Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim Guide

Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim Guide
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King of Ardania

As the king of a land overrun by evil creatures you have a serious task on your hands. There are several quests to complete before you can rest in that throne and you’ll select them via the map screen which shows the whole of Ardania. There is some choice in the order you complete missions but you’ll need to conquer every opponent to win. The quests start out gently and introduce you to the basics of gameplay before ramping up in difficulty quite dramatically. In this Majesty 2 strategy guide we’ll take a look at the core mechanics and offer some advice to help you on your way.

Heroes

The sovereign is much too important to risk himself in combat. Instead you’ll be hiring various heroes to do your bidding. The difference with Majesty 2, when compared to other real-time strategy games, is that you don’t control them directly. In order to recruit heroes you build the relevant guild and buy them. Each of the guilds can be upgraded and you can buy new skills or magical powers for your heroes. There are various different types of heroes and selecting the right kind for each job will have a large bearing on your success. We’ll discuss the types of hero in more detail later but first let’s take a look at how to command them.

Using Flags in Majesty 2

Instead of direct commands, Majesty 2 uses a system of rewards. In order to get your heroes to target a specific creature or building you place a flag on it and offer a reward. The more you offer, the more likely heroes will be to answer your call.

There are four types of flags. There are Attack, Defend, Explore and Fear flags. You right click on the target to place a flag and then you can add a reward using the panel on the bottom right of the HUD. When you put a gold amount in as a reward you can see in the central panel how many heroes are interested in taking on the quest. If the number is 0 you will need to add more money or the quest will be ignored.

Attack flags can be set on creatures or enemy buildings. Defend flags can be used on carts or your buildings. Explore flags can be set anywhere on the map. Fear flags are for telling your heroes to avoid areas of the map. You will use Explore and Attack flags the most. Defend flags are very handy when you are building in a new area which is unprotected, such as when you are building a new Trading Post or Defensive Tower. You will also have to use Defend flags for certain missions when you need to protect a cart. You don’t really need to use Fear flags at all but if you find your heroes persistently wander into a dangerous area and you want them to wait until they are tougher then you could use a Fear flag.

A Healthy Economy

Your kingdom is lubricated by the free flow of gold and it is absolutely essential to your success. You make money by collecting tax which your tax collectors will automatically do for you. They collect money from all the buildings in your kingdom. The first building you should build in every level is the Market. Once you research some goods to sell in it your heroes will buy things in the market and your taxmen will collect big bags of gold as taxes. Not only does this make you more money but it also makes your heroes tougher.

The Blacksmith is next and once again this building designs things that your heroes will buy, thereby making you money in the form of taxes. The Blacksmith crafts improved weapons and armour for your heroes, so you cannot do without one on the tougher levels. You will also want a Magic Bazaar as it provides potions for your heroes, although they are expensive to research

Majesty 2 Economy

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You can also make money from Trading Posts. Each map contains various spots where a Trading Post can be built. Once constructed these posts will send carts to your market periodically and you will reap the benefits in greater taxes. The further away a Trading Post is from your market the more money the cart will make when it gets there. This reflects the risk of the journey. It is advisable to always upgrade Trading Posts as this gives them some defence against monsters. You should also build a Defensive Tower next to each Trading Post or use Defend flags to keep them safe.

As your town grows you may find Windmills will pop up and they also provide good money in taxes so it is worth protecting them. You should also encourage your heroes to open the treasure chests scattered throughout each map because they will spend the money in your town and you’ll get it in taxes. A good economy is the foundation of success in Majesty 2 because the only sway you really hold over your heroes is the promise of gold.

Enemies

Majesty 2 ogre

There are lots of different types of enemies in each map. They all emanate from a base structure. For example Vampires come from Crypts, Minotaurs come from Pyramids, Undead come from Graveyards, Ogres have Dens and Winged Serpents come from Snake Pits. This is not an exhaustive list by the way. If you destroy the source then the creatures will stop bothering you but you can often ignore some of the enemies in the map in favour of completing the main mission. It is definitely easier to clear the map of other creatures first because it will train up your heroes for the final battle.

Which Heroes Do I Use?

Certain heroes will perform especially well against certain enemies. It is also much better to have a few trained up heroes with good equipment than a large number of low level heroes. The following is the order I prefer to hire heroes in.

  • Rangers are cheap to begin with and the fact they have a ranged attack makes them good against most enemies.
  • Clerics are also essential to get early. Although they aren’t tough when attacking they are great at healing up your other heroes. They are also good against the Undead.
  • Wizards are awesome as part of a group and you need them to take on foes like Vampires. Make sure they are trained up and have their Freeze spell. The other advantage of Wizards is that their guild builds itself.
  • Dwarves are hardy. You need a level 2 Palace and then a level 2 Blacksmith before you can build a Dwarven Settlement but it is well worth it. Dwarven Towers are the best defence you can build by a distance and Dwarves themselves are demolition experts.
  • Warriors are dumb and straight to the point and they are the most likely to answer your calls to attack. Unfortunately they have to get up close and unless they have levelled up a lot they are not very tough.
  • Rogues are very puny but they are also sneaky and have a stronger survival instinct than the others. Unless highly trained, Rogues won’t be much use to you.
  • Elves are like fast archers and they don’t get along with Dwarves. You need a level 2 Market to get Elves.

Temples and the Lord’s Hall

You can also build Temples in later levels which allow you hire even tougher heroes. The majority are just beefed up versions of your main set. The Temples can only be built on Holy Ground and they will need to be protected.

You can also select one hero from each quest as a Lord. If you then build a Lord’s Hall you will be able to hire these heroes into the new mission. This means you can have a dream team of heroes but the tougher they are, the more expensive they will be to hire.

Strategy

Majesty 2 town

The early levels are easy enough to complete but the game soon becomes difficult. As a general strategy I suggest building Rangers, a Market and a Defensive Tower to start each level. Next build a Cleric and Blacksmith and spend some time upgrading your heroes and researching equipment for them. Kill any nearby enemies but be careful not to stray too far.

Next I’d build a Wizard Guild and possibly a Warrior Guild. Now you want to explore more so set some Explore flags. Try to find some Trading Posts to boost your money and make sure you build Defensive Towers or set Defend flags to protect them. Upgrade your Palace and Blacksmith and push to get Dwarves as early as possible. Build Dwarven Towers to keep your town safe and you are free to send your heroes off into the unknown.

Let your heroes kill weak enemies and buy equipment so they level up and become tough. You should build up your force as much as possible before taking on the main foe in each level. Your dead heroes can be resurrected at your Graveyard. It is a good idea to hire a new hero instead of resurrecting straight away. This way you can build a larger force and when you resurrect your dead heroes later you’ll have a larger army. Happy conquering!