Buildings and spots on the strategic map | World Map AoW III Guide

Last update: 11 May 2016

While moving around the main map, with your armies, you will often bump into structures, cities or items to collect. Therefore, it is important that you explore the map with several units, thanks to which your chances of finding something interesting, before your opponents do, rise. The knowledge of the terrain and of the opponent's moves, will allow you to plan better on the attack and defense of the threatened cities.

Below, you can find a list of places that you can run into, while exploring the map.

Threats

As far as possible, these should be avoided, because they provide negative bonuses to units.

Blighted Vines - deals 8 damage (poison) per turn, for 4 turns.

Giant Cobwebs - the army loses all of its movement points after it enter the field with the cobweb

Hook Briar - deals 20 damage (physical) after you walk onto the field.

Items to collect

These are various deposits that contain resources or provide bonuses They disappear after being collected so, the rule "The early bird catches the worm" applies here.

Cartographer Tent - reveals some of the map.

Casting Catalyst - adds 20-30 casting points.

Column of Champions - promotes the visiting army.

Flotsam - a chest with some gold inside.

Gold Stash - a stash with some gold.

Item sack - a sack with items that can be used by your leader.

Mana Stash - a stash with some mana.

Production Resources - builds a free building in the nearby city. If possible, it is also worthwhile to visit this field at the moment at which you still have to erect the more expensive buildings in the city. Otherwise, you should visit them as early as possible - in this case, this will speed up the city expanding process.

Refugee Camp - a place that causes the rise in population of the nearest city.

Scrolls of Knowledge - speeds up the currently conducted research.

Treasure Chest - a chest with some gold and mana inside.

Enemy "Spawns"

These are the place where the Independent, hostile parties are spawned. The best thing to do is destroy them right after you run into them.

Brigand Hideout - a bandit hideout that produces light units

Haunted Boneyard - produces undead units.

Monster Den - here, various monsters and beasts are spawned.

Pirates' Nest - produces hostile ships.

Treasure Sites

After you find a place, you can enter by selecting the "Explore" option, on the same hex that the place is located. These places are protected by various units and only one of your armies can fight them (the one located on the field with the structure) After you visit such a place and defeat the defenders, it will start to generate specific resources. The more difficult a place is to explore, the better items can be found inside.

Ancient Ruins - you can find items here.

Dungeon - after the exploration, you will find new units here.

Forbidden Sanctum - you can find units, items and skills (for the leader) here.

Sunken City - a zone on water, you can find items and skills here.

Tomb - you can find items here.

Wizard Tower Ruins - you can find skills, items and knowledge (researches) here.

Ziggurat - you can find items here.

Temples

Temples ensure blessings, for the units that visit it, which last for a certain number of turns.

Shrine to the Earthen Mother - ensures 40% of Blight Protection and Cave Crawling for 8 turns.

Shrine to the Fickle Mermaid - equips units with the Mariner ability, until the next battle and replenishes their movement points.

Shrine to the Froze Beauty - the visiting units receive the Arctic Concealment for 8 turns and Arctic Walking.

Shrine to the Guardian Angel - ensures the units with Holy Champion for 4 turns and replenishes their health points.

Shrine to the Queen of Spiders - the visiting units are endowed with Wall Climbing until the next battle.

Shrine to the Scarlet Destroyer - units receive protection from fire (40% Fire Protection) and Explosive Death.

Shrine to the Wizard King - for the duration of the next battle, the units receive Life Stealing.

Sites that ensure bonuses for cities and the manufactured units

These places ensure quite considerable bonuses, if only they are located within your domain.

Heart of Arctic - increases contentment by 200 and equips the units that you manufacture with Inflict Frostbite. Additionally, it removes all penalties for "disliking" areas of the Arctic type.

Heart of Blight - increases contentment by 200 and equips the units that you manufacture with Inflict Severely Poisoned. Additionally, it removes all penalties for "disliking" areas of the Blighted type.

Heart of Glades - increases contentment by 200 and equips the units that you manufacture with Inflict Bleeding Wounds. Additionally, it removes all penalties for "disliking" areas of the Temperate

Heart of Tropics - increases contentment by 200 and equips the units that you manufacture with Inflict Scorching Heat. Additionally, it removes all penalties for "disliking" areas of the Tropical type.

Heart of Volcano - increases contentment by 200 and equips the units that you manufacture with Inflict Fire Immolation. Additionally, it removes all penalties for "disliking" areas of the Volcanic type.

Sites that ensure higher income of resources

Places of this type are the most common on the map. After you explore them, you can find units, items and resources there. Additionally, when they are located within your dominion, they increase the influx of resources. Unlike the treasure sites, the units located within one hex, ensure reinforcement in battle. It is best to start cities in the area that is the most abundant in such sites.

Air Node - you can find resources here. Increases influx of mana (+10).

Creation Node - you can find resources here. Increases influx of mana (+10).

Crystal Tree - you can find items here. Increases influx of mana (+20).

Destruction Node - you can find resources here. Increases influx of mana (+10).

Earth Node - you can find resources here. Increases influx of mana (+10).

Fire Node - you can find resources here. Increases influx of mana (+10).

Flowrock Quarry - you can find resources and items here. Increases the influx of production points (+20).

Gold Mine - you can find resources here. Increases the growth of gold (+10).

Great Farm - you can find items here. Increases the growth of population (+100).

Magma Forge - you can find items here. Increases the growth of production points (+10).

Mana Node - you can find resources here. Increases influx of mana (+10).

Spring of Life - you can find items here. Increases the growth of population (+100) and contentment (+50).

Trading Post - you can find items here. Increases the growth of gold (+20).

Vault of Knowledge - you can find knowledge (research) here. Increases the growth of research points (+20).

Water Node - you can find resources here. Increases influx of mana (+10).

Miscellaneous

These are all types of other sites that cannot be put in any of the above categories.

Blood Altar - The visiting units receive experience, in exchange for the instantaneous reduction of health points by 1.

Cave Entrance - the cave entrance to the underground.

Cave Exit - cave exit onto the surface.

Haste Berries - replenishes movement points of the visiting units.

Inn - the site where you can find heroes to hire.

Master Shipyard - the structure that allows you to build ships.

Reflective Pool - allows you to take a look into "another" pool, which reveals a portion of the map.

Sign - a wooden sign.

Spelljammer - causes impossibility to cast spells within the radius of 3 hexes.

Teleporter - transports the units the teleport, which is coupled with this one.

Watchtower - reveals a big portion of the map around.

Apart from the abovementioned structures and buildings on the map, you can also run into a city or a fortress, both independent and belonging to the other players. Not all of the above places must be on one map, e.g. and entrance to the underground will not show on the map where only the surface is available.