If you thought Bonesburg campaign was a challenge, things get cranked up yet another notch here. Even once I figured out the general outline of the build I wanted to use, this one required quite a bit of practice before I was ready to start actually recording.
I think I like these Shadowmoon maps so much because they require a lot of micro, which is usually not a huge factor in Kingdom Rush games. But this map will put your hero through their paces, test your reaction time when things get out of hand, and force you to plan your Rains of Fire with the greatest precision.
One of the biggest challenges comes early in wave 2 with the Ghouls. Now technically we could have gone with a different build plan that would handle them without any problem, but it really behooves us to rush our DWAARP in the middle of the map, as it - comboed with the chokepoints created by the barracks - will do the majority of heavy lifting for this map. But the result is that it's very easy for things to go sideways with the Ghouls, almost regardless of which hero you're using, and I will freely admit there were a few restarts. Normally I don't like showcasing builds that have a high element of RNG, but since it's only in wave 2 I'm okay with it here, as the cost of a failed run is low, and ultimately I do think this is the best build.
Once you survive wave 2, things are largely okay until about the midway point. The Abominations in wave 7 take some careful management, and then wave 8 is pretty intense between the Abominations on the lower path and the mix of Werewolves and Lycans on the upper path. It's an exercise in deciding where best to use reinforcements and Rain of Fire.
Wave 10 is another big test. The couple of Abominations that take the top path end up overlapping with the Werewolves from the east. The danger here is that killing an Abomination will wipe out your blockers just as the Werewolves are coming through, giving them an open road to the exit. This is one of those points where there's not really a foolproof strategy for all heroes - you just have to react as best you can with what you have.
Wave 12 is the biggest make-or-break point in this strategy. You need to get your hero and some reinforcements on the lane coming from the north. Three Lycans appear, and a full moon triggers at the same time, shapeshifting them. You have to drop a Rain of Fire with the right precision to do maximum damage to them, then make sure you keep them on the damaging part of the ground to burn them down fast enough. If one or more manage to break through it's very likely they'll make it to the exit due to their speed and regeneration.
After that things calm down a bit, but not completely. By this point we're able to upgrade the Archmages with Whirlwind, which does wonders to catch leaks. Still, the Ghouls that suddenly popup from the ground or are released by Jack can ruin your day in a moment if you're not ready for them. Again, it's a balancing act of managing your resources wisely between your hero, your reinforcements, and Rain of Fire to deal with both them and the large number of Abominations on the bottom lane.
From there it's all downhill. The large numbers of Lycans in wave 15 look intimidating, but one good Rain of Fire coupled with multiple Whirlwinds for any stragglers is enough to take care of them. All in all this map definitely feels like running a marathon - incredibly hard, but incredibly gratifying once you complete it.
Impressions
The hero grades definitely reflect the challenge here, and there are some that break the norm.
On the 'C' team we have Mirage, Cronan, and Kahz. Mirage and Cronan shouldn't be surprises, and Kahz takes a 'C' because this is one of those maps where his antics are extremely counterproductive. A lot of the strategy here relies on your hero being in specific places at specific times to deal with specific threats (see the description of wave 12 above), so having him charge around the map and rearrange enemy order with teleports is a horrible pain to deal with. This is definitely the map that will make you hate him if you don't already.
Most of the 'B's shouldn't be surprising, belonging to some of the more DPS-challenged heroes, but Grawl does join them. Just like Bonesburg, mobility is very important here, and Grawl's slow speed coupled with the DPS loss from Bastion means he's just not an ideal choice. But the real shocker here is Ashbite getting his very first 'B'. While normally his DPS makes up for it, his inability to block is a crippling hindrance here, especially in circumstances like waves 2 and 12 described above. This is where Bonehart proves himself the superior dragon, as his ability to generate blockers - frail though they may be - helps him maintain his straight-'A' streak.
As for the rest of the 'A's, we have a shocking addition to the normal crew. Dierdre gets a rare 'A' on a hard map. While her DPS is trash, her superior tanking ability, her ability to keep other blockers alive, and her extreme mobility with teleporting actually means she performs very solidly here. Between the DWAARP and the Archmages there's more than enough DPS in this build, what's needed is stalling ability to let the towers do their job, and she does a great job of that.
Final Grades
- Alric - A
- Mirage - C
- Captain Blackthorne - A
- Cronan - C
- Bruxa - A
- Nivus - B
- Dierdre - A
- Grawl - B
- Sha'tra - A
- Ashbite - B
- Karkinos - A
- Kutsao - B
- Dante - A
- Bonehart - A
- Kahz - C
- Saitam - B
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