Human Campaign: Map 3

Your job is to destroy the orcish outpost of Kyross in the Swamp of Sorrows. Interestingly enough, this is one of the few orc outposts in the game that's actually given a name. However, none of the later games ever reference Kyross again.

The mission also introduces the first necrolyte encounter. You'll find them a minor nuisance at this point in the game because they mostly extend battles by raising skeletons. In later missions, their unholy armor spell becomes the bane of your existence.

Hello, swamps!

Here's the starting location. Immediately grab each of the starting footmen/archers and send them in different directions to explore the area around your town. There aren't any enemies nearby at this point. Later, the necrolytes will hang around the borders of your town. So try to reveal as much of the shroud as you can before things get crazy.

Find the mine to the south.

Meanwhile, send the two peasants immediately south. You'll find enough gold and lumber here to build up the essential structures and defenders. The design of the map places the town immediately east of a large body of water. This forces the orcs to attack from either the top of the map or the west. Station archers at both locations.

Secure the second mine early.

There's a secondary gold mine directly west of the base. I recommend training at least three archers to guard the mine. When the enemy squads attack your town from the west, they almost always walk past the mine first. If you have it secured, it'll move the skirmishes away from your town and protect the peasants.

Build a church to train clerics and heal your units.

The cleric will quickly become your most crucial unit in any town. The healing spell spell is the only means to restore HP in the entire game and is unique to the human faction.

Amass your army outside the orc outpost.

There are two ways to attack the orc outpost, which is at the northwestern corner of the map. The western entrance is better guarded but you can head off any potential surprise counterattacks. However, I prefer attacking from the bottom because the gold mining peons are an easier target.

Burn everything to the ground.

Twelve units and a liberal use of the healing spell should ensure a quick victory with plenty of units left over. Destroy the barracks first to prevent any more grunts from being trained. Don't be afraid if the necrolytes summon skeletons. They aren't very tough. Always attack the more damaging grunts and spearmen first.

Next Time: You're tasked to rescue Sir Lothar from some ogres.