Beacons. Overview
With the return of Balur and his Black Horde, the Beacons are the only hope for resisting the rising tide of darkness that now threatens Stormfall. The Leagues that rebuild and control these sacred temples can save Stormfall, project their power over surrounding territories, and rise above their rival Leagues. Your League's ability to capture, hold, and rebuild the Beacons will determine its standing and the borders of its realm. As your League conquers and strengthens Beacons, your growing influence over the lands of Stormfall will be shown on the Imperial Map.
This quest shall not be easy. Even now, the orcish hordes are moving to occupy the Beacons, and defending against their armies and those of your rivals is but part your mission. Rebuilding Beacons will take vast amounts of resources and close coordination. No single Lord among you can do it alone - to join this battle you must join a League, or start your own.
Beacons can be found throughout Stormfall. They may be heavily defended by Balur's orcs or rival Leagues - so plan your attack carefully.
Any League that captures a Beacon must defend it from increasingly powerful waves of the Black Horde. The battle will be brutal, but you will have one secret weapon. The enchantments woven into the foundations each Beacon have the power to trap the Dark Essence of all of Balur's spawn slain while attacking it. Your League may use this Essence to perform a dark ritual to "Darken" your own units - reducing their need for food, increasing their strength, and improving their effectiveness in combat. Once you have taken a Beacon, you must begin rebuilding it with Resources or Sapphires. As it is rebuilt, each Beacon's Defensive Bonus; Dark Essence collection efficiency; Dark Essence Storage Capacity; and effective range of protection will increase - along with the range of unit types it can Darken.
Dark Essence/Darkening Units. Overview
With the daily weakening of Eir and the slow death of our sun, only the Beacons stand between us and the coming night. Balur and his Marennon masters know this all too well, and even now they drive their Black Horse to occupy them. This must not come to pass or all shall be lost. Any League that captures a Beacon must defend it from increasingly powerful waves of the Black Horde (and the armies of rival Leagues). The battles will be brutal, but you will have one secret weapon...
The strong enchantments woven into the foundations each Beacon have the power to trap and store the Dark Essence of all of Balur's spawn slain during the defense of your League's Beacons. Your League may use this Essence to perform a forbidden ritual to "Darken" your own units - imbuing them with a spark of the evil that grants Balur's forces their strength. This will reduce their need for food, increase their defensive and offensive statistics, and improve their effectiveness in combat. All Dark Essence reclaimed from fallen Black Horde units is stored within the Beacon where the battle took places.
Beacon Range
The extent of influence a Beacon has on surrounding territory is determined by the Beacon's Range. This is calculated according to its upgrade level and proximity to adjoining Beacons controlled by the same League. This means that two Beacons of identical upgrade levels can have different Ranges. If a Beacon is positioned adjacent to one or more Beacons owned by the same League, it will have a higher range - so try and capture as many adjoining Beacons as possible. The total controlled territory of all the Beacons controlled by your League will be the sole factor determining your League's position in the League Rankings and influence on the Imperial Map.
Beacon Management
Once a League has captured a Beacon, its Members must pool their Resources or Sapphires towards upgrading it. Every League Member can contribute resources towards the Beacon's next upgrade level. The progress bar will display the League's collected contribution. Once the progress bar is full, the Beacon will upgrade to the next level and its range and power will increase. If a League's Beacon is captured, it automatically loses 1 Level an hour. If a League succeeds in re-capturing the Beacon within 60 minutes after it's been captured by another League, the Beacon will retain its current level.
You can get information about your League's Beacon in your Grand Marshal's reports. Your Lord Steward will inform you on Resource deliveries to the Beacons.
Beacon Interaction (Map)
Place your cursor over a Beacon on the Imperial Map to choose from a set of possible actions:
- "Send Reinforcements" to a Beacon
- "Conquer" - Send a force to capture a Beacon.
- "Dispatch Spies" - Attempt to Spy upon a Beacon.
- "To the Embassy" - Opens the Embassy window and allows you to view the stats of any Beacon your League currently holds by clicking the "Beacons" tab. You may also send Reinforcements to a desired Beacon from this window.
- "Change scale" - Switches between the Imperial and Regular Map.
Clicking on the Beacon's icon opens the Beacon Statistics window and offers you the following three tabs (if this Beacon is currently controlled by your League):
"Beacon" where you can :
- Send additional Resources and Sapphires, and check the Beacon's upgrade progress
- Monitor the amount of Dark Essence your League has gained from fallen Black Horde units
- Redistribute Dark Essence to different Beacons
"Garrison" where you can:
- Send Reinforcements to a Beacon
- View Units currently guarding a Beacon
- Open the "Beacon" tab at your Embassy ("Show all Beacons")
"Darkening" where you can:
- Perform the "Darkening" ritual
- View the "Darkening" History
Use the Navigation Panel or Mouse Scroll from the Imperial or Regular Map to view a Beacon's pop-up action menu.
If a Beacon is captured by the Enemy, all surviving Units guarding the Beacon will be returned to their Castles.
Beacon Interaction (Castle)
To control a Beacon from the Embassy, your League must have captured at least one Beacon on the Map. Once you have control of one or more Beacons, go to the Embassy and open the "Beacon" tab. From here you can view information on the number and type of Units currently garrisoned at any Beacon occupied by your League. League Captains and Field Commanders can also use this interface to redistribute Dark Essence between the Beacons. Click on the Beacon's icon to view the Beacon on the Map. Click the button in the right-hand part on the screen to open the Beacon's stats window. From here you can add Resources and Sapphires towards its next upgrade level or resupply its Dark Essence. The Beacon control window is available at the Embassy only if you are already a Member of an existing League, or have created your own.
You will receive battle reports on your League's Beacons in your Grand Marshal' reports. Your Lord Steward will keep you informed on Resource deliveries between your Castle and your League's Beacons.
To control Reinforcements garrisoned at a Beacon, open the "Garrisons" tab. From here you can view, reinforce, or recall any Reinforcements you have stationed at Beacons captured by your League.