Power Buildings

Barbarians are strong in many ways. First, their magic resistance. Second, they have very strong archers – cyclops. Third, they have very durable units.
Plus, you need to add the retaliatory attack of harpies or the first strike of nomads. In the early game, this is the main strength of the barbarians.

But this requires building. For harpies, you need a Citadel; for nomads, you need a Caravan. This is expensive. In the beginning, barbarians can shine, but if you let the enemy mage level up, the barbarians will have a hard time. So, the question is: is it worth investing in building, or should you try to win in the early game?