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SPECIFIC TACTICAL QUESTIONS APPLICABLE TO OTHER TOWNS
It doesn't matter as much which opponent you face; a great deal depends on the Tactics skill and the terrain where the battle takes place, as well as the Mass Haste spell. By quickly attacking all enemy units, you are capable of dealing significant damage, leaving the enemy with only small squads of surviving creatures, and ideally blocking them so they cannot approach your shooters. To achieve this, you must position your attacking units in front of the enemy shooters and try to destroy their flying units. Mass Haste cast during the turn of Stormbirds is a formidable weapon. Remember that your main goal is to deal as much damage to the enemy as possible during the first massive attack. Do not be fooled if you have Tactics at a high level—the opponent may also possess it. Position your units in this order (top to bottom): Cyclops, Hobgoblins, Ogres, Orcs, Behemoths, Wolves, Stormbirds. Another possible option: Cyclops, Stormbirds, Ogres, Hobgoblins, Behemoths, Wolves, Orcs. The only concern (besides a clear advantage in manpower) is the fact that the opponent may immediately use Mass Haste or Mass Prayer and begin rapidly destroying your army. For this, the enemy hero must be an expert in Air or Water Magic, so it is important to be able to predict, based on observations, which hero has a chance of obtaining these skills and in which city the actual appearance of Prayer is possible. Only three cities are real contenders for this (Castle, Tower, and Rampart). There are high chances of studying Water Magic among Knights and Clerics. Rangers and Alchemists have half the chance, while Druids and Wizards are somewhere in the middle. Thus, an enemy from Castle is the most dangerous in this regard. With Air Magic, it is as follows: 1. Wizard 2. Alchemist, Cleric, Battle Mage 3. Knight, Barbarian, Heretic, Necromancer 4. Demoniac, Death Knight, Warlock, Witch, Druid 5. Overlord, Beastmaster, Ranger. Thus, Dungeon, Fortress, and Rampart most often do not have Air Magic in their arsenal. Necropolis and Inferno may have it, but a significant amount of time must pass before they reach expert level. Tower and Castle are the main contenders. Therefore, Castle is the primary candidate to present you with unpleasant surprises. Knights very often have Tactics in their arsenal, while Clerics do not. Alchemists also study Tactics well, whereas Wizards rarely do. If you have a tactical advantage, position your troops taking into account the striking characteristics of Gogs and Liches (the hit extends to areas adjacent to the attacked one). You should position your forces so that you can reach the enemy in one turn after applying Mass Haste, while the enemy, conversely, in case they apply Mass Slow, cannot reach you with all their forces in this round. Try to destroy fast enemy units. In general, you will usually have a tactical advantage against magically oriented heroes. However, in a clash with Might heroes, you often will not have it, so you will have to enter battle with troops positioned on the rear line of the front. In this case, there is no particular sense in using Mass Haste in the first round, as not all your units will be able to reach the enemy immediately (exception—Terek at a high level). As soon as the opponent casts a spell, apply Mass Slow. If they do not have Mass Haste, you can destroy them with shooters and position your slow units in a state of readiness for an immediate attack. At the beginning of the second round, cast Mass Haste and attack the enemy with all your strength. Remember that the Resistance skill will provide significant help. With a large tactical advantage, you can position your shooters within a 10-cell range so they deal full damage to the enemy, but due to their initiative, the opponent may apply Mass Slow first, allowing their shooters to attack earlier and deal equal full damage to you. All shooters (except Titans and Cyclops Kings) have a speed less than or equal to your ground units. With Resistance, there is a good chance that Mass Slow will not affect all your stacks, which will allow you to seize the initiative, apply Mass Haste, and move your shooters before the enemy's. Everything said about Resistance, of course, applies to opponents as well (especially Rampart), so your Mass spells may also fail to achieve the desired goal. When meeting a human player, the psychological factor also plays a role. A massive attack by all your units, considering the damage dealt by Ancient Behemoths and Wolf Warriors (especially if the latter do not fear a counterattack), hits the opponent's morale and willpower hard (not the units, but the player!). The destruction of two of their solid stacks, which they perhaps considered their striking force, leads them to think that the battle is lost (although in reality it may not be so), and the opponent may simply surrender or flee! So demonstrate your strength to the opponent by attacking; demoralize them. Just like Suvorov—eye for detail, speed, onslaught! Castle Fighting Castle is difficult (see above). There is a real danger of the opponent using Mass Haste. You will suffer heavy losses before you can apply Mass Slow. If the opponent does not have Haste, everything is much better. Position your troops out of reach of Champions and Royal Griffins, as well as outside the direct hit zone of Shooters and Fanatics, and beyond the action radius of hastened Crusaders and Halberdiers. If you have to fight hand-to-hand with Royal Griffins in the first round, keep in mind that you need to destroy them within two attacks so that their specialization in counterattacks does not exert its destructive effect. Possible targets for Stormbirds (they move first) are Fanatics, Crusaders, Champions, and Griffins. The attack will cost you no more than 15% of your Stormbirds. Ancient Behemoths move next and can be used everywhere. If they attack Archangels, it is very desirable that the latter be completely destroyed in this round (with the help of other units for this purpose). Then in the second round, you will move first (if the opponent has not slowed you) and can immediately cast the most appropriate spell. Cyclops Kings are suitable for attacking any unit. Wolf Warriors are good for attacking already attacked stacks to deal maximum damage (double attack) with zero losses. The same applies to Hobgoblins. Try not to lose them in reckless attacks. A good target for them are Shooters, who deal only half damage in melee, so your losses will be minimal. Orcs and Ogres generally suit strikes against all units, but it is better to use them where they can completely destroy an enemy stack with their attack. The problem is that all Castle creatures deal quite a lot of damage. Griffins are more dangerous in defense, so either attack them with all your strength, destroying them quickly, or do not attack at all. Crusaders are more dangerous in attack than in defense, so reach them as quickly as possible. The power of Champions increases with the distance they travel, so try to block them. Shooters deal only half damage from afar, so for some time it is better to simply stay away from them. Dungeon Problems: extended fire attack of Dragons; both shooting units—Evil Eyes and Medusa Queens—do not lose their abilities in melee; the attacking potential of Minotaur Kings is very high. If the tactical advantage is on your side, position your troops outside the normal reach of Harpies and Minotaurs and outside the direct same-fire zone of Evil Eyes and Medusas. If the opponent immediately applies Mass Slow and attacks with Dragons and Scorpios (which a computer most likely will), cast Mass Haste, destroy all Dragons and as many Scorpios as possible, and at the beginning of the second round apply Mass Slow and advance on the enemy. If it was not possible to destroy the Dragons in the first round, do not forget about their extended attack and position your units so as not to give them such an opportunity. It is especially dangerous when Dragons attack your weak unit, while a strong one standing behind it is subjected to the extended attack. Then the enemy deals very much damage without receiving a counterattack in return. And positioning your troops across the entire battlefield taking into account this Dragon feature while effectively attacking the enemy is not always possible. So if there are enough Dragons, attack them with Behemoths and then other units. With heroes of equal strength and same-level expert Offense, three Ancient Behemoths are needed to instantly destroy 1 Black Dragon. Usually, you will have 2–4 more Behemoths than the enemy has Dragons, so they will not suffer as much from the latter's counterattack. Remember—there is no alternative! If you attack Dragons, it must be the Behemoths who do so first. Stormbirds attack anyone except Dragons (exception—if their attack can kill Dragons outright). It is impractical to attack Troglodytes with them, and one must also be careful with Minotaur Kings—if they are not seriously maimed by the first hit, their counterattack will be quite severe. Thus, a good target for Stormbirds are shooters, as well as Scorpios, because there are usually significantly fewer of the latter than Stormbirds. Returning to Black Dragons, we note, however, that their presence on the battlefield can serve as a bad omen if the opponent possesses the Armageddon spell, so they must be destroyed as quickly as possible. If your Wolf Warriors are not participating in consecutive attacks on Dragons, a good target for them is Harpy Crone. In most cases, Wolves handle them independently without help from Cyclops. Remember, however, that your goal is to DESTROY the stack, not just reduce the number of units in it. For Hobgoblins, battle with Dungeon forces is a hard time. Any enemy counterattack significantly reduces their numbers. So attack those enemies who can no longer counterattack. Ogres and Orcs can destroy clusters of Troglodytes. Fortress Swamp heroes rarely study Air Magic, so they are unlikely to be able to use Mass Haste. Most likely they will leave Dragonflies in a waiting position, and now it is your turn. You have three main targets for rapid destruction: Chaos Hydras, Supergorgons, and Monarch Wyverns (the latter are not as dangerous but have speed 11, which allows them to move before your hastened Orcs and Ogres, attacking effectively). A good idea is an immediate attack on Wyverns by Stormbirds. They will deal decent damage, losses from counterattack will be small; they might be poisoned, but that's not scary. Suppose 27 Stormbirds attack 14 Monarch Wyverns. Let the Attack/Defense ratio for Stormbirds be 0 and for Wyverns +2. Stormbirds will deal 297–405 damage, killing an average of 5 Wyverns. If successful, a lightning strike will finish off another three. The remaining 9 Monarch Wyverns will deal 178–218 damage, killing 3 Stormbirds. This is little. If the lightning strike works, you will lose only 2 Stormbirds. Since Stronghold heroes often have the Offense skill and Fortress heroes have the Armorer skill, this is even better for barbarians. Behemoths can attack Supergorgons only if they immediately destroy all of them, which is unlikely. Therefore, it's better to finish off Wyverns with them or attack Hydras. Five Behemoths will immediately destroy 2 Hydras, so the number of the latter can be quickly reduced, and they in turn do not counterattack as well. The surrounding terrain can also work for you, helping to block enemy forces. Four ground units of the opponent, three of whom are 2 cells wide, will experience difficulty moving, so one can try to make it so that Hydras attack only one of your units during their move. Stormbirds in a quantity of 27 can effectively fight approximately 21 Supergorgons. Also attack them with Cyclops, Orcs, Hobgoblins, or Ogres. The number of the latter will, of course, decrease, but they are unlikely to be completely destroyed. If you cannot quickly kill all Supergorgons, reduce their number to 10 and switch to Hydras. Keep Behemoths away from Supergorgons; this is a general rule for all level-7 monsters. Keep in mind that the opponent may apply simple Haste to Hydras, making them a quite formidable force capable of dealing much damage to several of your units at once without fearing counterattack. Therefore, do not forget about Hydras while destroying Gorgons. When the opponent has fewer than 11 Supergorgons left, the probability of dealing damage with their Deadly Gaze is low, and it kills no more than one creature. Without Deadly Gaze, the damage from Supergorgons is small and they can be handled, while Behemoths can destroy Hydras with high efficiency. Inferno Contrary to popular belief, a clash with an Inferno army may not turn out to be so easy. The units here are fast, and a hero with expert skill in Air Magic and the Haste spell can cause you a lot of trouble. Fortunately, Inferno heroes rarely study Air Magic. However, the forces of the Underworld are dangerous for you. There are two units here that are faster than your fastest, and these same two units are the strongest in the enemy army. If you have a tactical advantage, position Cyclops outside the reach of Efreet Sultans, even at the cost of moving Cyclops more than 10 cells away from the enemy and dealing only half damage. Efreet Sultans have a fire shield, so blocking them with Cyclops and entering melee is especially unpleasant. This is particularly relevant when meeting hero Rashka, as the effectiveness of the fire shield of Efreet Sultans he controls increases from 20% for a beginner to 75% and even 80% for Rashka above level 20. If Efreet Sultans were the only problem, everything would be wonderful, but there are others. Archdevils are faster than even hastened Stormbirds, so as long as they are alive, the opponent will have the first (or last) word every round. Moreover, there is no counterattack to their hit. Cerberi do not deal that much damage, but they also do not fear counterattack, and their 2- or even 3-headed attack doubles and triples this effect. Magogs in large numbers also deal a lot of damage due to the Ball Lightning attack. Pit Lords can revive a fallen stack as Demons. Although Demons are not the strongest creatures in the game, their additional appearance on the battlefield is always unpleasant. From all the above follows: 1) It is necessary to destroy as many Efreet Sultans as possible withwith the help of shooters. 2) Quickly reduce the number of Pit Lords 3) By the end of the first battle round, Magogs must either be destroyed or at least unable to shoot and forced into melee combat. 4) Devils and Cerberi must die! Even if only 1 Pit Lord survives from the entire stack, he is capable of raising one Demon from the dead, who in turn can easily act as a kamikaze to absorb the counterattack of your strong stack. Try not to give the opponent such an opportunity. What if you send Stormbirds against Pit Lords? Say, a ratio of 25 to 21 in your favor. Likely, the Attack/Defense ratio will also be on your side, plus the Offense skill. Then the Stormbirds will destroy 10-11 Pit Lords without a lightning strike, and 15-16 if lightning strikes. Not bad. Surviving Pit Lords will counterattack and kill 2-3 Stormbirds, which is not much. Behemoths against Devils? The latter have only 200 HP, so Behemoths are deadly to them, and every 2 Behemoths will destroy one Devil. If you have more Behemoths than the opponent has Devils, then the latter will be quickly destroyed. When the turn passes to Cyclops, it is time for mutual concessions. Since you positioned them out of reach of Efreet Sultans, they are far away and will deal only half damage due to distance. Therefore, 10 King Cyclops are required to destroy one Efreet Sultan, and the advantage is not on your side. The application area of Wolf Warriors is limited. They can attack Devils or Pit Lords that have already been attacked. They can attack Cerberi or Magogs. If Cerberi are located near Magogs, attack the Cerberi, but in such a way that the Wolves block the same shots from Magogs. Everything said is also true for Hobgoblins, only Slimes act instead of Cerberi. Often, however, Demons are located next to Magogs. In this case, you simply need to attack Magogs with Hobgoblins. Try to bring Ogres closer to the action, positioning them between Demons and Magogs and attacking the Demons. If Hobgoblins are capable of finishing an attack on Pit Lords or Devils, let them do so. Otherwise, it is a task for Ogres. Orcs act the same as Cyclops, but when using two shooting stacks, do not forget that your goal is to quickly wipe Devils and Pit Lords off the face of the earth. Necropolis First of all, try to position your troops so that accelerated High Liches cannot get a double target. Stay outside the normal range of Dread Knights and accelerated Skeletons. Under normal conditions, a Necropolis hero will not claim initiative unless they can immediately bring hordes of Skeletons into battle. Also, it is impractical for them to attack with Vampire Lords before they themselves are attacked, as otherwise their self-healing ability will not be manifested. The main concerns when meeting the forces of the Necropolis are the following factors: Vampire Lords, Dread Knights, High Liches, Ghost Dragons, hordes of Skeletons, and the Animate Dead spell. High Liches deal only half damage in melee, and Ghost Dragons have only 200 HP with low Attack and Defense stats. Dread Knights are perhaps the most dangerous, but their power depends heavily on their number. Vampire Lords are a real pain for you, but they have a low level of damage dealt. Make it a rule—you must either attack them continuously until complete destruction or not attack at all. If necromancers build a Mansion in the first week, you will have to face a large number of Vampire Lords. The same applies to Skeletons—in mass, they are capable of dealing a lot of damage to your troops. Keep in mind that Skeletons and Zombies are usually located not far from Liches, so if you decide to quickly destroy the latter, your attacking stack will receive massive damage from hordes of undead. Zombies can act as kamikazes, after which Skeletons, Dread Knights, and Ghost Dragons will complete the rout of your vanguard without fearing a counterattack from its side. What can you oppose? The first question you must solve is choosing a target for Stormbirds. Just not Skeletons. One Stormbird will destroy 4-5 Skeletons, while the remaining 200 in turn can kill 6 Stormbirds. These are serious losses. If you intend to attack Skeletons with Stormbirds, you must ensure that the counterattack of the latter destroys no more than 10-15% of your Stormbirds. Vampire Lords? Two Stormbirds will destroy 1 VL. This is not bad, but only when you have more Stormbirds than the opponent has Vampires. Liches would be a good target, but only if the number of Skeletons does not pose a serious danger. You can attack Ghosts, but they do not represent a serious threat to you. Ghost Dragons? They are no match for Stormbirds. Say, 25 Stormbirds meet 5 Ghost Dragons. Against a Necromancer, you will likely have a positive Attack/Defense ratio; against a Black Knight, it will be around zero. Stormbirds will deal 275-375 damage without a lightning strike. With an expert in Offense, the amount of damage will be 357-487, and 2 Ghost Dragons will die (a lightning strike will add more). During a counterattack, 1 Dragon will destroy 1 Stormbird, so your losses are small. Thus, a fivefold numerical superiority of Stormbirds ensures them an easy victory. The remaining Dragons will be finished off by Wolf Warriors and, if necessary, Orcs. Behemoths attack either Skeletons or Dread Knights. 1 Behemoth kills 1 Dread Knight, so they can be dealt with. Attacking Skeletons is especially advisable if they stand near Liches, so that Behemoths, hitting the Skeletons, simultaneously block the shots of the Liches. It is desirable that the attack of Behemoths on Skeletons be supported by additional strikes from Hobgoblins and, if necessary, Ogres. Shoot Dread Knights with Cyclops and Orcs. If Behemoths are fighting the latter, your shooters can switch to Skeletons, Hobgoblins to Liches, and Ogres help Behemoths destroy Dread Knights. Note that you have no units other than Behemoths to defeat hordes of Skeletons without significant losses, so if Behemoths attack Dread Knights, the latter must be completely destroyed as quickly as possible. Do not make suicidal attacks with low-level creatures on hordes of Skeletons. If you manage to destroy Ghost Dragons in the first round, that is very good, as then you possess the fastest unit on the battlefield. If Skeletons are a big problem, wouldn't it be better to leave troops in a waiting position so that the enemy approaches you? Then the Skeletons will fall behind due to slowness. See what happens: the enemy has the right of the last move (Dragons), he casts Mass Slow on you (necromancers love Earth Magic), and at the beginning of the second round—a simple Haste on Skeletons. After this, he quickly brings all troops into battle (including hordes of Skeletons, which in combination with a strike from Dread Knights can deal irreparable damage to your Behemoths). Ghost Dragons attack Wolves or Orcs, and Vampire Lords supported by Ghosts and same shots from Liches complete the rout. So do not delay; procrastination is like death. Forest Blockade If you are fighting a forest army, you find yourself between two fires. A Forest Blockade is a combination of high HP and strong shooters. If you have a tactical advantage (more often against a Druid, less often against a Ranger), then before deploying troops, you need to pay attention to the following circumstances: whether Pegasi are upgraded, where Elves are located, and who is next to them. Let's study Grand Elves. The Forest Blockade provides 14 of them per week, and they are very effective. With a separate Elf dwelling in addition, you may encounter 75 Grand Elves somewhere around the 6th week of the scenario. These 75 GE deal 450-750 damage. With an expert level Marksmanship skill (BOTH forest heroes are capable of this), these numbers increase to 675-1125. Reducing by half due to distance, we get an average number of 450. Against your low-level creatures, the damage will be even higher, and given your low defensive potential, they can be significant even for high-level monsters. If any of your stacks ends up in an area where GE make full-power shots, it will be disabled immediately! This means you have no choice; you must apply your usual tactics: a fast, overwhelming attack with all forces, blocking the GE before they have time to make their shot. Forest heroes rarely have Air Magic in their arsenal, but often (especially Druids) have Earth Magic. Even a Ranger can present magical surprises, so it is useful to have the Resistance skill when meeting a powerful hero from the forest. Place your shooters and low-level creatures outside the normal range of Silver Pegasi. Everyone else—out of reach of Combat Unicorns and Centaur Captains. At the same time, all your units must be beyond the full range of Grand Elves. This will reduce your losses in case the opponent starts with Mass Slow. The computer will most likely start with an attack by Gold Dragons and a spell. In this case, on your turn, use Mass Haste and destroy the Dragons, making the first attack on them with Behemoths. You probably could have attacked Grand Elves immediately, but the stack that does so is a clear dead man. So you will have to wait with this. For now, let only your shooters attack the Elves. If you have destroyed the Dragons and have a stack that has not yet moved, leave it waiting (in any case, Stormbirds should be waiting), then when the opponent moves all his units, he may find a suitable target. If you have relatively high Spell Power and an impact spell, at the beginning of the second round you can simply apply it to the Elves and remain waiting, out of reach of Unicorns. If Unicorns can reach you, cast Mass Shield or Mass Stone Skin and attack. If there are many Dendroids and they cannot be destroyed in one round, do not attack them until other enemy stacks are destroyed. Dendroids will counterattack and immediately remove the attacking stack from the game. First of all, destroy Unicorns, because when only Dwarves and Dendroids remain for the opponent, destroying them with shooter support will not be difficult. A human opponent most likely will not immediately attack with Dragons, but rather use them and Silver Pegasi to cover Grand Elves. In this case, cast Mass Haste as soon as you get the right to move and attack Elves only with shooters. Let other units remain waiting. If the opponent cannot dispel or cancel your Haste, then you will get the right to a double turn (interrupted only by Gold Dragons). Use this. As they say in Odessa, there is a big difference whether the opponent has simple Pegasi or Silver ones (there is a possibility that he will not find enough Crystals for their upgrade). If there are no Silver ones, then your tactics can be much more offensive, especially if you have the Resistance skill. Place your shooters in a 10-cell range, but try to do this out of reach of Pegasi, Unicorns, and Centaur Captains. Even if the opponent uses Mass Slow, you will get the right to move before his Elves enter battle. Cast Mass Haste and attack everyone in a row, but do not touch Dendroids. If the enemy has completely covered the Elves, they are still in the full fire zone of your shooters. Tower Since Tower and Stronghold have the same speed for their fastest units, and also Tower heroes very often study Air Magic, it is very important for you to have the right of the first move. On a neutral surface without special artifacts, the attacker moves first. Iona and Tain specialize in Djinns, so they can increase the speed of Master Djinns up to 12. Therefore, on maps where you have to meet Tower armies, Shiva is a good hero for you, increasing the speed of Stormbirds. The beginning of the battle with Tower is relatively easy for you. Position shooters within a 10-cell range, cast Mass Haste and attack. Attack Djinns with Stormbirds, Titans with Behemoths, add strikes on Titans with Wolves, attack Gremlins with Hobgoblins, bring Ogres to Mages as quickly as possible (but it is not necessary to attack Mages with them; you can simply block the latter by attacking a nearby stack). Shooters deal strikes to Nagas. If your hero is not Terrek, strike Titans with the first five stacks. When Terrek is in battle, Wolf Warriors can be used to strike Djinns already attacked by Stormbirds. Try, however, to avoid battle with a Tower force comparable to yours in strength and led by a good hero. If this fails, the opponent may have the right of the first move; then position troops outside the 10-cell range and out of reach of accelerated Golems, and if possible, also outside the action zone of accelerated Naga Queens. Tower deals a decent blow with its shooters. If Stormbirds survived the first attack, position them in front of Master Gremlins and let Golems move. Do not make the mistake of attacking Gremlins with all your accelerated ground troops. Golems will deal substantial damage to them, and if Nagas had not moved and were outside their range, they will now actively enter the game, crushing everything in their path (without counterattack!). Cast Mass Slow (gives you initiative in the second round) and destroy stacks that approached you (Djinns, Gargoyles, maybe Nagas). If the opponent does not send his units to attack, wait out his turn, then attack powerfully, trying to extract maximum benefit from the double move effect.
It doesn't matter as much which opponent you face; a great deal depends on the Tactics skill and the terrain where the battle takes place, as well as the Mass Haste spell. By quickly attacking all enemy units, you are capable of dealing significant damage, leaving the enemy with only small squads of surviving creatures, and ideally blocking them so they cannot approach your shooters. To achieve this, you must position your attacking units in front of the enemy shooters and try to destroy their flying units. Mass Haste cast during the turn of Stormbirds is a formidable weapon. Remember that your main goal is to deal as much damage to the enemy as possible during the first massive attack. Do not be fooled if you have Tactics at a high level—the opponent may also possess it. Position your units in this order (top to bottom): Cyclops, Hobgoblins, Ogres, Orcs, Behemoths, Wolves, Stormbirds. Another possible option: Cyclops, Stormbirds, Ogres, Hobgoblins, Behemoths, Wolves, Orcs. The only concern (besides a clear advantage in manpower) is the fact that the opponent may immediately use Mass Haste or Mass Prayer and begin rapidly destroying your army. For this, the enemy hero must be an expert in Air or Water Magic, so it is important to be able to predict, based on observations, which hero has a chance of obtaining these skills and in which city the actual appearance of Prayer is possible. Only three cities are real contenders for this (Castle, Tower, and Rampart). There are high chances of studying Water Magic among Knights and Clerics. Rangers and Alchemists have half the chance, while Druids and Wizards are somewhere in the middle. Thus, an enemy from Castle is the most dangerous in this regard. With Air Magic, it is as follows: 1. Wizard 2. Alchemist, Cleric, Battle Mage 3. Knight, Barbarian, Heretic, Necromancer 4. Demoniac, Death Knight, Warlock, Witch, Druid 5. Overlord, Beastmaster, Ranger. Thus, Dungeon, Fortress, and Rampart most often do not have Air Magic in their arsenal. Necropolis and Inferno may have it, but a significant amount of time must pass before they reach expert level. Tower and Castle are the main contenders. Therefore, Castle is the primary candidate to present you with unpleasant surprises. Knights very often have Tactics in their arsenal, while Clerics do not. Alchemists also study Tactics well, whereas Wizards rarely do. If you have a tactical advantage, position your troops taking into account the striking characteristics of Gogs and Liches (the hit extends to areas adjacent to the attacked one). You should position your forces so that you can reach the enemy in one turn after applying Mass Haste, while the enemy, conversely, in case they apply Mass Slow, cannot reach you with all their forces in this round. Try to destroy fast enemy units. In general, you will usually have a tactical advantage against magically oriented heroes. However, in a clash with Might heroes, you often will not have it, so you will have to enter battle with troops positioned on the rear line of the front. In this case, there is no particular sense in using Mass Haste in the first round, as not all your units will be able to reach the enemy immediately (exception—Terek at a high level). As soon as the opponent casts a spell, apply Mass Slow. If they do not have Mass Haste, you can destroy them with shooters and position your slow units in a state of readiness for an immediate attack. At the beginning of the second round, cast Mass Haste and attack the enemy with all your strength. Remember that the Resistance skill will provide significant help. With a large tactical advantage, you can position your shooters within a 10-cell range so they deal full damage to the enemy, but due to their initiative, the opponent may apply Mass Slow first, allowing their shooters to attack earlier and deal equal full damage to you. All shooters (except Titans and Cyclops Kings) have a speed less than or equal to your ground units. With Resistance, there is a good chance that Mass Slow will not affect all your stacks, which will allow you to seize the initiative, apply Mass Haste, and move your shooters before the enemy's. Everything said about Resistance, of course, applies to opponents as well (especially Rampart), so your Mass spells may also fail to achieve the desired goal. When meeting a human player, the psychological factor also plays a role. A massive attack by all your units, considering the damage dealt by Ancient Behemoths and Wolf Warriors (especially if the latter do not fear a counterattack), hits the opponent's morale and willpower hard (not the units, but the player!). The destruction of two of their solid stacks, which they perhaps considered their striking force, leads them to think that the battle is lost (although in reality it may not be so), and the opponent may simply surrender or flee! So demonstrate your strength to the opponent by attacking; demoralize them. Just like Suvorov—eye for detail, speed, onslaught! Castle Fighting Castle is difficult (see above). There is a real danger of the opponent using Mass Haste. You will suffer heavy losses before you can apply Mass Slow. If the opponent does not have Haste, everything is much better. Position your troops out of reach of Champions and Royal Griffins, as well as outside the direct hit zone of Shooters and Fanatics, and beyond the action radius of hastened Crusaders and Halberdiers. If you have to fight hand-to-hand with Royal Griffins in the first round, keep in mind that you need to destroy them within two attacks so that their specialization in counterattacks does not exert its destructive effect. Possible targets for Stormbirds (they move first) are Fanatics, Crusaders, Champions, and Griffins. The attack will cost you no more than 15% of your Stormbirds. Ancient Behemoths move next and can be used everywhere. If they attack Archangels, it is very desirable that the latter be completely destroyed in this round (with the help of other units for this purpose). Then in the second round, you will move first (if the opponent has not slowed you) and can immediately cast the most appropriate spell. Cyclops Kings are suitable for attacking any unit. Wolf Warriors are good for attacking already attacked stacks to deal maximum damage (double attack) with zero losses. The same applies to Hobgoblins. Try not to lose them in reckless attacks. A good target for them are Shooters, who deal only half damage in melee, so your losses will be minimal. Orcs and Ogres generally suit strikes against all units, but it is better to use them where they can completely destroy an enemy stack with their attack. The problem is that all Castle creatures deal quite a lot of damage. Griffins are more dangerous in defense, so either attack them with all your strength, destroying them quickly, or do not attack at all. Crusaders are more dangerous in attack than in defense, so reach them as quickly as possible. The power of Champions increases with the distance they travel, so try to block them. Shooters deal only half damage from afar, so for some time it is better to simply stay away from them. Dungeon Problems: extended fire attack of Dragons; both shooting units—Evil Eyes and Medusa Queens—do not lose their abilities in melee; the attacking potential of Minotaur Kings is very high. If the tactical advantage is on your side, position your troops outside the normal reach of Harpies and Minotaurs and outside the direct same-fire zone of Evil Eyes and Medusas. If the opponent immediately applies Mass Slow and attacks with Dragons and Scorpios (which a computer most likely will), cast Mass Haste, destroy all Dragons and as many Scorpios as possible, and at the beginning of the second round apply Mass Slow and advance on the enemy. If it was not possible to destroy the Dragons in the first round, do not forget about their extended attack and position your units so as not to give them such an opportunity. It is especially dangerous when Dragons attack your weak unit, while a strong one standing behind it is subjected to the extended attack. Then the enemy deals very much damage without receiving a counterattack in return. And positioning your troops across the entire battlefield taking into account this Dragon feature while effectively attacking the enemy is not always possible. So if there are enough Dragons, attack them with Behemoths and then other units. With heroes of equal strength and same-level expert Offense, three Ancient Behemoths are needed to instantly destroy 1 Black Dragon. Usually, you will have 2–4 more Behemoths than the enemy has Dragons, so they will not suffer as much from the latter's counterattack. Remember—there is no alternative! If you attack Dragons, it must be the Behemoths who do so first. Stormbirds attack anyone except Dragons (exception—if their attack can kill Dragons outright). It is impractical to attack Troglodytes with them, and one must also be careful with Minotaur Kings—if they are not seriously maimed by the first hit, their counterattack will be quite severe. Thus, a good target for Stormbirds are shooters, as well as Scorpios, because there are usually significantly fewer of the latter than Stormbirds. Returning to Black Dragons, we note, however, that their presence on the battlefield can serve as a bad omen if the opponent possesses the Armageddon spell, so they must be destroyed as quickly as possible. If your Wolf Warriors are not participating in consecutive attacks on Dragons, a good target for them is Harpy Crone. In most cases, Wolves handle them independently without help from Cyclops. Remember, however, that your goal is to DESTROY the stack, not just reduce the number of units in it. For Hobgoblins, battle with Dungeon forces is a hard time. Any enemy counterattack significantly reduces their numbers. So attack those enemies who can no longer counterattack. Ogres and Orcs can destroy clusters of Troglodytes. Fortress Swamp heroes rarely study Air Magic, so they are unlikely to be able to use Mass Haste. Most likely they will leave Dragonflies in a waiting position, and now it is your turn. You have three main targets for rapid destruction: Chaos Hydras, Supergorgons, and Monarch Wyverns (the latter are not as dangerous but have speed 11, which allows them to move before your hastened Orcs and Ogres, attacking effectively). A good idea is an immediate attack on Wyverns by Stormbirds. They will deal decent damage, losses from counterattack will be small; they might be poisoned, but that's not scary. Suppose 27 Stormbirds attack 14 Monarch Wyverns. Let the Attack/Defense ratio for Stormbirds be 0 and for Wyverns +2. Stormbirds will deal 297–405 damage, killing an average of 5 Wyverns. If successful, a lightning strike will finish off another three. The remaining 9 Monarch Wyverns will deal 178–218 damage, killing 3 Stormbirds. This is little. If the lightning strike works, you will lose only 2 Stormbirds. Since Stronghold heroes often have the Offense skill and Fortress heroes have the Armorer skill, this is even better for barbarians. Behemoths can attack Supergorgons only if they immediately destroy all of them, which is unlikely. Therefore, it's better to finish off Wyverns with them or attack Hydras. Five Behemoths will immediately destroy 2 Hydras, so the number of the latter can be quickly reduced, and they in turn do not counterattack as well. The surrounding terrain can also work for you, helping to block enemy forces. Four ground units of the opponent, three of whom are 2 cells wide, will experience difficulty moving, so one can try to make it so that Hydras attack only one of your units during their move. Stormbirds in a quantity of 27 can effectively fight approximately 21 Supergorgons. Also attack them with Cyclops, Orcs, Hobgoblins, or Ogres. The number of the latter will, of course, decrease, but they are unlikely to be completely destroyed. If you cannot quickly kill all Supergorgons, reduce their number to 10 and switch to Hydras. Keep Behemoths away from Supergorgons; this is a general rule for all level-7 monsters. Keep in mind that the opponent may apply simple Haste to Hydras, making them a quite formidable force capable of dealing much damage to several of your units at once without fearing counterattack. Therefore, do not forget about Hydras while destroying Gorgons. When the opponent has fewer than 11 Supergorgons left, the probability of dealing damage with their Deadly Gaze is low, and it kills no more than one creature. Without Deadly Gaze, the damage from Supergorgons is small and they can be handled, while Behemoths can destroy Hydras with high efficiency. Inferno Contrary to popular belief, a clash with an Inferno army may not turn out to be so easy. The units here are fast, and a hero with expert skill in Air Magic and the Haste spell can cause you a lot of trouble. Fortunately, Inferno heroes rarely study Air Magic. However, the forces of the Underworld are dangerous for you. There are two units here that are faster than your fastest, and these same two units are the strongest in the enemy army. If you have a tactical advantage, position Cyclops outside the reach of Efreet Sultans, even at the cost of moving Cyclops more than 10 cells away from the enemy and dealing only half damage. Efreet Sultans have a fire shield, so blocking them with Cyclops and entering melee is especially unpleasant. This is particularly relevant when meeting hero Rashka, as the effectiveness of the fire shield of Efreet Sultans he controls increases from 20% for a beginner to 75% and even 80% for Rashka above level 20. If Efreet Sultans were the only problem, everything would be wonderful, but there are others. Archdevils are faster than even hastened Stormbirds, so as long as they are alive, the opponent will have the first (or last) word every round. Moreover, there is no counterattack to their hit. Cerberi do not deal that much damage, but they also do not fear counterattack, and their 2- or even 3-headed attack doubles and triples this effect. Magogs in large numbers also deal a lot of damage due to the Ball Lightning attack. Pit Lords can revive a fallen stack as Demons. Although Demons are not the strongest creatures in the game, their additional appearance on the battlefield is always unpleasant. From all the above follows: 1) It is necessary to destroy as many Efreet Sultans as possible withwith the help of shooters. 2) Quickly reduce the number of Pit Lords 3) By the end of the first battle round, Magogs must either be destroyed or at least unable to shoot and forced into melee combat. 4) Devils and Cerberi must die! Even if only 1 Pit Lord survives from the entire stack, he is capable of raising one Demon from the dead, who in turn can easily act as a kamikaze to absorb the counterattack of your strong stack. Try not to give the opponent such an opportunity. What if you send Stormbirds against Pit Lords? Say, a ratio of 25 to 21 in your favor. Likely, the Attack/Defense ratio will also be on your side, plus the Offense skill. Then the Stormbirds will destroy 10-11 Pit Lords without a lightning strike, and 15-16 if lightning strikes. Not bad. Surviving Pit Lords will counterattack and kill 2-3 Stormbirds, which is not much. Behemoths against Devils? The latter have only 200 HP, so Behemoths are deadly to them, and every 2 Behemoths will destroy one Devil. If you have more Behemoths than the opponent has Devils, then the latter will be quickly destroyed. When the turn passes to Cyclops, it is time for mutual concessions. Since you positioned them out of reach of Efreet Sultans, they are far away and will deal only half damage due to distance. Therefore, 10 King Cyclops are required to destroy one Efreet Sultan, and the advantage is not on your side. The application area of Wolf Warriors is limited. They can attack Devils or Pit Lords that have already been attacked. They can attack Cerberi or Magogs. If Cerberi are located near Magogs, attack the Cerberi, but in such a way that the Wolves block the same shots from Magogs. Everything said is also true for Hobgoblins, only Slimes act instead of Cerberi. Often, however, Demons are located next to Magogs. In this case, you simply need to attack Magogs with Hobgoblins. Try to bring Ogres closer to the action, positioning them between Demons and Magogs and attacking the Demons. If Hobgoblins are capable of finishing an attack on Pit Lords or Devils, let them do so. Otherwise, it is a task for Ogres. Orcs act the same as Cyclops, but when using two shooting stacks, do not forget that your goal is to quickly wipe Devils and Pit Lords off the face of the earth. Necropolis First of all, try to position your troops so that accelerated High Liches cannot get a double target. Stay outside the normal range of Dread Knights and accelerated Skeletons. Under normal conditions, a Necropolis hero will not claim initiative unless they can immediately bring hordes of Skeletons into battle. Also, it is impractical for them to attack with Vampire Lords before they themselves are attacked, as otherwise their self-healing ability will not be manifested. The main concerns when meeting the forces of the Necropolis are the following factors: Vampire Lords, Dread Knights, High Liches, Ghost Dragons, hordes of Skeletons, and the Animate Dead spell. High Liches deal only half damage in melee, and Ghost Dragons have only 200 HP with low Attack and Defense stats. Dread Knights are perhaps the most dangerous, but their power depends heavily on their number. Vampire Lords are a real pain for you, but they have a low level of damage dealt. Make it a rule—you must either attack them continuously until complete destruction or not attack at all. If necromancers build a Mansion in the first week, you will have to face a large number of Vampire Lords. The same applies to Skeletons—in mass, they are capable of dealing a lot of damage to your troops. Keep in mind that Skeletons and Zombies are usually located not far from Liches, so if you decide to quickly destroy the latter, your attacking stack will receive massive damage from hordes of undead. Zombies can act as kamikazes, after which Skeletons, Dread Knights, and Ghost Dragons will complete the rout of your vanguard without fearing a counterattack from its side. What can you oppose? The first question you must solve is choosing a target for Stormbirds. Just not Skeletons. One Stormbird will destroy 4-5 Skeletons, while the remaining 200 in turn can kill 6 Stormbirds. These are serious losses. If you intend to attack Skeletons with Stormbirds, you must ensure that the counterattack of the latter destroys no more than 10-15% of your Stormbirds. Vampire Lords? Two Stormbirds will destroy 1 VL. This is not bad, but only when you have more Stormbirds than the opponent has Vampires. Liches would be a good target, but only if the number of Skeletons does not pose a serious danger. You can attack Ghosts, but they do not represent a serious threat to you. Ghost Dragons? They are no match for Stormbirds. Say, 25 Stormbirds meet 5 Ghost Dragons. Against a Necromancer, you will likely have a positive Attack/Defense ratio; against a Black Knight, it will be around zero. Stormbirds will deal 275-375 damage without a lightning strike. With an expert in Offense, the amount of damage will be 357-487, and 2 Ghost Dragons will die (a lightning strike will add more). During a counterattack, 1 Dragon will destroy 1 Stormbird, so your losses are small. Thus, a fivefold numerical superiority of Stormbirds ensures them an easy victory. The remaining Dragons will be finished off by Wolf Warriors and, if necessary, Orcs. Behemoths attack either Skeletons or Dread Knights. 1 Behemoth kills 1 Dread Knight, so they can be dealt with. Attacking Skeletons is especially advisable if they stand near Liches, so that Behemoths, hitting the Skeletons, simultaneously block the shots of the Liches. It is desirable that the attack of Behemoths on Skeletons be supported by additional strikes from Hobgoblins and, if necessary, Ogres. Shoot Dread Knights with Cyclops and Orcs. If Behemoths are fighting the latter, your shooters can switch to Skeletons, Hobgoblins to Liches, and Ogres help Behemoths destroy Dread Knights. Note that you have no units other than Behemoths to defeat hordes of Skeletons without significant losses, so if Behemoths attack Dread Knights, the latter must be completely destroyed as quickly as possible. Do not make suicidal attacks with low-level creatures on hordes of Skeletons. If you manage to destroy Ghost Dragons in the first round, that is very good, as then you possess the fastest unit on the battlefield. If Skeletons are a big problem, wouldn't it be better to leave troops in a waiting position so that the enemy approaches you? Then the Skeletons will fall behind due to slowness. See what happens: the enemy has the right of the last move (Dragons), he casts Mass Slow on you (necromancers love Earth Magic), and at the beginning of the second round—a simple Haste on Skeletons. After this, he quickly brings all troops into battle (including hordes of Skeletons, which in combination with a strike from Dread Knights can deal irreparable damage to your Behemoths). Ghost Dragons attack Wolves or Orcs, and Vampire Lords supported by Ghosts and same shots from Liches complete the rout. So do not delay; procrastination is like death. Forest Blockade If you are fighting a forest army, you find yourself between two fires. A Forest Blockade is a combination of high HP and strong shooters. If you have a tactical advantage (more often against a Druid, less often against a Ranger), then before deploying troops, you need to pay attention to the following circumstances: whether Pegasi are upgraded, where Elves are located, and who is next to them. Let's study Grand Elves. The Forest Blockade provides 14 of them per week, and they are very effective. With a separate Elf dwelling in addition, you may encounter 75 Grand Elves somewhere around the 6th week of the scenario. These 75 GE deal 450-750 damage. With an expert level Marksmanship skill (BOTH forest heroes are capable of this), these numbers increase to 675-1125. Reducing by half due to distance, we get an average number of 450. Against your low-level creatures, the damage will be even higher, and given your low defensive potential, they can be significant even for high-level monsters. If any of your stacks ends up in an area where GE make full-power shots, it will be disabled immediately! This means you have no choice; you must apply your usual tactics: a fast, overwhelming attack with all forces, blocking the GE before they have time to make their shot. Forest heroes rarely have Air Magic in their arsenal, but often (especially Druids) have Earth Magic. Even a Ranger can present magical surprises, so it is useful to have the Resistance skill when meeting a powerful hero from the forest. Place your shooters and low-level creatures outside the normal range of Silver Pegasi. Everyone else—out of reach of Combat Unicorns and Centaur Captains. At the same time, all your units must be beyond the full range of Grand Elves. This will reduce your losses in case the opponent starts with Mass Slow. The computer will most likely start with an attack by Gold Dragons and a spell. In this case, on your turn, use Mass Haste and destroy the Dragons, making the first attack on them with Behemoths. You probably could have attacked Grand Elves immediately, but the stack that does so is a clear dead man. So you will have to wait with this. For now, let only your shooters attack the Elves. If you have destroyed the Dragons and have a stack that has not yet moved, leave it waiting (in any case, Stormbirds should be waiting), then when the opponent moves all his units, he may find a suitable target. If you have relatively high Spell Power and an impact spell, at the beginning of the second round you can simply apply it to the Elves and remain waiting, out of reach of Unicorns. If Unicorns can reach you, cast Mass Shield or Mass Stone Skin and attack. If there are many Dendroids and they cannot be destroyed in one round, do not attack them until other enemy stacks are destroyed. Dendroids will counterattack and immediately remove the attacking stack from the game. First of all, destroy Unicorns, because when only Dwarves and Dendroids remain for the opponent, destroying them with shooter support will not be difficult. A human opponent most likely will not immediately attack with Dragons, but rather use them and Silver Pegasi to cover Grand Elves. In this case, cast Mass Haste as soon as you get the right to move and attack Elves only with shooters. Let other units remain waiting. If the opponent cannot dispel or cancel your Haste, then you will get the right to a double turn (interrupted only by Gold Dragons). Use this. As they say in Odessa, there is a big difference whether the opponent has simple Pegasi or Silver ones (there is a possibility that he will not find enough Crystals for their upgrade). If there are no Silver ones, then your tactics can be much more offensive, especially if you have the Resistance skill. Place your shooters in a 10-cell range, but try to do this out of reach of Pegasi, Unicorns, and Centaur Captains. Even if the opponent uses Mass Slow, you will get the right to move before his Elves enter battle. Cast Mass Haste and attack everyone in a row, but do not touch Dendroids. If the enemy has completely covered the Elves, they are still in the full fire zone of your shooters. Tower Since Tower and Stronghold have the same speed for their fastest units, and also Tower heroes very often study Air Magic, it is very important for you to have the right of the first move. On a neutral surface without special artifacts, the attacker moves first. Iona and Tain specialize in Djinns, so they can increase the speed of Master Djinns up to 12. Therefore, on maps where you have to meet Tower armies, Shiva is a good hero for you, increasing the speed of Stormbirds. The beginning of the battle with Tower is relatively easy for you. Position shooters within a 10-cell range, cast Mass Haste and attack. Attack Djinns with Stormbirds, Titans with Behemoths, add strikes on Titans with Wolves, attack Gremlins with Hobgoblins, bring Ogres to Mages as quickly as possible (but it is not necessary to attack Mages with them; you can simply block the latter by attacking a nearby stack). Shooters deal strikes to Nagas. If your hero is not Terrek, strike Titans with the first five stacks. When Terrek is in battle, Wolf Warriors can be used to strike Djinns already attacked by Stormbirds. Try, however, to avoid battle with a Tower force comparable to yours in strength and led by a good hero. If this fails, the opponent may have the right of the first move; then position troops outside the 10-cell range and out of reach of accelerated Golems, and if possible, also outside the action zone of accelerated Naga Queens. Tower deals a decent blow with its shooters. If Stormbirds survived the first attack, position them in front of Master Gremlins and let Golems move. Do not make the mistake of attacking Gremlins with all your accelerated ground troops. Golems will deal substantial damage to them, and if Nagas had not moved and were outside their range, they will now actively enter the game, crushing everything in their path (without counterattack!). Cast Mass Slow (gives you initiative in the second round) and destroy stacks that approached you (Djinns, Gargoyles, maybe Nagas). If the opponent does not send his units to attack, wait out his turn, then attack powerfully, trying to extract maximum benefit from the double move effect.
