Guides to the game Hota 3 -> Stronghold
"69 gold from the king to the warriors for Tyraxor's head." Gypsy Jitsu
Stronghold is a fairly balanced and versatile castle in *Heroes III*, offering a good selection of heroes and army-building paths. Its units are quite solid—with the exception of the Ogre; I rarely see it used in PvP.
Stronghold features:
1) The Mage Guild can only be built up to level 3.
2) The Ballista is available, but it is locked behind the Blacksmith and the Ballista Yard.
3) Valhalla is a structure that grants +1 Attack to all heroes who visit the Stronghold.
4) You cannot purchase the School of Water Magic at the University for castle heroes.
5) Low cost: constructing the Tier 7 unit Bear costs only 10,000 gold, while purchasing the unit itself cheap too.
Heroes
The Stronghold main characteristic is that it offers many good warrior heroes but few mages:
1) Gurnisson – a Ballista specialist; this specialization eventually grants a double shot and higher DPS. Plus, he comes with the ballista right from the start.
2) Gretchin – arrives with three squads of goblins and acts as their specialist. The goblins grow stronger as the hero levels up.
3) Tyraxor – arrives with three squads of Wolves. If you upgrade them—either by goblins at your base or at a fort—you will have a formidable combat unit. The upgraded Tier 2 version of the wolves deals double damage.
4) Yog is also a decent hero, but better suited for the late game—specifically when you have a stack of Cyclopes or have decided to build them at your base.
5) Jabarkas - He starts with two squads of Orcs; if you build the Orc dwelling at your base on Day 1 and upgrade the units later, you can eventually amass a powerful ranged stack.
Building up the Stronghold
There is a vast array of options for what to build on days one, three, and five, as well as during the second week—provided you have the gold, of course. However, the Stronghold is relatively inexpensive compared to the Castle or Inferno. That said, this town relies heavily on the availability of wood and stone in your starting area; without them, you simply won't be able to build anything.
Day 1
There is a fairly wide range of options here:
1) Upgrading Goblins – if you’ve recruited a hero who starts with a large number of them, like Gretchin.
2) Buying extra Orcs – laying the groundwork for a ranged combat stack.
3) Building the Bird Nest – with an eye toward upgrading it later and eventually building the Bear Crag.
4) Guild – why not? You might get some great spells right at the start of the game, though this is a rather rare strategy.
Day 3
1) Upgraded Wolf Riders – an excellent combat stack with a double strike and good speed. Especially when you have them in large numbers.
2) Ballista – also an overpowered asset, but the Stronghold faction was balanced by preventing players from acquiring the Ballista on Day 1 and requiring an additional building to be constructed first.
4) Upgraded Orcs – high early-game speed helps break through ranged guard stacks and boost the hero's movement, resulting in more movement points for the following day.
Day 5
1) Cyclops construction – building the Ogre followed by the Cyclops, the strongest Tier 6 ranged unit in the game.
2) Bear construction – via the Bird; if you have plenty of gold, you can skip the Cyclops and buy the Bear immediately.
Week Two
There are two development paths for the late game:
1) You build the Birds Nest and transition to the Bear in the second week.
2) You build the Ogre Fort and transition to the Cyclops.
Moreover, since the Stronghold is a relatively inexpensive castle, you can actually accomplish all of this within the first week if you have sufficient resources.
Low Gold
1) Goblin upgrade
2) Wolfs construction and upgrade
3) Orc construction
4) Ballista
5) Guild
Average Gold
4) Birds – The upgraded bird has a small chance to cast a Lightning Bolt spell at the end of each attack.
5) Cyclops - for ranger attack, depends of objects for army on your respawn.
Huge Gold Situation
Bear unit – A Tier 7 unit with high hit points and a relatively low cost. The upgraded version also moves quickly across the battlefield.
Stronghold Units
