Ashen? Soul\'s Gate?
 

What are the relative advantages/disadvantages of Ashen? Soul's Gate?

Re: Ashen? Soul\'s Gate?
 

Ashen gets you more undead, but of lower quality. Soul Gates troops are ethereal, which means they are very hard to hit with normal weapons, the right spells and units with magic weapons (like Caelum) can rip them up though.

Re: Ashen? Soul\'s Gate?
 

Ashen Empire --

Corporeal undead legions in large quantity. Cavalry included, including unholy Knights of the Unholy Sepulchre. Javeleins, swords, spears, lances... vast majority mindless (not sure of this regarding Soul Gate).

Mages, priests both need to be summoned.


Soul Gate --

Spectral. Units have relatively high magic resistance, but many of their weapons do little to those of high magic resistance and they rely on etherealness instead of armor. No cavalry; only unholy native unit is the expensive Wailing Lady, which you -rarely- get for free. -Requires- magic scale, although this would also be recommended for Ashen Empire as otherwise research is very, very slow.

Soul Gate gets weak free priests, whereas Ashen Empire needs to summon them. Soul Gate's highest level commanders are VERY expensive -- 35 gems for a Wraith Consul, and it takes a death-5 mage -- but are comparatively well-armored (compared to an Archbishop) and are immortal.

Active reanimation will mostly be Shadows; other types require corpses or large amounts of population sacrifices. The Apparations are interesting units that tactically spread disease.