Posts from Tactics for Rampart.

In my opinion, the strategy for playing as Rampart can be based on the following factors.
1. At least 4 interesting heroes: Kyrre, Mephala, Enova (for the early game), and Ivor.
2. The high speed of centaurs and elves and their significant breakthrough power in the early game.
3. Dendroids and dwarves (considering their numbers) are useful in hives, conservatories, and even Dragon Utopias! As well as in other structures (especially on "their own" land).

Thus, the army can be supplemented with wyverns and angels.

My tactic is usually as follows: first I run around with centaurs and elves, then I supplement the army, and after that, whatever happens. You can rob the Dragon Utopia, or you can try to take other castles and get high-level troops there. Dragons are hard to build. Upgrading them is even harder.

Exactly! Respect to Qwerty!!!) - you can fill the gaps with other creatures...
at least on random maps, the Rampart respawn is rich... there are dwellings for high-level creatures too... and as for crystals - yes... that's sometimes a real disaster, although dwarf mines are not uncommon.. plus when generating a random map, I usually set crystals as an additional resource at the start... and I recommend it to everyone))))))))
centaurs are strong, not least because of their speed; I don't take dwarves at the beginning at all.. they are just too slow.
of the spells that I most frequently have while playing Rampart, I'd highlight Slow and Blind(??)... everything is clear with Slow - elves will shoot down even a strong unit... but as for Blind, which appears in 7-8(!!!) out of 10 games for me as Rampart, it's a bit unclear.. fire magic for the Rampart hero (ranger) is a rarity, if not more..
but it's a fact!!! Blind helps a lot even without the same sphere's magic skill.

This race isn't just decent; it's excellent! (Am I being subjective? YES!!!=)))))
Some have said that the individual creatures are good, but they're only mediocre as a whole. I slightly disagree...
Individually, they are decent, but when combined with the resource costs, building costs (for the Crystal Castle, there's a resource storage that provides +1 crystal, but the Rampart, for example, doesn't provide any gems, sulfur, mercury, or gold), hero skills and stats, magic, and growth, they are among the strongest...
And the already decent overall health of the units is further enhanced by the defense of the ranger heroes without significantly sacrificing attack power (although sometimes there could be more mana, of course).
The Pegasus were unfairly nerfed – their numbers still give them a chance to successfully counter ranged units up to level 4, blocking them in melee combat – it's a shame to send dragons against some ranged units or orcs with magi... if the enemy doesn't have serious ranged units and dark creatures, then the Rampart's main strength is used: active defense: elves are driven into a corner, surrounded by dwarves, dendroids, and centaurs if there are many of them. The incoming "superman" is blocked by dendroids and engages in a pointless struggle with them in one spot. And few will decide to spend 2 fast units to attack 1 stack of elves – there are more important things to do.)))
Also, if the enemy doesn't have dragons or phoenixes, they won't be able to attack the elves at all (the enemy's ranged units are blocked by the suicide Pegasus, not for long, but that's enough), and the dwarves and dendroids can withstand any attack, even from archangels, with comparable growth and development of the creatures... and they can even retaliate.)))
Golden dragons and unicorns are the attacking force; they can be used to run and fly depending on the situation....
The Rampart is the magic of earth and water. Slow and explosion are strong even without much magical power; you just need enough mana...)), and if you don't develop the hero's magic resistance skill, you can try prayer or clone on your monsters – no further comments needed.

by the way, at maximum difficulty, the winner isn't the one with the best attack/defense, but the one who can quickly develop and build a castle and creatures at the beginning, and clear the map... no one except the Great Elves (and the upgraded archers of Haven) can do this with maximum efficiency... Eyes of Evil? - it's hard to build without resources... Lizards? - they are quite weak as ranged units at the beginning... Orcs and Magogs - the same...

I forgot about the Tower ;) At the very beginning, a bunch of Master Gremlins + fast Gargs - that's not so easy either! (I agree - it's harder to develop in the Tower later, but for the start - it's just great!)

Forgot about the Tower ;) At the very beginning, a bunch of master gremlins + fast gargoyles – that’s not easy either! (I agree – it’s harder to develop in the Tower later, but it’s great for the start!)

That’s right! I forgot about them...
Probably because I always play against the Tower -))))...
I really respect them as opponents!!

Added after 17 hours 56 minutes
..To Ta Kotoraya: they are just too weak for a full-scale cleanup=)
At the beginning of the week, you can’t gather many gargoyles and gremlins, and fast pedestrian neutrals can reach melee combat faster than they can be shot down. Then the gremlins start dying (dying, dying, dying??-) like flies-)
Elves will still be stronger-) even in smaller numbers.

Exactly! I forgot about them...
Probably because I always play against Tower -))))...
As opponents, I respect them a lot!!

Added after 17 hours 56 minutes
..To Ta Kotoraya: they are just too weak for a full-scale clearing=)
At the beginning of the week, you can't gather many gargoyles and gremlins, and fast-moving neutral infantry can reach melee combat faster than they can be shot down. Then the gremlins start dying (dying, dying, dying??-) like flies-)
Still, elves will be stronger -) even in smaller numbers.

Well, maybe.... and yet, in the first week, Tower is quite good at clearing the map of neutrals... Trust my experience! Although - this is just my IMHO...

I don't argue! They are very decent
I just saw a situation with a buddy (we played on hot seat with "peeking"-))): the start of the game, 1st week, absolutely no money or resources, he had 1 hero with 30 gremlins and 4 gargoyles. On the 3rd day, having scraped together some cash, my buddy bought another hero, upgraded the gremlins, and merged the "armies"... total - about 60 upgraded gremlins and 8 gargoyles...
he attacked neutrals - upgraded zombies - a stack of 7 with 7 undead each....
Everything would be fine, but 5 stacks of undead managed to reach the gremlins, as their damage is very low even on a direct shot.. there was no cloud on 200% hard... and what if those weren't zombies, but wolf riders?? they would have torn them to shreds! My buddy won the battle, of course, but the losses were disproportionate to further movement..
and clearing. Given strong neutrals, which are set randomly, crowds of level 2-3 creatures near the Castle are not uncommon ..
There it is! I trust your experience.. especially since I've read your other forum topics carefully-)

Well, I think that when it comes to neutral creatures in the first week, playing as Tower and using magic is a good strategy :D - especially if you get lucky with the Slow spell... ;) And just shooting them down with Magic Bolt... Wizards have a lot of mana, which is also a plus!
P.S. But in general (returning to the topic) - in Fortress, I don't like Drendroids and Gnomes - simply because they are slow, and their movement on the map is terrible... and without them, battles are difficult... It's a double-edged sword!

yeah... slow units are a heavy burden for the Rampart.
as an alternative, logistics on the hero, and in battle, tactics - they create an excellent defensive barrier... and for quick raids, there are dragons, pegasi, and unicorns; centaurs aren't slow either!!-)
by the way, I consider genies to be rather mediocre fighters, despite their speed... even with their ability to cast something...(it's unknown exactly what they might cast on allies and enemies))))
in my opinion, the 5th-level unit should be a combat unit!! durable and/or powerful - like dendroids)))) but this is just my IMHO.

Yeah... the slow speed is a real burden for Rampart.
As an alternative, focus on logistics for the hero; in battle, use tactics to create an excellent defensive barrier. And for quick strikes, there are dragons, pegasi, and unicorns; centaurs aren't slow either! -)
By the way, I think genies are quite mediocre fighters, despite their speed. Even with their ability to cast spells... (you never know exactly what they'll cast on allies and enemies))))
In my opinion, level 5 should be a combat unit! Durable and/or high damage - like dendroids! But that's just my opinion.

Well, then let's take Kirra and go for it! But all his bonuses will be overshadowed by gnomes and dendroids... That's what's frustrating! Otherwise, I like using elves and pegasi in Rampart, even though the latter die quickly. But they're good at blocking enemy archers! Another thing I like about Rampart is that many of its creatures suppress magic in various ways... Take a hero with resistance, and grab a couple of artifacts for resistance, and that's it! An opponent relying on magic will fail... And you can cast spells freely because you have all 5 levels of magic available (and that's another advantage of Rampart).
As for genies, I'll never agree... Yes, they might be weak as fighters, but that's not their function. I've already explained the tactics for using genies to maximum effect; I can repeat it. In short... Take genies and divide them into all available slots... Even if it's just 1 genie per slot! And that's it - you'll have 1-2-3-4 (depending on how many slots you divide them into) extra spells each round! Cast your 3 spells, and you'll have a ready-made, quick unit to counterattack with! Genies are versatile! (of course, I'm talking about master genies)

In addition to what has already been said, I would like to add that at the beginning of the game, you need to divide the centaurs into groups to guard the elves. Distribute them across all cells. The elves should be placed in the farthest corner of the battlefield and barricaded with centaurs. While, for example, zombies are attacking the centaurs (cannon fodder), they will lose initiative. By this time, they will all be exhausted due to the elves.
By the way, everyone seems to have forgotten about the hero Roland (diplomacy + dendroid specialization).
On a random map (meaning a modified map), it is easy to acquire a sniper bow, which is a significant advantage for the elves. When there are many of them, they become a truly formidable force.

I somehow manage without dwarves in my army, and dendroids only appear in the main hero's army during major battles.

In my opinion, Gnomes and Dryads are essential units because they are among the most resilient. And when their numbers exceed, say, 40, they become very difficult to kill (+ Gnomes have magic resistance). Gnomes have saved me from defeat in battle many times. If the battle was difficult, Gnomes and Dryads were often the only ones who survived. They act as a reserve. The strength of these creatures lies in their numbers.

As for the Djinns, I never agree with that... Yes, they might be weak as fighters, but that's not their purpose... I've already explained the tactic of using Djinns for maximum effect; I can repeat it. In short... Take the Djinns and divide them among all available slots... Even if it's just one in each! And that's it – you'll have 1, 2, 3, 4 (depending on how many slots you divide them into) extra spells each round! You cast your 3 spells, and then, please, you have a ready-made, quick unit to absorb counterattacks =). Djinns are versatile! (of course, I'm talking about Master Djinns) [QUOTE]
This is, of course, wonderful... but does it make sense to free up an entire slot (or several) for Master Djinns??? especially just for one or two??
I don't know about you, but I don't split my army too much, especially if I don't know the enemy's location and strength. At whose expense would I add Djinns to the army? At the expense of the Goblins? - maybe... well, you could also remove some Gargoyles if there aren't many. However, if there hasn't been a major unforeseen loss, it's unlikely that there will be few Gargoyles and Goblins at the beginning of the 2nd month, when you can already start scouting with a strong force. Let's assume that by the beginning of the 5th week, there haven't been any major losses... everything has been built and upgraded to level 7 (although achieving 200% is difficult). We gather an army to break through to the enemy. Who should we remove to free up a slot for the Djinns? There will probably be at least 150-200 Goblins (units). With the castle's parapet, there will probably be 80-100 Gargoyles as well. To streamline the army, it's better to remove the Goblins – then we lose a ranged unit, which is important when sieging a castle (besides, they distract the enemy's towers and archers). Who will the tower archers shoot at? - most likely at the mages!!! And are you not sorry to lose them? -)))) If you remove the Gargoyles, you lose meat shields, and there are quite a few of them, which can withstand enemy attacks (besides, they are flying meat shields))... I don't see the point in splitting them up!
The main thing is that you can't predict which spell the Djinns will cast... this is probably only good with a clearly strong army and without serious battles with sieges and losses.

I usually remove golems from my army. They slow down the hero. And after storming three or four castles, the gremlins die and free up another slot.