Yeah, but all the oracles can enter the water, and you really don't want the oracles at the front line. (So the higher defense doesn't do squat, and there are no fliers or missile troops underwater, so that doesn't help that much either).
Against indies you lack the research to do something with your water mages. Against other underwater nations Agartha is going to have a very hard time regardless.
Water forging? Forging is the same above and under water.
Death and Water don't really increase or decrease age on oracles. (
http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/showp...95&postcount=5 ). Only fire.
So I don't think it is that good advice to go all out on water oracles.
And even with old age, the fire or death mages have more combat potential later. (skelly spam and magma eruption for example).
Sure you want some of the water oracles. (They provide wards, rust mist, wendigo's, site searching etc). But going all out on them is imho a mistake. Might be a little bit easier to take the water provinces, but you lose late game potential.
You need one with w2, to get the second booster, and some site searching. But I don't think you need more than that.
And you are correct that water provides defense. But on a size 4 unit defense isn't that useful as they will be swarmed (each additional attack vs a unit gets +2 attack.
However, somehow the water oracle has minor better stats (more attack and def. Why I don't know. But 8 vs 11 def is laughable at best). So water ones have the best stats, and fire ones the worst.
On personal buff skills, early game personal quickness (watch the fatigue) might be better, but late game I would go for phoenix pyre. Or perhaps a nice shield with a brand. But that is a bit dangerous without further equipment.
Also, using CBM, remember that the olm spawn can be GoR'ed for a E1H2 mage with ?2.1 FWED unlinked randoms. Nature gems might be hard to find, but this provides a cheaper (although a bit random) access to the fire/death booster and the rune breakers, than just putting the paths on your pretender. Also, this creates more mages (upkeep free), and saves pretender turns. Sadly, you do need the Olm pretender, which might not be the best one (low dominion, high path cost, only water/earth). GoR'in some of the early expansion dudes for this. (Perhaps put a few of them on guard commander) will give you some bonus exp, and a nice HoF mage. Minor trick, but not that well known.
In conclusion about the underwater part. If there is an other underwater nation, he will own most of the underwater stuff. (you might sneaky get few early game underwater lands, and I advise you to do so, but a full blow underwater war will be mostly his). Without the underwater nation, grab all you can get. (Unless your game admin has put in a dead seas map. Just send angry pm's at the admin). You can build underwater PD. Dunno if it is any good. (probably not), and you do not get any worthwhile underwater recruits (only an armoured wet one variant prot 7 armour).
Re: EA Agartha - The Not Exactly a Guide [CBM]
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