MA Pangaea-best starting troops?

[Xietor]

Good points all. The lions offer a good troops to use as calvary, they do require magic leadership, but you get 1 per summon so getting more than a pan can lead happens seldom.

What do you spend your extra points on exactly? I have max order 2 prod 1 growth even with the 3 air and 6 dominion. And I sleep the gorgon, do not imprison her as she is often needed by me early on, but i do not need her right off because i like to get 4 construction researched before sending her into battle solo.

I have excellent research and production with my scales. I do take 2 heat, but with 3 order 2 prod 1 growth my income is still very good. When I take another pretender's castle early in the game, with the 2 production i can crank out huge armies of hoplites, cataphracts, and war minos.

I still have the option the use other units, when i do want to use a stealth army. But if stealth was my theme, id likely use the ghost king, give him a bit fire magic so he could lead bigger armies.

Holpites do break, but if they do, i am likely going to lose the battle anyway. My army usually has about 50 hoplites up front. 40 centaur long bows focusing on enemy archers. 10-20 cataphracts going for enemy archers, and 10-20 war minotaurs starting behind the hoplites, so they break the enemies initial charge and then move in.

Hoplites hold their own even against acrosaphale's hoplites.
they do not have that high morale, but they have good protection coupled with good hps and defense. Most infantry with 16 protection do not have that 14 defense the Pangaea hoplites have.

Of course i have a pan or 2 buffing the armies and dryads doing sermon courage.

By mid game, i will have some bane lords and sleepers in the army. Sleepers help prevent routing, and with a couple nature artifacts, can do well in melee battle. The bane lords can be devastating with artifacts, and they of course do not rout. A bargain for the cheap cost!

[Aleph]

Xietor said:
Only access to magic for MA Pangaea is earth, nature and death.

And blood - and not just any blood, but blood backed up by nature magic for rains of toads to presage your sneak/dryads. Drive up unrest for more protective coloration for your stealth unrest/preacher combo.

[Xietor]

I refuse to use blood for rp purposes.

[FrankTrollman]

Deleted.

[Aleph]

Xietor - you can definitely do so, but Pangea still has it.

Frank - I often have trouble keeping up with these conversations since I'm not playing highly competitive MP games (and have no desire to do so). Here's my thoughts on your response.

A Pandemoniac can be empowered to Blood 3 for 45 blood slaves - that same Pandemoniac can now make Armor of Twisting Thorns, including for himself to unlock Blood 4 boosters. To my mind, given how sure a thing blood slaves are compared to other magical gem types, a one time cost of 45 blood slaves (compared to either 20 blood slaves for a booster item or 15 with an additional 10 nature) is a pittance against four levels of blood picks for your pretender god (which, granted, can be offset by the right pretender, but that's even more critical a choice).

I've gotten a fairly critical take on splashing Astral into your god from the forum at large for fear of duels. Is that just for combat pretenders?

[Teraswaerto]

Aleph said:
People seem to be going either turmoil/luck/sloth or order/production.

In the one MP where I'm Pangaea I have Order/Sloth. Money for Centaur Warriors and Pans. Maenads aren't that great.

Kitharaionic Lion has much more offensive power than a Vine Ogre, but I don't think they are worth the gems and mage time.

[Xietor]

Actually, my god starts with 3 air not 2. actually my troops of choice late in the game are bane lords, decked out with fire brand, boots quickness, ring regen, lucky pendant, etc.

But after i take a few castles, i get access to other magics.
I really do not need much astral. I keep gift health, haunted forest, mother oak, and mechanical militia up at all times later in the game and that only leaves 1 slot for everyone else. if something like burden of time is cast, i typically find some way to get rid of it. either kill the caster, or dispel it by casting another spell.

I hire every mercenary that can search for magical gems, so i typically have access to all paths. Dagan usually is up early so i use him to search for astral. then later in the game i use other wizards.

because mages for Pangaea have no age issues, i use a mage in my capital to cast all of my global enchantments, and another mage in my capital to build up astral powers when i get access them(to avoid getting my god killed in a duel).

i use the gorgon to fight frequently, so i do not want the gorgon casting my global enchantments.

[FrankTrollman]

Deleted.

[Xietor]

Gorgon with air magic, construction 4 items, which you can get early in game, will not die in her own dominion unless very unlucky(smite). Late in game with more casters, it is a risk, but i like the option of having a flying combat god for those "oh [censored]" situations.

Late in game, against ermor with 35 or so smiters and a huge undead army, i have killed them all with the gorgon, sitting back and casting blade wind until they all were dead. of course tons got to her, but they petrify as well. late in game, i will have fire magic on her, and she has a pretty good fire shield going as a caster.

Also, in my own dominion, late in the game, gorgon as a caster is not beatable with haunted forest up.

[Xietor]

Blood armor is nice, and your hero can make it right off the bat if you get him. But i do not use blood at all, as i role play and consider my pretender and people "good." Consider not using blood a bigger challenge!


My gorgon makes great mage armor. Silver hauberk. also Pangaea mages cast earthpower, then invulnerability, so they have very good armor in a fight.