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Sacrifice Unit and Spell Guide
Version 2.00
Last Updated: 10/11/2003
Authored by John Gayl Westendorf
johnwestendorf@yahoo.com
Four Horsemen Development TM
Version History:
1.00 - Everything not noted in later version.
1.01 - Level Ratings started (see Spellbook Levels)
2.00 - Finished level ratings, small content and grammar changes
Table of Contents
I. Introduction
II. Godwide Traits and Trends
III. Creature Categories
IV. Spellbook Levels
V. Thanks
I. Introduction
I am writing this FAQ because Sacrifice (developed by Shiny and published by
Interplay) is one of my favorite games of all time, and other FAQ's I have read
have had a lot of faulty info about soul cost and creature order. Sacrifice has
great gameplay, extremely innovative blending of action, strategy, and RPG
genres, the best voice-acting I have ever witnessed in a game, graphics that
are beautiful even today (Sacrifice was released in 2000), amazing sound,
involving story, and replayability that warrants further discussion. In
Sacrifice, you play as a wizard who can summon creatures and cast spells. Five
different gods each have their own creatures and spells for 9 different levels
of your wizard. In the single-player campaign, you can't use any combination of
gods (as some don't like the others), but you can use most combinations, and in
multiplayer you can customize your spellbook once you beat the game once. This
means that their are 5^9 = 1,953,125 distinct possible spellbooks. The single-
player missions are all interesting and different enough from each other that
playing the single-player at least enough times to see each level for each god
is fun for all. I have played through the campaign probably at least 15 times
and I still do every once in a while. Yet another addition to the replayability
factor is the skirmish/multiplayer. In skirmish mode you can choose your
character model and play against computer-controlled opponents or people.
The multiplayer maps are fun and varied, and the AI is competent.
What this FAQ contains (for now) is a run-down of every spellbook level and
the creatures/spells within. These will be listed by level and not by god,
because more often than not someone is looking to decide on what to do with a
specific level and it is inefficient to have to look through all the different
gods and find the level you want, when a list sorted by level is available.
Within each level, the spells and creatures will be listed by god in the
following order: Persephone, James, Stratos, Pyro, Charnel.
Finally, if you find any errors or typos in this FAQ, please e-mail me, and I
will make corrections (citing you for new information). Thank you!
II. Godwide Traits and Trends
A. Persephone
All non-Charnel creatures regenerate health when they are standing still
and not attacking. Persephone's creatures regenerate at a much faster rate
than the others. Persephone's spells and creature abilities also tend to be
focused on healing and defensive support rather than offense.
B. James
James' creatures tend to have higher defense and more hitpoints, but slower
than their counterparts for other gods. James' spells are almost all devoted
to using rocks or the ground itself against the enemy, and James has the most
terrain-deforming spells of any god.
C. Stratos
Stratos' creatures are faster and usually have special abilities or side-
effects to their attacks (mostly moving the target), but are more fragile
than other gods' creatures. The spell selection of Stratos uses lightning,
wind, and ice to attack Stratos' opponents.
D. Pyro
Offense is what the creatures of Pyro are all about, as they have high
amounts of damage, but somewhat lower defense compared to other gods' units.
Offense is also what Pyro's spells are focused on, throwing flames,
fireballs, and explosions at enemies.
E. Charnel
Unlike every other god's units, Charnel's creatures do not regenerate
health while idle. Instead, these undead and demonic entities have vampiric
attacks that replenishes their life based on how much damage they do to their
target, which makes many of their units much more resilient in battle than
other gods' units. Charnel's spells are varied in their effects and purposes,
but all have something to do with death or necromancy.
III. Creature Categories
All the gods have a basic set of creatures that have mostly the same
function. Each type of creature may appear at a different level for different
gods, and may act differently in a lot of ways. In order for me to easily
identify the basic purpose of every creature, it is easier to explain the
types here and refer to them later than to explain each creatures purpose
every time.
Basic melee/ranged/flyer: Basic units of the three rock-paper-scissors types,
each god gets one of each of these at level one and they all cost 1 soul (see
"Spellbook Levels -> Level One" for more information). These units are best
used in large numbers, as they are individually weak.
Bug: Ranged units that each god receives at level two and have a side-effect
on their attack that is usually more important than the damage. Bug units
cost two souls.
Brawler (second-tier melee): Brawlers are the improved melee units over the
basic melee, and cost 2 souls each. Brawlers are slower than the basic melee
units.
Sniper (ranged): Ranged units that have fairly long range and a fast-moving
projectile that moves in a straight line or hits instantly. Sniper soul costs
vary between gods.
Bomber (flyer): Bombers are flying units that attack not at range but
hand-to-hand for a good amount of damage. They make good hit and run units
(especially against manaliths) since they have high damage output and can fly
over terrain obstacles. The name 'bomber' comes from the fact that all of
these units have a creature ability that shoots something at other units
(usually on the ground since these abilities can be inaccurate). I usually
don't use bombers in my central fighting groups since they are large and,
since they attack hand-to-hand, get in the way of my ranged units and
each other. Soul cost varies between gods.
Artillery (ranged): The artillery units have a very long range, fire their
projectiles indirectly, and most have a large splash damage radius, just as
you would expect from artillery. Artillery are a bit inaccurate, but all have
an area effect. Soul cost varies between gods.
Heavy-hitter (non-flyer): The heavy-hitters are the units directly below the
best and cost 4 souls each. None of these creatures are flying, all have
special abilities, and all dish out damage.
Titan: Titans are the ultimate creature of each god and cost 5 souls each.
They can defeat any other type of creature one-on-one without exception. All
titans fly except for James' Rhinok, and most stand on the ground if idle for
a while.
IV. Spellbook Levels
At most levels, each god receives one creature and one spell which are
impossible to separate from each other, i.e. you can't have one without the
other. Each level's spells and creatures are generally more expensive, in
terms of mana and cooldown time, than the last level's equivalent. After each
god in a level, I will give a relative rating for that level (*->*****) for
that god, without respect to what was taken in any other levels. Keep in mind
that many of these ratings are difficult to make between gods, that no level
is worthless for any god, and that the usefulness of each spell and creature
depends on the gods taken for other levels. These ratings are just my
subjective thoughts, but I like every spell and creature in some situations.
Level 1:
At the first level, each god receives one of each of the three basic types
of units in the game (melee, ranged, and flying), which should usually be
used in a rock-paper-scissors sort of manner. Generally, melee units are good
at beating ranged units, ranged units defeat flying units, and flying units
defeat melee units. Spell-wise, each god receives the Speed-up and Heal
spells along with a basic attack spell which shoots a missile of some sort
towards the target (each of which does enough damage to kill any first level
flyer).
Speed-up: speeds up the targets movement for an amount of time proportional
to its maximum hitpoints. Speed-up works great on anything you want to get to
its destination faster, including yourself. This spell is ready to use again
almost as soon as you use it.
Heal: heals the target unit. Great for keeping units alive during a battle or
for healing between battles.
A. Persephone: Basic melee/ranged/flyer
Druid (1 Soul): Basic melee unit with a special ability called "Life
Shield" which makes a shield around the druid for a decent length of time
that reduces damage to the druid significantly.
Ranger (1 Soul): Basic ranged unit with a special ability called "Divine
Sight" which sends a flying eye out that seeks the closest enemy. Divine
Sight is not very useful since scouting on your own isn't very difficult.
Shrike (1 Soul): Basic flyer with the "Life Shield" special ability (see
Druid). The attacks of the shrike also knock down enemies, and their Life
Shield can make them last longer in combat than any other basic flyer.
Wrath: A glowing ball of light shoots out and homes in on your target,
exploding with a little bit of splash damage.
Rating = *: While all the gods are viable choices at the first level,
Persephone is my least favorite. Druids and shrikes have the very useful
Life Shield, but require a little micro-management to use it, which makes
them less useful later in the game. Shrikes are pretty inaccurate with
their short ranged attack. The ranger's ability is not very useful, and
Wrath is nothing special.
B. James: Basic melee/ranged/flyer
Trogg (1 Soul): Basic melee unit with the innate ability that troggs are
immune to hostile magic. Troggs can be healed, and flung into the air with
erupt, tornado, etc., but won't be hurt by any direct damage spells. Troggs
are pretty good because of this ability, but may fall because of their slow
speed.
Earthfling (1 Soul): Basic ranged unit with a special ability called
"Rockform" that turns the earthfling into a boulder that is immune to
damage, regenerates, and looks just like a regular boulder to enemies.
Rockform is a good way to save almost dead earthflings, and could be used
to setup ambushes.
Gargoyle (1 Soul): Basic flyer unit that spews out a bunch of pebbles at
enemies. The attack does area damage and stacks with multiple gargoyles.
Without special abilities, the gargoyle is the toughest basic flyer, but
still dies from spells and ranged fairly quickly.
Rock: A boulder flies out of the ground and homes in on your target, but
will hit anything in the way (especially since the boulder is so large). No
splash damage.
Rating = ****: None of James' first level units have a bad special or
innate ability, and each unit is pretty good.
C. Stratos: Basic melee/ranged/flyer
Frostwolf (1 Soul): Basic melee unit with a special ability "Run Away"
which makes them move much faster, like the speed-up spell had been cast on
them. Frostwolves are already much faster than other ground units, and Run
Away makes them faster. Frostwolves are very fragile in terms of defense
and hitpoints. Great for charging ranged units.
Sylph (1 Soul): Basic ranged unit with the "Stealth" special ability which
makes the sylph invisible to all enemies until the sylph attacks. Stealth
can be used just like Rockform to save near-death sylphs, scout, and
ambush.
Brainiac (1 Soul): Basic flyer unit that shoots brain waves at enemies.
Brainiacs have much, much longer range than other basic flyers and knock
down enemies that get hit. Good overall unit, brainiacs are very annoying
when used against you as you get knocked down while casting spells.
Lightning: A lightning bolt connects the wizard's hand to the target.
The best thing about lightning is that it recharges much faster than any
other first level attack spell and doesn't deal less damage. The down-
falls of lightning are that it will hit anything in it's way and stop, and
that certain Stratos creatures take almost no damage from lightning effects
and even become powered up by them (no, you can't target your own units).
No splash damage. My favorite first level attack spell by far.
Rating = *****: Stratos is probably the best first level choice because of
two reasons: brainiacs and Lightning. Brainiacs can be useful throughout
the game for softening up forces at a range and knocking enemies down with
good accuracy. Lightning just recharges so fast that it can be used a lot
to tip the tide of a battle in your favor.
D. Pyro: Basic melee/ranged/flyer
Cog (1 Soul): Basic melee unit that excretes steam upon death, damaging
anything nearby.
Flame Minion (1 Soul): Basic ranged unit that spits fire, and has the
"Run Away" special ability. Run Away is good for quick strikes and running
away (who would have thought?), but in my opinion is not as useful as the
other stealthy basic ranged abilities.
Spitfire (1 Soul): Basic flyer unit that shoots a cone of flame which does
area damage and stacks with other spitfires. Spitfires have the highest
damage output of basic flyers and are great in large groups, if somewhat
prone to dying.
Fireball: A fireball homes in on the target, exploding and dealing good
splash damage. Fireball is great for taking out groups of enemy flyers,
because of the splash damage.
Rating = **: I don't like the cogs' or the flame minions' abilities.
Spitfires are cool, and fireball is the most damaging first level spell.
E. Charnel: Basic melee/ranged/flyer
Scythe (1 Soul): Basic melee unit. There is nothing special about the
scythe, except that it, like all Charnel units, have vampiric attacks. The
scythe is the most resilient basic melee unit in combat because of this
life draining.
Fallen (1 Soul): Basic ranged unit that fires clouds of insects and has the
"Play Dead" special ability, which has the fallen lay down and play dead,
which allows the fallen to regenerate (unlike other Charnel creatures).
Great basic ranged unit because of the vampiric attack and Play Dead. Play
Dead should be used like Stealth and Rockform.
Locust (1 Soul): Basic flyer unit that sucks life and mana from enemies.
Locusts are accurate and great in swarms as they can suck all the mana out
of an enemy wizard.
Insect Swarm: A swarm of insects homes in on the target, doing damage and
returning a portion of that damage to the casting wizard as life. Just
about the same as the others, but does decent splash damage.
Rating = ***: Healing scythes between battle is annoying, fallen are great,
locusts are good, insect swarm is ok. As I've said before, the first level
of each god is a fine choice.
Level 2:
Each god gets his/her bug unit and a shield spell in the second slot of
his/her spell book. The shield spells all protect the wizard in some way, and
prevents slowing spells (see Level Three) from targeting the wizard.
A. Persephone: Bug
Scarab (2 Souls): Bug unit that heals hurt friendly units by shooting
sparkles (which can miss). The scarab is definitely a must-have for any
beginners, as it takes the micro-management of healing off of the player's
hands. Usually, if I take scarabs, I try to have one or two in phalanx
formation behind my wizard. Scarabs are a little slow and weak, though, so
when retreating make sure to teleport or pick up the scarab's souls if it
dies. I usually don't take more than one of the three specialty healing
spells: scarabs, Rainbow, Animate Dead, and Healing Aura.
Ethereal Form: This shield spell makes the wizard ethereal and unable to be
harmed at all for a short amount of time. While this shield spell doesn't
last as long as the others, it does stop damage all together instead of
reducing it, and is great for grabbing souls.
Rating = *****: While Ethereal Form is my least favorite shield spell
because of the micro-management involved with the short length, scarabs
more than make up for it. Scarabs are the best bug unit by far, freeing
your wizard to do other things than heal.
B. James: Bug
Basilisk (2 Souls): Bug unit that petrifies units. The basilisk shoots a
ray that petrifies any enemies that it hits for a few seconds as well as
doing a small amount of damage. While a unit is petrified, they take much
less damage than they would normally, but it is useful to keep an enemy out
of a fight or from retreating (especially wizards).
Stone Skin: A shield spell that turns the wizard's skin into stone for a
long time. Stone Skin is the longest lasting shield spell, but it also has
a very long cooldown time. This spell does reduce damage by a lot, and is
good to cast before a battle.
Rating = **: Standard shield spell. The basilisk is a little more useful,
but less fun, than the vortick. Thus, James edges out Stratos.
C. Stratos: Bug
Vortick (2 Souls): Bug unit that creates a mini tornado where it's
projectile hits doing damage and tossing nearby units into the air. The
tornado created by the vortick is perfect for throwing creatures and
wizards around, but it affects friendly units as well. The vortick is a fun
unit, but not terribly useful.
Air Shield: A sphere of swirling air surrounds the wizard, pushing nearby
units away and reducing damage done to the wizard. The push away effect
helps to keep melee units from doing some damage, but not much.
Rating = *: Vorticks are pretty useless, and the air shield's push away
effect is the same.
D. Pyro: Bug
Tickferno (2 Souls): Bug unit that shoots a laser which does damage and
drains a good amount of mana from the target.
Fireform: The only shield spell which does not reduce damage taken by the
wizard, Fireform surrounds the wizard in a sphere of flame that damages any
enemies that get too close. If you need extra damage in a battle, this
spell can come in handy by turning it on and just running into enemy
manahoars, wizards, etc.
Rating = ***: Fireform is a little less versatile than Protective Swarm.
E. Charnel: Bug
Necryl (2 Souls): Bug unit that shoots slime at opponents that does damage
over time, keeps the victim from healing and regenerating mana, and makes
the victim more susceptible to damage. This slime is contagious and any
other unit that touches a slimed one will become slimed as well, including
your units. Not a horrible unit, the necryl has a very specific purpose as
you don't want the slime spreading to you.
Protective Swarm: A cloud of insects collects around the wizard, reducing
damage that the wizard takes, minorly damaging any enemies that run into
the wizard and giving some of that damage back to the wizard as life. A
good all-around shield spell.
Rating = ****: Protective swarm is nice (even though the buzzing can get
annoying), and the necryl does damage.
Level 3:
At the third level is when the gods really start to differentiate from
each other by having different creature types at different levels, as well as
different types of spells. Most of the gods give you a slowing spell at this
level. Slowing spells target one unit and slow or stop the movement of the
target for a period of time, but can not target shielded wizards.
A. Persephone: Brawler
Troll (2 Souls): Brawler unit that regenerates even faster than other
Persephone creatures, which helps keep down healing micro-management.
Grasping Vines: Slowing spell that can only target ground units. Vines come
up from the ground and hold the creature in place for a time proportional
to the target's maximum hitpoints. Excellent for stopping a retreating
creature, or keeping a wizard from collecting souls, or isolating a
manahoar.
Rating = *****: A low maintenance brawler combined with a good slow spell.
Persephone just doesn't have anything to dislike at level three.
B. James: Brawler
Taurock (2 Souls): Brawler unit that is really slow, but powerful once it
gets into combat. The taurock has an innate ability that causes its defense
to go up as it's hitpoints go down, which helps them stay alive long enough
for you to heal them.
Soul Mole: Cast this spell on a blue soul and a boulder sticking half-way
out of the ground retrieves it for you. Note that once the boulder reaches
the soul, the body that the soul came from is destroyed, which means that
the soul becomes blue for everyone. Note also that if you let the "mole"
just come back to you, it will take the same round-trip time no matter how
far you are from the target soul. What this means is that the "mole" will
travel really slowly if you are close to the target, and really quickly if
you are far away. Therefore, Soul Mole is only useful from far away. The
"mole" also knocks over anything in its path (friend or foe), but does no
damage. In my humble opinion, this spell is not as useful as the slowing
spells.
Rating = **: The fact that taurocks are so slow limits their utility, but
they are hardy.
C. Stratos: Sniper
Squall (2 Souls): Sniper unit that shoots a blast of air at opponents,
knocking them back and doing damage. Not a bad unit, but I don't like
squalls as much as the other snipers (probably just because they are all
higher level).
Freeze: Freeze is a slowing spell that creates a block of ice around the
target, incapacitating it for a period of time proportional to its maximum
hitpoints or until the unit is attacked. Freeze also does a little damage
to the target. The damage is a nice bonus, and freeze keeps the target from
doing anything.
Rating = *: Freeze is a far better spell than Soul Mole. However, squalls
are the weakest sniper in the game and extremely slow.
D. Pyro: Brawler
Firefist (2 Souls): Firefists are Pyro's version of Trolls. Instead of the
trolls' high regeneration, firefists' attack power goes up as their
hitpoints go down. Can help, but the taurocks' ability is more useful.
Rings of Fire: Creating shrinking flame rings around the target, Rings of
Fire is a slowing spell that slows the unit and does damage over time for
the length of the spell. What did you expect from Pyro, a non-damage spell?
Rating = ****: Pyro's third level is similar to Persephone's, but I think
that Grasping Vines is more useful than Rings of Fire.
E. Charnel: Bomber
Blight (2 Souls): The blight is a giant, rotting, undead vulture that is a
bomber unit. Weaker and cheaper than the other bombers, blights have a
special ability called "Blight Mites" that flings a bunch of insects at a
target. A unit covered in Blight Mites is slowed and lowers the unit's
defense.
Slime: A slowing spell, slime slows down a unit (both movement and attack
speed), and lowers the target's defense. Slime lasts an amount of time
proportional to the target's maximum hitpoints.
Rating = ***: Taking a cheap bomber might make early manalith hit-and-runs
useful to distract the enemy, plus slime is great and causes wizards to
cast incredibly slowly.
Level 4:
Soul costs for creatures differ between gods on spell levels four through
six. Generally, though, the creatures are fairly balanced, with the cheaper
creatures being a little bit weaker (of course you can afford more, though).
Also, spells of this level or higher (known exceptions noted below) generally
make your wizard stand still while casting.
A. Persephone: Sniper
Gnome (2 Souls): Sniper unit that carries a gun which makes their shots hit
instantly.
Rainbow: This is a great healing spell, that heals five of your units. You
target the first unit and then the rainbow bounces to four others. Rainbow
is really cheap and has very low cooldown time, and can easily turn the
tide in a battle. This spell does not require stationary casting. I usually
don't take more than one of the three specialty healing spells: scarabs,
Rainbow, Animate Dead, and Healing Aura.
Rating = ****: Great spell in Rainbow, but nothing special about gnomes.
B. James: Artillery
Flummox (3 Souls): This lumbering unit, lobs boulders at enemies from afar.
when the boulders hit, they create a shockwave that knocks down nearby
units. Annoying as hell when arrayed against you, but I don't like this
artillery unit as much as the others.
Erupt: The targeted ground swells up and pops, like a pimple, tossing
units around. Erupt has a nice area of effect and is good for softening up
a charging army or killing off some retreating units (the units take damage
when they land).
Rating = *: The flummox is very inaccurate, slow, and doesn't do area
damage. Erupt, on the other hand, is a versatile spell for damaging or
slowing an opposing force.
C. Stratos: Brawler
Storm Giant (2 Souls): Storm Giants are brawler units with the "Call
Lightning" special ability. Storm Giants have an innate ability that causes
them to take less damage from lightning attacks than normal, and for a
decent amount of time after the lightning hits a storm giant, the storm
giant becomes stronger and shoots lightning off of himself at units close
by. Call Lightning causes a lightning bolt from the sky to strike the storm
giant, which triggers its innate ability.
Chain Lightning: Shoots lightning at an enemy, the lightning shoots to the
nearest enemy within range each time, hitting up to five targets. Chain
Lightning is a great spell for killing flyers or just hurting a bunch of
units.
Rating = *****: Storm giants are probably the best brawler because of their
lightning-related abilities, which give them some real crowd control. Chain
Lightning is also a great way to soften up (or destroy) enemy armies.
D. Pyro: Sniper
Pyromaniac (2 Souls): Pyromaniacs look like evil gnomes, and shoot rockets
at enemies. The rockets do a large amount of damage over a short period of
time.
Dragonfire: A dragon made out of fire flies at the target and then goes
after two more enemies if there are any in range. The dragon can
realistically hit more than three enemies, by flying through other units on
the way to their target. Dragonfire is great for taking out flyers or
dealing damage. If you find yourself the target of a Dragonfire, remember
not to run away from it as it will do more damage while flying through you.
Instead run towards the dragon, so it burns you for less time.
Rating = ***: Pyromaniacs do tons of damage when they hit, and Dragonfire
is useful for damage, but not usually as damaging as Chain-Lightning.
E. Charnel: Brawler
Netherfiend (2 Souls): Brawler unit with the special ability "Devour" which
allows Netherfiends to eat blue souls. For each soul devoured, the fiend
gains maximum hitpoints and a permanent defense bonus. Keep in mind that
each soul gives diminishing returns (each consecutive soul gives less of a
bonus) and that these souls never come back. I'm not sure if a resurrected
creature that has eaten souls keeps the bonuses (anyone know?). Make sure
to heal these between battles since they don't regenerate.
Animate Dead: With Animate Dead, you target a blue soul from a dead body
(it can't be used on gibbed souls) and within a couple seconds the unit is
revived with full health and mana. This spell costs about the same mana as
a manahoar, which is to say almost none, and is ready to use again once a
casting is complete. Great spell, the only annoying part is regrouping the
animated creatures. Bring back any soul cost creatures instantly for almost
no mana and no time! This spell does not require stationary casting. I
usually don't take more than one of the three specialty healing spells:
scarabs, Rainbow, Animate Dead, and Healing Aura.
Rating = **: I think the only reason I rated Charnel at two stars for this
level is because I dislike netherfiends so much. Fortunately, if you use
Animate Dead wisely, the netherfiends weaknesses can be overlooked.
Level 5:
All of the gods except for Charnel get their bomber unit at this stage
(Charnel got his at level three), so if you want a bomber and didn't take the
blight, now is the time to pick one. The spells of this level are all
offensive spells.
A. Persephone: Bomber
Gremlin (3 Souls): The gremlin is Persephone's bomber unit. "Web Pull" is
the gremlin's special ability. When Web Pull is used, the gremlin shoots a
a spider web around the target with a cord attached to the gremlin. The
gremlin then pulls in the unit and attacks it. After one attack from the
gremlin, the unit is free, but usually in the air. Web Pull is good for
getting wizards, manahoars, and retreating units.
Rain of Frogs: A cloud appears over the target area and frogs rain down
from the sky. The frogs hop towards the nearest unit, friend or foe, and
latch on. For each frog on a unit, the unit is slowed. After a little bit
of time, latched on frogs explode for minor damage. This spell can really
screw with an army's strategies, as units are seriously slowed and damaged.
Persephone enemies will use Rain of Frogs any chance they get.
Rating = *: In my book, Rain of Frogs just isn't useful enough. If the
enemy micro-manages healing well, the army will just be slowed.
B. James: Bomber
Ikarus (3 Souls): The ikarus is James' bomber, and has "Sticky Bomb" for
its special ability. Sticky Bomb throws glue at an area, seriously slowing
whatever enemy units get hit for a while.
Halo of Earth: This spell causes multiple rocks to rise from the ground and
hover above the wizard's head. Whenever an enemy gets within range, a rock
flies after it and does about the same damage as a Rock spell. Once one
hits, if the unit is still in range, another rock will fly after it. I love
using this spell to kill things by turning it on and just running into a
group of enemies. This spell can also be used to deal damage to manaliths
if you run into the corner of one.
Rating = ****: Halo of Earth is awesome, much better than Soul Wind,
Explosion, and Rain of Frogs.
C. Stratos: Bomber
Seraph (3 Souls): The seraph has the special ability "Cage Pull", which is
just like the Web Pull of the Gremlin. Use this bomber just like a gremlin.
Soul Wind: With Soul Wind, you target a blue soul (like with Soul Mole) and
a mini-tornado goes and grabs it and brings it back to you. While on the
way to and from the soul, the whirlwind shoots one lightning bolt at each
enemy within range, which knocks down the enemy and deals some damage. For
further discussion of speed, making the soul blue to everyone, etc., see
the Soul Mole description.
Rating = ***: I like Soul Wind just for the fact that it knocks enemies
down.
D. Pyro: Bomber
Pyrodactyl (3 Souls): The bomber of Pyro, Pyrodactyls have "Viscous Oil"
for a special ability. Viscous Oil lobs a glob of oil at the enemy. If the
oil hits, the enemy is blinded and loses its current orders (which is very
nice) and if any fire-based attack hits the oiled creature within the oil's
duration (good length) then the creature is ignited and takes damage over
time.
Explosion: Five tiny balls of fire around the target grow to a large size
and then explode, dealing damage to and flinging nearby units away or into
the air.
Rating = **: Explosion is very much like erupt, except more damaging.
E. Charnel: Sniper
Deadeye (2 Souls): An undead gnome, the deadeye shoots poison needles at
enemies at long range. If the needle hits, the target takes damage,
has decreased ranged accuracy, loses mana, and can't regenerate mana or
life, all during the poison time. I love these guys, but remember that they
need extra damage-dealing backup.
Demonic Rift: When cast, a portal to a demonic realm opens up underneath
the wizard and pink demons shoot at any enemy units within range for a
short period of time. Once a demon has locked on, there's no escaping it,
and a unit can only be targeted once per rift. Say good-bye to massive
amounts of cheap units, there's one demon for everyone!
Rating = *****: The deadeye is, I believe, the best two soul sniper, with
huge range. Demonic Rift is a great damage spell. What else needs to be
said?
Level 6:
Each god except for James gets his/her artillery creature at this level
(James gets his sniper). Most gods get a wall spell at this level, which cuts
off an avenue of retreat or keeps the enemy from getting into an area. The
computer will almost never run units through wall spells.
A. Persephone: Artillery
Mutant (3 Souls): This artillery unit chucks exploding hunks of itself at
the enemy that do area damage, and when a mutant dies, it heals all allies
near it. I believe that mutants have the longest range in the game, and
their ability can come in useful. Great damage potential.
Healing Aura: Target a friendly unit and a glowing aura will surround them
that continuously heals the unit and all nearby allies for the duration of
the spell (pretty long). I usually cast this on myself, or melee front-
runners. Good if you need healing power. I usually don't take more than one
of the three specialty healing spells: scarabs, Rainbow, Animate Dead, and
Healing Aura.
Rating = **: I don't find mutants' innate ability that useful.
B. James: Sniper
Boulderdash (4 Souls): James' sniper is expensive, but worth it! The
boulderdash is probably my favorite unit in the whole game. It shoots a
a rock that splits into three rocks (two going off at 45 degree angles)
about two-thirds of the way to the target. Each rock does great damage,
and if all three hit, then it's almost a guaranteed kill against any
creature with less than 5 souls. Boulderdash's, like any James unit,
are slow.
Wall of Spikes: Spikes shoot up in a line perpendicular to the direction
wizard is facing. The spike wall is centered on the targeted location. If
any unit goes into the spikes, friend or foe, a spike will impale the unit.
Being impaled this way causes damage and knocks the unit down.
Rating = *****: As mentioned above, the boulderdash is my favorite unit,
and Wall of Spikes is a good wall spell.
C. Stratos: Artillery
Flurry (4 Souls): The flurry is an artillery unit that throws giant
snowflakes at enemies. When these snowflakes hit something, they create an
imploding sphere that sucks in units and deals small splash damage (a
direct hit causes better damage). Most units affected by the implosion will
be pulled towards the center, in the air, and will be knocked down.
Multiple flurries can keep an army from making much movement.
Frozen Ground: When cast, Frozen Ground fires a ball of snow at the target.
The snowball creates a large circle of ice on the ground upon impact,
freezing any units in that area (just like the freeze spell). Any units
walking on the ice after the initial creation will not be frozen. However,
after a little while the ice explodes damaging any units on it. Although
this spell doesn't create a wall, I still classify it as a wall spell,
since the computer tends to avoid the circle of ice created. Useful against
concentrated groups of enemies.
Rating = *: Flurries just don't have the damage potential of the other
artillery units of this level. Frozen Ground is also much harder to use
effectively than the other wall spells.
D. Pyro: Artillery
Bombard (4 Souls): Bombards hurl exploding fireballs, and do the most pure
damage of any artillery unit. When the fireballs hit, they do damage to
everything in the area over a small amount of time. Massive damage
potential.
Firewall: A wall of fire spreads perpendicular to the direction the wizard
is facing, centered on the target. Any units going through the wall, friend
or foe, catch on fire and take damage.
Rating = ***: Damage, damage, and more damage!
E. Charnel: Artillery
Abomination (3 Souls): An undead mutant, these artillery through bloody
chunks of their rotting selves at enemies. These chunks leave a trail of
blood when they are flying through the air and anything the blood lands on
takes minor damage. The projectiles also explode on contact. Great damage
potential.
Wailing Wall: A wall of wailing souls spreads perpendicular to the
direction the wizard is facing, centered on the target. Any units going
through the wall, friend or foe, get a huge amount (almost always all) of
their mana drained. This wall lasts much longer than the other wall spells,
which makes it very useful (unless against a human opponent who doesn't
care about losing all his/her mana).
Rating = ****: I prefer Wailing Wall over Firewall because of the longer
duration.
Level 7:
Most gods get a rain spell here (like Persephone's Rain of Frogs from level
five), which are good for damaging areas or keeping enemies from moving
through an area. Also note that these rain spells' projectiles will aim for
any units or buildings in their target zone. The heavy-hitters of James and
Persephone are similar melee units. Pyro and Charnel have ranged heavy-
hitters that are similar. Stratos has a melee heavy-hitter.
A. Persephone: Heavy-Hitter
Ent (4 Souls): A large quadruped that looks kind-of like a spider, the ent
is Persephone's heavy-hitter. Perhaps the best thing about the ent is its
special ability, called "Protector". Protector puts a Life Shield (see
Druid and Shrike) around the ent and every friendly creature nearby. Lowers
enemy damage by a large amount.
Vinewall: A wall of vines sprouts from the ground perpendicular to the
direction the wizard is facing, centered on the target. Any enemies walking
into the Vinewall will be grabbed by vines, just like the Grasping Vines
spell. This is the only wall spell that has friend or foe differentiation.
Rating = **: Vinewall is not that great a spell for seventh level, since if
you put up a wall, you usually don't want to go to the other side of it.
Protector more than makes up for Vinewall, though.
B. James: Heavy-Hitter
Jabberocky (4 Souls): These creatures have a similar model to the ent, but
more elephant-like, with the head and trunk of an elephant. The Jabberocky
is really slow, so if you're going somewhere you can't teleport to, plan
accordingly. "Quake" is the Jaberrocky's special ability, which creates a
shockwave around them, damaging enemies and knocking them down. Quake has a
fairly long animation, so make sure it is worth it at the time.
Bombardment: For this rain spell, huge boulders fly out of the ground from
all around the wizard for a long time, flying very high, then crashing down
on the area. The boulders knock the ground down a bit if they don't hit a
unit or building. An original bug with bombardment is one of the many, many
reasons to get the latest patch. Originally, the boulders could hit your
flying creatures on the way up.
Rating = *: Jaberrockies and Bombardment are good, the competition just
edged James out.
C. Stratos: Heavy-Hitter
Yeti (4 Souls): Sharing a similar model to the netherfiend, yetis are
Stratos' heavy-hitter. Unlike the other heavy-hitters, yetis have no
special abilities, instead having a couple innate abilities. First, they
have the same innate ability as the storm giant (see Storm Giant) regarding
getting hit with lightning. Second, when the yeti attacks, there is around
a fifty percent chance that the target will be frozen (just like the freeze
spell), as well as taking the regular massive damage.
Fence: A late wall spell, this spell causes little bubbles to float above
the ground in a line perpendicular to the direction the wizard is facing,
centered on the target. These bubbles shoot lightning between each other
periodically, and if any unit gets to close, they will get zapped by
electricity for good damage.
Rating = *****: Yeti's are amazing melee units which aren't abhorrently
slow, like the jaberrocky or (to a lesser extent) ent.
D. Pyro: Heavy-Hitter
Warmonger (4 Souls): Prancing about on tentacle-like legs, warmongers carry
shoulder-mounted machine guns with a fuse. At short to medium range, these
guns mow down enemy units. "Firewalk" is the warmonger's special ability.
Firewalk allows the warmonger to teleport to the target destination, which
takes very little time (their progress is shown by a line of fire moving
along the ground). Firewalk is good for retreating and getting to ranged
units. Since the warmonger is a ranged unit, do not leave them open to
large amounts of damage without healing.
Rain of Fire: Another rain spell, rain of fire creates a cloud above the
target area that rains down fireballs on the area. Note that these
fireballs do a small area of damage. There are cinders in the air after
this spell.
Rating = ****: Warmonger's can chew up enemies fast, even though they die
fast if any get through.
E. Charnel: Heavy-Hitter
Styx (4 Souls): Like the warmongers, the styx sport a fused gun on their
shoulders. The gun of the styx shoots an exploding projectile that leaves
a trail in the air. The range is about the same short to medium range as a
warmonger, but the explosion does area damage. Styx have a special ability
called "Rend Soul" that targets a blue souls and shoots it, causing the
soul to explode. This soul explosion deals massive damage to anything in an
area around it, and the soul is gone forever. The more souls in the group
(2-Soul creature, etc.) the bigger the area and the greater the damage. If
you can explode one in the middle of a battle in the middle of the enemy, I
applaud you ("golf clap? golf clap" -Men at Work).
Plague: A rain spell that drops plague-ridden blood, which causes damage
over time.
Rating = ***: Rend Soul is only slightly harder to use than Firewalk, which
is why Charnel falls below Pyro for this level.
Level 8:
At the eighth level, each god gives his/her two ultimate spells. The first
spell is generally not as good as the second, and the second spell always
costs more mana and has a longer cooldown time. All of these spells are
awesome (or awe-inspiring if you prefer).
A. Persephone
Charm: Target an enemy creature within a short range and hearts will fly
out and around the creature. Soon the creature will just become yours,
forever, even its soul(s) when it dies. 5-Soul creature anyone? Charm never
misses, but if the creature dies before it becomes yours, then Charm
fizzles.
MeanStalks: Four gigantic vines grow out of the ground and proceed to bend
over, impale, and then fling way up into the air any unit within range.
Each unit can only be impaled once per MeanStalks. These stalks last for a
while, so you can use them as you would a rain spell, but don't squander
them! Remember not to get to close to these, or you could be racking up a
lot of frequent flyer miles (although the views are nice).
Rating = *****: I couldn't decide between the spells, they are all so cool!
B. James
Bovine Intervention: A humongous cow (not a bull) flies out of the ground
way up into the sky, and then does a swan dive onto the targeted creature.
This diving cow never misses, and causes a shockwave when it hits the
ground, knocking down nearby units. The targeted creature is always gibbed
as well, meaning that the body is destroyed and the souls are blue to
everyone.
Bore: A boulder just like the "mole" from Soul Mole spirals outward from
the targeted ground, leaving a black line in its wake. About a ring inwards
from the mole the ground starts falling away until it makes it all the way
out to where the mole stopped. A short while after the ground have finished
falling, it will reappear from the inside at roughly the same speed. Any
units on ground that is falling away will die and their souls will be just
like flying units shot down over empty space. Flying units will not fall
unless killed. Wizards who fall will appear at their altar, and will not be
killed even if they are being desecrated. Buildings and ground around and
under them will not be affected. This is a large area, people, about the
size of an altar.
Rating = *****: I couldn't decide between the spells, they are all so cool!
C. Stratos
Cloudkill: Close to a rain spell, Cloudkill creates a little cloud that
shoots lightning at all within range for a lot of damage. Units and
buildings can be hit multiple times from the same Cloudkill. If you target
a building or the ground, the cloud will remain stationary. If you target a
unit, the cloud will slowly follow that unit. Cloudkill seems to recharge
faster than the other spells of this level. My favorite strategy for this
spell is to target the enemy wizard (who usually won't die) so the cloud
follows him and his army.
Tornado: A huge tornado comes down from the heavens and whirls all units
that get close to it around its edges in an upward spiral. The tornado
moves, so units can fall out before the spell is over. Units take a good
amount of damage when they hit the ground, and can fly over edges. This
spell makes a great stall tactic to keep an enemy army out of your hair for
a while when you are attacking their buildings or building an army of your
own. It always rains during this spell.
Rating = *****: I couldn't decide between the spells, they are all so cool!
D. Pyro
Blind Rage: Target a unit, and a red hand will seek it out and explode in
concentric red circles when it reaches the target. Anything within the
outermost circle (except for wizards) becomes berserked and attacks the
nearest unit (friend or foe) with hand-to-hand attacks. This can seriously
cripple an army as it tears itself to shreds. Blind Rage is also the only
way to see many ranged and flying unit's melee attacks. Berserked manahoars
have no attack, but don't listen to orders.
Volcano: Easily the most destructive spell in the game, Volcano creates a
volcano that makes the ground swell until it explodes. The volcano then
proceeds to spew a huge stream of lava into the air (beautiful graphics if
you look at the sky) for about a minute. Anything in or near that stream
takes huge amounts of damage and will be lucky to get out alive. Fireballs
also fly out of the stream of lava, firing in a very large radius and
targeting any unit or building. Understandably, there are cinders in the
air after this spell.
Rating = *****: I couldn't decide between the spells, they are all so cool!
E. Charnel
Intestinal Vaporization: This Charnel spell causes a pulsing mass of
intestines to fly at the targeted creature. Once the mass reaches its
target, little intestines orbit the creature as it grows more and more
bloated until it explodes, leaving behind only blue souls for everyone. The
creature is gibbed, and unlike Bovine Intervention, it is easy to see which
creature is the target for both you and the enemy.
Death: You summon Death, a large cloaked figure with bloody blades for
hands. Death will go for the nearest creature and kill them with one swipe
no matter how much health the creature has. Death lasts for a large number
of killed creatures (not sure how many) or a long amount of time, whichever
comes first. Make sure Death doesn't turn on you. A good way to take care
of Death headed your way is to churn out manahoars for it to kill until it
disappears.
Rating = *****: I couldn't decide between the spells, they are all so cool!
Level 9:
The final level of the spellbook contains a titan, the powerful five-souled
creatures.
A. Persephone: Titan
Dragon (5 Souls): Persephone's titan is the only one that attacks hand-to-
hand. The dragon flies and does huge amounts of damage. The dragon has an
innate ability that casts Grasping Vines on units it hits, which is very
nice. "Breath of Life" is the dragon's special ability, which is identical
to the Animate Dead spell, except for the animation. Unfortunately the
dragons are so large that if you have more than one dragon attacking the
same unit, they will get in each other’s way, but one is all you need
anyway.
Rating = **: The fact that dragons don't do well in groups is all that
drops them to two stars. Think of dragons as super bombers and wizard
killers.
B. James: Titan
Rhinok (5 Souls): The rhinok is the only titan that doesn't fly. Rhinoks
have a slightly weaker version of the "Halo of Earth" spell, since its
attack can not hit flyers. To attack the rhinok jabs his tail or third leg
into the ground and a bunch of spikes jabbing up through the ground go
towards the target and then 'explode' into a ring of spikes shooting
through the ground going outward to a large radius. If you've every played
Starcraft: Brood Wars, it's a lot like the lurker attack. A great unit that
will kill off ground units in droves and is very hardy, but needs some help
against many flyers or buildings.
Rating = ****: There is no better way to decimate a ground army than
rhinoks. Rhinoks' proficiency at this one purpose makes me overlook their
shortcomings in other areas.
C. Stratos: Titan
Silverback (5 Souls): Silverbacks are giant silverback gorillas with wings.
"Run Away" (see Frost Wolf and Flame Minion ) is the special ability of
these flying apes, and they share the innate ability of the storm giant and
yeti (see Storm Giant and Yeti). When attacking, silverbacks shoot out a
stream of frosty air that damages and freezes the target (just like the
Freeze spell). By attacking the same unit over and over, Silverbacks can
keep that unit from doing anything until it dies.
Rating = ***: The freezing ability of the silverbacks can really turn the
tide against other titans, and it doesn't hurt that they eat lightning.
D. Pyro: Titan
Phoenix (5 Souls): A gigantic, hovering, insect-like unit that never
lands is Pyro's titan unit. The phoenix fires a beam similar to that of the
tickferno that does a lot of damage and drains mana very quickly at medium
range. The phoenix also has an innate fire shield ability (just like the
Fireform spell) that activates when something tries to attack it in melee.
Rating = *****: The ability to hit from medium range, take out mana, and
work well in groups puts the phoenix at the top of my titans list.
E. Charnel: Titan
Hellmouth (5 Souls): Hellmouths are huge winged demons that fire what look
like lost souls at their victims. These souls orbit their victim for a
while, if the hellmouth doesn't miss (most of the time they hit) dealing
damage and draining mana. Hellmouths also have the "Devour" special ability
(see Netherfiend), but gain a proportionately bigger bonus than the
netherfiend. Hellmouths do not make good manalith and guardian destroyers,
as their damage over time doesn't work as well as immediate damage because
of manaliths' fast regeneration rate.
Rating = *: Hellmouths are great creatures, but their weak special ability
and inability to take out buildings puts them at the bottom of my titan
list.
V. Thanks
Michelle - for everything
Adrian - for proofreading and tips
www.gamefaqs.com - for providing a great place for gaming info
