New player needs some tips

[ost]

Hi.
My first character was a mage that reached level 8-ish or so, then I deleted him to try a Paladin.

I didn't like him as I'm still new to the game and as a hybrid character that I didn't know what to focus on so I ditched him.

Then I started a mage again that reached level 20 and cleared the first place you get to on elf islands, having skipped the demon place since I didn't have any quests there yet.

Reading on the forums I read a post about how awesome Warriors are, so now I started one that is currently level 5. It wasn't just cause it was rumored that he was amazing, but also because the Paladin and Mage seemed a little softboiled and I like the Warrior model better.

So one of the things I don't understand about the awesomeness of the Warrior is his talent tree. The talents seem pretty specialized so that you have to choose what troops you're going to use pretty early on. For me that's a problem since I don't know what to expect towards the end of the game. So in reality perhaps 3-4 of his talents are completely wasted depending on the troops you'll get later on.

Also, I'm taking leadership whenever I can and then alternate between Rage and Attack.

So..
What units are awesome with the warrior or just in general?
What talents are a must-have, and which ones are utterly crap?
Any cool combinations of units and\or items?

How do I proceed in a battle?
On my mage I just blasted away with 2x Lightning or 2x Ice Snakes the first round (only had one level of Higher Magic)

What spells are very usefull and with what combination of units?
Currently I have decided I will go for Distortion Magic first, but are all buff\debuff spells going to be "Mass" at level 3? I'm thinking about spells like Slow, Haste, Dragonslayer, Precision etc.

Also what magics are important to have? I'm debating wether or not to get Order Magic as well for the Mass Bless etc, but not sure if it would be a waste considering I have Distortion Magic and perhaps Chaos Magic would be better to get first (or at all).

Also while playing my mage I read here that spells like Phantom and Pain Mirror were pretty awesome spells, but I'm just not sure how I would use them and if they are worth it over some other spells instead.

I also tried out Sacrifice in combination with Resurrection, but the result was a troop well over my leadership level that went on to almost kill me.

I used to be an avid player of HoMM3, so perhaps what I'm asking is not completely newbie tips, but maybe some intermediate tips on combinations and units. And also tips on how to get trough the different stages of the game and if I should try and sneak out to an area earlier to get cool troops etc. And also how to be a warrior

[Ish]

Originally Posted by ost

Hi.
My first character was a mage that reached level 8-ish or so, then I deleted him to try a Paladin.

I didn't like him as I'm still new to the game and as a hybrid character that I didn't know what to focus on so I ditched him.

Then I started a mage again that reached level 20 and cleared the first place you get to on elf islands, having skipped the demon place since I didn't have any quests there yet.

Reading on the forums I read a post about how awesome Warriors are, so now I started one that is currently level 5. It wasn't just cause it was rumored that he was amazing, but also because the Paladin and Mage seemed a little softboiled and I like the Warrior model better.

So one of the things I don't understand about the awesomeness of the Warrior is his talent tree. The talents seem pretty specialized so that you have to choose what troops you're going to use pretty early on. For me that's a problem since I don't know what to expect towards the end of the game. So in reality perhaps 3-4 of his talents are completely wasted depending on the troops you'll get later on.

Also, I'm taking leadership whenever I can and then alternate between Rage and Attack.

So..
What units are awesome with the warrior or just in general?
What talents are a must-have, and which ones are utterly crap?
Any cool combinations of units and\or items?

How do I proceed in a battle?
On my mage I just blasted away with 2x Lightning or 2x Ice Snakes the first round (only had one level of Higher Magic)

What spells are very usefull and with what combination of units?
Currently I have decided I will go for Distortion Magic first, but are all buff\debuff spells going to be "Mass" at level 3? I'm thinking about spells like Slow, Haste, Dragonslayer, Precision etc.

Also what magics are important to have? I'm debating wether or not to get Order Magic as well for the Mass Bless etc, but not sure if it would be a waste considering I have Distortion Magic and perhaps Chaos Magic would be better to get first (or at all).

Also while playing my mage I read here that spells like Phantom and Pain Mirror were pretty awesome spells, but I'm just not sure how I would use them and if they are worth it over some other spells instead.

I also tried out Sacrifice in combination with Resurrection, but the result was a troop well over my leadership level that went on to almost kill me.

I used to be an avid player of HoMM3, so perhaps what I'm asking is not completely newbie tips, but maybe some intermediate tips on combinations and units. And also tips on how to get trough the different stages of the game and if I should try and sneak out to an area earlier to get cool troops etc. And also how to be a warrior

Firstly, I havent played with a warrior because its such a long game that I think once is enough if you do everything. (approx 95 hours in my paladin impossible game).

With that said, I come from a H3 background too and used my Paladin more as a warrior than as a mage so my tips may be useful to you.

Main spells I used that would be relevant to a warrior were:
Bless (great with elves and good unless using demons in army)
Pain mirror (great if using a troop like fairies which take a lot of damage and then time back them. This is the best way to kill red dragons. There is also an artifact which increases its power.)
Ressurection (goes without saying.. although you will get it a bit later)
Sacrifise (the only chaos spell you will ever want, although its only any good at level 3 and best used on level 5 troops such as green/red dragons.)
Slow/Haste can be useful in some circumstances
Stone skin & Magic spring both good too

I would get distortion first and max that as it has the most useful spells for a warrior. Order doesnt have that much to offer but bless is pretty good especially with sprites/lake fairies.

[skel1977]

I prefer the mage. Seems easier. Fireball is pretty much the only spell you need in the beginning. Just max out leadership in the mind tree and then hit the mage tree.

[Longasc]

Royal Snakes, you can get them in the Marshan Swamp, are great.

I played a Paladin, not a Warrior, but maxing out the Mage tree to get Destroyer is very useful, every damage spell gets boosted considerably.

Definitely, focus on the Mage tree - there are good skills in the Warrior tree and you are a Warrior, so get Frenzy early on.

Do not forget about Order, Nature and Chaos magic. You will want at least 1 level in them to get the spells in your book, think of them as extra abilities. Your asset as warrior is the higher leadership, but you still need magic abilities, even if you are a warrior.

Sacrifice and Resurrection are important and useful spells. I would try to get at least 2 Order Magic to be able to resurrect level 3 troops (your snakes e.g.), too.

[Stepsongrapes]

Originally Posted by ost

Also, I'm taking leadership whenever I can and then alternate between Rage and Attack.

You might consider skipping leadership early on, as the increase is based on your character level. So early leadership picks tend to get you very little benefit (e.g., +60 leadership is going to be almost nothing compared to end level leadership total).

In comparison, stats like Attack are always +1.