Heroes 5.5 WarGame Edition - Tactical Edition.

The next update will include: 1. **Purify** - 50% chance instead of 100%. A fixed chance is very good; there's no need to calculate anything, regardless of whether there are more or fewer hit points. The main reason is a softer counter to Light + stronger physics for creatures with this ability (since it has now become weaker and, therefore, cheaper). This means that the ability doesn't counter Light as harshly, and units don't suffer as much when Light is absent (and the ability does nothing). Now, Inquisitors have a choice against Light: either cast the buff themselves (100% chance) or shoot with 50% damage (half-strength shot) with a 50% chance to remove the buff. This choice is not always obvious, as it used to be when using Purify was definitely stronger than the buff. This ability is still much stronger than in the original, due to the fact that the buffs themselves are much stronger. The HP dependency in the original was completely unnecessary, as magical units can freely interrupt casts, regardless of their numbers - this is their advantage, so why should Purify be different? 2. **Hide** and **Might** will be slightly weaker (bonus +4 Attack instead of +5), **Haste** will be significantly weaker (bonus (+4 Attack) x 10% instead of (+5 Attack) x 10%), and **Slow** will be reduced to 2.5 times slower instead of 3. **Dodge** will also be increased to 75% (reducing ranged damage by 4 times instead of 3). This is due to a reassessment of the importance of combat parameters, especially initiative. 3. **Mass versions of spells** will cost 4 times more mana, not 2 (except for Exorcism). This will affect spells of the 2nd and 3rd levels, since spells of the 1st level cost 0 mana (are free). This effect will be achieved by modifying the executable file. Thus, in the end: 1) all mass casts take 100% of the hero's turn, not 50% 2) all mass casts of levels 2-3 affect an area of 4x4, not all 3) all mass casts of levels 2-3 will additionally cost 2 times more mana (a total of 4 times, except for Exorcism) Why does area Exorcism (100% Remove Charm with an effect only on your own units) remain at double the price? Firstly, this is a technical limitation (this is how the changes in the executable file are implemented, which I borrow). Secondly, this corresponds to the balance - because Grief, Blindness, and Subjugation do not have mass versions, and area Exorcism is not needed to remove them. Thirdly, Exorcism is already expensive (single-target 5 mana, area 10 mana - which is more expensive than 4-8 mana for area spells of the 2nd level, and not much cheaper than 12 mana for area Haste). The 2nd and 3rd level spells themselves work approximately twice as strongly as in the original, due to the effect's dependence on spellcasting skill. Thus, in general, mass spells remain approximately as strong as in the original, but are slower in tempo and now much more expensive in mana. However, even a fourfold price is worth it if you look at the strength of the effect (even in the area version, a mass spell is at least 2+ times stronger than a single-target spell). In general, mass spells of levels 2-3 are significantly less beneficial for combat units than in the original - and vice versa for mages: since they require mana and scale well with spellcasting skill. Examples: - A combat unit with 3/3 spellcasting/knowledge will cast mass Haste (level 3) for +60% initiative in a 4x4 area for 4 turns for 3x4 = 12 mana (or 80% of their total mana) - A mage with 9/9 spellcasting/knowledge will cast mass Haste for +120% initiative in a 4x4 area for 4 turns for 3x4 = 12 mana (or 27% of their total mana) With low knowledge, it will be difficult to use mass spells of the 3rd level, and you will have to work with mass spells of the 2nd level, which are 2-3 times cheaper. The same applies to regular spells of the 5th level. Mass spells, both in terms of strength and cost, actually add +2 levels to the single-target version (each subsequent level costs twice as much as the previous one). Spells of levels 2-3 in WGE are very strong and require both spellcasting (any versions) and knowledge (mass versions). In the original, you could almost play buffs for +40% to the army's initiative for almost free, without any requirements for knowledge, spellcasting, and for 50% of the turn - there will be no such freebies here. Next in line will be the elves, for whom doubling the prices for area spells is especially relevant (which are available to alt druids - Archons). Thanks to this change, to cast their powerful area spells (haste, might, hide), Archons will need twice as much mana - 12 instead of 6, which brings them closer to other upgrades (Druids = 16 - 2 hives of 8 mana each, Theurgs = 20 - 1 phoenix for 15 and regen for 4 mana).