Editing Inferno (section)

== The Inferno  {{wll}} ==
The following is a short story that was written by a New World Computing employee and published on the now-defunct fansite "The Nether Gods".

:<div style="font-style: italic;">"My friends, in all my studies of [[Erathia]], there is but one thing that fills me with dread more than the silent, cold death of the [[Necropolis]], and that is the twisted, black-hearted evil of the Infernos. Foul creatures, ripped from the depths of the Hells and beyond, are bound into the service of the [[Demoniac]]s and [[Heretic]]s who call them forth. They serve unquestioningly, and without fear, but are always looking for the one chance to break free from their master. Fortunately, I have never actually seen one of these creatures loose.

:None of the creatures of the Inferno cities are native to this land. Because of this, there are few actual dwellings to be found. Instead, a great number of altars, halls, towers and pyres need to be erected in order to summon the Inferno's armies.

:The lowliest creature to be found here is the [[Imp]]. Honestly, they are like rats, and no matter how many times you think you have killed them all, more seem to appear. Through research I was able to determine that once an [[Imp]] becomes a [[Familiar]], it can create a dimensional rift within the city, allowing an even greater influx of these vermin.

:After the [[Imp]]s come the summoning halls of the [[Gog]]s and the furnaces of the [[Hell Hound]]s. Both appear in great numbers, though fortunately nothing near the influx of the [[Imp]]s and [[Familiar]]s. The [[Hell Hound]]s, when properly summoned, can not only take the form of a stronger [[Cerberus]], but in the best cases can also be summoned in greater numbers.

:As many of you have asked, there are in fact [[Demon]]s to be found in [[Erathia]]. They, along with the weaker [[Hell Hound]]s and the stronger [[Pit Fiend]]s, seem to make up the bulk of many armies of the Infernos. Strong alone, and deadly in great numbers, these creatures make even the holiest and hardiest of souls tremble.

:Yet there are two creatures that outclass those that I have already mentioned. The first, summoned from great towers, are the [[Efreet]]. These monsters bear a striking similarity to the [[Genie]]s, riding about on great waves of fire that always surround them. However, even the [[Efreet Sultan]]s quiver with fear in the presence of the purest of all evil creatures, the [[Devil]]s. Though they pledge their service willingly (for the right price, of course), it always seems like they come to this land for their own reasons.

:Fear these creatures, friends, for they represent all that opposes Good. So ends today's lesson."</div>

{{user commentary|
* Inferno armies have great hand-to-hand attack units and are only slightly hampered at the lower levels by a lack of flying units until the awesome, teleporting [[Devil and Arch Devil|devils]] can be brought into play, as well as strong and fast [[Efreeti and Efreet Sultan|efreet]].

* [[Castle Gate]] is a significant advantage of Inferno. It enables to only upgrade creature dwellings in one town, and use the gate to transfer them to be upgraded between towns. However, it's useless if the map has only one Inferno, where Castle Gate is possible.

* Creating a Demon horde easily: Attack any creep on the map. Blind it, so the battle lasts as long as you want. Cast Fire Wall/Fireball/Inferno/Meteor Shower on your Imps. When they die, raise Demons, then finish the enemy.

* Another good thing about the [[Castle Gate]] is that one hero can be used to defend all towns.

* After the [[Lich and Power Lich|Lich]], the Magog is the only one with attack in area but, unlike Lich, is compatible with Frenzy and Bless (the latter not present in Inferno).

* The manual states that Inferno armies have great hand-to-hand attack units, and are slightly hampered at the lower levels by a lack of flying units until the devils arrive. The statement is supported by the fact that compared to their levels, many of the Inferno's creatures have relatively high speed values and maximum damage values. However, lack of flying units is untrue in the sense that Efreeti and Efreet sultans are definitely noteworthy adversaries. While Inferno troops are great for attacking they are not strong defenders which means that combat strategy with Inferno should be based on first strike.

* Another weakness in Inferno's army is lack of shooters. Gogs and Magogs are the slowest creatures in Inferno's arsenal, which makes them a somewhat liability considering the mobility of heroes. Additionally, usefulness of Magogs' special ability to throw fireballs is controversial as they may inflict damage to allied troops as well (fixed in Horn of the Abyss as they can target any hex).

* A good tactical idea is to use only Arch Devils and Efreeti, cast [[Anti-magic]] on Arch Devils and then [[Armageddon]]. It would also ruin your opponent's [[Dragogeddon]] tactics as Arch Devils are faster than [[Green Dragon and Gold Dragon|Gold]] and [[Red Dragon and Black Dragon|Black Dragons]].

'''Pros:'''
* [[Castle Gate]]: A life-saver on maps where you control more than one Inferno town.
* [[Pit Lord]]'s [[Summon Demons|Demon summon]] ability: Lets you horde demons. Consider using [[Marius]] whose specialty is [[Demon]]s as your main hero if using this strategy (she will increase Demons' speed as well). If using this strategy, there is almost no need to spend time and resources to upgrade Imps and Gogs or to even build the upgraded buildings since the upgrade does not increase their health (see [[Summon demons]]).
* [[Efreet Sultan]]s are very good at clearing a map: they have speed, damage, and enough health. They can also be used in a [[Dragogeddon]] combo. Consider splitting them into many stacks of 1 unit only in the early game without carrying any other creatures to reduce losses and to increase your hero's [[movement]] points.
* This town has the highest chance to get the [[Blind]] spell in the Mage Guild.
* Cerberus are very powerful with Bless/Haste/Counterstrike.
* Both Devils/Arch Devils and Cerberi have no enemy retaliation. The [[hate]] between [[Angel and Archangel|Angels]] and Devils gives a slight advantage to the latter, since Devils don't have retaliation, unlike Angels.
* Moreover, hate between [[Genie and Master Genie|Genies]] and Efreeti is also useful to Inferno, because Efreeti are much stronger.
* The -2 Luck decrease of enemies' Luck is a lot more useful in {{Hota}} than without the mod because it introduced negative [[Luck]]. Negative Luck gives every stack a chance of 1/12, 1/6, 1/4 with -1, -2, -3 luck to do about half damage only. Assuming the opponent has 7 stacks, on average 0.58/1.17/1.75 stacks will only do about half damage every round if the opponent has -1/-2/-3 luck. This is a significant advantage. Additionally equipped with artifacts that decrease the opponent's luck, this can prove to be devastating, especially against wandering creatures who do not have a hero increasing their luck through artifacts.
* Familiars have 7 Speed. You can give them to secondary heroes to increase their movement points without affecting your primary hero's army strength. If you want, you could even hand out Cerberi for a speed of 8.
* The Inferno's slowest upgraded troops, [[Gog and Magog|Magogs]] and [[Demon and Horned Demon|Horned Demons]], are speed 6, higher than the lowest speed of upgraded troops of most towns, except [[Cove]] and [[Factory]].

'''Cons:'''
* If all buildings can be built, Inferno costs the most gold to fully build up. ([[Castle Gate]] alone costs 10,000 gold and is not essential; Furthermore, Imps' and Gogs' upgraded buildings are not necessary when using the Demon Farming Strategy).
*Lacking in the [[Heroes|Hero]] department. (When using Demon Farming, Marius is not terrible at least, and Octavia gives gold when playing at Difficult/Impossible Difficulty).
*[[Imp]]s and [[Familiar]]s are weak first level units, and have no redeeming features save their speed (the [[Familiar]]s' [[Magic Channel]] ability is hardly noticeable). (But, they can be sacrificed to be raised as Demons).
*The Inferno produces the least hit points per week of all the towns. (But it can [[Summon Demons]] which partially makes up for it. Also, it has a 20% chance of getting [[Resurrection]] in the Mage Guild).
*Only one low-level ranged unit, and [[Gog and Magog|Magogs]] are ambiguous due to their opportunity to kill your own troops (which, on the other hand, may help in Demon farming).
*No [[Bless]] spell in the Mage Guild, while Cerberi have a very big damage range (if they are [[curse]]d, they are very weak).
* Lava which is Inferno's [[native terrain]] doesn't give any [[movement penalty]] to the enemy.
}}{{end of user commentary}}

{{Town 'see also'}}
* [[Inferno (spell)]]

[[Category: Inferno]]
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