Stratos Mission 8 Mission Title: Agothera, the capital of the Glebe, last bastion for the forces of James Objective 1:Defeat Grakkus Objective 2: Defeat Charlotte Mission Attributes: None New Units: None New Spells: Cloudkill, tornado Having disposed of Persephone, Stratos sets his sights on James. You're sent to Agothera, the capital of the Glebe, to face James and his two wizards, Grakkus and Charlotte. As the mission opens, James reveals his power to deform the earth. Nearly all your starting units are lost to James' tricks. This is one of the hardest missions in the game and surely the hardest mission of the Stratos track. Use guardians and cloudkill to hold off Charlotte and Grakkus' assaults. It will take you a while to overcome Grakkus and Charlotte, who are adept at both attacking and defending effectively. You have two new spells for assistance. Cloudkill creates a small storm over enemy units. Don't get your own units too close to the lightning, however - you can take damage from the spell. Cloudkill works great against groups of enemy units, or it can clear out guardians who protect manaliths. Begin the mission by constructing a manalith at the nearby mana fountain. You'll eventually want guardians here, but not yet. Though Charlotte and Grakkus don't attack immediately, you want a safe area to retreat to - the guardians greatly assist in your defense. Artillery or ranged units make excellent guardians. For now, create these units for mobile use. Your goal is to search the valleys that lead from your start position. Here, James' units will ambush you. With Charlotte and Grakkus still at their base, you can convert these souls easily. One ambush lies near a mana fountain; you should construct a manalith here. Defeat the enemy units that surround you. Use spells (but not cloudkill - the enemy units are too spread out to assist. Convert the red souls quickly. Return to your start position and explore the next valley on the right. Two additional units appear and attack. Defeat them, convert, and return back to your altar. It won't be long before Charlotte or Grakkus appears and attacks. Even with guardians and several units, defending against the enemy wizards' attack isn't easy. You're also equipped with the tornado spell, which hurls enemy units into the air, buying extra time to retreat and regroup (or set up additional attacks). Continue to defend at your altar and venture out only to replace manaliths along the far left and far right valleys. Convert as many red souls as possible and produce mobile units. The toughest battle comes as you emerge from your start location and venture toward the enemy altars. You'll spot an idol honoring Ashur. If you approach too far toward the guardians and manaliths ahead, enemy units appear from the group and your wizard shouts, "It's a trap!" Instead, don't approach the manaliths. Lure the enemy units toward your position and use cloudkill (and other spells) to defeat them. Convert them quickly and then hold off any enemy advance until you have more available souls. Take your time and mass an army of 24 units before you move too far into James' territory. Clear out guardians with cloudkill and finish off the manalith by ordering your units to attack. Several "civilians" are gathered around the idol. Kill them, if you wish, for additional souls. Build manaliths at the exposed mana fountains here (or even one shrine), then move toward Charlotte's or Grakkus' altar. Destroy any guardians around the altar (or nearby manaliths) and create a high-level creature. Cast the desecrate spell on the creature. Locate the enemy wizard on the minimap and defeat the wizard to complete the banishment. Destroy the second wizard in similar fashion to complete the mission in victory.   « Previous Page Stratos Missions (cont.) »