Heroes of Might and Magic II: The Succession Wars

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Heroes of Might and Magic II
Heroes of Might and Magic II box art.
Developer(s) New World Computing
Publisher(s) The 3DO Company
Release date(s) October 31, 1996
Genre(s) Turn-based strategy
Mode(s) Single player, Multiplayer
Rating(s) Not Rated
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, RISC OS, GBC

Heroes of Might and Magic II (often called simply Heroes II or HoMM2) is the second installment of the Heroes of Might and Magic computer game series. It was developed by New World Computing and released in 1996 by The 3DO Company. Heroes II was voted the sixth best PC game of all time by PC Gamer in its May 1997 Edition.


Contents

[edit] Major changes from the original

Heroes of Might and Magic II adventure map
Enlarge
Heroes of Might and Magic II adventure map

Although Heroes of Might and Magic II is visually quite similar to the first installment of the series, it contains several important changes in the gameplay.

[edit] Secondary skills

Heroes II allowed heroes to customize their abilities with newly introduced secondary skills. While the first installment of the series only featured four characteristics of a hero (Attack, Defense, Spell Power and Knowledge), Heroes II adds a number of secondary characteristics. A hero can possess up to 8 different secondary skills (out of 14 total), with each skill developed to one of three levels: Basic, Advanced, and Expert. Secondary skills serve for various purposes: for example, the Wisdom secondary skill allows a hero to learn spells of level 3 and higher, and the Logistics skill increases the hero's movement ability over land. Some of the secondary skills resemble the special abilities of hero classes in the first part of the game (Scouting for Warlocks, Navigation for Sorceresses, etc.) When a hero gains a level-up (by collecting experience and visiting special map locations), he receives a bonus to one of his primary skills, and a choice of 2 secondary skills to acquire or advance.

[edit] New magic system

A new system for casting magic spells has been added in Heroes II. In the first installment of Heroes of Might and Magic, the knowledge primary skill of each hero indicated how many times a hero could cast each spell. For example, a hero with the knowledge of 3 could gain the ability to cast any spell no more than 3 times. The quota of castings for a spell would be refilled when a hero visited a town with that spell in its mage guild. In Heroes 2, this system was replaced with a spell points system: the hero memorizes the spell once and forever, but each spell requires a certain amount of spell points to be cast. The maximum amount of spell points a hero can have is usually determined by multiplying that hero's knowledge skill by 10. So, for example, a hero with the knowledge of 3 initially gets 30 spell points; and after casting a spell which requires 8 spell points, is left with 22. Normally, each hero recovers 1 spell point every day, although wells and castles restore an hero's spell points to full.

In addition, the number of levels of the mage guild building was increased from four to five.

[edit] New Hero Types

The Wizard and Necromancer were added to the original cast of Knight, Sorceress, Barbarian, and Warlock from the original Heroes of Might and Magic.

[edit] Upgraded monsters

Heroes II features upgraded variants of some of the monsters. Many monster dwellings (for example, the Pikeman dwelling in the Knight castle) can be upgraded to provide advanced breeds of the corresponding monsters. Usually, the upgrade increases one or several of the monster's characteristics (such as Attack, Defense, Hit Points or Speed), but in some cases, the upgraded monsters receive valuable special abilities (for example, upgrading Vampires to Vampire Lords enable them to suck blood from their enemies, restoring their hit points). Regular types of monsters can be upgraded for double the difference in price at any town which has a corresponding upgraded dwelling built in it, and any new troops recruited would automatically be of the upgraded type.

[edit] Story

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Heroes of Might and Magic II assumed that the Ironfist family had won the war in Heroes of Might and Magic I and unified Enroth. After the death of King Ironfist, a special seer is appointed to decide on the matter of succession. The main claimants for the throne are the two brothers Archibald and Roland. Unfortunately, a series of freak mishaps claims the life of the royal seer and each new advisor appointed to the role. Roland flees the palace and a sufficiently pliable seer is found, and Archibald is declared king. Archibald accuses Roland of having murdered the other seers, and a war for who will reign in Enroth begins.

If you choose to play as a commander siding with Archibald, after rallying nearby forces to your cause, you are given the choice between acquiring the aid of the Necromancer's Guild or the gratitude of the ogres for helping defeat the dwarf homeland. Later on, you crush a peasant revolt while gaining a vast army of skeletons, and are given the opportunity to solicit the aid of the dragons should you desire. You also are given the option to either hunt for the Ultimate Artifact to aid your cause, or else simply build up your army. Once your forces are assembled, you strike out at the country lords around Roland's base before finally defeating Roland himself.

If you choose to play as a commander aiding Roland, after defeating nearby rebellious lords, you are given the option of helping to bail out the dwarven homeland, which is under attack. Should you do so, you gain the gratitude of the dwarves in an alliance. Later on, you gain the alliance of the Sorceress's guild, and are given the same choice as in Archibald's campaign when preparing for the end- to either build your forces, or search for the Ultimate Artifact. Afterward, you strike out at Archibald himself and defeat him.

The fifth mission in the middle is the same for both sides, called "Turning Point." In it, you are offered a chance to turn to the other side, which will make that mission extremely easy- but the cost is that you lose any alliances or awards you acquired earlier.

You are "scored" on how well you did by how fast you were able to complete the campaign and end the war. In canon, Roland wins the conflict and defeats his brother in the Succession Wars.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Campaigns

[edit] Roland's Campaign

  • Force of Arms
  • Annexation
  • Save the Dvarves
  • Carator Mines
  • Turning Point
  • Betrayal
  • Defender
  • The Gauntlet
  • The Crown
  • Corlagon's Defense
  • Final Justice

[edit] Archibald's Campaign

  • First Blood
  • Barbarian Wars
  • Necromancers
  • Slay the Dwarves
  • Turning Point
  • Betrayal
  • Rebelion
  • Dargon Master
  • Country Lords
  • The Crown
  • Greater Glory
  • Apocalypse

[edit] Castle Types

Much of the gameplay in Heroes II revolves around the different castle types, as they act as your bases of operation to earn money, hire heroes, and recruit armies.

All castles share the following improvements:

  • Castle: The castle itself increases your income by 1,000 gold per day and allows you to recruit heroes. If a town does not have a castle, it only earns 250 gold a day, cannot build new improvements, and will defend in an open field if attacked with no defensive installations whatsoever.
  • Well: The well increases all creature growth by 2 per week.
  • Statue: The statue increases town income by 250 gold.
  • Tavern: The tavern increases morale for defending troops in event of a siege, and allows the player to hear rumors on events in the world. (The Necromancer castle does not need and cannot build a tavern.)
  • Marketplace: The Marketplace allows you to trade away excesses of one resource for other resources. The more Marketplaces you control, the better the exchange rate will be.
  • Thieves' Guild: The thieves' guild provides a spying window on how your opponents are doing. The more guilds you control, the better the information will be.
  • Mage Guild: Each level you add gives another level of spells that are automatically learnt by any hero that stops in the castle (assuming that hero has a spellbook, which can be bought at a Guild if they don't). Higher levels require large quantities of all rare resources.
  • Shipyard: If the castle is by the sea, it can build a shipyard, which will allow boats to be built.
  • Captain's Quarters: If there is no hero at the castle and it is attacked, a captain will appear to command the troops and perhaps sling a few spells from the mage guild.
  • Left Turret, Right Turret, and Moat: These are fortifications that aid the castle in the event of a siege. The more buildings you have built, the stronger the turrets' attack becomes, along with the main turret (which comes automatically with the castle).

Additionally, each castle has an improvement that increases the growth rate of its level 1 unit by 8 a week.

Of the 6 castles, Knight, Sorceress, and Wizard are "good," while Barbarian, Necromancer, and Warlock are "evil." This has comparatively little effect on gameplay, though, as most troops are equally incompatible with any troop from a different castle alignment.

[edit] Knight Castle

The Knight castle features the combined armies of humans. The special buildings allowed for a Knight castle are

  • Farm: The Farm increases the growth rate of Peasants by 8 a week.
  • Fortifications: The castle's walls become twice as hard to breach in the event of a siege.

The Knight Armies are:

Knight heroes tend to have the highest defensive values in the game and start with 2 Attack, 2 Defense, 1 Power, 1 Knowledge, Basic Leadership, and Basic Ballistics.

[edit] Barbarian Castle

The Barbarian castle is a stronghold of savage raiding armies. Its unique buildings are

  • Garbage Heap: The Garbage Heap increases the growth rate of Goblins by 8 a week.
  • Coliseum: The Coliseum increases the morale of defending armies by 2.

The Barbarian Armies are:

Barbarian heroes are the most offensively oriented in the game and start with 3 Attack, 1 Defense, 1 Power, 1 Knowledge, and Advanced Pathfinding.

[edit] Wizard Castle

The Wizard castle is a haven for wizards' magical allies and creations. The unique buildings are

  • Orchard: The Orchard increases the growth rate of Halflings by 8 a week.
  • Library: The Library adds an additional spell to each level of the Mage Guild (so, for instance, rather than there being 4 level 2 spells and 3 level 3 spells, there would be 5 level 2 spells and 4 level 3 spells).

The Wizard Armies are:

Wizard Heroes are inclined towards magic and start with 0 Attack, 1 Defense, 2 Power, 2 Knowledge, Advanced Wisdom, and the spell Stoneskin.

[edit] Necromancer Castle

The Necromancer castle is a haunted city of the dead. Its unique buildings are

  • Skull Pile: The Skull Pile increases the growth rate of Skeletons by 8 a week.
  • Storm: The Storm increases the Spell Power of defending Heroes by 2.
  • Shrine: The Shrine, added in the Price of Loyalty expansion, increases the Necromancy skill of all your heroes (to a maximum of 60% recovery of dead bodies into Skeletons). More Shrines are cumulative. It replaces the Tavern slot.

The Necromancer Armies are:

Necromancer Heroes are inclined towards magic and start with 1 Attack, 0 Defense, 2 Power, 2 Knowledge, Basic Necromancy, Basic Wisdom, and the spell Haste.

[edit] Sorceress Castle

The Sorceress Castle is a peaceful abode for the denizens of the forest. Its buildings include

  • Crystal Garden: The Crystal Garden increases the growth rate of Sprites by 8 a week.
  • Rainbow: The Rainbow increases the Luck of defending armies by +2.

The Sorceress Armies are:

Sorceress Heroes are dedicated to magic and start with 0 Attack, 0 Defense, 2 Power, 3 Knowledge, Basic Wisdom, Advanced Navigation, and the spell Bless. Sorceress heroes are always female.

[edit] Warlock Castle

The Warlock Castle is a home to wild, arcane monsters and mysterious sorcerers. Its unique buildings are

  • Waterfall: The Waterfall increases the growth rate of Centaurs by 8 a week.
  • Dungeon: The Dungeon increases your Gold income by 500 a week.

The Warlock Armies are:

Warlock heroes are dedicated to magic and start with 0 Attack, 0 Defense, 3 Power, 2 Knowledge, Basic Wisdom, Advanced Scouting, and the spell Curse. Warlock heroes are always male.

[edit] History and Expansion pack

Heroes of Might and Magic II was released in a very competitive environment at the time, right next to two more established sequels in the strategy market (Master of Orion II and Lords of the Realm II). Nevertheless, the game sold extremely well over time, picking up critical awards and posting excellent sales. It was deemed successful enough to release an expansion pack for, and in 1997, Cyberlore Studios developed Heroes of Might and Magic II: The Price of Loyalty. It included four additional campaigns, new standalone scenarios, several new artifacts, a substantially improved map editor, and new map objects. Later, 3DO released the original game and the expansion pack in one box labeled Heroes of Might and Magic II Gold.

[edit] External links

Might and Magic franchise
Might and Magic I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | IX
Heroes of Might and Magic I:ASQ | II:TSW | II:TPoL | III:TRoE | III:AB | III:TSoD | Heroes Chronicles | IV | IV:TGS | IV:WoW | V | V:HoF
Spinoffs and related titles Arcomage | King's Bounty | Quest for the DragonBone Staff | Crusaders | Warriors | Legends | Dark Messiah | MM Mobile | HoMM Online
Fanmade titles Swords of Xeen
CCGs Heroes IV
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