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Well, Corkes will still be a pain with navigation for now.
And Cassiopeia immediately has a bunch of problems - a trash unit (at the imp-goblin level), the quantity is so-so, and the intellect there is clearly redundant. Overall, it's about like Gretchin - you can take him in a pinch, of course, but experience shows that even an Artilleryman is more useful.
Generally, the choice here is somewhat similar to Barbarians - Crag, Gurni, Jabber, Gretchin, only Tyras is missing (since level 2 is boring, roughly like a pig in terms of stats) and Dessa is missing too. And the Barbarians also have better starting skills.
And pirates are by no means stronger than Grand Elves - the damage is only slightly higher, but Grand Elves have 2 shots, and a large ammo supply. It might make sense to add shots when upgrading, at least up to 8, otherwise it's really dull.
In 1.3 Corkes is without navigation (but with Pathfinding!). In 1.3, a lot has been changed overall in terms of balance. In particular, Tower has received a strong buff. Really strong. But more on that a little later. I don't think it's good to name the official release date, but soon.
Cassiopeia in 1.3 starts with 20-25 nymphs in a stack. With the upgrade, these guys are stronger than Gr. Troglodytes. But I haven't played her myself. Only tested Eva/Corkes/Anabel.
The talk isn't about Grand Elves, but about regular elves. And pirates are stronger than them. Now imagine 30 elves at week one. But yes, 4 shots add a special quality. The upgrade is made without a return shot and without a melee penalty, which is also extremely interesting. The second upgrade already has 10 shots and a gorgon ability on range to boot.
P.S. Jabber here is not at all like Jabber either. There's simply no analogue for Anabel in the original