New Content Discussion [SPOILER]

[nchp1903]

Something never before seen, but will also be implemented in the entire True Story. I'm gonna take a few wild guesses:

Spoiler

• Kasrkin Mode/New Game Plus: The least likely, due to balancing reasons, and how much efforts it require to make it both challenging and fun.
• New mechanics: Perhaps Leadership Bonis are now the norms, so each race/faction may have something new to play with. Also pretty unlikely imo.
• Multiple playable factions in one mission: The next released chapter has a high chance to be A Dish Best Served Cold, which is the only mission that allows us to switch side in the SOB (End of Orckind doesn't count, bc we play as Redfist from start to end), and said feature will also be in the same update, so I put it in the somewhat-likely tier.
• Pickable heroes: Many heroes already reached level 9-10, so instead of putting all of them under the player's control, we can pick 2-3 of them and their associated Bonis. It's a decent way to add back choices, without severely affecting the story. Again, somewhat likely.
• Short story maps: As we play, we can unlock character-specific chapters, with either their backstory or Tales references. I'd love if this happens, but this is very unlikely.
• Custom loading screens: I like the map thingy in the SHB loading screens, so if we can have that back, that'd be nice. This falls in the pretty-likely category imo.

I can only hope that at least one of these will be close to the mark.

 

[Fan_of_Aeroblyctos]

I enjoyed playing this mission. Thanks once again Shar Dundred!

A few things I realized:

• I possessed Loraine right away. Afterwards, for a loooooooooong time, the dwarves and golden guard never attacked me, and only attacked the demons. I only used my flying units to attack the demons.
• at some points, I cleared a path across the trees with the catapults to reach the big demons on the right side of the map, without killing the golden guard outpost. After defeating the demons and building an outpost myself (at the spot where the big demons were), all of a sudden, the dwarves and the golden guard attacked relentlessly, both the mainbase and the outpost. I don't know if that's a bug or not, but it was a challenge. In parallel, they slowed significantly their attacks against the demon main base.

 

[Navy45]

I just played A dish Best Served Cold :

ChoiceSpoilers

This kind of choices sure is nostalgic. Though of course the outcome has to remain the same (though I hope for some differences dowsn the road). Still, it was fun to play with some of the Wolf units (I hope we'll get to plays more of the regiments in future chapters). Also seeing Aedale blast Rath point blank was hilarious ! Aedale and Zoia's conversation was quite endearing (though the way it starts is a bit weird if you kill Blen with Zoia. I really hope Aedale doesn't end like the corrupted route of the SHB (Not necessarily having her win, but at least have some of her personnality still alive). Quite funny how Inara let's go of her hate and abandons Rath the moment the Wolf regiment has taken the keep and killed Blen. (either Lokar is a master diplomat, or something funny is going on)

• As for the gameplay, the chapter is definitely less nightmarish than before (the lack of a fully powered Aedale and her legions of demons must help. Inara too).
• No more Darkmind Avengers
• 
  
• The renforcements' wave is brutal but can always be flanked.
• Overall I feel like the level flows way better (no more required tower spamming on the castle entrance)
• Maybe have some blood or a death cry when Blen is killed.
• Illustrations are probably the last thing I would have expected but they are really nice.
• Couple bugs : Inara's poison doesn't seem to overwrite her spiders'. Meaning that if a unit has been poisoned by her spiders, even if Inara attacks them, their movement and attack speed won't be reduced. Rath's ulti gets interupted if he is ordered to move even if the order is given to a group (contrary to other channelled abilities)

Also, kind of unrelated, but I just replayed slave of the demons and the undead have access to a tech that buff obsidian statues' mana regen and decrease destroyers' mana loss. Is that a Splecir specific tech or is that a forgotten remnant of the FUB ? (Wouldn't be against bringing it back, not having to change obsidian statues every couple minutes would be a blessing)

 

[Apprentice Darkmoon]

Finished the new chapter, but before that:
-I like the new boni in "Hunter and prey". I literally return to use full flying assaults during the mission.
-The drawings during the cinematics are really helpful and pretty, helping you to imagine how the heroes are.
Now, Act seven, chapter two:
-I really appreciate that Inara is with us. Jeez, the chapter is much better with both Rath and her.
-I choose the Rath's boni. The Golden guard faced the wrath of the Darkmind >
-So... the moment I destroyed the last castle and then the wolves appear... Fortunately I managed to retreat as much units as I could before the cursed wolf knights reach me.
-What happen with the high raking dude that is the owner of the fortress? I just destroyed the base and didn't see him around. I suppose the wolves teared him apart.
-The moment Rath ordered Inara to stay behind I knew that his fate was sealed.
-I choose Rath cuz well, he wants Greymoore death at all cost.
-So, what happened next blowed my mind. Zoia and Aedale's interaction was like a punch in the face. NEVER expected that, and I don't thing the wolf lady was lying. And Zoia did before she leaves... that was so hilarious.
-Glad that Inara is alive. I like her a lot and surely she would be a fine new chieftain for the Darkmind clan. I can't wait to use her in Salria, and she's going to find the truth criminal in her suffering: the wolf regiment.

I can't wait for Salria, but at the same time I want to invade the Elven Kingdom right now XD.
Nice Job, Mr. Dundred and all who are part of the series.

 

[VastanX]

I played the new version of map 1 and the new mission.

- I like the changes in mission 1. They are good items but nothing crazy.

new mission

• It is much more enjoyable to play than the original quest from the second orc book.
• To be honest I don't see anything wrong with the gameplay or how the mission is designed.

Suggestion.

• Maybe send a message when you kill the whole wolf army. I felt that Rath must have said something (or Inara).
• If you choose Rath. Zoia should escape rather than die, then make her appear in the final cutscene. It looks weird for her to show up again.

 

[jitao]

So why did the low ranking officers of the royal army torture Blen without Golden Guard's permission? i don't remember them having personal vendetta with Blen.

 

[MyPad]

Having played the newest chapter (unfortunately, with cheats, since I didn't have enough time to play it normally), here are my thoughts on the added lore:

- Interesting to see Zoia and Aedale appear in the mission. The looming presence of the former in the first two thirds of the mission builds up her eventual appearance in the final third part.

- Quite a reveal on Blen's part! All I can say is that the thoughts on Selior's mind helped shape my perspective on Blen as someone who is less noble than he lets on. This is further reinforced by the notion that Blen went out to buy some milk and Blen rarely, if ever looked back.

- Another interesting thing to see is that Zoia did not intend to kill Blen initially. We can also see that Zoia, while hateful of Blen, would at least put in some effort to collaborate in the accomplishment of their shared goals.

- Alas, if Blen were the noble character he presents himself to be, he wouldn't have brought his own death to himself. Also, Blen could've at least confronted Zoia about their conflict, even if it has to be in secret.

- Moving on, Rath has been fully consumed by bloodlust at this point. If The Bull and the Wolf Rath was present alongside current Rath, younger Rath would've tried to discourage current Rath from his path of death. Younger Rath might hear about what happened to the Darkmind Clan, but because he wouldn't have experienced it as the current Rath had, younger Rath would have more likely listened to Lokar and even abandon his current self as well.

- It would've been interesting to see Lokar attempting to convince Inara to back off from her path of vengeance at the third part of the mission. That way, it doesn't appear to come right out of the blue. Besides, Rath won't hear it anyways.

- Talk about an interesting development between Zoia and Aedale. Just as Zoia's sister was wooed by Blen, Zoia wooed Aedale with a gentle kiss in the cheek. Can't say if this is in the heat of the moment or not, but I'm interested to see this further develop.

- Finally, the big surprise: Aedale is her father's daughter. When her sub-ordinate (hyphens intentionally placed) points out obvious things, she berates him harshly. Unfortunately, she hasn't escaped the cycle of abuse, now becoming the abuser to one who does not have to power to even resist.

 

[Enki555]

Phew that was hell of a ride!
-No Darkmind Avengers; that makes sense tho as in previous incarnation we faced not only Imperial army but also Subjugated Demons and Order of Flame, all with extremely op rosters. Yet full Golden Guard roster was still a pain; angelics to nuke my casters and deal heavy damage to all forces due to heavy armor, executors and heroes to kite down demolishers (so smart AI) with endless buff by war priests, and most horrifically, siege tanks to obliterate all ranged units if not kite em right away. I chose Inara's boni; that was useful in taking out those damned war eagles and their dps meshed well with Inara's and demolisher's flame. After taking out entrance bases, all of my first waves got obliterated by armies attacking at once. So, my new roster was thus: 7/8 cyclops (lost the overlord cyclops early :")), 6 demolishers, 5/6 warlords, 3 witch doctors, 3 shamans, 4/5 vengeful spiders along with op Inara and Rath. Pretty much stood toe to toe, but had to sneak peon and build forward bases as eastern armies ignore new ones and go for main or new base near the new gold mine; to keep the momentum intact. Make sure to fortify main base so they will repel all air and survive two main golden guard attack as the game goes mid. And synergize well with Darkmind attacks and Vipers as they will help so much in pushing. The sudden appearance of Wolf Regiment was most surprising as it made situation kinda chaotic. Yet after letting them break thro' last base, attack em from behind and obliterate both Golden Guard and Wolves then easy win.
-"I saw that ending miles away"- Lanaya; kinda my hunch. I knew chance of Blen dying was high . When Rath killed him, he had that coming; obliterated by vengeful demoness. When he also deserted Inara, he sealed his fate. If Inara was present... I can actually imagine things would be FAR different in long run; Zoia would be killed as Inara's rage will burn. Aedale and Inara might die in a draw after Aedale kills Rath with Chevaran also killed; Or mbe Aedale would've let Inara go if Rath kills Blen and reasons with Inara. This would mean; Wolf Regiment leaderless, Darkmind leaderless, and/or Redfist not defeated thro' subtlety; Lisara dying without her revenge fulfilled... Well, if Undead pays visit, they will have many champions at once. Fallen Blen, Fallen Zoia, Fallen Aedale (Ornasion would also finally get his fallen lady), Fallen Rath, Fallen Inara... yikes.
-So, Blen has daughter? Will she be relevant in future stories? Would like to see Blen's ex-wife and what her occupation would be in future war. Also, kisses of Zoia... is that "foreshadowing"? Kisses of enemy or... affection? Yet to see interactions between Aedale and Zoia... that was the fine surprise. If Aedale went to Salria with Zoia... I can imagine how much chaos it would've brought. As for fate of Zoia, if she survives Bonelords and Dominion attack, she and her regiment would join Ironfist against Van Durce that's assured. Yet Inara might also take her revenge on her... That rlly made the future of true story thrilling. With she openly rebelled against Van Durce, her only salvation is with Ironfist. Inara as the leader of Darkmind suits. Only if Blen didn't overreact in Lor, he would be alive by now; perhaps Zoia would send rescue forces to retrieve him despite her spite for shared goals.
-I expect next mission to be truly an incursion of Elven Forest by Undead, tho Salrian skirmish might also be a dawn. Keep going, Shar

 

[VastanX]

So why did the low ranking officers of the royal army torture Blen without Golden Guard's permission? i don't remember them having personal vendetta with Blen.

I think it's just because of the GG's sense of superiority over the people of the kingdoms. Having their Hero at their mercy with common soldiers... is not the most sensible thing to do. They see them as second-class people.

 

[nchp1903]

Finally, my favorite chapter is released, and I was having a lot of fun playing it.

Spoiler: Gameplay

• So instead of having Demons, we now have to face five Golden Guard captains. However, with Inara, her crit + Chaos damage can literally obliterate any heroic units. If she comes to Salria, then I hope she'll be there to face the Bonelords.
• Paladins without Legacy of Salomar/Praxeus's Boni are not that scary. Although, when paired with Angelics, they become a bit deadlier than just glorified time wasters.
• Inara's Spiders are also pretty good, and even better with Bloodlust. Rath's Boni is fine, but I can't exactly pass out on having an army that can apply insane DoT. Also, allies' attack waves are strong af, which is refreshing. (cough Lord of Shadows cough Thanok)
• As for Dripping Venom not stacking with Envenomed Weapons like stated above by Navy45, I think it can be fixed by using the Slow Poison buffs for Dripping Venom instead.
• After the final base is down, I was surprised by the Wolf Regiment, and as any sane person would do, I try to stop them only to have my entire 100-supply army shredded by Commander Darkfang. He ended up taking down a ton of Golden Guards, before dying himself. (Like seriously, this guy is like the only hero whose base damage almost reaches 200. What is he armed with? Protoss Warp Blades?)
• The final confrontation is a bit harder on Zoia's side, because her units are quite squishy. However, with Unholy Frenzy + Bloodlust, Zoia can dish out good damage to Rath, effectively killing him before he kills her.
• On Rath's side, I thought he actually killed Zoia, so imagine my surprise when I see her reappear. I guess the more sensible thing to do is to set her to 1 HP, make her invulnerable, and play her death animation.

Spoiler: Story

• So Blen is not as good as he seems, but this is all according to Zoia, who hates him a lot. Yes, there's a high probability that Zoia's speaking truth, but she may have omitted some details, regarding family matters, her sister, and herself. I kinda want a full Tale on this.
• Anyway, Blen doesn't strike me as the irresponsible type. During the early chapters, he did quite a good job as a general, so maybe he's the type to hate settling down, afraid of Zoia and Darkfang (which causes his paranoia in Betrayal). It's like, when he raises from a normal person to an esteemed general, he knows that the life of fighting and violence is for him, so he refuses to return to the life of a 'normal' person.
• With Blen's fate from both endings in the original Second Books now...Blen'ded into one (pls laugh), I guess that from far away, Brian and Amari are also watching this battle? Will we have something like Shadow Blen/Shadow Rath, or if Aridon arrives first (which is unlikely), Risen Blen/Risen Rath?
• At the end, Inara stays away from Rath for like two seconds, and immediately she begins to think straight again. What a coincidence.
• Zoia kisses Aedale to sway her to her side/away from the Demon's side, or does she really think of Aedale as a foolish sister? Anyway, we need Merlon to send in his Terror fleet, because the shippers are coming in full force. One of them might be me.
• The Grey Guard Commander no longer accompanies Aedale, but I guess he's aware of Blen's torture nonetheless. I'm guessing the rest of the Grey Guard will join the Ironfist, because after all, Gardon vouches for Blen, and he can use some extra men in those hard times.
• I wonder what van Durce will do to the Wolf Regiment, now the Zoia is leading them to Salria. Will he be arrogant enough to spread his force thin, or will he focus on dealing with Gardon?
• Also, just want to say that Cheveran looks better in Dark Red, and I appreciate VastanX to draw Zoia with thicc thighs. Truly one of the Generals of all time.

 

[Vindicator777]

Awesome chapter. Very intense.
What happened to Rath if i choose Zoia?

 

[nchp1903]

Awesome chapter. Very intense.
What happened to Rath if i choose Zoia?

We'll play as the Wolf Regiment, and Rath's items (except Selior's head) will be dropped on Zoia's side for her to pick up. Then, Zoia would kill Rath and Blen, and the final cinematic remains the same.

 

[Vindicator777]

We'll play as the Wolf Regiment, and Rath's items (except Selior's head) will be dropped on Zoia's side for her to pick up. Then, Zoia would kill Rath and Blen, and the final cinematic remains the same.

Oh no
I'm glad that i choose Rath. His outcome with Blen still better after all.

 

[averagestudent.]

love the latest chapter but I'm still curious about what happened to harmos was he imprisoned in another place?

 

[Shar Dundred]

Maybe have some blood or a death cry when Blen is killed.

There should be a death cry. You sure your sound wasn't turned off?
If not then I suppose WC3 has decided not to give Blen that.

-The drawings during the cinematics are really helpful and pretty, helping you to imagine how the heroes are.

Good to hear that!
Friendly reminder to everyone to give some feedback regarding this new change.

So why did the low ranking officers of the royal army torture Blen without Golden Guard's permission? i don't remember them having personal vendetta with Blen.

They weren't acting on anybody's orders and only knew that Blen was an Imperial who was probably
a demon slave - and the people of the Kingdoms don't like their kind.
Basically, they were being assholes and the Golden Guard captain didn't care to check if Blen was fine..

Having played the newest chapter (unfortunately, with cheats, since I didn't have enough time to play it normally), here are my thoughts on the added lore:

Looking forward to your gameplay analysis.

- Another interesting thing to see is that Zoia did not intend to kill Blen initially. We can also see that Zoia, while hateful of Blen, would at least put in some effort to collaborate in the accomplishment of their shared goals.

Yep.

- Moving on, Rath has been fully consumed by bloodlust at this point. If The Bull and the Wolf Rath was present alongside current Rath, younger Rath would've tried to discourage current Rath from his path of death. Younger Rath might hear about what happened to the Darkmind Clan, but because he wouldn't have experienced it as the current Rath had, younger Rath would have more likely listened to Lokar and even abandon his current self as well.

Oh yes, definitely. But after all that has happened since then... Rath was no longer the Orc he used to be.

Paladins without Legacy of Salomar/Praxeus's Boni are not that scary. Although, when paired with Angelics, they become a bit deadlier than just glorified time wasters.

They actually have the former upgrade.

What is he armed with? Protoss Warp Blades?

Darkfang of Korprulu Sector confirmed?

I wonder what van Durce will do to the Wolf Regiment, now the Zoia is leading them to Salria. Will he be arrogant enough to spread his force thin, or will he focus on dealing with Gardon?

There were no survivors to tell him what happened - except the Orcs but what kind of Golden Guard commander
would listen to what they have to say?!

 

[Zergy]

Shar Dundred, I have played the last mission and I have to say it was... SPECTACULAR!

Reasons:
1.) You fixed the main issue with this chapter. A lack of Healing mobile healing Sources.
2.) You made the map more Manageable! Now I can spam Avenge without worrying about Stupid FellHounds Manaburning RATH!
3.) Making the Golden Guard, instead of the Kasrkin, Harmos, and Aedel's armies, guarding Blenn makes far more sense!
4.) YOU SON OF A GUN! YOU ACTUALLY CAUGHT ME OFF GUARD when the Wolf Regiment attacked! I didn't expect their visit!
5.) The Character Development and choices were a really good addition to this mission!

(Slow Claps with Parise) You both surprised me and made my day, Shar! You deserve a break Shar Durndred! I'm looking forward to seeing what are your plans for the Orcs and their Tribal Dominion. MURLOCS AND PIG MEN?! COUNT ME IN!

FOR THE TRIBAL DOMINION!

 

[Hardric62]

Just finished the map, and I have to say, the chaos of the final part of the battle was quite the nice thing to behold with Golden Guard, Wolves and Darkmind all killing each other in the flaming wreck of the Golden Guard's main base. Went for Zoia in the finale, six for watching a bit the Wolf new Toys, half a dozen to stress how irrelevant Rath eventually got, off-screened in some way.

But I have a take of my own on Inara and her reactions at the end here...:

Spoiler

She didn't 'change her mind' or something. Besides being groomed a deniable assassin for Blen, I'd say Zoia might have also have her gotten brainwashed/reprogrammed more thoroughly than people thought, and once Kill Blen was done, next part was Ingratiate Yourself To Nearest Orc, to be a threat from within to them. Signal them to WOlf, assassination, advising them towards suicide goals, sky's the limit for a good sleeper agent.

 

[Deleted member 304046]

Just finished the map, and I have to say, the chaos of the final part of the battle was quite the nice thing to behold with Golden Guard, Wolves and Darkmind all killing each other in the flaming wreck of the Golden Guard's main base. Went for Zoia in the finale, six for watching a bit the Wolf new Toys, half a dozen to stress how irrelevant Rath eventually got, off-screened in some way.

But I have a take of my own on Inara and her reactions at the end here...:

Spoiler

She didn't 'change her mind' or something. Besides being groomed a deniable assassin for Blen, I'd say Zoia might have also have her gotten brainwashed/reprogrammed more thoroughly than people thought, and once Kill Blen was done, next part was Ingratiate Yourself To Nearest Orc, to be a threat from within to them. Signal them to WOlf, assassination, advising them towards suicide goals, sky's the limit for a good sleeper agent.

Decided to briefly log, drop in and leave my comment in regards to your post.

Spoiler

Inara being a possible spy/sleeper agent and being somehow brainwashed / reprogrammed is an interesting theory and I've seen other people guessing that. In this case, her change in demeanor regarding the need to seek revenge is rather abrupt. Throughout the entire time, most of this chapter included, she was so obsessed with vengeance and killing Blen, yet at the end she suddenly lets go of her anger in an instant and there's something about her words and the way she spoke that felt "off". Unless she was being pragmatic (still wanting vengeance, but realizing that it was time to abandon Rath's pursuits) and/or came to her senses (female Orcs in Arkain seem to be more rational than their male counterparts), her shift from wanting Blen's death to moving away from her anger is way very quick, maybe even uncharacteristically so. Not to mention that Zoia was seemingly quite knowledgeable about the Orcs and knew Rath's name.

The only thing that would contradict this theory is the fact that the Orcs are immune to manipulation. They can be tricked, but not manipulated. Neither Aridon, nor the Dark One or the Demons would be able to control the orcs (though one wonders how Mog'thar, who are somehow related to the Orcs, came under the Dark One's servitude) and Gardon's amulet magic would not work on them as well. Sure, Zoia and the Wolf Regiment were able to force Inara into fighting other orc women as the gladiators and they could trick her into thinking that Blen Greymoore was behind her suffering, but whether they were able to actually outright manipulate and control her is uncertain.

Not trying to disagree with you, I was just wondering how it relates with the orcs' immunity to manipulation.

 

[Mvicio]

First of all. The addition of drawings during the cinematics was unexpected but works really good. Arkain keeps improving!. A pity i can´t contribute with amazing arts.
Second. The Kazardius Boni is much more useful than Meya´s.

Now lets get into the review of the new chapter:

Act Seven Chapter Two.
-So the Royal Guard tortured Blen because? I know that the human from the kingdoms (especially Kerrel) dont like the imperials but he is a high ranking general that fought against the demons and orcs a lot of times.
-Even the Golden Guard generals can´t forgive an error, even if the one who got tortured is a "traitor".
-So since Inara brings the spiders anyway, killing the big spider with Rangul and Rath does nothing? That´s new
-The first 2 basses were a breeze, however the other 3...
-Hint, dont build in the entrance, why would that be? Oh right the wolves.... I lost a complete army to them, then they destroyed the golden guard army and finally we can end this golden heads.
-I picked Zoia, she made much more sense. Also i find her more interesting.
-So Blen went to buy tobacco to a pretty far away shop huh? Zoia can´t be lying about that one.
-The conversation between Aedale and Zoia was amazing, I think Zoia thinks of Aedale as her sister, since her army only have black knights, wolves and werewolves, she was the closest to a sister in that moment.
-Did Harmos already escaped during this siege?
-Inara left Rath for 20 min, then she thinks about his clan, the future and how the hatred against a single general was madness... That can´t be right, i think she´ll clash with Zoia in Salria. Also i hope that Zoia joins Gardon and Blackfang is the one that fights the orcs and dies to the undead.

- Finally, the big surprise: Aedale is her father's daughter. When her sub-ordinate (hyphens intentionally placed) points out obvious things, she berates him harshly. Unfortunately, she hasn't escaped the cycle of abuse, now becoming the abuser to one who does not have to power to even resist.

Well, if the things we know about Cheveran are true, he can´t complain at all. At least Cora is nice to her soldiers... For now.

After the final base is down, I was surprised by the Wolf Regiment, and as any sane person would do,

Indeed. I expected a huge force of the golden guard arriving to attack me, something around the same food army as Whitefield´s army. But the wolf regiment was unexpected.

She didn't 'change her mind' or something. Besides being groomed a deniable assassin for Blen, I'd say Zoia might have also have her gotten brainwashed/reprogrammed more thoroughly than people thought, and once Kill Blen was done, next part was Ingratiate Yourself To Nearest Orc, to be a threat from within to them. Signal them to WOlf, assassination, advising them towards suicide goals, sky's the limit for a good sleeper agent.

She knew that the Darkmind needed a new chieftain. Rath and Argath were blinded by hatred and vengeance, but half his clan was from the minor clans, so they only followed because of duty. With both of them gone, the next in the line is Inara, who wants to change (or at least that´s what she implies) and join Rangul on Salria. Maybe during the 1-2 weeks they were together, she have learned a couple of things from Chad-Lokar.

Really nice chapter Shar!

 

[Vindicator777]

So Van Durce lost castle and atleast five generals. Hmm

 

[nchp1903]

The only thing that would contradict this theory is the fact that the Orcs are immune to manipulation. They can be tricked, but not manipulated. Neither Aridon, nor the Dark One or the Demons would be able to control the orcs (though one wonders how Mog'thar, who are somehow related to the Orcs, came under the Dark One's servitude) and Gardon's amulet magic would not work on them as well. Sure, Zoia and the Wolf Regiment were able to force Inara into fighting other orc women as the gladiators and they could trick her into thinking that Blen Greymoore was behind her suffering, but whether they were able to actually outright manipulate and control her is uncertain.

I think they are just immune to magical manipulation, not psychological manipulation. As for why Inara suddenly changes her mind, we need to recall an event in "Wrath of the Darkmind". A Darkmind Tracker called out Rath, said that his vengeance was such a 'human thing to do', and was immediately sacked. So, we can see that during his fit of rage, Rath chose to surround himself with equally bloodthirsty Orcs like him, instead of sane ones, their anger fueling his and vice versa. Inara was in this situation as well, but just a moment of thinking straight was enough for her to see that "this ain't right. Lokar was right to abandon this mf, etc, etc..."

Well, if the things we know about Cheveran are true, he can´t complain at all. At least Cora is nice to her soldiers... For now.

Shar confirmed that all of his evil deeds stated by Lisara are all truth, so I'm pretty sure he deserves to be treated like that.

There were no survivors to tell him what happened - except the Orcs but what kind of Golden Guard commander
would listen to what they have to say?!

I'm guessing they can piece together the evidence, if the Wolf Regiment leaves a few corpses among the castle's wreckage? Also, is Commander Darkfang dead yet, or will he return to haunt the Dominion later on?

So Van Durce lost castle and atleast five generals. Hmm

I think they're just four Captains and one Commander. Still, a good golden bastard is a dead one, right?

 

[Deleted member 304046]

I think they are just immune to magical manipulation, not psychological manipulation. As for why Inara suddenly changes her mind, we need to recall an event in "Wrath of the Darkmind". A Darkmind Tracker called out Rath, said that his vengeance was such a 'human thing to do', and was immediately sacked. So, we can see that during his fit of rage, Rath chose to surround himself with equally bloodthirsty Orcs like him, instead of sane ones, their anger fueling his and vice versa. Inara was in this situation as well, but just a moment of thinking straight was enough for her to see that "this ain't right. Lokar was right to abandon this mf, etc, etc..."

While I do not necessarily think that Inara is a brainwashed spy or sleeper agent (I just understood why people reasoned that this is the case), I think that she should not have moved away from her feelings of hatred and vengeance that quickly, especially given how horrible her experiences were. Sure, she may have had a moment of thinking straight and realized Rath's folly, but it would make more sense for her to retain some desire for retribution, just that it doesn't get in the way of the rest of the Orcs and their lives. Something like Okri (who wants revenge on the Destroyer, but won't let that cloud her judgement), but darker.

While the chapter is great as it is, one piece of feedback that I would like to give is that maybe there could have been some small focus/emphasis on Inara. For example, after the dialogue between Rath and Darkfang, Inara could have said something like "Hm…", while during the final cutscenes, after she says that she can not help herself (in regards to Blen being killed), she could question why Wolf Regiment were here (as in, the Imperials decided to imprison and punish Blen, yet another group of Imperials showed up and decided to attack their own people). Sure, Inara may have thought that the wolves were there to free Blen, but perhaps she could have began to have some confusion and doubts regarding Blen's culpability and role in her suffering. While the focus of this chapter was Rath, Blen, Aedale and Zoia (who is surprisingly quite likeable in this instance and I enjoyed her interactions with Aedale), I do think that there should have been some slight development for Inara. Then again, Shar most likely has something planned for her and I am just very invested in Inara and her story. I actually regard her in the similar, if not the same way that the Destroyer is regarded by Jayborino. If I were to make another version of Arkain character tier list, the highest tier would be called Inara or "the Boss/The Grandmaster" and she would be the sole character placed there.

 

[Navy45]

There should be a death cry. You sure your sound wasn't turned off?

My bad. My game usually has trouble with cinematic sounds unless the camera is almost on the source of the sound, so I guess this one is on me ^^

 

[Ѳbserver]

My bad. My game usually has trouble with cinematic sounds unless the camera is almost on the source of the sound, so I guess this one is on me ^^

I didn't hear a death sound either, but I play on 1.31 sooo . . . .

 

[merlockqueen]

Spoiler: my findings

for me the body disaperd and died after zoia attacked but didnt make any noise or disappear in the Rath version

 

[LISBOAH]

Finally had time to review the two newest chapters

Act Seven, Chapter One:
-I quite like the new artwork. Props to @VastanX for it

Act Seven, Chapter Two
-Wait, so the Royal Army were the ones that tortured Blen in this timeline? Wow, what excuse could they be having? Or were they secret servants of Genethas that were still hidden in order to cause chaos among the Imperial ranks? Imagine if Gardon finds out and decides to keep it a secret just in case the Royals attempt to undermine him later on. Dorten is losing more and more his supposed moral high ground against the Imperials
-Intro cinematic: "... Waiting years for this very moment..." --> "Waiting for years for this very moment..."
-The magical barriers that are between the first two levels of the fortress are pretty much useless since we can use the side paths to go to the second level.
-Zoia allowing the Darkmind Clan to destroy as much as they could simply to ease her job to reach and kill Greymoore was such a Zoia thing to do XD
-On my first try, I got overwhelmed by the Wolf Regiment. So in the second try, I used a different approach. I focused mostly on destroying the Golden Guard castles in order to detroy the barriers, while leaving the other buildings intact, and then I retreated to a safe location for my units to heal. This made the Golden Guard deal with the Wolf Regiment and my allies, while I pushed forward to the main Golden Guard base.
-At the final part, I chose Zoia just for the chance to play as her, since we haven't been able since Act One. Plus, I wanted to deny Rath the chance to get his revenge
-Love that even though the Wolf Regiment were the ones that tortured the Darkmind survivors, the Darkmind orcs' wrath is still focused on Greymoore. Inara doesn't even seem to remember who her torturers were.
-I wonder if Lisara was behind Aedale not killing Zoia right there after the latter killed Blen. I was expecting for her to do so.
-While I understand Zoia's reason to hate Blen, her wanting to kill him seems a bit extreme. Now, if her sister had fallen to despair and commited suicide, that would have made much more sense
-If Adeale knew that the Redfist were heading to Salria in order to deal with the orcs, she would have joined Zoia right away
-And a new possible ship was formed Zoia x Aedale
-Ok, I appear to be missing something. Both before and during this mission, Isara was 100% on Rath's side on wanting to kill Greymoore no matter the cost and killing as many humans as possible. In this mission, she even says that the humans deserved to die simply for them being humans. But after Rath told her to stay behind, she suddenly becomes calmer and agrees to retreat alongside the Ironthunder Clan.

 

[Vindicator777]

Actually Rath first orc major character who getting killed in True Story. I wonder who will be next.

 

[LISBOAH]

Actually Rath first orc major character who getting killed in True Story. I wonder who will be next.

Let's analyze:
-Sasrogarn: an incompetent and cowardly orc that uses Grofzag to do his work, is on Amari's list, is on Redfist's list
-Gorthog: attempting to undermine Amari's plans, is on Redfist's list
-Ephrog: is on Amari's list, is one of the orcs that burned Redfist's mansion, is on Gorthog's side, is on Redfist's list
-Rangul: one of the orcs that burned Redfist's mansion, is on Redfist's list
-The Destroyer: is on Okri's list, is on Gorthog's side, is on Redfist's list

My bet is on Ephrog and/or Rangul. Amari will not kill others until they become actual hindrances

 

[nchp1903]

And a new possible ship was formed Zoia x Aedale

I have the same idea, but the more I think of it, the more I think it is a mistake.

-While I understand Zoia's reason to hate Blen, her wanting to kill him seems a bit extreme. Now, if her sister had fallen to despair and commited suicide, that would have made much more sense

Not that extreme tbh. Because if Zoia spoke the truth, then in her perspective, Blen had been actively trying to avoid her sister, her niece, her father, and her, without a single letter or apology.

Gorthog: attempting to undermine Amari's plans, is on Redfist's list

I think in one of the Tales, Dorbric beat him to death if I remember it right.
The others you mentioned will die sooner or later, so I'm now more curious about the fate of Goldaxe, specifically Hortnog, Dogran and Maronogin.

 

[Vindicator777]

Let's analyze:
-Sasrogarn: an incompetent and cowardly orc that uses Grofzag to do his work, is on Amari's list, is on Redfist's list
-Gorthog: attempting to undermine Amari's plans, is on Redfist's list
-Ephrog: is on Amari's list, is one of the orcs that burned Redfist's mansion, is on Gorthog's side, is on Redfist's list
-Rangul: one of the orcs that burned Redfist's mansion, is on Redfist's list
-The Destroyer: is on Okri's list, is on Gorthog's side, is on Redfist's list

My bet is on Ephrog and/or Rangul. Amari will not kill others until they become actual hindrances

I agree with you're list. I think interlude "The Duke" would be the same, with couple new scenes. Sas would be killed by the end act 9 or 10. About Gorthog and Destroyer i'm not sure about their fate.

I have the same idea, but the more I think of it, the more I think it is a mistake.

Not that extreme tbh. Because if Zoia spoke the truth, then in her perspective, Blen had been actively trying to avoid her sister, her niece, her father, and her, without a single letter or apology.


I think in one of the Tales, Dorbric beat him to death if I remember it right.
The others you mentioned will die sooner or later, so I'm now more curious about the fate of Goldaxe, specifically Hortnog, Dogran and Maronogin.

What happened to Blen in Tales of Arkain?

 

[merlockqueen]

About Zoia's hatred for Blen i found one her turns of speech interesting she mentions that her sister returned to the family manor but she just mentions the sister no mention of what happened to the daughter so she could be dead probably not i just thought it was interesting we dont really know where the daughter is or what fate entails for the only "know" child of Glen Blenmore (im not fixing that spelling).

 

[LISBOAH]

About Zoia's hatred for Blen i found one her turns of speech interesting she mentions that her sister returned to the family manor but she just mentions the sister no mention of what happened to the daughter so she could be dead probably not i just thought it was interesting we dont really know where the daughter is or what fate entails for the only "know" child of Glen Blenmore (im not fixing that spelling).

I'll be honest.
After seeing that scene between Zoia and Aedale, I, for a couple of seconds, pondered the possibility of Aedale actually being Blen's daughter and Zoia's niece!

 

[Shar Dundred]

So the sounds doesn't work, interesting.

for me the body disaperd and died after zoia attacked

An issue caused by whosyourdaddy.

-The magical barriers that are between the first two levels of the fortress are pretty much useless since we can use the side paths to go to the second level.

The barriers are there to clear a way for the Wolf Regiment, not to be an obstacle.

After seeing that scene between Zoia and Aedale, I, for a couple of seconds, pondered the possibility of Aedale actually being Blen's daughter and Zoia's niece!

Nope.

 

[Vindicator777]

I heard Blen's death cry when Rath killed him...

 

[merlockqueen]

So the sounds doesn't work, interesting.

An issue caused by whosyourdaddy.

The barriers are there to clear a way for the Wolf Regiment, not to be an obstacle.

Nope.

ahhh yea i had it on when i was doing my second run of it.

 

[Hardric62]

-Wait, so the Royal Army were the ones that tortured Blen in this timeline? Wow, what excuse could they be having? Or were they secret servants of Genethas that were still hidden in order to cause chaos among the Imperial ranks? Imagine if Gardon finds out and decides to keep it a secret just in case the Royals attempt to undermine him later on. Dorten is losing more and more his supposed moral high ground against the Imperials

Shar explained that one. Long story short, they heard about the rumors of him being accused of being a Demon Slave, plus being a filthy Imperial. Add to that the fact they are in the middle of a Demon Invasion that wrecked one kingdom... They likely decided it was time for ''''Real Justice''''...

 

[Mvicio]

Let's analyze:
-Sasrogarn: an incompetent and cowardly orc that uses Grofzag to do his work, is on Amari's list, is on Redfist's list
-Gorthog: attempting to undermine Amari's plans, is on Redfist's list
-Ephrog: is on Amari's list, is one of the orcs that burned Redfist's mansion, is on Gorthog's side, is on Redfist's list
-Rangul: one of the orcs that burned Redfist's mansion, is on Redfist's list
-The Destroyer: is on Okri's list, is on Gorthog's side, is on Redfist's list

My bet is on Ephrog and/or Rangul. Amari will not kill others until they become actual hindrances

Perhaps Destroyer is the only one that survives on that list. It depends on Okri´s evolution.

The next will be Ephrog and Rangul in the hands of the Duke. Regarding the SOB, the bull regiment fought us only during the horse and rider chapter. If Dobric is there, Gorthog is dead.

I think in one of the Tales, Dorbric beat him to death if I remember it right.
The others you mentioned will die sooner or later, so I'm now more curious about the fate of Goldaxe, specifically Hortnog, Dogran and Maronogin.

Yeah Gorthog is killed by Dorbric, before or after contacting the Pigmen + Murlocs is the thing. He´ll die while recruiting them? During the fight with the Salrians? Perhaps while travelling with a part of the army.

I hope Hortnog survives until the post second books era. Every time he is on the screen everyone likes him, especially when talking to Nessi. We know nothing about Dogran so maybe he´ll die soon.

 

[Vindicator777]

To be honest i can't see how Destroyer and Okri can co-exist in tribal dominion.

 

[Ѳbserver]

I just realized something.
In the "Old Hatred" short story, Ornasion is said to be in a castle, recently destroyed by orcs.

Spoiler

Ornasion stood victorious. Hesrathion laid dead to his feet, Ornasion had torn out the spine of the Souleater scum and had strangled him with it - and then set the corpse ablaze in demonic flames. He was truly dead. The tactician and right hand of the traitor Kersidar was gone. Neither his armies, nor his tricks nor his tactics or his magic could save him. The aged dreadlord had fallen before the might of the powerful Ornasion. Another step towards vengeance was done.
Ornasion had become a powerful lord of the dead, his Kezzar Nexus only grew in power. More and more dead Demons joined his ranks. The cooperation with the other nexus also went well and his allies were more reliable than any demon ally he ever had in life. It was ironic. In life he had fought for the glory of his people. Now, he tore them apart, one by one. And he was not done yet. Ornasion looked around. He was inside the ruins of a castle that had been destroyed by the Orcs not too long ago. Here he had made his first step. The days of the Souleater Legion were numbered. The Watcher himself wanted them defeated - and Ornasion was more than happy to oblige.

and right now there are few castles that the orcs destroyed, there is castle kome which Gardon said it was being rebuilt and there is that outpost they took in "Green Way" and then, there is the castle Rath just razed. the other two are unlikely in my opinion to be hesrathion's base but the castle Blen was imprisoned kindda make sense, cause it's deep in Kerrel territory.
I was actually expecting the demons to rush Rath while he killed Blen cause of this story, now I suspect that the next undead mission is ornasion killing hesrathion, who knows, maybe shar intends to gamify the tale. what do you guys think?

 

[Enki555]

I just realized something.
In the "Old Hatred" short story, Ornasion is said to be in a castle, recently destroyed by orcs.

Spoiler

Ornasion stood victorious. Hesrathion laid dead to his feet, Ornasion had torn out the spine of the Souleater scum and had strangled him with it - and then set the corpse ablaze in demonic flames. He was truly dead. The tactician and right hand of the traitor Kersidar was gone. Neither his armies, nor his tricks nor his tactics or his magic could save him. The aged dreadlord had fallen before the might of the powerful Ornasion. Another step towards vengeance was done.
Ornasion had become a powerful lord of the dead, his Kezzar Nexus only grew in power. More and more dead Demons joined his ranks. The cooperation with the other nexus also went well and his allies were more reliable than any demon ally he ever had in life. It was ironic. In life he had fought for the glory of his people. Now, he tore them apart, one by one. And he was not done yet. Ornasion looked around. He was inside the ruins of a castle that had been destroyed by the Orcs not too long ago. Here he had made his first step. The days of the Souleater Legion were numbered. The Watcher himself wanted them defeated - and Ornasion was more than happy to oblige.

and right now there are few castles that the orcs destroyed, there is castle kome which Gardon said it was being rebuilt and there is that outpost they took in "Green Way" and then, there is the castle Rath just razed. the other two are unlikely in my opinion to be hesrathion's base but the castle Blen was imprisoned kindda make sense, cause it's deep in Kerrel territory.
I was actually expecting the demons to rush Rath while he killed Blen cause of this story, now I suspect that the next undead mission is ornasion killing hesrathion, who knows, maybe shar intends to gamify the tale. what do you guys think?

There were some of Royal Army who tortured Blen accused to be Demon Slaves, but what if it's actually a truth? After obliteration of castle, I would say there were slaves who spied on the events and reported to Demons. If it was Genethas's slaves, then Ebira would've known first as he serves her and convinces Hesrathion/Kersidar to establish foothold in Kerrel territory to eventually capture the kingdom. Ornasion is currently in Elven forest, so mbe 8th or 9th mission of SUB was supposed to be Kezzar vs Demons showdown. 6th the next mission of undead in SB era gonna happen in elven forest, 7th is likely starting invasion of Salria.

 

[zent]

Zoia convince Adele that Blen rescued her from orcs to play as a "hero", but what happened if he didn't? How would the conversation change?

 

[LISBOAH]

Also how did Aedale get free? Thought she was imprisoned as well with Harmos.

-Aedale made a bond with Lisara, a former high-ranked member of the Blooddrinker Legion. Everyone else thinks that she merely absorbed one or two demonic artifacts.
-No one knows that Cheveran is under her control. He could have snuck in and freed her.

 

[Cassandra Jones]

Zoia convince Adele that Blen rescued her from orcs to play as a "hero", but what happened if he didn't? How would the conversation change?

Well, in short, Blen would have been perceived as a hero by killing the Orcs rather than saving Aedale. Here's a shortened dialogue change:
"... I saw him leaving you in your prison instead of rescuing you... he would rather play the hero who killed the chieftain than the hero who rescued the maiden... I expected him to rescue you if only to look more like a hero"

I did have a small video regarding this segment, PM if you're interested.

 

[Paul Emirique Ibanez]

Blen is like every father who went to buy milk and never came back

 

[VastanX]

"Oh Blenny booooy.... the death the death is calling....
From knife to knife and from Shar Dundren will...."

 

[DD Mikasa]

Hmm i think i might have cheesed the last chapter of the update again...
If you manage to destroy the front base of the second ring and don't aggro any of the unites of the side bases, your allies as they spawn will target focus in their pathing and totally ignore those side bases without aggroing them, suffice it to say if you wait long enough you can get rolling a huge ball of allied units which then you can manually aggro to destroy both bases, as a matter of fact the ball i managed to get rolling was so huge i actually managed to destroy the wolf through them alone.

Now back to the lore implication, Interesting that more light is being shined on the so called saints of the golden guard, I wonder what Aridon will do to the one we captured.
Also Shar Why do Undeads have a less meaty carbon copy of Bastion of humans? They are both equally zealous, one wants to end life the other to preserve it.


As for the second chapter of the update...
I am calling it right now INARA IS A SPY, there is no way in hell Zoia knows that much information, even the Boar regiment would not be able to gather that much information. Especially considering the Darkmind clan is filled with wolf riders, and wolfs can literally smell the Boar spies out if they get to close.

The choice was rather interesting...Ofc i elected to pick Zoia and didnt bother with how Rath one's plays out (any good samaritan is more than welcomed to spoil it for me)

Zoia is literally played 8D chess, implanting a spy among the ranks of the Orcs and Talk No jutsu-ing Aedale into thinking Blenn was a pathetic useless scum.

Also Humans being Humans, they are in the midst of a second Demon offensive, the kingdoms are in open revolt, orcs are pushing further south, undeads grow bold and roam the land attacking human settlements and what does Zoia do?

a) Join the front line to hold the demons
b) Join the new front to protect the only kingdom left able to muster a fighting force
c) Hunt down the orcs so they dont come back to bite them in the ass
d) Settle a grudge while apocalypse is at hand

 

[LISBOAH]

As for the second chapter of the update...
I am calling it right now INARA IS A SPY, there is no way in hell Zoia knows that much information, even the Boar regiment would not be abled to gather that much information. Especially considering the Darkmind clan is filled with wolf riders, and wolfs can literally smell the Boar spies out if they get to close.

Inara might be a sleeping agent. Zoia might have placed a spell that allows her to see and hear what Inara does.

The choice was rather interesting...Ofc i elected to pick Zoia and didnt bother with how Rath one's plays out (any good samaritan is more than welcomed to spoil it for me)

Spoiler

Rath reaches Greymoore, kills him but finds that he was now empty as revenge was the only thing driving him. Aedale appears and kills him right away. Zoia appears, as she survived her fight with Rath, and the dialogue between her and Aedale is pretty much the same.

Also Humans being Humans, they are in the amidst a second Demon offensive, the kingdoms are in open revolt, orcs are pushing further south, undeads grow bold and roam the land attacking human settlements and what does Zoia do?

a) Join the front line to hold the demons
b) Join the new front to protect the only kingdom left able to muster a fighting force
c) Hunt down the orcs so they dont come back to bite them in the ass
d) Settle a grudge while apocalypse is at hand

Don't forget that she allowed the Darkmind to destroy several villages and outposts while they searched for Greymoore.

 

[DD Mikasa]

@LISBOAH

Ah thank god Rath is dead.
Blenn joined him as well, it was fair in the end, after all we got Whitefield and had to give up Blenn, a Stoic drone for another Stoic drone. I am boldly assuming that Whitefield will take the spot of Blenn (if they events of the second orc book will play out in the new true story of Arkain).

 

[LISBOAH]

Ah thank god Rath is dead.

Rath was doomed either way. The Wolf Regiment was invading the fortress, and both the Darkmind orcs, the Ironthunder orcs and the Cyclops have decided to retreat rather than dealing with the Imperial reinforcements. Rath would have been all by himself and would have been butchered by the wolves.

 

[Fan_of_Aeroblyctos]

Amazing mission ! Once again, I really liked it, it was constant battling, it was great! Looking forward to the next mission!!!