It’s time to review the next *Heroes III* town: the Dungeon. Personally, I consider this town even stronger than the Necropolis; thanks to the Portal, I managed to snag Minotaur Kings in the first week and Green Dragons in the second from hideway. However, that feature has since been patched—likely in HotA 3—so now you can only summon armies from the creature dwellings you discover.
Dungeon Features
- Versatility – allows you to hedge against any twist of fate.
- Portal – allows you to summon an army from a hidden dwelling.
- Mana Vortex – allows you to double a chosen hero's mana once a week.
- Max Guild – allows for the construction of a Level 5 Mage Guild.
Heroes
It is worth noting right away that the Dungeon offers a solid selection of heroes, which pairs well with the great flexibility of the town itself:
1) Lorelei
The hero specializing in Harpies starts with three stacks; given the number of Harpies involved, this unit effectively functions as a Tier 2 ranged unit—especially in the early game for the Dungeon faction. The hero's secondary skills are Leadership and Scouting, both of which are quite solid.
2) Damacon
The extra +350 gold per turn will gradually accumulate, and Offence isn't exactly a useless skill—especially when compared to something like Interference.
3) Shakti
A classic Warrior build relying on Troglodytes and tactics; this strategy works even if you don't get any Harpies. The specialization is Troglodytes—or "pickles," as they're commonly known.
4) Jaegar
A typical mage specializing in Mysticism, which replenishes the hero's mana every turn. You expert an Earth and Air Magic, hunt for the Magic Head, and—thanks to the *Vortex* spell—end up with 200 mana by the end of the second week. On the "Memory Lane" template, this allows you to enter the treasure zone.
Dungeon Construction
In principle, the build strategy is quite straightforward: thanks to the harpies, you’ll upgrade them to their Tier 2 version on Day 1 in 80% of games. If you have more Eyes or Troglodytes instead, you skip the Harpy upgrade. From there, your next move depends on the situation: you can continue building your army, head to the Mage Guild (hoping for *Mana Vortex*), or perhaps even build a Portal to summon reinforcements.
Week 1
Week 2
By the second week, I recommend strategically planning to build a structure for your army units: Medusas, Minotaurs, or Manticores. Dungeon players very rarely build the Dragon dwelling—practically never—even though the units are incredibly powerful and can absorb high-level spells. I enjoyed playing the Dungeon faction; it’s a very pleasant, affordable, and flexible castle.
Dungeon Units
