Secrets (6)

Learn how to conquer the challenging 'Secrets (6)' level in Dungeon Keeper. Discover strategies for creature selection, gold management, and overcoming tough hero waves.

Alright, let's tackle 'Secrets (6)'! This level can look pretty intimidating at first glance, especially with that low creature limit and tight gold situation. But don't worry, there are some clever tricks and oversights in the game's design that make it way easier than it seems. We'll focus on smart minion choices and using a neat trick to bypass a lot of the tough fights.

Your Goal: Set up a secure base, grab the valuable gems, and then find a way to deal with the massive hero presence without getting overwhelmed.

Key Challenges:

• Low creature limit – you can't just spam units.
• Limited gold – every coin counts.
• Heavily defended gem locations.
• A huge wave of 24 Barbarians waiting for you.

1. Setting Up Your Stronghold

You'll start in a pretty secure dungeon, which is good. The main thing to watch out for is breaking out too early. If you dig out certain walls, heroes from locations '3' and '6' might detect a path to your Heart and start attacking. This is because those doors are 'unaligned' – they'll open if a hero can see a way in. So, for now, stick to your immediate area.

Your first priority is excavating all the safe gold nearby. Dig out one side of the double walls to give yourself a bit more room, and build some essential rooms. Keep it small for now – maybe just a Training room. We need to be really selective about which creatures we attract and keep.

Now, here's a crucial trick: research the Guard Post and Bridge. Once you have those, break through a section of the western wall, but *leave the central tile directly west of your Heart intact*. Build a Guard Post right on that tile. This acts as a blocker, preventing the hero groups at '3' and '6' from attacking you. The reason we leave that central tile unexcavated is that it's actually an excavated path, and we need it to claim it. Build a small bridge to connect to it, claim the path, and then immediately sell the bridge. This way, the heroes won't detect you, but you've secured a safe route.

With this claimed path, you can now safely excavate all the gold near location '2'. Be a bit careful with the leftmost row there, as some weaker heroes are hiding behind it. Honestly though, they're pretty weak, so you could even risk fighting them for the extra gold if you're feeling bold.

With your newfound gold, train a group of 4 Mistresses up to at least level 6. Use your remaining creature slots for research or manufacturing. If you want to play it safe, you can attack points '1' through '6' one by one. This will net you the 'Heal' spell and about 100 gold pots (worth a hefty 25,000 gold!), which will buy you more time before you desperately need Gems.

2. Breaking the Game (The Easy Way)

Normally, this level would require a lot of effort: pushing through to the NE gems, building a massive army, fighting through every hero room, and finally taking on the Blue Keeper on his home turf where he can blast you with Lightning. But we can do much better.

Start building a bridge through the water towards location '10'. Also, build a bridge heading north towards the 'Increase Level' spell. Make sure your dungeon remains inaccessible from the outside at all times to prevent heroes from directly attacking your Heart. Now, dig just north of the door at location '10' to the west. You'll find a long corridor filled with several groups, culminating in a ridiculous 24 Barbarians (level 5)!

Your Mistresses (level 7 or higher) should be able to handle these guys, but you only need to take on the rightmost group. The others won't bother you if you're careful. In fact, you might even want to *leave them alive*! They can serve as a distraction or even an attacking force against the Blue Keeper later on.

From this point, you could technically go south through the other rooms, but honestly, the easiest path is to leverage the Barbarians you just encountered.