Do people underuse mages?

[SlipperyJim]

Originally Posted by Crevan

Mages, you say? Useful only in late game and with good equipment.

That's just not true. Nikelaos and AreaOfEffect have made some good suggestions for low-level magic right here on this very thread. I can personally attest to the effectiveness of both Frighten and the venerable skelespam.

Other early-to-mid-game options include:

• Fire! Fireball, Flare, and Holy Pyre can all be good choices for immolating your enemies before they reach you. These spells work especially well when your troops are fire-resistant or fire-immune, so that you'll suffer less from friendly fire.
• Air! Lightning Bolt and Thunder Strike spam. Especially nice to stack with Aim (also Air magic), because that makes your firepower more accurate.
• Blade Wind. Super-killer in Early Age, and still effective in the later ages. Oh yeah....
• Eagle Eyes + Vine Arrow. No, it won't kill too many people, but it will break up enemy formations and allow your troops to battle their foes piecemeal. Defeat in detail, anyone?
• Buffs! Body Ethereal, Luck, Legions of Steel, Protection, Regeneration, and more. Just the thing to take a really good unit and make it nearly unstoppable. Ethereal Elephants, anyone?

In the late game, mages can decide a battle all by themselves. In the early game and mid-game, their role is more support. Still, battle magic can be an impressive addition to any army, even if you've only done a little bit of research....