Pyro – 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.

Cog (Basic Melee)

Soul cost: One

Mana cost: Three Hundred

Special ability: None

Innate ability: Boiler Rupture

Overview: The Cog isn’t a spectacular Creature, nor is it a particularly awful one. The Cog is rather quick moving, and has high attack power. It also, unfortunately, has relatively low HP and defense. It also has an innate ability, “Boiler Rupture”, which causes the Cog to spew scalding hot steam upon its demise, injuring anything close by. Because of this ability, Cogs are best used as fodder during a battle, sending them in where you know they’ll be killed so as to weaken the forces around them while you have your more powerful Creatures finish the foes off. I wouldn’t suggest that you use this strategy unless you are almost sure that it will ensure victory, because you’ll need to pick up the Souls of all the dead Cogs after the fight. Another interesting feature is that, like with Scythes, the “Speed Up” Spell lasts for a very long time on Cogs, and makes them extremely fast, so that they can be used for swift attacks and raids.

Flame Minion (Basic Ranged)

Soul cost: One

Mana cost: Three hundred

Special ability: Run Away

Innate ability: None

Overview: This is my favorite Basic Ranged Creature by far! It has incredible speed, which can be raised to astronomical levels with its special ability, “Run Away”, and is one of the best as far as raiding goes. The Flame Minion spits small fireballs at its foe, doing a good amount of damage and catching them on fire. Although it has decent HP, it has pretty low defense, but it can still absorb a good amount of damage before it dies. Because of this, you should let Flame Minions stay in your front lines, allowing them to blast away at anything around them, without worrying about them being hurt like you would have to with most Basic Ranged Creatures. The best way to utilize the Flame Minion is to use it in large groups, and to make as much use of its special ability as you possibly can. Having a swath of ranged Creatures run up to your foe and start attacking while you watch from afar, then having them run away again before your foe can retaliate, is extremely unnerving for you foe. Even if you can’t watch, have them run around the island and destroy Manaliths and Shrines that you can see on the mini-map, then run back to you upon the completion of the task, or upon being attacked.

Spitfire (Basic Flyer)

Soul cost: One

Mana cost: Three hundred

Special ability: None

Innate ability: None

Overview: This Creature is almost the epitome of all Pyro stands for: it’s certainly powerful for its level, but Lord does it die fast! The Spitfire is a flying Creature that spews a conical burst of flame at its foes, doing very high damage (for level 1, at least) and effecting any other Creatures around the target. In other words, it damages an area, rather than a single target. Unfortunately, the Spitfire’s high attack power is offset by its almost unreal low HP and defensive power. All crap stats aside, though, use this Creature in much the same way as you would Flame Minions. In other words, use large groups. In a battle, if the enemy Wizard is using many ranged Creatures, don’t even bother using Spitfires unless you have about thirty of them, because they’ll die before they can even do any damage worth noting, high as their attack power may be. The only Creature that I can think of that dies faster than a Spitfire is the Brainiac, and the Brainiac has the advantage of a long attack range, which can keep it alive by virtue of not having to be directly in the fight in order to contribute to victory. The Spitfire is exactly the opposite, with an exceptionally short-range attack, forcing it to be directly in a battle if it wants to do anything. What a joke! A plus side that slightly makes up for its short range is the speed of the Spitfire, which is pretty darn quick. Because of this, you can use them as an early level raiding force, which would actually be pretty effective.

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.

Fireball (Basic Attack Spell)

Mana cost: Three hundred

“Stander” Spell: No

Overview: Does exactly what it sounds like: it throws a fireball at your target, which tracks them until it hits. Of all the spells that home in on their targets, “Fireball” does perhaps the best job. It has a very high damage output (like with the Spitfire, I am referring to a level-based judgment) and the most splash damage of any Basic Attack Spell, which means that it can kill off small clusters of enemy Creatures in one blast. I’ve killed up to five Basic Flyer Creatures at a time with this Spell. “Fireball” is an excellent substitute for “Lightning”, which is, in my opinion, the best Basic Attack Spell, but unfortunately, “Fireball” suffers from one major weakness, which is its recharge time. “Fireball” takes longer to recharge than any other Basic Attack Spell in Sacrifice. If you can put up with the recharge time, though (in other words, if you don’t plan to be using it again for a good thirty seconds after casting), this is an excellent all-around Spell.

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.

Pyro – Level 2:

Creatures:

Tickferno (Bug)

Soul cost: Two

Mana cost: Six hundred

Special ability: None

Innate ability: None

Overview: This is an interesting Creature. If it were higher level, I’d say it sucked, but for the level and cost that it’s at, this is pretty good. The Tickferno is a small, crawling unit of decent speed. To attack, it targets the foe with a searing heat beam that drains a significant amount of Mana, and also does a small amount of damage. The main thing here is the Mana draining. The Tickferno has pretty good range, so you can use several to target your opponent’s ranged Creatures from your back lines, draining them of their Mana, and thus stopping them from attacking. You can even target the enemy Wizard itself to stop it from summoning more Creatures or contributing to the fight with Spells. A Wizard without Mana is completely and totally harmless. The Tickferno is best suited to such long-range sniping, as it has quite poor defense, and not very high HP, either, so try to keep it out of the fight. Even if you’re in the midst of the battle yourself, make sure your Tickfernos are well out of the fray, incinerating your foes from a distance. One thing to watch out for is their accuracy, or rather, their lack of it. The beams are fast, but not super fast, and most enemies can evade them if they see it coming first. Because of this, you should use them only for large battles, not just taking out little ones and twos, as they aren’t at all equipped for the job.

Spells:

Fireform (Shield Spell)

Mana cost: Four hundred

“Stander” Spell: No

Overview: This Spell is based around a little quote from Pyro himself: “The best defense is a dead opponent”. “Fireform” summons a shield of flame around you, which damages and sets fire to anything that touches it. It’s great to cast “Fireform” and just run right through an opposing army, incinerating lesser or damaged Creatures. Unlike the rest of the Shield Spells, “Fireform” does not reduce the damage done to you in any way. However, most people will tell their melee Creatures to stay away from you if they see you cast this Spell, so it is still an effective defense, in a “scare tactic” sort of way. This is a great Spell for turning the tide of battle. Flip it on, then run through your enemies to their back lines and burn away their ranged Creatures, for example. It helps. It’s just so fun to watch your opponents little Creatures charge at you and burn to a crisp. To quote the God of Fire again, “If they’re dead, they can’t attack, can they?”

Pyro – Level 3

Creatures:

Firefist (Brawler)

Soul cost: Two

Mana cost: Eight hundred

Special ability: None

Innate ability: Vengeful Attack

Overview: The Troll-like Firefist’s innate ability, “Vengeful Attack” is, just as it sounds, the opposite of the Taurock’s “Vengeful Defense”. Rather than raising its defensive capabilities, “Vengeful Attack” causes the Firefist’s attack power to rise as its HP falls. This means that it won’t get as many hits in as a Taurock, but the hits it does get in will be harder. This is great, since the Firefist has pretty high attack power as is! It also has good HP, and sturdy defensive power, though not anywhere near as high as some of James’ Creatures. One of the cool things about the Firefist, aside from “Vengeful Attack”, is its movement speed, which is pretty quick, like the Troll’s. This allows it to catch up with most targets should they decide to flee. A few Firefists working together can take out some pretty powerful Creatures, and you can use them as shock troops to counter your opponent’s ranged Creatures quite effectively. For example, if your foe is using Artillery Creatures, three to six Firefists can smash them up in no time flat, keeping the rest of your army protected. And although they can’t keep up with most Wizards, they can almost match their speed, and sometimes they can outrun them. Even if they can’t outrun them, the important part is that they can keep the Wizard running. If the enemy Wizard is on the run from a Firefist during an entire fight they are that much more likely to lose it. It certainly doesn’t help their odds to be constantly running in circles with a mad Troll gone wrong chasing them fervently with its arms flailing through the air after it.

Spells:

Rings of Fire (Slowing Spell)

Mana cost: Five hundred

“Stander” Spell: No

Overview: “Rings of Fire” traps the target in concentric circles of flame, which pulsate around it, slightly slowing its speed. It also does a considerable amount of damage, and can incinerate most victims in less than half a minute. This Spell lasts for quite a while, too, and can be used to pick off individual Creatures during a battle, or just to damage high level Creatures, ripening them for defeat by something else. Most Creatures below level six can be killed by “Rings of Fire”. The only disadvantage is that it doesn’t do it’s damage all at once, instead burning away at the target over a period of time. This means that if you’re desperately trying to kill a troublesome Creature, it will still be able to do more damage before it dies. On the plus side, you can sometime cast this on a random Creature when you foe is retreating from a battle, and it might fall without your opponent noticing while the rest of the army and the enemy Wizard runs away, so that you can harvest its Souls.

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.

Pyro – Level 4:

Creatures:

Pyromaniac (Sniper)

Soul cost: Two

Mana cost: One thousand

Special ability: None

Innate ability: None

Overview: The Pyromaniac is an extremely useful Creature, and can be thought of as a more target-specific Bombard: like the Bombard, its primary function is to set the foe on fire from a distance, but unlike that Bombard, who hurls massive fireballs at the enemy, catching whole areas on fire in one blast, the Pyromaniac uses a hand cannon similar to those that Persephone’s Gnomes carry to launch fire rockets, which, although they only set one target ablaze at a time, are almost infinitely more accurate. The Pyromaniac is also far more mobile than a Bombard is (in other words, it has faster movement speed), and it fires faster to boot. My younger brother loves using groups of Pyromaniacs in conjunction with groups of Charnel’s Deadeyes, utilizing a combination of the Pyromaniac’s fire and the Deadeye’s poison to wear down his foes from a distance. Very quickly, I might add.

Spells:

Dragonfire (Advanced Attack Spell)

Mana cost: Seven hundred

“Stander” Spell: Yes

Overview: This Spell is by no definition a super-powerful one. Not that it’s bad, it just isn’t spectacular. “Dragonfire” summons a Dragon of pure flame to attack your foes. Once the summoning is complete, it will chase down a victim and fly right through it, doing damage and catching the target on fire. Once the initial target has been attacked, the Dragon will swoop back into the air and begin the pursuit of a second foe. It will continue until it has attacked three enemies, after which it will swoop high into the air and burn away into nothing. This Spell makes a nice supporter Spell, and can work well with Pyrodactyls, but “Dragonfire” just wasn’t made for direct attacks. It just doesn’t do enough damage to be of true worth. This Spell is better used in the middle of a fray, or in conjunction with other Spells that attack multiple targets like it does.

Pyro – Level 5:

Creatures:

Pyrodactyl (Bomber)

Soul cost: Three

Mana cost:

Special ability: Viscous Oil

Innate ability: None

Overview: For a level five Bomber Creature, the Pyrodactyl has astoundingly high attack power. In small groups they are devastating, particularly against Manaliths and Shrines. The Pyrodactyl is also very quick, and is fun to hide near an attack point, then send in when your opponent engages you there. The Pyrodactyl adds a little diversity to Pyro’s troops, as it is the only Creature Pyro has that doesn’t burn its target. Instead, it has a special ability, “Viscous Oil”, which lobs a gob of oil at the target, splattering all over it and anything else nearby. This oil has two functions: Firstly, if it it’s a Creature, that Creature will be “blinded”, meaning that it will stop moving and forget its current orders. It won’t do anything until its next command is given. This can be very useful for slowing you opponent’s approaching troops: while they are charging into battle, you can blind several small groups of Creatures, which will then be left behind and, most likely, unnoticed until the battle is over. You can use this feature to stall an approaching Titan, for example, and sometimes finish the fight before your opponent notices that it hasn’t arrived yet! Secondly, and slightly more importantly (for Pyro, anyways), “Viscous Oil” makes anything that it hits more susceptible to catching fire, and causes it to burn for considerably longer when they do. A favorite strategy of mine involves taking several Pyrodactyls, sending them up to approaching Creatures, using “Viscous Oil” on groups of them, and then using Bombards to set them all alight in one attack from a distance. Sit back and enjoy the ensuing chaos. This strategy can be used to kill even Titans, if done properly, and the targets burn for a VERY long time.

Spells:

Explosion (Disruption)

Mana cost: One Thousand

“Stander” Spell: Yes

Overview: This is probably the only damaging Spell that you’ll ever want to target your own building with! “Explosion” causes five balls of flame to grow around the targeted Creature, building, or area. When they reach critical mass, the fireballs explode, causing a good amount of damage and sending nearby Creatures and Wizards flying. Because of the way the fireballs position themselves around the target, you can target one of your Manaliths, for example, that is being attacked by enemy melee Creatures. The fireballs will grow around the Manalith, and then explode. This will cause a small amount of damage to the structure, but it will also do damage to the attackers, and send them spinning through the air, away from the building! You can also use this Spell very effectively to break up enemy lines, or to scatter their formations of ranged Creatures, which usually hide behind the rest of their Creatures, and snipe off your Creatures from a distance.

Pyro – Level 6

Creatures:

Bombard (Artillery)

Soul cost: Four

Mana cost:

Special ability: None

Innate ability: None

Overview: The Bombard can be insanely destructive, or just a rather novel idea. It all depends on how you use it. The Bombard is a long-range, albeit rather inaccurate Creature (READ: Artillery) that flings fireballs at its targets. These fireballs do damage, but more importantly, burst when they hit something, and temporarily ignite the area of impact. When used in conjunction with Pyrodactyls, they can be, as previously mentioned, insanely destructive, because the Pyrodactyls can hit an area with their oil, then the Bombard can set it alight, and you will have a nice little bonfire that will last for a minute or two. The key thing about Bombards is their ability to set fire to whole groups of Creatures in one flick of their tails. Having several of them positioned near key points on the island can be very intimidating to your opponent. It’s not fun to be wandering around while the ground around you keeps spontaneously combusting! Bombards also make excellent Altar guards, as they can set, literally, a moat of fire to protect you. The Bombard is very slow, and this, combined with their tired-sounding voice, often causes people to describe them as “lethargic”. I’m not saying I disagree. Anyway, because of their speed (or lack thereof) they aren’t very good for close-in attacking, so try to keep them around your battles, not actually in them. The Bombard also has enough HP and defense to take a serious beating, and can even survive an attack by the “Meanstalks” Spell, which usually spells “doom” for other Creatures.

Spells:

Firewall (Wall Spell)

Mana cost:

“Stander” Spell:

Overview: Redstar loves “Firewall”, says it’s his favorite Wall Spell. The reason?  Unlike other Wall Spells, which take a while to fully appear, “Firewall” blasts outward from the target point almost instantaneously, halting fleeing and charging foes alike in their tracks. Unfortunately, “Firewall” is more of a scare tactic than a fully-functional Wall Spell, because it doesn’t impede the progress of things that try to walk through it at all. Instead, things walking through a “Firewall” are burned as they pass through, and will catch fire for a short time. Since it pops up so quickly, this Spell is better used in such a way that your foes end up running through it by accident, rather than trying to actually block their route. In this manner, you can do a good amount of damage to an approaching army, weakening it enough that your Creatures can take them out with ease.

Pyro – Level 7:

Creatures:

Warmonger (Heavy Hitter)

Soul cost: Four

Mana cost:

Special ability: Firewalk

Innate ability: None

Overview: The Warmonger is considered by many to be among the best Creatures in Sacrifice, and at first glance, it’s obvious why! It has a fused gun mounted on its shoulder, similar to those carried by Charnel’s Styx, which, although it takes a while to charge between shots, is insanely powerful, and has good range. Also, like the hand cannons of the Gnomes, the shots fired by the fused gun hit instantly, with no travel time. And, to top it off, the guns fire multiple shots per charge, rather like an automatic machine gun. They aren’t very quick, however, have very low defense, and have sub-par HP for a Heavy Hitter. This is offset slightly by its special ability, “Firewalk” which is one of the most underutilized special abilities in Sacrifice, in my opinion. “Firewalk” is essentially a localized, personal version of the “Teleport” Spell. When activated, you can target any area within several meters of the Warmonger, and it will transform into a will-o-the-wisp, shooting across the ground to the selected location, and the reappearing. This can be ridiculously useful, because you can use it to almost instantly, almost invisibly, transport a platoon of Warmongers behind the enemy lines, and let them reek havoc on your foes rear lines (and, after a few seconds, the rest of their lines as well!).

Spells:

Rain of Fire (Rain Spell)

Mana cost:

“Stander” Spell:

Overview: Of all the Rain Spells, “Rain of Fire” is perhaps the most chaotic. A storm cloud grows above the target, raining down small fireballs at random angles. Unlike “Rain of Frogs”, where you can see the frogs, “Bombardment”, where the rocks aim themselves in the same general area, and “Plague”, where the contaminated blood rains down directly beneath the cloud, “Rain of Fire” flings it’s projectiles in every direction, resulting in a strike zone that is as hard to avoid as it is to predict. The fireballs do a very good amount of damage, and can occasionally set things on fire when they hit them. Since the fireballs are flung completely at random and at odd angles, they are very hard to avoid once you are under the cloud. They are also, as previously mentioned, very destructive when they hit. This isn’t my favorite Rain Spell (that would be “Plague”), but it’s probably one of the best.

Pyro: Level 8:

Creatures:

None

Spells:

Blind Rage (Wrath of the Gods Spell)

Mana cost: One thousand eight hundred

“Stander” Spell: Yes

Overview: If you’ve ever fought one of those Wizards that casts “Guardian” on tens of Creatures to protect their Altar, making it into an almost impenetrable fortress, you’ll see the usefulness of “Blind Rage”. “Blind Rage” summons a huge red hand, which flies to the targeted Creature, then makes a fist and slams into it. The hand explodes into concentric red rings of sparks, and any Creature hit by these sparks, plus the Creature hit by the hand, goes berserk for several minutes, and will not only refuse to follow commands, but will viscously attack anything that comes near them. In their insanity, they cannot tell friend from foe, and using this Spell, you can drive an entire army to madness, and then stand a safe distance away as they rip each other apart in fury. This Spell is best used on large armies, rather than a single powerful Creature. Also, note that crazed Manahoars do not attack, but will simply stand in place and refuse to follow commands. I’ve gone up to Altars with fifteen Titan Creatures with the “Guardian” Spell cast on them, cast “Blind Rage”, and then allowed them to rip themselves apart. By the time they’re done, your foe will be lucky if they have a single Creature remaining. One thing that you want to be VERY careful of is, DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT bother using “Blind Rage” if the game you are currently playing has “friendly fire” turned off! The victims of this Spell won’t do damage to allied Creatures they attack, rendering the Spell almost utterly useless. Even though they won’t follow commands, and they still try to do damage to other Creatures, they won’t, and it’s not worth one thousand eight hundred Mana without that effect. Interestingly, “Blind Rage” recharges rather quickly, and is, in that sense, comparable to Stratos’ “Cloudkill” Spell.

Volcano (Wrath of the Gods Spell)

Mana cost: One thousand eight hundred

“Stander” Spell: Yes

Overview: “Volcano” kills. If I were to play Pyro for just one level, it would be level 8, so that I could get “Volcano”. This Spell starts out similar to James’ “Eruption” Spell, with a mound rising out of the ground, but it get almost three times as large as the “Eruption” mound does, and when it reaches maximum size, a huge stream of lava blasts out of the top, touching the sky, instantly incinerating anything caught in it! Even things that are just nearby will take high damage from the searing heat coming off the lava. Aside from the lava, which can be seen all around the island, flaming chunks of rock fly out of the stream, flying all over the place, and causing heavy damage to anything they hit. These rocks can land almost on the other side of the map from the volcano, and there are a lot of them! After more than a minute, the lava finally goes out, but the flaming boulders continue to fall around the map for several more seconds. Naturally, this Spell has a VERY long recharge time, but this is to be expected, when you take into consideration its massive power. “Volcano” leaves an immense crater where it is cast, and can totally disfigure the landscape around it in no time flat. It can be used strategically to create and remove hills, mountains, ridges, and pits. It is especially fun to cast “Volcano” in the middle of a Manalith that has Creatures with “Guardian” cast on them attached to it, as it will almost instantly incinerate the Creatures and the Manalith alike! One thing that you need to be very careful of is where you cast this Spell. You want to make sure that you send all of your Creatures away, stand back from the casting area, and give your allies (if you have any) ample warning time to escape, because if something friendly ends up too close to “Volcano” by accident when the casting is completed, you can be pretty sure it’s gonna die. Overall, “Volcano” is probably the most impressive, intimidating, and destructive Spell in all of Sacrifice.

Pyro – Level 9

Creatures:

Phoenix (Titan)

Soul cost: Five

Mana cost: One thousand nine hundred

Special ability: None

Innate ability: Fireform

Overview: The Phoenix is popularly described by players of Sacrifice as “a huge, flaming, French dragonfly”, which isn’t, I might add, the image the word “Phoenix” conjures in most (sane) people’s minds. This is, sadly, a perfectly accurate description of Pyro’s incarnation of the legendary bird of flame. The Phoenix is a rather slow, flying Creature that fires a gigantic version of the Tickferno’s heat beam from its mouth. Like the Tickferno, it drains both Mana and HP, but the Phoenix’s variety drains significantly more HP, and a little more Mana as well. Unfortunately, that isn’t the only trait it shares with the Tickferno: like everyone’s favorite cackling beetle, the Phoenix’s shots are rather inaccurate. This causes them to be rather bad for one on one combat, but the sheer power of their beam is not to be underestimated. The Phoenix beam also has the ability to set things on fire, and there are several Creatures that it can kill in one hit. Additionally, one hit from a Phoenix beam can almost completely drain a Level 9 Wizard of Mana! Since it’s so inaccurate, though, and expensive to boot, you don’t want to risk them in small fights of few Creatures. They are better suited to large-scale battles, and also for guarding Altars: due to the nature of their beam’s targeting, Phoenixes with “Guardian” cast on them almost always hit things approaching their assigned building! Four or five Phoenixes can incinerate anything that approaches them in seconds. In addition, they have an innate ability, “Fireform”, which activates when the Phoenix is hit by a physical attack. Basically, it’s the same as the Spell version of “Fireform”: Is summons a spherical shield of flame around the Phoenix, injuring and setting fire to anything that attacks it further. Small melee flyers, such as the Blight, can be killed after three or four attacks by “Fireform” without even paying any attention to them. This is perhaps one of the best inherent defenses of any Creature in Sacrifice. Like all Titans, the Phoenix also has astronomical HP and Defense, although, oddly enough, the Phoenix is rather slow, even though it is a flyer. Overall, the Phoenix is a very good Creature (well, it’d have to be in order to achieve “Titan” status), although its accuracy problem can put it through some loops. I would confine the Phoenix to either huge battles, or guarding, but either way, they work very well.

Spells:

None