To the Bitter End
Chapter II: The Dream of Blood
(Beta release)

Single Player RPG/Campaign

Soul Reaver escapes Greyholm prison to emerge into something that may be even worse.  An expanse of poisoned forest lies before him, and the smell of death is on the wind.  Yet he can sense the spirit of one of his companions nearby.  There can be no going back....

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Map description:

Take control of Soul Reaver and traverese these blasted lands in search of your lost companion, as part of your greater quest take your revenge upon the evil sorcerer, Morganem.

Installation instructions:

In order to have your character transfer into the next map in the series, you must place this map into a folder named "To the Bitter End" (without quotation marks, obviously) in your Warcraft III "maps" folder.

Other notes:

This is the second of two beta releases, it is suggested you play this one after Chapter I: Dark Dawn.

Although I am solely responsible for creating this map, the central characters featured in this campaign, as well as the Multiverse in which it is set, were envisaged by the writers at The Administorum (http://p202.ezboard.com/btheadministorum) - come and stop by (and join us, if you think you're up for it!).

This was my first serious attempt at a campaign map, and my first release.  I was going to wait until I had completed the campaign in its entirety before releasing anything, but at the request of one of my Administorum friends, I decided to release the completed Chapters I and II here.  Since the campaign itself not complete, this classifies the maps as beta releases.  Unfortunately, with all my current commitments, it may be some time before I get more done on this campaign.

Some known bugs or issues (with suggested workarounds):

- It is not possible to skip the cinematics.  They are important, but quite long.  (Workaround: save your game when a long cinematic finishes.  You don't want to have to sit through it again if you die)
- Does not automatically start Chapter III on completion... because Chapter III: Juggernaut is not completed yet!

Hints/Notes:

- You can play this map even if you haven't completed Dark Dawn.  You'll start with a hero with an appropriate Experience level and unused skill points that you can spend as you see fit.  But only Morganem's lackeys would play Chapter II without completing Dark Dawn first, and surely you aren't one of them?
- Use your quest log if unsure of what to do next... that's what it's there for.
- Read the tooltips if you want to know what an ability or item does.  In fact, this is strongly recommended.
- Your items are re-usable.  However, they have long cooldown times... and you have to find them first.  Save them for when you need them, and then unleash hell.
- Your items are powerful, but don't underestimate your abilities.  Especially your ultimates.
- Sphere of Annihilation is appropriately named, because it will pretty much obliterate ANYTHING in the target area.  That includes things you might prefer to keep un-obliterated, such as yourself.
- Some foes may be able to avoid the effects of some of your items.
- When you gain a level but your skill points don't seem to have increased... well, it's probably because your "Master of Battle" skill has levelled up automatically.  Don't worry, it's a point well spent.
- You will not reach your maximum experience level in Chapter II.  Obviously.
- Your quest is likely to be quite tough.  SAVE OFTEN.
- Don't expect to find Raziel from the Legacy of Kain series in this game.  I've been using the name Soul Reaver for my RPG alter-ego since long before even the first Blood Omen came out.  The Soul Reaver in this map is an original character.

Special Thanks/Credits:

- Me, for being insane enough to make this all by myself.
- Clutchfiend, Kitharsis, Fei and all the other writers, past, present and future, at The Administorum.  That place wouldn't be what it is without you guys.
- Thanks to all the folks at The War Center map making forums (http://www.thewarcenter.com/forums/index.php?showforum=11) for helping me in my early days and inspiring me to keep trying.
- Everyone who submits their custom abilities and spells freely for use at www.wc3campaigns.com.  You helped teach me how to do this stuff and provided a lot of inspiration.
- NIN creating the music I used.  I don't claim to have written this myself.
- Everyone who play-tested the maps and gave me feedback.  Thank you for taking the time to play.
- Everyone who gives me constructive feedback or takes an interest here.  Thank you in advance.

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Tell me what you think!  Contact me on AIM (SoulReaver166) or e-mail me (meet_soul_reaver@hotmail.com) if you have comments or questions about 'The Dream of Blood', the 'To the Bitter End' campaign, the Multiverse, or Soul Reaver.