Vaheteiole: What am I supposed to do in the first mission? I make it to the ruins, loose most of my soldiers, my hero tells them to run. But i am still expected to protect 20 civilians, which is pretty much impossible. I have around 15 dead by the time i reach ruins.
[WARNING: SPOILER ALERT!!!!! ]
Just played through the first mission mission myself, and this is what I discovered to proceed. You don't need to necessarily make it all the way to the ruins to complete the mission. Work your way forward, slowly & easily, and as you progress, some fleeing soldiers will join you as you go (don't be afraid to use the "pause" key frequently to assess the situation) . When you are able to; sneak to some of the little glowing buildings and areas while your troops fight...you will be rewarded with potion(s)/weapon upgrades ect. (I wasn't able to get to all the little glowing areas for some reason due to the terrain). One thing to note, is to definitely go on the offensive when you see a group of undead attacking fleeing towns people, as you know, if 20 die, you fail the mission. When the towns people pass by you...retreat your troops and hero a little, and allow the undead to come to you (gives your Hero a chance to heal a little, and regroup). Keep working forward in this manner, sneaking your hero to glowing areas when posible to get rewards, and eventually as you work your way towards the town, you will hear your hero finally say that the numbers of the dead are too overwhelming, and now it is time for the remaining soldiers to retreat to the woods and save themsleves, as the hero will cover their retreat. This is your signal to start to back up to the original bridge you crossed at the beginning. Retreat steadily (and somewhat slowly..don't rush the retreat), kiting the enemy a bit (away from any retreating, remaining townsfolk), and stopping now and then to fire at them (and gain experience). Soon, you will get to the point where Ash the treeman asked for your help, and if you helped him, he will be waiting at the choke point to help slow the dead assault. Set in behind him, and allow the hero to fire away in support of Ash. Ash will eventually fall under the unending attack, and now is your time to head to that Watchtower near the bridge you crossed in the beginning of the mission. As you near the watchtower, the game takes over, and the hero enters the tower as the mob of dead hack away at the tower. Soon, rescue arrives as the Elven gal in the opening mission cut-scene arrives on Eagle(?) back to carry you away to the next mission...
*** btw, as you start your retreat, it is important to protect any fleeing towns people still heading towards the bridge behind you, especially if you are near the mission max of 20 dead, to prevent failing!
* To keep that civillian casualty number low by the time you near the ruins...follow my advice above...slow and steady...attack to save towns people then back up a little for a breather. Then proceed foward again...slowly. You should be able to keep civillian casualties fairly low in this manner, and your troop levels at a good number as well, to hold off the horde of dead...good luck!
