Armageddon's Blade

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.Lucifer Kreegan: Though we have met and spoken frequently since the death of our previous lord, King Xenofex, I have yet to tell you how I came to know of his death before anyone else in the kingdom. On the night of the day Xenofex fell to a band of adventurers, he came to me in a dream. Template:Cite video game</ref> 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.<ref name="War-weary">Morgan Kendal: My Queen, I regret to inform you that the dark forces of Eeofol have broken through our eastern lines. I have failed you, but I swear to you on the grave of your beloved father that I shall fall back and protect Steadwick from these foul creatures. Template:Cite video game</ref>

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.<ref name="Armageddon">Lucifer Kreegan: I know Xenofex came to me the moment after he was killed. I know not why, but it is my destiny and duty to possess Armageddon's Blade. With it, I will set the world on fire. Template:Cite video game</ref> 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<ref name="Roland">Recently freed from the Kreegans, Roland respectfully serves as a general in Erathia's military under his wife Catherine. Template:Cite video game</ref> 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.<ref name="Catherine">Catherine Ironfist: Lucifer Kreegan is dead. The few remaining Kreegan clans have gone into hiding. All but a few of the elemental Confluxes have disappeared. I am sure we will see them again... if needed. As for myself and Roland, we will soon depart for Enroth and I will see my son again. As for Gelu, I left Armageddon's Blade in his hands. Following our victory, he and his guerilla army vanished into the Erathian forests. I do not know if he intends to destroy the weapon... or keep it for himself. In time, I am sure we will all know. Template:Cite video game</ref> The story is continued in Heroes Chronicles: The Sword of Frost,<ref name="Sword">Tarnum: How can that fool of an Elf go looking for the Sword of Frost? I met Gelu once, and I found him to be an inspiring leader and dedicated fighter. He never would have accomplished all that he has in the past few years without the skills to match his stubbornness. But I've never known him to be stupid. Is he so attached to the Armageddon's Blade that he can't see the danger he's putting the world in? Template:Cite video game</ref> 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.

Development

Work on the Armageddon's Blade expansion began in early 1999. The developers originally intended to focus the storyline around a new, futuristic faction, the "Forge" alignment,<ref name="Forge">Template:Cite web</ref> allowing the game to act as a continuation to the "evil" ending of Might and Magic VII while showcasing the science fantasy aspect of the core Might and Magic series, which had never been evident in the Heroes of Might and Magic games. Although the Forge faction was almost completed and functional, fans reacted negatively to its inclusion, believing that the inclusion of science-fiction destroyed the Heroes series' fantasy-based atmosphere.<ref name="David Mullich">Template:Cite web</ref>

Midway through the expansion's development, New World Computing decided to scrap the Forge faction and removed all references to its existence from the game's storyline, instead building upon Might and Magic VII's "good" ending. To replace the Forge, they invented an elemental-based faction named the "Conflux".<ref name="Greg Fulton">Template:Cite web</ref> Due to the scrapping of the Forge halfway through the project, the developers and design artists suffered from a lack of time when completing the Conflux faction, and were forced to implement elemental creatures from the base game. This is evident if one takes a good look at the dwellings of the original 4 elementals within the Conflux town: they all use the same graphics as on the world map.

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.