Dominions Nations Evaluations ;)

[JimMorrison]

Micah said:
Late game strength is so subject to things like indy mage finds and how strong your early game has been...are we just assuming we only have access to national mages and a more-or-less even position with other nations entering late-game?

The rating is based on what you are guaranteed to have available via the provided units and spells, and a potentially competitive pretender design. You can't count on finding any specific sites, or being granted any particular hero in any given game, so it is not a quantifiable factor.

[JimMorrison]

Thank you for getting us started Chris. <3

I understand this process takes a lot of thought, and a bit of effort to contribute. But the benefit to the older players, is that if we get a good chart developed, rather than explain the same things to people in newbie posts all the time, you can direct them to this post for these comparisons. They'll get more information, and more accurate information faster, and save you forum posting time for more in depth questions.

[Meglobob]

Caelum is a nation you should avoid playing as your 1st or even 2nd/3rd nation. Hence low marks in ease of learning/use, this is mainly due to its flying units take some getting use to, the early game use of mammoths takes practice as well and learning just how good your troops are in cold 3 dominion.


EA Caelum

Early Game Strength 5
Mid Game Strength 4
Late Game Strength 3
Ease of Learning (SP) 1
Ease of Use (MP) 2

The great advantage EA Caelum has is Eagle Kings which is a excellent recruitable SC, with perfect paths for self buffing. It does however lack some magical diversity and requires luck in site searching unless you take a rainbow pretender.


MA Caelum

Early Game Strength 5
Mid Game Strength 3
Late Game Strength 3
Ease of Learning (SP) 1
Ease of Use (MP) 2

Ma Caelum is probably the weakest of the 3 ages, lacking the SC's of the EA and the better magical paths of the LA.


LA Caelum

Early Game Strength 5
Mid Game Strength 4
Late Game Strength 4
Ease of Learning (SP) 1
Ease of Use (MP) 2

I think LA Caelum is the strongest of all the ages, such a shame it shares the age with Ermor and Rlyeh. The Harab Elder is a fantastic mage with strong paths in A, E and D. This gives LA Caelum some serious power in the endgame which is lacking in the other 2 ages. The earth forging bonus is better than the MA's water forging bonus as well.

[quantum_mechani]

EA Arco 2 4 4 2 2
Ea Ermor 3 3 3 4 3
EA Ulm 2 2 4 3 2
EA Marverni 1 3 3 2 2
EA Sauromatia 3 3 3 3 2
EA TC 2 3 4 2 2
EA Mictlan 5 4 5 3 2
EA Aby 3 2 2 4 4
EA Caelum 4 3 2 2 3
EA C'tis 2 2 3 3 3
EA Pangaea 3 2 3 4 3
EA Agartha 2 3 4 2 3
EA Tir na Og 3 3 2 4 3
EA Fomoria 3 4 4 3 2
EA Helhiem 5 5 4 4 3
EA Vanhiem 4 4 3 4 3
EA Niefelhiem 5 4 5 5 4
EA Kailasa 2 3 4 2 3
EA Yomi 3 3 3 3 2
EA Hinnom 3 4 5 4 3
EA Atlantis 3 4 3 2 3
EA R'lyeh 2 3 4 2 2
EA Oceania 5 3 2 4 3

MA Arco 3 5 4 3 3
MA Ermor 5 5 5 4 3
MA Pythium 3 5 4 3 2
MA Man 3 2 2 4 3
MA Ulm 2 2 2 4 3
MA Marignon 3 3 2 3 4
MA Mictlan 4 3 3 2 3
MA TC 2 2 4 2 3
MA Mackaka 3 3 3 3 2
MA Agartha 1 2 2 3 2
MA Abysia 3 3 2 4 3
MA Caelum 3 4 2 2 3
MA C'tis 2 3 3 2 2
MA Pangaea 4 2 3 3 3
MA Vanhiem 5 5 3 3 4
MA Jotunhiem 4 4 4 4 3
MA Bandar Log 3 4 3 3 2
MA Shinuyama 3 4 4 3 2
MA Ashod 3 4 3 3 3
MA Atlantis 2 3 3 2 3
MA R'yeh 3 4 5 2 3
MA Oceania 5 3 2 4 4
MA Eriu 3 3 2 3 4

LA Arco 4 3 3 4 3
LA Ermor 5 5 4 5 5
LA Man 3 4 3 3 2
LA Ulm 2 3 2 3 1
LA Marignon 3 4 4 3 3
LA Mictlan 5 3 4 2 3
LA TC 4 3 4 3 3
LA Jomon 1 2 3 2 2
LA Agartha 3 5 4 3 3
LA Abysia 2 3 3 3 2
LA Caelum 4 4 3 2 3
LA C'tis 2 3 3 3 3
LA Pangaea 4 3 3 4 4
LA Midgard 5 4 4 3 3
LA Utgard 4 5 4 4 3
LA Patala 2 3 3 2 2
LA Gath 3 3 4 4 3
LA Atlantis 2 3 3 2 2
LA R'lyeh 4 5 5 5 3
LA Pythium 3 4 4 2 1
LA Bogarus 1 3 4 3 2

A few notes:

*As Micah says, late era strength is rather arbitrary, it almost always comes down to how well the nations have done in the earlier stags, not theoretical late game nation power.

*Ease of learning is also a bit arbitrary, some nations are cakewalk if you know basic bless tacics, but extremely challenging otherwise.

*I assumed nation power relative to other nations in their era.

*I was extremely tempted to put 6 in for some categories with LA Ermor/Ryleh, because as it is, it implies some otherwise powerful nations would be a one on one match for them.

*I consider early game approximately pre-level 4 research.

[JimMorrison]

Dear lord Quantum, that is quite impressive, and at first glance looks very well thought out, THANK YOU!

If a few more of the oldbies can do lists like this, we'll be looking at a good base for the chart. Everyone else contributes a few here and there to flesh it out, there will be a powerful reference for new arrivals to the game and the forums.

And yes, before anyone says it, I know I am setting a bad example by not posting, but I started to get my thoughts together, and I realized that I've only gotten to the true "late game" a few times, out of literally hundreds of starts. Unfortunately I either find out too late that I've failed to pull my strat together, or I am just doing too well and get bored of stomping on the AI, so I start a new one.....

[Kristoffer O]

Interesting thread. Keep up the good work!

[Aezeal]

I wonder why QM thinks niefelheim is 5-4-5.. I can see them starting very strong and getting less in the mid game.. but why 5 again in the end?

[quantum_mechani]

Well, as I was saying, late game rating is pretty purely theoretical. However, niefel's commanders contribute more to the late game than most nation's- mages resistant to artillery, free SC/thug chassis.

[Endoperez]

EDIT: ninja'd by quantum, and I guess his reasons wrong as well.


MA Ulm:
Early: 2
Middle: 2
Late: 3
Learning: 3
Use: 2

You'll need clever tactics to get to late game, and need Blood Stones to survive late middle/all of late. This drops ease of use, because blood hunting is boring.