[apoger]

>despite controlling 80+ percent of all coastal provinces.

Check for a special site called a shambler reef. It allows the recruitmet of shamblers. They are expensive, but it does offer acess to the water.

Keep in mind that water mages can go underwater anytime, and can take a small number of troops with them.

Other than that you may have to rely on magic items that allow water breathing, or the summoning of sea trolls.


>I thought triton troopers were the way to go...but they're not. Numbers prevail over quality troops in the sea, it seems.

Two issues.

1- Many of these guys have poison weapons, so numbers do help since strong troops fall eventually to the poison.
2- Since tritons "fly", combats with them often allow one side or the other to get access to their enemies commanders.

You can often "cheese" the computer AI by setting high armor troops up front which absorb the attention of incoming tritons (usually) and having a group of your own underwater flyers attack rear, which will often catch enemy commanders (who hold back from combat). This can lead to short battles if it works right.