This Crusade Mode guide for Wrath of the Righteous is written not from a tactical perspective where one is told how much of one unit to make and what formations to use. Instead, this guide aims to provide as much information as possible to help the player create and execute a strategic plan to successfully raise armies and defeat the demonic forces of the Worldwound.
 
 
As fair warning there are SPOILERS in this guide.
 
 

Foreward

This guide was written purely out of spite for Crusade mode, which is a combination of Kingmaker’s Kingdom Management mode and Heroes of Might & Magic III. Much like Kingmaker’s Kingdom Management mode it felt like a massive disconnect from the main game and the drama found therein. Unlike Heroes of Might & Magic III the strategy is also very bland and uninteresting.
 
 
Nonetheless, it is incredibly important to the game that you come to grips with Crusade mode because to play in Auto mode (which was not even originally present) is to roll the dice and it will guarantee you are locked out of certain outcomes, such as the secret ending. With any luck this guide will provide a safeguard from you, the player, pulling out your hair.
 
 
One other important note: this guide is written under the assumption that your character is NOT playing as a Lich or a Swarm-That-Walks. The latter is a guaranteed lock-out from Crusade mode and the former has mechanics that may not align with that is written here. If anyone wants to contribute to a Lich Crusade in this gude feel free to comment.
 
 
And finally, I want to give a shout-out to TrueMaxx for the contributions and double-checking that helped make this guide come to be. The assistance is incredibly appreciated!
 
 
Without further ado, the Crusade awaits!
 
 
 

Author’s Tactics Summed Up

While this guide is meant more to help players plan out the development of their individual Crusade rather than tell players how to fight their individual battles, I can at least provide the general tactics and decisions I’ve used because those have flavored how I’ve written this guide.
 
 

• My “best” armies are made up of large numbers of archers and cavalry, usually Marksmen and Hedge Knights respectively, and are led by generals with Master of Maneuver and Caravan Masters.
• My archers fire first and knock out spellcasters and ranged units first, then whittle down melee troops. Any survivors are tied up in melee by cavalry.
• My cities, once sorted out by teleport hubs and defensive chokepoints, are given Garrison Stables and Garrison Ranges to boost production. Archers get damage and HP boosts, Cavalry get HP and AC boosts.
• Regardless of roleplay motivations my Council decisions and decrees are meant to find additional boosts.
• I keep at least four armies, three of which play zone defense in key areas and the fourth of which is my hammer to bash the demonic forces.
• Infantry are emergency Cavalry.

 
If your individual play style goes counter to this you can choose and adjust accordingly! This way has worked pretty well for me.
 
 
 

Act 2: A Humorously Brief Instruction

The Crusade mode “officially” begins in Act 2, just after you retake the Gray Garrison and have a rousing celebration in the tavern. You are appointed as Knight Commander, given an expeditionary force, and are commanded to go forth and retake Drezen. Sounds simple enough, right?
 
 
It more or less is, as it turns out. You can only recruit a handful of units, plus a few more types after some development during Act 2, and the annoyances of city development and being counter-attacked are totally absent. The trick is to build up as large of a single consolidated army as you can, ensure it has a general, and use that army to take over all the territory available in Act 2.
 
 
The two primary concerns that affect the rest of the game are how you handle Leper’s Smile and whether you go to rescue the Hellknights, both of which happen after you conquer the first fort (Vilareth Ford’s Outpost). It is strongly advised that you rescue the Hellknights and recruit Regill into your party as he will open up some good options later and it is strongly advised that you kill the Bug Queen in Leper’s Smile ASAP and burn the corpse immediately.
 
 
Eventually you should make it to Drezen, hopefully with as many party members in tow as possible, and by the time you’re done with Act 2 most of your gang will be ready to join you for the REAL Crusade Mode experience.
 
 
 

The 20 Most Important Spots

When you’re making your expedition from Kenabres to Drezen in Act 2 you don’t get a full appreciation for just how large the map is, you don’t have to worry about any counter-attacks from any direction, and as long as you have soldiers to throw out at enemy armies and forts you can clear out the map at your own pace without any sense of urgency.
 
 
The instant you move into Act 3, though, the world begins to open up drastically and there is a lot of territory to cover and account for. The good news, for the most part, is that as long as you have a strong army to play offense and a strong army to play defense you can also take your time to clear out the map of enemy forces. The bad news is that without proper planning you could be caught with your pants down by an approaching enemy army, especially when there are hundreds of points on the map to consider.
 
 
Luckily, there is a pattern to how the enemy operates and to where certain Crusade Quests take place and all the territory on the map can, for Crusade purposes, be narrowed down to 20 specific dots. Those points are specified below and are noted for their importance. Points 12 and 16-20 are only reachable on foot in Act 5. All red arrows are the direction enemies are confirmed to attack from, all red squares are confirmed enemy spawn points.
 
 

Act 3 Locations

 
 

 

• 1 – Drezen – The single most important location throughout the game’s Crusade mode. This is the city where you enable the recruitment of trainable units, where your adventuring party can rest and remove corruption, a primary quest hub, and the ultimate target for any and every invading demon army that spawns on the map. Unfortunately, it is totally exposed to invading armies from the west.
• 2 – Keeper’s Canyon – The sole fort south of Drezen and the last buffer from any invading army that comes from the south.

 

 

• 3 – Vilareth Ford’s Outpost – While not important from an army standpoint, this city is the closest city to three quest locations: Nameless Ruin, Chilly Creek, and Kenabres.
• 4 – Stone Maze – The fort between Wintersun and Keeper’s Canyon is a key chokepoint that prevents invading armies from the south from getting closer to Drezen.
• 5 – During Act 5 a friendly Crusader army will spawn here during the Crusade Errand “Blockade of Reinforcements”, which must be completed to advance the Military Council.
• 6 – During Act 5 an enemy army will spawn here during the Crusade Errand “Blockade of Reinforcements”, which must be completed to advance the Military Council.
• 7 – During Act 5 an enemy army will spawn here during the Crusade Errand “Khorramzadeh’s Trap”, which must be completed to advance the Military Council.

 

 

• 8 – Gloomy Gorge – This fort, while unfortunately located, is still a key defensive position against invading armies from its northwest and southwest.
• 9 – During Act 3 an enemy army will spawn at this point during the Crusade Errand “Repelling the Assault”, which must be completed to advance the Military Council. This army will head slowly towards Drezen until defeated.
• 10 – This is one of four confirmed spawn points that invader armies will spawn from. It will sometimes try to attack Gloomy Gorge and it will sometimes just go around Gloomy Gorge.

 

 

• 11 – Camp on the Ferry – This fort is ideally situated to block attacks that come from Iz and from Pulura’s Fall and for that same reason is an ideal fort to teleport to.
• 12 – Pulura’s Fall is a confirmed spawn point for invading enemy armies, who will sometimes attack Camp on the Ferry and will sometimes make a straight march towards Drezen. You and your armies cannot march to this point until Act 5.

 

 

• 13 – Tower of Yath – The closest fort to The Heart of Mystery and also the single closest point to a confirmed enemy spawn point, this will completely plug southern invasions from the source.
• 14 – This point is a confirmed spawn point for invading armies, capturing Tower of Yath will completely cut this point off attack.
• 15 – During Act 3 an enemy army will spawn at this point during the Crusade Errand “Storms Peak” which is not technically required to continue advancing the Military Council but should still be cleared out.

 

Act 5 Locations

 
 

 

• 16 – Necromancer’s Grave – While it is not important from an army standpoint it is the closest fort to three quest locations during Act 5. Could also be interchanged with Tyrant’s Keep.

 

 

• 17 – The Castle of Desires – This fort is ideally situated between several quest locations and is a guaranteed blocker to invading armies that come from Threshold in Act 5.
• 18 – Last Barrier – The closest fort to Threshold, the final quest location in the game. One could fortify this location, but it is not confirmed whether invading armies spawn at Threshold or at this location. It is recommended to fortify The Castle of Desires instead.
• 19 – During Act 5 an enemy army will spawn at this point during the Crusade Errand “Champions of the Abyss” which must be completed in order to conclude the Military Council.
• 20 – This point is a confirmed spawn point for invading armies, capturing Camp on the Ferry will cut this point off from the map

 
 
 

City Planning: What to Build and Where

During the course of the Crusade you will attack enemy forts, which are identical to armies except that 1) your adventuring party cannot ignore and travel past them and 2) will reward you with a city to develop by constructing buildings in. The ultimate goal of the Crusade is to reclaim all twenty forts and then close the Worldwound, but some prove to be more important than others during the course of the game and need to be developed as such.
 
 
All buildings in the game can be broken down into six categories:
 

• Teleportation Circle
• Citadel
• Recruitment Buildings
• Upgrade Buildings
• Economy Buildings
• Shelter

 
Teleportation Circles are what allow your party to instantly teleport from anywhere on the map to a specific city, and require at least one city ugrade (4 squares to 9 squares) to be built. These are your highest priority, since there can only be six at most.
 
 
Citadels are unique buildings in that they add time to how long any given city can block an invading army, which will be needed to move an army to counter it ASAP. Key defensive cities require this building and are a close second.
 
 
Recruitment Buildings are the buildings that enable the training of non-Mercenary units and subsequently improve the weekly growth rate, so the more the better. After Teleportation Circles and Citadels these are your best buildings, as large armies are the best way to defeat enemy armies.
 
 
Upgrade Buildings add specific bonuses to your individual units or to your generals, and some of them require direct adjacency (touching sides, touching corners don’t count) in order to apply. If you choose your units and upgrades carefully they will significantly improve your units, but should only be built once the previous types are built or unless you have specific aims.
 
 
Economy Buildings simply increase the amount of Finance Points, Materials Points, and Energy Points gained on a daily basis. Over the course of the game your incomes grow substantially as-is, so building these should be on an as-needed basis.
 
 
And finally, Shelters. On paper a Shelter sounds decent: resting on the travel map in a city with a Shelter won’t increase your corruption gain. In practice, this is completely redundant as you can teleport to Drezen to remove all corruption and then go back to wherever you were. You should avoid building these unless you’re in a completely distant location and unwilling to go back to Drezen.
 
 
All of those considered, the below table is my recommended build priority for all of the cities in the game. If you are in Act 3 and see a city name on this table that isn’t on your map you either haven’t claimed it yet or it is not available to claim until Act 5.
 
 

City and Build Priority

 

City Name	Teleportation Circle Recommended	Citadel Recommended	Recruitment Buildings Recommended	Upgrade Buildings Recommended	Economy Buildings Recommended
Drezen	Yes (Mandatory)	Yes (Mandatory)	Yes (Mandatory)	As Available	As Needed
Camp on the Ferry	Yes	Yes	Yes	As Available	As Needed
Tower of Yath	Yes	Yes	Yes	As Available	As Needed
The Castle of Desires	Yes	Yes	Yes	As Available	As Needed
Vilareth Ford’s Outpost	Yes	No	Yes	As Available	As Needed
Necromancer’s Grave	Yes	No	Yes	As Available	As Needed
Keeper’s Canyon	No	Yes	Yes	As Available	As Needed
Stone Maze	No	Yes	Yes	As Available	As Needed
Gloomy Gorge	No	Yes	Yes	As Available	As Needed
Treasonhome	No	Maybe	Yes	As Available	As Needed
Last Barrier	No	Maybe	Yes	As Available	As Needed
Gargoyle Canyon	No	No	Yes	As Available	As Needed
Hamlet of Sork	No	No	Yes	As Available	As Needed
Sorcerers’ Fortress	No	No	Yes	As Available	As Needed
Tyrant’s Keep	No	No	Yes	As Available	As Needed
Mountain Warden	No	No	Yes	As Available	As Needed
Cave Citadel	No	No	Yes	As Available	As Needed
Camp of the Mammoth Lords	No	No	Yes	As Available	As Needed
Sinister Mansion	No	No	Yes	As Available	As Needed
Death Bridge	No	No	Yes	As Available	As Needed

 
 
 

Information Table: City Buildings (WIP)

The following table is the list of buildings as best as I have access to. I know there are some buildings missing that primarily belong to other mythic paths, so as those are discovered they will be added into this table. For the time being it is kept as a WIP.
 
 
2021-10-03 = Prices have been removed due to reports of varying prices.
 
 

BUILDING NAME	ROLE	FUNCTION	ADJACENCY	NOTES
Teleportation Circle	1 Teleportation Circle	Allows party to teleport here from anywhere on map	No
Citadel	2 Citadel	Adds 3 days to siege timer	No
Garrison Archery Range	3 Recruitment	+25% growth for trainable Archers	No	Cannot be built if Inn is present
Garrison Barracks	3 Recruitment	+25% growth for trainable Infantry	No	Cannot be built if Inn is present
Garrison Hall of Champions	3 Recruitment	+25% growth for trainable Veterans	No	Cannot be built if Inn is present
Garrison Spellcasters’ Lodge	3 Recruitment	+25% growth for trainable Spellcasters	No	Cannot be built if Inn is present
Garrison Stables	3 Recruitment	+25% growth for trainable Cavalry	No	Cannot be built if Inn is present
Hall of Glory	3 Recruitment	Mercenary Recruitment 5% cheaper	No
Main Archery Range	3 Recruitment	Enables training of Archer troops	No	Only 1 total, Drezen only
Main Barracks	3 Recruitment	Enables training of Infantry troops	No	Only 1 total, Drezen only
Main Hall of Champions	3 Recruitment	Enables training of Veteran troops	No	Only 1 total, Drezen only, Act 5
Main Spellcasters’ Lodge	3 Recruitment	Enables training of Spellcaster troops	No	Only 1 total, Drezen only
Main Stables	3 Recruitment	Enables training of Cavalry troops	No	Only 1 total, Drezen only
Mercenary Guild	3 Recruitment	Can recruit 1 additional mercenary unit	No
Stronghold (Lann)	3 Recruitment	+25% Recruitable Unit Growth	No	Only 1 total, Act 5
Stronghold (Wenduag)	3 Recruitment	Mercenary Recruitment 12.5% cheaper	No	Only 1 total, Act 5
Alchemist’s Laboratory	4 Upgrade	+10 Energy for Generals	No
Apothecary	4 Upgrade	+10 HP for trainable units	Yes
Arsenal	4 Upgrade	+1 AC for trainable units	Yes
Bulletin Board	4 Upgrade	+2% chance to act twice, -2% chance to skip action	No
Cathedral	4 Upgrade	All units: +15% HP, +3 attack, +3 AC, and +10 damage vs demons	No	Only 1 total, Act 5
Fighting Pit	4 Upgrade	+1 initiative for trainable units	Yes
Gallows	4 Upgrade	-3% chance to skip action	No
Hall of Strategy	4 Upgrade	Generals get +1 Attack, +1 AC, and +2 Energy	No
Hospital	4 Upgrade	Generals get +5% infirmary size	No
Military Academy	4 Upgrade	+1 bonus to attack, AC, and saving throw for all trainable units	No
Monument	4 Upgrade	+5% chance to act twice	No
Pathfinder Society Lodge	4 Upgrade	+1 bonus to attack, AC, and saving throw for all mercenary units	No
Smithy	4 Upgrade	+1 attack for trainable units	Yes
Spiritual Garden	4 Upgrade	+25 combat morale for all units, +50% generals’ energy recovery, +20 %mythic unit recruitment	No	Only 1 total, Act 5
Tavern	4 Upgrade	10% reduction in morale status effects	No
Training Grounds	4 Upgrade	+10% damage for trainable units	Yes
Watchtower	4 Upgrade	+1 bonus to attack, AC, saving throw, and initiative for all units	No	Only applies to region town is in
Engineers’ Workshop	5 Economy	Building Cost reduced by 10%	No	Only 1 total
Inn	5 Economy	+200 Finance Points	No	Cannot be built if any Garrison buildings are present
Market	5 Economy	+20 Finance Points, +1 Materials Points	No
Palace	5 Economy	+25% Finance, Materials, and Energy Points	No	Only 1 total, Act 5
Salvager’s Post	5 Economy	+1 Materials and Energy Points	No
Sanctuary	5 Economy	+4 Energy Points	No
Shrine	5 Economy	+10 Finance Points, +1 Energy Point	No
Supply Center	5 Economy	+3 Material Points	No
Warehouse	5 Economy	+100 Finance Points (Inn), +1 Material Point (Supply Center), +1 Energy Point (Sanctuary)	Yes
Shelter	6 Shelter	Allows party to rest without increasing corruption	No	Not Recommended

 
 
 

Crusade Stats and Councils

Like in Kingmaker, your progress through the Crusade is tracked by individual statistics, which have mercifully been reduced from ten down to four:
 
 

• Leadership = The overall effectiveness of your command during the Crusade, which is increased from a number of sources including Card events, fighting and winning battles, etc.
• Logistics = The underpinning supply lines to building up your crusade, this stat is primarily increased by constructing buildings in your cities.
• Diplomacy = How influential you are to the rest of the world, this stat increases passively over time and can be increased by purchasing Finance and Materials Points out of your own gold wallet.
• Military = How large and powerful your overall might is, as it is increased by the recruitment of units and hiring of mercenaries.

 
In Wrath of the Righteous, instead of appointing a single companion to be an advisor for each and every stat, there are four councils that are chaired by NPCs and supported by up to three or four of your companions, depending on which ones are in your party during Act 3 and Act 5. The councils compositions are listed below:
 
 
Leadership: Captain Harmattan (NPC), Seelah, Regill, Daeran
 
 
Logistics: Dorgelinda Stranglehold (NPC), Arueshalae, Lann, Wenduag, Woljif
 
 
Diplomacy: Lady Konomi (NPC), Daeran, Lann, Sosiel, Woljif
 
 
Military: Captain Odan (NPC), Greybor, Regill, Seelah, Wenduag
 
 
You have to be mindful that the companions in question must be in your party for each and every meeting, so in some special circumstances you are guaranteed to not have every available companion. For example: while it is possible to recruit Lann in Act 1 and Wenduag in Act 3 it won’t be possible for them both to be in Act 5, so if you want Wenduag’s later options be sure to reject her in Act 3 so she joins in Act 5.
 
 
Every Council’s events are tied to that specific Crusade Stat rank, and starting at Rank 1 means there are a total of 7 rank up events (8 if you count a handful of follow-up events).
 
 
 

Leadership Council: Only the Best and Brightest!

Several of your armies’ unit upgrades come from this Council, which is headed by The Rock Captain Harmattan. If you want unit bonuses, bonuses for your generals, or even morale bonuses this is the place to come. Except when Harmattan turns traitor, then they come from one of his aides. There’s a lot more to it in the game.
 
 

Act 3

 

Level 2: Repeatable Decree	Effect	Duration	Companion Required
Glory to the Heroes	5-10 Morale	Instant	Seelah
Hunting Down Mutiny	16-25 Morale, -10% Recruitment Growth, +10% Mercenary Cost	Instant	Regill
Bribes for the Officers	15-20 Morale	Instant	Daeran
Distributing Provisions	10-15 Morale	Instant	N/A

Author’s Choice: Any. The only thing that changes is how much each one costs, but given that the best morale boosts come from winning battles the decrees are largely redundant.
 
 

Level 3: Generals Bonus	Effect	Companion Required
Pious Officers	+10% Infirmary Size	Seelah
Striving for Distinction	+10% Experience Bonus	Regill
Master of Maneuver	+1 Army Unit Size	Daeran
Heroic Officers	+5 Combat Morale Bonus	N/A

Author’s Choice: Pious Officers or Master of Maneuver. If your army takes a lot of hits better unit recovery is important, otherwise having more units in your army is wonderful.
 
 

Level 4: Repeatable Decree	Effect	Duration	Companion Required
Preachers	+7% Recruitment Growth	20 Days	Seelah
Refugees’ Recruitment	+20% Recruitment Growth, -20 Crusade Morale	14 Days	Regill
Generous Recruiters	+1 Available Mercenary Unit	14 Days	Daeran
Royal Conscription	+10% Recruitment Growth	14 Days	N/A

Author’s Choice: Preachers. The 7% growth over 20 days is higher than anything else provided.
 
 

Level 5: City Building	Effect	Companion Required
Monument	+5% bonus to act twice with high morale	Seelah
Gallows	-3% bonus to skipping turn with low morale	Regill
Tavern	-10% reduction to all morale effects	Daeran
Bulletin Board	+2% bonus to act twice with high morale and -2% bonus to skipping turn with low morale	N/A

Author’s Choice: Monument or Bulletin Board. Bonuses to acting twice with high morale are better than the alternatives.
 
 

Act 5

 

Level 6: Generals Bonus	Effect	Companion Required
Charismatic Officers	Units start with +15 combat morale bonus	Seelah
Strict Officers	Units gain +3 bonus to combat morale when damaged	Regill
Intimidating Officers	Enemies start with -15 combat morale penalty	Daeran
Negotiations with the Wary	N/A, Crusde morale reduces by 25	N/A
Persistent Officers	Units gain +1 combat morale bonus per turn	N/A

Author’s Choice: Charismatic Officers. The initial high boost to morale works well with strong armies. I’d recommend never negotiating with the Wary.
 
 

Level 7: Generals Bonus	Effect	Companion Required
Relic Keeper (Level 20)	+15 General Power	Seelah
Brilliant Strategist	+15% Damage for Archers and Infantry	Regill
Noble Recruits	+20% Damage for Cavalry and Elites	Daeran
Universal Support (non-General)	+100 Finance, +5 Materials, +4 Energy	N/A

Author’s Choice: Brilliant Strategist or Noble Recruits. Damage bonus to archers or cavalry outweighs the other options.
 
 

Level 8: Repeatable Decree	Effect	Companion Required
Feast of the Sacred Host	Generals gain +1 Heavenly Ward for 30 Days	Seelah
Military Exercise	Generals gain 50k experience, ranged units gain +20% damage to infantry, infantry units gain +20% damage to cavalry, cavalry units gain +20% damage to archers	Regill
Dark Bonds	Generals gain +1 Mighty Servant feat	Daeran
Great Commemoration	Random Army is recruited instantly	N/A

Author’s Choice: Great Commemoration or Military Exercise. If you have many generals the latter is best, otherwise a new army can tip the scales.
 
 
The Level 8 Decree must be used at least once to trigger the finale event.
 
 

Finale: Alignment Shift	Effect	Companion Required
“I forgive you…”	Alignment Shift: Good	N/A
“I am demoting you…”	Alignment Shift: Lawful	N/A
“I spared your life…”	Alignment Shift: Evil	N/A

This choice is purely a roleplay one, as the end result is the same: Captain Harmattan is no longer your advisor and the Council comes to an end.
 
 
 

Logistics Council: Keep On Building!

The Logistics Council is meant to ensure that all of your troops are armed, armored, fed, and paid, which is a hell of a job for Dorgelinda Stranglehold. This requires the establishment of supply lines and garrisons which, in crunch speak, means the more buildings you build the better your Logistics get. Most of the bonuses here are economy-based, with some military stuff in there as well.
 
 

Act 3

 

Level 2: Passive Unit Trait	Effect	Unit Type	Companion Required
Expensive Equipment	+1 Attack and AC Bonus	Trainable	Woljif
Ready for Anything	+2 Saving Throw Bonus	Trainable	Arueshalae
Experiences Intendants	+10% HP Bonus	Trainable	Lann
Only the Essentials	+10% HP Bonus	Mercenary	Wenduag
Equipment from the State	+1 Attack and Saving Throw Bonus	Mercenary	N/A

Author’s Choice: Expensive Equipment or Experienced Intendants. Anything that increases the survival factor of my core units is phenomenal.
 
 

Level 3: City Building	Effect	Companion Required
Market	+20 Finance Points, +1 Materials Point	Woljif
Shrine	+10 Finance Points, +1 Energy Point	Arueshalae
Salvager’s Post	+1 Materials Point, +1 Energy Point	Lann
Fighting Pit	+1 Initiative Bonus for Adjacent Trainable Unit Buildings	Wenduag
Warehouse	+100 Finance Points (by Inn), +1 Material Point (by Supply Center), +1 Energy Point (by Sanctuary)	N/A

Author’s Choice: Shrine or Salvager’s Post. The Energy Point is the primary factor here.
 
 

Level 4: Specific Bonus	Effect	Companion Required
Favortism	Generals gain +33% experience	Woljif
Reminder of Piety	+7 Energy Points	Arueshalae
Fighting the Marauders	+20 Materials Points	Lann
Hired Caravan Guards	-5% Mercenary Cost	Wenduag
Caravan Masters	+15 Movement Points for Generals	N/A

Author’s Choice: Caravan Masters. The ability for general-led armies to move 37.5% farther in a day is critical in closing large distances, especially when forts are under attack. Reminder of Piety is a distant second.
 
 

Level 5: Crusade Bonus	Effect	Companion Required
Insiders in the Field	+10 Finance Points and +1 Materials Point per controlled region	Woljif
Demonstration of Mercy	+33% morale bonus to Finance, Materials, and Energy Points	Arueshalae
Demonstration of Rigor	Generals that defeat armies produce +1000 Finance Points	Lann
Demonstration of Rigor	Generals that defeat armies produce +1000 Finance Points	Wenduag
Demonstration of Loyalty	+5% bonus to Finance, Materials, and Energy Points	N/A

Author’s Choice: Demonstration of Mercy or Demonstration of Loyalty. Demonstration of Rigor is a hard pass as you will eventually run out of armies to defeat and Insiders in the Field neglects Energy production.
 
 

Act 5

 

Leve 6: Repeatable Decree	Effect	Duration	Companion Required
Tricky Steal	Adds 10% -or- 10k Finance Points, whichever is lower	Instant	Woljif
Acquiring Unclaimed Property	Adds 750 Materials Points	Instant	Arueshalae
Selling Excesses / Distribution of Trophies	2250 Finance Points / 220 Materials Points	Instant	Lann
Warehouse Raiding	Adds 10k Finance, 600 Materials, 65 Energy	One-Time Only	Wenduag
Corruption	+120 Finance, +10 Materials, +2 Energy	16 days	N/A
Self Confidence (Non-Decree)	+10 Crusade Morale	N/A	N/A

Author’s Choice: Selling Excesses & Distribution of Trophies. The ability to nearly-instantly trade off resources is surprisingly more useful than the number two choice, Corruption.
 
 

Level 7: Recruitment Bonus	Effect	Companion Required
Meritocracy	+30% growth for Support and Elite units, -20% growth for Infantry and Archer units	Woljif
Strength is Responsibility	+30% growth for Infantry and Archer units, -20% growth for Support and Elite units	Arueshalae
Holy War	+25% growth for mythic units, -15% growth for all trainable units	Lann
Paid Loyalty	+2 Available Mercenary units, -15% growth for all trainable units	Wenduag
Propoganda Instead of Bread	+10% growth for all trainable units	N/A
Self Confidence (Non-Decree)	+10 Crusade Morale	N/A

Author’s Choice: Propoganda Instead of Bread or Strength is Responsibility. Archers and Cavalry are the main stars, the other options are unattractive for me.
 
 

Level 8: Repeatable Decree	Effect	Duration	Companion Required
Requisitions	15k Finance, 1k Materials, -35 Crusade Morale	Instant	Anyone

It doesn’t matter who is in your party and whose option you choose, all options unlock the same decree. This decree must be used to unlock the finale.
 
 

Finale: Unique Building	Effect	Companion Required
Palace	+25% Finance, Materials, and Energy Income	Woljif
Spiritual Garden	+25 combat morale bonus, +50% general energy recovery, +20% mythic unit growth	Arueshalae
Stronghold (Recruitable)	+25% Recruitable Unit Growth	Lann
Stronghold (Mercenary)	Mercenary Recruitment 12.5% cheaper	Wenduag
Cathedral	All units: +15% HP, +3 attack, +3 AC, and +10 damage vs demons	N/A

Author’s Choice: Cathedral or Stronghold (Lann). If I have Lann I take his Stronghold, if not I go with Cathedral.
 
 
Congratulations, you’ve built yourself a massive crusader presence that can generate lots of income and equipment to arm your armies!
 
 
 

Diplomacy Council: My Way or the Highway!

The Diplomacy Council, from a purely fluff standpoint, is there to help strengthen your relations with Queen Galfrey’s Royal Council and to extract benefits from the neighboring countries who also stand to lose a lot if the Crusade fails. Heading that council is Lady Konomi, who in the most polite of terms is a two-faced witch of a fox lady who gets upset if you ignore her options in favor of one of your companions’ options. This is also the briefest Council line in the game, has no “follow-up” stage, and can even be aborted early by choosing a specific option.
 
 

Act 3

 

Level 2: Repeatable Decree	Effect	Duration	Companion Required
Religious Feast	20% Energy Points, 10% Finance Points	30 Days	Sosiel
Commander’s Parade	7.5% Mercenary Discount, 25% Material Points	30 Days	Daeran
Helping Those In Need	+10 Morale, or +20 Morale if below 0	10 Days	Lann
Bribery	20% Material Points, -10% Finance Points	30 Days	Woljif
Royal Parade	10% Finance Points	30 Days	N/A

Author’s Choice: Religious Feast. It is a pure improvement over Royal Parade and while perhaps costlier to use it generates Energy Points, which are the hardest Crusade currency to come by.
 
 

Level 3: Mercenary Unit	Unit HP	Unit Damage	Spells Known	Immunities/Resistances	Misc Notes	Companion Required
Inquisitors	106	14-16	Lightning Arc, Divine Favor	Electricity (10)	N/A	Sosiel
Duelists	158	9-11	N/A	N/A	N/A	Daeran
Barbarians	59	7-9	N/A	N/A	N/A	Lann
Rogues	43	9-11	N/A	N/A	Backstabbing(?)	Woljif
Sorcerers	26	4-6	Scorch Ray, Grow Claws	Electricity (5)	N/A	N/A

Author’s Choice: Inquisitors or Sorcerers. Inquisitors are decent tanks and heavy hitters, but Sorcerers in large numbers can burn most enemies to ash with Scorch Ray. Leaning towards Inquisitors.
 
 

Level 4: Recruitment Decree	Units Recruited	Companion Required
Help from the Queen	12 Paladins and 30 Champions	Sosiel
The Help of Noble Houses	12 Cuirassiers and 20 Marksmen	Daeran
People’s Help	35 Light Cavalry and 75 Shield Bearers	Lann
Royal Court’s Help	15 Hedge Knights and 30 Headhunters	Woljif
Royal Council’s Help	70 Slingers and 100 Conscripts	N/A
Soldiers Trust (Non-Decree)	None, +10 Crusade Morale	N/A

Author’s Choice: Royal Court’s Help, because Hedge Knights and Headhunters are a combination almost as deadly as Hedge Knights and Marksmen.
 
 

Level 5: Multiple Bonuses	Bonus 1	Bonus 2	Companion Required
Andoran Equipment	+6000 Finance Points	+3% HP for Recruitable Infantry	Sosiel
Andoran Army	28 Hedge Knights	+3 AC for Recruitable Cavalry	Daeran
Greenskin Stalkers Company	45 Rangers	Recruitable Archers inflict Saving Throw Damage	Lann
Free Banners	28 Hedge Knights	+1 AC for Mercenary Units	Woljif
Reinforcements from the Homeland	10 Cuirassers, 30 Champions, 30 Marksmen	+20 Crusade Morale	N/A

Authors Choice: Andoran Army or Reinforcements from the Homeland. The Hedge Knights with +3 AC make them an even greater mobile meat grinder, but getting Marksmen with Cuirassers as a meat shield and glass cannon Champions is an acceptable alternative.
 
 

Act 5

 

Level 6: Item Unlock	Item Gained	Enchantment	Companion Required
Gift from the High Priest	Robe of Angelic Prudence	+4 WIS, +4 CHA, Greater Angelic Aspect spell	Sosiel
Gift from the Nobility	Cloak of Astounding Prowess	+5 Saving Throws, Killing Blow causes Blindness (Will DC)	Daeran
Gift from the Mendevian Generals	Overlord’s Chainmail	+5 mithral chainmail, +7 Persuasion bonus (Intimidate)	Lann
Gift from the Young Kingdom	Elixir of Inconceivable Transmutations of Body, Soul, and Mind	Permanent +2 increase to all Ability Scores (consumable)	Woljif
Gift from the Royal Council	Goggles of Quick Grasp	+15 Persuasion, Lore, and Knowledge Checks	N/A
Declaring Independence (Decree)	N/A (Decree)	+7 Generals’ Power, +100k Finance, +10k Materials, +4k Energy	N/A

Author’s Choice: Gift from the Young Kingdom. Even as a one-time consumable, gaining +2 to all ability scores permanently outstrips any individual equipment item.
 
AUTHOR’S WARNING: CHOOSING AND CONFIRMING “DECLARING INDEPENDENCE” WILL END THE DIPLOMACY COUNCIL AT THIS POINT!
 
 

Level 7: Random Bonus	Effect	Companion Required
Foreign Advisors	Generals gain +10 Power	Sosiel
New Lands for the Nobility	Recruitment Growth increases by 1% per captured region	Daeran
Sisters of the Golden Erinyes	Unlocks Sisters of the Golden Erinyes mercenary unit, provides 8 at HQ	Lann
Mendevian Cavaliers	Unlocks Mendevian Cavaliers mercenary unit, provides 6 at HQ	Woljif
Restoring Order	No recruiting for 2 weeks, after which all trainable uits gain +20 combat morale bonus	N/A

Author’s Choice: New Lands for the Nobility. If you were diligent and claimed all available regions in Act 3 you’ll gain 6% trainable unit growth, which is better than recruiting mercenaries or having recruitment locked out for a combat morale bonus.
 
 

Level 8: Decree	Effect	Companion Required
Glorification of the Gods	All generals learn Judgment Day (d6xPower damage to enemies, d6xPower healing to allies)	Sosiel
Tax of the Righteous	-50% Building Construction Cost	Daeran
Elections to the Royal Council	-10% Mercenary unit cost	Lann
Tieflings’ Rights	+15% mythic unit growth, +5 Energy Points	Woljif
Mobilization	-10% trainable unit cost	N/A

Author’s Choice: Mobilization or Tax of the Righteous. If there is a lot of building to be done then the Tax is more sensible, but unless you rely on mercenaries having cheaper trainable units is a great deal.
 
 
After this point your Diplomacy is maxed out and you never have to see Lady Konomi’s face ever again, unless you want to. Why would you want to?
 
 
 

Military Council: Middlegame (Act 3)

The Military Council, headed by the pragmatic and honorable Captain Odan, is tasked with devising the best solution to beat back the demons and to close the Worldwound forever. For all intents and purposes the main point of this Council is to decide how to upgrade your weak default units and how to empower some of them to be used to their maximum tactical potential.
 
 
When choosing a unit to upgrade a default unit into, all the unselected options (whether they were available or not) will become Mercenary units for the duration of your game.
 
 
It is also highly recommended to make sure you have all possible companions to choose from before starting this so you can find the army units and abilities that best fit your play style. Woljif, Greybor, and Wenduag can be recruited in Act 3 (if Wendy wasn’t already recruited or killed).
 
 

Level 2: Infantry Unit	Cost Per Unit	Weekly Recruitment	Unit Hitpoints	Unit Damage	Spells Known	Immunities/Resistances	Misc Detail	Companion Required
Champions	65	12	26	16-18	N/A	N/A	N/A	Seelah
Shield Bearers	40	22	164	5-7	N/A	N/A	Damage Reduction 1/-	Regill
Spearmen	45	18	45	9-11	N/A	N/A	N/A	Greybor
Convicts	12	55	22	5-7	N/A	N/A	N/A	Wenduag
Conscripts	20	43	78	7-9	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Author’s Choice: Conscripts or Spearmen. By process of elimination: Shield Bearers don’t die but also don’t kill, Champions are expensive glass cannons, and Convicts (if I can even choose them) only operate well in large numbers. Conscripts are more reasonable, but Spearmen do better damage.
 
 

Level 3: Archer Unit	Cost Per Unit	Weekly Recruitment	Unit Hitpoints	Unit Damage	Spells Known	Immunities/Resistances	Misc Detail	Companion Required
Rangers	80	14	85	18-20	N/A	N/A	Can Melee Shoot	Seelah
Marksmen	100	12	25	36-38	N/A	N/A	N/A	Regill
Headhunters	110	11	50	27-29	N/A	N/A	Bonus VS Ranged/Spellcasters(?)	Greybor
Bandits	140	8	52	28-30	N/A	N/A	N/A	Wenduag
Slingers	50	24	24	12-14	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Author’s Choice: Marksmen or Headhunters. The sheer damage increase over default archers makes Marksmen and Headhunters the ideal choice. Rangers are a decent fifth wheel alternative, but their primary selling point of being able to shoot in melee implies your archers are being caught in melee a lot. Ideally that shouldn’t happen.
 
 
CRUSADE MISSION: “Repelling the Assault”
 
At this point an invading army will spawn northwest of Blackwater and march slowly towards Drezen. It is required to defeat this army in order to proceed to Level 4 of the Military Council.
 
 

Level 4: Cavalry Unit	Cost Per Unit	Weekly Recruitment	Unit Hitpoints	Unit Damage	Spells Known	Immunities/Resistances	Misc Detail
Paladins	270	6	97	9-11	Smite Evil, Lay On Hands	Fear, Disease	N/A
Cuirassiers	240	7	382	2-4	N/A	N/A	Damage Reduction 3/-
Hedge Knights	150	12	157	11-13	N/A	N/A	Critical (20% chance, 1.5x damage)
Raiders	155	12	175	7-9	N/A	N/A	N/A
Light Cavalry	85	22	87	9-11	N/A	N/A	More Damage Per Square Moved

Author’s Choice: Hedge Knights. No contest, Hedge Knights hit the hardest and take the second-most damage. What they lack in immunities they make up for in sheer muscle.
 
 

Level 5: Unit Abilities	Effect	Companion Required
Charge (Cavalry)	Unit gains +1 speed, +20% damage, and -2 AC for 1 round	Seelah
Charge (Infantry)	Unit gains +1 speed, +20% damage, and -2 AC for 1 round	Regill
Independence (Archers and Cavalry)	Unit gains +2 bonus to initiative (passive)	Greybor
Debilitating Poison (Infantry)	Next attack by unit reduce enemy speed to 0 for 1 round	Wenduag
Tough (All Units)	Unit gains +2 saving throw vs disease and poison	N/A (Odan)

Author’s Choice: Independence. The improved initiative is not only passive, but archers that fire first mitigate (if not eliminate) enemy threats before they can be threats. Cavalry are also ideal for tying up enemy units so the initiative only helps them out.
 
 
CRUSADE MISSION: “Storms Peak”
 
At this point an enemy army will spawn just southeast of Tower of Yath. Unlike before this is just a standing army and will not move. It is not technically required to complete this mission, but it is recommended to do so before ending Act 3.
 
 
 

Military Council: Endgame (Act 5)

Level 6: Support Unit	Cost Per Unit	Weekly Recruitment	Unit Hitpoints	Unit Damage	Spells Known	Immunities/Resistances	Misc Detail	Companion Required
Warpriests	750	5	182	16-18	Cure Moderate Wounds, Dispel	Fear	Aura of Courage	Seelah
Monks	630	6	614	17-19	N/A	Poison, Disease	N/A	Regill
Assassins	1100	4	161	47-49	N/A	N/A	Teleporting Unit	Greybor
Witches	1025	4	83	5-7	Agony, Dispel, Infected Wounds, Misfortune	N/A	N/A	Wenduag
Bards	950	4	161	5-7	Aura of Superiority, Aura of Caution, Aura of Onslaught, Aura of Protection	N/A	N/A	N/A (Odan)

Author’s Choice: Warpriests. The passive Aura of Courage combined with healing potential make for a good support role, although the teleporting Assassin is an incredible second choice.
 
 
CRUSADE MISSION: “Blockade of Reinforcements”
 
Two armies will spawn, one friendly south of Leper’s Smile and one hostile north of Leper’s smile. You have to eliminate the hostile army to proceed to the next mission.
 
 
CRUSADE MISSION: “Khorramzadeh’s Trap”
 
Immediately after the previous mission a newer and stronger army appears north of the one you just defeated. This army must be defeated to proceed to the next Military Council event.
 
 

Level 7: Unit Abilities	Effect	Companion Required
Contain the Enemy (Cavalry)	Next attack by unit reduce enemy speed to 0 for 1 round	Seelah
Bait (Infantry)	All units within 3×3 of this unit converge and attack it for 1 round	Regill
Taunt (Cavalry)	Target unit moves to this unit and attacks for 3 rounds	Greybor
Harassing Shooting (Archers)	Pulls target enemy 2 squares toward this unit	Wenduag
Juicy Target (Infantry)	All units target this unit for 1 round	N/A (Odan)

Author’s Choice: Juicy Target. This works best on a large stack of infantry, who can free up your cavalry and archers to continue attacking.
 
 

Level 8: Elite Unit	Cost Per Unit	Weekly Recruitment	Unit Hitpoints	Unit Damage	Spells Known	Immunities/Resistances	Misc Detail	Companion Required
Knights of Ozem	1850	2	643	18-20	Cure Serious Wounds	N/A	N/A	Seelah
Arcanists	1500	4	262	1-3	Cone of Cold, Greater Magic Missile	N/A	N/A	Regill
Dragonslayers	2500	2	173	165-167	N/A	N/A	Range + Melee	Greybor
Bloodragers	2800	2	298	85-87	Tempest Strike	N/A	N/A	Wenduag
Honor Guards	2600	2	285	14-16	N/A	N/A	Heroic Gait	N/A (Odan)

Author’s Choice: Any. Elite units can’t be recruited in large enough numbers to emulate the sheer damage potential of mass archers or cavalry, though if I had to pick one it would be Dragonslayers.
 
 
CRUSADE MISSION: “Odan’s Request”
 
A purely optional errand, Odan wants to go fight. You can say yes to get him as a general or you can say no for 15k points in the other three Crusade stats.
 
 
CRUSADE MISSION: “Champions of the Abyss”
 
Arguably the most deadly army spawns near Threshold and holds position. Defeating this army is required to proceed to the Military Council Finale.
 
 

Finale: Player Bonus	Effect	Companion Required
“The biggest battle…”	Player gets +3 luck bonus damage	N/A
“Place all the trophies…”	Player gets +3 luck bonus attack	N/A
“Let the clerics…”	Player gets +3 luck bonus AC	N/A
BONUS: Exhaust Dialogue	Item: Headband of Mental Perfection +6	N/A

Author’s Choice: Any, but be sure to exhaust all dialogue so you get the luck bonus and the Headband.
 
 
And with that you have proven you have a strong enough army to defeat the forces of the Abyss!
 
 
 

Super-Duper Secret Research Projects!

Aside from being in control of your own Crusade to fight it on your own terms, the other reason to never use Auto-Crusade mode is because it will lock you out of a certain ending of the game. In order to complete this ending you will need to research and complete four projects in Crusade Management:
 
 
Studying the Sword of Valor – Act 3, requires 14 days to complete
 
Studying the Unusual Crystal – Act 5, requires 14 days to complete
 
Northern Lights – Act 5, requires 20 days to complete
 
Records of Pulura’s Stargazers – Act 5, requires 14 days to complete
 
Areelu Vorlesh’s Drafts – Act 5, requires 14 days to complete
 
 
All of these are required for that certain ending of the game, and guides currently exist that will point you towards how to unlock these projects. The details won’t be put here, only that they have to be done and they cannot be done in Auto mode.
 
 
 

End Notes

This is the current end of my guide. I might in the future add more raw data including all city buildings, all unit data, and so forth. Sadly, mythic path data will take a lot of time to collect. Regardless, I am hopeful that this has provided some of the information you need to plan out your next game or help salvage your current one.
 
 
If there are any small particular details I have missed please let me know and I will do my best to correct them, if there are major things I have missed that fundamentally alter the guide please let me know and you will be credited when they are corrected.
 
 
This guide is explicitly written for Steam Guides and is not permitted to be copied or posted on any other sites.
 
 

 
 
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