Which spells do folks consider worth learning or upgrading ?

[Renevent]

I have a level 19 mage, and my most used spell is definetly fire rain. I have mostly +int and + mana items (archmage staff, ect) and married the frog princess (+3 int). The spell does like 2500 fire damage in a very large radius, and with level 3 skill that allows you to cast spells twice a round for 3 rounds, I can lay down massive damage in the first 3 rounds. Most armies never even get a single unit to me. It would be even better, but I think I got shafted on the attribute selections in between leveling. I think I got offered +int like twice...kinda wierd for a mage. I do have like 20 defense though

Also, a good tactice is to hire a very fast unit with good initiative. The canoneers are a good example. With a damage focused mage it's extremely important to get the first shot. I usually kill anything that can hit me from a distance first, then concentrate on any melee types.

Ice Snake is excellent until you find fire rain...it has a higher damage to the center monster, but the aoe damage is much weaker. It also has a smaller radius and forces you to cast on a target, instead of anywhere. It's good for things like killing those goblin towers though.

Fireball is also good early on, but is just too weak later in the game.

Fire arrow is very nice considering it's mana cost...though I only use it after I have casted fire rain 6 times (2 per round = 120 mana ouch!).

Poison skull is really hit or miss...it has a high max damage...but the min damage is pitifully low. It's really like gambling

If you haven't noticed...I pretty much just made a damage type mage. It was kinda hard in the start to mid game, but once you get the skill that allows multiple spells per round, lots of mana, and fire rain you pretty much decimate anything.

[player1]

As mage with high intellect, it's obvious that I prefer damage spells from destruction school a lot, so I there is no need to much anything more about them.

Chaos school has also good debuff called Weakness, which is Mass spell when upgraded to 3rd level. Great in situations when enemy army is so big that damage spells would less reduce enemy attack potential then weakness itself.

From other schools, I always found Ressurection useful to keep loses to minimum if possible.

Magic Axe is useful too, early in game when you need to single out one target, and fire arrow is too weak.

Also Geyser is great spell if you can spare leveling Distortion school, since it will affect multiple targets (uo to 8 at 3rd level) without hitting any of your troops.

[Namel]

I am liking distortion spells more and more.
-Trap is great, does huge damage and takes all their action points.
-Phantom is excellent
-Hypnosis is ok if you find right sized stack
-Magic Spring is must for longer fights for non mage.
-Ghost blade is pretty good single target damage spell
-Geysir is area damage spell that you are guaranteed to get so you can count having it.

For warrior I am getting distortion 3 first. For mage chaos first is probably best since you have fireball from start.

[LiveInABox]

I finished it as a warrior and Phantom was the spell i used the most. definitely worth upgrading to level 3. also used mass bless alot, dragon arrows and Beserk which is an awesome spell. Resurection, haste and dispell came in handy as well.

[Metathron]

Originally Posted by phoenixreborn

I'm rather fond of Summon Phoenix. I got it pretty early, level 9 and upgraded it to third level. It helps with enemy shooters. I also like that it rebirths.

I quite like it too, but on the other hand I find it dissappointing that the phoenix is too weak even at level 3. Maybe I expected more from the spell, especially for 30 mana (playing as warrior).

[Tamaki]

Well I have a level 13 mage, FINALLY got enough magic runes for the twice per turn casting skill (I seem to find only might runes... I have no idea what to do with all those lol), and I got Chaos spells level 3, and I just found Demon Gate!
So yeah, I totally LOVE Demon Gate! I summon like 41 demons or demonesses or 5 Archdemons or how they are called, etc. It's basically bye bye enemy from there.

I like the distortion school as well, but since I have so few mind/magic runes I dunno if it's wise to upgrade... You guys say the order school with mass bless etc. is essential later on? Hmmm well I'll see. Maybe the runes will even out in the end.

In my stack I have 23 shamans, 23 evil beholders, 23 archimages and sea dogs and pirates (I am on the islands of freedom). They don't even get to me now, which is really sweet.

I haven't found a LOT of the spells that to me seem really great, like Geyser, hypnotize, ressurection (!), fire rain, phantom, lightning, pigmy, etc.

Also I read Royal Snakes rock... I believe that, but in my game I cannot get them anywhere.

I do however LOVE this, because you are forced to improvise and use what is there for you to the best of your abilities. This makes you develop new strategies etc. whenever you come in a new territory or the troops run out or something.

When I first came to the Freedom Isles I got whipped... hard. I was throwing my troops at them like there was no tomorrow...
But now I adapted, got a new spell (demon gate), changed my units and strategy and I rule now

Love the game!

So my best spell: Demon Gate!
After that: Ice Snakes: love the slow-effect.
After that: Fire Arrow (when they stand close to your troops)
After that: Fireball
After that: ... well it all depends on the circumstances anyhow

A few questions: How do you feed that Evil Book? I think it's a waste.. it won't feed on large stacks (above, what, 200 leadership??) and besides, I have no way of ressing units (my only 23 inquisitors I ever found are dead already , I tried for a long time to keep them alive as much as possible but they got killed in the end).
I love my archimages and do my best to keep them alive since I have only 28 left to restock (in two different places far between).

Uh got sidetracked...

How do you feed evil book?
Is grease mist worth it?
Do you use Doom?
Is Plague worth it?

Thanks and greetings!

[bsctgod]

Level 27 Mage right now. I use the following spells frequently.

Battlecry - Mass
Haste - Mass
Healing - For dragons and giants in my army
Blessing
Dragon Slayer - Mass
Resurrection
Slow
Pain Mirror - My only damage spell after hitting Haas Labyrinth.
Trap - Combine with Emerald Dragon talent
Magic Shackles - Mass - Necessary for those obnoxious Demon armies
Blind
Hypnosis - Only used in conjunction with Sacrifice
Sacrifice

[Gatts]

Originally Posted by bsctgod

Level 27 Mage right now. I use the following spells frequently.

Battlecry - Mass
Haste - Mass
Healing - For dragons and giants in my army
Blessing
Dragon Slayer - Mass
Resurrection
Slow
Pain Mirror - My only damage spell after hitting Haas Labyrinth.
Trap - Combine with Emerald Dragon talent
Magic Shackles - Mass - Necessary for those obnoxious Demon armies
Blind
Hypnosis - Only used in conjunction with Sacrifice
Sacrifice

Good you mention Hypnosis / sacrificy - I was always thinking about this combination - but never got real chance of leveling up both of them so:

- Can you sacrifice hypontized enemy unit to increase your own?

BTW - I realized that BLIND works on undead - WOW

Also I see you don't like phantom that much - well maybe it is not as liked as I would expect

[bsctgod]

Originally Posted by Gatts

Good you mention Hypnosis / sacrificy - I was always thinking about this combination - but never got real chance of leveling up both of them so:

- Can you sacrifice hypontized enemy unit to increase your own?

Yup. I used it to raise full armies of Hunters, Inquisitors, and Orc Veterans when I didn't have ample sources of each. I'd go clean up on all those Unique Pirates in the Isles I left behind.

Originally Posted by Gatts

BTW - I realized that BLIND works on undead - WOW

I wasn't aware of this. I assumed it didn't so I never used it on undead. I was thinking of using that Sheep spell on undead but my only seller of the spell was in the Demon lands, which I had already closed behind.

Originally Posted by Gatts

Also I see you don't like phantom that much - well maybe it is not as liked as I would expect

I don't know, I just never incorporated Phantom into my playstyle. I didn't think Pain Mirror would be any good until I started doing 8-10K+ damage castings for only 10 mana. You never know.

[Gatts]

Phantom used to be very powerfull spell - that is why many multiplayer games "balanced" / downpowered it (so the phantom image would disapper after first hit - or that the phantom image has "ghost" form - could be missed by 50% chance, but can't dodge fireball) - it was this "balance" that made it less used in battles (Still I remember how I doubled my archangels in HOMM 3 and smashed the strongest enemy stack into pieces of babycry tears)

Here I love that the phantom has all skills/abilities of original (normally it does not have the abilities/ sometime it even does not have special skills - like life stealing etc)

I also like that it has full health (each from phantom unit has normal health of original unit - not less, not 1... )

So my phantom ghosts/phantom vamps can deliver nice fight (also that many spells work on phantom units - like stone skin, magic spring... many games prevent this as they don't take phantom as normal unit - but as spell/ability)

To prove the phantom usefull:
You like undead army? (I do) and wonder how beat Korador with few loses?
1.) Magic Shacle (to remove "dispall" arrows from skell archers - best would be if you fight only one stack of archers
2.) phantom ghosts (if you are not playing for mage - you should first use phantom - let the fly behind your enemy - to attract them - but this would tottally change my strategy)
3.)If you place the ghosts correctly - you should gain even "desorientation" effect and cause AI to get somehow "lost" in da battle
4.) Stoneskin on your Phantom Ghosts (If you placed the phantom gost wrongly - too far - you may experience that you have no phantom ghosts anymore )
5.) - even as archers and necromancers my shoot behind your phantom ghost --- the loses should not be that great... also archers tend to shoot your army that is nearest -> what is phantom ghost
6.) place magic spring on them (or create new stack if your first phantom is killed) + combine it with "hit and run" tactics - wait with vamps / your real ghosts, hit enemy and as you should start first - Undead Commander skill -> return back
7.) If you can still cast 2 spells even in second round (on Impossible I usually can't) - now you can go for some damage spells (remove archers/necromancers) - let your necromancers to use their necro call on enemy dead (if any) - and again - could be ghosts / cursed ghosts and you may consider enchant them with stone skin again...

as stone skin is cumulative (not like dead armom) with natural defences - your ghosts will have 90% PHY resistance and 50% poison resistance (necromancers have half phy/half magic... still do little real damage) - your stoneskinned ghosts are REAL tank units ...

Why is Phantom so important? - When using BAIT tactics - you have to hand over someone for real damage - non phantom ghosts would not only suffer, also they could not participate on "hit and run" tactics... + enemy shooters have increase random max roll - as you have more stacks, enemy tank units go crazy for your bait, enemy casters usually hate phantom and want to remove it ASAP -> that is why phantom works better as BAIT than normal unit (well, there is this one "Improve AI" MOD - which would probably negate this tactic in huge extend)