Please Help Me Tune My Man

[Gandalf Parker]

Building around stealth is a subject unto itself. Players who build around visible armies tend to disregard stealth entirely since its often on units that they dont feel are worth using. To a lot of them stealth=scout.

I like stealth armies. Wardens (especially if you can add those druid archers) make a nice army. Mans ability to soften with Call of Wild/Wind makes it even better. Having stealth mages and priests is yet another step up since its so easy for them to completely setup shop in the new province.

[LordArioch]

Joonie's question is interesting, but maybe it should make another thread. I've been wondering why some sacred units seem to be overlooked. Battle vestals seem almost equivalent to serpent dancers for cheaper, get around the lack of armor somehow and they look very appealing. And it seems with any minor bless heart companions are a better deal than standard hoplites...they only cost a little more, barely more upkeep (important for such sturdy units), and with the right blessing they get signifigantly better...some fire-9 heart companions can stop and repel the enemy and then hit back in force.

[Teleolurian]

Reading through the previous Posts, I'm very thankful for Alex's (astral-based) research path- it shows me what I'm supposed to be aiming for. Does anybody have any research paths to maximise the use of Nature? Haunted Forest is a great long-term goal but I don't know what to look for early on (except Thaum-2 Haruspex).

[Keir Maxwell]

Originally posted by LordArioch:
I've been wondering why some sacred units seem to be overlooked. Battle vestals seem almost equivalent to serpent dancers for cheaper,
...

And it seems with any minor bless heart companions are a better deal than standard hoplites

I think alot of the older players feel that the bless effects are not worth playing in most cases. In Dom1 economy dominated with growth3, prod3, order3, scales being commen. To get bless effects races you have to give up on the core of what made for a reliable Dom1 race and most seem unwilling to make that step. Playing a death scale for Abyssia was seen as a bit too radical for most in Dom1 despite the obvious synergy involved.

While I understand the value of positive dominion scales and put them to good use in Dom1 I like the bless effects because:

a) They are new
b) They create intersting combo's/synergy
c) Patching luck/misfortune, order/turmoil, may be fairly devestating for serious bless effect races so it may be now of never. Of course it may open new possibilities but Illwinter tend to make strong things weaker based on the changes from Dom1 to Dom2.

The reason I haven't looked at Battle Vestals or Heart Companions is quite simple - I don't play Arco or Pythium as they are overpowered (race balence?). While I joined Dom1 late I am a very experianced MP/PBEM player so I stick to lesser lights and leave the glamour boys for others. Having said that 1 strat move sacred troops which you can only build in your capital (ie Heart Companions) are only worth "bless effecting" so much as you can't base your game plan around them without suffering berserk snail syndrome.

You are right that there are still numerous sacred troops to try and make something out - go for it.

cheers

Keir

[ywl]

Originally posted by Teleolurian:
Reading through the previous Posts, I'm very thankful for Alex's (astral-based) research path- it shows me what I'm supposed to be aiming for. Does anybody have any research paths to maximise the use of Nature? Haunted Forest is a great long-term goal but I don't know what to look for early on (except Thaum-2 Haruspex).

Some of my personal favorite for Man:
Alteration 3 : "Protection" - better armor for your troops
Conjuration 1 : "Tangle Vine" - good supporting spell for Bard
Thaumaturgy 2 : "Haruspex" - you've mentioned it
Conjuration 3 : "Call of the Wild"
Enchantment 2 " "Personal Regeneration" - good for Super-Combatant
Conjuration 5 : "Awaken Sleeper"
Construction 4 : for "Vine Shield" and "Ring of Regeneration"
Thaumaturgy 4 : "Gift of Reason" - could be very powerful
Conjuration 6 : "Contact Lamia Queen"

Some additional nice goodies:
Enchantment 4 : "Poison Ward"
Enchantment 5 : "Foul Vapor" - a standard combo for Man, "Gift of Health"
Enchantment 6 : "Faery Trod", "Relief"

There are a few new, basic attack spell in the Evocation school. I haven't tried them yet.

While playing Man, also pay attention to Air. Try to reasearch for levels that give you good spells in both.

[st.patrik]

Might as well add my priorities for nature research:

Alt. 6 - Mass Protection
costs a gem, but everyone gets barkskin - great for turning medium armour units into high-armour units

Conj. 4 - Strength of Gaia
Conj. 5 - Howl
Strength of Gaia gives side benefits as well as increasing your nature power, and howl is a nice way to harass casters since you can't target them anymore

Ench. 4 - Haste
Ench. 6 - Relief
Haste is nice if you're fighting an enemy big on missile weapons

Thaum. 5 - Growing Fury
Thaum. 7 - Charm
Growing Fury makes your guys go berserk, which means they won't rout. This is good
Charm is high-level, and short range, but otherwise good news

Construction (in general)
Everybody likes construction - specifically for treelord's staff or thistle mace to boost power, and if you have air various anti-missile items. Re-invigoration items are always nice too.

I don't much go for evocation, unless I'm making a poison-resistant army - which takes a lot of gems for summoning, and isn't always compatible with your regular army.

just my 2 cents

[ywl]

Originally posted by st.patrik:
Might as well add my priorities for nature research:

Alt. 6 - Mass Protection
costs a gem, but everyone gets barkskin - great for turning medium armour units into high-armour units

Conj. 4 - Strength of Gaia
Conj. 5 - Howl
Strength of Gaia gives side benefits as well as increasing your nature power, and howl is a nice way to harass casters since you can't target them anymore

Ench. 4 - Haste
Ench. 6 - Relief
Haste is nice if you're fighting an enemy big on missile weapons

Thaum. 5 - Growing Fury
Thaum. 7 - Charm
Growing Fury makes your guys go berserk, which means they won't rout. This is good
Charm is high-level, and short range, but otherwise good news

Construction (in general)
Everybody likes construction - specifically for treelord's staff or thistle mace to boost power, and if you have air various anti-missile items. Re-invigoration items are always nice too.

I don't much go for evocation, unless I'm making a poison-resistant army - which takes a lot of gems for summoning, and isn't always compatible with your regular army.

just my 2 cents

I've forgotten "Mass Protection". "Haste" is new in Dom 2 - I think, I haven't checked it out yet. I have mixed feeling on "Growing Fury". I haven't Lasted long enough as Man in MP to check out how useful it is yet.

"Charm" is nice but wasn't really practical In most cases, it's easier to kill an enemy than to defeat his/her MR. Also, anything beyond Level 6 is usually too late in the game to give a rule - you don't really know whehter you want to focus on Nature and you might have priority in some other paths.

"Evocation" is important for Man (Air), at least for the "Orb Lightning" or "Wrathful Sky".