ATTENTION!
This map is now available as part of a larger, updated and enhanced Campaign file. The campaign includes the conclusion to this epic, so it is strongly recommended you play the Campaign instead of this slightly outdated version of the standalone Chapter.
You can find the campaign on Hiveworkshop here:
http://www.hiveworkshop.com/forums/maps-564/bitter-end-202289/
To the Bitter End
Chapter V: Reunion
Version: 0.7.05
(Beta release)
Single Player Action RPG/Campaign
With just one more companion to find, Soul Reaver, Fei Serumen, Cameron Aileron and Kitharsis find themselves embroiled in a brutal war between the besieged Guardians and Morganem's armies...
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Map description:
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Control Soul Reaver, Fei Serumen, Cameron Aileron and Kitharsis as they try to reunite with Sera Poi and protect the Guardians from Morganem's wrath.
Installation instructions:
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Put the .w3x file into a folder named "To the Bitter End" (without quotation marks, obviously) in your Warcraft III "maps" folder.
You can play the game by starting The Frozen Throne, then selecting 'Single Player', 'Custom Game', and then navigating to the map and selecting it.
It helps to have your video settings for Warcraft III set to high quality, or some custom skins in some of the campaign might look a little... weird.
Difficulty:
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To the Bitter End is supposed to be very difficult. However, for those finding it simply too tough, as of version 0.7.04, I have added in variable difficulty levels. Once in-game, press Enter to bring up the chat window, then type in "easy", "medium" or "hard" (without quotation marks) to change the difficulty of the current Chapter. The default difficulty is "hard". Note that the only thing this modifies is the HP of enemy units, and enemy hero units are less affected than normal units are.
Remember though: real heroes play on hard!
Other Notes:
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For further info and an extensive manual, check the 'official site' at www.familykrieg.com/tothebitterend
This is the fifth of a series beta releases, it is suggested you play this one after Chapter IV: Heart of Ice and before Chapter VI: Harbingers of War.
The other releases in the series thus far are:
Chapter I: Dark Dawn
Chapter II: The Dream of Blood
Chapter III: Juggernaut
Chapter IV: Heart of Ice
Chapter VI: Harbingers of War
Chapter VII: Grim Harvest
They can all be found at the official site at http://www.familykrieg.com/tothebitterend/.
To check the version number of any of your TTBE maps, type "version" (without quotation marks) into the chat text in-game and it will display (or if nothing displays, then your version is definitely out-of-date). The newest versions are always available on the official site.
Although I am solely responsible for creating this map, the central characters featured in this campaign, as well as the Multiverse in which it is set, were envisaged by the writers at The Administorum (http://theadministorum.yuku.com/) and its newest incarnation, the Administorum 2.0 (http://nerdramblingz.com/starforums/index.php).
This was my first serious attempt at a campaign map, and my first release. I was going to wait until I had completed the campaign in its entirety before releasing anything, but at the request of one of my Administorum friends, I decided to release the completed Chapters here. Since the campaign itself not complete, this classifies the maps as beta releases. Unfortunately, with all my current commitments, it may be some time before I get all the maps done.
Some known bugs or issues (with suggested workarounds):
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- Does not automatically start Chapter VI: Harbingers of War on completion. (Workaround: start it manually - your characters from Reunion should transfer into it fine.)
- Some of the characters' textures look strange. (Solution: set the texture quality in the video settings to the highest available setting).
A word on cinematics:
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- It is possible to skip any of the cinematics, just press ESC.
- One 'bug' that occurs if you skip the cinematics is that any items or abilities that might have 'cooled down' and become available over the course of the cinematic will now not do this. This means that if you want to use those items/abilities often, you may have to wait around more... and if there's a timer counting down while you wait, that might not be advisable. This isn't a major thing, but it does mean that the game might be more difficult if you skip the cinematics.
- You are advised to watch the cinematics at least once. They will often give you instructions as to what to do next and offer clues as to what to expect. Making sense of the game plot without them would be pretty difficult.
- If you want to be sure to experience the game how it was meant to be played, then don't skip the cinematics. That's how I planned the level out and how I spent the most time testing it.
Hints/Notes:
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- You can play this map even if you haven't completed Dark Dawn, The Dream of Blood, Juggernaut or Heart of Ice. You'll start with heroes of an appropriate Experience level and unused skill points that you can spend as you see fit. But only Morganem's lackeys would play Chapter V without completing Chapter I, II, III and IV first, and surely you aren't one of them?
- Use your quest log if unsure of what to do next... that's what it's there for.
- Read the tooltips if you want to know what an ability or item does. In fact, this is strongly recommended.
- Your items are re-usable. However, they have long cooldown times. Save them for when you need them, and then unleash hell.
- Your abilities are by now more impressive than your items (especially your ultimates, which can often end a battle). However, your items are still valuable and can give you a vital edge in battle when used strategically.
- Sphere of Annihilation and Cataclysm are appropriately named, because they will pretty much obliterate ANYTHING in the target area. That includes things you might prefer to keep un-obliterated, such as yourself.
- By now all your basic skills should be at their maximum levels, so you will get a Skill Point every time you level up.
- Your four characters will be split up during the first part of this quest. Assign a hotkey to each of them and be prepared to jump around the map often to control a hero where he is needed. This is going to require a lot of micomanagement, a great deal of vigilance, and very quick fingers.
- During the first part of your quest you can call for reinforcements by clicking on one of the Bell Towers in the towns you are protecting. These look like the Guard Towers from standard Warcraft III. Although the Bell Towers are not your colour, they do belong to you and you can use the 'Ring Alarm Bell' ability when you click on them. Ringing the alarm bell will cause the Guardians to send help to the outpost where you rang the bell.
- The Guardians can only help one town at a time and cannot be redeployed if they are currently in combat, so choose carefully where to call them to. It is usally best to reinforce a town where the hero is low on HP or MP just generally needs help to finish their opponents quickly.
- After defeating a wave of enemies attacking a town, it is probably a good idea to have the hero there rest.
- The enemy attack in waves of 4, with each wave attacking one town and (hopefully) you will have a brief break after each 4 waves. This would be a good time to save the game.
- Try your very best to protect the unit-producing buildings in the outposts. They will be very useful, both now and in the future.
- When the timer indicating Theros' return is about to expire (with about 3 minutes left), Morganem will launch his final 4 waves. After a wave completes, it may help to relocate the hero from that wave to another town to help them against their attackers. Since the final wave is very tough, having help from the other companions (and/or Sorin) can make it a lot easier to survive.
- The second part of the map features a huge battle. With so many enemy troops in one place, they're just begging for a Sphere of Annihilation or Cataclysm spell... just be sure not to hit any allies with it.
- Keep an eye on the Prince's and King's health. Though they sometimes retreat if badly wounded, it may be too late for them then. Try not to deploy the reinforcements if the hero leading them looks like he won't survive the battle.
- When Sera Poi finally joins you, you will have some time to distribute her skill points. However, you may not have enough time to read the descriptions of all her abilities before the battle begins... so, when Sera Poi joins you, save the game, then read the tooltips. After that, load the game and select the skills you want.
- When assaulting the enemy base, keep an eye on the allied heroes. Be especially careful that they don't get into a battle with the enemy heroes guarding the Portals too early, since they probably won't survive such an encounter. It's best to strke first, and take out the enemy heroes guarding the Portals before your allied heroes attract their attention.
- The very final battle is incredibly hard, and the enemies can quickly beat the companions into a pulp if you let them. However, you will be at full strength with full mana when facing them, so your best option is to end the battle as quickly as you can. Start by having all the heroes hold position, then casting Sera's Face of the Heavens over the battlefield - it will give you a significant advantage. Cast Sphere of Annihilation and Cataclym at your enemies, use Nature's Wrath if you get the chance, and feel free to follow this up with Psychic Onslaught, Unbridled Rage, Celerity, or basically anything in your arsenal that you can throw. Try to use any stun-inducing abilities you may have - even if the stun is brief - to interrupt the enemies should they use their devestating channeled Ultimates... which otherwise might well obliterate your entire party. Also, one of your enemies is likely to use a spell (called Sorcerous Seal) which will prevent the companions from attacking or using any spells for a brief period of time - if this happens, run for it until the spell's duration expires!
- It is not advisable to activate Sera's Healing Touch autocast unless you really want her to use it. Sera Poi's AI will prioritize healing over attacking, and that may not be a good thing.
- You will not reach your maximum experience level in Chapter V. Obviously.
- Morganem's forces will attack relentlessly and mercilessly. SAVE OFTEN.
- Don't expect to find Raziel from the Legacy of Kain series in this game. I've been using the name Soul Reaver for my RPG alter-ego since long before even the first Blood Omen came out. The Soul Reaver in this map is an original character.
Storyline FAQ:
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Q: What exactly is a 'Nephilim'?
A: A Nephilim is a being that is part-angel. In Sera Poi's case, her father Kawanua is a fallen angel, and her mother, Samantha (now deceased), is an elf.
Q: Who are the Guardians?
A: They are an order of mortal warriors, priests and Paladins, sworn to protect these lands. They worship a god called Radgar.
Q: Alright then, if they are just mortal humans, then why are the Guardians (and the King and Prince heroes especially) so powerful?
A: The Templar Knights and Marksmen are equipped by the finest blacksmiths and trained from childhood for their sacred duty. The Clerics channel powerful divine magic granted to them by Radgar. And the Prince and King are from a family that was infused with some divine blood ages ago by Radgar himself so that they might fulfill their holy vows. This is why the King and Prince are a lot stronger than most mortal human heroes would normally be.
Q: During the victory cinematic, Soul Reaver makes some allusion to his past. What does he mean? And is it relevant?
A: Soul Reaver has a very long and tragic past, and relating it all would take far too long. Suffice to say that in the past, Soul Reaver killed his own son in order to preserve his ideals of honor and justice. He sees it as the moment where he severed his last ties with mortality and became an immortal hero - sacrificing his own happiness in the process. And no, it's not relevant to the overall plot, but it is part of what makes Soul Reaver who he is.
Q: Wait, wasn't there once a character called 'Clutchfiend'? Why is he called 'Cameron Aileron' now?
A: Ah, retcons, the bane of my existence. The guy who invented the character of Clutchfiend recently retconned his background (and name). Since I liked the changes he made though, I incorporated them into To the Bitter End. Thus, all references to 'Clutchfiend' have been changed to 'Cameron Aileron' from version 0.7.04 onwards.
Q: What's the name of that cool song you used for this map?
A: "Karma", by "Kamelot". Buy the album, it's worth it.
Special Thanks/Credits:
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- Me, for being insane enough to make this all by myself.
- Cameron, Kitharsis, Fei and all the other writers, past, present and future, at The Administorum. That place wouldn't be what it is without you guys.
- Larc for helping me with some weapon models. You were quick, efficient and extremely helpful in resolving a major map issue. Thank you!
- Thanks to all the folks at The War Center map making forums (http://www.thewarcenter.com/forums/index.php?showforum=11) for helping me in my early days and inspiring me to keep trying. Special thanks to 1)ragonspawn for helping teach me how to deal with memory leaks.
- Everyone who submits their custom abilities and spells freely for use at www.wc3campaigns.net. You helped teach me how to do this stuff and provided a lot of inspiration.
- Warnicro from war3.incgamers.com. You put a lot of work into getting my map links working and then even put them up as featured maps, not to mention all the other help and comments you've been prepared to offer. I really appreciate all your efforts.
- Filefront for offering me the chance to host my maps there.
- Kamelot for creating the music I used. I don't claim to have written this myself.
- Everyone who play-tested the maps and gave me feedback. Thank you for taking the time to play.
- All the fans. It means very much to me to know that you enjoy my work.
- Everyone who gives me constructive feedback or takes an interest here. Thank you in advance.
Screenshots:
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Tell me what you think! E-mail me (
[email protected]) if you have comments or questions about 'Reunion', the 'To the Bitter End' campaign, the Multiverse, or Soul Reaver.
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Please do not redistribute or modify these files without my permission. These map files are not to be sold for profit.
Keywords:
Action, RPG, Single Player, SP, To the Bitter End, Multiverse, Soul Reaver, Fei Serumen, Cameron Aileron, Kitharsis, Sera Poi, Morganem
Approved
