C - silver

L - laziness

K - stone

Zd - health

I - interval between beats, seconds

Int - damage intensity (average damage per second)

In the plot SpellForce 2 a lot of time is devoted to farewell, as if the scriptwriters took the last pages of “The Lord of the Rings” as a standard. The old world is fading, the heroes of the past are forgotten, magic has ceased to be an art, and great warriors have become simple pilgrims... The destruction of magical portals has broken a single world into many islands, separated by a mighty ocean. The memory of the past smolders in the main characters, but this picture is gradually dimming.

The minor motif is largely symbolic. While the heroes have parted with their great past, the creators of the game sadly follow the idea of ​​​​"RTS plus role-playing game." First part SpellForce earned success precisely thanks to the experiment: combining strategy and character adventures. Of course, this caused a number of problems, but the unification not only took place - it became a household name. SpellForce was called one of the most important events of the year, and additions were expected for a long time.

All this is behind us. IN SpellForce 2 the strategic component was significantly reduced, everything returned to recognized standards. The lists have been replenished with “another role-playing game.” The logical world also disappeared - instead of a well-thought-out concept of runes, we saw standard assumptions for a computer from the series “ in this barracks warriors are born every five minutes".

The standard principle of RTS - parallel development of the base and war - is virtually reduced to zero. The reasons for this are clear: the tasks boil down to the principle of “build a big army and kill everyone.” Previously, they fought this with scripted events and multi-stage tasks, but now they have completely canceled it. Fortunately, such moments occur three or four times per expansion.

There are remnants of strategy in the moments when we are given a dozen or two soldiers to solve a certain problem. However, these are only small inclusions - the role-playing adventure took up the vast majority of the time.

The addition received the loud name “ Dragon Storm“, but in reality the storm turned out to be just a fresh breeze... The time of revolutions has passed: we have before us a natural continuation SpellForce 2. The list of changes includes small mutations in the role-playing system, armor sets and new races for RTS. The first does not make fundamental changes, the second actually does not occur in practice, the third, in the light of genre trends, remains beyond the bounds of reason.

Maybe we should say goodbye to the game? No. This year there are plenty of real-time strategies, but role-playing games are in clear shortage. Without communicating with elves and dwarves, it can sometimes be a bit boring, but “ Dragon Storm"created according to the canons of classic fantasy. Elves, gnomes, people, monsters, villains, magicians... The good old set that makes up a lively and unusual world with a slight excess of pathos and a lack of self-irony.

The developers got rid of the main problems SpellForce 2- obvious tasks and dull linearity. Of course, the plot is not full of forks, but there are also plenty of secondary tasks - sometimes quite funny. Those who scroll through conversations without reading risk ending up in a dead end and not receiving prizes. As you progress, the careful work with balance and pleasant attention to detail become clear.

The addition has become a full-fledged adventure, where there is no room for boredom. The journey turned out to be short (a week should be enough to complete it), but exciting. The role-playing system makes you think, the choice of weapons allows you to roam, the texts are long enough - everything is ready for a pleasant journey.

Good memories remain after the game. Perhaps the reason for this is the main idea of ​​the script, repeated more than once after the battles: freedom is more valuable than life.

At a crossroads

At the beginning of the game, the hero is faced with the question: who to be? It is necessary to build a clear plan from the very beginning and follow it throughout the passage. There are many options: each character must choose a primary and secondary profession, in addition, our squad at the end of the game grows to six people.

The core of the role-playing system remains unchanged. The character has two directions - magic and military affairs (the names are arbitrary). Each of the areas is divided into professions, professions into specialties, and specialties into specializations.

I will not repeat the detailed description of specialties that was already in the manual SpellForce 2, and instead focus on the possible roles of the characters.

Warrior- an obvious basis for the company. His goal is simple and uncomplicated: get involved in close combat and use the skill of chopping cabbage on the enemy. There are two positive aspects to this: the enemy is distracted from hunting for magicians, and at the same time he dies.

It’s simple to turn a warrior into a “tank”: we give him a shield in his left hand, and a sword in his right hand. If the attack is more important, there are more options: the arsenal includes two-handed swords, axes, war hammers, double swords for the right and left hands, daggers... Is such an abundance necessary? I deeply doubt it.

The spells of magicians are stronger than the swords of warriors. In close combat, it is not possible to cast spells from your hand, but lightning and black magic spells are the main threat to the enemy. A warrior is most useful when he is alive and in the center of the battle, and everything else is in the background.

Verdict - the concept of armor should be the main one in a military school. The thicker the shell, the more useful the warrior. On the other hand, the concept of a “light warrior” causes some confusion.

Battle Mage focuses on offensive spells. This profession is effective primarily due to its convenient point-and-click interface: to attack, you must first select an enemy and then a spell.

Those who choose a similar path have two options: elemental magic and black magic. Black magic is nominally stronger, but elemental mages have several advantages: they can attack buildings, they have more variety in spells, and fire and ice attacks are especially powerful against some creatures.

Necromancers and their colleagues are not deprived: their abilities are akin to white magic, and they can learn healing at the same time. In addition, black magic is stronger against enemy heroes.

Archer, like a magician, hits the target from afar. The overall effect is weaker, but there is one advantage: the archer does not require attention, he himself finds the target and tries to destroy it.

Doctor prefers white magic, which does not prevent him from sometimes summoning skeletons and sucking life out of the enemy. The goals are obvious, the advantages are undeniable - there should be one white magician in the squad.

New to the role-playing system - abilities Shaikan. They are not suitable as a main profession, but serve as an excellent addition to a warrior. Particularly useful magic call, which allows you to temporarily summon a flying dagger, a wolf or a vampire in the form of a bat. At the same time, the second profession for magicians should be either the path of the warrior or another magical principle.

Tour the world

Winterlight

Who am I? Why are these people gathered around? How did I end up here? What is going on? There is no time for questions; from the very first second the main character finds himself in the thick of things. There is a war going on all around us, and it’s clearly impossible to sort it out without us!

The first task is simple - you need to develop the hero depending on your desires. Teach him minimal skills, open chests nearby - and you are ready for adventure! You are in a devastated dwarven city, and your first goal is to get out of here as quickly as possible. The city is constantly attacked by animals, and the hero is entrusted with the responsibility of evacuation.

Chat with those around you, take tasks from them - the first of them will be searching for springs for the city gates. During numerous conversations, the sun will have time to set and rise again - don’t be surprised, this world generally does not like unnecessary haste!

Your goals are marked on the map - walk along them, fighting off the attacking monsters. There is no need to try to kill all the monsters: they are constantly arriving, albeit in minute quantities. Enemies will willingly wait for the completion of your work: open the gate (left mouse button on the lever), and get ready to travel among the snow.

Winterlight needs a humanitarian operation: to lead the dwarf craftsmen to the portal in the north. The problem is that gnome craftsmen are afraid of the cold and must quickly run from fire to fire. As a result, you will have to act quickly.

Clearing the path is not difficult: the targets are marked on the map. However, this task will be difficult if you decide to visit the branches on the map to collect treasures. The optimal algorithm for this choice would be a quick throw across the entire map with complete clearing of enemies, and then a second pass over a short distance to clear the path for the dwarf craftsmen. Continuously regenerating enemies are the main problem, so it is necessary to accurately calculate the time: as soon as the next fire is rid of the enemies, the artisans must already set off.

It is advisable to divide the gnomes into two groups, alternately running along the route: this way they will crowd less and, therefore, die from the cold. Don’t expect to transfer everyone and only then deal with additional tasks: as soon as the last of them crosses the portal, the next map will open to our eyes.

Alluvian

A fortress overflowing with crazy monsters suddenly appeared on the way of our army. What to do? Take it by storm, of course! Just three of us against an army of bloodthirsty creatures? Nothing, no one demands quick results from us.

First of all, go to the closed city gates. Along the way, the scout will offer you help: send him back to the camp so that he can correct the work of the local artillery - a bow alone is of little use. When you approach the gate, begin to tease the enemy, killing his archers and healing your friends. A peculiar tactic for storming a city, isn’t it? The goal is to distract the enemy’s fire for longer until our tree allies come up and remove the protective magic from the gate.

At this time we will have the opportunity to create a small support army. I advise you to skew towards archers: melee warriors will not always be able to reach the enemy, and long-range warriors will come in handy. With this army, one by one, destroy the enemy's breeding grounds in the southern part of the fortress. At the same time, be prepared for a counterattack: the enemy will have reinforcements in the west, and as soon as danger arises, quickly send all troops there.

Besides us, other warriors are attacking the fortress. It is impossible to coordinate with them, so for strong blows you can only catch their next attack and run after them with all your might.

The interior of the fortress is closed to visitors. Everyone around is talking about a secret passage (which raises doubts about its secrecy), so our hero will have to take a few minutes away from the fortress and move on to exploring the surrounding area. None of the people you meet know exactly where the secret passage is, but the magician Haldor, freed in the east, offers to cast illusion magic on your squad. To do this, you need three pieces of orc leather - and there should be plenty of this material around. Unfortunately, not all pieces are suitable, but from certain orcs, so carefully examine the corpses left behind. You will find the first such piece at the main gate, the rest - on the eastern path.

To the west of the city, thanks to a stroke of luck, you will find the builder Weyland, who will open the way for you to a secret passage. The road is open: head inside the fortress and kill everyone you meet. In addition to ordinary warriors, you will find a fiery titan - there is nothing left to do but kill him too. The tactics are clear - do not scatter your forces and always move with your army.

Alluvian has been taken! A minute of rest - free the prominent representative of the Shaikan Satras from captivity, listen to his insults and head further along the magical path.

Seven towers

Even if in the year since the adventures in the world Spellforce 2: Shadow Wars, you have already forgotten everything about the world of islands, one place will remain in your memory. Seven Towers, the capital of the empire, a city where people, elves, gnomes and other friendly creatures live nearby. In the labyrinth of narrow streets there is everything that befits a large city: a rich market, a quarter of artisans, a gallows, a mine for gnomes, a square of priests, a magical “flea market”, an embankment, a university... And of course, residential buildings, many residential buildings with standing next to the chests.

And how can we forget the court of King Ulf? Officially, this place is called the “royal courtyard,” but in practice this courtyard has earned the title of a passageway: a waystone is conveniently located here, and the highest authorities of the empire every now and then watch travelers teleporting not far from the king. There is a certain logic in this: it’s boring to sit surrounded by guards and wait for pilgrims to accidentally wander into the ruler. In our case, if the residents are not in too much of a hurry, they can come up and chat with the ruler, entertain him...

On a note: The name of the city looks a bit strange - these are the consequences of a less than ideal translation. Seven Towers is a strange name for a city (although there is a White Church in the real world), but its English-language counterpart, Sevenkeeps, looks natural and understandable. Perhaps something similar to the Seven Strongholds or Semigrad would be more suitable?

The landscape has changed since the last visit. The once rich city is burning, surrounded by enemy troops and wild animals prowling. It looks like the liberation of the capital will fall on the shoulders of our characters.

In the meantime, it’s too early to even talk about this - first we need to break through to the city. We are in the east of the capital, and the path of our squad is blocked by troops of dark forces. Actually, there are two ways to the city: gradually break through to the city under the slogan “beat strangers, heal your own” or use the prepared trick.

The trick lies in the close marriage of magic and technology. The dwarves prepared explosives, and the magician Haldor took control of one of the enemy warriors: now we can mine the enemy’s fortifications. Creating fortifications is simple: just stand for a few minutes next to specially marked places. Thus, in order to destroy the enemy, it is enough to take a tour of the enemy’s base. The main secret here is not to stop for a second, except for the time for mining. If one of the enemies follows the spy (this is very likely, since the sight of a sapper with a bag of explosives unnerves the guards), it is necessary not to engage in unnecessary running around, but to retreat to the main detachment. In addition, heroes are required to heal the scout.

When only firebrands remain from a large and protected enemy base, it is necessary to finish off the last resisters with the main detachment in order to demolish the remains of the buildings. Then lead the gnomes to the city gates - only after that we will get inside.

The guest of the capital is taken straight to the military council under the leadership of King Ulf. The friendliness of the hosts extends so far that travelers are offered to lead the defense of the city. Soon, with the help of teleportation stones, our squad will be in the main of the remaining forts - in the southwest.

It is impossible to build troops here. General Redmond is ready to provide us with soldiers, but first we need to get meat to feed the army. Apparently, there is an embargo on the import of troops from the Great Void, and instead a “killers for food” program has been proposed...

There are two ways to get supplies - long and dangerous. The long one consists of hunting local wildlife: wolves and bears (for some reason, these are the species that developed during the war, and the unkindly remembered spiders did not survive). A dangerous method is to intercept food caravans that travel between enemy bases. History is silent about why enemy bases need to intensively exchange meat among themselves if it is in abundance everywhere, but the insidiousness of dark forces is always ready to exceed our expectations!

Hunting does not cause any problems (poor bears did not even imagine that people would get their food with the help of lightning and black magic). It is certainly more interesting to attack caravans, but you should already have the first batch of fed warriors with you. The caravan’s algorithm of action is simple: move towards the destination of the journey, if an attack occurs, turn around and return to the starting point. As you can easily guess, it is best to attack caravans from behind. One of the guards will break through “to his own”: generally speaking, it is useful to stop him. However, even if the attack was only partially successful, you can always skin the pack horses and take away the much-needed meat from them.

Despite the peacetime, there is still plenty to do in the city. The classes are mostly uncomplicated, and the experience is generously distributed, so it makes sense to take up development. A girl named Idara gives us a slightly paranoid task: good dreams are being stolen from her, so we need to consult the wise willow on this topic. Unfortunately, the willow is thirsty, and on the way to the source there are enemies. The game pushes us to move to the north-west of the map and break through with battles (and at the same time with water for the willow). This task is difficult to accomplish, so it is better to slowly but surely walk through the specified area with all the troops under your control: a difficult combat mission turns into a pleasant walk through picturesque places.

Other simple tasks are searching for missing things for farmers who live to the west of the market (let me remind you, the market itself is easy to find in the east of the city; searching for missing things for farmers who live to the west of the market () the point is to engage in development. turn around and return to the original ). Items are easily obtained to the west of the city in battles with overgrown insects.

On a note: In the fields around the city you can find a lot of military equipment. Either farmers are not telling us something, or they simply live very well and allow themselves to buy potentially useful things.

The next task is to talk to the deaf old man Aedar. Everything is simple here: you need to listen and, if possible, understand the advice of your granddaughter and either assent or express anger in response to his memories. In the end, the old man will change his cunning to mercy and tell us a little history. It is also useful to visit the gnome quarter for a conversation, and generally walk around the city looking for people who want to chat.

Haunted Harbor

Majestic ruins are all that remains of the mighty civilization of the Creators. These creatures lived here for so long that some call this period “before the beginning of time.” No one has shown a desire to settle among the deathly walls; only a group of military archaeologists is exploring the remnants of past knowledge.

Immediately after moving, get ready for battle: this will mark the meeting with the new hero of your squad. A fresh stream will be Cain, a warrior with an incredibly long sword. Then explore the surrounding area and go meet archaeologists.

The style of play in Phantom Harbor is to slowly move around the map with a careful inspection of the signs, sniffing all the nooks and corners. The main squad is followed by the archaeologist Ragna: from time to time she will unravel secrets useful to the squad. The answer to the next question serves as a password to a lever of a certain color, which attracts the next tower to our side.

On a note: passwords from the “red color corresponds to green skull” series do not need to be remembered, they work automatically.

It is the towers that are the key to victory. Our forces, unlike the enemy's, are limited, so standard tactics require caution: lure the enemy forces into the fire of the towers and, in the meantime, send auxiliary troops to the next enemy base that creates reinforcements.

Don’t forget to collect the items you find, even if you don’t understand their origin: in the southwestern foothills lives the half-crazed magician Agathos, who will find a use for them.

The campaign ends with the capture of the citadel, where you can build a base. However, there is no need to build a base in the usual sense of the word: we only have a couple of minutes to strengthen the position before a massive enemy attack. This is the first and last assault: if you survive, it means you won. In such conditions, improving buildings is unnecessary and, moreover, harmful: we need food farms, barracks and many, many towers. Defense in depth makes no sense; it is necessary to concentrate all forces in one place - fortunately there is only one way.

City-ship

« The creators are considered children of the gods“- these are the words the city-ship greets us. The ancient civilization of the Creators was clearly at a high level of technical development, and they did not shy away from magic. A ship, equal in size to a city and capable of moving between islands, is an amazing structure for us, masters of magic staffs and sharp swords.

The first walk through the city-ship is like a tour of a technological miracle. Everything around glows and moves, but the principles of this are incomprehensible. There are many strange rooms around, but they are all closed, access to them is blocked.

Our first target is the room with the refrigeration unit in the southeastern part of the ship. Not far from it you can find a blue key that fits the sphere (orb) installed on the pedestal. In the room, in addition to the enemies, you will find a crooked frozen creature, the skerg Urgi - it is he who will later introduce you to the ship.

After reviving the skerg, prepare a potion for him in the room that leads to the refrigerator. You need a green potion, which can be made from blue and yellow liquids in a special cauldron. Filling sequence: blue, yellow, yellow, yellow, blue, blue.

You can control the ship using instruments located to the south of the large globe in the center of the ship. Before launching the ship, it is necessary to collect the thoughts scattered throughout the ship (a fun activity: it’s not often that you have to fight against thoughts). Take your thoughts to the room, which is located just east of the refrigerator, and follow Urga’s further instructions. In the workshop, turn the first and third levers to fill the ship with energy, and get acquainted with the remaining tables: there you can build yourself a new weapon and continue the willow task.

In the room to the west you can complete the task of the priest Galius: the ghosts of warriors make their last march, and unreal demons trying to destroy them. Our task is to successfully carry out 20 ghosts. To do this, you need to alternately clear the air of demons and heal ghosts, no matter how strange this may seem.

The ship is ready to travel, the next stop is the Citadel.

Citadel

The first appearance in the citadel does not encourage a thoughtful description. Our task here is to reach the giant reptile and attack it. The battle will have to be interrupted: a random witness convinces us that a small squad cannot defeat the monster.

The next task is to go for help. Return to the ship, follow Urga's next instructions and head to Drag'Lur. On the way, it is useful to visit the Seven Towers and complete several small tasks. The most important among them are the conversation with the leader of the dwarves and Cain’s task. You have to transport the gnomes to Winterlight by ship, but do not rush to do this: your forces are not enough to fight a war on this map.

Cain's quest is important for two reasons. Firstly, you can get a decent amount of experience for virtually nothing, and secondly, Cain will receive a new sword as a reward. This sword is significantly superior to its freely available counterparts and should not be missed. At the end of the task, you will have to make a verdict - while no consequences of the choice have been revealed, apparently this is a matter of testing your conscience. In the future, you will find a couple more similar tasks that need to be completed with high priority. The only difficulty in them is the need to lure Una out of the temple. Wine purchased at the market will help solve this problem.

Drag'Lur

The intricate events taking place on this map hide underneath a fairly simple battle in a classic RTS mode. First, the heroes need to break through from the north to the center, to the main base. Then attacks from the east and west begin on the base: before the start of one of them, you can set a trap for the sake of experience, but it will not play a fundamental role. It is more important to strengthen the base on both sides so that it can defend itself.

Having gathered an army, go on the attack. Since attacks from the east are stronger, it is advisable to send troops there and protect the western direction with reserves. Further events are the consistent genocide of dinosaurs, spiders and various enemies. Difficulties arise exclusively military, plot tricks are not provided.

The main part of the campaign ends in the southwestern corner of the map, and the army must go around the path in a circle, destroying all enemy bases. The main battle awaits us in the south, where the enemy has established a main base: before the attack, all troops must be gathered together.

Citadel: Return

The time has come for a real attack on the citadel. We now have support from two detachments: air and infantry-cavalry; In addition, it is possible to build a base in the south of the map. Actually, you need to start from the base, and one of the main concerns should be protection from air attacks. As it becomes clear, the backbone of the army will be archers.

The main events will unfold in the center of the map and in the north. Between this area and our troops there is a complex of enemy towers that can pretty much ruin our lives; to avoid losses, it is advisable to carry out the first foray with a detachment of the main characters whose death is reversible. Near the towers you will find carts with resources that will be a good help for the base.

Another interesting place on this map is the pier in the southeast. There, three skeletons who died during a scientific expedition are arguing among themselves: each of them needs something, and each is ready to reward us with experience.

Further events will develop when the army is ready at the base. Our goal is to destroy all the enemy’s secondary bases one by one, so that we can then attack the enemy’s main fortification without interference. The algorithm of actions is as follows: the squad finds the enemy’s base, the main character teleports to his own base, asks for help from the leader of the knights and runs with them (or after them, if the reaction fails) to the base. When the cavalry reaches the enemy base, the unattended unit also goes on the attack. At this time, the air squad led by the magician remains in place to withstand the enemy's unexpected counterattack.

The final attack, on the main base, must unite all our forces. It should be noted that the wings are faster than the legs, so the flying army must be sent out later.

The transition to the citadel itself is only possible if the enemy base is completely demolished. If the target does not change, you need to find the remaining building (this can be difficult) and demolish it.

Asylum

The Land of Dragons resembles an inverted Drag'Lur. Once again we have a base that can be attacked from two sides. Again, both paths are closed into a ring... The tactics also remain the same: defense on one side, attack on the other. Our enemies will be sub-dragons of various types, so archers will be especially useful in the army.

There are places on the map for developing a second base, but they will not be useful: the main thing is to break through the nests to an audience with the dragons themselves.

After an otherwise heated battle with the younger dragons, we are presented with a riddle in the classic “knight and liar” style. The point of it is to find out which of our interlocutors is telling only the truth and who is only lying. The proposed riddle is simple and easy to solve. Here's the condition: Wind dragons are known to always lie, while others are always truthful. Before us are four dragons of different types and colors; it is necessary to determine their characteristics and nicknames.

The dragon Fonmir stated: Firior was called the Hunter, Fangor was called the Guardian, and Furin was the Messenger.
The dragon Fangor remembered: Firior was the dragon of the wind, Fonmir was called the Pathfinder, Furin had red scales.
The dragon Firior said: Fangor was a wind dragon, Fonmir had silver scales, Furin was a wyrm.
The dragon Furin said: Firior had green scales, Fangor was a crystal dragon, Fonmir had black scales.

Solution . Fangor and Firior contradict each other: one of them must be the wind dragon. Firior and Furin also did not agree on their memories. There is only one liar among dragons, so Firior is engaged in deception. If we use all the knowledge, we get: Fonmir was called the Pathfinder, and he was a black wyrm, Fangor was called the Guardian, he had silver scales and was a crystal dragon. Nicknamed the Hunter, Firior was a wind dragon with green scales. Finally, Furin is the Messenger, a fiery dragon with red scales.

Further events are related to the war: it is necessary to free the dragon nests one by one, thereby replenishing the army, fight the enemy and win.

Returning to the city-ship brought an unpleasant surprise: the vehicle is in the hands of the enemy! Consult with Urgi and call upon the evil spirits to your side: Madness, Anger, Fear, Disgust, Hatred. There are five spheres in the northwest room, each associated with two emotions. To summon a Doomstorm for each emotion, tap two orbs associated with it in a row.

Westgard

One of the best episodes Spellforce 2 was connected with the fact that King Ulf gave the hero the island of Westgard. The main character became not just a traveler, he became a landowner, a ruler. It is not surprising that we returned to the same island in Dragon Storm.

The home of our heroes is in trouble again. The disposition is as follows: scattered troops in the center, enemy bases in the north, south and west. The enemy continually tries to deliver attacks that coincide with the roads. On each path there is an outpost, headed by one of the characters from the first part of the game, and now a strong hero.

There is a continuous stream of gargoyles coming into the base from the east. Most likely, it will not be possible to save the central buildings, so it is worth withdrawing all troops from there, sacrificing the position. The remaining objects must be protected whenever possible.

There are a lot of minerals on the island, and workers stand next to the deposits. The problem is that they are standing and not working, so it is necessary to send them to work as soon as possible. At the same time, defense should be organized, strengthening problem areas with troops.

When the army is ready, the time will come to attack. First of all, you should get rid of the northern and southern bases - each is headed by an enemy hero. What follows is simply war: first the destruction of the western base, then a massive hunt for the superbeast.

Shore of Mists

Our heroes found themselves on the southwestern island of a small archipelago, their enemies on the remaining islands. A significant addition has arrived: the dragon Vessel of the Soul, who decided to personally take part in the war.

First you need to strengthen yourself on the island, but without excesses: this base will defend itself. The whole war will take place on other islands, and here only archers will defend themselves from gargoyles.

Next you need to attack other islands. The crossing scheme is as follows: the dragon flies to another island, finds a waystone on the shore and fights with the troops guarding it. Over several approaches with healing in between, the dragon creates a bridgehead, and the heroes take turns crossing over to take part in the battle.

King Ulf's Palace

The wise and fair King Ulf, as it turns out, does not like to limit comfort! His palace will rival any other island in size, and in the middle there are plenty of various treasures.

Our first task is to explore the accessible premises of the palace as thoroughly as possible. In any room you can find excellent weapons, and experience is distributed with such generosity that it becomes clear: the final battle is designed for the maximum level of the heroes. Even in the kitchen there are plenty of various weapons - it’s not for nothing that the cook there is a warlike giant, extremely similar to Steven Seagal.

In the chests every now and then there are keys to other rooms, so the heroes have to make more than one circle around the palace. The logical key of the epic is the key to the southeastern dungeon, where our old friend Flink McWinter is imprisoned. If you walk with him along the corridor running from the center to the northwest, you can find a secret lever. One turn - and the king’s considerable treasury is at our service.

When you're ready for the final battle, follow the same corridor to the end. There you will find eight rooms from which monsters continuously run out. To stop each source, one of the characters must run into the room and stand in the blue circle. Magic will transport the character to another room, where there will be another blue circle - if you stand on it, the attacks of monsters will stop.

As soon as all the characters stand on the blue circles, the squad will be transported to the throne room. This is where the final battle will take place... The scenario is standard: fighting off constant attacks, you need to kill the circle of magicians protecting the main enemy, and then engage in the final battle.

The end of the game leaves little hope for a sequel. It looks like we won't be seeing a second expansion, and we won't be seeing Spellforce 3 anytime soon. Legends leave, becoming free... Sometimes you need to leave just like that - on time and with dignity.

SpellForce 2: Dragon Storm

In the plot of SpellForce 2, a lot of time is devoted to goodbyes, as if the writers took the last pages as a standard. The old world is fading, the heroes of the past are forgotten, magic has ceased to be an art, and great warriors have become simple pilgrims... The destruction of magical portals has broken a single world into many islands, separated by a mighty ocean. The memory of the past smolders in the main characters, but this picture is gradually dimming.

The minor motif is largely symbolic. While the heroes parted with the great past, the creators of the game sadly follow the idea. The first part of SpellForce earned success precisely because of the experiment: combining strategy and character adventures. Of course, this caused a number of problems, but the unification not only took place - it became a household name. SpellForce was called one of the most important events of the year, and the additions were awaited for a long time.

All this is behind us. In SpellForce 2, the strategic component was significantly cut down, everything returned to recognized standards. The lists have been replenished. The logical world also disappeared - instead of a well-thought-out concept of runes, we saw standard computer assumptions from the series.

The standard principle of RTS - parallel development of the base and war - is virtually reduced to zero. The reasons for this are clear: the tasks come down to the principle. Previously, they fought this with scripted events and multi-stage tasks, but now they have completely canceled it. Fortunately, such moments occur three or four times per expansion.

There are remnants of strategy in the moments when we are given a dozen or two soldiers to solve a certain problem. However, these are only small inclusions - the role-playing adventure took up the vast majority of the time.

The addition received a loud name, but in reality the storm turned out to be just a fresh breeze... The time for revolutions has passed: we have before us a natural continuation of SpellForce 2. The list of changes includes small mutations in the role-playing system, armor sets and new races for RTS. The first does not make fundamental changes, the second actually does not occur in practice, the third, in the light of genre trends, remains beyond the bounds of reason.

Maybe we should say goodbye to the game? No. This year there are plenty of real-time strategies, but role-playing games are in clear shortage. Without communication with elves and dwarves, it can sometimes be a bit boring, but it was created according to the canons of classic fantasy. Elves, gnomes, people, monsters, villains, magicians... The good old set that makes up a lively and unusual world with a slight excess of pathos and a lack of self-irony.

The developers got rid of the main problems of SpellForce 2 - obvious tasks and dull linearity. Of course, the plot is not full of forks, but there are also plenty of secondary tasks - sometimes quite funny. Those who scroll through conversations without reading risk ending up in a dead end and not receiving prizes. As you progress, the careful work with balance and pleasant attention to detail become clear.

The addition has become a full-fledged adventure, where there is no room for boredom. The journey turned out to be short (a week should be enough to complete it), but exciting. The role-playing system makes you think, the choice of weapons allows you to roam, the texts are long enough - everything is ready for a pleasant journey.

Good memories remain after the game. Perhaps the reason for this is the main idea of ​​the script, repeated more than once after the battles: freedom is more valuable than life.

At a crossroads

At the beginning of the game, the hero is faced with the question: who to be? It is necessary to build a clear plan from the very beginning and follow it throughout the passage. There are many options: each character must choose a primary and secondary profession, in addition, our squad at the end of the game grows to six people.

The core of the role-playing system remains unchanged. The character has two directions - magic and military affairs (the names are arbitrary). Each of the areas is divided into professions, professions into specialties, and specialties into specializations.

I won't be repeating the detailed descriptions of specialties that were already in the SpellForce 2 manual, but will instead focus on possible character roles.

The warrior is the obvious basis for the company. His goal is simple and uncomplicated: get involved in close combat and use the skill of chopping cabbage on the enemy. There are two positive aspects to this: the enemy is distracted from hunting for magicians, and at the same time he dies.

It’s simple to turn a warrior into one: we give him a shield in his left hand, and a sword in his right hand. If the attack is more important, there are more options: the arsenal includes two-handed swords, axes, war hammers, double swords for the right and left hands, daggers... Is such an abundance necessary? I deeply doubt it.

The spells of magicians are stronger than the swords of warriors. In close combat, it is not possible to cast spells from your hand, but lightning and black magic spells are the main threat to the enemy. A warrior is most useful when he is alive and in the center of the battle, and everything else is in the background.

Verdict - the concept of armor should be the main one in a military school. The thicker the shell, the more useful the warrior. On the other hand, the concept causes some confusion.

The Battle Mage focuses on offensive spells. This profession is effective primarily due to its convenient point-and-click interface: to attack, you must first select an enemy and then a spell.

Those who choose a similar path have two options: elemental magic and black magic. Black magic is nominally stronger, but elemental mages have several advantages: they can attack buildings, they have more variety in spells, and fire and ice attacks are especially powerful against some creatures.

Necromancers and their colleagues are not deprived: their abilities are akin to white magic, and they can learn healing at the same time. In addition, black magic is stronger against enemy heroes.

The archer, like the magician, hits the target from afar. The overall effect is weaker, but there is one advantage: the archer does not require attention, he himself finds the target and tries to destroy it.

The healer prefers white magic, which does not prevent him from sometimes summoning skeletons and sucking life out of the enemy. The goals are obvious, the advantages are undeniable - there should be one white magician in the squad.

A new feature in the role-playing system is the Shaikan abilities. They are not suitable as a main profession, but serve as an excellent addition to a warrior. Summoning magic is especially useful, allowing you to temporarily summon a flying dagger, a wolf or a vampire in the form of a bat. At the same time, the second profession for magicians should be either the path of the warrior or another magical principle.

Tour the world

Winterlight

Who am I? Why are these people gathered around? How did I end up here? What is going on? There is no time for questions; from the very first second the main character finds himself in the thick of things. There is a war going on all around us, and it’s clearly impossible to sort it out without us!

The first task is simple - you need to develop the hero depending on your desires. Teach him minimal skills, open chests nearby - and you are ready for adventure! You are in a devastated dwarven city, and your first goal is to get out of here as quickly as possible. The city is constantly attacked by animals, and the hero is entrusted with the responsibility of evacuation.

Chat with those around you, take tasks from them - the first of them will be searching for springs for the city gates. During numerous conversations, the sun will have time to set and rise again - don’t be surprised, this world generally does not like unnecessary haste!

Your goals are marked on the map - walk along them, fighting off the attacking monsters. There is no need to try to kill all the monsters: they are constantly arriving, albeit in minute quantities. Enemies will willingly wait for the completion of your work: open the gate (left mouse button on the lever), and get ready to travel among the snow.

Winterlight needs a humanitarian operation: to lead the dwarf craftsmen to the portal in the north. The problem is that gnome craftsmen are afraid of the cold and must quickly run from fire to fire. As a result, you will have to act quickly.

Clearing the path is not difficult: the targets are marked on the map. However, this task will be difficult if you decide to visit the branches on the map to collect treasures. The optimal algorithm for this choice would be a quick throw across the entire map with complete clearing of enemies, and then a second pass over a short distance to clear the path for the dwarf craftsmen. Continuously regenerating enemies are the main problem, so it is necessary to accurately calculate the time: as soon as the next fire is rid of the enemies, the artisans must already set off.

It is advisable to divide the gnomes into two groups, alternately running along the route: this way they will crowd less and, therefore, die from the cold. Don’t expect to transfer everyone and only then deal with additional tasks: as soon as the last of them crosses the portal, the next map will open to our eyes.

Alluvian

A fortress overflowing with crazy monsters suddenly appeared on the way of our army. What to do? Take it by storm, of course! Just three of us against an army of bloodthirsty creatures? Nothing, no one demands quick results from us.

First of all, go to the closed city gates. Along the way, the scout will offer you help: send him back to the camp so that he can correct the work of the local artillery - a bow alone is of little use. When you approach the gate, begin to tease the enemy, killing his archers and healing your friends. A peculiar tactic for storming a city, isn’t it? The goal is to distract the enemy’s fire for longer until our tree allies come up and remove the protective magic from the gate.

At this time we will have the opportunity to create a small support army. I advise you to skew towards archers: melee warriors will not always be able to reach the enemy, and long-range warriors will come in handy. With this army, one by one, destroy the enemy's breeding grounds in the southern part of the fortress. At the same time, be prepared for a counterattack: the enemy will have reinforcements in the west, and as soon as danger arises, quickly send all troops there.

Besides us, other warriors are attacking the fortress. It is impossible to coordinate with them, so for strong blows you can only catch their next attack and run after them with all your might.

The interior of the fortress is closed to visitors. Everyone around is talking about a secret passage (which raises doubts about its secrecy), so our hero will have to take a few minutes away from the fortress and move on to exploring the surrounding area. None of the people you meet know exactly where the secret passage is, but the magician Haldor, freed in the east, offers to cast illusion magic on your squad. To do this, you need three pieces of orc leather - and there should be plenty of this material around. Unfortunately, not all pieces are suitable, but from certain orcs, so carefully examine the corpses left behind. You will find the first such piece at the main gate, the rest - on the eastern path.

To the west of the city, thanks to a stroke of luck, you will find the builder Weyland, who will open the way for you to a secret passage. The road is open: head inside the fortress and kill everyone you meet. In addition to ordinary warriors, you will find a fiery titan - there is nothing left to do but kill him too. The tactics are clear - do not scatter your forces and always move with your army.

Alluvian has been taken! A minute of rest - free the prominent representative of the Shaikan Satras from captivity, listen to his insults and head further along the magical path.

Seven towers

Even if in the year that has passed since your adventures in the world of Spellforce 2: Shadow Wars, you have forgotten everything about the world of islands, one place will remain in your memory. Seven Towers, the capital of the empire, a city where people, elves, gnomes and other friendly creatures live nearby. In the labyrinth of narrow streets there is everything that befits a large city: a rich market, a quarter of artisans, a gallows, a mine for gnomes, a square for priests, a magic square, an embankment, a university... And of course, residential buildings, many residential buildings with chests standing next to them.

And how can we forget the court of King Ulf? Officially this place is called, but in practice this courtyard has earned the title of a passageway: a waystone is conveniently located here, and the highest authority of the empire every now and then watches travelers teleporting not far from the king. There is a certain logic in this: it’s boring to sit surrounded by guards and wait for pilgrims to accidentally wander into the ruler. In our case, if the residents are not in too much of a hurry, they can come up and chat with the ruler, entertain him...

Note: the name of the city looks strange - these are the consequences of a less than ideal translation. Seven Towers is a strange name for a city (although there is a White Church in the real world), but its English-language counterpart, Sevenkeeps, looks natural and understandable. Perhaps something similar to the Seven Strongholds or Semigrad would be more suitable?

The landscape has changed since the last visit. The once rich city is burning, surrounded by enemy troops and wild animals prowling. It looks like the liberation of the capital will fall on the shoulders of our characters.

In the meantime, it’s too early to even talk about this - first we need to break through to the city. We are in the east of the capital, and the path of our squad is blocked by troops of dark forces. Actually, there are two ways to the city: gradually break through to the city under the slogan or use the prepared trick.

The trick lies in the close marriage of magic and technology. The dwarves prepared explosives, and the magician Haldor took control of one of the enemy warriors: now we can mine the enemy’s fortifications. Creating fortifications is simple: just stand for a few minutes next to specially marked places. Thus, in order to destroy the enemy, it is enough to take a tour of the enemy’s base. The main secret here is not to stop for a second, except for the time for mining. If one of the enemies follows the spy (this is very likely, since the sight of a sapper with a bag of explosives unnerves the guards), it is necessary not to engage in unnecessary running around, but to retreat to the main detachment. In addition, heroes are required to heal the scout.

When only firebrands remain from a large and protected enemy base, it is necessary to finish off the last resisters with the main detachment in order to demolish the remains of the buildings. Then lead the gnomes to the city gates - only after that we will get inside.

The guest of the capital is taken straight to the military council under the leadership of King Ulf. The friendliness of the hosts extends so far that travelers are offered to lead the defense of the city. Soon, with the help of teleportation stones, our squad will be in the main of the remaining forts - in the southwest.

It is impossible to build troops here. General Redmond is ready to provide us with soldiers, but first we need to get meat to feed the army. Apparently, there is an embargo on the import of troops from the Great Void, and instead a program has been proposed...

There are two ways to get supplies - long and dangerous. The long one consists of hunting local wildlife: wolves and bears (for some reason, these are the species that developed during the war, and the unkindly remembered spiders did not survive). A dangerous method is to intercept food caravans that travel between enemy bases. History is silent about why enemy bases need to intensively exchange meat among themselves if it is in abundance everywhere, but the insidiousness of dark forces is always ready to exceed our expectations!

Hunting does not cause any problems (poor bears did not even imagine that people would get their food with the help of lightning and black magic). It is certainly more interesting to attack caravans, but you should already have the first batch of fed warriors with you. The caravan’s algorithm of action is simple: move towards the destination of the journey, if an attack occurs, turn around and return to the starting point. As you can easily guess, it is best to attack caravans from behind. One of the guards will break through: generally speaking, it is useful to stop him. However, even if the attack was only partially successful, you can always skin the pack horses and take away the much-needed meat from them.

Despite the peacetime, there is still plenty to do in the city. The classes are mostly uncomplicated, and the experience is generously distributed, so it makes sense to take up development. A girl named Idara gives us a slightly paranoid task: good dreams are being stolen from her, so we need to consult the wise willow on this topic. Unfortunately, the willow is thirsty, and on the way to the source there are enemies. The game pushes us to move to the north-west of the map and break through with battles (and at the same time with water for the willow). This task is difficult to accomplish, so it is better to slowly but surely walk through the specified area with all the troops under your control: a difficult combat mission turns into a pleasant walk through picturesque places.

Other simple tasks are searching for missing things for farmers who live to the west of the market (let me remind you, the market itself is easy to find in the east of the city; searching for missing things for farmers who live to the west of the market () the point is to engage in development. turn around and return to the original ). Items are easily obtained to the west of the city in battles with overgrown insects.

Note: in the fields around the city you can find a lot of military equipment. Either farmers are not telling us something, or they simply live very well and allow themselves to buy potentially useful things.

The next task is to talk to the deaf old man Aedar. Everything is simple here: you need to listen and, if possible, understand the advice of your granddaughter and either assent or express anger in response to his memories. In the end, the old man will change his cunning to mercy and tell us a little history. It is also useful to visit the gnome quarter for a conversation, and generally walk around the city looking for people who want to chat.

Haunted Harbor

Majestic ruins are all that remains of the mighty civilization of the Creators. These creatures have lived here for so long that some people call this gap. No one has shown a desire to settle among the deathly walls; only a group of military archaeologists is exploring the remnants of past knowledge.

Immediately after moving, get ready for battle: this will mark the meeting with the new hero of your squad. A fresh stream will be Cain, a warrior with an incredibly long sword. Then explore the surrounding area and go meet archaeologists.

The style of play in Phantom Harbor is to slowly move around the map with a careful inspection of the signs, sniffing all the nooks and corners. The main squad is followed by the archaeologist Ragna: from time to time she will unravel secrets useful to the squad. The answer to the next question serves as a password to a lever of a certain color, which attracts the next tower to our side.

Note: passwords from the series do not need to be remembered, they work automatically.

It is the towers that are the key to victory. Our forces, unlike the enemy's, are limited, so standard tactics require caution: lure the enemy forces into the fire of the towers and, in the meantime, send auxiliary troops to the next enemy base that creates reinforcements.

Don’t forget to collect the items you find, even if you don’t understand their origin: in the southwestern foothills lives the half-crazed magician Agathos, who will find a use for them.

The campaign ends with the capture of the citadel, where you can build a base. However, there is no need to build a base in the usual sense of the word: we only have a couple of minutes to strengthen the position before a massive enemy attack. This is the first and last assault: if you survive, it means you won. In such conditions, improving buildings is unnecessary and, moreover, harmful: we need food farms, barracks and many, many towers. Defense in depth makes no sense; it is necessary to concentrate all forces in one place - fortunately there is only one way.

City-ship

With these words the city-ship greets us. The ancient civilization of the Creators was clearly at a high level of technical development, and they did not shy away from magic. A ship, equal in size to a city and capable of moving between islands, is an amazing structure for us, masters of magic staffs and sharp swords.

The first walk through the city-ship is like a tour of a technological miracle. Everything around glows and moves, but the principles of this are incomprehensible. There are many strange rooms around, but they are all closed, access to them is blocked.

Our first target is the room with the refrigeration unit in the southeastern part of the ship. Not far from it you can find a blue key that fits the sphere (orb) installed on the pedestal. In the room, in addition to the enemies, you will find a crooked frozen creature, the skerg Urgi - it is he who will later introduce you to the ship.

After reviving the skerg, prepare a potion for him in the room that leads to the refrigerator. You need a green potion, which can be made from blue and yellow liquids in a special cauldron. Filling sequence: blue, yellow, yellow, yellow, blue, blue.

You can control the ship using instruments located to the south of the large globe in the center of the ship. Before launching the ship, it is necessary to collect the thoughts scattered throughout the ship (a fun activity: it’s not often that you have to fight against thoughts). Take your thoughts to the room, which is located just east of the refrigerator, and follow Urga’s further instructions. In the workshop, turn the first and third levers to fill the ship with energy, and get acquainted with the remaining tables: there you can build yourself a new weapon and continue the willow task.

In the room to the west you can complete the task of the priest Galius: the ghosts of the warriors are making their last march, and unreal demons are trying to destroy them. Our task is to successfully carry out 20 ghosts. To do this, you need to alternately clear the air of demons and heal ghosts, no matter how strange this may seem.

The ship is ready to travel, the next stop is the Citadel.

Citadel

The first appearance in the citadel does not encourage a thoughtful description. Our task here is to reach the giant reptile and attack it. The battle will have to be interrupted: a random witness convinces us that a small squad cannot defeat the monster.

The next task is to go for help. Return to the ship, follow Urga's next instructions and head to Drag'Lur. On the way, it is useful to visit the Seven Towers and complete several small tasks. The most important among them are the conversation with the leader of the gnomes and Cain's task. You have to transport the gnomes to Winterlight on ship, but don’t rush to do it: your strength is not enough for a war on this map.

Cain's quest is important for two reasons. Firstly, you can get a decent amount of experience for virtually nothing, and secondly, Cain will receive a new sword as a reward. This sword is significantly superior to its freely available counterparts and should not be missed. At the end of the task, you will have to make a verdict - while no consequences of the choice have been revealed, apparently this is a matter of testing your conscience. In the future, you will find a couple more similar tasks that need to be completed with high priority. The only difficulty in them is the need to lure Una out of the temple. Wine purchased at the market will help solve this problem.

Drag"Lur

The intricate events taking place on this map hide underneath a fairly simple battle in a classic RTS mode. First, the heroes need to break through from the north to the center, to the main base. Then attacks from the east and west begin on the base: before the start of one of them, you can set a trap for the sake of experience, but it will not play a fundamental role. It is more important to strengthen the base on both sides so that it can defend itself.

Having gathered an army, go on the attack. Since attacks from the east are stronger, it is advisable to send troops there and protect the western direction with reserves. Further events are the consistent genocide of dinosaurs, spiders and various enemies. Difficulties arise exclusively military, plot tricks are not provided.

The main part of the campaign ends in the southwestern corner of the map, and the army must go around the path in a circle, destroying all enemy bases. The main battle awaits us in the south, where the enemy has established a main base: before the attack, all troops must be gathered together.

Citadel: Return

The time has come for a real attack on the citadel. We now have support from two detachments: air and infantry-cavalry; In addition, it is possible to build a base in the south of the map. Actually, you need to start from the base, and one of the main concerns should be protection from air attacks. As it becomes clear, the backbone of the army will be archers.

The main events will unfold in the center of the map and in the north. Between this area and our troops there is a complex of enemy towers that can pretty much ruin our lives; to avoid losses, it is advisable to carry out the first foray with a detachment of the main characters whose death is reversible. Near the towers you will find carts with resources that will be a good help for the base.

Another interesting place on this map is the pier in the southeast. There, three skeletons who died during a scientific expedition are arguing among themselves: each of them needs something, and each is ready to reward us with experience.

Further events will develop when the army is ready at the base. Our goal is to destroy all the enemy’s secondary bases one by one, so that we can then attack the enemy’s main fortification without interference. The algorithm of actions is as follows: the squad finds the enemy’s base, the main character teleports to his own base, asks for help from the leader of the knights and runs with them (or after them, if the reaction fails) to the base. When the cavalry reaches the enemy base, the unattended unit also goes on the attack. At this time, the air squad led by the magician remains in place to withstand the enemy's unexpected counterattack.

The final attack, on the main base, must unite all our forces. It should be noted that the wings are faster than the legs, so the flying army must be sent out later.

The transition to the citadel itself is only possible if the enemy base is completely demolished. If the target does not change, you need to find the remaining building (this can be difficult) and demolish it.

The land of dragons resembles an inverted Drag "Lur. Again we have a base that can be attacked from two sides. Again, both paths are closed in a ring... The tactics also remain the same: defense on one side, attack on the other. Our enemies will be sub-dragons of different types, so archers will be especially useful in the army.

There are places on the map for developing a second base, but they will not be useful: the main thing is to break through the nests to an audience with the dragons themselves.

After intense battles with the younger dragons in all respects, we will be offered a riddle in the classic style. The point of it is to find out which of our interlocutors is telling only the truth and who is only lying. The proposed riddle is simple and easy to solve. Here's the condition: Wind dragons are known to always lie, while others are always truthful. Before us are four dragons of different types and colors; it is necessary to determine their characteristics and nicknames.

The dragon Fonmir stated: Firior was called the Hunter, Fangor was called the Guardian, and Furin was the Messenger.
The dragon Fangor remembered: Firior was the dragon of the wind, Fonmir was called the Pathfinder, Furin had red scales.
The dragon Firior said: Fangor was a wind dragon, Fonmir had silver scales, Furin was a wyrm.
The dragon Furin said: Firior had green scales, Fangor was a crystal dragon, Fonmir had black scales.

Solution. Fangor and Firior contradict each other: one of them must be the wind dragon. Firior and Furin also did not agree on their memories. There is only one liar among dragons, so Firior is engaged in deception. If we use all the knowledge, we get: Fonmir was called the Pathfinder, and he was a black wyrm, Fangor was called the Guardian, he had silver scales and was a crystal dragon. Nicknamed the Hunter, Firior was a wind dragon with green scales. Finally, Furin is the Messenger, a fiery dragon with red scales.

Further events are related to the war: it is necessary to free the dragon nests one by one, thereby replenishing the army, fight the enemy and win.

Returning to the city-ship brought an unpleasant surprise: the vehicle is in the hands of the enemy! Consult with Urgi and call upon the evil spirits to your side: Madness, Anger, Fear, Disgust, Hatred. There are five spheres in the northwest room, each associated with two emotions. To summon a Doomstorm for each emotion, tap two orbs associated with it in a row.

Westgard

One of the best episodes of Spellforce 2 was when King Ulf gave the hero the island of Westgard. The main character became not just a traveler, he became a landowner, a ruler. It is not surprising that we returned to the same island in Dragon Storm.

The home of our heroes is in trouble again. The disposition is as follows: scattered troops in the center, enemy bases in the north, south and west. The enemy continually tries to deliver attacks that coincide with the roads. On each path there is an outpost, headed by one of the characters from the first part of the game, and now a strong hero.

There is a continuous stream of gargoyles coming into the base from the east. Most likely, it will not be possible to save the central buildings, so it is worth withdrawing all troops from there, sacrificing the position. The remaining objects must be protected whenever possible.

There are a lot of minerals on the island, and workers stand next to the deposits. The problem is that they are standing and not working, so it is necessary to send them to work as soon as possible. At the same time, defense should be organized, strengthening problem areas with troops.

When the army is ready, the time will come to attack. First of all, you should get rid of the northern and southern bases - each is headed by an enemy hero. What follows is simply war: first the destruction of the western base, then a massive hunt for the superbeast.

Shore of Mists

Our heroes found themselves on the southwestern island of a small archipelago, their enemies on the remaining islands. A significant addition has arrived: the dragon Vessel of the Soul, who decided to personally take part in the war.

First you need to strengthen yourself on the island, but without excesses: this base will defend itself. The whole war will take place on other islands, and here only archers will defend themselves from gargoyles.

Next you need to attack other islands. The crossing scheme is as follows: the dragon flies to another island, finds a waystone on the shore and fights with the troops guarding it. Over several approaches with healing in between, the dragon creates a bridgehead, and the heroes take turns crossing over to take part in the battle.

King Ulf's Palace

The wise and fair King Ulf, as it turns out, does not like to limit comfort! His palace will rival any other island in size, and in the middle there are plenty of various treasures.

Our first task is to explore the accessible premises of the palace as thoroughly as possible. In any room you can find excellent weapons, and experience is distributed with such generosity that it becomes clear: the final battle is designed for the maximum level of the heroes. Even in the kitchen there are plenty of various weapons - it’s not for nothing that the cook there is a warlike giant, extremely similar to Steven Seagal.

In the chests every now and then there are keys to other rooms, so the heroes have to make more than one circle around the palace. The logical key of the epic is the key to the southeastern dungeon, where our old friend Flink McWinter is imprisoned. If you walk with him along the corridor running from the center to the northwest, you can find a secret lever. One turn - and the king’s considerable treasury is at our service.

When you're ready for the final battle, follow the same corridor to the end. There you will find eight rooms from which monsters continuously run out. To stop each source, one of the characters must run into the room and stand in the blue circle. Magic will transport the character to another room, where there will be another blue circle - if you stand on it, the attacks of monsters will stop.

As soon as all the characters stand on the blue circles, the squad will be transported to the throne room. This is where the final battle will take place... The scenario is standard: fighting off constant attacks, you need to kill the circle of magicians protecting the main enemy, and then engage in the final battle.

The end of the game leaves little hope for a sequel. It looks like we won't be seeing a second expansion, and we won't be seeing Spellforce 3 anytime soon. Legends leave, becoming free... Sometimes you need to leave just like that - on time and with dignity.

Citadel

The first appearance in the citadel does not encourage a thoughtful description. Our task here is to reach the giant reptile and attack it. The battle will have to be interrupted: a random witness convinces us that a small squad cannot defeat the monster.

The next task is to go for help. Return to the ship, follow Urga's next instructions and head to Drag'Lur. On the way, it is useful to visit the Seven Towers and complete several small tasks. The most important among them are the conversation with the leader of the dwarves and Cain’s task. You have to transport the gnomes to Winterlight by ship, but do not rush to do this: your forces are not enough to fight a war on this map.

Cain's quest is important for two reasons. Firstly, you can get a decent amount of experience for virtually nothing, and secondly, Cain will receive a new sword as a reward. This sword is significantly superior to its freely available counterparts and should not be missed. At the end of the task, you will have to make a verdict - while no consequences of the choice have been revealed, apparently this is a matter of testing your conscience. In the future, you will find a couple more similar tasks that need to be completed with high priority. The only difficulty in them is the need to lure Una out of the temple. Wine purchased at the market will help solve this problem.

Drag'Lur

The intricate events taking place on this map hide underneath a fairly simple battle in a classic RTS mode. First, the heroes need to break through from the north to the center, to the main base. Then attacks from the east and west begin on the base: before the start of one of them, you can set a trap for the sake of experience, but it will not play a fundamental role. It is more important to strengthen the base on both sides so that it can defend itself.

Having gathered an army, go on the attack. Since attacks from the east are stronger, it is advisable to send troops there and protect the western direction with reserves. Further events are the consistent genocide of dinosaurs, spiders and various enemies. Difficulties arise exclusively military, plot tricks are not provided.

The main part of the campaign ends in the southwestern corner of the map, and the army must go around the path in a circle, destroying all enemy bases. The main battle awaits us in the south, where the enemy has established a main base: before the attack, all troops must be gathered together.

Citadel: Return

The time has come for a real attack on the citadel. We now have support from two detachments: air and infantry-cavalry; In addition, it is possible to build a base in the south of the map. Actually, you need to start from the base, and one of the main concerns should be protection from air attacks. As it becomes clear, the backbone of the army will be archers.

The main events will unfold in the center of the map and in the north. Between this area and our troops there is a complex of enemy towers that can pretty much ruin our lives; to avoid losses, it is advisable to carry out the first foray with a detachment of the main characters whose death is reversible. Near the towers you will find carts with resources that will be a good help for the base.

Another interesting place on this map is the pier in the southeast. There, three skeletons who died during a scientific expedition are arguing among themselves: each of them needs something, and each is ready to reward us with experience.

Further events will develop when the army is ready at the base. Our goal is to destroy all the enemy’s secondary bases one by one, so that we can then attack the enemy’s main fortification without interference. The algorithm of actions is as follows: the squad finds the enemy’s base, the main character teleports to his own base, asks for help from the leader of the knights and runs with them (or after them, if the reaction fails) to the base. When the cavalry reaches the enemy base, the unattended unit also goes on the attack. At this time, the air squad led by the magician remains in place to withstand the enemy's unexpected counterattack.

The final attack, on the main base, must unite all our forces. It should be noted that the wings are faster than the legs, so the flying army must be sent out later.

The transition to the citadel itself is only possible if the enemy base is completely demolished. If the target does not change, you need to find the remaining building (this can be difficult) and demolish it.

Asylum

The Land of Dragons resembles an inverted Drag'Lur. Once again we have a base that can be attacked from two sides. Again, both paths are closed into a ring... The tactics also remain the same: defense on one side, attack on the other. Our enemies will be sub-dragons of various types, so archers will be especially useful in the army.

There are places on the map for developing a second base, but they will not be useful: the main thing is to break through the nests to an audience with the dragons themselves.

After an otherwise heated battle with the younger dragons, we are presented with a riddle in the classic “knight and liar” style. The point of it is to find out which of our interlocutors is telling only the truth and who is only lying. The proposed riddle is simple and easy to solve. Here's the condition: Wind dragons are known to always lie, while others are always truthful. Before us are four dragons of different types and colors; it is necessary to determine their characteristics and nicknames.

The dragon Fonmir stated: Firior was called the Hunter, Fangor was called the Guardian, and Furin was the Messenger.
The dragon Fangor remembered: Firior was the dragon of the wind, Fonmir was called the Pathfinder, Furin had red scales.
The dragon Firior said: Fangor was a wind dragon, Fonmir had silver scales, Furin was a wyrm.
The dragon Furin said: Firior had green scales, Fangor was a crystal dragon, Fonmir had black scales.

Solution . Fangor and Firior contradict each other: one of them must be the wind dragon. Firior and Furin also did not agree on their memories. There is only one liar among dragons, so Firior is engaged in deception. If we use all the knowledge, we get: Fonmir was called the Pathfinder, and he was a black wyrm, Fangor was called the Guardian, he had silver scales and was a crystal dragon. Nicknamed the Hunter, Firior was a wind dragon with green scales. Finally, Furin is the Messenger, a fiery dragon with red scales.

Further events are related to the war: it is necessary to free the dragon nests one by one, thereby replenishing the army, fight the enemy and win.

Returning to the city-ship brought an unpleasant surprise: the vehicle is in the hands of the enemy! Consult with Urgi and call upon the evil spirits to your side: Madness, Anger, Fear, Disgust, Hatred. There are five spheres in the northwest room, each associated with two emotions. To summon a Doomstorm for each emotion, tap two orbs associated with it in a row.

Westgard

One of the best episodes Spellforce 2 was connected with the fact that King Ulf gave the hero the island of Westgard. The main character became not just a traveler, he became a landowner, a ruler. It is not surprising that we returned to the same island in Dragon Storm.

The home of our heroes is in trouble again. The disposition is as follows: scattered troops in the center, enemy bases in the north, south and west. The enemy continually tries to deliver attacks that coincide with the roads. On each path there is an outpost, headed by one of the characters from the first part of the game, and now a strong hero.

There is a continuous stream of gargoyles coming into the base from the east. Most likely, it will not be possible to save the central buildings, so it is worth withdrawing all troops from there, sacrificing the position. The remaining objects must be protected whenever possible.

There are a lot of minerals on the island, and workers stand next to the deposits. The problem is that they are standing and not working, so it is necessary to send them to work as soon as possible. At the same time, defense should be organized, strengthening problem areas with troops.

When the army is ready, the time will come to attack. First of all, you should get rid of the northern and southern bases - each is headed by an enemy hero. What follows is simply war: first the destruction of the western base, then a massive hunt for the superbeast.

Shore of Mists

Our heroes found themselves on the southwestern island of a small archipelago, their enemies on the remaining islands. A significant addition has arrived: the dragon Vessel of the Soul, who decided to personally take part in the war.

First you need to strengthen yourself on the island, but without excesses: this base will defend itself. The whole war will take place on other islands, and here only archers will defend themselves from gargoyles.

Next you need to attack other islands. The crossing scheme is as follows: the dragon flies to another island, finds a waystone on the shore and fights with the troops guarding it. Over several approaches with healing in between, the dragon creates a bridgehead, and the heroes take turns crossing over to take part in the battle.

King Ulf's Palace

The wise and fair King Ulf, as it turns out, does not like to limit comfort! His palace will rival any other island in size, and in the middle there are plenty of various treasures.

Our first task is to explore the accessible premises of the palace as thoroughly as possible. In any room you can find excellent weapons, and experience is distributed with such generosity that it becomes clear: the final battle is designed for the maximum level of the heroes. Even in the kitchen there are plenty of various weapons - it’s not for nothing that the cook there is a warlike giant, extremely similar to Steven Seagal.

In the chests every now and then there are keys to other rooms, so the heroes have to make more than one circle around the palace. The logical key of the epic is the key to the southeastern dungeon, where our old friend Flink McWinter is imprisoned. If you walk with him along the corridor running from the center to the northwest, you can find a secret lever. One turn - and the king’s considerable treasury is at our service.

When you're ready for the final battle, follow the same corridor to the end. There you will find eight rooms from which monsters continuously run out. To stop each source, one of the characters must run into the room and stand in the blue circle. Magic will transport the character to another room, where there will be another blue circle - if you stand on it, the attacks of monsters will stop.

As soon as all the characters stand on the blue circles, the squad will be transported to the throne room. This is where the final battle will take place... The scenario is standard: fighting off constant attacks, you need to kill the circle of magicians protecting the main enemy, and then engage in the final battle.

The end of the game leaves little hope for a sequel. It looks like we won't be seeing a second expansion, and we won't be seeing Spellforce 3 anytime soon. Legends leave, becoming free... Sometimes you need to leave just like that - on time and with dignity.

In the plot SpellForce 2 a lot of time is devoted to farewell, as if the scriptwriters took the last pages of “The Lord of the Rings” as a standard. The old world is fading, the heroes of the past are forgotten, magic has ceased to be an art, and great warriors have become simple pilgrims... The destruction of magical portals has broken a single world into many islands, separated by a mighty ocean. The memory of the past smolders in the main characters, but this picture is gradually dimming.

The minor motif is largely symbolic. While the heroes have parted with their great past, the creators of the game sadly follow the idea of ​​​​"RTS plus role-playing game." First part SpellForce earned success precisely thanks to the experiment: combining strategy and character adventures. Of course, this caused a number of problems, but the unification not only took place - it became a household name. SpellForce was called one of the most important events of the year, and additions were expected for a long time.

All this is behind us. IN SpellForce 2 the strategic component was significantly reduced, everything returned to recognized standards. The lists have been replenished with “another role-playing game.” The logical world also disappeared - instead of a well-thought-out concept of runes, we saw standard assumptions for a computer from the series “ in this barracks warriors are born every five minutes".

The standard principle of RTS - parallel development of the base and war - is virtually reduced to zero. The reasons for this are clear: the tasks boil down to the principle of “build a big army and kill everyone.” Previously, they fought this with scripted events and multi-stage tasks, but now they have completely canceled it. Fortunately, such moments occur three or four times per expansion.

There are remnants of strategy in the moments when we are given a dozen or two soldiers to solve a certain problem. However, these are only small inclusions - the role-playing adventure took up the vast majority of the time.

The addition received the loud name “ Dragon Storm“, but in reality the storm turned out to be just a fresh breeze... The time of revolutions has passed: we have before us a natural continuation SpellForce 2. The list of changes includes small mutations in the role-playing system, armor sets and new races for RTS. The first does not make fundamental changes, the second actually does not occur in practice, the third, in the light of genre trends, remains beyond the bounds of reason.

Maybe we should say goodbye to the game? No. This year there are plenty of real-time strategies, but role-playing games are in clear shortage. Without communicating with elves and dwarves, it can sometimes be a bit boring, but “ Dragon Storm"created according to the canons of classic fantasy. Elves, gnomes, people, monsters, villains, magicians... The good old set that makes up a lively and unusual world with a slight excess of pathos and a lack of self-irony.

The developers got rid of the main problems SpellForce 2- obvious tasks and dull linearity. Of course, the plot is not full of forks, but there are also plenty of secondary tasks - sometimes quite funny. Those who scroll through conversations without reading risk ending up in a dead end and not receiving prizes. As you progress, the careful work with balance and pleasant attention to detail become clear.

The addition has become a full-fledged adventure, where there is no room for boredom. The journey turned out to be short (a week should be enough to complete it), but exciting. The role-playing system makes you think, the choice of weapons allows you to roam, the texts are long enough - everything is ready for a pleasant journey.

Good memories remain after the game. Perhaps the reason for this is the main idea of ​​the script, repeated more than once after the battles: freedom is more valuable than life.

At a crossroads

At the beginning of the game, the hero is faced with the question: who to be? It is necessary to build a clear plan from the very beginning and follow it throughout the passage. There are many options: each character must choose a primary and secondary profession, in addition, our squad at the end of the game grows to six people.

The core of the role-playing system remains unchanged. The character has two directions - magic and military affairs (the names are arbitrary). Each of the areas is divided into professions, professions into specialties, and specialties into specializations.

I will not repeat the detailed description of specialties that was already in the manual SpellForce 2, and instead focus on the possible roles of the characters.

Warrior- an obvious basis for the company. His goal is simple and uncomplicated: get involved in close combat and use the skill of chopping cabbage on the enemy. There are two positive aspects to this: the enemy is distracted from hunting for magicians, and at the same time he dies.

It’s simple to turn a warrior into a “tank”: we give him a shield in his left hand, and a sword in his right hand. If the attack is more important, there are more options: the arsenal includes two-handed swords, axes, war hammers, double swords for the right and left hands, daggers... Is such an abundance necessary? I deeply doubt it.

The spells of magicians are stronger than the swords of warriors. In close combat, it is not possible to cast spells from your hand, but lightning and black magic spells are the main threat to the enemy. A warrior is most useful when he is alive and in the center of the battle, and everything else is in the background.

Verdict - the concept of armor should be the main one in a military school. The thicker the shell, the more useful the warrior. On the other hand, the concept of a “light warrior” causes some confusion.

Battle Mage focuses on offensive spells. This profession is effective primarily due to its convenient point-and-click interface: to attack, you must first select an enemy and then a spell.

Those who choose a similar path have two options: elemental magic and black magic. Black magic is nominally stronger, but elemental mages have several advantages: they can attack buildings, they have more variety in spells, and fire and ice attacks are especially powerful against some creatures.

Necromancers and their colleagues are not deprived: their abilities are akin to white magic, and they can learn healing at the same time. In addition, black magic is stronger against enemy heroes.

Archer, like a magician, hits the target from afar. The overall effect is weaker, but there is one advantage: the archer does not require attention, he himself finds the target and tries to destroy it.

Doctor prefers white magic, which does not prevent him from sometimes summoning skeletons and sucking life out of the enemy. The goals are obvious, the advantages are undeniable - there should be one white magician in the squad.

New to the role-playing system - abilities Shaikan. They are not suitable as a main profession, but serve as an excellent addition to a warrior. Particularly useful magic call, which allows you to temporarily summon a flying dagger, a wolf or a vampire in the form of a bat. At the same time, the second profession for magicians should be either the path of the warrior or another magical principle.

Tour the world

Winterlight

Who am I? Why are these people gathered around? How did I end up here? What is going on? There is no time for questions; from the very first second the main character finds himself in the thick of things. There is a war going on all around us, and it’s clearly impossible to sort it out without us!

The first task is simple - you need to develop the hero depending on your desires. Teach him minimal skills, open chests nearby - and you are ready for adventure! You are in a devastated dwarven city, and your first goal is to get out of here as quickly as possible. The city is constantly attacked by animals, and the hero is entrusted with the responsibility of evacuation.

Chat with those around you, take tasks from them - the first of them will be searching for springs for the city gates. During numerous conversations, the sun will have time to set and rise again - don’t be surprised, this world generally does not like unnecessary haste!

Your goals are marked on the map - walk along them, fighting off the attacking monsters. There is no need to try to kill all the monsters: they are constantly arriving, albeit in minute quantities. Enemies will willingly wait for the completion of your work: open the gate (left mouse button on the lever), and get ready to travel among the snow.

Winterlight needs a humanitarian operation: to lead the dwarf craftsmen to the portal in the north. The problem is that gnome craftsmen are afraid of the cold and must quickly run from fire to fire. As a result, you will have to act quickly.

Clearing the path is not difficult: the targets are marked on the map. However, this task will be difficult if you decide to visit the branches on the map to collect treasures. The optimal algorithm for this choice would be a quick throw across the entire map with complete clearing of enemies, and then a second pass over a short distance to clear the path for the dwarf craftsmen. Continuously regenerating enemies are the main problem, so it is necessary to accurately calculate the time: as soon as the next fire is rid of the enemies, the artisans must already set off.

It is advisable to divide the gnomes into two groups, alternately running along the route: this way they will crowd less and, therefore, die from the cold. Don’t expect to transfer everyone and only then deal with additional tasks: as soon as the last of them crosses the portal, the next map will open to our eyes.

Alluvian

A fortress overflowing with crazy monsters suddenly appeared on the way of our army. What to do? Take it by storm, of course! Just three of us against an army of bloodthirsty creatures? Nothing, no one demands quick results from us.

First of all, go to the closed city gates. Along the way, the scout will offer you help: send him back to the camp so that he can correct the work of the local artillery - a bow alone is of little use. When you approach the gate, begin to tease the enemy, killing his archers and healing your friends. A peculiar tactic for storming a city, isn’t it? The goal is to distract the enemy’s fire for longer until our tree allies come up and remove the protective magic from the gate.

At this time we will have the opportunity to create a small support army. I advise you to skew towards archers: melee warriors will not always be able to reach the enemy, and long-range warriors will come in handy. With this army, one by one, destroy the enemy's breeding grounds in the southern part of the fortress. At the same time, be prepared for a counterattack: the enemy will have reinforcements in the west, and as soon as danger arises, quickly send all troops there.

Besides us, other warriors are attacking the fortress. It is impossible to coordinate with them, so for strong blows you can only catch their next attack and run after them with all your might.

The interior of the fortress is closed to visitors. Everyone around is talking about a secret passage (which raises doubts about its secrecy), so our hero will have to take a few minutes away from the fortress and move on to exploring the surrounding area. None of the people you meet know exactly where the secret passage is, but the magician Haldor, freed in the east, offers to cast illusion magic on your squad. To do this, you need three pieces of orc leather - and there should be plenty of this material around. Unfortunately, not all pieces are suitable, but from certain orcs, so carefully examine the corpses left behind. You will find the first such piece at the main gate, the rest - on the eastern path.

To the west of the city, thanks to a stroke of luck, you will find the builder Weyland, who will open the way for you to a secret passage. The road is open: head inside the fortress and kill everyone you meet. In addition to ordinary warriors, you will find a fiery titan - there is nothing left to do but kill him too. The tactics are clear - do not scatter your forces and always move with your army.

Alluvian has been taken! A minute of rest - free the prominent representative of the Shaikan Satras from captivity, listen to his insults and head further along the magical path.

Seven towers

Even if in the year since the adventures in the world Spellforce 2: Shadow Wars, you have already forgotten everything about the world of islands, one place will remain in your memory. Seven Towers, the capital of the empire, a city where people, elves, gnomes and other friendly creatures live nearby. In the labyrinth of narrow streets there is everything that befits a large city: a rich market, a quarter of artisans, a gallows, a mine for gnomes, a square of priests, a magical “flea market”, an embankment, a university... And of course, residential buildings, many residential buildings with standing next to the chests.

And how can we forget the court of King Ulf? Officially, this place is called the “royal courtyard,” but in practice this courtyard has earned the title of a passageway: a waystone is conveniently located here, and the highest authorities of the empire every now and then watch travelers teleporting not far from the king. There is a certain logic in this: it’s boring to sit surrounded by guards and wait for pilgrims to accidentally wander into the ruler. In our case, if the residents are not in too much of a hurry, they can come up and chat with the ruler, entertain him...

On a note: The name of the city looks a bit strange - these are the consequences of a less than ideal translation. Seven Towers is a strange name for a city (although there is a White Church in the real world), but its English-language counterpart, Sevenkeeps, looks natural and understandable. Perhaps something similar to the Seven Strongholds or Semigrad would be more suitable?

The landscape has changed since the last visit. The once rich city is burning, surrounded by enemy troops and wild animals prowling. It looks like the liberation of the capital will fall on the shoulders of our characters.

In the meantime, it’s too early to even talk about this - first we need to break through to the city. We are in the east of the capital, and the path of our squad is blocked by troops of dark forces. Actually, there are two ways to the city: gradually break through to the city under the slogan “beat strangers, heal your own” or use the prepared trick.

The trick lies in the close marriage of magic and technology. The dwarves prepared explosives, and the magician Haldor took control of one of the enemy warriors: now we can mine the enemy’s fortifications. Creating fortifications is simple: just stand for a few minutes next to specially marked places. Thus, in order to destroy the enemy, it is enough to take a tour of the enemy’s base. The main secret here is not to stop for a second, except for the time for mining. If one of the enemies follows the spy (this is very likely, since the sight of a sapper with a bag of explosives unnerves the guards), it is necessary not to engage in unnecessary running around, but to retreat to the main detachment. In addition, heroes are required to heal the scout.

When only firebrands remain from a large and protected enemy base, it is necessary to finish off the last resisters with the main detachment in order to demolish the remains of the buildings. Then lead the gnomes to the city gates - only after that we will get inside.

The guest of the capital is taken straight to the military council under the leadership of King Ulf. The friendliness of the hosts extends so far that travelers are offered to lead the defense of the city. Soon, with the help of teleportation stones, our squad will be in the main of the remaining forts - in the southwest.

It is impossible to build troops here. General Redmond is ready to provide us with soldiers, but first we need to get meat to feed the army. Apparently, there is an embargo on the import of troops from the Great Void, and instead a “killers for food” program has been proposed...

There are two ways to get supplies - long and dangerous. The long one consists of hunting local wildlife: wolves and bears (for some reason, these are the species that developed during the war, and the unkindly remembered spiders did not survive). A dangerous method is to intercept food caravans that travel between enemy bases. History is silent about why enemy bases need to intensively exchange meat among themselves if it is in abundance everywhere, but the insidiousness of dark forces is always ready to exceed our expectations!

Hunting does not cause any problems (poor bears did not even imagine that people would get their food with the help of lightning and black magic). It is certainly more interesting to attack caravans, but you should already have the first batch of fed warriors with you. The caravan’s algorithm of action is simple: move towards the destination of the journey, if an attack occurs, turn around and return to the starting point. As you can easily guess, it is best to attack caravans from behind. One of the guards will break through “to his own”: generally speaking, it is useful to stop him. However, even if the attack was only partially successful, you can always skin the pack horses and take away the much-needed meat from them.

Despite the peacetime, there is still plenty to do in the city. The classes are mostly uncomplicated, and the experience is generously distributed, so it makes sense to take up development. A girl named Idara gives us a slightly paranoid task: good dreams are being stolen from her, so we need to consult the wise willow on this topic. Unfortunately, the willow is thirsty, and on the way to the source there are enemies. The game pushes us to move to the north-west of the map and break through with battles (and at the same time with water for the willow). This task is difficult to accomplish, so it is better to slowly but surely walk through the specified area with all the troops under your control: a difficult combat mission turns into a pleasant walk through picturesque places.

Other simple tasks are searching for missing things for farmers who live to the west of the market (let me remind you, the market itself is easy to find in the east of the city; searching for missing things for farmers who live to the west of the market () the point is to engage in development. turn around and return to the original ). Items are easily obtained to the west of the city in battles with overgrown insects.

On a note: In the fields around the city you can find a lot of military equipment. Either farmers are not telling us something, or they simply live very well and allow themselves to buy potentially useful things.

The next task is to talk to the deaf old man Aedar. Everything is simple here: you need to listen and, if possible, understand the advice of your granddaughter and either assent or express anger in response to his memories. In the end, the old man will change his cunning to mercy and tell us a little history. It is also useful to visit the gnome quarter for a conversation, and generally walk around the city looking for people who want to chat.

Haunted Harbor

Majestic ruins are all that remains of the mighty civilization of the Creators. These creatures lived here for so long that some call this period “before the beginning of time.” No one has shown a desire to settle among the deathly walls; only a group of military archaeologists is exploring the remnants of past knowledge.

Immediately after moving, get ready for battle: this will mark the meeting with the new hero of your squad. A fresh stream will be Cain, a warrior with an incredibly long sword. Then explore the surrounding area and go meet archaeologists.

The style of play in Phantom Harbor is to slowly move around the map with a careful inspection of the signs, sniffing all the nooks and corners. The main squad is followed by the archaeologist Ragna: from time to time she will unravel secrets useful to the squad. The answer to the next question serves as a password to a lever of a certain color, which attracts the next tower to our side.

On a note: passwords from the “red color corresponds to green skull” series do not need to be remembered, they work automatically.

It is the towers that are the key to victory. Our forces, unlike the enemy's, are limited, so standard tactics require caution: lure the enemy forces into the fire of the towers and, in the meantime, send auxiliary troops to the next enemy base that creates reinforcements.

Don’t forget to collect the items you find, even if you don’t understand their origin: in the southwestern foothills lives the half-crazed magician Agathos, who will find a use for them.

The campaign ends with the capture of the citadel, where you can build a base. However, there is no need to build a base in the usual sense of the word: we only have a couple of minutes to strengthen the position before a massive enemy attack. This is the first and last assault: if you survive, it means you won. In such conditions, improving buildings is unnecessary and, moreover, harmful: we need food farms, barracks and many, many towers. Defense in depth makes no sense; it is necessary to concentrate all forces in one place - fortunately there is only one way.

City-ship

« The creators are considered children of the gods“- these are the words the city-ship greets us. The ancient civilization of the Creators was clearly at a high level of technical development, and they did not shy away from magic. A ship, equal in size to a city and capable of moving between islands, is an amazing structure for us, masters of magic staffs and sharp swords.

The first walk through the city-ship is like a tour of a technological miracle. Everything around glows and moves, but the principles of this are incomprehensible. There are many strange rooms around, but they are all closed, access to them is blocked.

Our first target is the room with the refrigeration unit in the southeastern part of the ship. Not far from it you can find a blue key that fits the sphere (orb) installed on the pedestal. In the room, in addition to the enemies, you will find a crooked frozen creature, the skerg Urgi - it is he who will later introduce you to the ship.

After reviving the skerg, prepare a potion for him in the room that leads to the refrigerator. You need a green potion, which can be made from blue and yellow liquids in a special cauldron. Filling sequence: blue, yellow, yellow, yellow, blue, blue.

You can control the ship using instruments located to the south of the large globe in the center of the ship. Before launching the ship, it is necessary to collect the thoughts scattered throughout the ship (a fun activity: it’s not often that you have to fight against thoughts). Take your thoughts to the room, which is located just east of the refrigerator, and follow Urga’s further instructions. In the workshop, turn the first and third levers to fill the ship with energy, and get acquainted with the remaining tables: there you can build yourself a new weapon and continue the willow task.

In the room to the west you can complete the task of the priest Galius: the ghosts of warriors make their last march, and unreal demons trying to destroy them. Our task is to successfully carry out 20 ghosts. To do this, you need to alternately clear the air of demons and heal ghosts, no matter how strange this may seem.

The ship is ready to travel, the next stop is the Citadel.

Citadel

The first appearance in the citadel does not encourage a thoughtful description. Our task here is to reach the giant reptile and attack it. The battle will have to be interrupted: a random witness convinces us that a small squad cannot defeat the monster.

The next task is to go for help. Return to the ship, follow Urga's next instructions and head to Drag'Lur. On the way, it is useful to visit the Seven Towers and complete several small tasks. The most important among them are the conversation with the leader of the dwarves and Cain’s task. You have to transport the gnomes to Winterlight by ship, but do not rush to do this: your forces are not enough to fight a war on this map.

Cain's quest is important for two reasons. Firstly, you can get a decent amount of experience for virtually nothing, and secondly, Cain will receive a new sword as a reward. This sword is significantly superior to its freely available counterparts and should not be missed. At the end of the task, you will have to make a verdict - while no consequences of the choice have been revealed, apparently this is a matter of testing your conscience. In the future, you will find a couple more similar tasks that need to be completed with high priority. The only difficulty in them is the need to lure Una out of the temple. Wine purchased at the market will help solve this problem.

Drag'Lur

The intricate events taking place on this map hide underneath a fairly simple battle in a classic RTS mode. First, the heroes need to break through from the north to the center, to the main base. Then attacks from the east and west begin on the base: before the start of one of them, you can set a trap for the sake of experience, but it will not play a fundamental role. It is more important to strengthen the base on both sides so that it can defend itself.

Having gathered an army, go on the attack. Since attacks from the east are stronger, it is advisable to send troops there and protect the western direction with reserves. Further events are the consistent genocide of dinosaurs, spiders and various enemies. Difficulties arise exclusively military, plot tricks are not provided.

The main part of the campaign ends in the southwestern corner of the map, and the army must go around the path in a circle, destroying all enemy bases. The main battle awaits us in the south, where the enemy has established a main base: before the attack, all troops must be gathered together.

Citadel: Return

The time has come for a real attack on the citadel. We now have support from two detachments: air and infantry-cavalry; In addition, it is possible to build a base in the south of the map. Actually, you need to start from the base, and one of the main concerns should be protection from air attacks. As it becomes clear, the backbone of the army will be archers.

The main events will unfold in the center of the map and in the north. Between this area and our troops there is a complex of enemy towers that can pretty much ruin our lives; to avoid losses, it is advisable to carry out the first foray with a detachment of the main characters whose death is reversible. Near the towers you will find carts with resources that will be a good help for the base.

Another interesting place on this map is the pier in the southeast. There, three skeletons who died during a scientific expedition are arguing among themselves: each of them needs something, and each is ready to reward us with experience.

Further events will develop when the army is ready at the base. Our goal is to destroy all the enemy’s secondary bases one by one, so that we can then attack the enemy’s main fortification without interference. The algorithm of actions is as follows: the squad finds the enemy’s base, the main character teleports to his own base, asks for help from the leader of the knights and runs with them (or after them, if the reaction fails) to the base. When the cavalry reaches the enemy base, the unattended unit also goes on the attack. At this time, the air squad led by the magician remains in place to withstand the enemy's unexpected counterattack.

The final attack, on the main base, must unite all our forces. It should be noted that the wings are faster than the legs, so the flying army must be sent out later.

The transition to the citadel itself is only possible if the enemy base is completely demolished. If the target does not change, you need to find the remaining building (this can be difficult) and demolish it.

Asylum

The Land of Dragons resembles an inverted Drag'Lur. Once again we have a base that can be attacked from two sides. Again, both paths are closed into a ring... The tactics also remain the same: defense on one side, attack on the other. Our enemies will be sub-dragons of various types, so archers will be especially useful in the army.

There are places on the map for developing a second base, but they will not be useful: the main thing is to break through the nests to an audience with the dragons themselves.

After an otherwise heated battle with the younger dragons, we are presented with a riddle in the classic “knight and liar” style. The point of it is to find out which of our interlocutors is telling only the truth and who is only lying. The proposed riddle is simple and easy to solve. Here's the condition: Wind dragons are known to always lie, while others are always truthful. Before us are four dragons of different types and colors; it is necessary to determine their characteristics and nicknames.

The dragon Fonmir stated: Firior was called the Hunter, Fangor was called the Guardian, and Furin was the Messenger.
The dragon Fangor remembered: Firior was the dragon of the wind, Fonmir was called the Pathfinder, Furin had red scales.
The dragon Firior said: Fangor was a wind dragon, Fonmir had silver scales, Furin was a wyrm.
The dragon Furin said: Firior had green scales, Fangor was a crystal dragon, Fonmir had black scales.

Solution . Fangor and Firior contradict each other: one of them must be the wind dragon. Firior and Furin also did not agree on their memories. There is only one liar among dragons, so Firior is engaged in deception. If we use all the knowledge, we get: Fonmir was called the Pathfinder, and he was a black wyrm, Fangor was called the Guardian, he had silver scales and was a crystal dragon. Nicknamed the Hunter, Firior was a wind dragon with green scales. Finally, Furin is the Messenger, a fiery dragon with red scales.

Further events are related to the war: it is necessary to free the dragon nests one by one, thereby replenishing the army, fight the enemy and win.

Returning to the city-ship brought an unpleasant surprise: the vehicle is in the hands of the enemy! Consult with Urgi and call upon the evil spirits to your side: Madness, Anger, Fear, Disgust, Hatred. There are five spheres in the northwest room, each associated with two emotions. To summon a Doomstorm for each emotion, tap two orbs associated with it in a row.

Westgard

One of the best episodes Spellforce 2 was connected with the fact that King Ulf gave the hero the island of Westgard. The main character became not just a traveler, he became a landowner, a ruler. It is not surprising that we returned to the same island in Dragon Storm.

The home of our heroes is in trouble again. The disposition is as follows: scattered troops in the center, enemy bases in the north, south and west. The enemy continually tries to deliver attacks that coincide with the roads. On each path there is an outpost, headed by one of the characters from the first part of the game, and now a strong hero.

There is a continuous stream of gargoyles coming into the base from the east. Most likely, it will not be possible to save the central buildings, so it is worth withdrawing all troops from there, sacrificing the position. The remaining objects must be protected whenever possible.

There are a lot of minerals on the island, and workers stand next to the deposits. The problem is that they are standing and not working, so it is necessary to send them to work as soon as possible. At the same time, defense should be organized, strengthening problem areas with troops.

When the army is ready, the time will come to attack. First of all, you should get rid of the northern and southern bases - each is headed by an enemy hero. What follows is simply war: first the destruction of the western base, then a massive hunt for the superbeast.

Shore of Mists

Our heroes found themselves on the southwestern island of a small archipelago, their enemies on the remaining islands. A significant addition has arrived: the dragon Vessel of the Soul, who decided to personally take part in the war.

First you need to strengthen yourself on the island, but without excesses: this base will defend itself. The whole war will take place on other islands, and here only archers will defend themselves from gargoyles.

Next you need to attack other islands. The crossing scheme is as follows: the dragon flies to another island, finds a waystone on the shore and fights with the troops guarding it. Over several approaches with healing in between, the dragon creates a bridgehead, and the heroes take turns crossing over to take part in the battle.

King Ulf's Palace

The wise and fair King Ulf, as it turns out, does not like to limit comfort! His palace will rival any other island in size, and in the middle there are plenty of various treasures.

Our first task is to explore the accessible premises of the palace as thoroughly as possible. In any room you can find excellent weapons, and experience is distributed with such generosity that it becomes clear: the final battle is designed for the maximum level of the heroes. Even in the kitchen there are plenty of various weapons - it’s not for nothing that the cook there is a warlike giant, extremely similar to Steven Seagal.

In the chests every now and then there are keys to other rooms, so the heroes have to make more than one circle around the palace. The logical key of the epic is the key to the southeastern dungeon, where our old friend Flink McWinter is imprisoned. If you walk with him along the corridor running from the center to the northwest, you can find a secret lever. One turn - and the king’s considerable treasury is at our service.

When you're ready for the final battle, follow the same corridor to the end. There you will find eight rooms from which monsters continuously run out. To stop each source, one of the characters must run into the room and stand in the blue circle. Magic will transport the character to another room, where there will be another blue circle - if you stand on it, the attacks of monsters will stop.

As soon as all the characters stand on the blue circles, the squad will be transported to the throne room. This is where the final battle will take place... The scenario is standard: fighting off constant attacks, you need to kill the circle of magicians protecting the main enemy, and then engage in the final battle.

The end of the game leaves little hope for a sequel. It looks like we won't be seeing a second expansion, and we won't be seeing Spellforce 3 anytime soon. Legends leave, becoming free... Sometimes you need to leave just like that - on time and with dignity.

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