Impossible Start - rush comes in in the first 30 second

[Das Panoti]

I have to say, I've never seen anything so handicapped. And I don't understand how you can do something like that. And I used to play the game, and I don't think it was like that then. Because when I start playing a level now, after the first one, the opposing hero immediately arrives with a small army. For example, a demon and two level 5 salamander warriors. And destroys everything. I don't even have enough points to build an army like that. It destroys everything, and the towers in the game are a joke anyway. So I have absolutely no idea what that's supposed to do and how to deal with it. And I'm just sad and horrified because I remembered it so differently and I was so looking forward to it and now I'm having such a ♥♥♥♥♥♥ experience and I wanted to ask your opinion. I have an HD mod on it, but I can't imagine that the HD mod changes anything like that.

What is your experience?

[Karol13]

I had such experiences, but more in The Protectors, where AI was boosted.
In vanilla WBC3, not so much

Anyways, if you could provide more details:
level of your hero, level of enemy hero
Map (random? if random, at least size)
AI difficulty
Items you are using (on higher AI difficulty, like King+, AI heroes are equipped with powerful items, if you have low-tier ones or none at all, that also has an impact)

Purely generically : AI rushes towards your base, if he deems your defenses poor.
To mitigate this, produce any units, even cheap ones, just to add HP to your totals.

Of course, 30 seconds is way to early, which is why I am more interested in the map, as the enemy hero obviously starts way to near to your base, which seems off.

[Das Panoti]

it is directly in the beginning after the First level. Sometimes i get time and so i can build a small defense.

My hero is 6 and has near nothing in attack the other is 9 hand make over 40 dmg...

And yes my defense is poor .... in the first seconds of the game and with 6 or 8 points it is not enaugh to buy enaugh defend unit for start

[Karol13]

"after First level."
Do you refer to WBC III Campaign (first map would be exploring the isle, after that you can liberate the isle, your enemy is Daemon... and the map is also very small...)
That one?

If so, maybe you want to leave that island first and gather some experience & items doing other maps.

When you are lvl 6, enemy is lvl 9, check if you don't play on HARD (it should be possible to change difficulty under OPTIONS in the main menu)

I usually travel to New Selentia, and there I get the three SET items (that give bonus Ritual after fully assembled, and each grants extra Morale - nice starting set)

But even that maps I personally consider challenging, and I usually get beaten by rabid Ssrathi - so while most maps I can and do play on HARD, these 3 particular maps I always set to Easy (while the start of the first map is not as deadly as on the Sundered Isle, eventually one of the Ssrathi lords become super OP, while protected by passive ally, and before I can build my defenses properly and get to higher tier units, he starts sending dragons and even titan my way - very nasty)

[Das Panoti]

it is the first island but the top too...

It seems it is with the hd mod... I try it without :)

Thank you!

[Karol13]

The top - Dragon Maze?
Dragon Maze offers 3 maps, while the first one is quite small and again - enemy hero (Minotaur) will assault your quite underprotected base very early on (and is usually very well armed up, units wise)

Generally, such maps can be mitigated by reducing the difficulty (which can be later increased back to normal or hard)

But especially early on, when your hero is just level 6, enemy who would have 50% higher level (9), can become deadly (would this diffirence be applied for your hero on level 30, and enemy would be level 33, the difference would be mere 10%, not 50... so it also plays a role how seasoned your hero is)

Sometimes helps to play few random non-campaign scenarios, to buff & ramp-up your hero first, then as mentioned : just lower the difficulty.

[Das Panoti]

so its only not optimal game designed ... :) Thank you

I have now an idea how to come along

[Karol13]

BTW, although I play mainly The Protectors lately, I am not 100% sure, but check if also WBC III vanilla offers "Find Companions"

If it does, send your Retinue units on a task, wait 10 days, and you should find new units, that will auto-join you in nearly every battle onward, for free.
Not only they will join you, they will properly gain levels and keep these levels (with the potential of gaining level 50 eventually)

If you are lucky enough, on the first island, Sundered Island, I usually fetch 3 Moonguards, who are strong addition in all future battle.

[adhdedrn]

You can also play a skirmish or two beforehand to level up your hero and get some units in your retinue that you can deploy with you. That usually helps.

[Ryika]

Many of the campaign maps - especially early on - are ridiculously small and stuff like that happens somewhat frequently. If it does, just restart the map.