It's impossible to play on Hard

[eXeel]

Maybe an overstatement, but alas I feel troubled in my mage-game.

I've reached the 4th island, and killed a few troops there. But the rest are lethal.
On the 3rd island, I still have the cave with sentry robots in it, and maybe a ship too.
On the second island, I almost cleared it.
First island is all clean.

I find it hard to progress. Moving around to find just one to beat. Am I too safe, when I don't attack if I'll lose 10 percent or more of my army? I have around 70,000 gold and it slowly rises.

Should I accept more loses or continue to try and lose under 10 percent?
I have no ressurection spell found...

[eXeel]

I have 1,843 points to recruit off...
My lineup is:
1 of the cyclop-like monsters found on the 3rd island. Who has on melee penalty as archer, can push back and stun.
18 or so Inquisitors.
11 or so polar bears.
27 royal snakes or so.
36 of the human archers from the main keep.

Soon I can get a green emerald dragon. That is my goal, I think.

[mare911]

I am not an expert but i can say from my experience (currently finishing impossible mage game):

As mage you will have hard time until the middle of Verona (in terms of progression)
Once you get more powerful res (paladins) and access to high tier spells game will be walk in the park (most enemies will be shown as lethal/invincible anyway)

P.S. try to get no-lose and trap medals in early game, they are great benefit later

[Urbz]

Originally Posted by mare911

I am not an expert but i can say from my experience (currently finishing impossible mage game):

As mage you will have hard time until the middle of Verona (in terms of progression)
Once you get more powerful res (paladins) and access to high tier spells game will be walk in the park (most enemies will be shown as lethal/invincible anyway)

P.S. try to get no-lose and trap medals in early game, they are great benefit later

This.

Also I would maybe try to switch out a melee unit ( the bears? ) and use for example archmages instead.( their magic shield will help reduce losses on tanks aswell ) Have your gotten the stone from the cave with sentry robots yet? ( you can kite away the boss robot if you're not bothered doing so. Since you will get some leadership bonusses, once from using the item and one after you turn it in and you get access to some new units in some buildings ( maybe paladins if lucky )
Get a main tank unit, cyclops can work ( i quite liked them in my last game ) but for example red or emerald dragons work too, you can let them soak up most hits especially if you buff them with some spells to make them even tougher.
Also in the cave behind zig zag there is a free emerald dragon if you can access it.
If you manage to get another map ( on rusty? ) you will get the map to Verona which is pretty big and has alot of shops where you might get new nice items/units.

Hope this helps you.
Good luck!

[jake21]

My mage game on hard also petered out when I got to verona. The problem is that I couldn't kill the sentries at the edges of verona to get into it; at least not without huge losses.

My chioces on skills might have been poor. I spent most of my runes to up mana regen; now I wonder if i shoudl have spent more runes on things like +int +defense and leadership.

Anyways at the end of the day it wasn't much fun (though I saved it) and restarted on normal. I'll probably do another run on hard later or try to edge on in my current game.

(i've done impossible for all classes with kb-tl).

[ivra]

I have some comments on your troop setup that might help. I always find that the game becomes much easier if you can create some cannon-fodder units that you can place between your 5 stacks and the enemy. There might be more ways of doing this, but currently I can think of the following two:

- Use troops that can summon up new units, like Royal Thorns, Royal Griffins, Necromancers, Choshas, Demons, or Demonologists. I think there are always 3 or 4 Royal Thorns in Debir. At least that has been the case in all the 4 games I have played. Advance the summoned unit as close to the enemy as possible. One of my 5 stacks are always a unit that can summon up a new unit. That ability is too good to be without.
- The Phantom spell is great too. If it is used on the first round on your quickest unit, the phantom unit can normally reach the enemy and if you are lucky the enemy will spend all their firepower on it.

I have found the ability to create more stacks of units useful in all stages of the game. I am currently midway in an impossible mage game and have manged to do it without a single loss so far.

The use of the necromancer is a little tricky but really fun when playing an offencive mage. If your mage is tough enough (high int and 2 spells per round helps) I find that I can normally take out one of the enemy stacks in the first round. Then I can use the necromancer to create an undead stack of that unit. Now I have a cannon-fodder unit in the middle of the enemy, which will guarantied be the target of all their troops. Ranged unit have a tendency of attacking the unit closest to them. Next round I love to place Kamikaze on this unit (if it did not survive, just reraise it) for a good amount of damage to all the surrounding enemies. Up to mid game, the Kamikaze is one of the most potent damage spells.

[eXeel]

mare911,
I had 2 paladins on Bola or what it is called, but haven't found any other. They were great, though! Inquisitors just can't do much ressing alone!

Urbz,
I love the bears a lot for their HP, but I guess my Royal snakes with no retaliation makes up for that. I'll consider this...
I don't feel my archers are that strong either, though. Better ranged than Inqs and the slow is nice, but nothing GREAT. Just lack other ranged...
Will keep Dragons in mind.

The robot underground didn't follow me, maybe I need to get VERY close. Will try! Note to self.

Will try and go to the cave behind Zag Zag, didn't think of that. Just thought it would require a fight, but guess not.

jake21,
I hope I don't have to restart, but I did the same as you. Went fast to one point in Transmute, and then to one point in Meditation. But I don't think more leadership or int/def will help, more like another level for a spell school for more effecient spells!

ivra,
I have 4 Royal Thorns yes, just read they'll die fast to ranged fire. And if I buy them, I can't resupply them for long and when I get more leadership. So it would be only for a short while = waste of money? Unless of course they make me not lose so many troops! Then a good investment

Didn't stumble upon any other summoners, not even royal griffins! Will try and get the the 5th island and the other tips here, let me know if you get more tips!

By the way, how can ANYONE get no losses on impossible?! Isn't it harder than Hard, and even that seems impossible to not lose ANYTHING on?!

[Elwin]

well answer for last qiestion is veeery long and was answered on this forum mant times .. read impossible challenge topic. I did it on hard with not even a single problem ~~

[eXeel]

I found out I had the bowmen (the archers from the first castle), I thought they were the upgrade of the normal archers. So I turned in 50 of the needed, for the key to the cave, where I got some items and the free dragon and enough leadership to use it.

Then I kited a pirate away on Rusty to get the map for Tekron, so now I'm there, running around gathering stuff.
My bears went away for the green dragon, so I'm up and running!

By the way, the dwarf that's been everywhere in the world on Tekron, is selling two dragon eggs of red, green (?) and black for 2.000 each. That is a great price, isnt it?! 10.000 normally?

EDIT: Oh, just read they were chickens:
http://forum.1cpublishing.eu/showthread.php?t=12159

[Elwin]

not realy, you wont get dragons from this eggs its fake