So I picked this up again for the first time in over a decade

>Get 75% through human campaign
>Death coils, decays and endless dragon spam

>>4132723
>> ... but I refuse to use cheats or lower it to Easy.

Why? That's the whole point of easy. You're obviously not ready for more difficult settings.

Also, try to find a strategy guide. It might help.

>>4132773
I only found one guide and it said two things that I'm finding wildly inaccurate for my experience:

>this mission is easy
>they attack frequently but only small weak groups that should be easy to wipe out

They send a group of like three footmen, five archers, a ballista, and a mage like every three minutes.

>>4132723
You're probably trying to tech too fast instead of expanding with basic units and getting economy going with second and third bases

>>4132779
Might be different versions? I don't know anything about Warcraft 2, but I know the other two games nerfed certain missions between patches.

>>4132784
Actually I'm trying to get peons so I can start mining/chopping enough to even build a barracks so that I can build a few units to defend. Then I try to build a tower or two at each entrance but by the time a single group of 4-6 units reaches an entrance they send a whole wave in and my guys barely survive the attack, so I keep having to produce more units just to defend the constant assaults and can't get anything else started.

>>4132723
>suppose to
Supposed to. Once you've learnt English you can focus on learning games.

>>4132862
Try without towers. That takes away mining time and mobility

>>4132923
>>4132923
This works sometimes, but then the bigger issue happens. Once I DO get started, clear out the middle-map enemies, get out to the three other goldmines to start mining, and I'm finally able to amass an army... no matter what I've tried their defenses are so insane that I just get wiped out in seconds.

I've tried sending catapults to take out the towers from a safe distance. This works for a while, but eventually they start sending large groups of soldiers to attack the catapults before they can get anything done.

I've tried attacking at multiple points at once with large groups in each spot to break up their forces rather than get focused, but this never seems to work either. They all just get picked off mercilessly mostly because of the countless ballistas and mage fireballs. And any damage I do to their base is completely repaired and any units I kill are replaced before my other forces can even be produced.

I've tried large groups of pure Ogre-Magi to just sweep through, but even they get picked off almost instantly. I even tried sending a group of fodder grunts and trolls in right before the Ogre-Magi so they take focus fire while the Ogres attack, but it STILL doesn't work because any damage I do is never enough. And by that point I've completely collapsed all the goldmines and run out of gold entirely.

I've been at this forever and the best I ever do still gets me completely brickwalled when it comes to just attacking them.

And the guide I looked up said "any strategy should work, just attack them however you see fit."

And before it's asked, I've tried focusing on quantity of units without upgrades at all, I've tried prioritizing upgrades first so my armies are smaller but stronger, and I've tried a mix. They all have similar results.

>>4132913
>learnt

This reminds me of when I played Smash Bros after not having played it for about fifteen years.

>>4132723
You probably just need to work on your mechanics, and macro harder

>playing this when starcraft exists

>>4134803
>>playing this when orcs in space exists
ftfy

>>4134803
>great game exists
>no reason to ever play any other game like it

Both are great, but it's been longer since I played WC2 than since I played SC, and I never played WC2 as much as SC.

Plus I'm waiting for the SC Remaster.

>>4132939
If this is the level I remember you have a couple options. The first is that long and easier way, you just D up and let them run out of gold, which works on most levels.
My siege technique was to you catapults to shoot a tower, then immediately retreat the catapult into a V with trolls on the flank and ogres in the middle. They're counter attack comes after your catapult and gets mowed down. You should have at least 9 ogres and a couple groups of troll, I think I did 2x six of trolls. Just make sure that you move your catapult far enough away so that you don't accidentally splash damage your own troops. Keep your micro under control. Rinse and repeat.
Also you can do some sacrificial goblin suicide bombers, they're always fun.

>>4135117
just checked the map, it's the level I'm thinking of.

Attack from the east

>>4133964
Yes, learnt. Look it up, illiterate.

>>4132723
>I refuse to use cheats or lower it to Easy
There's an easy setting?

>>4135117
this, baiting attacks is the way to deal with units.

You can also put haste on an ogre and Death&Decay a field near to the enemies. The ogre pulls the enemy force into the shitstorm of D&D.

Alternatively you can haste a DK, give him Unholy Armor and let him D&D himself. But Polymorph can shut that down I think.