Posts from Humans vs. Undead

Okay, here's how we can do it:
We aim to get Light/Defense/Leadership, and try to acquire the Guardian Angel ability.
Focus on Evasion, Resilience (to minimize damage from Liches), and Diplomacy (can be given to an additional hero).
As the main/additional hero (depending on who has Diplomacy; if the additional hero has it, they need 60-80 ranged units. If the main hero has it, the additional hero needs 100-120 ranged units and 60-70 infantry for castle defense), we explore the map, looking for Elven Archers or Haven creatures. Basically, we build an army. We can also try attacking Necropolises near mines for resources and units, and with 2 stacks of infantry/angels, we can try our luck.
Alternatively, we can focus on Attack and get Tier 3 creatures, then split the Knights of Isabel (or not split them). If we split them, during battle, we use the piercing ability to hit multiple creatures (if we have good luck and artifacts like the Horseshoe, Lion's Mane, or both – if both, it's +7 luck; if only one, it's +5 luck). Then, when the Knights attack, the combination of luck and artificial attack damage can be devastating!

I'm writing as an experienced Necromancer who fought against humans on the Empire map (Markel vs. Godric). And I won, but with great difficulty. The earlier you attack the humans, the better. Accordingly, the humans need to stall for time. The thing is that the Knight hero has combat stats, and the more "meat" he has, the higher the chances of overwhelming the Necromancer. The Necromancer's troops won't be able to handle the knights. Train Paladins – the more Paladins, the better. Cast Antimagic on them and charge! One strike – one stack of Necromancers is destroyed. Royal Griffons will take care of the ranged units. Only the Death Knights' Devastating Strike, which removes Antimagic, and the Phoenix with Elementals saved me. Therefore, the Knight's build: Leadership, Defense, Attack, Light Magic, Luck (it's important to take Dodge and preferably artifacts for Dodge).

I can boast that I managed to defeat opponents even with anti-magic and without phoenix messengers. The key is to eliminate the stack of Knights as quickly as possible. Even if they destroy 1-2 stacks, it's not a big deal. The main thing is to properly develop the Necromancer, so that luck is on your side. I especially want to note that in the early stages, leadership is a key factor for the success of the Necropolis faction; it might even be enough to defeat the Knights. And after the Knight stack is eliminated, it usually doesn't take much effort to finish off the remaining enemy units.

It should also be noted that it is desirable to keep the Vampires. With blindness, they can easily deal with the Knights.

How does leadership become a key to success for a Necromancer?

It should also be noted that it is desirable to keep the vampires. With blindness, they will easily deal with the knights.

The knight takes down the vampires first.)))

It is very important for the knight to have teleport! Act only on attack. Throw all the fighters into the thick of the enemy (otherwise, the necromancer will outnumber them, and they will kill each other). Of course, ideally, you should have the Shield of the Dwarf King.)))
In my opinion, these are the best upgrades for the knight:
1. Landlords (they have higher attack and can attack twice).
2. Archers without penalty (needed to take out vampires; the necromancer still won't get close enough for the archers' ability).
3. Zealots (send them into the thick of the enemy and hack, hack, hack).
4. Royal Griffons (attack from the sky, stay on the field for as little time as possible so that the necromancer doesn't control them).
5. Red Adepts (again, focused on attack, also have a very important spell and ability - dispel).
6. Paladins (if you have the Shield of the Dwarf King, you can also consider knights of Isabel, although the paladins' ability is very valuable).
7. Archangels and only archangels (stable damage + resurrection of allies. Divine Retribution is still not needed, since the necromancer's main striking force is the necromancer himself, not the necromancer's troops).

How does leadership become a key to the Necromancer's success?

It's very simple – it's all due to the combination of Death Herald and Diplomacy skills. This way, you can recruit all sorts of neutral creatures, and your army grows rapidly. Plus, with leadership, you can add good level 7 creatures to your army without morale penalties, instead of those miserable bone dragons. Plus, elementals and phoenixes no longer fight each other when you summon them. Plus, there's a path to the Abandoned Mines, where you can easily get 2k ghosts in the late game, and with the Blood Stone and Luck, the ghosts deal so much damage that it's amazing.

Added 5 minutes later

The Knight takes down the vampires first.)))

It's very important for the Knight to have teleport! Act only on attack. Throw all the fighters into the thick of the enemy (otherwise, the Necromancer will outnumber them, and they will kill each other). Of course, ideally, you should have the Shield of the Gnomish King.

The Knight can take down the vampires first, especially if they are paladins and not Isabel's knights. Teleport is a good thing, but you still need to find it, and where will you get antimagic then? In my opinion, the most effective spell is not berserk, but charm or berserk in combination with griffins and zealots. If you take Keen Mind, I think you can seriously damage Haven already in the early stages. It all depends on the balance of power and the artifacts; Haven is traditionally considered a cheater, but it has weaknesses

A Knight might not be able to eliminate Vampires right away, especially if they are Paladins and not Knights of Isabel. Teleport is a good spell, but you still need to find it, and where will you get Antimagic then? In my opinion, the most effective spell is not Berserk, but Subdue or Berserk in combination with Griffins + Zealots. If you take Sharp Mind, I think you can inflict significant damage on Haven quite early on. It all depends on the balance of power and the artifacts. Haven is traditionally considered overpowered, but it has weaknesses.

A Knight eliminates Vampires with ranged attacks without penalty and with Adepts – Vampires are the primary target. For Paladins, the targets are Messengers, Warrior Skeletons, or Dragons, depending on which they can reach. Griffins attack ranged units from the air.
Teleport can be obtained either from a Demon or a Warlock if you upgrade their Surprise Attack skill; Grok has it right from the start.

In the final stage, everything depends on the players' skills and the starting lineup. For example, if a Necromancer goes before the Paladins, Subdue is cast, and the Paladins immediately eliminate their stack. Taking Sharp Mind is risky because logistics are not needed in the final stage; it is better to take Defense with Resistance, Agility, and Last Stand.

I've been disappointed with defense lately. It seems that no matter what defense you choose, it doesn't seem to help much against Necropolis. And I would definitely take logistics on large maps. For example, against Vampires, you can't just rely on archers and adepts, as they resurrect quite a bit, especially with Lucre. And to get teleport for a Knight from Grok, you'll have to invest in education, which means sacrificing either defense or attack.

Oh, how helpful defense is! For the Necropolis, it's the second most important stat after magic power. Without it, the chances are very slim. I can confirm this. I attacked Godric with Markel, first using a strategy that emphasized defense, and then we tried again without it. The damage of the Knight units increased by approximately one and a half times, and I lost without a chance. Then, there's resilience – warrior skeletons receive a +33% bonus to health, considering that they are always the main attacking force.

And teleportation is certainly difficult – you either need to level up another hero and give them education with the ability to learn spells + light magic, or have the same demon or warlock level up their education as well.

It's very simple – it's all due to the combination of Death Knight and Diplomacy skills.

Aha...) all other questions disappear on their own.

Aaa...) all other questions simply disappear.

Someone here is unfairly criticizing diplomacy and the messenger. I recently decided to revisit the Outlands for fun. Haven against Necropolis. Haven below, Necromancer above. I took Orson against Axel. It was amusing. The Necropolis had one and a half times more messengers than the Knight had Izabellas. Not to mention the liches, whose damage was comparable to that of the Izabellas. And not to mention a bunch of vampires (who were almost all defeated).
I realized one thing. Against Haven, it's not necessary for the Necropolis to focus on magic, which is what I did, since Haven has good protection against darkness. You need to maximize the melee units, and take luck, defense, attack, education, and leadership. This way, the knight crushes the melee units without problems and without any mind control.

you need to persuade them with kind words.