Nargott
Elementals
The summoning of elementals is balanced as follows: the higher the initiative of the elementals, the weaker their strength (and price). Additionally, the elementals are balanced as in Heroes 3:
Tier 2) air elementals, initiative 15 (price 300)
Tier 3) water elementals, initiative 12 (price 400)
Tier 4) fire elementals, initiative 9 (price 500)
Tier 5) earth elementals, initiative 6 (price 750)
Air elementals have received flight, retaliatory strike, incorporeality, and protection bypass (which, in the case of a flying unit, ignores 20% of the enemy's protection if the attack is made while moving).
Water elementals have received magic (ice shard, ring of water) and healing (like paladins)
Fire elementals have received ranged attack, fire skin, and burning (like red dragons)
Earth elementals have received the heavy class, infinite retaliatory strike, and magnetism (and this is the most durable unit in the game)
Earth elementals, in addition to being able to protect against area-of-effect chaos by absorbing damage, provide excellent protection against meteors and spikes because they are immune to earth and do not take damage themselves. For the same reason, they are good for clearing mines (mines also deal earth damage).
Update: it turns out that the "Magnetism" ability pierces any immunities, in terms of the damage that is redirected. For example, a meteor dealing 54 damage to 3 targets, one of which is an earth elemental, will actually deal 107 damage to the earth elemental (a standard Nival rounding error). The elementals themselves will not take damage from the meteor, but the other 2 targets will. This, of course, reduces the effectiveness of magnetism against earth, but not by much - if chaos damage is directed at the summoned earth elementals, this is a very advantageous trade for the summoner.
The summoning of a phoenix is implemented as follows:
- if a hero summons a phoenix, then the standard phoenix is given attack and defense equal to the hero's magic skill (it does not depend on the skill level)
- if a phoenix is summoned by guardians (druid upgrade), then the phoenix does not receive any bonuses for magic
With the exception of possible attack/defense buffs from the hero's magic skill, the summoned phoenix has the same characteristics as a neutral phoenix, and the same abilities, except for resurrection - instead, it has 50% magic resistance.
In other words, guardians (unit) summon a lesser phoenix (which is equivalent to tier 7, but without the main ability - resurrection), while a hero can summon a more powerful phoenix, which, with good magic skill, is stronger than a neutral phoenix due to higher stats, despite the lack of resurrection.
In WGE, the phoenix is not an uber-monster that takes down tier-7 dragons left and right, but a tier-7 unit equal to them (and even a summoned phoenix with high magic skill is not much stronger than a dragon).
Added 1 hour 37 minutes ago
Area-of-Effect Attacks
1. Dragon's Breath.
In the original: dragon's breath and acid breath do the same thing, although they are called differently.
In WGE:
- Acid Breath is safe (it only attacks enemies)
- Fire Breath is dangerous, but deals 200% damage to secondary targets
- Area Breath is a new ability of dwarf dragons, an area attack of 2x2 with a safe 50% damage to secondary targets
2. Attack in 3 cells.
In the original: deadly splash and 3-head attack (for cerberuses) do the same thing, although they are called differently.
In WGE, this ability is called the same - Wide Attack.
3. Half-circle attack.
In the original: whirlwind and 3-head attack (for hydras) do the same thing, although they are called differently.
In WGE, this ability is called the same - Half-circle Attack.
4. Circular attack.
In the original: battle dance of dancers deals only 50% damage to secondary targets, but the 6-head attack of hydras deals full damage to all targets.
In WGE, this ability is called the same, and works the same - Circular Attack, full 100% damage to all targets around.
5. Hellish Breath.
In the original: hellhounds have the ability of 3-head attack and dragon's breath, however, the hounds deal a safe 75% damage to all secondary targets, which is illogical (both abilities should deal 100% damage separately, in addition, dragon's breath should damage its own units).
In WGE, this is a single ability - Hellish Breath, which hits similarly in 6 cells and deals 50% damage to all secondary targets (there is no confusion).
6. Crushing Blow.
In the original: the ability of cyclops, dealing dangerous 100% damage in an area of 2x2, while stunning several targets, and even if a secondary target is stunned, the primary target somehow does not respond to the attack.
In WGE: Crushing Blow (dangerous 100% damage in an area of 2x2) no longer stuns anyone (and Stun is transferred to basic cyclops).
7. Curse.
In the original: the ability of cyclops imposes bad luck on enemies, while this same ability somehow attacks 2 targets.
In WGE: cyclops received a separate ability Burn (attack 1x2) and a separate ability Curse (debuff -3 luck).
8. Electric Breath.
In the original: the ability deals damage to the target and all surrounding enemies, distributing the damage equally among all. However, there is an undocumented bug: with retaliatory strikes, the damage is not distributed, but is dealt in full to all targets.
In WGE: the ability is called Distributed Attack, and it clearly states that the damage is not divided with retaliatory strikes (moreover, this feature of the Paokai is also enhanced by another ability - infinite retaliatory strike).
Twilight witches also received a distributed attack because the ability works perfectly with ranged attacks.
9. Storm Strike.
In the original, this is called the chain attack of thanes, but the one-time ability of earls is called something else - unexpected storm. And the jarls have a flame strike, which is also one-time.
In WGE: storm strike is a one-time ability (as is flame strike), and the thanes' own attack is simply called - Chain Attack.
Moreover, elemental witches received a chain attack because the ability works perfectly with ranged attacks.
10. Magic Attack.
In the original, mages have an ability with a very strange name - supposedly magic attack, and also an ability that makes such ranged attacks safe at close range for their own units. Also with a strange name - magic suppression. In reality, neither one nor the other has anything to do with magic and only causes confusion among players.
In WGE, the linear attack of mages is simply called - Piercing Attack, and the corresponding defensive aura is called - Aura of Impenetrability.
11. Cross Attack.
In the original, this is called the ability of Arkat priests, but it only works on ranged attacks, dealing 100% safe damage to secondary targets in a cross.
In WGE: the ability is renamed to Cross Volley to emphasize that the ability does not apply to melee attacks.
Also, all gremlins have been given a new ability Explosive Projectiles, which deals dangerous 100% damage diagonally. The purpose of adding a new ability is that with it, crystals can now be broken with secondary damage, while priests cannot do this, their safe secondary damage simply ignores crystals.
12. Fire Wave.
In the original: the ability is limited to a range of 5 cells.
In WGE: the ability is not limited in range and can damage almost the entire field if the jarls attack from the corner. The damage to distant targets is quite small (10% at the maximum distance of 10).