Help with Commanders casting in battles please!

[Kalin]

I haven't had any success trying to cast 0 range or heck, 5 range spells, so this won't really help with your spell scripting problem, but here's something to help you feel less frustrated...

Since you are playing EA Vanheim, try this:

1. Research Evocation 4
2. Recruit Vandrotts every turn
3. Script them to: Thunder Strike, Thunder Strike, Thunder Strike, spells (save it using ctrl+#) Only 3 becauses that's all you will be able to cast due to fatigue, without other reinvigoration items/spell/strategies.
4. Send them into battle with some chaff units, preferably with glamour for stealth (basic huskarls will do fine, but mounted hirdsman is better because of movement) set to: hold and attack
5. Tag a few Fay Boar in the back of the army set to: guard commander
6. Send them around the world conquering everything in their path.

You'll probably dominate the entire map with the above set up... (half a dozen Drotts, is utterly devastating to everything but specific human strategies designed to counter it.)

For more fun, try researching some construction to forge Bags of Wind for your Drotts... the bonus to air and the Air Elemental that comes with it synergizes very well with Thunder Strike (Air Elemental are immune to shock, and will fly forward to hold the enemy army down for you to blast them to smitherines). You can also try using a Staff of Storms and Summon Storm Power for more devastation. All without needing a single gem in battle.

Hopefully that will ease your spell casting frustrations, at least until you trying playing something not so dominating...

[General_Jah]

Kalin said:
I haven't had any success trying to cast 0 range or heck, 5 range spells, so this is won't really help with your spell scripting problem, but here's something to help you feel less frustrated...

Since you are playing EA Vanheim, try this:

1. Research Evocation 4
2. Recruit Vandrotts every turn
3. Script them to: Thunder Strike, Thunder Strike, Thunder Strike, spells (save it using ctrl+#) Only 3 becauses that's all you will be able to cast due to fatigue, without other reinvigoration items/spell/strategies.
4. Send them into battle with a some chaff units, preferably with glamour (basic huskarls will do fine, but mounted hirdsman is better because of movement) set to: hold and attack
5. Tag a few Fay Boar in the back of the army set to: guard commander
6. Send them around the world conquering everything in their path.

You'll probably dominate the entire map with the above set up... (half a dozen Drotts, is utterly devastating to everything but specific human strategies designed to counter it.)

For more fun, try researching some construction to forge Bags of Wind for your Drotts... the bonus to air and the Air Elemental that comes with it synergizes very well with Thunder Strike (Air Elemental are immune to shock, and will fly forward to hold the enemy army down for you to blast them to smitherines). You can also try using a Staff of Storms and Summon Storm Power for more devastation. All without needing a single gem in battle.

Hopefully that will ease your spell casting frustrations, at least until you trying playing something not so dominating...

I'll try that.

So what you are saying is researching the early tier spells is not worth it if all you are going to get out of it is casting close range spells?

[thejeff]

I'd agree with that. The close range combat spells will occasionally save a mage who's in trouble with an assassin or a flanker, but don't rely on them and don't base strategies on them.

[Ironhawk]

Yeah, thats fair. But the real question is: why are you only getting close range battle spells out of early research? There are plenty of low level spells that are quite useful. Fire Flies, Lightning Bolt, etc.

Sounds like you are trying to use Death mages for something they weren't intended for. Death is a very strong summoning path. Its battlefield attack spells are pretty wimpy, compared ot the battlefield kings of Fire and Air. With death, you should be doing one of two things:

1) Sitting in a lab summoning something
2) Spammnig skeletons via Raise Skeletons in battle

There is of course a great deal of subtlety in using any path of magic. I list the above generalization only because you are new to the game.

[General_Jah]

Ironhawk said:
Yeah, thats fair. But the real question is: why are you only getting close range battle spells out of early research? There are plenty of low level spells that are quite useful. Fire Flies, Lightning Bolt, etc.

Sounds like you are trying to use Death mages for something they weren't intended for. Death is a very strong summoning path. Its battlefield attack spells are pretty wimpy, compared ot the battlefield kings of Fire and Air. With death, you should be doing one of two things:

1) Sitting in a lab summoning something
2) Spammnig skeletons via Raise Skeletons in battle

There is of course a great deal of subtlety in using any path of magic. I list the above generalization only because you are new to the game.

Raising skeletons can be useful? I have yet to have them do jack squat in any battle I've fought... What is the key to using them effectively?

[Meglobob]

General_Jah said:

Raising skeletons can be useful? I have yet to have them do jack squat in any battle I've fought... What is the key to using them effectively?

You spam them out in dozens, hundreds...overwhealm the enemy. Its a powerful strategy, early-mid game.

[Aleph]

Helheim is excellent at skelliespam. Earthpower for the reinvigoration, then Raise Skeleton out the wazoo... with just a Skull staff to reduce intial casting costs you can spam a LOT of skeletons using this strat.

[General_Jah]

Kalin said:
I haven't had any success trying to cast 0 range or heck, 5 range spells, so this won't really help with your spell scripting problem, but here's something to help you feel less frustrated...

Since you are playing EA Vanheim, try this:

1. Research Evocation 4
2. Recruit Vandrotts every turn
3. Script them to: Thunder Strike, Thunder Strike, Thunder Strike, spells (save it using ctrl+#) Only 3 becauses that's all you will be able to cast due to fatigue, without other reinvigoration items/spell/strategies.
4. Send them into battle with some chaff units, preferably with glamour for stealth (basic huskarls will do fine, but mounted hirdsman is better because of movement) set to: hold and attack
5. Tag a few Fay Boar in the back of the army set to: guard commander
6. Send them around the world conquering everything in their path.

You'll probably dominate the entire map with the above set up... (half a dozen Drotts, is utterly devastating to everything but specific human strategies designed to counter it.)

For more fun, try researching some construction to forge Bags of Wind for your Drotts... the bonus to air and the Air Elemental that comes with it synergizes very well with Thunder Strike (Air Elemental are immune to shock, and will fly forward to hold the enemy army down for you to blast them to smitherines). You can also try using a Staff of Storms and Summon Storm Power for more devastation. All without needing a single gem in battle.

Hopefully that will ease your spell casting frustrations, at least until you trying playing something not so dominating...

doh! Im an idiot heh I thought I was playing Vanheim when in fact I'm playing early age Hellheim! I guess that strategy won't work with them Sorry about the mistake