: Night Elf (Keeper of the Grove) Night Elf (Druid of the Talon) Orc (Shaman) SKILLS: Spiked Carapace (Crypt Lord) Frost Armor (Lich) Thorns Aura (Keeper of the Grove) Faerie Fire (Druids of the Talon) CIRCUMSTANCES: Enemy is massing melee units. Crypt Lord's Lvl. 3 Spiked Carapace + Lich's Lvl. 3 Frost Armor + Keeper of the Grove's (allied) Lvl. 3 Thorns Aura + Orb of Corruption + Faerie Fire = dead melee attackers everywhere. Fully powered, this combination is brutal. Cast all of these things on your Crypt Lord (BESIDES FAERIE FIRE) and let him tank. And we all know that the Undead work best when corpses lie around. Use a Wand of Lighting Shield, too, and you've got a party! $Oops! --------------------------------- 10.2 O O P S , I M I S S E D --------------------------------- THANKS TO STEPHEN HSU FOR THIS ONE (AGAIN) UNITS: Banshees Pandaeran Brewmaster ITEMS: Talisman of Evasion (If you don't have an allied Demon Hunter) ALLIES: Night Elf (Demon Hunter) SKILLS: Curse (Banshees) Evasion (Demon Hunter) Drunken Haze (Pandaeran Brewmaster) CIRCUMSTANCES: Enemy has no/few spell immune units, and no dispellers. While Banshees are given little respect nowadays, Curse is still one heck of an overpowered spell. Combined with an allied Demon Hunter's Lvl. 3 Evasion, high ground, and Drunken Haze (Brewmaster) - that Demon Hunter is NOT going to die any time soon. $LTFrn --------------------------------------------------- 10.3 L O S T T E M P L E W Y R M F R E N Z Y --------------------------------------------------- THANKS TO BLOOD_S3M FOR THIS ONE UNITS: Frost Wyrms Banshees Necromancer Death Knight Lich Forest Troll High Priest Gnoll Overseer ITEMS: Alleria's Flute of Accuracy (If you don't have a NE ally) Scroll of the Beast (If you don't have a NE ally) ALLIES: Night Elf (Priestess of the Moon) Night Elf (Druid of the Claw) SKILLS: Inner Fire (Forest Troll High Priest) Command Aura (Gnoll Overseer) Trueshot Aura (Priestess of the Moon) Roar (Druids of the Claw) Possess (Banshees) Unholy Frenzy (Necromancers) Unholy Aura (Death Knight) Frost Armor (Lich) CIRCUMSTANCES: Works best if enemy has no anti-air or dispellers, and doesn't expect what you're doing. Mix and match the different auras and moves to create super Wyrms. Okay, first, this strategy is very situation-specific. It works in the map Lost Temple or any other map with the following creeps: Forest Troll High Priest and Gnoll Overseer. Also, your ally has to be Night Elf. Pretty much just pick and choose from your options to make the best Wyrms you can. Now for the strategy: In certain maps with certain creeps (Lost Temple), and with a NE Ally, you can create Super Frost Wyrms. Get the full Upgrades of Creature's attack and Carapace. Possess/hire a Forest Troll High Priest for Inner Fire (+10% damage & +5 armor). Possess/hire a Gnoll Overseer for Command Aura (+10% damage). Get Priestess of the Moon Trueshot Aura (+10/20/30% damage) Get Druid of the Claw to cast Roar (+25% damage) (Scrolls of the Beast do the same effect) If any enemy using Kodo Beasts, possess it for (+10/20% damage), beware of being Devoured! Cast Unholy Frenzy to the Wyrm for very fast attack speed. Get Death Knight for Regeneration and Movement Rate. Get Lich for Frost Armor for (+3/5/7) additional armor. Well, you do not want any Heavy Armor units to be blown by this super Frost Wyrm. That's why I do not recommend to bring Ghouls (340 HP) for late battle. $RmDcy --------------------------------- 10.4 R U M B L I N G D E C A Y --------------------------------- THANKS TO THE SILVER SKULL UNITS: Lich Necromancers (If you don't have an Orc/Human ally) Ghouls ALLIES: Orc (Far Seer)(If you don't have a Human ally) Humans (Sorceresses)(If you don't have an Orc ally) SKILLS: Death and Decay (Lich) Cripple (Necromancers) Earthquake (Far Seer) Slow (Sorceresses) CIRCUMSTANCES: Enemy lack flying units. Enemy base has two entrances, or there are 2 ways to get to where you are attacking. Here's how it works: Have your bait units (The Ghouls) attack the edge of the base -FROM ONE SIDE-. Make sure that there's enough that the enemy will actually retaliate seriously. Now, have your real force attack from the back. Have your allies cast their slowing spell: Either Earthquake, or slow. If you don't have an ally, cast Cripple on as many enemy units as possible. Meanwhile, have your Lich cast Death and Decay on the enemy units! You're enemies will be sandwiched between 2 forces, while being slowed, and poisoned! $SpdPg --------------------------- 10.5 S P I D E R P I G S --------------------------- THANKS TO SLASHER_WEIYOU, and his friends Cal and Revan Sorry, this was the best name I can think of. Slasher, if you have a better anem, e-mail me again. UNITS: Dread lord Death knight 18 Crypt Fiends 5-6 Obsidian Statues Necromancers (Unholy frenzy)(optional) ITEMS: Orb of lightning All other items give to Chieftain ALLIES: Orc (Tauren Chieftain) 5 Taurens 5 Spirit Walkers Shamans (Bloodlust)(optional) SKILLS: Triple auras Spirit walkers with all spells CIRCUMSTANCES: Enemies masses ANY air/melee with zero casters. Best used in Ice crown map and other big maps. (Share unit control with bases side by side)(Tauren and crypt fiends fully upgraded) How to place them: Tauren Chieftain and his Tauren in front. 1st group of 12 Crypt Fiends behind, together with Dread Lord and Death Knight. Spirit Walkers and Obsidian Statues behind 1st group of crypt fiends. 2nd group of 6 crypt fiends Orc ally must build ONLY his hero at the beginning and upgrade all the way to tier 3 as fast as possible to get Taurens and spirit walkers. Let orc ally use 5 ghouls and undead heroes to creep. Return to base after each creep to let the heroes regain life and the ghouls to continue harvesting lumber. Orc can provide lumber aid to undead if there is insufficient lumber. Keep creeping to get Tauren Chieftain to lvl 5 ASAP. Since all units are highly exp and high on the tier, both must get another mine ASAP and another if possible. Defend undead base with Spirit towers and orc base with burrows and towers. Don't give a damn about the 2nd base. Let it die if enemy attacks and don't bother even defending it with any towers. Just order all units to escape somewhere safe. The point is that everyone is spread far out that everyone will be creeping instead of looking for each other. This tactic can be used to wipe out a base SUPERFAST. If his/her army comes to engage with no casters to curse/banish etc. your ally's Tauren, he/she is DEAD. Tauren are hard to die in the first place, together with the statues stacked healing and 40% life steal Vampiric aura, and he's practically invincible. If they die, what are the spirit walkers for? Just use Ancestral Spirit whenever any of them dies. The Crypt Fiends web all air units for the Tauren to chop on and help with their piercing attack. If any AOE hero comes along, give him the tauren stomp/dread lord sleep to stop him in the tracks long enough for the taurens to surround him and send him back to his altar. $HeroS ============================== 11. H E R O S T R A T E G Y ============================== These are good strats for wrecking havoc with your heroes. Some are tips for using specific heroes, while others are just cool tricks. If you have any good ideas that are not already listed, e-mail them to me. Got it? OK. Also, note that while the following are fun, they probably shouldn't be used in serious situations. If the enemy can deplete your hero's mana, or stun them before they teleport away, they're toast. $Nuke --------------------- 11.1 T R I - N U K E --------------------- UNITS: Death Knight Dreadlord Crypt Lord Lich SKILLS: Death Coil (Death Knight) Carrion Swarm (Dreadlord) Impale (Crypt Lord) Frost Nova (Lich) CIRCUMSTANCES: Hero/target unit is not spell-immune! I know that I mentioned this in the Heroes section, but I thought that I'd just post it here too. For killing an enemy hero, use any combination of the following moves: Impale, Death Coil, Carrion Swarm, and Frost Nova. Hit a hero with 3 of those at level 3, and that hero will be dead (or close). Plus, these spells have fairly quick cooldowns, so you can hit them again! $Wintr ----------------------------------- 11.2 S U R P R I S E W I N T E R ----------------------------------- THANKS TO THE SILVER SKULL FOR THIS ONE UNITS: Lich Shade ITEMS: Lesser/Greater Potion of Invulnerability Lesser/Greater Potion of Invisibility Mana Potion Any summoning item Scroll of Town Portal ALLIES: Human (Sorceress) SKILLS: Frost Nova (Lich) Frost Armor (Lich) Invisibility (Sorceress) CIRCUMSTANCES: Enemy is not Night Elves. For this annoying strategy, you'll need to get your Lich into the enemy base unnoticed. You can use a Potion of Invisibility, or if you have a Human ally, have them cast Invisibility on your Lich. Move your Lich to the enemy command-center (Castle/Fortress... etc) Near the enemy command-center there will probably be some empty space where the enemy cut his first bunch of trees... so move the Lich there (don't go too far though from the enemy main building and gold mine) Suddenly, fire Frost Nova in the middle of a bunch of workers!!! If there are any survivors attack them with your normal attack. Target the weakest workers if you have the Orb of Darkness to turn them into skellies. As soon as your spell is ready again, blast any survivors if mana allows you to. Also, summon and units you can with items. If no enemy forces have started to charge on the poor Lich, continue to either Frost Nova anything that moves nearby, if you have enough mana to spare (REMEMBER TO SAVE 250 MANA FOR THE GRAND FINALE) or drink a potion of mana. If the enemy has decided to get a move on the Lich, activate the Potion of Invulnerability. Quickly target the enemy command center or any clumped group of important buildings and fire DEATH ANY DECAY. Keep on for as long as the Lich can survive. If you go under 200, immediately double-click the Scroll of Town Portal to become invincible and teleport away. -TELEPORTATION NOTE- You can also bring a Shade into the enemy base and then use a Staff of Teleportation (Available at any Goblin Merchant) to warp in. $Stlth --------------------------------------------------------- 11.3 B I G , S L O W A N D . . . S T E A L T H Y ! ? --------------------------------------------------------- THANKS TO THE SILVER SKULL FOR THIS ONE UNITS: Crypt Lord Ghouls ITEMS: Cloak of Shadows Mana Potion ABILITIES: Carrion Beetles (Crypt Lord) Impale (Crypt Lord) CIRCUMSTANCES: Enemy is not Night Elf or Undead, and enemy has no detection. From the beginning, get a Crypt Lord and a few Ghouls. Creep about as usual until you find a Cloak of Shadows. Bring the Ghouls and the Crypt Lord to the enemy base AT NIGHT! Send in the Ghouls as a diversion for the enemy's defenders, while the Crypt Lord sneaks around the perimeter of the base to the gold mine/lumber area and Hide. Once the enemy has destroyed your Ghouls and left to Creep, simply fire Impale at the worker units, make Carrion Beetles out of the corpses and then hide again while the Beetles kill any remaining workers. Continue unhiding throughout the night and repeating this until your enemy has no more workers and thus, very little resources. Then, get your Crypt Lord out of there once the night has ended. If the enemy returns to stop you, try to fight your way out, and then just use a Scroll of Town Portal to teleport away once you go below 200 health, or earlier if the enemy hero has a stun move. -TELEPORTATION NOTE- You can also bring a Shade into the enemy base and then use a Staff of Teleportation (Available at any Goblin Merchant) to warp in. $BReal ------------------------------------- 11.4 B E T T E R T H A N R E A L ------------------------------------- THANKS TO THE SILVER SKULL *NOTE* Sorry, Skull, I lost your e-mail so I made up my own name and tried my best to recreate the strategy! Sorry! ITEMS: Wand of Illusion CIRCUMSTANCES: Enemy has no detectors This is basically useful for tricking your opponent into attacking your illusions (Due to the Wand of Illusions, of course!). Pretty much, after the illusion appears, have your Necros cast Unholy Frenzy on it, and give it some other buffs. Hopefully, this will make your opponent believe you're pumping up the real hero, and focus-fire on the fake! This can save your hero's life (Or at least postpone it...), although it requires some good micro to treat all of your heroes (Real and fake!) like the real thing. Although, be sure not to use a move like Impale which makes it pretty obvious which hero is real. THANKS TO MIKSTER FOR THE FOLLOWING VARIATION ON THIS STRATEGY Just a little change on the above strategy. As soon as you create the copies, take one copy and move them away from battle. If the enemy is experienced, they'll assume that that's the real hero being moved away and will direct attention to the escaping illusion, hopefully leaving the real hero alone for a bit. $Drcla --------------------------------------- 11.5 R E T U R N O F D R A C U L A --------------------------------------- THANKS TO JANUS5000 UNITS: Dreadlord ITEMS: Potion of Invisibility Inferno Stone (If you don't have Infernal) Scroll of Town Portal ABILITIES: Carrion Swarm (Dreadlord) Inferno (Dreadlord) CIRCUMSTANCES: Enemy has no detectors, and they're not in their base (Use a Shade to scout) I have decided since the Lich has Surprise Winter and the Crypt Lord has Big, Slow, and Stealthy?? the Dreadlord needs a harassing technique. Use a Potion of Invisibility (beware of detectors) to sneak into the enemy base near the workers. Suddenly Carrion Swarm the ones harvesting gold (or lumber in NE). Now send and Infernal down on the lumber harvesters and watch them die. Finish off the ones harvesting gold with your bare hands. Then have your Dreadlord help the Infernal kill the wood cutters. Now focus your units on the town hall structure. If the army comes, ignore them and keep hacking apart the town hall. To buy some time, put the strongest enemy hero to sleep. Now continue wrecking the town hall until your Dreadlord goes under 200 hp. Then it would be wise (read: do this) to use a scroll of TP far away. $Other ==================================== 12. O T H E R S T R A T E G I E S ==================================== These are strategies that just don't fit into any of the above categories. Some of them are weird and mostly for fun, while others are highly-effective but are difficult to do. Some of them just didn't have any where else to go. If you have any good ideas that are not already listed, e-mail them to me. Got it? OK. $Exp&C ----------------------------------------- 12.1 E X P A N D A N D C O N Q U E R ----------------------------------------- THANKS TO SANGUINSANCTIS FOR THIS ONE UNITS: Crypt Lord Death Knight Ghouls Crypt Fiends Gargoyles Necromancers Destroyer ABILITIES: Carrion Beetles (Crypt Lord) Death Coil (Death Knight CIRCUMSTANCES: Enemy doesn't rush. Because Ghouls make good melee units, it allows you to stay at tier 1 long enough to build an expansion. Build the expansion, train the Acolytes, and then get to upgrading. Make sure you have enough Ghouls to defend the expansion (11 Ghouls, plus a Crypt Lord and Carrion Beetles is enough). Use a Sacrificial Skull to help build defenses at the expansion and creep near it so you can go back there if the need be. While you're upgrading to the Halls of the Dead get 2 or 3 Crypt Fiends so that when you hit tier 2 you can research web for some anti-air. As soon as you reach tier 2, train a Death Knight with Death Coil, and get Death Pact as he reaches level 2. Then, build a Temple of the Damned and a Slaughterhouse. When you have enough cash, build another Temple of the Damned and a Sacrificial Pit (With the expansion, you'll make money quickly). Get Necros, a pair of Statues, 2 Shades, and some Gargs. Upgrade to Black Citadel as well. From then on it's just a matter of teching and upgrading one of the Statues into a Destroyer. Because of the Shades you should know what your opponent is doing, so you should balance out your units accordingly. The whole idea is based around getting an early expansion and defending until your force is ready. It works well unless your opponent rushes during tier 1. $SWHam --------------------------------------------- 12.2 S T O N E W A L L H A M M E R I N G --------------------------------------------- THANKS TO DALTAMARE FOR THIS ONE UNITS: Gargoyles Necromancers ABILITIES: Stone Form (Gargoyles) CIRCUMSTANCES: Enemy has big units (Size-wise), or lots of anti-air and you accidentally built Gargs. This one is a good multiplayer strategy. In multiplayer, when you are undead, you may be asked to tower air defense. Gargoyles make great bait and excellent micro-strikers but crappy ground based assault. Their worth in a mostly ground based battle is limited, and especially against Bat Riders. However when your Night Elf ally goes mass archers, you will find that a large melee-based army can pose an extreme problem. This strat uses this ordeal to abuse the gargoyles stone form ability. With a little micro you can drop the gargoyles in a wall from tree to tree (Keep an eye on the shadow of the gargoyle to watch where he will land). Throw a few Necros behind them to Frenzy any bigger allied units and a with few meat wagons you have an almost impenetrable wall that melee enemies will be throwing themselves against. This is especially useful against the likes of "AOW RUSH" where if you separate the Gargs slightly your units will pass without problem and the AOW will not be able to get by. $Stmpd ----------------------------------------- 12.3 S T A M P E D E O F W H A T ! ? ----------------------------------------- THANKS TO DALTAMARE FOR THIS FUNNY (AND GRATIFYING IF YOU WIN) STRATEGY UNITS: Dark Ranger Beastmaster Crypt Lord Banshees Necromancers Any creeps you can find ITEMS: Any summoning items (Red Drake Egg, Demonic Figure... etc) SKILLS: Possession (Banshee) Charm (Dark Ranger) CIRCUMSTANCES: You feel like trying a weird strategy/Funnier if enemy is low level and doesn't know about Possession and stuff This again is REALLY an irritating multiplayer strat. You need to learn to use your Banshees as a support unit. Preferably you will be wanting to get a strong first hero, murdering any small creeps you can get your hands on, while also power-teching to Banshees and Possession ASAP. Pull out all the stops and kill as many smaller creeps as you can manage, including in enemy territory. Try starting there and moving back towards your base. A few ghouls and the DK is a great way to do this from their speed. After amassing Banshees, you want to move across the map Possessing every single high-level creep you have left behind (Remember, level 5 is the limit). The beast master is a good addition to this team, as is the Crypt Lord with beetles. You should also buy mercenaries with the extensive gold you will have managed to gain during the run. Grab a few Necros, too, just for skeletons and perhaps frenzy. And when you have an army of creeps, rush your opponent's base, cast Stampede, and listen to their reactions. You'll receive some of the usual comments ("WTF?!") but also a few crazy ones ("OMG! YOU ARE HAX!!"). This strategy seems like it's just for fun, but it can be really useful. Also, use and items your heroes may have collected to summon more creeps (Furbolgs, Fel Stalkers, and a few more can be summoned). NOTE: The Dark Ranger is a good hero for this strategy, if you can get her to level 6 and start Charming away. $Creep ----------------------------------- 12.4 C R E E P ' S R E V E N G E ----------------------------------- THANKS TO THE SILVER SKULL UNITS: Necromancers Goblin Zeppelin Shade SKILLS: Raise Dead (Necromancers) Unholy Frenzy (Necromancers) CIRCUMSTANCES: You know where your enemy is creeping For this strat you need a Zeppelin full of Necros and a Shade following your enemy's hero. Keep the Zeppelin just out of your opponent's sight and follow him while he's creeping. Once the enemy's attack a Creep Camp, drop some Necros and cast Raise Dead to raise the fallen Creeps! Also, you can Cripple your enemy's hero for more fun! Your opponent will go nuts trying to figure out how the Creeps are reanimating. If you really want to annoy your opponent, drop your Necros ahead of his heroes and cast Unholy Frenzy on the Creeps! Take that! $Dndud --------------------------- 12.5 M Y S T R A T E G Y --------------------------- This is my strategy, build order and all. Yeah. UNITS: Crypt Lord Crypt Fiends Death Knight Statues Gargoyles Frost Wyrms SKILLS: Carrion Beetles (Crypt Lord) Spiked Carapace (Crypt Lord) Death Coil (Death Knight) Unholy Aura (Death Knight) Death Pact (Death Knight) CIRCUMSTANCES: This strategy is used from the start of the game, so adjust according to what your opponent is getting. So this is my strategy. Start out by sending your Acolytes to go harvest gold, the Ghoul to harvest wood, and queue an Acolyte from your Necropolis to the mine. Now take an Acolyte out and summon an Altar, a Graveyard, and then a Ziggurat as resources allow. Once you have enough gold, queue up another Acolyte. As you accumulate gold, summon a Crypt, and then summon another Crypt when you have the cash. As soon as the Altar finishes, you might need to wait a second before the Ziggurat is done. Then train a Crypt Lord. As the Crypts finish, train 2 Ghouls, and queue them both to wood. Then train a Crypt Fiend, and summon another Ziggurat. Once the Crypt Lord is done, get Carrion Beetles as a first skill, and begin summoning Beetles from your Graveyard. Once you have 5 Beetles, your Crypt Fiend should be done, and you should go out and creep a weak camp. Train more Fiends when your Ziggurat is done, and queue them to the Crypt Lord. Continue creeping weak camps, get Spiked Carapace when you have the exp., summoning more Ziggs, and training more Fiends, until you have about 5-6 Fiends creeping with your Crypt Lord. Then begin upgrading your Necropolis, and summon a Tomb of Relics. As your Crypt Lord gains experience, get Spiked Carapace upgrades and better Beetles. Once you hit tier 2, send some of the Beetles out to search for your enemy. When one of them finds them, have the Beetle burrow there, and burrow another one of your Beetles at an important chokepoint. Summon a Slaughterhouse, train a Death Knight, and begin training some Gargoyles. Once the Slaughterhouse is done, train an Obsidian Statue (or 2), and continue creeping with your CL, DK, Fiends, and Gargs. Attack any time now if you have the opportunity, but if not, upgrade to tier 3 and summon a Sacrificial Pit. At tier 3, summon a Boneyard and begin getting Frost Wyrms when you have the cash. If your enemy has lots of anti-air units, get Abominations instead. If you have spare cash, train a Lich for your third hero. Eventually, you should have a buff enough attack force to destroy your opponent. Good luck. $Expo --------------------------------- 12.6 F A S T E X P A N S I O N --------------------------------- UNITS: Crypt Lord Carrion Beetles Crypt Fiends Skeletons ITEMS: Wand of Necromancy Sacrificial Skull SKILLS: Carrion Beetles (Crypt Lord) CIRCUMSTANCES: It's a fast expand. Use it to get a nice stream of gold early on. This is a fast expansion strategy, which means you'll expand very early on. Start the game by summoning an Altar and a Ziggurat, while training an Acolyte rallied to the mine. Summon a Graveyard when gold permits, followed by another Aco rallied to the mine. Summon a Crypt followed by a Tomb of Relics when you have the cash. When the Altar's ready, train a Crypt Lord, and once the Crypt is ready train a pair of Ghouls for wood. Summon a second Crypt when you have the gold. When the Crypt Lord comes out, summon 5 Carrion Beetles from the Graveyard, train a Crypt Fiend rallied to your CL, and buy a Sacrificial Skull and Rod of Necromancy from the Tomb of Relics. When you have a Crypt Lord, 5 Beetles, a Fiend, and the items, use the Wand of Necromancy to summon a pair of Skellies from the Graveyard, and head off for the nearest Gold Mine. Once there, plop the Sacrificial Skull down, and let your Skellies and Beetles absorb most of the damage. While this is going on, rally more Fiends from your Crypts, summon another Ziggurat... the usual. Also send an Acolyte out to Haunt the mine and go back to base. Continue with your usual strategy, and as the Haunted Gold Mine comes to completion rally 5 more Acolytes from your Necropolis over there. You should have an expo is no time, and your CL will have good experience from quickly taking down an expo camp. $Crpse ------------------------------------------- 12.7 T A S T E S L I K E C H I C K E N ------------------------------------------- Just a little tip regarding corpses. Never forget that the almighty critter (Sheep, lobster, stag, or anything else!) leaves a nice juicy corpse upon death. If a Ghoul is low on health, kill a sheep and cannibalize it. Preparing for battle and want extra Beetles or pair of Skeletons? Kill a stag and summon. Want to pick up a boar corpse so you can use Animate Dead on it later? Go ahead. If you're doing some early creeping or fast expanding and ever want a quick pair of Skellies from your Wand of Necromancy, don't forget this! Mmmmm... $Decoy ------------------------------------------- 12.8 T H E G R E A T C O R N H O L I O ------------------------------------------- THANKS TO AVATAR OF DRAGONIA The name of this strategy comes from a constantly-heard line on the old MTV show "Beavis and Butthead": "I need TP for my bunghole!" In a Warcraft III setting, this strategy is really just another way to stop or delay enemy reinforcements when attacking bases or expansions by making sure they don't have a Scroll of Town Portal (hence TP). For example, if you plan on attacking an expansion of the enemy's and don't want to fight his hero's army head on, launch a decoy attack (preferably with cheap units, but at least enough to make him/her think it's serious) on his main base. Their hero will TP in, joining the battle, while you take advantage of the situation by destroying your real target--the (often poorly defended) expansion. Try to destroy their store with the decoy attack so he doesn't have TP for the next little while. This strategy can also be used in team games to keep your enemy's allies from interfering. Launch a decoy attack on one enemy player's base, make sure you provoke the whole (or at least most of the) enemy team to TP in, and then use your real force to destroy one of their (now undefended) bases. Judicious use of this strategy will make the enemy wish they had "TP for their bunghole"--the bunghole in their base's defenses that is spewing forth your attack force. Haha! To avoid falling prey to this strategy yourself, defend your expansions well with towers and/or a necropolis to allow you to TP there, have more than one hero, each with their own army so that you can fight a war on multiple fronts if necessary, and summon more than one tomb of relics. While this may seem like overkill, having more than one store will allow you to buy items faster, making sure you "always have TP for your bunghole"--so as to clean up any mess the enemy throws your way. $Mssge ----------------------------------------- 12.9 K I L L T H E M E S S E N G E R ----------------------------------------- THANKS TO AVATAR OF DRAGONIA This strategy is really just a way to get items to your hero without having to go back to your base--while your creeping, attacking, or defending an expansion, for instance. Anytime your Necropolis is idle and you have a tomb of relics, research backpack. It's cheap, and it allows fast ground units (like ghouls) to carry a pair of items to your heroes, which could save precious time spent heading back to your store and/or save the hero's life by providing much needed healing potions/scrolls. Though I have not confirmed it myself, I believe it also allows ground units that can carry items to use goblin merchants/marketplaces too! And as if that weren't enough, you could always sacrifice the fresh unit for your Death Knight/Lich once it's finished its deliveries! $Flies -------------------------------------------- 12.10 L I K E F L I E S I N A W E B -------------------------------------------- THANKS TO AVATAR OF DRAGONIA If your opponent is twitchy and likes to chase you if you attack his base, exploit this weakness with this strategy. First, mass a good force, including several crypt fiends/carrion beetles with burrow. Now line them up from tree to tree near an enemy's base as to form a wall, then burrow them. Next, begin attacking with a good but ultimately expendable force (preferably with a hero to help). When the enemy's army comes to chase you, lead them out past the line of burrowed crypt fiends/carrion beetles, making sure your enemy cannot see your real force, and when a sufficient number of your enemy's units cross the line (preferably along with their hero), spring the trap by unburrowing your crypt fiends/carrion beetles and attacking with your main force. The enemy will be caught and unable to maintain formation, attacked as they are from the front and the rear. Then proceed to devour them- -like a spider does with flies in its web. ___ _ ___ _____ __ _____ _ _ _ _ _ ___ ___ _ ___ | _ \/_\ | _ \_ _| \ \ / /_ _(_) | | | | \| | \| __| /_\ | \ | _/ _ \| / | | \ V / | | _ | |_| | .` | |) | _| / _ \| |) | |_|/_/ \_\_|_\ |_| \_/ |___(_) \___/|_|\_|___/|___/_/ \_\___/ __ _____ _____ _ _ ___ __ _____ ___ _ ___ \ \ / / __| |_ _| || | __| \ \ / / _ \| _ \ | | \ \ V /\__ \_ | | | __ | _| \ \/\/ / (_) | / |__| |) | \_/ |___(_) |_| |_||_|___| \_/\_/ \___/|_|_\____|___/ #V.HUM ============================== 13. V E R S U S H U M A N S ============================== These are strategies that are particularly effective against Humans. Unfortunately, there aren't any right now! If you have any ways to destroy Humans or counter Human strategies, send them to me! -The best way to fight Humans is with lots of dual-aura Ghouls. Start with a Dreadlord, and get Sleep first for creeping. Fiends don't work against Defend, so don't get them if you can. Try to keep your Ghouls moving around, since AOE spells can toast them. -Always wipe out enemy Priests first, or else they will just heal their troops. -One of the best ways to deal with Priests is with a pair of Meat Wagons. Because Priests are unarmored, they take extra damage from the flying corpses. -If your opponent is using lots of spellcasters, get Destroyers. They can Devour Inner-Fire, and eat Slow for breakfast. -Necros are risky against Humans, because they have Spell Breakers. -Watch out for the infamous Human fast-expand. -Rushing is a pain, because Footmen can easily overpower Ghouls and can Defend against Crypt Fiends. Try to just use quick hit and runs to cripple the opponent (killing Peasants and destroying Farms), since Humans usually have big advantages over the Undead. -While Ghouls and Spirit Towers usually provide adequate defense in your base, Dragonhawk Riders can easily cloud your towers and wreck havoc from the safety of the air. -Watch out when using Shades to view the enemy base. Towers with Magic Sentry can spot you. -Siege Engines are a huge pain in the behind. Just try to swarm them with Ghouls while Crypt Fiends attack from behind. They're tough to deal with no matter what, though. -Kill any Critters that enter your base, especially the ones that are doing stuff unusual. They may be Human spies. -Beware of using Frosties, because Dragon Hawks can just Shackle you. Pump out Gargs to deal with the Dragon Hawks and Gryphons. -AMS is good for defending against Polymorph #Pally ------------------------------------- 13.1 S E E I N G T H E L I G H T ------------------------------------- VERSUS PALADIN -Thanks to LichKing for noticing that I misspelled Paladin. Whoops. -The Pally is just the Human Death Knight. -Try to defeat the Pally before you destroy the other heroes, because he can just use Holy Light to heal. -Remember that Holy Light can do heavy damage to your units, too. -Use Anti-Magic-Shell on your heroes to defend them from Holy Light. -If you have a Death Knight, use Animate Death before your opponent uses Resurrection. Resurrection only brings back Human units, so you can Animate some Humans and steal the dead! -Divine Shield is a pain. If the Pally uses it, just try to get away from him until it wears off. Thanks to Blood s3m for noticing that you can't Anti-Magic- Shell a Pally to stop him from using Divine Shield. -Thanks to Janus5000: Your army should be master Banshees and a Dark Ranger. Unless your enemy massed air, you will now mess them up. When your armies meet, use your excellent micro (if you have it :P) to possess and charm the entire enemy army. If you kill any enemy troops, make sure you used a Black Arrow. Now surround the Pally and Silence him. Use any surviving Banshee to curse him. Now he is messed. Even when Silence wears off, Holy Light and Resurrection are useless. Divine Shield will still mess you up, but keep him surrounded and it will wear off. Devotion Aura won't save him. Life Drain will quicken his demise. #MKing --------------------------------------------- 13.2 S H O R T E N I N G T H E D W A R F --------------------------------------------- VERSUS MOUNTAIN KING -Do not mass Ghouls if you know the enemy is using an MK. -Thunder Clap can easily fry Ghouls or Skellies that are surrounding the MK. -You can use Anti-Magic-Shell to protect your Heroes from Storm Hammer. -The MK isn't that fast so you can hit it from afar, then run away a bit and repeat. -Use Tri-Nuke to pick off the MK fast. -Thanks to Janus5000: Make your hero a Lich and get a good sized army that should include Necros and a corpse exhuming Meat Wagon. When your forces meet in battle, make sure to have at least four Necros survive. When you see the MK, Frost Nova or cripple him. Now pray he doesn't use Avatar. Use your necros to raise any corpses (Make sure you have skeketal mastery) and have the warriors surround him. Constantly have your necros and Lich retreat, casting Frost Armor on your skellie warriors. Dump exhumed corpses to raise, rinse and repeat until you have a dead dwarf. Ha. -If the MK is level 6 or above, it's very important to use Tri-Nuke and focus fire to kill the MK before he uses Avatar. #AMage ------------------------------------------- 13.3 M A G I C A L L Y D E L I C I O U S ------------------------------------------- VERSUS ARCH MAGE -The Arch Mage doesn't have too much HP, so you can easily use a Tri-Nuke, focus fire, or even just surround the Arch Mage to kill him. -Later on in the game, you'll want to get a Destroyer or 2 to deal with him. -Destroyers can use Devour Magic to just eat Water Elementals alive. Mmmm... Good, fresh, spring water... -Use either Sleep (Dreadlord), or Impale (Crypt Lord) to just interrupt a Blizzard. -If you have a bunch of Banshees, cast Anti-Magic-Shell on a bunch of your units. Then if the Arch Mage casts Blizzard, he'll only be damaging his own units. Very fun to do. -Remember to kill Critters in your base. Easily one of the most annoying things is when an Arch Mage Mass Teleports his army to a Mecha-Critter in your base. Ugh. -Keep a Shade around. Mass Teleporting to an invisible unit kills you. #BMage ----------------------------- 13.4 B L O O D Y E L V E S ----------------------------- VERSUS BLOOD MAGE -Like with the Arch Mage, you can cast Anti-Magic-Shell on a bunch of units. Then, when the Blood Mage casts Flame Strike he'll only hurt his own units. -With good micro you should be able to get a few, if not more, of your units out of the way of a Flame Strike. -It is pretty difficult to interrupt the Flame Strike before it occurs, so don't bother unless you're really prepared. -Thanks to Janus5000 for reminding me that if the BM casts Banish on itself to protect itself, a good tri-nuke will do an insane amount of damage and kill him if the nukes are high enough -If the BM is Banishing lots of his units, use Carrion Swarm or Impale to deal damage to groups of them -Siphon Mana can be a pain, but you can cancel it by running the Siphoned unit out of the BM's range or just interrupting the BM. -The Phoenix is annoying, but lucky for you it helps you by burning itself to death. Just have some ranged units focus fire on it take it down. -Gargs can tear through a Phoenix -I used to have here that you can nuke the Phoenix Egg to destroy it, but Blood s3m told me that the egg is spell immune. Whoops. #V.ORC ========================== 14. V E R S U S O R C S ========================== These are strategies that are particularly effective against Orcs. If you have any ways to destroy Orcs or counter Orcs strategies, send them to me! ~~~BASIC TIPS~~~ -If your opponent is getting lots of spellcasters, get Destroyers. -If Witch Doctors are spamming wards, just use Devour Magic (Destroyer) to wipe them out. -Keep a Shade with you so you don't run into a Stasis Trap Ward. -Don't plan on massing Frost Wyrms, because a Batrider can just use Unstable Concoction and blow your Frosties back to the stone-age. -If an enemy Shadow Hunter is casting Big Bad Voodoo just use Impale to interrupt the spell. -Leave a Shade in your base so Wind-Walking Blademasters don't harass you. -From the start of the game, build your base in a sort of maze with your Crypt and Altar blocking your Ziggurats which are blocking your Gold Mine. This makes it a pain for harassing Far Seers to micro their wolves through every thing. And remember to upgrade the Ziggs into towers so they can destroy any Wolves that sneak in. -Don't mass Ghouls. A Chain-Lightning trained Far Seer and a Tauren Chieftain can easily exterminate Ghouls. Stick with Fiends. -Bring a Shade with your army so a Windwalking Blademaster can't escape battle. -Early game, Grunts will mop the floor with you. It's best to creep and just try to avoid the Orcs until tier 2. Don't rush. -Hot-key a few ranged units (A group of 2-4 Gargoyles are good) and use them as "ward-hunters". Whenever a Ward is plopped down, have them focus-fire and destroy it fast. -If the enemy uses Raiders have your Necros Cripple them. A really irritating tactic (That I use when playing Orc) is to lead you out of your base, Ensnare about all of your guys, then rush in and destroy a few buildings! Therefore, Cripple them to slow them down. -If enemy Raiders are rushing at your Necros, Cripple them and run! Raiders do Siege damage so they'll mop the floor with Necros. (Thanks to the Silver Skull) -When attacking the Orc base, get the Burrows early. Not only will it stop the static defense, but it also cuts off their food. -Use ranged units to attack buildings while the melee units fight the enemy. Those spikes can hurt. ~~~MY FULL STRATEGY~~~ For Orcs, you must decide early what to do, as your early strategy can determine the rest of the game. After playing numerous games with your brother, you should know whether he likes to harass or not. If he does not harass, go with Crypt Fiends, and use either a Death Knight or Crypt Lord. If he does harass, get a Dreadlord and focus on Ghouls. If he harasses with a Far Seer, get a Nerubian Tower, and try to block of the entrance to the Gold Mine area as much as possible. On the map Turtle Rock, it's actually possible to put an Altar on one side of the Necropolis, and a Graveyard on the other to completely block of the gold mine to attackers. When the Seer comes, use Sleep on him, and have the Nerubian Tower and a Ghoul or two destroy the Wolves (Or just let the Wolves do their thing. If you can manage the Acolytes, they'll survive). Then surround the Far Seer with Ghouls and the Dreadlord, and start ripping him up. With some practice you'll be able to completely surround him, and attack him until he dies or teleports away. If he harasses with a Blade Master it's slightly more annoying. Try and Sleep+Surround again, but make sure to have a Tomb of Relics before hand. If he Windwalks, buy a Dust of Appearance, and sprinkle it to attack. It may take some practice as a Windwalking BM is quick and tough to surround, but you'll get it. If he does not harass, you'll want to try and avoid confronting the Orcs early game. Grunts with Speed Scrolls can take down Fiends, and Ghouls die to Orc AOE spells (War Stomp, Shockwave, Chain Lightning... etc). Creep normally while teching, and work towards tier 3. You'll probably plan on getting Destroyers eventually for devouring Bloodlust and Healing Wards. The Orc will most likely get casters, so always kill the casters first, then the main force. A Blademaster is best left alone as many of his spells are based on avoiding damage, and you probably won't kill him. Focus on the army first. A Tauren Chieftain isn't that tough at low levels (Unless you went Ghouls, in which case he'll rip them up), but later on he's a huge annoyance. Far Seers and Shadow Hunters fall to tri-nukes. Eventually, you may want Frosties, as Tauren will probably be attacking, and they will get slaughtered by Frosties. #Taurn ------------------------- 14.1 H O O F I N ' I T ------------------------- VERSUS TAUREN CHIEFTAIN -The Chieftain is a Ghoul exterminator. A few Shockwaves/War Stomps will put your Ghouls away. -Try to lay the smack down on the Chieftain when it's still at a low level -While low-level Chieftains aren't that great, once they hit level 6 you're in for it -Reincarnate is easily one of the most annoying Ultimates. Do. Not. Let. The. Chieftain. Hit. Level. 6. -If the Chieftain has reached Level 6, remember that every 4 minutes Reincarnate will be ready again. This means that whenever it's revived, you will have 4 minutes before it has yet another life to kill you with. -Endurance Aura is annoying but you have bigger things to worry about. -A high level Chieftain is a force to be reckoned with. As I've been stressing, put the Chieftain away early. #FSeer ----------------------------------------- 14.2 D A N C E S W I T H W O L V E S ----------------------------------------- VERSUS FAR SEER -The Far Seer is currently the most popular Orc hero (At least I seem to think...), so expect to see a lot of this wolf-riding green dude. -If your opponent does go Far Seer you're likely to be harassed by some wolves very early on so be prepared and read my Harassing Section -If you're too lazy to read the whole Harassing section, I'm just going to repeat some good ways to stop Harassing -Build your base in a way that makes it difficult for the Wolves to get to your fragile Acos. You'll have to prepare for this very early on. -When you do see Wolves coming try to micro your Acos through the maze making it tough for the Wolf to attack. You should be able to distract the Wolves long enough for your hero to be trained, and then you can just destroy it and get some free experience. -Try this: When the Wolves come in, immediately select all of your Ziggs and start upgrading them into towers. This will scare your opponent into pulling their Wolves out early, in fear of the towers quickly destroying them. They'll still think they've accomplished something by forcing you to waste money on towers. However, you can just cancel the build order and save your gold. -Okay, now that harassing is done, onto actually fighting the Far Seer. -Unlike most summons, only 2 Wolves can be out at a time, even if the Far Seer's cooldown is ready. -Your opponent is using Wolves as a meat shield, so have a few units tackle the wolves, while your main force focus-fires on the Far Seer. -Don't get distracted and chase the Wolves half-way around the map. It's just free shots for the enemy. Know how close you are to actually killing a Wolf, and only send a unit or 2 after it if you are positive you can kill it before it disappears. -There isn't much to say about Chain Lighting or Far Sight I guess. -Earthquake is a big pain because it can reduce your base to rubble FAST. However, it's a channeling spell, so you can just interrupt it. #BlMas --------------------- 14.3 C H O P S U I --------------------- VERSUS BLADEMASTER -The Blademaster's primary purpose in battle is to waste your time while the other Orc heroes slaughter you. -Mirror Image shouldn't be very tough to stop. Just see which Blademaster is actually doing damage and go for it. -The real image will usually be the one that the enemy micros, while the others just attack randomly. -Also, you can dispel Mirror Images. -Hold down the Alt key to display the health bars and just watch the units getting hit the Blademasters. The ones whose health bars don't decrease are being attacked by fakes. -Wind Walk is only really a pain when the BM is harassing so ignore it. If you really don't like it, get a Shade. -Critical strike is annoying, but rarely occurs. To reduce the chances further, have a Banshee Curse the BM. -Okay, Blade Storm is serious. This move can literally rip your guys apart like a giant blender of doom. Just try not to let the Blademaster reach level 6. -I've actually seen lots of people ignore the Blademaster in battles, and that's a good strategy. He's not all that powerful, and 2 of his moves are meant to run away or distract you, focus on the other heroes first, and then the Blademaster. #SHunt --------------------------------------- 14.4 J A M A I C A N M E C R A Z Y --------------------------------------- VERSUS SHADOW HUNTER -The Shadow Hunter is a common choice for second hero, so be ready for him. -He should be your primary target because of Healing Wave. Just focus-fire or use a tri-nuke. -Use Anti-Magic-Shell on your heroes to block Hex, which is normally a big pain. -If a hero or important unit IS Hexed, try to just get them out of the battle, your opponent may not even notice them anyway!! -Try to destroy Serpent Wards if you can. There will be 2 or 3 of them out at once -A level 3 Serpent Ward does 43 damage per attack! That's the same as a fully upgraded A-Bomb!! Never underestimate those flaming snake heads. -Big Bad Voodoo is easy to beat. Just interrupt the spell, or use a tri-nuke to try and kill the Shadow Hunter. #V.ELF ======================================== 15. V E R S U S N I G H T E L V E S ======================================== These are strategies that are particularly effective against Night Elves. If you have any ways to destroy Night Elves or counter Night Elf strategies, send them to me! ~~~BASIC TIPS~~~ -If your opponent is getting lots of spellcasters, get Destroyers. -Keep a Shade with you so you don't run into a group of Shadow-melding Elves. -The Night Elf heroes are all fairly weak (HP wise), so nukes deal lots of nice damage. Fry them! -Mountain Giants are annoying, but by swarming them and focus-firing you can kill them relatively easily. -When attacking there base use Meat Wagons to take out all the Moon Wells. If you don't, the enemy will just keep healing. -Can someone e-mail me whether or not using Frosties to freeze Moon Wells stops the healing? If it does, it is great to bring a Frosty with you just for freezing Wells. -If you're fighting a Warden, keep your Necros' Raise Dead on Auto-Cast. The more corpses you raise, the less there will be for the Avatar of Vengeance! If you really want to annoy your opponent have your Death Knight use Animate Dead when the Avatar is summoned. -When attacking the NE base, bring along a Meat Wagon or two to focus on wrecking Moon Wells. Otherwise, the NE units will just keep healing. -Use ranged units to attack buildings while the melee units fight the enemy. Those fighting trees will take damage. -Obsidian Statues get killed by those annoying Faerie Dragons. The Faeries will burn the Statues EVERY TIME THEY HEAL. So have Gargs or Fiends pound the Faeries early. -Be prepared to deal with the Beastmaster when facing the Night Elves. He's tough, so try to fast expand (See the fast expand strat) and out creep him if you can. Remember that when you fight, try to get the Huntresses and Archers out of the way , followed by the Beastmaster. Don't waste time trying to kill the summons, they're main purpose is to be meat, so don't let them. ~~~MY FULL STRATEGY~~~ For Night Elves you probably want to go with Crypt Fiends, and either Death Knight or Crypt Lord as your hero. Fiends do extra damage to unarmored Huntresses early game, so they're nice, and a Crypt Lord can be good for Impale (Night Elves tend to have lots of Hunts or Archers lined up or in packs). Death Knight can be good as Coil is good for healing Fiends (Just make sure to dance the DK, as the Night Elves will probably focus-fire on him), and Unholy Aura can speed up Fiends for chasing the Elves if they try to do some hit and runs. If you know that your brother likes to harass early on, consider building a Nerubian Tower by your mine, and build a Tomb of Relics early. If the Elves harass with Warden (Or Priestess, though she can't harass very well) and tries to Shadowmeld, just buy a Dust of appearance and try to kill her. Try and rush the Elves early, but if you can see that you're not going to make it, back off or you'll allow your enemy to counter for the win. Creep-jack him if you can, or at least draw him out of his base, as Moonwells can be a pain. You don't have to win with the rush, just try and delay his economy. You want to avoid letting him tech to Mountain Giants, as they can be a pain. Once you hit tier 2, build a pair of Obsidian Statues, and get a second hero. If your first hero was a Crypt Lord, Death Knight is a good choice for Coil support. If you got Death Knight first, either get a Crypt Lord or a Lich. If your enemy is still using Archers, you can choose to get a Dreadlord, and tech to tier 3 for Abominations to rip through the Archers. Now you really have to alter your strategy depending on what your enemy is doing. You're probably going to want to reach tier 3 fast, but decide what to get. If the enemy is going casters, you'll plan on getting Destroyers (Faerie Fire can be a pain, and it's always nice to Devour any Rejuvenation or Roars.), if he sticks with Huntresses or Archers, get Abominations and a Dreadlord for Vamp Aura, if he has any Faerie Dragons, get some Gargs to rip through and stop them from Mana Flaring whenever your Obsidians heal, and if he gets Mountain Giants, either try to ignore them and focus on the powerful but frail archers, or use Aboms to try and kill them. If he ends up with Chimeras, either Web them, or just use Gargs. Once at tier 3, either get a Dreadlord or Lich, depending on what he's been doing. And no matter what he does, remember that the Night Elf heroes are all fairly frail (Even their "tank", the Demon Hunter", can't stand up to as much as other tanks), so the infamous tri-nuke (Death Coil + Impale + Frost Nova), or any type of nuke, will waste them quickly. If he decides to use the neutral Beastmaster, either nuke him to death, or ignore him and go straight for the frail archers, dryads, or huntresses in back. If he summons, either use Devour Magic (If you have Destros), or just ignore them all together. #PotM ----------------------------- 15.1 S E A R I N G P A I N ----------------------------- VERSUS PRIESTESS OF THE MOON -Bring a Shade with your army so the PotM can't Shadowmeld. -Priestess of the Moon = PotM -The PotM is really just a souped up Archer. -Just use some quick focus-fire, or Sleep and surround here to kill her fast. -There's nothing you can do about Scout. That stupid Owl just won't die. -Nothing much about Searing Arrows either. It just makes the PotM stronger. -Trueshot Aura just helps ranged units. If you see that the PotM has gotten this, they're probably going Archers -Starfall can be canceled by any interruptions spell #KotG ------------------------------------- 15.2 T H O R N Y S I T U A T I O N ------------------------------------- VERSUS KEEPER OF THE GROVE -Keeper of the Grove = KotG -Cast Anti-Magic-Shell on your heroes so that the KotG cannot use Entangling Roots on you. -The KotG harass is a pain. If at all possible, try to surround him with Ghouls, although it is difficult. -Be warned that Entangling Roots interrupts Channeling spells, and stops units from teleporting (Scroll of Town Portal). -Don't use a Scroll of Town Portal if one of your heroes is entangled. They'll get stuck. -Treants from Force of Nature are stupid. Just dispel them or run away until they disappear. -Thorns Aura is pretty stupid too. Use ranged from the beginning if you scout and find a KotG. -The KotG isn't very powerful, so just use focus-fire/Tri-Nukes to waste him fast. -If he starts casting Tranquility, interrupt it FAST. You obviously don't want any healing going on. #DHunt ----------------------------- 15.3 P A N D A B L A D E S ----------------------------- VERSUS DEMON HUNTER -Why does the Demon Hunter use Panda Blades? We may never know... ***GRAND ADMIRAL BOB KNOWS!!*** "There is an actual reason why he has panda's on his blades. He originally had another symbol on the blades, but people believed it looked like a swastika. Too many people felt "offended" about it, and made a huge fuss about the Demon Hunter being a Nazi. Thus, Blizzard changed it to a panda. You can still see the old symbol on the Demon Hunter Concept Art. If you already knew this, and just put that statement there for fun, sorry for wasting your time :)" ******************************* -Cast Anti-Magic-Shell on your heroes to defend against Mana Burn. -Also cast Anti-Magic-Shell on your casters. You don't want them losing mana and dying... -Don't surround the Demon Hunter with Ghouls due to Immolation. Just use ranged to attack, run away a bit, and repeat. Your enemy might even forget to turn Immolation off... -Evasion is a pain. Just make it harder for him to hit you by either drenching him with beer (Brewmasta) or Cursing him. -If he goes into demon form just use a Tri-Nuke, Cripple him, Curse him, whatever it takes to finish him before he wrecks havoc on you. #Wardn --------------------------------------- 15.4 S I L E N T B U T D E A D L Y --------------------------------------- VERSUS WARDEN -Bring a Shade with your army so the Warden can't Shadowmeld. -Fan of Knives can hurt invisible units and burrowed units so be careful if you have a Shade following a Warden during creeping, or Crypt Fiends recovering HP during battle. -Use Anti-Magic-Shell to defend against Shadowstrike. -Try to Cripple/Curse the Warden. She'll be Blinking around the battle field a lot and you don't want her attacking you back lines. -Beware when using Impale (CL). A fast Warden can Blink out of the way just in time. -Unlike what I originally assumed, Avatar of Vengeance raises your corpses too! -Use Animate Dead or have Necros around to try to steal corpses before the Avatar of Vengeance can use them. -If the Avatar is summoned, just use focus-fire and stuff to try to kill it fast. -THANKS TO THE SILVER SKULL FOR THE FOLLOWING STRAT: -OUT OF JUICE- You will need............. 1 Wand of Mana Stealing A meat wagon or 2 A Necro with cripple Try to clean the place of dead bodies.......... If you really want to raise them, keep your Wagon in the back to supply corpses. Anyway, when the Warden comes out Cripple her to slow her down. Now, use the Wand of Mana Stealing to drink her mana! The enemy will be left with a good-for-nothing Warden. If the enemy was really looking forward to letting an Avatar of Vengeance out, they'll stupidly not cast any spells in an attempt for the mana to fill back up. Yay! No Fan of Knives!! *ghouls cheer.......GHWARTHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!*.... If the enemy is stupid enough to use a Mana Potion, just steal the mana again! #WillO --------------------------- 15.5 W I L L - O - W I S P --------------------------- THANKS TO STEPHEN HSU FOR THIS ONE Just cast Unholy Frenzy on the Elves' lumber-harvesting Wisps. Wisps only have 120 HP, so they'll die from the spell (unless they're next to a Moon Well). Even better, the Night Elves don't dispel effectively. Doing this doesn't trigger an "under attack" warning. Most of the time, players won't notice their Wisps dying off until they're short of lumber. Just to add to that, if you have a Human ally, have them cast invisibility on the Necro, rush him in, cast it a few times, and rush out. Take that! #V.UND ============================== 16. V E R S U S U N D E A D ============================== These are strategies that are particularly effective against Undead. If you have any ways to destroy Undead or counter Undead strategies, send them to me! -Just fight fie with fire! -It's probably best to go Ghouls against an UD. Fiends don't do too well against Ghouls, and if you just have more, better microed Ghouls you'll do fine. -If the enemy goes Ghouls too, I find it best to tech towards Frosties for the splash freeze. Impale, Carrion Swarm, and Frost Nova are all great against masses of Ghouls. -If your opponent uses Necros/Banshees, bring out the Destroyers! -Use Devour Magic if they're massing skeletons. -Destroy Obsidian Statues whenever you get the chance. -Bring a Shade with your army so you don't hit enemy Shades or burrowed Crypt Fiends. -Use a Zeppelin to drop a few Necros behind enemy lines. They can raise Skellies from the Graveyard and then use the Zeppelin to get out of there! Then just use the Skellies to easily kill the weak Acolytes. -Use Gargoyles to whack Frost Wyrms. -Check this out: let's say you've been building Banshees and your opponent has fully upgraded Necros. If you possess one, you instantly get all the upgrades for free! This works for other units too. -Using Sacrificial Skulls to create regenerating HP for your units is kind of pointless because your opponent benefits too! -Make sure to abuse the enemy Graveyard if you're attacking their base. You can use the corpses. -When attacking the enemy base, unless they have towers, it's best to push them into their base so you can use their blight regen to your advantage. #DKngt ------------------------------------------------------- 16.1 K N I G H T O F T H E L I V I N G D E A D ------------------------------------------------------- VERSUS DEATH KNIGHT -If you have a Human ally, tell them to get Holy Light eventually. It will make killing the Death Knight much easier. -The Death Knight already has a painfully slow attack rate, but if he's Crippled, he'll be even slower!! -Lucky for you, Death Coil can't hurt any of your units. -If you get Destroyers, Devour the Unholy Aura that the Death Knight will obviously be releasing. -Use Necros and a DK of your own to animate corpses before the enemy DK can. #DLord --------------------------------- 16.2 D A R K N E S S C A L L S --------------------------------- VERSUS DREADLORD -Try to surround the DL with units and destroy it. -Use Anti-Magic-Shell to prevent Sleep on your heroes. -If one of your units are put to sleep, have a weak unit like a Carrion Beetle attack it once to wake it up and then stop. -An Infernal is a pain, but it's large size makes it vulnerable to Ghoul Surrounding. -Use focus-fire and Tri-Nuke to kill the Dreadlord and stop it's Vampiric Aura. #Lich ----------------------------------------- 16.3 A C O L D D A Y I N H E C K ----------------------------------------- VERSUS LICH -The Lich shouldn't give you much trouble. -Use focus-fire and the Tri-Nuke to melt it fast. -As usual, Anti-Magic-Shield your important units to defend against Frost Nova. -If your opponent keeps moving the Lich in and out of battle, Cripple him to reduce his speed and then kill him as he slowly tries to escape. -Death and Decay is easily interrupted #CLord ------------------------------- 16.4 A R A C H N O P H O B I A ------------------------------- VERSUS CRYPT LORD -The Crypt Lord is used as a Tank... -So try to stop him in his tracks. -Cripple and Curse work wonders against the big guy. -Melee units have a tough time due to Spiked Carapace so stick to Fiends. -You need to constantly move your units around so he can't get a good Impale in. -Carrion Beetles should be ignored. They're meant to just soak up damage for the Crypt Lord (Who is also a damage soaker...) but are fairly weak. -Remember to bring a Shade with your army. Carrion Beetles are commonly used as scouts and guard expansion areas. -Nothing much to do about Locust Swarm. Just try to waste the Crypt Lord before he gets healed. #NecDR ------------------------- 16.5 N E C R O - D R O P ------------------------- Here's a little strategy that I tried today that actually worked fairly well! If you're playing against the Undead, buy a Goblin Zeppelin at a Goblin Laboratory and fill it with 5 Necromancers. Make sure the Necros have Raise Dead on Auto- cast. Now fly the Zeppelin around to the rear of your opponent's base and find their Graveyard. Drop the Necros, let them raise the skeletons around the Graveyard, pick them up, and get out of there! If you've researched all the Necromancer upgrades and a few Unholy Strength/Armor upgrades your enemy will have 10 angry skeletons wrecking havoc in his base! Try to have them kill the enemy Acolytes, and if you have time, go for the Ziggurats/Spirit Towers/Nerubian Towers. With enough upgrades you can wreck your enemy's food production! This trick usually only works once, because the enemy will probably build/upgrade a tower or two to destroy your Zeppelin. This move is very fun though! #Upgrd ----------------------------------------------------- 16.6 T H A N K S F O R T H E U P G R A D E S ! ----------------------------------------------------- I pretty much said this stuff under the Banshee and Dark Ranger sections, but I'm just putting this here to reinforce how great it is. If you take a Banshee/Dark Ranger and Possess/Charm an enemy Gargoyle with Stone Form, you'll instantly get that upgrade for all your Gargs, FREE OF CHARGE! Take advantage of this. For instance you can Possess a Master Necromancer, and then just start pumping out your own Necros, all of which will already be at Master status. Nice. You can steal upgrades like Initiate/Master caster status, Poison Cloud, Cannibalize... etc. Make sure to get used to the new Possession (Patch 1.13), delay, triple damage, range, and everything. You'll get used to it. #Every ================================== 17. V E R S U S E V E R Y O N E ================================== This section is for dealing with the rest of everything: Creeping, fighting neutral heroes, building... Anything that didn't fit anywhere else. The neutral heroes need lots of counters, so anything will be appreciated. #PLord ----------------------------- 17.1 I N S T A N T D I E T ----------------------------- VERSUS PIT LORD -The Pit Lord is pretty gigantic and can't maneuver very well through battle -Try massing lots of dual-aura Ghouls and surrounding him. He won't be able to get out easily and will be messed up. -You can use any interrupt to stop him from channeling Rain of Fire -If he's got a level 3 RoF, you might consider getting some Banshees for AMS to block against the damage. -Remember that Death Coil can't hurt him. He's Undead. -If he Dooms a unit, you might want to use Death Coil to heal it and try to prolong the arrival of the Doom Guard. The later in the battle it arrives, the better. #DRngr ------------------------------------- 17.2 S T O P T H E S I L E N C E ------------------------------------- VERSUS DARK RANGER -Remember that Coil can't hurt her, she's UD -If you're massing casters, get Destroyers eventually to eat up Silence when it hits. -Devour Magic can also eat Dark Minions that are summoned. -If the Dark Ranger is using Life Drain, try to just maneuver your hero away and cut off the draining. #BrewM ------------------------------- 17.3 H A N G O V E R C U R E ------------------------------- VERSUS PANDAREN BREWMASTER -Drunken Haze can be Devoured by Destroyers... but until then you'll just have to deal with it. -Breath of Fire is annoying -If units have been hazed, get them away so the Brewmaster can't light them on fire -Although I haven't used AMS much since the patch, it might be a cheap way to defend your Ghouls from being toasted by Breath of Fire (BoF should not be underestimated) -If he uses Storm Earth and Fire, take care of Storm first because of his spells, then Fire, and then Earth. He will most likely be planning on keeping Storm alive (Windwalk) to revive the Brewmaster after, so take care of him before he escapes. Fire should be dealt with next (He is nukable). Earth is just meant to tank, so constantly micro to avoid being Taunted. Also note his spell immunity. ***RUNEMASTER'S STRATEGY*** I've been crushed for a few times now by this extremely annoying style that lvl 15-30 Night Elf players seem to practice... They are now getting Pandaren Brewmaster for the first hero and Naga for the second hero! You can see what's comin' to my ghouls, don't u? :D I can't see any other solutions against this panda abuse, other than a powerful heronuke, followed by Infernals. However, Dreadlord is not very ideal for early heronuking. The heroes I use are DK and DL(normally) for the usual plan of dual aura ghouls/Destros when countering Night Elf Archer/Talon packs. :P That Panda is blowing everything up *SDAGFT"#%"%$2!1/2!!!!! I'm suggesting to add into FAQ just below the panda -section, that you should SLEEP him, SURROUND him, NUKE him, and finally RIP HIM APART with a pack of Ghouls.. and repeat this time after time after time until the panda doesn't rise up again.. ever. He is far too dangerous when the opponent is Night Elf (in solo) so the UD people should not underestimate him. That Drunken Haze/Breath of Fire is UNCAPPED goddamnit!!! He will go through your Ghouls and Fiends like BUTTER!!! Kill the panda, respect! :DDD #Beast ------------------------- 17.4 T O T H E Z O O ------------------------- VERSUS BEASTMASTER -If you see the Beastie being used by NE, remember that his purpose is to be a tank and meat shield for the fragile yet powerful NE units. There are too ways to deal with this. If you have a DL you can either put him to sleep and rush around to pound the Archers and Huntresses, or sleep and surround him. Try to just work around and deal with the Archers. They're fragile, but very damaging. Later on, you'll want to tri-nuke and kill him off fast. Try to avoid wasting time on the summons. -Thanks to Janus5000 for submitting a strategy, and thanks to bloods3m for correcting it. YOU CAN'T CHARM/POSSESS SUMMONS so don't try. -If he starts channeling a Stampede, use any interrupt to stop it. -You can use a Destroyer to Devour, but the damage isn't that powerful. Use it for eating Hawks and Quillbeasts, but Bears are too strong. #SWtch --------------------------------------------------- 17.5 F I S H S T I C K S F O R E V E R Y O N E --------------------------------------------------- VERSUS NAGA SEAWITCH -Cold Arrows are a pain, but you just have to deal with them. Just beware because she can hit your heroes as you run them away. -Forked Lightning is just something to deal with. You can't really counter it. -Mana Shield is good for you. Be happy that she's wasting mana that could be used for Cold Arrows or Forked Lightning. -For Tornado, either run your units away, or interrupt her #GTink --------------------------- 17.6 P O W E R S U R G E --------------------------- VERSUS GOBLIN TINKER Now I have not played against him much, and don't really have that good a counter, as he has just been added, but I'll get better info eventually. -As the Tinker is melee-intelligence, he can't take much of a beating and is in the front a lot. As usual, some nuking can put him down quickly. -At early levels, Pocket Factories are not much to worry about, but if he has high level, Engineer-Upgraded Factories, consider destroying them when he drops them. -Robo-Goblin is a pain, because you can't nuke anymore. Try and surround him the best you can and wittle away, or just hang back and try to avoid him. Make sure to kill any workers that are trailing and repairing him. #Creep --------------------- 17.7 C R E E P I N G --------------------- These are just random tips for creeping. Contribute here!! -Obviously let summons like Carrion Beetles or Skellies attack first and let them take the damage. -If you have a melee hero up front and a creep drops an item, you might as well pick it up while the creep fighting is going on. It will prevent you from forgetting it, gives you the bonuses while fighting the creeps, and is good if you get creep-jacked. -If you use a DL, put the most dangerous/highest level creep to sleep -Always spread the damage out across your units. Move damaged units away, and let tank heroes soak up damage. -Remember that if creeps are sleeping, you can just use the neutral shops they're guarding. You can abuse Fountains of Life/Mana when creeps sleep -If creeps are sleeping, you can line your CL up for a good impale. -Remember to get Ghouls to cannibalize the corpses to stay alive. -Never leave any items/runes behind -If you're expanding to the mine that the creeps are guarding, attack the creeps first, then sneak your Aco around and Haunt the mine from behind. If you have a Sacrificial Skull, drop it now and let the Aco summon some Ziggs. As long as the Aco enters after the creeps start fighting you, he'll be fine. -Wait for creeps to group together before using spells like Frost Nova -Never let your hero die to creeps. Ever. -If you know a creep is guarding a Rune of the Watcher (Rune which activates a permanent Sentry Ward), lead them out to the open before killing them. You'll get a better spy. For example, the map Turtle Rock has 2 Goblin Merchants, and the Ogre Magi guarding each carries a Rune of the Watcher. Lead them out, then attack. -Creep-jacking is always great (Attacking your opponent as they're fighting creeps, and cornering them between you and the neutral creatures -Try to get a Shade following the enemy hero to do the above -If you are creep-jacked, decide quickly what to do. If the creeps you were fighting are high level but almost dead, or low level creeps try and finish them off quickly and then deal with the enemy. If the creeps are high level and you just started, run away and at least get to a better position to fight the enemy. If the enemy starts to chase you but then goes back, chances are that they are now fighting those creeps, so if your units can handle it, head back and jack them. Also make sure to pick up items before you run. You don't want the enemy stealing items. #Order ----------------------------- 17.8 B U I L D O R D E R S ----------------------------- Probably one of the most contribution heavy sections in the FAQ. I need BOs for Necros, Frosties, Destroyers, Banshees... etc. Thanks in advance!! ***FAST EXPAND BO*** -3 Acos to gold, Ghoul to wood. Start queuing up an Acolyte, rallied to gold -Pull an Aco out to summon an Altar, Graveyard, and then Ziggurat -Rally another Aco to gold -Summon a Crypt and then Tomb of Relics when you have the gold -Summon another Crypt with gold -Once Crypt is ready, train 2 Ghouls rallied to wood -Once Altar is ready, train a CL -Summon a Ziggurat -Once second Crypt ready, train a Fiend rallied to the CL -Have the CL summon 5 Beetles from the Graveyard, and buy a Wand of Necromancy and Sacrificial Skull -Continue training Fiends rallied to the CL -Have CL use WoN to summon 2 Skellies from Graveyard (If the map you're on has critters, leave early and summon the Skellies from a critter carcass. -Go attack a gold mine with your CL, 5 Beetles, 2 Skellies, and Fiend -Make sure the Skellies and Beetles absorb the damage -If necessary, summon more Skellies during the battle -Drop the Sac Skull for blight regen -Train an Aco rallied to the new mine, and summon another Zigg -Once new Aco comes, haunt the mine, build 1 or 2 Ziggs on the blight, and go on with your strategy. ***MASS GHOULS BO*** -3 Acos to gold, Ghoul to wood. Start queuing up 2 Acolyte, rallied to gold -Pull an Aco out to summon an Altar, Crypt, and Ziggurat -Summon another Crypt when resources allow, followed by a Tomb of Relics and then Ziggurat -Train either a Dreadlord or Death Knight from the Altar. If DL, go with a Sleep-Vamp skill point order. If DK, go with a Coil-Aura skill order, stopping to get Pact at either level 3 or level 5. -Begin training lots of Ghouls from the Crypts -Once you have 5-6 Ghouls, begin researching Cannibalize, buy a Wand of Necromancy, and go creep -Summon another Zigg, continue with Ghouls -Once you near the food limit, begin teching, and get a DL or DK once you hit tier 2 -Remember to reach T3 fast for Ghoul Frenzy ***FIENDS BO*** (NOTE: This BO is not preferred against Orcs or NE, because the late-hero is tough to defend against harassing. Try the Fast-Expo BO, but don't fast-expo) -3 Acos to gold, Ghoul to wood. Start queuing up 2 Acolyte, rallied to gold -Pull an Aco out to summon a Crypt, Graveyard, and Ziggurat -Summon an Altar when resources allow -When Crypt completes, train 2 Ghouls rallied to wood -Summon a Tomb of Relics, followed by a Zigg when resources allow -When Altar finishes, train any hero but the DL. He doesn't mix very well with Fiends. -When Crypts are done, just start rallying Fiends to your hero, and creep -Begin upgrading to HotD when you have 5 or so Fiends -At tier 2, build a Slaughter House for Obsidians and train a second hero -Good luck from there ___ _ ___ _____ __ _____ ___ _ ___ _ ___ ___ ___ _ _ ___ | _ \/_\ | _ \_ _| \ \ / /_ _|_ _(_) / __| | / _ \/ __|_ _| \| |/ __| | _/ _ \| / | | \ V / | | | | _ | (__| |_| (_) \__ \| || .` | (_ | | |/_/ \_\_|_\ |_| \_/ |___|___(_) \___|____\___/|___/___|_|\_|\___| ___ _____ _ _ ___ ___ / __|_ _| | | | __| __| \__ \ | | | |_| | _|| _| |___/ |_| \___/|_| |_| $FAQ ======================================================== 18. F R E Q U E N T L Y A S K E D Q U E S T I O N S ======================================================== What would an FAQ be, without an actual FAQ? If you have any questions, please e-mail them to me. ******************************************************************************** Q: I just got the game! What should I do to start? A: Dandude's step-by-step guide to learning and eventually winning the game: 1. Play through the RoC campaign. Entirely. 2. Play through the Frozen Throne campaign. Again, go the whole way. 3. Now play a few games against an Easy Computer (Set the comp's handicap to 50% if you have to) 4. Keep playing and keep changing your race. Your goal is to know every unit of every race. Keep playing until you know the basic roles of each unit (Example: Learn what each race's melee is, their casters, anti-casters, heavy air, and especially heroes). 5. Choose one race that you feel most comfortable as or win the most with. 6. Move on to Normal Computer and play with the race you picked. Learn every unit and what it's good for. Figure out each hero, what they do, and what each unit counters. Keep practicing with that race until you know it well, and can pretty much theory-craft a way to counter anything the enemy might throw at you. 7. Now either try Insane Computer, or go on battle.net and play solo matches. See how you do. Start focusing on more in-depth things like build orders, harassing, and especially micromanaging. Just keep practicing until your micro improves. 8. Go on a board like the GameFAQs Warcraft board (http://boards.gamefaqs.com/gfaqs/gentopic.php?board=2000144) if you still don't know how to counter one strategy/unit and ask questions. 9. Save a replay of yourself playing a solo game, and post the replay on a site like www.wc3addicts.com or www.replayers.com. Post a link to the replay on a Warcraft board and let better players ******************************************************************************** Q: I just can't win no matter how hard I try. Help me!! A: I will try, but be more specific. You probably either can't micro very well, have a slow build order, are playing too slowly, lag, don't know what roles the units have, can't counter effectively, don't scout, or just play hard opponents. Make sure to play the UD single player campaign until you know every UD unit and what their uses are. Also, learn the other races too. You need to know how to counter them effectively. Practice against the computer. For micro practice. Try playing an easy computer with a 50% handicap so they won't beat you, and build a few towers to defend. Then get 3 heroes, go out, and creep. It's easier to learn to manage 3 heroes when they're alone, instead of lost in an army. Learn how to handle them effectively, and let the tank heroes tank, the caster heroes stay out of harm, and the heroes to play their parts. Learn the hot-keys! It's much easier to press the C button for Death Coil then to actually click it. Also, control-group your army. Make a group for ranged units/heroes, a group for melee units/heroes, and a group for everyone. Have the melee surround while the ranged focus-fire. It's efficient. Overall, it's just experience that you probably need. The more you play the more you learn. ******************************************************************************** Q: My Acolytes can't harvest lumber! Oh no!! A: It's not a glitch in your game, Acos can't harvest wood. That's what Ghouls are for. ******************************************************************************** Q: What are "tiers"? A: The tiers are your tech level. Tier 1 units/buildings/upgrades are everything that can be made when you have a Necropolis. Tier 2 units and stuff, require a Halls of the Dead. And tier 3 requires a Black Citadel. ******************************************************************************** Q: Can I e-mail you spam? A: Short answer: No. Long answer: No!! ******************************************************************************** Q: Does massing Frosties really equal instant win? A: No. Just because you have a boat-load of Frost Wyrms you will not instantly end the game victorious. You still have to attack your enemy. Frost Wyrms are very powerful, but they are incredibly expensive and limit the amount of other units you can supply. If your enemy has good anti-air, they'll rip through. However, if you scout and see your enemy massing only melee units, then by all means go with Frosties. ******************************************************************************** Q: What are the UD icons on battle.net? A: Reign of Chaos Frozen Throne -------------------------- -------------------------- Ghoul ~ 25 Wins Crypt Fiend ~ 25 Wins Abomination ~ 250 Wins Banshee ~ 150 Wins Lich ~ 500 Wins Destroyer ~ 350 Wins Tichondrius ~ 1500 Wins Crypt Lord ~ 750 Wins Sylvanas ~ 1500 Wins ******************************************************************************** Q: Will you put this question in your FAQ? A: Sure! ******************************************************************************** Q: So is it worth it to try and Possess/Charm enemy Peasants so I can build their tech-tree? (Thanks to Goht_j) A: Not really. First of all, it's difficult, unless you rush in to an enemy's expansion, possess, and run away. Second, you'll need a lot of resources to build up another tech tree. You'll have to waste valuable time and money waiting for their buildings to finish, and then you'll need other buildings for more technical buildings. And let's say you want a Human hero, but you already have 2. You need to build a Town Hall, and then upgrade it to a Castle before you can get your third hero! It's better to spend money and time on Undead units. -"Taraea_f" adds that it can be worth it to possess or charm Peons or Wisps. While there's obviously no point in stealing Acos, and HU can't contribute anything good, with Wisps or Peons you can build their racial shop. The Orc Voodoo Lounge sells Speed Scrolls, Healing Salves, and Lesser Clarity Potions. Scrolls can be good for helping Ghouls surround even faster, or for slower Fiends to move faster. Healing Salves are always good cheap healing, and Lesser Clarity Potions are cheap ways to get more Frost Novas. Yay. The Wisp can contribute a nice Ancient of Wonders, which also ha Lesser Clarity Potions. But the real nice reason for a Wisp is that it lets you buy some Moon Wells. These are real nice for healing. ******************************************************************************** Q: What are some good taunts to annoy my opponent? Answered by "Avatar of Dragonia": Adding a little atmosphere to a game is never unwelcome, and is certainly a good break from the usual "I ROXXORZ J00 SUXXORZ" chatter that goes on during a game. And who knows, it just might raise morale amongst your allies. Here are a few: "You are nothing before the power of DEATH!" "Death is not to be feared . . . I AM!!" "We won't stop at killing you." "Mmmm... Night Elf _is_ a delicacy!" (to be used when cannibalizing enemy corpses) ******************************************************************************** Q: Can you tell me some instructions to defeat a night elf player who picks demon hunter as his first hero and priestess of moon as her 2nd hero and he uses huntresses a lot? (Thanks to Bizzare Boy) A: First of all, it's probably best to go with a Crypt Fiend build rather than a Ghoul build. A Demon Hunter with Immolation can burn through Ghouls easily, and due to Huntresses being unarmored (Armor type, not number of armor), they take more damage from piercing attacks, and thus Fiends do more damage. A Dreadlord works best with Ghouls, and a Lich doesn't do well without mana (Demon Hunter mana burns can destroy you), so go with a Death Knight or Crypt Lord as your first hero. Start with either DK + Fiends, or CL + Fiends, and either creep or try to harass the enemy (Use hit and runs by attacking and destroying a Wisp or Moon Well or building being constructed, and running when they teleport back) while you upgrade to Halls of the Dead. Once at tier 2, if you started with a Crypt Lord get a DK as your second hero, and if you got a DK get a Lich as your second hero. A Priestess of the Moon provides great support for her army (Trueshot Aura + Searing Arrows, equals dead Undead units. ^_^), but her HP can't stand up to a nuke. Barrage her with Death Coils and either Impales or Frost Novas to get rid of her quickly while your Fiends wipe out the Huntresses. Also, Huntresses and/or Archers tend to get lined up in packs, so a well aimed Frost Nova or Impale (For Impale make sure to move the Crypt Lord over to the side of the enemy army first) will damage many at a time. A Demon Hunter is tougher to put down, but he too is weak against a Nuke, and even if you can just lower his HP enough to make him run, you've accomplished your goal and wipe out the Huntresses. Eventually the enemy will probably get support units, so get ready to deal with them. Dryads fall to Crypt Fiends, Mountain Giants should either be ignored or pounded by Abominations (Only get Aboms if you have scouted and know the enemy has MGs), Druids of the Talon/Claw can be pierced by Fiends, Nova'd/Impaled when they're in packs, and have their buffs Devoured by Destroyers. Again, only get Destroyers if you know the enemy has Druids. NE air is dealt with depending on the type. Hippogrifs should be Webbed by Fiends for easy killing, and Chimeras should be ripped to shreds by Gargoyles. As usual, make sure to scout and find what the enemy is getting so you can counter accordingly. ******************************************************************************** $Cntrb ==================================== 19. C O N T R I B U T O R I N F O ==================================== Okay, here's information for contributing. My e-mail address is: Dandude776@aol.com Please put FAQ, or Warcraft, or Undead, or something like that in the subject. Otherwise I will trash it. I really welcome e-mails, and could use a lot of strategies for units and stuff! Oh and by the way, DON'T INSTANT MESSAGE ME! AND DON'T GIVE MY SCREEN NAME TO OTHER PEOPLE TO HARASS ME VIA IM!!! Please! E-mail instead! *NOTE* I put the same thing about not IMing me in my Enter the Matrix FAQ, so a few people (*cough* IEATPASTE *cough*) decided to IM for the sake of it. I will not get angry at you, but I can't help you via IM. Please... E-mail instead. Here are some things to e-mail me: -If you have ways for the Undead to counter strategies used by other races. If you e-mail me both another race's strat, and the Undead's counter, it WILL get in this FAQ, due to the lack of race specific strats I have right now. -Asking for help in a certain situation. Be specific though, and don't just command that I help you. Nicely give me a specific situation that you're having problems with, and I'll try to help. -Grammar corrections -Correcting stat mistakes -NEW STRATEGIES FOR USING UNITS, HEROES, AND BUILDINGS! I NEED MORE!! -Just thanking me for writing this! -Build orders -Skill point distribution -Constructive criticism -Suggestions for new sections. -If you find a website besides the ones listed in the Legal section hosting my FAQ. -If you want to post my FAQ on your website! I'll almost definitely do it (The more people who see the FAQ, the more people who will contribute!!) -If you contributed something, I posted it, and I forgot to give you credit! Tell me! *NOTE* Be sure to try out your strategy before sending it to me. I've gotten a few strategies that only worked in older versions, or didn't work at all. So double check! Here are some things not to e-mail me: -Spam. Just don't. Do I have to give a reason? -Flames. Don't yell at me for writing my strategies! Tell me why you think they don't work, or send your own! -Don't send me grammatical corrections for the strategies that others contributed. I try to fix up the ones that have tons of typos, but I really don't want to have alter every single contribution I receive. -Don't ask for help about other races! -Don't ask for help in the campaign! -Don't e-mail me about something that has nothing to do with this FAQ! PLEASE E-MAIL ME!!! I really need contributions! Finally, you can give your strategy a name and I'll use it, or I might make one up if you don't have one. If you think my name sounds lame, send me a better one! Finally, thanks in advance to everyone that contributes. That's all. $Recog ================================================== 20. C O N T R I B U T O R R E C O G N I T I O N ================================================== This is where I will list the people that contributed! Want to see your name up here? E-mail me! -Stephen Hsu, for e-mailing me a bunch of strategies. -Redmage, for sending me the Obsidian Statue cheap strategy, being nice when he asked me for help, and for sending me Locust Swarm info. -MegaTemplar, for clarifying that I had the right units that benefit from the Backpack upgrade. -blood_s3m, for sending me a TON of short strategies (they can be found in the Shorts Section under Advanced), along with the Ultimate Handicap strat and the Lost Temple Wyrm Frenzy strat, and also correcting a bunch of strats that don't work. And sending other stuff. -mdinson, for correcting an error under the Crypt. -LichKing, for his Invisible Robbery strategy (found under Shades), and for some corrections. Also, for the Infernal Distraction strat. - Jerry Shen, for a little Obsidian Statue strat. -Olipark for reminding me to bring Meat Wagons in the Night of the Angry Dead strategy, and for being cool and e-mailing me to keep up the good work. -psduckie, for sending me some nerfs even though I changed the section. Sorry! -Sanguinsanctis, for info about the Sacrificial Skull, and for his huge detailed strat. -Dan Harris(sdwoodchuck), for the Wyrm Frenzy strat (forgot to include this last version). -Daltamare, for the Stone Wall Hammering, Possess and Destroy, and Stampede of What!? strategies. -Falcon20386, for a bunch of Crypt Lord Locust Swarm calculations. -The Silver Skull, for contributing a TON of strategies, even though some of them don't work anymore. -Jinx36me, for telling me (On the GameFAQs Message Board) that other units walk through Shades. -PervertedPestilence and Louie, for telling me (On the GameFAQs Message Board) that Kodo Beasts cannot regurgitate units after Devouring them. -Janus5000 for some strats, and getting me to make a Neutral/Creeping section. -Robert, for telling me of my mistake in the Cold Arrows section of the Seawitch -GWUNLEE, for telling me to make a Build Orders section -www.rootsecure.net, which has a free ASCII art generator which was used for the new section markers. However, I did make the Warcraft title one myself. :D -Goht_j, for asking me good questions and congratulating me. -Mikster, for the alternate Better Than Real strategy. -Avatar of Dragonia, for sending numerous strategies that were really great. -Taraea_F, for the comment on possessing workers. I never thought of that. -Slasher_weiyou (And his friends), for the Tauren+Crypt Fiends strategy. -Spikey2001, for noticing that I was missing the shortcut to build orders -Spider64, for the same reason -Boysbefree, for noticing the typo in the Black Citadel gold cost -Runemaster, for the comments about dealing with a Night Elf player going Brewmaster $Thnks ================ 21. T H A N K S ================ -Thanks to me, for writing this (I'm so modest, aren't I!) -Thanks to anyone who read this. -Thanks to Blizzard for making this and a ton of other awesome games. -Thanks to anyone who contributed! -Thanks to Mojo StormStout's FAQ (http://www.battle.net/war3) on Blizzard's website which has stats for everything and made it much easier for me to write this. -Thanks to the folks on the GameFAQs Warcraft III: TFT message board, for being cool (Most of them) and for sometimes helping me clarify stuff. $Legal ========================== 22. L E G A L S T U F F ========================== This FAQ is copyright, Daniel Markowitz, 2003. All rights reserved. It may only be used on the following websites: www.GameFAQs.com http://dlh.net http://www.cheats.de www.CheatCodes.com www.actiontrip.com www.ign.com www.GameNotOver.com Just note that GameFAQs will always have the lasted version. Do not use any or all of it without my permission. All of the text is owned and was written by Daniel Markowitz. You may print it out if you want, but don't turn it into a strategy guide and sell it, unless you send me the profits! That would be okay! If you are want to use my FAQ on your website, you must ask my permission first, and you may not alter or change the text in anyway. All in all, if you really want to use it for something (litter box for your pets... whatever.) besides just a personal FAQ, ask me first.