However, quickness 70, what you have in the beginning of the game, is far enough, you will act first. And have a rogue in the back row equipped with bow and all points to dexterity added; all others should have daggers with strength or dexterity.
Entlee: Try playing hardcore with four rogues. Use scrolls of deception on the first level when necessary, fight only against smaller monster gwoups. On level 2, take hide for all of them. Rogues can reach Quickness 100 withoutany difficulties, so they will act the first. Hide with all of them, no one can attack, and then with double damage, you can kill anything. Trust me, it works even on extreme (attacks after hide deal double damege) and on hardcore, without a cleric.
Yes, sorry for my words if they were aggressive or something, I also thought this as an opinion. I didn't find clerics too useful, however that must be my playstyle - I like to reach very high damage by choosing the statistics that way and high quickness via right weapons, and eliminate enemies in the order they come - they can mean barely a harm to a party when it is equipped well and uses this strategy. Anyways, almost all fighter classes can heal themselves (or do something against death - warrior resolves, ranger has healing lore and can even regenerate others, rogue hides so it can't be attacked) - but I use only the hide out of these. And that's only for the double damage. Perhaps all this was because I was a little upset at that time, sorry.
styles: Cleric is the worst one, according to my experiences. Healing is quite rarely needed, and cleric is the only one what HAS to have high value of two statistics: strength to physical and intelligence to magical attacks. Warrior is far more in physical fight and mage is a lot better with magic. Cleric replaces a warrior and a mage but makes both of thess classes' task poorly so doesn't make any sense. I rather use: fighter, barbarian, rogue, ranger. They take down almost any enemy before they could be harmed.
The only problem is that legendary monsters are just too rare, about 100 levels ago met I one - and Gorgon is much more common than the other two. Other ones could be (dragon, cerberus, titan, sphynx, some examples).
Otherwise the game is GREAT my favorite of all on Kongregate!
It is important, to have all your equipped cards on level 5. Your units will be attacking the castle, and the goblin will be rushing towards your castle. At this point, the enemy castle should be on low health, but you won't have enough time. Send the phoenix spell on the goblin, what will take it far away, further from your castle. But he will recover soon, and rush towards your castle again. Cast a frost trap a little before him (to ensure that he will be inside its area of effect). That will freeze the goblin for a while. He will recover, but at this point, the enemy's castle should be down. If it isn't, then cast the lightning bolt on the goblin. This HAS TO give you enough time to finish the enemy castle off.
SORRY, I'VE WRITTEN SOMETHING WRONG! Don't equip goblin but ghost armors or tauri. After this, defend your castle until all your units will be on the maximum population. Then attack forward with all of them. Tauri are the best, because they will push back the invisible goblin with each attack. Before you reach the goblin, use hercule's strength and athena protection. The goblin will attack some, and after that, he passes through your units.
Well, umbertop, I've written it pretty much time, but now I write it here again. Use the green (orc) hero and level him up to the max. Then he gives you the most mana. Choose the following units: succubus, mermaid, witch, centaur, cannon, goblin. Spell: Athena protection, Hercule's strength, phoenix strike, frost trap, lightning bolt (if you can, then equip this, too).
In my game, the goblin ran to my castle, too, but I could kill him. The ranged units accompanied by ghost armors can keep him back for a good amount of time, and after he passed through them, a phoenix attack, a frost trap and a lightning bolt keeps him away from your castle for enough time to destroy his castle. And don't forget Hercule's strength and protection. I've written this already, somewhere you will find them.
I'll continue it here. So, after this, DON'T USE ANY SPELL, but when you're near the castle, use hercules' strength and athena protection. The goblin won't do damage, and you will damage the castle. After a while, the protection will go away. Your ghost armors will hold the goblin up for a while, but not forever! It will pass through all of your units, and go towards to the castle. DO NOT RETREAT! Launch a phoenix strike, and a frost trap. Frost trap will come instantly and freeze it for some seconds. After then, the phoenix should come, and take the goblin with itself far away. After this, if the castle of the enemy isn't ruined under the continous attacks, give the goblin a lightning bolt, what will stun it. After this, the enemy's castle should be ruined.
I've just beat Cave of Trials 5. The way is the following.
You will need (all in level 5): All 5 shooters (succubus, mermaid, witch, cannon, centaur) and ghost armor. Spells: phoenix, frost trap, lightning strike, hercules strength, athena protection.
TACTICS: Retreat and gather your armies until everything reached maximum population (with centaurs and ghost armors, near full will be enough). When you got this, attack, but if you've got the meteor spell, blow up the bombers who are standing in halfway between the two castles.
Why does the invisible goblin pass through 40 of my units without making any harm and attacking directly my castle? Anyways, the idea is very good, this is the only thing what I didn't like.
Now I have one problem. We've been picking all the mistakes of the game, but we didn't say a word about that it is great anyways, despite of its mistakes. A great advantage is its easiness - a lot easier than the other two, this is the only Protector game what I could have finished so far. Heroes and awards are also a great idea.
And, I'm not saying that the game is bad, but anither thing: I think that heroes could have a development path what we can choose for them, just as 'normal' units (they could have a reset button, too).
 "Monsters' Den: Book of Dread"){kind=icon}
 "Use The Force"){kind=icon}
 "Epic War 3"){kind=icon}
 "Protector III"){kind=icon}