Discussion about the Stronghold faction.

Yes, the Cyclops' ability to not die immediately is indeed useful. If you're confident that you can finish off the enemy with other units after the Cyclops attacks, you don't have to worry about its survival. I haven't played with other factions yet, so I can't say anything about them, but the Orcs have quite convenient units that allow you to start quickly and eliminate units on the map without losses. First of all, these are Harpies and Furies. This unit has a high movement range and initiative. In addition, it occupies one cell and flies, and Furies don't get retaliatory attacks. This means you can fly away from many melee units, either avoiding combat or delaying it. The Orcs' racial ability, which increases initiative, also contributes to this tactic. This trick is not new; it has been known since Heroes 5. But back then, the Forest Alliance's Furies were weak and not very durable, while the current Orc Furies can not only fly away but also put up a fight. On top of that, I usually take a mage hero with the "Restoration" specialization. On the first turn, I buy a hero who increases the growth of Sprites, and who also has 8 Harpies. Together with mine, that makes 16. I leave the rest of the troops to the second hero and capture the lumber mill, mine, and more, using only the Harpies. In addition, the "Reinforcement" ability is added later, which doesn't consume mana. That is, in each battle, you get one or two additional Harpies (and then more), which can be sacrificed to end the battle without losses. Thus, if you use Harpies/Furies effectively and enhance them with the hero's abilities, you can eliminate many units without losses in the first and second weeks, until more worthy elite units appear. That is, you can start quickly with the Orcs, and this is important for winning the game.