Elf's Dance
Welcome, Keeper, to the perilous realm of the Elf's Dance! This level presents a unique challenge, focusing on strategic expansion and creature management against a relentless hero onslaught. Your objective is to eliminate all heroes and claim the land for your dark dominion.
Initial Setup & Expansion
Upon starting, you'll find yourself with a modest dungeon heart and limited resources. Prioritize establishing a solid economic foundation.
- Digging Order: Immediately dig out a 3x3 Lair, a 3x3 Hatchery, and a 5x5 Treasury. These are your core rooms for creature attraction and gold storage.
- Gold Veins: There are several gold veins near your starting position. Designate your Imps to mine these immediately. Gold is crucial for building rooms and casting spells.
- Attracting Creatures: Focus on attracting a balanced force. Early on, Bile Demons are excellent for their high health and area-of-effect attacks, while Goblins provide cheap labor and decent early combat. Consider a Training Room (at least 3x3) to level up your initial creatures.
Dealing with Hero Incursions
The heroes in Elf's Dance are aggressive and will attempt to breach your dungeon frequently. Prepare for constant skirmishes.
- Defensive Line: Establish a strong defensive perimeter. A common strategy is to dig a narrow corridor leading to your main dungeon, lined with Guard Posts and strategically placed Traps.
- Boulder Traps: These are invaluable for dealing massive damage to hero groups. Place them in choke points.
- Spike Traps: Useful for slowing down and damaging individual heroes.
- Creature Placement: Keep your strongest creatures near the front lines. Use the "Slap" command (right-click on creature) to direct them to specific combat zones.
- Reinforcements: Always have a reserve of creatures ready to be dropped into battle using the "Drop Creature" spell.
Mid-Game Objectives & Advanced Tactics
As your dungeon grows, you'll need to expand and secure more resources to counter the escalating hero threat.
- Mana Veins: Locate and claim the mana veins scattered across the map. These are vital for casting powerful spells like Lightning and Heal. A larger Library will increase your mana generation rate.
- Prison & Torture Chamber: Build a Prison to capture heroes. Torturing them in a Torture Chamber can convert them to your side, adding powerful units like Dark Angels to your ranks. Be aware that some heroes are more resistant to conversion.
- Scavenging: Explore the outer regions of the map for hidden gold piles and neutral creatures that can be claimed. Be cautious, as these areas are often patrolled by heroes.
Final Assault & Victory
Once your dungeon is well-established and your forces are strong, it's time to push back and eliminate the remaining hero strongholds.
- Identify Hero Bases: Use your Imps to scout the map and locate the primary hero bases. They are typically well-fortified.
- Concentrated Attack: Gather your strongest creatures, including any converted heroes or high-level Horned Reapers if you've managed to attract them. Use the "Call to Arms" spell to rally your creatures for a coordinated assault.
- Spell Support: Actively use offensive spells like Lightning and Meteor Shower to soften up hero defenses and eliminate key targets. Don't forget Heal to keep your creatures alive.
- Destroy Hero Gates: The ultimate goal is to destroy the hero gates, preventing further reinforcements. Once all heroes are vanquished, victory is yours!