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YOUR OPINION: Favorite True Story Map

Choose your (current) favorite map of the True Story of Arkain!


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Shar Dundred

Community Moderator
Level 72
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5,862
The True Story has been going for a bit now and while new maps are still being constructed,
I think it is time for you all to pick the best!
...
No, not the best couple of Arkain, we have not reached that point yet. I want you to pick
your favorite map/s of the True Story!

As you can see, I have included not only playable maps but also the cinematic maps.
To "even the score", I have decided to allow infinite votes rather than use a numerical limit.
While I appreciate it if you like all of them so much that you want to vote all of them, I would
also appreciate it if you tried to pick a few favorites -how many you pick is still up to you! :)

I would also appreciate it if you made a post here pointing out why you chose the maps you chose,
including but not limited to:
a) How much you like the map overall
b) How much you life the map in comparison to its old version

Thank you for your time and do not worry, more awesome maps are on the horizon!
 
Level 10
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759
The Wolf and the Bull: a big battle, waves of soldiers, armies clashing and crashing like waves against each other, just the stuff that I like
Rise of the clans: 3 different clans to start as, each with their own objectives and their own specific way to achieve those objectives basically mandate the player to play it as many times as there are options to choose from
 
Level 10
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I choose Act 1 misson 2 hunt for riches just cause I found it enjoyable little mission as the orcs and the tunnel to by pass the defense's was cool and a much better version of the map compared to how it was before and tying in the retrieval of the artifact with Amani's exile is very clever.

Act 1 misson 6 dead mans march I really liked seeing and playing as the different undead factions and i loved Rhandir's new artifact the mission wasn't too different from what I remember of the original but I enjoyed it a good deal more as the heroes with their unique artifacts and playing with the undead factions makes it more enjoyable.

Act 2 mission 4 the fact that we could play as 3 entirely different factions from each other was extremely interesting it basically also let us choose difficulty as well Goldaxe=easy Deathbreeze=Medium Darkmind=Hard Extremely cool Mechanically.
 
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Level 19
Joined
Jun 26, 2019
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359
I'll try to pick my favourite map per act:
First act: Definitely Dead's Men March.
In this new version we can choose between 3 Nexus, so it settles that the undead Nexus are different (even more after mission 3). A bit of
replayability since you can play with the 3 Nexus.
Also first time we meet Rahandir and Undead Saphira (after mission 2).
The demon slaves surprise makes the mission even easier but funnier. Since is the first time we see that faction.
Extremely fun to play.

Act two. Hard to choose between Slaves of the Demons and Rise of the Clans (and will be even harder once defense of home arrives)
So ill pick both and explain why:
Slaves of the Demons. In the original FUB i HATED this mission being the worst of the book. But the new changes made the mission extremely enjoyable.
We get to play for the first time ever with Sir Edoarus and our old cute friend Fleshtearer.
Also we get the new conviction mecanic, to ask kindly to the Demons to join us, kindly...
And also the side quest, to help us push through the slaves bases easily (and good item too). So it was the worst and now is a decent mission.

Rise of the Clans. I wont cover both deathbreeze and Goldaxe clans but trust me on this one: They are awesome.
Since my first run was with Darkmind ill explain that: We get to play with Rath and his truly weakened clan, we only have 40 food
And we need to subjugate and make our allies the smaller Clans, each clan we destroy is a new shield against the bigger Clans and also more soldiers.
The smaller Clans being unit-oriented: One clan excels on shamans, other in siege weapons, others have warlocks... Was a nice touch
The Story also changes, the destroyer survives, we fight Lokar and his lovely HIGH shamans...
So both mission are awesome.

Ps. I also thought about making this thread once we arrived in Second Books era.
 
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Shar Dundred

Community Moderator
Level 72
Joined
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Thanks for all who have voted and shared their thoughts!
Reading about things such as hated missions becoming much more tolerable and that replayability is still at a high demand helps to showcase the things that the True Story has been going the right way so far.

Please continue to contribute!
Do not let the fact that some missions like an iconic sea battle and an upcoming mission featuring evil trees discourage you.
You can always change your vote and new maps will be added to the poll as they are being released!
 
Level 16
Joined
Jul 31, 2019
Messages
183
Well, here goes my favorite:
1) Dead Men's March: very smooth mission and it offered so much variety of playability especially for being one of the earliest missions. The defection of Demon Slaves was perhaps the best turn of events, and our heroes are awesome as always. Undead is my favorite race; no racial prejudice intended :ogre_haosis:. Ejara, Rohir, and Zirr literally made me worship Aridon.
2) Slaves of the Demons: this map was boring as hell in FUB, but got completely revamped which made me immersed.:ogre_love: Edoarus is da real boss mon and seeing nearly full techtree of Rohir nexus was fun to watch. Demon Slaves just got a nice glow-up and their forces far relentless than ever. And the introduction of first undead demon from Blooddrinker Legion was a nice touch and literally made me wish for more undead maps where commanding Kezzar nexus is a priority. And that shrine... you really are foreshadowing something, do you, Shar? Fishy: cuz swamp creatures are fishy and the suspicious item of previous owner detected; our classy dreadlord, Maronogin. Only flawful thing of this map was the inability to play as other three nexus of FB era; Splecir, Ardoz, and Scarec :(. But... things can change xD.
So far, these are my most favorite if I have to choose two. Clash of the Clans was also pretty impressive tbh. So, looking for next update. Good Luck, Shar!
 
Level 22
Joined
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1,681
Act 1, ch. 3 - Rise of the Dead, Act 1, ch. 5 - Clash in the Forest, Act 1, ch. 6 - Dead Men's March and Act 2, ch. 4 - Rise of the Clans

They all share a common theme so I'll discuss them all at once. They're personally my favourite maps because they're the first introduction of more interesting unit variety and the replayability that comes through them in comparison to the originals. A nice precedent of what to expect on the gameplay side of things regarding the true story.

While I won't vote for it, I'll give an honourable mention to Act 1, ch. 1 - Pillage

Just like the aforementioned maps gave a nice precedent on the gameplay side of things, Pillage gives a nice precedent on the storyline side of things. The original story suffered from things looking like they were added spontaneously at certain points, even if it wasn't meant to. The first time Praxeus was introduced and the first mentioning of Zyainor at least to me looked out of place. Now, the story feels much more natural in a way.
 
Level 34
Joined
Dec 15, 2012
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379
As favourite maps I'll pick the following ones:

Act Two, Chapter Four: Rise of the Clans
-Gameplay wise -we can pick between 3 clans, each of them changing the main objective completly makes it incredible and enjoyable (compared to the original one it s a big +)
-Story - the smaller clans add more variety to the orcish race , the clans feel more unique based on the units they have. Hope to see more screen time with the other Chieftains :)
- The Destroyer might make a huge impact in the future so clearly looking up on that

End of Act One: Rising Tensions

- While being strange to pick an Interlude Map for me this one is one of the best in terms of comparisson to the old one
Seeing all the Imperial Regiments and troops building up the defenses ( the Bear regiment watching over the procedures)
The new characters,the new dialogues connect you more to the story (the relation between characters , reassons of the defense position )
 
Level 6
Joined
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55
I have my Top 3:

3) Tied were the Rise of the Dead, Clash in the Forest and Hunt For Riches. These opening campaigns on their respective races were improved.

2) Tied again were the Dead Men's March and The Wolf and the Bull. Despite the renaming and revamps, these games were excellent.

1) Allies, Defense of Home, Slaves of the Demons and Rise of the Clans. These made me curious about the twist. Now, I will wait for more.

Update: Bloody Uprising, Betrayal, Pride of the Empire, Carnage, and Bloodbath will be also added on my top 1.
 
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Level 21
Joined
Dec 20, 2015
Messages
328
Who are these crazy people saying Wolf and Bull?

Anyways, I'll go with the classic as I've only played Act 1. Clash in the Forest - I quite liked playing the Wolf Regiment faction and I liked how one of the enemy factions could be bought off if you want rather than another normal base to take out. The section with Harmos is underrated and I wish the unique casters for the other factions also got a showcase like this, but none really fit the bill.
 
Level 6
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Who are these crazy people saying Wolf and Bull?

Anyways, I'll go with the classic as I've only played Act 1. Clash in the Forest - I quite liked playing the Wolf Regiment faction and I liked how one of the enemy factions could be bought off if you want rather than another normal base to take out. The section with Harmos is underrated and I wish the unique casters for the other factions also got a showcase like this, but none really fit the bill.
The Bull and the Wolf is the renamed and revamped Payback. I had it on my list, because of the attack waves of both Imperial Regiments were distracting the Darkmind from attacking your defenses. That also gives time to eliminate the passive Bloodhand and rescue Aedy from the Ironthunder.

Sorry for the typo.
 
Level 21
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The Bull and the Wolf is the renamed and revamped Payback. I had it on my list, because of the attack waves of both Imperial Regiments were distracting the Darkmind from attacking your defenses. That also gives time to eliminate the passive Bloodhand and rescue Aedy from the Ironthunder.

Sorry for the typo.
My experience on that one was different where Blue won the tug of war fairly quickly and did not give me much time to do much. I think if you don't interact with the waves at all, it actually works better as if you help push then the enemy rubber band snaps back at you with a super wave and throwing the general balance of it all off for the rest of the map.
 
Level 6
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My experience on that one was different where Blue won the tug of war fairly quickly and did not give me much time to do much. I think if you don't interact with the waves at all, it actually works better as if you help push then the enemy rubber band snaps back at you with a super wave and throwing the general balance of it all off for the rest of the map.
The tried and tested Tower Spam works wonders. Then focus on side missions, then assist the attack force later. And there is a massacre bonus while pushing through Grael's troops.
 
Rise of the Clans is one of the most intense missions in the true story, if not the most intense among them, if you're playing the Deathbreeze clan. Try as I might, I could not actually complete this mission without being resource capped.

I had to resort to editing the AI for the minor clans so that they can rebuild, become passive allies with Rangul, also trying to force-stop them after the alliance state changed and make blue attack green and purple as well, and introducing the mechanic below just to succeed at this mission. Despite this, I found it the most enjoyable among the maps so far.

As a suggestion and an alternative to adding a Deathbreeze playthrough-exclusive gold mine, resources could be passively given every 60 seconds for each minor clan subjugated by destroying their town hall, rebuilding it (only takes effect if there is at least 1 standing great hall / stronghold).

As for the Darkmind and the Goldaxe clan playthroughs, playing aggressively is highly rewarding and short in comparison. The Goldaxe clan has it the easiest among the three options. The Darkmind clan has a nice balance between aggression and a sense of progress.
 
Level 10
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89
I really liked Deaths approach both a macro mission but lots of exploration and character interactions and the debut of Vannesa as a hero i also enjoy the terrian and mood of the map quite a bit.
 
Level 9
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Oct 1, 2015
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352
If I could add more votes, it would go to Act 3 chapters. I still stand by my old vote though and you may consider those new additions in my vote as well.
Shar gave us more insight on the Orcish clans and their individuality explored more in Act 3, The Siege of Kome was a brutal siege indeed and the Kome units showed why they're efficient Orc slayers, and just normal Imperial soldiers as in the old version. They lost, yes but they made the Orcs pay for every inch of the fortress with their blood. Hopefully, we'll see more of Theoden in Act 4. Maybe a little chapter or interlude or something on him rebuilding his decimated order under Gardon's command.
We also witnessed why Krom is called a merciless hunter and Aridon's personal executioner, when he singlehandedly killed the chieftains of the minor clans in one night. Boneboi is always true to his words.
The Battle of Pearl, ahh that was a good one too, well two chapters to be precise. The Forgotten now have a larger role and background than before, good to see how they play into all of this war.
I also loved the detailed account of how the chieftain-less clans fell into chaos after Krom and how Rangul's work was about end before it started, I was kinda surprised that the Destroyer didn't overthrow Rangul but I admit my mistakes and that there's more to him than meets the eye. He will get his wish soon on slaughtering humans on the front lines and I hope to see abilities that better suit his bloodlust and brutality.
I tried to sum up what I have in mind for now. I'm awaiting on Act 4 and see more character development.
 
Level 1
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Alright, I will list some of my favorite maps from Legends of Arkain: True Story. Specifically, the First Book portion of the story.

Rise of the Clans: What I enjoy about this map is that the player is given a choice to select one of the three Orc Clans (either Deathbreeze Clan, Darkmind Clan or Goldaxe Clan), each with different objectives (for Deathbreeze, it would be destroying the bases of major clans; for Darkmind Clan, it would be to subjugate the minor clans; for Goldaxe, it's simply to gain a certain amount of gold). I am usually serious and focused when playing Arkain, but with this map, when I chose to play a Goldaxe Clan, there is far more freedom to do as I please. I can go around and kill some Boar Regiments goons or I can simply walk through the map, doing nothing, while my peons gather gold, whilst maybe investing in some mercenary contracts along the way. If I want a little more action, I can gather my forces and extort some minor clans. Overall, it's simply a more "laid-back" and undemanding map (if you play as Goldaxe, that is), I can (mostly) do whatever I want, unbothered by major clans and their attacks (up until Rangul pays us, of course). It's usually the map I play the most, usually whenever I simply want to relax, take my mind off things and just kill some time.

Pride of the Empire, Betrayal and Bloodbath: The great, intense and dynamic battles of Arkain with lots of killing, bloodshed, slaughter, destruction and high-octane action. There are AI allied players, lots of enemy bases to destroy and an occasional Firelord along the way. In general, my favorite maps are these big penultimate and/or climactic showdowns that occur near or at the end of their respective "eras" (the aforementioned three chapters for the First Book/the Fall of Lor era; Purificator maps for the Second Human Book; Risen Resistance, the Red Day and Warriors of the Dominion chapters for the Second Orc Book). Rise of the Clans is my relaxation time, while the final chapters of the First Book era, and the penultimate/final chapters of the Second Books are a true rock 'n' roll.

Honorable mentions:

Night Hunt: A more stealthy mission with a dark and eerie atmosphere, from the mission taking place at rainy midnight, the Undead user interface and music in general, orcs talking about the chieftains of Bronzeforge, Silvertooth and Brassfist clans not having been seen for quite a while (it was never exactly made clear what happened to them, they could have been disposed of i.e. killed for all we know), references to a some sort of mad preacher (that mad preacher of course is one of the more benevolent orcs, but the other orcs talking about him before we are able to meet him still contributed to that chapter's ambience), to some the Duskbrand Clan warlocks believing that something bad is going to happen. Out of all True Story maps, this map is the one to come closest to a more ominous, uneasy aura that I thought Arkain Books had (it's a different matter entirely, but in general I think that Arkain books had a more foreboding feeling that was not quite replicated in the True Story, though it's only my own opinion and perspective).

Bloody Uprising: It's a chapter that I simply drawn to, even if it's not the mission that immediately comes to my mind when I think about my favorite maps. It's kind of like Rise of the Clans with Goldaxe in a sense that I usually play this map when I want to relax, but unlike the said map, things are more brutish and tense. I like to attack the Goldaxe-adjacent clans or have them clash with the minor clans. I also enjoy that the subjugated minor clans join you in attack your enemies (primarily the Blackrazor Clan). Having an undead spirit of fallen chieftains is also a neat touch. Last, but not the least, the conversation between Iszhog and the Destroyer, with the former being the first character on-screen that the Destroyer seems to take somewhat seriously, even being somewhat wary of (in contrast to his proud, boisterous attitude towards other orcs).

Carnage: Playing as the Demons and controlling Kersidar alongside the Souleater Servants was quite a pleasant surprise. Bringing the painful end to remaining enemy forces was pleasing. I will admit that this chapter actually felt macabre, yet lighter in tone than the Bloodbath. The final cinematic of the previous chapter, particularly the part where Lokar laments the loss of his chieftain, felt dangerous, tense, with a looming threat of Demons on their way and the Destroyer making his stand against him, yet when we play as the Demons, there isn't that sense of menace and the chapter ends up with a quirky goblins coming to take Destroyer, while he is fighting against the Eliminator. That's not a criticism, just an overall feeling I got when playing that chapter (then again, fighting against the Demons is more scary than playing as them). Since this chapter is meant to be the end of First Book/the Fall of Lor era of the True Story, it's cool that the final moments were with the Destroyer (an orcs) and the Goblins (hired by Okri) rather than a non-orc/non-Dominion characters.

Interludes:

The Council of Generals:
Despite the humans being my least favorite race as a whole in Arkain (in general, I am somewhat fatigued with the humans taking a central role in Warcraft, both the official canon and fan works, and fantasy in general), I will say that I do like the plot point of there being a traitor within the Imperial Ranks and I always felt that this interlude began to build-up the tension and forewarning. The True Story had also introduce a segment where Genethas was trying to convince others that Gardon was the traitor and one could see the signs of Genethas' odd behavior: Genethas openly stating his suspicions, then backing away with a rather shifty "err" and then claiming that this simply an assumption (after Kenos says that it is dangerous to speak about these kinds of things without further proof, then asking Genethas if he agrees). I also recall that some fans noticed that while Gardon kept suspicions to himself, but worked to investigate whether there is indeed a traitor, Genethas proclaimed that Gardon may be traitor, but made no attempts to look into any possible signs of a traitor and gather any useful information. This interlude also sets-up a journey into the underground tunnels, which paves the way for Aedale's corruption, which I felt was an ominous plotline in the First Arkain Book.

Blood and Death (honorable mention): It's just simply an interlude that I like. The conversation between Destroyer and Rangul, the Destroyer briefly looking over Iszhog and the introduction of Okri. I also like that while the focus was given to the Undead and Genethas vs Aaron, this interlude was primarily orc-centered.

A Shadow of the Past: A True-Story interlude that I really enjoyed when it came out. I liked that it focused on Vanessa and that it showed the interactions between her and Iszhog (who had shown his friendliness and hospitality to Vanessa), and of course, the conversation between Vanessa and Amari. It was nice seeing them together and it's good to know that in the True Story canon they knew of each other and were friends when they were younger (unlike in the Arkain Books, where Vanessa only learned about and met Amari only in her early adult years). Act 4 had two human-based mission, two undead mission, but only one Orc mission and this interlude gave something to the Orcs.
 
Level 17
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Siege of Kome:
-In the true story we have more interesting background, also we saw that some of the knights seems to be more hateful towards the orcs than some of his fellow members. The siege most be calculated since one mistake minds the Knights and their allies can wiped out you and the Darkmind clan.
-In the end, we see how the orcs have a divided opinion about the survivors, how the hatred of some is more fanned and how others prefer to chill out and think.
-And of course the fantastic Forgemaster that sells he's goods to the orcs. Business are business.

Pride of the empire:
-This mission was the first that make me repeat several times in orden to know how deal with all enemies. Not only your forces charge against the imperials, but also the other clans did it! That was a nice touch for me, like a true onslaught.
-We also have a little preview of what is yet to come to the continent, not only the golden heads but also best daddy and his army.
 
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