Persephone – Level 1:

Creatures:

Manahoar (All Gods Creature)

Soul cost: One

Mana cost: One

Special ability: None

Innate ability: Mana Channeling

Overview: The Manahoar is singularly the most useful Creature in the game. Since it costs but one Mana and one Soul, you can summon one in even the direst of situations. Manahoars cannot attack, but are reasonably quick, and have good health and defense. The Manahoar has one use and one use only: Its innate ability, “Mana Channeling”, does exactly what it sounds like: it channels Mana from your Manaliths to themselves, and makes them essentially portable Manaliths. Also, the more Manaliths you have, the more Mana the Manahoars will channel, so if you have two to three Manaliths, the Manahoar will produce more Mana than any one of the Manaliths, making it not only a moving source of Mana, but a more time efficient one than an Alter, Shrine, Manalith, or Manafount. I always keep at least three, preferably four, Manahoars around me at all times. Although the Spell recharge time is still the same, you will regenerate Mana within a few seconds of casting even the most powerful of Spells.

Druid (Basic Melee)

Soul cost: One

Mana cost: Three hundred

Special ability: Life Shield

Innate ability: None

Overview: The Druid is only a good fighter because of its special ability, “Life Shield”, which puts a temporary damage-reducing shield around the Druid. This allows the Druid to last quite some time in battle, due to its relatively high HP. It has decent attack power (for its level) and good speed. Its special ability is not to be taken lightly. I would never send a Druid into a fight without “Life Shield” on, because without it, they get cut up pretty quickly due to poor defense. With it, however, they become quick, long-lasting fighters.

Ranger (Basic Ranged)

Soul cost: One

Mana cost: Three hundred

Special ability: Divine Sight

Innate ability: None

Overview: “Divine Sight” is a very under-utilized special ability. It sends a flying eye that automatically seeks out the closest enemy, then follows it around for a while, tracking its movement. If you make one at the start of the game, it’s an instant-Altar-finder. Otherwise, it’s an instant-army-finder. Both are useful. The Ranger itself is a quick-moving unit of decent HP, decent defense, and decent attack, and decent range. They’re best used in large numbers, as one or two alone aren’t going to do much damage.

Shrike (Basic Flyer)

Soul cost: One

Mana cost: Three hundred

Special ability: Life Shield

Innate ability: None

Overview: Due to “Life Shield”, the Shrike can sustain more hits than any other Basic Flyer unit in the game. It has quite a good range and good damage, and it knocks enemy units down when it hits them. Since it’s a flyer, if you use “Life Shield” (who wouldn’t, if it’s an option?!) just ten to twelve of them can take out most low-level armies without sustaining major damage. Its only huge weakness lies in enemy Wizards, as any Basic Attack Spell can take out a Shrike in one hit. Thankfully, as with everything else, “Life Shield” eradicates this problem, raising a Shrike’s defense by enough to survive even a “Lightning” Spell.

Spells:

Speed Up (All Gods Spell)

Mana cost: Three hundred

“Stander” Spell: No

Overview: “Speed Up” is one of the most useful spells in the game. You can target any allied Creature, Sac Doctor, or Wizard, and it speeds up its movement speed for a length of time, which is different for every target. It also recharges in about three seconds, so it’s ready to use again long before it wears off. It’s good for charging into a fray (or ex-fray, as is more often the case) to collect blue Souls, or for just generally speeding stuff up. Also, it is good for getting slow Creatures to their targets before they can be killed by enemy ranged units.

Wrath (Basic Attack Spell)

Mana cost: Three hundred

“Stander” Spell: No

Overview: “Wrath” sends a glowing ball of energy that seeks out the target, but will hit anything that gets in its path, so if you’re trying to hit a specific target in a mass of enemies, don’t count on it. It has good basic damage, a small amount of splash damage, and a good recharge time, which is somewhere around the time that it takes a “Rock” Spell to recharge.

Heal (All Gods Spell)

Mana cost: Three hundred

“Stander” Spell: No

Overview: Restores the target’s HP. It can completely heal most Creatures, and only the most powerful entities will need to be healed more than once in order to be restored to full health. It is equally useful during and between battles. You can use it in battle to heal your minions and yourself while fighting, and you can use it between battles to refresh before the next skirmish.

Manalith (All Gods Spell)

Mana cost: Eight hundred

“Stander” Spell: Yes

Overview: “Manalith” constructs a Manalith over targeted Manafounts. A Manalith makes it so that only you and your allies can gather Mana from that Manafount. It also ignites your and your allies Manahoars. Any Manafount you see should have “Manalith” cast on it immediately. A Manalith can be destroyed if it takes enough damage, but it quickly regenerates health, so it is hard to take one out without using Creatures.

Guardian (All Gods Spell)

Mana cost: Three hundred

“Stander” Spell: No

Overview: “Guardian” can be cast on any Creature near one of your or your ally’s buildings (Manalith, Shrine, or Altar). It tethers the Creature to the building via a glowing red magic beam. This has its advantages and its disadvantages. It raises the Creature’s defense, and causes it to regenerate health VERY quickly, even if it’s a Charnel creature. Unfortunately, it also stops the Creature from using its special ability (if it had one) and keeps it from moving too far away from the building. Any damage done to a building with guardians is re-distributed among its guardians.

Convert (All Gods Spell)

Mana cost: Eight hundred

“Stander” Spell: No

Overview: The “Convert” Spell can be cast on Heathen Souls. It summons a Sac Doctor, who will spend some time re-injecting the Soul(s) into the dead Creature, then it will carry the creature in a floating magical sphere back to the nearest allied Altar or Shrine to be sacrificed, which also takes some time. Once the sacrifice is completed, the Creature’s Soul(s) are added to your stockpile. If the Sac Doctor is killed while re-injecting the Soul(s), the Soul(s) will pop back out. If the Sac Doctor is killed while carrying or sacrificing the Creature, the creature will fall back to the ground, alive, but with only 50% of its total HP. You should immediately cast “Convert” on any Heathen Souls you come across.

Desecrate (All Gods Spell)

Mana cost: One thousand

“Stander” Spell: No

Overview: This Spell is the only way to defeat your opponents. Target one of your Creatures while near an enemy Altar and a Sac Doctor will come down and pick it up. Then it will take it to the Altar and begin to sacrifice it. During the desecration ritual that the Sac Doctors perform, a portal, just like the ones that Sac Doctors come out of, will float in the air above the owner of the Altar. It will attack its victim with a bolt of energy that drains HP, Mana, and experience from the Wizard. While the experience bar will slowly regenerate when not being attacked, it will not go above the point where it was when it was drained. The HP and Mana drained by the bolt will not regenerate automatically. If the opposing Wizard is killed during the desecration, their Altar is destroyed (revealing a Manafount beneath it) and all of its Creature will fall dead. Any structures erected over Manafounts by that Wizard, that is to say, Shrines and Manaliths, will stay, but can still be destroyed. If any one of the Sac Doctors performing the desecration ritual are killed, the Creature being sacrificed will fall back to the ground with 50% maximum HP, and the desecration will end. If the desecration is successful, the Souls from the sacrificed Creature will be added back into your stockpile.

Teleport (All Gods Spell)

Mana cost: Eight hundred

“Stander” Spell: No

Overview: This is a VERY underused, VERY useful Spell. “Teleport” lets you target any one of your or your ally’s buildings, I.E., Manalith, Shrine, or Altar, (mini-map targeting comes in useful here) and instantly transport yourself and any of your nearby minions to that building from anywhere on the map. This is good for retreating from a losing battle, protecting your Altar when you get the “An enemy Wizard is approaching your Altar!” message, and launching surprise attacks on any foe passing or attacking your buildings. If your opponent casts “Death”, one of Charnel’s Wrath of the Gods Spells, I find it quite amusing to teleport away and laugh as they try to fend off the Grim Reaper as it slaughters all of their units.

Persephone – Level 2:

Creatures:

Scarab (Bug)

Soul cost: Two

Mana cost: Six hundred

Special ability: None

Innate ability: None

Overview: The Scarab cannot attack, and its only use is its restoration bursts. The Scarab can fire bursts of healing power at allied Creatures and Wizards, and restores about as much HP as a “Heal” spell per shot. This is an invaluable trait, as it cuts down considerably on the micro-management of healing during fights. Two or three Scarabs behind your lines can keep your whole army alive for an entire battle, excepting one-hit kills. The time between bursts is relatively short. Beware, however: Scarabs have next to no defense and poor HP. Keep them well out of the way of enemy Melee, as they will be killed quite quickly, and have no defenses of their own. Since they can heal from a range, let them. Don’t let your Scarabs get lost in the fray.

Spells:

Ethereal Form (Shield Spell)

Mana cost: Four hundred

“Stander” Spell: No

Overview: “Ethereal Form” is both the best and the worst of all Shield Spells. It is the best, because it completely negates all damage done to you during its duration. Unfortunately, its duration is what makes it the worst. It is the shortest lasting of all Shield Spells, its effect only taking about half a minute to wear off. Thank goodness that its recharge time is relevant to the duration of ”Ethereal Form”: it takes hardly a minute to fully recharge, far less time than it takes the other Shield Spells to recharge, that is to say, a VERY long time. As an added bonus, it also turns you transparent, and thus makes it much harder for the foe to see you.

Persephone – Level 3:

Creatures:

Troll (Brawler)

Soul Cost: Two

Mana cost: Seven hundred

Special Ability: None

Innate ability: Quick Regeneration

Overview: The Troll is a good unit to put in a well-balanced army, even late in the game. It has high attack power, and good movement speed. It also has an innate ability, “Quick Regeneration”, which heals it even during battle or while moving. All non-Charnel units heal when standing still, but only the Troll can heal while moving. The Troll also heals faster than other units do. Its defense and HP are not spectacular, but don’t get me wrong: it certainly isn’t low. Trolls are very good for destroying buildings - with their high attack power, three of them can take out a Shrine or Manalith in a matter of seconds. Unlike most powerful melee units, who are inept at chasing retreating units due to their low speed, the Trolls' quick speed make them ideal for this task.

Spells:

Grasping Vines (Slowing Spell)

Mana cost: Five hundred

“Stander” Spell: No

Overview: “Grasping Vines” is by far my favorite Slowing Spell. Unlike “Slime” and “Rings of Fire”, which merely slow the target down (In the case of “Rings of Fire” hardly at all, although it does do damage to compensate), “Grasping Vines” renders the target immobile for the duration of the Spell, which is quite long. Also, unlike “Freeze”, which breaks upon being attacked, or if the target is a flyer, when it hits the ground, “Grasping Vines” does not end until it has gone through the entire duration of the spell. It can, contrary to popular belief, target flyers and hold them in place as well. Although Wizards can still cast almost all spells if “Grasping Vines” is cast on them, they cannot activate Shield Spells. And, more importantly, they cannot move.

Shrine (Building Spell)

Mana cost: Eight hundred

“Stander” Spell: Yes

Overview: A Shrine works just like a Manalith except for three differences: It does not ignite Manahoars, it provides less Mana then a Manalith or Manafount do (it provides about as much as an Altar), and, most importantly, Sac Doctors can sacrifice Creatures at Shrines. Because of this, you usually want to cast “Shrine” on Manafounts that are far away from your Altar, so as to cut the travel time of your Sac Doctors. Obviously, is doesn’t do to have a Shrine right next to your Altar, when it provides less Mana and Sac Doctors would only have to travel for mere seconds more without it.

Persephone – Level 4:

Creatures:

Gnome (Sniper)

Soul cost: Two

Mana cost: One thousand

Special ability: None

Innate ability: None

Overview: The Gnome, while not a spectacular unit, is far from a bad one. It has, for a ranged unit, very good attack power. It also has quite good range. The speed is not at all poor. Its real weakness is HP. While it seems to have decent defense, any Second-Tier Melee Creature will tear it apart in no time flat. Summarized, although Gnomes can take some punishment, you should avoid letting them. One of the cool things about Gnomes is that their shots hit instantly, unlike those of their counterparts, the Deadeye and Pyromaniac, whose projectiles take time to travel. Because of this, the Gnome’s shots cannot be dodged, and never miss. In groups of five or more, the Gnome can take out most creatures with one collective blast, and are an excellent choice to cast “Guardian” on to protect your Altar.

Spells:

Rainbow (Healing Spell)

Mana cost: Three hundred

“Stander” Spell: No

Overview: As far as Healing Spells go, the “Rainbow” Spell gives you the most bang for your proverbial buck by far. For the same Mana cost as a “Heal” Spell, and nearly identical recharge time, "Rainbow" heals not one, but FIVE allied Creatures and/or Wizards per use. It bounces from the target to an additional four damaged allies at random. It also restores just as much health as a standard “Heal” spell. This Spell is an excellent choice, because it reduces healing micro-management to the bare minimum, without costing an exorbitant amount of Mana.

Persephone – Level 5:

Creatures:

Gremlin (Bomber)

Soul Cost: Three

Mana cost: One thousand

Special ability: Web Pull

Innate ability: None

Overview: (Note: The Gremlin and the Sereph are exactly the same, except that the Sereph is slightly faster, and the Gremlin has more attack) The Gremlin is a powerful unit in its own right, with high HP, good attack, and excellent speed. What really makes this unit shine is its special ability, “Web Pull”. This allows the Gremlin to fire a spider-like web at the target, ensnaring it and then reeling it in. Once the Gremlin pulls it’s victim all the way in, it gives it a hit with its powerful leg, breaking the web and knocking the foe to the ground. This ability has good range, and if you have the Gremlin use it while flying over the edge of a cliff, it can pull its victim right off, dropping it into the expanse, never to be seen again. In groups of three or more, Gremlins make powerful adversaries, even without using “Web Pull”. Their high speed and attack power makes them excellent raiders. Using several Gremlins together can incapacitate a Creature or Wizard for a very long time if they all use “Web Pull” at the same time, pulling the victim in mid-air from one Gremlin to the next, and then doing it again.

Spells:

Rain of Frogs (Rain Spell)

Mana cost: One thousand

“Stander” Spell: No

Overview: This spell does several things, all of which are good, and all of which, unfortunately, can backfire. It causes a storm cloud to grow above the target, (which can be an area) which rains down bright green frogs. The frogs hop around, and stick to anything they touch. They home after units, rather than just jumping around randomly. A Creature or Wizard with frogs attached to it is slowed significantly, more for each frog. After several seconds, the frogs explode, dealing a fair amount of damage. This spell lasts a good long time, and can be used to scare the foe away from the targeted area. Once caught in the targeted area, it is very difficult to escape, as the frogs slow you down so much. Thing is, these frogs chase the nearest thing to them, not the nearest enemy to them, so like with the “Death” spell, you should cast it and then “Teleport” away with your minions. Because of this, you should be sure your Creatures are grouped around you before casting this Spell, so that you can “Teleport” immediately afterward, rather then having to wait for you units to gather around you, and risking leaving some behind.

Persephone – Level 6:

Creatures:

Mutant (Artillery)

Soul cost: Three

Mana cost: One thousand one hundred

Special ability: None

Innate ability: Post-Humus Healing

Overview: The Mutant is unique in that it has what is singularly the longest range of any Creature in Sacrifice. While they may sound depressing (“My life… *sniff* is... yours…) they are a VERY powerful unit. Like all good Artillery Creatures, their thrown projectiles cause area damage when they hit, and, also like all good Artillery Creatures, they’re rather inaccurate. Accurate enough, though, and since they have splash damage, even a near miss can hurt the foe. Another interesting thing about Mutants is that when they die, any allied Creatures or Wizards near them have their HP restored. This is due to their innate ability, “Post-Humus Healing”. The Mutant is a rather slow moving unit, but it has good attack power, and great HP. Overall, they make some of the best Altar Guardians in the business.

Spells:

Healing Aura (Healing Spell)

Mana cost: One thousand two hundred

“Stander” Spell: Yes

Overview: A very interesting spell, to say the least, “Healing Aura” can target any friendly Creature or Wizard. It causes them to glow a bright yellowish green color, and heals the target and any friendly Creatures or Wizards around it constantly for as long as it lasts. This spell has a long duration, and if you have some Mana to spare during a battle, why not? It’s very good because it constantly heals, rather then healing upon use, as with the other two Spells in this category. You can cast it on a Creature and it will be healed, even as it is attacked, and is attacking. This spell also works as a sort of counter for one of Pyro’s Wrath of the Gods Spells, “Blind Rage”. A Creature with “Blind Rage” cast on it will madly attack friendly Creatures, but if you cast “Healing Aura” on a Creature that has had “Blind Rage” cast on it, it will consistently heal anything friendly that it attacks!

Persephone Level 7:

Creatures:

Ent (Heavy Hitter)

Soul cost: Four

Mana cost: One thousand three hundred

Special ability: Protector

Innate ability: None

Overview: The Ent is a simply unbelievable unit. While slightly on the slow side, at least as far as speed goes, the Ent has some of the highest (not the highest, mind you!) attack power in the game, VERY high HP, and good defense. Ah, if only it were ranged… But no matter. The Ent also has one of the best special abilities in the game: “Protector”, which puts an extra-strength “Life Shield” around not only the Ent, but any friendly Creatures nearby! The protection lasts no matter how far away from the Ent a protected creature gets, and even lasts if the Ent is killed! It also has quite a long duration. A great combo with “Protector” is the “Healing Aura” Spell. Cast it on an Ent, send the Ent into battle, and flip on “Protector”. Your whole army now has ultra-high defense, and is being continually healed! Using this almost ensures victory in most fights. One thing, you want to avoid casting “Guardian” on Ents, as you can’t afford to lose “Protector”! It’s better to leave the Ent near the building in need of protection with some other guardians, so as to be able to use “Protector” on them when needed.

Spells:

Vinewall (Wall Spell)

Mana cost: One thousand eight hundred

“Stander” Spell: No

Overview: A modest Wall Spell, to say the best. Although it is the only Wall Spell with friend-and-foe differentiation, it does not do damage (like “Wall of Spikes” and “Fence”), drain Mana (like “Wailing Wall”) or catch things on fire (like “Firewall”). Instead it merely slows them down on their way through. Not the best. It’s also ridiculously expensive for what it does, that is to say, next to nothing, costing as much Mana as nine of the ten Wrath of the Gods Spells. On the other hand, if you want Ent, you’ll have to put up with this sub-par Spell.

Persephone – Level 8:

Creatures:

None.

Spells:

Charm (Wrath of the Gods Spell)

Mana cost: One thousand eight hundred

“Stander” Spell: Yes

Overview: This is hands-down one of the best Wrath of the Gods Spells in Sacrifice. Cast “Charm” on an enemy Creature, and after a few seconds, it becomes your Creature, even its Soul(s) when it dies! Absolutely incredible. You can also cast it on wild Creatures from the multi-player maps. One of the most evil things you can do to another player is to cast “Charm” and steal one of their five-Soul Titans! If you’ve ever been playing against another person thinking, “boy, if I had one of those Creatures that so-and-so is using against me, my life would sure be a lot easier,” this is the Spell for you.

Meanstalks (Wrath of the Gods Spell)

Mana cost: One thousand eight hundred

“Stander” Spell: Yes

Overview: Like all the other Gods’ second Wrath of the Gods Spells, Persephone’s is great for causing mass pandemonium. “Meanstalks” causes four unbelievably tall, thick vines to grow out of the target area, which then proceed to bend over and impale any Creatures or Wizards (BEWARE: friend or foe!) within reach, doing some damage, then swing them high, high into the air and hurl them into oblivion, which also causes quite a bit of damage when the victim lands. I will tell you, it is VERY fun to cast this Spell in the middle of an approaching army, then stand back and look up laughing as you watch it being hurled over the horizon. Heehee. Also, this spell lasts quite a long time, so it can be used to frighten enemies away from an area for some time. One thing to note, however: each unit can only be grabbed ONCE per casting, after that (if it’s still alive!) the unit can pass by unharmed. It is very fun to cast this near the edge of a hole in the island, or the edge of the island itself, as units will sometimes be thrown right off the edge by the stalks, never to be seen again (except Wizards, who just reappear next to their Altar).

Persephone – Level 9:

Creatures:

Dragon (Titan)

Soul cost: Five

Mana cost: One thousand nine hundred

Special ability: Breath of Life

Innate ability: Grasping Vines

Overview: The Dragon has what is quite possibly the second highest attack power in the game, less only than that of James’ Rhinok. An incredibly powerful Creature, the Dragon is fast, has high HP, great defense, super-powerful attack, and VERY cool special and innate abilities. The special one is “Breath of Life”. It targets the blue Souls of a friendly corpse – yes, corpse – and brings it back to life, at full health. This is especially useful in the campaign levels, because you can use it to bring dead hero units back to life. In the multi-player game, it can be used to revive an expensive Creature without paying the Mana and recharge time of the Summoning Spell, or to pop a unit back to existence right as the enemy Wizard is about to convert the Soul(s). Heh. The innate ability is “Grasping Vines”, which has about a 50% chance of casting the “Grasping Vines” Spell on whatever the Dragon attacks. This is useful for stopping a quick-moving enemy from escaping you, or even just stopping Enemy Wizards from gathering the Souls from their fallen minions. Overall the Dragon is a very powerful unit, but the one downside is that they are so big, that more than two or three attacking the same target get in each other’s way. On the other hand, just one Dragon is enough to take care of most foes!

Spells:

None.