Snapdragon

Snapdragon. With your usual cunning you have replaced Keeper Dante as the main aggressor to this land. Poor Lord Titus doesn’t even know who he is fighting. I hear that Dante was driven out by a powerful group of Wizards who still guard Snapdragon against the return of any evil forces. Destroying them will make it easier to challenge Lord Titus.

Eliminate the Wizards in order, weakest to strongest. Once the Level 1, 2 and 3 Wizards have been defeated, make sure you are strong before challenging the Level 4 and 5 Wizards, as

Business Model

You begin with a few creatures —, a Troll, two Mistresses and three Salamanders. Now, while being aware that under most situations, individual lives mean nothing to one of your stature, you are obliged to protect these creatures most carefully until you have claimed the Portal, for if they die your plans are doomed. The first order of business is to dig out the tile of gold just north of your Dungeon Heart, and use the gold to build a Stone Bridge across the lava to the Lair. Your Mistresses must help your Salamanders kill the Heroes who guard the Lair. Now allow your creatures to heal in their new beds and you’ll be ready to move on. Phase Two is to dig through the gold to the west and take the Hatchery, again slaughtering the Heroes who guard it. You’ll still be very short on mana, so place injured creatures back in the Lair to heal. Don’t get too complacent, though. Yes, you have a Hatchery and a Lair, and are nearly set to claim the Portal and begin recruiting creatures from the outside. Nearly. Use a Stone Bridge to reach the Bridge in front of the door leading to the Portal. Smash down the door but then pull your creatures back: as soon as any of your minions sets foot upon the Portal, the Level 1 Wizard with a Gate into the room beyond will be alerted by an Alarm Trap. Your best plan is to send an Imp to claim the neutral territory leading up to the Portal. This will lure the Dwarves just inside the Portal onto your land. Kill them. Send any injured creatures back to the Lair to heal — whatever you do, don’t grow impatient. Now it’s time to make our next sortie against the Portal. Let an Imp start trying to claim the Portal. The Level 1 Wizard will rush forward with his Guards and Dwarves, and once they’re out in the open you can use your minions to ambush them. If any of your creatures falls over lava, build a Stone Bridge and drop an Imp to rescue them. This is not kindness, this is stark necessity. Inhuman resource is at a premium, especially until the Portal is officially under your control. Once you have the Portal you can take a breather. Sack any Fireflies who arrive: you need fighters, not scouts, in this land. There’s no use in wasting space. Smash through the door to the east of the Portal so that you can mine the gold and take the Make Happy special. Don’t touch the Fear Trap for now: if you destroy it and send creatures past it, that will alert the Level 3 Wizard who guards the land beyond. So leave it alone for the moment, and when you’ve got five or six Goblins, prepare to attack the Level 2 Wizard to the west.

Build a Stone Bridge to the door west of your Hatchery. Break the door down and take out the patrol beyond it. Then move west again and claim the Treasury, which is only guarded by one Level 2 Dwarf. Now, although in general you can’t afford to sell a room you’ve claimed and build another, this is an exception. It’s a good investment to sell the Treasury and build a 3x3 Prison here. (If you can afford it, also build a 3x1 Torture Chamber in the passage that leads off to the north.) This will allow you to start making use of the Heroes you’ve defeated, generating at least a few Skeletons and with luck converting a couple of Guards for your own use as well. It’ll take a bit of planning since mana is hard to come by in this land, but you should be able to cast Heal enough to convert a few selected Heroes, and this will make your quest easier. Take the Guard Room which lies at the end of that corridor, and build a Wooden Bridge leading up to and along the Hero Portcullis and Barricades. Behind these is the Level 2 Wizard, who thinks he is invulnerable. Use all your creatures in one mass assault and you should dispatch him. Use Heal judiciously, and you should win without too many casualties. It’s a very good idea to pull your creatures out before they knock down the door leading to the Training Room. It’s vital that you heal your creatures in their Lairs before tackling the Guards in the Training Room. There’s gold beyond the Hero Gate. Building a Wooden Bridge to surround the Hero Gate will allow you to retrieve any gold that has fallen upon it. As soon as your creatures have had a chance to heal up, take the Training Room. Although you may feel you’re too short of gold to afford a Training Room, it’s a nice addition if you can afford it — it attracts Salamanders, and these are a useful addition to your army of Goblins. Once you’ve consolidated your forces after taking out the Level 2 Wizard, it’s time to take out the Level 3 Wizard who is beyond the Fear Trap. Bridge to the Fear Trap and destroy it. This will alert the Wizard and he’ll summon a party of Level 3 Thieves and Dwarves to try your defenses. Make swift work of them, and of the second party which follows shortly afterwards. Don’t be afraid to commit all your forces to the fight: it’s better to crush them utterly than to give them any chance to kill your precious creatures.

Again, get all your creatures into tip top fighting shape and then lead them into the attack against the Level 3 Wizard. Use Call to Arms to start a massed attack and keep a close eye on the fight, since this is your toughest challenge so far, and there are a couple of nasty traps in wait as well. Build Wooden Bridges around this Hero Gate as soon as possible, so that your Imps can retrieve your fallen creatures — you’re bound to lose a few in this fight. See if you can capture the Wizard; he’ll make a very handy convert to your army. Now you can take time to recuperate and build up. Make sure that the little things get attended to: mining gold, torturing captives and taking the lightly guarded Workshop. Place a couple of Sentry Traps on the tiles overlooking your Dungeon Heart, and some Gas Traps in place of the doors you have destroyed. You’ll find a Mana Boost special hidden behind some of the gold. That’s a sweet present for them to have left for you, don’t you think? Meanwhile, take the Casino which lies between the 2ndand 3rdWizards’ areas. It might look tempting, but don’t break through the northern doors of the Casino as yet — that would alert the Level 4 and 5 Wizards and they have tough followers. Set the Casino to generate gold for you, and you’ll be able to fund your Training the old-fashioned way: by cheating your creatures out of their wages. The Casino will attract Rogues to your dungeon. Possess one and you’ll be able to move unseen, and stab enemies in the back. In addition, he’s the one creature who can pick up gold from land that you don’t own. When you have a good strong force of full-health creatures, you’re ready to enter the Level 4 Wizard’s territory. Break down the door in the northwest corner of the Casino and head west so that you can take the Prison. This isn’t easy: you’ll have to defeat a hefty patrol of Level 4 Dwarves, but by now they shouldn’t cause you much trouble. Besides, the rewards are considerable: a decent-sized Prison and a couple of neutral Dark Elves who will be delighted to join your side once they’re freed. Then push north from the Prison and take out the Level 4 Wizard. This will yield you a couple of Increase Gold specials, some handy captives and a very tasty Torture Chamber. The Mistresses held captive within it will join your army and set to work converting your captives with their own special skills.

Attacking the Level 4 Wizard alerts the last Wizard, and he’ll occasionally send Level 5 Giants to try to soften you up. It’s a good idea, but since each one is sent out alone, you should be able to pull them down and convert them. Consolidate your new toys and when you’re ready (or when you start to feel a bit strapped for cash again), break down the door in the northeast corner of the Casino and Bridge to the second Hatchery. Take out the Level 5 Guard and claim it, then Bridge to the Level 5 Wizard’s Hero Gate and take him out. Take the Library and gloat over the Specials within it. Make haste and make ready: Lord Titus will attack you soon. It’s up to you whether to prepare your creatures to withstand his attack, or to push forward and assault him directly. Either way, he doesn’t stand a chance.