I'm really getting my hat handed to me, any tips?

[Saiko Kila]

Originally Posted by City Builder

Hi,

Although I predominantly bought Crossworlds for the map editor, I'm attempting to play it more than I played Legends or Armored Princess however I'm really getting my hat handed to me in the battles.

I'm buying new troops at every place that seems to offer up newer and better troops however when I get into the battle things just go really poorly.

If you happen to be mage... One thing that helped me a lot - and so far I lost no soldier (lev 16), is to get Call Phoenix and Order Magic to Level 3. I save before battles of course (and keep archival saves from key moments), and load if something went awry. I had no Phoenix till too late (checked with game scanner) so I went to Magic Tower and there it was, on second level. You may lose some grunts when fighting first battle, but that is not really important, because they're temporary only. Phoenix is now ideally suited for a mage, because he gains more life with any point of Intellect and some attack and defense too (only half from summoner skill though). So phoenix is a perfect tank, just get some royal snakes (or quicker guys) to move forth in the beginning and summon phoenix, which then will attack up to three enemies. This is a good opening if you're still a sucky, low level mage with no intellect, mana, magic schools and spells.

There are often loses (especially again damn orcs, I hate them now) so you must have some healers and revivers, at least for most valuable units. Healing spell is excellent on level three (that's one of many reasons to get Order Magic III), because it costs only 1 mana and is powerful.

Some revivers are:
inquisitors - living things, but not plants
demonologists - suck life from many units, even undead, and can give to most living things, including demons (aim for targets with lower defense)
paladins - heal themselves and most surrounding living, but repel demons
Ancient Phoenix - order magic 3, has powerful revive, and you can summon another one to replenish, costs a lot of mana though
fauns - heals only plants, useful for royal thorns, assuming you got lucky and have royal thorns , is elf, and elves don't like dwarfs, undead and other awesome units, so will have lowered defense, attack and critical chance
orc trackers - (on adrenaline high only) heals animals
runemage(s) - well, I don't really use runemage, because I can have one of them, and when I met them in battle they were quite sucking (say hello to witch hunters ), but their resurrect version is stronger than inquisitors of corresponding leadership, and grows stronger with unspent runes

Orc shamans mass heal with dancing axes, though it's quite weak unless you have only few stacks.

Trolls heal themselves in the beginning of turn at night, so can be good for low level sacrifice (which revives other units), BTW I have no trolls in my current game.

Vampires in bat form and ghosts suck life from enemies and revive themselves. Ghosts can grow beyond stack limits, so there are strategies abusing that ability

Vampires in human form and werewolves heal themselves like trolls, but also during day time, if nothing changed (I met no werewolves yet, unfortunately).

Resurrect spell is sometimes difficult to get, but may revive low and midlevels.

Sacrifice spell is also tend to be difficult to get early but is quite neat for units which are Hypnotized or seduced by demonesses.

Generally, you encounter many units which seem new and better, but until you get a breakpoint (like phoenix, or later phantom spell, or resurrect and sacrifice and high mana, or dragons, or some mana renewal skills etc.) it's better to rely on tested, trusted veterans with whose lows and highs you are better accustomed, than new units.

And tactics with summoning is best for mage, I think, as a general strategy. So demonologists (there are often some of them on Verona) are one of the best. Dryads (but they're elves). Royal thorns (if you get enough of them, good with dryads). These archeopteryx-like birds (they have hard balls, I mean eggs). Demons (from store or demon portal spell, demons summoned by demonologists don't summon further). Engineers (though they are somewhat costly in leadership). Druids are weaker, but you may try them if you're following an eco-terror path. Necromancer are not so bad, but they are not really compatible with living units. Spells: Necro Call, Summon Nature, Call Phoenix and Demon Portal. Mystic Egg ability of your pet, at higher levels you can get like 4 red dragons sometimes.

And evil beholders to mind control one stack of enemies in the beginning and hit their colleagues with them, and to repeatedly putting to sleep some low levels after that (best against massive stack of 1, or 2 level enemies). Dryads are good for that too, and Fear spell also, so you can concentrate on other enemies for a moment.