Forest Heart

Four Trow is enough to make anybody nervous. But don't despair, as long as you take your time and setup properly, this level is not that tough. Move your troops, after killing the Myrmidons that rush you, to the South East bridge. Setup just South of the bridge and, with a Giant, trigger the Thrall by walking to the middle of the bridge and back. Don't get shot by the patrolling Soulless, pick your time well. The Thrall give you an opportunity to make some Veteran Archers and Berserkers. 

Now move your Archers to the bend in the river South of the bridge and let them shoot the Myrmidons that keep running back and forth there. Be
patient, you're making some much needed Veterans out of your Archers. That done, you now need to setup for your first Trow kill. Just South of the
bridge, put your Berserkers front and center with a row of Archers on either side, Giants ready to pounce if needed. You want to get as many arrows
as you can into the Trow before attacking him with you Zerks. Send a Giant to the river North of the bridge, West of the patroling Soulless. If you get
attacked by the Soulless, lure them into your Archers and don't get you Giant shot. When the Patroling river Trow sees you, lure him into your waiting
troops. Shoot the hell out of him as he comes at you, then whack him. Now go across the bridge and shoot all the Soulless off the ridge. Don't go too
far East or you'll trigger the large army and the patroling Myrmidons. After killing all the Soulless, move everyone on top of that ridge, killing the
Myrms as you go. Line up your archers and send a Giant out to get your next Trow. Be careful not to trigger the enemy army, they will just stand there
if you don't bother them or get too close. Stand in the trees, just shy of the army and the Trow will spot you and come after you. Lure him in to die.
Then go North East to the volcanoe for the third Trow. Lure him in to die also. You're now done on this side. Cross back over the bridge and head
North to setup in front of that bridge. Kill the Soulless then sucker the Trow across and kill him. Four up, four down. You're finished.

Hints: 
  Do not stand too close to the North river when you are at the South bridge or the Trow will rush you when you least expect it. 
  You don't have to clear all the enemy from the map, just the four Trow. 
  Trow are real easy to kill if you have veteran Archers shooting at them. 
  If you let your Archers get some kills off the Thrall and Myrmidons first, they'll breeze though the Soulless. 
  Be patient. 

						Heart of the Stone

 You have been trapped in the Tain by Soulblighter and you must find your way out. 
This level is a big Donut. The enemies you'll be facing are Spiders, who will attack you or the enemy,and small squads of Ghols and Fetch who materialize in certain places. Take advantage of the fact that the Spiders will attack either you or your enemy. The hardest part of this level are the Fetch. If you're lucky, the Spiders will kill them for you, but don't count on it. 
                                                                                                                       

When you first appear, head clockwise and trigger the first pillar by sending your Berserkers close to it. Some Spiders will drop from above, don't let
them kill your Archers. After you kill the Spiders at the first pillar, move clockwise to the other side of that mound. Run your Zerks into the narrow
section just North of you, two Fetch and some Ghols will appear and you'll be right on top of them. Hack them to pieces. Be careful though, because
as you attack the Fetch and Ghols, Spiders will drop and attack your Archers while at the same time you'll get reinforcements in the crater. Don't let the
Spiders kill your Archers and don't let your Dwarf kill them either trying to bomb a Spider. Add your reinforcements to your army and head North
(clockwise). 

Just past the next pillar will be another group of Fetch and Ghols. As they approach, Spiders will drop and attack them. If they don't kill the Fetch, it is
up to the Zerks to draw their attention so the Archers can shoot them. The Ghols will run ahead of the Fetch so string them out and attack only when
out of zapping range. That done, keep going clockwise. Keep your Zerks on the inside track but send one to the upper corner to trigger the appearance
of more reinforcements. You'll run into another bunch or Ghols and Fetch. Once again, Spiders drop as they approach. Put your Archers in the upper
corner on the high ground to shoot the Fetch, Zerks on the low ground for the Ghols and to distract the Fetch. Clean up any remaining Spiders and
keep on going clockwise. When you reach East on the compass, a Fetch and some Ghols will appear along with some Spiders. Be ready for them and
use your Archers for the Fetch. Run your Zerks ahead, staying on the inside. You'll get ambushed by some Spiders but they're easy work for all those
Berserkers. Now run them quick as you can past the last pillar between the wall and that stalagmite/stalagtite thingy. The last group of Fetch and Ghols
will appear there and if you're quick enough you'll be right on top of them for the kill. When you reach the bridge, send all your Zerks South to trigger
another Spider ambush. Kill them. 

Now the tricky part. You need to light up all four pillars for the bridge to appear. Problem is when you do, a bunch of Spiders drop down on your
troops waiting at the bridge. Also, and I find this to be a particular pain in the butt, Spiders will drop down at one or two of the pillars. This seems to
be random, so there's no way to prepare for it. To finish the level, you need to get all survivors over the bridge, except for the four you've got on pillar
duty. 

How you handle this depends on how many Berserkers you have left. 


Hints: 
  The more Berserkers you have alive and well at the end, the better. 
  Use your Archers to kill the Fetch. Don't waste a single Berserker on them. 
  Heal your veterans. 
  Patience and caution is of extreme importance for the ending of this level when doing it cooperatively.  

							The Smiths of Muirithemne

                                                                              
                   You're still stuck in the Tain and now you need to outsmart the lightning traps guarding your way out. 

 This is a long a tedious level, so I'll try to make it's explanation short and sweet. 

Just North of you, when the level first starts, will appear a bunch of Myrmidons. This does not happen right away so move your Berserkers to the area
and wait for them to appear. 

The secret to the lighting traps is to set someone near enough to one of the traps to light it up. This disables the rest. Warning: On Legendary, a pack of
Spiders will drop down onto the guy you have standing near the trap. Wait for them and kill them, without getting zapped, before you leave him there. 

It does not matter in which order you clear the Spider caves. Just don't leave any troops near the cave you are clearing. Once the Spiders are triggered
to attack, they will climb over the walls to attack your other troops. 

Myrmidons will appear in the South West cave. They usually only appear after you kill the Queen, but I've been in some cooperatives where they
appear whenever you get too close to their area of appearance. 

Each cave contains a Queen Spider who is guarding a gem. Pick these up with your Dwarves and take them to the pit in front of the arch. Once all of
the gems are in the pit, the arch will take you out of the Tain. 


Hints: 
  Don't leave your troops where the Spiders can climb over the walls and kill them. 
  Take your time and use your Archers to clear most of the Spiders in each cave. 
  You can't finish this level if you don't have a Dwarf to pick up the gems, so keep at least one safe. 
  Don't forget to move your one trap guard only after everyone is safely away from the other traps. 
  Each new trap you light up will bring a pack of Spiders. Wait for them. 

			Sons of Myrgard

The Dwarves are determined to take back their homeland from the Ghols. You are the Pathfinder Balin and need to sneak in to the enemy camp, call for
reinforcments then clear the caves of all their Ghols. 
                                     
                                      This is a difficult level to get started. If you get caught outside the enclosure, you're a dead Dwarf.
                                      Once inside, there are enough Soulless to turn you into a pincusion. But first things first. Lets get
                                      inside. 
                                      You are invisible, but Ghols can smell and hear very well, especially Legendary Ghols. There is no
                                      secret path to take, just stay out of the water. Sometimes, if a Ghol gets close you can stop by hitting
                                      the space bar. The Ghol will decide he was hearing things and he'll move on. However, this can allow
                                      the Ghol to pinpoint a stationary target, so it's a judgement call. Just be sneaky, take you time and
                                      don't feel you need to stick to a given path of entrance. Once you are past the gates you are relatively
                                      safe as long as you remain invisible. 

Before you call in your troops, however, it would be best to clear the area of most of the bad guys. Soulless are your number one concern. When you
get past the last pair of Soulless guards, head North and up onto the second ramp, the first one you come to that does not have Soulless on it. This is
the best place to start from because the Soulless have to dip down into the valley between the two ramps to get to you. This will give you the needed
hight advantage and a little bit of cover. Watch the film and you see what I'm talking about. Throw a bottle to make yourself visible and kill all the
Soulless that come after you. Now, just North West of you are a bunch of Soulless and Target Dummies. You do not have to kill these to win the
game, so don't even go near them. Head back South to the Ghols and their Target Dummies, killing Ghols along the way. Kill those Ghols then head
for the hill in front of the Wight corral. Kill the Ghols that come at you, then lob a bottle into the Wights. Boom! Now go North to the Pus Pit. Kill the
Ghol guarding it and then put a bottle into the middle of it. This usually pusses the Ghols inside the pit to death. Now kill the Ghols guarding the
entrance to the Ghol barracks. It is now safe to call in your reinforcments, just do it far enough away from the Soulless up North not to trigger them
and far enough into the center of the field as to keep from losing any guys who land off the map. 

Get all your troops together, except for Balin, and drop your satchels. You don't need them and you'll live longer without them. Enter the compound
and use Balin to escort the other Dwarves by killing the roving Ghols. Use a number two line for your Dwarves in font of each cave with Balin as a
backup for surviving Ghols. Take the firs cave in front of you by seting up a bit North of it with Balin watching the cave South of you. A couple of
Ghols will come out of this cave as well but Balin can handle it. Then clear the cave that the few Ghols came out of, the one just South of the entrance.
Now head North and clear the caves one by one clockwise. The first bunch of loitering Ghols you come across will attack you after you hurt one of
them or get too close. The second bunch have pus and will play hard to get with you. They are guarding the entrance to the secret level, the South East
cave. When you move to clear the South West cave, leave Balin to guard the South East one you just left. A Wight will come out of it. Once you've
cleared all the caves, go back the the South East one. Set up in front of it and run Balin, or any Dwarf, a tad North of it to trigger the last pack of Ghols
to finish this level. 


Hints: 
  If a Ghol keeps running just out of your reach, turn your back on it and throw when he gets into range. 
  Finishing the Secret Level without Balin on Legendary is going to be just about impossible, if not completely impossible. 
  To finish the level, clear all the caves. 
  To go to the secret level, enter the South East cave after you have killed the Ghols that come out of it. 

									A Long Awaited Party

Balin and his party of Dwarves have broken through the Ghol defenses and have found their place of worship. Fight your way to the Ghol idol and
blow it up. 
 I have never finished this level in a cooperative play because you do not get a Balin. Don't ask me
 why. In the solo game, if Balin enters the cave to the secret level then he will be in A Long Awaited
 Party. For some reason this is not so when playing cooperatively. 
 Anyhow, as soon as your troops come out of the cave, line up on the ridge facing North. A bunch of
 Ghols will attack from this direction. There is also another bunch of Ghols that run a patrol around the
 hill in front of you. After you kill the initial Ghol attack, wait for the patrol to go by then set up on the
 East side of that little bump hill and wait for them to come around again. You do not have to clear the
 caves on this level. Skip the West one completely, do not even go near it. If you get too close to the
 cave guards they sound an alarm and the Ghols inside the cave come pouring out. However, if you kill
 him before he can sound the alarm, the Ghols will stay in the cave. 
                                                                                                                       

In the North East, the area narrows into a path and it is guarded by a bunch of Ghols with puss. Be very careful here and take your time. Ghols can
throw farther than a Dwarf so use Balin. If you go too far into the narrowing they will attack, but once you go back out they will retreat to their original
possition. Use Balins air strike. Sucker them back and forth and kill them one by one. 

Follow the path and it will lead you to another bunch of pussed Ghols and their pal Soulless. Same tactic here. Back and forth them, or drop all your
satchels before you get there and kill them with all your Dwarves. You are going to need your satchels though to don't lose them. Once you kill these
guys you'll get reinforcements and you'll be facing the ramp down to the worshiping Ghols. Do not got down there. A patrol of Soulless will come
by. Watch how and where they go down the ramp and satchel it once they've passed. A Ghol will come in and harrass you. Kill him, then wait for the
Soulless to pass over you satchels and blow them up. You're just about done now. Do not go down the ramp but instead follow the grassy path and
remember to fill up your guys with satchels. You will come across a couple more Ghols and Soulless, one at a time. Kill them also and make your way
around to the end of the path where it leads down to the idol. You can approach the idol from the backside without triggering all those Ghols. Satchel
the idol under it's thin part, careful not to piss off the praying Ghols. Toss in a bottle and blow the idol to wherever bad Ghols go. 


Hints: 
  Use up Balins air strikes. They don't work on the idol in Legendary. 
  Be very patient with the pussed Ghols. They are more easily dealt with by killing them slow instead of all at once. 
  Be careful not to blow your Soulless trap when killing that harrassing Ghol. 
  Remember you are carrying satchels. One bad bottle throw or a good puss strike will blow up all your Dwarves. 
  If you time it right you can kill all or most of the puss Ghols by making them run into a Balin Air Strike. 
  The idol is not just a big rock. Look at it again. It is in the shape of and looks like a big Ghol's head. 

			The Road North

                                     
                                      gr'Uman, Lieutenant of the Archers and Hero of the Legion, and his scouting party has been killed.
                                      You are to search the area to find his Bow of Lightning and bring it back. 

                                      This is a pretty straight forward level. You go in, find the bow and return with it to the place where you
                                      started. Obviously you can not finish this level without an Archer to carry the bow out. There aren't
                                      realy any paths to follow or tricks. In cooperative play, the bow is not always in the same place as the
                                      last time you played. This level changes each time you play it. There are around three different places
                                      that the bow could be, and it's defenses change as well. The bow is at the culdesack of the river in the
                                      North East most of the time though. The method that I use is I usually do not follow the blood trail. 

Move in toward the middle of the map, slowly so you don't end up standing your Archers in the middle of a bunch of Thrall that sprout out of the
ground at various places on the map. Just look at the terrain and think to yourself "if I designed this map, where would I burry the ambushing Thrall".
That's usually where you'll find them. While you're moving your troops in, scan the map pushing your view as far as you can until you find the bow.
Troops do not show up if they are out of your range of sight but artifacts do. Then move to the bow. No matter where the bow is, as soon as you grab
it you'll trigger a bunch of Thrall to sprout around you. Thrall are pretty slow though and you can usually just dodge them and walk out with the bow,
or sacrifice your Warriors to facilitate the Archers escape. Then just head for home making sure you keep to the low ground. If you go up the ramp and
across on the higher ground, you'll get stuck with no way down to where you want to be but to go back the way you came; which will be filled with
bad guys by that time. Although it is best to avoid or outrun any enemy you encounter, you've got enough fire power with the bow to blast your way
out if you need to. Just be careful because there will be sprouting Thrall along your exit path to ambush you. If you bow carrier dies, he'll drop the
bow. Pick it up with any remaining Archer and head for the end zone. When you reach the area where you started, your troops will go blue and the
game will end. 


Hints: 
  You can walk circles around the Thrall, but be very careful with the Fetch. They walk faster and they're range is sometimes surprising. 
  Do not rush to find the bow or you will trigger more Thrall to sprout than you can safely handle. 
  Once you have the bow it is much easier to just run out and avoid fighting. 
  Keep track of how many shots you have with the bow. You don't want to set up to take out a large army and find you're out of bullets. 
  When you come across a Soulless on your way to the bow, shoot it while distracting it with a Warrior. 

						 
 There is a very easy way to do this that takes advantage of the mindlessness of Thrall and the AI in general. It's been dub'd the Kaminari Defense
 after Kaminari who, I beleive, first came up with it. You simply take a Warrior and run him back and forth in front of the bluff. The enemy will
 mindlessly follow the Warrior, allowing your Dwarves to blow them all up at their leisure. It also distracts the Fetch and Soulless, making this one of
 the easiest levels. 
 Personally I like the premise behind the tactic, using the AI against itself, but it is too much of a no brainer on this level and not really necessary. The
 only time I use it is if my team is having an especially hard time with the Soulless, then I'll send down a Warrior or two to sheepdog. 


The best setup is: 3 Dwarves on the North and South corners, split Warriors in half and have each half backup your Dwarves, all Archers lined up at
the bluffs South West edge facing the river, Jman behind Archers for healings. 
When the Thrall come, kill as many as you can with your Archers to make them into Veterans. Dwarf the Thrall and if you get over-run, back them off
and clean up with the Warriors (that's what they are there for). Keep an eye on the Wights and only kill them if you need to, sometimes you can wait to
blow them when they are in the middle of the next enemy rush. The Fetch will cross right in front of your Archers, shoot them. It will start to get
rough right when the Soulless arrive. Most of the time you will be able to pop a wight in their midst. You will be outnumbered so use those Archers
well and don't spare the heals. If you lose most of your army, you will get reinforcements. If the rain ruins your Dwarfing and the Thrall get onto your
bluff, don't blow up your own troops. You can run around the Thrall all day if you need to. Pick them apart. Use your heals on your veterans and
don't leave the hill. You must keep at least one troop on the hill or you'll lose. 


Hints: 
  Heal your Veterans, they will make a big difference. 
  Use the Wights against the enemy. 
  You can leave the hill as long as you keep one unit on it. 
  Don't get Dwarf greedy and end up killing your Warriors to get one more Thrall. 
  Don't Archer your Dwarves. 
  You don't have to kill all the Thrall with your Dwarves. Just damage them enough to make them easy cleanup for your Warriors. 
  If you just can't handle it; Kaminari. 

				

Arrows were made from the bone in the Watchers arm and used against him. He was not killed but turned to stone. He is being guarded by his troops
until help arrives. You've been sent in to finish the job. 
                                     
                                      What can stand against a rushing mob of Trow killing Berserkers? Ghols with pus and Soulless, that's
                                      what. If you've attempted this level, you know exactly what I'm talking about. It is one of, if not the,
                                      hardest levels in the game. Which has given it the reputation of being impossible on Legendary. You
                                      start out with eighteen Berzerkers in the swamp and will get two reinforcements of four and six much
                                      later. You're up against around thirty two Thrall, fifty seven pus packing Ghols, fifty one Soulless and
                                      two Shades. Not exactly a walk in the park, but it is possible. 

Hit the swamp and head North, killing the Thrall as you go. When you hit the edge of the map, go East. You're first obstacle is a Shade and a bunch of
Ghols with pus. Remember how much Shades hate water? We're going to cross that river and head South to the other side of the impaling hill. If the
Shade doesn't follow you, send someone out to get his attention. If any Ghols follow you over, kill them. Get the Shade and company to stand
opposite you just South of the impaling hill and leave one Zerk there. Move the rest of your Zerks back across the river. You've just neutralized a
Shade and a bunch of Ghols with pus and took zero damage. The easy part is now over. Move to the first mound of Soulless and Ghols. You have a
better chance of defeating them with minimal damage if you come from opposite sides at the same time. Do this also with the second mound. After
you've taken out the second mound, head South East. Another Shade will appear. He's hurt so either rush him or send in a small squad to depuss the
Ghols and attack the Shade before moving the rest of your troops at him. Once they're dead, you'll get your first set of reinforcements. Gather them
together and head for the finger of the river that sticks out between the two mounds. Move the Zerk at the impaling mound back across the river to join
your main force. Now run them between the finger of river and the first mound. You'll get a second set of reinforcements. Take everyone back to the
ramp at the South East and hit those Soulless fast and hard. Regroup and hit the rest of the Soulless. The group around the Watcher will not move until
you attack them, so save them for last. The Ghols have pus, so be careful. Hack up the ring of guards then finish off the Watcher and you're done with
this level. 


Hints: 
  If you can avoid fighting the first Shade you've done yourself a huge favor. 
  You realy need to be tight as a team to survive both mounds of Soulless and Ghols. 
  Suckering the Ghols to waste their pus before attacking sometime's works. 
  If you get into a bind at the end, try to lure the Ghols away from the Watcher and sneak a couple Zerks in to do the job. 
  Take your time. Attack when your whole team is ready, not when just one or two decide to rush in. 
  As the second Shade (Mazzarin) appears, the first Shade (Cormorant) dissapears. I haven't taken the time to find out where he goes though. 

				River of Blood

You must fight your way into the Trow city and take control of the bridge spanning the canal. 
 What makes this level so difficult is you have a nice sized army to command and it lulls most players
 into overconfidence and impatience. Be very careful you do not make this mistake. Every bit of damage
 you sustain or unit you lose will make a difference. This is a much different game on Legendary. 
                                                                                                                       

You're first problem is killing the Trow and Myrmidons waiting for you on the other side of the gate. They will move into formation, attacking when
you get too close and retreating when you go back through the gate. Blow the gate and satchel it. Run a zerk out to piss off the Myrms and have them
chase you into the satchel trap. Mop them up with your Zerks. Form up and resatchel the entrance. Send out one Giant towards the Trow. Eight
Myrms will attack. Run back to the gate, they will retreat and form into two flanking groups. Now if you get too close to the Trow, the flanking
Myrms will close in on you so be careful you don't get stuck with this next move. Send the Giant out again and slap the Trow once. Then run back
through the gate. The Trow will follow and the Myrms will retreat. Kill the Trow. Form back up and resatchel the gate. Run a healthy Giant out to
flanking Myrms and slap them silly. When you kill enough of them, the remainder of the Myrms will attack. Lead them into the satchel trap and kill
them. 

You're second problem is another Trow and Myrms with some Fetch. Run your most useless Zerk East down your side of the wall (outside the wall
not inside) to the buttress and stand him out of Fetch range (make sure you won't get zapped before you move the rest of your troops. Right at the
shadows edge is usually good). This will attract the army to the one Zerk. Move the rest of your army East along the inside of the wall and let your
Archers kill everyone (keep your Archers from getting zapped with your Giants). You will need as many Archer Veterans as you can make. 

Now for your third obstacle. Fetch. Lots of them with a few Myrms thrown in for flavor. There will be two brown rectangles just North of you. Line
up your Archers facing North on the NE rectangle (bring your Zerk decoy back to the rest of your army), and send a Giant North to find the Fetch and
bring them into shooting range. Do not try to kill the Fetch with your Giants, you'll get fried. There will be an army of 14 Fetch. Kill them with your
Archers, then move North and keep an eye out for the patroling Myrms and Fetch. There will be two patrols. Kill them. 

Once you reach the canal head West. You will probably get some reinforcements along the way. Set up at the bridge and kill the Fetch. The Trow will
rush you. Kill the Trow and the Myrms will rush. Kill the Myrms and the bridge is yours. 


Hints: 
  Take your time. You'll need as many troops as you can bring through to take the bridge. 
  If you lose your Archers early on, you're done for. 
  Don't enter the middle of the map. This really is Trow city. 

							Pools of Iron

You need to get Alric to the broken World Knot so he can magic in the remainder of your army, then fight your way to cross the lake that leads to
Balors Fortress. 
                                     
                                      This level really isn't that difficult. Alric kicks serious butt even though he's slow. The few Myrms that
                                      harrass you are easy to deal with. Turn Alric's back to them and they will attack. When they get close,
                                      turn and whack them. Repeat until they are dead. Make your way West to the first large group of
                                      Mryms and use Alric's T-function spell to waste them. Then move South towards the Knot and spell
                                      the second Myrm mob (don't get too close to the World Knot or the computer will take control of
                                      Alric). A third mob will come from the North East, spell them as well and move Alric to the broken
                                      pillar of the Knot. 

Once your army arrives, move them all North near the edge of the map and head West to the fourth group of Myrms. Spell them (you're now out of
magic). Set up your Archers and Zerks to take on the two Trow that will attack. Weaken the Trow with your Archers as they attack then kill them with
your Zerks. Be ready, because after (and sometimes during) your fight with the Trow another large group of Myrms will attack from the South. Kill
the Myrms and you are pretty much done. Head West to the lake and stay to the North edge of the map. When you reach the lake, a whole bunch of
Thrall will come out of the lake to stop you. You can just walk Alric right past them. Get Alric into the lake and you'll win the game. 


Hints: 
  If Alric dies, you lose. 
  Use your Archers to weaken the attacking Trow. 
  Do not attack or even go near the platform that the Trow are on. You'll get sandwiched by the Myrms. 
  Remember you have 2 Jmen. Don't be stingy with those roots. 
  You just have to get Alric into the lake to win.