"Skilled in the craft of manufacturing, trolls are best employed doing dark deeds in your Workshop. They don't complain about the hours, because their labours keep them away from combat."
— In game introduction (Dungeon Keeper)
"This is a very hardy creature whose primary job is in the Workshop. They are average fighters."
— Dungeon Keeper Manual
Ingame animation of a Troll
Official Render of the Troll in Dungeon Keeper
Concept art
Trolls excel at manufacturing items in the Workshop. If a Workshop is available, they will head there and hammer on its anvils to their heart's content. Trolls are the best creatures for manufacturing; the only creatures that come close (although they are still inferior) are Bile Demons, Orcs, and Mountain Dwarves. On the other hand, Trolls cannot conduct research, although they are passably good scavengers.
The Dungeon Keeper Demo level refers to Trolls as Goblins and claims that they are 'excellent soldiers', which they are not; they are rather poor in combat (their purple-skinned cousins are considerably superior), so keep them away from battle if possible. Although Trolls are not the best fighters, they can still hold their own if trained to a high enough level. Training them is beneficial for their manufacturing skill, too, as in addition to task skills rising by 35%-of-base per level gained, Trolls learn Speed at level 4 and double their productivity.
In Waterdream Warm, it is stated that Trolls are stupid and have difficulty holding Library books the correct way. But this seems rather weird because they are very good manufacturers. So having a low IQ and difficulty holding things the right way doesn't make sense. It was likely meant as a humorous way to say they are poor researchers.
In this regard, they are the polar opposite of Warlocks, who are intelligent but have a poor dexterity.
Trolls wield a mace. This is ironic, as the symbol for Workshops and manufacturing is a mallet (instead wielded by the Troll's combat-oriented cousin: the Orc). They wield a mace in the intro, which predates most of the game, too. This discrepancy suggests that Trolls may have originally been fighters rather than manufacturers. In Dungeon Keeper 2, they instead wield a large mallet (possibly a beetle), matching their manufacturing rôle.
The Troll in early 1996, wielding a mallet
Prior to the 1996 revamp, Trolls were insubordinate tipplers who cheated at cards and were skilled fighters, despite being "poorly armed". They also wielded a mallet, like they do in Dungeon Keeper 2, rather than a club.[1] Even in Dungeon Keeper 2 with its Casino, they do not exhibit these drinking and gambling behaviours. However, they are seen drinking and playing cards in the intro of the first game.
Dungeon Keeper 2[]
The Troll panel icon
"Essentially a manual worker by trade (trolls despise having to do research), the troll is a valuable ally, albeit a very ugly one. Its manual dexterity make it ideal for constructing and disassembling items in the workshop, and for disarming enemy traps."
— Dungeon Keeper 2 Manual
Troll Concept Art (Dungeon Keeper 2 Manual)
The Troll is a weak figure. Even the Goblin is stronger than him. But his strength is not in battle, but more in his ability to manufacture. He is the fastest creature to arrive to a Workshop to be able to manufacture, and will create traps and doors at lightning speeds. A few of them can arm your whole dungeon with traps and doors to keep heroes out for a long time.
"A Troll arrives, attracted by the splendour of your Workshop. His crafting skills are set to serve you well as one who toil will make both traps and doors for you to use in your defence."
Elite[]
Elite Knud center, normal Trolls on flanks.
The Elite Troll, Knud, has dirtier, spotted, and slightly paler skin, darker piercings, metallic upper armbands, and blackened eyes. Knud's benefits:
Slightly higher melee damage.
+50% more health.
Trains slightly faster.
Manufactures as fast as Bloz and Giants.
+50% higher pay.
+50% higher Possession mana cost.
Tips[]
Should be your weakest creature, but some hidden defense rating keeps him useful as a low level blocker.
If you want short work done quick, you pick up a couple of high level Trolls and plop them down at a Workshop - instead of Giants, who are slower to recover from stunning, or Bile Demons, who take ages. Otherwise if you plan to manufacture a lot, you should rely on Giants.
For the easiest gameplay: Trolls and Bile Demons should be separated from Giants into different Workshops to work in. Also Lairs to sleep in. And Training Room to train in. This gives all of them a lot less chance to suffer mood swings when meeting opposite moral alignment creatures.
A competitive dungeon is better off not having them at all. Make room for better creatures. But for a collector, 1 normal and 1 Elite may be worth as much as the likewise only-a-mother-could-love Goblins.
You can sacrifice two at a Temple to gain a Warlock, which may be more useful. Then again, a Troll may still be more useful than Dark Elves.
Bugs[]
Should have the passive ability Trap Disarming, but in later versions of the game it was supposedly turned off for some reason. The Mentor even mentions this ability of his in his My Pet Dungeon introduction sound clip.
Trivia[]
You can say a lot about him, but you cannot deny that he has an impressive hammer. Or mallet.
In the original game, there was an Orc creature that greatly resembled both the Troll belonging there and the one present here. In Dungeon Keeper, the Orc carried a mallet and the Troll carried a mace. This may be odd, considering the Workshop was always going to be a part of the game and the Orc was only a last minute addition, with its mallet much better suited to manufacturing than a mace.
The Elite Knudd (the Mad) is barely different. He is also the only named Elite to appear in the campaign, albeit in non-elite form.
Oddly enough, he is not part of any Temple sacrifice recipe that gets a Hero. (A future remaster could remedy this, especially since a Royal Guard cannot be obtained.)
Trolls are popular mythological beings of Nordic and Scandinavian culture, evidently made even more famous by J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, and later slightly by Dungeons & Dragons even more.
He could take down traps faster than normal creatures can by having the special ability called Disarm, but in later versions of the game this ability was disabled.
His pickup icon is the same as the Workshop icon: a mallet. This is likely an indication of his skill with traps and doors, for although he's not the only creature who can carry one, he's the only creature who does. Trolls are stereotypically synonymous with Workshops and manufacturing, and this reflects that perfectly. In contrast, his pickup icon in the first Dungeon Keeper reflects his appearance rather than his speciality. His Hand to Hand icon is also a mallet, although it faces the other way.
Dungeon Keeper Mobile[]
Overview[]
Progression
The Troll was a brutish minion, with increased health, who sought out the combat rooms or traps that are attacking it. Trolls also targeted anti-air traps if they saw them.
The Troll was unlocked by building a Workshop, and could be upgraded in the Training Room, which boosted his damage and health. He excelled at destroying structures (rooms/traps) via mêlée attack; damage against other minions was only average.
He did have one particular weakness: fire. Fire absolutely destroyed a Troll. It was therefore prudent to use Fireburst Traps, Warlocks, and the Dragon Breath spell. Invading Troll armies could quickly be dispatched by savvy defenders.
There was a bug that caused Trolls to stand and attack the same spot for the rest of the raid or until killed after using Bomb Wall.
Trolls would go out of their way to destroy Anti Air traps, most commonly seen when a player was using a scouting boost. This was often a severe weakness for Trolls.
At level 35, the max damage of Trolls was 2,448 (per attack). If you got the (temporary) First Strike boost, which added another 20% damage, Trolls would do 2,937 damage. This could be increased further by bolstering the Torture Chamber, though it was unknown how the two boosts stacked. That is, whether the increase by bolstering the Torture Chamber would take effect before or after the First Strike boost was applied.
Stats[]
Seeks
Closest Hostile Room
Passive
Redirects to Hostile Traps
Strength
4x damage to Doors, Traps and Hostile Rooms (increases with level)
Weakness
12x damage from Fire sources (decreases with level)
Creature Targets
Ground
Attack Speed
1.5s
Move Speed
175
Housing Space
2
Summoning Time
45s
Training Upgrades[]
= Extra Damage taken from Fire Sources = Damage multiplier towards Doors, Traps, & Rooms
/ 6000t
= Extra Damage taken from Fire Sources
= Damage multiplier towards Doors, Traps, & Rooms
