Fortress

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Town-in-box.png
Fully upgraded Fortress

Fortress is a Neutral alignment town, home to the Beastmaster and Witch hero classes.

Fortress represents Tatalia.

The native terrain of Fortress is Swamp.

"Fortress towns are built at the edge of swamps and are often used as bases by the Beastmaster and Witch hero classes. Their armies are primarily made up of deadly creatures — born of the swamps, and then subdued and trained for warfare. While among them there is only one ranged attack creature, Fortress units are possessed of many special abilities to offset this deficiency." Restoration of Erathia Manual

Fortress Buildings[edit source]

Toggle Fortress Building Tree

Fortress Building Tree
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Building Category
Cost Horn of the Abyss Shadow of Death
Common Buildings
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37000

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45

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40

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-

Sulfur symbol for text.png

-

Crystal symbol for text.png

-

Gem symbol for text.png

-

Mage Guild
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4000

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15

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15

Mercury symbol for text.png

10

Sulfur symbol for text.png

10

Crystal symbol for text.png

10

Gem symbol for text.png

10

Dwellings
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45400

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105

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50

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19

Sulfur symbol for text.png

39

Crystal symbol for text.png

-

Gem symbol for text.png

-

Unique Buildings
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6000

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20

Ore symbol for text.png

-

Mercury symbol for text.png

-

Sulfur symbol for text.png

-

Crystal symbol for text.png

-

Gem symbol for text.png

-

Total Building Cost
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92400

Wood symbol for text.png

185

Ore symbol for text.png

105

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29

Sulfur symbol for text.png

49

Crystal symbol for text.png

10

Gem symbol for text.png

10

Weekly Troop Cost
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26660

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-

Ore symbol for text.png

-

Mercury symbol for text.png

-

Sulfur symbol for text.png

2

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-

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-

Common Buildings[edit source]

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Halls
Village Hall
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-

Town Hall
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2500

City Hall
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5000

Capitol
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10000

Fortifications
Fort
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5000

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20

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20

Citadel
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2500

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-

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5

Castle
Gold symbol for text.png

5000

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10

Ore symbol for text.png

10

Miscellaneous Buildings
Tavern
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500

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5

Ore symbol for text.png

-

Marketplace
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500

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5

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-

Resource Silo
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5000

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-

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5

Blacksmith
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1000

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5

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-

Mage Guild
Mage Guild Level 1
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2000

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5

Mercury symbol for text.png Sulfur symbol for text.png Crystal symbol for text.png Gem symbol for text.png

-

Mage Guild Level 2
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1000

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5

Mercury symbol for text.png Sulfur symbol for text.png Crystal symbol for text.png Gem symbol for text.png

4

Mage Guild Level 3
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1000

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5

Mercury symbol for text.png Sulfur symbol for text.png Crystal symbol for text.png Gem symbol for text.png

4

Mage Guild Level 3
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1000

Wood symbol for text.png Ore symbol for text.png

5

Mercury symbol for text.png Sulfur symbol for text.png Crystal symbol for text.png Gem symbol for text.png

6

Banned Spells
Curse.png
Disguise.png
Death Ripple.png
Animate Dead.png
Protection from Earth.png

Creature Dwellings[edit source]

Structure Base Cost Upgrade Cost Creature Max
Grw
Upg Cr
Cost
Cost/
Week
Fortress Gnoll Hut.gif Fortress Upg. Gnoll Hut.gif  Gnoll Hut 
 Wood
10
           Gold
400
 Wood
10
           Gold
1000
Gnoll Gnoll
Gnoll Marauder Gnoll Marauder
30 70 Gold 2100 Gold
Fortress Lizard Den.gif Fortress Upg. Lizard Den.gif  Lizard Den 
 Wood
5
           Gold
1000
 Wood
5
           Gold
1000
Lizardman Lizardman
Lizard Warrior Lizard Warrior
18 140 Gold 2520 Gold
Fortress Serpent Fly Hive.gif Fortress Upg. Serpent Fly Hive.gif  Serpent Fly Hive 
 Wood
5
 Mercury
2
   Sulfur
2
     Gold
1000
   Mercury
2
   Sulfur
2
     Gold
1000
Serpent Fly Serpent Fly
Dragon Fly Dragon Fly
16 240 Gold 3840 Gold
Fortress Basilisk Pit.gif Fortress Upg. Basilisk Pit.gif  Basilisk Pit 
 Wood
5
   Ore
10
       Gold
2000
 Wood
5
   Ore
5
       Gold
2000
Basilisk Basilisk
Greater Basilisk Greater Basilisk
8 400 Gold 3200 Gold
Fortress Gorgon Lair.gif Fortress Upg. Gorgon Lair.gif  Gorgon Lair 
 Wood
10
 Mercury
5
 Ore
10
 Sulfur
5
     Gold
2500
 Wood
5
   Ore
5
       Gold
2000
Gorgon Gorgon
Mighty Gorgon Mighty Gorgon
6 600 Gold 3600 Gold
Fortress Wyvern Nest.gif Fortress Upg. Wyvern Nest.gif  Wyvern Nest 
 Wood
15
           Gold
3500
 Wood
10
 Mercury
10
         Gold
3000
Wyvern Wyvern
Wyvern Monarch Wyvern Monarch
4 1100 Gold 4400 Gold
Fortress Hydra Pond.gif Fortress Upg. Hydra Pond.gif  Hydra Pond 
 Wood
10
   Ore
10
 Sulfur
10
     Gold
10000
 Wood
10
   Ore
10
 Sulfur
20
     Gold
15000
Hydra Hydra
Chaos Hydra Chaos Hydra
2 3500 Gold
1 Sulfur
7000 Gold
2 Sulfur
  


[[File: Creature portrait small.gif link=]] [[|]]
[[File: Creature portrait small.gif
link=]] [[|]]
Total Dwelling Cost:
 Wood
105
 Mercury
19
 Ore
50
 Sulfur
39
     Gold
45400
Weekly Troop Cost: 26660 Gold
2 Sulfur

Unique Buildings[edit source]

Structure Effect Cost
Fortress Glyphs of Fear.gif Glyphs of Fear Gives +2 attack to defending Hero temporarily.
             Gold
1000
Fortress Blood Obelisk.gif Blood Obelisk Gives +2 defense to defending Hero temporarily.
             Gold
1000
Fortress Cage of Warlords.gif Cage of Warlords Gives +1 defense to visiting Hero.
             Gold
1000
Fortress Captain's Quarters.gif Captain's Quarters Horde Building. Growth +6/week for Gnoll Gnoll / Gnoll Marauder Gnoll Marauder
             Gold
1000
Fortress Shipyard.gif Shipyard Allows building boats if the town has access to water.
 Wood
20
           Gold
2000
Fortress Carnivorous Plant.gif Carnivorous Plant Grail Structure. +5000 Gold/day, +50% creature growth
Gives +10 attack and +10 defense to defending Hero temporarily.
n/a
Total Cost:
 Wood
20
           Gold
6000

Heroes[edit source]

Name Class Expansion Source Specialty Skill 1 Skill 2 Spell
BronBron Bron    Beastmaster Beastmaster   1 - Restoration of Erathia Specialty Basilisks small.png  Basilisks Basic Armorer  Basic Armorer   Basic Resistance  Basic Resistance  Shadow of Death 
BronBron Bron    Beastmaster Beastmaster   1 - Restoration of Erathia Specialty Basilisks small.png  Basilisks Basic Armorer  Basic Armorer   Basic Interference  Basic Interference Horn of the Abyss 
DrakonDrakon Drakon    Beastmaster Beastmaster   1 - Restoration of Erathia Specialty Gnolls small.png  Gnolls Basic Armorer  Basic Armorer   Basic Leadership  Basic Leadership  
WystanWystan Wystan    Beastmaster Beastmaster   1 - Restoration of Erathia Specialty Lizardmen small.png  Lizardmen Basic Armorer  Basic Armorer   Basic Archery  Basic Archery  
TazarTazar Tazar    Beastmaster Beastmaster   1 - Restoration of Erathia Specialty Armorer small.png  Armorer Advanced Armorer  Advanced Armorer    
AlkinAlkin Alkin    Beastmaster Beastmaster   1 - Restoration of Erathia Specialty Gorgons small.png  Gorgons Basic Armorer  Basic Armorer   Basic Offense  Basic Offense  
KorbacKorbac Korbac    Beastmaster Beastmaster   1 - Restoration of Erathia Specialty Serpent Flies small.png  Serpent Flies Basic Armorer  Basic Armorer   Basic Pathfinding  Basic Pathfinding  
GerwulfGerwulf Gerwulf    Beastmaster Beastmaster   1 - Restoration of Erathia Specialty Ballista small.png  Ballista Basic Armorer  Basic Armorer   Basic Artillery  Basic Artillery  
BroghildBroghild Broghild    Beastmaster Beastmaster   1 - Restoration of Erathia Specialty Wyverns small.png  Wyverns Basic Armorer  Basic Armorer   Basic Scouting  Basic Scouting  
MirlandaMirlanda Mirlanda    Witch Witch   1 - Restoration of Erathia Specialty Weakness small.png  Weakness Advanced Wisdom  Advanced Wisdom     Weakness small.png Weakness 
RosicRosic Rosic    Witch Witch   1 - Restoration of Erathia Specialty Mysticism small.png  Mysticism Basic Wisdom  Basic Wisdom   Basic Mysticism  Basic Mysticism   Magic Arrow small.png Magic Arrow 
VoyVoy Voy    Witch Witch   1 - Restoration of Erathia Specialty Navigation small.png  Navigation Basic Wisdom  Basic Wisdom   Basic Navigation  Basic Navigation   Slow small.png Slow 
KinkeriaKinkeria Kinkeria    Witch Witch   4 - Horn of the Abyss Specialty Learning small.png  Learning Basic Wisdom  Basic Wisdom   Basic Learning  Basic Learning   Slow small.png Slow 
VerdishVerdish Verdish    Witch Witch   1 - Restoration of Erathia Specialty First Aid small.png  First Aid Basic Wisdom  Basic Wisdom   Basic First Aid  Basic First Aid   Protection from Fire small.png Protection from Fire 
MeristMerist Merist    Witch Witch   1 - Restoration of Erathia Specialty Stone Skin small.png  Stone Skin Basic Wisdom  Basic Wisdom   Basic Learning  Basic Learning   Stone Skin small.png Stone Skin 
StygStyg Styg    Witch Witch   1 - Restoration of Erathia Specialty Sorcery small.png  Sorcery Basic Wisdom  Basic Wisdom   Basic Sorcery  Basic Sorcery   Shield small.png Shield 
AndraAndra Andra    Witch Witch   1 - Restoration of Erathia Specialty Intelligence small.png  Intelligence Basic Wisdom  Basic Wisdom   Basic Intelligence  Basic Intelligence  Dispel small.png Dispel 
TivaTiva Tiva    Witch Witch   1 - Restoration of Erathia Specialty Eagle Eye small.png  Eagle Eye Basic Wisdom  Basic Wisdom   Basic Eagle Eye  Basic Eagle Eye   Stone Skin small.png Stone Skin 
AdrienneAdrienne Adrienne Map Editor   Witch Witch   2 - Armageddon's Blade Specialty Fire Magic small.png  Fire Magic Basic Wisdom  Basic Wisdom   Expert Fire Magic  Expert Fire Magic   Inferno small.png Inferno 

Creatures[edit source]

 Name   Town   Lvl   Att   Def   Dmg-   Dmg+   HP   Spd   Grw   AI Val   Cost   Special 














Gnoll Gnoll Gnoll Gnoll   Town portrait Fortress small.png 1 3 5 2 3 6 4 12 56 50 Gold    
Gnoll Marauder Gnoll Marauder Gnoll Marauder Gnoll Marauder   Town portrait Fortress small.png 1+ 4 6 2 3 6 5 12 90 70 Gold    
Lizardman Lizardman Lizardman Lizardman   Town portrait Fortress small.png 2 5 6 2 3 14 4 9 126 110 Gold   Ranged (12 shots) 
Lizard Warrior Lizard Warrior Lizard Warrior Lizard Warrior   Town portrait Fortress small.png 2+ 6 8 2 5 15 5 9 156 140 Gold   Ranged (24 shots) 
Serpent Fly Serpent Fly Serpent Fly Serpent Fly   Town portrait Fortress small.png 3 7 9 2 5 20 9 8 268 220 Gold   Flying, Dispel 
Dragon Fly Dragon Fly Dragon Fly Dragon Fly   Town portrait Fortress small.png 3+ 8 10 2 5 20 13 8 312 240 Gold   Flying, Dispel, Weakness 
Basilisk Basilisk Basilisk Basilisk   Town portrait Fortress small.png 4 11 11 6 10 35 5 4 552 325 Gold   Petrify 
Greater Basilisk Greater Basilisk Greater Basilisk Greater Basilisk   Town portrait Fortress small.png 4+ 12 12 6 10 40 7 4 714 400 Gold   Petrify 
Gorgon Gorgon Gorgon Gorgon   Town portrait Fortress small.png 5 10 14 12 16 70 5 3 890 525 Gold    
Mighty Gorgon Mighty Gorgon Mighty Gorgon Mighty Gorgon   Town portrait Fortress small.png 5+ 11 16 12 16 70 6 3 1028 600 Gold   Death stare 10% chance/unit 
Wyvern Wyvern Wyvern Wyvern   Town portrait Fortress small.png 6 14 14 14 18 70 7 2 1350 800 Gold   Flying 
Wyvern Monarch Wyvern Monarch Wyvern Monarch Wyvern Monarch   Town portrait Fortress small.png 6+ 14 14 18 22 70 11 2 1518 1100 Gold   Flying, Poison 
Hydra Hydra Hydra Hydra   Town portrait Fortress small.png 7 16 18 25 45 175 5 1 4120 2200 Gold   No enemy retaliation, Attack all adjacent enemies 
Chaos Hydra Chaos Hydra Chaos Hydra Chaos Hydra   Town portrait Fortress small.png 7+ 18 20 25 45 250 7 1 5931 3500 Gold 1 Sulfur  No enemy retaliation, Attack all adjacent enemies 

Town Names[edit source]

Unless specified by the mapmaker, towns will generate with a random name. Fortress towns will use one of these following names:

Backwater Coolmire Deadfall Deadwood
Drakenmoor Edgewater Hermit Cove Lostmoor
Marshank Marshchoke Marshwall Mossden
Mosswood Mudshire Silt Stillbog

If there are more Fortress towns on the map than possible names, they will use names taken from other towns.

User Commentary

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Some may find the information in this section subjective or irrelevant.

  • While among them there is only one ranged-attack creature, Fortress units possess many special abilities to offset this deficiency.

Pros:

  • High defense (Defense themed town)
  • With a two-hex moat and several buildings which increase the stats of the defending hero, a Fortress castle is a real pain to attack. So the Fortress moat is considered as the best moat in the game due to usefulness thanks to two-hex wide that make harder to attack a Fortress castle without support of shooters, flyers and spells.
  • Hand-to-hand troops with excellent specials (Dispel, Death Stare, Petrify, Poison).
  • Dragon Flies are extremely fast. They share 8th place by speed among town units with Efreet Sultans (not including 7 level creatures, these two are fastest in the game), being faster than all creatures in Tower and Stronghold - and it's on level 3! For early development, it rocks, since the hero may simply rush through the map having Dragon Flies only (even basic Serpent Flies are ok, as their speed 9 is decent); and in a big battle, they are a major problem since they remove positive spells casted on enemy units and cast Weakness, making them less effective. They are also good creatures in terms of speed per cost ratio for scouting heroes at early game and/or towns with slow armies.
  • Their swamp native terrain makes them move much faster than any hero (without pathfinding) in the swamp.
  • The Wyvern Nest is very cheap and has very low requirements compared to the other level 6 dwellings, allowing the Fortress town to get level 6 units in their army early even on impossible difficulty.
  • Bron is the only hero in the game to bring level 4 units - Basilisks - with him at the start of the game. (Except Illor and Todd in HotA.) Horn of the Abyss

Cons:

  • Fortress creatures have the lowest attack ratings of all towns.
  • The heavy focus on Defense can be disadvantageous in many cases, as a hero with high attack can kill their enemies before they have a chance to attack back. Attack can therefore be used as a type of defense, while defense cannot be used as offense.
  • The big focus on Defense, combined with the fact that Fortress only has one shooter, makes it more difficult for it to win battles without casualties, than the other factions.
  • Magic, Mage Guild is limited to level 3.
  • Some creatures have poor stats (in Shadow of Death, as well as Restoration of Erathia patch 1.3 and Armageddon's Blade patch 2.1, some stats for Lizardman/Lizard Warrior and Serpent Fly/Dragon Fly were increased, but overall they are still relatively weak).
  • Very slow 7 level creature, especially the basic version (with speed 5, Hydra is slower than six level 1 creatures, and there is no upgraded level 1 creature slower than Hydra; among level 2 melee units, only Dwarf, Walking Dead, and Zombie are slower). Moreover, Chaos Hydras are more expensive than Ancient Behemoths who are stronger, faster and more resilient.
  • Wyverns are on the bottom of the 6th level, have low HP, and are too expensive for their strength (Monarchs cost as much as Efreet Sultans, and more than War Unicorns).
  • With two fragile fliers (lvl 3 with 20 hp, lvl 6 with 70 hp) and one low-level shooter, the Fortress has a very hard time invading other towns properly. So Expert Ballistics, Expert Teleport and/or Expert Earthquake are a must.

The fortress is a "Defense" themed town. It's evident all throughout the design of this faction. The castle itself has a double-thickness moat, and many tough, resilient creatures such as Basilisks, Gorgons, and the immovable Hydra which can make fortress hypothetically the hardest town to siege. Even the native terrain of swamp plays into this theme because many opposing heroes will be severely hindered in the area around your town.

Unfortunately, having a tough defense is usually not ideal strategy in Heroes III as it is a game that favors aggression and outward expansion. Most players rank the fortress as among the weakest towns, and typically if you don't expand to other towns in the first few weeks, you'll most likely be outpaced by other players or NPCs. Pick a strong beastmaster as your hero and begin pounding on wandering creatures as early as possible (you'll suffer losses, but fortress creatures are hard to wipe out).


See also[edit source]