RAMSnake aka Satanyst
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Now, let's organize some criticism.
In most cases, it's necessary to build troops as quickly as possible, even at the expense of everything else.
Not quite – remember, the game is called "Heroes," not "Troops"! By the time you're ready to build a Capitol, you'll already have some kind of army... For starters, that's enough; dragons can wait....
I don't understand. If there's no gold, they usually take treasure chests for money. Otherwise, what will they use to build troops and buy them back?
It depends on the situation – if you really need money, of course, take the money... But usually, a well-chosen perk is much better than an army worth 1500 gold.... And if you manage resources correctly, as I described (you take resources for the next 5-7 turns), you won't need the money from the chests....
Let's continue... 2. Map control.
First of all, it's about scouting and collecting freebies.... On the first day, you should assign two heroes to this task (who will give their army to the starting hero).... The more you scout, the easier it is to plan combat routes for the starting hero.... If you're missing one artifact to complete a set and you've scouted half the map, you'll find it.... In addition, during scouting, you'll find mills, dwellings, and merchants – the more of these, the better, of course.... An important part is scouting the location of the enemy so that you immediately know when they're coming for you, especially if you're not sure you'll win the duel.... The scouting heroes should also try to intercept the enemy's captured mines/dwellings – believe me, this will cause a lot of trouble for an inexperienced opponent, and you'll also get more resources....
Separately about dwellings. They should be captured as early as possible, even if it means losing some troops to the guards.... Trust me, it will pay off.... Especially tier 6/7 dwellings (although there aren't any on tournament templates).
2 small tips.
1. If you see a desert, send an academic hero there – he will scout/collect faster, etc.
2. In the late game, it's beneficial to give treasure chests to collectors to get logistics and buy them boots to improve their movement points.... (it should be noted that in serious tournament duels, only 60% of the map is scouted by the end of the game).
3. Hero development – this depends a lot on the race. I will talk about all the races in detail and consider this issue there – but it's worth highlighting something general....
1) Don't take logistics – smart map control will more than compensate for it! And you'll save a slot!
2) Magic – don't take more than one, you won't use all the spells in a battle anyway (except in rare cases). And try to take the school that your opponent expects the least from you.... I'll write about magic in more detail later....
3) Defense – everyone needs it without exception. Fewer losses on neutral creatures mean more troops in the final duel! Mages must take defense – it's essential! The longer your army lasts, the more spells you can use!
4) Sorcery – it's worth taking if you see that you can't cast your main range of spells in an average difficulty battle.... Don't take it in the early game....
In general, hero development is an individual matter.... And I can only hint here – these are not even tips....
4. Army control....
I'm considered a great player (that's not true!)... My secret lies in army control.... I'm best at this, and it gives me 60% of the victory.... And I'll try to tell you how I win precisely through control!
There is one main rule – your army in the final duel will depend not only on how much you bought, but also on how much you DIDN'T LOSE!
Growth is good.... Dwellings are even better.... But saving troops is ideal.... Losing as little as possible is the key. Many are literally shocked by the armies I gather because I don't waste my troops unnecessarily....
I don't attack druids/mages and other casters without a good reason – only if there's a valuable artifact or VERY necessary resources nearby that I can't find elsewhere – because I know there will be losses.... When I attack strong neutrals, I know their weakness; if I don't have a way to exploit it, I don't attack.... Of course, the tactics in the battle itself are also very important – I'll write about it later (but this depends more on experience)....
If you see that there will be losses, wait a little (kill someone weaker), gather troops, and then attack....
That's why I wrote about defense in hero development – it will help save troops.... Each race has its own powerful units (for example, archers for elves or vampires for necropolises) that allow you to kill as many as possible with minimal losses – you should value them as much as possible, build them as early as possible, and capture their dwellings at any cost (within reasonable limits, of course).... Saving troops is also helped by defensive magic and resurrection/raising the dead.... When I write about races, I'll tell you how to gather "hordes."
P.S. The starting hero shouldn't go to the city for the army – let some collector bring it....
P.P.S. Good map control and resource management will make the task easier, because if you see druids (lightning – losses for archers) guarding something, searching will allow you to find the same thing – but guarded by other neutrals....
6. There's not much to say about the final duel, here your skill in combat comes into play.... I don't think it's worth describing it – it comes with experience – but if anyone needs it, I can share it....
Now about the races. Let's start with necromancers – because I play them best....
NECROPOLIS. Hero development.
First, specialization.... It's worth noting the "vampires" specialization, because this is the main unit of the necropolis, believe me, 150 vampires with this specialization, and it will be very, very difficult to defeat you.... It's also worth noting the "zombies" specialization – in a tournament game, I can gather about 600 zombies in two months, they are very durable, and with the specialization, there's nothing to say.... And the last one – "banshee scream" – already at the beginning gives you a very good advantage over neutrals (-2/-2/-20%), and with a good selection of artifacts, it's even better.... By the final duel, there will be no trace of the opponent's morale and luck (except in rare cases)....