Start behind the LE.

I never take the "Skill Academy" artifact, and it seems like you can still manage. And at the start, I always upgrade the nymphs first, to clear out the neutral creatures.

And I always upgrade the dryads at the beginning. Removing enchantments and the wasp swarm ability are helpful. Plus, they have 1 more initiative, which is also important. Then I change them when ents become available.