Editing Armageddon's Blade

[[Image:Homm ab.jpg|frame|{{ab}}|{{ab}} box art. From left to right: [[Adrienne]], [[Catherine]], [[Gelu]], [[Roland]], [[Mutare]], [[Dracon]]. ]]
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{{About|This article refers to the [[Expansions|expansion]]. For the [[campaign]] with the same name, see [[Armageddon's Blade (campaign)]]. For the [[artifact]] with the same name, see [[Armageddon's Blade (artifact)]].}}

'''Armageddon's Blade''' is the first of two [[expansions]] for {{homm3}}. It was developed by New World Computing for Microsoft Windows and released by the 3DO Company in 1999.

== Synopsis ==
=== Plot ===
Only one of the six new campaigns available in ''Armageddon's Blade'' directly concerns the main storyline. The events of ''Armageddon's Blade'' immediately follow the events of {{mm7}}. As the kingdom of [[Erathia]] struggles to rebuild following the [[Restoration Wars]], the [[Kreegan]]s of [[Eeofol]] launch a surprise invasion. Already war-weary, the forces of [[Catherine|Queen Catherine]] are no match for the formidable Kreegan army.

Following the death of the [[Kreegan]] king, [[Xenofex]], a usurper named [[Lucifer Kreegan]] takes control of [[Eeofol]] and, driven by a vision, begins to seek a means to fashion an ancient weapon known as [[Armageddon's Blade (artifact)|Armageddon's Blade]], capable of setting the world on fire. His general [[Xeron]] is tasked with locating the components for the Blade. To stop him, the armies of Erathia and [[AvLee]] launch an attack on Eeofol, receiving assistance from the very elements as they manifest in "[[Conflux]]" towns. Queen Catherine and the recently liberated [[Roland|King Roland]] are assisted by the mysterious elven warrior [[Gelu]] in the ensuing war.  Xeron obtains the Blade but is defeated by Gelu on his return to Eeofol. Gelu claims the Blade, and, at the behest of Queen Catherine, uses it to slay Lucifer Kreegan. Following this event, the Ironfists return to Enroth and the Blade is passed on to Gelu. The story is continued in ''[[Heroes Chronicles|Heroes Chronicles: The Sword of Frost]]'', eventually leading to [[The Reckoning]] - a cataclysm that sets the stage for {{homm4}}.

Four of the other five campaigns are the origin stories of characters important to [[The Reckoning]]:
* [[Mutare]] - who becomes the [[Dragon Queen]] of [[Nighon]]
* [[Dracon]] - the greatest Dragon Slayer ever to live
* [[Adrienne]] - the fire witch of [[Tatalia]]
* [[Kilgor]] - a ruthless [[Barbarian]] king

The last campaign is a less serious campaign chock full of pop culture references that serves as the origin story of [[Christian]], an aspiring fragrance alchemist.

=== Characters ===
In the ''Armageddon's Blade'' campaign, the player takes command of Queen Catherine Ironfist, the main character of ''[[Restoration of Erathia|Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia]]'', as well as King Roland Ironfist, the protagonist of ''Heroes of Might and Magic II''. New characters introduced include Gelu, a half-elven archer, and Xeron, leader of the Kreegan armies. The five standalone campaigns feature a multitude of previously-unseen characters. ''[[Dragon Slayer]]'' features the Bracadan wizard, [[Dracon]], while ''[[Festival of Life]]'' introduces the barbarian [[Kilgor]] who has a prominent role at the outset of ''Heroes of Might and Magic IV''. ''[[Dragon's Blood]]'' stars [[Mutare]], a [[dungeon overlord]] who returns in ''Heroes Chronicles: Clash of the Dragons'' along with [[Adrienne]], the protagonist of ''[[Playing with Fire]]''. Finally, the unlockable ''Foolhardy Waywardness'' campaign features the Knight, Sir [[Christian]], who also returns in ''Heroes of Might and Magic IV''. As an aside, the epilogue of the ''[[Foolhardy Waywardness]]'' campaign explains the reason for Sir Christian's appearance as the player's starting hero in ''The Restoration of Erathia'''s first campaign, ''[[Long Live the Queen]]''.

== Features ==
The most significant change in ''Armageddon's Blade'' is the addition of the {{town|Conflux}}, bringing the total number of alignments in ''Heroes III'' to nine. The town is themed around classical elements and includes other creatures to round out the selection. Six new [[campaign]]s were included, one acting as a continuation of the base game's storyline, with the other five revolving around adventures taking place in the same fictional world. Over 35 single scenarios were also added.

Returning as non-aligned units, several creature types from previous ''Heroes'' games make an appearance. These include {{Cn|Peasant}}s, {{Cn|Boar}}s, and {{Cn|Halfling}}s. The expansion also introduced some new non-aligned creature types, such as the powerful Azure Dragon. Eleven new campaign heroes and two new artifacts – {{An|Armageddon's Blade}} and the {{An|Vial of Dragon Blood}} – were introduced as well. Several new map objects, including special quest towers that only allow passage if the hero meets certain criteria defined by the author of the map, also appear here for the first time. 

A [[Random Map|random map generator]] included with the expansion allows players to create random maps using a variety of customizable parameters. Finally, a standalone [[campaign editor]] packaged with the game allows for the composition of new campaigns from individual scenario maps.

;[[Town]]s
* {{town|Conflux}}


;[[Creature]]s
{| border cellpadding="2" class="unsortable" frame=box cellspacing=0
! style="text-align:center;" | {{town|Conflux}} Creatures
! colspan=2 style="text-align:center;" |  {{town|Neutral}} Creatures
|- 
| {{CnuAlt|Pixie|Sprite}} || {{CnAlt|Peasant}} || {{CnAlt|Halfling}}
|- 
| {{CnuAlt|Air Elemental|Storm Elemental}} || {{CnAlt|Boar}} || {{CnAlt|Rogue}}
|- 
| {{CnuAlt|Water Elemental|Ice Elemental}} || {{CnAlt|Mummy}} || {{CnAlt|Nomad}}
|- 
| {{CnuAlt|Fire Elemental|Energy Elemental}} || {{CnAlt|Sharpshooter}} || {{CnAlt|Troll}}
|- 
| {{CnuAlt|Earth Elemental|Magma Elemental}} || {{CnAlt|Enchanter}} || {{CnAlt|Faerie Dragon}}
|- 
| {{CnuAlt|Psychic Elemental|Magic Elemental}} || {{CnAlt|Rust Dragon}} || {{CnAlt|Crystal Dragon}}
|- 
| {{CnuAlt|Firebird|Phoenix}} || {{CnAlt|Azure Dragon}} || 
|}
* [[Air Elemental|Air]], [[Earth Elemental|Earth]], [[Fire Elemental|Fire]], and [[Water Elemental]]s changed from {{town|Neutral}} creatures to {{town|Conflux}} creatures.


;[[Hero]]es
{| border cellpadding="2" class="unsortable" frame=box cellspacing=0
! colspan=2 style="text-align:center;" | {{town|Conflux}} Heroes
! colspan=2 style="text-align:center;" | Other Heroes
|- style="text-align:center;"
! {{Cl|Planeswalker}}s
! {{Cl|Elementalist}}s
| style="text-align:left;" | {{H|Sir Mullich|0=}}
| style="text-align:left;" | {{H|Adrienne|0=}}
|- 
| {{H|Pasis|0=}} || {{H|Luna|0=}} || {{H|Catherine|0=}} || 
|- 
| {{H|Thunar|0=}} || {{H|Brissa|0=}} || {{H|Roland|0=}} || 
|- 
| {{H|Ignissa|0=}} || {{H|Ciele|0=}} || {{H|Gelu|0=}} || 
|- 
| {{H|Lacus|0=}} || {{H|Labetha|0=}} || {{H|Dracon|0=}} || 
|- 
| {{H|Monere|0=}} || {{H|Inteus|0=}} || {{H|Xeron|0=}} || 
|- 
| {{H|Erdamon|0=}} || {{H|Aenain|0=}} || {{H|Haart Lich|hero_link=Lord Haart the Death Knight|name=Lord Haart|0=}} || 
|- 
| {{H|Fiur|0=}} || {{H|Gelare|0=}} || {{H|Mutare|0=}} || 
|- 
| {{H|Kalt|0=}} || {{H|Grindan|0=}} || {{H|Mutare Drake|0=}} || 
|}
* {{H|Catherine|Knight|image=Catherine (RoE)}} received an updated portrait.


;[[Artifact]]s
* {{An|Armageddon's Blade}}
* {{An|Vial of Dragon Blood}}


;[[Campaign]]s
* [[Armageddon's Blade (campaign)|Armageddon's Blade]]
* [[Dragon's Blood]]
* [[Dragon Slayer]]
* [[Festival of Life]]
* [[Playing with Fire]]
* [[Foolhardy Waywardness]]


;Miscellaneous
* It is possible to choose between a basic unit and an upgraded unit in a town's upgraded dwelling.
* It is possible to [[garrison]] creatures in [[mine]]s.

== [[List of maps|Maps]] ==
{{Map table}}
{{Armageddon's Blade map table}}
|}

== Critical Reception ==
Armageddon's Blade was hailed with strongly positive reviews upon release, from critics and users alike. IGN's reviewer noted improvements made to the map editor and praised the amount of new content, while GameSpot focused on the addition of the Conflux alignment and subtle tweaks to the gameplay. Game Revolution's reviewer was mildly disappointed with the Conflux town and its use of neutral creatures already included in the base game but praised the campaign storyline and gameplay along with the addition of new features. Some reviews were critical of the lack of drastic changes to the base game while pointing out that the core mechanics were in no need of major improvements.

== Gallery ==
<gallery mode="packed-hover">
Armageddon's blade menu.png
Armageddon's blade cover full.png
Armageddon's blade menu no buttons.png
AB Mutare.png
AB Loading Screen.png
AB Phoenix.png
Ab-poster.jpg
H3XPRBoxCover.jpg| Early box art
</gallery>

== See Also: ==
* [[Armageddon's Blade (artifact)]]
* [[Armageddon's Blade (campaign)]]
* [[Forge (NWC)]]
*[[Credits]]

[[Category:Expansions]][[Category:Armageddon's Blade|*]][[Category:Terms]]