Beginner's Guide to Eador: MoTBW (Discontinued)
Table of Contents
Introduction (I)
General Terminology (II)
Heroes (III)
Purchasable Units (IV)
Focus (V)
Tips and Strategies (VI)
General Terminology (II)
Heroes (III)
- Warrior (WA)
- Scout (SC)
- Commander (CO)
- Wizard (WZ)
Purchasable Units (IV)
- Militiaman (MM)
- Slinger (SL)
- Spearman (SM)
- Ranger (RN)
- Swordsman (SW)
- Pikeman (PM)
- Crossbowman (CB)
- Healer (HR)
- Barbarian (BB)
- Thief (TF)
- Brigand (BD)
- Shaman (SN)
Focus (V)
- Income ($$)
- Provincial Guards (PG)
- Kingdom Guards (KG)
- Random Events (REG)
Tips and Strategies (VI)
Introduction (I)
Disclaimer
Very extensive reading. Ctrl + F for *** to find the most relevant and concise information on how to improve your game.
My first few games in Eador were excrutiating. I had no focus, was constantly dying to Provincial Guards, losing to enemy invasions, and simply just having no fun at all. In time, I learned what I needed to pay attention to, what to avoid, and which building patterns were most relevant. In this guide, I hope to underline the principles that allow greater chances of survival and ultimately victories. If you read everything I have written you will either have a better fundamental understanding of how this game works or be completely confused. In the case of the latter, just read the sections with three asterisks in the title *** as these categories are more cohesive with overall gameplay and not as complex as particular knowledge such as the advantages and disadvantages of the Warrior, Ranger, etc, and the strengths and weaknesses of units, building patterns, so on and so forth.
Currently, I am playing the campaign at Comptetent difficulty so all that I convey should be applicable to the difficulties below and at the very least edifying for the more challenging difficulties.
I have started to play the Campaign on Expert difficulty and have noticed that some of my guide may not be applicable to anything beyond Competent. In the future, I might make a guide illustrating the necessary adjustments for the transition however I will focus on finishing this guide first.
**Guide has been discontinued since a year or so ago when I stopped playing. Any proofreading, inconsistent information, incomplete information will not be refined. I apologize for not notifying you all about this earlier.
Very extensive reading. Ctrl + F for *** to find the most relevant and concise information on how to improve your game.
My first few games in Eador were excrutiating. I had no focus, was constantly dying to Provincial Guards, losing to enemy invasions, and simply just having no fun at all. In time, I learned what I needed to pay attention to, what to avoid, and which building patterns were most relevant. In this guide, I hope to underline the principles that allow greater chances of survival and ultimately victories. If you read everything I have written you will either have a better fundamental understanding of how this game works or be completely confused. In the case of the latter, just read the sections with three asterisks in the title *** as these categories are more cohesive with overall gameplay and not as complex as particular knowledge such as the advantages and disadvantages of the Warrior, Ranger, etc, and the strengths and weaknesses of units, building patterns, so on and so forth.
Currently, I am playing the campaign at Comptetent difficulty so all that I convey should be applicable to the difficulties below and at the very least edifying for the more challenging difficulties.
I have started to play the Campaign on Expert difficulty and have noticed that some of my guide may not be applicable to anything beyond Competent. In the future, I might make a guide illustrating the necessary adjustments for the transition however I will focus on finishing this guide first.
**Guide has been discontinued since a year or so ago when I stopped playing. Any proofreading, inconsistent information, incomplete information will not be refined. I apologize for not notifying you all about this earlier.
General Terminology (II) IC
If you are unfamiliar with gaming lingo this will be a good read for specifically playing Eador and any other game with RPG elements. The following list will contain in no particular order words and colloquial I will use in this guide specific to Eador and generally to most other RPG games.
Damage per Turn "DPT"
How much damage a unit or spell can inflict measured on a 1 Battle Turn basis.
For example: a Barbarian has a base Attack Strength of 9 so it can potentially inflict 9 Damage per Turn.
Melee
Any attack dealt face to face that is not otherwise listed as Magical Damage and is reduced by Melee Defense.
Ranged Attack
Any attack that can only be dealt beyond face to face that is reduced by Ranged Defense.
Magical Attack
Any attack that is reduced by Magical Resistance. This type of attack can be Melee by means of equipment (a particular sword whose name I forgot) or Ranged by ability i.e. Shaman's Magical Attack.
Mitigation
Reduction of damage.
Effective Health
How many hits, not damage, it would take to kill a unit by a -particular- attack factoring in Health and Mitigation.
For example: Unit A does 2 Melee Damage. Unit B has 2 HP. Unit A kills Unit B in 1 hit.
Unit B buys Armor granting it 1 Defense to Melee. Now, Unit A does 1 Melee Damage to Unit B. Unit A must hit Unit B twice to kill it.
Unit B effectively has double Health against Unit A and all Unit with the exact same Damage Output.
*Effective Health is a term that can be used only in relation between 2 Units or 2 Unit Groups who inflict the same Damage and have the same Health Points and Mitigation.
*General rule. It would take too long to fully elaborate this term.
Crowd Controlling Ability "CC"
A skill or spell that impairs or reduces the actions of a unit.
For example: Web, Sleep, and Mind Control.
Buff
A skill or spell that improves the functional quality of a unit.
For example: any skill or spell that improves Damage, Mitigation, Movement, Frequency of Action per Turn. Magical Weapon, Magical Armor, Astral Energy, Bless, etc.
Debuff
A skill or spell that reduce the functional quality of a unit that is not a purely damaging skill and/or spell. This distinction is necessary because in Eador: MotBW inflicting damage by any means reduces the damage output of most units with few exceptions like Barbarians for one who can not be Wounded.
For example: basically the opposite of "Buff". Curse, Fatigue, Slow, etc.
Wound
The point at which having lower Health decreases the damage of a unit.
*Not certain when damage falters but surely it does as Health diminishes.
Movement
The rate at which a unit can advance Hexes in the battlefield.
Mobility
Not to be confused with Movement. The rate at which a Hero advances Hexes in the map.
Hexes
The measurement of movement (the word not the term) in Eador: MotBW.
Invented Terms by me or another or taken from other games
The following is a list of terms I invented to refer to consitently reoccuring situations in Eador: MotBW.
2nd Turn Starts ***
The method of researching in two turns to an effective unit or magic school that allows you to successfully conquer Provinces upon completion.
Strong 2nd Turn Starts that I have either tested or seen work include researching to Spearmen, Barbarians and Brigands.
*Do note that this works up until Competent difficulty. At Expert, the Provincial Guards have too much Health Points for you to kill them before they kill you.
1 Hex Stance ***
The act of spacing your unit 1 Hex away from where your enemy will be on the following turn in order to strike him first.
Rotate/Rotating ***
First time I heard this term was from Boris Hacker a player of Eador: MotBW on Youtube. Whether or not he invented it I don't know but I have to give credit where credit is due. This is a technique on the battlefiled where you replace injured units in the front with healthy units in the back generally making sure the injured units do not die however this can not always be avoided. When successful, rotating helps you save money and level your units.
Last Hitting ***
A unit gains experience on the battlefield by two means. 1st is to be there, receiving shared experience from everyone. 2nd is to deliver the final blow to an enemy unit. This is great if you want to power level a particular unit or hero. Keep in mind that you can check experience estimates on the battlefield by right clicking a unit and looking for the purple bar.
**will add more later
Damage per Turn "DPT"
How much damage a unit or spell can inflict measured on a 1 Battle Turn basis.
For example: a Barbarian has a base Attack Strength of 9 so it can potentially inflict 9 Damage per Turn.
Melee
Any attack dealt face to face that is not otherwise listed as Magical Damage and is reduced by Melee Defense.
Ranged Attack
Any attack that can only be dealt beyond face to face that is reduced by Ranged Defense.
Magical Attack
Any attack that is reduced by Magical Resistance. This type of attack can be Melee by means of equipment (a particular sword whose name I forgot) or Ranged by ability i.e. Shaman's Magical Attack.
Mitigation
Reduction of damage.
Effective Health
How many hits, not damage, it would take to kill a unit by a -particular- attack factoring in Health and Mitigation.
For example: Unit A does 2 Melee Damage. Unit B has 2 HP. Unit A kills Unit B in 1 hit.
Unit B buys Armor granting it 1 Defense to Melee. Now, Unit A does 1 Melee Damage to Unit B. Unit A must hit Unit B twice to kill it.
Unit B effectively has double Health against Unit A and all Unit with the exact same Damage Output.
*Effective Health is a term that can be used only in relation between 2 Units or 2 Unit Groups who inflict the same Damage and have the same Health Points and Mitigation.
*General rule. It would take too long to fully elaborate this term.
Crowd Controlling Ability "CC"
A skill or spell that impairs or reduces the actions of a unit.
For example: Web, Sleep, and Mind Control.
Buff
A skill or spell that improves the functional quality of a unit.
For example: any skill or spell that improves Damage, Mitigation, Movement, Frequency of Action per Turn. Magical Weapon, Magical Armor, Astral Energy, Bless, etc.
Debuff
A skill or spell that reduce the functional quality of a unit that is not a purely damaging skill and/or spell. This distinction is necessary because in Eador: MotBW inflicting damage by any means reduces the damage output of most units with few exceptions like Barbarians for one who can not be Wounded.
For example: basically the opposite of "Buff". Curse, Fatigue, Slow, etc.
Wound
The point at which having lower Health decreases the damage of a unit.
*Not certain when damage falters but surely it does as Health diminishes.
Movement
The rate at which a unit can advance Hexes in the battlefield.
Mobility
Not to be confused with Movement. The rate at which a Hero advances Hexes in the map.
Hexes
The measurement of movement (the word not the term) in Eador: MotBW.
Invented Terms by me or another or taken from other games
The following is a list of terms I invented to refer to consitently reoccuring situations in Eador: MotBW.
2nd Turn Starts ***
The method of researching in two turns to an effective unit or magic school that allows you to successfully conquer Provinces upon completion.
Strong 2nd Turn Starts that I have either tested or seen work include researching to Spearmen, Barbarians and Brigands.
*Do note that this works up until Competent difficulty. At Expert, the Provincial Guards have too much Health Points for you to kill them before they kill you.
1 Hex Stance ***
The act of spacing your unit 1 Hex away from where your enemy will be on the following turn in order to strike him first.
Rotate/Rotating ***
First time I heard this term was from Boris Hacker a player of Eador: MotBW on Youtube. Whether or not he invented it I don't know but I have to give credit where credit is due. This is a technique on the battlefiled where you replace injured units in the front with healthy units in the back generally making sure the injured units do not die however this can not always be avoided. When successful, rotating helps you save money and level your units.
Last Hitting ***
A unit gains experience on the battlefield by two means. 1st is to be there, receiving shared experience from everyone. 2nd is to deliver the final blow to an enemy unit. This is great if you want to power level a particular unit or hero. Keep in mind that you can check experience estimates on the battlefield by right clicking a unit and looking for the purple bar.
**will add more later
Heroes: Warrior and Scout (III)
Now, I have read several guides on the Snowbird forums and the one guide on Steam and have accepted more or less with the paradigm that the Hero you choose to begin with define how you play the game. This is a fact since each Hero has varying building patterns and various strengths and weaknesses relative to the time of the game which will be furthermore known as turns.
Warrior (WA)
Strengths
Weaknesses
There is a dichotic consensus in the forums on the difficulty of playing the Warrior as a first Hero. I will stand in between and say that he's only challenging to play on Tiny Shards where you're more prone to early engagements with the enemy Hero. As is evident from the list of weaknesses, having an extra obstacle to your economy like enemy invasions can be lethal. However, if you are lucky enough to avoid invasion the Warrior plays just as easily as the other Heroes.
How to play a Warrior
It's a little counter-intuitive but you really don't play a Warrior before you can equip him with 2-3 Melee Defense and/or Ranged Defense. Your best bet is to explore for 4-5 Turns at which point you should have unlocked a good Tier 1 Unit and either a shop to buy equipment or magic schools for spells. For shops I recommend an Armory as it not only offers you strong equipment but +XP 10 bonus to the units you hire from that point on. However, if you're thinking about generating Income earlier, consider constructing a Workshop for the Market, I believe, and if you need Guards consider the Forge. For spells I recommend either the Astral school for Web, Light school for Heals, and Wind school for Air Shield. Remember to Last Hit with the Warrior when you can so he can level up faster. Once you get his armor to about 3-4 for both defenses, he will be very difficult to kill even on the 2nd Ring. At this point you have a couple of options to play him.
Tank
Send him out first so that the enemy drains their stamina trying to kill him. Just make sure he can actually survive. Beware of poison as that can stack and whose damage can not be mitigated. Requires a 2nd tier Light spell to cleanse.
Synergizes with Magic Armor, Heal, Air Shield, Bless, and Astral Energy for the Magic Resistance.
DPS or Damage Dealer
You can play this role passively or aggressively. Playing passively means placing the Warrior behind the frontline and switching him to the front when you have something to hit. Playing aggressively means you still place the Warrior behind the frontline but advance everything together.
Synergizes with Bless, Magic Weapon, Haste for the Stamina regeneration, Astral Energy for the Stamina regeneration, the Perk Round Attack.
Counter-Attacker
Plays similarly to a Tank but you focus on getting the Perk that increases Parry and Counter-Attack. Place him in front of the frontline so the enemy prefers targetting him.
Synergizes with Bless, Magic Weapon, Heal, Haste, Astral Energy, the Perks Parry and Counter-Attack.
Scout (SC)
Strengths
Weaknesses
As you can tell from the list of strengths the Scout is a formidable first hero unlike the Warrior who is more of a liability than an asset. Being able to attack from a distance simplifies most 1 Ring and 2 Ring battles where the majority of Provincial Guards are Melee. If you have trouble deciding which Hero to choose first, the Scout is likely the best choice.
How to play a Scout
Generally you want to place him behind your frontline however, at the beginning of the battle when nothing poses as an immediate threat you can place him in front to weaken or eliminate choice targets. In no particular order, priority targets are: Casters, Ranged Units, and Crowd-Controllers. Frankly speaking, the Scout is very simple to use though in which particular way depends on which Perks you upgrade.
DPS
Upgrade perks that increase Ranged Damage, Ammo, and Precision (pierces through X amount of armor).
Synergizes with Bless, Magic Weapon, Haste, Astral Energy
Utility
Concentrate on Perks that increase Mobility which effects the Army under the Scout as well as Map Mobility, Exploration, Looting, and Rewards. Note that he can still deal good damage in this role.
Synergizes with any spell but most notably CCs like Fatigue and Web.
Warrior (WA)
Strengths
- Starts with a 1/1 Weapon
- High base HP
- High HP growth
- Can wear the toughest armors (plate)
- Above Average DPT (Damage per Turn) on Single Targets and potentially multiple with Round Attack
Weaknesses
- High Initial Cost in terms of technology of buildings and equipment
- Requires a lot of investment to function just as well as Range Heroes however once you reach a certain point you can trample through enemies easily
- Relatively straining upkeep costs especially in the early turns as equipment requires repairing after 2 or 3 engagements
- Suffers from a lack of tactical options if played naively as a pure Melee combatant which is most evident during engagements against enemy Heroes
There is a dichotic consensus in the forums on the difficulty of playing the Warrior as a first Hero. I will stand in between and say that he's only challenging to play on Tiny Shards where you're more prone to early engagements with the enemy Hero. As is evident from the list of weaknesses, having an extra obstacle to your economy like enemy invasions can be lethal. However, if you are lucky enough to avoid invasion the Warrior plays just as easily as the other Heroes.
How to play a Warrior
It's a little counter-intuitive but you really don't play a Warrior before you can equip him with 2-3 Melee Defense and/or Ranged Defense. Your best bet is to explore for 4-5 Turns at which point you should have unlocked a good Tier 1 Unit and either a shop to buy equipment or magic schools for spells. For shops I recommend an Armory as it not only offers you strong equipment but +XP 10 bonus to the units you hire from that point on. However, if you're thinking about generating Income earlier, consider constructing a Workshop for the Market, I believe, and if you need Guards consider the Forge. For spells I recommend either the Astral school for Web, Light school for Heals, and Wind school for Air Shield. Remember to Last Hit with the Warrior when you can so he can level up faster. Once you get his armor to about 3-4 for both defenses, he will be very difficult to kill even on the 2nd Ring. At this point you have a couple of options to play him.
Tank
Send him out first so that the enemy drains their stamina trying to kill him. Just make sure he can actually survive. Beware of poison as that can stack and whose damage can not be mitigated. Requires a 2nd tier Light spell to cleanse.
Synergizes with Magic Armor, Heal, Air Shield, Bless, and Astral Energy for the Magic Resistance.
DPS or Damage Dealer
You can play this role passively or aggressively. Playing passively means placing the Warrior behind the frontline and switching him to the front when you have something to hit. Playing aggressively means you still place the Warrior behind the frontline but advance everything together.
Synergizes with Bless, Magic Weapon, Haste for the Stamina regeneration, Astral Energy for the Stamina regeneration, the Perk Round Attack.
Counter-Attacker
Plays similarly to a Tank but you focus on getting the Perk that increases Parry and Counter-Attack. Place him in front of the frontline so the enemy prefers targetting him.
Synergizes with Bless, Magic Weapon, Heal, Haste, Astral Energy, the Perks Parry and Counter-Attack.
Scout (SC)
Strengths
- The strongest and most cost-efficient Ranged unit in early game
- Is Ranged
- Has terrain movement boosts with Perk
- Can cause various effects at the beginning of fights with perks like decrease stamina, poison to every enemy, etc.
- Increases Exploration rate with Explorer Perk
- Has very good Range with Perk
Weaknesses
- Weak against Melee Damage
- Role heavily depends on Perks
- Equipment requires frequent repairs specifically the quiver
As you can tell from the list of strengths the Scout is a formidable first hero unlike the Warrior who is more of a liability than an asset. Being able to attack from a distance simplifies most 1 Ring and 2 Ring battles where the majority of Provincial Guards are Melee. If you have trouble deciding which Hero to choose first, the Scout is likely the best choice.
How to play a Scout
Generally you want to place him behind your frontline however, at the beginning of the battle when nothing poses as an immediate threat you can place him in front to weaken or eliminate choice targets. In no particular order, priority targets are: Casters, Ranged Units, and Crowd-Controllers. Frankly speaking, the Scout is very simple to use though in which particular way depends on which Perks you upgrade.
DPS
Upgrade perks that increase Ranged Damage, Ammo, and Precision (pierces through X amount of armor).
Synergizes with Bless, Magic Weapon, Haste, Astral Energy
Utility
Concentrate on Perks that increase Mobility which effects the Army under the Scout as well as Map Mobility, Exploration, Looting, and Rewards. Note that he can still deal good damage in this role.
Synergizes with any spell but most notably CCs like Fatigue and Web.
Heroes: Commander and Wizard (III)
Commander (CO)
Strengths
Weaknesses
Now, I have to begin by saying that the forums largely believe either the Commander is useless or inferior to the other Heroes due to the high expenses required to maintain his army. This is only true if you play him with a "Standard" or conventional build order like Swordsmen, Spearmen, Pikemen, or Barbarians. In order to realize the potential of the Commander you must invest in either Thieves or Brigands, both of which are extremely more cost-efficient than the former build orders. However, the question arises, due to their abilities Marauder and Plunderer won't these units be detrimental to your income? The answer is yes, your income will suffer but only after Turn 25~ onwards. The reasoning behind this can be explained with simple math equations. Ctrl+F to (M&P) if you are interested.
How to Play a Commander
I'll start off by saying that he has similar problems with the Warrior. You don't want to use him to fight before he has any equipment and even when he does you want to use him sparingly. The benefit of the Commander comes from the stat Boosts he gives to your army as he advances levels. Since Eador is a game of low numbers, every +1 to Damage or Defense is very significant especially when your whole army gets that benefit. Effectively, that +1 adds up to another unit. In short, don't ever move him on the battlefield. Give him a few spells and let your Army do the fighting.
Support
This role can be played with both Buffs and Debuffs. It's pretty self-explanatory - grant buffs to the frontline and debuff priority targets.
Synergizes with any Buff and Debuff.
Summoner *Requires Testing
I haven't tried this role yet. It partially relies on whether or not summoned units receive the stat Perks your Army receive. Still, being that summons are extremely strong in Eador, it will work regardless.
Synergizes with Summon Imp, Buffs/Debuffs/Heals.
Wizard (WZ)
Strengths
Weaknesses
I did not list "Requires Gems" as a weakness because in my experience regardless of how many turns had expired I always had enough Gems to cast everything. The math involved to calculate how much Gems you will spend in a battle is not complicated so you could just prepare beforehand. The Wizard plays really easily and whose strength does not diminish as the game progresses rather, the contrary. It is true that higher level spells are unlikely to obtain in the early stages of the Campaign but the Tier 1 Spells are really all you need. The only issue with this limitation is the boredom of repeatedly casting Magic Arrow and Web.
DPS
Magic Arrow. Get Spell Damage Perk and Thaumaturgy.
Synergizes with Magic Arrow.
Summoner
Get Summon Skeleton. I recommend using Magic Arrow on something with low HP like a Bowman so you can replace his corpse with a Skeleton.
Synergizes with Summon spells, Buffs/Debuffs.
Strengths
- Starts with 1 additional recruitment slot (4 instead of 3 as is with the other Heroes)
- Perks lean towards Buffing your Army
- Can equip Banners in Weapon Slot which improve Army stats
Weaknesses
- Weak base stats comparable to a Militiaman
- Does not provide advantages as apparent as for example the Ranger with his Ranged Attack or the Wizard with learned spells
- Difficult to play as for those who haven't learned proper positioning particularly in the early turns
Now, I have to begin by saying that the forums largely believe either the Commander is useless or inferior to the other Heroes due to the high expenses required to maintain his army. This is only true if you play him with a "Standard" or conventional build order like Swordsmen, Spearmen, Pikemen, or Barbarians. In order to realize the potential of the Commander you must invest in either Thieves or Brigands, both of which are extremely more cost-efficient than the former build orders. However, the question arises, due to their abilities Marauder and Plunderer won't these units be detrimental to your income? The answer is yes, your income will suffer but only after Turn 25~ onwards. The reasoning behind this can be explained with simple math equations. Ctrl+F to (M&P) if you are interested.
How to Play a Commander
I'll start off by saying that he has similar problems with the Warrior. You don't want to use him to fight before he has any equipment and even when he does you want to use him sparingly. The benefit of the Commander comes from the stat Boosts he gives to your army as he advances levels. Since Eador is a game of low numbers, every +1 to Damage or Defense is very significant especially when your whole army gets that benefit. Effectively, that +1 adds up to another unit. In short, don't ever move him on the battlefield. Give him a few spells and let your Army do the fighting.
Support
This role can be played with both Buffs and Debuffs. It's pretty self-explanatory - grant buffs to the frontline and debuff priority targets.
Synergizes with any Buff and Debuff.
Summoner *Requires Testing
I haven't tried this role yet. It partially relies on whether or not summoned units receive the stat Perks your Army receive. Still, being that summons are extremely strong in Eador, it will work regardless.
Synergizes with Summon Imp, Buffs/Debuffs/Heals.
Wizard (WZ)
Strengths
- Starts with Magic Arrow Spell
- Can take out any Ring 1 Ranged Unit with Magic Arrow and the other damage spell he starts with
- Can equip a lot more spells than the other Heroes
- Levels faster with EXP Perk
Weaknesses
- Weak against Melee Damage and Ranged Damage
- Low Health Pool
- Relies on equipped spells. You can run out mid-battle
I did not list "Requires Gems" as a weakness because in my experience regardless of how many turns had expired I always had enough Gems to cast everything. The math involved to calculate how much Gems you will spend in a battle is not complicated so you could just prepare beforehand. The Wizard plays really easily and whose strength does not diminish as the game progresses rather, the contrary. It is true that higher level spells are unlikely to obtain in the early stages of the Campaign but the Tier 1 Spells are really all you need. The only issue with this limitation is the boredom of repeatedly casting Magic Arrow and Web.
DPS
Magic Arrow. Get Spell Damage Perk and Thaumaturgy.
Synergizes with Magic Arrow.
Summoner
Get Summon Skeleton. I recommend using Magic Arrow on something with low HP like a Bowman so you can replace his corpse with a Skeleton.
Synergizes with Summon spells, Buffs/Debuffs.
General Information on Purchasable Units (Militiaman - Swordsman) (IV)
As with most of this guide, I will only list the units, buildings, enemy units, etc. available at the early stages of the campaign so, there won't be any information on elephants, centaurs, fairies, dragon's roost, jedi knights of the new order, etc (last two are unavailable, just a joke).
Militiaman (MM)
This unit is limited to mainly 3 purposes since they lack mitigation stats and whose damage/defense ratio only evenly compare to other militiamen, goblins, and sometimes spearmen. The first purpose is a meat shield or damage soaker. To use them for this purpose requires a general sense of positioning and spacing relative to the enemy. Enemy Range AI dictates that they target either the weakest unit, in terms of hp/mitigation, or closest unit within firing range. You can feed the Militiamen to enemy Range units in hopes of distracting them while you cut down the enemy front line or alternatively space them far enough (usually 1 tile away from walking range) of enemy melee units so you could attack first. This strategy is generally advantageous when sacrificing the position will not put you in greater threat. The second purpose is for teching to Militiamen Guards. Although they are not the most remarkable, they can repel enemy heroes (within the first 5 turns is a good estimate) and weaken them enough for your own heroes to challenge the recently lost province. The only risk you should consider when attempting to reclaim your province is that you would mostly face a troop of the enemy guards so beware. Sometimes losses are necessary and unavoidable. The last purpose is placing 1 (yes only 1) in the Castle Garrison which in the event that the enemy Hero enter your Castle, they will be delayed for 3-4 turns giving your own Hero enough time to perhaps save yourself from ultimate defeat.
Good Against
MM
Goblins
Spearmen (with good positioning and overwhelming numbers)
Bad Against
Barbarians
Ranged Units
Lizardmen
Brigands
Thieves
Basically anything beyond early Tier 1
Recruiting Station (50) -> Militiaman (10 / 2) = 50 G Initial Cost
Slinger (SL)
They are really lackluster fighting for your army. In enemy armies, they can do upwards of 4-5 damage which is game changing given the fact that in early game the enemy army is usually slightly stronger already. I'm not too sure if they even tech into anything useful or superior to another tech of similar cost. I haven't found any uses for them however, if you stumble upon one please let all of us know.
Good Against
MM
Shaman (although it will be a challenge for 1 Slinger to take them down without support)
Goblins
Bad Against
Everything Else
Basically only acceptable in an army with enough support to 1-2 turn an Enemy Ranged Unit
Slinger School (80) -> Slinger(15 / 3) = 80 G Initial Cost
Spearman (SM)
This unit is one of the best units to tech to first for three reasons: firstly, they are cheap; it costs 140 gold to unlock, 25 gold to enlist, and 5 gold to upkeep. Secondly, they have good damage/mitigation ratio. Lastly, they have a Ranged Attack that doubles as Ranged Armor shred. With basic knowledge of positioning and spacing, a Master could use Spearmen to inflict 2-3 the damage they would take i.e. spacing away by one hex from the incoming Melee which will be furthermore known as the One Hex Stance (OHS). SM are particularly well-versed against the initial Tier 1 Units (MM, Goblins, Slingers) which is important to note since overcoming them will reward you with a Province.
Good Against
MM
Goblins
Ghouls
Barbarian (Requires "Rotation")
Bad Against (Think of this particular "bad" in loose terms since with good positioning and good usage of tactics a Master can take down stronger units such as an Assassin with SM)
Barbarian (After Berserk can 1-2 shot your SM)
Brigands (These guys have an absurd amount of mobility, HP, and Damage)
2nd Tier Units
Basically to use them effectively you must know good positioning, tactics, and terrain.
Workshop (60) -> Spearmen School (80) -> Spearman (25/5) = 140 G Initial Cost
Ranger (RA)
Although Rangers can be an extreme surge of strength to your army, the cost to enlist just one requires an astronomical amount of Gold from teching to purchasing to upkeep. They are effective against enemy spellcasters and enemy Ranged Units with the support of your Hero i.e. Damage Spells, Buffs/Debuffs however, I can not stress this enough, they cost a tremendous amount of money to obtain (factoring everything, about 300 Gold).
Good Against
Tier 1 Melee
Ghouls
Shaman
Enemy Ranged Units (with Support)
Bad Against
Skeletons (high Ranged Defense)
Swordsmen (above average Ranged Defense)
Imps (high Ranged Defense)
Barbarians (Beware of unintentionally activating their Berserk before you are ready to kill them at safe distances)
Workshop (60) -> Shooting Ground (180) -> Bowman (60/12) = 300 G Initial Cost
Swordsman (SW)
Swordsmen have an interesting tree from which they tech. The Forge can be a smart first construction on Heroes that require equipment (specifically mitigation) to perform i.e. Warrior and Commander. As such, I recommend fast teching to them if you're playing either of those Heroes though this can be a great start for any Hero thanks to their high base mitigation. Keep in mind if you do decide to purchase them first you must make sure that you can seize 2-3 provinces easily as their Upkeep costs are above average (9 UK which is equivalent to 3 Spearmen). Not only are Swordsmen good against Tier 1 Units they are comparable against some initial Tier 2 Units serving as good damage soakers as well as being able to retaliate well.
Good Against
Tier 1 Melee Early and Late (such as Brigand, Thieves, Assassins)
Ranged Units (high base Ranged Defense)
Bad Against
Thieves (They can not be counter-attacked which significantly reduces the amount of damage your Swordsmen can deal)
Poison Users such as Thieves, Spiders, and a particular Undead unit whose name I can't recall
Flying Units (They can fly behind your frontline unless you pack them really tightly)
Magic (low or lack of, I forget which, base Magic Resistance)
Forge (65) -> Swordsman School (150) -> Swordsman (45/9) = 215 G Initial Cost
Militiaman (MM)
This unit is limited to mainly 3 purposes since they lack mitigation stats and whose damage/defense ratio only evenly compare to other militiamen, goblins, and sometimes spearmen. The first purpose is a meat shield or damage soaker. To use them for this purpose requires a general sense of positioning and spacing relative to the enemy. Enemy Range AI dictates that they target either the weakest unit, in terms of hp/mitigation, or closest unit within firing range. You can feed the Militiamen to enemy Range units in hopes of distracting them while you cut down the enemy front line or alternatively space them far enough (usually 1 tile away from walking range) of enemy melee units so you could attack first. This strategy is generally advantageous when sacrificing the position will not put you in greater threat. The second purpose is for teching to Militiamen Guards. Although they are not the most remarkable, they can repel enemy heroes (within the first 5 turns is a good estimate) and weaken them enough for your own heroes to challenge the recently lost province. The only risk you should consider when attempting to reclaim your province is that you would mostly face a troop of the enemy guards so beware. Sometimes losses are necessary and unavoidable. The last purpose is placing 1 (yes only 1) in the Castle Garrison which in the event that the enemy Hero enter your Castle, they will be delayed for 3-4 turns giving your own Hero enough time to perhaps save yourself from ultimate defeat.
Good Against
MM
Goblins
Spearmen (with good positioning and overwhelming numbers)
Bad Against
Barbarians
Ranged Units
Lizardmen
Brigands
Thieves
Basically anything beyond early Tier 1
Recruiting Station (50) -> Militiaman (10 / 2) = 50 G Initial Cost
Slinger (SL)
They are really lackluster fighting for your army. In enemy armies, they can do upwards of 4-5 damage which is game changing given the fact that in early game the enemy army is usually slightly stronger already. I'm not too sure if they even tech into anything useful or superior to another tech of similar cost. I haven't found any uses for them however, if you stumble upon one please let all of us know.
Good Against
MM
Shaman (although it will be a challenge for 1 Slinger to take them down without support)
Goblins
Bad Against
Everything Else
Basically only acceptable in an army with enough support to 1-2 turn an Enemy Ranged Unit
Slinger School (80) -> Slinger(15 / 3) = 80 G Initial Cost
Spearman (SM)
This unit is one of the best units to tech to first for three reasons: firstly, they are cheap; it costs 140 gold to unlock, 25 gold to enlist, and 5 gold to upkeep. Secondly, they have good damage/mitigation ratio. Lastly, they have a Ranged Attack that doubles as Ranged Armor shred. With basic knowledge of positioning and spacing, a Master could use Spearmen to inflict 2-3 the damage they would take i.e. spacing away by one hex from the incoming Melee which will be furthermore known as the One Hex Stance (OHS). SM are particularly well-versed against the initial Tier 1 Units (MM, Goblins, Slingers) which is important to note since overcoming them will reward you with a Province.
Good Against
MM
Goblins
Ghouls
Barbarian (Requires "Rotation")
Bad Against (Think of this particular "bad" in loose terms since with good positioning and good usage of tactics a Master can take down stronger units such as an Assassin with SM)
Barbarian (After Berserk can 1-2 shot your SM)
Brigands (These guys have an absurd amount of mobility, HP, and Damage)
2nd Tier Units
Basically to use them effectively you must know good positioning, tactics, and terrain.
Workshop (60) -> Spearmen School (80) -> Spearman (25/5) = 140 G Initial Cost
Ranger (RA)
Although Rangers can be an extreme surge of strength to your army, the cost to enlist just one requires an astronomical amount of Gold from teching to purchasing to upkeep. They are effective against enemy spellcasters and enemy Ranged Units with the support of your Hero i.e. Damage Spells, Buffs/Debuffs however, I can not stress this enough, they cost a tremendous amount of money to obtain (factoring everything, about 300 Gold).
Good Against
Tier 1 Melee
Ghouls
Shaman
Enemy Ranged Units (with Support)
Bad Against
Skeletons (high Ranged Defense)
Swordsmen (above average Ranged Defense)
Imps (high Ranged Defense)
Barbarians (Beware of unintentionally activating their Berserk before you are ready to kill them at safe distances)
Workshop (60) -> Shooting Ground (180) -> Bowman (60/12) = 300 G Initial Cost
Swordsman (SW)
Swordsmen have an interesting tree from which they tech. The Forge can be a smart first construction on Heroes that require equipment (specifically mitigation) to perform i.e. Warrior and Commander. As such, I recommend fast teching to them if you're playing either of those Heroes though this can be a great start for any Hero thanks to their high base mitigation. Keep in mind if you do decide to purchase them first you must make sure that you can seize 2-3 provinces easily as their Upkeep costs are above average (9 UK which is equivalent to 3 Spearmen). Not only are Swordsmen good against Tier 1 Units they are comparable against some initial Tier 2 Units serving as good damage soakers as well as being able to retaliate well.
Good Against
Tier 1 Melee Early and Late (such as Brigand, Thieves, Assassins)
Ranged Units (high base Ranged Defense)
Bad Against
Thieves (They can not be counter-attacked which significantly reduces the amount of damage your Swordsmen can deal)
Poison Users such as Thieves, Spiders, and a particular Undead unit whose name I can't recall
Flying Units (They can fly behind your frontline unless you pack them really tightly)
Magic (low or lack of, I forget which, base Magic Resistance)
Forge (65) -> Swordsman School (150) -> Swordsman (45/9) = 215 G Initial Cost
General Information on Purchaseable Units (Pikemen - Barbarian) (IV)
Pikeman (PM)
Compared to Swordsmen, Pikemen are every sense of the phrase "slightly less". They cost slightly less, they mitigate slightly less, and damage slightly less. The one notable difference is Spearmen have an ability called First Strike. This ability allows them to strike first, as the name suggests, while Attacking and Counter-Attacking. Do note that First Strike is ineffective agaisnt Thieves whose Attacks can not be retaliated. Not only is FS a great Offensive Ability it is also a great Defensive Ability in that as you inflict Wounds on an enemy (do damage to them) they will do less damage. The few exceptions to this rule are Barbarians and a few others that I can't recall who has abilities that negate the effects of Wounds. Although First Strike may seem advantageous for the Pikeman, it does not cover one other stark disadvantage the Pikeman has under the Swordsman. The Swordsman remain a better choice for a Defensive front line thanks to their higher base Ranged Defense; 3 to Spearman's 1.
*I should mention now, as I have just noted myself doing so, that writing "base" can be misleading to readers as this guide progresses since "base" implicitly suggests a scaling. For example, although I have not mentioned Magic Resistance yet, I don't believe Swordsmen or Pikeman or any other unit I've listed so far can obtain a scaling Magic Resistance upgrade from leveling so please keep that in mind.
Good Against
Most Tier 1 Units
Slingers as their Ranged Damage isn't too high
Brigands
Bad Against
Barbarians can be problematic since they will no doubt activate Berserk after you First Strike Counter-Attack them causing your Pikeman to take more damage than a Swordsman would
Ranged Units (low base Melee Defense and can not make use of First Strike)
Magic
Thieves
Forge (65) -> Pikeman School (140) -> Pikeman (35/7) = 205 G Initial Cost
Crossbowman (CB)
Ideally, they make short work of Heavily Armored enemy units thanks to their ability Armor-Piercing Shot. Keep in mind that the description explicitly says that it allows the CB to hit a unit as if they had -HALF- their original Ranged Defense. This effect only applies to THAT CB, the effect does not stack and does not benefit anyone else but THAT CB. Additionally, it HALVES a units Ranged Armor meaning it is most effective against units who are HEAVILY (4+) armored (hitting something with less than 4 Ranged Armor would actually compare equally or less to a Ranger. Excuse the capslock but it's very necessary to denote such distinctions. Due to the limitations of his ability, they are best used against Swordsmen who have a base of 5 Ranged Defense and enemy Hero Warriors who will no doubt have 8+ come mid game. Having read the peculiarities of his ability, one should deduce that this is at best a mid-game Unit. In short, don't ever rush this unit unless you can cheese a high Ranged Defense unit in Exploration, a scenario I have never been in although tempting in theory.
Good Against
Swordsman
Hero Warrior
Buffed Units (Air Shield, Magic Armor)
Bad Against
Rangers (Yes, Rangers having that additional Range over your CB places you in bad positions like sacrificing your position to shoot them, holding your ground but get shot at)
Low Base Ranged Defense Units (Although not necessarily bad, the potential of APS is wasted which is inherently bad. It's like being the best Basketball player in the Desert)
Workshop (60) + Forge (65) + Crossbowman School (175) ->
Crossbowman (60/12) = 300 G Initial Cost
Healer (HR)
If you are inexperienced in Eador, which I am assuming you are, then you should firmly understand that having a Healer provides a great boon to the defensive capabilities of your army and indirectly increases your income. *By having one in your army, your army recovers Health faster -outside- of the battlefield. This army regeneration decreases the amount of time spent not exploring/seizing Provinces which indirectly increases the amount of potential gold you make in a Map Turn (as opposed to a Battle Turn).
*I am uncertain whether stacking Healers improve regeneration rates.
Good For
Maintaining a Front Line
Negating Poison for as long as your Healer has Ammo particularly on a primary and maybe a secondary target
Restoring Health Points of injured Soldiers before finishing the match i.e. leaving one weak enemy alive until your Healer has exhausted all of his Ammunition
Potentially Tanking Magical Damage when A.I. directs Magical Attacks towards him (unsure how A.I. magical targeting procedures work against high Magic Resistance Units thus, "potential")
Bad For/Against
Ranged Units
Flying Units unless your army is perfectly compacted
Altar (50 Gold + 5 Gems) -> Brotherhood of Light (100 Gold + 10 Gems) ->
Healer (30 Gold / 6 Gold Upkeep 5 + Gems / 1 Gem Upkeep) = 180 Gold + 15 Gems Initial Cost
Barbarians (BB)
Although I have zero experience with Barbarians in my armies, from watching Boris Hacker on Youtube and from fighting against Barbarians I can easily surmise a few facts about them. They are indisputably the best Tier 1 Unit in the game. They have the highest base HP of all the T1 Units which more than compensates for their low base mitigation stats, they have the highest potential damage output of the T1's, they have a Ranged Ability, they can Berserk which can exponentially increase their damage especially in early game, they are cost efficient, perhaps too cost efficient given all their superior traits, and they do not suffer from Wound (which lowers damage as you take damage). If you are new and you're having trouble early game conquering Provinces, pack your army with Barbarians and you will see dramatic improvements to the quality of your early game. The only reason why I never enlist them is because they are too strong. Now, I'm not an ethicist nor do I care to be one in a game, I've just always steered clear from exceptionally strong, borderline overpowered units/heroes/races/etc. in video games because that contradicts my gaming ethics (yes this exists). Although silly as it may seem especially in a video game, that's just how my mind works. As for you readers, if you are not hindered by this rather lofty idea of ethics as it were, you will definitely benefit from having Barbarians in your army.
Good Against
Tier 1 Melee Units
Exceptionally good against Pikemen who can proc Berserk for you
Skeletons who can proc Berserk, if you let them via not conforming to the 1 Hex Stance, due to their high base damage
Some Tier 2 Melee Units due to equally matching them in damage potential with Berserk
Bad Against
Crowd-Control spells more so than other Melee Units because it seals their potential damage
Debuffs especially Stamina Reducing Debuffs
Magic Arrow because if they cast one they will likely cast another (16+ Damage) leaving it in a perilous state
Tavern (30) -> Barbarian (140) -> Barbarian (30/6) = 170 G Initial Cost
Compared to Swordsmen, Pikemen are every sense of the phrase "slightly less". They cost slightly less, they mitigate slightly less, and damage slightly less. The one notable difference is Spearmen have an ability called First Strike. This ability allows them to strike first, as the name suggests, while Attacking and Counter-Attacking. Do note that First Strike is ineffective agaisnt Thieves whose Attacks can not be retaliated. Not only is FS a great Offensive Ability it is also a great Defensive Ability in that as you inflict Wounds on an enemy (do damage to them) they will do less damage. The few exceptions to this rule are Barbarians and a few others that I can't recall who has abilities that negate the effects of Wounds. Although First Strike may seem advantageous for the Pikeman, it does not cover one other stark disadvantage the Pikeman has under the Swordsman. The Swordsman remain a better choice for a Defensive front line thanks to their higher base Ranged Defense; 3 to Spearman's 1.
*I should mention now, as I have just noted myself doing so, that writing "base" can be misleading to readers as this guide progresses since "base" implicitly suggests a scaling. For example, although I have not mentioned Magic Resistance yet, I don't believe Swordsmen or Pikeman or any other unit I've listed so far can obtain a scaling Magic Resistance upgrade from leveling so please keep that in mind.
Good Against
Most Tier 1 Units
Slingers as their Ranged Damage isn't too high
Brigands
Bad Against
Barbarians can be problematic since they will no doubt activate Berserk after you First Strike Counter-Attack them causing your Pikeman to take more damage than a Swordsman would
Ranged Units (low base Melee Defense and can not make use of First Strike)
Magic
Thieves
Forge (65) -> Pikeman School (140) -> Pikeman (35/7) = 205 G Initial Cost
Crossbowman (CB)
Ideally, they make short work of Heavily Armored enemy units thanks to their ability Armor-Piercing Shot. Keep in mind that the description explicitly says that it allows the CB to hit a unit as if they had -HALF- their original Ranged Defense. This effect only applies to THAT CB, the effect does not stack and does not benefit anyone else but THAT CB. Additionally, it HALVES a units Ranged Armor meaning it is most effective against units who are HEAVILY (4+) armored (hitting something with less than 4 Ranged Armor would actually compare equally or less to a Ranger. Excuse the capslock but it's very necessary to denote such distinctions. Due to the limitations of his ability, they are best used against Swordsmen who have a base of 5 Ranged Defense and enemy Hero Warriors who will no doubt have 8+ come mid game. Having read the peculiarities of his ability, one should deduce that this is at best a mid-game Unit. In short, don't ever rush this unit unless you can cheese a high Ranged Defense unit in Exploration, a scenario I have never been in although tempting in theory.
Good Against
Swordsman
Hero Warrior
Buffed Units (Air Shield, Magic Armor)
Bad Against
Rangers (Yes, Rangers having that additional Range over your CB places you in bad positions like sacrificing your position to shoot them, holding your ground but get shot at)
Low Base Ranged Defense Units (Although not necessarily bad, the potential of APS is wasted which is inherently bad. It's like being the best Basketball player in the Desert)
Workshop (60) + Forge (65) + Crossbowman School (175) ->
Crossbowman (60/12) = 300 G Initial Cost
Healer (HR)
If you are inexperienced in Eador, which I am assuming you are, then you should firmly understand that having a Healer provides a great boon to the defensive capabilities of your army and indirectly increases your income. *By having one in your army, your army recovers Health faster -outside- of the battlefield. This army regeneration decreases the amount of time spent not exploring/seizing Provinces which indirectly increases the amount of potential gold you make in a Map Turn (as opposed to a Battle Turn).
*I am uncertain whether stacking Healers improve regeneration rates.
Good For
Maintaining a Front Line
Negating Poison for as long as your Healer has Ammo particularly on a primary and maybe a secondary target
Restoring Health Points of injured Soldiers before finishing the match i.e. leaving one weak enemy alive until your Healer has exhausted all of his Ammunition
Potentially Tanking Magical Damage when A.I. directs Magical Attacks towards him (unsure how A.I. magical targeting procedures work against high Magic Resistance Units thus, "potential")
Bad For/Against
Ranged Units
Flying Units unless your army is perfectly compacted
Altar (50 Gold + 5 Gems) -> Brotherhood of Light (100 Gold + 10 Gems) ->
Healer (30 Gold / 6 Gold Upkeep 5 + Gems / 1 Gem Upkeep) = 180 Gold + 15 Gems Initial Cost
Barbarians (BB)
Although I have zero experience with Barbarians in my armies, from watching Boris Hacker on Youtube and from fighting against Barbarians I can easily surmise a few facts about them. They are indisputably the best Tier 1 Unit in the game. They have the highest base HP of all the T1 Units which more than compensates for their low base mitigation stats, they have the highest potential damage output of the T1's, they have a Ranged Ability, they can Berserk which can exponentially increase their damage especially in early game, they are cost efficient, perhaps too cost efficient given all their superior traits, and they do not suffer from Wound (which lowers damage as you take damage). If you are new and you're having trouble early game conquering Provinces, pack your army with Barbarians and you will see dramatic improvements to the quality of your early game. The only reason why I never enlist them is because they are too strong. Now, I'm not an ethicist nor do I care to be one in a game, I've just always steered clear from exceptionally strong, borderline overpowered units/heroes/races/etc. in video games because that contradicts my gaming ethics (yes this exists). Although silly as it may seem especially in a video game, that's just how my mind works. As for you readers, if you are not hindered by this rather lofty idea of ethics as it were, you will definitely benefit from having Barbarians in your army.
Good Against
Tier 1 Melee Units
Exceptionally good against Pikemen who can proc Berserk for you
Skeletons who can proc Berserk, if you let them via not conforming to the 1 Hex Stance, due to their high base damage
Some Tier 2 Melee Units due to equally matching them in damage potential with Berserk
Bad Against
Crowd-Control spells more so than other Melee Units because it seals their potential damage
Debuffs especially Stamina Reducing Debuffs
Magic Arrow because if they cast one they will likely cast another (16+ Damage) leaving it in a perilous state
Tavern (30) -> Barbarian (140) -> Barbarian (30/6) = 170 G Initial Cost
General Information on Purchaseable Units (Thieves - Shaman) (IV)
Thieves (TF)
I have no experience with them. The following will be theoretical uses.
Thieves are a great alternative to Spearmen or Barbarians as your first unit because they have a really high base damage (9) and have strong pseudo-mitigation in the form of an Ability called Agility. This Ability grants the Thief the speed to ignore Counter-Attacks. Similarly to Barbarians, they have a Ranged attack however unlike the Barbarians, this attack can be used 3 times. As you level them up, they learn the ability to coat their weapons with Poison (applies to Ranged Attack too). The cost to enlist Thieves can be a little deceptive due to the Ability Marauder which decreases the amount of Gold/Gems you acquire upon winning a battle by 15%. Whether or not this effect stacks is beyond my knowledge although, I would think the contrary because it just wouldn't make sense. However, please correct me if I'm wrong. Doing a little math, it's evident that their low initial costs/maintenance advantage is dependent on how temporary you leave them in your army. As the game develops further, I would advise against keeping them in your army as 15% of 100+ Gold is a huge penalty.
Good Against
Most Tier 1 Melee Units especially the Pikeman
Bad Against
Barbarians because most of their damage does not come from Counter-Attack
Brigands like Barbarians deal most of their damage on Attacking
Ranged Units like most other Melee Units
Magic
Tavern (30) -> Den of Thieves (70) -> Thief (15/3) = 100 G Initial Cost
Brigands (BD)
I believe Brigands are the most cost-effective unit in the game considering Gold per Damage/Mitigation. They cost 90 Gold to tech, 10 Gold -each-, 2 Gold to Upkeep, do 8 Attack / 5 Counter-Attack, 17 HP, 1 Melee D / 2 Ranged D / 1 Magic R Mitigation, and 2 Movement. As you play in higher difficulties, you will notice this need for a cost-effective unit since higher difficulties penalize your starting Gold. However, like the Thief, Brigands have Gold Penalty Abilities: Maurader and Plunderer both at 10%. Plunderer decreases the Tax Income of the Province he is in by 10%.
*For an elaborate analysis of the disadvantages of these abilities Ctrl+F (M&P).
Good Against
Most Tier 1 Melee Units save Barbarians who are of equal strength
maybe Ranged Units thanks to their mobility however charging through crossfire is not recommended
Bad Against
Crowd Control Spells
Debuffs
Tavern (30) -> Brigand Lair (60) -> Brigand (10/2) = 90 G Initial Cost
Shaman (SN)
Shaman have two core abilities that make them stand out in front of the other T1 Units in a remarkable fashion. Firstly, their attacks do magic damage, a high damaging Ranged attack to boot. Against Tier 1 units that typically have little of or lack of Magic Resistance, this is a strong ability. Secondly, they can curse enemy units for -2 Damage (Melee and Ranged), and -1 of each mitigation stat. In order to understand the power of Debuffs not just in this game but all games I must explain briefly on a tangent.
Consider how much damage a unit can deal to another and how much Health a unit has. For example, a Barbarian damages a Shaman. Barbs do 9 base, Shamans have 9 base HP. Now consider how many HITS it take to kill a unit. In normal circumstances Barbarians can 1 Shot a Shaman. In Debuffed circumstances, Shaman's curse on the Barb, Shamans can take 2 Shots. This is immense, you have effectively doubled your Health Pool on the Shaman. In a game where most numbers are low, it is easy to calculate these significant changes and to see just how beneficial using your brain as opposed to just brawn can be.
Good For
Debuffing Relatively High Damage Units (Relative to which Tier the Unit belongs to. As the game progresses, this specific Debuff will be less and less noticeable)
Debuffing Average Mitigation Units
Skeletons (low base MR)
Bad For/Against
High MR Units
Mid-Late Game Units
Physical Ranged Units (they easily outrange Shamans by 1-2)
Altar (50 Gold + 5 Gems) -> Totem (110 Gold + 15 Gems) -> Shaman (25 Gold + 5 Gems) =
160 Gold + 20 Gems Initial Cost
As you can tell from reading extensively through my summary of the Tier 1 Units, there is -a lot- of math that you should become familiar with as you play this game. By no means should you memorize every number for that would not only take a long time, it will also certainly affect your interest in this game negatively unless you love math. Instead, you will learn, as did I, to do math on the fly particularly in the battlefield as you play more and more. To that end, be prepared for more math in the next section!
I have no experience with them. The following will be theoretical uses.
Thieves are a great alternative to Spearmen or Barbarians as your first unit because they have a really high base damage (9) and have strong pseudo-mitigation in the form of an Ability called Agility. This Ability grants the Thief the speed to ignore Counter-Attacks. Similarly to Barbarians, they have a Ranged attack however unlike the Barbarians, this attack can be used 3 times. As you level them up, they learn the ability to coat their weapons with Poison (applies to Ranged Attack too). The cost to enlist Thieves can be a little deceptive due to the Ability Marauder which decreases the amount of Gold/Gems you acquire upon winning a battle by 15%. Whether or not this effect stacks is beyond my knowledge although, I would think the contrary because it just wouldn't make sense. However, please correct me if I'm wrong. Doing a little math, it's evident that their low initial costs/maintenance advantage is dependent on how temporary you leave them in your army. As the game develops further, I would advise against keeping them in your army as 15% of 100+ Gold is a huge penalty.
Good Against
Most Tier 1 Melee Units especially the Pikeman
Bad Against
Barbarians because most of their damage does not come from Counter-Attack
Brigands like Barbarians deal most of their damage on Attacking
Ranged Units like most other Melee Units
Magic
Tavern (30) -> Den of Thieves (70) -> Thief (15/3) = 100 G Initial Cost
Brigands (BD)
I believe Brigands are the most cost-effective unit in the game considering Gold per Damage/Mitigation. They cost 90 Gold to tech, 10 Gold -each-, 2 Gold to Upkeep, do 8 Attack / 5 Counter-Attack, 17 HP, 1 Melee D / 2 Ranged D / 1 Magic R Mitigation, and 2 Movement. As you play in higher difficulties, you will notice this need for a cost-effective unit since higher difficulties penalize your starting Gold. However, like the Thief, Brigands have Gold Penalty Abilities: Maurader and Plunderer both at 10%. Plunderer decreases the Tax Income of the Province he is in by 10%.
*For an elaborate analysis of the disadvantages of these abilities Ctrl+F (M&P).
Good Against
Most Tier 1 Melee Units save Barbarians who are of equal strength
maybe Ranged Units thanks to their mobility however charging through crossfire is not recommended
Bad Against
Crowd Control Spells
Debuffs
Tavern (30) -> Brigand Lair (60) -> Brigand (10/2) = 90 G Initial Cost
Shaman (SN)
Shaman have two core abilities that make them stand out in front of the other T1 Units in a remarkable fashion. Firstly, their attacks do magic damage, a high damaging Ranged attack to boot. Against Tier 1 units that typically have little of or lack of Magic Resistance, this is a strong ability. Secondly, they can curse enemy units for -2 Damage (Melee and Ranged), and -1 of each mitigation stat. In order to understand the power of Debuffs not just in this game but all games I must explain briefly on a tangent.
Consider how much damage a unit can deal to another and how much Health a unit has. For example, a Barbarian damages a Shaman. Barbs do 9 base, Shamans have 9 base HP. Now consider how many HITS it take to kill a unit. In normal circumstances Barbarians can 1 Shot a Shaman. In Debuffed circumstances, Shaman's curse on the Barb, Shamans can take 2 Shots. This is immense, you have effectively doubled your Health Pool on the Shaman. In a game where most numbers are low, it is easy to calculate these significant changes and to see just how beneficial using your brain as opposed to just brawn can be.
Good For
Debuffing Relatively High Damage Units (Relative to which Tier the Unit belongs to. As the game progresses, this specific Debuff will be less and less noticeable)
Debuffing Average Mitigation Units
Skeletons (low base MR)
Bad For/Against
High MR Units
Mid-Late Game Units
Physical Ranged Units (they easily outrange Shamans by 1-2)
Altar (50 Gold + 5 Gems) -> Totem (110 Gold + 15 Gems) -> Shaman (25 Gold + 5 Gems) =
160 Gold + 20 Gems Initial Cost
As you can tell from reading extensively through my summary of the Tier 1 Units, there is -a lot- of math that you should become familiar with as you play this game. By no means should you memorize every number for that would not only take a long time, it will also certainly affect your interest in this game negatively unless you love math. Instead, you will learn, as did I, to do math on the fly particularly in the battlefield as you play more and more. To that end, be prepared for more math in the next section!
General Information on Purchaseable Buildings IC
After a brief moment of consideration, I have decided against following the game's direction of organization instead I will organize the list of buildings in categories according to what they provide for the Kingdom. Keep in mind that the list will comprise of buildings mostly from Tier 1 and a limited selection of Tier 2 for this guide only focuses on the early stages of the Campaign. Also note that I will only list the research tree of a building that is relevant to the main category i.e. though Tavern builds into many things, if it is under the Income category I will only list Inn as the advancement.
Income
As I've mentioned before, Income is the most important. Beside Looting from exploration, here are buildings that provide Income.
Tavern
Trade Quarter
Tier 1
30 Gold
Gold +1
Constructed from - N/A
Researches to - Inn (Gold +2)
Pottery
Craftsman Quarter
Tier 1
80 Gold
Gold +2
From - Granary + Workshop
To - N/A
For those who are interested, this is the reason why I decided to categorize the buildings differently. Oftentimes what you want you will find in two seperate categories case in point Tavern in Trade Quarter, Pottery in Craftsman Quarter.
Inn
Trade Quarter
Tier 2
125 Gold
Gold +2
From - Granary + Tavern
To - Pubs (Gold +1) to be built in your Provinces
School of Wizardry
Magic Quarter
Tier 1
220 Gold + 20 Gems
From - Library
To - N/A
This School allows you to use the Map Ability "Enchanted Coffer". From the various times I've used this on a neutral mood Province, I received 200~ Gold. Though keep in mind that it will reduce your population mood to the next sad face.
Stable
Trade Quarter
Tier 1
180 Gold
*Gold +5 on Provinces with Horses
From - Forge + Granary
*Keep in mind that the Income gain from this building only works on Provinces with Horses.
From this list you can notice the cost to construct and the Income gain is rather improportional though that is the definition of Investment. What I'm trying to say as a general rule, do not research beyond your means. If you have 200 Gold left, sometimes it is better to not buy the Stable instead, spend half on Pubs and keep the rest for unexpected circumstances like the need for a guard against an incoming invasion or a Random Event.
Shops
Constructing these buildings will provide your Store with equipment you can buy.
Workshop
Craftsmen Quarter
Tier 1
60 Gold
From - N/A
To - Armory, Sorceror's Workshop, Tailor Store
Only offers relevant equipment for the Commander
Forge
Craftsmen Quarter
Tier 1
65 Gold
From - N/A
To - Armory, Chain Mail Armory
Offers a 2/2 Armor for the Warrior and Commander
Armory
Military Quarter
Tier 1
180 Gold
From - Workshop + Forge
To - Weapon Store
Offers a 4/3 Weapon for Warrior, Armor Piercing Crossbow for Ranger (Ranged Attacks hit as if the Target unit had 1/2 Ranged Defense), 2/3 Quiver, and 3/3 Speed -1 Armor for the Warrior.
Trade Quarter Tier 2
There are too many to list so I will just give you the synopsis.
Only Warriors can wield Heavy Weapons. They can equip up to Heavy Armor.
Only Rangers can used Ranged Weapons and Common melee like Daggers and Staves. They can equip up to Light Armor.
Commanders can not wield Heavy Weapons. They can equip up to Medium Armor.
Wizards can wield Wands. They can only equip Common Armor.
Population Mood
Show Booth
Entertainment Quarter
Tier 1
70 Gold
Mood +1
From - Tavern
To - Theater
School of Sorcery
Magic Quarter
Tier 1
81 Gold + 15 Gems
Mood +1
From - Library
To - N/A
Map Ability "Extravaganza". Improves Population Mood by 1 for 10 Turns.
Population Growth
Income
As I've mentioned before, Income is the most important. Beside Looting from exploration, here are buildings that provide Income.
Tavern
Trade Quarter
Tier 1
30 Gold
Gold +1
Constructed from - N/A
Researches to - Inn (Gold +2)
Pottery
Craftsman Quarter
Tier 1
80 Gold
Gold +2
From - Granary + Workshop
To - N/A
For those who are interested, this is the reason why I decided to categorize the buildings differently. Oftentimes what you want you will find in two seperate categories case in point Tavern in Trade Quarter, Pottery in Craftsman Quarter.
Inn
Trade Quarter
Tier 2
125 Gold
Gold +2
From - Granary + Tavern
To - Pubs (Gold +1) to be built in your Provinces
School of Wizardry
Magic Quarter
Tier 1
220 Gold + 20 Gems
From - Library
To - N/A
This School allows you to use the Map Ability "Enchanted Coffer". From the various times I've used this on a neutral mood Province, I received 200~ Gold. Though keep in mind that it will reduce your population mood to the next sad face.
Stable
Trade Quarter
Tier 1
180 Gold
*Gold +5 on Provinces with Horses
From - Forge + Granary
*Keep in mind that the Income gain from this building only works on Provinces with Horses.
From this list you can notice the cost to construct and the Income gain is rather improportional though that is the definition of Investment. What I'm trying to say as a general rule, do not research beyond your means. If you have 200 Gold left, sometimes it is better to not buy the Stable instead, spend half on Pubs and keep the rest for unexpected circumstances like the need for a guard against an incoming invasion or a Random Event.
Shops
Constructing these buildings will provide your Store with equipment you can buy.
Workshop
Craftsmen Quarter
Tier 1
60 Gold
From - N/A
To - Armory, Sorceror's Workshop, Tailor Store
Only offers relevant equipment for the Commander
Forge
Craftsmen Quarter
Tier 1
65 Gold
From - N/A
To - Armory, Chain Mail Armory
Offers a 2/2 Armor for the Warrior and Commander
Armory
Military Quarter
Tier 1
180 Gold
From - Workshop + Forge
To - Weapon Store
Offers a 4/3 Weapon for Warrior, Armor Piercing Crossbow for Ranger (Ranged Attacks hit as if the Target unit had 1/2 Ranged Defense), 2/3 Quiver, and 3/3 Speed -1 Armor for the Warrior.
Trade Quarter Tier 2
There are too many to list so I will just give you the synopsis.
Only Warriors can wield Heavy Weapons. They can equip up to Heavy Armor.
Only Rangers can used Ranged Weapons and Common melee like Daggers and Staves. They can equip up to Light Armor.
Commanders can not wield Heavy Weapons. They can equip up to Medium Armor.
Wizards can wield Wands. They can only equip Common Armor.
Population Mood
Show Booth
Entertainment Quarter
Tier 1
70 Gold
Mood +1
From - Tavern
To - Theater
School of Sorcery
Magic Quarter
Tier 1
81 Gold + 15 Gems
Mood +1
From - Library
To - N/A
Map Ability "Extravaganza". Improves Population Mood by 1 for 10 Turns.
Population Growth
***General Knowledge: What to Focus on - Income (V) ($$)
In this section I will uncover what lead to your defeat. I feel that the idea of this section should be mandatory for all guides as the greatest challenge of incredibly complex games such as Eador is not knowing what's important. The best way to improve your gaming experience in such games is to learn to look for significant elements and ignore everything that's not. It is difficult to detail what to ignore because that which you should ignore is essentially nothing but obliviousness. Instead, I will attempt to focus your attention on what matters.
What matters most in this game is money. Always consider each research, each unit, and each provincial contruction as an investment. For example, if I research "Inn" how many turns will it take for me profit to from this purchase. An Inn costs about 100 Gold to research, it provides you with a +5 income therefore it will take 20 turns for your investment to profit. If I explore the Ancient Ruins where Goblins reside how much Gold will I make? In early game, about 60-80 Gold. From this simple illustration, it is evident that exploring easy dungeons profits your kingdom more favorably in the short run than research does. However, it is unlikely that you could maintain a consistent cash flow from killing Goblins as that dungeon and many other easy dungeons require time to unravel. It would be more accurate to think of the income from dungeons as Gold per X where X is the amount of time it would take to discover said dungeon and recover from said exploration. Initially you may start out with 5-6 easy dungeons but it can become increasingly more rare to find. Bottom line is, explore when you need quick money and research with the money you gained from exploration.
Each unit must serve a purpose. Once a unit is obsolete, you must replace it with a much stronger unit. Do not train Militiamen, Slingers and Spearmen. If you tech to Spearmen first, he will either serve as your damage, your tank, or both for the 1st ring of Provinces around your Castle. You should not tech to Militiamen because that is a downgrade unless you did so for a purpose the Spearmen can not fulfill i.e. enlisting Militiamen as Province Guards. After Spearmen, you should look towards Swordsmen, Pikemen, Barbarians, Brigands, Crossbowmen, Rangers, or Healers as any one of these can perform better than or fulfill a role that the Spearmen can not. On a side note, you can completely bypass buying Spearmen for the stronger alternatives like Barbs, Swords, Pikes, since they are only 25%~ more expensive. Bottom line, do not purchase same strength units unless they can perform different roles.
What matters most in this game is money. Always consider each research, each unit, and each provincial contruction as an investment. For example, if I research "Inn" how many turns will it take for me profit to from this purchase. An Inn costs about 100 Gold to research, it provides you with a +5 income therefore it will take 20 turns for your investment to profit. If I explore the Ancient Ruins where Goblins reside how much Gold will I make? In early game, about 60-80 Gold. From this simple illustration, it is evident that exploring easy dungeons profits your kingdom more favorably in the short run than research does. However, it is unlikely that you could maintain a consistent cash flow from killing Goblins as that dungeon and many other easy dungeons require time to unravel. It would be more accurate to think of the income from dungeons as Gold per X where X is the amount of time it would take to discover said dungeon and recover from said exploration. Initially you may start out with 5-6 easy dungeons but it can become increasingly more rare to find. Bottom line is, explore when you need quick money and research with the money you gained from exploration.
Each unit must serve a purpose. Once a unit is obsolete, you must replace it with a much stronger unit. Do not train Militiamen, Slingers and Spearmen. If you tech to Spearmen first, he will either serve as your damage, your tank, or both for the 1st ring of Provinces around your Castle. You should not tech to Militiamen because that is a downgrade unless you did so for a purpose the Spearmen can not fulfill i.e. enlisting Militiamen as Province Guards. After Spearmen, you should look towards Swordsmen, Pikemen, Barbarians, Brigands, Crossbowmen, Rangers, or Healers as any one of these can perform better than or fulfill a role that the Spearmen can not. On a side note, you can completely bypass buying Spearmen for the stronger alternatives like Barbs, Swords, Pikes, since they are only 25%~ more expensive. Bottom line, do not purchase same strength units unless they can perform different roles.
***General Knowledge: What to Focus on - Provincial Guards (V) (PG) IC
I alluded to "Rings" very briefly in the last paragraph of the last section which I will explain and list in this section. A "Ring" is the group of Hexes surrounding your Castle. Each consecutive Ring outward is labeled numerically higher. I forgot where I read the following principle but I believe completely that each Ring outwards from your Castle house stronger and more numerous Provincial Guards. Do not confuse Provincial Guards with Kingdom Guards as Provincial Guards can only be enlisted by Neutral Provinces while Kingdom Guards can be enlisted by you and the enemy Masters. I will list the Kingdom Guards in the next section. Here is a short but concise list of what type and how many of each unit in each successive Ring. Also, Easy means 1 to 0 Casualty, Moderate means 2-3 Casualties, and Difficult means 4+.
1st Ring
Free Settlement 1
4 Units
1 Slinger, 2 Militiamen, and 1 Spearman
They are Easy. Any 2 Turn Strategy.
Free Settlement 2
5 Units
2 Slingers, 2 Militiamen, and 1 Spearman
They are Easy if you use terrain to your advantage i.e. hiding in forests to reduce Slinger damage. Can beat with any 2 Turns.
Free Settlement 3
6 Units
3 Slingers, 2 Militiamen, 1 Spearmen
Easy. Use Forests to improve Ranged Defense. If there are none, it might be Moderate with 2T. Easy for Commander however.
Barbarian Tribe 1
3 Units
2 Barbarians and 1 Shaman
They are harder than Free Settlement but still Easy. Any 2 Turn works.
Barbarian Tribe 2
4 Units
3 Barbarians and 1 Shaman
They are Moderate depending on which 2T. Most effective is Commander 2 Turn with Barbarians. Can not do with Spearmen 2T unless you have a Commander in which case 4 Spearmen can do this.
Goblin Lands
6 Units
6 Goblins
Easy. Make sure to Rotate your units. Any 2T.
Orcish Tribes
4 Units
2 Goblins and 2 Orcs
Same difficulty as Barb Type 1. 2 Turn works.
Brigand Outlaws
4 Units
2 Brigand, 1 Ranger, and 1 Thief
Slightly harder than BTT1 because of the Ranger, still Easy. Barb 2 Turn most effective.
Lizardman Lands 1
3 Units
3 Lizardmen
Easy. Make sure you focus fire as they regenerate health every turn. Any 2T.
Lizardman Lands 2
5 Units
5 Lizardman
Difficult. Probably one of the most obnoxious randomly generated 1 Ring Province. Do not attempt with 2T. 3T with 3rd turn teching into Fatigue will make this Moderate.
2nd Ring
By this time, it is no longer 2 Turns because it is impossible to reach the 2nd Ring in two turns. The most likely scenario would be 3-4 Militiamen/3-4 Slingers/Combination of both with Commander but even then, that arrangement of units can never defeat Ring 2 Guards. By this time (Turn 3-5) it's likely and better to have +1 Command as well as a few CC spells.
Free Settlement 1
6 Units
2 Slingers, 2 Militiamen, and 2 Spearmen
Easy with Spells and or Ranged Damage.
Free Settlement 2
7 Units
2 Slingers, 2 Militiamen, 1 Bowman, 1 Spearmen, 1 Pikemen
Easy with Spells and or Ranged Damage.
Free Settlement 3
10 Units
*Fill Later
Difficult. Even with CC their combined Health pool is over 100 HP. Can be done but requires Forest to have the best results.
Barbarian Tribe
*Fill Later
Goblin Lands 1
6 Unit
4 Goblins, 1 Basilisk, 1 Giant Slug
Difficult. Do not attempt until you have a lot of CC and Healers.
Goblin Lands 2
7 Unit
5 Goblins, 1 Basilisk, 1 Giant Slug
Difficult. Do not attempt until you have a lot of CC and Healers.
Orcish Tribes 1
6 Units
3 Goblins and 3 Orcs
Easy with spells since Orcs move 1 Hex each turn. Beware of Forced March (Buffs movement by 1) as they can move unexpectedly fast.
Orcish Tribes 2
8 Units
4 Goblins and 4 Orcs
Easy with Tanks and Healer. Try to Wound each Orc with Ranged before they get to your frontline. This will significantly reduce the damage they deal.
Brigand Lands
6 Units
2 Thieves, 1 Ranger, 1 Assassin, 2 Brigands
Easy. Just Rotate effectively and Fatigue the Brigands and/or the Assassin.
Halfling Village
5 Units
4 Halflings, 1 Dwarf
Difficult. Don't let their numbers fool you. Halflings though weak at 6 HP, they can deal up to 6 Ranged Damage to your units and have good mitigation for their level. Also the Dwarf is an absolute truck with really high resistances, notably high Magic Resistance (4+) so CCing him will be a feat. I would avoid this unless you started out Barbarians and have some Buffs to mitigate the Halfling slingshots or Damage spells to kill them before they kill you.
Centaur Lands
3 Units
3 Centaurs
Easy. Need Command or spells. Their numbers is deceptive. Not only do they have a moderate Range Attack, they can rush to your frontline in 2 Battle Turns and 2 shot most of the Tier 1 Units. I recommend Web, Magical Armor, Fatigue to a certain degree, and Heal.
Empty Hills
3 Units
3 Harpies
Easy-Moderate. Around 20 HP with 11 Damage. Low mitigation so they can be dealt with suffering light casualties. Only CC I recommend using is Web otherwise just try to Focus Fire one of them down.
Lands of Chaos
6 Units
6 Imps
Easy with Tanks and Healers. Make sure to Rotate.
Desert
4 Units
2 Skeletons + 2 Zombies
Easy. Make sure to 1H the Skeletons and try to kill them in 1 turn if your army is mostly melee as they did a lot of damage.
Nomad Steppes
12 Units
x Horsemen and x Horse Archers
Difficult. Need quite a few Damage Soakers. I would estimate about 8-10. Rotating well and using spells wisely would still make this a challenge.
1st Ring
Free Settlement 1
4 Units
1 Slinger, 2 Militiamen, and 1 Spearman
They are Easy. Any 2 Turn Strategy.
Free Settlement 2
5 Units
2 Slingers, 2 Militiamen, and 1 Spearman
They are Easy if you use terrain to your advantage i.e. hiding in forests to reduce Slinger damage. Can beat with any 2 Turns.
Free Settlement 3
6 Units
3 Slingers, 2 Militiamen, 1 Spearmen
Easy. Use Forests to improve Ranged Defense. If there are none, it might be Moderate with 2T. Easy for Commander however.
Barbarian Tribe 1
3 Units
2 Barbarians and 1 Shaman
They are harder than Free Settlement but still Easy. Any 2 Turn works.
Barbarian Tribe 2
4 Units
3 Barbarians and 1 Shaman
They are Moderate depending on which 2T. Most effective is Commander 2 Turn with Barbarians. Can not do with Spearmen 2T unless you have a Commander in which case 4 Spearmen can do this.
Goblin Lands
6 Units
6 Goblins
Easy. Make sure to Rotate your units. Any 2T.
Orcish Tribes
4 Units
2 Goblins and 2 Orcs
Same difficulty as Barb Type 1. 2 Turn works.
Brigand Outlaws
4 Units
2 Brigand, 1 Ranger, and 1 Thief
Slightly harder than BTT1 because of the Ranger, still Easy. Barb 2 Turn most effective.
Lizardman Lands 1
3 Units
3 Lizardmen
Easy. Make sure you focus fire as they regenerate health every turn. Any 2T.
Lizardman Lands 2
5 Units
5 Lizardman
Difficult. Probably one of the most obnoxious randomly generated 1 Ring Province. Do not attempt with 2T. 3T with 3rd turn teching into Fatigue will make this Moderate.
2nd Ring
By this time, it is no longer 2 Turns because it is impossible to reach the 2nd Ring in two turns. The most likely scenario would be 3-4 Militiamen/3-4 Slingers/Combination of both with Commander but even then, that arrangement of units can never defeat Ring 2 Guards. By this time (Turn 3-5) it's likely and better to have +1 Command as well as a few CC spells.
Free Settlement 1
6 Units
2 Slingers, 2 Militiamen, and 2 Spearmen
Easy with Spells and or Ranged Damage.
Free Settlement 2
7 Units
2 Slingers, 2 Militiamen, 1 Bowman, 1 Spearmen, 1 Pikemen
Easy with Spells and or Ranged Damage.
Free Settlement 3
10 Units
*Fill Later
Difficult. Even with CC their combined Health pool is over 100 HP. Can be done but requires Forest to have the best results.
Barbarian Tribe
*Fill Later
Goblin Lands 1
6 Unit
4 Goblins, 1 Basilisk, 1 Giant Slug
Difficult. Do not attempt until you have a lot of CC and Healers.
Goblin Lands 2
7 Unit
5 Goblins, 1 Basilisk, 1 Giant Slug
Difficult. Do not attempt until you have a lot of CC and Healers.
Orcish Tribes 1
6 Units
3 Goblins and 3 Orcs
Easy with spells since Orcs move 1 Hex each turn. Beware of Forced March (Buffs movement by 1) as they can move unexpectedly fast.
Orcish Tribes 2
8 Units
4 Goblins and 4 Orcs
Easy with Tanks and Healer. Try to Wound each Orc with Ranged before they get to your frontline. This will significantly reduce the damage they deal.
Brigand Lands
6 Units
2 Thieves, 1 Ranger, 1 Assassin, 2 Brigands
Easy. Just Rotate effectively and Fatigue the Brigands and/or the Assassin.
Halfling Village
5 Units
4 Halflings, 1 Dwarf
Difficult. Don't let their numbers fool you. Halflings though weak at 6 HP, they can deal up to 6 Ranged Damage to your units and have good mitigation for their level. Also the Dwarf is an absolute truck with really high resistances, notably high Magic Resistance (4+) so CCing him will be a feat. I would avoid this unless you started out Barbarians and have some Buffs to mitigate the Halfling slingshots or Damage spells to kill them before they kill you.
Centaur Lands
3 Units
3 Centaurs
Easy. Need Command or spells. Their numbers is deceptive. Not only do they have a moderate Range Attack, they can rush to your frontline in 2 Battle Turns and 2 shot most of the Tier 1 Units. I recommend Web, Magical Armor, Fatigue to a certain degree, and Heal.
Empty Hills
3 Units
3 Harpies
Easy-Moderate. Around 20 HP with 11 Damage. Low mitigation so they can be dealt with suffering light casualties. Only CC I recommend using is Web otherwise just try to Focus Fire one of them down.
Lands of Chaos
6 Units
6 Imps
Easy with Tanks and Healers. Make sure to Rotate.
Desert
4 Units
2 Skeletons + 2 Zombies
Easy. Make sure to 1H the Skeletons and try to kill them in 1 turn if your army is mostly melee as they did a lot of damage.
Nomad Steppes
12 Units
x Horsemen and x Horse Archers
Difficult. Need quite a few Damage Soakers. I would estimate about 8-10. Rotating well and using spells wisely would still make this a challenge.
***General Knowledge: What to Focus on - Kingdom Guards (V) (KG) IC
Kingdom Guards
Not to be confused with Provincial Guards, these guards are exclusive to enemy Masters and can also be hired by you at some point in the game.
Watchmen
9 Units
6 Slingers and 3 Spearmen
Easy once you reach Mid-Game (at 20~ turns) or have Swordsman tanks.
Adventurers
11 Units
1 of each: Healer, Thief, Shaman, Goblin, Orc, Elf, Dwarf, Fairy, Halfling, Monk, and Swordsman
Difficult. Don't even attempt until late game and even then it's still a challenge. Avoid if possible.
Cutthroat
11 Units
8 Brigands + 3 Bowman
Moderate. Not only do you have to worry about Brigands rushing at you, you'll have to consider the Bowman shooting in the back. Very important that you find a choke on the battlefield or a terrain advantage. However, since you are at the point when you start invading, you should have a formidable frontline to deal with their damage.
Local Militia
10 Units
2 Spearmen + 2 Slingers + 6 Militiaman
Easy given that most of the troop are Militiamen.
Gang of Thieves
9 Units
9 Thieves
Moderate. If your frontline has about 3-4 Melee Defense this will be Easy as long as you Rotate and Position well.
Hunters
5 Units
5 Bowman
Easy by the time you have an army to invade with. You could also Bribe them.
Brethren of Light
9 Units
1 Monk + 2 Healer + 7 Militiaman
Easy. They're just Militiamen with Healers.
Recruit
8 Units
2 Militiaman + 1 Brigand + 1 Spearman + 1 Pikeman + 1 Slinger + 1 Thief + 1 Crossbowman
Easy. Try to nuke the Crossbowman first and everything else should be quick to kill
Not to be confused with Provincial Guards, these guards are exclusive to enemy Masters and can also be hired by you at some point in the game.
Watchmen
9 Units
6 Slingers and 3 Spearmen
Easy once you reach Mid-Game (at 20~ turns) or have Swordsman tanks.
Adventurers
11 Units
1 of each: Healer, Thief, Shaman, Goblin, Orc, Elf, Dwarf, Fairy, Halfling, Monk, and Swordsman
Difficult. Don't even attempt until late game and even then it's still a challenge. Avoid if possible.
Cutthroat
11 Units
8 Brigands + 3 Bowman
Moderate. Not only do you have to worry about Brigands rushing at you, you'll have to consider the Bowman shooting in the back. Very important that you find a choke on the battlefield or a terrain advantage. However, since you are at the point when you start invading, you should have a formidable frontline to deal with their damage.
Local Militia
10 Units
2 Spearmen + 2 Slingers + 6 Militiaman
Easy given that most of the troop are Militiamen.
Gang of Thieves
9 Units
9 Thieves
Moderate. If your frontline has about 3-4 Melee Defense this will be Easy as long as you Rotate and Position well.
Hunters
5 Units
5 Bowman
Easy by the time you have an army to invade with. You could also Bribe them.
Brethren of Light
9 Units
1 Monk + 2 Healer + 7 Militiaman
Easy. They're just Militiamen with Healers.
Recruit
8 Units
2 Militiaman + 1 Brigand + 1 Spearman + 1 Pikeman + 1 Slinger + 1 Thief + 1 Crossbowman
Easy. Try to nuke the Crossbowman first and everything else should be quick to kill
***General Knowledge: What to Focus on - Random Events 1 (V) (REG) IC
Random Events
This category covers the random events that occur when you explore as well as those that occur in your provinces. I will detail which options are or are not safe. Eventually, I will list them in alphabetical order. If you could contribute in the comments or PM, please do.
*In the following days, I will rework the x Risk x Reward indication reflecting the standard below
**Haven't worked on any yet 5/5/2013
Standard
Risk means an option has a possibility of good or bad. Low means a high chance of Good, High means a high chance of Bad. This indicator is based on personal experience.
Reward means whether or not you can gain something. If all you can do for an event is -prevent- something bad, it will be labelled as No Reward.
Treasure Hunter Event
This guy generally finds nothing but when he does it is a pretty significant upgrade. Out of the 10-15 times I've seen this event I've only been successful about 2 times. 80 Gold and 20 Gems? is a pretty big gamble especially in early game however, if you're not in any immediate danger from invasion you could consider it. Personally, due to rarely ever getting anything, I would not unless you have a surplus of resource.
High Risk Moderate - High Reward
Hero Hunter Event
Choosing to reward him with Gems is usually a good thing as he will share his profits in Gold with you in the amounts of hundreds. I have a very high success rate with this, about 80-90%.
Low Risk High Reward
Oilwort Event
Every option is a good option. Although I'm not sure whether "Let it Grow" has any impact.
No Risk High Reward
Harpies Event
I believe the reward is an increase to population mood. If this happens early in the game the best, and frankly speaking the only choice, is to let the Harpies take the babies away. Early guards like Militiamen can not defend against them, Adventurers can but this circumstance requires luck. Other Guards like Cutthroats, Foresters, etc I'm not too familiar with. Perhaps they can defend against them. If you have more information please let me know otherwise -
High Risk Low Reward
Halfling Farmstead Event
Out of all the options, I have ever only chosen the third one "Begin Trading with the Halflings". This will reward the Province that triggered this event +Gold Income usually +1-3. Since there is a riskless option I will label this
No Risk Moderate Reward
Powerful Treasure Event
The one with the picutre of a Red Chalice and if that's not enough reference, the one where there's a rumor about a treasure. Forgive me because I forget the specifics. Anyways, you'll have a couple of options, two you have to spend Gold in order to find the treasure or just Tax them. Taxing them is a win win because you dont risk anything but you gain Gold. Therefore,
No Risk High Reward
Dragonroot Event
Gathtering +Gem, Plow the land +Gold, Settlement +Mood, Leave +nothing. Pretty self-explanatory. Choose the one you need most.
No Risk High Reward
Trade Caravan Permission Event (Skullcoast?)
You can let them pass, fine them 100 Gold, or attack them. I haven't tried attacking yet so I'm not sure what that provides. Letting them pass freely will usually lead to the traders donating 5 Gold to you. Since you can not lose and the reward isn't big,
No Risk Low Reward
Epidemic - Black Pestilience Event
Hire healers (-20 Gems), do nothing, or sell corpses to Necromancers. Hiring healers promote mood in the Province. Selling corpses gives you Gems (40~) at the expense of Population Mood.
Moderate Risk Low Reward
Inquisition Event
Let them toture the "sinners" in your Province, prohibit them from, or let your Guards (if you have an in that Province) execute them. I haven't explored all the options yet. If you prohibit them, they will come back so make sure you station a Guard in this Province. If you let them take over your Province, they will eventually spread attacking other Provinces. You really want to avoid this as their party consists of 4: an Executioner, Pikeman, Swordsman and a Healer. The Executioner has Round Attack, has High Health and Stamina, and like 12 DPT Single Target.
High Risk No Reward
Locust Event
I believe each option reduces a certain amount of Gold lost after the event. I don't think you can avoid losing Gold, you can only reduce how much you lose. 1st option you lose arund 160 Gold, 2nd I believe around 220 Gold, 3rd one never tried, 4th one never tried.
Low Risk No Reward
Altar to Worship Event
If you choose to fund their construction of the altar, you would most likely lose population mood because these cultists sacrifice babies and have some kind of orgy. I have yet to get a positive outcome from choosing that option so for now it's best to avoid paying 200 Gold and 10 Gems and losing population mood. Since you can avoid this,
Low Risk No Reward
Brigands Event (Brigand Shore?)
If you don't have any Guards or are not currently in the Province in which this Event occurs, then you'll end up losing Gold. You can only prevent this by luck or foresight. Though, I'm not sure whether or not the following idea may be true but, I'm beginning to think that some events happen on particular Hexes only like this event usually happens in the Provinced named Brigand Shore.
N/A
Ancient Burial Grounds Event
Don't fund the construction of the Obelisk. About 90% of the times I have done it, an undead army kill the workers and something else terrible happens. Don't bother digging the graves up for treasure either.
Low Risk No Reward
Earthquake Event
Can't really get anything out of this, you can only prevent lost of Population Mood. The 1st option if you have a surplus of Gold and the 2nd if you don't. If you really have no Gold to spend just sacrifice Population Mood.
Low Risk No Reward
Influx of Immigrants Event
You can give them aid (-150 Gold), do nothing, or tax them. If you spend 150 Gold helping them, they will spend it partying ultimately returning Gold to you. Not sure how much you gain but I think you gain just as much or slightly under what you provided them with on top of Mood Increase.
No Risk Moderate Reward
Influx of Traders Event
I have only ever chosen the Legalize option. This one gives you a MASSIVE amount of Gold ranging anywhere between 300-1000 Gold.
No Risk High Reward
**Will complete later
This category covers the random events that occur when you explore as well as those that occur in your provinces. I will detail which options are or are not safe. Eventually, I will list them in alphabetical order. If you could contribute in the comments or PM, please do.
*In the following days, I will rework the x Risk x Reward indication reflecting the standard below
**Haven't worked on any yet 5/5/2013
Standard
Risk means an option has a possibility of good or bad. Low means a high chance of Good, High means a high chance of Bad. This indicator is based on personal experience.
Reward means whether or not you can gain something. If all you can do for an event is -prevent- something bad, it will be labelled as No Reward.
Treasure Hunter Event
This guy generally finds nothing but when he does it is a pretty significant upgrade. Out of the 10-15 times I've seen this event I've only been successful about 2 times. 80 Gold and 20 Gems? is a pretty big gamble especially in early game however, if you're not in any immediate danger from invasion you could consider it. Personally, due to rarely ever getting anything, I would not unless you have a surplus of resource.
High Risk Moderate - High Reward
Hero Hunter Event
Choosing to reward him with Gems is usually a good thing as he will share his profits in Gold with you in the amounts of hundreds. I have a very high success rate with this, about 80-90%.
Low Risk High Reward
Oilwort Event
Every option is a good option. Although I'm not sure whether "Let it Grow" has any impact.
No Risk High Reward
Harpies Event
I believe the reward is an increase to population mood. If this happens early in the game the best, and frankly speaking the only choice, is to let the Harpies take the babies away. Early guards like Militiamen can not defend against them, Adventurers can but this circumstance requires luck. Other Guards like Cutthroats, Foresters, etc I'm not too familiar with. Perhaps they can defend against them. If you have more information please let me know otherwise -
High Risk Low Reward
Halfling Farmstead Event
Out of all the options, I have ever only chosen the third one "Begin Trading with the Halflings". This will reward the Province that triggered this event +Gold Income usually +1-3. Since there is a riskless option I will label this
No Risk Moderate Reward
Powerful Treasure Event
The one with the picutre of a Red Chalice and if that's not enough reference, the one where there's a rumor about a treasure. Forgive me because I forget the specifics. Anyways, you'll have a couple of options, two you have to spend Gold in order to find the treasure or just Tax them. Taxing them is a win win because you dont risk anything but you gain Gold. Therefore,
No Risk High Reward
Dragonroot Event
Gathtering +Gem, Plow the land +Gold, Settlement +Mood, Leave +nothing. Pretty self-explanatory. Choose the one you need most.
No Risk High Reward
Trade Caravan Permission Event (Skullcoast?)
You can let them pass, fine them 100 Gold, or attack them. I haven't tried attacking yet so I'm not sure what that provides. Letting them pass freely will usually lead to the traders donating 5 Gold to you. Since you can not lose and the reward isn't big,
No Risk Low Reward
Epidemic - Black Pestilience Event
Hire healers (-20 Gems), do nothing, or sell corpses to Necromancers. Hiring healers promote mood in the Province. Selling corpses gives you Gems (40~) at the expense of Population Mood.
Moderate Risk Low Reward
Inquisition Event
Let them toture the "sinners" in your Province, prohibit them from, or let your Guards (if you have an in that Province) execute them. I haven't explored all the options yet. If you prohibit them, they will come back so make sure you station a Guard in this Province. If you let them take over your Province, they will eventually spread attacking other Provinces. You really want to avoid this as their party consists of 4: an Executioner, Pikeman, Swordsman and a Healer. The Executioner has Round Attack, has High Health and Stamina, and like 12 DPT Single Target.
High Risk No Reward
Locust Event
I believe each option reduces a certain amount of Gold lost after the event. I don't think you can avoid losing Gold, you can only reduce how much you lose. 1st option you lose arund 160 Gold, 2nd I believe around 220 Gold, 3rd one never tried, 4th one never tried.
Low Risk No Reward
Altar to Worship Event
If you choose to fund their construction of the altar, you would most likely lose population mood because these cultists sacrifice babies and have some kind of orgy. I have yet to get a positive outcome from choosing that option so for now it's best to avoid paying 200 Gold and 10 Gems and losing population mood. Since you can avoid this,
Low Risk No Reward
Brigands Event (Brigand Shore?)
If you don't have any Guards or are not currently in the Province in which this Event occurs, then you'll end up losing Gold. You can only prevent this by luck or foresight. Though, I'm not sure whether or not the following idea may be true but, I'm beginning to think that some events happen on particular Hexes only like this event usually happens in the Provinced named Brigand Shore.
N/A
Ancient Burial Grounds Event
Don't fund the construction of the Obelisk. About 90% of the times I have done it, an undead army kill the workers and something else terrible happens. Don't bother digging the graves up for treasure either.
Low Risk No Reward
Earthquake Event
Can't really get anything out of this, you can only prevent lost of Population Mood. The 1st option if you have a surplus of Gold and the 2nd if you don't. If you really have no Gold to spend just sacrifice Population Mood.
Low Risk No Reward
Influx of Immigrants Event
You can give them aid (-150 Gold), do nothing, or tax them. If you spend 150 Gold helping them, they will spend it partying ultimately returning Gold to you. Not sure how much you gain but I think you gain just as much or slightly under what you provided them with on top of Mood Increase.
No Risk Moderate Reward
Influx of Traders Event
I have only ever chosen the Legalize option. This one gives you a MASSIVE amount of Gold ranging anywhere between 300-1000 Gold.
No Risk High Reward
**Will complete later
***General Knowledge: What to Focus on - Random Events 2 (V) (REG) IC
Infirmary Event
You could charge him for opening up a store or reward him. Not sure if you get anything for rewarding him. Up to you.
No Risk No-Low Reward
Refusal to Work Event
This event is really annoying. You have to sacrifice greatly either Gold or Mood; 200 Gold or like 2 Mood Faces. You could flog them though I haven't tried yet.
No Risk No Reward
Death Crystals Event
Either pay volunteers, send them, send Golems, or do nothing. Even with Golems some people end up getting sick. Pay to heal them for best results. The reward is pretty bad.
Low Risk Low Reward
Blue Swans Event
N/A
Giant Slugs Event
Think spending Gold is a guaranteed success. The other options will lead you to a longer chain of choices. Spend 200 Gold -> 70 Gold = 3 Reward Options: 100 Gold, Giant Slug Eggs (Can't hatch until you unlock 2nd or 3rd Tier of a certain Quarter (forgot which) or +30 Gems. Unless you can hatch them, which you probably can't at this stage in the Campaign, this event is mostly negative.
Low Risk Possible High Reward
Uprising Event
Hire an Assassin, seize him, or do nothing. Haven't tried the last option but I suspect that province will eventually revolt if you do nothing. Hiring an Assassin solves this like 30% of the time, the other 70% the villagers will find out. If you seize him you get another list of options. This is another one of those events where you really get nothing and the negatives can be prevented by a Guard to stop the rebellion if it does happen. Overall, pretty unintersting event.
Moderate Risk No Reward
Weaver Spiders Event
Have only tried eliminating them which prevents something bad, if anything, from occuring. If you breed them you might get something.
N/A
Gossip Event
I've tried two of the options; hiring an Assassin and burning. Assasination doesn't always work which leads to rebellion but burning stops them from gossiping however you lose 1 Mood Face.
Moderate Risk No Reward
Dead Magician Event
Plundering gets you some 60 Gold~ and 40~ Gems and an Item.
No Risk High Reward
You could charge him for opening up a store or reward him. Not sure if you get anything for rewarding him. Up to you.
No Risk No-Low Reward
Refusal to Work Event
This event is really annoying. You have to sacrifice greatly either Gold or Mood; 200 Gold or like 2 Mood Faces. You could flog them though I haven't tried yet.
No Risk No Reward
Death Crystals Event
Either pay volunteers, send them, send Golems, or do nothing. Even with Golems some people end up getting sick. Pay to heal them for best results. The reward is pretty bad.
Low Risk Low Reward
Blue Swans Event
N/A
Giant Slugs Event
Think spending Gold is a guaranteed success. The other options will lead you to a longer chain of choices. Spend 200 Gold -> 70 Gold = 3 Reward Options: 100 Gold, Giant Slug Eggs (Can't hatch until you unlock 2nd or 3rd Tier of a certain Quarter (forgot which) or +30 Gems. Unless you can hatch them, which you probably can't at this stage in the Campaign, this event is mostly negative.
Low Risk Possible High Reward
Uprising Event
Hire an Assassin, seize him, or do nothing. Haven't tried the last option but I suspect that province will eventually revolt if you do nothing. Hiring an Assassin solves this like 30% of the time, the other 70% the villagers will find out. If you seize him you get another list of options. This is another one of those events where you really get nothing and the negatives can be prevented by a Guard to stop the rebellion if it does happen. Overall, pretty unintersting event.
Moderate Risk No Reward
Weaver Spiders Event
Have only tried eliminating them which prevents something bad, if anything, from occuring. If you breed them you might get something.
N/A
Gossip Event
I've tried two of the options; hiring an Assassin and burning. Assasination doesn't always work which leads to rebellion but burning stops them from gossiping however you lose 1 Mood Face.
Moderate Risk No Reward
Dead Magician Event
Plundering gets you some 60 Gold~ and 40~ Gems and an Item.
No Risk High Reward
***Tips and Strategies (VI) IC
If nothing clicked for you in my guide because of my excessive explanations and analysis then just follow these tips and you will surely win. Keep in mind that the following Build Order Template is only valid in Competent difficulty and below.
Tips
Placing Units in your Garrison speeds up recovery rate.
Remember to Always Repair.
Having at least 1 Unit in your Garrison will prevent instant lost when being sieged against and also give you 4 Turns to return to your base.
Each +1 point or -1 point to a stat is very significant.
On the battlefield, certain terrain hexes offer either buffs or debuffs and will impair your mobility.
Hills grant you +1 to Melee Defense, +1 to Counter-Attack but will require 3 movement points to traverse over.
Forests grant you +1 to Ranged Defense and require 2 movement points to pass through.
Swamp increases stats of certain Units particularly Provincial Guards since you have no access to them early in the Campaign.
Plains offer no bonus and require 1 movement point to walk through.
Mountains and Rivers are impassible but can be passed by Flying Units.
Damage is not the best way to win the game. You should test out the Crowd-Controlling spells and Buffs/Debuffs. Fatigue is a great way to mitigate damage as it reduces 5 Stamina on a 0 Magic Resistance target. Lowered Stamina decreases damage output as it diminishes and when it is completely depleted, the unit can neither act nor move.
Which Hex you -come- from will determine your half of the battlefield. Lets say your Hero is on a Forest Hex on the map and your destination is on a Swamp Hex. When you do battle with that hex, your half of the battlefield will be Forest and their half will be Swamp. This is important to know when you start reaching the higher difficuties because if your team is mostly Ranged and you come from a Hill Hex, you will no doubt have advantage in Range and positioning.
Build Order Template
The following Build Order is a template which is meant to instruct similarly to a Starting Deck/Pack in Trading Card Games. Unlike the Starting Packs, it functions well in most circumstances.
The best build order in terms of strength and cost is the Brigands
On Turn 0, do not hire a Hero yet. They will make you lose money on the next turn. Although it may not be much, every penny saved matters in the early game. Instead, just build a Tavern and click End turn.
On Turn 1, build a Brigand Lair, hire a Hero (I recommend a Commander), sell all the units he comes with but 1 Militiamen and place him in your Garrison, enlist as many Brigands and you can, finally explore the First Ring. Commander + 4 Brigands can take down anything in the First Ring so just go to whichever has the most Gold Income or to the one that leads to a choke point where you can eventually guard it from incoming enemy Heroes. Generally, it's best to first explore away from the edge of the map since nothing can come from off the shard to invade you.
*For a complete list of Provincial Guards CTRL+F (PG)
On Turn 2, you want to explore the First Ring some more. If you need healing go back to your castle, garrison the injured units because garrisoned units restore Health faster, and explore your Castle. Build a Library. End turn.
On Turn 3, return to your Castle, garrison the injured if you haven't, explore with your Hero, equip a few Fatigue, and repair your equipment. Now which school of magic you build at this point is up to you but I recommend building at least one and either the Astral magic school or an Altar eventually leading to the Healing magic school. the Air magic school is good as well for the Air Shield.
On Turn 4, equip your new spells if you have researched it, replace Fatigue with Web if you chose Astral Magic School, get 1 Heal, 1 Bless, 1 Fatigue or any combination of them if you got Heal school, get 1 Air shield and 2 Fatigue if you got Air school. Now explore the First Ring again or wait until you are fully healed.
On Turn 5, continue finishing the First Ring, use map skill Heal when necessary. Now what you want to eventually build are Healers so construct the Healing school. If you chose the Commander you do not need to research Swordsman because upon leveling the Commander can raise the mitigation stats of your Army therefore the Brigands can tank just as well. As a rule of thumb, always get Melee Defense -> Range Defense -> Initiative in that order.
From Turn 6-10, return to your Castle to Heal/Repair when needed, continue conquering until completed the First Ring, and construct a Tavern as soon as possible for two reasons. Firstly, for the income from Pubs which you can construct on Province Hexes, and more importantly to unlock 1 Adventurer Guard. Around this time the enemy Hero will be looking to invade so if you are lucky enough to have found a choke that is away from the map's edge station your Adventurer Guard there. Alternatively, you can wait until you see the enemy Hero because the first time they appear on your map the game system will inform you. You should also consider building a Workshop or Forge so your Commander won't die in two hits. Although he's not the greatest fighter, equiping him to at least handle Militiamen effectively will benefit you well.
From Turn 11+, your First ring should be completely explored and your Hero should have 1-2 more Command and have a Healer in the army. You are very formidable at this point however use your intuition or read the Ring List to see which 2nd Ring Provinces are easy to conquer. The goal at this point is income, population growth, and defending Provinces. Try to get a Granary and Pub on each Province, and research a Tier 2 Guard to repel the enemy Hero. You should be getting Random Events by now if not earlier, if you do get them don't risk anything because your income is still very poor. Ctrl+F (REG) for a list of Random Events. Get money, read the Ring List, read the Random Events List, and eventually invade the enemy.
Tips
Placing Units in your Garrison speeds up recovery rate.
Remember to Always Repair.
Having at least 1 Unit in your Garrison will prevent instant lost when being sieged against and also give you 4 Turns to return to your base.
Each +1 point or -1 point to a stat is very significant.
On the battlefield, certain terrain hexes offer either buffs or debuffs and will impair your mobility.
Hills grant you +1 to Melee Defense, +1 to Counter-Attack but will require 3 movement points to traverse over.
Forests grant you +1 to Ranged Defense and require 2 movement points to pass through.
Swamp increases stats of certain Units particularly Provincial Guards since you have no access to them early in the Campaign.
Plains offer no bonus and require 1 movement point to walk through.
Mountains and Rivers are impassible but can be passed by Flying Units.
Damage is not the best way to win the game. You should test out the Crowd-Controlling spells and Buffs/Debuffs. Fatigue is a great way to mitigate damage as it reduces 5 Stamina on a 0 Magic Resistance target. Lowered Stamina decreases damage output as it diminishes and when it is completely depleted, the unit can neither act nor move.
Which Hex you -come- from will determine your half of the battlefield. Lets say your Hero is on a Forest Hex on the map and your destination is on a Swamp Hex. When you do battle with that hex, your half of the battlefield will be Forest and their half will be Swamp. This is important to know when you start reaching the higher difficuties because if your team is mostly Ranged and you come from a Hill Hex, you will no doubt have advantage in Range and positioning.
Build Order Template
The following Build Order is a template which is meant to instruct similarly to a Starting Deck/Pack in Trading Card Games. Unlike the Starting Packs, it functions well in most circumstances.
The best build order in terms of strength and cost is the Brigands
On Turn 0, do not hire a Hero yet. They will make you lose money on the next turn. Although it may not be much, every penny saved matters in the early game. Instead, just build a Tavern and click End turn.
On Turn 1, build a Brigand Lair, hire a Hero (I recommend a Commander), sell all the units he comes with but 1 Militiamen and place him in your Garrison, enlist as many Brigands and you can, finally explore the First Ring. Commander + 4 Brigands can take down anything in the First Ring so just go to whichever has the most Gold Income or to the one that leads to a choke point where you can eventually guard it from incoming enemy Heroes. Generally, it's best to first explore away from the edge of the map since nothing can come from off the shard to invade you.
*For a complete list of Provincial Guards CTRL+F (PG)
On Turn 2, you want to explore the First Ring some more. If you need healing go back to your castle, garrison the injured units because garrisoned units restore Health faster, and explore your Castle. Build a Library. End turn.
On Turn 3, return to your Castle, garrison the injured if you haven't, explore with your Hero, equip a few Fatigue, and repair your equipment. Now which school of magic you build at this point is up to you but I recommend building at least one and either the Astral magic school or an Altar eventually leading to the Healing magic school. the Air magic school is good as well for the Air Shield.
On Turn 4, equip your new spells if you have researched it, replace Fatigue with Web if you chose Astral Magic School, get 1 Heal, 1 Bless, 1 Fatigue or any combination of them if you got Heal school, get 1 Air shield and 2 Fatigue if you got Air school. Now explore the First Ring again or wait until you are fully healed.
On Turn 5, continue finishing the First Ring, use map skill Heal when necessary. Now what you want to eventually build are Healers so construct the Healing school. If you chose the Commander you do not need to research Swordsman because upon leveling the Commander can raise the mitigation stats of your Army therefore the Brigands can tank just as well. As a rule of thumb, always get Melee Defense -> Range Defense -> Initiative in that order.
From Turn 6-10, return to your Castle to Heal/Repair when needed, continue conquering until completed the First Ring, and construct a Tavern as soon as possible for two reasons. Firstly, for the income from Pubs which you can construct on Province Hexes, and more importantly to unlock 1 Adventurer Guard. Around this time the enemy Hero will be looking to invade so if you are lucky enough to have found a choke that is away from the map's edge station your Adventurer Guard there. Alternatively, you can wait until you see the enemy Hero because the first time they appear on your map the game system will inform you. You should also consider building a Workshop or Forge so your Commander won't die in two hits. Although he's not the greatest fighter, equiping him to at least handle Militiamen effectively will benefit you well.
From Turn 11+, your First ring should be completely explored and your Hero should have 1-2 more Command and have a Healer in the army. You are very formidable at this point however use your intuition or read the Ring List to see which 2nd Ring Provinces are easy to conquer. The goal at this point is income, population growth, and defending Provinces. Try to get a Granary and Pub on each Province, and research a Tier 2 Guard to repel the enemy Hero. You should be getting Random Events by now if not earlier, if you do get them don't risk anything because your income is still very poor. Ctrl+F (REG) for a list of Random Events. Get money, read the Ring List, read the Random Events List, and eventually invade the enemy.
Additional Reading - Marauder and Plunderer (M&P)
Marauder - x% where X is usually indicated in the unit's statistic screen of Loot from Exploration Victories will be reduced.
Plunderer - x% of the Province Income from the Province the unit is in is reduced.
These abilities require some analysis because it is rather unsightly to see any forms of reduction to Income in a largely Income dependent game. We will do some math to figure out whether it is cost-efficient or inefficient and when will it be either or.
In order to figure out the difference in cost between Brigands and a conventional build like Barbarians we must compare their research costs and unit expenses. Lets begin with their research costs. Brigand research costs 90 Gold. Barbarian research costs 170 Gold. We'll use Commanders at level 0 for both scenarios to keep the math balanced. Brigand expenses in an army costs the following: 4 Brigands (3 + 1 because of the Commander's improved Command stat) costs 40 Gold to enlist and 8 Gold to Upkeep. 4 Barbarians costs 120 Gold to enlist and 24 Gold to Upkeep. We add the stationaries costs together Research + Enlisting Expense. For Brigand, 90 + 40 = 130. Barbarians, 170 + 120 = 290. The Stationary Cost difference is: 290 - 130 = 160 Gold. The Periodic Cost difference (upkeep) is 24 - 8 = 16 Gold per turn. What this means is after 15 Turns, you have saved 16 x 15 = 240 Gold in Upkeep costs from choosing Brigands over Barbarians. Now we add the Stationary difference with the Gold saved from Upkeep after 15 turns, 160 + 240 = 400 Gold. You saved 400 Gold.
Numbers to remember - 400 Gold.
Now, we must calculate the income lost from Maruader and Plunderer then find the difference between the amount of Gold saved and income lost.
Before Turn 15, most of the Loot received on explorations and successful Province invades range from 60-80 Gold and 20-40 Gold, 0-10 Gems respectively. 10% lost from Marauder (reduces Loot reward) of that income is 2-12 Gold and 0-2 Gems. We'll use Loot rewards over Province Income since the latter provides more in the short run and is easier to calculate. Lets assume every exploration is successful and that they provide you with the maximum possible amount of Gold and also assume that you only explore after every 3rd turn due to resting to be fair. 15 Turns/ 3 Turns is 5 so you will explore 5 times. You lose 12 Gold and 2 Gems 5 times. That's 60 Gold and 10 Gems lost from Marauder. Plunderer reduces income from the Province the Brigands are in so lets say out of 15 Turns you're always on your Castle. The Castle generates 20 Gold and 5 Gems on average. You lose 10% of that which is 2 Gold and 1 Gem for 15 turns bringing the total to be 30 Gold and 10 Gems lost. So lets add the lost from both abilities together. 60 Gold + 30 Gold = 90. 10 Gems + 10 Gems = 20 Gems.
Lets find the difference between Gold saved and income lost now.
400 Gold - 90 Gold = 310 Gold. 20 Gems - 0 Gems = 20 Gems.
So, you saved 310 Gold choosing the Brigand build order but lost 20 Gems. Brigands win. We only calculated the difference in 15 Turns but I suspect with such a huge advantage that the build costs will not equalize until 30-40 Turns or more.
What does this solution tell us? It tells us that using Brigands over conventional build orders are extremely cost-efficient despite the Income reduction. However, a few more questions arise. Do Brigands perform better than conventional builds and are their abilities detrimental? Yes to the first, no to the second. Brigands have high base Health, Attack, comparable mitigation stats, and 2 movement points. Plunderer for the most part is negligible because no Province will ever produce a high enough income (100+) to make that 10% decrease significant. Marauder on the other hand can prove to be increasingly draining when you start looting 200 Gold+.
Also note that these abilities stack. I was in a game where I had 5 Brigands in my Army. I stood at my Castle to Heal at which point I noted that my income was 7 Gold. After I left my Castle Hex I noticed that my income rose to 14 Gold. The fact that Plunderer stacks makes me believe Marauder stacks as well so do consider this. Perhaps the Gold advantage will equalize with a conventional build much quicker than I estimated earlier. Perhaps, 20-25 Turns would be a better estimate. However, it remains that Brigands are still very cheap.
Plunderer - x% of the Province Income from the Province the unit is in is reduced.
These abilities require some analysis because it is rather unsightly to see any forms of reduction to Income in a largely Income dependent game. We will do some math to figure out whether it is cost-efficient or inefficient and when will it be either or.
In order to figure out the difference in cost between Brigands and a conventional build like Barbarians we must compare their research costs and unit expenses. Lets begin with their research costs. Brigand research costs 90 Gold. Barbarian research costs 170 Gold. We'll use Commanders at level 0 for both scenarios to keep the math balanced. Brigand expenses in an army costs the following: 4 Brigands (3 + 1 because of the Commander's improved Command stat) costs 40 Gold to enlist and 8 Gold to Upkeep. 4 Barbarians costs 120 Gold to enlist and 24 Gold to Upkeep. We add the stationaries costs together Research + Enlisting Expense. For Brigand, 90 + 40 = 130. Barbarians, 170 + 120 = 290. The Stationary Cost difference is: 290 - 130 = 160 Gold. The Periodic Cost difference (upkeep) is 24 - 8 = 16 Gold per turn. What this means is after 15 Turns, you have saved 16 x 15 = 240 Gold in Upkeep costs from choosing Brigands over Barbarians. Now we add the Stationary difference with the Gold saved from Upkeep after 15 turns, 160 + 240 = 400 Gold. You saved 400 Gold.
Numbers to remember - 400 Gold.
Now, we must calculate the income lost from Maruader and Plunderer then find the difference between the amount of Gold saved and income lost.
Before Turn 15, most of the Loot received on explorations and successful Province invades range from 60-80 Gold and 20-40 Gold, 0-10 Gems respectively. 10% lost from Marauder (reduces Loot reward) of that income is 2-12 Gold and 0-2 Gems. We'll use Loot rewards over Province Income since the latter provides more in the short run and is easier to calculate. Lets assume every exploration is successful and that they provide you with the maximum possible amount of Gold and also assume that you only explore after every 3rd turn due to resting to be fair. 15 Turns/ 3 Turns is 5 so you will explore 5 times. You lose 12 Gold and 2 Gems 5 times. That's 60 Gold and 10 Gems lost from Marauder. Plunderer reduces income from the Province the Brigands are in so lets say out of 15 Turns you're always on your Castle. The Castle generates 20 Gold and 5 Gems on average. You lose 10% of that which is 2 Gold and 1 Gem for 15 turns bringing the total to be 30 Gold and 10 Gems lost. So lets add the lost from both abilities together. 60 Gold + 30 Gold = 90. 10 Gems + 10 Gems = 20 Gems.
Lets find the difference between Gold saved and income lost now.
400 Gold - 90 Gold = 310 Gold. 20 Gems - 0 Gems = 20 Gems.
So, you saved 310 Gold choosing the Brigand build order but lost 20 Gems. Brigands win. We only calculated the difference in 15 Turns but I suspect with such a huge advantage that the build costs will not equalize until 30-40 Turns or more.
What does this solution tell us? It tells us that using Brigands over conventional build orders are extremely cost-efficient despite the Income reduction. However, a few more questions arise. Do Brigands perform better than conventional builds and are their abilities detrimental? Yes to the first, no to the second. Brigands have high base Health, Attack, comparable mitigation stats, and 2 movement points. Plunderer for the most part is negligible because no Province will ever produce a high enough income (100+) to make that 10% decrease significant. Marauder on the other hand can prove to be increasingly draining when you start looting 200 Gold+.
Also note that these abilities stack. I was in a game where I had 5 Brigands in my Army. I stood at my Castle to Heal at which point I noted that my income was 7 Gold. After I left my Castle Hex I noticed that my income rose to 14 Gold. The fact that Plunderer stacks makes me believe Marauder stacks as well so do consider this. Perhaps the Gold advantage will equalize with a conventional build much quicker than I estimated earlier. Perhaps, 20-25 Turns would be a better estimate. However, it remains that Brigands are still very cheap.
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