Dryads = Imbalanced

[kadrzys]

great using of them I'm thinking about changing my shamans for driads and I'll try to work out something like this in Demonis if possible

[phoenixreborn]

Fine, go into Demonis with only Dryads. Good luck.

[Metathron]

Eh?

[Gatts]

They may be extreme usefull in not few battles - true. But bein overpowered, they have to be usefull all the game - what is not true - later on nearly none of their abilities is usefull:

low leadership? (20) -> more you have - more you loose (vulnerable, low HP)

no retaliation? -> not such a big deal - if they can't kill their target on first hit ... still it is handy, but not powerful

Lulaby? -> how many units are later on lulable? really... not many as far as I know

summon thorns? -> yep - they can take some damage - but later on it is no big deal for enemy to sway away thorns like nothing (as later on are used area efect spells, abilities and mostly fire based)

Is fast? -> well, it give a clear bonus for tactics, but well, you need only one fast unit in army to get first cast and rage use. Other fast units just wait and hope not to be targeted by enemy spells/ archers

Increases speed of elven units? - This could be real handy - for hunters/ elves who by this spell may go first even second round (when you first round +INIT does not apply anymore) so this could get handy... but again, not powerful

Dryads provide very large variety of tactics and combinations, which may look cheating-like, still I voted that they are not overpowered.

[Stepsongrapes]

Originally Posted by Gatts

They may be extreme usefull in not few battles - true. But bein overpowered, they have to be usefull all the game - what is not true - later on nearly none of their abilities is usefull:

While I agree that balance is not an absolute necessary in a single-player game, poor balance can be bad game design as it skews the challenge.

Saying something is only overpowered if it is useful the ENTIRE game is a false standard.

Being overpowered simply means having a usefulness greatly above the average.

KB uses a leadership system to try and equalize units (e.g., dragons are obviously better 1 for 1, but is a single dragon better than 1000 of something else?)- the reason that dryads are WAAAY above the average is that what you get per point of leadership is GREATLY undervalued, in terms of leadership.

Do dryads need a nerf? Not necessarily. Are they VASTLY better than the average, per point of leadership? Undoubtably.

[Ish]

Originally Posted by Stepsongrapes

While I agree that balance is not an absolute necessary in a single-player game, poor balance can be bad game design as it skews the challenge.

Saying something is only overpowered if it is useful the ENTIRE game is a false standard.

Being overpowered simply means having a usefulness greatly above the average.

KB uses a leadership system to try and equalize units (e.g., dragons are obviously better 1 for 1, but is a single dragon better than 1000 of something else?)- the reason that dryads are WAAAY above the average is that what you get per point of leadership is GREATLY undervalued, in terms of leadership.

Do dryads need a nerf? Not necessarily. Are they VASTLY better than the average, per point of leadership? Undoubtably.

Very well said.

I think they are a bit too strong personally

[ywhtptgt]

Originally Posted by Stepsongrapes

Do dryads need a nerf? Not necessarily. Are they VASTLY better than the average, per point of leadership? Undoubtably.

Dryads are good for winning battles through attrition but would undoubtly die in great numbers against heroes and range units. Since most KB-L players use agile strategies (unlike the A.I., we don't win the entire game in one fight) to win, I don't think Dryads are actually that popular to get.

But on the other hand, enemies with lots of Dryads can be scary especially during mid-late game (i.e. Sonya).

[Stepsongrapes]

Originally Posted by ywhtptgt

Dryads are good for winning battles through attrition but would undoubtly die in great numbers against heroes and range units. Since most KB-L players use agile strategies (unlike the A.I., we don't win the entire game in one fight) to win, I don't think Dryads are actually that popular to get.

But on the other hand, enemies with lots of Dryads can be scary especially during mid-late game (i.e. Sonya).

Interestingly, my experience is exactly the opposite. Dryads are excellent at winning battles with minimal loses.

Lullaby, even if it works on only 2 or so stacks, is invaluable at letting you divide the enemy and take them out one by one (use phantom lvl 1 to gain an extra 3 turns of lullaby). This ability can't be stressed enough.

Similiar, the initiative song with a largely elf army allows a player to kill or at least cull the enemy before they even move.

Thorns provide a very good damage sink to minimize loses to your true troops.

Dryads aren't all that great when looked at on their own (their damage and HP is low for their leadership). It's what their abilities do that make them great. No retaliation and soaring are just cherries on top.

[Zandalar]

I do believe they are potent, but they are there for the Impossible level, imagine IF they werent there, what would you use? I also think when ye get to the dragons they will get pwned!