Evaluating archers. Auto-translated

Everyone who mentioned Fanatics in the list of "best archers" is wrong. This is an incredibly weak unit with insufficient attack power. In a powerful warrior hero of, say, level 15, crossbowmen and monks deal almost the same damage. Its only advantage is that it's not the only archer, and it's also quite a high-level one. Although its main competitor, the Lich, is much better.

The Lizard is generally a weak creature, just like the Magog. If the Magog's weakness is the Fireball, then the Lizard's weakness is its very existence.

As I wrote above, Lizards are, on the contrary, extremely resilient creatures and cannot be called "weak" in any way. And their usefulness in the early stages of the game exceeds all expectations. As for the Magog, its Fireball is a plus, not a minus. It's only a minus for an extremely inexperienced player playing against the AI. ;)

In my opinion, the best archers are Titans,)) followed by Cyclops, Fanatics, and I can't forget my favorite Great Elves with their double shot (especially good with Luck and morale triggering).

))
In general, all units with double attack (archers, Grand Elves) benefit the most from the hero's "Luck" skill. But this trick mostly works against the AI; when playing against a human, there are always more useful skills... besides, an Expert in Luck can be easily replaced and surpassed by a Master of Fire Magic with his General Unluck.

but mages can be very valuable when capturing resource locations, nagabanks...

and which of the ranged units can't be appreciated there? The monsters there aren't clustered together, whether it's a mage or an elf...

As I wrote above, lizards are, on the contrary, extremely resilient creatures and cannot be called "weak" in any way.

By "weak," I meant not their resilience, but the damage they inflict on the enemy. And there's nothing outstanding about that.

As for the mage, his fireball is a plus, not a minus.

Especially when your warriors are nearby. In most cases, they have to defend themselves.

an extremely inexperienced player playing with companions.

Is this a subtle hint?

Lizards are excellent warriors, dealing 2-5 damage when upgraded, i.e., 3.5 on average. Storms deal 4, and marksmen deal 5.

Quote:
but magogs can be very valuable when taking out outposts, nagabanks...
and which of the archers can't be valued there? Monsters aren't standing in a group there, whether it's a magog or an elf...

A subtle hint :D - so put them in a group.

I'll try to share my humble opinion.
Castle
Marksman
Damage 2-3
Attack 6
Defense 5
Health 10
Speed 6
Shoots twice. This bonus makes him the most important unit of Castle in the early stages of the game. Good piercing power, taking crypts, gnome huts, etc. is no problem with him. With Valefor, he outruns griffins in speed, which is certainly a plus when taking conservatories.

Fanatic
Damage 10-12
Attack 12
Defense 10
Health 30
Speed 7
A useless unit for Castle in my opinion. Useful only when there are a lot of slow-moving guards, like ogres or dendroids, which are easier to shoot down than to beat up close.

Rampart
Grand Elf
Damage 3-5
Attack 9
Defense 5
Health 15
Speed 7
Two shots - good! Simply indispensable for Rampart. I think it’s hard to argue ;)

Tower
Master Gremlin
Damage 1-2
Attack 4
Defense 4
Health 4
Speed 5
It's all simple here. Quantity must turn into quality. Without them, I can't even imagine how you can play as Tower. :confused: Only 8 shots, meaning it might not be enough for a long battle — this should be taken into account before going into a gnome hut, for example, or attacking fat monsters. But this is fixable, since Tower sells war machines. Very good in combination with Master Genies!

Arch Mage
Damage 7-9
Attack 12
Defense 9
Health 30
Speed 7
A fairly strong unit. One of the most worthy at level 4. But it must be admitted that upgrading them happens very rarely due to the need to build a library. However, they have their own plus — they reduce the cost of spells by 2 points. Even just for this bonus, it's worth taking at least one mage.

Titan
Damage 40-60
Attack 24
Defense 24
Health 300
Speed 11
Well, a titan is a titan, what can you say. Of course, the speed is a bit low for level 7, but this is more than compensated by combat qualities. Of course, in online games you usually don't get to them (some players even disdain building giants), but if you do get there, then :smile10:! Immunity to mind spells is an undoubted plus, immunity to blindness and berserker certainly doesn't hurt!

Inferno
Magog
Damage 2-4
Attack 7
Defense 4
Health 13
Speed 6
A good unit! In skilled hands, it's simply a miracle. If you know how to herd monsters into piles by sacrificing single creatures, then you can outpace all other shooters in effectiveness. Also useful for demonology, because killing your own is sometimes a problem too :D For those who are afraid of fireballs, you can just not upgrade them. The regular Gog has 1 less attack and 2 less speed, which is essentially a minor detail. Of course, 5 mercury for an upgrade can be a real pity...

Necropolis
Mighty Lich
Damage 11-15
Attack 13
Defense 10
Health 40
Speed 7
A shooter, and not a bad one at that, but when playing as Necropolis, the focus is on skeletons, so the value of liches drops (we don't take the Cloak of the Undead King into account :D )

Dungeon
Evil Eye
Damage 3-5
Attack 10
Defense 8
Health 22
Speed 7
A shooter with melee fighter functions. As a shooter, maybe not the best, but as a unit overall, it's pretty good, and nature hasn't skimped on its health :D

Medusa Queen
Damage 6-8
Attack 10
Defense 10
Health 30
Speed 6
People don't particularly rely on medusas, but you still need to build them, and the upgrade isn't as costly as with Arch Mages, for example, so let them be. And petrification can play a role in battle! Not enough shots, especially for the regular medusa.

Stronghold
Orc Chieftain
Damage 2-5
Attack 8
Defense 4
Health 20
Speed 5
Orcs are decisive only with Jabarkas, because without shooting, their existence is pointless, and with such a level 7, they fade into the background. And building a smithy for their upgrade makes their existence utterly dreary... :(

Cyclops King
Damage 16-20
Attack 17
Defense 13
Health 70
Speed 8
Well, cyclopes are generally not needed. 20 crystals for construction is definitely overkill. And in terms of power, they are among the weakest level 6 creatures. So building cyclopes is only worth it when you're living the good life, not knowing what to build and swimming in resources :D

Fortress
Lizard Warrior
Damage 2-5
Attack 6
Defense 8
Health 15
Speed 5
Well then. Wystan with lizards upgraded on day 1 looks very promising. Lizards are needed only in their upgraded form, because damage 2-5 is not the same as 2-3. Good health and defense!

Conflux
Storm Elemental
Damage 2-8
Attack 9
Defense 9
Health 25
Speed 8
Well, first of all, I want to note that in terms of stats, it's more of a level 3 unit than level 2. The unupgraded unit looks no less decent. So in week 1, regular air elementals can get things done, and by the second week, it'll be clear whether to upgrade them or not.
P.S.: Under blessing, this unit is deadly, but under curse, almost harmless :D

Ice Elemental
Damage 3-7
Attack 8
Defense 10
Health 30
Speed 6
A bit weaker in my opinion than the Storm Elemental, but unlike the previous one, upgrading this creature is mandatory, because regular fish can only serve as cannon fodder!

Neutrals
Hobbit
Damage 1-3
Attack 4
Defense 2
Health 4
Speed 5
A weak level 1 shooter. Always has at least +1 luck. Since they are neutrals, you can't collect many of them, and as guards they are quite frail. So attack them boldly!

Sniper
Damage 8-10
Attack 12
Defense 10
Health 15
Speed 9
An interesting unit. No range penalty. Really very fragile health, but what damage!!! Once I got 20 snipers from a Pandora's Box, and I was very pleased!! As enemies, they can really get on your nerves in the early stages if you don't have tactics or magic.

Warlock
Damage 14
Attack 17
Defense 12
Health 30
Speed 9
A cool unit. Not so much as a shooter, but as a mage. Even 1 warlock can be very useful. So if you find an external dwelling, take it without thinking!!! As enemies, they can really get on your nerves. They'll cast mass slow and then you can do whatever you want :D

P.S.: In general, every unit can find a worthy use if you put a little thought into it!

Gentlemen, perhaps you could set up a poll for clarity. Otherwise, it depends on how you evaluate them.
But, to be specific, the most decent, in terms of effectiveness, are crossbowmen and Royal Elves.
I wouldn't say that about Orcs; they don't seem to have a penalty in melee combat. And it's better to have at least some archer than such a luxury as a Cyclops.

By the way, why do Orcs have a penalty in melee combat? It's obvious, for example, that an archer wouldn't be very effective in melee, while an axe is more suited for close combat.

Well, the developers decided that was the right way to do it.

Orcs just aren't very good with their hands... :)

Lizards are excellent warriors, dealing 2-5 damage when upgraded, i.e., 3.5 on average. Storms deal 4, and marksmen deal 5.

It's better to deal 2-3 damage twice than 2-5 damage once.

A subtle hint - so position them in a group.

Position them in a group for the sake of the Arcomage? They die before that happens... Although, it seems to depend on the situation.

I would rank the ranged units like this: 1) Upgraded Beholders 2) Upgraded Elves 3) Powerful Liches 4) Monks Beholders and Elves are good because they can be built quickly, and there are many of them. Beholders also don't have a penalty in melee combat and are healthier than Elves. Liches are actually in a league of their own because their aura doesn't affect their own units, unlike Magogs, where you need to gather a good group, and then you can still hit your own units. I practically don't play with towers, so I haven't dealt with Titans, and mages are weak. Orcs are also good, if they shot twice, for example. And monks are in the ranking for their penalty-free melee combat.

Added 1 minute ago

By the way, why do Orcs HAVE a penalty in melee combat? After all, it's obvious, for example, that an archer. You can't fight well with an arrow, but an axe is more suitable for melee combat.

The penalty applies to those who have a weapon in their hands. Monks shoot spells; they have them in their heads; mages also have a magic staff, not a crossbow; beholders also shoot with their eyes... So, everyone else simply has their hands occupied.

Archers have their hands occupied with bows, and crossbowmen with crossbows. But orcs have their hands occupied with axes. So, troglodytes should have something too, since their hands are occupied with spears. :smile13:

Since when do troglodytes shoot? O_o They're melee units, what's the point of having them? Or maybe your pikemen don't attack two adjacent units?))

I think everyone will agree that Titans are the best here, and after them, in my opinion, Liches with Cloud of Death are good too.

What are you even talking about?! If we're talking about USEFULNESS, not just the power of ranged units at high levels, then the situation is as follows: I see 3 Castles that heavily rely on ranged units: Castle, Rampart, and Tower. For the Castle, it's undoubtedly the Crossbowmen. For the Rampart, it's obviously the Elves. For the Tower, it's primarily the GREMLINS! not the Titans! The other Castles don't heavily rely on ranged units, but ranged units are always a plus. For the Necropolis, any ranged unit is good because it makes it easier to mow down skeletons. And that's the most important thing for the Necropolis. (As long as the ranged unit doesn't get demoralized). For the Dungeon, the Trolls are the most important, not the Lukari. Even though there are 2 ranged units (as proven by Lebron :D). For the Conflux, even in the un-upgraded version, the Air Elemental stack is good, and you can upgrade it in the second week (along with the Water Elementals). And if you combine it with the Water Blessing, it's amazing. For the Stronghold, I don't know who was betting on Cyclops here. Orcs are more likely to be used. But the Griffins with the Roc and the Cannon are more effective than the ranged units themselves. Well, for the Swamp and Inferno, it's clear that only the Lizards and the Gogs are used. That's the gist of it.

Considering the criteria of quantity, quality, and price, I think elves would be in first place. And this is generally fair, given that the Fortress only has one ranged unit.

Well, the Swamp faction also has 1 archer, and it's pretty good for its level.