Armageddon's Blade

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Armageddon's Blade Only available when the official expansion, Armageddon's Blade, is installed.
From left to right: Adrienne, Catherine, Gelu, Roland, Mutare, Dracon

Armageddon's Blade is the first of two expansion packs for Heroes of Might and Magic III. It was developed by New World Computing for Microsoft Windows and released by the 3DO Company in 1999.

Synopsis

Plot

Only one of the six new campaigns available in Armageddon's Blade directly concerns the main storyline. The events of Armageddon's Blade immediately follow the events of Might and Magic VII: For Blood and Honor. As the kingdom of Erathia struggles to rebuild following the Restoration Wars, the Kreegans of Eeofol launch a surprise invasion. Already war-weary, the forces of Queen Catherine are no match for the formidable Kreegan army.

Following the death of the Kreegans' king, Xenofex, a usurper named Lucifer Kreegan takes control of Eeofol and, driven by a vision, begins to seek a means to fashion an ancient weapon known as Armageddon's Blade, capable of setting the world on fire. His general Xeron is tasked with locating the components for the Blade. To stop him, the armies of Erathia and AvLee launch an attack on Eeofol, receiving assistance from the very elements as they manifest in "Conflux" towns. Queen Catherine and the recently liberated King Roland are assisted by the mysterious elven warrior Gelu in the ensuing war. Xeron obtains the Blade but is defeated by Gelu on his return to Eeofol. Gelu claims the Blade, and, at the behest of Queen Catherine, uses it to slay Lucifer Kreegan. Following this event, the Ironfists return to Enroth and the Blade is passed on to Gelu. The story is continued in Heroes Chronicles: The Sword of Frost, eventually leading to a cataclysm that sets the stage for Heroes of Might and Magic IV.

Characters

In the Armageddon's Blade campaign, the player takes command of Queen Catherine Ironfist, the main character of Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia, as well as King Roland Ironfist, the protagonist of Heroes of Might and Magic II. New characters introduced include Gelu, a half-elven archer, and Xeron, leader of the Kreegan armies. The five standalone campaigns feature a multitude of previously-unseen characters. Dragon Slayer features the Bracadan wizard, Dracon, while Festival of Life introduces the barbarian Kilgor who has a prominent role at the outset of Heroes of Might and Magic IV. Dragon's Blood stars Mutare, a dungeon overlord who returns in Heroes Chronicles: Clash of the Dragons along with Adrienne, the protagonist of Playing with Fire. Finally, the unlockable Foolhardy Waywardness campaign features the Knight, Sir Christian, who also returns in Heroes of Might and Magic IV. As an aside, the epilogue of the Foolhardy Waywardness campaign explains the reason for Sir Christian's appearance as the player's starting hero in The Restoration of Erathia's first campaign, Long Live the Queen.

Gameplay changes

The most significant change in Armageddon's Blade is the addition of the Conflux, bringing the total number of alignments in Heroes III to nine. The town is themed around classical elements and includes other creatures to round out the selection. Six new campaigns were included, one acting as a continuation of the base game's storyline, with the other five revolving around adventures taking place in the same fictional world. Over 35 single scenarios were also added.

Returning as non-aligned units, several creature types from previous Heroes games make an appearance. These include Peasants, Boars, and Halflings. The expansion also introduced some new non-aligned creature types, such as the powerful Azure Dragon. Eleven new campaign heroes and two new artifacts – Armageddon's Blade and the Vial of Dragonblood – were introduced as well. Several new map objects, including special quest towers that only allow passage if the hero meets certain criteria defined by the author of the map, also appear here for the first time.

A random map generator included with the expansion allows players to create random maps using a variety of customizable parameters. Finally, a standalone campaign editor packaged with the game allows for the composition of new campaigns from individual scenario maps.

New features

Towns:

Campaigns
1 - Restoration of Erathia Restoration of Erathia 1 - Restoration of Erathia
1. Homecoming
2. Guardian Angels
3. Griffin Cliff
1. A Devilish Plan
2. Groundbreaking
3. Steadwick's Fall
1. Borderlands
2. Gold Rush
3. Greed
1. Steadwick's Liberation
2. Deal With the Devil
3. Neutral Affairs
4. Tunnels and Troglodytes
1. A Gryphon's Heart
2. Season of Harvest
3. Corporeal Punishment
4. From Day to Night
1. Safe Passage
2. United Front
3. For King and Country
1. The Grail
2. The Road Home
3. Independence
2 - Armageddon's Blade Armageddon's Blade 2 - Armageddon's Blade
1. Catherine's Charge
2. Shadows of the Forest
3. Seeking Armageddon
4. Maker of Sorrows
5. Return of the King
6. A Blade in the Back
7. To Kill A Hero
8. Oblivion's Edge
1. Culling the Weak
2. Savaging the Scavengers
3. Blood of the Dragon Father
4. Blood Thirsty
1. Crystal Dragons
2. Rust Dragons
3. Faerie Dragons
4. Azure Dragons
1. Razor Claw
2. Taming of the Wild
3. Clan War
4. For the Throne
1. Farming Towns
2. March of the Undead
3. Burning of Tatalia
1. Lost at Sea
2. Their End of the Bargain
3. Here There Be Pirates
4. Hurry Up and Wait
3 - Shadow of Death Shadow of Death 3 - Shadow of Death
1. Clearing the Border
2. After the Amulet
3. Retrieving the Cowl
4. Driving for the Boots
1. Graduation Exercise
2. Cutthroats
3. Valley of the Dragon Lords
4. A Thief in the Night
1. Bashing Skulls
2. Black Sheep
3. A Cage in the Hand
4. Grave Robber
1. On the Run
2. The Meeting
3. A Tough Start
4. Falor and Terwen
5. Returning to Bracada
1. Target
2. Master
3. Finneas Vilmar
4. Duke Alarice
1. Harvest
2. Gathering the Legion
3. Search for a Killer
4. Final Peace
5. Secrets Revealed
6. Agents of Vengeance
7. Wrath of Sandro
8. Invasion
9. To Strive, To Seek
10. Barbarian Brothers
11. Union
12. Fall of Sandro
1. Poison Fit for a King
2. To Build a Tunnel
3. Kreegan Alliance
4. With Blinders On
4 - Horn of the Abyss Horn of the Abyss 4 - Horn of the Abyss
1. Pirates and Palms
2. Master of the Island
3. Devil Sunrise
1. Prisoner of Doom
2. Evenmorn
3. The Shores of Hell
4. The Freedom of the Nix
5. In Search of the Horn
6. Treachery
1. Frontier
2. Heart of Water
3. Horn of the Abyss
4. All Hands on Board!
1. World on Fire
2. Beyond the Horizon
3. Dead or Alive
4. Tomb Raiders
5. Deus Ex Machina
6. Tarred and Feathered
7. New Order
8. Homecoming
5 - Heroes Chronicles Heroes Chronicles 5 - Heroes Chronicles
1. A Barbarian King
2. The Criminal King
3. Ultimatum
4. The War for the Mudlands
5. Siege of the Wallpeaks
6. Trapped!
7. Slash and Burn
8. Steelhorn
1. Cerberus Gate
2. The Boatman
3. Truth Within Nightmares
4. Twisted Tunnels
5. Jorm's Ambush
6. Old Wounds
7. The Queen's Command
8. Never Deal with a Demon
1. The Trouble with Magic
2. Walking on Clouds
3. Don't Drink the Water
4. Hard Place
5. The Secret in the Flames
6. The Magic that Binds
7. Birds of Fire
8. Masters of the Elements
1. The Dragontalker
2. Dragon's Blood
3. The Dragon Mothers
4. Dragons of Rust
5. Distrust
6. Dragons of Gossamer Wings
7. Dragons of Deepest Blue
8. Clash of the Dragons
1. A Distant Cry
2. Senseless Destruction
3. The World Within
4. The Roots of Life
5. Rebirth
1. The Endless Sands
2. The Nameless Land
3. The Sparkling Bridge
4. The Fiery Moon
5. Vorr, the Insane
1. Hopewielder
2. The First Law
3. By Royal Decree
4. The King's Son
5. The Ransom
6. Beyond the Borders
7. Naming a Nation
8. The First Tatalian War
1. Tarnum the Overlord
2. The Land of the Vori
3. A New Enemy
4. A New Ally
5. The Capture
6. Tunnels of Ice
7. The Barbarian's Wife
8. The Protectors of the Sword

Campaigns:

Artifacts:

Creatures:

Heroes:

Differences between versions

From Restoration of Erathia to Armageddon's Blade

Critical reception

Armageddon's Blade was hailed with strongly positive reviews upon release, from critics and users alike. IGN's reviewer noted improvements made to the map editor and praised the amount of new content, while GameSpot focused on the addition of the Conflux alignment and subtle tweaks to the gameplay. Game Revolution's reviewer was mildly disappointed with the Conflux town and its use of neutral creatures already included in the base game but praised the campaign storyline and gameplay along with the addition of new features. Some reviews were critical of the lack of drastic changes to the base game while pointing out that the core mechanics were in no need of major improvements.

Maps

Total Players / Human Players Size Underground Scenario Name Source Victory Condition Loss Condition
8/8 Size 3 (108×108) - L Underground disabled Brave New World 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat All Enemies Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
8/8 Size 3 (108×108) - L Underground disabled Brave New World (Allies) 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat All Enemies Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
4/4 Size 2 (72×72) - M Underground disabled Darwin's Prize 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat All Enemies Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
4/4 Size 2 (72×72) - M Underground disabled Darwin's Prize (Allies) 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat All Enemies Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
6/4 Size 2 (72×72) - M Underground disabled Dawn of War 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat All Enemies Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
4/4 Size 2 (72×72) - M Underground enabled Dragon Pass 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat All Enemies Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
4/4 Size 2 (72×72) - M Underground enabled Dragon Pass (Allies) 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat All Enemies Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
2/1 Size 1 (36×36) - S Underground enabled Dungeon Keeper 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat All Enemies Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
4/4 Size 2 (72×72) - M Underground enabled Dwarven Tunnels 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat All Enemies Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
4/4 Size 2 (72×72) - M Underground enabled Dwarven Tunnels (Allies) 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat All Enemies Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
6/6 Size 1 (36×36) - S Underground disabled Elbow Room 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat All Enemies Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
6/6 Size 1 (36×36) - S Underground disabled Elbow Room (Allies) 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat All Enemies Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
2/1 Size 2 (72×72) - M Underground enabled Faeries! 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat All Enemies Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
2/1 Size 1 (36×36) - S Underground enabled Fort Noxis 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat All Enemies Lose Town
3/2 Size 1 (36×36) - S Underground enabled Freedom 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat All Enemies Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
5/2 Size 2 (72×72) - M Underground enabled Gelea's Champions 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat All Enemies Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
5/2 Size 2 (72×72) - M Underground enabled Gelea's Champions (Allies) 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat All Enemies Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
4/3 Size 2 (72×72) - M Underground enabled Hoard 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat All Enemies Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
4/3 Size 2 (72×72) - M Underground enabled Hoard (Allies) 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat All Enemies Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
4/4 Size 2 (72×72) - M Underground enabled Holding the Middle 2 - Armageddon's Blade Upgrade Town or Defeat All Enemies Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
4/4 Size 1 (36×36) - S Underground enabled Irrational Hostility 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat All Enemies Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
7/7 Size 1 (36×36) - S Underground enabled Jihad 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat All Enemies Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
5/4 Size 3 (108×108) - L Underground disabled Kingdom for Sale 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat All Enemies Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
5/4 Size 3 (108×108) - L Underground disabled Kingdom for Sale (Allies) 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat All Enemies Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
4/4 Size 3 (108×108) - L Underground enabled Land of Titans 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat Monster Time Expires
4/4 Size 3 (108×108) - L Underground enabled Land of Titans (Allies) 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat Monster Time Expires
6/4 Size 3 (108×108) - L Underground disabled Loss of Innocence 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat All Enemies Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
6/4 Size 3 (108×108) - L Underground disabled Loss of Innocence (Allies) 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat All Enemies Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
8/6 Size 3 (108×108) - L Underground disabled Meeting in Muzgob 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat All Enemies Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
8/6 Size 3 (108×108) - L Underground disabled Meeting in Muzgob (Allies) 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat All Enemies Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
5/5 Size 4 (144×144) - XL Underground enabled Pandora's Box 2 - Armageddon's Blade Capture Town Time Expires
3/3 Size 2 (72×72) - M Underground enabled Ready or Not 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat All Enemies Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
4/4 Size 2 (72×72) - M Underground enabled Rediscovery 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat All Enemies Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
4/4 Size 1 (36×36) - S Underground enabled Sands of Blood 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat All Enemies Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
3/2 Size 3 (108×108) - L Underground enabled South of Hell 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat All Enemies Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
3/2 Size 3 (108×108) - L Underground enabled South of Hell (Allies) 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat All Enemies Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
6/6 Size 2 (72×72) - M Underground enabled Step by Step 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat All Enemies Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
6/6 Size 2 (72×72) - M Underground enabled Step by Step (Allies) 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat All Enemies Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
4/4 Size 4 (144×144) - XL Underground enabled Tale of Two Lands 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat All Enemies Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
4/4 Size 4 (144×144) - XL Underground enabled Tale of Two Lands (Allies) 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat All Enemies Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
3/2 Size 2 (72×72) - M Underground disabled The Challenge 2 - Armageddon's Blade Build a Grail Structure or Defeat All Enemies Time Expires
6/1 Size 3 (108×108) - L Underground enabled The Gauntlet 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat All Enemies Time Expires
4/3 Size 1 (36×36) - S Underground enabled The Newcomers 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat All Enemies Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
4/3 Size 4 (144×144) - XL Underground disabled Thousand Islands 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat Hero or Defeat All Enemies Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
7/6 Size 4 (144×144) - XL Underground disabled Thousand Islands (Allies) 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat Hero or Defeat All Enemies Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
7/7 Size 1 (36×36) - S Underground enabled Time's Up 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat All Enemies Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
5/4 Size 2 (72×72) - M Underground enabled Tovar's Fortress 2 - Armageddon's Blade Capture Town Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
5/4 Size 2 (72×72) - M Underground enabled Tovar's Fortress (Allies) 2 - Armageddon's Blade Capture Town Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
3/3 Size 2 (72×72) - M Underground disabled Treasure Hunt 2 - Armageddon's Blade Flag All Mines Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
2/2 Size 1 (36×36) - S Underground enabled Twins 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat All Enemies Time Expires
3/2 Size 2 (72×72) - M Underground enabled Undead Unrest 2 - Armageddon's Blade Acquire Artifact or Defeat All Enemies Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
2/2 Size 2 (72×72) - M Underground enabled Unexpected Inheritance 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat All Enemies Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
4/4 Size 2 (72×72) - M Underground enabled Valleys of War 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat All Enemies Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
5/4 Size 4 (144×144) - XL Underground enabled War of the Mighty 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat All Enemies Lose All Your Towns and Heroes
5/4 Size 4 (144×144) - XL Underground enabled War of the Mighty (Allies) 2 - Armageddon's Blade Defeat All Enemies Lose All Your Towns and Heroes

Gallery

See also

Armageddon's Blade (artifact)

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