New player seeks advice about playing a mage and the tactics for no loss

[Zechnophobe]

Polar bears are decent tanks early game, especially for a paladin. Good HP and defense is nice.

Royal Snakes are THE support unit until you can get dragons. They can do tactical damage during combat and can often keep distance from threats to themselves. Their shelf-life is considerably longer.

[N3MES1S]

Originally Posted by Zechnophobe

Polar bears are decent tanks early game, especially for a paladin. Good HP and defense is nice.

Royal Snakes are THE support unit until you can get dragons. They can do tactical damage during combat and can often keep distance from threats to themselves. Their shelf-life is considerably longer.

Well, once u can get some dragons, i think u will discard almost all level 3-4 troops adquired on early game, like polar bears and royal snakes. But the question is easy, wat u prefer when u are, for example level 40, royal snakes or polar bears? xD.

[kcwong]

I found some nice artifacts and spell combination... and to play it differently than my first Paladin (mostly human troops and royal griffin), I switched to a single stack of Black Knight.

They are obscenely powerful... with proper artifact setups they are near invulnerable to all types of damage, and can hit/crit for just as much. Stoneskin + Hell Breath, Magic Spring, Helpnessless on tougher foes, Haste or Teleport to get them to the targets faster, Eviln to resurrect, the occasion offensive spells (Death Star, Ice Snake, Poison Skull, Flame Arrow and Fireball) to clean up.

I can't imagine how powerful they'd be if I'm not a Mage, but a Warrior with Power of Darkness 3...

Edit: Finished the game, beat all the bosses with a single stack of black knight without loss. Had to let the friendly knight stack to finish Bhaal because Eviln stops my turn... but a no loss victory is a good thing.

I'll give the game a little rest... then I'll try a demon army, or the girl power thing on higher difficulty levels...

[DeRex]

Ok. Yes, the Black Knights are most powerfull units on the game.

I found that one stack of Black Knigts is better than 3 stacks of snakes (green, red, royal)
with 2 Snake rings and 2 Snake boots. Or simply Black Knights are better
than any artefact-completes.

As for the Mage, the spell slow is very effective. And the spell Summon Phoenix,
if anybody is lucky enough to find it somewhere at the begginig of game (first 3,4 islands).

On impossible mode, the Droids are essential, at least in the beginning.

[N3MES1S]

Originally Posted by DeRex

Ok. Yes, the Black Knights are most powerfull units on the game.

I found that one stack of Black Knigts is better than 3 stacks of snakes (green, red, royal)
with 2 Snake rings and 2 Snake boots. Or simply Black Knights are better
than any artefact-completes.

As for the Mage, the spell slow is very effective. And the spell Summon Phoenix,
if anybody is lucky enough to find it somewhere at the begginig of game (first 3,4 islands).

On impossible mode, the Droids are essential, at least in the beginning.

I dont think so. Black Knights are great, but not the most powerful unit in the game. Actually all units are great on specific strategies. I obtained better results with a stack of knights instead of black knights (of course i used a non-undead units spot strategy). Depends on wat kind of game u are playing and wat strategies are u using. I prefer trolls instead of black knights.

And i never used droids on impossible mode, it is just a choice. I can clear the 4 initial islands only with royal snakes and polar bears xD. Once u played a lot of games (and i player a lot on impossible) it doesnt matter wat units do u use at the beginning, cuz the game turns too easy when u have player a loot of games.

[DeRex]

Well, then you are a skillful player.

It much depends how can you ressurect units at the end of a battle.

Black Knights can be reanimated by these elvins, very easily.

I did not played with Black Knights, but i have seen how my brother played with them.

Knights and Paladins, yes these are also very strong. My favorite.

It is also a matter of physical resistance. 30% natural + 25% in artifacts (and Guardian Angel, protector skill) + stone skin 40% = 95%.

It is max! With this resistance, units can figt any other units that deal physical damage.

With Snakes you cannot reach this 95% physical resistance. (only if you use stone skin + divine armor) and that costs a lot of mana.
___________________________

How you ressurect snakes/bears? If you lose some of them. Because you certainly need
the medal of grand strategist, when playing on imposibble mode.
Or you simply do not lose any of them?

[N3MES1S]

Well, i dont use snakes on later islands