Posts from Balanced Units - A minimal balance mod for units

Technically, you could simply reduce their base initiative. Let's say, to 10. Then, at the cost of losing a turn (and considering that the first turn comes later), the dancers would have an increased action frequency.
I don't know how well this aligns with the spirit of the mod.

Incorrect assessment of the effectiveness of the "Charge" skill. "Charge" doubles initiative for 3 turns, while spending one turn on activation. That is, a stack that uses "Charge" at time 0 will move at times 0.5, 1, and 1.5 (while a stack without "Charge" will move at 0, 1, and 2). To constantly benefit from "Charge," you need to renew its activation every third turn. That is, the maximum acceleration with "Charge" is +33% initiative (2 out of 3 effective turns versus 1.5). It is beneficial when "Charge" is used instead of waiting, when losing a turn is not critical. But if the battle has already begun, losing a turn for activation is a significant disadvantage. Let's say this: if "Charge" lasted only 2 turns instead of 3, it would essentially be an enhanced waiting mechanic and nothing more (in some situations, there would be no gain in initiative due to skipping a turn). 3 turns is the minimum duration for "Charge" to be advantageous not only as a waiting mechanic but also as a way to increase initiative.

I wonder if they can still be alive after so much time? 🤔 I would like to add my "two cents." Whether they are correct or not is a completely different matter. I will base my opinion on my own gaming experience. I will also try to mention all the questionable upgrade points, even if they are not correct from the general point of view of players. If an upgrade is truly overpowered and I "don't understand anything," then okay, that happens). Humans: Yes, in principle, the change is correct, but! Humans sometimes have incredibly annoying and difficult early-game matchups (if you play on higher difficulties). They are not elves. Will this change hurt them? Archers are the main offensive force in the early game. I would also take a closer look at Adepts and Inquisitors. Adepts are a rare upgrade that I personally don't often use, preferring the defensive spells of Inquisitors. Inferno: Did the change help the demons in practice? I'm not even sure that a buff of 3 units will make Demonesses too strong... Are Hellhounds overpowered? I have never considered their aura to be something significant. But the ability to scare the enemy stack is always useful! Archdemons vs. Archdevils? Imps vs. Demons? Necropolis: Fair enough. Princes have the fattest passive ability, which works in 2/3 of attacks. This is very annoying. Cheaper main building? Well, considering that dragons are the weakest... Probably yes? What about Banshees? In my opinion, they deserve a buff. Plague vs. Rotting? I never take Rotting. The Plague ability looks much better! Elves: Dancers of Death have become Cerberuses =D. But will it work? The change to archers will probably have a positive effect. They still look strong, but not useless. Dryads vs. Nymphs? Although, probably not. Dryads are for attack, and Nymphs are very specialized. But maybe that was the point? Green vs. Crystal? Crystal look better than the old upgrade. Dark Elves: Invisibility? Okay, that's a change? Will the change to Swift Ones still allow them to be useful in any way? Did the Mistresses need a buff? They are not the strongest tier 6 units, but they deal a lot of damage, especially with direct attacks. I think that even with this buff, dragons will not be able to surpass their immune-to-magic brethren... Academy: I'm looking forward to testing the Rajahs. Even from the text, it's not clear how much the situation will change. Dwarves: Even this is unlikely to help Mountain Guards... Will increasing health help Berserkers? I think even so, it's still too little. Will 10 units of fire change the situation? Although, if the calculation is based on 20 fire damage per DRAGON, then maybe yes. Orcs: Nomads probably should become an analogue of the archers of the Fortress, but a little weaker? Even so, I would hardly take them with the current changes. I think there is still room to balance Warmongers and Orcs. Although with the current changes... I don't even know... Maybe Sky Daughters should be made as originally intended? At the beginning of the battle, you ALWAYS eat a goblin. But so that it gives mana for 2 full shots (you start with 12) until it is completely exhausted? Executioners - I would think more about these guys. Remember - when was the last time you saw them in serious games compared to Chieftains? I have always been saddened by this upgrade because I wanted to take more Chieftains than Executioners. Although, perhaps due to the double attack, they can do something... But it's doubtful. This needs to be discussed. Bloodcrazed Cyclops - I would also take a look at these guys. Again, the problem is the same as above - they are rarely taken. Free Ones break walls, deal good area damage, are thick, and strong. And Bloodcrazed, it seems, deal damage + reduce luck... But something is missing? I don't know. I would like to see Bloodcrazed become a full-fledged alternative upgrade. Maybe increase their speed or initiative a little? Wolves probably should have been changed by 1.5, not 2. But I don't encounter them often. Maybe the author really has a grudge against them. Something like that...

People:
Yes, the change is generally correct, but! Sometimes, Humans have incredibly tedious and difficult early-game engagements (if you play on higher difficulties). They are not like Elves. Won't this change hurt them? Archers are the main offensive force in the early game.

No, you're just playing against the wrong kind of Humans. Elves are relatively difficult because they don't have good basic units, and it takes a lot of wood to build archers. But Humans have peasants, and it's easy to upgrade to archers... Even if they are a little weaker, they appear almost immediately.

I would also take a look at Adepts and Inquisitors. Adepts are a rare upgrade that I personally don't use often, preferring the defensive spells of Inquisitors.

I specifically take Adepts, precisely for the punishing strike against archers. Although, I don't know how pro players do it.

I specifically take Adepts, precisely for a decisive strike against archers. Although, I don't know how pro players do it here.

I also take Adepts; they are overpowered:
They have +4 attack, and with equal hero stats for attack and defense, this is a +20% damage multiplier.
+They cast Bloodlust at the expert level, which gives +12 attack, resulting in a +60% damage bonus to the selected unit.


And on top of all that, they have the passive skill Purification. It's always nice to remove buffs from the enemy.
Incas are less effective, even considering they have a much larger set of buffs.

No, you're playing with the wrong people. It's actually quite difficult to play as Elves because they don't have good basic units, and building archers requires a lot of wood. But Humans have peasants, and it's easy to upgrade archers... Even though they might be a little weaker, they appear almost immediately. And I specifically take Adepts, just for a decisive strike against archers. Although, I don't know how pro players do it here.

I thought there might be questions about Humans' attack power =D. It seems to be true; they have decent attack power at the beginning. But sometimes they can summon such overwhelming stacks that they simply crush you. Even with archers. I'm not considering something like Vittorio or Dugal at the beginning.
This can significantly slow down the tempo. Sometimes, Humans have this problem.
Elves do need wood. But building even basic archers is usually not a big deal (at least, I don't remember having any major problems). Then, rush into archers, and that's it. Almost easy attack power.

Added 4 minutes later

I also take Adepts; they're overpowered:
They have +4 attack, and with equal attack and defense parameters for the heroes, this is a +20% damage multiplier.
+They cast Bloodlust at the expert level, which gives +12 attack, which is +60% damage to the selected unit.
And on top of all that, they have the passive skill Purification. It's always nice to remove buffs from the enemy.
Inquisitors are less effective, even though they have a much larger set of buffs.

Well... It depends on how much game time you're considering? In "early" battles, within 1-2 months, you won't have enough Adepts to realize their offensive potential. Monks are still more of a support tier 5 unit. Plus, you can turn them into cavalry.
What's this Bloodlust? Punishment?
However, maybe I was underestimating Adepts. I've had that happen with units before.

I also take Adepts; they are overpowered:
They have +4 attack, and with equal hero attack and defense parameters, this is a +20% damage multiplier.
+They cast Bloodlust at the expert level, which gives +12 attack, meaning +60% damage to the selected unit.
And on top of all that, they have the Purification passive skill. It's always nice to remove buffs from the enemy.
Incas are less effective, even though they have a much larger set of buffs.

Well... It depends on how much game time you want to consider. In the "early" battles, within 1-2 months, you won't have enough Adepts to realize their offensive potential. Monks are still more of a tier 5 support unit. Plus, you can turn them into cavalry.
What's this Bloodlust? Karaka?
However, maybe I was underestimating the Adepts. It has happened with units before.

What is this bloodlust? Karaika?

Yes, the spell is called Bloodlust =)
It seems they renamed it for ideological reasons, but it's definitely the same Bloodlust spell from the third game.

Yes, the Bloodlust spell is called that =)
It seems they renamed it for ideological reasons, but it's definitely the Bloodlust spell from the third game.

I'll nitpick, but no. It's specifically Karayka. Both in Russian and in English. In essence, yes, but there's always a nuance...

I'll nitpick, but no).
It's specifically Karayka. Whether in Russian or English).
Essentially, yes, but there's always a nuance...

Yandex and Google Translate tell me this, although I knew this word without them.

And here are the game files

Yandex and Google Translate tell me this, but I knew the word even without them.

And here are the game files.

In the game, the spell is called "Righteous Might." This is the spell that Adepts have. In the files, it might be listed as "Bloodlust" for the convenience of the developers. And essentially, it might be the "Bloodlust" from previous installments. But for Heroes of Might and Magic V, it's more accurate to call it "Righteous Might."

In the game, the spell is called "Righteous Might." This is the spell that Adepts have. In the files, it might be listed as "bloodlust" for the developers' convenience. And essentially, it might be the "bloodlust" from previous installments. But for Heroes 5, it's more accurate to call it "Righteous Might."

In the game, there is a spell called Bloodlust, which is named after its predecessor from Heroes 3. However, the name it was given in the spellbook is a quirk of Ubisoft's editing, as Nival Interactive was very meticulous and authentic, and they used many of the original names that they already had.
For example, in Heroes 5, we have a hero named Cristian, who is a specialist in ballistae. In Heroes 3, there was also a hero named Cristian who was a specialist in ballistae. But here, they decided to rename him Vittorio.
Perhaps the most amusing example of this is Axel, who is Klaus, who is Sarge.

In the game, there is a spell called Bloodlust, which is named after its predecessor from the third installment. The name used in the spellbook is a matter of Ubisoft's editorial choices, as Nival Interactive was very meticulous and authentic, using names they had already established.
For example, we have a hero named Cristian, who is a specialist in ballistae. In Heroes 3, there was also a Cristian who was a ballista specialist. But here, they decided to rename him Vittorio.
Perhaps the most amusing example is Axel, who is Klaus, who is Sarge.

I didn't know about Nival Interactive's attitude towards canon. I thought it was their idea to adapt things.
And yes, don't remind me about "Klaus." I'm already having a heart attack these days, learning that my Axel apparently has a personality disorder...

Balanced Units - Balanced Units

Balanced Units is a small mod that fixes serious balance issues with creatures, which lead to a non-alternative choice of a particular tier. Differences from other balance mods:
1) no minor tweaks, only significant and fundamental changes in those pairs where there are obvious imbalances; the goal is to practically equalize the tiers, not to make them ideal
2) no controversial or extensive complex changes; the goal is to achieve balance with minimal, targeted tweaks
3) no radical redesigns of creatures and other creative additions of new abilities (with the exception of Rakshasa with agility), only balance tweaks.

Download Balanced Units

I apologize, but how can I download your mod? There seems to be a link, but it's not possible to download it

I agree! I would really like to get this mod.