Start behind the LE.

I decided to copy the message to the appropriate topic – it wasn't in the right place before. I'm interested in playing as Elves on a medium-sized map at the "hero" difficulty level (either the city is at the starting level, or there is a tavern). In such a game, Elves face the following difficulties compared to other races: a) lack of wood; b) slow start. Question #1: who is the best hero for Elves on such a map at the "hero" difficulty level? Answer: Dyraell. Advantages compared to other Elven heroes when fighting neutrals: 1) Furies, hunters/assassins, improved gremlins (they can guard both the sawmill and the mine!), the wasp swarm significantly reduces losses. In addition, thanks to the swarm, you can defeat them with the troops of the secondary hero purchased in the tavern; 2) Fire demons, armored warriors, and others with +1 defense, 5 speed, and 8 initiative – fire warriors in combination with the swarm allow you to defeat them with two stacks of furies without losses – even if the enemy has 4 stacks (the hero waits and, when defense triggers, casts the swarm). With other heroes, such furies flights will already depend on luck, even with a speed aura. 3) Spear throwers, archers, centaurs – fire warriors and the swarm allow you to deploy units of the secondary hero against them (you can also add blade dancers if the hero's army on the battlefield has ranged units). That is, there is also an opportunity to defeat them almost without losses. 4) Ghosts, daughters of the earth, berserkers and bone crushers, minotaur overseers, orcish warriors with 12 initiative – in large numbers – can be defeated with 4 (against ghosts – 5) stacks of furies, one at a time, if you have skilled summoning magic, fire warriors, and cast 2 or more spells (this means 16 or more fire elementals). Some of the single units will likely die, but the battle will be won by the Elves, even if the enemy has 4 stacks. 5) Fast-moving units with low health (cerberuses, blade dancers, etc.) – the swarm helps to push them back on the ATB scale, and the troops destroy them. 6) Level 4 archers and level 5 and higher units – the swarm and fire warriors help, of course, but here you already need troops and additional skills – you can't handle it with just one summoning. Question #2: how can other heroes (such as Ossir and Vangael) defeat the specified types of units without losses: the first 3 specified groups of units in the first week and the 4th – in the second? (This concerns the issue of a quick start.) Added 1 hour 21 minutes ago. Dyraell's advantage when developing the city: 1) It is not necessary to buy archers in the first week, since even without them, Dyraell has a wide selection of units that can be defeated without losses or almost without losses (see the previous message). 2) From the first point, it follows that it is possible to build a Magic Glade on the second turn and buy dryads, after which you can capture the sawmill. Exception: If there are dryads or hunters at the sawmill, build a tavern on the first turn, and if there is a very weak hero there, then you can buy him and your own hero, take the alien troops and dancers, and capture the sawmill on the first turn. Such a strategy of destroying dryads when playing as other heroes (without the wasp swarm) may end with the furies destroying both the dancers and the enemy hero's army. Therefore, there is a chance that you will either have to lose troops or postpone the capture of the sawmill, which will slow down the development of the city. If there are indeed furies at the sawmill, then the further construction of the Magic Glade depends on the units located on the map and the resources they guard. Dyraell is less dependent on troops when defeating neutrals. This allows you to choose which buildings to build and which not. At the same time, Ossir, Gilraen, and Ilfina will be much less successful if they do not build structures where they can hire "their own" units. 3) Dyraell fights neutrals more successfully than other heroes (if you want to argue – respond to the previous message). And this means that resources are captured faster and the city is developed more easily. Added 15 minutes ago. That's it, I'm leaving the forum, because I haven't played for a long time. I just decided to share my accumulated experience so that it wouldn't go to waste. I will not answer any more questions here, because I will not be here. Those who didn't understand anything – praise Wing and Ossir. I start to feel incompetent without practice. And I don't want to give incompetent advice – there is already enough of it here. Umka-Gold, special thanks for understanding something. Now I can leave with a clear conscience. Good luck to everyone!