Dark Side: One Race unit combinations(besides split stacks)

[BB Shockwave]

Are there no Executioners in Dark Side? Also, I'd use Cerberi instead of the Blood Priestess who is just as slow and does basically the same stuff as the Demoness, except for a weak Sacrifice.

[Zechnophobe]

It is by no means a weak sacrifice. Later on I was using it to make a dozen dragons at a time. It scales based off the size of the stack, as opposed to your intelligence. Late game they do some serious troop making. Combo with demons and archdemons for a large number of summons (you can sacrifice them).

[Shadowcran]

Executioners just don't fit the mold when, as a demon army, you're short on resurrection.

Also, that sacrifice ability is very effective. You have to be careful with it as it'll make way too many to the point the stack becomes an enemy. Of course, it's best used with summoned units, something the spell "sacrifice" won't do. Also, later on bleeding can be very effective.

Also, to really use Demons well, you must try for no traps on the field at all by avoiding "diversions". You have no control over summoned demons at all and I swear, they seem to be magnetized to the traps and seem to go out of their way to hit one. Same thing with Ziogyns. You can avoid making Ziogyns of your own by simply not having a single undead unit in your army. Then you'll only see them vs undead. Also, If your army is Undead, Ziogyns are your buddy.

Executioners are viable only when you get the dark version of the resurrection spell. Before that, you'll mostly have to eat their losses. Traps are also a problem for them as they simply get in their way.

What I would appreciate is someone designing a Orc army for me. I've been experimenting with the Orc Scouts after obtaining them and they're pretty good, even in a mixed army. Not 'great' but pretty good. I'm sure the Shaman make the cut as well, especially now that you seem to be able to use the axes every single turn, albeit they're weaker in this version.

1. Orc scout
2. Shaman
3. Orc Chieftain
4. Goblin with catapult
5. ?

[Zechnophobe]

All orcs are tough, because they don't have any way to bring back the dead, and their tier 5's aren't super tanky(at least they have two of them!). I'd probably do both tier 5 orcs, shamans, hyena rider dudes and... maybe veteran orcs? Not sure. Catapults can be okay but man... I hate anything that falls over to a black dragon.

I feel like splitting the shamans is probably better than having catapults.

[Shadowcran]

Well, I finally got to really try out the Hyena Riding Orcs. I'm impressed despite their low health. Ideal Orc Army then:

1. Orc Scouts(Wolf Riders)
2. Spirit Talkers(Hyena Riders)
3. Shaman
4. Orc Chieftain
5. Ogre

However, so far, playing the Orc just plain sucks mainly due to Might being 'Rage centric" and the rage abilities aren't that good in total. useful, but not anything to write home about. As to Leadership, I'm not sure, but I think the friggin' Vampire got more per level up. Rage needs:

1. Something to Shield units
2. Something to heal units(at least heal, not resurrect)

As to the Might abilities:
Needs more defense ups
Needs more Attack Ups

Diversions needs a way to play around selecting it. The Traps become nothing more than an annoyance to you more than the enemy. Yeah, the enemy not taking their first turn is useful, but the traps offset that to the point the whole thing stinks.

I'm not enjoying playing the Orc at all. Dependent completely on Rage, it's kind of stupid in the early going when he doesn't have "blackie" for that purpose, isn't it? His starting units suck the biscuit as well. They stink of brittleness.

[Zechnophobe]

Originally Posted by Shadowcran

Well, I finally got to really try out the Hyena Riding Orcs. I'm impressed despite their low health. Ideal Orc Army then:

1. Orc Scouts(Wolf Riders)
2. Spirit Talkers(Hyena Riders)
3. Shaman
4. Orc Chieftain
5. Ogre

However, so far, playing the Orc just plain sucks mainly due to Might being 'Rage centric" and the rage abilities aren't that good in total. useful, but not anything to write home about. As to Leadership, I'm not sure, but I think the friggin' Vampire got more per level up. Rage needs:

Vampire gets 10x level each time he levels up (20, 30, 40). Orc gets 15xlevel, demoness gets 20xlevel. It's interesting because in previous games the 'spirit' character gets the 15, and the 'might' character got 20.

1. Something to Shield units
2. Something to heal units(at least heal, not resurrect)

As to the Might abilities:
Needs more defense ups
Needs more Attack Ups

Rage has a shield, and it's got stupid high damage, with percent damage too. I've not played the way through, but if you can crit with Flame of Passion, it'll be stupidly over powered. Rage allows for two different percent damage dealing abilities! Oh yeah, and that halving ability is amaaazing with aoe damage dealers. Doesn't matter if they do reduced damage to secondary targets, the chance to halve is still the same.

Diversions needs a way to play around selecting it. The Traps become nothing more than an annoyance to you more than the enemy. Yeah, the enemy not taking their first turn is useful, but the traps offset that to the point the whole thing stinks.

I'm not enjoying playing the Orc at all. Dependent completely on Rage, it's kind of stupid in the early going when he doesn't have "blackie" for that purpose, isn't it? His starting units suck the biscuit as well. They stink of brittleness.

Starting orc units are the worst by far. On impossible fighting those three armies that attack at the shelter is... quite harrowing.

I don't know why you hate the traps. I love them so much. You can use them to tactically prevent enemies from attacking. And the chance to lose a first turn makes or breaks a fight sometimes. I prioritize it. Even more as the vampire since your traps hit like trucks.

[Shadowcran]

I don't hate the traps, just that it renders summoned demons worthless. I'm serious, I've seen them ignore the perfect target right in front of them, use all their move to go step into a trap. If they allowed us control over them, then traps would be fine.

As it is, I'm still playing the Orc without bothering with Diversions just to see. I'm an experiment fanatic, even with other games and the Traps makes it hard as hell to experiment with demon armies.

So far, it's going well without Diversions and connected abilities.

Yeah, the early battles with the Orc are nightmares. But if you gut them out, ...

Ok, I've advanced a ton with him and sometimes using 3 or 4 rage abilities a turn. I can run virtually anything with the 3 dragons it seems. Hell, I'm running Blood Priestess and a human stack just to fill it up to capacity for something else to do using Back to Nature. If I didn't fear Ziogyn interference(that's all it does unless you run all undead), I'd run the Necromancer to do his attacks so it can halve a lot more. I may use the Wizards next for that purpose as well and up them with Blood Priestesses. Haven't got Archdemons yet or they'd be there too.