New Content Discussion [SPOILER]

[Apprentice Darkmoon]

I just end the new mission, and it has a boom of all we saw in the SHB.

• First of all, and the most obvious change, the new kind of interaction between Harmos and Vail. OF COURSE, after learned that Zyainor was the enemy of the elemental orders, the neutral interaction they had in the SHB turned into a word-hostil talk one. I personally like this.
• So the wolf we saw during Salana's flashback in "allies" mission was Vail's pet. Seems like Gardon is not the only one who will have a "heir" in the future.
• It is a pity that we can't uses those fire maidens. Man, they alongside the Flame keepers could roast EVERYTHING in their path.
• Just when I ended Taran, I remember that there is another friend in the castle that NEEDS my visit. Oh well, I'll play later and give him my regards.
• So, the last part was totally unexpected for me: Grennan was actually the phoenix general, and HE gives the firemages the knowledge to return as him when killed. However, not all ends well it seems. And as he says, no flame keepers until the orcs are been dealt with (Or that I undestood).

Also, I found that the Character's and Faction's knowledge are inverted.
Good job to the team.

 

[HuanJuan]

The new chapter was very good: I liked the new units. Flamemaid is looking lit'! As currently existing units having alternatives in the Order of the Flame: like Flame Warrior, The Knight of Flame, etc. Hope to see them soon. Keep it up!

 

[LISBOAH]

Act Eight, Chapter One:
-It's funny that Harmos doesn't seem know about the whole "history is written by the victors" thing. How convenient that the very kingdoms that deposed Zyainor claim that the old empire was tyrannical and opressive. The new regime would never praise the old one, of course.
-I hope Kenrad survives and Vail lets him join the new Zyainor.
-You would think that Harmos would get humbler after Taran's betrayal. But, nope. He's still a dick to Vail.
-After all the crap Vail is getting from 99% of the people around her, they shouldn't be surprised once Vail accepts Gardon's offer. They are simply making a self-fullfilling prophecy. I hope that Vail chews on Dorten at the end, claiming that he was the one who pushed her to join Gardon.
-Wait, so Kenos, after being defeated for the second time against the orcs, went to Rengar and now will return to Salria?
-Say goodbye to the Flame Keepers, Harmos. They will die in Salria, fighting for Redfist's revenge crusade that was going to end with all their deaths one way or another.

 

[HuanJuan]

, nope. He's still a dick to Vail.

"BuT sHe' Is A ZyAiNoR dEsCaNdAnT! HoW DaRe YoU!"

 

[Zergy]

New story release. This is what I predicted in the Roundtable Section and I was right. Mission plays similarly to its old version, but the story was more detailed and hostile...

• As many have said, Harmos is more Hostile and rude to Vail compared to his SHB neutral personality.
• 2 New Characters are being added to vail side. A Counter Part for Thanok and a possible mate for Zed.
• I also knew the Flame Keepers would be a cannon choice rather than Taran's weak fire mages.
• I'd also expected the Ever Dying FireLord. Sheesh his really pissed off after getting his Ass kicked by Orcs- Then Huamns- Then Undead- Then Undead again- and by the humans again! Ha, I wouldn't be surprised if the Dwarves are gonna kick his ass again before attempting his revenge on the Dominion once A Red day comes out.
• Grennan turning out to be Kenos was... Unexpected... Well, at least you added more screen time for a character that used to be a background character that did little impact on the story. Now they made a massive contribution that will greatly impact this story's end games.

So, the last part was totally unexcepect for me: Grennan was actually the phoenix general, and HE gives the firemages the knowledge to return as him when killed. However, not all ends well it seems. And as he says, no flame keepers until the orcs are been dealt with (Or that I undestood).

I think we can still use FlameKeepers like the ones that are still around the castle. Let us Assume that Kenos will just use the method of making more FlameKeepers for himself. Remember he lost a lot of FireMages during the initial Salrian Invasion by the orcs during the Horse and Rider chapter.

Plus a message for Shar Dundred...
The end game is Near Master of Arkain and I know what the fate of the Prince of Kerrel in the end... I would like to meet his... so-called sibling before his tragic lost in the lands of the Demons.

 

[Paul Emirique Ibanez]

Man True Story is much better than the second books, can't wait for the upcoming wars

 

[Enki555]

That was lit:
-O' well Harmos being grumpy old man and Vail being brooding brute has been fleshed out well in this chapter. The absence of their friendly dialogue in SHB is... nostalgic as this reminds me of my waning years of late childhood... o' wait, I was 15 (teenage yrs 'twas: my inner KOTL coming forth) as it was about 4 or 5 yrs ago (my senile head losing more repertoire and perhaps having fits of Alzheimer xD). O' well, victors indeed write the history and whether Zyainor was indeed tyrannical is questionable at best.
-And to see the pitlord with mirror image... what a sight of hen with teeth would it be (pun-intended) xD
-Killing demons were daunting at best and there needs to be some spellcaster or at least dispel (crippled by doom guards is not a fate favored) and lost most of my forces as I reached the end. Well, with fire golem triplets and Infernal, it is ofc manageable. The very feel and ambience of this mission was 'infernal' at best... now, I prophesize anyone who enjoyed this mission would be firebender (Atla reference) which I would be included ofc xD.
-Again, Progederas becometh scapegoat and Azazel (practice of Levites in OT, not Watcher Azazel in this case) to bear the cost of humanity's burdens as his death strengthens heroes each time he drops precious loot...
-Those r some fine Order of the Flame units btw.
-O' well, succubi have always been fall of mankind and they specifically like human beds (for hetero men ofc). It is admirable you are indifferent to charms of seductress, Mr. Harmos... hmmm... is there some secret u r hiding, wink. It seems, we might as much see Cambions in the future (half-demon and half-human) and I wonder if Mariliths also hold the same status as their succubi sisters...
-That twist... rlly took me aback. Perhaps this foreshadows Kenos being the only immortal general and him personating as Grennan was unforeseeable... yet ultimately makes sense. Too bad, Fire Keepers will perish in Salria (preferably in Red Day) but it might give some interesting developments... Let's just say if Kenos and Phoenix regiment becomes the last survivors, they might very as much oppose Van Durce and keep the part of bargain with Harmos. That would be quite a shred of poesy to see twin pyromancers feeding the last fire against GG. And the ritual... might end up inspiring Zairmak and Ravaging Fire, and perhaps they might bring back fallen Dominion soldiers... that wouldn't spell well for both Humans and Undead.
-Hopefully next mission is indeed Undead. Wonderful job as always, team.

 

[nchp1903]

This chapter is quite fun and fresh for me, most of it thanked to the new dialogue lines, and part of it is because of me forgetting the original level.

Spoiler: Long post that I'm too lazy to shorten.

• Harmos fits more of a grumpy old man character now, which makes sense, and also makes him stand out from the rest of the fire magic users.
• Kenrad is a bro. Hope he'll be a recurring character like Mina instead of dying early. I also made sure to keep him alive for the rest of the level.
• Vail vented to him and went on with business as usual. Unlike a certain Undead dude who vented and gaslighted everyone around him.
• Sindra is not as badass as Zed, but still pretty cute.
• And funnily, Vail with Veteran Rank and Seal of Zyainor makes her more intelligent than Harmos. He won't like that.
• Back to the level. First thing I did was to backtrack, and deal with the ungodly Juggernauts. However, the Tomes and the rebirthed Infernal was worth it. It, alongside the Fire Golems, is immune to spells, but can still be healed by Holy Light because...Blizzard coding.
• The Demon Gate was crashed, and inside the castle I immediately headed for Salomar's Hammer. In this particular section, those wretched demons teleported to me a lot, but luring them into a small path, then spamming Rain of Fire can deal with them easily. The Infernal taking no damage from Rain of Fire, Sindra could be resummoned at anytime, and Vail having >2000 HP basically nullified the collateral damage.
• The Hammer was already insanely good, but the fact that along the way, I also got a Sobi Mask (best non-artifact item btw), Magi Robe +6, and two permanent Fire Golems is insane. They mowed through everything, and Vail can freely spam Holy Light to keep everyone alive.
• Got to Taran, and he was legit a dumbass. Harmos was actually more skeptical of Brennan't now, but he kept acting sussy before blowing his own cover too. However, I let his sorry butt live for a while longer while I go explore the rest of the castle.
• The gated area north of the Fountain was still closed off, so I approached from the top, and tried to Rain of Fire the trapped demons. Imagine my surprise when they actually knew how to open the door from the inside.
• The foreshadowing dialogue still played in the section before the Fel Stalker room, even after Harmos found out about Taran.
• Speaking of the room, there was another good piece of loot, which was a Giant Belt +6. Vail loved it, so I gave it to her.
• Finally, one more room left until I proceed with main quest. I crashed the gate, and then...Progaderas? Ain't you a sore for eyesight...
• Luckily, I devised a perfect plan. Baited him into using Rain of Chaos, used my Heroes and Infernal/Fire Golems to deal with his minions, while the Flame Keepers stunlocked him to death. Another Crown of Kings to my collection.
• The rest of the level was easy. Flamemaids would have posed a lot of trouble, if it weren't for the fact that their Breath of Fire was useless. Vail barely took any damage, Harmos was always in a safe distance, and Infernal. With the power of friendship and fire magic, Taran was brought down, but Harmos still disliked Vail. At least they found common ground in hating traitors.
• Brennan't then revealed himself to actually be... Kenos? Didn't see that one coming. He said that the magic failed to completely brought the Firemages back to life, so they were stuck as Flame Keeper. By that logic, if the Orc can somehow disrupt his revival, they can trap his soul in a revenant/elemental shell as well?
• Also, he said he'd need the Flame Keepers to deal with the Orcs, but somehow I feel like this is not his ulterior motive. Maybe this too will be revealed in time.

 

[Plantpaladin]

Overall good chapter. Trying to say things that hasnt been said. Hard but not too hard.
A bit lag at start. Dont know how to unlock Progaderas but havent killed him earlier.
Nice to remind us that firemages can teleport from one end of the world to another.(as in Horse and Rider)
Composite characters instead of using multiple one chapter characers is usually a good thing as it causes them to grow on you.

 

[HuanJuan]

Overall good chapter. Trying to say thingsthat hasnt been said. Hard but not too hard.
A bit lag at start. Dont know how to unlock Progaderas but havent killed him earlier.
Nice to remind us that firemages can teleport from one end of the world to another.(as in Horse and Rider)
Composite characters instead of using multiple one chapter characers is usually a good thing as it causes them to grow on you.

Even if you unlock progaderas, be prepared for him: He is not an easy enemy to conquer, because of the units you have here in this chapter. In previous chapters you had more choices, better characters to deal him, but now here is much harder - for me -. I tried to deal with him & his crew, and the result was shocking... The room/chamber where he is with his lackeys are so full with fire golems & stuff, that they literraly eating my units out, like lil' kids on christmas time in relatives, in dinner time - when everything is on the table, and it's free -. So, in the end I was leaved that room in peace, because only my heroes are survived the battle there when I tried to "Liberate" it. I leave them for the experts. I'm a small fish here.

 

[nchp1903]

Recruiting the Flame Keepers and the permanent Fire Golems/Infernal first is the key to dealing with Progaderas. Attrition warfare with the Fountain/Holy Light can do the work, maybe, but he also has Rain of Chaos (the Fire Golem version of it) to spawn more Fire Golems, which makes it harder to kill his permanent minions, depending on where the newly-spawned Fire Golems land. The Bowmen can be useful as well if they're kept alive, because they are the only source of non-magic ranged damage on this mission other than Harmos.

 

[Landlack]

The fight with Progaderas, even without the Flame Keepers, was a little bit easier for me than it is supposed to be after he dropped this golem on the high ground platform from where he couldn't reach us

Spoiler

I found the pit lord at the entrace to be the most challenging fight in the whole level, however. Fighting him, his two doomguards, and two other infernals and doomguards he summons at the same time is very tricky... I managed to beat him without losses only by cheesing it through aggring his starting doomguards while he distracts himself with summoning infernals.

Thank god that Demonlord in the fortress didn't have the Charm spell, for all it's worth. Also, I love how this mission spoils the player by letting him equip Vail (and Harmos to a lesser extent) with so many powerful items and tome upgrades. Not very often you get so many treats in Arkain.

As for the plot development, I don't have much to add what hasn't already been said (I didn't play the original mission and thus can't compare old dialgoues of Harmos and Vail with the new ones). Though, I find it funny that out of all Imperial generals under van Durce's command, only Dorbric doesn't seem to work against him in one way or another.

 

[Plantpaladin]

Can you even unlock him if you haven fought him before? I agree the pit Lord was a pain, leading with your summoned dog and using your own summon fire golem on pit lord helped but really hard one.

 

[Kalvon]

Everyone would say yes at this question. So, i imagine that it is another known chapter. If i have to guess, "the ogre legion"?

For the undead, i predict a mission where we will stop the demonic ritual to destroy dead mountain in this act.

 

[Navy45]

My god, I still have nightmares about the intro section of this level against the demons. I know it's not the hardest thing in the world but taking on the double infernal juggernaults and the Pit lord are the hardest part of the level.

• The new dynamic between Vail and Harmos is quite cool. With how proud of his order and their power/independance Harmos is, of course he would be unfriendly to anyone wearing the sign of their former overlords (how true that actually is though... we have no real way to know)
• 2 new characters ! A new occupant for the neo-zainese kennel and Konrad, a very nice addition ! (it's always nice to have named characters out of the common military and he seems quite friendly)
• One thing I don't quite understand is our team colour on this level. We're neither the colour of the order or of Kerrel. Is it the team colour of Rengar ?
• I want to see Harmos' interview to join the order :

"Why do you want to join our order ?"
"I like to make things burn"
Proceeds to put the interviewer on fire
"... Fair enough"

• Poor Harmos has lost a companion twice in the same day. Well at least we now have some Flame Keepers, even if they can't talk (and if Kenos returns them at some point. The guy just interfered in a conflict which did not concern him and basically just took what was left of Harmos' order. How did he even hear of the plot to begin with ?)
• Thankfully, there appear to be other estates of the order so it'll come back (most likely just in time for us to have to fight them as new Zainor)

 

[Shar Dundred]

Just fyi, Kenos did not take all the Flame Keepers away, Harmos still gets to use them.

 

[Mvicio]

Lets review the newest chapter. Act 8, Chapter 1:
-Harmos really is a grumpy old man now, he can´t even stand breathing the same air as Vail. Dude just relax, she is trying to help you with your order.
-So the old Zyainor oppresed the elemental orders, pretty much like anyone else, that´s not a surprise, but the elemental orders tryed a coup before Zyainor fell? That´s interesting.
-The pit lord boss fight was really hard, especially because i forgot about the starting infernal + items so i only had royal army units at my disposal.
-That new named captain reminds me of mina trueshot, hopefully he survives but i can see him dying to either undead during the betrayal or he was charging right next to Toraes and cut off.
-Zed will have a new mate soon enough, more and stronger direwolfs incoming.
-You can really buff Vail during this mission, if you defeat progaderas and take salomar´s hammer, you got 3 crown of kings on her.
-Grennan being kenos was really unexpected, so the orders have their own flamekeepers but in order to continue the hunt against the orcs, he´ll make his own flamekeepers... Zairmak is gonna get this knowledge after killing him for good.
-Also the actual flamekeepers of the order of the flame got their memories right? So they know how to make more, not even death will save you from arkain´s wars, either necromancy, druidism or elementalism will bring you back, perhaps even demonology in the future.

It is a pity that we can't uses those fire maidens. Man, they alongside the Flame keepers could roast EVERYTHING in their path.

They would be rather weak against van durce high hp soldiers or the demons, against the orcs allies however...

-Wait, so Kenos, after being defeated for the second time against the orcs, went to Rengar and now will return to Salria?

There are a lot of battles through Salria and i expect the orcs to lose some (even off camera) so i´ll say he won a battle and then come back to gather more fire forces.

-O' well, succubi have always been fall of mankind and they specifically like human beds (for hetero men ofc). It is admirable you are indifferent to charms of seductress, Mr. Harmos... hmmm... is there some secret u r hiding, wink.

They aren´t hot enough, the order of fire men needs hotter women,

This one was a direct (and harder chapter) improvement, Congrats Shar!

 

[nchp1903]

They would be rather weak against van durce high hp soldiers or the demons, against the orcs allies however...

Ackshually, they would fit a lot of team composition. Breath of Fire aside, they would still be useful due to the fact that they have both Inner Fire and Bloodlust.

They aren´t hot enough, the order of fire men needs hotter women,

Inside me are two wolves. One tells me that we, indeed, needs hotter women. The other tells me Harmos x Kenos.

-The pit lord boss fight was really hard, especially because i forgot about the starting infernal + items so i only had royal army units at my disposa

Seems like a lot of people struggle to deal with Walmart Mannoroth. Meanwhile, while I was struggling with figuring which one was the illusion, he gave me a hint by using Rain of Fire on absolutely nothing, allowing me to surround the real one quickly. What a nice guy.

 

[Navy45]

-Also the actual flamekeepers of the order of the flame got their memories right? So they know how to make more, not even death will save you from arkain´s wars, either necromancy, druidism or elementalism will bring you back, perhaps even demonology in the future.

I think Kenos mentioned the Flamekeepers are unable to speak so whether are not they know how, they probably can't tell anyone. (though, with a bit of study, Harmos will probably figure it out, if he chooses to keep using them after the war)

 

[Mvicio]

I think Kenos mentioned the Flamekeepers are unable to speak so whether are not they know how, they probably can't tell anyone. (though, with a bit of study, Harmos will probably figure it out, if he chooses to keep using them after the war)

Well since the flamekeepers can listen and follow orders, he just need to ask them to revive someone and watch closely, them keep trying until he figures how to do it properly and share that knowledge with the order.

 

[Enki555]

Inside me are two wolves. One tells me that we, indeed, needs hotter women. The other tells me Harmos x Kenos.

I wonder if... If Kenos is actually dilf behind this mask and cloak At the same time, Harmos rlly fits classic old stud who couldn't get a bf early but just happened to have his chance wink. That would be quite a spicy match with lots of fiery cough "clappings". Oh, wait... I got naughty again. Silly me

 

[Shar Dundred]

I will not comment on the possibility of future Flamekeeper production in-depth at the moment
since that ties into a topic that is connected to it but also not related enough to be brought up
just yet, but I will say that the total amount of Flamekeepers will remain limited.

Edit: I just realized that Vail uses the incorrect voice actor. Gotta fix that, my bad, she is not supposed
to have the Okri one.

 

[Zergy]

Messenger from Master Shar Dundred...
The Legion is coming! No, Not the Burning Legion, Lads! NO! NOT the Soul Eater Legion as well, Ya Idyats!
I mean The Drums of war grow louder! The Chapter We were waiting for draws near... I will finally reunite with thy Legion Clan Lord... and they thirst for the blood of the Mogtar! We will relive the tales of crushing bones of the pathetic red skins with massive Iron clubs, as we hear their screams of terror as we unleash their Dragon slaves! We will relish this fight! But... In the end... We should also expect a Tragic loss for the Dominion...

Sands of time grow short...Thy Legion comes, Master Shar... My Hunger for battle must be quenched...

 

[Zergy]

Sorry If Im going against the rules, but the Times has come. This week has been a treat! Master of Arkain I appreciate all have you done, with the release of the latest chapter today. I'm looking forward to fighting beside my brethren once again! Especially tomorrow, April 8 is my Birthday as well. Today is gonna be a blood bath.
The review will come after my battle. Also, I do hope you consider my offer Shar Dundred with Borean and his Kin's new gift.

OGRES OF THE LEGION! IT IS TIME TO TAKE OUR HOMES BACK! CHAAAAAAARGE!!!

 

[nchp1903]

I remember that this chapter is really fun to play, with Dragons and the new Ogre sub-faction and all that stuffs. Gonna play when I have time to spare.

Although, I sure hope nothing happens to Rangul and Ephrog at the end. Imagine if they get sacked and then the Dominion's power is shifted towards Amari's side, wouldn't that be crazy?

 

[LISBOAH]

Although, I sure hope nothing happens to Rangul and Ephrog at the end. Imagine if they get sacked and then the Dominion's power is shifted towards Amari's side, wouldn't that be crazy?

Yeah, it's not like there's a huge army heading right straight towards their location, an army lead by the same guy that they, years ago, sacked and burned his mansion and murdered his wife.
Because who could have expected that such seemingly trivial thing would have dire consequences, right?

 

[Zergy]

Review time:
The Intro is a banger as always. Seeing Brockta once again fills me with pride! Jhonwars models suit the Ogre legion, most of them at least. The Moghtar didn't stand a chance against the combined might of coming to Dominion.

New units:
Ogre Spear Throwers are so good! Damage output is Crazy if paired with Warlocks' Frenzy and Magi Roars for Damage boos. Sadly no Shamans to make them more broken. I was hoping for Shieldbearers. Sigh... And yet again I will see what is Shar Dundred's Plan for Arkain.

Then you got the Ogre Boys that function as the Tauren and their signature Pulverized. Small waves get obliterated easily.

Then you got Expensive OgreLords. Sure they are stronger than the boys, but I think it's repetitive due to the fact of Vanessa...

The Ogre Magis- Replaces Shaman for this Mission? I guess the Female shamans are still exclusive to the Cliffhunters then. Well, at least I got warlocks to back up the damage output.

Leadership Boni:
Was hoping for more options, but Vanessa's will do, for now... Increasing Income in the early game is a must if you want to keep your base safe from the pesky Moghtar Dragons and Troops. Since defenses are weaker compared to the previous mission. I thought Orc Towers were already Fortified. Questionable Balance Decisions here...


The Characters:
Brockta- What a Chad here mates! He is truly Honorable for an Ogre! He is wise and welcomes those who aren't there to kill him. Although his Honorable nature was abused in this Chapter.

Vanessa - The true puppet master of this operation. She was the one who suggested freeing the Red dragons and then she was the one who Lied to Brockta to join their cause. It pains me that the Honorable Ogres joined the Dominion in this fashion. Yet it had to be done, for without the Ogres the Orcs and future victories will not come to fruition.

Rangul - Is beginning to regret his actions. Don't worry it will all be over soon...
As for Ephrog - Sorry man your fate was also sealed by the time Shar Dundred released this long-awaited Chapter. You too will soon meet your fate. I'm sorry but Amari will get with this though...

Which comes next question: Gorthog and the Pigmen True Story Exclusive Campaign??????
Anyways the Ending was a plot twist. Rangul and Ephrog are Pathetic here and can't even convince the Ogres to join their cause. Poor Vanessa doing something Dark for the good of their People. In SOB they were here only for the Red Dragons, they just accidentally encountered the Ogres by chance. Well, at least the Ogre Legion is finally a part of the Tribal Dominion. One step closer to a RED DAY!

 

[Navy45]

Ahh... that feeling when you get access to the best frontliner, best spellcaster and best air unit for the Dominion on the same level. I can see why the Moghtar warchief was not worried about survivors.

Brokta was always shown as clever but he seems to have become an actual ruler, with his concerns about the war, rather than merely a warchief. I wonder why he tried to go invade the demons (my headcannon has always been that he did it because they're the only other race to call themselves a legion)

I was going to suggest introducing these salrian plans earlier but... well... the Ogres' alliance is secure so all's well, right ? (I really hope Brokta never learns about this)

Poor Gorthog will have to learn that the ogres are not as warlike as he thought them though...

Really excited for the next cinematic ! It cemented Brian as one of my favourite characters.

Vanessa's leadership is cool (really usefull on this level). But it is weird not seeing a bonus for Brokta, considering we have access to all the ogre roster.

 

[Shar Dundred]

Apparently Brockta's bonus refused to appear for the chapter.
Gonna fix that in the next update.

 

[Zergy]

Looking forward to seeing this Brockta Exclusive Boni. Also, I do hope you consider my gift that I have sent to you Master of Arkin by the next update that is.

 

[nchp1903]

When I first played this level for a year ago (or 2 years already?), I was a filthy meta abuser that cheesed every level with Dragons or Shieldbearers.

Not anymore.

I have been enlightened by the Ogre Magis. The way how they used Shockwave: A wave of force that ripples outward, causing 125 damage to land units in a line to delete every ground unit, Hero, and even building, who dare stood in their paths brought a tear to my eyes.

And there's Vanessa's boni, which is just the sexiest thing I've ever seen. 50% bonus gold income? Hot damn, the Goldaxe spirit is strong in this one. This is officially my favorite boni.

Also, small flex. I destroyed these two bases before I liberate any Dragon Roost.

Spoiler

• I'm a bit tired so the story review will have to wait until the upcoming interlude is released, but believe me when I say that the direction that each character is taking makes them (ironically) more human and more relatable.
• Have a pun as compensation:

If Rangul wants to mend the relationship between him and his children, what will he say?
Let's see if we can find any glue.

 

[Apprentice Darkmoon]

My review about Act eight, chapter two:
-The new battle suits for the ogres are amazing! My best regards for the one who made them.
-I expected Vanessa have some answers about the origin of the Moghtar. Maybe Zairmak will tell her as Rangul said.
-So Brockta is in not bad terms with the Salrians. Honestly, that surprised me since I saw the nobles attacking the centaurs and else.
-Vanessa did what she must. Eventually Brockta and his ogres will be attacked by the Salrian nobles, and I'm sure the ogres will soon see how much despicable the Salria nobility is. Now I'm curious what would be Brockta's reaction if he learns that Vanessa lied to him.
-Well Rangul, was half the honor to meet you. I just hope that scepter you carried will be reclaim by the Dominion, or be lost forever so no one can use it.
-Of course, grumpy old Aridon and his precious "balance". I really felt his conversation with Brian like a granparent's meeting or something like that XD

Now gameplay:
-I used my heroes to explored the nearby areas and ogre units to defends my base, alongside the witch doctors.
-The dragons are a menace for towers and harpooners since they deal magic damage. You can keep Rangul in the base to help the units and avoid heavy loses.
-Once I found the sand dragons, defend the base was easier.
-I deal with the Moghtar orange base first. Then with the nearby roosts. I tried to avoid kill as many dragons as I can with the hex of Rangul and the ogre magi.
-Besiege the Moghtar bases feels harder now. I used range units, spellcasters, catapults and the dragons. If you can keep the dragon allies alive as much as you can, the better.
-Once the gray base was deal with, I constructed an expansion in order to gain adittional troops as fast as possible.
-I focused all of my efforts on kill the Moghtar heroes first. They are quite annoying.

I really love this mission, now I wonder what could be the next one. Good job for the team.

 

[HuanJuan]

I liked this new chapter too. The dragons had serious impact on the battle, but after I read about that some people - without the dragons - are conquered two bases from the four, inside the Fortress - I have my doubts. It's interesting to see, there is only one leadership to choose. Hope the chapter going to get more leadership bonuses to choose. The Ogre legion is going to be a very useful ally against the enemies of the Dominion. All of this sounds good, but the Ogre Harpooner's icon is, not very distinct from the Mauler Icon. I had a trouble with it, after the first accidents I figured out. Also, Magi's has shockwave ability, which this Campaign is not alone. - in "Tale of the Two Brothers" the Magi's has this ability too - Useful and all, but I hoped they get another something instead. Thank you for the creators for this too.

 

[Shar Dundred]

Also, Magi's has shockwave ability, which this Campaign is not alone. - in "Tale of the Two Brothers" the Magi's has this ability too - Useful and all, but I hoped they get another something instead.

They have had that ability since like 2014 in Arkain, before even the Second Orc Book released, I did not see any reason to change it.
Other campaigns/projects making design decisions that appear somewhat similar is inconsequential.

As i mentioned before, the other bonus not appearing is a bug.

 

[HuanJuan]

They have had that ability since like 2014 in Arkain, before even the Second Orc Book released, I did not see any reason to change it.
Other campaigns/projects making design decisions that appear somewhat similar is inconsequential.

As i mentioned before, the other bonus not appearing is a bug.

Sorry, I don't played the second orc book, and somehow regarding the bug, I also missed.

 

[Rennathrim]

After reading the comments people left, I must say, I feel absolutely-freaking-stupid. Considering Arkain's difficulty, I immediately scratched defeating the two gray bases before going for the much more annoying orange one (jesus christ why must the road be so long, by the time I get there, the gray bases have already attacked twice/jk). As to how I went about with the mission:

• Dropped Brokta off at the base to protect it from pesky catapults alongside the sand drakes, took Vanessa and Rangul to solo the two outposts of drakes to the left and right because...Scepter of Healing OP, Vanessa with evasion talisman OP (also does evasion talisman stack? I had two of them and idk it felt the Moghtar were never hitting Vanessa) and with a bit of decent micro...well I managed to pop 'em. In the meantime I was doing that, was slowly building up forces and defences to take the orange base because they were incredibly annoying with the dragons.
• After dealing with that and deleting the mages that were putting up the force field with drake spam, I wiped the floor with the three bases with two major assaults alongside the ogre legion.
• Overall, mission was very fun, difficult, but fun, it took me over 2 hours.

Story-wise, Shar delivered once again and didn't hold back.

I LOVED Vanessa's moment and it honestly raised her character in my tier list to S tier. Also, I chuckled when Rangul called Tra-I mean Sas a coward. The dialogue this time made me laugh more times than usual, which I liked. I like Rangul's little human moment and I must commend you Shar for managing to make characters actually feel, real. At least in how they act. That's sometimes a hard thing to do as a writer. My eyebrow was raised to the roof when Brian and Aridon showed up and I honestly can't wait to play the next one.

I hope you're doing well Shar, great job mate.

 

[HuanJuan]

(jesus christ why must the road be so long, by the time I get there, the gray bases have already attacked twice/jk)

I hated how long that road. Gosh, it was very hard for me to even attack properly that base. Sadly, I needed to surrender and evacuate my first base - you have it from the start, after starting cinematic -, and I did "ALL IN!" attack. I was succeded, and the first base back was crushed to pieces by the defenders of the Fortress. It's good that someone actually had the choice to not lose a base, and get one additional.

also does evasion talisman stack?

The answer is no.(I don't think that changed with Reforged online, and no, I don't think it's changed with the glorious 1.35 update.) (Source: Stacking Evasion?)

I like Rangul's little human moment and I must commend you Shar for managing to make characters actually feel, real. At least in how they act. That's sometimes a hard thing to do as a writer.

Rangul's feelings are scary and sad for me. You know, he is a leader, and he did made choices, that made him very questionable, and put it mildly, he is "Traditionalist" - which is not his fault, because he raised and borned in this mentality, and earned his rank(s)& respect under this way of life. The Dominion's new way of life in the future (can) certainly made him very uncomfortable, undesireable. He has all his doubts with 100% right.

 

[nchp1903]

Also, Magi's has shockwave ability, which this Campaign is not alone. - in "Tale of the Two Brothers" the Magi's has this ability too - Useful and all, but I hoped they get another something instead.

I love Shockwave, but if I have to choose one non-triggered ability to replace it, I think I'll go with Slam. AoE damage in a much more up close and personal way.

The answer is no.(I don't think that changed with Reforged online, and no, I don't think it's changed with the glorious 1.35 update.) (Source: Stacking Evasion?)

Fun fact: You can kind of 'stack Evasion' if you use an ability based on Hardened Skin instead of Evasion. The reason no one does that is because it's overpowered af.

 

[Vindicator777]

Sooo...

No chances for Ephrog to survive interlude The Duke?

 

[HuanJuan]

I love Shockwave, but if I have to choose one non-triggered ability to replace it, I think I'll go with Slam. AoE damage in a much more up close and personal way.

In my memory, Shockwave was a very ultimate, powerful ability to use: Only Ogre Lord had from the Ogres. Also Magi's has no more bloodlust. I liked that, and there is no Shamans on this chapter.

Fun fact: You can kind of 'stack Evasion' if you use an ability based on Hardened Skin instead of Evasion. The reason no one does that is because it's overpowered af.

If it's overpowered, than it's good to not have too much of it.

 

[Rennathrim]

So I replayed the newest mission again, this time rushing the two gray bases. It was...a much better experience and the mission itself only took me an hour to complete. For anyone who's struggling with it;

• Rush the two camps of sand drakes to the south-west of your base, you WILL need them and they are incredibly useful, keep them alive as much as you can as they do not cost food (idk if the no-cost food is intended or not, Shar).
• IMMEDIATELY tech up, your economy is always vital in Arkain
• Tower spam the west and eastern entrances to your base, always spam the top portions of the entrances, that way you can intercept pesky orange drakes that might come, do NOT tower spam the northern side of your base from where the gray bases attack, your heroes and the sand drakes alone are enough to hold them off easily as you have a bunch of AOE. If you tower spam the northern side, you'd be wasting resources since the gray bases always bring catapults, the orange base sometimes does.
• I used 3 Ogre Magi, 2 Witch Doctors, 7 Harpooners, 5 catapults, 1 kodo beast and the rest Maulers, that alongside the sand drakes and decent micro should allow you to essentially blitz through one of the gray bases.
• Regarding the entrance, the boulder towers cannot attack air, so use your drakes to gain vision of the towers and also to lure out any anti-ranged units the Moghtar have placed on the cliffs, deal with them either with your drakes or the catapults. Slowly take out the boulder towers using ONLY your catapults and drakes, Harpooners and Rangul who can hit them will die VERY quickly to them as they deal around 300 DMG I believe. Whenever the gray bases send their attack waves, pull your catapults back and block with your heroes, if you have evasion talisman on Vanessa, send her with Brock, if not, use Brock to mostly tank.
• How to deal with the red dragons; HEX IS YOUR BEST FRIEND. HEX 'EM ALL. (No fr if the red dragons were OG red dragons with spell immunity, this mission would be impossible). And thankfully your Ogre Magi have Hex too.

That's all my tips. By the time my starting gold mine was at around 6000 gold, I had already managed to establish two bonus expansions.

 

[Enki555]

And here comes the review (The Legion):
-I only wish Brockta wasn't an ogre... he would be fine gentleman of Bull Regiment wink. To actually find such sophistication in fine brute shown well... was delightful to watch xD.
-At the same time, it was quite a nightmare of mission... "night stallion" in fact. Heroes are enough to take down roost outposts but due to long pathway and near endless assault from grey base, close to impossible to take down orange unless u r willing to sacrifice home. Vanessa should have orb. Harpooners, imo, should have buff increasing their anti-air dmg and they r ofc squishy against mogthar. Those big ogres r quite strong indeed and they can stomp down streaming armies with 5 witch doctors... but, alas, their only weak point is cripple from those darned warlocks. Wonder if there should be some sort of dispel... or mbe WDs can have extra ward that dispels debuff in every 5 sec? Haven't thought about using ogre magis... seems I've underestimated 'em, and if there is new model being made, they should be ogresses imo xD. Rangul's scepter ofc synergized well with WDs. The mission perhaps will be spiced up a bit when all boni gonna show 'emselves later. And the suggestion is: What about building base a lil bit farther than entrance? Those damned demolishers always stay behind and trigger aggro of army and forcing 'em to get in line of boulder tower defense, and to micromanage 'em while stressing at every part is quite a whit of hell. It would be quite a treat to allow more sand dragons to join as this mission desperately needed some air heavy hitters... Yet, overall, a fine map I say.
-I wonder whose hands the scepter will end up in... Perhaps... can fallen Rangul be a thing? Could Aridon actually find some use in him? And to see Vanessa like that... she is quite a human and her complexity rlly landed her on S-tier that's for sure. O' well, she is an orc at heart, Rangul... Ephrog. And the irony that Rangul soon facing his end with blemished legacy; Moirai indeed reserved bitter fate for u (pun-intended or not so). And the fact that Vanessa's insight is gonna be most likely accurate is on spot. She indeed deserves to be under wing of Brian. Salrian nobility should be just as xenophobic as elves. Wonder who Ogres will be facing on... certain three-armies mission; mbe Bull Regiment and perhaps some Salrians? And then Ardoz with Galareth? Can't wait! Wonderful job as always, team.

 

[Navy45]

-I wonder whose hands the scepter will end up in... Perhaps... can fallen Rangul be a thing? Could Aridon actually find some use in him? And to see Vanessa like that... she is quite a human and her complexity rlly landed her on S-tier that's for sure. O' well, she is an orc at heart, Rangul... Ephrog. And the irony that Rangul soon facing his end with blemished legacy; Moirai indeed reserved bitter fate for u (pun-intended or not so). And the fact that Vanessa's insight is gonna be most likely accurate is on spot. She indeed deserves to be under wing of Brian. Salrian nobility should be just as xenophobic as elves. Wonder who Ogres will be facing on... certain three-armies mission; mbe Bull Regiment and perhaps some Salrians? And then Ardoz with Galareth? Can't wait! Wonderful job as always, team.

Unfortunately, I doubt Aridon would ever get an orc servant, even undead... except maybe to spite Brian (though that actually depends on whether Volarian leaves enough Rangul to be ressurected)

If I remember correctly, in the SOB, the scepter ended up in Volarian's possession (in the secret mission). If that happens, Aedale will need more than a few Moghtar to get him.

 

[LISBOAH]

My review of Chapter Two of Act Eight:
-Damn, both Rangul and Ephrog serve to show why the orcs require new leadership. They were simply throwing warriors away in hopes of breaking an undefeatable fortification. This is why the Orcs can't have nice things!
-The hatred between the Orcs and the Moghtar remind me of the animosity between the Dwarfs and the Chaos Dwarfs in Warhammer. They can't even recognize the other as being related, even though, in terms of appearence, they only differ in terms of skin color.
-From that line that Moghtar commander told Vanessa, I came up with a theory. The Moghtar were once an Orc tribe that escaped alongside the rest of their brethren. However, they got split up from the rest probably due to a storm, and found themselves isolated in the middle of a continent ruled by humans. And they were saved and later transformed by Tregakh/Largoth. The reason why they despise the regular Orcs is because the Orcs setlled on islands and simply pillage the human lands and then flee, which could be interpreted as a cowardly way of life.
-This mission is pretty similar to the one from the Second Orc Book, so there's not a lot to talk about. It's still hard though...
-Vanessa using sophistry to convince the Ogres could be considered as immoral... if not for the fact that the Humans are pretty racist towards all other races. I am 100% sure that the Salrians would attack the Ogres sooner or later. The Humans can't even stand each other!
-It's funny that karma decided to catch up to Rangul the very moment he started having doubts.

Grammar mistakes
Intro cinematic:
"ruthles murderers" --> "ruthless murderers"

 

[Rennathrim]

-From that line that Moghtar commander told Vanessa, I came up with a theory. The Moghtar were once an Orc tribe that escaped alongside the rest of their brethren. However, they got split up from the rest probably due to a storm, and found themselves isolated in the middle of a continent ruled by humans. And they were saved and later transformed by Tregakh/Largoth. The reason why they despise the regular Orcs is because the Orcs setlled on islands and simply pillage the human lands and then flee, which could be interpreted as a cowardly way of life.

I believe it was mentioned that the Moghtar arrived alongside the very first Orcs on the islands, only to immediately get exiled after arriving. I could be wrong. @Shar Dundred ?

But my theory is that the Moghtar were kicked out for very similar reasons as to why Amari got exiled, since Orcs up until the latest events, literally did nothing else but stick to tradition. AKA, they probably got kicked out because they wanted to go about something differently. It fits the agenda of the old orcs. Also, can someone refresh my Arkain lore, doesn't the Conqueror literally serve Aedale's possessor, Lisara? So maybe the Moghtar wanted to ally with the demons, which is why they got kicked out?

 

[Landlack]

Reading this thread made me realise that I could have had a slightly less painful one and half hour if I didn't disregard the spellcasters (other than witchdoctors) in this mission; and realising that I could have invaded the orange base before I took all other roosts and them squeezing me out made me wish to bang my head over a wall.

Don't think I have anything else to add other than be grateful that dragons in this mission didn't have magic immunity - it was such a relief that you could hex them as Rangul, especially when they were buffed by Moghtar warlocks with Unholy Frenzy. Vanessa not having an orb is painful, but at very least, it made her a natural choice to put in charge of defenses against the Greys - her AoE spells and Golem's summon are a nice compensaiton for a shortage of forces at home that are needed elsewhere.

As for the final cinematic, Vanessa was probably not that far from the truth even if she wasn't aware of it, considering that the military leadership of Salria was subdued by the Redfist just before, and their attitude to the Orcish allies is known.

I liked the final conversation with Rangul. A nice way to wrap up his character arc.

 

[nchp1903]

My review of Chapter Two of Act Eight:
-Damn, both Rangul and Ephrog serve to show why the orcs require new leadership. They were simply throwing warriors away in hopes of breaking an undefeatable fortification. This is why the Orcs can't have nice things!

Reminds me of Kael'thas when he tried to siege Magtheridon's citadel. Excellent tacticians, both of them.

 

[Landlack]

-Damn, both Rangul and Ephrog serve to show why the orcs require new leadership. They were simply throwing warriors away in hopes of breaking an undefeatable fortification. This is why the Orcs can't have nice things!

As much as it is symptomatic of Rangul's style of leadership, his newly acquired ally isn't that much better in that regard - once roosts are destroyed and Greys are no more, Brotcka's ogres are simply assembling near the magical gate, making themselves easy targets for Red's towers and ranged units until you put an end to their misery by killing the warlocks who maintain the barrier. At least Rangul's goals are technically achievable!

 

[Zergy]

Vanessa not having an orb is painful, but at very least, it made her a natural choice to put in charge of defenses against the Greys - her AoE spells and Golem's summon are a nice compensaiton for a shortage of forces at home that are needed elsewhere.

My Vanessa has a Fire Orb.
So May I suggest getting her an Orb during the Pride of the Empire Mission in the first Book eras. Progaderos drops a Fire Orb during that mission.
The Treasure- I mean Fire Lord can be found at the Southeast of the map guarded by his minions, so better bring an Army that can brute force their way in. Magic spell caster ain't gonna help you, although you can hex the Fire Lord to even out your fight. Also, you better balance the tug-of-war between your allies and enemies.

 

[Rennathrim]

Reading this thread made me realise that I could have had a slightly less painful one and half hour if I didn't disregard the spellcasters (other than witchdoctors) in this mission; and realising that I could have invaded the orange base before I took all other roosts and them squeezing me out made me wish to bang my head over a wall

Never disregard the spellcasters of Arkain. Except Necrolytes. Necrolytes are pretty garbo.