Rhodes had cut down dozens of the Burning Legion's hero units, resulting in the continuous drop of dozens of rare outdoor resources.
Most of these were high-tier rare resources, and as a result, Rhodes obtained a massive amount of Sulfur, Mercury, Gems, and Crystals. Taking a single city directly to its maximum level was no longer an issue. In addition to the resources, there were three artifacts.
The first was a Random Magic Scroll, which contained the spell Ice Bolt. In terms of power among Level 2 spells, this offensive magic is second only to Lightning Bolt. As a Water-aligned spell, its damage is slightly lower than Lightning Bolt's in the early stages, but since a Level 2 Mage Guild doesn't always yield Lightning Bolt, having Ice Bolt is a great alternative. Moreover, using Lightning Bolt on a small group of weak enemies can feel like a waste of mana; Ice Bolt is often more appropriate.
Furthermore, it deals double damage to Fire Elementals and Energy Elementals. In specific situations, its effectiveness is remarkable. It is particularly effective against fire mages and fire-based creatures; if used against a boss like Ragnaros, it would result in a guaranteed critical hit every single time.
Ice Bolt deals damage equal to $(Power \times 20) + 10$. It also has a very low mana cost: without Water Magic, it costs 8 mana, but with Basic Water Magic, it costs only 6. Intermediate Water Magic adds 20 damage, and Advanced adds 50. With Rhodes' current 12 Power and Intermediate Water Magic, he can deal over 200 damage—rising to over 400 against fire creatures. This spell is extremely practical.
The second artifact was the Hell Crown, a Tier 3 treasure. Its effect is simple and brute-force: it adds 5 points to Knowledge, with no other attributes. Though the description is brief, its impact is immense—5 points of Knowledge is better than almost anything else.
A mad wizard, in his utter stupidity, targeted you as his mark. It turned out his power came from the crown atop his head. You drew your bow and shot the crown off, restoring him to sanity. Out of gratitude, he gifted the crown to you.
Rhodes immediately equipped it to his head slot. Items equipped in the Heroes of Might and Magic interface do not appear physically; instead, they boost his attributes in the virtual interface. This means they do not overlap with his Azerothian gear, allowing him to wear two sets of equipment simultaneously to boost his base stats.
Rhodes' Knowledge jumped from 13 to 18, bringing his base mana to 180. With the bonus from Intermediate Intelligence, along with Blessing of Wisdom and Arcane Brilliance, his mana pool soared to 280. It felt incredible.
The third item was a Tier 1 artifact called the Clover of Fortune, which increases Luck by 1 point. In the original game, Luck isn't always the most critical stat, and there are rarely slots to waste on it. However, in Azeroth, Rhodes had already felt the effects of "Misfortune" and the "Goddess of Luck"—sometimes, luck is an unstoppable force.
While crossing a parched meadow, you discovered a variety of clover.
Next, Rhodes checked his outdoor building rewards. These included two mines, a Creature Bank, a Hero Enhancement site, and a mysterious golden orb.
The two mines were a Gold Mine (producing 1,000 gold per day) and a Gem Pond (producing 1 unit of gems per day). These were vital; he was always short on gold, especially as he acquired more cities, where a single city's output wouldn't be enough to recruit a full army. The Hero Enhancement was a Mercenary Camp, which granted a permanent +1 to Attack.
The Creature Bank was a surprise because it didn't belong to the original HoMM3 game, but rather the Horn of the Abyss expansion. This special building was the Experimental Shop. It features a new golem type called the Steel Golem, which is stronger than an Iron Golem but weaker than a Gold Golem.
Steel Golem Stats: Attack 10, Defense 11, HP 45, Damage 6–8, Speed 6. It has 80% Magic Resistance.
Steel Golems only appear in Experimental Shops; there is no standard building to recruit them. Visiting this building offers different tiers of challenge:
30% chance for 25 Steel Golems (Reward: 1 Giant)
30% chance for 50 Steel Golems (Reward: 2 Giants)
30% chance for 75 Steel Golems (Reward: 3 Giants)
10% chance for 100 Steel Golems (Reward: 4 Giants)
With the Hill Fort available, Rhodes could upgrade these Giants into Titans, making this an incredibly cost-effective venture. He had no trouble dealing with the Steel Golems. Using his Gold, Diamond, and Iron Golems, along with his Titans, two Angels, and Fire Elemental "fodder," he could clear this dungeon without losses.
He entered with a force including his Titans, two Archangels, and over a hundred Golems. Luck was on his side: he faced the 75 Steel Golem tier. He used the classic "kite" strategy—his Archangels flew in for quick strikes, the Titans fired from range, and Rhodes summoned 48 Fire Elementals to distract them. Since the Steel Golems' speed was only 6, the Archangels easily outmaneuvered them. Unlike the battle with the Griffins, he didn't need to sacrifice Skeletons. He achieved victory with zero losses.
You have captured the Experimental Shop and rescued three imprisoned Giants. In gratitude, the Giants have pledged their loyalty to you.
He now had three more Giants. Once upgraded at the Hill Fort, his total Titan count would reach 4—surpassing his count of Angels in the Tier 7 category.
"Hahaha, not bad," Rhodes nodded. After finishing the battle, he exited the system space. Unfortunately, because Golems are non-living constructs, he couldn't use Necromancy on them, and their remains vanished after the battle as per the system's rules. He had hoped to scavenge their remains to upgrade his Iron Golems, but that plan fell through.
Actually, Rhodes was considering a new "anti-magic metal" project for mass-producing equipment for his troops and even exporting it to Goblins. He had been "shearing" his Gold and Diamond Golems for materials, but Iron Golems were a much more sustainable option. With the Hill Fort, Stone Golems could be upgraded to Iron Golems, allowing him to harvest 12 per week. Using healing and recovery spells on them while harvesting their 75% magic-resistant steel was far more practical for large-scale production. This "anti-magic steel" could be sold to both the Alliance and the Horde as high-end military hardware, while he kept the superior Gold and Diamond metals for his own elites, creating a technological gap.
He also looked at his four Titans. As top-tier constructs, they lacked magic immunity. He planned to have his Dwarf smiths and High Elf enchanters create giant suits of armor for the 20-meter tall Titans, inlaid with Diamond Golem gems to give them 95%+ magic resistance.
The final outdoor reward was dropped by Archimonde himself.
Congratulations! The host has obtained "Divine Awakening." This can be used to empower a city, unlocking Tier 8 units and providing an alternative third upgrade path for all Tiers 1–7 units.