Seeking MP Serpent Cult Advice

Ironhawk · #1 November 13th, 2007, 03:42 PM

So, I just signed up for a game and am going to play late era pythium (serpent cult). I had hoped to make my build around the formidable Hydra unit, but I somehow overlooked thier ridiculous pricetag of 250gp. There is simply no way you can base an MP strategy on a 250gp unit that you are going to put on the front lines... is there?

What are your experiences with Serpent Cult?

Have you used them in MP?

Is there a trick to the Hyrdas that I am missing?

What other strategies are applicable to the Serpent Cult?

VedalkenBear · #2 November 13th, 2007, 03:55 PM

Well, they are insulated somewhat from the common anti-big troop spells (such as Soul Slay) due to their multiple heads. (They only kill one head at a time.) I would say that IF you wanted to do a hydra strategy, make sure they are using the quickfix mod that keeps them sacred if they lose a head.

IMO, 250g for the Hydra is not 'ridiculous'. I would say that a Water-9 Bless is pretty important to them (in MP) because that gets them into melee quicker. They don't _generally_ need more damage or attack, so Fire is not really necessary. Astral would be quite interesting as a way to boost their attack. I would assume that the Twist Fate effect only affects the first head. If it affects _each_ head... well, that would be great. A small Earth bless might be good for reinvigoration. Air and Blood can probably be skipped (but see below).

As for other strategies, you can really leverage the heretics, done properly. If you like raiding, you can have 4 or 5 heretics backed by an army (dare I say hydras) in the opponent's backfield, reducing their dominion everywhere. They're also useful in rapidly switching dominion from yours to theirs in recently conquered territories.

Another strategy that dovetails nicely with the heretic plan is to saturate the map with satyrs. You would get these from the Blood-1 summon Orgy. To get this started early would probably require a Blood pretender, or getting lucky with a Reveler. Once you have them, though, every blood slave/mage combination gives you an assassin that is pretty good for a chassis, at least. Given rudimentary equipment, they're not bad at the job. As a side benefit, you get Maenads that you might want to consider giving to your mages as guards (depending on the prevalence of assassins).

Those are the major areas you can work with, IMO. You have good flexibility in your mages as well, but that is a more supplemental strength rather than a core strength. YMMV.

Resident Serpent Cult Freak

Lazy_Perfectionist · #3 November 13th, 2007, 03:59 PM

Considering people form multiplayer strategies on 600 gold Niefel Jarls... or less on the frontline giants...

Anyways, I've got no experience with the Serpent Cult. I do remember hearing some stuff about the hatchlings- you may want to give them a try in the early/mid game, and save the full-grown hydras for later.

Edratman · #4 November 13th, 2007, 05:14 PM

I've only played them twice, for short periods, in SP. The W9 bless advice is solid. So this would enable decent scales to help afford the Hydras which are super units.

I don't understand how to play the heretics (the only other heretic I ever played was the Arco stealth one, and that was okay) and never got comfortable playing Pythium. So I only went about 20 turns each time, quit and never felt that I played them well. Nor do I have any great desire to return to the Serpent cult.

Nor do I have the baby hydras figured out either.

Lazy_Perfectionist · #5 November 13th, 2007, 05:27 PM

It's simple: Baby hydras are for cuddling

Reverend Zombie · #6 November 13th, 2007, 05:52 PM

Are hydras dry and scaly or slimy?

Ironhawk · #7 November 13th, 2007, 06:28 PM

Knowing that hydra heads can absorb an insti-kill spell is handy. But honestly that does not go a long way to protecting a 250gp investment. All that an enemy player would need to do is use a squad of archers to slaughter all the hydra's heads and then blast it with an insti-kill and your 250gp is just up in smoke.

As for raiding with heretics: which ones are you recommending? I'm definitely not using hydras for raiding tho - the cost would be exorbidant for such a risky function. Or were you talking about hydra hatchlings?

I've explored the satyrs and, as you say, they are good assassins with minor equipment. But assassination hardly works in MP. After your first attack, the enemy will immediately place bodyguards around his commanders. At best, you get lucky now and then. At worst you spend a lot of effort for nothing.