Swarm: What do you do against it?

[Sly Frog]

Okay, I know that there is a counter for every counter in this game.

Yet I am stuck on swarm. I don't get what you can do against it. I'm playing Ulm, and this cheap to cast, easy to get spell basically ties up all of my troops, so that they are spending all their time attacking these stupid worthless dragonflies, while being whacked by larger more important enemy troops.

I imagine flying troops could help, although I'm not sure that they wouldn't still just attack the dragonflies. I don't get this one.

[atul]

Originally posted by Sly Frog:
Yet I am stuck on swarm. I don't get what you can do against it. I'm playing Ulm, and this cheap to cast, easy to get spell basically ties up all of my troops, so that they are spending all their time attacking these stupid worthless dragonflies, while being whacked by larger more important enemy troops.

Had once similar trouble with summon imps. Staff of Storms helped quite a bit, for it keeps the annoying fliers on ground and they crawl slower than the other bad guys. Works until the opponent sets his druids up front. If you can build that.

Since you're playing Ulm, blade wind (or any low-damage mass spell)? You don't have to worry too much about friendly fire, Ulmians being well protected from all light ammo.

Or then, summons of your own? This of course depends on mages you've got available.

Not too much expertise under my belt, but those are things I'd try.

[Tuna-Fish]

Also, the creatures in swarm have only one hit point, and their "weapon" is short. Any unit with very high attack skill and over lenght-0 weapon will annhilate entire armies of them in just one turn as they all attack him, get repelled, take one hit point of damage and die.

I've done it with just a standard ulm commader that carried some good items (burning pearl and some high-att weapon, fire brand perhaps?) and was on hold orders in the front of my army.

[Stormbinder]

Originally posted by Tuna-Fish:
Also, the creatures in swarm have only one hit point, and their "weapon" is short. Any unit with very high attack skill and over lenght-0 weapon will annhilate entire armies of them in just one turn as they all attack him, get repelled, take one hit point of damage and die.

I've done it with just a standard ulm commader that carried some good items (burning pearl and some high-att weapon, fire brand perhaps?) and was on hold orders in the front of my army.

Nice strategy, I'll keep it in mind.

[SelfishGene]

What do you do against it?

Surrender.

No swarm only works because it takes only 1 gem, makes 20 flies - whom indeed fly and, er, swarm the enemy. Like it says.

Swarm fatigues my Witch Doctors out for 1 round, then if they get another cast off they'll be finished for the rest of combat.

Swarm works best against archers, imo.

[Taqwus]

Storms would work, as would a damage shield (Charcoal Shield for non-mages, Fire Shield for fire mages say) or possibly a damaging aura (e.g. cold from the one cold-radiating armor, or the life draining from bone armor, etc).
Storms will also help prevent the Swarm + Haunted Forest abuse, or at least make it less likely that you're suddenly surrounded by fatigue-causing undead plant beings.

[Chris Byler]

Originally posted by Taqwus:
suddenly surrounded by fatigue-causing undead plant beings.

You might also try the point blank damage spells (Burning Hands etc.) - make sure the caster and any friendlies near him are resistant. Abysian Salamanders hit the whole square, as do Fire/Ice Drakes and the Harvest Blade (not necessarily the most practical solution, but effective). Some other attack spells, mostly Fire, hit the whole square. Fire elementals and Fire Shield could fry all the dragonflies.

If they do all turn into manikins after you kill them once - then you'll have to kill them again. All of the above will work (except maybe the ice drake - are manikins cold immune like real undead?), plus I think manikins can be Banished.

[Norfleet]

Originally posted by Chris Byler:
are manikins cold immune like real undead

Nope. Manikins are not cold immune and can be frozen to death by Breath of Winter, Murdering Winter, etc.

[Windreaper]

Swarm is a good distraction (nothing like having your mages drop niefel flames on a bunch of dragonflies - right next to your front line) but gets really nasty when combined with spells like 'Life After Death'. "Wtf!? Where did all these soulless come from?"