New Content Discussion [SPOILER]

[fbsonar]

Wow, are we gonna see the first Undead to fight against the Watcher?!

 

[Zergy]

Wow, are we gonna see the first Undead to fight against the Watcher?!

More like there's going to be infighting between the Nexus after Aridon goes into hiding after the war. This is very present if you read the Tales of Arkain the Council in the Mountain. Rohir and Ejara are debating about the Dwarves...

 

[MyPad]

My review of the new chapter:

• Well... Was only time until things between the dark elves and Ornasion get worse, and what a way.
• I can understand Meya's boredoom... I think. Well, I can't wait to see her reaction after learning about the Bonelord's fate and the their fall on Salria.
• Hesthration (or whaterver his name is writing) is the perfect example of "Desperate times, desperate manners". He can hide and waiting but decides to die with his remaining forces. A pity, at least the demon corpses will be put to good uses.
• So... that is what happen with the knights... a pity Aridon doesn't take the corpses for himself. Idiot...
• I feel bad. Never had the chance to use the Drider hero, and now is impossible u u. I also want to use Urshan or perhaps Morganur if he was reanimated as a undead dreadlord too. I know I'm asking too much.
• Ebira is... well, just like other demons. In the end everything that happened to the demons is because they're too idiots to stand as one instead of thinking of how to betray each other so they can earn more power. Oh well, at least Ornasion won something: Revenge.
• Meya's explanation about the nexus and their rules was something, well, shocking. Not only me, but Ornasion seems to regret that the undead are not different than his former kin. At least the dark woman had her prisoners.
• Now I want to know how Pentiss will get away with this attack. Obviously Ornasion wants her head.
• No Galareth and Urshan interaction in the end? Hmmm.

Gameplay:

• First I destroyed the base of the demon slaves to claim the gold mine. Once I have a strong army, the dark elves were easy to deal with.
• I help my allies to destroy the bases of Hesthraion's underlings. Then they proceed to attack him.
• Try to always have your base with towers, the enemy will send attacks. Be careful with the Frost wyrms.
• The new unit we receive in this mission is awesome.
• I was expecting reinforcements like, perhaps Saint Loraine or another undead hero like Margazar or Keera?

Oh well, I can't believe everything that happened, but I enjoyed every single moment.
Good job indeed.

Basically the same strategy I went with the current chapter, Siege of Kome. However, I was mostly preoccupied with attacking that I forgot to put up sufficient static defenses so I ended up having to shuffle my bases around multiple gold mines.

That said, the undead demon lords being trainable made this map memorable for me, given that they are effectively undead paladins with a powerful but costly AOE heal. The twin-head undead dragons, while terrifying against ground units, are still quite effective against buildings, but die rather quickly to sustained fire from anti-air units.

After I took a good look at the map, the slow realization that the map was situated where the siege of Kome had occurred made me explore the map just to make sure, and what a rewarding feeling it was.

Spoiler: Start of Game

Ever since her talk with Brian, Pentiss has become quite the intriguing character. Willing to go to great lengths to secure her own position, she plots intrigues even against her own ascendant Mirazeyl, leaving room for plausible deniability in the ensuing hostilities against the Kezzar Nexus. While part of her lowly view of the Destroyer (not Garfel) is due to the society which she was raised and lived in, it doesn't help that Ornasion has outwardly expressed his hostility against Pentiss.

It wouldn't be a surprise if her own schemes would lead to her eventual undoing.

Spoiler: Victory

I like that we get an adaptation of an undead short story with a projection of Ebira confronting Ornasion. You can feel the tension in the air as Ornasion and Ebira engaged in a heated discussion about the grievances that she has caused him.

 

[Navy45]

Just finished the latest chapter.

The poor knights of Kome can't get a break, even in death. As for Hesrathion, well he will now serve the armies of the undead... or at least his spine will.

Conerning the gameplay :

• I like the new Castle Kome map. Once you realize it, you can use your prior knowledge to determine where the points of interest are. The enemy teleporting to launch attacks could be a bit annoying, but the defensive position you start with is probably the best in all of Arkain for towers so it's not a problem at all.
• Some poor demon slaves got left to die outside the walls. Hesrathion seems to care even less for his slaves than for his undead.
• Nice to get a bit of Undead vs Undead. Also, the small lore about the demons (understandably) forbidding us of necromancy.
• With the Deathlords, the Kezzar Nexus seems to be fully operational and running. Honestly, it could make them the best nexus out of all of them.
• One problem with the map : the Death Knights Animate Dead. I tried everything, succubi, destroyers, nothing seems to be able to damage these reanimated units so you are constantly taking chip damage and getting your meat wagons destroyed by some reanimated gouls. Honestly, I would prefer it if they were permanent but vulnerable.
• The Death Angel is a bit disapointing. I mean, it's a good enough unit, it deals decent magic damage, but it doesn't really differenciate itself from the other undead flyers like the twindragons, destroyers and frostwyrm, and its spell isn't quite as usefull as their abilities (dispell, damage/disable of buildings). It would be nice to have it have a greatly reduced attack but be a full support spellcaster with 3 spells.
• A bit of a shame you can't build more invaders, they better supplement the kezzar nexus than fleshcutters since the Kezzar already has all the heavy hitting melee you could want.
• Damnit. I really hoped that the Ardoz was gonna pop out some powerfull militarized torture device when I visited the Kome torture room. Well better luck next time.
• Damn, Urshan was a pain to take down at the Dead Mountain, but it was worth it. He just blasted through the first base with no support and kept going (Though the flesh golems proved to be a powerful obstacle)
• Why do Hesrathion's undead not have undead grunts ? The orcs had plenty of losses in the Castle. I get that the bodies are decomposing but then, why are the knights perfectly preserved ?

Concerning the Story :

• I like the Ardoz just being there. Like no particular reason, they're just there because they're insane so they might as well be there and make toys out of demon corpses.
• Between Pentiss and Ornasion, you wouldn't think that Pentiss would be the one who would run out of patience first. Still, if she believes that Ornasion just "might" win in a direct confrontation, she is drastically underestimating him. Then again, being underestimated by those who think their intrigues will save them seems to be a trait of Ornasion.
• Finally the confrontation between Ornasion and Ebira. It's funny to think that, because they never left witnesses, the demons didn't know about the Kezzar nexus before this battle. Still, Ebira telling Ornasion he could have been a "champion of Demonkind" is low. I hope at some point, we get an alliance between Aedale/Lisara and Ornasion to take down Ebira, that would be poetic.
• Poor Ornasion. He really embodied the vision of the undead many people had during the First Books. United allies acting together to do what was necessary. Him discovering that, not only is that not the case, but Pentiss, a living who joined Aridon after him, exploited this fact before he realized it... I expected him to spontanuasly explode out of anger by the end. Hope he'll find a way to get back at Pentiss.
• Ornasion was just bumped a few places on the list of people I wish were freed from Aridon, I'd say he's equal with Kazardius and just above Haran and Mordin.

 

[Kalvon]

Poor Ornasion. This mission was a pain for him. Pentiss has tried to kill him because he is a male. He discovers that undeads aren't different than his kin.

A demon who uses necromancy? What a surprise ! My dissappointement was that we don't play the mission where undeads stop the ritual to raze dead mountain. It was the same about Gorthog vs Dorbric. it would be nice to see its. any explanations, Shar ?

Finally, the last cinematic has the cutscene version of "Old hatred". Ebira is really hypocritical. For the sake of her race? Sabotage Ornasion and his legion was really for the demons? She lets them die in front of undeads. How can't she except that Aridon raise them? If you were a powerful necromancer, undead demon would be good assets. Sometimes, we should ask if she works for the Dark one.

 

[nchp1903]

Just finished the chapter as well, and damn. It seems that Siege of Kome was so good, that Siege of Kome 2 is now released. Not too hard, but still fun.

Spoiler: Story

• Just by the start of the chapter, we can already see Ornasion being based, Pentiss being sexist, and Meya being herself. Never change, Undead.
• Pentiss shows her true color beyond just mere sexism however, by sending Mirazeyl to die fighting against Ornasion and Galareth, while slandering Ornasion and Haran'tel'kazor. Still, I don't want her to die, yet.
• Demon Slaves are but a minor inconvenience, and both their base and their hero Paladin were brutally destroyed by Deathlords. I wonder if a different outcome could be achieved here if we spared the giant Sludge Creature from earlier.
• Ebira had some doubts about what she did, or so did Ornasion, when he heard from Meya that Undead had...politics. Can't wait for him to fully break free from Aridon's grasp and just go batshit on the Lenira. I would say "Poor Ornasion", but I think he'd rather punch his enemies to death to relieve his stress than to accept my pity.
• Galareth said that the Knight of Kome's torture tools were tame in comparison to the Ejara's. Perhaps Fleshcutters and Contraptions are said tools, but somehow sentient? Would be a cool piece of lore.
• I expected an easter egg near Inara/Vanessa's jail cell, but nothing came to light. Sad. Maybe an (invisible) spider that drops loot would be nice.

Spoiler: Gameplay

• I was given a lot of time to prepare at the start, but I didn't make good use of it, just building random units. So, I end up losing my main base and has to relocate to Mirazeyl's base after destroying hers. One benefit of this is this I have a more fortified position, and my allies soaked up a few attack waves for me.
• Although, Deathlords, Twindragons, Fallen Angels + Total Destruction makes it all worth it. My units are extremely OP, and even a Fountain of Mana to not waste the breaks between fights.
• Fallen Angels are not very strong, but they have damage buff, which is quite rare for Undead units, plus the fact that Kezzar units have high base damage, so they can fill the support role.
• Hesrathion displayed the superiority of his tactical mind by sending Disease Cloud Abominations and Meat Wagons to defend against the Undead. Wow.
• The cowardly Dark Elves' base was right where Sasrogarn's base once stood, and the weakling Demon Slaves were right where the ignoble Boar Regiment once stood guard. How beautiful.
• Twindragons are especially useful here. They can snipe Demon Gates and Black Citadels, and Hesrathion is helpless to let it happen. As for the Fallen Knights of Kome who has anti-air, well, I just attacked alongside Urshan. Bro is jacked af, with Rain of Fire, Howl of Terror, Endurance Aura and Reincarnation. Although, the Death Knights'
• Urshan was easily pissed off by towers, so sometimes, he just walked up, cast Rain of Fire twice, then left the area. Sigma grindset.
• Meanwhile, on Meya's side, while her troops' damage is quite shit, the Seekers are tanky af. With healing support from a few Deathlords, she finally broke through the underlings' base.
• Hesrathion blundered yet again, by placing his Demon Gates close to non-pathable ground that his Doom Guards can't reach. Twindragons can snipe three of them easily, while Urshan takes care of the rest.

No funny screenshots today. My rig's acting quirky and can't post shit.

 

[krawg]

very nice mission the last one got one small thing to say the chimereas were doing splash damge on my units you got 'the old version ones' i dont know if that is intended anyways the rest is great keep up the great work

 

[DD Mikasa]

Good god Shar...Kome AGAIN!!! How much more keyboard and mouses will be sacrificed on this dammed place?!

Jokes asside i found this version of Kome far more easier to manage, the early phases were abit hectic as i was trying to come up with an army composition but i managed to pull through. In fact all you have to do is Destroy the demon slave base early (it can be done with your starting units) Gain the gold mine. Go for triple doom guards + 1 obsidant statue for mana regen, one overlord with the vampiric aura and esnare and the rest filled with the Dreadguard dont fall into the contraption trap while they are far stronger and do cleave damage but they are mechanical and therefore cannot be healed.

After you get done with the demon salves and the wretched dark elves. You fill the rest of your production with the undead chimeras and do what i call a pro gamer move...Wait for your ally to attack one of the forward bases rush their TH and workers with your undead chimeras and rinse and repeat...Actually the allies in this map are quite useful and if they aren't being attacked by the defending forces they can and will wreck the absolute living shit of the enemy base, Urshan goes so hard he managed to destroy the first forward base opposing him, himself while i was leashing the defending force with my chimeras.

Now unto the lore implications...Okay Ornassion keeps getting his hopes and dreams crushed again and again...I find it rather rather rather funny that he keeps getting teamed up with all sorts of Heros that dont match him at all (me thinks this is part of Watchers plan to break whats left of his sannity) For some one so brutish one would think he'd make a perfect match being teamed up with Bonelords/ Sir Edoarus or even flesh tearer but no he gets Lady Meya, Galareth and Haran... That outta piss him off to a certain extent...Also yay Ornassion nexus is growing he's got his very first lieutenant in Urshan... Who knows maybe the other dreadlords that we killed will be added to his nexus ranks...
Well at least my prediction of being a chapter of Undead with Ornassion as the protagonist came true and the "civil" war predition kinda true.

Also i had some questions...How come Hersathion (or whatever his name is) got so proficent on necromancy i would assume he only started learning about necromancy after he saw the battle between Ornassion and The watcher but to be so proficent at it as to raise an entire castle into his armies...Are dreadlords naturally gifted on the arts of magic or is this just a special case of him being a protege or smth??

Also how come Gardon allowed a demon establish a base near the heartland of his empire, like i get it at this time Gardon and the undeads are allied but to allow such a huge detachment of Demons backed by necromancy to establish a base near the heart of his empire seems kinda odd unless this battle escaped him totally. Logic says that he is pre occupied with the Demon invasion and pushing it back BUT still not a single ironfist in sight seems kinda odd.

 

[Shar Dundred]

No Galareth and Urshan interaction in the end? Hmmm.

Galareth is too busy with, well, Galareth things.

Although I think Abominations don't quite suit Hesthration's new undead Army. Its castle Kome, Shar. I would expect Seekers as their Heavy front liners.

Why do Hesrathion's undead not have undead grunts ? The orcs had plenty of losses in the Castle. I get that the bodies are decomposing but then, why are the knights perfectly preserved ?

Hesrathion displayed the superiority of his tactical mind by sending Disease Cloud Abominations and Meat Wagons to defend against the Undead. Wow.

Hesrathion's forces were kept purposefully "simple" in their tech tree due to his lack of experience
with actually using undead forces.
If it wouldn't have made the mission way too easy, I'd have him stick to tier 2 as maximum.
The few "non-standard" undead units on the map serve to further highlight this with their low numbers.

I wonder why this once-honorable ogre became crazed and is running a nexus that is assigned to this expedition anyway.

Did you not read his backstory?

While part of her lowly view of the Destroyer (not Garfel) is due to the society which she was raised and lived in, it doesn't help that Ornasion has outwardly expressed his hostility against Pentiss.

She probably wouldn't have liked Garfel either - for reasons I don't think you need me to explain.

I like that we get an adaptation of an undead short story with a projection of Ebira confronting Ornasion. You can feel the tension in the air as Ornasion and Ebira engaged in a heated discussion about the grievances that she has caused him.

If she had been there herself, he'd have torn her to shreds.

Nice to get a bit of Undead vs Undead

Never before seen combat scenario in Arkain.

A bit of a shame you can't build more invaders, they better supplement the kezzar nexus than fleshcutters since the Kezzar already has all the heavy hitting melee you could want.

They would have replaced the Deathlords.
I considered adding them as well but decided to just give you two to keep you on your toes.
Plus you already have a pretty strong tech tree in this mission.

Between Pentiss and Ornasion, you wouldn't think that Pentiss would be the one who would run out of patience first.

She mostly just saw a chance to use Ornasion against Mirazeyl - and vice versa.
She lied to her underling. Couldn't really go and tell her "go and fight, I want one of you two to die", could she?

Poor Ornasion. He really embodied the vision of the undead many people had during the First Books. United allies acting together to do what was necessary. Him discovering that, not only is that not the case, but Pentiss, a living who joined Aridon after him, exploited this fact before he realized it...

Exactly.

I expected him to spontanuasly explode out of anger by the end.

He was close.

Galareth said that the Knight of Kome's torture tools were tame in comparison to the Ejara's. Perhaps Fleshcutters and Contraptions are said tools, but somehow sentient? Would be a cool piece of lore.

They are definitely used for some of the countless torturing processes that the prisoners of the Ardoz go through.
They're called "Fleshcutters" for a reason.

Hesrathion blundered yet again, by placing his Demon Gates close to non-pathable ground that his Doom Guards can't reach.

His desperation really reduced his tactical genius, didn't it? Or was he never a genius and it was all politics?
Well, now he is dead.
(not undead btw, that guy is staying down, Ornasion literally ripped his spine out).

No funny screenshots today. My rig's acting quirky and can't post shit.

rip

very nice mission the last one got one small thing to say the chimereas were doing splash damge on my units you got 'the old version ones' i dont know if that is intended anyways the rest is great keep up the great work

Completely intentional & thank you, will do!

Good god Shar...Kome AGAIN!!! How much more keyboard and mouses will be sacrificed on this dammed place?!

Yes.

Also i had some questions...How come Hersathion (or whatever his name is) got so proficent on necromancy i would assume he only started learning about necromancy after he saw the battle between Ornassion and The watcher but to be so proficent at it as to raise an entire castle into his armies...Are dreadlords naturally gifted on the arts of magic or is this just a special case of him being a protege or smth??

Hesrathion started studying necromancy and undead before the invasion even begun.
It is no secret that Aridon is using undead forces and he knew that they'd face Undead eventually - at the
very least when they were going to siege the Dead Mountain and there are quite a lot of Demons that want
Aridon dead so it made only sense to study the enemy beforehand in Hesrathion's mind.
He had never really used his knowledge before however.

Also how come Gardon allowed a demon establish a base near the heartland of his empire, like i get it at this time Gardon and the undeads are allied but to allow such a huge detachment of Demons backed by necromancy to establish a base near the heart of his empire seems kinda odd unless this battle escaped him totally. Logic says that he is pre occupied with the Demon invasion and pushing it back BUT still not a single ironfist in sight seems kinda odd.

Near the heartland of Gardon's empire? Not at all? This area is not controlled by Gardon.
If you refer to the Castle Kome on the post-Second Books worldmap, that is their NEW castle that
was set up after the original castle was demolished by the Orcs.
As you may recall, Gardon said that they were setting up a NEW castle rather than rebuild the old
one at the beginning of the Second Book era.

 

[Plantpaladin]

Great map, did it with no air and no attacking dark elves. Went demon slaves first then went inside and killed east->west ->southwest -final. Deathlords are very good in groups and try to keep a strong tower for weak air and go back with whole team if they send frost wyrms.

Feedback;Meyas Exposition at end feel like it was at least one sentance too many.
She explained the same thing three times.

Any future reward if you dont kill Dark elves or are they like Wolf Regiment in last map?

 

[DD Mikasa]

Near the heartland of Gardon's empire? Not at all? This area is not controlled by Gardon.
If you refer to the Castle Kome on the post-Second Books worldmap, that is their NEW castle that
was set up after the original castle was demolished by the Orcs.
As you may recall, Gardon said that they were setting up a NEW castle rather than rebuild the old
one at the beginning of the Second Book era.

Ohhh gotcha i might have confused the pre FB map with the post FB map.

Yes.

I have a laptop now...If i am to sacrifice the sole keyboard i posses i might kiss my only gaming rig goodbye.

Why do Hesrathion's undead not have undead grunts ? The orcs had plenty of losses in the Castle. I get that the bodies are decomposing but then, why are the knights perfectly preserved ?

I like to think of this like this...Since he didn't have time to raise the bodies intact (and besides considering the war between orcs and the knights must have been extremly bloody and brutal with each of the soliders in both camps missing more than just one limb after they fell) it was easier to stich different parts and come up with abominations...After all abominations are just different parts stiched together.

Ahm Shar one last question...Why its necromacy prohibited to dreadlords? I would assume for a race so hellbent in dominating everything in sight they would use any tool in their disposal, is it considert taboo? Or to dangerous even for a dreadlord to dabble upon?


Also yay after Shar decided to murder Lokar in cold blood i have a new obscure favourite character in Urshan (Lets hope he dosen't get murked as well)

 

[Shar Dundred]

Alright Mikasa, you're getting some homework now - in that order.
1) Play the entire True Story again, watching every cinematic and reading all the lore.
2) Read all the lore in the Arkain forum.
3) Read your question again.

Trust me, you will thank me for this.
Not sure about your keyboard.

 

[Enki555]

Blood and Soul that must be chronicled:
-Can't blame Ornasion. Who would believe in Aridon's little snakes? It seems Pentiss is changing her loyalties faster than any dreadlord just subtle. (O' perhaps Ironfist gaining very unlikely ally in the future?) In the meantime, perhaps we will see fracture in dark elven society and if former mistress-turned-slave manages to free herself... perhaps she would properly serve Watcher. There is also Soryena... Perhaps Aldera nexus can rise as it must be? And Meya should definitely be succubus incarnate xD (what if she is first succubus... just a fan theory).
-So, dreadlords could be adept necromancers... only if he secretly conducted his pastime much earlier, perhaps he could've formed a nexus...
-Destroy slaves asap and get some items for Galareth (his new voiceline was edgy yet eerily suited him. Whose voice is it?) And he should have exclusive item too. I made the mistake of army-building and attacking Lenira first with most of my forces and got semi-wrecked in base by fallen Komites. Lenira has good anti-air yet three deathlords can nurse twindragons back to (un)health in moments. And Miraezyl meeting the most untimely end for her blindness... (don't wallow and you should've accepted natural deceitfulness of your kind) Quickly form the forward base in Lenira's ruins and fortify main base. Reanimated units are bothersome and perhaps they can be turned vulnerable but permanent? Also, where is Morganur? Perhaps after destroying Lenira, he can appear to build his own base at the site to assist Ornasion? Urshan the juggernaut and his nexus definitely are qualified to handle tides of undead. Meya and her cohorts are weaker but tides turn when Rohir's air forces begin to swarm. Make sure to snipe demon gates first with nine twindragons and destroyer for dispel as suicide force and combined with Rohir, should be enough to kill the base. Leave heroes, deathlords, some deathguards, obsidian statues, fallen angels (3) and gargoyles at the base until final confrontation. Fallen angels should have frost attack or frost aura (with that they can be aura-bearing equivalent of greyguard, icekeeper etc for Splecir nexus) imo as they appear just weaker version of angelics with only one spell. Maybe add frost bolt as undead replica of holy smite? Hopefully, we will be able to choose which nexus to play with its full techtree at the final undead mission without mixture of other nexi. I especially crave to see full undead demons of Kezzar with hopefully undead felhounds, netherdrakes, mariliths, pitlords etc added.
-About orb of demonology, what about making it spawn imp from the corpse that explodes? Also, perhaps torture chamber could unveil last ultimate unit of Ardoz nexus?
-There should be orc skeletons as compensation for what we lacked in Risen Resistance. Hesrathion's forces should still have diversity and perhaps his remaining dreadlords also dabbled in necromancy... that could be assisting force for him. Maybe also add some skeletal dwarves, dark ranger and undead mountain king? There should be some netherdragons, mariliths, and succubi in the last base as his last retinue.
-It hit different to see the short story animated in-game... as if something is harrowing. It would be interesting to see meeting between Ornasion and Lisara... and undead are no better than dark elves ofc, and undead being fractured more than ever is... disconcerting. O' how much I also loathe politics... hope Ornasion will find solace. Overall, enjoyed husk of Kome better than living Kome xD. Hopefully Ornasion will be given opportunity to lead vanguard at Gate of Hell. Keep going.

 

[gaurdian of the flame]

i want to know why didn t the souleater dreadlord raise the dead orcs just like he raised the fallen knights of kome i mean there should be orcs corpses left from their siege

 

[Shar Dundred]

What makes you think he didn't use the undead Orcs for anything?
It is not like all his units look human.

 

[HuanJuan]

So after a massive battle between undead and undead, here is my conclusion:

(I was completed on Normal difficulty, WCIII Classic 1.29.2)

• In the loading Screen, the description of the chapter are more presonal, in the view of Ornasion. Strange.
• This type of siege of Kome is easier, than the first. I sadly discovered that some parts are not discoverable to the player, and the Forge - Where you had the chance to equip some of your Orc Hero Characters - are gone. I pretty much like the comment, and interesting fact about the torture room (Galareth is going to be great atleast in his profession...). I do not expected, but if it's possible to see the prison section of the Kome Castle, or the Forge. I think that would be awesome if these two things are gonna be seen by the player, and hearing some of the opinions of Galareth and Ornasion about these things.
• The layout of the map is an OK to me. In the Siege of Kome we had the chance to start is another position , than here in the middle. I think the starting position is not the best, it's a vulnerable position, and we - The real Undead nexuses - have no upperhand, and suprise factor.
• The Human Demon Slaves from North East are lackluster. They can be easily dealth with in the beginning of the mission. Somehow they are not attacked me at all: Lenira nexus was more interesting for them. After I destroyed them, the Lenira Nexus was found me finally.
• Dealing With Lenira Nexus was seemingly not an easy feat for me, because you know... Hesration or what is not drinking tea and listening some Bakelit in the backround of my battles. He was made everything harder as he can, even almost wiped out Meya's base.
• The unified buildings of the Undead is strange to see, but it's understanable. I write this, because every Nexus has different views, ideas, units, etc., and sometimes - like in this chapter - they are very hostile for eachother, and yet: they have unified building code.
• The enemy undead units are pretty standard. Only the names of Hesration Undead heroes are mentioning their past with the Original Kome Knights, in the battlefield it's just normal Hesration undead vs. Aridon's undead. Still a hell of a battle!
• Because of the map's nature - abandoned battlefield, which was reused as a battleground for the undeads again - there is nothing much to discover.
• In the original Siege of Kome, there was a blocked entrance to the last base: now it's free from rocks. The whole map it's cleaned, and only the usual pile of bones design, and the main entrance of the castle had many undead guards, waiting for the player forces to come.
• From the original Sky-Fury towers are now used, as a Corrupted Sky-Fury towers. Still, no chaos damage, flame burned design. They work perfectly: annoying the player air units. Nothing else.

After all: the undead seems much more fractured as I thought. Minus one demon, but Ebira is still on free, ready to make everyones life more miserable as she can.

 

[Apprentice Darkmoon]

What makes you think he didn't use the undead Orcs for anything?
It is not like all his units look human.

That means that the Flesh Golems...
Well, that makes sense now.

 

[Jayborino]

Re: the latest news post, I have a few comments.

These are the 2nd Book maps that haven't been revealed yet:

• End of Invasion
• The Red Night
• A Red Day
• Gates of Hell

+Interludes: Birth of the Dominion, Unnamed joint Finale cinematic (or maybe there will be multiple)

We are expecting at least one new exclusive with the Amari/Sasrogarn/Inara/Ogres map though Shar said there would be more than one new exclusive map. I list all this out so we can have fun speculating, but also to count out the sheer size of Arkain in Warcraft 3.

Acts 1-8 had 69 maps (nice): 56 playable and 13 interludes
Act 9 has 6 maps: 5 playable and 1 interlude, with a reasonable guess that there will be 6 more playable and 2 more interludes.

This is a grand total of 83 maps. To have made 83 maps of entirely original content shows a level of commitment I've not encountered anywhere else in my more than 10 years interfacing with these custom communities. It's too soon to get really reflective about it since it's not over yet, but Shar and also Kasrkin have a lot to be proud of with this - it is simply unmatched. Thank you!!

It's definitely a little weird to imagine Arkain continuing somewhere that isn't Warcraft 3 or text based stories, but I know I'll be keeping up with it wherever it goes.

 

[Shar Dundred]

This is a grand total of 83 maps. To have made 83 maps of entirely original content shows a level of commitment I've not encountered anywhere else in my more than 10 years interfacing with these custom communities. It's too soon to get really reflective about it since it's not over yet, but Shar and also Kasrkin have a lot to be proud of with this - it is simply unmatched. Thank you!!

It's definitely a little weird to imagine Arkain continuing somewhere that isn't Warcraft 3 or text based stories, but I know I'll be keeping up with it wherever it goes.

Highly appreciated! Very kind to read!
You all can look forward to the next releases!

 

[Zergy]

Aside from the maps Sir @Jayborino mentioned, there is a huge possibility that there are more True Story exclusive maps going to be released in Act 9.

Gorthog, the Mogthar splinter group chieftain, still has a moment to shine. Plus Murlocs haven't been mentioned since after the Risen resistance. I know their allegiance is with Gorthog only not to the Dominion...

The final interlude after the gates of hell will be one big Interlude, just like an Anime episode, concluding all 4 factions of Arkain and their story arcs. That would be Human- Orc - Undead - Demons.

Although the Undead still seems lacking in how things will end with them. Even though it will end in a civil war and infighting amongst each other... More stories will come eventually. Or so I think?

At this point, @Shar Dundred has 2 options:
!.) Take his time to flush out more of Act 9
2.) Or take a quicker route to finish things earlier.

I was expecting 10 acts in total, but the Creator of this custom campaign has decided to settle on 9. He has proven me wrong again. The end may be near for this series, but I believe it's just the beginning. I would think that Shar would come back to doing it again but this time recreating the Tales of Arkain into a brand new Legends of Arkain series.

I prefer Legends of Arkain's storyline rather than the jumbled mess Netflix DOTA 2 created!

 

[Navy45]

Tiny detail but I might as well mention it. Shouldn't Sir Ferdal be with Vail along with Thanok since he's her bodyguard ?

I can't wait to see how the True story will end. Despite the knowledge of the Second Books, there are plenty of areas where the future is uncertain.

 

[Plantpaladin]

Been a great series to follow.

 

[Kasrkin]

It's been a very long time since the beginning hasn't it, and I know I haven't been around a lot lately been working 50 and 60+ hour work weeks. But despite the ups and downs of life I hope all of you have been enjoying the true story if not lorewise then gameplay or something. Nine years.. nine long years, in its own way it's hard for it to finally be over but at the same time it's a relief that this chapter (heh) of my life is almost over. Now I've rambled like a fool for long enough, I do hope the last missions meet your expectations and if not hey just have some fun.

This has been your friendly neighborhood Kasrkin once more.

 

[JackBlaze]

Oooh, one of my favorite maps - using the Purificator for the first time

Before that though...

Gardon, Brian and Vail

Where are all their items?!

I knew I wasn't being crazy when it happened to Okri and Grella back with the final Gnoll Island mission

 

[Kasrkin]

You need to replay last stand of the golden guard, there was a cache issue that was fixed.

 

[JackBlaze]

Gotcha, will do

 

[Plantpaladin]

Gameplay :: Easier than most of the recent missions but will punish you if you lose too many units. Make sure your units dont die to aoe and use spells for extra damage. Keep summons up front and your own units in front of allied heroes as they dont respawn.

Story. Another Avin falcon egg, always comes across as smart and shadowy
Gardons fanaticism is so tragic and foreboding. Brian cant help but will probably ensure peace with the orcs.
Queens and rumors was rather foreboding aswell.

Gonna miss this aswell Karskin, thank you for all the support you have been to Shar Dundred during this time.

 

[Apprentice Darkmoon]

Finished the new mission:

• Ah! The defense of the Purificator... This mission when you have three factions attacking you, and sometimes, they battle each other, giving you time to rest and heal your forces... but now we face only demons, so...
• The little help from Aveen could include some falcons as well.
• I'm glad to see some help in the inner part of the Fortress. A pity we can control them but I understand that do it will turn this mission so easy.
• Destroy Kersidar's demon gates don't free you from Dreadlords and their annoying infernals sigh
• Try to save as many soldiers as you can, things are bad in the early moments of the mission.
• Brian is worry about Thanok's influence on Gardon? or is he afraid that this attack against the demons can end with Gardon? Such a charming father is the shadow creature. I will only say: Never trust in a black dragon.
• Well, Vail and Larine started the cold war. I don't want to be that fool Ferdan hearing their "conversation".
• Awww I expected some interaction between Tarai and Harmos in the end, as well some dialogues from General Whitefield.

Quite the challenge, I like it.
Good job.

 

[nchp1903]

Well, I finish the new chapter earlier today. With the end of this chapter, I'm getting closer and closer to the end of True Story, and I've gotta said, it's been a fun ride. Even just talking about random stuff regarding the gameplay and story of every chapter brings me great joy, so here's hoping to another WC3 campaign, still set in the same universe.

Anyway, the review.

Spoiler: Gameplay

• We've started with 300 supply, nice. However, there are bugs. Gardon, Vail, and Brian don't retain their items from earlier chapters, and Larine costs gold to revive, which we don't have. No Leadership Hall for Heroes of Zyainor either, so healing abilities are very useful here.
• I put Harmos near the cannon, since his staff can charge it up super fast with Brilliance Aura. This is especially useful if you wanna do something like, say, kill Kersidar, which takes two shots, and Deragan who needs another shot. You can use iseedeadpeople, but since we have Larine, may as well use her as a spotter.

• Unfortunately, none of them dropped any loot. Would be nice to have an Arkain-unique item from Kersidar, like how Larine got her Gardener's Tool.
• Taray and Whitefield were especially useful when holding the outer walls, but an Infernal wave overwhelmed my force and eliminated both of them. Hope they didn't die story-wise
• The Falconers, however, are quite eh. They're just there because Aveen is late to party, and it shows.

Spoiler: Story

• Marin called Gardon a kinslayer, and while Gardon seems to only show anger at his remark, I think he's actually reminded of that pain. Gardon replaced his Old Amulet with a flask, but only uses it when no one's looking. Considering the position he's at, I guess showing weakness is not an option. It's a nice touch of personality.
• As for Marin, I wonder what will become of him after he leaves. Maybe he'll be captured by Aedale, like original Second Book?
• Saphira shows no remorse for the loss of the Bonelords' army. While she's deceptive towards Gardon, I think this is the most honesty I've seen from her by far.
• What is a Kostravoth? A province or a city in the Void, or a forge? They made quite impressive golems that humans should learn from.
• Brian is trying to stop Gardon from falling into Aridon's trap, but he's a bit too adamant about wiping out the demons to stop. Maybe he still feels guilty, so when Marin mentions how Renald also wants the demon invasion to stop, Gardon took it upon himself to fulfill that wish to an extreme extent.
• The convo between Veil (+Ferdal is just there, grunting mindlessly) and Larine is quite interesting. Each tries to passive-aggressively reminds the other of their places, of the "rumors", before eventually coming to a lady's agreement. Just the right dosage of drama I've been looking for.

 

[Nicolas Warchief]

That was cool, yes is more difficult fighting only with 4 wave spawn demons at same time but defending near the purificator with dragons, reinforcements is easy, i like the obvious change of not have dominion and bonelord in this mission, that was strange fighting enemies that we never seen before in Second Human Book.

The final mission Gates of Hell will be like massive battle in Pride of Empire with so many soldiers being spawned? It will be cool, but the tiny space of battle will not allow this massive battle

 

[Shar Dundred]

Gardon, Vail, and Brian don't retain their items from earlier chapters

Replay the Last Stand of the Golden Guard. There was a cache bug in the initial release.

 

[Paul Emirique Ibanez]

Wow True Story of Arkain is coming to an end. Can't believe it. Its too fast

 

[Navy45]

Damn... the end of the invasion already. Does that mean that Redfist took longer to actually attack the Dominion himself than Gardon did to end both the civil war and the invasion? Way to go Redfist !

In terms of gameplay, the chapter is quite similar to the SHB version. The lack of warring factions among the attackers makes it rather straightforward. I like the addition of Taray and Whitefield by the entrance.
Even with the limited forces, between the direwolves, Brian's shadows, Sir Ferdal and Harmos' Fire Golem, you can always scrap together a frontline pretty easily which is nice, stressing drastically over losing units against demonic units/heroes would be quite annoying.
I blasted most of the demon gates with the Purificator and then cleared the map with my forces. It's a bit sad that, despite having demons all over the map, very few actually drop anything (only a medallion of courage at the south of the eastern demon base), like even Kersidar himself gives nothing.
Funnily enough, despite blasting both advanced bases of the demons with the Purificator, only the Pit Lord died while Derragan survived. Nice to see them again by the way.

About the lore :

• Poor Brian tries to stop Gardon from going too far so that Aridon doesn't retaliate. Gardon's answer makes me think that Ebira won't get a positive answer if she dares to make him the same deal as in the SHB.
• Vail and Larine have a bit of a stand off. I wonder if it'll lead to a confrontation before Larine goes back to the Elven Forest.

Small "bug" : the Purificator engineer was so dedicated to his job that he interrupted Vail to report that it was ready to fire. The poor lad must have gotten a beating from Ferdal.

 

[Jayborino]

No confirmed Kersidar kill here. I don't remember - was there one in the second books? I expect he gets a cinematic kill, but who's going to land it?

New map could use some additional challenge, but that's coming from someone who knew exactly what to expect. Maybe occasional infernal drops around the base to make the player have a mobile force and then also Toraes would be engaged a bit. Adding more enemies to the front waves wouldn't change much IMO because of pathing and collision.

It was nice to see Taray and Whitefield at the front gate, I love little details like that.

 

[Shar Dundred]

No confirmed Kersidar kill here. I don't remember - was there one in the second books? I expect he gets a cinematic kill, but who's going to land it?

He made your life miserable in the final Gardon mission back then.

 

[Jorgonson]

Just beat the new mission.

As always, in terms of lore but especially gameplay, Brian was the GOAT. The four respawnable shadows make this mission so much less stressful than it otherwise would be. Also, his stun is really crucial for stopping rain of fire. The shadow debuff is normally cracked but here it feels a bit redundant due to how much DPS your army has. I think Brian's a really interestingly designed hero, as most super powerful heroes in custom campaigns are very obviously turbo OP with ridiculously good stats, while Brian's overpoweredness comes solely from his abilities; Brian is OP in a subtle way, which is so on brand for him that I think its 100% intentional.

Gardon deciding to invade the demons is a pretty cool story beat ("You've become the very thing you swore to destroy!") and I look forward to seeing what the Ebira conversation looks like. Gardon's defining trait is of course his pragmatism, which would likely lead him towards accepting the pact (fewer lives lost, no risk of the Demons turning the tables, securing his empire). At the same time, it's clear that he fully understands the personal costs of the demons driving him to such extreme lengths to stop them. Gardon's refusal to abandon the people of Arkain to demonic invasions was what ultimately lead to him having to kill his family. Further, his use of questionable methods all circles back to the threat the demons pose/have posed, and forced him onto a path that isolated him from his friends and family in the first place. I'm sure he REALLY wants revenge for that, so whether or not he accepts the pact will probably be Gardon's personal grievances waring against his utilitarianism, which is a really cool conflict. Honestly the true story has made Gardon a WAY better character than in the SHB, and one of the things I'm most looking forward to is seeing how his arc wraps up.

Side note. What is Marin even going to do now? He's part of a faction that was declared traitors to the Empire and then destroyed. So like, he can't really go back home without being imprisoned at best. If his main motivation is boredom, I'm kind of surprised he didn't take Gardon up on his offer. Seems like he could have been making black and gold covered stealth bombers in a Zyaise mansion but noooooo he has to get arrested in the empire. I always wished Marin got more screen time, but you can't flesh everyone out without really bloating the cast, so I get why that never happened.

 

[Kasrkin]

I agree with Jay on this. Need something occasionally annoying like infernals or portals spawning with a decent chunk of hp.

 

[HuanJuan]

I agree with Jay on this. Need something occasionally annoying like infernals or portals spawning with a decent chunk of hp.

Spoiler: Spoiler, with a reason

There is not too much sense to make an outbreak - or if you only leave one Demon Gate, and getting out of the base with some units, making a whole map clean -. Only thing the player can discover, is dialoges from Kersidar, a Pitlord, and from an Eredar hero. There is no Item drop on this map.

 

[Kasrkin]

Holy shit what a fight.

Spoiler

 

[Nicolas Warchief]

New map could use some additional challenge, but that's coming from someone who knew exactly what to expect. Maybe occasional infernal drops around the base to make the player have a mobile force and then also Toraes would be engaged a bit. Adding more enemies to the front waves wouldn't change much IMO because of pathing and collision

No pls, PLS no, This mission was difficult fighting 4 demons base at the same time we dont need more... or even Doom guard.

(Maybe at each 10 waves one that giant robot that guards the path? Will be despair xD)

Holy shit what a fight.

Spoiler

View attachment 453148
View attachment 453149

And you still wanna infernal drop inside the base like By Demons Driven of Reign of Chaos xD

 

[Kaftarepir]

The New version is my fav They couldn't even get passed the gate and we won! Story is getting interesting!

 

[Maronogin]

I want to know who told General Dorbric about the information of the Undead.

 

[DD Mikasa]

Whew what a blast that last chapter was, a proper bloodbath where you dont have to concern yourself with petty structure managment but just hold out and push them back, and it was a tad bit challenging as well but oh boy does Whitefield offer so much assistance with holding them back.

Lore wise this is...Rather interesting...It seems Brian has allies even among demons. With the True stroy approaching its end i am itching to see how things will turn out. What will Van Durce surviving progeny fate be. How will Gardon manage to fulfil his ambitious yet a tad bit insane plan. The watchers fate (part of me thinks that we might even see The watcher "removed" giving his Undead servants free will).

Also bonus point for that Verbal sparing between the two queens, i found extremely funny. Aveen continues TO BE LATE( At this point i think this has become a running meme).

I found the falcon units extremely underwhelming though maybe something could be done to their ranged units to make them a tad bit unique unique.
@Jorgonson

Most likely Marin's story will intertwine with the surviving Van Durce kids, i think a variation of Van Durce exodus home like the B cannon in SHB might unfold. Thats just a hunch though since we're nearing the end dedicating a chapter soly to the fate of the last surviving golden guard might be abit much, in that case we might get a short story that concludes their fate.

 

[Navy45]

I find surprising that some people seem to assume Brian was refering to Ebira when he talked about aranging a meeting. I always assumed it was foreshadowing a negotiation between Gardon and Amari like the one in the SOB.
Is there a reason to assume a link between Brian and some of the demons ?

 

[Nicolas Warchief]

I find surprising that some people seem to assume Brian was refering to Ebira when he talked about aranging a meeting. I always assumed it was foreshadowing a negotiation between Gardon and Amari like the one in the SOB.

I think Gardon will not agree with the pact, and will face the consequence like the death of Toraes trying to invade the demons land while Saphira betray Gardon in one of the finals of Second Human Book, killing Ferdal and Merlon probably

Makes peace between Ziyanor and Dominion is great, no one needs a war after the civil war of the empire and so much deaths caused by undead and demons to both sides

One thing that can happen is Aedale lost to Lisara after killing Redfist, i would prefer Vanesa kill his father instead of Aedale do this, i would love so much to see Aedale + Gorthog and the rest of Mogthar leading war against Tregakh but maybe will only be speculation

 

[Elempash]

Hello everyone, been awhile since I last ventured onto the arkain forums.
Decided to binge the campaign and so I did but I've got some story questions, maybe someone could be of help.
Spoiler ahead (maybe?)

Spoiler: Questions

1) Soooooo... Someone warned Dorbric of the impending undead attack. But who was that woman exactly? I mean outside of Elviir and her falconers I cant recall any brunette women important to the story.
2) I feel like Logan's story is pushed back and largely ignored. While the Tribal Dominion surely became tenfold interesting, that particular character feels out of place now, since Amari is waaaaaaaaaaaaaay more malicious compared to SOB. Logan was the tool that made her more "human", if you know what I mean.
3) Kinda an extension to the second question, but we haven't seen a lot of Daric either. What were him and Logan up to this whole time?

I have to admit, time flies too damn fast. I vividly recall my struggles beating chapter 4 in SHB and now we're here. Can't believe we're this close to the end.

 

[Navy45]

Soooooo... Someone warned Dorbric of the impending undead attack. But who was that woman exactly? I mean outside of Elviir and her falconers I cant recall any brunette women important to the story.

It's most likely Lady Meya, the leader of the Rohir. She tends to use illusions to appear human and she has a bone to pick with the Scarec and the bonelords.

2) I feel like Logan's story is pushed back and largely ignored. While the Tribal Dominion surely became tenfold interesting, that particular character feels out of place now, since Amari is waaaaaaaaaaaaaay more malicious compared to SOB. Logan was the tool that made her more "human", if you know what I mean.
3) Kinda an extension to the second question, but we haven't seen a lot of Daric either. What were him and Logan up to this whole time?

The mercenaries and Redfist were still preparing their forces when the Salrians and the wolves/bulls attacked. Since the regiments of the empire were added in the True Story, it's logical their story takes some place away from the mercenaries. Whatever happens between Logan, Daric and the Dominion, we'll most likely see it in the coming chapters, along with the end of the Redfist.

 

[Jayborino]

I find surprising that some people seem to assume Brian was refering to Ebira when he talked about aranging a meeting. I always assumed it was foreshadowing a negotiation between Gardon and Amari like the one in the SOB.
Is there a reason to assume a link between Brian and some of the demons ?

I think I mentioned this in my video but I misread Brian's line. I thought he said allies on THAT side of the Void (meaning on Demon territory, but he said THIS side of the Void, so it was definitely referring to Amari.

 

[Vindicator777]

I think Sasrogarn fate would be something like this

 

[Shar Dundred]

A bird told me that a new chapter might come soon.
Then it exploded.