ROC campaign UD final mission

[TheoStormhawk]

I have a question about the ROC campaign, UD final mission when using Arthas, the Lich must be protected to summon Archimonde.
I have completed this mission in normal mode but on hard I am practically overwhelmed in those final 2-3 min. I hate those gryphs because they have piercing attack, those sorceresses because I allways have to get dispelling staff and those tanks because they have fortified armor and is hard to protect my base. Also the number of my enemies is huge, I tried everything, from trying to eliminate a human base to normal protecting the lich and base, those infernals are s*** because the gryphs have huge piercing attack, and practically I have no lethal weapon.

So I want to ask u guys what strategy can I use to complete this mission on hard lvl ?

 

[ChrisH36]

HArd mode is a difficult task. You will be struck by more units at once, and it could be worse if they start sending siege engines with your attacks. I tend to set up 4 Spirit Towers on each end and have 2 acols to fix them. As you get Felbeasts, use thier Mana Burn ability to trash the sorceress, priests and the archmage's mana supply. When you are about to get overwhelmed. Pull every attackable units (even your useless workers) to the lich. Although, you will lose lots of men attempting this: you should be able to stall them enough to complete the mission.

As for dealing with Gryphons alone, web them and focus fire your fiends on them. Use Arthas to heal any woundeded CFs. Gargs aren't recommended for this mission, unless you have a lot of them and they are fully upgraded. Plus, you have to micro them.

 

[TheoStormhawk]

I've used towers and acolytes ready to repair but the thing is that I am attacked by more armies at the same type, I mean now I'm defending my base and I see another army at my second base killing every thing. Not only that I can't rebuild my army very well after each attack I cannot inflict some serios damage to my enemies, not even with frost wyrms.I haven't tried yet frost wyrms and abo with unholy frenzy, I'm afraid that the priests will dispel me.
I need a perfect army configuration, what do you guys suggest?

 

[ChrisH36]

Well you should NEVER attempt to attack the enemy, stay on defense. I can beat it with a mix of aboms, fiends and cripple necs. I rarely use skeletons to destroy them. Remember, cripple cuts thier attack and movement speeds in half, plus reduces damage. And after you hold off each attack, you can quickly get your mana back.

The shades you start with should go near the base doors and see who's coming and who isn't. So you can REALLY prepare for who is coming.

 

[TheoStormhawk]

Yes, but the prists use dispel magic, I hate them. Not to mention that the sorcerreses use against me slow and polymorph. Also like I said those gryphons have huge piercing attack and HEAVY armor, for a aerial unit this is much.
I've tried what u suggested and it is good, but the thing is still that I'm attacked by 2 armies in separate areas of my base at the same time, and I don't know how to deal with that.
I think this is a bug or something, because I don't get it, I beat 2 computers alone Insane+Normal and I cannot complete a stupid campaign mission, even on hard mode.

 

[ChrisH36]

Why do you think mana burn is on the Fel Beasts? Although you could lose fel beasts in the process just to fry mana supplies. Which is often a good thing to do against the Archmage, Sorcs and priests they send.

Also, allow fiends to attack these weak units. Your aboms should do ok against the knights or foots they send at you.

If its two at a time, handle off one end, then send any units when thier end is cleared over to the side that is still battling.

Since I believe gryphons hit you from the north too often. Pull any heavy armor units back behind the towers and hold position. Since piercing > heavy.

 

[aphextwin]

hmm..... well u can try to antimagic all ur units :\

 

[ChrisH36]

Casters aren't necessarily the problem. Its the fact he gets attacked from two sides at a time. The worst part is, his main base gets pounded by the drawven units (mortars rifles and tanks).

 

[TheoStormhawk]

Hmm I've tried again, still didn't make it, less than 1 minute.
I think that at the end I have to leave my base to be destroyed, and focus on the Lich.
Everithing is so crowded.
U said about footies, they come with footies only in the first attack, than there are only knights, and those tanks are beginning to VEX me (like Arthas said later in the campaign about Sylvannas) too hard to kill them, almost got my citadel.

 

[ChrisH36]

Hmm I've tried again, still didn't make it, less than 1 minute.
I think that at the end I have to leave my base to be destroyed, and focus on the Lich.
Everithing is so crowded.
U said about footies, they come with footies only in the first attack, than there are only knights, and those tanks are beginning to VEX me (like Arthas said later in the campaign about Sylvannas) too hard to kill them, almost got my citadel.

LEt your base fall in the end, when everything rushes you. Get all your guys around the lich. Also, animate dead on worthwhile units. Although challenging, everything does have a weakness LOLZ.

When I mean everything. I MEAN EVERY SINGLE UNIT THAT HAS A PULSE!!! Including your ghouls and maybe your acols (although 200 points, one more unit for the enemy to deal with).

 

[TheoStormhawk]

LEt your base fall in the end, when everything rushes you. Get all your guys around the lich. Also, animate dead on worthwhile units. Although challenging, everything does have a weakness LOLZ.

When I mean everything. I MEAN EVERY SINGLE UNIT THAT HAS A PULSE!!! Including your ghouls and maybe your acols (although 200 points, one more unit for the enemy to deal with).

I've done it!!!

It was very difficult but I've figured it out in the end.
So this is how I did it:

That summoning place has 3 entrance points. In the right I've builded alot of zigurats (about 12-13). In the left there was my base and I placed a row of zigurats immediately behind the citadel. In the center entrance point I had only my army guarding there, because I didn't have enough money to build zigurats there too.
The key is to fight and not lose more than 2 units from your army.
Also I used master banshees, and when I was attacked my army neglected the knights and focused on the webbed gryphons while my banshees possesed the knights.The banshees were not used in combat because the gryphs focuses on them first, they had the mana pool as rally point.

When I got assaulted by 2 armies like I said, my 13 ziggurats were able to hold the line (pretty close, that blizzard spell really got them) until I killed the army in my base. Than I destroyed the army at the ziggurats and rebuid them.I've placed those ziggurats there to protect the entrance to my second gold mine that was usually destroyed, but in the final attack, I don't know why, they've lost interest in it.

In the end I've animated some corpses in my base and use them in the east entrance of the summoning place just to hold position and to keep the enemy from entering through there, so they had to detour.
Also the ziggurats provided me with the time to kill most of the units that were coming through the north entrance (some were possesed). I've posesed by mistake a priest, it was funny: "be gone spawn of darkness" LOL.
Beside all this, it was alot of micro and coil.