New Player Guide

Since there wasn't a guide, I have undertaken to write one up, having just finished the 9th (and last) raid for the first time.

General tips:

Warriors need health and self-healing, once primal rage is unlocked and using multiple blood swords (+2%/HP per attack) there will be much less need for damage reduction (ie. amulets). You'll probably want at least 1 warrior to be significantly ahead of the others in terms of levels as that will make some bosses much easier.

Archers are pure DPS - collect and use skillbooks that promote damage, attack speed (works wonders with a couple time pressure skillbooks as well).

Priests are main healers - mana regeneration is important (once you can get it), along with a minimal amount of health. Anything that increases healing power or mana regeneration (reducing mana spell cost is also useful) are useful.

AI upgrades: can be extremely useful - avoid AOE damage is a key one, as well as group taunt. Once you get a Bulwark skillbook that AI upgrade is SUPER useful, stay at range is kinda useful, hail of arrows is useful/critical for raid bosses R7, R8.1, and R9.2 (R9.2 means the second boss of raid 9). Remove buffs is only really useful for R8.2 and R9.1 (and maybe R6.2 but I never tried it there).

This game is all about beating raids and getting loot, some raids can only easily be beaten when using items that drop from those raids, a bit of a catch-22. The way to do that is to use consumable scrolls/potions received from the arena to beat the raids. A good method to not go overboard it to try the toughest raid every time you get an extra equipment slot and fill it with useful equipment. That keeps you from running out of consumables too often.

Strategies for beating:

Raid 1 - Crypt (1 boss)

Just keep farming, try to get 1 warrior levelled ahead of the rest and give him a tome of swiftness so he gets to boss first and gets targeted. Not much farming required to be able to beat this one. Best drop is the +20% damage sword - you'll want to run this raid to get enough swords for everyone.

Raid 2 - Gardens of Eternity (2 bosses)

1st boss - Just farm a bit to strengthen your group enough to defeat him. Don't break down all the 25% fire resistance amulets as they become useful in Raid 6 and 7. (2 per raider should be enough)

2nd boss - the necklace of 25% fire resistance from the previous boss is helpful, but you'll kill this boss long before most of your raiders get that necklace. The 10%HP armor is handy until it can be replaced with the 20%HP from the Raid 3 bosses.

Raid 3 - Dawn Fortress Throne Room (1 group of bosses)

These 3 bosses are tough initially as they have AOE damage - use an AI upgrade to either avoid AOE or stay at range. All archers should have at least 2 (if not 3) of the multiple shot skillbooks equipped. Level raiders evenly to end up beating them. Drop the 20%HP armor consistently (which is very useful for awhile) and the single most useful item in the game: Blood Sword, which heals for 2% each attack. By the endgame each warrior will have 3 or 4 of these (ideally enchanted with the 8% attack speed bonus).

Raid 4 - Mountain Refuge (4 bosses)

These bosses aren't super special, but once you have enough +40%HP breakable armor and +40% damage swords (breakable) you can try to beat the frozen coast raid. Avoid AOE AI upgrade is a must to easily beat this raid.

Raid 5 - Frozen Coast (3 groups of bosses)

The first group of bosses is brutal, just keep trying to beat them, farming in the meantime, eventually they'll go down. Level raiders evenly for this one. No special strategy.

Raid 6 - Burning cave (4 groups of bosses)

First group is tough, you'll need the AI upgrade 'Group Taunt' to give you the best shot. Try to have similar amounts of blood swords as 20%HP (or 30%HP once you start beating them more often) armor. Give the +30% swords to your archers. Using the AI upgrade of command can be pretty useful for this boss to focus damage. Try to get at least 1 focused shot skillbook for each archer, if not 2.

Second boss needs 1 strong warrior who can heal enough to resist. Useful skills: primal rage, calming shot (though it may not be available at that level yet), the AI upgrade for calming shot is critical if that strategy is followed.

Third boss sets people on fire. Avoid AOE damage is necessary, and having 2 amulets of fire resistance helps raiders survive, but your archers and priests might all die while your single super strong warrior heals himself enough to wear this boss down.

Fourth boss: the AOE damage from this boss is brutal. The first couple times beating him will likely take a number of healing scrolls, scrolls of brotherhood (replenish 30% priests' mana) and scroll of false courage (+20% damage). Using the AI upgrade of command can be pretty useful for this boss as well.

Raid 7 - Chamber of the Sealer (1 boss)

You need fire resistance (or lots of healing, or both) to endure the AOE damage. As well, your archers will need to have lots of AOE damage (Hail of arrows, multiple shot). To get more hail of arrows more quickly it can be useful to have increased attack speed on the archers (I had 2 venom daggers each with 8% attack speed boost, and put speed boosts on all their other weapons), and then combine it with multiple (2-4 each) Time Pressure skillbooks.

AI upgrade of 'group taunt' is key.

Raid 8 - Castle of the Undying (3 bosses)

First boss uses the same strategy as chamber of the sealer - group damage.

Second boss (vampire) puts a heal on himself and a bleeding effect on everyone else. Use at least 2 calming shots per archer, combined with the 'remove buffs' AI upgrade to keep him from healing. Putting some blood swords with everyone wouldn't be a bad idea to counteract the bleeding.

Third boss - If you have a single super strong warrior with a couple taunt books (to keep the others alive) you can take this one.

Raid 9 - Tomb of the Pharao (3 bosses)

First boss (mimic sarcophagus?) - treat it like the R8.2 vampire boss. Drops a shield that in large numbers can make the second boss much easier.

Second boss - You'll need group damage to counteract the summoned mummies, but the true pain in the butt is the purple beam spell - very damaging and you need a lot of either: luck OR multiple -18%damage shields to beat consistently. I used a lot of scrolls to beat this boss. The flyweight arrows are very useful for boosting archer damage to defeat the next boss.

Third boss - The teleportation away from battlefield is the biggest issue. Focus your levelling on the archers to deal fast damage, make sure your warriors can tank until they get teleported away, and keep at least 5 scrolls that can bring raiders back from the base for this fight.