Most Usefull Research Path...

[Sir_Dr_D]

void said:
The question is How could you build a SC without a good chassis.

The contruction path comes with a good chasis. The golem.

[solo]

Sir_Dr_D said:

The contruction path comes with a good chasis. The golem.

Also a djinn using the Magic Lamp, etc.

[AreWeInsaneYet]

Question: when a lamp is re-created the djinn is gone. how about his equipments?

[Humakty]

I don't trust SC (had some bad (but short) experiences with them), so I would say enchantment, for all the reasons developped above by more experienced players.

I will had the summons are easy to cast, as a 1D mage can search for sites pretty easily, so you don't need much effort before starting to trample the ennemy's elites.(If you understand what spell I'm pointing)

PS : I preffer to field ubber battle mages, rather than SC, I find them to kill more ennemies for the same cost in gems.

[Baalz]

One other consideration - in theory you can trade for construction items. I know that if I can line up a good trading partner early I'm much more likely to ignore construction for a bit. And some of the con-0 stuff you can do without research is decent, particularly the earth items, I think you could have a pretty decent thug without any construction research - if you had the right chasis.

[PyroStock]

Construction.

Cheap path boosters, SC items, per turn unit generators, assassins, supplies for large armies, underwater access for any army/unit, evocations, defensive items for mages, research boosters, gem producers, all the artifacts, communes, etc. No research path can claim to have it all, but Construction comes the closest.

In addition, if one could choose 2 research paths I would predict most would have Construction so they could enhance/access more of the other path more through items.

And what if unique items are grabbed by other nation choose const?

That could be said about almost any of the paths with their unique summons and globals. Even without artifacts you still have a wide variety of powerful items. The same cannot be said about Blood as without your uniques the best SC you could summon would be only an unequipped vampire lord or succubus.

If some MP game ever started based on limiting players to 1 path then the others might target the Construction nation just so they could hope to grab some items to make their uber mages or steal some nicely equipped SCs for themself. But with the right diplomacy the Construction player could make himself the invaluable goto guy for the needs of the others. And who wouldn't want to ally with the only nation who could make the good items? Besides you have to go kill that Enchantment Nation before they get Arcane Nexus up.

[Huzurdaddi]

PyroStock said:
Besides you have to go kill that Enchantment Nation before they get Arcane Nexus up.

LOL! What is he going to do with all of those gems? Dispell people to death?

It would make for an interesting game, but I think that everyone would simply go with construction. OTOH blood and making a pretender that could cast Astral Corruption is a decent play considering no one could dispell it.

[DrPraetorious]

That depends on what you want to accomplish.

Since what you want to accomplish is: killing all those that oppose you, the most useful path, for most nations, is evocation.

Obviously there are exceptions - some nations prefer to kill with thaumaturgy, for example. And, yeah, construction does provide an acceptable mass-death quotient, and it helps you to unzip it and let loose on the smoldering corpses of your enemies, once that state has been effected. But oh, evocation - nothing compares to you.

[Cor2]

I don't suppose there is anyway to set up a test game where each nation gets only one research path. It would have to be an honor system I guess.

[NTJedi]

Enchantment is far more versatile than Construction just scrolling across the list of each shows the variation. Construction is very important yet if given the option of only one it's Enchantment.

Enchantment provides critical game spells such as:
Global Spells:
1) Earth Blood Deep Well
2) Arcane Nexus
3) Thetis Blessing (attacking water nations)
4) Gift of Health <Priceless)
5) DISPELL -- Taking out enemy globals!

Critical Battlefield Buffs:
1) Strength of Giants
2) Flaming Arrows
3) Anti-Magic (entire army!)
4) Haste
5) Arrow Fend (major)
6) Mass Flight (major during storming castles)
7) Mass Regeneration
8) Long List of battlefield spells for resistances
9) Storm Warriors

Great Battlefield Spells:
1) Unraveling (magical units go Snap-Crackle-POP)
2) Raise Dead or Skeletons
3) Foul Vapors
4) Heat from Hell or Grip of Winter
5) Rigor Mortis
6) Mists of Deception (recently identified as being too powerful)
7) Demon Cleansing (double damage on demons)
8) Friendly Currents (underwater spell)

Important Teleporting Spells:
1) Cloud Trapeze
2) Ritual of Returning
3) Faery Trod

Good List of Summoning Spells:
1) Revive King / Create Revenant
2) Claymen (underwater optional)
3) Pale Riders (underwater optional)
4) Enliven Statues (underwater optional)
5) Reanimate Archers (one of the very few archer summonings)
6) Carrion Reanimation (major)
7) Lichcraft

Good Offensive and Defensive Spells:
1) Army of the Dead
2) Seeking Arrow
3) Most of the DOMES are here

Good Buffs helping SC's types to actually stay alive:
1) Breath of Winter
2) Resist Magic
3) Personal Regeneration
4) Astral Shield
5) Flight

Second Chance Spells:
1) Ritual of Rebirth
2) Twiceborn