Posts from Discussion about the Sanctuary faction.

Before the patch, it happened during teleportation. Did they fix it after all?

Because the effects of "Aura of Radiance" remove all effects from the attacked creature during a normal attack.

As far as I remember, "Aura of Radiance" removes positive effects from all nearby enemies, which is not ideal, so at the very beginning of the battle, we cast "Time Stop" on them. Fortunately, the high initiative of the Sacred Kirin allows us to do this. But even better is "Tsunami" on the first turn. It immediately disables not only the "Aura of Radiance" but also all the main creatures. And then, after two turns, we apply "Time Stop" to the "Aura of Radiance". Later, we summon Earth Elementals, which use "Petrify" at the right time. Then Irina uses "Tranquility". The result: "Aura of Radiance" is no longer a problem for almost the entire battle. Of course, the enemy can correct the situation with "Dispel Magic," but they rarely do...

Why did you get disappointed with "Endurance"? Explain? Because I, on the contrary, wanted to try it.

"Endurance" is good for a warrior hero because they have access to the "Endurance III" skill, which provides a significant health bonus to the units. Having only the two previous levels of this skill, which Irina can acquire, I don't consider a significant advantage. Perhaps I'm wrong, but experience shows that there are more important abilities for the Fortress that you can spend your skill points on.

And describe in more detail how "Cloud of Smoke" is a key element of the Fortress strategy?

Oh, this is one of my favorite details. "Cloud of Smoke" stops almost all enemies when they cross it. It allows friendly units to act again (and this is not counted as a result of high morale, but as a full additional action without reducing movement range and damage). I think the benefit of this skill is clear.

Conclusions:
1. Protect the Sacred Kirin, preventing the enemy from destroying this unit;
2. Do not allow the opponent's troops to "pin down" the Sacred Kirin – their movement range should always be large;
3. Move the Sacred Kirin around the battlefield at full speed (not thoughtlessly, but calculating possible future actions of both the enemy and your own creatures, to immobilize the enemy and increase the mobility of your army – it's very nice when you can do both).

In fact, this is a specific advantage. At the beginning of the battle, the Sacred Kirin leaves a long "Cloud of Smoke" in front of the allies, and Kappa-Soyya takes advantage of this and instantly jumps to the large clusters of the enemy, dealing significant damage with "Power Jump"... And then, according to the plan. Although, to be honest, I prefer to wait for the Kappa-Soyya first. But that's not the point.

P.S. I remind you that the strategy being discussed is for the Tide Lord, a mage hero of the Fortress on the Path of Tears.

Added 23 minutes ago
And also: Mizu-Kami should be appreciated. Their "Spiritual Bond" not only shares all the joys and sorrows with the target unit but also endows it with "Pain Reflection" and "Protective Shell," allowing it to return 10% of the damage inflicted in melee combat to the attacker and reduce the damage received by 15%. Tip: try to connect Mizu-Kami and Sacred Kirin with these bonds. This will give a huge advantage: "Waves of Renewal" directed at one of the linked units will, of course, benefit both, meaning that the already quite resilient Mizu-Kami will extend their time on the battlefield, and therefore, "Spiritual Bond" will last longer, which means that the Sacred Kirin will not lose their additional protection and will continue to spread the "Cloud of Smoke" across the area. That's how it works. :p

the previous post is right, without Kirins, you can't do anything, so you need to kill them first. As for the Haven faction, instead of magic dissipation, it provides a general purity buff.
But how can you not play as Sanctuary? They still lose to Haven and Necromancer.

I play Necropolis. But I think that Sanctuary is no less good than Haven or Necropolis. It's a matter of gameplay and personal preference. In fact, I achieved the best result playing Sanctuary (maybe I was just lucky). Then I specifically played Necropolis, but I didn't do as well. But I'll keep trying!:)

Strange conclusions. You're not competing in the right direction. Playing a quick battle against the AI isn't a good indicator. If you want to play a quick battle against the AI, you just need someone good at logistics and a solid defense for the castles you've captured from the enemy.

As far as I remember, the "Radiance" ability removes positive effects from all nearby enemies, which is not good at all, so at the very beginning of the battle, we cast "Time Stop" on them. Fortunately, the initiative level of the Sacred Kirin allows us to do this. But even better is to use "Tsunami" in the first turn. This immediately disables not only the "Radiance" but also all the main creatures. And only then, after two turns, we apply "Time Stop" to the "Radiance". Later, we summon Earth Elementals, which use "Petrify" at the right time. Then, Irina uses "Tranquility". Result: the "Radiance" doesn't interfere for almost the entire battle. Of course, the enemy can correct the situation with "Dispel Magic," but for some reason, they rarely do...

Many players choose two squads of "Radiance" in duels; in that case, only "Tsunami" works.

Why is everyone so agitated today? First, I'm not competing against AI. And secondly, why isn't speed an indicator? What is an indicator then? The slower, the better? Sanctuary was completed faster. That's a fact. Can you play faster and complete it in 46 days using your tactics and strategy? And if I focus on defending captured cities, it will take about 75 days :) IMHO. Did Skull get to you? Then compete with him. IMHO

I think I can play faster if I know the map well. If I manage to get boots with +8 movement points, it will be even faster.... It was my first time playing. It's not necessary for the main hero to defend the castles. There were suggestions to play the 2nd round of the tournament on this map, so maybe I'll try it out during the training process...

many players choose two squads of Luminaries in duels, but then only Tsunami works.

It's quite difficult to level up before Tsunami in a duel. Mostly, duels take place on "Far Bridge," and even at level 10, it's unlikely you'll reach that point. And single Luminaries are powerful; they dispel everything.
Regarding the topic, I'd like to ask the experts about the tactics for Sanctuary against Barbarians (Tribes) on this map. The opponent is a power-based player (their favorite tactic is to push the enemy and use Drain), and their army consists of upgraded Harpies, upgraded Orcs, single Goblins, and sometimes a couple of 4-5 Centaurs. That's all. I have Kappa, Water Elementals, Sharks, and Yukionna. Unfortunately, the high cost of units makes it very difficult to build Centaurs. It's possible (with luck and if the "equal resources" option isn't enabled). Dynasty bonuses are disabled.

It's quite difficult to level up before the tsunami in a duel.

You're talking about a battle right now, but you were asked about duels. That is, a game of 1 hero against 1 hero without a map.

Yes, I meant a battle, of course. But still, the question remains about the importance of tactics.

On this topic, I would like to ask the experts about the tactics for Sanctuary against the Barbarians (Tribes) on this map.

When playing Sanctuary against the Barbarian Tribes on a small map, where the size implicitly limits the maximum achievable hero level, I advise you to choose a commander who focuses exclusively on physical skills, since with each new experience point gained, the increase in their physical attack and defense stats is significantly greater than that of a mage. I remind you that 6/7 of the Barbarian Tribes' standard army deals physical damage. Consequently, your hero will be more resilient against the enemy. Furthermore, since we are focusing on physical strength, try to replenish your troops primarily with Kappa, Shark Guards, and Deep Naga. Coral Priests are an integral component of the Sanctuary army, and it is advisable to combine them with Stream Spirits to use "Spiritual Link" (don't forget about the combination with "Waves of Refreshment"). However, in my opinion, Snow Maidens are not the best fighters in battles against the Barbarian Tribes, so I do not recommend spending on their already expensive construction. It is unlikely that you will reach Kirin.

Now, specifically about the skills. I believe that the set should be as follows (an approximate list of necessary skills): "Guardian I" and "Guardian II" (increase the defensive capabilities of creatures), "Aggressor I" (boost the attack troops), "Reinforcements I" (not bad for the Priests and Kappa), "No Retreat!" (this is generally excellent for everyone, especially with "Spiritual Link"), "Counter Strike I" (decide for yourself if you need these 13% or not), "Restoration" (obviously, help the Priests heal), "Slippery Ground" (restrain the enemy's infantry), "Guardian of the Secret I" (for the benefit of the Priests and Stream Spirits), "Slow" (slow down the Harpies/Furies). The list is compiled based on the assumption that the hero will reach, say, 10 levels. Hence, there are 10 primary skills.

Maybe it's a bug, or something else. I tried replaying with a friend on a map. After reinforcements (1), my units stopped healing after the priestesses recovered. The thing is, the Barbarian uses a specific tactic, and his harpies go first and immediately reach my units (all melee units stand one cell away from the ranged units). Then he uses "Engage Enemy" and the harpies + the hero's attack with repeated morale again don't give me a chance to win the decisive battle. I need to practice. Moreover, the Barbarian's hero attack is very powerful (apparently, he has Aggressor (2) and Fortune (2), and it deals more damage than a stack of harpies. And the improved orcs under Wither are practically unkillable (his main hero is a specialist in orcs).

It might be a bug, or something else. I tried replaying with a friend on a map. After reinforcements (1), my units stopped healing after the priestesses recovered.

I don't think it's a bug. The target unit starts healing only after the entire reinforcement is destroyed, because it cannot be restored. For example, you cast "Reinforcements I" on a unit of 50 units. Let's say it becomes 60. The resurrection spell will only take effect when the number of creatures in the unit crosses the initial limit of 50 or is equivalent to it.

Who knows? I use Time Stop, Petrify, or Blindness on Kirins in duels, but they don't even flinch; they just keep moving. What's the deal?

Who knows? I cast spells like Time Stop, Petrification, or Blindness on Kirins in duels, but they don't even flinch; they just keep moving. What's the deal?

Kirins' special ability:
It seems that spells that can slow them down or stop them have no effect on them.
Read the descriptions of creatures' and factions' special abilities more carefully.

Who knows? I cast Time Stop, Petrify, or Blind on Kirin in duels, but they don't even flinch; they keep moving. What's the deal?

“Free Flow” doesn’t play any role in cases with spells like these. I just checked, and everything works: “Time Stop,” “Petrify,” “Blind,” “Tranquility.” The Sacred Kirin skip the required number of turns, as expected. It should be noted that the “Free Flow” skill only protects against spells that affect initiative and movement range, and nothing more. For example, the same “Slow” spell is useless against Sacred Kirin. I think it’s time to remember about “Waves of Renewal.” Maybe you didn’t notice that the enemy Kirin were receiving regenerative assistance from the Pearl Priests? I remind you that “Waves of Renewal” removes one random negative effect from the target unit at the moment of healing. I also checked this detail: I cast “Time Stop” on the Sacred Kirin, then used “Waves of Renewal,” which neutralized the first spell at the beginning of the next turn, preventing the Sacred Kirin from losing their turn.

P.S. Earlier in this thread, I mentioned that the maximum duration of “Time Stop” is three turns. I apologize: I recently leveled up a mage who cast this spell for 4 turns. And also: when playing as Sanctuary with a warrior hero, try to acquire the “Heroic Advance” skill from the “Battle Cry” school – applying it to Sacred Kirin gives an excellent effect in the form of a significant increase in their movement range, which allows you to have a lot of fun tormenting your opponent by skillfully extending “Cloud of Mist” over most of the battlefield. I can’t help but write again about the importance of linking Mizu-Kami and Sacred Kirin with “Spiritual Bond”: it helped me a lot in a decisive battle, as a result of which only these two units remained alive, with 3 Mizu-Kami and 27 Sacred Kirin. Just a tip.