Heroes 3 wiki - User contributions [en]

Gremlin and Master Gremlin

2025-01-29T16:37:41Z

Fafner: spells, hero skills

{{Tower creatures}}{{CreatureNew
| name = Master Gremlin
| faction = Tower
| attack = {{gt|4}}
| defense = {{gt|4}}
| shots = {{gt|8}}
| damage = 1–2
| health = 4
| speed = {{gt|5}}
| move = Ground
| size = 1
| growth = 16
| aivalue = 66
| fightvalue = 55
| goldcost = 40
| resource =
| rescost =
| abilities = Shoots.
}}
{{CreatureNew
| name = Gremlin
| faction = Tower
| attack = 3
| defense = 3
| shots =
| damage = 1–2
| health = 4
| speed = 4
| move = Ground
| size = 1
| growth = 16
| aivalue = 44
| fightvalue = 55
| goldcost = 30
| resource =
| rescost =
| abilities =
}}

'''Gremlins''' and '''Master Gremlins''' are the level 1 creatures of [[Tower]]. They are recruited from the [[Workshop]].

''"Gremlins are indentured to menial labor around a Tower. While they are not great warriors by any standard, they are numerous and willing. Gremlins attack with their attached balls and chains. Master gremlins - those who have proven their loyalty - are cut from their balls and chains and able to hurl them in a ranged attack."{{-}}<sup>[[Restoration of Erathia Manual Page 113|RoE manual]]''</sup>

{{DwellingPortraitNoExp
| dwelling = Workshop
| creature1 = Gremlin
| creature2 = Master Gremlin
}}

== Heroes with a [[Specialty#Creature_specialties|specialty]] ==
* (none)

{{Fanopinion|
Gremlins should be promoted to Master Gremlins as soon as possible. Master Gremlins are the cornerstone of the Tower faction, being the unit which is used to clear the map in the early game and the only [[town]]-aligned level 1 shooter in the base game. Basically, since [[Stone Gargoyle and Obsidian Gargoyle|gargoyles]] have relatively low stats and [[Stone Golem and Iron Golem|golems]] are too slow, the master gremlins are the best candidate for dealing the most of the damage in early battles. They should be surrounded and protected by golems and gargoyles, letting the gremlins do full damage with their ranged attack. However, be aware that they have only 8 shots, but that's enough for early game. Later in the game, they may need to be be replaced by [[Mage and Arch Mage|magi]], with superior stats.

3-4 [[Attack]] and [[Defense]] is average for a level 1 creature. 4 [[Health]] is on the low end. 4-5 [[Speed]] is lowest of all town-aligned level 1 creatures, tied with [[Pikeman]], [[Troglodyte]], [[Skeleton]] and [[Gnoll]]. However Master Gremlins can shoot, which might mean all the difference in early game battles.

If you have free slots in army, they can be divided into several stacks, so that even if one or two stacks are forced into melee others can keep shooting. [[Ammo Cart]] is essential for this "gunline" tactics as they only have 8 shots, and it is produced by Tower's [[blacksmith]].

Gremlins are extremely affected by [[Bless]] and [[Curse]] [[spell]]s due to their 1-2 [[damage]] spread. Normal Bless and Curse change their damage from average 1,5 to accordingly 2 and 1. Bless spell, when cast with Advanced [[Water Magic]], doubles their damage output, bringing it up from average 1,5 to 3. Since Curse cannot lower damage below 1, it doesn't matter if casting [[hero]] has [[Fire Magic]] skill.

Because of this extreme variance in damage [[Mirth]], [[Fortune]], good [[morale]] and [[luck]] in general synergize very well with Gremlins - their lucky strikes and double turns can be devastating, considering that they are a cheap, numerous level 1 troop. Morale and luck are not reliable, though - at best they offer 1/8th chance per action and Gremlins are fragile, so don't rely on these. [[Precision]] increases Master Gremlins' ranged attack, while [[Forgetfulness]] is a fatal spell against Master Gremlins who are slow and almost useless in melee.

[[Shield]] and [[Stone Skin]] are obvious protective spells to patch their weak defenses up. Shield has additional benefit of not being Defense buff but damage reduction, and as 3-4 Defense is likely to be below attacker's Attack stat, Shield will likely protect Gremlins better than additional Defense from Stone Skin. Keep in mind that even buffed Master Gremlins are not good melee fighters and should be kept away from melee as long as possible before enemy troops reach your ranks.

[[Air Shield]] is the best defense possible for Master Gremlins in ranged duel or for Gremlins advancing under enemy ranged fire. Remember that Air Shield stacks with [[Stone Skin]], but only works against ranged attacks, so replace it with [[Shield]] when coming into melee.

[[Prayer]] is a decent all-round spell, also increasing their Speed.

[[Frenzy]] might or might not be worth it, because if Gremlins are hit when having 0 Defense they are likely to be wiped out. However, if the enemy troops cannot reach Master Gremlins due to walls, obstacles or your melee troops, consider if their generally low Defense will increase their Attack enough to be worth casting Frenzy instead of [[Precision]] or [[Bless]].

[[Master Genie]]s should cast spells on Gremlins if you have Master Genies available, Gremlins are the strongest stack in your army and you somehow do not have [[Naga and Naga Queen|Nagas]] or [[Titan]]s. As the spells mentioned above are among those cast by Master Genies, there is a good chance of Gremlins getting something beneficial in any situation, even if your hero cannot cast such spell.

Due to their low Health Gremlins are extremely vulnerable to [[direct damage spells]], ranged attacks, and fast creatures. Thus Protection from X spells might be of some use, if not going all-out and casting [[Anti-magic]] to ensure your Master Gremlins cannot be dealt with in any other way than brute force. [[Slow]] and [[Force Field]] are also good defensive tools.

Because they are usually shielded by [[Stone Golem and Iron Golem|Golems]] and [[Stone Gargoyle and Obsidian Gargoyle|Gargoyles]] AoE spells & attacks like [[Fireball]], [[Magog]]'s attack, [[Lich]]'s death cloud and any type of [[Dragon]] can wreak havoc among Gremlins while also targeting other troops, so be careful when facing such opponents.

As cheap creatures with very high [[growth]] per week, stacks of Gremlins can be used as fodder to soak up retaliations to protect more valuable units like [[Master Genie]]s. Don't count on them to survive the retaliation though, so only do so when it's necessary. Similarly they can be used as cheap buffer to shield [[Mage and Arch Mage|Magi]] from melee troops, but [[Stone Golem and Iron Golem|Golems]] are better in this function.

[[Archery]] and [[Armorer]] are the best [[secondary skills]] for Master Gremlins, followed by [[Tactics]]. [[Offense]] might be useful if you have unupgraded Gremlins, ran out of shots, or your Master Gremlins power stack is forced into melee. [[Water Magic]] is very good, as Advanced [[Bless]] about doubles their damage output and [[Cure]] to deal with [[mind spells]] and debuffs has reduced cost.

In {{roe}} versions 1.0 and 1.1, the infamous Gremlin Rush strategy was possible, which included repeatedly hiring heroes from the [[Tavern]] merely to obtain their Gremlins and upgrade them, then dismiss the heroes. This was patched out in version 1.2 and the expansions by allowing only the first two heroes in a single week to have a full set of troops, and giving a single level 1 unit to the rest.
}}

{{creature 'see also'}}
* [[Comparison of Level 1 Creatures]]
* [[Comparison of Ranged Creatures]]

[[Category: Creatures]]

Pikeman and Halberdier

2025-01-29T16:15:19Z

Fafner: tacs

{{Castle creatures}}{{CreatureNew
| name = Halberdier
| faction = Castle
| attack = {{gt|6}}
| defense = 5
| shots =
| damage = {{gt|2}}–3
| health = 10
| speed = {{gt|5}}
| move = Ground
| size = 1
| growth = 14
| aivalue = 115
| fightvalue = 115
| goldcost = 75
| resource =
| rescost =
| abilities = Immune to {{gl|jousting}} bonus.
}}
{{CreatureNew
| name = Pikeman
| faction = Castle
| attack = 4
| defense = 5
| shots =
| damage = 1–3
| health = 10
| speed = 4
| move = Ground
| size = 1
| growth = 14
| aivalue = 80
| fightvalue = 100
| goldcost = 60
| resource =
| rescost =
| abilities = Immune to {{gl|jousting}} bonus.
}}

'''Pikemen''' and '''Halberdiers''' are the level 1 creatures of [[Castle]]. They can be recruited from the [[Castle creature dwellings|Guardhouse]].

''"Pikemen and halberdiers are among the strongest basic foot soldiers available to any army. While somewhat slow, they have respectable combat ratings."{{-}}<sup>[[Restoration of Erathia Manual Page 85|RoE manual]]''</sup>

{{DwellingPortrait
| dwelling = Guardhouse
| creature1 = Pikeman
| creature2 = Halberdier
}}

== Heroes with a [[Specialty#Creature_specialties|specialty]] ==
* (none)

== Special Ability: Jousting Immunity ==
Although not mentioned in the game or manual, both Pikemen and Halberdiers are immune to [[Cavalier and Champion|Cavaliers' and Champions']] [[jousting]] ability. This means they suffer damage from Cavaliers or Champions normally, but do not receive the additional damage from jousting bonus (thus, the distance of Cavaliers and Champions attack doesn't matter).

In {{hota}}, the ability is present in the unit's description.

{{Fanopinion|
The halberdier is considered to be the 2nd best level 1 creature in raw stats, surpassed only by the [[Centaur Captain]].

4-6 [[Attack]] is top-tier, and 5 [[Defense]] is high. 10 [[Health]] is the highest of all level 1 creatures. 1-3 [[Damage]] of Pikemen is above average, 2-3 of Halberdiers is again the best of their level. With 4 [[Speed]] Pikemen are better suited to defending ranged troops than to offense. Halberdiers are faster by 1 point, but they are still slow. All-around powerful if rather slow creatures, they are the [[Castle]] basic melee unit that at once is tough and packs a nasty punch. They also compensate to a degree for [[Archers]]' rather low damage and fragility.

The drawback is that their 60-75 [[gold]] cost is also very high for lvl 1 unit. [[Guardhouse|Their dwelling]] is also expensive in terms of [[ore]].

The most obvious spells to use on Pikemen and Halberdiers are [[Haste]] or [[Bloodlust]] for offensive purposes and [[Shield]] or [[Stone Skin]] for defense, with [[Prayer]] as all-rounder. [[Bless]] and [[Curse]] work better on Pikemen due to larger damage spread. [[Counterstrike]] may be useful, as they have good damage and enough health to engage most melee units and keep them busy for a while. [[Slow]] combined with ranged troops is a death sentence. [[Direct damage spells]] are a threat, but as level 1 troops they are not exactly a high priority target, and with 10 health per unit they are reasonably resilient to magic damage.

Their unmentioned special ability significantly reduces [[Cavalier and Champion|Cavaliers and Champions']] damage done against them when charging from distance. While very specific, it does contribute to their relative toughness.

In Castle army they can shield [[Archers]] or [[Monks]] while they whittle down the enemy stacks, mop up the remains after more powerful units do the most of work, or take enemy retaliations - if they can keep up with the likes of [[Royal Griffins]]. Be wary of [[Dragon]]s and AoE attacks/spells if playing defensively.

The best [[secondary skill]]s by pure numbers are [[Offense]] and [[Armorer]]. [[Tactics]] is also very useful, as their low speed requires some support to get them into enemy lines or to shield friendly ranged units. [[Leadership]] and high [[morale]] can help with their speed problems. [[Air Magic]] and [[Earth Magic]] seem most useful of magic skills because of [[Haste]], [[Shield]] and [[Stone Skin]].

}}

{{creature 'see also'}}
* [[Comparison of Level 1 Creatures]]

[[Category: Creatures]]
__NOTOC__

Talk:Illithid and Alhoon

2025-01-24T11:18:27Z

Fafner: Created page with "These actually made it to current development phase? Expected WotC/Hasbro to send C&D notice long ago as they are notoriously aggressive about IP - ~~~~"

These actually made it to current development phase? Expected WotC/Hasbro to send C&D notice long ago as they are notoriously aggressive about IP - [[User:Fafner|Fafner]] ([[User talk:Fafner|talk]]) 11:18, 24 January 2025 (UTC)

Alamar

2023-04-10T16:56:15Z

Fafner: Undo revision 63075 by 107.175.209.159 (talk) Here we go again. Screw em bots

{{Dungeon heroes}}{{Hero
| town = Dungeon
| class = Warlock
| gender = Male
| race = Human
| biography = Alamar served Archibald Ironfist during the Succession Wars, and was barely able to escape [[Enroth]] following Archibald's defeat. He has since taken up residence in [[Nighon]] where he secretly serves the Dungeon Overlords.
| specialty = Resurrection
| s_text = Casts [[Resurrection]] with increased effect, based on his level compared to the level of the target unit.
| skill_1 = Basic Wisdom
| skill_2 = Basic Scholar
| troop_1 = Troglodyte
| troop_2 = Harpy
| troop_3 = Beholder
| nmb_1 = 30–40
| nmb_2 = 4–6
| nmb_3 = 3–4
| spell = Resurrection
| nowar =
| hota_nmb_1 = 20-30
| hota_nmb_2 = 6-8
| s_hota_mp =
| s_hota2_mp = 1560
}}

{{fanopinion|
Alamar has [[Resurrection]] as a starting spell, which is one of most powerful spells in the game. This fact makes Alamar a valuable hero for all factions except Necropolis. In addition, Alamar starts with [[Scholar]] and [[Wisdom]], which is a useful combination, that makes him a "walking Mage Guild" quickly. Three level-ups is minimum for Alamar to have Expert Scholar and Advanced Wisdom, which enables him to teach fourth level spells (including his Resurrection) to any hero capable of learning them.

}}

{{hero 'see also'}}

[[Category: Warlocks]]{{keywords}}

Alamar

2022-04-22T21:58:33Z

Fafner: Undo revision 60484 by 23.80.97.97 (talk)

Archer and Marksman

2021-10-21T09:20:53Z

Fafner: Unit analysis, stats, spells, secondaries, Castle stuff, heroes

{{Castle creatures}}{{Creature
| AI_Value = 126
| Name = Archer
| Attack = 6
| Defense = 3
| Speed = 4
| Growth = 9
| Damage = 2–3
| Health = 10
| Shots = 12
| Cost = 100
| Special = • [[Ranged attack]]
| U_AI_Value= 184
| U_name = Marksman
| U_speed = '''6'''
| U_damage = 2–3 '''(x2)'''
| U_shots = '''24'''
| U_cost = 150
| U_special = • [[Ranged attack]]<br>• '''[[Double attack]]'''
}}

{{Cram|Archers' Tower|Archer|Marksman|no_dwelling=|pad=5px 10px 3px 3px}}
'''Archers''' and '''Marksmen''' are level 2 creatures of [[Castle]] recruited from [[Castle creature dwellings|Archers' Tower]]s.

''"Archers and marksmen are lightly armored troops armed with crossbows for [[ranged attack|ranged combat]] and daggers for light hand-to-hand fighting. Marksmen can get off two shots in each ranged attack."{{-}}<sup>[[Restoration of Erathia Manual Page 85|RoE manual]]''</sup>
<div style="clear:left;"></div>
== Heroes with a specialty ==

*{{H|Valeska|Knight}} has archers as a [[Specialty#Creature_specialties|specialty]], which increases the attack and defense skills of any archer or marksman each level she attains after the 2nd level, and gives them a [[speed]] bonus of 1.
* {{H|Gelu|Ranger}} can upgrade Elves and Wood Elves (also [[Archer and Marksman|Archers and Marksmen]]) into [[Sharpshooter]]s.

{{fanopinion|
=== Tactics and info ===
They are critical in the early game, together with the [[Griffin and Royal Griffin|Griffins]], due to them being almost the only Castle ranged attackers, having good damage and also the marksmen's twice shot. However, with each ranged attack in a turn, the Marksmen will use up two shots, not one. Still, getting them damaged should be avoided, due to their hp and defense stats being equal and respectively lower than the level 1 [[Pikeman and Halberdier]].

[[Attack]] of 6 is average, [[Defense]] of 3 is just bad. Combined with 10 [[Health]] they are very vulnerable to just anything that can hit them. [[Speed]] of 4-6 is below average, but Marksmen should still be able to act before at least some early game opponents.

Probably best spells to use on Archers are [[Precision]] and (Advanced) [[Bless]] if they are upgraded to Marksmen. Defensive spells will not be of much use, as they are very fragile to begin with, unless you can protect them from melee attackers with [[Force Field]] and enemy has no way of dispelling it or their own ranged troops. Low health and quite good ranged damage makes Marksmen great targets for [[direct damage spells]]. Advanced [[Curse]] is also very effective.

While Archers are basic ranged troops and not much to speak of, Marksmen are very cost-effective troop upgrade, as they literally deal double the Archers' damage, provided they live to use their double shoot ability and it's not overkill. They don't get any other bonus apart from +2 Speed, however.

In Castle army they provide basic ranged firepower, softening targets up for stronger melee troops to wipe out. In early game [[Pikeman and Halberdier|Pikemen and Halberdiers]] are good troops to pair Archers with, as they are quite tough, strong, and can tie a stronger enemy stack long enough for Archers to whittle it down. 1 [[Archangel]] can resurrect up to 10 Archers or Marksmen.

[[Morale]] synergizes well with double attack, better than [[luck]], but they can get lucky strike on any of their two shooting attacks, both, or none.

Obviously the best secondary skill to combine with Archers is [[Archery]]. Another important skill is [[Tactics]] as they are incredibly fragile and should be kept away from melee. [[Leadership]] can be useful until morale bonus becomes redundant. [[Valeska]] specializes in Archers and [[Orrin]]'s specialty greatly increases their damage.

}}

{{creature 'see also'}}

[[Category: Creatures]]
__NOTOC__{{keywords}}

Talk:Hero

2021-10-21T08:49:19Z

Fafner:

The table says 'Heroes from ROE' and it doesn't have Catherine or Sir Mullich, but it does have the various Tarnums and Xarfax and all the conflux heroes and whatnot. I don't know how to fix it.

:I have noticed the same and started to fix the table as can be seen from the knights. However, did not have time to finnish it. By copying and mimicing the knights table format you should be quite easily be able to fix the table if you want to. –[[User:Kapteeni Ruoska|Kapteeni Ruoska]] ([[User talk:Kapteeni Ruoska|talk]]) 10:21, 25 August 2015 (CEST)

== Hero loss conditions? ==

I guess the most important part is missing? I really try to find out what happens to heroes when they lose a battle (and possibly can’t run)

:For the controlling player, they are for all practical purposes gone. The lost hero will eventually reappear in Tavern, able to be hired with saved experience, primary & secondary skills, and spells, but artifacts are lost (to enemy hero or just gone otherwise) -[[User:Fafner|Fafner]] ([[User talk:Fafner|talk]]) 08:49, 21 October 2021 (UTC)

Talk:Hero

2021-10-21T08:48:39Z

Fafner: Losing a hero - answer

Talk:Grail

2021-07-13T08:41:03Z

Fafner: rtfmp

==In-game text==
H3bitmap.lod > BldgSpec.TXT
<div class=toccolours>Colossus "The presence of the Colossus increases weekly creature generation by 50%, provides your kingdom with an additional 5000 gold each day, and increases the morale of all allied heroes by +2."

Spirit Guardian "The presence of the Spirit Guardian increases weekly creature generation by 50%, provides your kingdom with an additional 5000 gold each day, and increases the luck of all allied heroes by +2."

Skyship "The presence of the Skyship increases weekly creature generation by 50%, provides your kingdom with an additional 5000 gold each day, reveals the entire world map, and increases the knowledge of any defending hero by +15 (these spell points do not follow a hero who leaves the town)."

Deity of Fire The presence of the Deity of Fire increases weekly creature generation by 50% and provides your empire with an additional 5000 gold each day. Every week hereafter will be a Week of the Imp.

Soul Prison "The presence of the Soul Prison increases weekly creature generation by 50%, provides your empire with an additional 5000 gold each day, and boosts the Necromancy skill of all allied heroes (who possess the skill) by 20%."

Guardian of Earth "The presence of the Guardian of Earth increases weekly creature generation by 50%, provides your empire with an additional 5000 gold each day, and increases the Power of a garrison hero by +12 when defending against a siege."

Warlords' Monument "The presence of the Warlords' Monument increases weekly creature generation by 50%, provides your kingdom with an additional 5000 gold each day, and increases the Attack strength of a garrison hero by +20 when defending against a siege."

Carnivorous Plant "The presence of the Carnivorous Plant increases weekly creature generation by 50%, provides your kingdom with an additional 5000 gold each day, and increases the Attack and Defense strength of a garrison hero by +10 each when defending against a siege."

Aurora Borealias "The presence of the Aurora Borealias increases weekly creature generation by 50%, provides your kingdom with an additional 5000 gold each day, and places all spells in your mage guild."</div>

'your empire' - for the evil-aligned, 'your kingdom' for others.

H3bitmap.lod > > randtvrn.txt

<div class=toccolours>I've heard the residents of the Castles will construct a giant Colossus to honor any hero who brings them the Grail.

I've heard the residents of the Ramparts will construct a Spirit Guardian to honor any hero who brings them the Grail.

I've heard the residents of the Towers will construct a great Skyship to honor any hero who brings them the Grail.

I've heard the residents of the Infernos will summon a Deity of Fire to honor any hero who brings them the Grail.

I've heard the residents of the Necropolis will construct a Soul Prison to honor any hero who brings them the Grail.

I've heard the residents of the Dungeons will summon a Guardian of Earth to honor any hero who brings them the Grail.

I've heard the residents of the Strongholds will construct a Warlords' Monument to honor any hero who brings them the Grail.

I've heard the residents of the Fortresses will grow a great Carnivorous Plant to honor any hero who brings them the Grail.</div>

'will summon' for Inferno and Dungeon, 'will grow' for Fortress, 'will construct' for others.

==Digging after moving==
<pre>Actually, there is a way which includes tinkering with fast/slow units in the hero's army</pre> Can anyone add any more details on how this works exactly? [[File:Hero Stormblessed small.gif|→ima|link=user:imahero]] 19:50, 14 May 2021 (UTC)
:its the same 'recalculating starting movepoints during one turn' stuff as in [[Admiral's Hat]] bug with two extra details. lets take the grass as a default terrain. u give the hero the gloves, unequip them in the morning, make three straight steps (thats the first important detail: the pre-digging amount of movepoints has to be exatcly the same as our new 'starting movepoints' we want to feed to the game), open and close the hero's window (the second detail: an action to force the game to recalculate the hero's max movepoints. i vaguely remember that this part could be tricky, but the hero's menu was enough for my tests right now), and just dig. as with [[Admiral's Hat]] u can get the same effect by playing with the army's slowest guy. --[[User:GroundhogYear|GroundhogYear]] ([[User talk:GroundhogYear|talk]]) 22:18, 14 May 2021 (UTC)

== Some terrain doesn't appear on the puzzle map ==
*The grail on the map editor:
[[file:grail on map editor.png]]
*The grail on the puzzle map:
[[file:grail on puzzle map.png]]

Has this been covered by someone else here on the wiki anywhere? Or anywhere on the internet? Not sure I want to go through and test every single type of terrain to figure out which ones don't appear on the puzzle map... [[File:Hero Stormblessed small.gif|→ima|link=user:imahero]] 15:44, 11 May 2021 (UTC)

:hoped we will never reach these uncharted waters... --[[User:GroundhogYear|GroundhogYear]] ([[User talk:GroundhogYear|talk]]) 16:22, 11 May 2021 (UTC)

behold the offspring of the alchemical marriage between fizmig and googletranslate. have no idea how all these Earthen Hills, Holes and Marsh leaves should be called in the original map editor, but im always re-checking their info anyways.
<div class="toccolours">Items not displayed:
*All visitable objects, including pick-ups
*Cities, heroes and creatures on the map
*Roads, Bridges, Rivers and River Deltas
*Magical terrains including Favorable Winds.
**HotA displays terrain overlays except for Favorable Winds.
*Hole, Rock layer (Ravine) - on any landscape
*[[Dirt]]: Crater (x6), Lake (x3), Earthen Hills (x12).
**In HotA, Earthen Hills are displayed. 2 new Shrubs and animals are not displayed (Chicken, Rooster, Pig)
*[[Sand]]: Crater, Uninhabited Hills (x12).
**In HotA Uninhabited Hills are displayed. Sand Dune (x3), Jaw, Bones (x2), Abandoned boat (x2), Barrels (x2), Ropes (x2), Box, Boxes (x4), Bag (x2)
*[[Grass]]: Crater (x7), Lake (x3), Grass Hills (x12).
**In HotA, Grassy Hills are displayed. Fence (x6) And animals (Chicken, Rooster, Pig) are not displayed
*[[Snow]]: Crater, Frozen Lake (x3).
**New Hills are not displayed in HotA (x4)
*[[Swamp]]: Crater, Lake (4), Bush (5), Dead vegetation (logs) (2), Marsh leaves (x11).
**In HotA, Marsh Leaves are displayed. Not displayed Carnivorous flower, Frogs, Frog (x2)
*[[Rough]]: Crater (x10), Canyon, Bush (6 pcs. Out of 9), Wild Hills (x12).
**In HotA, Wild Hills are displayed. New Shrub, Bones (x2) And Animals (Chicken, Rooster, Pig)
*[[Subterranean]]: Crater (x5), Lake (1 pc. Out of 3), Lava Lake (x5), Underground rocks (x12).
**In HotA, Underground Rocks are displayed.
*[[Lava]]: Crater x15, Lava Lake, Lava Flow x25.
*[[Water]]: Algae (x2), Reef (x6).
**In HotA, New Reefs (x1), Portuguese ship, Ruins are not displayed.
*Highlands (HotA): Puddles (x8), Crater, Waterfalls (x3), Lake (x4), Flowers (8 pcs. Out of 21).
*[[Wasteland]] (HotA): Limestone Puddle, Shrub (8), Crater (3), Canyon (2), Limestone Lake (x3), Tar Lake (x5), Jaw, Bones (x4).</div> --[[User:GroundhogYear|GroundhogYear]] ([[User talk:GroundhogYear|talk]]) 17:01, 11 May 2021 (UTC)

:<em>but if u really need it...</em> --[[User:GroundhogYear|GroundhogYear]] ([[User talk:GroundhogYear|talk]]) 17:03, 11 May 2021 (UTC)
::ok im just glad that i have some idea of what to expect now. thanks [[File:Hero Stormblessed small.gif|→ima|link=user:imahero]] 17:07, 11 May 2021 (UTC)

==Grail digging==
Thanks for the tip, 193.17.174.67, now I'm gonna be a 6934-1: Good Guy.--[[User:FirePaladin2|FirePaladin2]] ([[User talk:FirePaladin2|talk]]) 13:51, 26 July 2020 (UTC)
:Turnam, why did you do undo his change? It was pretty funny, ngl.--[[User:FirePaladin2|FirePaladin2]] ([[User talk:FirePaladin2|talk]]) 15:46, 27 July 2020 (UTC)
::Maybe it was worth a laugh, but not a permanent page change.
:::True.--[[User:FirePaladin2|FirePaladin2]] ([[User talk:FirePaladin2|talk]]) 09:05, 28 July 2020 (UTC)

== Can Grail be disabled in multiplayer mode (Hota)? ==

I ask it, due to my fully undeserved win in multiplayer (HotA's online lobby). I played a small map and was very close to lose a scenario in early game due to my blunders. Being desperate I killed somewhat 30 Master Gremlins who guarded an obelisk just near my town. It disclosed the whole puzzle map, and Grail was very close to my town as well. I played for Dungeon, thus with 16 Power I easily defeated Solmyr having a very weak garrison - one Magic Arrow killed 4 Genies or 10 Gargoyles, with no Magic Schools, the only other helpful thing being Mana Vortex (60 Spell Points). Earning 7000 per week, I could easily hire immense army (for a small map and early weeks); in case of unexpected battle I could just surrender - re-hiring a hero for 2500 was just free...

Thus, I feel there should be an opportunity to disable Grail, especially on small maps where owning Grail is just a freebie win. However, I didn't find it anywhere when generating a random map; is there a chance to remove Grail from the map?--[[User:Dread Knight|Dread Knight]] ([[User talk:Dread Knight|talk]]) 21:44, 11 July 2021 (UTC)

:As it is written on the page: No obelisks = no Grail. Disable obelisks or remove them from the map -[[User:Fafner|Fafner]] ([[User talk:Fafner|talk]]) 08:40, 13 July 2021 (UTC)

Talk:Implosion

2021-05-11T20:31:49Z

Fafner:

== Maximum power level ==

In [[Dungeon]], Grail building adds +12 to SP during a siege. If originally hero has 99 SP, won't it be 111 in that case (or even higher if some artifacts increase SP)?--[[User:Dread Knight|Dread Knight]] ([[User talk:Dread Knight|talk]]) 10:34, 10 May 2021 (UTC)
:Primary skills are normally capped at 99 at which point artifacts, events, objects etc. stop increasing it and the hero simply doesn't get any more points or benefits. However Grail structures seem to ignore this limitation - during a siege of Tower with Skyship built defending hero with 99 Knowledge will have 99 Knowledge shown, but his mana will exceed 1100, as if the stat boost worked anyway (no Intelligence secondary). For the Dungeon, Magic Arrow with 99 Power & no Earth Magic does 1000 damage, Implosion 7525. With everything as above & Guardian of Earth it is the same 1000 and 7525. Looks like the only way to push damage up at this point is through Orbs of X, Sorcery, Advanced X Magic or magical terrain, hero specialties. Tested on WoG -[[User:Fafner|Fafner]] ([[User talk:Fafner|talk]]) 20:31, 11 May 2021 (UTC)

Talk:AI Behavior

2021-05-11T20:30:49Z

Fafner:

==AI grail behavior==
I've been testing the ai behavior in custom maps. And I was able to confirm that you can lose when the ai delivers the grail as part of the build the grail victory. But it was kinda hard to make happen. I had to literally pick up the grail myself. Then reload the map as a hotseat game and set the player I just picked up the grail with as the ai. Then the ai (eventually) carried the grail home (after several turns (even though it was already right next to the town)). At that point I was given a popup telling me the ai had achieved victory and I was shown the defeat beheading scene. I'm not sure why the ai wouldn't seem to pick up (dig for) the grail. I was pretty sure I'd seen the ai build the grail before. Maybe something was wrong with how I placed the obelisk / grail? Anyone have any ideas? [[File:Hero Stormblessed small.gif|→ima|link=user:imahero]] 16:04, 11 May 2021 (UTC)

:Short version - H3 AI is sometimes so damn stupid, it beggars belief. This might be just another egregious case. Perhaps its priorities are as skewed up as those listed on the page - I'm not good at German so just skimmed the file. About the obelisk - maybe the number of found obelisks was too low for AI to start searching? Or the total number of obelisks somehow broke the AI rules about when to start? Or perhaps they were placed in a way that made AI completely ignore them - I've seen some places in some maps where AI never, ever goes no matter what, unless you bait it with a weak hero or use the single player save/hotseat load trick. Also look up [[Difficulty_level]] and compare the observed behavior to your chosen difficulty - on Easy AI just ignores the Grail. -[[User:Fafner|Fafner]] ([[User talk:Fafner|talk]]) 20:30, 11 May 2021 (UTC)

==The Tactician==
Found the original (i think it is anyway): [https://sites.google.com/site/biobobslaboratory/games/heroes-3/the-tactician sites.google.com/site/biobobslaboratory/games/heroes-3/the-tactician]

Talk:Map Editor

2021-05-11T19:51:54Z

Fafner:

== Adding artifacts to heroes ==
*{{sod}}:
[[file:add artifact to hero.png]]
*{{hota}}:
[[file:add artifact to hero (HotA).png]]

I can't get this to work. Is this a bug? How do you add artifacts to heroes in the map editor?
Are you supposed to be able to click somewhere? Should there be a button? [[File:Hero Stormblessed small.gif|→ima|link=user:imahero]] 15:22, 11 May 2021 (UTC)
:yup, definitely a bug. its missing 'Add', 'Edit', 'Remove' and 'Remove all' buttons
::Does your editor properly show the buttons? Could it be a Windows 10 problem? I tried running as admin and some other compatibility options but all it did was make my screen really small (or big? idk). [[File:Hero Stormblessed small.gif|→ima|link=user:imahero]] 16:52, 11 May 2021 (UTC)
:::all i can say its not the win 10 thing. im using roe, ab, complete and two hota editors without any extra compatibility fun and ive never seen something like that before. --[[User:GroundhogYear|GroundhogYear]] ([[User talk:GroundhogYear|talk]]) 17:09, 11 May 2021 (UTC)
::::Definitely a bug. Try another version of the editor. This window should be pretty much the same in all game versions & operating systems - I have tested it on PC w/ Win10 and laptop w/ XP, so if other editors too have missing buttons, there is something VERY wrong with your Windows or map editor files. This is how it looks on my XP laptop (WoG editor, not that it should matter):
[[File:Hero properties artifacts wog.jpg]]

If there are other places where your editor is missing buttons, maybe your game files are somehow corrupted -[[User:Fafner|Fafner]] ([[User talk:Fafner|talk]]) 19:41, 11 May 2021 (UTC)

Talk:Map Editor

2021-05-11T19:51:18Z

Fafner:

== Adding artifacts to heroes ==
*{{sod}}:
[[file:add artifact to hero.png]]
*{{hota}}:
[[file:add artifact to hero (HotA).png]]

I can't get this to work. Is this a bug? How do you add artifacts to heroes in the map editor?
Are you supposed to be able to click somewhere? Should there be a button? [[File:Hero Stormblessed small.gif|→ima|link=user:imahero]] 15:22, 11 May 2021 (UTC)
:yup, definitely a bug. its missing 'Add', 'Edit', 'Remove' and 'Remove all' buttons
::Does your editor properly show the buttons? Could it be a Windows 10 problem? I tried running as admin and some other compatibility options but all it did was make my screen really small (or big? idk). [[File:Hero Stormblessed small.gif|→ima|link=user:imahero]] 16:52, 11 May 2021 (UTC)
:::all i can say its not the win 10 thing. im using roe, ab, complete and two hota editors without any extra compatibility fun and ive never seen something like that before. --[[User:GroundhogYear|GroundhogYear]] ([[User talk:GroundhogYear|talk]]) 17:09, 11 May 2021 (UTC)
::::Definitely a bug. Try another version of the editor. This window should be pretty much the same in all game versions & operating systems - I have tested it on PC w/ Win10 and laptop w/ XP, so if other editors too have missing buttons, there is something VERY wrong with your Windows or map editor files. This is how it looks on my XP laptop (WoG editor, not that it should matter):
[[File:Hero properties artifacts wog.jpg]]
If there are other places where your editor is missing buttons, maybe your game files are somehow corrupted -[[User:Fafner|Fafner]] ([[User talk:Fafner|talk]]) 19:41, 11 May 2021 (UTC)

Talk:Map Editor

2021-05-11T19:41:25Z

Fafner:

== Adding artifacts to heroes ==
*{{sod}}:
[[file:add artifact to hero.png]]
*{{hota}}:
[[file:add artifact to hero (HotA).png]]

I can't get this to work. Is this a bug? How do you add artifacts to heroes in the map editor?
Are you supposed to be able to click somewhere? Should there be a button? [[File:Hero Stormblessed small.gif|→ima|link=user:imahero]] 15:22, 11 May 2021 (UTC)
:yup, definitely a bug. its missing 'Add', 'Edit', 'Remove' and 'Remove all' buttons
::Does your editor properly show the buttons? Could it be a Windows 10 problem? I tried running as admin and some other compatibility options but all it did was make my screen really small (or big? idk). [[File:Hero Stormblessed small.gif|→ima|link=user:imahero]] 16:52, 11 May 2021 (UTC)
:::all i can say its not the win 10 thing. im using roe, ab, complete and two hota editors without any extra compatibility fun and ive never seen something like that before. --[[User:GroundhogYear|GroundhogYear]] ([[User talk:GroundhogYear|talk]]) 17:09, 11 May 2021 (UTC)
::::Definitely a bug. Try another version of the editor. This window should be pretty much the same in all game versions & operating systems - I have tested it on PC w/ Win10 and laptop w/ XP, so if other editors too have missing buttons, there is something VERY wrong with your Windows or map editor files. This is how it looks on my XP laptop (WoG editor, not that it should matter):
[[File:Hero properties artifacts wog.jpg|frame|left]]
If there are other places where your editor is missing buttons, maybe your game files are somehow corrupted -[[User:Fafner|Fafner]] ([[User talk:Fafner|talk]]) 19:41, 11 May 2021 (UTC)

Talk:Vial of Life

2021-05-05T11:22:49Z

Fafner:

I don't think it is possible to complete this map by carrying the Vial of Lifeblood to Kyran, simply because there is no such artifact in the entire map! I couldn't find it, even in Map Editor. <small><span class="autosigned"> — Preceding [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment was added by [[User: ArthurBC | ArthurBC ]] ([[User talk: ArthurBC |talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/ ArthurBC |contribs]]) 12:11, 4 May 2021‎ (UTC)</span></small>
:check the [[Cloak of the Undead King]] at the west shore. there is a graphic problem with combination artifacts in {{roe}} maps.--[[User:GroundhogYear|GroundhogYear]] ([[User talk:GroundhogYear|talk]]) 12:28, 4 May 2021 (UTC)
::I found it: [https://i.snipboard.io/pgEBm3.jpg VIaL of LIFEBLoOD]
:::The AI could have taken it after defeating the vampire lords. In which case you may need to cycle through and recruit all the heroes until you find the one that has it in their inventory. [[user:imahero|→ima]] 13:53, 4 May 2021 (UTC)
::::lol, the game generated [[Elixir of Life]] at a relic spawnplace for my test run. started to worry about how many vials are still on the damn map. --[[User:GroundhogYear|GroundhogYear]] ([[User talk:GroundhogYear|talk]]) 17:36, 4 May 2021 (UTC)
:::::In active game there is a way to check AI heroes inventory - save the single player game and load it as multiplayer hotseat game, then check the equipment & backpacks of each AI's heroes. If there are no monsters that are supposed to have the artifact in question, and no AI hero has it either, then you better make a checklist of heroes you recruit & dismiss to make sure they don't have the artifact -[[User:Fafner|Fafner]] ([[User talk:Fafner|talk]]) 11:22, 5 May 2021 (UTC)

Angel and Archangel

2021-04-26T15:28:39Z

Fafner: typo

{{Castle creatures}}{{Creature
| AI_Value = 5019
| Name = Angel
| Attack = 20
| Defense = 20
| Speed = 12
| Growth = 1
| Damage = 50
| Health = 200
| Cost = 3000
| Res = [[File: Resource Gem 20x18.gif]]
| ResCost = 1
| Movement = [[Flying]]
| Special = • [[Hate]]s [[devil]]s<br>• +1 [[morale]] to creatures in hero's army
| U_AI_Value= 8776
| U_name = Archangel
| U_attack = '''30'''
| U_defense = '''30'''
| U_speed = '''18'''
| U_health = '''250'''
| U_size = '''2'''
| U_cost = 5000
| U_ResCost = 3
| U_special = • [[Hate]]s [[devil]]s<br>• +1 [[morale]] to creatures in hero's army<br>• Can cast [[resurrection]]
| No_shots =
| No_ushots =
}}

{{Cram|Portal of Glory|Angel|Archangel|no_dwelling=}}
'''Angels''' and '''Archangels''' are level 7 creatures of [[Castle]]. They are recruited from [[Castle creature dwellings|Portals of Glory]]. Additionally, Angels can be acquired from [[Griffin Conservatory|griffin conservatories]].

''"With their great offensive and defensive power and flying ability, angels and archangels are among the mightiest creatures in the game. Both do 150% damage when attacking devils. Additionally, the archangel is able to resurrect dead allied troops once per combat."{{-}}<sup>[[Restoration of Erathia Manual Page 87|RoE manual]]''</sup>
<div style="clear:left;"></div>
__TOC__

Their only downsides are the lack of immunities and rather high [[cost]] (highest cost of all not-neutral level 7 creatures, both in gold and resources). Archangels are also among the strongest level 7 units recruitable from a town. They have the highest [[attack]] and [[defense]] (both 30) out of all level 7 creatures that you can recruit from a town and only [[Azure Dragon]]s and [[Crystal Dragon]]s have higher attack and defense ([[Rust Dragon]]s have the same). Only [[Phoenix]]es (21) and [[Azure Dragon]]s (19) have higher base [[speed]] than Archangels' 18. The [[Ancient Behemoth]], [[Haspid]] and [[Titan]] can defeat an Archangel in a one-on-one combat (Titan can win by defending 4 times and then attacking).

Archangels have the highest AI Value of any creature in {{roe}} with 8776. The only creature which gains size on upgrade.

== Specialties ==
Angels and Archangels [[hate]] [[Devil and Arch Devil|Devils and Arch Devils]], which causes them to do 50% more damage to them. They also increase the [[morale]] of the hero's army by +1. The morale bonus effect lasts until the end of the combat, even if all Angels/Archangels die during the fight. Additionally, a stack of Archangels may cast [[Resurrection]] spell once per combat. The effect does not follow any of the Resurrection spell's formulas (including the effects caused by the [[Rockland]] terrain), and is always 100 health points per Archangel. Like with Advanced and Expert [[Earth Magic]], the Resurrection effect is permanent.

== Special strategy ==
Casting the [[Clone]] spell on a stack of Archangels before the stack has cast their [[Resurrection]], enables the clone to cast it. Typically the Resurrection cast by Archangels (100 x number of casting Archangels) is more powerful compared to a hero's Resurrection (40/80/160 + 50 x hero's Power) and is always permanent, unlike hero spell which requires Advanced [[Earth Magic]] to last longer than the current battle. After the clone has cast the Resurrection, it is almost preferable to let the enemy destroy it in order to cast Clone on the Archangels again. Additionally, spells like [[Fireball]] or [[Meteor Shower]] can be used to destroy the clone. The clone can also be used as expendable stack to use up enemy retaliation, with added bonus of striking very hard and possibly another clone coming soon.

It takes three Archangels to resurrect one Archangel. Thus it could be wise to divide them into stacks with multiples of three (3,6,9...), so they can resurrect each other.

One Archangel can resurrect up to 100 health, so in Castle army 1 Archangel can raise 1 [[Cavalier and Champion|Cavalier or Champion]], over 3 [[Monk and Zealot|Monks or Zealots]], just under 3 [[Swordsman and Crusader|Swordsmen or Crusaders]], 4 [[Griffin and Royal Griffin|Griffins or Royal Griffins]], 10 [[Archer and Marksman|Archers or Marksmen]] and 10 [[Pikeman and Halberdier|Pikemen or Halberdiers]].

Remember that Archangels' Resurrection has similar limitations to the hero spell - [[Golem]]s, [[Stone Gargoyle and Obsidian Gargoyle|Gargoyles]], [[war machine]]s, [[Elemental]]s and [[Undead]] can never be resurrected. [[Gold Dragon|Gold]] and [[Black Dragon]]s can only be resurrected with [[Orb of Vulnerability]].

Because their damage is not based on a range of numbers, but is instead set at 50, spells like [[bless]] and [[curse]] have almost no effect on them. Because they do a precise amount of damage in combat, they are a sure-fire unit. Use spells affecting attack or defense instead, like [[Bloodlust]], [[Weakness]], [[Stone Skin]], [[Disrupting Ray]]. [[Shield]] has additional benefit of not being Defense buff, so it stacks with Stone Skin and protects better against [[Behemoth]]s, as they partially ignore opponent's Defense. [[Slayer]] is strongest possible attack buff without downsides, but requires specific enemies or [[Fire Magic]] [[secondary skill]] to work against all level 7 creatures instead of just the "monstrous" ones. [[Counterstrike]] is potentially very strong, as by their nature as powerful, fast melee
troops they will often be amidst enemy troops, taking multiple hits each turn and with this spell they will fight back, as if they had additional turns. Similar effect can be achieved by good [[morale]], as it's practically a given considering their +1 bonus, same town type army bonus, cheap and common +1 [[artifact]]s, and [[Mirth]] spell. At best it's only 12,5% though, or average of 1 bonus action per 8 turns.

Casting the [[Frenzy]] spell on a stack of Archangels and then casting the Clone spell on the same stack, removes the effect of the Frenzy spell from both the clone and the targeted Archangel stack.

Their great weakness is their lack of immunities - they can be [[slow]]ed, [[blind]]ed, [[berserk]]ed, in extreme cases even [[hypnotize]]d. If facing powerful magic [[hero]], it might be worth it to just cast [[Anti-magic]] on Archangels in the first turn to prevent them from being disabled. As Angels have 200 health and Archangels 250, they are not particularly threatened by [[direct damage spell]]s, but such spells are still something to expect - Angels have very high Defense stat, so if the opponent cannot kill them using their army, they might try to do so using magic, like [[Implosion]] or [[Lightning Bolt]].

Another downside is that great as they are in battle, they are also appropriately expensive - while Angels are decently priced at 3000 {{g}} and 1 {{gem}}, Archangels cost 5000 {{g}} and 3 {{gem}}, making them the most expensive town-aligned unit in game. [[Portal of Glory|Their dwelling]] is also one of the most expensive in game, requiring 20000 {{g}} and 10 each of {{crystal}}, {{gem}}, {{mercury}} and {{sulfur}} and again this amount for upgrade, and to fulfill its requirements [[Monastery]] must be built first, for another 2000 {{g}}, 5 wood and 5 ore, and 2 each of [[magical resource]]s. Considering that Castle's [[Resource Silo]] produces ore and wood, it might cause shortages without external sources.

Angels also lack any form of area attack, so they must rely on cutting their way through tightly packed enemy troops to reach the shooters or valuable troops shielded by others, and will inevitably take many hits in the process, possibly even being wiped out if the opponent can focus on bringing them down while other Castle units cannot keep up with them due to their Speed being 9 at best (not counting any bonuses).

As both kinds of Angels are flying, fast, very strong creatures, it might be tempting to just unleash them in the middle of enemy formation, but take care to ensure they are not overwhelmed - all-around strong as they are, they are not invincible, they cannot reliably deal with multiple enemy stacks at once, and they do not particularly excel in any single area. They are especially vulnerable to "wasting" counterattacks on a sacrificial, expendable, or tough stacks, so the more vulnerable, expensive or hard hitting troops remove chunks of their health with impunity. Thus when attacking ranged unit with other stacks nearby, either cast [[Counterstrike]] on Angels, or try to position them beyond reach of some defenders. Another great spell to use before committing Angels to all-out assault is [[Shield]].

With 18 Speed Archangels are the second fastest town-aligned unit after [[Phoenix]]es. This alone makes them useful to have in army, even if your main town is not Castle - having almost guaranteed first move can be decisive in battle and allows to win at cost of far less casualties than more evenly matched meat grinder would cause. This is particularly important advantage for towns whose armies are otherwise slow, like [[Fortress]], [[Stronghold]] or [[Tower]].

Because Archangels are 2-hex sized, exercise some caution when using them and other melee units against creatures like [[dragon]]s - targeting the weaker stack on adjacent hex will still deal full damage to both main target and Archangels, but only the main target will be able to retaliate. This also concerns [[Frost Ring]] spell - while you can use it safely with Angels, it's not possible with Archangels.

Large size also means they can be blocked from attacking ranged unit in the corner by blocking just 2 of 3 hexes adjacent to it. While they usually can simply hack their way through any screening stacks, it might take some time as Archangels lack any form of area attack, especially if the defenders are tough troops like [[Iron Golem]]s or [[Ogre]]s and do nothing but defending, while the ranged unit can keep firing on Archangels with full power shots, safe from retaliation.

Best [[secondary skill]]s for both types of Angels are [[Offense]] to capitalize on their great attack power and [[Armorer]] to help them live longer, as they are natural damage magnets.
[[Leadership]] is made mostly redundant by their +1 morale bonus, because morale only goes up to 3 and their inherent +1 bonus stacks with all other morale benefits like adventure map objects, artifacts, single town army type +1 bonus and, when defending a town, [[Tavern]]'s +1 or Castle's [[Brotherhood of the Sword]]'s +2.
[[Tactics]] offers a dubious benefit to them in offense - usually they have first turn in combat and unless [[Mind spell|disabled]], [[slow]]ed down or [[Dendroid_Guard_and_Dendroid_Soldier|bound]] they can fly anywhere on the battlefield. Starting in player-made formation might benefit the rest of your army that does not have 18 speed though, or if you use defensive strategy. Having Tactics might also be useful simply to deny its use to the enemy, especially if they have vulnerable ranged units that you'd like to force into melee before they can be blocked by defending melee troops.

Because of the above, the best [[hero]]es to combine with Archangels are those of martial class and well-scaling specialties, like [[Crag Hack]] or [[Tazar]]. [[Neela]] and [[Mephala]] also have good specialties, but not-so-good secondary skills - [[Scholar]] isn't good for main hero and [[Leadership]] is largely redundant in Castle army with Archangels.
Decent starting Castle heroes are [[Sorsha]] with [[Offense]] and [[Edric]] with [[Armorer]]. [[Loynis]] is surprisingly good because of his [[Prayer]] specialty and good chance to learn [[Water Magic]] skill, which will eventually allow him to clone Archangels.

== Trivia ==
In an interview with Gregory Fulton, one of the lead designers of HoMM3, it was stated by him that the Angels and Archangels are sophisticated robots created by the [[Ancients]] to exterminate [[Kreegan|Kreegans]]. This would also explain how all artifact components of [[Angelic Alliance]] excluding the [[Celestial Necklace of Bliss|necklace]] and possibly the [[Helm of Heavenly Enlightenment|helmet]] (however, a similar helmet is worn by Angels in Might and Magic 7) are based on their equipment - [[Armor of Wonder|breastplate]], [[Sandals of the Saint|sandals]], [[Lion's Shield of Courage|shield]] and [[Sword of Judgement|sword]] could be examples of hyper-advanced technology of the Ancients.

In {{roe}} game the main menu's background depicts an Archangel in blue-tinted armor, wielding two-handed sword with blade resembling [[Armageddon's Blade]] that burns with animated fire. {{roe}} loading screen also uses this picture, without animation. In-game, their armor is polished steel in unit avatar picture and matt dark gray in combat. They fight using one-handed sword with wavy blade, similar to flamberge, and shield with [[Erathia]]n coat of arms.

== {{roe}} and {{ab}} ==
In {{roe}} and {{ab}} gems were not included in the cost.

{{creature 'see also'}}

{{morale navigational box}}

[[Category: Creatures]]

User talk:Fafner

2021-04-26T13:05:19Z

Fafner:

== Map Editor ==

Where did you get maps from campaigns? That was really cool.--[[User:Dread Knight|Dread Knight]] ([[User talk:Dread Knight|talk]]) 22:55, 11 March 2021 (UTC)
:Extracted with [https://grayface.github.io/wog/ MMArchive] from H3 folder/Data/ .lod archives, most possibly. Then opened with the campaign editor after which extracted the maps from the campaign.--[[User:FirePaladin2|FirePaladin2]] ([[User talk:FirePaladin2|talk]]) 23:24, 11 March 2021 (UTC)
::Thanks FirePaladin2! So it's only possible when installing WOG?--[[User:Dread Knight|Dread Knight]] ([[User talk:Dread Knight|talk]]) 07:18, 12 March 2021 (UTC)
:::WoG is not required. This tool is standalone--[[User:Mortarial|Mortarial]] ([[User talk:Mortarial|talk]]) 10:35, 12 March 2021 (UTC)
::::^ Btw, no need to add the "2" at the end of my name, it just happens that I forgot my password to my main account (although I probably should have used a random number instead of "2" for this one kek).--[[User:FirePaladin2|FirePaladin2]] ([[User talk:FirePaladin2|talk]]) 11:10, 12 March 2021 (UTC)
:::::ResEdit. The screenshot was from WoG editor as I have both SoD and WoG installed independently and couldn't bother to open the map in SoD editor. -[[User:Fafner|Fafner]] ([[User talk:Fafner|talk]]) 15:04, 12 March 2021 (UTC)

== Are you a Tower fan? ==

I just wonder. Myself I'm not a pure fan of Necropolis, I also love playing Rampart, Stronghold and Fortress (thanks to campaigns). I completely don't understand Dungeon and don't enjoy playing for it, although I admire its strength (if you love Tower, it should make you happy :)) ).--[[User:Dread Knight|Dread Knight]] ([[User talk:Dread Knight|talk]]) 10:37, 22 April 2021 (UTC)
:Great job Watson, took you few months to connect the dots, and you still got it wrong - I am not a "fan of Tower" as in "rabid stadium hooligan on a crusade for his beloved faction". Tower is my preferred choice because I've played it for 22 years and I know how to make this normally average (B tier, has good parts & bad parts in relative balance, nothing really broken) town sing. Your own preferences make no difference to me, as long as you don't go around preaching how town X is the one true way and all others suck or something like that - [[User:Fafner|Fafner]] ([[User talk:Fafner|talk]]) 14:38, 22 April 2021 (UTC)
::Wow. That's nice. BTW many people consider Tower broken:) I don't think so, while there are many superadvantages like master gremlins, who can be easily collected in vast amounts, free spells when having Magi, very strong Naga Queens, Wall of Knowledge, etc. However, in my opinion, what is really overpowered (aside from Necropolis and Conflux with their great features), it is Dungeon. There are no useless troops aside from Troglodytes, perfect 2-level unit, two shooters without melee penalty, powerful Minotaurs, and also there is a possibility to get Armageddon - your Titans shouldn't hear who will rock the map in this case. If there are dwellings of those ones, you may collect dozens and dozens of them via Portal. Mana Vortex is a pure imba, as you'll never run out of spell points; on small maps, Academy will be a factory of producing heroes one level above all others - 2 level vs. 1 is better difference than 26 vs. 25. A great disadvantage is that Dungeon is very expensive and even to get intermediate units you should use all types of resources. Generally - the best recipe to win is to play properly, not to choose a correct town. I wonder if you watch sports, but there will be always someone like Russia and Canada in hockey, Manchester City in nowadays English Premier League, or Mercedes in nowadays Formula One. Same for gaming, and to win Heroes 3 with Rampart or Fortress is still way easier than to win EPL with Sheffield United :)))
::PS. As for Implosion on Gold Dragons. Of course I understand that, prior to all, you should control the battle. Mass Slow is a thing, as Elves, Pegasi, and Unicorns have decent speed. As for Berserk, it's possibly works on its best against Rampart - cast it on Dendroids, and that's all :)) However, Gold Dragons are powerful, thus taking them out in large amounts will still help.
::In my opinion, Rampart is generally the worst town. Those who are tanky are horribly slow, and those who are fast are horribly fragile. Unicorns are fully in the middle, just a symbol of a "balanced" unit - 5th place, stronger than Manticores, Cyclops, Wyverns, and Psychic Elementals, and weaker than Champions, Nagas, Efreeti, and Dread Knights. Gold Dragons are unfairly expensive, matching best units by price but not by quality. Inferno has a great ability of demon farming, and Fortress is brilliant in defense, also providing the fastest unit in the game aside from 7 levels. Rampart attracts many people due to its units reminding Lord of the Rings, and also there are numerous campaigns about Rampart, yet I think that almost every town may outscore it: Castle and Stronghold by brute force, Tower, Dungeon and Conflux by magic, Inferno by its features like Town Gate and demon farming, and we are not mentioning Necropolis. Fortress has reliable Basilisks, imbalance Mighty Gorgons, Wyverns who are cool when sieging towns, and thanks to Dragonflies, it will cast first spell before 7 level units appear.--[[User:Dread Knight|Dread Knight]] ([[User talk:Dread Knight|talk]]) 11:10, 23 April 2021 (UTC)

:::Tower is not broken - its advantages come at a price of sky-high resource cost, you could build up 2 "cheap" towns for what you need to deck one Tower out. Its units generally need upgrades to be useful, or just to not suck (Gremlins, Nagas, Giants). Naga Queens & Titans are very strong, but also very expensive, and thanks to them the cost of week's full growth is over 28k which means you need external gold source or decisions every week what not to recruit... and this assumes you have managed to get to that point, good luck doing this against competent enemy. Lots of building requirements, so more time & resources needed. Heroes are meh apart from few top contenders like Solmyr, Neela, maybe Torosar. It's THE worst town to play in low resources environment.

:::Dungeon is A tier btw, because it's generally good at everything, its good stuff is expensive but not quite at Tower level, and the useless unit is Manticore/Scorpicore - apart from speed and health it could be 5th level unit, Minotaurs hit almost as hard and are cheaper & more numerous.

:::Rampart is kinda B - okay mix of offense/defense but only 1 very fragile shooter, units in general screw with magic, but 2 units are critically slow, best unit cannot be buffed & resurrected without Orb of Vulnerability, Gold Dragons have very high att/def but require tons of crystal, Treasury allows for gold shenanigans but this requires time, and heroes are average.

:::Fortress is A-C depending on situation. Cheap, tough troops are good in early game, but level 3 mage guild combined with overall slow troops is just plain bad in endgame. 2 flyers, both very fragile. Only 1 shooter, tough but not very strong. Mighty Gorgons are tough & scary but also slow & not that strong apart from their special ability. Hydras shine if you can get them in good position, otherwise they are slow and weak damage sponges as their stats apart from HP are very low. Crazy good heroes (Tazar) and bad (most of others).

:::Inferno is just plain bad, just compare it to Castle and notice the glaring power gap while the costs are similar. The only thing it does well is melee, the troops are overall good in offense but squishy, can execute Efreetgeddon or annoy slow/ranged armies with Devils. Magogs are the only ranged unit that can hurt your own troops. Devils are noticeably weaker than Angels but are similarly expensive. Efreeti are fast but fragile and don't do much damage on their own. Demon farming lets you convert bad troops to a bit more useful form, but it takes some time and isn't even close to Necromancy in efficiency. Town Gate is only useful if there are other Inferno towns. Heroes apart from Marius are meh to bad. The cost nerfs were made because all these things were noticed, and still it was not enough, without some power boost Inferno is about the only D/E tier town. - [[User:Fafner|Fafner]] ([[User talk:Fafner|talk]]) 13:04, 26 April 2021 (UTC)

Brotherhood of the Sword

2021-04-26T10:59:16Z

Fafner: typo fix

{{Castle buildings}}

'''Building cost:''' 500 {{G}} 5 {{W}}.<br>'''Buildings required:''' [[Tavern]].<br>

'''Brotherhood of the Sword''' is a [[Castle]] town special building which increases the [[morale]] of defending creatures by 2.

{{morale navigational box|pic=+2}}

[[Category: Special buildings]]

Talk:Imbalance

2021-04-22T16:31:47Z

Fafner:

== To all those who think Necropolis is imbalance... ==

'''Disclaimer:''' I am not positioning myself a Heroes 3 expert. I don't play at tournaments nor stream my games, and there are some maps and campaigns which I find impossible. I play just for fun, supposing there are some things in Heroes 3 too hard for me to understand.

However, I would like to say that banning Necropolis from tournaments is for me an insult. I'm not against bans of features which may lead to an easy win (e.g. artifacts like [[Armageddon's Blade]]; yet I would rather make some useful stuff "for all", not "for nobody", e.g. placing Scholars with Earth Magic just near players' home towns), but to remove a whole faction is weakening the game.

Many people (including me) play Necropolis not for its exceptional ability of Necromancy. They just love its unique lore. There can be no other place like Necropolis, a cemetery of unhappy souls, a world of horrific, eternal dread. Demons and Devils are still living, and here rules the death itself. The [[town themes#Necropolis|music of Necropolis]] is arguably among the best in Heroes 3. Speaking in terms of the game itself, there possibly should be a place with its gameplay completely different from other factions (no morale, troops not affected by e.g. [[Bless]] or [[Curse]]).

However, it's all fandom and lyric. True reason that Necropolis should in my opinion never be banned on tournaments is that besides necromancy, [[vampirism]] and [[death blow]], our town has many significant weaknesses and problem. Our troops can't attack twice, and when any other one joins, this unit will get low morale (while, e.g., a [[Basilisk and Greater Basilisk|Basilisk]] will disable high morale when joining a Castle army, but no one will miss a turn if having only 2 factions). There are very few exceptions. Even worse is the fact that we have only one ranged unit, and it is level 5! Necropolis requires big and costly development simply to get ranged troops, and the growth is significantly lower than most shooters have. Moreover, Liches have low HP and are weaker than many 5th tier units (compared with [[Minotaur and Minotaur King|Minotaurs]], [[Roc and Thunderbird|Thunderbirds]], or [[Gorgon and Mighty Gorgon|Gorgons]]), and if a unit other than undead is in our army, it can be killed by its own Liches.

Things get even worse when looking on many other Necropolis units. Basic [[Vampire]]s have intermediate quality and their upgrade isn't cheap. [[Wight and Wraith|Wights]] are the slowest flying units in the game with unbecoming speed 5 and are completely useless, and Wraiths are the slowest upgraded flyers and are still in the bottom of 3rd level, having [[mana drain]] as a little consolation (possibly helpful in early game, but later - what's the difference between 198 and 200?) [[Bone Dragon and Ghost Dragon|Ghost Dragons]] are among the weakest 7th level units, compared to [[Archangel]]s or [[Black Dragon]]s they are just unsuitable (and Archangels have [[Champion]]s who don't lose that much to Dread Knights!) And I will not mention [[Walking Dead and Zombie]]s, they are Heroes 3's least valuable players. I couldn't think of their better use than to sacrifice for experience (especially in a campaign)...

In fact, every imbalance has the other side of the medal. Many towns can get a big buff via buildings. For example, why does [[Rampart]] have a [[Treasury]] - only due to their lore? Their 7th level units have worst possible magic immunity: [[Gold Dragon]]s are immune to [[Resurrection]], but not to [[Implosion]], and will thus be easily destroyed by a strong magician, never rising from the dead. Moreover they are expensive, thus your Treasury may give you the necessary sum of gold for producing a Gold Dragon. If you were saving money, then you'll be richer than Bill Gates and Donald Trump combined. Why are Treasuries not banned? Rampart's troops are mediocre, but have many abilities. And what about [[Dragogeddon]]? Ok, Armageddon can be banned as well, but here comes [[Chain Lightning]] which won't take Gold and [[Black Dragon]]s, and is more easy to get. Ban it as well? The whole game will be banned by that logic.

Even [[Stronghold]] and [[Fortress]]. These cities suffer from having weak magic, but have units' abilities as a decent compensation. A [[lightning strike]] from a big stack of [[Thunderbird]]s will be a turning point in a major battle, won't it? And what about [[death stare]], a full imbalance which has no difference between [[Peasant]]s and [[Archangel]]s? [[Serpent Fly and Dragon Fly|Dragon flies']] debuff and formidable speed is a disaster in the early game, and [[Ancient Behemoth]]s are the toughest guys ever.

Finally, [[Necromancy]] itself has its cons as well as its pros. [[Skeleton]]s have low speed and will thus slow your army down, and they are very weak and very easy to murder. Decent ranged ones will turn them to pieces, and most of them don't have unsuitable speed of 4. Thus, it's better to learn how to battle Necropolis, not to avoid battling it:)--[[User:Dread Knight|Dread Knight]] ([[User talk:Dread Knight|talk]]) 17:54, 11 March 2021 (UTC)

:I'm fearful of Necropolis even with halved Necromancy. It hasn't been uncommon to steamroll everything. Powerstacks are powerstacks, simple as that, and skelestonks are reliable and an option for all map types when it comes to powerstacking. And well, the AI of H3 is quite trash too, you don't even really need to farm anything to defeat it. And well, the 20 year-old balance is the balance of a game where the og AI was too hard to defeat, so....--[[User:FirePaladin2|FirePaladin2]] ([[User talk:FirePaladin2|talk]]) 18:44, 11 March 2021 (UTC)

:::Man, Necropolis is banned for a reason. No other town GAINS troops from battles as it does. No other town can convert other type creatures to its own. No other town can amass thousands of 1st levels THIS fast that ALSO don't suck and in fact can take & dish out crazy amount of damage. The only reason Skeleton legions aren't ''completely'' impossible to deal with is their meh base stats. But wait, this is where magic comes in! Cast [[Haste]], enjoy Skeletons running amok like Champions. Or [[Prayer]] because for some reason undead cannot benefit from [[Bless]] but Prayer is A-OK. (Btw, 1-3 damage spread with 6 HP. Bless. Unit hitting for HALF of its health, very numerous, cheap, and gained after victorious battles - see the problem? Like [[Master Gremlin]]s but actually worth something in melee) Necropolis has good early game because Skeletons, very good mid game because Skeletons + [[Vampire Lord]]s, and very good to broken late game because Skeletons + Vampire Lords + [[Dread Knight]]s + magic support. Yeah, the other half of the army sucks (maybe except [[Lich]]es, as long as nothing looks at them funny), but this is the price you pay for playing Necropolis. If it didn't, the town would be completely broken, being good at everything AND having unique advantages that no other town can match. Also the whole "no ranged until level 5" thing ceases to be a problem when you realize that the opponent simply cannot kill all of your Skeletons before they get into melee. There's just too many of them. Sure you will take some casualties getting in melee, but it's a 50% damage from distance>10, and then it's legion of Skeletons vs significantly lower number of soon-to-be Skeletons. Well, unless you're fighting Tower army, which can outshoot, outfight and outmagic Necropolis unless it's heavily outmatched. Anyway, Necropolis IS imbalanced, pretty much only way to get rid of it is even stronger early rush because later you will be drowned in tons of Skeletons and might not have army or magic to deal with that -[[User:Fafner|Fafner]] ([[User talk:Fafner|talk]]) 20:31, 11 March 2021 (UTC)
::::Fair thing. What I love when fighting Necropolis, is get Solmyr. His CL specialty makes the damage times greater at level 20 when cast on level 1 creatures, so you're gonna deal at least double damage if you target skelestonks. Although you know, one rarely gets Solmyr, unless they play with Tower.--[[User:FirePaladin2|FirePaladin2]] ([[User talk:FirePaladin2|talk]]) 20:40, 11 March 2021 (UTC)
:::::Some cities with moderate top tier creatures have better early game than Necropolis, whose 1-4 level creatures are neither strong nor fast (with the exception of Vampire Lords, but they take some resources), and saving money on Walking Dead is dangerous as sometimes no other one may guard the town. For example, Rampart's 1-4 lvls are way faster besides Dwarves which are great town guards, and the only con is weakness and fragileness of Pegasi (however, when upgraded they have excellent speed, easily crush wandering monsters and are useful when sieging towns). Inferno has Cerberi who are among the best thirds, and Fortress has Dragon flies who fly like rockets and Basilisks who are very reliable (personally I think that of the non-upgraded fourths, Basilisks are among the best together with Magi - then come Crusaders and Vampire Lords, but their basic versions are not the ones who rock). On the other hand, let's return to Rampart, and we'll see that Dendroids are useless on adventure map for obvious reasons, Unicorn is an exemplary intermediate unit - neither weak nor strong, neither slow nor fast, and Gold Dragon is for me one of three bottom 7th levels, alongside slow Hydra and faint Ghost Dragon. It is a flawed version of a Black Dragon, with the exception that Resurrection still can't be casted on it, while Implosion can. Take them out from a battle (and they have 250 HP not 300) - that's all, they will never return and no one in Rampart is even close. Finally they are unfairly expensive - Ancient Behemoth is cheaper, and how fast it is the MVP and how rarely a Gold Dragon is.--[[User:Dread Knight|Dread Knight]] ([[User talk:Dread Knight|talk]]) 23:13, 11 March 2021 (UTC)
::::::Yeah, Solmyr+Master Gremlins rush is one of the final solutions to the Necropolis problem, as Skeletons are extremely vulnerable to direct damage spells, CL is very strong and can even remove sacrificial stacks in addition to main target, and with Master Gremlin gunline you won't worry too much about collateral damage. Solmyr does get old fast though, in the longer games it's usually better to get Neela or try to get Orrin for a well-scaling specialty. However I meant that in general Tower troops just outclass Necropolis troops, especially on higher levels. Titans crush Ghost Dragons with their higher damage output even with their HP halved from turn 1, and Naga Queens are the only level 6 able to consistently kill Dread Knights (and everything else that Necropolis has to offer) thanks to no retaliation & high damage. Golems & Gargoyles are immune to pretty much everything undeads can do. Master Genies are as fragile as Liches but are faster, deal higher damage & have always useful specialty. Magi can be shielded by unliving so Vampire Lords cannot heal while they're being decimated from distance. Apart from Dread Knights & Skeletons in really high numbers Necropolis has nothing that in late game can match Naga Queens and Titans in raw power, and in early game Master Gremlins beat Skeletons, so Tower is quite good counter for Necropolis if you're not banning it outright -[[User:Fafner|Fafner]] ([[User talk:Fafner|talk]]) 21:51, 11 March 2021 (UTC)

== And what about imbalance of Conflux? ==

Of course it's only my opinion, but I don't see any need to ban Conflux from the game nor I see with Necropolis. If it's only due to Phoenixes' first turn - wow, shouldn't someone be the fastest in the game? Archangels are the best unit in the game - should Castle be banned then? And while that infernal speed of Phoenixes is a major advantage (which still can be countered - if they wait, kill them by shooting and magic, if they act first, they will be crushed by your troops), there are many disadvantages of Conflux.

First, all units but 1st and 7th can not be resurrected. If undead has its own animating spell, elementals don't have even something like this, thus major parts of Conflux army will never rise after being destroyed. Second, Conflux has very weak 4th and 5th levels. Just imagine, your enemy has Crusaders and you have Energy Elementals, your enemy has Pit Lords and you have Magma Elementals! Third, the way of building Conflux up is very complicated, compared only to Tower and Dungeon. To get anyone but Pixies, you should have a Mage Guild, thus making Conflux very bad on Impossible level (Mage Guilds are usually present at start though, but if not, then you will perhaps use Pixies... or what will you do?) Fourth, you don't have any shooters prior to building upgraded dwellings - if you build them on early stages of the game, you will lose a turn for something strategically important. Basic Air and Water Elementals aren't troops of which you dream every day.

Storm Elementals are very cool units of their level. They have great health and deal good damage. However, they are easily destroyed by Lightning and have awful damage range, thus being useless when cursed. Ice Elementals are mediocre 3rd level shooters, compared only with Orcs, but not with Beholders or Elves.

Vampirism and death stare don't work on Elementals, but hey, you won't always play against Necropolis (which is also banned sometimes) and Fortress. Ironically, Magma Elementals are the best Elementals in spellcasting since they may decrease horrific losses caused by Implosion - but, again, it's very complicated and requires special conditions. Magic Elementals are among the weakest 6th level units (compared with Wyvern Monarchs by their stats), and while they attack like Hydras, it's in little use as they cannot be teleported. If Black Dragons' full magic immunity is a good thing since they fly, are extremely fast, and have tremendous stats, then Magic Elementals' immunity is a double-edged sword since they neither fly nor shoot, and therefore are useless at town sieges - Manticores and Wyverns at least can fly, being a big threat when sieging a town.

Phoenixes are very fast, but at the same time they are very fragile, and someone like Archangel or Ancient Behemoth will tear them into pieces. Possibly, the only thing in Conflux which is anyway at the very top of its level (besides Storm Elementals - in fact, 2-3-4-5 levels are quite close in Conflux, as originally Elementals were meant to be neutral creatures) are Sprites - they are fast flyers with no retaliation, and possibly the only 1st level thing you should be afraid of. However, 3 HPs is extremely low - any decent damage will kill lots of Sprites, and prior to their upgrade they can do nothing, being just the worst in the game (of course, besides ill-fated Peasants).

Myself I consider Dungeon the toughest town in the game. Besides Troglodytes which you possibly will never hire, it provides great warriors. Harpies are imba as they attack without retaliation and return, both shooters are rather strong, Minotaurs strike greatly having an excellent speed when upgraded, and Black Dragons are possibly second best in the game, after Archangels. Even Scorpicores aren't useless, being excellent for rushing through the map, and decent when sieging towns. Armageddon, 5th level Mage Guild, Mana Vortex - whatever you need for a win, you'll find there, and for small maps, Battle Scholar Academy is very helpful as it will easily turn your hero one level up. However, for all this splendour, you should also pay a great price, as Black Dragons cannot be resurrected, which requires very careful fighting and special efforts to protect them.--[[User:Dread Knight|Dread Knight]] ([[User talk:Dread Knight|talk]]) 23:59, 15 April 2021 (UTC)
* UPD: Planeswalkers don't increase speed of the elementals which are their specialties, and don't increase their stats for ''every'' level. Of course, it is "the other side of the medal" as Elementalists have a school of magic at start (which is a pure imba), however, Conflux might want to have a better fighter hero.--[[User:Dread Knight|Dread Knight]] ([[User talk:Dread Knight|talk]]) 10:04, 20 April 2021 (UTC)

::Conflux as it is in AB/SoD is broken too. Way way WAY too strong early game with very good to best 1-3 level troops. Overall very high Speed & low gold costs. No retal on flying, fast troop that you can get day 1 is brutal. Storm Elementals are pretty much level 3 creatures and countering them requires very specific spells which you may or may not get. Magic University & Aurora Borealis are so broken, there is no real way to deal with them other than banhammer. 5 of 7 troops cannot be blinded, berserked, hypnotized or neutralized with Forgetfulness. And when you have fast melee army, you dont use Resurrection, you use Haste/Bloodlust or Berserk and strike first HARD instead of getting your troops back, so even if elementals would be salvageable it would still not be very practical to do so. Phoenixes with 4/week base growth and crazy 21 speed may have low stats, but they will screw you up anyway with raw numbers, 2-hex breath attack & Rebirth which means there is 20% more of them. And 21 speed means they usually ARE going first. Which means your army is getting Berserk, Blind, Slow, or a first strike from the whole army of hasted enemy troops, and you stand at disadvantage before you can do anything, and there is just no way of countering that apart from playing Conflux too, which would amount to fighting cheese with more cheese... Grail building = all the spells. Magic Uni = all the X Magic secondaries available, so enjoy Conflux having guaranteed mass spells while you fish for useful skills. Magic Elementals are cheaper, faster Hydras lite, except you cannot slow them down. Weaknesses include some meh mid tier troops and no morale for elementals, but come on, it's 12,5% at best anyway = average 1 extra turn per 8, if this is what you rely on to win battles, you could as well decide the result by dice roll. Oh, and Conflux heroes have either guaranteed Wisdom + magic skill or Tactics/Offense. This alone is "optimized" so much that could be considered broken. Just accept that when vast majority of players say Necropolis & Conflux are broken, there is a good reason for it. Btw Castle is close to being broken too, but buildup cost & meh heroes keep it in A+ tier, not S - [[User:Fafner|Fafner]] ([[User talk:Fafner|talk]]) 20:27, 21 April 2021 (UTC)
:::Grail is not a common thing, and possibly can be banned. As for breath attack, it's not unique (Rampart and Dungeon also have), and is a double-edged sword since it may take out your own troops. However I agree that Conflux has many advantages, but so do Tower and Dungeon which have their own imba buildings - and neither Necropolis nor Conflux have that tremendous troops like Titans and Black Dragons, eternal enemies.

:::PS. If the game is lasting for months (in Heroes terms), ironically Rampart which is in my opinion one of the worst cities gets more and more broken. All its troops are either slow or weak, except for Gold Dragons (however, if your enemy has Implosion, that's probably all), however, you become a millionaire with a Treasury and may buy the entire map.--[[User:Dread Knight|Dread Knight]] ([[User talk:Dread Knight|talk]]) 10:19, 22 April 2021 (UTC)

::::You asked how Conflux is broken, you got the answer. Sure Grail is always a big advantage with its 5000 gold and 50% growth bonus, but compare "all spells available" or "even more Skeletons" to "+2 morale when your heroes have +3 already" or "+2 luck" and draw some conclusion. Only a very bad or very new player would place their own troops in position to be hurt by breath attack of their other troops so it's not like it's dangerous provided you have basic common sense.
The thing with 2 broken towns (Necropolis & Conflux pre-HotA) is that some of their advantages CANNOT be countered in any meaningful way because you need to plan your whole game strategy around it, have certain advantages of good RNG (secondaries, artifacts, spells) while they don't or while they have these abilities from start because hero or Magic Uni, you need to stack Speed artifacts (and you need to have them first) on top of very fast troops just to get even with Phoenixes. And then you have to attack, because if attacker/defender troops have equal Speed, the attacker goes first... Long story short, you need to know the game really well while they don't, you need advantages just to start on (more or less) equal standing, you need special tactics to have any chance at all. No other town in Heroes 3 requires so much to be beaten. No other town has strengths that are impossible to counter... apart from these two. Necropolis can be rushed and outshot, Conflux can be brute forced, but you need to know this, and be able to execute this strategy.
Gold Dragons can be dealt with in other ways than Implosion. And this one requires you to 1) have Implosion 2) have decent Power 3) have 25-30 mana points available 4) be willing to blow your spellcast this turn to deal with 1 troop stack that is likely already in the middle of your formation instead of, say, Blind, Berserk, Slow, (mass) Cure to remove that debuff you got from Gold Dragons' owner, or something that does more than "delete this stack right now". Blowing your mana on big damage spells to scratch one stack instead of disabling the better part of enemy's army or ensuring your own superiority is kinda rookie move of the "laughed upon" variety.
Btw because of how attack/defense/damage calculations work, and how damage/health ratios are set, in endgame high level troops may struggle to pull their own weight while lower levels with their great numbers may outdamage them thanks to better damage scaling, if not necessarily outlast them. Skeleton legions & Master Gremlin gunlines say hello - [[User:Fafner|Fafner]] ([[User talk:Fafner|talk]]) 16:31, 22 April 2021 (UTC)

User talk:Fafner

2021-04-22T14:38:29Z

Fafner:

Grail

2021-04-22T14:20:07Z

Fafner: Sell price

{| cellspacing=0 cellpadding=7 style="border-style: double; border-color: silver; border-width: 3px; color:dimgray; background-color:honeydew; margin:0 15px 5px 0; float:left;"
|- align=center
| [[File:Grail.gif]]
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The '''Grail''' is an item similar to an [[artifact]] in the sense that heroes can carry it and exchange it between them in the same way as artifacts. Also it can be sold for 1 unit of any resource. In fact, the Grail is sometimes unofficially referred to as ''the ultimate artifact''. The Grail is typically hidden somewhere in the ground of [[adventure map]], and finding it requires digging it with a hero. Recovering the Grail artifact and taking it to any town enables the player to build town specific Grail Building.

The primary bonuses of Grail Building for all towns are extra 5000 {{g}} generation per day and 50% additional creature growth per week (rounded down). The growth bonus applies after all the modifiers: external dwellings and [[Statue of Legion]] or its components. Additionally, every town has its own unique bonuses.

== Finding the Grail ==
In order to recover the Grail, a hero must dig it out of the ground. A hero without empty slots in a backpack cannot dig. Digging demands the whole amount of a hero's movement points so it is not possible to dig at the same day when a hero crossed even just one tile on the map. (Actually, there is a way which includes tinkering with fast/slow units in the hero's army, but good girls never do such things). Only one Grail may be hidden in the adventure map. However, it is also possible for a mapmaker to set any number of heroes and towns to carry the Grail in their backpack or have their Grail structure built, respectively. When the Grail is buried into the ground, clues to its location can be found at [[obelisk]]s. Every visited obelisk reveals a part of the [[puzzle map]], which shows the location of the Grail marked with X. Typically the X becomes visible when the entire [[puzzle map]] is revealed, but occasionally it will be shown before the last obelisk is visited. However, it is often possible to guess roughly the area where the Grail might lie, and systematically start digging it. In fact, the AI at hard difficulty levels starts digging the Grail even if only a third of the puzzle map is completed.

If the hero carrying the Grail [[retreat]]s, [[surrender]]s or is defeated in battle, the Grail is lost forever. But when he is fired it is possible to find him in a [[tavern]] with a Grail in his backpack.

The Grail can be sold to [[artifact merchants]] for 1 of any [[resource]].

If the map has no obelisks, it is completely impossible to find the grail (even if every single block on the map is dug on). Also, using "nwcoracle", a cheat that reveals the [[puzzle map]], will have no effect and the puzzle will not show anything.

== Grail Buildings ==
{{buildings}}
When the Grail is taken to a town and the visiting hero with the Grail "visits" the Town Hall ([[Town Hall|Village Hall/Town Hall/City Hall/Capitol]]), a town-specific Grail Building will be built. It can be the second town building per turn, but nothing can be built on the same day after it. Also, Grail can be built in an allied town, which can be helpful if you don't have your own [[Tower]] or [[Conflux]]. All unique Grail building features will be effective for allies (except [[Castle]], [[Rampart]] and [[Necropolis]] buildings).

=== Colossus ([[Castle]]) ===
{| style="margin: 0 1em 0 0; float:left;"
| [[File:Grail Castle Colossus.gif|border]]
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Colossus is a huge golden statue of a soldier holding a sword and a shield. It increases the [[morale]] of all of the owner's heroes by +2. Although the documentation states that it increases all allied heroes morale, this appears to be wrong.
<div style="clear:left;"></div>
=== Spirit Guardian ([[Rampart]]) ===
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| [[File:Grail Rampart Spirit Guardian.gif|border]]
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Spirit Guardian is a totem pole with a pegasus on top. It increases all owners heroes' [[luck]] by +2.
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=== Skyship ([[Tower]]) ===
{| style="margin: 0 1em 0 0; float:left;"
| [[File:Grail Tower Skyship.gif|border]]
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Tower's Skyship looks like a "gnome-made zeppelin". It reveals the entire map for the player who owns it, and gives extra 150 [[spell points]] bonus to the hero defending against a siege, replenishing immediately after the battle. The revealed map is a permanent effect and is not canceled if the player loses the town with the Skyship. Unlike the [[Lookout Tower]], the Skyship cannot be used to disperse the darkness generated by a [[Cover of Darkness]]. Having this building gives a massive tactical advantage, and any player will be perfectly able to spot any attempt of siege or attack not only to this town but to all friendly heroes and buildings.

=== Deity of Fire ([[Inferno]]) ===
{| style="margin: 0 1em 0 0; float:left;"
| [[File:Grail Inferno Deity of Fire.gif|border]]
|}
Deity of Fire is an enormous glowing devil that stands on the horizon. It causes every week to be The Week of Imp, which means that the population of Imps and/or Familiars are increased by +15 in addition to normal growth. External dwellings are not affected by this special week.

The problem with Inferno's Deity of Fire is that typically grail buildings are built long after the imps, low tier creatures, are useful<sup>[[Talk:Grail#Deity of Fire|[1]]]</sup>. However, the Imps can at least be used for demon farming.

=== Soul Prison ([[Necropolis]]) ===
{| style="margin: 0 1em 0 0; float:left;"
| [[File:Grail Necropolis Soul Prison.gif|border]]
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Soul Prison resembles an [[obelisk]] with an upside-down pyramid halo on the tip. It increases the [[Necromancy]] skill of all the owners' heroes by 20%. Although the documentation states that it increases all allied heroes Necromancy skill, this appears to be wrong.
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=== Guardian of Earth ([[Dungeon]]) ===
{| style="margin: 0 1em 0 0; float:left;"
| [[File:Grail Dungeon Guardian of Earth.gif|border]]
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Guardian of Earth resembles giant skeletal humanoid embedded into the rock watching over the whole city. It increases [[spell power]] skill of the hero defending against a siege by +12, which together with 5 level of [[Mage Guild]] allows to cast tremendous spells like [[Chain Lightning]] or [[Implosion]] dealing horrific damage, or to make essential skills like [[Slow]], [[Haste]], [[Bless]] or [[Curse]] everlasting.

=== Warlords' Monument ([[Stronghold]]) ===
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| [[File:Grail Stronghold Warlords' Monument.gif|border]]
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Increases the [[Attack]] of a garrison hero by 20 when defending against a siege. This bonus gives an absurd damage bonus, able to increase the damage output of even the highest leveled creatures by about 50%, any hero holding a town with this building is nearly unbeatable except by an overwhelming army or an opposing hero with a very high level.
<div style="clear:left;"></div>
=== Carnivorous Plant ([[Fortress]]) ===
{| style="margin: 0 1em 0 0; float:left;"
| [[File:Grail Fortress Carnivorous Plant.gif|border]]
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Increases the [[Attack]] and [[Defense]] of a garrison hero by 10 each when defending against a siege.
This boost is considered to be the best in terms of siege defense, not only does it make all units tanky but also gives them a powerful damage steroid, this is particularly useful for the [[Fortress]] creatures, who have somewhat low stats (but extremely powerful and annoying abilities) and allows them to achieve a powerful combination of destruction, tankiness and annoyingness.
<div style="clear:left;"></div>

=== Aurora Borealis ([[Conflux]]) {{withab}} ===
{| style="margin: 0 1em 0 0; float:left;"
| [[File:Grail Conflux Aurora Borealis.gif|border]]
|}
Fills the town's [[Mage Guild]] (*regardless* of mage guild's level) with all unbanned spells. (Excluding [[Titan's Lightning Bolt]])[[Talk: Titan's Lightning Bolt#Titan's Lightning Bolt from Aurora Borealis|<sup>*]]. Even spells banned on the global map can appear unless they're not banned in a town with the Grail. The best [[Grail]] building. In earlier version, any hero that enters the town learns all spells there are in the game. It was patched later to require wisdom to learn high level spells.

In {{hota}}{{-wh}} Aurora Borealis allows to learn spells up to according level of the [[Mage Guild]] only and doesn’t allow to learn spells not available for this town.
<div style="clear:left;"></div>

=== Lodestar ([[Cove]]) {{withhota}} ===
{| style="margin: 0 1em 0 0; float:left;"
| [[File:Grail Cove Lodestar.gif|border]]
|}
Makes any terrain native to all the [[Cove]] units (movement without penalty, +1 to attack, defense and speed, ability to see and ignore [[land mine]]s and see [[quicksand]]).

[[Category: Adventure Map]]
__NOTOC__

Talk:Imbalance

2021-04-21T20:29:10Z

Fafner: formatting

Talk:Imbalance

2021-04-21T20:27:57Z

Fafner: What about Conflux? Ban it together with Necropolis, that's what

== To all those who think Necropolis is imbalance... ==

'''Disclaimer:''' I am not positioning myself a Heroes 3 expert. I don't play at tournaments nor stream my games, and there are some maps and campaigns which I find impossible. I play just for fun, supposing there are some things in Heroes 3 too hard for me to understand.

However, I would like to say that banning Necropolis from tournaments is for me an insult. I'm not against bans of features which may lead to an easy win (e.g. artifacts like [[Armageddon's Blade]]; yet I would rather make some useful stuff "for all", not "for nobody", e.g. placing Scholars with Earth Magic just near players' home towns), but to remove a whole faction is weakening the game.

Many people (including me) play Necropolis not for its exceptional ability of Necromancy. They just love its unique lore. There can be no other place like Necropolis, a cemetery of unhappy souls, a world of horrific, eternal dread. Demons and Devils are still living, and here rules the death itself. The [[town themes#Necropolis|music of Necropolis]] is arguably among the best in Heroes 3. Speaking in terms of the game itself, there possibly should be a place with its gameplay completely different from other factions (no morale, troops not affected by e.g. [[Bless]] or [[Curse]]).

However, it's all fandom and lyric. True reason that Necropolis should in my opinion never be banned on tournaments is that besides necromancy, [[vampirism]] and [[death blow]], our town has many significant weaknesses and problem. Our troops can't attack twice, and when any other one joins, this unit will get low morale (while, e.g., a [[Basilisk and Greater Basilisk|Basilisk]] will disable high morale when joining a Castle army, but no one will miss a turn if having only 2 factions). There are very few exceptions. Even worse is the fact that we have only one ranged unit, and it is level 5! Necropolis requires big and costly development simply to get ranged troops, and the growth is significantly lower than most shooters have. Moreover, Liches have low HP and are weaker than many 5th tier units (compared with [[Minotaur and Minotaur King|Minotaurs]], [[Roc and Thunderbird|Thunderbirds]], or [[Gorgon and Mighty Gorgon|Gorgons]]), and if a unit other than undead is in our army, it can be killed by its own Liches.

Things get even worse when looking on many other Necropolis units. Basic [[Vampire]]s have intermediate quality and their upgrade isn't cheap. [[Wight and Wraith|Wights]] are the slowest flying units in the game with unbecoming speed 5 and are completely useless, and Wraiths are the slowest upgraded flyers and are still in the bottom of 3rd level, having [[mana drain]] as a little consolation (possibly helpful in early game, but later - what's the difference between 198 and 200?) [[Bone Dragon and Ghost Dragon|Ghost Dragons]] are among the weakest 7th level units, compared to [[Archangel]]s or [[Black Dragon]]s they are just unsuitable (and Archangels have [[Champion]]s who don't lose that much to Dread Knights!) And I will not mention [[Walking Dead and Zombie]]s, they are Heroes 3's least valuable players. I couldn't think of their better use than to sacrifice for experience (especially in a campaign)...

In fact, every imbalance has the other side of the medal. Many towns can get a big buff via buildings. For example, why does [[Rampart]] have a [[Treasury]] - only due to their lore? Their 7th level units have worst possible magic immunity: [[Gold Dragon]]s are immune to [[Resurrection]], but not to [[Implosion]], and will thus be easily destroyed by a strong magician, never rising from the dead. Moreover they are expensive, thus your Treasury may give you the necessary sum of gold for producing a Gold Dragon. If you were saving money, then you'll be richer than Bill Gates and Donald Trump combined. Why are Treasuries not banned? Rampart's troops are mediocre, but have many abilities. And what about [[Dragogeddon]]? Ok, Armageddon can be banned as well, but here comes [[Chain Lightning]] which won't take Gold and [[Black Dragon]]s, and is more easy to get. Ban it as well? The whole game will be banned by that logic.

Even [[Stronghold]] and [[Fortress]]. These cities suffer from having weak magic, but have units' abilities as a decent compensation. A [[lightning strike]] from a big stack of [[Thunderbird]]s will be a turning point in a major battle, won't it? And what about [[death stare]], a full imbalance which has no difference between [[Peasant]]s and [[Archangel]]s? [[Serpent Fly and Dragon Fly|Dragon flies']] debuff and formidable speed is a disaster in the early game, and [[Ancient Behemoth]]s are the toughest guys ever.

Finally, [[Necromancy]] itself has its cons as well as its pros. [[Skeleton]]s have low speed and will thus slow your army down, and they are very weak and very easy to murder. Decent ranged ones will turn them to pieces, and most of them don't have unsuitable speed of 4. Thus, it's better to learn how to battle Necropolis, not to avoid battling it:)--[[User:Dread Knight|Dread Knight]] ([[User talk:Dread Knight|talk]]) 17:54, 11 March 2021 (UTC)

:I'm fearful of Necropolis even with halved Necromancy. It hasn't been uncommon to steamroll everything. Powerstacks are powerstacks, simple as that, and skelestonks are reliable and an option for all map types when it comes to powerstacking. And well, the AI of H3 is quite trash too, you don't even really need to farm anything to defeat it. And well, the 20 year-old balance is the balance of a game where the og AI was too hard to defeat, so....--[[User:FirePaladin2|FirePaladin2]] ([[User talk:FirePaladin2|talk]]) 18:44, 11 March 2021 (UTC)

:::Man, Necropolis is banned for a reason. No other town GAINS troops from battles as it does. No other town can convert other type creatures to its own. No other town can amass thousands of 1st levels THIS fast that ALSO don't suck and in fact can take & dish out crazy amount of damage. The only reason Skeleton legions aren't ''completely'' impossible to deal with is their meh base stats. But wait, this is where magic comes in! Cast [[Haste]], enjoy Skeletons running amok like Champions. Or [[Prayer]] because for some reason undead cannot benefit from [[Bless]] but Prayer is A-OK. (Btw, 1-3 damage spread with 6 HP. Bless. Unit hitting for HALF of its health, very numerous, cheap, and gained after victorious battles - see the problem? Like [[Master Gremlin]]s but actually worth something in melee) Necropolis has good early game because Skeletons, very good mid game because Skeletons + [[Vampire Lord]]s, and very good to broken late game because Skeletons + Vampire Lords + [[Dread Knight]]s + magic support. Yeah, the other half of the army sucks (maybe except [[Lich]]es, as long as nothing looks at them funny), but this is the price you pay for playing Necropolis. If it didn't, the town would be completely broken, being good at everything AND having unique advantages that no other town can match. Also the whole "no ranged until level 5" thing ceases to be a problem when you realize that the opponent simply cannot kill all of your Skeletons before they get into melee. There's just too many of them. Sure you will take some casualties getting in melee, but it's a 50% damage from distance>10, and then it's legion of Skeletons vs significantly lower number of soon-to-be Skeletons. Well, unless you're fighting Tower army, which can outshoot, outfight and outmagic Necropolis unless it's heavily outmatched. Anyway, Necropolis IS imbalanced, pretty much only way to get rid of it is even stronger early rush because later you will be drowned in tons of Skeletons and might not have army or magic to deal with that -[[User:Fafner|Fafner]] ([[User talk:Fafner|talk]]) 20:31, 11 March 2021 (UTC)
::::Fair thing. What I love when fighting Necropolis, is get Solmyr. His CL specialty makes the damage times greater at level 20 when cast on level 1 creatures, so you're gonna deal at least double damage if you target skelestonks. Although you know, one rarely gets Solmyr, unless they play with Tower.--[[User:FirePaladin2|FirePaladin2]] ([[User talk:FirePaladin2|talk]]) 20:40, 11 March 2021 (UTC)
:::::Some cities with moderate top tier creatures have better early game than Necropolis, whose 1-4 level creatures are neither strong nor fast (with the exception of Vampire Lords, but they take some resources), and saving money on Walking Dead is dangerous as sometimes no other one may guard the town. For example, Rampart's 1-4 lvls are way faster besides Dwarves which are great town guards, and the only con is weakness and fragileness of Pegasi (however, when upgraded they have excellent speed, easily crush wandering monsters and are useful when sieging towns). Inferno has Cerberi who are among the best thirds, and Fortress has Dragon flies who fly like rockets and Basilisks who are very reliable (personally I think that of the non-upgraded fourths, Basilisks are among the best together with Magi - then come Crusaders and Vampire Lords, but their basic versions are not the ones who rock). On the other hand, let's return to Rampart, and we'll see that Dendroids are useless on adventure map for obvious reasons, Unicorn is an exemplary intermediate unit - neither weak nor strong, neither slow nor fast, and Gold Dragon is for me one of three bottom 7th levels, alongside slow Hydra and faint Ghost Dragon. It is a flawed version of a Black Dragon, with the exception that Resurrection still can't be casted on it, while Implosion can. Take them out from a battle (and they have 250 HP not 300) - that's all, they will never return and no one in Rampart is even close. Finally they are unfairly expensive - Ancient Behemoth is cheaper, and how fast it is the MVP and how rarely a Gold Dragon is.--[[User:Dread Knight|Dread Knight]] ([[User talk:Dread Knight|talk]]) 23:13, 11 March 2021 (UTC)
::::::Yeah, Solmyr+Master Gremlins rush is one of the final solutions to the Necropolis problem, as Skeletons are extremely vulnerable to direct damage spells, CL is very strong and can even remove sacrificial stacks in addition to main target, and with Master Gremlin gunline you won't worry too much about collateral damage. Solmyr does get old fast though, in the longer games it's usually better to get Neela or try to get Orrin for a well-scaling specialty. However I meant that in general Tower troops just outclass Necropolis troops, especially on higher levels. Titans crush Ghost Dragons with their higher damage output even with their HP halved from turn 1, and Naga Queens are the only level 6 able to consistently kill Dread Knights (and everything else that Necropolis has to offer) thanks to no retaliation & high damage. Golems & Gargoyles are immune to pretty much everything undeads can do. Master Genies are as fragile as Liches but are faster, deal higher damage & have always useful specialty. Magi can be shielded by unliving so Vampire Lords cannot heal while they're being decimated from distance. Apart from Dread Knights & Skeletons in really high numbers Necropolis has nothing that in late game can match Naga Queens and Titans in raw power, and in early game Master Gremlins beat Skeletons, so Tower is quite good counter for Necropolis if you're not banning it outright -[[User:Fafner|Fafner]] ([[User talk:Fafner|talk]]) 21:51, 11 March 2021 (UTC)

== And what about imbalance of Conflux? ==

Of course it's only my opinion, but I don't see any need to ban Conflux from the game nor I see with Necropolis. If it's only due to Phoenixes' first turn - wow, shouldn't someone be the fastest in the game? Archangels are the best unit in the game - should Castle be banned then? And while that infernal speed of Phoenixes is a major advantage (which still can be countered - if they wait, kill them by shooting and magic, if they act first, they will be crushed by your troops), there are many disadvantages of Conflux.

First, all units but 1st and 7th can not be resurrected. If undead has its own animating spell, elementals don't have even something like this, thus major parts of Conflux army will never rise after being destroyed. Second, Conflux has very weak 4th and 5th levels. Just imagine, your enemy has Crusaders and you have Energy Elementals, your enemy has Pit Lords and you have Magma Elementals! Third, the way of building Conflux up is very complicated, compared only to Tower and Dungeon. To get anyone but Pixies, you should have a Mage Guild, thus making Conflux very bad on Impossible level (Mage Guilds are usually present at start though, but if not, then you will perhaps use Pixies... or what will you do?) Fourth, you don't have any shooters prior to building upgraded dwellings - if you build them on early stages of the game, you will lose a turn for something strategically important. Basic Air and Water Elementals aren't troops of which you dream every day.

Storm Elementals are very cool units of their level. They have great health and deal good damage. However, they are easily destroyed by Lightning and have awful damage range, thus being useless when cursed. Ice Elementals are mediocre 3rd level shooters, compared only with Orcs, but not with Beholders or Elves.

Vampirism and death stare don't work on Elementals, but hey, you won't always play against Necropolis (which is also banned sometimes) and Fortress. Ironically, Magma Elementals are the best Elementals in spellcasting since they may decrease horrific losses caused by Implosion - but, again, it's very complicated and requires special conditions. Magic Elementals are among the weakest 6th level units (compared with Wyvern Monarchs by their stats), and while they attack like Hydras, it's in little use as they cannot be teleported. If Black Dragons' full magic immunity is a good thing since they fly, are extremely fast, and have tremendous stats, then Magic Elementals' immunity is a double-edged sword since they neither fly nor shoot, and therefore are useless at town sieges - Manticores and Wyverns at least can fly, being a big threat when sieging a town.

Phoenixes are very fast, but at the same time they are very fragile, and someone like Archangel or Ancient Behemoth will tear them into pieces. Possibly, the only thing in Conflux which is anyway at the very top of its level (besides Storm Elementals - in fact, 2-3-4-5 levels are quite close in Conflux, as originally Elementals were meant to be neutral creatures) are Sprites - they are fast flyers with no retaliation, and possibly the only 1st level thing you should be afraid of. However, 3 HPs is extremely low - any decent damage will kill lots of Sprites, and prior to their upgrade they can do nothing, being just the worst in the game (of course, besides ill-fated Peasants).

Myself I consider Dungeon the toughest town in the game. Besides Troglodytes which you possibly will never hire, it provides great warriors. Harpies are imba as they attack without retaliation and return, both shooters are rather strong, Minotaurs strike greatly having an excellent speed when upgraded, and Black Dragons are possibly second best in the game, after Archangels. Even Scorpicores aren't useless, being excellent for rushing through the map, and decent when sieging towns. Armageddon, 5th level Mage Guild, Mana Vortex - whatever you need for a win, you'll find there, and for small maps, Battle Scholar Academy is very helpful as it will easily turn your hero one level up. However, for all this splendour, you should also pay a great price, as Black Dragons cannot be resurrected, which requires very careful fighting and special efforts to protect them.--[[User:Dread Knight|Dread Knight]] ([[User talk:Dread Knight|talk]]) 23:59, 15 April 2021 (UTC)
* UPD: Planeswalkers don't increase speed of the elementals which are their specialties, and don't increase their stats for ''every'' level. Of course, it is "the other side of the medal" as Elementalists have a school of magic at start (which is a pure imba), however, Conflux might want to have a better fighter hero.--[[User:Dread Knight|Dread Knight]] ([[User talk:Dread Knight|talk]]) 10:04, 20 April 2021 (UTC)

:Conflux as it is in AB/SoD is broken too. Way way WAY too strong early game with very good to best 1-3 level troops. Overall very high Speed & low gold costs. No retal on flying, fast troop that you can get day 1 is brutal. Storm Elementals are pretty much level 3 creatures and countering them requires very specific spells which you may or may not get. Magic University & Aurora Borealis are so broken, there is no real way to deal with them other than banhammer. 5 of 7 troops cannot be blinded, berserked, hypnotized or neutralized with Forgetfulness. And when you have fast melee army, you dont use Resurrection, you use Haste/Bloodlust or Berserk and strike first HARD instead of getting your troops back, so even if elementals would be salvageable it would still not be very practical to do so. Phoenixes with 4/week base growth and crazy 21 speed may have low stats, but they will screw you up anyway with raw numbers, 2-hex breath attack & Rebirth which means there is 20% more of them. And 21 speed means they usually ARE going first. Which means your army is getting Berserk, Blind, Slow, or a first strike from the whole army of hasted enemy troops, and you stand at disadvantage before you can do anything, and there is just no way of countering that apart from playing Conflux too, which would amount to fighting cheese with more cheese... Grail building = all the spells. Magic Uni = all the X Magic secondaries available, so enjoy Conflux having guaranteed mass spells while you fish for useful skills. Magic Elementals are cheaper, faster Hydras lite, except you cannot slow them down. Weaknesses include some meh mid tier troops and no morale for elementals, but come on, it's 12,5% at best anyway = average 1 extra turn per 8, if this is what you rely on to win battles, you could as well decide the result by dice roll. Oh, and Conflux heroes have either guaranteed Wisdom + magic skill or Tactics/Offense. This alone is "optimized" so much that could be considered broken. Just accept that when vast majority of players say Necropolis & Conflux are broken, there is a good reason for it. Btw Castle is close to being broken too, but buildup cost & meh heroes keep it in A+ tier, not S - [[User:Fafner|Fafner]] ([[User talk:Fafner|talk]]) 20:27, 21 April 2021 (UTC)

Talk:Genie and Master Genie

2021-04-14T12:30:50Z

Fafner: Decoy part - clarification

'spell table/see also' alignment needs a solution

: float=none seems to have done the trick. ―[[user:imahero|imahero]] 04:52, 20 May 2018 (CEST)

== Decoys, AIs, and You: How To Prevent Wannabe Skynet From Winning ==
Been away for some time and found the decoy trick section edited in a way that pointed to 1) the editor not being native English speaker or 2) the editor not really understanding how it works. I meant that sometimes combat AI gets positively OBSESSED with something, usually one unit, most often ranged troop, spellcaster like Master Genies, or a war machine. Then AI proceeds to literally throw EVERYTHING it has at the target of its obsession despite having other (better) targets. Play [[Dragon Slayer]] campaign, see the stacks of dragons ALWAYS ganging up on one specific unit, and you will understand, it's easier to show than explain. In the same campaign you can literally kite/shoot legions of Nagas and Naga Queens to death because they keep chasing Master Genies. In endgame battles AI often sends its 7th level hard hitters like Archangels or Gold/Black Dragons at... Ammo Cart. Or First Aid Tent. I've seen memes about this already. It's just the quirk of Heroes 3 combat AI, it exists, it can be used, so it WILL be used, and it should be known - [[User:Fafner|Fafner]] ([[User talk:Fafner|talk]]) 12:30, 14 April 2021 (UTC)

Genie and Master Genie

2021-04-14T12:14:09Z

Fafner: Cleanup, clarifications, grammar. Random spellcasting is what it is, otherwise it would not be random.

{{Tower creatures}}{{Creature
| AI_Value = 884
| Name = Genie
| Attack = 12
| Defense = 12
| Speed = 7
| Growth = 3
| Damage = 13–16
| Health = 40
| Movement = [[Flying]]
| Cost = 550
| Special = • [[Hate]]s [[Efreet and Efreet Sultan|efreeti]]
| U_AI_Value= 942
| U_name = Master Genie
| U_speed = '''11'''
| U_cost = 600
| U_special = • [[Hate]]s [[Efreet and Efreet Sultan|efreeti]]<br>• [[Spellcaster]]
| No_shots =
| No_ushots =
}}

{{Cram|Altar of Wishes|Genie|Master Genie|no_dwelling=|-={{---}}|pad=5px 10px 3px 5px}}
'''Genies and Master Genies''' are level 5 creatures of [[Tower]]. They are recruited from [[Altar of Wishes]].

''"Genies and master genies are Tower allies recruited from the realm of [[air magic]]. They attack with a shocking grasp that does solid damage to all opponents and 150% damage to [[efreet|efreeti]]. Once per turn, master genies can cast a random, beneficial spell on an allied troop."{{-}}<sup>[[Restoration of Erathia Manual Page 114|RoE manual]]''</sup>
<div style="clear:left;"></div>
__TOC__

<div style="clear:left;"></div>
== Spells ==

Spells cast by Master Genie are random, and casting them uses the Master Genie's turn. The number of Master Genies in the casting stack does not affect the effectiveness of the spells, meaning that one master genie is as effective as a hundred. This makes it beneficial to divide them into several stacks. A stack of Master Genies can use this ability 3 times per battle. All spells are considered to be cast at the advanced level of the corresponding [[Magic school|school]] with a [[spell power]] of 6.

{{Table|Spell|Lvl|School|align=left|float=none}}
|+Master Genie's Spells:

{{Table row|{{Sn1|spell=Bless}} |1|Water Magic}}
{{Table row|{{Sn1|spell=Bloodlust}} |1|Fire Magic}}
{{Table row|{{Sn1|spell=Cure}} |1|Water Magic}}
{{Table row|{{Sn1|spell=Haste}} |1|Air Magic}}
{{Table row|{{Sn1|spell=Shield}} |1|Earth Magic}}
{{Table row|{{Sn1|spell=Stone Skin}} |1|Earth Magic}}
{{Table row|{{Sn1|spell=Fortune}} |2|Air Magic}}
{{Table row|{{Sn1|spell=Precision}} |2|Air Magic}}
{{Table row|{{Sn1|spell=Air Shield}} |3|Air Magic}}
{{Table row|{{Sn1|spell=Anti-Magic}} |3|Earth Magic}}
{{Table row|{{Sn1|spell=Mirth}} |3|Water Magic}}
{{Table row|{{Sn1|spell=Counterstrike}}{{-}}|4|Air Magic}}
{{Table row|{{Sn1|spell=Fire Shield}} |4|Fire Magic}}
{{Table row|{{Sn1|spell=Frenzy}} |4|Fire Magic}}
{{Table row|{{Sn1|spell=Prayer}} |4|Water Magic}}
{{Table row|{{Sn1|spell=Slayer}} |4|Fire Magic}}
{{Table row|{{Sn1|spell=Magic Mirror}} |5|Air Magic}}
|}

== Heroes with a specialty ==
*{{H|Iona|Alchemist}} and
*{{H|Thane|Alchemist}} have genies as a [[Specialty#Creature_specialties|specialty]], which increases the attack and defense skills of any genies or master genies for each level attained after 5th level, and gives them a [[speed]] bonus of 1.

== Tactics and info ==
{{Fanopinion}}

The Genies and Master Genies bear average stats for a level 5, and their low health make them unlikely candidates for entering melee combat unless needed or their 3 casts have run out.

In a [[Tower]] army, their [[Speed]] of 11 allows them to cast a spell before [[Titans]] act if Master Genies are in higher slot.

Like [[Enchanters]], their spellcasting is not completely random. They will only cast [[Air Shield]] if enemy has ranged troops, [[Slayer]] only if there are valid targets, [[Bloodlust]] only if you have melee troops, [[Anti-magic]] and [[Magic Mirror]] only if facing spellcasting creatures or enemy [[Hero]]. [[Cure]] will only be cast if target stack does not have full [[health]]. However, do not rely completely on Master Genies' spellcasting, as there is always element of random chance to it, and even a "good" spell might not be "best" for a given situation. For example, curing a unit with 108 current HP to max 110 HP has almost no effect, Protection from [[Protection from Air|Air]], [[Protection from Fire|Fire]] etc. won't help against spells of other magic schools, [[Bless]] is close to useless on Nagas, [[Frenzy]] may be harmful for troops other than Nagas or unreachable ranged troops, [[Anti-magic]] can prevent you from buffing the target up. Generally in Tower army [[Naga and Naga Queen|Nagas]] and [[Giant and Titan|Titans]] are the best target of Master Genies' spells, as they are the strongest Tower troops and lower level units lack their raw power. If these are not available, [[Mage and Arch Mage|Magi]] or [[Master Gremlin]]s are both decent choices.

Their spellcasting is affected by [[Terrain#Magical_terrains|certain terrain types]]. Army-wide spells like [[Bless]], [[Haste]], [[Counterstrike]], [[Prayer]] or [[Shield]] can be devastating, especially when combined with another spell cast by your [[hero]].

Despite their [[Hate]] for [[Efreet and Efreet Sultan|Efreeti]] they should stay away from them, because in combat Efreeti are almost twice as powerful as Genies. Efreet Sultans present additional danger because of their innate [[Fire Shield]] and superior speed of 13 that allows them to cross the battlefield and likely wipe the Genies out in first strike. Due to Fire Shield, even attacking Efreet Sultans after someone soaked up the retaliation is dangerous, and as Genies do 150% damage to Efreeti, Fire Shield will also strike them back harder.

Sometimes Genies can be used as a decoy against AI enemy who would attack them by the majority of his units. This should be exploited to preserve lives of [[Naga and Naga Queen|Nagas]] and [[Giant and Titan|Titans]], who are much more powerful and will keep wiping out the enemy, or to allow [[Master Gremlin]]s and [[Mage and Arch Mage|Magi]] to keep shooting.

{{creature 'see also'}}

[[Category: Creatures]]

Talk:Hate

2021-04-14T11:33:14Z

Fafner: TLDR Yes

== Breath attack of Black Dragon ==

If Black Dragons attack a stack of units which are not Titans (e.g. Genies), but Titans are behind Genies and will therefore suffer from Breath attack, will Black Dragon do 150% damage on Titans via Breath attack?--[[User:Dread Knight|Dread Knight]] ([[User talk:Dread Knight|talk]]) 09:31, 14 April 2021 (UTC)

:Damage is calculated individually for each target hit. Doesn't matter what troop is the main target and which is secondary, Hated troop will suffer 150% damage and the not Hated troop the usual 100%. Tested extensively - [[User:Fafner|Fafner]] ([[User talk:Fafner|talk]]) 11:32, 14 April 2021 (UTC)

User talk:Fafner

2021-03-12T15:04:17Z

Fafner:

User talk:Fafner

2021-03-12T15:03:59Z

Fafner:

Talk:Imbalance

2021-03-11T21:51:47Z

Fafner:

Talk:Imbalance

2021-03-11T20:31:40Z

Fafner: Nah, Necropolis just wasn't created equal...

Talk:Event

2021-03-10T12:34:10Z

Fafner: Complicated questions, simple answers

== Can an event appear on a map NOT on day 1? ==

I am playing the second scenario of [[Rise of the Necromancer]] campaign ([[Master]]). At the end of week 1, I proceeded to the Marletto Tower not far from a Rampart on the very west of the map, passing an Ore Pit. When returning to Rampart already on week 2, near the Ore Pit I was attacked by Silver Pegasi (via an Event), however they did not assault me previously! Is there a hidden feature - events which cannot be activated before a particular day? I know there's something in campaigns which cannot be added via Map Editor (e.g. you will lose both on time AND if a hero is defeated - in a Map Editor you can add only one condition for losing).--[[User:Dread Knight|Dread Knight]] ([[User talk:Dread Knight|talk]]) 09:52, 8 March 2021 (UTC)
:Most probably you did not pass that particular adventure map "square" section before.--[[User:FirePaladin2|FirePaladin2]] ([[User talk:FirePaladin2|talk]]) 11:03, 8 March 2021 (UTC)
::Possibly, but how I could? There can be no other way, as the path is very narrow.--[[User:Dread Knight|Dread Knight]] ([[User talk:Dread Knight|talk]]) 23:16, 8 March 2021 (UTC)
:::Very mundane answer - look at the screen here: https://i.imgur.com/FSJHNNu.jpg Notice that the event is placed 1 square under the Ore Pit and the Ore Pit itself is visitable from both squares left & right to the event. So 1st time you likely skipped it by capturing the Ore Pit, but 2nd time you just moved straight thru the event and activated it. For the record, the "conditional" events have been brought to us in Heroes IV, map editor of H3 wasn't advanced enough yet. -[[User:Fafner|Fafner]] ([[User talk:Fafner|talk]]) 12:33, 10 March 2021 (UTC)

Talk:Alamar

2021-03-04T12:24:09Z

Fafner: Again?

== Discussion ==
Alamar has [[Resurrection]] as a starting spell, which is one of most powerful spells in the game. This fact makes Alamar a valuable hero for all factions except Necropolis. In addition, Alamar starts with [[Scholar]] and [[Wisdom]], which is a useful combination, that makes him a "walking Mage Guild" quickly. Three level-ups is minimum for Alamar to have Expert Scholar and Advanced Wisdom, which enables him to teach fourth level spells (including his Resurrection) to any hero capable of learning them.

Black Dragons are immune to Resurrection.

Wtf is going on with this page? Every once in a while it gets vandalized, is "Alamar" some secret sign by which trolls recognize each other? Maybe lock the page up for some 6 months or so and ban the scum & associates meanwhile? -[[User:Fafner|Fafner]] ([[User talk:Fafner|talk]]) 12:23, 4 March 2021 (UTC)

Griffin and Royal Griffin

2021-02-25T19:30:33Z

Fafner: Stats, spells, tacs, secondaries, heroes

{{Castle creatures}}{{Creature
| AI_Value = 351
| Name = Griffin
| Attack = 8
| Defense = 8
| Speed = 6
| Growth = 7 [[Griffin Bastion|(+3)]]
| Damage = 3–6
| Health = 25
| Movement = [[Flying]]
| Cost = 200
| Size = 2
| Special = • Two [[retaliation]]s
| U_AI_Value= 448
| U_name = Royal Griffin
| U_attack = '''9'''
| U_defense = '''9'''
| U_speed = '''9'''
| U_cost = 240
| U_special = • Unlimited [[retaliation]]s
| No_shots =
| No_ushots =
}}

{{Cram|Griffin Tower|Griffin|Royal Griffin|no_dwelling=|pad=5px 10px 3px 7px}}
'''Griffins''' and '''Royal Griffins''' are the level 3 creatures of [[Castle]]. They can be recruited from [[castle creature dwellings|Griffin Towers]].

''"Griffins roost in special towers built for them on the castle grounds. Standard griffins are able to counterstrike against two attackers per turn. Royal griffins can counterstrike an unlimited number of attackers."{{-}}<sup>[[Restoration of Erathia Manual Page 85|RoE manual]]''</sup>

<div style="clear:left;"></div>
== Heroes with a specialty ==

*{{H|Edric|Knight}} has griffins as a [[Specialty#Creature_specialties|specialty]], which increases the attack and defense skills of any griffins for each level attained after 3rd level, and gives them a [[speed]] bonus of 1.

== Tactics and info ==
{{Fanopinion}}

Griffins are fast flying units with relatively high health, an interesting special ability, and quite a good growth rate if you build the [[Griffin Bastion]]. However, they have rather low damage. Royal griffins make decent siege attacker due to their unlimited retaliations, which allows them to fly over the walls and give hits in the counter attacks.

8/9 [[Attack]] and [[Defense]] is very high for level 3 unit. 3-6 [[damage]] is average by numbers, but lacking for otherwise strong, fast offensive troop like Griffins. 6 [[speed]] of Griffin is average, but 9 of Royal Griffin is something to reckon with. 25 [[health]] is above average.

[[Bless]] and [[Curse]] have strong effect on them, changing their damage from average 4,5 to either 3 or 6. With Advanced [[Water Magic]] or [[Fire Magic]] these values change respectively to 2 or 7.

[[Shield]] and [[Fire Shield]] seem to be the best defensive spells for Griffins, considering their Defense stat is already quite good and they work best fighting multiple enemy stacks at once. [[Stone Skin]] stacks with them, though, and additional reduction of damage taken might be useful.

[[Prayer]] is all-around great, increasing attack, defense, and speed at once.

[[Haste]] and [[Slow]] have powerful effect on Griffins, as their strength lies in being able to fight many stacks at once in melee combat. Slow can keep them from reaching the opposing army, and with Haste they can cross the battlefield in 1 turn.

[[Bloodlust]] and [[Weakness]] have great effect on Griffins in melee, as they can strike many times per turn thanks to their extra retaliations.

Because of their special ability [[Counterstrike]] is of limited use on Griffins and becomes useless on Royal Griffins.

[[Mirth]] is hit-or-miss, as they usually deal most of their damage in opponent's turns, when retaliating so good [[morale]] is not as important. [[Fortune]] is a bit better than usual because they can strike several times per turn, so they have better chance to benefit from good [[luck]].

Being 2-hexed troop that is able to fly and has extra retaliations, it's obvious that Griffins should be either in middle of enemy formation, or blocking some key position on the battlefield to exploit their special ability. Keep in mind that while they will certainly do some damage with their multiple hits per turn when surrounded, they are not as tough as, say, [[Iron Golem]]s, so have [[Cure]], [[Resurrection]], or stack of [[Archangel]]s in reserve if the Griffins take too many casualties.

In Castle army they do well as a quick, strong flyer or a distracting stack that does far more damage than should be possible, thanks to their special ability. While enemy troops are busy dealing with Griffins (and keep taking damage from their retaliations), soften them up with your [[Archer]]s and [[Monk]]s and then deal the crushing blow with your own melee troops, like hard-hitting [[Crusader]]s. Or you could have [[Archangel]]s or your own hero resurrect Griffins when they are wiped out or take too many casualties to keep up. When sieging enemy town, remember that Griffins are not nearly as strong as Angels, so don't fly them over the walls without support unless you're sure they can deal with enemy army by themselves.

They have natural synergy with [[Archangel]]s - one Archangel can resurrect 4 Griffins or Royal Griffins.

When fighting Griffins, keep in mind that they are 2-hex sized, so they can be blocked more easily from reaching your vulnerable ranged units. They also don't hit that hard, despite looking dangerous - their strength comes from striking more often, not with more power. Slow then down, protect your troops with [[Force Field]], wipe them out from distance before they reach your lines. If forced into melee, focus on hitting them with no retaliation/strongest melee troops first - Griffins will retaliate twice and Royal Griffins will always retaliate, so reduce their numbers as much as possible first, before taking any damage. Unupgraded Griffins are less vulnerable to expendable stacks wasting their retaliations having two per turn, but this tactics can still be used against them.

[[Direct damage spell]]s work well against Griffins, as their respectable defense and ability to keep fighting back won't help against magic and both kinds of Griffins have only 25 health. They have quite good weekly [[growth]] too, however, so don't count on weaker spells like [[Ice Bolt]] wiping them out in one cast.

The best [[secondary skill]]s for Griffins are [[Offense]] and [[Armorer]]. Armorer is far more important than it normally would be, because Griffins' damage does not come from them striking hard - their damage is average - but from them retaliating against as many enemy stacks as possible, and to be able to retaliate they must survive the enemy attacks, so reducing damage taken is quite important. [[Tactics]] might be useful, as Expert Tactics allows Royal Griffins to reach every corner of the battlefield in 1 turn, shield your ranged troops, or simply deny its use to enemy. [[Leadership]] might be useful in early to mid game, when it's not yet made redundant by Angels' morale bonus, same town type bonus, and plentiful morale [[artifact]]s or objects. [[Luck_(secondary_skill)]] is better with Griffins than it normally is, because they strike more often than other troops and so they have increased chance to get a lucky strike.

Because of this unusual combination of good stats, but average damage and health, and sort of "extra attacks" the best match for Griffins are might-oriented, defense-focused [[hero]]es, like [[Tazar]], [[Mephala]] or [[Neela]]. Of course offensive heroes like [[Crag Hack]] will be good too - retaliation is sort of attack and Offense specialization still increases its damage - but their Griffins will take greater casualties and they alone might not be enough to win every battle. [[Edric]] is decent starting hero, having Armorer and specialized in Griffins.

{{creature 'see also'}}
*[[Griffin Conservatory]]

[[Category: Creatures]]
__NOTOC__

Gremlin and Master Gremlin

2021-02-24T18:45:36Z

Fafner: typo fix

{{Tower creatures}}{{Creature
| AI_Value = 44
| Name = Gremlin
| Attack = 3
| Defense = 3
| Speed = 4
| Growth = 16
| Damage = 1–2
| Health = 4
| Cost = 30
| No_spec =
| U_AI_Value= 66
| U_name = Master Gremlin
| U_attack = '''4'''
| U_defense = '''4'''
| U_speed = '''5'''
| U_shots = '''8'''
| U_cost = 40
| U_special = • [[Ranged attack]]
| No_shots =
}}

{{Cram|Workshop|Gremlin|Master Gremlin|no_dwelling=|-={{---}}|pad=5px 10px 3px 5px|}}
'''Gremlins''' and '''Master Gremlins''' are level 1 creatures of [[Tower town]]. They are recruited from [[Workshop]].

''"Gremlins are indentured to menial labor around a Tower. While they are not great warriors by any standard, they are numerous and willing. Gremlins attack with their attached balls and chains. Master gremlins - those who have proven their loyalty - are cut from their balls and chains and able to hurl them in a ranged attack."{{-}}<sup>[[Restoration of Erathia Manual Page 113|RoE manual]]''</sup>

== Tactics and info ==
{{Fanopinion}}

Master Gremlins are the cornerstone of the Tower faction, being the unit which is used to clear the map in the early game and the only [[town]]-aligned level 1 shooter. Basically, since [[Stone Gargoyle and Obsidian Gargoyle|gargoyles]] have relatively low stats and [[Stone Golem and Iron Golem|golems]] are too slow, the master gremlins are the best candidate for dealing the most of the damage in early battles. They should be surrounded and protected by golems and gargoyles, letting the gremlins do full damage with their ranged attack. However, be aware that they have only 8 shots, but that's enough for early game. Later in the game, they may need to be be replaced by [[Mage and Arch Mage|magi]], with superior stats.

3-4 [[Attack]] and [[Defense]] is average for a level 1 creature. 4 [[Health]] is on the low end. 4-5 [[Speed]] is lowest of all town-aligned level 1 creatures, tied with [[Pikeman]], [[Troglodyte]], [[Skeleton]] and [[Gnoll]]. However Master Gremlins can shoot, which might mean all the difference in early game battles.

If you have free slots in army, they can be divided into several stacks, so that even if one or two stacks are forced into melee others can keep shooting. [[Ammo Cart]] is essential for this "gunline" tactics as they only have 8 shots.

Gremlins are extremely affected by [[Bless]] and [[Curse]] [[spell]]s due to their 1-2 [[damage]] spread. Normal Bless and Curse change their damage from average 1,5 to accordingly 2 and 1. Bless spell, when cast with Advanced [[Water Magic]], doubles their damage output, bringing it up from average 1,5 to 3. Since Curse cannot lower damage below 1, it doesn't matter if casting [[hero]] has [[Fire Magic]] skill.

Because of this extreme variance in damage [[Mirth]], [[Fortune]], good [[morale]] and [[luck]] in general synergize very well with Gremlins - their lucky strikes and double turns can be devastating, considering that they are a cheap, numerous level 1 troop. Morale and luck are not reliable, though - at best they offer 1/8th chance per action and Gremlins are fragile, so don't rely on these.

[[Precision]] increases Master Gremlins' ranged attack. [[Bloodlust]] increases melee attack of both types of Gremlins.

[[Shield]] and [[Stone Skin]] are obvious protective spells to patch their weak defenses up. Shield has additional benefit of not being Defense buff but damage reduction, and as 3-4 Defense is likely to be below attacker's Attack stat, Shield will likely protect Gremlins better than additional Defense from Stone Skin. Keep in mind that even buffed Master Gremlins are not good melee fighters and should be kept away from melee as long as possible before enemy troops reach your ranks.

[[Air Shield]] is the best defense possible for Master Gremlins in ranged duel or for Gremlins advancing under enemy ranged fire. Remember that Air Shield stacks with [[Stone Skin]], but only works against ranged attacks, so replace it with [[Shield]] when coming into melee.

[[Prayer]] is a decent all-round spell, also increasing their Speed.

[[Frenzy]] might or might not be worth it, because if Gremlins are hit when having 0 Defense they are likely to be wiped out. However, if the enemy troops cannot reach Master Gremlins due to walls, obstacles or your melee troops, consider if their generally low Defense will increase their Attack enough to be worth casting Frenzy instead of [[Precision]] or [[Bless]].

[[Master Genie]]s should cast spells on Gremlins if you have Master Genies available, Gremlins are the strongest stack in your army and you somehow do not have [[Naga and Naga Queen|Nagas]] or [[Titan]]s. As the spells mentioned above are among those cast by Master Genies, there is a good chance of Gremlins getting something beneficial in any situation, even if your hero cannot cast such spell.

Due to their low Health Gremlins are extremely vulnerable to [[direct damage spells]], ranged attacks, and fast creatures. Thus Protection from X spells might be of some use, if not going all-out and casting [[Anti-magic]] to ensure your Master Gremlins cannot be dealt with in any other way than brute force.

Because they are usually shielded by [[Stone Golem and Iron Golem|Golems]] and [[Stone Gargoyle and Obsidian Gargoyle|Gargoyles]] AoE spells & attacks like [[Fireball]], [[Magog]]'s attack, [[Lich]]'s death cloud and any type of [[Dragon]] can wreak havoc among Gremlins while also targeting other troops, so be careful when facing such opponents.

As cheap creatures with very high [[growth]] per week, stacks of Gremlins can be used as fodder to soak up retaliations to protect more valuable units like [[Master Genie]]s. Don't count on them to survive the retaliation though, so only do so when it's necessary. Similarly they can be used as cheap buffer to shield [[Mage and Arch Mage|Magi]] from melee troops, but [[Stone Golem and Iron Golem|Golems]] are better in this function.

{{creature 'see also'}}

[[Category: Creatures]]

Gremlin and Master Gremlin

2021-02-24T17:46:57Z

Fafner: removed unnecessary link

{{Tower creatures}}{{Creature
| AI_Value = 44
| Name = Gremlin
| Attack = 3
| Defense = 3
| Speed = 4
| Growth = 16
| Damage = 1–2
| Health = 4
| Cost = 30
| No_spec =
| U_AI_Value= 66
| U_name = Master Gremlin
| U_attack = '''4'''
| U_defense = '''4'''
| U_speed = '''5'''
| U_shots = '''8'''
| U_cost = 40
| U_special = • [[Ranged attack]]
| No_shots =
}}

{{Cram|Workshop|Gremlin|Master Gremlin|no_dwelling=|-={{---}}|pad=5px 10px 3px 5px|}}
'''Gremlins''' and '''Master Gremlins''' are level 1 creatures of [[Tower town]]. They are recruited from [[Workshop]].

''"Gremlins are indentured to menial labor around a Tower. While they are not great warriors by any standard, they are numerous and willing. Gremlins attack with their attached balls and chains. Master gremlins - those who have proven their loyalty - are cut from their balls and chains and able to hurl them in a ranged attack."{{-}}<sup>[[Restoration of Erathia Manual Page 113|RoE manual]]''</sup>

== Tactics and info ==
{{Fanopinion}}

Master Gremlins are the cornerstone of the Tower faction, being the unit which is used to clear the map in the early game and the only [[town]]-aligned level 1 shooter. Basically, since [[Stone Gargoyle and Obsidian Gargoyle|gargoyles]] have relatively low stats and [[Stone Golem and Iron Golem|golems]] are too slow, the master gremlins are the best candidate for dealing the most of the damage in early battles. They should be surrounded and protected by golems and gargoyles, letting the gremlins do full damage with their ranged attack. However, be aware that they have only 8 shots, but that's enough for early game. Later in the game, they may need to be be replaced by [[Mage and Arch Mage|magi]], with superior stats.

3-4 [[Attack]] and [[Defense]] is average for a level 1 creature. 4 [[Health]] is on the low end. 4-5 [[Speed]] is lowest of all town-aligned level 1 creatures, tied with [[Pikeman]], [[Troglodyte]], [[Skeleton]] and [[Gnoll]]. However Master Gremlins can shoot, which might mean all the difference in early game battles.

If you have free slots in army, they can be divided into several stacks, so that even if one or two stacks are forced into melee others can keep shooting. [[Ammo Cart]] is essential for this "gunline" tactics as they only have 8 shots.

Gremlins are extremely affected by [[Bless]] and [[Curse]] [[spell]]s due to their 1-2 [[damage]] spread. Normal Bless and Curse change their damage from average 1,5 to accordingly 2 and 1. Bless spell, when cast with Advanced [[Water Magic]], doubles their damage output, bringing it up from average 1,5 to 3. Since Curse cannot lower damage below 1, it doesn't matter if casting [[hero]] has [[Fire Magic]] skill.

Because of this extreme variance in damage [[Mirth]], [[Fortune]], good [[morale]] and [[luck]] in general synergize very well with Gremlins - their lucky strikes and double turns can be devastating, considering that they are a cheap, numerous level 1 troop. Morale and luck are not reliable, though - at best they offer 1/8th chance per action and Gremlins are fragile, so don't rely on these.

[[Precision]] increases Master Gremlins' ranged attack. [[Bloodlust]] increases melee attack of both types of Gremlins.

[[Shield]] and [[Stone Skin]] are obvious protective spells to patch their weak defenses up. Shield has additional benefit of not being Defense buff but damage reduction, and as 3-4 Defense is likely to be below attacker's Attack stat, Shield will likely protect Gremlins better than additional Defense from Stone Skin. Keep in mind that even buffed Master Gremlins are not good melee fighters and should be kept away from melee as long as possible before enemy troops reach your ranks.

[[Air Shield]] is the best defense possible for Master Gremlins in ranged duel or for Gremlins advancing under enemy ranged fire. Remember that Air Shield stacks with [[Stone Skin]], but only works against ranged attacks, so replace it with [[Shield]] when coming into melee.

[[Prayer]] is a decent all-round spell, also increasing their Speed.

[[Frenzy]] might or might not be worth it, because if Gremlins are hit when having 0 Defense they are likely to be wiped out. However, if the enemy troops cannot reach Master Gremlins due to walls, obstacles or your melee troops, consider if their generally low Defense will increase their Attack enough to be worth casting Frenzy instead of [[Precision]] or [[Bless]].

[[Master Genie]]s should cast spells on Gremlins if you have Master Genies available, Gremlins are the strongest stack in your army and you somehow do not have [[Naga and Naga Queen|Nagas]] or [[Titan]]s. As the spells mentioned above are among those cast by Master Genies, there is a good chance of Gremlins getting something beneficial in any situation, even if your hero cannot cast such spell.

Due to their low Health Gremlins are extremely vulnerable to [[direct damage spells]], ranged attacks, and fast creatures. Thus Protection from X spells might be of some use, if not going all-out and casting [[Anti-magic]] to ensure your Master Gremlins cannot be deal with in any other way than brute force.

Because they are usually shielded by [[Stone Golem and Iron Golem|Golems]] and [[Stone Gargoyle and Obsidian Gargoyle|Gargoyles]] AoE spells & attacks like [[Fireball]], [[Magog]]'s attack, [[Lich]]'s death cloud and any type of [[Dragon]] can wreak havoc among Gremlins while also targeting other troops, so be careful when facing such opponents.

As cheap creatures with very high [[growth]] per week, stacks of Gremlins can be used as fodder to soak up retaliations to protect more valuable units like [[Master Genie]]s. Don't count on them to survive the retaliation though, so only do so when it's necessary. Similarly they can be used as cheap buffer to shield [[Mage and Arch Mage|Magi]] from melee troops, but [[Stone Golem and Iron Golem|Golems]] are better in this function.

{{creature 'see also'}}

[[Category: Creatures]]

Gremlin and Master Gremlin

2021-02-24T17:19:00Z

Fafner: Grammar, clarification

{{Tower creatures}}{{Creature
| AI_Value = 44
| Name = Gremlin
| Attack = 3
| Defense = 3
| Speed = 4
| Growth = 16
| Damage = 1–2
| Health = 4
| Cost = 30
| No_spec =
| U_AI_Value= 66
| U_name = Master Gremlin
| U_attack = '''4'''
| U_defense = '''4'''
| U_speed = '''5'''
| U_shots = '''8'''
| U_cost = 40
| U_special = • [[Ranged attack]]
| No_shots =
}}

{{Cram|Workshop|Gremlin|Master Gremlin|no_dwelling=|-={{---}}|pad=5px 10px 3px 5px|}}
'''Gremlins''' and '''Master Gremlins''' are level 1 creatures of [[Tower town]]. They are recruited from [[Workshop]].

''"Gremlins are indentured to menial labor around a Tower. While they are not great warriors by any standard, they are numerous and willing. Gremlins attack with their attached balls and chains. Master gremlins - those who have proven their loyalty - are cut from their balls and chains and able to hurl them in a ranged attack."{{-}}<sup>[[Restoration of Erathia Manual Page 113|RoE manual]]''</sup>

== Tactics and info ==
{{Fanopinion}}

Master Gremlins are the cornerstone of the Tower faction, being the unit which is used to clear the map in the early game and the only [[town]]-aligned level 1 shooter. Basically, since [[Stone Gargoyle and Obsidian Gargoyle|gargoyles]] have relatively low stats and [[Stone Golem and Iron Golem|golems]] are too slow, the master gremlins are the best candidate for dealing the most of the damage in early battles. They should be surrounded and protected by golems and gargoyles, letting the gremlins do full damage with their ranged attack. However, be aware that they have only 8 shots, but that's enough for early game. Later in the game, they may need to be be replaced by [[Mage and Arch Mage|magi]], with superior stats.

3-4 [[Attack]] and [[Defense]] is average for a level 1 creature. 4 [[Health]] is on the low end. 4-5 [[Speed]] is lowest of all [[town]]-aligned level 1 creatures, tied with [[Pikeman]], [[Troglodyte]], [[Skeleton]] and [[Gnoll]]. However Master Gremlins can shoot, which might mean all the difference in early game battles.

If you have free slots in army, they can be divided into several stacks, so that even if one or two stacks are forced into melee others can keep shooting. [[Ammo Cart]] is essential for this "gunline" tactics as they only have 8 shots.

Gremlins are extremely affected by [[Bless]] and [[Curse]] [[spell]]s due to their 1-2 [[damage]] spread. Normal Bless and Curse change their damage from average 1,5 to accordingly 2 and 1. Bless spell, when cast with Advanced [[Water Magic]], doubles their damage output, bringing it up from average 1,5 to 3. Since Curse cannot lower damage below 1, it doesn't matter if casting [[hero]] has [[Fire Magic]] skill.

Because of this extreme variance in damage [[Mirth]], [[Fortune]], good [[morale]] and [[luck]] in general synergize very well with Gremlins - their lucky strikes and double turns can be devastating, considering that they are a cheap, numerous level 1 troop. Morale and luck are not reliable, though - at best they offer 1/8th chance per action and Gremlins are fragile, so don't rely on these.

[[Precision]] increases Master Gremlins' ranged attack. [[Bloodlust]] increases melee attack of both types of Gremlins.

[[Shield]] and [[Stone Skin]] are obvious protective spells to patch their weak defenses up. Shield has additional benefit of not being Defense buff but damage reduction, and as 3-4 Defense is likely to be below attacker's Attack stat, Shield will likely protect Gremlins better than additional Defense from Stone Skin. Keep in mind that even buffed Master Gremlins are not good melee fighters and should be kept away from melee as long as possible before enemy troops reach your ranks.

[[Air Shield]] is the best defense possible for Master Gremlins in ranged duel or for Gremlins advancing under enemy ranged fire. Remember that Air Shield stacks with [[Stone Skin]], but only works against ranged attacks, so replace it with [[Shield]] when coming into melee.

[[Prayer]] is a decent all-round spell, also increasing their Speed.

[[Frenzy]] might or might not be worth it, because if Gremlins are hit when having 0 Defense they are likely to be wiped out. However, if the enemy troops cannot reach Master Gremlins due to walls, obstacles or your melee troops, consider if their generally low Defense will increase their Attack enough to be worth casting Frenzy instead of [[Precision]] or [[Bless]].

[[Master Genie]]s should cast spells on Gremlins if you have Master Genies available, Gremlins are the strongest stack in your army and you somehow do not have [[Naga and Naga Queen|Nagas]] or [[Titan]]s. As the spells mentioned above are among those cast by Master Genies, there is a good chance of Gremlins getting something beneficial in any situation, even if your hero cannot cast such spell.

Due to their low Health Gremlins are extremely vulnerable to [[direct damage spells]], ranged attacks, and fast creatures. Thus Protection from X spells might be of some use, if not going all-out and casting [[Anti-magic]] to ensure your Master Gremlins cannot be deal with in any other way than brute force.

Because they are usually shielded by [[Stone Golem and Iron Golem|Golems]] and [[Stone Gargoyle and Obsidian Gargoyle|Gargoyles]] AoE spells & attacks like [[Fireball]], [[Magog]]'s attack, [[Lich]]'s death cloud and any type of [[Dragon]] can wreak havoc among Gremlins while also targeting other troops, so be careful when facing such opponents.

As cheap creatures with very high [[growth]] per week, stacks of Gremlins can be used as fodder to soak up retaliations to protect more valuable units like [[Master Genie]]s. Don't count on them to survive the retaliation though, so only do so when it's necessary. Similarly they can be used as cheap buffer to shield [[Mage and Arch Mage|Magi]] from melee troops, but [[Stone Golem and Iron Golem|Golems]] are better in this function.

{{creature 'see also'}}

[[Category: Creatures]]

Monk and Zealot

2021-02-18T22:36:15Z

Fafner: Stats, tac info, spells, heroes

{{Castle creatures}}{{Creature
| AI_Value = 485
| Name = Monk
| Attack = 12
| Defense = 7
| Speed = 5
| Growth = 3
| Damage = 10–12
| Health = 30
| Shots = 12
| Cost = 400
| Special = • [[Ranged attack]]
| U_AI_Value= 750
| U_name = Zealot
| U_defense = '''10'''
| U_speed = '''7'''
| U_shots = '''24'''
| U_cost = 450
| U_special = • [[Ranged attack]]<br>• No [[melee penalty]]
}}

{{Cram|Monastery|Monk|Zealot|no_dwelling=|pad=3px 10px 3px 7px}}
'''Monks''' and '''Zealots''' are level 5 creatures of [[Castle]]. They can be recruited from [[Castle creature dwellings|Monasteries]].

''"Monks and zealots train themselves to control and project their personal energistic forces, which they deliver as ranged blasts. While monks suffer the normal penalty for ranged unit hand-to-hand attack damage (50%), the better trained zealots do not."{{-}}<sup>[[Restoration of Erathia Manual Page 86|RoE manual]]''</sup>

<div style="clear:left;"></div>
== Heroes with a specialty ==

*{{H|Ingham|Cleric}} has monks as a [[Specialty#Creature_specialties|specialty]], which increases the attack and defense skills of any monks or zealots for each level attained after 5th level and gives them a [[speed]] bonus of 1.
* {{H|Dracon|Wizard}} can upgrade Mages and Arch Mages (also [[Monk and Zealot|Monks and Zealots]]) into [[Enchanter]]s.

=={{hota}}==
* In Hota [[AI Value]] of Monks was increased to 582.
* Shadows of Monks and Zealots' adventure map view were fixed: [[File:Monk (HotA) (adventure map).gif]] [[File:Zealot (HotA) (adventure map).gif]]

== Tactics and info ==
{{Fanopinion}}

Their stats are very low for a level 5, but they are indispensable due to their ranged attack. However, it's only enough for the enemy to strike this unit a few times and it's dead (even if they have no melee penalty with upgrade), so they should be well protected if they are to still deal some damage and survive harder battles. Their stats are also almost the same as the level 4 [[Arch mage|Arch magi]], and their specialties weaker for the same cost and lower growth.

12 [[Attack]] is on the low side for level 5 unit. 7/10 [[Defense]] is the lowest in their tier. 30 [[Health]] is also lowest in their tier. 10-12 [[Damage]] is low, but acceptable for a ranged unit. [[Speed]] of 5-7 is low to average, but considering their fragility, it might not be enough to guarantee they will live long enough to do anything. They are quite underwhelming troops, as unlike [[Marksman|Marksmen]] they don't make up for their vulnerability with powerful attack.

As their damage spread is very low, [[Bless]] and [[Curse]] have almost no effect on them, changing their average damage from 11 to respectively 12 and 10. Advanced spells don't fare much better, causing Monks and Zealots to deal 13 and 9 points of damage. Spells affecting [[Attack]] might be better, like [[Precision]] or [[Weakness]].

While some spells might make a difference for them, remember that they only have 30 [[Health]] and so if they are hit by a strong stack, they are dead, buffs or no buffs. Think twice before casting powerful spells on Monks or Zealots, as if they die before making use of it, you have only wasted [[spell point]]s for no gain.

Best protective spells for these troops might very well be [[Anti-magic]] and [[Force Field]], as their low health makes prevention of taking any damage more important than its reduction.

[[Direct damage spell]]s are very effective on them, as 30 health paired with ranged damage means high kill priority. Disabling them with [[mind spell]]s is another option, as they have no immunities and other stacks may need to be dealt with first.

In [[Castle]] army, Monks and Zealots both are like improved but overcosted [[Archers]] - incredibly fragile ranged troops that aren't really compensating for their weak defenses in any way. Keep them away from melee; despite no melee penalty they are no match for their own 5th or even some of 4th level troops in equal numbers. They can be easily overwhelmed and crushed even by lower level troops, exploiting their low health and not-so-good damage. Beware of [[dragon]]s, AoE spells and multi-hex attacks.

Being fragile ranged troops, they benefit the most from [[Archery]], [[Tactics]] and [[Armorer]]. [[Orrin]] is the best hero thanks to his specialty, provided they are not dead by their turn and are able to shoot. [[Valeska]] is another decent starting hero thanks to Archery.

{{creature 'see also'}}

[[Category: Creatures]]
__NOTOC__

Swordsman and Crusader

2021-02-18T16:49:20Z

Fafner: Secondary skills & heroes, stylistics

{{Castle creatures}}{{Creature
| AI_Value = 445
| Name = Swordsman
| Attack = 10
| Defense = 12
| Speed = 5
| Growth = 4
| Damage = 6–9
| Health = 35
| Cost = 300
| U_AI_Value= 588
| U_name = Crusader
| U_attack = '''12'''
| U_speed = '''6'''
| U_damage = '''7–10''' '''(x2)'''
| U_cost = 400
| U_special = • [[Double attack]]
| No_shots =
| No_ushots =
| No_spec =
}}

{{Cram|Barracks|Swordsman|Crusader|no_dwelling=|pad=5px 10px 3px 0px}}
'''Swordsmen''' and '''Crusaders''' are level 4 creatures of [[Castle]]. They can be recruited from [[Castle creature dwellings|Barracks]].

''"Well armed and armored, swordsmen and crusaders are better all-around foot soldiers than their pikemen companions. Crusaders deliver two blows per attack."{{-}}<sup>[[Restoration of Erathia Manual Page 86|RoE manual]]''</sup>

<div style="clear:left;"></div>
== Heroes with a specialty ==
*{{H|Catherine|Knight}} and
*{{H|Sorsha|Knight}} have swordsmen as a [[Specialty#Creature_specialties|specialty]], which increases the attack and defense skills of any swordsmen or crusaders for each level attained after 4th level and gives them a [[speed]] bonus of 1.
*{{H|Roland|Knight}}'s specialty is bugged so it affects crusaders only.

== Tactics and info ==
{{Fanopinion}}

Both are relatively slow troops, but especially Crusaders with their double strike have high capability of doing damage, being able to compete with level 5 and even level 6 units in terms of raw damage per unit. It's recommended to use Crusaders to cripple lower tier enemy units, being sure to kill a good part of the stack, or take advantage of certain situation to kill some of the enemy's essential troops.

10-12 [[Attack]] and [[Defense]] is high for a level 4 creature. 35 [[Health]] is about average. Swordsmen' [[Damage]] of 6-9 is average, but Crusaders' 7-10 x2 is the highest of all level 4 troops. [[Speed]] of 5-6 is their relatively weak point, as most of level 4 units have either Speed of 7 or better.

At 300-400 [[gold]], they are very cost-effective troops, provided you can use them in melee. While their dwelling both normal and upgraded costs just 5 {{ore}} and 2000 {{g}}, upgraded Barracks also require 5 {{crystal}}.

Effectiveness of [[Bless]] and [[Curse]] depends greatly on whether the target stack is upgraded or not. Swordsmen' average damage of 7,5 is reduced to 6 (or 5 with Advanced [[Fire Magic]]) or increased to 9 (10 with Advanced [[Water Magic]]). Both spells have tremendous effect on Crusaders' damage output, because of their double strike special: 2x 8,5 becomes 2x 6/7 or 2x 10/11.

[[Haste]] and [[Slow]] are possibly the most important spells concerning this unit, because their great melee power is useless if they cannot reach the enemy. Haste ensures they can do so, often before the enemy can even move, and Slow makes them perfect targets for ranged troops.

Because of their low Speed, [[Prayer]] is also decent buff, also improving their formidable Attack and Defense.

If they will be unable to reach enemy ranged troops, [[Air Shield]] offers some protection from ranged fire.

As they are not the toughest troops around, [[Stone Skin]] and [[Shield]] are useful on them, as they are going to be in melee often if they are not wiped out from distance.

[[Bloodlust]] and [[Weakness]] affect their attack power. [[Slayer]] might be useful, if you can exploit Crusaders' double attack and somehow not get them wiped out by opposing level 7 troop, as they only have 35 health. [[Frenzy]] leads to incredibly high damage output, but also makes the already fragile troops even more vulnerable due to 0 Defense.

Because their attack usually comes in two parts, [[luck]] is even more random, as Crusaders can benefit from double damage on each attack, both, or none. [[Morale]] works better, as more actions means more double attacks.

Like any strong melee unit, [[Counterstrike]] is decent buff for them, even if their retaliations don't benefit from double attack special ability.

Because of their relative fragility and high damage output, [[Clone]] might be useful to cast on Crusaders, as the clone isn't going to exist for long, and cloned Crusaders will certainly do heavy damage to any opposing stack.

As they have only 35 Health, no immunities and high melee damage, they are an obvious target for [[direct damage spells]] or [[mind spell]]s. If Crusaders are your best troop, consider casting Protection from X on them or [[Anti-magic]] when fighting spellcasting creatures or enemy [[Hero]]. Waiting to cast [[Dispel]] or [[Cure]] might also be wise, as both spells remove negative effects and Cure also restores some health while leaving any beneficial effects untouched.

Their special ability means that in practice Crusaders deal about double damage when they attack (but not when they retaliate). Because the sequence is: Crusaders attack > target retaliates if possible > Crusaders attack again, it is very beneficial for them to attack after retaliation has been used up in the current battle turn. In [[Castle]] army [[Halberdier]]s seem obvious unit to use in this way, as they have similar speed and are quite strong and durable troops for their level. Wiping the enemy out after [[Angel and Archangel|Angels or Archangels]] or [[Cavalier and Champion|Cavaliers or Champions]] softened them up and took the retaliation is another possibility, but Crusaders might need some speed bonus to keep up with these fast troops.

When fighting Crusaders, exploit the facts that they are quite slow, have low health, and only shine when attacking. Their retaliation is a normal, single attack, even if quite damaging. Their speed is the weak point, so use ranged troops, magic, or both against them. They also cannot endure prolonged melee combat against tougher melee troops that also deal high damage, like [[Minotaur King]]s.

In Castle army they are the mid level hard hitters, as their special ability ensures that everything coming under their attack will take heavy casualties. They cannot take damage as well as they dish it out, though, due to 35 Health. Thus it is best to send them against stacks softened up by ranged troops, those that cannot retaliate, or targets you are sure to wipe out.

The most beneficial [[secondary skill]]s for Swordsmen and Crusaders are obviously [[Offense]] and [[Armorer]]. [[Tactics]] is useful because their own speed is lacking. [[Leadership]], while possibly redundant and unreliable, is still better than [[Luck]], because Crusaders already deal high damage with their double attack.

Might-oriented heroes are natural choice to use with Crusaders, as they usually start having one or more of these skills. Magic heroes can still be useful if they have spells increasing their speed. [[Sorsha]] and [[Loynis]] are decent starting choices, but any hero starting with [[Haste]] or [[Prayer]] or specializing in these spells will do well.

{{creature 'see also'}}

[[Category: Creatures]]
__NOTOC__

Swordsman and Crusader

2021-02-12T12:15:09Z

Fafner: Tactics, spell info, usage, Castle synergies

{{Castle creatures}}{{Creature
| AI_Value = 445
| Name = Swordsman
| Attack = 10
| Defense = 12
| Speed = 5
| Growth = 4
| Damage = 6–9
| Health = 35
| Cost = 300
| U_AI_Value= 588
| U_name = Crusader
| U_attack = '''12'''
| U_speed = '''6'''
| U_damage = '''7–10''' '''(x2)'''
| U_cost = 400
| U_special = • [[Double attack]]
| No_shots =
| No_ushots =
| No_spec =
}}

{{Cram|Barracks|Swordsman|Crusader|no_dwelling=|pad=5px 10px 3px 0px}}
'''Swordsmen''' and '''Crusaders''' are level 4 creatures of [[Castle]]. They can be recruited from [[Castle creature dwellings|Barracks]].

''"Well armed and armored, swordsmen and crusaders are better all-around foot soldiers than their pikemen companions. Crusaders deliver two blows per attack."{{-}}<sup>[[Restoration of Erathia Manual Page 86|RoE manual]]''</sup>

<div style="clear:left;"></div>
== Heroes with a specialty ==
*{{H|Catherine|Knight}} and
*{{H|Sorsha|Knight}} have swordsmen as a [[Specialty#Creature_specialties|specialty]], which increases the attack and defense skills of any swordsmen or crusaders for each level attained after 4th level and gives them a [[speed]] bonus of 1.
*{{H|Roland|Knight}}'s specialty is bugged so it affects crusaders only.

== Tactics and info ==
{{Fanopinion}}

Both are relatively slow troops, but especially Crusaders with their double strike have high capability of doing damage, being able to compete with level 5 and even level 6 units in terms of raw damage per unit. It's recommended to use Crusaders to cripple lower tier enemy units, being sure to kill a good part of the stack, or take advantage of certain situation to kill some of the enemy's essential troops.

10-12 [[Attack]] and [[Defense]] is high for a level 4 creature. 35 [[Health]] is about average. Swordsmen' [[Damage]] of 6-9 is average, but Crusaders' 7-10 x2 is the highest of all level 4 troops. [[Speed]] of 5-6 is their relatively weak point, as most of level 4 units have either Speed of 7 or better.

At 300-400 [[gold]], they are very cost-effective troops, provided you can use them in melee. While their dwelling both normal and upgraded costs just 5 {{ore}} and 2000 {{g}}, upgraded Barracks also require 5 {{crystal}}.

Effectiveness of [[Bless]] and [[Curse]] depends greatly on whether the target stack is upgraded or not. Swordsmen' average damage of 7,5 is reduced to 6 (or 5 with Advanced [[Fire Magic]]) or increased to 9 (10 with Advanced [[Water Magic]]). Both spells have tremendous effect on Crusaders' damage output, because of their double strike special: 2x 8,5 becomes 2x 6/7 or 2x 10/11.

[[Haste]] and [[Slow]] are possibly the most important spells concerning this unit, because their great melee power is useless if they cannot reach the enemy. Haste ensures they can do so, often before the enemy can even move, and Slow makes them perfect targets for ranged troops.

Because of their low Speed, [[Prayer]] is also decent buff, also improving their formidable Attack and Defense.

If they will be unable to reach enemy ranged troops, [[Air Shield]] offers some protection from ranged fire.

As they are not the toughest troops around, [[Stone Skin]] and [[Shield]] are useful on them, as they are going to be in melee often if they are not wiped out from distance.

[[Bloodlust]] and [[Weakness]] affect their attack power. [[Slayer]] might be useful, if you can exploit Crusaders' double attack and somehow not get them wiped out by opposing level 7 troop, as they only have 35 health. [[Frenzy]] leads to incredibly high damage output, but also makes the already fragile troops even more vulnerable due to 0 Defense.

Because their attack usually comes in two parts, [[luck]] is even more random, as Crusaders can benefit from double damage on each attack, both, or none. [[Morale]] works better, as more actions means more double attacks.

Like any strong melee unit, [[Counterstrike]] is decent buff for them, even if their retaliations don't benefit from double attack special ability.

Because of their relative fragility and high damage output, [[Clone]] might be useful to cast on Crusaders, as the clone isn't going to exist for long, and cloned Crusaders will certainly do heavy damage to any opposing stack.

As they have only 35 Health, no immunities and high melee damage, they are an obvious target for [[direct damage spells]] or [[mind spell]]s. If Crusaders are your best troop, consider casting Protection from X on them or [[Anti-magic]] when fighting spellcasting creatures or enemy [[Hero]]. Waiting to cast [[Dispel]] or [[Cure]] might also be wise, as both spells remove negative effects and Cure also restores some health while leaving any beneficial effects untouched.

Their special ability in practice means they deal about double damage when they attack (but not when they retaliate). Because the sequence is: Crusaders attack > target retaliates if possible > Crusaders attack again, it is very beneficial for them to attack after retaliation has been used up in the current battle turn. Because of similar speed, [[Halberdier]]s seem obvious unit to use in this way, as they are quite strong and durable troops for their level. Wiping the enemy out after [[Angel and Archangel|Angels or Archangels]] or [[Cavalier and Champion|Cavaliers or Champions]] softened them up and took the retaliation is another possibility, but Crusaders might need some speed bonus to keep up with these fast troops.

When fighting Crusaders, exploit the facts that they are quite slow, have low health, and only shine when attacking. Their retaliation is a normal, single attack, even if quite damaging. Their speed is the weak point, so use ranged troops, magic, or both against them. They also cannot endure prolonged melee combat against tougher melee troops that also deal high damage, like [[Minotaur King]]s.

In Castle army they are the mid level hard hitters, as their special ability ensures that everything coming under their attack will take heavy casualties. They cannot take damage as well as they dish it out, though, due to 35 Health. Thus it is best to send them against stacks softened up by ranged troops, those that cannot retaliate, or targets you are sure to wipe out.

{{creature 'see also'}}

[[Category: Creatures]]
__NOTOC__

Alamar

2021-02-12T10:42:52Z

Fafner: Undo revision 50063 by 190.211.82.174 (talk) F the bots, all my homies hate bots!

Cavalier and Champion

2021-02-04T10:32:01Z

Fafner: details, stylistics

{{Castle creatures}}{{Creature
| AI_Value = 1946
| Name = Cavalier
| Attack = 15
| Defense = 15
| Speed = 7
| Growth = 2
| Damage = 15–25
| Health = 100
| Cost = 1000
| Size = 2
| Special = • [[Jousting]] bonus
| U_AI_Value= 2100
| U_name = Champion
| U_attack = '''16'''
| U_defense = '''16'''
| U_speed = '''9'''
| U_damage = '''20'''-25
| U_health = 100
| U_cost = 1200
| No_shots =
| No_ushots =
}}

{{Cram|Training Grounds|Cavalier|Champion|no_dwelling=|pad=5px 10px 3px 5px}}
'''Cavaliers and Champions''' are level 6 [[creature]]s of [[Castle]]. They are recruited from [[Castle creature dwellings|Training Grounds]].

''"The horse-mounted cavalier and champion deal extra impact damage (+5% per hex traveled to creature attacked) when charging into battle."{{-}}<sup>[[Restoration of Erathia Manual Page 86|RoE manual]]''</sup>

Cavaliers are upgraded to Champions for free when the hero visits [[Stables]] found on the [[Adventure Map]].

<div style="clear:left;"></div>
== Jousting special ability ==
Moving before the attack will increase their damage by 5% for each hex. This ability has no cap, meaning the higher their Speed and traveled distance before attacking is, the higher their attack damage becomes. Obviously they don't benefit from this ability when counterattacking, and their optimal attack conditions require them to move the longest distance possible.

[[Pikeman and Halberdier|Pikemen and Halberdiers]] are immune to this jousting bonus, which means they only suffer the base damage from Cavaliers and Champions. When fighting them, it makes no difference whether your Champions move 9 hexes before attacking or none at all.

== Heroes with a specialty ==

*{{H|Tyris|Knight}} has cavaliers as a [[Specialty#Creature_specialties|specialty]], which increases the attack and defense skills of any cavaliers or champions for each level attained after 6th level, and gives them a [[speed]] bonus of 1.

== Tactics and info ==
{{Fanopinion}}

The jousting ability of Cavaliers can increase their damage up to +35% and Champions up to +45% without any speed-increasing effects, meaning their damage can be higher than any level 6's, but [[Naga and Naga Queen|Naga Queens]] and [[Black Knight and Dread Knight|Dread Knights]] compensate for this with their specialties. The increase can be even higher, if the hero can increase their speed for example with artifacts ([[Cape of Velocity]], [[Necklace of Swiftness]] or [[Ring of the Wayfarer]]) or with spells ([[Haste]] or [[Prayer]]). Additionally, using Tyris who specializes in Cavaliers and Champions or [[Sir Mullich]], whose troops receive +2 to speed, can increase the damage of Cavaliers and Champions significantly. Because of the jousting ability, a player should always prioritize to attack across as many hexes as possible.

15/16 [[Attack]] and [[Defense]] is decent for level 6 unit. 15-25 [[damage]] is about average, but 20-25 of Champions is a bit better. In practice their damage done is almost always higher because even when dueling other stack in the middle of battlefield they can travel at least 3 hexes to get 15% bonus. Their first strikes from maximal possible range are especially powerful, as their average damage after moving full 9 hexes is 22,5 x 1,45 = 32,625, more than even [[Naga Queen]]s can normally do, and maximum is 36,25 per Champion. 100 [[health]] is above average, but they are not as tough as [[Black Knight]]s. 7-9 [[Speed]] is good for a non-flying creature.

[[Bless]] and [[Curse]] have much stronger effect on Cavaliers than Champions due to larger damage spread. Champions are usually more affected by spells changing their attack, like [[Bloodlust]] or [[Weakness]]. [[Shield]] and [[Stone Skin]] are probably their best defense buffs as they are quite fast and unless sieging a town, they will not be taking much ranged fire. Against level 7 creatures use [[Slayer]] combined with their jousting charge to ensure great damage. [[Frenzy]] can allow them to hit as hard as level 7 creatures themselves, but at cost of losing defense - if Frenzied Champions don't wipe the target out in first strike, they will be hit back hard too. [[Haste]] not only increases their initiative and range but also damage, if they can exploit it. [[Prayer]] increases their speed, attack and defense at once and stacks with Haste.

When using Cavaliers and Champions, beware of [[Slow]], [[Force Field]], ground obstacles, powerful shooters hiding behind tough melee troops. Conversely, when fighting them, exploit these weaknesses - don't let them charge your units, hide behind obstacles, decimate them from range before mopping up with your own shock troops.

Curiously, [[Berserk]] usually isn't so devastating on Cavaliers as it would be on some other troops, because the "nearest another troop" can be usually found just 1-2 hexes away, which means only 5-10% damage increase from jousting, if any at all.

In Castle army they have natural synergy with [[Archangel]]s - one Archangel can resurrect one Cavalier or Champion.

Their 2-hex size means some caution should be exercised when fighting against [[dragon]]s, especially when you also have Archangels and other melee units in army, as Archangels are also 2-hex sized and when attacking a 2-hex target, only 4 melee units at a time can do so safely (3 for 1-hex target) to not present 2 targets at once to dragon [[Breath attack|breath]]. They also might have some pathing issues in sieges or obstacle-ridden battlefields, as unlike Archangels they are land-bound. [[Remove Obstacle]] can be useful to solve such problems. [[Teleport]] might look useful, but take care not to teleport Cavaliers in a way that would rob them of their jousting damage bonus or leave them blocked by enemy stacks. Be especially careful to not let them cross [[moat]]s or clear out [[Tower]] [[Land mine|mines]], unless you have plenty of [[Resurrection]]s available.

Despite having above average stats and awesome damage potential they are not resilient enough to be [[Castle]] army tanks. Rather they are hit-and-runners who should charge into melee from the longest possible range, exploiting their special ability to kill enemy stack outright or at least weaken it as much as possible and then charge again at a different target. If they cannot charge, they lose much of their offensive power, as their base damage isn't that good. If you let them be surrounded, their otherwise rather average stats mean they will usually be wiped out, or win only at the cost of taking heavy casualties. Their 2-hex size also means they can be relatively easy lured into such traps, surrounded by tough troops, and then overwhelmed or shot at from close distance when they cannot escape or fight their way out.

While their jousting ability allows them to theoretically defeat troops stronger than themselves thanks to greatly improved first strike, in prolonged melee combat they are no match for 7th level creatures or the stronger 6th level units like [[Naga Queen]]s, who will likely wipe them out, and [[Dread Knight]]s who simply outclass them. Even [[Minotaur King]]s, [[Ogre]]s and [[Crusader]]s are a threat due to their toughness combined with high damage. Do not let them fight such an enemy unsupported.

Because jousting damage bonus is not capped, it doubles their damage at 20 hexes (5% x 20 = 100% bonus), but in non-lab conditions it is extremely unpractical: such speed would require stacking advanced Haste and Prayer, combined with either speed artifacts or possibly a hero bonus and grass terrain, and a very specific battlefield in which Champions would have to move more or less from one corner of the map to the opposite corner, around some obstacles. Then the jousting bonus comes back to realistic values, because troops on both sides are already in melee with each other. Also it's likely that after 2 rounds your army buffed with Haste and Prayer is already engaged in close quarters combat, instead of waiting for the right moment to strike.

The highest possible Speed would be 9 base + 2 ([[Sir Mullich]]) + 1 ([[Terrain#Grass|grass]]) + 2 ([[Cape of Velocity]]) + 1 ([[Necklace of Swiftness]]) + 1 ([[Ring of the Wayfarer]]) + 4 ([[Prayer]]) + 5 ([[Haste]]) = 25 Speed, 125% damage bonus or 225% normal damage... but only if they can run all the 25 hexes into enemy stack, which would require a real maze of obstacles and also a clear path to the target.

Obviously the best [[secondary skill]]s for Cavaliers and Champions are [[Offense]] and [[Armorer]]. [[Tactics]] is very good, as it allows you to set them in the exact place they need to execute a jousting charge, or at least denies use of troop placement to enemy. [[Leadership]] might be redundant, as same army type grants +1, Angels provide another +1, and [[artifact]]s or objects granting [[morale]] bonus are plentiful. [[Armorer]] is a good choice for any fight in which your Champions will be unable to wipe the enemy out before taking some hits.

While they synergize very well with any offense-focused hero like [[Crag Hack]], top-tier selections might not always be available. Any hero with [[Offense]] and [[Tactics]] or good chance to learn these will do well, like [[Tyraxor]], [[Dace]] or [[Shakti]]. [[Tyris]] is quite good starting hero, specialized in Cavaliers and Champions and having Tactics and Leadership that is later made redundant, but will do in early game. [[Loynis]] with his Prayer specialty might be useful, if for some reason you do not have Angels. Magic-oriented heroes can be surprisingly good as Champions can use some magic support, like [[Haste]], [[Bloodlust]] or even [[Slayer]]. Any hero armed with such spells or even better specializing in them will be a boon to Champions.

{{creature 'see also'}}
* [[Comparison of Level 6 Creatures]]

[[Category: Creatures]]
__NOTOC__

Cavalier and Champion

2021-02-03T19:44:24Z

Fafner: Fixed artifact links

{{Castle creatures}}{{Creature
| AI_Value = 1946
| Name = Cavalier
| Attack = 15
| Defense = 15
| Speed = 7
| Growth = 2
| Damage = 15–25
| Health = 100
| Cost = 1000
| Size = 2
| Special = • [[Jousting]] bonus
| U_AI_Value= 2100
| U_name = Champion
| U_attack = '''16'''
| U_defense = '''16'''
| U_speed = '''9'''
| U_damage = '''20'''-25
| U_health = 100
| U_cost = 1200
| No_shots =
| No_ushots =
}}

{{Cram|Training Grounds|Cavalier|Champion|no_dwelling=|pad=5px 10px 3px 5px}}
'''Cavaliers and Champions''' are level 6 [[creature]]s of [[Castle]]. They are recruited from [[Castle creature dwellings|Training Grounds]].

''"The horse-mounted cavalier and champion deal extra impact damage (+5% per hex traveled to creature attacked) when charging into battle."{{-}}<sup>[[Restoration of Erathia Manual Page 86|RoE manual]]''</sup>

Cavaliers are upgraded to Champions for free when the hero visits [[Stables]] found on the [[Adventure Map]].

<div style="clear:left;"></div>
== Jousting special ability ==
Moving before the attack will increase their damage by 5% for each hex. This ability has no cap, meaning the higher their Speed and traveled distance before attacking is, the higher their attack damage becomes. Obviously they don't benefit from this ability when counterattacking, and their optimal attack conditions require them to move the longest distance possible.

[[Pikeman and Halberdier|Pikemen and Halberdiers]] are immune to this jousting bonus, which means they only suffer the base damage from Cavaliers and Champions. When fighting them, it makes no difference whether your Champions move 9 hexes before attacking or none at all.

== Heroes with a specialty ==

*{{H|Tyris|Knight}} has cavaliers as a [[Specialty#Creature_specialties|specialty]], which increases the attack and defense skills of any cavaliers or champions for each level attained after 6th level, and gives them a [[speed]] bonus of 1.

== Tactics and info ==
{{Fanopinion}}

The jousting ability of Cavaliers can increase their damage up to +35% and Champions up to +45% without any speed-increasing effects, meaning their damage can be higher than any level 6's, but [[Naga and Naga Queen|Naga Queens]] and [[Black Knight and Dread Knight|Dread Knights]] compensate for this with their specialties. The increase can be even higher, if the hero can increase their speed for example with artifacts ([[Cape of Velocity]], [[Necklace of Swiftness]] or [[Ring of the Wayfarer]]) or with spells ([[Haste]] or [[Prayer]]). Additionally, using Tyris who specializes in Cavaliers and Champions or [[Sir Mullich]], whose troops receive +2 to speed, can increase the damage of Cavaliers and Champions significantly. Because of the jousting ability, a player should always prioritize to attack across as many hexes as possible.

15/16 [[Attack]] and [[Defense]] is decent for level 6 unit. 15-25 [[damage]] is about average, but 20-25 of Champions is a bit better. In practice their damage done is almost always higher because even when dueling other stack in the middle of battlefield they can travel at least 3 hexes to get 15% bonus. Their first strikes from maximal possible range are especially powerful, as their average damage after moving full 9 hexes is 22,5 x 1,45 = 32,625, more than even [[Naga Queen]]s can normally do, and maximum is 36,25 per Champion. 100 [[health]] is above average, but they are not as tough as [[Black Knight]]s. 7-9 [[Speed]] is good for a non-flying creature.

[[Bless]] and [[Curse]] have much stronger effect on Cavaliers than Champions due to larger damage spread. Champions are usually more affected by spells changing their attack, like [[Bloodlust]] or [[Weakness]]. [[Shield]] and [[Stone Skin]] are probably their best defense buffs as they are quite fast and unless sieging a town, they will not be taking much ranged fire. Against level 7 creatures use [[Slayer]] combined with their jousting charge to ensure great damage. [[Frenzy]] can allow them to hit as hard as level 7 creatures themselves, but at cost of losing defense - if Frenzied Champions don't wipe the target out in first strike, they will be hit back hard too. [[Haste]] not only increases their initiative and range but also damage, if they can exploit it. [[Prayer]] increases their speed, attack and defense at once and stacks with Haste.

When using Cavaliers and Champions, beware of [[Slow]], [[Force Field]], ground obstacles, powerful shooters hiding behind tough melee troops. Conversely, when fighting them, exploit these weaknesses - don't let them charge your units, hide behind obstacles, decimate them from distance before mopping up with your own shock troops.

Curiously, [[Berserk]] usually isn't so devastating on Cavaliers as it would be on some other troops, because the "closest another unit" normally means just 1-2 hexes away, which means only 5-10% damage increase from jousting, if any at all.

In Castle army they have natural synergy with [[Archangel]]s - one Archangel can resurrect one Cavalier or Champion.

Their 2-hex size means some caution should be exercised when fighting against [[dragon]]s, especially when you also have Archangels and other melee units in army, as Archangels are also 2-hex sized and when attacking a 2-hex target like all dragons, only 3 melee units at a time can do so safely, as to not expose 2 targets at once to dragon [[Breath attack|breath]]. They also might have some pathing issues in sieges or obstacle-ridden battlefields, as unlike Archangels they are land-bound. [[Remove Obstacle]] can be useful to solve such problems. [[Teleport]] might look useful, but take care not to teleport Cavaliers in a way that would rob them of their jousting damage bonus or leave them blocked by enemy stacks. Be especially careful to not let them cross [[moat]]s or clear out [[Tower]] [[Land mine|mines]], unless you have plenty of [[Resurrection]]s available.

Despite above average stats and awesome damage potential they are not resilient enough to be [[Castle]] army tanks, rather they are hit-and-runners who should charge into melee from the longest possible range, exploiting their special ability to kill enemy stack outright or at least weaken it as much as possible and then charge again at a different target. If they cannot charge, they lose much of their offensive power as their base damage isn't that good. If you let them be surrounded, their otherwise rather average stats mean they will usually be wiped out or win only at the cost of taking heavy casualties. Their 2-hex size also means they can be relatively easy lured into such traps, surrounded by tough troops, and then overwhelmed or shot at from close distance when they cannot escape or fight their way out.

While their jousting ability allows them to theoretically defeat troops stronger than themselves thanks to greatly improved first strike, in prolonged melee combat they are no match for 7th level creatures or the stronger 6th level units like [[Naga Queen]]s, who will likely wipe them out, and [[Dread Knight]]s who simply outclass them. Even [[Minotaur King]]s, [[Ogre]]s and [[Crusader]]s are a big threat due to their toughness combined with high damage. Do not let them fight such an enemy unsupported.

Because jousting damage bonus is not capped, it doubles their damage at 20 hexes (5% x 20 = 100% bonus), but in non-lab conditions it is extremely unpractical: such speed would require stacking advanced Haste and Prayer, combined with either speed artifacts or possibly a hero bonus and grass terrain, and a very specific battlefield in which Champions would have to move more or less from one corner of the map to the opposite corner, around some obstacles. Then the jousting bonus comes back to realistic values, because troops on both sides are already in melee with each other. Also it's likely that after 2 rounds your army buffed with Haste and Prayer is already engaged in close quarters combat, instead of waiting for the right moment to strike.

The highest possible Speed would be 9 base + 2 ([[Sir Mullich]]) + 1 ([[Terrain#Grass|grass]]) + 2 ([[Cape of Velocity]]) + 1 ([[Necklace of Swiftness]]) + 1 ([[Ring of the Wayfarer]]) + 4 ([[Prayer]]) + 5 ([[Haste]]) = 25 Speed, 125% damage bonus or 225% normal damage... but only if they can run all the 25 hexes into enemy stack, which would require a real maze of obstacles and also a clear path to the target.

Obviously the best [[secondary skill]]s for Cavaliers and Champions are [[Offense]] and [[Armorer]]. [[Tactics]] is very good, as it allows you to set them in the exact place they need to execute a jousting charge, or at least denies use of troop placement to enemy. [[Leadership]] might be redundant, as same army type grants +1, Angels provide another +1, and [[artifact]]s or objects granting [[morale]] bonus are plentiful. [[Armorer]] is an obvious choice for any fight in which your Champions will be unable to wipe enemies out before taking some hits.

While they synergize very well with any offense-focused hero like [[Crag Hack]], top-tier selections might not always be available. Any hero with [[Offense]] and [[Tactics]] or good chance to learn these will do well, like [[Tyraxor]], [[Dace]] or [[Shakti]]. [[Tyris]] is quite good starting hero, specialized in Cavaliers and Champions and having Tactics and Leadership that is later made redundant, but will do in early game. [[Loynis]] with his Prayer specialty might be useful, if for some reason you do not have Angels. Magic-oriented heroes can be surprisingly good as Champions can use some magic support, like [[Haste]], [[Bloodlust]] or even [[Slayer]]. Any hero armed with such spells or even better specializing in them will be a boon to Champions.

{{creature 'see also'}}
* [[Comparison of Level 6 Creatures]]

[[Category: Creatures]]
__NOTOC__

Cavalier and Champion

2021-02-03T15:45:28Z

Fafner: More cleanups, clarifications, details, stylistics, links, theoretical math

{{Castle creatures}}{{Creature
| AI_Value = 1946
| Name = Cavalier
| Attack = 15
| Defense = 15
| Speed = 7
| Growth = 2
| Damage = 15–25
| Health = 100
| Cost = 1000
| Size = 2
| Special = • [[Jousting]] bonus
| U_AI_Value= 2100
| U_name = Champion
| U_attack = '''16'''
| U_defense = '''16'''
| U_speed = '''9'''
| U_damage = '''20'''-25
| U_health = 100
| U_cost = 1200
| No_shots =
| No_ushots =
}}

{{Cram|Training Grounds|Cavalier|Champion|no_dwelling=|pad=5px 10px 3px 5px}}
'''Cavaliers and Champions''' are level 6 [[creature]]s of [[Castle]]. They are recruited from [[Castle creature dwellings|Training Grounds]].

''"The horse-mounted cavalier and champion deal extra impact damage (+5% per hex traveled to creature attacked) when charging into battle."{{-}}<sup>[[Restoration of Erathia Manual Page 86|RoE manual]]''</sup>

Cavaliers are upgraded to Champions for free when the hero visits [[Stables]] found on the [[Adventure Map]].

<div style="clear:left;"></div>
== Jousting special ability ==
Moving before the attack will increase their damage by 5% for each hex. This ability has no cap, meaning the higher their Speed and traveled distance before attacking is, the higher their attack damage becomes. Obviously they don't benefit from this ability when counterattacking, and their optimal attack conditions require them to move the longest distance possible.

[[Pikeman and Halberdier|Pikemen and Halberdiers]] are immune to this jousting bonus, which means they only suffer the base damage from Cavaliers and Champions. When fighting them, it makes no difference whether your Champions move 9 hexes before attacking or none at all.

== Heroes with a specialty ==

*{{H|Tyris|Knight}} has cavaliers as a [[Specialty#Creature_specialties|specialty]], which increases the attack and defense skills of any cavaliers or champions for each level attained after 6th level, and gives them a [[speed]] bonus of 1.

== Tactics and info ==
{{Fanopinion}}

The jousting ability of Cavaliers can increase their damage up to +35% and Champions up to +45% without any speed-increasing effects, meaning their damage can be higher than any level 6's, but [[Naga and Naga Queen|Naga Queens]] and [[Black Knight and Dread Knight|Dread Knights]] compensate for this with their specialties. The increase can be even higher, if the hero can increase their speed for example with artifacts ([[Cape of Velocity]], [[Necklace of Swiftness]] or [[Ring of the Wayfarer]]) or with spells ([[Haste]] or [[Prayer]]). Additionally, using Tyris who specializes in Cavaliers and Champions or [[Sir Mullich]], whose troops receive +2 to speed, can increase the damage of Cavaliers and Champions significantly. Because of the jousting ability, a player should always prioritize to attack across as many hexes as possible.

15/16 [[Attack]] and [[Defense]] is decent for level 6 unit. 15-25 [[damage]] is about average, but 20-25 of Champions is a bit better. In practice their damage done is almost always higher because even when dueling other stack in the middle of battlefield they can travel at least 3 hexes to get 15% bonus. Their first strikes from maximal possible range are especially powerful, as their average damage after moving full 9 hexes is 22,5 x 1,45 = 32,625, more than even [[Naga Queen]]s can normally do, and maximum is 36,25 per Champion. 100 [[health]] is above average, but they are not as tough as [[Black Knight]]s. 7-9 [[Speed]] is good for a non-flying creature.

[[Bless]] and [[Curse]] have much stronger effect on Cavaliers than Champions due to larger damage spread. Champions are usually more affected by spells changing their attack, like [[Bloodlust]] or [[Weakness]]. [[Shield]] and [[Stone Skin]] are probably their best defense buffs as they are quite fast and unless sieging a town, they will not be taking much ranged fire. Against level 7 creatures use [[Slayer]] combined with their jousting charge to ensure great damage. [[Frenzy]] can allow them to hit as hard as level 7 creatures themselves, but at cost of losing defense - if Frenzied Champions don't wipe the target out in first strike, they will be hit back hard too. [[Haste]] not only increases their initiative and range but also damage, if they can exploit it. [[Prayer]] increases their speed, attack and defense at once and stacks with Haste.

When using Cavaliers and Champions, beware of [[Slow]], [[Force Field]], ground obstacles, powerful shooters hiding behind tough melee troops. Conversely, when fighting them, exploit these weaknesses - don't let them charge your units, hide behind obstacles, decimate them from distance before mopping up with your own shock troops.

Curiously, [[Berserk]] usually isn't so devastating on Cavaliers as it would be on some other troops, because the "closest another unit" normally means just 1-2 hexes away, which means only 5-10% damage increase from jousting, if any at all.

In Castle army they have natural synergy with [[Archangel]]s - one Archangel can resurrect one Cavalier or Champion.

Their 2-hex size means some caution should be exercised when fighting against [[dragon]]s, especially when you also have Archangels and other melee units in army, as Archangels are also 2-hex sized and when attacking a 2-hex target like all dragons, only 3 melee units at a time can do so safely, as to not expose 2 targets at once to dragon [[Breath attack|breath]]. They also might have some pathing issues in sieges or obstacle-ridden battlefields, as unlike Archangels they are land-bound. [[Remove Obstacle]] can be useful to solve such problems. [[Teleport]] might look useful, but take care not to teleport Cavaliers in a way that would rob them of their jousting damage bonus or leave them blocked by enemy stacks. Be especially careful to not let them cross [[moat]]s or clear out [[Tower]] [[Land mine|mines]], unless you have plenty of [[Resurrection]]s available.

Despite above average stats and awesome damage potential they are not resilient enough to be [[Castle]] army tanks, rather they are hit-and-runners who should charge into melee from the longest possible range, exploiting their special ability to kill enemy stack outright or at least weaken it as much as possible and then charge again at a different target. If they cannot charge, they lose much of their offensive power as their base damage isn't that good. If you let them be surrounded, their otherwise rather average stats mean they will usually be wiped out or win only at the cost of taking heavy casualties. Their 2-hex size also means they can be relatively easy lured into such traps, surrounded by tough troops, and then overwhelmed or shot at from close distance when they cannot escape or fight their way out.

While their jousting ability allows them to theoretically defeat troops stronger than themselves thanks to greatly improved first strike, in prolonged melee combat they are no match for 7th level creatures or the stronger 6th level units like [[Naga Queen]]s, who will likely wipe them out, and [[Dread Knight]]s who simply outclass them. Even [[Minotaur King]]s, [[Ogre]]s and [[Crusader]]s are a big threat due to their toughness combined with high damage. Do not let them fight such an enemy unsupported.

Because jousting damage bonus is not capped, it doubles their damage at 20 hexes (5% x 20 = 100% bonus), but in non-lab conditions it is extremely unpractical: such speed would require stacking advanced Haste and Prayer, combined with either speed artifacts or possibly a hero bonus and grass terrain, and a very specific battlefield in which Champions would have to move more or less from one corner of the map to the opposite corner, around some obstacles. Then the jousting bonus comes back to realistic values, because troops on both sides are already in melee with each other. Also it's likely that after 2 rounds your army buffed with Haste and Prayer is already engaged in close quarters combat, instead of waiting for the right moment to strike.

The highest possible Speed would be 9 base + 2 ([[Sir Mullich]]) + 1 ([[Terrain#Grass|grass]]) + 2 ([[Cape of Velocity) + 1 ([[Necklace of Swiftness) + 1 ([[Ring of the Wayfarer]]) + 4 ([[Prayer]]) + 5 ([[Haste]]) = 25 Speed, 125% damage bonus or 225% normal damage... but only if they can run all the 25 hexes into enemy stack, which would require a real maze of obstacles and also a clear path to the target.

Obviously the best [[secondary skill]]s for Cavaliers and Champions are [[Offense]] and [[Armorer]]. [[Tactics]] is very good, as it allows you to set them in the exact place they need to execute a jousting charge, or at least denies use of troop placement to enemy. [[Leadership]] might be redundant, as same army type grants +1, Angels provide another +1, and [[artifact]]s or objects granting [[morale]] bonus are plentiful. [[Armorer]] is an obvious choice for any fight in which your Champions will be unable to wipe enemies out before taking some hits.

While they synergize very well with any offense-focused hero like [[Crag Hack]], top-tier selections might not always be available. Any hero with [[Offense]] and [[Tactics]] or good chance to learn these will do well, like [[Tyraxor]], [[Dace]] or [[Shakti]]. [[Tyris]] is quite good starting hero, specialized in Cavaliers and Champions and having Tactics and Leadership that is later made redundant, but will do in early game. [[Loynis]] with his Prayer specialty might be useful, if for some reason you do not have Angels. Magic-oriented heroes can be surprisingly good as Champions can use some magic support, like [[Haste]], [[Bloodlust]] or even [[Slayer]]. Any hero armed with such spells or even better specializing in them will be a boon to Champions.

{{creature 'see also'}}
* [[Comparison of Level 6 Creatures]]

[[Category: Creatures]]
__NOTOC__

Cavalier and Champion

2021-02-03T12:15:41Z

Fafner: Typo fixing, cleanup, some more tacs, heroes, secondaries

{{Castle creatures}}{{Creature
| AI_Value = 1946
| Name = Cavalier
| Attack = 15
| Defense = 15
| Speed = 7
| Growth = 2
| Damage = 15–25
| Health = 100
| Cost = 1000
| Size = 2
| Special = • [[Jousting]] bonus
| U_AI_Value= 2100
| U_name = Champion
| U_attack = '''16'''
| U_defense = '''16'''
| U_speed = '''9'''
| U_damage = '''20'''-25
| U_health = 100
| U_cost = 1200
| No_shots =
| No_ushots =
}}

{{Cram|Training Grounds|Cavalier|Champion|no_dwelling=|pad=5px 10px 3px 5px}}
'''Cavaliers and Champions''' are level 6 [[creature]]s of [[Castle]]. They are recruited from [[Castle creature dwellings|Training Grounds]].

''"The horse-mounted cavalier and champion deal extra impact damage (+5% per hex traveled to creature attacked) when charging into battle."{{-}}<sup>[[Restoration of Erathia Manual Page 86|RoE manual]]''</sup>

Cavaliers are upgraded to Champions for free when the hero visits [[Stables]] found on the [[Adventure Map]].

<div style="clear:left;"></div>
== Jousting special ability ==
Moving before the attack will increase their damage by 5% for each hex. This ability has no cap, meaning the higher their Speed and traveled distance before attacking is, the higher their attack damage becomes. Obviously they don't benefit from this ability when counterattacking, and their optimal attack conditions require them to move the furthest possible distance.

[[Pikeman and Halberdier|Pikemen and Halberdiers]] are immune to this jousting bonus, which means they only suffer the base damage from Cavaliers and Champions. When fighting them, it makes no difference whether your Champions move 9 hexes before attacking or none at all.

== Heroes with a specialty ==

*{{H|Tyris|Knight}} has cavaliers as a [[Specialty#Creature_specialties|specialty]], which increases the attack and defense skills of any cavaliers or champions for each level attained after 6th level, and gives them a [[speed]] bonus of 1.

== Tactics and info ==
{{Fanopinion}}

The jousting ability of Cavaliers can increase their damage up to +35% and Champions up to +45% without any speed-increasing effects, meaning their damage can be higher than any level 6's, but [[Naga and Naga Queen|Naga Queens]] and [[Black Knight and Dread Knight|Dread Knights]] compensate for this with their specialties. The increase can be even higher, if the hero can increase their speed for example with artifacts ([[Cape of Velocity]], [[Necklace of Swiftness]] or [[Ring of the Wayfarer]]) or with spells ([[Haste]] or [[Prayer]]). Additionally, using Tyris who specializes in Cavaliers and Champions or [[Sir Mullich]], whose troops receive +2 to speed, can increase the damage of Cavaliers and Champions significantly. Because of the jousting ability, a player should always prioritize to attack across as many hexes as possible.

15/16 [[Attack]] and [[Defense]] is decent for level 6 unit. 15-25 [[damage]] is about average, but 20-25 of Champions is a bit better. In practice their damage done is almost always higher because even when dueling other stack in the middle of battlefield they can travel at least 3 hexes to get 15% bonus. Their first strikes from maximal range possible are particularly strong, as their average damage after moving full 9 hexes is 22,5 x 1,45 = 32,625, more than even [[Naga Queen]]s can normally do, and maximum is 36,25 per Champion. 100 [[health]] is above average, but they are not as tough as [[Black Knight]]s. 7-9 [[Speed]] is good for a non-flying creature.

[[Bless]] and [[Curse]] have much stronger effect on Cavaliers than Champions due to larger damage spread. Champions are usually more affected by spells changing their attack, like [[Bloodlust]] or [[Weakness]]. [[Shield]] and [[Stone Skin]] are probably their best defense buffs as they are quite fast and unless sieging a town, they will not be taking much ranged fire. Against level 7 creatures use [[Slayer]] combined with their jousting charge to ensure great damage. [[Frenzy]] can allow them to hit as hard as level 7 creatures themselves, but at cost of losing defense - if Frenzied Champions don't wipe the target out in first strike, they will be hit back hard too. [[Haste]] not only increases their initiative and range but also damage, if they can exploit it. [[Prayer]] increases their speed, attack and defense at once and stacks with Haste.

When using Cavaliers and Champions, beware of [[Slow]], [[Force Field]], ground obstacles, powerful shooters hiding behind tough melee troops. Conversely, when fighting them, exploit these weaknesses - don't let them charge your units, hide behind obstacles, decimate them from distance before mopping up with your own shock troops.

Curiously, [[Berserk]] usually isn't so devastating on Cavaliers as it would be on some other troops, because the "closest other unit" normally means just 1-2 hexes away, which means only 5-10% damage increase from jousting.

In Castle army they have natural synergy with [[Archangel]]s - one Archangel can resurrect one Cavalier or Champion.

Their 2-hex size means some caution should be exercised when fighting against [[dragon]]s, especially when you also have Archangels and other melee units in army, as Archangels are also 2-hex sized and when attacking a 2-hex target like all dragons, only 3 melee units at a time can do so safely, as to not expose 2 targets at once to dragon [[Breath attack|breath]]. They also might have some pathing issues in sieges or obstacle-ridden battlefield, as unlike Archangels they are land-bound. [[Remove Obstacle]] might be useful to solve such problems. [[Teleport]] might look useful, but take care not to teleport Cavaliers in a way that might rob them of their jousting damage bonus or leave them blocked by enemy stacks. Be especially careful to not let them cross moats or clear out [[Tower]] mines, unless you have plenty of [[Resurrection]]s available.

Despite awesome damage potential they are not [[Castle]] army tanks, rather hit-and-runners who should charge into melee from the longest possible range, exploiting their special ability to kill enemy stack outright or at least weaken it as much as possible and then charge again at a different target. If you let them be surrounded, their otherwise average stats mean they will usually be wiped out or win only at the cost of taking heavy casualties. Their 2-hex size also means they can be relatively easy lured into such traps, surrounded by tough troops, and then overwhelmed or shot at from close distance when they cannot escape or fight their way out.

While their jousting charge allows them to defeat theoretically stronger troops thanks to greatly improved first strike, in prolonged melee combat they are no match for 7th level creatures or even their own 6th level units like [[Naga Queen]]s and [[Dread Knight]]s. Do not let them fight such an enemy unsupported.

Obviously the best [[secondary skill]]s for Cavaliers and Champions are [[Offense]] and [[Armorer]]. [[Tactics]] is very good, as it allows you to set them in the exact place they need to execute a jousting charge, or at least denies use of troop placement to enemy. [[Leadership]] might be redundant, as same army type grants +1, Angels provide another +1, and [[artifact]]s or objects granting [[morale]] bonus are plentiful. [[Armorer]] is an obvious choice for any fight in which your Champions will be unable to wipe enemies out before taking some hits.

While they synergize very well with any offense-focused hero like [[Crag Hack]], top-tier selections might not always be available. Any hero with [[Tactics]] and [[Offense]] or good potential to learn these will do well, like [[Tyraxor]], [[Dace]] or [[Shakti]]. [[Tyris]] is quite good starting hero, specialized in Cavaliers and Champions and having Tactics and Leadership that is later made redundant, but will do for early game. [[Loynis]] with his Prayer specialty might be useful, if for some reason you do not have Angels. Magic-oriented heroes can be surprisingly good as Champions can use some magic support, like [[Haste]], [[Bloodlust]] or even [[Slayer]]. Any hero armed with such spells or even better specializing in them will be a boon to Champions.

{{creature 'see also'}}
* [[Comparison of Level 6 Creatures]]

[[Category: Creatures]]
__NOTOC__

Cavalier and Champion

2021-02-03T10:03:18Z

Fafner: Spells, tacs, Castle stuff

Angel and Archangel

2021-02-03T08:23:15Z

Fafner: Cleanup, resurrection limits

{{Castle creatures}}{{Creature
| AI_Value = 5019
| Name = Angel
| Attack = 20
| Defense = 20
| Speed = 12
| Growth = 1
| Damage = 50
| Health = 200
| Cost = 3000
| Res = [[File: Resource Gem 20x18.gif]]
| ResCost = 1
| Movement = [[Flying]]
| Special = • [[Hate]]s [[devil]]s<br>• +1 [[morale]] to creatures in hero's army
| U_AI_Value= 8776
| U_name = Archangel
| U_attack = '''30'''
| U_defense = '''30'''
| U_speed = '''18'''
| U_health = '''250'''
| U_size = '''2'''
| U_cost = 5000
| U_ResCost = 3
| U_special = • [[Hate]]s [[devil]]s<br>• +1 [[morale]] to creatures in hero's army<br>• Can cast [[resurrection]]
| No_shots =
| No_ushots =
}}

{{Cram|Portal of Glory|Angel|Archangel|no_dwelling=}}
'''Angels''' and '''Archangels''' are level 7 creatures of [[Castle]]. They are recruited from [[Castle creature dwellings|Portals of Glory]]. Additionally, Angels can be acquired from [[Griffin conservatory|griffin conservatories]].

''"With their great offensive and defensive power and flying ability, angels and archangels are among the mightiest creatures in the game. Both do 150% damage when attacking devils. Additionally, the archangel is able to resurrect dead allied troops once per combat."{{-}}<sup>[[Restoration of Erathia Manual Page 87|RoE manual]]''</sup>
<div style="clear:left;"></div>
__TOC__

Their only downsides are the lack of immunities and rather high [[cost]] (highest cost of all not-neutral level 7 creatures, both in gold and resources). Archangels are also among the strongest level 7 units recruitable from a town. They have the highest [[attack]] and [[defense]] (both 30) out of all level 7 creatures that you can recruit from a town and only [[Azure Dragon]]s and [[Crystal Dragon]]s have higher attack and defense ([[Rust Dragon]]s have the same). Only [[Phoenix]]es (21) and [[Azure Dragon]]s (19) have higher base [[speed]] than Archangels' 18. The [[Ancient Behemoth]], [[Haspid]] and [[Titan]] can defeat an Archangel in a one-on-one combat (Titan can win by defending 4 times and then attacking).

Archangels have the highest AI Value of any creature in {{roe}} with 8776. The only creature which gains size on upgrade.

== Specialties ==
Angels and Archangels [[hate]] [[Devil and Arch Devil|Devils and Arch Devils]], which causes them to do 50% more damage to them. They also increase the [[morale]] of the hero's army by +1. The morale bonus effect lasts until the end of the combat, even if all Angels/Archangels die during the fight. Additionally, a stack of Archangels may cast [[Resurrection]] spell once per combat. The effect does not follow any of the Resurrection spell's formulas (including the effects caused by the [[Rockland]] terrain), and is always 100 health points per Archangel. Like with Advanced and Expert [[Earth Magic]], the Resurrection effect is permanent.

== Special strategy ==
Casting the [[Clone]] spell on a stack of Archangels before the stack has cast their [[Resurrection]], enables the clone to cast it. Typically the Resurrection cast by Archangels (100 x number of casting Archangels) is more powerful compared to a hero's Resurrection (40/80/160 + 50 x hero's Power) and is always permanent, unlike hero spell which requires Advanced [[Earth Magic]] to last longer than the current battle. After the clone has cast the Resurrection, it is almost preferable to let the enemy destroy it in order to cast Clone on the Archangels again. Additionally, spells like [[Fireball]] or [[Meteor Shower]] can be used to destroy the clone. The clone can also be used as expendable stack to use up enemy retaliation, with added bonus of striking very hard and possibly another clone coming soon.

It takes three Archangels to resurrect one Archangel. Thus it could be wise to divide them into stacks with multiples of three (3,6,9...), so they can resurrect each other.

One Archangel can resurrect up to 100 health, so in Castle army 1 Archangel can raise 1 [[Cavalier and Champion|Cavalier or Champion]], over 3 [[Monk and Zealot|Monks or Zealots]], just under 3 [[Swordsman and Crusader|Swordsmen or Crusaders]], 4 [[Griffin and Royal Griffin|Griffins or Royal Griffins]], 10 [[Archer and Marksman|Archers or Marksmen]] and 10 [[Pikeman and Halberdier|Pikemen or Halberdiers]].

Remember that Archangels' Resurrection has similar limitations to the hero spell - [[Golem]]s, [[Stone Gargoyle and Obsidian Gargoyle|Gargoyles]], [[war machine]]s, [[Elemental]]s and [[Undead]] can never be resurrected. [[Gold Dragon|Gold]] and [[Black Dragon]]s can only be resurrected with [[Orb of Vulnerability]].

Because their damage is not based on a range of numbers, but is instead set at 50, spells like [[bless]] and [[curse]] have almost no effect on them. Because they do a precise amount of damage in combat, they are a sure-fire unit. Use spells affecting attack or defense instead, like [[Bloodlust]], [[Weakness]], [[Stone Skin]], [[Disrupting Ray]]. [[Shield]] has additional benefit of not being Defense buff, so it stacks with Stone Skin and protects better against [[Behemoth]]s, as they partially ignore opponent's Defense. [[Slayer]] is strongest possible attack buff without downsides, but requires specific enemies or [[Fire Magic]] [[secondary skill]] to work against all level 7 creatures instead of just the "monstrous" ones. [[Counterstrike]] is potentially very strong, as by their nature as powerful, fast melee
troops they will often be amidst enemy troops, taking multiple hits each turn and with this spell they will fight back, as if they had additional turns. Similar effect can be achieved by good [[morale]], as it's practically a given considering their +1 bonus, same town type army bonus, cheap and common +1 [[artifact]]s, and [[Mirth]] spell. At best it's only 12,5% though, or average of 1 bonus action per 8 turns.

Casting the [[Frenzy]] spell on a stack of Archangels and then casting the Clone spell on the same stack, removes the effect of the Frenzy spell from both the clone and the targeted Archangel stack.

Their great weakness is their lack of immunities - they can be [[slow]]ed, [[blind]]ed, [[berserk]]ed, in extreme cases even [[hypnotize]]d. If facing powerful magic [[hero]], it might be worth it to just cast [[Anti-magic]] on Archangels in the first turn to prevent them from being disabled. As Angels have 200 health and Archangels 250, they are not particularly threatened by [[direct damage spell]]s, but such spells are still something to expect - Angels have very high Defense stat, so if the opponent cannot kill them using their army, they might try to do so using magic, like [[Implosion]] or [[Lightning Bolt]].

Another downside is that great as they are in battle, they are also appropriately expensive - while Angels are decently priced at 2000 {{g}} and 1 {{gem}}, Archangels cost 5000 {{g}} and 3 {{gem}}, making them the most expensive town-aligned unit in game. [[Portal of Glory|Their dwelling]] is also one of the most expensive in game, requiring 20000 {{g}} and 10 each of {{crystal}}, {{gem}}, {{mercury}} and {{sulfur}} and again this amount for upgrade, and to fulfill its requirements [[Monastery]] must be built first, for another 2000 {{g}}, 5 wood and 5 ore, and 2 each of [[magical resource]]s. Considering that Castle's [[Resource Silo]] produces ore and wood, it might cause shortages without external sources.

Angels also lack any form of area attack, so they must rely on cutting their way through tightly packed enemy troops to reach the shooters or valuable troops shielded by others, and will inevitably take many hits in the process, possibly even being wiped out if the opponent can focus on bringing them down while other Castle units cannot keep up with them due to their Speed being 9 at best (not counting any bonuses).

As both kinds of Angels are flying, fast, very strong creatures, it might be tempting to just unleash them in the middle of enemy formation, but take care to ensure they are not overwhelmed - all-around strong as they are, they are not invincible, they cannot reliably deal with multiple enemy stacks at once, and they do not particularly excel in any single area. They are especially vulnerable to "wasting" counterattacks on a sacrificial, expendable, or tough stacks, so the more vulnerable, expensive or hard hitting troops remove chunks of their health with impunity. Thus when attacking ranged unit with other stacks nearby, either cast [[Counterstrike]] on Angels, or try to position them beyond reach of some defenders. Another great spell to use before committing Angels to all-out assault is [[Shield]].

With 18 Speed Archangels are the second fastest town-aligned unit after [[Phoenix]]es. This alone makes them useful to have in army, even if your main town is not Castle - having almost guaranteed first move can be decisive in battle and allows to win at cost of far less casualties than more evenly matched meat grinder would cause. This is particularly important advantage for towns whose armies are otherwise slow, like [[Fortress]], [[Stronghold]] or [[Tower]].

Because Archangels are 2-hex sized, exercise some caution when using them and other melee units against creatures like [[dragon]]s - targeting the weaker stack on adjacent hex will still deal full damage to both main target and Archangels, but only the main target will be able to retaliate. This also concerns [[Frost Ring]] spell - while you can use it safely with Angels, it's not possible with Archangels.

Large size also means they can be blocked from attacking ranged unit in the corner by blocking just 2 of 3 hexes adjacent to it. While they usually can simply hack their way through any screening stacks, it might take some time as Archangels lack any form of area attack, especially if the defenders are tough troops like [[Iron Golem]]s or [[Ogre]]s and do nothing but defending, while the ranged unit can keep firing on Archangels with full power shots, safe from retaliation.

Best [[secondary skill]]s for both types of Angels are [[Offense]] to capitalize on their great attack power and [[Armorer]] to help them live longer, as they are natural damage magnets.
[[Leadership]] is made mostly redundant by their +1 morale bonus, because morale only goes up to 3 and their inherent +1 bonus stacks with all other morale benefits like adventure map objects, artifacts, single town army type +1 bonus and, when defending a town, [[Tavern]]'s +1 or Castle's [[Brotherhood of the Sword]]'s +2.
[[Tactics]] offers a dubious benefit to them in offense - usually they have first turn in combat and unless [[Mind spell|disabled]], [[slow]]ed down or [[Dendroid_Guard_and_Dendroid_Soldier|bound]] they can fly anywhere on the battlefield. Starting in player-made formation might benefit the rest of your army that does not have 18 speed though, or if you use defensive strategy. Having Tactics might also be useful simply to deny its use to the enemy, especially if they have vulnerable ranged units that you'd like to force into melee before they can be blocked by defending melee troops.

Because of the above, the best [[hero]]es to combine with Archangels are those of martial class and well-scaling specialties, like [[Crag Hack]] or [[Tazar]]. [[Neela]] and [[Mephala]] also have good specialties, but not-so-good secondary skills - [[Scholar]] isn't good for main hero and [[Leadership]] is largely redundant in Castle army with Archangels.
Decent starting Castle heroes are [[Sorsha]] with [[Offense]] and [[Edric]] with [[Armorer]]. [[Loynis]] is surprisingly good because of his [[Prayer]] specialty and good chance to learn [[Water Magic]] skill, which will eventually allow him to clone Archangels.

== Trivia ==
In an interview with Gregory Fulton, one of the lead designers of HoMM3, it was stated by him that the Angels and Archangels are sophisticated robots created by the [[Ancients]] to exterminate [[Kreegan|Kreegans]]. This would also explain how all artifact components of [[Angelic Alliance]] excluding the [[Celestial Necklace of Bliss|necklace]] and possibly the [[Helm of Heavenly Enlightenment|helmet]] (however, a similar helmet is worn by Angels in Might and Magic 7) are based on their equipment - [[Armor of Wonder|breastplate]], [[Sandals of the Saint|sandals]], [[Lion's Shield of Courage|shield]] and [[Sword of Judgement|sword]] could be examples of hyper-advanced technology of the Ancients.

In {{roe}} game the main menu's background depicts an Archangel in blue-tinted armor, wielding two-handed sword with blade resembling [[Armageddon's Blade]] that burns with animated fire. {{roe}} loading screen also uses this picture, without animation. In-game, their armor is polished steel in unit avatar picture and matt dark gray in combat. They fight using one-handed sword with wavy blade, similar to flamberge, and shield with [[Erathia]]n coat of arms.

== {{roe}} and {{ab}} ==
In {{roe}} and {{ab}} gems were not included in the cost.

{{creature 'see also'}}

{{morale navigational box}}

[[Category: Creatures]]

Angel and Archangel

2021-02-02T22:32:05Z

Fafner: Some more tacs, heroes, secondary skills, corrections, style

{{Castle creatures}}{{Creature
| AI_Value = 5019
| Name = Angel
| Attack = 20
| Defense = 20
| Speed = 12
| Growth = 1
| Damage = 50
| Health = 200
| Cost = 3000
| Res = [[File: Resource Gem 20x18.gif]]
| ResCost = 1
| Movement = [[Flying]]
| Special = • [[Hate]]s [[devil]]s<br>• +1 [[morale]] to creatures in hero's army
| U_AI_Value= 8776
| U_name = Archangel
| U_attack = '''30'''
| U_defense = '''30'''
| U_speed = '''18'''
| U_health = '''250'''
| U_size = '''2'''
| U_cost = 5000
| U_ResCost = 3
| U_special = • [[Hate]]s [[devil]]s<br>• +1 [[morale]] to creatures in hero's army<br>• Can cast [[resurrection]]
| No_shots =
| No_ushots =
}}

{{Cram|Portal of Glory|Angel|Archangel|no_dwelling=}}
'''Angels''' and '''Archangels''' are level 7 creatures of [[Castle]]. They are recruited from [[Castle creature dwellings|Portals of Glory]]. Additionally, Angels can be acquired from [[Griffin conservatory|griffin conservatories]].

''"With their great offensive and defensive power and flying ability, angels and archangels are among the mightiest creatures in the game. Both do 150% damage when attacking devils. Additionally, the archangel is able to resurrect dead allied troops once per combat."{{-}}<sup>[[Restoration of Erathia Manual Page 87|RoE manual]]''</sup>
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__TOC__

Their only downsides are the lack of immunities and rather high [[cost]] (highest cost of all not-neutral level 7 creatures, both in gold and resources). Archangels are also among the strongest level 7 units recruitable from a town. They have the highest [[attack]] and [[defense]] (both 30) out of all level 7 creatures that you can recruit from a town and only [[Azure Dragon]]s and [[Crystal Dragon]]s have higher attack and defense ([[Rust Dragon]]s have the same). Only [[Phoenix]]es (21) and [[Azure Dragon]]s (19) have higher base [[speed]] than Archangels' 18. The [[Ancient Behemoth]], [[Haspid]] and [[Titan]] can defeat an Archangel in a one-on-one combat (Titan can win by defending 4 times and then attacking).

Archangels have the highest AI Value of any creature in {{roe}} with 8776. The only creature which gains size on upgrade.

== Specialties ==
Angels and Archangels [[hate]] [[Devil and Arch Devil|Devils and Arch Devils]], which causes them to do 50% more damage to them. They also increase the [[morale]] of the hero's army by +1. The morale bonus effect lasts until the end of the combat, even if all Angels/Archangels die during the fight. Additionally, a stack of Archangels may cast [[Resurrection]] spell once per combat. The effect does not follow any of the Resurrection spell's formulas (including the effects caused by the [[Rockland]] terrain), and is always 100 health points per Archangel. Like with Advanced and Expert [[Earth Magic]], the Resurrection effect is permanent.

== Special strategy ==
Casting the [[Clone]] spell on a stack of Archangels before the stack has cast their [[Resurrection]], enables the clone to cast it. Typically the Resurrection cast by Archangels (100 x number of casting Archangels) is more powerful compared to a hero's Resurrection (40/80/160 + 50 x hero's Power) and is always permanent, unlike hero spell which requires Advanced [[Earth Magic]] to last longer than the current battle. After the clone has cast the Resurrection, it is almost preferable to let the enemy destroy it in order to cast Clone on the Archangels again. Additionally, spells like [[Fireball]] or [[Meteor Shower]] can be used to destroy the clone. The clone can also be used as expendable stack to use up enemy retaliation, with added bonus of striking very hard and possibly another clone coming soon.

It takes three Archangels to resurrect one Archangel. Thus it could be wise to divide them into stacks with multiples of three (3,6,9...), so they can resurrect each other.

One Archangel can resurrect up to 100 health, so in Castle army 1 Archangel can raise 1 [[Cavalier and Champion|Cavalier or Champion]], over 3 [[Monk and Zealot|Monks or Zealots]], just under 3 [[Swordsman and Crusader|Swordsmen or Crusaders]], 4 [[Griffin and Royal Griffin|Griffins or Royal Griffins]], 10 [[Archer and Marksman|Archers or Marksmen]] and 10 [[Pikeman and Halberdier|Pikemen or Halberdiers]].

Because their damage is not based on a range of numbers, but is instead set at 50, spells like [[bless]] and [[curse]] have almost no effect on them. Because they do a precise amount of damage in combat, they are a sure-fire unit. Use spells affecting attack or defense instead, like [[Bloodlust]], [[Weakness]], [[Stone Skin]], [[Disrupting Ray]]. [[Shield]] has additional benefit of not being Defense buff, so it stacks with Stone Skin and protects better against [[Behemoth]]s, as they partially ignore opponent's Defense. [[Slayer]] is strongest possible attack buff without downsides, but requires specific enemies or [[Fire Magic]] [[secondary skill]] to work against all level 7 creatures instead of just the "monstrous" ones. [[Counterstrike]] is potentially very strong, as by their nature as powerful, fast melee
troops they will often be amidst enemy troops, taking multiple hits each turn and with this spell they will deal fight back, as if they had additional turns. Similar effect can be achieved by good [[morale]], as it's practically a given considering their +1 bonus, same town type army bonus, cheap and common +1 [[artifact]]s, and [[Mirth]] spell. At best it's only 12,5% though, or average of 1 bonus action per 8 turns.

Casting the [[Frenzy]] spell on a stack of Archangels and then casting the Clone spell on the same stack, removes the effect of the Frenzy spell from both the clone and the targeted Archangel stack.

Their great weakness is their lack of immunities - they can be [[slow]]ed, [[blind]]ed, [[berserk]]ed, in extreme cases even [[hypnotize]]d. If facing powerful magic [[hero]], it might be worth it to just cast [[Anti-magic]] on Archangels in the first turn to prevent them from being disabled. As Angels have 200 health and Archangels 250, they are not particularly threatened by [[direct damage spell]]s, but such spells are still something to expect - Angels have very high Defense stat, so if the opponent cannot kill them using their army, they might try to do so using magic, like [[Implosion]] or [[Lightning Bolt]].

Another downside is that great as they are in battle, they are also appropriately expensive - while Angels are decently priced at 2000 {{g}} and 1 {{gem}}, Archangels cost 5000 {{g}} and 3 {{gem}}, making them the most expensive town-aligned unit in game. [[Portal of Glory|Their dwelling]] is also one of the most expensive in game, requiring 20000 {{g}} and 10 each of {{crystal}}, {{gem}}, {{mercury}} and {{sulfur}} and again this amount for upgrade, and to fulfill its requirements [[Monastery]] must be built first, for another 2000 {{g}}, 5 wood and 5 ore, and 2 each of [[magical resource]]s. Considering that Castle's [[Resource Silo]] produces ore and wood, it might cause shortages without external sources.

Angels also lack any form of area attack, so they must rely on cutting their way through tightly packed enemy troops to reach the shooters or valuable troops shielded by others, and will inevitably take many hits in the process, possibly even being wiped out if the opponent can focus on bringing them down while other Castle units cannot keep up with them due to their Speed being 9 at best (not counting any bonuses).

As both kinds of Angels are flying, fast, very strong creatures, it might be tempting to just unleash them in the middle of enemy formation, but take care to ensure they are not overwhelmed - all-around strong as they are, they are not invincible, they cannot reliably deal with multiple enemy stacks at once, and they do not particularly excel in any single area. They are especially vulnerable to "wasting" counterattacks on a sacrificial, expendable, or tough stacks, so the more vulnerable, expensive or hard hitting troops remove chunks of their health with impunity. Thus when attacking ranged unit with other stacks nearby, either cast [[Counterstrike]] on Angels, or try to position them beyond reach of some defenders. Another great spell to use before committing Angels to all-out assault is [[Shield]].

With 18 Speed Archangels are the second fastest town-aligned unit after [[Phoenix]]es. This alone makes them useful to have in army, even if your main town is not Castle - having almost guaranteed first move can be decisive in battle and allows to win at cost of far less casualties than more evenly matched meat grinder would cause. This is particularly important advantage for towns whose armies are otherwise slow, like [[Fortress]], [[Stronghold]] or [[Tower]].

Because Archangels are 2-hex sized, exercise some caution when using them and other melee units against creatures like [[dragon]]s - targeting the weaker stack on adjacent hex will still deal full damage to both main target and Archangels, but only the main target will be able to retaliate. This also concerns [[Frost Ring]] spell - while you can use it safely with Angels, it's not possible with Archangels.

Large size also means they can be blocked from attacking ranged unit in the corner by blocking just 2 of 3 hexes adjacent to it. While they usually can simply hack their way through any screening stacks, it might take some time as Archangels lack any form of area attack, especially if the defenders are tough troops like [[Iron Golem]]s or [[Ogre]]s and do nothing but defending, while the ranged unit can keep firing on Archangels with full power shots, safe from retaliation.

Best [[secondary skill]]s for both types of Angels are [[Offense]] to capitalize on their great attack power and [[Armorer]] to help them live longer, as they are natural damage magnets.
[[Leadership]] is made mostly redundant by their +1 morale bonus, because morale only goes up to 3 and their inherent +1 bonus stacks with all other morale benefits like adventure map objects, artifacts, single town army type +1 bonus and, when defending a town, [[Tavern]]'s +1 or Castle's [[Brotherhood of the Sword]]'s +2.
[[Tactics]] offers a dubious benefit to them in offense - usually they have first turn in combat and unless [[Mind spell|disabled]], [[slow]]ed down or [[Dendroid_Guard_and_Dendroid_Soldier|bound]] they can fly anywhere on the battlefield. Starting in player-made formation might benefit the rest of your army that does not have 18 speed though, or if you use defensive strategy. Having Tactics might also be useful simply to deny its use to the enemy, especially if they have vulnerable ranged units that you'd like to force into melee before they can be blocked by defending melee troops.

Because of the above, the best [[hero]]es to combine with Archangels are those of martial class and well-scaling specialties, like [[Crag Hack]] or [[Tazar]]. [[Neela]] and [[Mephala]] also have good specialties, but not-so-good secondary skills - [[Scholar]] isn't good for main hero and [[Leadership]] is largely redundant in Castle army with Archangels.
Decent starting Castle heroes are [[Sorsha]] with [[Offense]] and [[Edric]] with [[Armorer]]. [[Loynis]] is surprisingly good because of his [[Prayer]] specialty and good chance to learn [[Water Magic]] skill, which will eventually allow him to clone Archangels.

== Trivia ==
In an interview with Gregory Fulton, one of the lead designers of HoMM3, it was stated by him that the Angels and Archangels are sophisticated robots created by the [[Ancients]] to exterminate [[Kreegan|Kreegans]]. This would also explain how all artifact components of [[Angelic Alliance]] excluding the [[Celestial Necklace of Bliss|necklace]] and possibly the [[Helm of Heavenly Enlightenment|helmet]] (however, a similar helmet is worn by Angels in Might and Magic 7) are based on their equipment - [[Armor of Wonder|breastplate]], [[Sandals of the Saint|sandals]], [[Lion's Shield of Courage|shield]] and [[Sword of Judgement|sword]] could be examples of hyper-advanced technology of the Ancients.

In {{roe}} game the main menu's background depicts an Archangel in blue-tinted armor, wielding two-handed sword with blade resembling [[Armageddon's Blade]] that burns with animated fire. {{roe}} loading screen also uses this picture, without animation. In-game, their armor is polished steel in unit avatar picture and matt dark gray in combat. They fight using one-handed sword with wavy blade, similar to flamberge, and shield with [[Erathia]]n coat of arms.

== {{roe}} and {{ab}} ==
In {{roe}} and {{ab}} gems were not included in the cost.

{{creature 'see also'}}

{{morale navigational box}}

[[Category: Creatures]]

Talk:Angel and Archangel

2021-02-02T15:45:12Z

Fafner:

== Trivia ==
Fafner, what did you mean when you wrote "sans" in the trivia section?--[[User:FirePaladin2|FirePaladin2]] ([[User talk:FirePaladin2|talk]]) 14:20, 2 February 2021 (UTC)

: "without", I suppose.--[[User:Mortarial|Mortarial]] ([[User talk:Mortarial|talk]]) 15:06, 2 February 2021 (UTC)

::Just wanted to make sure (could have been a spelling mistake?). Also, the Angels in MM7 do have a similar helmet.--[[User:FirePaladin2|FirePaladin2]] ([[User talk:FirePaladin2|talk]]) 15:20, 2 February 2021 (UTC)

::: Mortarial is correct. Without something, except sth, minus sth, everything apart from sth. What other word could it be mistaken for? Anyway Angel and Archangel in Heroes 3 definitely don't wear helmets and while I suppose they could wear necklaces, I'm not seeing any on Angel, and Archangel could hide a plate gorget under that glorious Byzantine beard. And here I was thinking to sneak some ninja edits under your noses... :D -[[User:Fafner|Fafner]] ([[User talk:Fafner|talk]]) 15:44, 2 February 2021 (UTC)

Angel and Archangel

2021-02-02T14:08:55Z

Fafner: Spell info, tactics, trivia

Giant and Titan

2021-02-02T13:13:41Z

Fafner: removed double resources

{{Tower creatures}}{{Creature
| AI_Value = 3718
| Name = Giant
| Attack = 19
| Defense = 16
| Speed = 7
| Growth = 1
| Damage = 40–60
| Health = 150
| Res = [[File: Resource Gem 20x18.gif]]
| ResCost = 1
| Cost = 2000
| Special = • [[Immunity]] to [[mind spell]]s
| U_AI_Value= 7500
| U_name = Titan
| U_attack = '''24'''
| U_defense = '''24'''
| U_speed = '''11'''
| U_damage = 40–60
| U_health = '''300'''
| U_shots = '''24'''
| U_ResCost = 2
| U_cost = 5000
| U_special = • [[Ranged attack]]<br>• [[Immunity]] to [[mind spell]]s<br>• No [[melee Penalty]]<br>• [[Hate]]s [[Black Dragon]]s
| No_shots =
}}

{{Cram|Cloud Temple|Giant|Titan|no_dwelling=|pad=3px 10px 3px 5px}}
'''Giants and Titans''' are level 7 creatures of [[Tower town]]. They are recruited from the [[Cloud Temple]].

''"Giants and titans are immune to [[mind spells|spells affecting the mind]]. Titans do 150% damage to [[black dragon]]s, can hurl lightning bolts in a ranged attack and suffer no [[melee penalty|penalty for hand-to-hand attacks]], making them the most powerful ranged attack unit in the game."{{-}}<sup>[[Restoration of Erathia Manual Page 115|RoE manual]]''</sup>
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__TOC__

== Special Abilities ==

=====Mind Spell Immunity=====
Unlike the Black Dragon's full [[Spell immunity]], the Giants and Titans are only immune to mind altering spells. This is still very useful as they're immune to [[Blind]] and [[Berserk]] among others. This allows them to be [[Resurrection|resurrected]], but also killed by attacking spells, or affected by any other kinds of spells like buffing or debuffing spells. However, offensive spells become less relevant with time as creature stacks become too big for spells to make meaningful dents in them or do comparable damage.

== Tactics and info ==
{{Fanopinion}}

=== Toughness ===
With a health value of 150 and 16 defense, Giants have the lowest health for a level 7 creature, also boasting the second lowest defense value of a level 7 unit, the [[Bone Dragon|Bone Dragon's]] being lower by 1. On the other hand, Titans have the highest health for a level 7 unit that is not neutral, its value being 300, only matched by the [[Black Dragon|Black Dragon's]] and the [[Ancient Behemoth|Ancient Behemoth's]] in {{roe}} (and [[Haspid|Haspid's]] in {{hota}}). However, Titans have 1 less defense than the [[Black Dragon]], but 5 more than the [[Ancient Behemoth]] (also 4 more than [[Haspid]] from {{hota}}). Their upgrade's health and defense bonus is also the highest and respectively the third highest in the game, being a bonus of +8 defense from the base creature and double the health.

=== Offense ===
Giants and Titans have the highest max and overall (together with the [[Angel and Archangel|Angels and Archangels]]) damage of a town affiliated creature, even higher than a [[Black Dragon|Black Dragon's]] or [[Gold Dragon|Gold Dragon's]]. However, they have 1 less attack than the [[Black Dragon]] and 6 less than the most powerful town creature, the [[Archangel]]. Still, the difference between the [[Black Dragon|Black Dragon's]] and the Titan's attack stat is minimal, and the later won't always be retaliated against when attacking, since they primarily use a ranged attack. And even then, the Titans have no-melee penalty. Titans also deal 150% damage against Black Dragons.

=== Efficiency and cost ===
Giants are very unimpressive 7th level creatures, and may not be worth the gold until your Cloud Temple sees an upgrade, especially due to their low health, defense and likelihood of being targeted by the AI. Titans, on the other hand, stand strong as one of the most powerful creatures in the game, boasting the highest health and max damage for an unit that is not neutral. However, here comes their only weakness: their creature and dwelling upgrade cost. The Titans are 1000 {{g}} more expensive than a [[Black Dragon]] with similar stats and 1 {{gem}} less than an [[Archangel]]. The dwelling upgrade is also expensive in itself, but unlike other level 7 dwellings, you only pay a little price for the base dwelling (allowing you to accumulate more units earlier), and pay the rest of the resources with the upgrade.

=== Tactics ===
If your hero happens to be an expert in [[Earth Magic]] with [[slow]] you will be able to dismantle a majority of neutral creatures (not necessarily with the help of [[mages]]) before they can land a blow. Additionally - with their [[Mind Spells|mind spell immunity]], Titans will not fall prey to the [[Forgetfulness]], [[Blind]] and [[Berserk]] spells. Even in melee combat, your Titans should lead you to victory in a wide range of combat match-ups.

Both Giants and Titans are strongly affected by [[Bless]] and [[Curse]], as these spells change their average damage by 20% to 60 or 40 respectively.

[[Precision]] is a decent buff to cast on Titans. [[Bloodlust]] works on both Giants and Titans, but only in melee.

[[Stone Skin]] and [[Shield]] bring their defenses up to the level of [[Archangel]]s.

[[Air Shield]] might see some use, but it's rare for Titans to be really threatened in ranged combat, as they are the strongest ranged unit in game.

[[Prayer]] is of limited use, as Titans don't really need more speed being ranged troops, unless this increase grants you first turn or lets you act before the opponent, but Attack and Defense buff is good as Titans have only 24 in both stats.

[[Mirth]] and [[Fortune]] are a gamble, because the chance of good [[morale]] and [[luck]] occurring is relatively low, but when Titans do get another turn or deal double damage it's usually devastating because they hit very hard already. Prioritize more reliable spells over these, but if [[Master Genie]]s cast them on Titans, they're good too.

Giants are vulnerable to direct damage spells as they have only 150 [[Health|HP]]. Their [[Defense]] isn't good either, being just 16.

Against Titans, it's recommended to attack them with all you've got before they start destroying your army, especially shooters. They should be targeted by offensive spells in the early game, like [[Implosion]]. However, keep in mind that they aren't affected by either [[Blind]] nor [[Berserk]]. You can also target them with [[Black Dragon|Black Dragons]] for 150% damage, if you are sure to lower their numbers a lot, but this is riskier than having your Titans attack Black Dragons, since you probably won't be able to resurrect your dragons unless you have the [[Orb of Vulnerability]] equipped.

Titans have relatively low [[Attack]] and [[Defense]] values, but more than make up for it in [[health]] and [[damage]]. Spells like [[Weakness]] and [[Disrupting Ray]] are very effective on them. [[Curse]] works well too, as it takes away 1/3rd of their great damage potential. [[Slow]] doesn't make much difference, as they can shoot.

[[Air Shield]] is good protection for your troops against Titans' ranged attack if you cannot stop them from shooting and cannot reach them with your own melee troops, especially with Advanced or Expert [[Air Magic]]. [[Stone Skin]] is more universal protection as [[Defense]] increase, but if you can force enemy Titans into melee, [[Shield]] is better.

If strong melee troop is attacking your Titans, consider using [[Fire Shield]] as its damage is not mitigated by Defense and does not depend on Titans being able to retaliate. Otherwise spells that improve their output might be better, as Titans are ranged troops with sizable number of shots.

[[Slayer]] is of very limited use against Giants and Titans, as the spell requires Expert [[Fire Magic]] to have an effect against them. Titans themselves can reliably kill any other level 7th unit in straight-out combat except [[Haspid]]s and [[Arch Devil]]s, but +8 Attack is nothing to sneeze at, as it can mean +40% damage bonus.

[[Clone]] requires Expert [[Water Magic]] to work on Giants and Titans.

If you also have [[Genie and Master Genie|Master Genies]] in army, Titans should be top priority target to cast spells on, as buffs like [[Bless]] or [[Prayer]] greatly increase their power while letting your hero cast other spells. Consider splitting Master Genies into several stacks, as their spells' power and duration are not dependent on number of Master Genies in stack, and in case of emergency you can sacrifice Master Genies to take counterattacks for Titans or block enemy ranged stacks from shooting back. Most of the spells mentioned above are in Master Genies spell list, so your Titans should have at least some useful spells active.

===Skill bonuses ===
A hero with [[Archery]] as a skill would be very efficient, increasing the Titans' damage output more than [[Offense]] would to other level 7 creatures ([[Archery]] also has damage bonus artifacts, unlike [[Offense]]), making them deal 150% damage in ranged attacks with [[Archery|Expert Archery]]. With [[Bow of the Sharpshooter]], all of their melee attacks will be ranged attacks, without chance of being retaliated against, except for their own retaliations which will be regular melee attacks. The artifact also adds a 30% bonus to ranged damage, which will make Titans inflict 180% damage with it and [[Archery|Expert Archery]], almost double than the base damage. [[Orrin]] is probably the best hero to use with Titans, as his specialty increases [[Archery]] damage bonus even more.

=== Semantics ===
Together with the [[Black Dragon]], the Titan has become a symbol of the Heroes series since it first appeared in Heroes of Might and Magic II: The Succession Wars.

=== Others ===
Titans are one of the two upgraded tier 7 units that occupy one hex, the other being [[Arch Devil]]. They are also living constructs, being able to be resurrected, unlike [[Stone Golem and Iron Golem|golems]] and [[Stone Gargoyle and Obsidian Gargoyle|gargoyles]], but similar to the [[Crystal Dragon]].

== Trivia ==

The ability to [[Hate|"burn with anger" and do extra damage]] to Black Dragons is likely a reference to 3DO's previous title Heroes of Might and Magic II. In that game, the Wizard and Warlock were widely considered to be the strongest heroes and there was some debate among players as to the single strongest 6th level creature. It is also probably because they are supposed to be the opposite of "chaos", the Black Dragon, being created by the wizards with the scope of slaying them.

In one-on-one combat with no stats bonus or defend, a Black Dragon barely defeats a single Titan. However, a difference of 1 more attack or defense for the Titan makes them win instead. Spells like [[Shield]], [[Bless]] and [[Slayer]] have even more drastic effect.

While an [[Archangel]] will normally defeat a Titan one-on-one, the Titan can reliably win by defending 4 times and then attacking. Defending reduces the damage done by the [[Archangel]] and the additional 50 HP enables the Titan to land the killing blow on round 5. This defense technique also allows the Titan to defeat a [[Black Dragon]] purely by counterattacks.

Titans are the only town-aligned unit in {{sod}} that can reliably take an equal number of [[Behemoth and Ancient Behemoth|Ancient Behemoths]] head-on and win. This is because of their unique combination of ranged attack, superior speed, 300 HP, decent Attack and tremendous damage. Ranged attack and being slightly faster allows them to score ranged hits before Ancient Behemoths even reach melee, high Attack and Damage mean Ancient Behemoths take a lot of damage, possibly even more than they themselves dish out, and high Health is the best defense as Ancient Behemoths ignore most of opponent's Defense stat anyway. Slight speed advantage also lets Titans kite Ancient Behemoths to some extent, allowing more hits free of retaliation.

Comparing the Titans and Giants in the in-game cutscenes, fans estimate they are ~20 metres tall.

{{creature 'see also'}}

[[Category: Creatures]]