Posts from Tactics for complex battles.

I found a thread about HoMM3 where complex battles are described turn by turn. I would like to ask the champions of the 5th part to do the same, for example, how to defeat as many neutral creatures as possible on the hero difficulty in the first week. For example, when playing as Demons or Haven, you need to defeat the horde of Dryads guarding the lumber mill/mine, and it's frustrating that they can't be defeated without significant losses in the first week. And by the time you build level 3-4 units (maybe in the beginning of the 2nd week, if you're lucky with resources), the enemies are already building level 5, or even level 6 units. Well, you get the idea. Thanks in advance. Sincerely, Slash.

It's better to play as Wizards or Warlocks! Or simply choose a hero with strong magic or with a level 4-5 creature at the beginning of the game!

It’s better to play as Mages or Necromancers! Or just choose a hero with strong magic or a Tier 4-5 creature at the beginning of the game!

That’s not what I meant. Let’s say we’re playing as a Mage with 1 Mage (a magic specialist):D Sorry for the tautology. He also has 20 Goblins and, I think, up to 10 Gargoyles (I don’t remember exactly). On the first turn, a tavern is usually built, and another hero is bought, usually with the same troops, but without a Mage (except for unit specialists). As a result, we have 30-40 Goblins, 15-20 Gargoyles, and 1 Mage. And the neutral creatures on the map are mostly ranged attackers. So what? In the case of Dryads, the Mage (unit) is taken out on the first turn; in the case of Goblins, Assassins, etc., it happens a little later. So, what’s the point of taking him if he won’t deal much damage? Even if you build a Guild Hall 1 on the second turn, it still won’t help much. And you can’t level up a hero significantly in just one week.

In general, with 3 heroes, I developed without any problems with any race on the hardest difficulty level, and I won battles with minimal losses. But here, it doesn’t work

Just imagine, when playing as Demons or Humans, you need to eliminate a horde of Dryads guarding a lumber mill/mine, and it's just annoying that you can't defeat them without significant losses in the first week.

In the most general case, you can only fight Dryads and any archers without losses at the start if you have War Machines and a tent, except, of course, when playing as Necropolis. Having Engineers at the start (Daleb and Vittorio for Inferno and Haven, respectively) makes things much easier. But you can also reduce losses with other heroes. Against the same Dryads, you can field an undead stack, if, of course, a Mage or Necromancer appears in the tavern, and a few level 1 units. And while they swarm and eliminate the level 1 units, you can use magic to take out the enemy. The main thing in such battles is to remember that the damage from the swarm decreases slightly as the number of Dryads in the stack decreases, so you need to try to finish off the stack completely.

As a result, you have 30-40 Goblins, 15-20 Gargoyles, and 1 Mage. And the neutral creatures on the map are mostly ranged attackers. So what? In the case of Dryads, the Mage (unit) is eliminated on the first turn, in the case of Goblins, Assassins, etc., a little later. So why bother taking him if he won't deal much damage?

Therefore, when playing as the Academy, take Hafiz (Engineers are often banned, though), Nur, and Or. The last two have Ranged Attack and enough mana, so the lumber mill will be defended by the Dryads with the loss of several (usually 5) level 1 units, which can be taken from a non-native hero, and you can save your Goblins. Don't forget to get the Sign of the Magician as soon as possible.

Don't forget to get the Wizard's Sign as soon as possible.

Could you please explain what this sign is and how to use it?
I've never quite figured it out in all my time playing the fifth game. :(

Thank you.

The Wizard's Sign is placed on a specific stack for half the initiative cost, and then it can be moved, or it is removed when the stack is destroyed. When a mage casts a spell, it is duplicated on the stack under the Sign, but this costs the same amount of mana. Therefore, if you cast damage spells on a stack under the Sign, the damage will be doubled, but the mana cost will also increase by 2 times, or you can simply hit two stacks at the same time. Before version 3.0, the Sign did not affect spells that hit an area, but now it does. That is, by placing the Sign correctly, you can, for example, cover 2 Meteor Showers over the entire enemy army in one turn.

You can also use the double Berserk ability.

Fireball, thanks, I didn't know about the "Sign of the Wizard" being so common. Now, here's a specific situation: a scenario called "Island" (I always forget which one), 1x1 map, hero difficulty. With a random setup, Haven appears with a hero who specializes in champions. Here's how it unfolds, turn by turn.
1. I build a tavern; there's a ranger hero with logistics (a knight) and an Inferno Nibros. I buy both, transfer the human troops to one hero (resulting in 14 archers, 51 peasants). They gain +1000 experience, combat frenzy, ranged attack, advanced attack, and advanced counter-attack. I choose ranged attack and, with this hero and Nibros, head to capture the mine (first priority) and the sawmill. I find the sawmill right away, guarded by imps (60 of them), and break through, losing 4 peasants. Nibros goes right at the fork and sees: a mine guarded by dryads. Near the castle are assassins, guarding piles of gold, crystals, and wood; gremlins near the mill and an obsidian golem near 4 resource locations. End of turn.
2. I go to the tavern - and again(!), there isn't a single hero with a ballista. There's only a peasant specialist and an Inferno Grog, naturally with 1 unit. (Sorry, I don't remember the knights' names because I often play as Inferno and Academy). Seeing no point in buying them, I grit my teeth and, with a loud, angry fart in C major, rush towards the dryads. First, Nibros (19 imps + 10 demons) takes out 23 out of 36 and goes back to hell, then the knight goes in. MIRACLE! They offer to join for a certain sum. I take them and rush to 56 fire demons (4 groups of 14). I break through with difficulty and losses: 7 dryads and 25 peasants. End of turn. But that's all minor. Behind the demons, I scout the territories, and there isn't a SINGLE pile of wood lying unguarded. NOT ONE! Most of the neutrals are ranged attackers. And the resources will soon run out. And what to do next if I can't even build griffons in the first week? And what if the dryads hadn't joined? Maybe I played poorly against the demons?

Now, a specific situation: a scenario called "Island" (I always forget which one), 1x1, hero difficulty.

Based on the description, it's clearly Contested Island, a normal, almost dueling map.

And the resources will soon run out. So, what do you do next if you can't even build griffins in the first week?

Starting without a tavern and leveling up a hero to level 4 or higher is simply unrealistic.

With a random setup, you get Haven with a hero who specializes in champions.

That's where the whole problem lies. If, by chance, you get a specialist in peasants, a tavern specialist in armored units, no archers in the castle, and only shooters and dryads around, then no clever tactics will help; you're doomed anyway. That's why I don't see the point in playing with random castles, and therefore with random heroes, as there's too much randomness involved. After all, if you started with Vittorio or Dugald, the problem would solve itself. That's why people usually play against each other by choosing a hero and on veteran difficulty.

If, by chance, you get a special ability for dealing with peasants, a tavern special for armored units, there are no archers in the castle, and all around are only ranged units and dryads, then no clever tactic will help; you're doomed anyway.

Exactly! It was easier in the third game. As I said, there you could develop and, despite the random setup that has become a tradition for me, still succeed. I just wanted to be a more or less versatile player. So, in the fifth game, on a higher difficulty, the most important thing is choosing the starting hero, right?

And immediately, I was interested in the question: can you defeat 36 (3*12) dryads with the hero Nibros, level 2, with 19 imps, 10 demons, and a ballista? Or a level 2 hero, specializing in champions, with 47 knights + 14 archers + a ballista. Or how can you minimize losses? Perhaps the tactic of dividing units into stacks of 1 unit + one large stack for finishing them off doesn't work in the fifth game. In the third game, there were almost no problems...

Regarding hero selection: yes, Slash, you are right. The most important thing is to choose the right hero. The balance of creatures in Heroes of Might and Magic V is more or less decent, but the hero balance is limping. Therefore, the main thing is to choose the right hero for the right map. But there are also a couple of good ideas that I would like to share: 1. Never neglect scouting. If necessary, buy a secondary hero whose task is not so much to defeat neutrals, but to explore as much area as possible. 2. Don't forget about economy: remember that in Heroes of Might and Magic V, each race has a main resource that is spent in the largest quantities. For elves, it's wood; for humans, it's ore. These resources need to be carefully calculated and, if possible, replenished whenever possible. 3. Apparently, Heroes 5 has a factor of player luck, which depends solely on your fate. Otherwise, how can you explain that sometimes, even on the easiest difficulty, the computer throws huge armies against you, while on Hero difficulty, you can sometimes march straight to the enemy's capital in two or three weeks without encountering serious resistance. Therefore, if something doesn't work out, try playing again. And now about the heroes: HAVEN: A great choice would be Ellaina, as a specialist in peasants. But only for large maps. On smaller maps, choose Vittorio (ballista), Dugald (archers), but you need to level up Soldier's Luck. Iris is also a very good hero. Her unupgraded griffons have the "Strike from the Sky" ability, which greatly simplifies things when dealing with ranged neutral units at the beginning. It is worth paying attention to Axel (cavalry), Rutger (pathfinding), and Laslo (swordsmen). SYLVAN: Here, Talannar (battle frenzy + starts with a ballista), Ilfina (unicorns + sanctuary tent) will be useful. Wingael (+ initiative bonus for units as the hero levels up) is highly respected, as is Vinrael (increased experience gain as the hero levels up). Normal heroes are Ossir (archers), Gilraen (blade dancers). It is not worth paying attention to Dirael (the donkey swarm is not a very impressive spell), but I may be wrong. Anwen (+ damage to all SYLVAN creatures as the hero levels up) was especially appealing to me; I think she is an ideal hero for large maps. DUNGEON: Here, the clear leaders are Vaishan (scouts), Erin (witches), and Iranna (beasts). Special attention: Sinithar (reduced cost of enhanced spells as the hero levels up), suitable only for small maps where there will be problems with mana. Also: Lethos (can cast the Poison spell on one or more units at the beginning of the battle. Not recommended against undead). Clear losers: Sorgall (increases the damage of the dark riders' super ability, but not their own damage. If it were the other way around, the hero could be quite good), Kifrah (some may disagree, but minotaurs in Heroes of Might and Magic V are not very strong), and Irbeth. Her Dark Ritual ability restores more mana than the maximum. But Dark Ritual takes one turn, which on small maps is equivalent to suicide, and on large maps it doesn't matter, because there are almost no mana problems in the later stages. ACADEMY: Here, the champions are Nazir (fireball), Orah (the time between the hero's turns decreases as the hero levels up), Maahir (restores mana faster), and Nurah (restores mana in battle). Jalib is good against mages and dark elves, as he can deflect spells into the enemy army. All the others are average, but with proper development, they can "make it." INFERNO: Leaders: Daleb (ballista), Grak (logistics + teleport spell), Nibros (lucky son of a bitch). On large maps, Nimus is good (increases the number of creatures summoned through the Gate by 1% with each hero level). You just need to level up Leadership => Troop Gathering => Gate Master, and also Luck => Luck in Travel => Wide Gate Opening or Logistics => Pathfinding => Fast Gate Opening. Against mages and dark elves: Marbas (+1% to magic resistance for each level). NECROPOLIS: I haven't played much, so I'm not sure, but I think the best choice here would be Vlad (raise dead), Naadir (temporarily converts dead enemies into ghosts during the battle), and Zoltan (has a chance to block an enemy spell for the duration of the battle). Regarding Dwarves and Orcs, I don't know. I haven't played them at all, and I don't really like them. But it seems to me that everything I said is more related to strategy than to tactics. So, I will develop concepts for battles with various races. Although I don't believe that it will help much. After all, victory in Heroes of Might and Magic V depends heavily on luck. Not the hero's luck, but the player's luck.

There we go! In 3 it was simpler. As I said, you can develop there even with a random layout, which has already become a tradition for me. I just wanted to be a more or less universal player.

If we are talking about SoD, the choice of main hero for any race was even more limited than in 5, if playing against a human. Against the computer, of course, many liberties were allowed, because it was infinitely stupid.

So in 5 on difficulty the hero is key — the choice of starting hero, right?

Maybe the tactic of splitting squads into 1 unit per stack + one large stack for finishing off just doesn't work in 5. In 3 there were almost no problems...

In 5 the computer became many times smarter, and the significance of lower-tier troops is much higher. The AI isn't always fooled by single units, and for some time now it has started ignoring gated troops, etc. That is why problems with random heroes are much higher than in 3, but the choice is still broader.

And a question immediately came up: can you kill 36 (3*12) Dryads with a level 2 hero Nibros with 19 Imps, 10 Demons and a Ballista. Or a level 2 spec hero for Champions 47 Crossbowmen + 14 Archers + Ballista.

Perhaps with perfect starts on the ATB scale, morale, Machine Basics and +1 attack from the first battle upgrade it's playable, but in a real game you definitely shouldn't even try; Dryads will first use magic to hit Imps and Archers — the fat stacks, not the single units. And no other way.

2Erganor
Is this based on experience playing against the computer?
HAVEN: Ellaine as main? Never, only stay as a support in the Castle. As a starter also never. But you forgot Miv for nothing; for many end-games she's simply a beast.
SYLVAN: Dirael is a very viable hero, and Ossir too. Wingael was nerfed, but is still cool.
DUNGEON: You forgot Letos, Letos. It's not for nothing that he currently leads in leveling speed tests among all the dark pointy-ears. Vaishan and Sinitar are also worthy choices. Many suddenly gave up on Erin and Iranna.
ACADEMY: The champion there is Hafiz. Nura and Ora. Nazir is a solid mid-tier, although sometimes very strong.
NECROPOLIS: Kaspar, Zoltan (easily gets the mark and extra knowledge). On large maps you can level up Deidra, but not as a starter.

but in the actual game, it definitely isn't worth even trying. Dryads will first attack Imps and Archers with magic, in large groups, not individually. And there's no other way.

Okay, then how do you know when to attack? I wouldn't attack before Griffons, but if you really need the mine....

In your specific example, everything was done correctly; you just needed to eliminate a portion of the enemy forces, but you were unlucky with the left demon hero. He's too weak. However, if you started with Vittorio, the first upgrade you should get is Developed Battle Machines. In the town, build a forge and buy a tent. After that, you can play almost without any losses. Considering the low initiative of level 1-3 knights, the tent is practically the only way to save money at the start in battles against archers and casters. And on the Contested Island, Vittorio is definitely a good choice for the main hero.

2Erganor
Is this based on experience playing against the AI?
HAVEN: Ellaine as the main hero? Never, only as a support hero in the castle. Never as a starting hero either. But you're wrong to forget about Myv; she's a beast for many endgame scenarios.
SYLVAN: Dirael is a very viable hero, as is Ossir. Wingael has been nerfed, but is still strong.
DUNGEON: You forgot about Leto, Leto. It's no coincidence that he's currently leading in tests for the fastest leveling speed among all dark-skinned heroes. Vaishan and Sinithar are also worthy choices. Many have suddenly abandoned Erin and Iranna.
ACADEMY: The champion there is Hafiz. Nur and Or. Nazir is a solid mid-tier hero, although sometimes very strong.
NECROPOLIS: Kaspar, Zoltan (easily gets the "Mark" and extra knowledge). You can level up Deidre on large maps, but not as a starting hero.

Ellaine as a starting hero is actually quite good, especially on large maps. In such cases, you'll likely find another "native" hero in the tavern, and near the castle – free peasants. Ellaine is used for hiring troops because she has the "Recruit Troops" ability, as well as supply and other abilities. And the second hero, hired in the tavern, does the fighting. Regarding Leto, you need to consider the skill slot spent on dark magic, and also his complete uselessness in fighting undead, which are immune to his professional ability. As for Erin and Iranna, they were wrong to give them up, very wrong... But regarding Hafiz, unfortunately, I admit I was wrong! If properly developed, he tears through almost everyone. You just need to create appropriate minor artifacts for mages.

Added after 4 minutes
Regarding Deidre: First, there's an error in the hero's description. In reality, her profile is improving the effect of the Banshee's scream as she levels up. She's a kind of anti-Godric. Second, she can be a starting hero. But I agree, only on large maps.