So what is Pythium's weakness?

[Huzurdaddi]

BTW, Norfleet is your icon a picture of the commander from Total Annihilation? If so, kudos on having the taste to appreciate the best RTS currently in existence!

On and thanks for the reminder about their javelins Zen. Yeash.

I will need luck and lots of it (or … ahem … more knowledge of the more unbalanced spells in the game).

So .. uhm one more question, why are all of their casters sacred? Yes I know that they are priests and all but goly that’s quite an advantage.

[Pocus]

One of their few weaknesses is that they are not that versatile, when it comes to magic. The sole mage which has a random slot is the A-Theurg, costing a whopping 380 gold. Compares this to Arco. So you know what is coming at you (pretender excluded) when you deal with Pythium : air/astral mages.
Not that it does you much good, because air & astral are both very potent magics. But at least you can think lightning ward and antimagic as soon as you see them.

[Norfleet]

Originally posted by Huzurdaddi:
BTW, Norfleet is your icon a picture of the commander from Total Annihilation? If so, kudos on having the taste to appreciate the best RTS currently in existence!

That is indeed the ARM Commander from Total Annihilation, the best RTS made to date. Naturally, on my site, anyone who disagrees is a heretic and must be burned at the stake.

[PDF]

Well, Pythium Prov Defense is pure crap...
You can use that to grab provinces with stealthy troops or very small armies.
I've seen a 4-men Ulm army rout a Pythium Prov Def of 21 !
As a competent Pythium player won't invest in big PDs it also eases your scouts/spies/assassins work

Note that Arco doesn't fare much better here. But hey that's a weakness !

[Wauthan]

Guess I too should pop in to offer some quick words of advice. I've gone up against Pythium tons of times as they are my friends favorite nation.

Negate their javelins and they will fall. As Zen already mentioned it's a very good idea to make a beeline for those spells that will screw up his ability to use them. Your heavily armoured infantery is resource expensive but a lot tougher than his regular units (as well as very durable against even withering javelin fire), forcing him to forgoe javelineers for the much more expensive Emerald Guards.

Masses of thightly packed infantery means your elephants and chariots will pack the largest possible damage. Group them with heart companions to up their morale and set them to hold and attack behind a screen of Hoplites.

Astral is perhaps the most devastating magic against solitary powerful units. It sucks against hordes though so if he starts leaning on mages, you start churning out the battalions.

Your Astrologers, especially a 4 astral one, can do everything his mages can. Use the Astral assassination spells to take them out without their annyoing communicant slaves.

Your mystics span the full range of magic but are vulnerable to magic duels. An astral assassination spell might also take them out. I would switch to nonastral mages as soon as could find them.

Your priestesses can cure every ailment. Milk this ability for all its worth. Draw him into battle in low supply areas, where you can cure disease but he can't. Toss disease spells at him even if it strikes your own units. Take a moment to rest your armies to cure them completely. While his veterans get chipped away with time yours will endure. Go all out SC pretender to spearhead your armies. (preferably one with high magic resistance) You can always heal it when it starts losing limbs.

He will use assassins against you, if he knows what's good for him, so stick a few bodyguards on your most valuable mages.

Take the construction path if you can. Constructs are immune to most of the things he can toss at you and pretty cheap for their punch. I remember overrunning Pythium completely with massed Lumber Constructs but that was a stroke of luck I must admit. Nevertheless it helps your armies if you can stick a few golemlike beings in the front line. You got cheap laboratories so healing them is no problem, especially since your priestesses are also skilled greasemonkeys.

[st.patrik]

The question I'd ask (which some people have already said) is not 'what is Pythium's weakness?' so much as 'what is Arco's strength?'. And Arco's strength is incredibly versatile magic - you have strong astral, and strong elemental magic - you can cast over half the spells out there. So you need to know your spells, and use them to your advantage. Pythium won't be able to stand up to the kind of battlefield enchantments that you can ward your troops against (even if it's only partial warding). Of course you do have the Achilles' heel of Mind Duel, which you'll have to watch out for.

Like others have said, watch out for the javelins - but since you don't have missile troops to speak of yourself, get yourself a staff of storms and/or cast mist to decrease their effectiveness

Plus there are lots of fun things you can do with elephants, if you plan right...

[Endoperez]

I remember someone who killed enemy's mages with Chariots: the other guy hadn't realised his mages might be in danger even during storm... And the falnkers were trampled through! That might work with elephants too, as they can get trample through lines of larger protectors.

Does Mind Duel kill all the communicants? IIRC right spells that target a communion master affect all his slaves too. Although Incinerate or Frozen Heart, heck, even Charm of Hellbind Heart could work!