Re: How do you fight the Niefel giants?
 

Yes, I tried it once and my 2 paralyzed niefel jarls killed an army just thanks to chill (+ regeneration but it was hardly useful) (I had put them some more chill with the appropriate armor and spells). Just standing there paralysed, they killed a whole army which tried to come nearby.

Re: How do you fight the Niefel giants?
 

High chill effect is very nasty but so is high heat aura. It is interesting to watch Abysia and Niefelheim clash as they both give each other massive fatigue.

Re: How do you fight the Niefel giants?
 

How about killing the giants with fatigue damaging spells ? there is quite a few that cannot be resisted. And some summons damage fatigue (that elfshoot from the faeries, summonable via faerie court and another lower level spell).

Hold off the giants with chaff (preferably undead and even better ethereal undead) to get extra time and tire them up. Once over 100 fatigue they will die very quickly.

Re: How do you fight the Niefel giants?
 

Skelly spam will defeat them unless the giants have a high earth bless. WRT. Evocations flame blot is probably the best choice and it is very low level.

Re: How do you fight the Niefel giants?
 

Niefel Giants with a good bless are tough, but Niefelheim has an enormous weakness. It's PD isn't worth a pebble at a quarry. Attack on mulitple fronts and make his economy cry. And the stronger his bless, the more likely they sacrificed positive scales to achieve it.

As how to beat the giants with troops, I find Barbarians are a good unit to amass and charge with. They do high damage, which is key, and are ulimately disposable. Obviously, try to fight him in warmer provinces, as the chill bonuses to the N. G. can be quite effective.

Re: How do you fight the Niefel giants?
 

I have been playing the Fomorian giants.

Edi is right the nation reminds me alot of Nielfelheim.

I managed to get a N9E9 bless on them with a imprisioned Great Mother, scales all 0, except drain 2. They are just as mighty as the Nielfelheim giants with that bless.

The advantages are you can recruit the unmarked early on and switch to the giants a little later when you have more money.

The Nielfelheim Jarls are directly comparable with the Fomorian Kings. Both cost 500 gps. The Fomorian Kings have at least A3 which means they are all cloud trapezing SC's. This is very cool for the late game.

My early impression is its about as powerful as Nielfelheim. You lose blood magic but gain powerful air magic. The Fomorian PD is better than Nielfelheims as well.

Anyway all the tactics vs Nielfelheim will probably work fine against the Fomorians. You don't after combat the chill factor now, but the Fomorians have not got the fire weakness.

Re: How do you fight the Niefel giants?
 

Mind Elemental is right about dealing with them in the early game. It is near impossible to beat them, so you force them to chase you as you raid their provinces. I'm not saying there is not a nation or two that has the right assets to do significant damage, but most don't, and some may require just a few more turns to be effective.

It is difficult to realize and accept that you don't have to win every battle or combat mano a mano. Sometimes alternative plans will acomplish what you need to do, and deflecting Niefel giants is a better plan than taking them on in the early game. This buys time for research, gem accumulation and summoning that are not available at the moment.

Of course, this doesn't always work either. If this is the case, then the polite terminology is "You might get pregnant".

Re: How do you fight the Niefel giants?
 

Raiding him might work, yes. Or not if he just besieges your capitol fast and sends small parties to reclaim territories. But thats not the point...
Is it even right that recruitable troops are unbeatable by other nation's troops in any numbers? 'Any numbers' is the keyword here. If they arent killed in the first two rounds of combat, they arent killed at all. Its unsettling.

Re: How do you fight the Niefel giants?
 

There are a number of tactics... but like Helheim or MA Vanheim a all out bless rush is really hard to stop.

With Niefel you need to raid him wherever you can and avoid thier main forces unless you have the right troops/magic.
If you have astral casters go strait for the Soulslay, Enslave spells.
If you have fire go strait for Evoc fire AE spells.
If you have neighbors convince them they need to attack Niefel as well.

Really, the moment you find yourself next to niefel (or helheim or Vanheim) you need to immediately switch what you are researching to something that will work against them. Good combat magic is their weakness.

Re: How do you fight the Niefel giants?
 

Might matter what bless one might have for those Helhirdings and Valkyries. If it's not a great melee bless, and it probably isn't if swarming Niefel Jarls isn't working, Dis + Valks make for ridiculously mobile raiding parties.