Karador and Life Light Spell?

[Helios]

That's a good strategy for maintaining Mana, and a way to save a few Magic Runes! I've been trying to master the art of finishing battles with max Rage and Mana. A bit more frustrating without using Inquisitors the way I am for my current wacky games, but I can still do it pretty well. I can't wait for my Mage game.

I'm surprised you've already beaten Enemen! I always have a hard time with him.

Hopefully Noric will drop something better than a ring. He usually goes through a cycle of four different items. I'm really suspecting his drops are class-based, given that I haven't ever had him drop a ring during Warrior and Paladin testing. Maybe you'll get a Fire Necklace. My Paladin kept getting that really late in the game.

[Vulture]

Well, I was already 15 when beating Enemen. The free quests in Ellinia and Land Of The Dead and clearing Darion made me 15 and I'm still way overpowered ^^ I have something around 11k Ldr as a mage and 26 intellect. Which is funny because I never nuke.

Mage is just too easy. Equip him like a warrior and play him like a warrior, only with the TREMENDOUS advantage of 2 spells per turn. Enemen is a joke with that. Infernal Swap my Vampires with a Necro or Skeleton Archer stack of his using my Demonesses and then just Target and Stone Skin. Timeback in the end of round two, sweep up free kills without retaliation using Ancient Vampire Bats, Royal Snakes and the Distant Attack skill of the Demonesses.

So, I tried setting up my archer play and it's terrible. I really hate the playstyle having no initiative and no melees that go first, attracting the enemy's attention. Most of the time the enemy goes first (Veteran Orcs and Goblins, lolol, they're in my face before I can even act) and is 2 or 3 tiles away. Using Demons as tanks is a terrible idea if you have no Demonesses to teleport them into the enemies' ranks with. And then, again, what would I do with the swapped enemy unit anyway as I have no melee left at my base line ? ^^

Naw-naw, that's not my game. Plus the damage really isn't too impressive. Except that of the Skeleton Archers but that's a given. Elves suck donkey balls once their double shot is out (even with Precision), Hunters are doing alright but not impressive, Cannoneers are just ridiculous. And all that although I have Elven Bow, Sight and Barrel now (3/3 Bowmen Commander, too). I saved before I went to get my archer lineup and that is what I'm going to load next time I play... disappointing, really.

[Helios]

Well that would make Enemen a lot easier. I miss my Demons and Demonesses.

Man, my Archer game may get slaughtered even with editing in a +1 Initiative and Morale bonus to my Archer wife. (I'm deleting Feanora's +3 Int to compensate a bit). I was horrified when I looked at the leadership of units and saw that a level 1 Mage doesn't even have enough leadership to have a Cannoneer. The lack of leadership is going to compound the lack of damage I'll be able to dish out.

[Vulture]

I think a warrior would be a more suitable character for a heavy archer team. But then again, I'd only bring 2 Archers and use Demon and Demoness + Shaman along. And then it's not really effective to wear 3 items that benefit archers only when you could just equip Atk and Ldr instead.

Maybe it's me tho. I like sticking to things I'm used to and have expertise on. As soon as I saw that I don't automatically have initiative (generally playing a Zombie Rina, Dark Commander game with Ancient Vampire Bats makes you become spoiled) I was about to hit F8 already. I decided to finish the battle though, ending up pumping out 60 mana to resurrect what has been hit by the "Running" opponents.
Maybe someone with more patience will have more fun playing that.

[Helios]

I try a Mage and see. I may regret it, though.

[Vulture]

Don't have much time to play atm.

Cleared the Western Islands and got me the Gremlin castle (forgot that the Gladiator Sword in my game is with a Skeleton in the castle (lol? ^^)). The castle is extremely hard to kite so I just decided to clear it instead. I really need the Might Runes asap ><

[Helios]

That skeleton (the one stuck under a fallen wooden beam) has had at item 50% of the time I've played. Never that good, though!

[Vulture]

For me it wasn't the one under the beam this time, it was the one just one room before the final cave with the round shield. It's easily missed.

Done with the Islands now, killed the Kraken in less than 5 rounds with no loss, see screen below. Mage is just too brutal in early and mid-game ^^ It's also easy Rage Spirit leveling with Inquisitors. I just keep Gifting them, producing mass rage while using the Demon's Summons, a Phantom and a charmed (Demoness) male humanoid unit (if available) simultaneously with Magic Spring. I make 60 Mana with one double cast and it's only lvl 2 yet.

I could of course just double-cast Geyser and two-shot-nuke everything or let the Demons retaliate everthing but that doesn't get me my Rage XP :>

Kinda sucky atm because Reaper is already lvl 16 and it still only ranges from 1-3. I have to Time Back the Vampires all the time and can only use the Demons as part of the mana regeneration machine with their Summons. Chargers are at 2 each 8/8 and Lina is 15 I think. I can live with that. Concentration is at lvl 2 which I think it's gonna stay.

Btw I managed to get 9 roasted rats this game Oo The tenth and consecutive ones I was offered didn't show up in the inventory as usually. I really thought it only goes up to 7. Well, I won't complain :> 110 Mana and 70 rage for a lvl 18 Mage is, uhm... extreme I'd say ^^ But then again, I'm wearing the Gladiator Sword, counting the last 5 battles until I get the runes. So ofc I have bigger max rage.

[Helios]

Wow, that's a great explanation of how to milk a situation for Mana and Rage Exp! Printed! (Though I think you forgot the screenshot of the Kraken.)

And that's a crazy amount of Mana and Rage! I guess I need to pester those Dwarves some more for rats. I've never heard of anyone getting more than 7 (8 with the one in the whale)! At a Mage level-up, when presented with Rage vs. Mana, would you take Rage?

And did you invest in Alchemy at all? I can't tell if I'm going to need any help with the crystals since I'm not going to go around nuking everything this time around.

[Vulture]

I have Alchemy 3/3. I just generally like to have a big spell book to be able to react to everything properly and to the fullest extent and upgrading the big spells costs a fortune in crystals. Might have been one point too many, though.

Sorry about the Kraken Screen, attaching it now and adding the Spider Kill which was a joke because the Spider Queen cast spiders exactly ONCE and that was even in round one. One Geyser, all dead but one stack. Rest of the time I just put magic spring on both vampire bats and attacked with summons to get retaliation without losses. Bats sucked themselves full everytime ofc.

As for the question: that greatly depends on the situation and your rage and mana levels. I decide priority-wise. I take a look at both stats and figure out which is too low for my level. I think I was given the exact same choice at lvl 17 or so and I picked rage.

The eighth rat was in the Whale for me, too but while clearing the Islands I went to kill Lucky so I can kill the Kraken and well, the first rat I was offered by one of the Dwarves showed up in my inv and I was able to use it, too :>