Heroist
Auto-translated
I hate Haven. Miserable, pampered humans. Nothing outstanding. In the late game on a large map, their crowds of paladins won't help them, neither against Academy (the strongest in Heroes 5), nor against Necropolis (theoretically the most dependent on map conditions).
Uh-huh, you'll get hit by 100500 shots from the Marksmen, you'll have a blast. Thanks to preparation, you can carry through all stages of the game.
I like Inferno on large maps. They have 2 strong specs — a very scary Ballista with 3 shots, each of which is fiery death, and 2 — Attack+Morale+Luck, with fast teleport and haste spells. The enemy dies before they even get a chance to move. Very stylish.
What "spec"? Many have the "Triple Ballista" perk. For demons, Attack and Spellpower stats simply grow preferentially — which is exactly what the ballista damage depends on. Teleport and haste spells are also available to everyone.
Necropolis — I used to love it, now not so much. I like Bone Warriors, the strongest level 1 unit after trackers, Vampires, Harbingers; the defense-summon spec is the most effective. Above, I mentioned their heavy dependence on map conditions, specifically the number of resurrectable neutrals (RN) on the map, the presence of external RN dwellings, and the number of castles on the map (from which they can later convert undead); basically, these are the most important factors for a strong, OP Necromancer. But let's imagine a map (a duel on a large map, for example, against an Academy player), where there are few RN neutrals or they aren't RN at all, few or no RN dwellings, and only, say, two castles: yours and the opponent's. The map is huge, there are enough resources for development, rushing is impossible in any form, so heroes are fully leveled (up to Grand Master). And here is what we get in the finale — almost equal army growth for both heroes, BUT due to "weak" troops (Necromancers rely on the number of raised undead, and necromancy in part 5 is equal to others, not a bonus, unless RN conditions are met, but we are talking about their absence), the Necromancer simply has no chance against the Academy troops decked out in minimax artifacts. That's it. I think everyone understands now...
Nobody plays on large maps in Multiplayer. Necromancers only lose in the long haul, and even then, only if they don't have extra cities.
I hate Sylvan. Miserable, pampered elves. The central skill is OP, but getting it is almost impossible.
Pointless. You don't necessarily need to reach Grand Master — enchanted arrow + rain + ballista is much more effective and faster. And don't even get me started on the Marksmen.
Dungeon is top-class. 2 units with invisibility, several kamikaze heroes can face a countless enemy army with 3 trackers and kill a ton of people before retreating. Almost every battle happens without losses or with almost no losses because Dungeon mages can fire 4-5 chain lightnings or infernoes before their troops become visible and take any damage. And after that, there might be no enemy left at all. Specs? Charms and chaos, only that way.
Good at the start, then nothing. Invisibility is actually spotted in no time. Against AI, of course, it's easy.
Academy is a faction with cheating minimax artifacts; effectively, 1 squad of lions can wipe out an entire enemy army if the mage has Light. Yes, lions are better than titans with high-level artifacts, paradoxical but a fact. Mages, well yes, not bad, but only at the beginning and against AI. They die instantly; for a human player, they are target #1, after all. In the late game on huge maps, they have no equal, minimax... Above I described the essence of the confrontation between mages and Necromancers. Resurrectable neutrals run out sooner or later, dwellings might not be on the map at all, but the resources needed for minimax in the mines never run out... The only thing I don't like about mages is their "Eastern" styling, which doesn't fit the tall, beautiful, fair-haired COLOSSI and TITANS at all; that's Greece, my friends, and has nothing to do with the turbans on the heads of heroes and archmages with golems. Same for the gargoyles, they are from Western European culture... In general, I only dislike playing them because of this.
Minimax is great, of course, but only for long games and leveled heroes. Mages carry due to high knowledge and spellpower. Units are fragile, Rakshasas die in one shot... Golems can survive longer with Gremlins, if the former are being healed.
Dwarves... Light+Defense combined with their factional runes make dwarves some of the strongest. And their Grand Master is very satisfying — OP.
Dwarves combine light and runes well, that's true. They hold up well in the city. But in conditions of an economic crisis, it's quite easy to "smoke them out" of the castle, where they don't stand long in the open field.
Orcs — a prototype of the Golden Horde, to hell with them.
Pointless. Styling has nothing to do with it. Orcs are fine at practically any moment of the game, rage allows them to take out huge squads of creatures and protects from damage; cries are also extremely effective, if we're talking about large maps, "Topley's Cry" wipes out all enemy squads in seven casts; units are also well-made, Cyclopes with rage are absolutely invincible, the only thing is the tanky centaur archers, but they can be countered with tactics. If you deck yourself out in dwarven artifacts with the Archer set, no one has a chance against a skilled Orc player.
Whatever