A new patch has arrived, bringing custom heroes and an inventory system to the game!
Custom heroes are created in the quests screen, and can be used not only for quests, but also for (single-player) custom games and the grand strategy mode. Besides Dwarven, Germanic and Teuton heroes, you can also create Gnome heroes (playable with Dwarven quests). Custom heroes are, of course, persistent.
Persistent heroes (as well as regular Stonelords and Gryphon Riders) now have an inventory, and items can drop from AI-controlled units and buildings. Weapons, shields, boots and rings can be equipped by units who have an inventory, providing various bonuses. Besides regular items, you may also be lucky enough to find an item with a magic enchantment, or (more rarely) a unique item of legend. Entries for all the items, magic affixes and unique items can be found in the encyclopedia.
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- 1.8.0 Changelog
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* Buildings
- Guard Towers now provide +1 range for the ranged units attacking from within them.
- Buildings no longer provide experience when destroyed.
- Buildings now always drop items when destroyed.
- There is now a chance that a horse or a yale will appear when a Stables or Yale Pen building is destroyed, respectively.
* Grand Strategy
- Decreased the probability of revolts while increasing the amount of rebel troops per revolt, to make revolts more significant and less of a nuisance.
* Heroes
- Custom heroes can now be created in the quest interface, and if one is selected the hero will appear alongside your starting units in quest scenarios. Custom heroes are also available in the grand strategy mode or (single-player) custom games if an appropriate civilization is selected.
- Gnomish custom heroes can be created for play with the dwarves.
* Items
- Persistent heroes, Stonelords and Gryphon Riders now have an inventory in which they can carry items (such as potions). Other units can still use potions by right-clicking on them, but they can't carry them around. Items are saved for persistent heroes.
- Added weapon and shield items. These can be equipped by right-clicking, and will replace the bonuses of the weapon/shield technologies with those of the item.
- Added equippable boot items.
- Added equippable rings items (ring icon graphics by Vladislav "iDreamRunner").
- AI units now have a chance to drop items.
- Dropped items now have a chance of having a magic prefix or suffix, as well as a chance of being a unique item (the probability of getting a magic or unique item from a building is doubled).
- Added Brimir (unique broad sword).
- Added Laevatein (unique broad sword).
- Added Gram (unique spatha).
- Added Hrotti (unique spatha).
- Added Rithil (unique spatha).
- Added Toporik (unique bearded throwing axe).
- Added Svalin (unique bronze shield).
- Added Andvaranaut (unique ring).
- Added Draupnir (unique ring).
- The encyclopedia now has information on items, item affixes and unique items.
* Miscellaneous
- Units' names now appear in a tooltip when they are hovered.
* Units
- Improved the calculation of the XP required for level up.
- Improved the XP bar display.
- Germanic Skutans and Goblin Archers no longer use different animations for melee and ranged attacks.
- Blood Bats and Dread Bats now give more experience.
- Dread Bats now deal less damage.
- Blood Bats and Dread Bats now eat Snigills.