Question about army composition

[Vilk]

Their leadership is very high for a level 4 unit. They are difficult to use because of their unique standard attack and their slow speed. Their ability to attack above obstacle and hit multiple opponents is interesting. Their range ability and high health are interesting stuff.

For example they are interesting like you quote when there are many units but also with obstacle like often in swamps but also like often in pirate islands. They are also very interesting against a stack you slow down. They are a sort of half long range unit quite unique in the game. In the beginning of the game they are excellent units and you are guaranty to find a good amount of them in swamps. During pirate islands they are still good units, priest or archer aren't better for me.

They do a better job of mixing long range and short range than Shaman because range of 3 and movement of 2 give them a sort of fake speed of 5, not really but sort of. I prefer Shaman because of totems and real long range attack more powerful but Shaman can't do the same type of job because Shaman speed of 2 offer you very few opportunity to use their normal attack and that's quite different for Alchemist.

[Metathron]

Use the shaman's normal attack? Why would I need to do that? It happens in about 10% of fights, maybe, when the enemy gets within range and your shaman have no special abilities to use at the moment, so it's hardly a shortcoming. And their melee attack ain't too shabby either.

Bottom line, the shaman sweep the floor with the alchemists.

[Vilk]

I didn't explain me well I also prefer Shaman than Alchemist and yes Shaman are stronger.

In first areas you won't get any Shaman but you are guaranty to get Alchemist for a long use. Even in Pirates Islands you have no guaranty to get Shaman.

Yes Shaman don't use much their normal attack unlike Alchemist that what I tried to explain.

[Metathron]

Actually, in all of my 5 games so far, Shaman were available at the Orc embassy, so maybe I was just lucky? Though I think it's more likely that it's just scripted somehow that there should be a high probability of shaman appearing there as a sold unit.

Also, shaman were available in my last game in the tavern in Arlania, the one where you get the dragon's tooth quest. Granted, there were only two for sale.

[Larsen]

Originally Posted by Cinderfall

I'm a new player playing on Normal difficulty. I'm using the Warrior and I'm about lvl 12. Currently I'm using Knights, Shamans, Inquisitors, Alchemists, and Cannoneers.

It's a good composition if you can afford the resupply of your troops. As it was already mentioned, you will have hard time with inquisitors. A full stack of inqui may be kept when dealing with undeads (in combination with priests).

On harder modes, gold tends to become an issue and a warrior has to find techniques to win battles with minimized or no losses at all, without mana costly spells like resurrect/sacrifice/gift. For this purpose, a warrior needs crowd control and therefore upgraded slow spell (7 mana, speed-2, 3 rounds) is your best friend to my mind. This imply some adjustments on your troops.

For example I would prefer royal snakes before knights (at least up to mid/late level game) since there is no problem to refuel the snakes. This troop works remarkably well when slowing enemy stacks because of the lunge talent. When the talent is upped, snakes can lower strong stacks and be safe from the further enemy movement. When the talent is not ready, snakes can finish off lowered stacks. A warrior can do this without losses. Note that royal snakes have 25% critical chance.

Concerning long-ranged/support units, shamans, cannoners and archmages are excellent units. Evil beholders are also a very good unit if available in the freedom islands or later in the mines, for their crowd control ability and their damage output. Bowmen should not be underestimated. It is true that it is not the best troop on their own but they are easy to refuel and when used with dragon arrows and mass precision (which works too for cannoners) they nicely do their job.

Finally one of my favorite units is the thorn-hunter. The really main disadvantage (and its a big one) is their low initiative, meaning that they will suffer heavy losses if not used wisely. Even if you can afford thorn sprouts, thorn hunters should be used in combination only with onslaught. First round is essential, the round when dealing with ennemy long ranged units. If you are lucky enough, you can even find the crown of balckthorn (not that rare) which gives a nice 100% damage bonus to thorns, transforming your thorn units in a killer machine.

[Vilk]

Originally Posted by Metathron

Actually, in all of my 5 games so far, Shaman were available at the Orc embassy, so maybe I was just lucky? Though I think it's more likely that it's just scripted somehow that there should be a high probability of shaman appearing there as a sold unit.

You was lucky but not a lot. For all units it's somehow scripted and not fully random but pick among a limited set of units with a different probability for each.

I get one game with no Shaman in Islands but in most I get a good stack of them in Orc Ambassy.

In areas before you'll always get Alchemist and an excellent choice for those area, hate them so much to not try them in those areas is not the wisest if you ask me.

[Razorflame]

alchemist are perfeect for darion!

but exchange them as soon as able!!

with alchemist and horseman u can clear whole darion ^^
with ease!

alchemist got alot of hp and got nice bottles

perfect for killing thorns or undead

^^

[BB Shockwave]

I used Alchemists up until the end of the Dwarven lands, then I switched to Shamans. They are both great units, and Alchemists do very well against pretty much all creatures thanks to their versatile potion attacks (though against poison-immune creatures they are not the best choice). However, Shaman offer more options for crowd-control strategy.

You can 100% sure find them at the Dwarven Alchemist in the Marshan swamps, this should be enough until you get to the Creiston Mines - if you run out of them on the Freedom Isles, just kill Lucky James and the Baron Ahey (both are pitifully easy fights) and rush to Kordar where even on the first map you are guaranteed to find some. The guy with the Hyena problems usually sells them.