c) USING THE HAND OF EVIL

Learn to effectively use the Hand of Evil in Dungeon Keeper 2. Master picking up, dropping, slapping creatures, and designating excavation areas to manage your dungeon and minions.

The Hand of Evil is your primary tool for controlling your dungeon and its minions in Dungeon Keeper 2. It functions like a mouse pointer but has several distinct modes and actions that can be visually identified.

Hand Modes and Actions:

• Idle: When not engaged, the hand is open and its fingers move restlessly.
• Picking Up/Dropping: Left-click on a creature or gold to pick it up. A creature will dangle from your finger, and multiple creatures can be carried. Gold will be cupped in the hand. Left-click again to drop the item or creature.
• Slapping: Right-click on a creature to slap it.
• Excavation: When a pickaxe appears in the hand, you can left-click and drag to designate an area for your imps to excavate.
• Action Selection: When an item is selected from the control panel (e.g., spell, room, trap), the hand's finger will point. Drag and drop to place, then left-click to activate. Right-click to deselect. An action icon appears near the hand; a red line through it indicates the action cannot be performed in that location.

Interacting with Creatures:

The hand allows two primary ways to interact with your creatures:

• Picking Up and Dropping: Useful for quickly moving creatures to specific rooms like Lairs, Hatcheries, or Treasuries if they are unhappy. You can also drop creatures into areas to assign work, such as Research in the Library or Training in the Training Room, though they may not always comply immediately. Dropping creatures near enemies can be effective, but be aware of a 'stun' effect upon landing and potential damage if dropped too close to a foe. Imprisoned enemies can also be picked up and dropped into torture devices or the combat pit.
• Slapping: Primarily recommended for imps, as other creatures might become angry and leave. Imps tend to work harder after a slap. The Dark Mistress, however, enjoys it. Be cautious, as excessive slapping can kill imps. Chickens explode messily when slapped.

Efficiency Boosts:

Creatures normally operate at 80% efficiency. Slapping a creature once or dropping it where you intend it to work can each increase its efficiency by 10%.