Fallen Enchantress Guide from Game Faqs (all credits to original author)

8/12/2019 Fallen Enchantress Guide from Game Faqs (all credits to original author)

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bout Fallen Enchantress: Legendary Heroes

E: LH is a very interesting game that seemlessly blends 4X strategy a la Civ, games with R! elements such as uni

aits, health, leveling u", "er#orming $uests, designing and e$ui""ing units, and so #orth% &ts strength lies in the abili

t you have a uni$ue gaming e'"erience, both in the sense each game is uni$ue and lives its own li#e, and also, that ou design, choose, and "lay the game the way you see #it%

o you #avour magic, or do you "re#er good)ol steel and heavy armor* (o you "re#er a climate o# "eace, develo"ing

owly at your own "ace, a+a turtling, doing $uests and be le#t alone* r do you li+e to blit- your o"onents at the ear""ortunity* Are your armies the ho"lite ty"e, s"ear and shield* Are they archer.based* (o you #ancy having high.

antasy beasts, trolls and dragons in them* r are they #ull o# na+ed, two.handed double.a'ed, berser+ing "eo"le* /h

ame lets you have all o# that, "erha"s, sometimes, some o# these all at the same time, in the same game% 0ou could sas a high re"layability value%

1#ortress1 city with walls built around it, in FE: Elemental Heroes

ve "layed the game mostly u" until e'"ert, as & #ind that)s the di##iculty level & have the most balance betweenevelo"ing a long.term game while +ee"ing the A& com"etitive2threatening% Lower levels may get a little too easy #o

'"erienced strategy "layers, higher levels ma+e the A& have too many bonuses that you tend struggle to survive inst

# thriving . which & "ersonally disli+e% &)m a bit o# a "ower gamer% & li+e to s"eciali-e, ma'imi-e, level it u", and

ver"ower% 3ut that)s my cu" o# tea% FE: LH let)s me "aint the "icture the way & li+e it, and that)s its strength%

bout /his !uidehis is not an introdutory guide #or begginers% &t assumes you already +now the basics about choosing2creating #actio

nd how the game wor+s% /hese are a #ew guidelines and ti"s that &)ve gathered #rom "laying the game mysel#% leas

e#er to the manual and the in.game wi+i i# you have trouble about some o# the basic game mechanics%

lso & won)t "retend to +now everything about the game% &n #act, & actually don)t +now some things at all% & "lay #or #

nly, not to write guides, and & do so in my own way% o this guide will always be biased to my "laying "re#erences%

H has enough de"th that you)ll still be #inding new things and e'"eriencing di##erent stu## every time you "lay a newame%

ho"e you en5oy%

ontents:

7uic+ !ame Review4X "lus R!

lay as 0ou 9antLots o# &tems, "ells, Creatures, and tu##

. /errain Randomi-ationteamroller E##ect

A& Choices

nbalancing

Choosing 0our Faction

; Research< nit 7uality

= nit 3onuses E'am"le

4 /actical 3attle Conce"ts


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our #action "lays% &t allows you to e'"erience a game as you want to%

Lots o# &tems, "ells, Creatures, and tu##

"on #action choice2creation, and along the game, you)ll get access to a "letora o# items and magical s"ells, that will

reatly di##erenciate one #action "laystyle #rom another% /here)s a great variety o# creatures, ways to #ighting them, anso o# s"ecial2uni$ue items, many o# which you may not #ind in one given "laythrough% 0ou)ll also be given the choi

# heroes #or hire out o# a large and varied "ool, some o# them $uite%%% e'otic% /his adds not only variety to the game,

lot o# customi-ation and re"layability, as well% ot to mention the modding community%

. /errain Randomi-ation

he $uality o# your staring terrain, and the circumstances o# your surroundings, varies wildly% 0our starting resourcese "lenti#ul, or non.e'istant settling locations Gnot all land is settleable can be o# high value and ne't to one another

w.grade and very #ar a"art, re$uiring lots o# resources to tie them together you can be given a large chun+ o#

nnocu"ied, easily loc+able #rom the A&, #ertile land . or, you may be sandwished between two terrain.gobbling #actiom the word go% /he game ac+nowledges this #eature, by streamlining the action o# re.generate a starting game by

ressing C/RL8 #or as long as you haven)t saved%

ou can see this as both a good and a bad thing% ot every tile in the terrain being settleable is an e'tremely re#reshin

ovelty and it creates an additional wildcard com"onent% However, in traditional 4X #ashion, a strong start is everyth

n this game% urists loo+ing #or a di##erent challenge in each "laythrough will value the ability the game has to o##er

com"letely di##erent story every time you "lay% However, i# you #ancy a reasonable starting terrain to start o## and ne on the bac+ #oot #or the entire game, it can be e'tremely o##."utting Gand #eel li+e cheating having to restart over.

ver in the e'"ectancy o# reasonable starting conditions%

teamroller E##ect

ecause the game #osters the use o# less units than, say, Civili-ation, once you de#eat the armies2stac+s o# an invadinaction, it)s a little too easy, #or the most "art, to grab your own armies and steamroll through their territory%

he A& isn)t "articularly ade"t at +ee"ing reserves de#ending the territory, and said reserves usually ta+e a #ew turns t

uilt% 9hen they are de#eated, heroes are immobili-ed inside their cities #or a number o# turns, heavily wounded andnable to move around% Finally, the militia units that are s"awned in city de#ense have the best blunt wea"on the #act

as researched, yet, no armor, ma+ing them easy targets to dis"atch% All o# these #actors combined contribute to the

eamroller e##ect, where you encounter little resistance when advancing over another #action)s territory%

t some "oints, the A& in this game may ma+e you sweat, es"ecially when it)s way #ar ahead in the "ower ratings and

ets aggressive towards you while you)re still vulnerable% At other "oints, however, even in E'"ert di##iculty level, yomay #eel you have to hold bac+ and turtle in order to give the A& a chance% And that is a bad thing #or a game to conv

you%

A& Choiceshe A& is com"etent on reasonable di##iculty levels in giving you a challenge #rom a military and economic stand"oin

eing reasonably aggressive and +ee"ing you on your Research toes% However, the A& is "oor at designing its owneroes, and at using magic consistently% @ore o#ten than not, you)ll see the Resoln A&, a heavily magical.oriented #ac

veling its sovereing as an Assassin, instead o# ta+ing advantage o# its multi"le magical and summoning "er+s% Rare

ou)ll see a #action)s dedicated mage s"ewing devastating magic s"ells #rom the bac+ at every turn he gets% 0ou)ll besemember #ighting 9ildling hamans, with their Coal tones, or Haunters, with their mass curses, #or their magical

rowess, rather than enemy sovereigns% /he A&, it seems, is better when it)s "rogrammed to do something more strict

han when it)s given the #reedom to s"eciali-e%

s a result, you)ll #ind it more di##icult to #ace A&s with "hysical bonuses to their units, such as /ough, (e#ensive

actions, or the &roneers race, than with #actions that Gshould rely on magical "rowess, and2or have mediocre units% 0


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nd it reasonably easy to deal with said Resoln, whose units have less hit "oints and can)t wear heavy armor, or with

@agnar, which uses in#erior slave units almost e'clusively% For an im"roved challenge, try designing custom

actions2leaders #or the A& to use that rely on "assive and durable bonuses, es"ecially military ones such as (e#ensiveough, @aster miths, #or e'am"le, and on sovereign "ro#essions li+e Armorer, 9arlord, or even oble . which give

ce economic boost%

nbalancing

#ew things in the game #eel e'tremely unbalanced% Archer units #eel slightly under"owered, and Cata"ults ma+e yo

eel you don)t need them at all, save i# you use the Archer s"eciali-ation #or your #action% Certain s"ells nearly brea+ ame G3li--ard comes to mind and transmit the idea that those s"ells, and mage heroes in general, could #ight entire

rmies alone%

ossibly the single greatest game.brea+ing item in the game are the (ragons% !ranted, you only get them Gi# you get

hem in the very late game, but i# you do, you got an e'tremely $uic+, blit-ing unit, that is a combination o# a mage

s devastating ranged attac+ GFire 3reath, o"ens DBI o# #ights by obliterating the other army with a "ower#ul #ightenit G/ail wi"e, deals Attac+ to all ad5acent units% ne thing is being a clear advantage, another $uite di##erent is be

ver"owered%

he A& seems "ro#icient at beelining its research to certain things, li+e 9arlord erga going straight at heavy armor a

uggernauts, or Resoln going e'clusively #or @agic tech and its /owers% However, they don)t seem to mind (ragon t

o much . even i# they have (ragon cam"s available in their territory% & have never seen an A& #action with a (ragon

hese little things, cou"led with the A&)s inability to #ully ca"itali-e on its magic "ro#iciencies in battle, ma+es you #eehe game is unbalanced at some o# its loose ends%

Choosing 0our Faction

always, always, create a custom #action% & #ind & can)t tailor what & want to do to the s"eci#ic #actions o# the game Gso

hat means & may be missing a chun+ o# game"lay stu## that may be hardwired #or the original #actions, but ho"e#ully

o much% /his means this guide won)t s"ea+ about s"eci#ic #actions that already e'ist in the game, rather it addresse

actions and all "lay styles you may wish to e'"erience%

he beauty o# FE is that you have a ton o# customi-ation as to how you)re develo"ing your #action, and your units%

ach game ta+es it own "ath% 0ou encounter di##erent neighbours, you gather di##erent items #rom $uests, com"anionnd their res"ective s"ells2s+ills, resources on the ma", and so #orth% o at this "oint the most im"ortant decision is: h

ill you li+e2want to "lay the game* Are you going #or melee brutes* @agic users* Archers* 0ou could "lan #or a

eace#ul e'istence, but Gat least on e'"ert the A&s that are higher on you on the "ower ratings tend to start gettingggressive on you, as early as the mid.early to mid game% /his is es"ecially critical i# you #ace an aggressive warlord

erga% and their su"er.heavy.armoured soldiers%

n any #action, you have the choice to go Kingdom Gthe 1good1 guys or Em"ire Gthe 1#allen1% /his choice a##ects

rimarily:

9ho you)re u" against in.game . #actions o# the same alignment have bonuses to their relations, and this can ma+e##erence on who are your enemies and your #riends% n the other hand, on higher di##iculty settings, when a #action

mells blood Ghas a higher "ower ran+ing than you it may attac+ you no matter what% /arth Garchers is the

armongering #action on the Kingdom side, 0ithril Gberser+ing melee units and 5uggernauts the one on the Em"ire sou can o# course create many custom.made #actions and "it them all against you and each other in a given game%

Kingdom recruitable heroes Gand your sovereign don)t have access to (eath s"ells, and Em"ire to Li#e s"ells% Li#eocus on hit "oint bonuses and city growth (eath s"ells #ocus on mangling enemies in every way "ossible% 0ou can

ccess to s"ells o# these schools i# you ma+e a sovereign o# an o""osing #action surrender to you, turning it into a her

ou control% /his tends to ha""en only a#ter you)ve already gained an u""er hand in.game, o# course% Even i# you get


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overeign to de#ect to your side, you won)t be able to ma+e him2her level u" and gain new s"ells in that school: you o

he s"ells that the sovereign already learned on its own%

ome world recruitable )mercenary) units are available to each side only% For e'am"le, ogre and troll recruitable ca

a resource on which you have to build a cam" to have these units in your armies are only available to Em"ire #actio

hile Knights o# Aso+ are only available to Kingdom #actions% (ragons are available to anyone%

; Research

he way & create my custom #action Gyou can also ta+e this #or the game)s e'iting #actions is as #ollows: & always ta+

cholar bonus Gthe #action)s, the sovereign)s "ro#ession, or maybe both so & have a bit o# an edge in relation to the

onuses the A& gets% Research is im"ortant to +ee" com"etitive with the A&% 3ecause i# the neighbouring warlord +non your door with a stac+ o# units one layer higher that what you have to o##er G#or e'am"le, clad in "late armour wh

ou only have chain or leather, or with the heavier mauls, you might be in the sht% As the human "layer you always

ave an edge in the strategic battles, so you ma+e good use o# swarming, "ositioning, magic, care#ul choosing o# youri+ing order, etc Gmore o# that later%%% but there)s only so much you can do% you can)t "ut a dent on your o""onent

nits, you)re toast%

o taying com"etitive research.wise is im"ortant% 0ou can always com"ensate by #ocusing on building research

m"rovements in your cities and the li+e, but this way you get an edge%

< nit 7uality

or about the same reasons & don)t ever "ic+ "re.made #actions, & also never, ever use2train units the game already haesigned, and are unloc+ed when you research a tech that enables them G(e#ender, Archer, @age, etc% & always desig

ach and every unit & use% & #ind lots o# #un in being able to design my units e'actly according to my whims% ometim

esign wea+Ger units so & can train them chea"ly and #aster, other times & "ut all the eggs in the bas+et, and then som

n an overall sense, & always tend to #ocus on bu##ing my unit)s hit "oints in some way% & love having units with many

oints% o "oint G"un intended in having high.$uality units i# they)re on the #rail side% &n addition, & li+e to role."lay

oldiers trying to ma+e them last long enough, so these same units last as long as "ossible and level u" as much asossible% o & usually have level B.;< units towards the late game, which & trained in the early game and then u"grad

hem as & could%

here are various ways to bu## unit)s hit "oints% /he &roneer)s racial bonus, the racial /ough attribute G8;6I hit "oint

asting on your recruiting settlement the Li#e enchantment )Aura o# itality) that gives 8; hit "oints "er Essence,

ettlement im"rovements, the /own level = bonus o# giving all your #action)s units 8>I hit"oints Gstac+able, "lus unesign, traits, and e$ui"ment% Em"ire #actions obviously don)t have access to Li#e magic, but they do have the "ossib

build a building called )acri#icial Altar) which is an im"rovement over the Cleric2hrine line o# buildings, that gra

; hit "oint to trained units Gnot the same as Li#e magic, but certainly another o"tion% All o# these bonuses stac+, i# nven multi"ly over each other% An &roneer unit, mid to late game, with all o# these tactics combined, has easily hundr

# hit "oints to s"are% n e'"ert and above, the A& has a bonus multi"lier to their unit)s hit "oints also%

ou can always #ocus on something other than 5ust hit "oints, as & do also% /here)s also de#ense, attac+, initiative% & alrengthen my units de#ense Garmor, es"ecially in the early game% & 5ust don)t li+e relying 5ust on de#ense rating, beca

here are a number o# ways your o""onents can by"ass armour: magic, armour "iercing wea"ons, and whatnot% !o w

hat you li+e% you en5oy berser+ing.li+e units Glow de#ense, big two.handed or dual.wield a'es, go with it% 0ou caocus on archery, or on ranged magic units% Remember to balance your army com"osition, so you have some melee u

n+ing the enemy)s units, to leave your ranged units #reeGer to shoot away%

= nit 3onuses E'am"le


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et)s say your race is &roneers, which have a racial bonus o# 8; H "er level% &n.game, you then design a unit which

ait 1Constitution1, granting it 8= H% Also, say you)re training this unit in a city, #ounded in a location with < Essenc

nd with the Li#e magic enchantment 1Aura o# itality1, granting 8; H "er Essence to trained units in that city% o onit, trained in this city in "articular, on to" o# its racial and design bonuses,will get an e'tra 8< H #rom the city)s

nchantment%

9hen any units levels u" in the game, they get one more H regardless o# bonuses% Also, a level < city2#ortress will

vel < units% &)m leaving these out #or the moment 5ust to illustrate my e'am"le%

o adding these bonuses we have:

8;H "er level G&roneers

8=H GConstitution8 M =6H bonus on the unit%

urthermore, i# you have the /ough racial trait G8;6I H bonus on units, this will be a""lied on to" o# all the bonus

ou give the unit% Furthermore, when the units levels u", it will receive #urther bonuses that stac+ with these% For Halculation is as #ollows:

oldier base health

ity Enchantment 3onuses Gincluded in the base value

ealth bonuses not de"endent on unit level Gsuch as the Constitution trait

6I o# total so #ar, i# #action has /ough trait

level bonuses Gnormal is 8;H "er level, #or &roneers it)s 8


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he "articular case o# H Gand de#ense, on which &)m #ocusing in this guide, is s"ecially im"ortant because it determ how long your unit will survive, and (e#ense shield

aits, and s"ecial items may add u" to this% (e#ense #unctions li+e a #ilter: it subtracts #rom the "hysical damage dealhe attac+er, thereby reducing the damage done% @agical attac+s G#rom s"ells, ranged units with sta##s, and2or when a

ea"on is enchanted by"ass armor com"letely, #actoring in the targeted units) s"ell2cold2#ire2lightning resistance ins

Counterattac+ ha""ens when a unit is struc+ in melee, and stri+es bac+% /he counter ha""ens at a #raction o# the un

ttac+ value . o# which & also have no idea on how it)s calculated, but &)m guessing around ;6.


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e#ense Glittle di##erence, but oh well% 9anderlust as a trait gives you the ability to use 7uest @a"s, and indeed, a #e

monsters you)ll #ight use Fire as an attac+ #orm, such as Fire hrills and Flame Lords, which most other armor doesn

rotect against% o this build is meant to "rovide you with very solid early to mid.game units%

9hile not cancelling out higher.level armor and wea"ons, this traits clearly suggests unit builds with swords and leat

hich will be es"ecially #ast Ghigh initiative and reasonably well."rotected as #ar as leather units go, even into mid tte.game% &t)s "er#ectly #easible . although de"ending on the situation . to use solely leather armor througout the enti

ame, "rovided you invest on wea"on $uality, shields, and in unit design2enchantments% 9ithout s"ecial attac+s or

bilities, though, you may #ind the straight#orward sword damage to be a little o##."utting against really heavily armo

""onents, and you)ll #ind "lenty o# those in the late game% o you)ll need to use magic, other +inds o# units, or otheric+s u" your sleeve #or these cases%

ammer @astery: hammers are meant #or sheer "ower% 9hy* Late.tier hammers are very "ower#ul, with a high attacating% /hey are not armour "iercing li+e s"ears, or 1guaranteed1 to hit li+e a'es, but they have a s"ecial attac+ where

he unit stri+es the o""onent #or double damage, rendering it inactive #or its ne't turn Gda-ed% o hammers are mean

estroy o""onents with care#ully "laced stri+es at s"eci#ic moments o# your choosing . a dead o""onent can)t #ight bahis can get es"ecially e##ective when you need to bring down a s"eci#ic troublesome o""onent or monster%

ammers have other advantage: you can e$ui" a shield with them, as they)re all one.handed% o units with blunt weaill also have high de#ense, "erha"s to com"ensate #or the s"eci#ic moments when they)re le#t inactive in their turns%

"ears are de#ensive, A'es are o##ensive, words are balanced Gallow counter.attac+s, although the A& doesn)t seem t

ocus too much on them% Hammers, on the other hand, also allow a balanced unit design, and are very e##ective

hroughout the entirety o# the game, #rom low.ish 1militia1 to high.cost 1elite1 units you design% Chea" blunt.wea"onnits with little armour but using a shield will still be e##ective #illers in your armies, doing a res"ectable 5ob . again,

+ing advantage o# that double.damage ability% 3lunt wea"ons, in my o"inion, are the most "ower#ul wea"on in the

ame in the hands o# the A&% /hey are the only wea"ons that )scare) me when &)m #ighting other #actions% /his is becauhe A& can deal a huge amount o# damage with the ower Attac+ ability, es"ecially in the late.game, with the most

dvanced mauls%

9hatever your strategy #or your units, have one% Remember you live and die by your units and how you "lay with th

? @agic

ou)re going to choose magic schools with your sovereign, and later when you get #urther heroes% 0ou may choose to

ndeavour in a less magical, #ully 1"hysical1 military might, or you may use s"ells e'tensively to sabotage and damaour o""onents% Regardless, magic has its uses in all game situations, be it in battle, but also in an economic sense,

ecause each school has s"eci#ic and "ower#ul bonus it gives to cities% /his is also why the number o# 1essences1 in a

somewhat im"ortant, de"ending on what you want to do with the city% o here)s a $uic+ rundown o# those magicalchools%

i#e: & get the #eeling that the Li#e school, together with (eath, have slightly more "ower#ul s"ells to them, "articularecause they aren)t available to all #actions% Kingdom can choose Li#e and not (eath, while Em"ire the o""osite% &n

rms o# enchantments to cities, Li#e has a #irst tier s"ell #or growth bonus to the city itsel# G8; growth, relevant to grettlements $uic+ly and o##set "ioneer training, and Aura o# itality, which gives 8; H bonus "er Essence to units

ained there% Li#e also has very use#ul s"ells #or combat, such as healing s"ells Gone unit or the whole army, "rotectgainst death, and !rowth and hrin+% !rowth im"roves by 8>6I a unit)s damage rating . use#ul to cast on your stro

nits . while hrin+ reduces by >6I Ghalves an o""onent unit)s attac+ . very use#ul when you)re #ighting strong

monsters with a high attac+ rating, such as that "es+y esca"ed Juggernaut that is s"awned in a random event%

eath: (eath s"ells have curses that a##ect enemy units, such as to remove their armour entirely, "enali-e their accur

r actually 5ust%%% +ill them% /he e'tremely use#ul and early "ression s"ell lowers a city)s unrest by ;6I, one o# the on.im"rovement ways to deal with unrest% (eath can be a very #un school to "lay with, that it)s at its best when mes

ith other "eo"le)s units%


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esearching and using magical wea"ons on your units Gsay, #or instance, a Lightning Hammer does not need any

rere$uisite on military tech, so you can still have ca"able military i# you don)t #ocus es"ecially on the military tree%

he di##erence is, broadly s"ea+ing, non.magical wea"ons, and armor #rom mail u"wards, re$uire metal Giron ore to

roduce magical wea"ons and armour re$uire crystal to "roduce% /he cost when "roducing a unit is multi"lied by th

umber o# soldiers in it% Furthermore, the game is balanced in such a manner that "roduction costs #or units, in termsmetal and2or crystal, can get "retty high in relation to what you can "roduce2harvest "er turn% o i# you want to #ocus

rong military on the iron side, you)re going to need to #ocus on securing and harvesting as much iron ore resources

he ma" as "ossible the same a""lies i# you #ocus on magical items, with crystal resources% hard resources give man

lus an elemental shard score, but not crystal% o metal and crystal are #undamental items to consider when "lanninglaying your #action, and there)s a need #or a s"eciali-ation2#ocus o# sorts Gmore how to design and "lan units #urther

head%

ou can always harvest both resources, metal and crystal, but in the early and mid game, where you "ut your "riority

"on is what ma+es the di##erence% you research the magic tree heavily you)ll have an easier time having more crys

or e'am"le, because that)s where the crystal harvesting techs are% A #action trait li+e @aster miths, which halves mnd "roductions costs #or wea"ons and armor, as well as ma+ing twice as easy to u"grade e'isting units with new

""arel, can be o# great bene#it in this area Gunit)s wea"ons, armor and a""arel . add.ons, trin+ets, etc you can researc

nd use in your units . have a base "roduction cost to them, and some have, added to that, a given resource cost, li+emetal or crystal%

nother obvious consideration is mana% your #action and heroes rely heavily on s"ells, you do have to commit to th

@agic tree to boost your mana generation, choose the conclave s"eciali-ation in a su##icient number o# cities so as toave mana.generating buildings, and harvest as much shard resources on the ma" as "ossible%

)s im"ortant to notice that the @ilitary tree increases your army si-e Gthe ma'imum number o# units in a single armyut it)s the Civili-ation tree that e'"ands the number o# soldiers in each military unit% o while you might have design

unit o# heavily.armoured soldiers Glet)s say you researched e'clusively the military tree with


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m more than sure that many "eo"le en5oy contem"lating this victory condition and "laying with it, and towards it, b

ecause &)m usually get more "leasure and accom"lishment by develo"ing a solid economy on my terms, and

ver"owering the other #actions with a great army towards late game, & normally "lay with this victory condition turn##% /here#ore be advised that this guide was made mostly without the 1magical1 victory condition in "lace%

D overeign and Hero Classes

n the very early game, a#ter the #irst or second #ight your sovereign ta+es "lace and he receives enough e'"erience to

ncrease its level, you)ll be as+ed to choose his2her r"g class s"eciali-ation% Furthermore, you can)t change class oncehoose it% A $uic+ rundown o# the classes:

ssassin: nloc+s s+ills that boost crit chance Gunavailable #or signi#icant amounts otherwise, critical damagemulti"lier, dodge rating, and generally di##erent ways to deliver devastating, calculating attac+s intended to outright +

or severely wound a s"eci#ic #oe% Can e$ui" u" to mail armor Gwith trait%

ritical hits wor+ the same way as in other games: #or each attac+ the unit has a chance Gi# 1crit chance1 is greater tha

in#lict more damage than it would% Also a""lies to ranged attac+s, and also to magic o##ensive attac+s% As #or 5ust h

much this damage is, &)m not entirely sure how it)s calculated, but &)m guessing it)s somewhere around >6 . ;66I, "lu"eci#ic bonuses to crit damage that items may give%

n e'am"le o# an Assassin hero

e#ender: Focuses on s+ills that boost sel#.de#ense Ghit "oints, de#ense, dodge, s"ell resistance, as well as some that

ith the army)s de#ensive traits, such as dodge and s"ell resistance% Can e$ui" u" to "late armor Gwith trait%

ommander: /his class has two distinct trait trees you can venture through% ne bene#its the army the unit is on, nam

ccuracy, initiative, and e'"erience bonuses, as well as giving some mani"ulation on when units get to act% Another t

ne bene#its your economy as a whole, allowing the sovereign2hero to generate money and research on its own, as w

s heavily reducing the unrest rate the hero ha""ens to be stationed at% Can e$ui" u" to mail armor Gwith trait%

word about a trait that grants the the ability to create roads, which other than created automatically where you "lac

ties and out"osts Gwith the right techs, you have no other way to create themN Roads can be very e##ective to manand de#end your territory, by allowing your armies to go #rom one border to another in a sort time% &)ve come to not re

n the game)s automatic road "lacement, because it)s o#ten ine##ective and sub.o"timal% For these reasons, the

ommander class is one that & leave to another hero, other than my sovereign and 1#ighter1 heroes, to have%

@age: /his class #ocuses heavily on magic using, to increase s"ell "otency Gincluding healing s"ells, reducing mana

ost, and, "articularly "ower#ul, reducing casting time by .;% Heroes can cast s"ells regardless i# they)re mages, warrissassins, de#enders, etc . but one thing is to cast s"ells casually, a $uite di##erent e'"erience is when a unit is s"ecial

n doing so% Further comments below%

he @age class also has a summoning tree, which allows a variety o# beasties to be summoned in each o# the army)sghts% /he summoning use#ulness is, in my e'"erience, moderate% &t)s "rimarily intended to hel" you through the ear

mid.game% ummoning creatures boosts your numbers and gives your o""onent additional targets to worry about, be

here#ore an e'tremely use#ul venture in the early stages% ome summons, such as the Air and Fire elementals, areeasonably "ower#ul units% However, in general the summons match your current unit)s level, and in the late game yo

nits will tend to be more "ower#ul than any summon you can get%

9arrior: A classical and straight#orward #ighter class that #ocuses on o##ense in all ways "ossible% All s+ills in the tree

olster the attac+ rating in some way, varying between s"ear, a'e, mace or sword s"eciali-ations, adding counterattac

er turn, attac+ bonus versus certain units, s"lash damage Gdamages multi"le units, steal H in each attac+, and so #o


13/46

an e$ui" u" to "late armour with traits, but that)s "retty much all the de#ensive boost you)re going to get through s+i

class has multi"le trees and s+ill sets% (uring the run o# a game, it)s e'tremely unli+ely any given sovereign orham"ion will level u" enough levels so he has all s+ills in the tree Gunless you really "ut an e##ort to it% For e'am"le

oing to be di##icult #or a Commander hero to be "ro#icient both at traits that give bonuses to its army Gthe general

s"ect and bonuses to city management and economy Gthe administrator as"ect% o again comes the need to s"ecials you level u"% 0ou can always "ut an e##ort to it, o# course, and anything is "ossible, but there)s only so much #ights

a""en in a given game, there#ore there)s a Gso#t 1ca"1 o# sorts to the overall amount o# X you can get Gwhich you c

so boost with traits and trin+ets, by the way%

9hat & wanted to mention is how your sovereign)s Gand hero)s roles scale with the "rogression o# the game, namely

uring combat% /his is a classical case o# 1linear warriors, $uadratic wi-ards1%

;6 /he Role 0our overeign and 0our Heroes lay /hroughout the !ame

enerally s"ea+ing, your heroes are the only ones who can cast magic, and thus a##ect your whole army in a way oth

nits can)t% &n the early game you may be interested in +ee"ing your heroes and sovereign in the same army so as to h

n edge over beasts and units scattered in the terrain% 3ut because the bul+ o# e'"erience "oints are divided among hethey are "resent in an army, you are encouraged by the game to have an army be led by, at most, one hero% 0ou can

ourse use two heroes or more in the same army throughout the game G#or e'am"le a #ighter ty"e and a mage ty"e a

ma+e it wor+, so i# you want to that)s "er#ectly #ine% However because &)m strongly interested in ma+ing my own unit

vel u", & isolate and dedicate an army to each o# my 1#ighting1 heroes, so both them and their army)s units can levelro"erly%

o what &)m about to say comes #rom the "ers"ective o# having one hero "er army%

aving a warrior sovereign Gall o# this a""lies to other heroes as well, with #ighting traits u"on creation Gmight, hard

nd so #orth ma+es #or an easier early game, as he2she will be at least as "ower#ul as your early units% 3y the sameegree, having a mage.ty"e sovereign ma+es #or a more di##icult start o# the game, as you may have some trouble +il

arly low.level monsters% Also remember that even i# you learn good s"ells on level.u", you are still limited by the

mount o# mana you "roduce, which won)t be staggering in the beginning o# your game no matter what you do%

n the other hand, and by the same "ers"ective, a warrior hero doesn)t scale "ro"erly as the game "rogresses, while t

'act o""osite ha""ens with casters% 9hy is this* 3ecause o# a number o# #actors%

s "ower#ul and #ull o# traits your hero is, he2she)s a unit with 5ust one "erson in it% Even i# he)s #ully geared u" in he

rmour and trin+ets, and even i# he has a wea"on that stri+es #or 46 damage%%% he)s 5ust one unit, while your soldier u

ill have =.4.> soldiers in them, each one with a wea"on delivering a good deal o# damage, and "ossibly even havinmuch more health than your lone hero% o, do the math% nless you)re using a #action that has "enalties on unit)s abil

ou haven)t researched "ro"erly, or you)re giving yoursel# a challenge in unit design, your mid to late game units wil

ur"ass your hero melee or archery wise%

nother #actor against melee heroes is that there)s a sti## "enalty #or a hero to #all in battle% 9hile your sovereign canway with a little mana cost and without much "roblems i# he 1dies1 during battle, your other heroes will earn

hemselves a 1wound1, which translates to a "enalty o# some +ind% For e'am"le, less XI hit "oints, less dodge, lessnitiative, less e'"erience, etc% /hese wounds, while not game.brea+ing, can certainly deter and "ossibly s"oil your h

er#ormance and levelling, and can only be healed with s"eci#ic "otions that say in the descri"tion 1cures a random

ound1% /hese "otions are either obtained through $uests or goodie huts2monster lairs Gyou)re down to luc+, or they e bought at an a"othecary, which is a high.level conclave building you)re li+ely only get #ar down the road into you

mid to late game% /here#ore healing wounds is #ar #rom im"ossible, but not that easy nonetheless%

o i# you don)t want your "ri-ed heroes running around #ull o# wounds, you)re interested in +ee"ing them as sa#e as

ossible #or the most "art% However, i# you bring them close into melee range to mid to to" tier enemy units, some o#

hich do the li+es o# ;B.


14/46

hat amount%%% you do the math% &n the late game, even sim"le militia units in enemy siege de#enses will be armed wit

he best blunt wea"on their #action has researched Gbecause the game determined that blunt wea"ons bring some use

e#ending militia units% o even #rail, a sim"le militia unit can deal a great deal o# "ain%

or these reasons, it)s #air to say that your high.end units will easily ta+e over melee duties #rom your sovereign and

eroes at some "oint during your game, save #or some une'"ected or emergency situation% /his isn)t necessarily true l cases% Again, i# you)re not #ocusing on unit military design, or i# you have some +ind o# "enalty to your units, you

melee heroes can still remain an im"ortant "iece in your army "u--le% &)ve seen "eo"le who com"lain the e'act o""o

hat their heroes mid to late game are over"owered and "retty much can #ight on their own "ower#ul armies% /his isn

ersonal e'"erience though% & #ind melee heroes are great to have at the beginning, and tend to be less use#ul as the grogresses%

ne thing your armies can)t re"lace, though, is the ability to cast s"ells% &n #act, this scales "er#ectly in the o""ositemanner as the game moves along: you generally have more mana available, you learn more s"ells, and your heroes m

ven s"eciali-e in magic using i# they choose the @age class Gthey don)t have to choose that class in order to cast s"e

l, though% 9hat ends u" ha""ening in my games is that & usually #ind mysel# +ee"ing my hero2sovereign at the bacont o# the archers, casting s"ells according to what)s needed . even i# he)s in #ull "late armor and levelled as a #ighte

emember that i# your hero is casting a s"ell, he)s not moving around and attac+ing other units% 9hen the o""osingrmies get big, with lots o# units, your sovereign tend to lose relevance, that is, it doesn)t act as o#ten% An action is eit

ast or a melee2ranged attac+ . not both% o your hero leading the army will either be mage.ing o# #ight.ing, not both

he same time% /he e'ce"tion to this is i# he has s"eciali-ed in short.range o##ensive magic or abilities, and he has to

move in melee range to cast said abilities%

o this in#ormation is meant to guide you through your hero leveling "lanning% (e#ender, Commander and Assassin

eroes all #all somewhere somewhere in between these two classes o# #ighter and mage, in terms o# roles they "lay% /ssassin is a melee s"ecialist so will #all towards the #ighter.ty"e the Commander Gi# leveled to give bonuses to arm

naturally a dude that stands bac+ and lets its army ta+e advantage o# its bonuses, as well as directing it sometimes,

as some synergy with a caster.ty"e or a ranged attac+er and the (e#ender is a Fighter that has s"eciali-ed in bolsters de#ense to survive longer, instead o# attac+%

his is not to conclude that you should "lay your sovereign and all your heroes as mages% & thin+ you should "lay e'a

s you want% /his game lets a guy in #ull "late armour stand bac+ casting s"ells Geven i# "late armor reduces yournitiative, while a bunch o# elite su"er.soldiers Gor na+ed rabble #or that matter charge the enemy% evertheless, it

ands clearly that a mage, with its magic s"eciali-ation and mid.to.high initiative will remain as use#ul and as "ower

hroughout the game%

ut this is not all% Just because when your chose your sovereign and2or heroes to be mages, that doesn)t mean they)re

be unarmored, with low hit "oints, care#ree about others attac+ing them during battle% Enemy ranged units Gand #acrmies, de"ending on the #action, can sometimes s"ort $uite a #ew in their armies will generally target that which the

erceive is a combination o# the so#test2easier to hit unit, while also being a threat% /his generally means enemy arch

nd mages will $uite o#ten target your own archers, mages, and cata"ults #rom a#ar, almost always #ocusing their #ire"eci#ic unit until its dead G5ust as a human "layer could do, and this is also why H is im"ortant% ometimes, thoug

hey #eel your sovereign has low enough de#ense and2or hit "oints, they will consistently have a go at your hero durinattle% o this means that, even i# your hero is a mage, be care#ul to invest in $uality armor and trin+ets, in its hit "oin

nd de#ense, unless you want it to be seen as a arrow magnet . and having you worry li+ewise%

;; Further otes on overeign ro#essions

our sovereign can only have one "ro#ession and it)s chosen u"on creation Gor it)s already "reset i# you use one o# the

andard #actions% &n my view, "ro#essions that hel" with the early game are more relevant than those that im"rove ome . because in this game, a strong start is everything%

dventurer: 8;6 #ame #or com"leting $uests


15/46

m not entirely sure how im"ortant #ame is in this game, save #or the "ur"oses o# getting heroes #aster% /his is im"or

guess, to have access to more s"ell schools, and to "lay with lots o# heroes% & understand the develo"ers created the

ame mechanic to avoid having heroes scattered across the ma"% n the other hand, heroes tend to lose relevance batise as the game "rogresses, and might even become outclassed i# they)re #ocused in melee% 0ou)re encouraged in ha

ne hero "er army, "erha"s two ma' i# you really want to, and throughout a game you don)t have that many armies%

ou don)t really need that many heroes . you wouldn)t +now what to do with all o# them anyway% /hus, having aro#ession that gives you Fame Gor #action traits that revolve around $uesting, #or that matter isn)t really hel"ing at a

@%

uests are indeed #un and an e'cellent source o# uni$ue items, money and e'"erience% 3ut still, the way thegame wo

m not sure how e'actly 8;6 #ame "er $uest is an im"ortant com"onent when it comes to build a com"etitive game.inning #action% & guess &)ll never +now, because & never use this meaningless trait%

rade: (

andit Lord: "layer starts with < bandit units and can convert bandits

his is meant to ease your early game, by allowing you to attac+ wea+ monsters #rom the word go, and it)s obviously

more advantageous to you i# you ha""en to s"awn in an area #ull o# bandits% 3andits are rather wea+ units Gwea+er theasts, so the advantage may wear com"aratively shorter% lus, they cost money to recruit and maintain, which it)s

recisely in scarce su""ly in the early game, so recruiting bandits may hinder you instead o# hel"ing% n the other ha

ou may get access to ranged units earlier in the game%%%rade: (

i"lomat: 8=6I value o# trades, and the silver tongue ability

he silver tongue allows the sovereign to convert enemy trained G#action% & su""ose it has synergy with a de#ensive.minded "laying style, as is the bonus to trading% /rading can be a viable way to e'change your sur"lus resources with

esearch2money2resources #rom other #actions, and a bonus to it hel"s to get more whilegiving away less% (i"lomacy

ades, however, while use#ul, aren)t that much o# a vital com"onent o# your #action)s game, and converting units cost66 !uildar% 9hile "resumably assuming you)re ta+ing advantage o# your slic+ trading s+ills with #actions you aren)t

ar with, s"ending ;66 !uildar to bribe an enemy unit Gand then having to "ay u" its wages may not #eel very nice%

rade: C

unter: 8>6I attac+ against beasts

his is an outright bonus to #ighting beasts, which is a good chun+ o# the enemies you)ll #ight in the game% till, this

rictly a very narrow, early.game bonus, and it a##ects the sovereign only% &)d rather tame beasts, than having a singlenit bonus to +illing them% & must a"ologise i# the bonus a""lies #action.wise, because that)s not in the descri"tion, an

ecause &)ll never .ever. choose this "ro#ession, not even #or testing "ur"oses% Horrible%

rade: F

cholar:


16/46

rade: 3

rmorer: all units have I de#ensenother ma5or boost to de#ense% &t)s more or less negligible when you use regular leather, and i# you don)t boost

rmor2de#enses in any other way% 3ut it becomes signi#icant ; as the game "rogresses and you move on to mail and

rmor, and


17/46

therwise, not very interesting% (

oble: .;6 unrest in all citiesnrest is the single most im"ortant #actor when it comes to building a thriving economy in this game% High unrest m

our city is not "roducing anything at a viable rate, and it)s not "um"ing out research either% /he most relevant #actor

reates unrest is the number o# cities you have, and there aren)t that many e##icient, #action.wide means to e##ectivelyeal with unrest, at least until you get to a reasonable stage in the game% o having a .;6 unrest modi#ier, in "ractice,

means that your cities will "roduce more, your economy will be much more solid, and it allows you to sim"ly be abl

ave more cities% /his is "rimarily a strong, early to mid.game boost, but also a very strong bonus #rom an economic

and"oint% adly, the coolness #actor o# being a noble, com"ared to, say, a 3eastlord, or a 9arloc+, is not that great%%rade: A

ummoner: 8< level #or summons, unloc+s ummon hadow 9arg s"ellboost i# you "lan on being Gyour sovereign a summoning mage% &)ve s"o+en be#ore about how & see the use#ulness

ummoning, and &)m not sure i# 8< levels to your summons is that big o# a bonus% till, i# summoning is something th

ou have #un with, by all means go #or it% Coolness to"s "ractical wherever "ossible% ummoned units, while not gamhanging, are moderately "ower#ul and serve an au'iliary "ur"ose%

y the end o# one o# the summoning mage traits, you have a "articular summon that costs >66 mana: (elin, the Fire

an Elemental Lord, #or 1= actions1% ounds awesome, but what they didn)t tell you is that the duration o# theummoning is = actions o# your army% o it)s very "ossible #or you to summon (elin, s"ending >66 mana, and have h

ot $ueuing u" in the initiative $ueue in time to act, only "erha"s contributing to swarming action% /his one im"resse

me, in a very negative way%

rade: C

9arlord: .>6I to unit wages

his is a big one, as unit wages are one o# the big burdens on your account throughout the game% @oney can otherwe s"ent on things such as rushing im"rovements and units, u"grading units, di"lomacy, buying gear at your sho", an

orth% 0our economy)s budget ceiling determines the limit o# units you can have at a given moment, and it usually dri

ou into a strategy o# #ielding a #ew lightly e$ui""ed militia units mi'ed with heavier, more elite units Gand you can end more advantageous in this game to having lots o# mediocre units, than a #ew elite ones% /his trait, however, give

ou a lot more #reedom in this res"ect% 9ith it you can a have more money le#t, b have a larger standing army, and2

ain only to".tier military units% /his also has synergy i# you)re the 7uendar race and you can train slave units that co

o wages%haven)t #ound e'actly how a unit)s wage Gmoney cost "er turn is calculated, but it)s directly related to how much the

nit costs to train% A unit in "late armor has higher wages than the e'act same unit in leather armor% 0ou can see how

much the unit)s wages will be when you)re designing it, and in the training screen%rade: A

;< Further otes on Faction /raits and enalties

ve discussed be#ore martial s"eciali-ations G(e#ensive, Archers, !reat Hammers and A'e @astery, as well as the

@aster miths and /ough traits% &)m also not addressing all o# the rest o# them, but &)m going to s"ea+ about a #ew%

ight late costs 6 "oints, as it)s basically a choice #or you to have a stronger version o# the middle tier armour Gwhicormally mail armor in e'change #or higher metal Gresource and "roduction Gtime costs% & recommend choosing it

you)re either "laying toward it G#ocusing on gathering iron ore in.game, and2or you also have the @aster miths t

hich halves "roduction and metal costs #or units altogether% therwise, metal costs #or metal armor can get "retty n@asterwor+ Chainmail is the o""osite it trades the to".tier "late armor #or a lighter Gless armor rating and less cost t

roduce armor, and the "ur"ose is to cut down metal and "roduction costs at the e'"ense o# de#ense ratings% /his ha

ynergy with the Archers trait as you also won)t need as much metal with it, and it)s "erha"s meant to discard the neeave a large territory and many sources o# iron%

tealth is a large boon because monsters won)t attac+ your units% therwise, not only do you have to be care#ul about


18/46

aving your units Gmilitary ones, scouts, "ioneers, everything ne't to monsters when their turn ends, but most

m"ortantly, you)re more or less constrained as where you can build cities, i# settling s"ots are near monster lairs% /hi

ecause i# your city territory encom"asses a monster2bandit lair Gbecause you)re built the city ne't to it, or because thty territory has grown the monster grou" in that lair will become 1dislodged1 and start to roam your territory,

ometimes destroying terrain im"rovements, sometimes attac+ing your cityGs% /his is not very im"ortant i# the mons

re low.level and you can handle them but i# they)re not and you can)t #ight them 5ust yet, you)re in #or some troublehis trait ends that issue, though, and that)s why it costs < "oints to get%

cholars, as & already mentioned brie#ly, is a large bonus to research, and you can create a sovereign with the cholar

ro#ession that #urther adds to this amount% &t also o"ens the tudy immediately, allowing you to build it right away aart o# the game% /he only thing is that you may be able to get around research shortcomings by #ocusing on good ci

lanning, "rioriti-ing research buildings, and also i# you intent on #ocusing heavily on 5ust a #ew techs and don)t inten

esearch them all% o this trait can become a little relative and it)s de"endent on your "laying "re#erences%

nchanters allows you to increase a city)s Essence count by 8;, which is the main "lus o# this trait in my view% you

eavily Essence and enchantments to give stat bonuses to yout trained units, with this you can have a 4 GN Essenceortress training units with 84 Fire Attac+, 84 Hit oints "er soldier, 84 (e#ense %%% Enchanters also gives you a s"ec

melee sta## wea"on Gan e'tremely chea" way to train sim"le units with a decent attac+ rating and a uni$ue lighting.

tac+ ranged sta##, to create mages with%

eroic doubles the amount o# e'"erience #rom $uests% &t has synergy with ; 9anderlust, 66 gold, while the decreased unrest allows the #action to build things #aster at the beginning o# the game%

onsider cou"ling it with the Earth school o# magic, which allows you to cast Enchanted Hammers on your starting

ties and #urther boost "roduction%

inding and Cult o# a Hundred Eyes are < traits that are meant to com"liment your armies with #urther units that eith

"awn in your territory, and2or you can train them in your cities% From "ersonal e'"erience & didn)t #ind the s"eci#ic uarticularly use#ul or strong, but these traits are more de#ensive in nature, because they are meant to assist you with

roviding more units to your armies i# you)re not #ocusing heavily on "roduction and unit tech%

lave Lord is a trait that trans#ers hal# the "o"ulation o# a city you ra-e to your ca"ital, and men or #allen Ghumanoids

e#eated in combat are trans#erred to the nearest city as "o"ulation% o"ulation growth, which allows your cities to le

" giving you "ower#ul bonuses Gboth #or the city and #action.wide can be relatively hard to come by% /here#ore this'"ensive G


19/46

ulnerable to @agic G.


20/46

ow & "layed with their racial, #action and leader traits, and how they behave as A&s% & guess this is meant to tal+ a lit

more about racial and #action traits that & haven)t mentioned yet%

arth GKingdom

overeign: Lady Ariadne GHunter, 8>6I Attac+ vs beasts, Air and Li#e magic

ace: /arth, 8= Attac+, 8= initiative when in army o# = or smaller, (ouble tri+e, stri+e twice #or .


21/46

uch things as designing slave scouts, to save on scout wages% 0ou can do all sorts o# things with units, and the "enal

H, accuracy and initiative, #or a unit that doesn)t cost maintenance, can be com"ensated with other things, i# you

now what you)re doing%ther than the ability to train slaves, 7uendar Gnon.slave, original 1race1 units have Flame /ongue, which is a little

bility that is a+in to breathing Gs"ewing #ire% ow, this ability does < #ire damage "er level, "er soldier in unit% /hat

means, #or e'am"le, that a level > unit, with 4 soldiers in it, will do


22/46

eighbours, unless you)re e'tra care#ul with your unit design% 0ou can #or e'am"le recruit a hero with the Earth schoo

magic, and train your units in a #ortress with Aura o# @ight cast on it% /his would be an e'am"le to bolster your unit)

e#ense throughout the game%ere-a)s army in "articular will have the whole lot o# sumoning and magic o"tions available Gsince some o# those nic

"ells are only hers to cast and thus you)ll be able to wor+%%% magic%%% with her% 0ou can "lay both an o##ensive and a

e#ensive game, but you)ll "robably #ind that Resoln is actually better suited to sit bac+ and achieve a magical victoryather than a con$uest one, since you)re going to invest heavily on the magical tree anyway% And this is actually what

esoln A&, more o#ten than not, ends u" doing% ooner or later you)ll see those little towers a""earing below Resoln)s

ower rating, eagerly antici"ating the "ell o# @a+ing victory% 9hen #ighting against Resoln, e'"ect a little bit o# ra

mage units, some s"iders and daemons, and a lot o# wea+ly wraiths in robes and leather armor, trying to suc+ your li#om you% For this reason, though, Resoln)s military is not the strongest to #ight against, because o# the native "enalti

heir units, and because the A& also #ollows Resoln)s motto o# 1magic #irst and #ight later1% 9hen you wish to invade,

m"ly invest in your unit $uality, watch out #or (eath magic casters, and you should be 5ust #ine%

ilden GKingdom

overeign: Lord @ar+in GArmorer, I de#ense, Earth and Li#e magic, Hardy, 8; H "er level and immune to "oiso

ace: &roneers, 8=6 s"ell resistance, 8; H "er level, tactical Gbattle s"ells cost 8>6I mana to cast, can train !olemrainable mid.level, single unit constructs, with ;668 H and =6.468 de#ense

action:

@aster miths, >6I reduction in resource and "roduction costs, >6I reduction costs in u"grading units

!reat Hammers, Geven better hammers than the de#ault versionsLight late, re"laces mid.tier mail armor with a better and more e'"ensive "late 1light "late1 version

9hat to say about this one* !ilden Gor the &roneers is the com"lete o""osite o# Resoln or @agnar: it)s meant to "rettmuch #orego magic in battle, and instead hitting you hard in the #ace with a giant maul, "re#erably only once% &roneer

ready have 8;H "er level Aura o# itality cast in #ortresses will see it that each !ilden unit has a lot o# health ind

nd Earth)s 3lessed Hammers combined with the @aster miths) trait, will see that your units are going to be "um"edu##iciently #ast% Light late ta+es advantage o# your discount in training units in metal armor, and the cherry on to" o

he ca+e is the !reat Hammers: your units won)t hit hard, they)ll hit e'tremely hard%

owever, once you design, and #ight with, a unit in heavy armor and wielding a blunt wea"on, you)ll soon realise tha

hese unit)s initiative won)t be very #ar away #rom a measley ;6% &nitiative determines when a given unit will be givenurns to act in a #ight% ;6 is a very low number ;? is an average to decent one 6I unit wages, Earth and (eath magic, Hardy, 8; H "er level and immune tooison

ace: /rogs, 8< Attac+ when under >6I hit "oints, 3erser+ ability: 8< attac+, 8< initiative, unit is under A& control a

cts inde"endently #rom the "layer


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action:

9arriors: #actions can build barrac+s Gunit training discount building #rom turn one

9arrior Caste, units are trained with 8; level than they would normally/ough, all units have 8;6I hit "oints

A'e @astery, unloc+s dual.wielding versions o# all the regular a'es in the game Ghigher attac+ rating . and initiative

# !ilden is about having resilient, heavily.armoured and hard.hitting troo"s, 0ithril . des"ite its delicate sounding na

is a #action o# "ure rage, "ower, and berser+ing through and through% /he multi"le warrior traits are meant to bolste

nit)s hit "oints Ghigher level units have more hit "oints while ma+ing them easier to train, and able to train them ear

you so wish to . also hel"ed by erga)s Earth magic and its Enchanted Hammers G8; material in city% @ore on a lorm note, erga)s 9arlord "ro#ession allows you to #ield a larger number o# good wage.costing soldiers, without you

conomy being $uite able to su""ort it otherwise% /his is all o# the economic hel" 0ithril is going to get, though, so i

ou "lay this #action you better be strongly inclined to s"end your entire game on everyone else)s #ace%n #act, when 0ithril is being controlled by the A&, you can "retty much bet that erga)s stac+s are the #irst ones that c

noc+ing at your door% He)s very easy to as+ #or tribute and to declare war, once again, showing that the A& really liv

ue to the #action)s lore% 0ou can e'"ect erga to research almost e'clusively the @ilitary tech tree, sometimes gettinhe end o# it . thus unloc+ing really "ower#ul stu## li+e heavy armour and Juggernauts . well be#ore you)re trying to g

our #arms "ro"erly% 0ou can e'"ect really strong, "ower#ul, and heavily armoured units that don)t die easily, even i#

nit might have less soldiers than you, because they haven)s dedicated themselves to research the Civili-ation tree% Aanything, there)s no ranged units available to them: it)s all melee% you see 0ithril)s "ower rating suddenly shootin

y large chun+s, stu## is being trained over their territory, and you can e'"ect trouble Gor someone can, at least%

he /rog race allows you to clic+ a button and let your units scramble #orward on their own Gcontrolled by the A& as

atch, ho"ing they will sub5ugate the enemy by their sheer "ower, e##ectively giving you the #eeling that they)re reallberser+ing1% ersonally, while & do understand the conce"t, & love to direct my units and ma+ing all the choices, so t

acial trait +ind o# "uts me o##% /he other racial trait, 8< attac+ when under >6I hit "oints, means in "ractice that /ro

nits tend to have not only more hit "oints, but that their attac+ rating su##ers less i# the unit is hal#.damaged or belowill giving them a viable chance to +ill the enemy when wounded% And this is more noticeable, both i# 0ithril is your

""onent or i# you)re "laying them yoursel#, the better the armor they)re e$ui""ing% 3ut, what)s really, really #un Gto y

you)re 0ithril, or to your 0ithril o""onent are Juggernauts%hese little beasties are a+in to &roneer)s !olems, e'ce"t with the o""osite idea: they have lower base de#ense rating

# hit "oints, and above all else, s"ecial traits which greatly bolster their high attac+ rating, and also do s"lash damag

damages the struc+ unit, and a "ercentage is also delivered to anyone else to the sides, including allies% Juggernaut)s

tac+ animations are even s"eeded u", so you)re guaranteed to have a +ic+ when one o# them reaches the enemy)s mne and units start #lying through the air Gi# you)re 0ithril you get a good +ind o# +ic+ i# you)re #ighting 0ithril, you)l

eel a di##erent +ind o# +ic+, & guess%

s with !olems, Juggernauts are not necessarily the most "ower#ul thing ever, or at least, not everyone)s cu" o#tea% Anit o# > mounted +nights #ully clad in "late, and with "ro"er wea"ons and bonuses, will be a much more solid, durab

nd e##ecive unit than a Juggernaut, while retaining some design #le'ibility to still be able to deliver a lot o# damage

oldiers with wea"ons% Lower de#ense, and inability to wear body armor, means that Juggernauts always be s$uishyrgets, and you better ma+e them get $uic+ly in melee to have them do their thing% Although, you do have the "ossib

e'change some o# the o##ensive traits with de#ensive ones, "lus you can give them a shield and one.handed wea"o

ust li+e anyone else% /his, with a cou"le o# de#ensive.minded bonuses and trin+es, should ma+e #or a relatively durauggernaut design, i# you so choose it%

till, Juggernauts do scale much better than !olems, because o# their multi"le bonuses to attac+ and s"ash damage,meaning they can ta+e #ull advantage o# to".tier wea"ons to in#lict an healthy dose o# carnage, des"ite being a single.

oldier unit% A Juggernaut with a'eGs and maul, will stri+e and +ee" stri+ing until it misses, and when it does, it will o a bac+swing with the a'e% 9ith the latest a'es in the game, two.three stri+es and the enemy is dead% /here)s alway

omething coll about a Juggernaut lunging #orward with two huge a'es in each hand% /hough, you do reach this sta

# the game, chances are it doesn)t really matter what you)re using, as long as it)s cool%uggernauts are e'tremely #un to #iddle with% /he idea here is that they are 1all.attac+1 ty"e units% 9hen you)re battlin

uggernaut, being the smart "layer you are, you)re going to #ocus all your ranged, melee, and magical attac+s and e##

n it, to reduce its im"act in the battle and to bring it down as soon as "ossible% /he s"ells low G9ater and hrin+Li#e are my #avorites when #ighting Juggernauts%


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ra'is GEm"ire

# someone ever designed a turtling #action in a 4X game, this is it% Kra'is and em"eror Karavo' are the e"itome o# b

"eace#ul1, $uiet, and slithery in everything they do% A (e#ensive #action Guses 1ho"lite1 units and has bonuses de#enties, its racial #eatures are having 8B (e#ense when under >6I hit"oints Gthe conce"tual o""osite o# /rogs and the

bility to 1#orti#y1 tiles in battle% A unit inside a #orti#ied tile, i# its de#ensive bonuses aren)t enough already, gets 8;6

ccuracy Gso it ma+es sure it does +ill whoever is attac+ing it and 8 or bigger, and they have double the swarming bonus, so


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ame is as+ing you to act li+e wolves and 1overwhelm your o""onent #rom all sides1, so to s"ea+% /hey are 9arriors

@aster couts which again gives the im"ression that they run around li+e wolves through the #orest, unim"eded li+e

egular humanoids% Li+e /arh they also use @asterwor+ Chainmail, so he idea is to have chea"er to".tier units, and amuch li+e /arth, Kulan the sovereign is 1Cruel1, which is a "enalty that gives him 8; attac+ but 8> unrest in all cities

ttle li+e /arth)s Rebels trait, to align with the idea that these are beast.li+e "eo"le%

mber also has the trait Assassin)s /ools, which can ma+e your units deliver "oison damage in their attac+s somethinhat is only available to sovereigns and heroes through items and use a sword that has high initiative, has ; counter.

tac+ Gli+e most swords and can bac+swing% /his, together with Kulan)s Air magic, suggests you should design unit

hat are $uic+, #ast, and should swarm its targets as much as "ossible% Last but not least, Kulan does have access to (

magic%

;4 Further otes on Recruitable nits From Cam"s

ou can train s"eci#ic units #rom s"ecialty cam"s, that is, you don)t train them in your cities li+e other units, instead w

ou do is to build a cam" on the terrain resource, and by doing so that cam" will continually s"awn new units o# that"eci#ic ty"e, to a ma'imum o# two% /hat means i# your #action controls two s"ecial units o# that s"eci#ic ty"e, the ca

ill only res"awn another i# you lose one o# them% /hese cam"s usually are e'tremely rare in a ma" Gyou may never

hem in a given run through a game, ma+ing them a viable way to turn the balance o# a game in your #avor%

ach cam" is usually guarded by one or more o# the units it s"awns, or an army with them in it% As a general idea the

ou must be able to de#eat the unit ty"e you)re trying to gain control o#% &n )normal) di##iculty levels you can get away

ith e'tending your territory over the cam" in $uestion, and let the )dislodged) units wander around #or a while, withear o# them attac+ing you%%% but in higher di##iculty settings, they will, most o#ten than not, dart into your territory, w

l intent towards your "ro"erty% Even monster units dislodged by other #actions in their territory will have this tenden

dart towards you, while leaving the A& alone and living among them in "eace and harmony i# need be%%% 5ust becau

nyway, because the units in these s"ecialty cam"s are mid.tier decently strong units, you generally may not be able

e#eat and sa#ely use them, until your late early to mid game%

ragons are recruitable by building dragon training cam"s on the res"ective resource% /his is available to any #action

ignment, but it is mostly an end.game #eature Gbecause the cam" will be guarded by a (RA!, and by that "oin

o"e#ully, i# you)ve thrives through the rest o# your game, this won)t ma+e that much o# a di##erence% 3ut it)s stillwesome, nonetheless

ights o# Aso+ are human.li+e mounted units in horses, in mail armor and with two.handed s"ears, available only toingdom #actions GEm"ire #actions can)t access the technology, thus can)t build the res"ective cam"% 3ecause they a

rmored in mail, that ma+es these +nighs e'tremely solid mid.tier units, which you can ta+e advantage o# in your mid

ame, i# you ha""en to have access to the resource and you beeline your Research to the Alliances tech% However%%% iue mercenary #ashion, each one o# these units will cost you $uite a #ew !uildar "er unit to maintain% A decent early

mid game unit has a maintenance o# about 6%4 . ;%< !uildar a /rog Juggernaut costs around ;.? to < !uildar in

maintenance but one o# these +nights will have a wage o# about ? !uildar% /hese units, there#ore, are meant to "roviou with a considerable boost%%% at a cost%

gres are single.soldier )horned monster) units wielding a large blunt wea"on, allowing them to "ower.attac+, and w

he ability to )throw a boulder), a ranged attac+ that has reasonable damage to it and that it)s meant #or the gre to stiltac+ someone while it)s ma+ing its way to the melee line% gres have = movement "oints, a robust Attac+ rating

around


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am"s are generally available in the terrain only inside wildling2s"ecialty areas, the ones which are unloc+able only

hen you e'"lore all o# their bonus2cam"2goodie tiles%

;> Further otes on Races

our choice on race, either by "ic+ing a "re.designed #action or by creating a custom one, is another layer that adds

ariety to your "laying style% Races have di##erent combat s+ills, and some o# them also unloc+ s"ecial traits to be us

nit design%

@en GAmarian units have ;6I bonus to e'"erience gain, and the Rush ability% Rush is an ability on cooldown that

lows you to move the unit twice% /hus, when you)re using men you have an added ability to %%%rush%%% your o""onen

heir melee line, or at least, to better "osition your units #or strategic "ur"oses and swarming bonuses% &n "ractice, yonits will be able to move twice when you use Rush% A #oot unit will move 4 s$uares instead o# two a unit on horseb

ill move a ma'imum o# B tiles instead o# 5ust 4 a #oot unit on an army with /ireless @arch cast on it will be able to

dvance ? tiles% /his is a rather "ractical and use#ul ability, which you)ll learn to de"end u"on when you use it, and mwhen you can)t%

@en also have an uni$ue trait available to their units that grants a bonus o# I more e'"erience gained by the unit,ummulative G& su""ose with its base bonus o# ;6I% ince each unit only has = trait slots available, it)s arguable 5ust

ow much are you willing to s"end one o# them #or this trait but it does allow you to create a unit with a much great

onus to level.u"%

Faction @anagement

; Landsca"e and /ile 3asics

ou can)t build settlements anywhere% nly a "ortion o# the tiles are 1settleable1, when they have mar+ed their

ood2"roduction2essence yields% Also, your city only uses the tyle yields it)s created on Gunli+e other 4X games li+e c

nd it bloc+s in a given radius around it G? tiles, & thin+ any other "otentially #ertile tiles #rom being settled, both youy anyone% For these reasons, one could say the land that is available #or cities is at a "remium, both in $uantity and

uality%

little #urther into a game, you can research in the @agic tree a s"ell to turn #ertile "ortions o# land you own in your

rritory, so you can ho"e#ully have more s"ots to settle i# you need them% Also, the Earth school has ways to convert

lls, and even water, into #lat land% For some reason & don)t use these tools much% For now, and #or the "ur"oses o#"ea+ing about city "lacement, &)m going to ignore these #eatures%

he tree yield ty"es o# settleable tiles are as #ollows:

rain: determines ; the ma' "o"ulation ca" in a city, and


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ame% ver time you)ll get an intuitive gri" on how much the tile values will then translate into actual city growth an

-e%

est assured, =.4 is an average value that)s decent #or every city >.? are e'cellent values and will ma+e your city gro

he most $uic+ even without much im"rovement and ;.< are very low values that will ca" your city at a low level, an

on)t grow much beyond level < #or $uite a while, at least until some o# your other cities Go# the /own ty"e develo"m"rovements that grant #action.wide bonuses to Food%

@aterial: (etermines your city)s roduction, which it uses to build im"rovements and train units, there#ore determini

ow #ast things are built% Each @aterial translates to a given amount o# roduction, and you can build certainm"rovements that increase the amount o# roduction calculated #rom each @aterial%

ssence: (etermines the #ollowing: How many magical enchantments you can "lace on a city

/he e##ectiveness o# some enchantments, namely those that "rovide ; something "er Essence, such as:

Arcane Forge GResearchable: 8; @aterial "er Essence in the cityAura o# !race GAir: 8; &nitiative "er Essence to trained units

Aura o# @ight GEarth: 8; (e#ense "er Essence to trained units

Aura o# itality GLi#e: 8; Hit oint "er Essence to trained units GHeart o# Fire GFire: 8; Fire Attac+ "er Essence to trained units G

@editation GAll: 8; @ana "er Essence generated by the city

ro"aganda GAir 8; !uildar "er Essence generated by the city

!entle Rain Gcomes with Hidromancy, @age trait 8I Food "er Essence in the cityit o# @adness G(eath 8; Research "er Essence generated by the city, .; !rowth and attac+ing units have Fear ca

hem

"er soldierther enchantments don)t de"end on Essence, #or e'am"le Li#e)s overeign)s Call , which adds 8< !rowth to the city

9ater)s &ns"iration, which ma+es the city generate a #lat 8; Research%

Essence also a##ects the e##ectiveness o# a #ew select buildings% For e'am"le, a conclave)s Alchemy Lab im"rovemves 8; @ana 8; "er Essence, 8; Research 8; "er Essence, and 8; @aterial "er Essence a /em"le o# Essence, whi

ou can only build one "er #action, "rovides .;6I nrest and 8; @ana "er Essence in the city where it)s built% 0ou

hould there#ore "ic+ cities with Essence to build these s"ecial buildings%

ome harvasteable resources increase 8; !rain G9ild !rain or 8; @aterial GClay in the city, and they stac+ i# there

more than one% Hence these are e'tremely valuable and you should de#initively consider them #or your city "lacemen

)s com"letely di##erent having a city o# < !rain . 4 @aterial, or = !rain . 4 @aterial with a 9ild !rain #arm%

< !rain, @aterial, Essence riority, City Enchantments

n my o"inion, out o# the three tile attributes, Essence is the most im"ortant and generally ta+es "riority, not only bec

s #ar rarer . it)s "ossible and common #or 1#ertile1 tiles not to have Essence at all, but they always have minimum unrest "enalty, 8= !rowth

!uild 9arehouse: 8>6I !uildar when the city is "roducing wealth

evel 4:Embassy: egates unrest "enalty #rom number o# towns

!overnor)s ##ice: 8; roduction "er @aterial in all cities

Almshouse: 8; Fame "er season

evel >:!uild Lendinghouse: instant !uildar "er @aterial

other bonus

ortress: 3onus to roduction, building line #ocuses on training unitsortresses can build but the most sim"le o# research and #ood.related im"rovements, but have unloc+ed s"eci#ic

arrac+s, #orge, and blac+smith.li+e im"rovements that reduce unit training costs and give them stat bonuses, which

ren)t available to other ty"es o# cities% &@, when selecting a city to be a Fortress, you should "rioriti-essence2@aterial, and only then !rain, so you give your units the best stats "ossible, and have them train as #ast as

ossible%

onuses on Fortress level u" Gyou can only choose one o# three, at each level u", "er city:

evel ; Gvillage

evel < GFortress s"eciali-ationevel =:

n#irmary: /rained units get 8; Hit oint "er level, heals ;6 Hit oints "er season to all stationed units

tri+e !arrison: trained units get 8< initiative9atchtower: /rained units get 8; @ove and 8< Attac+ in #irst turn o# combat G&m"ulsive trait, 8; Cata"ult when

e#ending this city

evel 4:


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ty ne't to a lair, or i# your territory grows to envelo" it% @onsters whose lairs are inside your territory will be

dislodged1 #rom them, and start roaming inside your territory, randomly attac+ing your im"rovements, units, and

ometimes even your cities% Each time a monster ends its turn ne't to an im"rovement or an out"ost you own, there)shance that the ne't turn it will move into your im"rovement)s tile and destroy it% these are monsters you can de#ea

ombat, then it)s no big deal however, i# you have Flamy the Fire Lord, or Roc+y the 3one gre, attac+ one o# your

ties, you can say goodbye to your beloved city that you had so much wor+ building u" and caring #or% h, and whety is ra-ed by a monster Gor a #action, the tile it was built u"on is not settleable anymore% &t)s lost #or good% @onste

ren)t guaranteed to go on a murderous destructive s"ree, though% & believe their rate o# destruction towards your real

state varies according to the di##iculty setting o# monsters at the game setting u"% /hey will, however, tend to a""roa

tile "er turn wea+ units li+e "ioneers to attac+ them% 9hat you need to consider is i# you)re able to deal with themot%

or these reasons, monsters can be an im"ortant consideration when e'"anding, and deciding where it)s sa#e to settle here)s not% ne thing you may be able to do is to delay the territory e'"ansion o# a settlement you #ounded, to avoid

eaching a "articularly dangerous monster grou", at least until you have units strong enough to deal with it%

= nrest

nrest is the single most im"ortant determining #actor to your economy and +ingdom si-e% nrest is a "ercentage "en

a city)s a roduction, and b Research, and it)s a "ro"erty o# each individual city% Cities with high unrest will slow

own your economy immensely, because they won)t build things in a use#ul timing, and won)t "roduce Research% n

a so#t ca" to how many cities you can have, there#ore determining your ma'imum city count in any given momenthe game% 3ecause%%%

nrest is created by:/a'es Gthe higher the rate, the higher the nrest

umber o# cities G8= nrest "er city you own

A city not being in contact with the territory your ca"ital is inCertain buildings im"rovements create unrest

ccu"ation o# an enemy city immediately contributes with 8>6 nrest in that city, which will decrease slowly ove

assage o# turns Gseasons

Certain magical negative enchantments your enemies might cast on a city you own

nrest is decreased by:

ome city im"rovements . the 3ell /ower2/own Hall line o# buildings, and the Cleric2hrine oneHarvesting the Honey terrain resource with an A"iary . each A"iary you build reduces #action.wide nrest by ., a hero with cert

ommander s"eciali-ations may reduce more% However this is obviously not a wides"read solution% 0ou won)t havemany heroes, and not all o# them are meant to stay "ut inside cities, but instead in the wilderness #ighting% /here#ore

more o# a #i' o# s"eci#ic situations

(eath city enchantment "ell "ression, which reduces a city)s nrest by .;6Researchable city enchantment 3less City, which reduces nrest by a who""ing .=6 Gdo you see why you need

ssence* costs >66 mana, thoughLevel 4 Fortress u"grade rison, which decreases #action.wide nrest by .;6

oble sovereign "ro#ession, which reduces #action.wide nrest by .;6

nrest can be managed and countered by some things, but the most in#luential and di##icult as"ect to negate is theumber o# cities you own, which increases nrest #action.wide% A city with =6.46 nrest or more already has a sever

enalty to its roduction and Research, which you)ll begin to notice when things ta+e a lot longer to build and train% 0

an also loo+ at #action.wide nrest bonuses as 1"ermission1 to have more cities% For e'am"le, an A"iary stands #or nrest, which is almost e$uivalent to an additional city G8= nrest% A bonus o# .;6 nrest, #rom a rison or #rom a

overeign "ro#ession, #or e'am"le, means you)ll be able to have = more cities than you)d normally be able to . or, at l

our e'isting cities will be more "roduction, and2or you)ll be able to ta' them more% 0ou can +ee" a small number o#


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ties in order to give you the #reedom to "um" ta'es u", but & usually +ee" ta'es as low as "ossible, in order to have

rgest "ossible territory, with the best Research and roduction "ossible%

4 (i"lomacy

rom the moment you #ind another #action on the ma", you)ll be able to com"are your "ower scores% /he game order

hese scores at all times, and the A&)s draw #rom it heavily their behaviour towards you%

don)t +now e'actly how a #action)s "ower rating is calculated, but my best guess is that it)s a combination o# how mwns you have, their level and im"rovements, your territory and resources gathered, your economic strength, techs

esearched, and also, each military unit you trained and is under your control%

t any given moment, #actions might be hostile, neutral, or #riendly to you . shown in the "ower ratings chart with a

ed angry #ace, a yellow indi##erent #ace, or a smiley green #ace, res"ectively% /his attitude comes #rom a number o#

hings% A similarly aligned #action Ga Kingdom i# you)re a also Kingdom, #or e'am"le will tend to #oster betterelationshi"s with you, as well as treaties that you might arrange between the two% n the other hand, having their

rritory close to them, having attac+ed other #actions o# the same alignment, or sim"ly being envious and2or more

ower#ul than you Gaccording to "ower ratings will all contribute to bring about an angry red #ace%

)s the #actions above you in rating, or com"eting #or about the same rating you are, that you have to worry about% Lo

raded #actions will tend to act humble and even s"ontaneously o##er tribute to you Ga tribute o##er guarantees #i'ed "

or =6 turns and it)s a sel#.de#ensive measure the A& is ta+ing% However, #actions above your own will very easily turheir "reying eyes on you and attac+, as soon as #rom mid game onwards% ometimes, even similarly aligned #actions

ill ta+e their chances with you GKingdom vs Kingdom and Em"ire vs Em"ire, i# the relationshi" stac+s on the wro

nd bad enough% /here)s no #i'ed rule #or this, however, #actions above you may still be ha""y with you and all interen establishing treaties, while lowish #actions canstill get angry and declare war%

n any case, you)ll develo" the habit o# constantly monitoring the "ower ratings to chec+ i# you)re more or lesse li+elye attac+ed, and by whom, at any "oint in time% 0ou)ll also try to have a higher ran+ as "ossible, because in #act,

olstering your ran+ing is by #ar your best "rotection against unwanted war%

rom my e'"erience, one o# the greatest, #astest ways to raise in "ower $uic+ly, is by recruiting es"ecially strong milnits, most notably Juggernauts i# you)re using the/rog race% Just by training one you)ll shoot high u" the "ower table

resumably re"resenting the #ear you instill on other #actions by having such things #ighting #or you% Even #actions th

egan wars with you because you were )wea+er) than them, as soon as you shoot u" in the ratings, may courteously aou to cease hostilities and #orget all about it%

lso, be very care#ul whom you e'change Gor give tech, and establish trading caravan treaties, because de"ending oaction Gsome will ma+e better use o# tech and treaties than others, and together with all the bonuses the A& gets, one

mis"laced contribution #rom you may ma+e their own "ower ratings s+yroc+et . and that means danger to you%

n the other hand, stri+ing an Alliance with a #riendly #action will loc+ your relationshi"s #irmly in a 1"er#ect1 status

blue smiley #or $uite a long time, e##ectively ensuring you)ve got your bac+ covered and you% won)t be attac+ed, at om that side% Faction relationshi"s towards you may #loat greatly over time, so this is a good thing% 0ou can "ass #r

hrough the territory o# your allies and ta+e advantage o# movement bonuses o# roads in their territory Gyou wouldn)ttherwise, as well as access to what)s available in their sho", when you access the sho" screen in their territory . the

may have items available that you haven)t researched yet%

ery o#ten a con$uest victory turns into a di"lomatic one, when you manage to de#eat all hostile #actions and the

emaining ones are all allied to you%

> nit (esign and Army @anagement


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militia ones, to ensure you are able to deal "ro"erly with sudden threats #rom #actions, random events s"awning mon

uch as the "es+y s+eleton "lague and so on%

# you +now what you)re doing and have enough techs to "lay around with, militia units may not be all that wea+% A #

oldier with little to no armour, but with a good shield and a blunt wea"on, and with a strategically "laced trait or two

an still be a solid Gnot die.on.touch unit, and with a +ic+ to it% And, i# you by any chance are using @agnar, or theuendar race, you)re able to use this strategy to the e'treme, by being able to train lave units, which can be e$ui""e

ust as well as normal units, but cost a little less to train, and no wages% one%

nits designs should ta+e advantage o# ; your #action traits i# you have any,


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onsistently deal a good amount o# damage des"ite its attac+ rating, and thus these units can be a great addition to yo

rmies, even i# you)re a 1"hysical1 military ty"e%

rcher units use bows% 3ows are Gobviously ranged wea"ons that have a considerable "enalty to initiative% &n game

alance terms, this means the game is suggesting you to design archers with light armor at most, so as not to have

'tremely slow.to.act units which end u" not a##ecting the battle signi#icantly . although you can design an archer cleavy "late, and try to com"ensate by giving it &nitiative traits and e$ui"ment% 3ow attac+s ta+e into account the targ

e#ense rating% /he resulting "ractical e##ectiveness o# having ranged units in your armies #alls somewhere near the

nice.to.have but not essential1 idea% Late game bows can indeed decimate lightly armoured units, but then, so can a

ata"ult% /his means ranged units #all into a more su""ortive role, i%e% a unit that is #ar #rom the melee line but stillssists out the #ight%%% unless you bring a lot o# them . which can be ris+y against really strong melee units% /he e'ce"

this is i# you have the Archers "er+% /he uni$ue bows unloc+ed by this trait are slightly stronger, #aster, and the las

".tier bow, the Ram)s Horn Longbow, ignores >6I o# the target)s de#ense, which ma+es #or a "ower#ul archer unit%#tentimes, archer units have a mini2se"arate battle among themselves during battles in mid to late game% Crossbows

new addition in Legendary Heroes% /hey have have a reasonable, i# uns"ectacular attac+ rating, and they have the

ower hot ability, which damages units in a row% However%%% they aren)t armor "iercing, and they have enormousenalties to &nitiative, greater than any other wea"on ty"e% /he game also doesn)t seem to have very #ew Gi# any at all

ni$ue crossbows to e$ui" heroes, so game design.wise, there doesn)t seem to have been a dee" investment in

rossbows% 3ecause o# these reasons, & usually com"letely neglect crossbows in my unit design . and the A& does see do the same% only units could switch between two wea"on ty"es in mid.battle%%%

ata"ults are single.1soldier1, siege wea"on units, that have an area o# e##ect Ga ='= tile


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ather than outside% /his ensures that wandering monsters and enemy units can)t 5ust wal+ into the im"rovement and

estroy it they would have to attac+ the city to do so% ot that this ma+es the im"rovement immune to attac+, but yo

now, a city)

Fallen Enchantress Guide from Game Faqs (all credits to original author)

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Transcript of Fallen Enchantress Guide from Game Faqs (all credits to original author)