Online School of Mastery

For the topic of this article I decided to cover Castle strategies, since this is the town I know best and have played the most games with in training and tournaments. Plus this town combines, perhaps more than any other, ease of learning, ease of play, and at the same time enough strength to play on even terms against any other town.



Objectively speaking, though, this is not the strongest town - it has a few shortcomings, which put it roughly in the middle of most players' preference rankings.



For the reasons above this town is popular; during pre-game town drafting nobody is afraid of picking it for themselves or handing it to the opponent. In the autumn ladder season on heroes.by, Castle ranked 2nd (out of 9 towns) in number of games played with it and 5th in win rate.



Strategies for playing Castle.



This town is notable for its difficult build tree. Crusaders require a Blacksmith, cavalry require Stables, monks require a Mage Guild, and you also want to upgrade Marksmen on day one. That is, while many other towns can build 6-7 dwellings with a Citadel on week 1, Castle usually builds no more than 4-5 dwellings, and often with a Citadel.



But there are advantages too. First, the starting breakthrough power - archers with a screen can do a great deal even in the hands of a weak hero. Second, the overall strength of its growth, which even when incomplete is often able to stand up on even terms against the full growth of other towns. And third, Angels - one of the best level-7 units, which with enough resources can be built on week 1, and with light guards or abundant free resources even with a Castle (which, however, only makes sense on some fixed maps).



Considering fixed maps, Castle is good on the following types of maps:

1) On maps with enough resources to build Angels.

2) On maps with many tough guards that must be broken through in order to build up.

3) On maps with native level-7 dwellings. Angels are a force.

4) On maps with an abundance of random secondary heroes, strong external dwellings, and other objects where it makes sense to take an army instead of building up your home town, because here what matters is not the strength of growth but the strength of the starting army.



Accordingly it is bad:

1) On poor maps with few resources

2) On maps with a shortage of wood, the need to buy a boat, etc.

3) On maps where Angels are close but just can't be built. Here the gap with other factions is the largest, since they can often drop a 7th dwelling with a Castle or Citadel, while Castle has to make do with cavalry and other trifles. Or respectively take a loan for Angels, trade resources, delaying the moment growth enters the game and thus losing tempo.



On random maps, as I already said, Castle sits, in my opinion, roughly in the middle of the town strength rankings.



Heroes:



With heroes Castle is in a situation similar to its build tree - there's often nobody to lead a quite good army. The hero pool is overall a bit weaker than in many other towns, and you often have to bring in a hero from another town as your main.



This is especially critical on random maps, because on fixed maps the starting hero is random, while on random maps it is chosen. And there are 3 main options for Castle:



1) Valeska (archer specialist, Leadership and Archery) - the most common option; a striking stack of Marksmen is a force, Archery in skills complements it, and the extra +1 speed on Marksmen with Valeska doesn't hurt.



2) Tyris (cavalry specialist, Leadership and Tactics) - a more stable option at the start and more powerful in the long run. Good at the start thanks to Tactics (which protects against morale and makes breaking ranged guards easier), a thicker screen of Champions and Griffins, and the +1 extra cavalry speed also comes into play.



3) Caitlin (gold specialist, Wisdom and Intelligence) - for aesthetes and the nostalgic. In the days of the chaos league, Katya was the standard starting hero for Castle due to the start with zero resources, so even now Katya is sometimes taken as a starting hero (mostly for fun), despite the fact that modern tournaments start with 10 grand in gold. Naturally, with this approach, some fighter is taken as the main in the long run.



Most players now start with Valeska, but personally I prefer Tyris due to greater stability on hard spawns and more power later on - a good fighter doesn't always show up in the tavern, and Valya is not the best option for the late game.



Of the other heroes, Sorsha (Cavalier specialist, Leadership and Offense) is not bad, sometimes Edric (Griffin specialist, Leadership and Armorer), and that's about it. And the list of heroes who are more promising than all of these is quite long - it's most Barbarians and Fortress heroes, many Demoniacs, Overlords, and Rangers.



Therefore, even when playing with Valya/Tyris, it makes sense to switch to a more or less decent fighter when one shows up in the tavern. All because Knights level up poorly - compared to many other fighters they less often get such valuable skills as Offense, Armorer, Logistics, not to mention having Leadership, a not very useful skill, from the start.



On fixed maps with a random starting hero you have to play what you're given, but the benchmarks among fighters are roughly the same. True, on fixed maps it's quite convenient to play Castle with a mage - the starting army is strong enough, there are few problems breaking through, and maybe strong magic will arrive in time.





Build tree.



The complexity of the build tree leads to a variety of options in this component and a strong dependence on the amount of resources gathered. There are basically 4 main options:



1) Angels.



The Angels option is usually executed on more or less rich fixed maps. On random maps, Angels on week 1 are a great rarity - because of money, and also because 6 Cavaliers are no worse than 2 Angels for cracking banks and the like.



The total cost of Angels with a Citadel and an archer upgrade is:

20 wood + 25 ore + 12 of each rare resource + 31500 gold



The main bottleneck is usually money, but you can also miss on resources sometimes - if you took the mines late (on fixed maps), didn't find the needed resource in piles, there's no secondary hero to build a Marketplace there, etc. But on the other hand, if Angels do go up, you can hand them off to weak heroes and sharply speed up your tempo of exploring the map, and in serious battles they are extremely valuable. Sometimes it happens that you're a bit short on resources, and in that case you can skip the Citadel, drop a Marketplace, and trade for what you need, even at extortionate prices.



A really greedy variant, possible on rare fixed maps with abundant free resources and light guards - Angels with a Castle; in this case archers aren't upgraded on day one. This costs:

25 wood + 30 ore + 12 of each rare resource + 35500 gold



I do not advise using such a build order without thorough preliminary scouting of the map as to its feasibility.



2) Cavaliers.



A more economical development option - building Cavaliers with a Castle and an archer upgrade. The total cost is:

50 wood + 25 ore + 18500 gold



The main problem is wood. On fixed maps with few wood piles, no sea, and overall few resource piles, you can miss both on Cavaliers and on Angels - on such maps it's better to cross Castle off your list and try to give it to the opponent. On random maps, with 3 wood piles at the Sawmill, Cavaliers usually go up, and with one pile, none at all, or the Sawmill being outright inaccessible, there's a serious risk of being left without Cavaliers, which is a reason to consider a restart.



So for random maps, Cavaliers with a Castle on the first week is a good result, but it isn't always achieved. Sometimes the Castle doesn't go up - either for money, or for resources, more rarely for tempo. If the poverty of the spawn was discovered in the first days of the week, it makes sense to build Zealots (thousands). If in the last days, then Griffins.



3) Griffins



If things are really tight on resources/money, and you can't restart anymore, you have to build something very economical. That is, either Monks or Griffins.



Griffins with a Castle and Bastion cost:

20 wood + 30 ore + 13500 gold, which for rather little money gives you a stack of 25 Griffins on week 2 (and counting those arriving with heroes, up to 35), with an upgrade fairly well substituting for Cavaliers. On random maps I think this is the optimal option when wood is short.



Griffins with a Bastion and a Citadel cost respectively:

10 wood + 20 ore + 8500 gold. Pennies; this build option is good when you quickly grab a promising secondary town or a computer castle, on whose development the main funds go. In the remaining days you can meanwhile drop Zealots (thousands) or a Marketplace.



4) Monks



With a Castle they cost:

30 wood + 35 ore + 2 of each rare resource + 16500 gold. As you can see, the price lag behind Cavaliers is not large, noticeably more expensive than Griffins, and the benefit from 9 Monks is often less than from 25 Griffins. So this build order can be useful only in conditions of strict necessity to break through a strong formation of thick slowpokes, where the power of ranged fire is more important than overall army strength.



However, there's also a hybrid variant - Monks with Griffins and a Citadel. This little pleasure costs:

20 wood + 30 ore + 2 of each rare resource + 12500 gold. Cheap and to the point. On some fixed maps it can turn out quite well, but on random maps Monks are generally of little use.



Still, all variants without Cavaliers and Angels are, IMO, not the right way, so on fixed maps where circumstances might force you into them, it's better to cross Castle off your list, and on random maps, restart if possible. Nevertheless, it's worth knowing these variants - you never know what might happen in tournament games.



Specifically about Monks - the unit is in principle not bad, but it's a shooter, which greatly narrows its field of applicability. The thing is, heavy battles for towns oriented around shooters assume a scheme of closing those shooters in a corner with the bodies of thick melee units, followed by baiting-and-shooting enemies.



With 2 shooter slots, doing this becomes difficult - often only with the help of Tactics, and in various banks it's often outright impossible. And in Utopias you won't take shooters.



A similar picture shapes up for other towns with two or three shooter units - Tower, Dungeon, Conflux, Stronghold. In particular, for Tower it sometimes happens that Mages are not bought at all, and if they are bought, they go to opening a second front, and on single units to reduce spell cost. Conflux solves this problem by upgrading only one kind of Elementals (usually Air), while the second remains a melee unit. And Dungeon and Stronghold are more oriented toward melee units, so even their first shooter isn't a priority when buying, and the second shooter is often bought only for battles with the opponent.



Because of all this, on random maps when playing Castle, players often simply ignore Monk dwellings on the spawn, since they don't intend to build them, and fighting and buying them means spending moves, money, and army (taking Monks without Cavaliers with Tactics is costly in losses). In my memory I took them on week 1 only once, when I found 3 of them right away, but I still didn't build them in the town.



However, on week 2 it's desirable to take Monk dwellings and, if possible, build them in town - for the long run; in battles against the opponent they are often quite useful.



General strategy for conducting the game.



It's clear that a lot here depends on how the situation shapes up - the layout, the distance to the opponent, how things are going for them, and much else. So I'll share some general considerations.



So, the starting army is bought up and runs from home to cultivate the territory.



With a good layout, Cavaliers are built on day 5; here you can open a second front with them and the Crusaders (and if you're lucky with heroes in the tavern, also with a Ballista/First Aid Tent) for deep clearing of the territory - taking money and resources that the starting army didn't have tempo for. If a hero from another town was appointed as main, then Tyris should be detached to the second front - for the cavalry bonuses, Tactics, and also because it's desirable to level her up too.



In the end, a good starting army, generally rich spawns, and the help of the second front usually let you develop quite well on week 1. There arises the natural desire to go for a rush.



But - to storm towns, Castle essentially has nothing on week 2. Of flyers, only Griffins, which are rarely built on good spawns; Marksmen are flimsy and die quickly under fire from towers, enemy archers, and magic.



In the open field it's easier - Marksmen get the chance to show themselves, melee slots are also good, Cavaliers alone are worth a lot, but Castle has essentially nothing else besides them and the Crusaders (which are desirable to upgrade before a rush). While many other towns can field 3-4 good melee stacks.



So a rush is really justified only if you quickly shake a pile of Angels out of Griffins' conserves. That is, I wouldn't seriously orient toward this strat; it's strictly situational.



But Castle has a real late-game boost - its own Angels, and then Archangels. So the most promising development option on week 2, besides cultivating conserves and Hives, is gathering money and the necessary resources to build Angels.



Then on week 3 (and in some cases even week 2), having assembled a decent stack of Angels, you can take a Utopia or two, and with the proceeds upgrade the Angels. And then on week 3 or 4 a really strong army is assembled - besides the Archangels, Griffins and Monks are added, which compensates for the initial incomplete set of slots. After all, Castle's full growth is, perhaps, the strongest among all towns, and the upgraded conserved Angels contribute too.



So roughly this is the development scenario to orient toward by default. And then however the game goes...



Starting army.



With heroes, the following number of troops arrives at most: 10-20 Champions, 5-7 Marksmen, and 3-4 Griffins.

Exceptions:

Valeska (archer specialist) - 3 slots of 4-7 Marksmen each

Edric (Griffin specialist) - Champions + 2 Griffin slots



Total, for Castle at the start, under arms usually stand 34-54 Champions + 19-23 Marksmen + 6-8 Griffins (though Griffins are often absent)

Starting with Valeska, respectively, 24-34 Champions + 26-31 Marksmen (if more than one Marksman stack arrived at the start for Valechka) + (if lucky) 3-4 Griffins

The arrival of Edric can spoil the combat qualities of the starting army, especially if there's no Valeska.



Week 1 battle tactics.



As written above, I start exclusively with Tyris, so the battle schemes are oriented mostly toward her (or scrubs with an army from her). But the battle schemes for Valeska differ only slightly, and in cases of noticeable differences I'll point them out.



It's clear that in real play situations vary, it's impossible to describe everything, much is decided on the fly, so I'll describe the most typical layouts and the schemes for handling them. These are sort of reference points, from which you can build a tactic for each specific battle.



1) Ordinary battles.



Against walkers the strategy in most cases is simple - Marksmen in a corner, Griffins and Champions surround them, single units either run around and lure monster stacks aside, or create a second defensive ring.



Popular formations on grass:

1) Marksmen-1Ch-1Ch-Champions-1Ch-Griffins-1Ch

2) 1Ch-Griffins-1Ch-1Ch-1Ch-Champions-Marksmen



On other terrain types:

3) Marksmen-1Ch-Champions-1Ch-Griffins-1Ch-1Ch

4) 1Ch-1Ch-Griffins-1Ch-1Ch-Champions-Marksmen



There's no special difference in most cases; it's a matter of taste, although with the top formation it's slightly more convenient to surround the main troops with single units, because when moving downward the singles often get in each other's way. And against monsters with speed equal to that of Griffins/Marksmen, it's sometimes useful for Marksmen to move before Griffins.



If few or no Griffins remain, you have to split the Champion stacks, for example: 1Ch-1Ch-1Ch-1Ch-Champions-Champions-Marksmen. Such a formation against two-hex units (Centaurs, Wolves, Cerberi, etc.), with 2 stacks closing off the Marksmen from interference. Against one-hex units you either have to split into 3 stacks, or better, barricade the third field with single units.



Against fast but weak monsters (Pixies, for example), you can deploy like this: Marksmen-Champions-Griffins-1Ch-Griffins-Champions-Marksmen. Thus both corners are occupied by Marksmen with screens; this allows, with excess firepower, more efficient use of it. And in case one of the Marksman stacks is suddenly blocked right away by a stack that got morale, the second one will remove the block.



Against ranged guards the formation is like this - Marksmen in slot 7, Champions in slot 4, Griffins in the rest, can be evenly, and can be uneven; in the latter case the main Griffin stack doesn't just block, it fights.



All Griffins immediately fly forward hoping for morale, blocking the archers (and if they're strong, then blocking without attacking, sitting in defense); meanwhile Champions push forward and Marksmen shoot. It's important to quickly bring Champions onto a direct line so they get hit, not the Marksmen. With a spell book, Haste on someone is welcome, Stone Skin on Marksmen or Champions (Shield doesn't affect ranged attacks).



Sometimes it makes sense to attack weak ranged guards (Gremlins, Halflings) without Marksmen - Griffins and Champions will manage fine, and Marksmen will get chipped regardless. And if attacking with Marksmen, you can split them into 2 stacks - to use firepower more efficiently (for example, if a Marksman stack deals much more damage than the hits in the monster stack)



Marksmen stand below Griffins so that the latter move first, and Marksmen then shoot at whoever the Griffins don't block. Although if the guards' speed is the same as the Marksmen's, they should be put in the 1st stack - so they hit first.



If the Griffins can fly in on the first move (Expert Tactics) and the guards' speed is less than the Marksmen's, you should move them forward at the tactics phase so they hit on a direct shot.



With strong ranged guards and a Knight as main, Leadership is often preferable in leveling than a second skill - more chance of morale. Although with Tyris, Tactics is often more profitable - with Expert Tactics the Griffins fly in on the first move.



There's one trick with Tactics that lets you in some situations strengthen its effect. The thing is, two-hex units when placed manually face nose onto the edge hex, and when placed automatically they back onto it. So if after placing the Griffins in position you press "A", and after the computer places them press Esc, they'll end up one hex closer to the enemy. With this trick, on grass the Griffins reach two-hex archers (Ice Elementals, Medusas) even on Advanced Tactics, and on Expert they reach everything. This also lets you suffer less from the battlefield terrain.



2) Taking Crypts.



Crypts are freebie for Castle; on grass they're taken by the starting army without particular problems. On random maps the generator often makes many Crypts on grass, greatly boosting Castle's economy.



2.1. Let's examine the technique of taking a maximum Crypt on grass. The general case of a starting army without Marksmen from Valeska is considered (fixed map or random with Katya/Tyris as main hero).



The formation is the following: ( 1Ch - Griffins ) - ( 1Ch - Marksmen - 1Ch ) - ( 1Ch - Champions )



Round one - Griffins wait, Marksmen shoot at the Vampires, killing about 3. The Vampires reach the 1st or the 3rd slot and kill the single unit there. The turn goes to the remaining single unit; it dashes as far left as possible, but so that the Witches can still reach. The Witches kill it (more often) or the single unit in the 6th slot (less often); the remaining single unit also dashes as far left as it can. The last single unit in the 5th slot goes all the way down and ends up on the same horizontal as the Zombies, but so that the latter can't reach it by one hex. The main Champion stack waits. The Skeletons go toward the Griffins, the Zombies move horizontally left. The main Champion stack hits the Skeletons (and if the Vampires hit the single unit in the 1st stack, you have to stand bottom-right so the Vampires can't reach next turn); the retaliations might kill something, though if the Champions didn't arrive in minimum quantity and the hero is a fighter, often it kills nobody at all. The Griffins finish off the Skeletons or leave a few that no longer pose a threat and will die next turn from the very first retaliation.



Round two - the Griffins either finish off the last Skeletons or just fool around; they're not needed this turn - you can fly somewhere to lure Zombies or someone else on turn 3, or position to potentially shield the archers. The Marksmen dash up and to the right to leave the Vampires' range, but by at most one hex - so that their own direct-shot range (10 hexes) is maximal. The Vampires kill the single unit on the left side of the field. Now the single unit that was luring the Zombies must position itself so that the Zombies remain on the bottom horizontal, and so that neither the Witches nor the Vampires can reach it. If the Witches killed the single unit in the 1st or 3rd slot, this will be a position 4 hexes to the left of the Zombies. If the Witches killed the single unit in the 6th slot, this is impossible, so dash left, distracting the Witches.



Round three - wait with the Marksmen and Griffins and see what happens. If the bottom single unit is still alive, it will delay the undead for a turn; otherwise they'll rush at us through the wait. It's very important to keep the vicinity of the last single unit on a direct shot (for which you have to position the Marksmen correctly). The undead fly in and take fire from the archers twice in a row. If Vampires flew in - both shots at them (at most 1 Vampire remains). If the Vampires lagged and the Witches flew in - one volley at the Witches (about 4 remain on average), the second at the Vampires (3-4 remain). Then melee hacking with Griffins and Champions; little undead remains, they won't kill much - you just have to not expose the archers, for which before the undead's approach you must surround the Marksmen with Griffins and Champions. Melee mode for the archers is also useful - hitting the undead while simultaneously running from the slowly advancing Zombies. Griffins move before the archers, removing retaliations.



Once the Vampires and Witches are dead, finishing off the Zombies is no longer a problem - run with the Marksmen, shoot, distracting the Zombies with Griffins and Champions.



Losses - 4 single units almost certainly; the rest depends on how it goes, up to 10 Champions and 1 Griffin. But if the taker is not a zero-level mage hero but a fighter who's gained a couple of levels, often losses are limited to the 4 single units.



If taking with Valeska, it's often not worth sending Champions at the Skeletons, saving the former. Here variant 2.2, described below, is sometimes better. And weak heroes, whose melee fighting is not their strong suit, should do the same.



Thinner Crypts are taken the same way, only even simpler, and there even singles can be saved - in particular 5 Vampires after a Marksman volley sometimes can't kill a single unit. My personal week 1 record with Valeska's starting army - taking a maximum Crypt with the loss of one Champion - there was Expert Archery and morale on the Marksmen on the first turn.



2.2. All of the above works well on grass. But on neutral territories (not grass and not dirt) the situation is more complicated - the entire army loses one point of speed; now there's no first-move advantage in the round, and moving around the field is harder. Again the case without Valeska is considered.



Formation: ( 1Ch - Marksmen ) - ( 2Ch (important!) - Griffins - Champions ) - ( 1Ch - 1Ch )



Round 1 - Marksmen wait. Vampires kill 2 Champions in the 3rd slot. Griffins wait. Witches kill the single unit in the 6th slot. The single unit in the 1st slot waits (important!), Skeletons either move forward or wait. The main Champion stack waits. The single unit in the 7th slot moves to the bottom horizontal 4 hexes to the left of the Zombies, luring them. The Zombies go at it (sometimes they go up, but in this strat that's not critical). The turn passes to the single unit in the 1st slot; it stands strictly to the left of the Vampires (so that they stay in place). Now the Skeletons, even if they waited, are forced to move (that's why the 1st single unit must survive and wait), and they do so (in rare cases they move only 1 hex forward - that's very bad). The Champions smash into the Skeletons, standing to the left or upper-left, so that in round 2 after their turn they can enter the Vampires' range. The Griffins finish them off, standing above or below (if to the left, the Vampires will reach them in round 2); the Marksmen run to the top horizontal, one hex beyond the Vampires' reach (no farther - so it's easier later to escape from the Zombies and Witches).



Round 2 - the Vampires kill the single unit parked next to them. The Marksmen shoot at the Vampires. The Griffins stand to the right of the Marksmen (you absolutely must not wait, otherwise in round 3 the Vampires will get the first move). The Witches kill the last single unit. The Champions advance toward the Vampires. The Zombies move up.



Round 3 - the Marksmen shoot at the Vampires, about 3 remain. The Vampires hit the Champions (if the Champions aren't fielded, the Vampires will wait). The Griffins and Champions hit the Vampires, killing them. The Witches fly up, the Zombies move up.



Round 4 - the Zombies most likely reach the Marksmen, and the Witches too, so the Marksmen and Griffins dash all the way left, leaving the Witches' range; the Witches hit the Champions; the Champions dash left.



Round 5 - the Marksmen hit the Witches, killing them or leaving 1. And then running from the Zombies.



When taken with a level-1 Tyris and the corresponding weighted-average starting army (21 Marksmen + 7 Griffins + 44 Champions), losses are 10-15 Champions. At least one morale on the Marksmen cuts losses in half. Hits on the Marksmen or Griffins are not provided for in principle.



When taken with Valeska the scheme is exactly the same, only there are more Marksmen and they're cooler, so in 2 rounds they take out the Vampires or leave about one. But the Champions and Griffins don't knock out the Skeleton slot on the first try, so the battle with them will last 2 rounds. In the end losses are about the same.



I'll point out two pitfalls with Valeska - in the first round it's necessary to surround the Skeletons with Griffins and Champions so that in round 2 they can't reach the Marksmen (i.e., place the Griffins above and the Champions to the left). And in round 2 the Champions finish off the Skeletons, but at the same time in round 3 they may be reached by the Witches, which killed the bottom single unit. So you have to place the Champions to the right of the Skeletons.



If the maximum number of Marksmen arrived or Valeska is already leveled, maybe Archery advanced, then the Vampires are guaranteed to die in two volleys. Here you don't have to run the Marksmen - in 2 rounds the Vampires are killed, and in the 3rd after the Marksman volley 1-2 Witches remain. With fewer Marksmen and a zero-level Valeska it's better to run up in the first round, since 1 Vampire can kill a Marksman in one hit if maximum damage is rolled. And you'll have to shake Vampires off the Marksmen with the Skeletons still not fully dead - the remaining Skeletons will pile on too -> a sure loss of a Marksman.



It's better not to go into Crypts on dirt - the undead get +1 speed and easily tie down the Marksmen. So in most cases it's better to leave them for the second week.



To sum up, I'll repeat myself - Crypts when playing Castle are a gift; on grass, without particular problems, even a maximum one is taken by a scrub hero, bringing 5 grand of ever-gleaming gold. This matters especially on random maps, where the generator abundantly saturates grass spawns with Crypts. But the technique must be worked out - inexperience here can lead to unplanned losses.



3) Taking Dwarf Treasury.



There are 8 types of Dwarf Treasury in total, and on grass with a starting army and a zero-level hero, IMO only minimums - 10 Dwarves per stack - are taken without significant losses. However, since with no upgraded stack the minimum and the second-tier (15 Dwarves per stack) look the same (horde of Dwarves), going for them in the first days is risky, so first I'll consider a minimum with an upgraded stack (pack of Battle Dwarves and lots of Dwarves).



1) Minimum with an upgraded stack (pack + lots) on grass. The army is standard (without extra Marksmen from Valeska).



The formation is this: ( 1Ch - 1Ch ) - ( 1Ch - Marksmen - 1Ch ) - ( Griffins - Champions )



General strategy - Marksmen wipe out about half a stack with one volley, the main Champion stack too, the Griffins finish off single units, the Champion singles lead the Dwarf stacks around and remove retaliations.



First move - the Griffins position themselves on the bottom horizontal, 5 hexes to the left of the bottom-right Dwarf stack. The Marksmen shoot at the upgraded stack. The remainder of the upgraded stack is afraid to hit the Griffins, so it hits the single unit in the 3rd slot; now the main Champion stack can reach it. The Champion singles in the 1st and 2nd slots move to the top horizontal, occupying 2 safe hexes; the single unit in the 5th slot stands right next to the Marksmen - if Dwarves get morale they'll block the Marksmen, but they might hit this single unit instead. The main Champion stack hits the upgraded Dwarves, killing them or leaving one or two. Then the Dwarves move, but can't reach the singles. With morale, they reach and kill something.



Second move - the Griffins either finish off the upgraded stack or retreat even further left so the other Dwarves can't reach them. The Marksmen dash left or left-down. The single unit from the top horizontal removes the retaliation from the top-left stack. The other singles, as the situation dictates, either run to the right and expose themselves, leading the Dwarves as far as possible, or retreat left, holding on the edge of the Dwarves' reach. The main Champion stack hits the Dwarves from whom the retaliation was removed.



Then the Marksmen shoot down the Dwarves on the right side of the field, the Champions and Griffins finish off the top-left stack, then melee the rest, as far as possible trying to expose themselves to as few stacks as possible; the singles help as they can. The Dwarves' damage is low; they don't kill much; the Griffins survive a direct hit from a full stack with margin, and you can use this, exposing them in defense on the path of one of the stacks.



Losses with a successful taking are usually around 4-6 Champions - these are singles, and maybe the main stack gets poked a bit. In case of morale, if the Dwarves close into melee with the archers, losses can be greater, but not by much - after all, the Dwarves' damage is weak.



2) If the hero is already leveled, say Valeska level 5 with Expert Leadership and Archery (and the Marksmen that arrived with her), then on grass you can also take a second-tier Dwarf Treasury, 15 Dwarves per stack (horde or pack + horde).



The formation and battle scheme are exactly the same; the Marksmen take out about 10-11 Dwarves in one go, the remaining 5 are finished off by Champions and Griffins. Losses are similar to those indicated in the previous point.



3) If the matter is taking place not on an English lawn but on a poorer surface, the players' feet slip and speeds become very low; under these conditions you can attempt a third-tier Dwarf Treasury, 20 Dwarves per stack. Of course, not with a zero-level hero but, for example, with the Valeska described above.



But since Dwarf Treasuries with 20 and 30 Dwarves are indistinguishable without an upgraded stack (both throng), let's consider a third-tier Treasury with an upgraded stack (lots + horde).



Formation: ( Champions - 1Ch ) - (1Ch - Marksmen - 1Ch ) - ( 1Ch - Griffins )



Round one - the Marksmen shoot at the upgraded stack, the Griffins wait, the upgraded stack hits the single unit in the 3rd or 6th slot, exposing itself to the main Champion stack and then to the Griffins; the singles entertain the Dwarves on the right flank with belly dances.



Round two - the Marksmen hit the top-left stack, the Griffins and Champions finish off the remnants, the singles keep on rocking.



Round three and onward - the Marksmen retreat into a corner, close themselves off with Griffins and Champions, and shoot down Dwarves as they approach.



Losses vary greatly depending on the number of morales on your troops and especially on the number of morales on the Dwarves. With the indicated hero and starting army characteristics, in the worst case I got a loss of about 2/3 of the screen (though theoretically they can hit harder, so that even the Marksmen get it). If you lost one Griffin and no more than a dozen Champions - that's good.



So if there's enough money, it's better not to go in, but sometimes there's simply no other option and you have to go in, for example, into a second-tier Treasury and risk it. Sometimes it makes sense to run circles around the Dwarves, taking advantage of the speed edge, and wait for morale - quite frequent with Expert Leadership.



4) Taking Imp Cache.



An unpleasant type of building. They give little money, and the guard is stronger than in Crypts. Nevertheless, sometimes you have to go in. Going into a maximum (swarm or horde+throng) on week 1 is risky, but the rest are tolerable. As an example, let's consider taking a third-tier with an upgraded stack. Terrain - grass.



Formation: ( Champions - 1Ch ) - ( 1Ch - 1Ch - 1Ch ) - ( Marksmen - Griffins )



Battle plan - on the first move, knock out the upgraded stack with the Marksmen (for this the Marksmen must stand to the left of the Griffins), then close the Marksmen off in the top-left corner with Griffins and Champions.



Round one - the Marksmen shoot at the upgraded stack. It moves and hits either the Marksmen or the Champions; with a zero-level fighter it kills 0-1 units. With a non-zero one (attack + defense totaling at least 6) or with a large number of archers/a lucky shot, it kills nothing and dies from the retaliation. With Valeska's Marksmen, it dies already from the direct shot. The Griffins dash left, finish off the upgraded stack (if anything remains there), and the Champion singles too, though alternating with the Imps. The main Champion stack hits the top-left Imp stack (for the first hit it must stand higher than the rest).



Second move and onward - a screen of Griffins and Champions is set up around the Marksmen. With Valeska the Marksmen get there in 1 move; with other heroes in 2 moves. The singles distract the Imps for as long as they can and die a heroic death.



Final losses depend on the number of morales on both sides. It's good if you left no more than a dozen Champions on the battlefield. Although sometimes it gets up to two dozen with a couple-three Griffins - if the Imps got lucky morales, if the hero is weak, if the army is battered, if you messed up somewhere, etc.



So without proper reason it's better not to go in. However, if a good fighter ended up as main - leveled Armorer, stats a bit - you can safely go in; losses will most likely be small.



Thinner Imp Caches are usually broken without particular problems even by weak heroes. In minimums it makes sense to split the Marksmen into 2 stacks - in the 4th and 6th slots; with a zero-level hero, put slightly more in the 4th slot to take out the bottom-left corner for sure. This trick lets you take out the Imps faster and save singles.



It's better not to go into Imp Caches off grass on week 1 - the Imps' speed there is higher than the Champions', the upgraded stack gets the first move, etc. Sad, in general...



5) Taking Naga Bank.



It's better not to go in with the starting army, even into a minimum. But if the rest of the week-1 army is on hand (2 Cavaliers and 4 Crusaders), and they're often already on hand by day 5, you can handle a minimum with an upgraded stack (few + pack). In principle a second-tier is handleable too, but since it's indistinguishable from a third-tier (lots or several+lots), a weak hero shouldn't risk it.



Formation: ( 1Cavalier - Griffins ) - ( Crusaders - Marksmen - Champions ) - ( 1Cavalier - Griffins )

By the way, it's not essential whether the matter takes place on grass or not - the scheme is universal, only the turn order is slightly different, but it doesn't particularly change the layout.



Round one - one Cavalier hits the upgraded stack, the second Cavalier hits the top-left stack, the upgraded stack hits the Crusaders but kills no one and takes the retaliation. The Griffins block the top-right and bottom-right stacks, standing strictly to the left so the Medusas can reach the Champions. The Marksmen shoot down the center-right stack, leaving at most about one; the Crusaders retaliate-free kick the upgraded stack from below, leaving the top-left's range. Off grass two Medusa slots sequentially kick the Champions; after retaliation 1-2 Medusas remain in the top slot depending on the number of Champions. And on grass, after the top-right stack's hit, the Champions themselves go to bash the bottom-right, reducing losses.



Round two - one Cavalier finishes off the upgraded stack (if it's not dead yet), the second Cavalier continues the fight with the top-left stack, the Griffins finish off single units, the Marksmen shoot at the fattest stacks.



Losses with a zero-level fighter on grass - usually from 2 to 5 Champions, off grass 4-8 Champions. Sometimes, if petrification fired en masse, or the Medusas got morale, the losses are bigger, but if you don't let the Medusas shoot, they're small - after all, in melee the Medusas aren't very strong.



And if the hero is good, far from level 1, with fighter skills, you can attempt with the same scheme also a second- or third-tier Naga Bank. So, for example, I broke a third-tier Naga Bank (8 Medusas per stack) with a level-5 Vistar (Expert Archery and Armorer) with the indicated army, with losses of 3 Griffins and a dozen Champions. Armor and defense stats are especially critical here; without them, 1 Cavalier may not survive the battle with a stack of 8 Medusas.



Into maximum Naga Banks (horde and pack+lots) with a week-1 army you can't go, unless you leveled or freed from prison some totally über-hero. So, say, a level-10 Mephala with Expert Armorer, Offense, Leadership, and Basic Archery took for me a maximum Naga Bank with Valeska's starting army plus Cavaliers and Crusaders; losses were 2 Griffins, 5 Champions, and 2 Marksmen, even despite petrification firing in about 40% of cases.



However, this happens rarely, unlike money for Castle, so fat Naga Banks are best left for week 2 and taken with minimal losses.



6) Taking Dragon Fly Hive.



A difficult type of building, usually left for week 2. Let's consider taking a minimum Dragon Fly Hive with an upgraded stack (few Royal Griffins + several Griffins).



We'll take it with a level-5 Valeska with stats 4-4, Expert Leadership and Archery. Army - starting plus 2 Cavaliers (upgraded or not doesn't matter).



Formation: Champions - Cavaliers - Marksmen - Crusaders - 1 Griffin - 1 Griffin - 1 Griffin.



Round 1 - the Cavaliers ram the top-left stack on the charge. The Marksmen shoot at the upgraded stack, killing or leaving very few hits. The upgraded stack moves and applies itself to the Champions. The Griffins scatter, distracting the Naga stacks on the right flank. The Crusaders finish off the upgraded stack. The top-right Naga stack moves. The Champions apply themselves to the top-left stack, killing one Naga. The remaining Nagas move; the top-left stack applies itself to the Champions once more.



Round 2 and onward - the Cavaliers and Champions finish off the top-left stack, the Marksmen shoot down the Naga stacks on the right flank, the Crusaders and Cavaliers finish off, the Griffins lure the Nagas as far right as possible.



In the absence of Naga morales, the Marksmen don't even have to run to a corner. Losses - 3 Griffins and a few Champions. If there are no Griffins, you can use Crusaders instead.



7) Taking Griffin Conservatory.



On week 1, with a starting army and a zero-level hero, only a minimum with an upgraded stack is taken. Suppose it's taken by a level-1 Tyris with the corresponding starting army.



Formation: Griffins - 1Ch - Marksmen - 1Ch - 1Ch - Champions - 1Ch.



General battle scheme - close the Marksmen in a corner with Griffins and Champions.



Round 1 - the upgraded stack kicks the Champions, blocking the Marksmen. The Griffins fly to the bottom horizontal and stand a hex from the edge of the battlefield. The top-right stack kills a single unit. The Marksmen dash into the bottom-left corner. The remaining Griffins move, killing single units; the top-left stack kicks the main Champion stack. If they get morale and close into melee with the Marksmen, you can take a restart. If not, the Champions close the Marksmen off in the corner.



Round 2 and onward - the Griffins and Champions defend, the Marksmen shoot down the thickest attacking stacks, trying not to finish them off. If none remain, they shoot full stacks that are idling in the field. Finishing off battered stacks isn't worth it, since fresh ones will fly into their place in the same round.



Losses - from half to 2/3 of the screen. So with Valeska, for example, you shouldn't go in - her screen is dead, it'll run out before the Marksmen shoot down the Griffins.



If you already have 2 Cavaliers (from a dwelling or from home), then the task is sharply simplified - a pocket is built from them and the Griffins, into which the Marksmen run. Griffin morale isn't scary here. Valeska can manage this too.



If you manage to find and take a minimum Conservatory in the first days, that's a strong bonus to development. Breaking through becomes sharply easier; you can open a second front with a hero with 1 Angel, or even tank with him alone on the first front while the remnants of the army clean the home spawn.



Week 2 battle tactics.



Taking fat Dwarf Treasuries, Naga Banks, and Imp Caches is done with the same schemes as on week 1, but since the army is already much stronger, there are no problems even with suboptimal battle conduct.



So let's consider more complex banks, whose taking is usually done only on week 2.



1) Taking Griffin Conservatory.



In the week-1 battle tactics, taking a minimum Conservatory was considered; however, the practice of games shows that this is a fairly rare case, and mostly Conservatories start being broken only on week 2.



This is a very tasty morsel on random maps. Conservatories come in 8 types, of which minimums (10 Griffins per stack) are broken on week 2 without any problems or losses, second-tier (20 Griffins) too in general; for third-tier (30 Griffins) you need a well-leveled hero, and into maximums (40 Griffins) without a very good hero and additional troops beyond growth you'd better not go.



Additional hassle is that Conservatories without an upgraded stack are indistinguishable from second-tier to maximum (all - throng of Griffins). An analogous problem with third-tier/maximum with an upgraded stack - they're indistinguishable too (both - horde of Royal Griffins and throng of Griffins). Sometimes players even spend a hero to check a Conservatory.



Let's consider taking a second-tier Conservatory with an upgraded stack (lots+horde) on grass. Suppose on week 1 Cavaliers were built with a Castle; the main hero has stats 5-5, no spell book.



Let the army be the following - 6 upgraded Cavaliers (a Stables is typically on the spawn) + 45 Marksmen + a dozen Griffins (arrived with heroes) + about 60 Champions (in general there may be more, but part is usually dumped on week 1). We don't take Crusaders, so as not to lose them. And it's cheaper not to buy them.



Formation: ( Griffins - 1Ch ) - ( Champions - 1Ch - 1Ch ) - ( Marksmen - Cavaliers )



Battle plan - close the Marksmen in the bottom-left corner with Cavaliers, Champions, and Griffins.



Round one - the Cavaliers ram the upgraded stack on the charge going all the way left, killing more than half. The upgraded stack either pecks at the Marksmen, or (more often) pecks at the Champions, blocking the Marksmen. Our Griffins stand on the bottom horizontal three hexes to the right of the edge - the pocket for the Marksmen is ready. The top-right Griffin detachment kills a single unit. The Marksmen enter the pocket. The remaining Griffins kill single units; the top-left slot either also hits a single unit or pecks the main Champion stack once more. The Champions move down and stand between the Griffins and the Marksmen. Sometimes if the upgraded stack positioned badly, the Champions fall one hex short and stand next to the Cavaliers.



Round two - the Cavaliers wait, the Griffins pounce. The Champions and Griffins defend; battered stacks must under no circumstances be finished off (!), because fresh ones will fly into the place of the killed in the same round, and sitting in defense is more profitable from the loss-minimization point of view.



The Marksmen's task is to shoot at the thickest attacking stacks, if possible without finishing them off. If the attacking stacks are already battered, then shoot at the stacks that are idling in the field. If at the end of the round the Cavaliers still have an exit into the field, they ram someone on the charge, and at the start of the next round they return to the initial position. If not, they just kick their own screen, if they have enough health.



Losses with the indicated stats and army, and the absence of Offense/Armorer/Archery - about 5 Griffins + about 30 Champions. Sometimes if you messed up or got unlucky, you can lose a Cavalier, but this should be avoided - it's better to dump an extra dozen Champions; there's someone to replace them.



A pleasant point of this strat is that it depends weakly on morale on the Griffins - that is, the Marksmen still hide in the pocket, from which it's already impossible to smoke them out.



A third-tier Conservatory with an upgraded stack (lots+throng) is taken with the same scheme; losses - all Griffins, the greater part of the Champions, a couple of Cavaliers. That's a lot, but usually justified - after all, 3 Angels. Although if it's not urgent, you can level the hero a bit, gather meat for slaughter from random dwellings/villages, etc.



If something altogether wicked is in the main heroes, with fighter skills and stats, then many Champions can survive too. In my memory I broke a second-tier with Alkin without the participation of Marksmen (I missed a slot and they were blocked the whole battle) and without particular losses, and a third-tier with Tazar under the same conditions, though with considerable losses. In general, Fortress heroes are awesome for Castle - take them at the first opportunity.



However, the practice of tournament games shows that on week 2 Griffins come out somehow sparse, if Cavaliers with a Castle were built on week 1 - the Griffins are lost, used to speed up scrubs, and if you start with Valeska, you get fewer of them. So you often have to take them without Griffins.



In this case you have to swap the Champions and Marksmen (i.e., Champions in the 6th slot, Marksmen in the 3rd) - so the Champions manage to close off the Marksmen. The Griffins can be used as singles or even not taken at all. Although it's worth taking at least one Griffin in the 1st slot - see below.



It's also useful to upgrade the Champions - they gain more attack/defense, and more importantly, speed. Sometimes the Griffins position themselves so that they block the direct path to the corner for the Champions (with Griffin morale, for example); this leads to the Marksmen being blocked in round 2, which when taking a fat Conservatory is fraught, in the best case, with heavy losses, and usually with a rout of the whole army. If the Champions are upgraded, then speed 6 is enough to make it to the corner even going around the Griffins.



The pitfall of this scheme is the possible morale on the top-left Griffin slot - they move before the Champions, and the Marksmen are already standing in the corner. For consequences see the previous paragraph. To avoid this, it's recommended to immediately fly the single Griffin from the 1st slot to the bottom horizontal, standing two hexes to the right of the Marksmen. Thus the Champions are left a path to the Marksmen 1 hex wide, and the Griffins can't stand there.



Another, more effective way of solving this problem, which also saves Champions - having a spell book with Haste in it. Then Haste is thrown on the Champions during the Marksmen's move, and with two consecutive moves a combat stance is built without the risk of running into Griffin morale.



If there are secondary towns or random dwellings, troops from them can be taken as meat for slaughter - and the Griffins react more readily and it holds up longer. The meat is placed first in the 4th stack, then in the 2nd, 5th, and 7th. The main thing is not to spoil morale; better to have less meat but neutral morale. Although if you take a Knight, morale will be normal anyway.



If there's no meat, the Conservatory is fat, and the hero is thin , you can take Crusaders along and build a block from them and the Cavaliers, giving up the Griffins and Champions. Or give up the Crusaders themselves, but that's still undesirable.



If there's an opportunity to buy a spell book, it's worth doing. What can be done with magic:



1) The best option - Blind, first on the top-left stack, then on everything in a row.

2) Alternative option - Slow on the same one.

3) Haste on someone - can be on the Marksmen so they move before the Griffins, can be on the Champions in the first round if they don't reach their position by the Marksmen, and also to save them from the hit of the top-left stack (see above).

4) Shield or Stone Skin on the screen.

5) Bless or Precision on the Marksmen.



If there are already conserved Angels in the army, the task is simplified, so with several Conservatories available it makes sense to take them with several heroes in a chain, starting with the thin ones. The Angels are placed in the free slots (2, 4, 5, 7) and on the first move ram the upgraded stack on the right; then the Cavaliers add, and a pocket forms even without the Champions' participation.



If there are many fat Conservatories, then after the first one Champions will be in short supply. In this case, in the following fat Conservatories the role of meat is played by the Crusaders. And non-fat ones can be taken altogether without meat, by the scheme Angels+Cavaliers+Marksmen+4 singles.



2) Taking Naga Bank



Naga Banks come in 8 types - 2, 3, 4, and 6 Nagas per stack plus variants with upgraded/non-upgraded stack.



Let's consider taking on grass a third-tier Naga Bank (4 Nagas per stack) with an upgraded stack (few+pack, total - lots). Suppose Tyris takes it with stats 5-5 and no spell book. Army - 7 Cavaliers and the rest respectively.



Formation: 1 Griffin - 1 Griffin - Marksmen - 1 Griffin - 1 Griffin - Champions - Cavaliers.



General scheme - the Cavaliers knock out 2-Nagas from a hit, the Marksmen too. Which we use, destroying Nagas as they approach, the Griffins for diversion.



Round 1 - the Cavaliers ram the upgraded stack from above on the charge, going all the way left. They kill 2 units. The upgraded Nagas in their turn kick the Champions, blocking the Marksmen. Drive all the Griffins into the top-right corner - you need all the Nagas to go there, making it possible in round 2 to immediately finish off the upgraded stack with the Cavaliers without risking exposure to the other Naga stacks. One Griffin must expose itself to the top-left stack, holding it on the top horizontal (for the same reason).



The Marksmen run into the corner; the Champions close off the Marksmen. The Nagas move, killing the exposed singles.



Round 2 - the Cavaliers finish off the upgraded stack; the Griffins maneuver to keep the Nagas' attention on themselves. The Marksmen hit those who exposed themselves to a direct shot (if none, then wait; by the end of the round someone will expose themselves), preferring full stacks. The Cavaliers finish off.



Round 3 and onward - the same; the Champions take the hits from the Naga stacks that did reach them.



Losses with the indicated layout - 4 singles + on average 20-30 Champions. Depends on the number of morales on both sides. Sometimes only singles are lost at all. And sometimes if you zoned out or the Nagas were morally tough, a Cavalier is lost. To avoid this, it's recommended to finish off the stacks that hit the Champions as quickly as possible, then new stacks will hit them too, not the Cavaliers.



Overall a fairly simple fight. Thinner banks are taken with the same scheme but with much smaller losses. If you upgrade the Champions, you can use them as singles - they're faster than the Nagas, plus one-hex, i.e., more maneuverable.



In a maximum Naga Bank they can also beat you up... with the army indicated above it isn't taken; a more leveled hero is recommended, a spell book with Haste is desirable, and if possible some meat that can withstand a hit from a Naga stack.



The formation is the same, but in round 1 you have to throw Haste on the Marksmen (or Slow on the upgraded stack) so that right after the Cavaliers' move the Marksmen apply themselves to the upgraded stack a second time. One Griffin must meanwhile block the top-left Naga stack from below, not letting them reach the Marksmen this round. Then in round 2 the Cavaliers finish off the upgraded stack (and ideally if the Champions finish it off already in round 1), and the Marksmen calmly dash into the corner.



3) Cyclops Stockpile.



This type of bank is rarely taken, since the guard is strong and the benefit is small. And it's usually taken in week 3 or 4, when you start building magic or for the Angel upgrade.



The tactics are simple - the Cavaliers are split into detachments of 1-2 units and ram different Cyclopes on the charge; the Marksmen shoot from the center; the Griffins block; the Champions (on grass, an upgrade is desirable to match speed) fight and also serve as meat for slaughter.



On week 2 with the army described above, a second-tier Cyclops Stockpile (6 Cyclopes per stack) is taken normally, preferably without an upgraded stack (on it, 2 Cavalier stacks will have to be spent to block, otherwise they'll reach the Marksmen).



Wic

ICQ 148698328

wicforever@mail.ru