Any of your comments about Spells in DK2 are always welcome, and if they’re really useful I’ll add your ramblings to my site. You’ve got to be careful when casting spells. Unless you’ve got an abundance of Monks, Wizards, Warlocks and Maidens and a large temple you’re going to have to be pretty sparing with your mana expenditure. Below are hints on how it is best to use each spell.
Spells
Create Imp
Cost: 1500, plus 1500 per cast.
You’ll need lots of imps if you want to get your dungeon moving smoothly (see my
creatures section). It’s best to cast this spell early on to get a decent workforce of imps (at least 10). You’ll have to expand a lot of mana early on to do this, but it will be worth it because more imps = more land claimed = more mana. You’ll have to save some mana to create more imps when they start getting killed, but you can save a lot of mana if you try to rescue imps from dangerous situations.Cost: 6000
Lightning is your most useful offensive spell. It doesn’t cause a lot of damage but stuns its’ target and leaves them venerable. If you’ve got lots of mana you can use it to dispose of weaker support creatures, like warlocks and monks. Useful if your creatures are losing the battle.
Upgrade: Increases spell damage.
Possession
Cost: 500
This spell can be used to possess fireflies or other scouts and explore where you want, and can transport you into the thick of the action. If you press 7 on you keyboard you can have creatures follow you. Be careful not to possess creatures that you don't want, especially imps, and don't forget to press 1 when you've finished so the possessed creature can attack too. I usually use this function to destroy traps that are too far away for the creatures to attack on their own initiative. It’s also fun to wander round your dungeon and admire your handy work.
Upgrade: Reduces amount of mana needed to maintain possession.
Heal
Cost: 5000
A very useful spell that heals one of your creatures health up to maximum. Good in combat situations if your warlocks aren’t doing their jobs, but used mostly to heal creatures who are fighting in the combat pit so they gain more experience.
Upgrade: Increases the amount of Health restored.
Sight of Evil
Cost: 5000
Use this to check that the area you’re digging into doesn’t have any nasty surprises. NEVER dig long distances without checking that it’s safe. Also you can use it to give you a sample of the enemies strength by casting it over the area where he’s likely to be. The creatures you see will also tell you what types of rooms they’ve built too.
Upgrade: Increases the area shown to you.
Call to Arms
Cost: 10,000
Bring all your creatures together, either for a finishing blow or a desperate last stand. All of your creatures, except Imps, will drop what they are doing and rush to where you cast the spell. They will be in a large, unorganized group, so you may find that support creatures are at the front when the fight begins. It can have another use though, and that’s to stop your creatures becoming unhappy. When heeding the Call to Arms, your creatures don’t go to get paid, eat or sleep. Can be useful if you find you suddenly don’t have any gold.
Upgrade: Needs less mana to maintain Call to Arms
Tremor
Cost: 30,000
Tremor is useful if you cast it on a group of enemy creatures that are about to be attacked by you, as it stuns them. 30,000 mana is a bit too much to waste on weakening traps and doors though.
Upgrade: The Tremor lasts longer.
Turncoat
Cost: 20,000
Useful, often hilarious spell that is best used on the enemies’ biggest, nastiest creature. When it is cast, either the creature will die horribly or will hack down most of its former comrades. This spell is only worth casting on super hard creatures, like Black Knights or Dark Angels.
Upgrade: The Turncoat spell lasts longer.
Create Gold
Cost: 15,000
Useful spell that is only really worth casting once it has been upgraded. Good in an emergency, but you shouldn’t have to ever use it. Ever.
Upgrade: You get 2000 gold, not 1000.
Inferno
Cost: 50,000
Only worth casting on large groups of monsters (probably grouped round the Call to Arms flag), and only then after it has been upgraded. It takes a lot of mana, and I’d prefer to cast lightning 8 times than this once.
Upgrade: Does more damage to those creatures unlucky enough to be affected.
Chicken
Cost: 10,000
Another spell to be directed to the enemies most dangerous creature, only this time turning it into a chicken. Not as useful as turncoat, but it costs less and lasts longer.
Upgrade: the target stays as a chicken for longer
Summon Horny
Cost: 100,000
Go for complete overkill and have the Horned Reaper do your bidding. When you cast this have all your thinkers locked in the temple, so Horny can wreak as much devastation as possible. I don’t use this much, except on the last campaign level, or if I’m feeling really nasty and want to soften the foe up before I destroy him utterly.