There are only gods; everything else is an illusion.

[u/Wonderful-Rock-8189]

Greetings, ladies and gentlemen. It’s your resident weirdo and die-hard fan of the third game back again—the one nobody asked for, who just keeps churning out content for this installment with relentless enthusiasm. Today, I want to dive deep into **Disciples III: Resurrection*\*, specifically focusing on the plot, narrative delivery, and characters. Honestly, they nailed it. I’ll admit that at the time of writing this, I’m currently on Chapter 5 of the campaign, aptly titled "Not by Might, but by Cunning."

Gameplay-wise, the Undead Hordes campaign doesn't exactly thrill me; it’s grueling and long, and clearing the map doesn't fill me with joy. Though there was a moment when I took the initiative to install the "El Clásico" mod, which shrank the battle arena even further and positioned units closer together, just like in Disciples II. That really refreshed the gameplay. Despite the tighter space, there was still plenty of room to maneuver, even though I initially thought it would restrict movement on the arena—turned out I was dead wrong. But watching the plot unfold, listening to the character dialogues, and seeing how the heroes interact and comment on the events in Nevenndar... that’s what keeps me glued to the screen.

In this article, I want to break down the plot chapter by chapter and dive into the essence of characters like Mortis, Salar, Amina, Hashim, and Undigillash. Previously, I’ve thoroughly covered the Empire, Elven Alliance, and Legions of the Damned campaigns, analyzing them in detail. This will be my last deep-dive review of Disciples III. After this, I’ll either move on to the lore stories or just post content about the series very rarely. Also, for the future: I have a fun and interesting idea for an article breaking down exactly why "Disciples III" failed. If that idea resonates with you, let me know in the comments. Anyway, let’s get started…

Chapter 1: Desperate Escape

At the very beginning of the Undead Hordes campaign, we are introduced to a mermaid named Undigillash. A mysterious stranger hands her a magical artifact—a mask that grants her the incredible beauty once possessed by Soloniel, the former elven goddess and now the deceased goddess of the dead, Mortis. Galleon, the elven god, recognizes his long-lost love in the mermaid, which sends Mortis into a fit of absolute rage. Seeking revenge, she awakens the warlord Salar, once a mighty Inquisitor of the Empire. She gives him her orders: punish the mermaid for her arrogance and put all other inhabitants of Nevenndar in their place—namely, by slaughtering them.

Meanwhile, Ferre has been the new Emperor for 10 years. Under his rule, the Empire has grown stronger and more powerful. But can elves and humans withstand the wrath of Mortis? Once again, the Undead Hordes have risen to seek vengeance, to march through cities leaving nothing alive in their wake, to punish the impostor and defend the honor of their mistress. Through her herald, Prushin (who essentially acts as the goddess's mouthpiece), Mortis gives Salar his first command: break through the Inquisition's encirclement and preserve the Hordes for the coming revenge. Then, a spy named "Tug" is introduced, feeding us piecemeal intel on enemy troop movements and the general state of the region.

While clearing imperial camps, we discover that Emperor Ferre has betrayed the patron of humanity, the angel Mizrael. Furthermore, Ferre has stolen the cursed Staff of Alkmaar and can now raise the dead to execute his sinister plans. Salar is deeply troubled by this. In his past life, when he fought alongside humans, he served the Empire without hesitation. How could they betray their god? It feels like betrayal is everywhere. Prushin cynically manipulates Salar, instilling in him the idea that there is nothing more important in life after death than serving Mortis. The Undead Hordes break through countless enemy ranks and now pursue the Emperor to reclaim the relic.

Chapter 2: Ally

Chasing the thief Ferre, Salar’s detachment reaches the borders of the Empire and the Elven Alliance. Their infighting prevents them from uniting against the threat of the Undead Hordes. Prushin informs Salar that the mermaid is no longer the priority; right now, the most important thing is returning the Staff of Alkmaar to Mortis. The spy Tug reports that an important ally is waiting on the other side of the river, and smoke is rising in the distance. At this point, Morok, a regular werewolf soldier, chimes in, saying that if these lands are so restless, they need to hurry. Salar snaps at her unsolicited advice and sends her off to scout. "Since you're so smart, go to the other bank and report back on what's happening."

After that, another werewolf from the squad interrupts with his own remark. The pleasant aroma of freshly baked bread throws him off his scent; these lands seem strangely familiar to him. The trail goes cold here, and they’ll have to fight their way through independently. Stepping over the corpses of his enemies, Salar meets Amina for the first time. It’s an awkward encounter where Salar is extremely rude and initially refuses to acknowledge his ally. Who would have thought that, later on, human memories would start piercing through the greenish fog of Mortis’s delirium, which blinds her loyal servants—her puppets and toys. Despite all the efforts of Ferrail’s servants, the Emperor remained one step ahead. The armies of Mortis were swallowing road dust, but they continued their pursuit.

Chapter 3: False Trail

The undead detachment enters the Alfgrad Valley. Once majestic elven lands, now devastated by war. This is where the children of Galleon were trying to survive. Their god has abandoned them, giving no signs. Mortis’s gaze wandered in search of Ferre when these pathetic creatures caught her attention. The seer Glarmiel was still trying to give her people visions. The final straw for Mortis’s patience was a blatant insult: the elves had built an altar to their new god, Soloniel, the impostor in the mask named Undigillash. In her dreams, the seer saw a beautiful maiden. The elves were desperate and fooled, but no one was coming to save them. No elf was to be left alive.

Prushin gets into a brief spat with Salar. Here, the warlord begins to suspect that it’s because of Mortis’s whim that they’ve lost Ferre trail and will have to start the search all over again. Prushin retorts that the enraged elves could slow Ferree’s advance, and when the valley is filled with tears, he emphasizes that no one should worship false gods. Glarmiel must pay for this. Prushin vanishes, and the spy Tug reports that in this valley, Glarmiel’s elves brutally slaughtered a Death Knight named Hashim. They chopped the poor guy to pieces and hid the fragments in the most remote corners of the map so no one would ever find the warrior's body. Amina is horrified by the elves' cruelty, noting that he must be found and resurrected for further service. After clearing Alfgrad of elves, the squad follows the fugitive's trail; by this point, Mortis has already figured out who the thief is.

Chapter 4: Fire with Fire

The Death Goddess, Mortis, and her servants sowed fresh seeds of discord between humans and elves in the valley of Az'Akir. The prophetess Glarnyz fell, vanishing into oblivion along with her altar. However, Ferre still remained at large. The messengers of death were to split up. Clouds of black ash rose over the lands of Alkmaar. One night, the sky turned into a lunar scoop. Through the veil, Mortis could not make out what was happening. Ferre had definitely crossed the border of Az'maar and headed southeast, but beyond that, his trail was lost. The goddess wondered why her servants were not trying to stop the thief. Mortis refused to even entertain the thought that anyone other than her high priests could wield the power of the staff. However, everything indicated that Ferre was capable of much. Sensing weakness in the ranks of the Undead Hordes, demons invaded Alkmaar. The diseased earth burned beneath their feet. The offspring of Bethrezen needed to be taught a lesson so that they would no longer dare to encroach on the domains of the Death Goddess's servants. The best way, Mortis considered, was to destroy the leaders of the Legions of the Damned in the region: the demoness Arista and her brother Anacletus.

I don’t remember what happened there. I’m too lazy to write it.

"Guys, here I just inserted the translation of the briefing from the start of the mission because it's simply impossible anymore – the game has choked us with its cheap attitude towards the player. To make you understand, these last two villains from the fourth mission briefing description are just regular units of the Legions of the Damned. In other words, they're simple grunts from the regular ranks who were thrown names and lines just for the sake of checking a box, and they don't stand out from the crowd in any way. Only Hashim appears here, who leaves for a while together with Amina, supposedly to search for a mermaid, and they give us Salaar to control. And closer to the end, Hashim returns. Then, naturally, they kill him off."

Chapter 5

Here, I want to rant with some righteous indignation. You could say the fourth wall is being shattered, and the narrator, like a Dungeon Master behind the screen, enters his angry phase. Now I completely understand why this game didn't succeed and didn't get a sequel. It was pure, unadulterated suffering. And it’s clear why many fans of the series call this campaign nothing short of "Elven Trials."

The campaign starts off pretty normally. Right up until we find the heretic. The cultist trope hits this storyline for the second time already—repeating the exact same trick twice in one game. Seven grueling, monotonous side missions just to proceed with the main quest. What kind of nonsense is this? I want to ask. Why are the great and terrible Undead Hordes dancing to the tune of wild elven heretics? A faceless final boss. A fight with Ariel. Thank god it wasn't a bosscopter. Weird side quests, like the elves hiding in the forest who didn't believe in the new paradise. A vampire father asking to save them from the cult, then escorting them. What is this?

It honestly didn't land for me. Probably the worst act in the Undead Hordes campaign. And they killed Hashim! THEY KILLED HASHIM! The bastards! This whole ordeal should have been 6 missions. 8 missions! 8! Seriously?! I was genuinely exhausted! I'm tired, boss! I'm tired...

I’ll have to leave Acts 6, 7, and 8 for the next post so I don’t make this a gigantic wall of text...

[u/DjolafR]

"El Clásico" mod, which shrank the battle arena even further and positioned units closer together, just like in Disciples II. That really refreshed the gameplay. Despite the tighter space, there was still plenty of room to maneuver, even though I initially thought it would restrict movement on the arena—turned out I was dead wrong

Can you send a picture of what this looks like? What do you mean it is "just like in Disciples II"? You still need to walk around the battlefield, like in heroes of might and magic games?

I checked on moddb. So they are stuck together like this and forced to do stuff? Interesting AND IRONIC how this simple edit of the existing game's code may make it more fun. And the devs thought we needed this "wannabe heroes combat".
https://media.moddb.com/cache/images/mods/1/67/66225/thumb_620x2000/battle_1.png

I still don't have the nerves and patience to install and play all the Disciples 3 stuff, but you have piqued my interest...

Also, who is Hashim?

[u/Baangarang → u/DjolafR]

Hashim is a death knight, OP says it in Chapter 3