[dom4] Themiskyra Advice Wanted
Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2015 10:44 pm
So I'm still relatively new to Dominions 4, and for whatever reason I've decided to play MA Themiskyra. And I thought I'd get some advice on several issues:
* Pretender Design, Magic Paths
Themiskyra has lots of sacred troops, so it seems that a Pretender with a 1-3 paths at a high level would be really good. But it also has a lot of (crappy) magical diversity, so a mid-rank rainbow might help for finding gems. Which is better? And if I go for a blesser, which paths are best? Right now, I'm playing a rainbow with a modest A4 and empowering myself later, but it doesn't feel optimal.
* Pretender Design, Scales
I really don't know what I want here. I'm perpetually broke because the sacreds are expensive, so Order + Productivity seems useful. But my magic research is meh, so maybe more Magic? Luck always seems useful, except I get Crystal Seers to resist the effects of bad luck.
* Magical Research Priorities
I'm pushing levels 3-4 of Thaumaturgy, Alteration, and Enchantment in no particular order. Is there some hugely effective spell I should be aiming for?
* Leader selection
So normally I build a couple of combat leaders (1-2 Warrior Princesses, 1-2 Gryphon Priestesses, 1-2 Warrior Sorcerers), a Crystal Seer, and a bunch of Jade Sorcerers (for research) in my capital until I get a second fort complex, and then I shift to a mix of sorcerer types for more effecient research and path variety. I set up 1-2 armies with the Warrior Princesses and Warrior Sorcerers and use the Gryphon Priestesses to ferry in new troops. This works, but maybe I should be doing something else.
* Troop Selection, non-sacreds
I build a bunch of Crystal Amazons and put them in a Skirmish formation behind a line of Jade/Onyx Amazons (or Garnet if I expect to be fighting fiery types). I've pretty much given up on Onyx archers for being too expensive, cap-only, and limited. I don't generally bother recruiting independents, since some kind of amazon is recruitable in most terrains.
* Troop Selection, Pegasus Riders
These are my first sacreds during years 1-3. They're almost affordable (in terms of gold and resources), and they redeploy fast. I set them up either as skirmish archers if I don't have many of them, or as a big block set to strike the rear after I have 30+ of them.
* Troop Selection, Nightmares
After my gold/resources stabilize a bit and I've got a couple of forts up, I shift to recruiting these guys at my frontline forts (Pegasus Riders redeploy faster from the back). I set a block of them to attack closest, and hope that the fear effect will cause the enemy to route before the fatigue kills the nightmares. Should they be attacking the rear instead?
* Troop Selection, Gryphon and Lizard Riders
What the heck are these guys even for? Gryphon riders are more expensive that pegasus riders but don't have a ranged attack, and lizards are... I don't even know.
* Fighting Undead
In my current game, I've got one of the undead empires massing on my borders. How am I supposed to fight these guys? I'm currently building up Onyx Priestesses in the nearest forts and ferrying Sword Maidens down from the capital, but I don't know if this is going to scale against 300+ undead in each of 2-3 armies.
* Summons, Valkyries
This is the only summoning spell I've managed to use consistently. What do I do with these guys? I generally end up throwing them into large pegasus rider blocks, but then they fail a morale check and I have to go pick them up from every adjacent province.
* Summons, Others
Anything else I should be aiming for? I'm generally adverse to using Blood or Death magic, which I understand is a handicap in this game.
* Pretender Design, Magic Paths
Themiskyra has lots of sacred troops, so it seems that a Pretender with a 1-3 paths at a high level would be really good. But it also has a lot of (crappy) magical diversity, so a mid-rank rainbow might help for finding gems. Which is better? And if I go for a blesser, which paths are best? Right now, I'm playing a rainbow with a modest A4 and empowering myself later, but it doesn't feel optimal.
* Pretender Design, Scales
I really don't know what I want here. I'm perpetually broke because the sacreds are expensive, so Order + Productivity seems useful. But my magic research is meh, so maybe more Magic? Luck always seems useful, except I get Crystal Seers to resist the effects of bad luck.
* Magical Research Priorities
I'm pushing levels 3-4 of Thaumaturgy, Alteration, and Enchantment in no particular order. Is there some hugely effective spell I should be aiming for?
* Leader selection
So normally I build a couple of combat leaders (1-2 Warrior Princesses, 1-2 Gryphon Priestesses, 1-2 Warrior Sorcerers), a Crystal Seer, and a bunch of Jade Sorcerers (for research) in my capital until I get a second fort complex, and then I shift to a mix of sorcerer types for more effecient research and path variety. I set up 1-2 armies with the Warrior Princesses and Warrior Sorcerers and use the Gryphon Priestesses to ferry in new troops. This works, but maybe I should be doing something else.
* Troop Selection, non-sacreds
I build a bunch of Crystal Amazons and put them in a Skirmish formation behind a line of Jade/Onyx Amazons (or Garnet if I expect to be fighting fiery types). I've pretty much given up on Onyx archers for being too expensive, cap-only, and limited. I don't generally bother recruiting independents, since some kind of amazon is recruitable in most terrains.
* Troop Selection, Pegasus Riders
These are my first sacreds during years 1-3. They're almost affordable (in terms of gold and resources), and they redeploy fast. I set them up either as skirmish archers if I don't have many of them, or as a big block set to strike the rear after I have 30+ of them.
* Troop Selection, Nightmares
After my gold/resources stabilize a bit and I've got a couple of forts up, I shift to recruiting these guys at my frontline forts (Pegasus Riders redeploy faster from the back). I set a block of them to attack closest, and hope that the fear effect will cause the enemy to route before the fatigue kills the nightmares. Should they be attacking the rear instead?
* Troop Selection, Gryphon and Lizard Riders
What the heck are these guys even for? Gryphon riders are more expensive that pegasus riders but don't have a ranged attack, and lizards are... I don't even know.
* Fighting Undead
In my current game, I've got one of the undead empires massing on my borders. How am I supposed to fight these guys? I'm currently building up Onyx Priestesses in the nearest forts and ferrying Sword Maidens down from the capital, but I don't know if this is going to scale against 300+ undead in each of 2-3 armies.
* Summons, Valkyries
This is the only summoning spell I've managed to use consistently. What do I do with these guys? I generally end up throwing them into large pegasus rider blocks, but then they fail a morale check and I have to go pick them up from every adjacent province.
* Summons, Others
Anything else I should be aiming for? I'm generally adverse to using Blood or Death magic, which I understand is a handicap in this game.