Which spells do folks consider worth learning or upgrading ?

[GreyBeard]

Hello haven't played alot yet to test different skills/spells but I maxed Scouting right off. I am playing a Warrior who is level 5.

Its a huge help to get a idea what the strength of the enemy is especially in early game, really helps cut down on lost battles.

Remember, know thy enemy.

GB

[jWTFz]

Ice snake is pretty damn nasty, great damage,basically a better fireball, but it does tend to weaken a bit later as enemies start having physical damage resistance.

Fireball is a classic, but kina loses it's edge later on.

Bless at Level 3 is awesome, as it becomes mass bless, and raises your armys damage tremendously.

However, I personally prefer the Level 3 Weakness spell... it becomes a mass antibless spell againes enemies... That's right, the entire enemy army suddenly starts hitting for minimum damage. Unfortunatly it's extremely expensive crystal wise (20!)

One underrated gem is actually Flaming Arrow, which may look unimpressive damage wise, until you realise the mana cost does not actually scale. That means in Level 3, it still costs 5 mana, great for sticky situations.

Other than that, Pain Mirror is always a classic, as is Mass Haste and Trap.
And for long battles, Mana spring is essential, just put it on your melee, and watch the mana flow.

I am wondering if I should invest in alchemy now tho, cause that Weakness spell was too damn expensive.

[kennec]

Originally Posted by jWTFz

One underrated gem is actually Flaming Arrow, which may look unimpressive damage wise, until you realise the mana cost does not actually scale. That means in Level 3, it still costs 5 mana, great for sticky situations.

i use it alot to. with +6 mana per turn and using that greasy mist that weakens fire resistance with 47% it do superb damage for 5 mp.

i use it on slow huge stacks.

[Frank]

As a level 22 Warrior, I've used Bless, Weakness, Slow and Haste throughout and I just started on Phantom and Blind (awesome!) recently. At least for my playstyle, Distortion (lvl 2) >> Order (2) >> Chaos (1, used only to burn plants).

I agree with Sandsai that direct damage is less important than tactics in the late game, based on my experience with the Rage Box. I can do a lot of damage with Underground Spikes and Void (or whatever it's called), but it's always best to drop an Ice Ball in front of the enemy's archers instead.

[PHJF]

Fire Rain (infinitely better than fireball)

Ice Snake (for fire resistant enemies like dragons)

Poison Skull (again, for fire-resistant ememies; also potentially does more damage than Fire Arrow)

Pole Axe (really only if you haven't found Ice Snake yet)

Lightning is a massive waste of mana, so ignore it. Damage is actually lower than Ice Snake, yet it costs 15 more mana (and that's WITH archmage's staff).

[Fate]

I would say Phantom and Resurrection. These are my most commonly use spells as a Paladin.

[laffwis]

well i as a mage prefer damaing spells. firstly you can take out a whole bunch in the first to third round, if you have that special mage skill giving you 2 spells a turn.

with that you can take out archers first and then the approaching meelee troops.

this stategy allows you to destroy most your enemies before they can even reach you. im playing on "normal" on lvl 11 and fighting against overpowering enemies withouot loosing much of my troops. thats really a good way to gain xp fast.

[oceanskie]

Pain mirror and haste were definitely the most used spells for my pally

[tritiy]

As a Mage (playing normal), at the later stages of the game, I have found that Magic Trap is the most valuable spell for me. Upgraded to lvl 3 it does cca 3000 points of damage and, even more important, stops the enemy in its tracks.
What is also great is that Trap even works with Dragons (and other flying creatures) and Archdevils (which teleport themselves). You will have to guess where a dragon or archdevil would land for it to be effective but if you are carefull on how you position your troops you might 'lead' them where you want them.
Magic chains (or shackles I am not sure now) on lvl 3 were essential in the deamon land and when facing enemies which rely on their special abilities (giants, necros, demoness . But you must upgrade them to lvl 3 when they are 'mass'.
Gate is another cool spell because, not only does it give you more units in the battle (which is allways good) but they also block the square were they are located for 2 turns so the enemy can not get past it.

From destructive spells the favourites are Geyser and Fire arrow (or flame arrow, can't remember). Ice serpent is also great because it slows down the enemy

[OmegaDestroyer]

Of all the spells in the game, I think Battle Cry is by far the most useful especially against enemy heroes. The level 3 version if incredibly useful if you're stuck with slower units.