Favorite Skill Combinations ...

[Dread Wolf]

This may have been posted elsewhere already, and I have seen several references to skill combinations in other threads, but I'd like to get some type of group ideas on who likes what best ...

For my combinations, please feel free to make better suggestions ...

I personally like to have:

Attack
Defence
War Machines
Light Magic
Summoning Magic

However, I am seriously considering replacing Summoning Magic with Sorcery.

How about you?

[DaemianLucifer]

Logistics is the only must for me.The rest depend on the race.Luck or/and leadership is also what I usually take.War machines are good for sylvan.Summon magic is alway nice to have,but it can be replaced by destruction or light.Dark is also nice,but Ill usually couple it with another school.Sorcery is also good,but it might get replaced by attack or defense.Enlightment I almost never use.

[thecheese]

It generally depends on the race I'm playing. Specific ones come up for specific reasons. Logistics tends to rule supreme, as DL said, and leadership tends to come only if I already have luck and don't want anything else. Don't get me wrong, morale is great, but the secondary skills for the set tend to be better for luck than for leadership. I should note that I love sorcery, and put it in nearly everything. I'm bored, so I'll type them all out for you.

Demon Lord (I tend to take the ultimate line)

Dark Magic - Since I tend to go ultimate, I take master of mind. Mass confusion and slow = lol. Can be interchanged with Light Magic, but they tend to get this less so I usually don't bother. Best used with the demon lord because of his insane knowledge and otherwise dismal spellpower.

Sorcery - I treat Demon Lords more like spell casters than stat boosters, so I need them going more often.

Knight (In general, I tend to play Haven as a defense-oriented Demon army.)

Leadership - I put leadership here specifically because I believe Knights have some of the best Leadership subskills.

Necromancer

Attack - Because Battle Frenzy makes your skeles happy.

Summoning - Not just for raise dead. Necromancers get the second highest spellpower gain over their leveling course. However, unlike the warlocks, they don't have empowered spells, so you can't just rely on them. Thus, the other tree that relies more heavily on spellpower is summoning. Summon Phoenix ftw.

Ranger

I'll start off by saying that I don't like Rangers. Their troops are fine, but I don't like their heroes. In my opinion, it's too hard to focus them. Their town's schools are light and destructive, which are opposite ends on the spellpower/knowledge ratio spectrum. That, and they tend to make you use their physical oriented attacks, which means sorcery is almost a waste, making their magics kind of pointless.

I don't have a ranger specific.

Warlock

Everything that is really good with the warlock is obvious. Logistics, Luck, Destructive Magic, and Sorcery. That leaves one skill slot left. Anything is fine.

Leadership is obviously good. Enlightenment can help your mana shortage and give you more stats. Summoning Magic is good, as it is your other school. Attack and defense are solid. I would NOT reccmend light or dark magic; they're mana taxing and arent as dependant on spellpower.

Wizard

Much like the warlocks, it's hard to make a bad choice. Wizards have more even stats than warlocks, so any school will do. War Machines pose interesting options for the Wizard, and with Leadership, your golems can get positive morale.

[Mightor Magic]

I guess I'm a Might oriented player then.

Haven: Leadership and Light Magic makes for some super hyped troops, Attack and Defense means they live a little longer and hit a little harder. Fifth skill is usually Logistics, sometimes War Machines.

Sylvan: Luck, Attack and Light, the Archer's dream team. Other skills are pointless when compared to these three.

Academy: Enlightenment, always Enlightenment, Magic skill {Destructive, Dark or Summoning} and Attack. Depends on the main Hero for which Magic skill and secondary skills.

Inferno: Attack, Luck and Logistics, possibly War Machines for First Aid Tent and Catapult. Dark Magic or Destructive Magic for a better Hellfire {only Grawl though}. Slow and Blindness spells until I get everyone gated.

Necropolis: Attack, Defense, Dark Magic and Logistics. I'm not a fan of Raise Dead or Phantom Forces.

Dungeon {Might Oriented}: Destuctive, Logistics, Leadership, Attack. Aura of Swiftness with Leadership, Tactics with Attack. Beautiful. Final skill depends on what's offered.

Dungeon {Magic Oriented}: Destructive, Sorcery, Attack, Logistics and Luck. This is actually a weaker combination as the Warlock can't win the tough battles himself. Only build where I see a need for Sorcery.

[Dread Wolf]

I guess what I'm looking for is a general "ultimate" build, reguardless of what race / faction .... (I like to keep things simple so I don't have to memorize different combinations

But I can see that for many, what I have always thought were "must haves", are not used at all by many people here:

Attack for the additional damage
Defense for the reduction of damage
War Machines for increased damage and not losing your machines even if destroyed in combat.

I also tried to get Light Magic for Resurrection and Summoning for Phantom Forces ... but with Sorcery, the hero can learn Phantom Forces as well as some destructive magic (third circle spells) ...

I guess it's also how each of us like to play

[asandir]

i just love war machines, also like to take offence and logistics helps a bunch, magic can be handy, and i also don't mind enlightenment

[Campaigner]

Depends on the hero. Sure, some skills are useful with every faction and herotype but not all. You'll lose efficiency if you always take the same skills with every hero. I'm also one of the few who don't consider Logistics a must. May be since it isn't that useful on Heroic, campaigns and scripted scenarios.

Knight
Leadership, luck, Light Magic, Warmachines and attack.

Leadership comes with every Knight and is very powerful. The abilities are good too.

Luck is insane and a must for me. The abilities range from kinda useful to good depending on heroclass.

Light Magic boosts the Marksmens (which I got in the hundreds) damage to 8-8 which is superb. The abilities make nearly all battles easy.

Warmachines is useful for the Knight because of Trible Ballista. Throw in Catapult or Healting Tent and you're set.

Attack is one of few skills I always take simply because you will be attacking a hell of a lot more then you will be defending.


Demon Lord
If not Deleb, then I'll pass on Warmachines and get Logistics instead

Attack is mandatory since Inferno and Demon Lords are all about attack. Abilities are great too.

Leadership will make your already high initiative troops go even more often. Very powerful. Abilities are useful.

Luck together with Attack and Leadership is insanely powerful. An attackskill 15 Demon Lord with Expert Attack, Leadership and Luck will kill stacks as large as yours in one hit.

Dark Magic is a fine companion since it's the most powerful spellschool in the game (won in a competition on various fansites).
The abilities which turns your crippling spells into massversions are just great. They make your already weak enemies absolutely pathetic. Blind, Frenzy and Puppet Master are for those ultrabig stacks which you cannot defeat in 3-4 normal turns. Those spells will make sure you can.


Necromancer
Since I consider this class overpowered (they can't lose), I can afford to take Logistics. That will also make sieges a walk in the park with familiar ground

I also don't know which spellschool to choose. So I got two different builds depending on which spellschool I choose.
This first build will say I got Summoning Magic.

Summoning Magic is better the more spellpower you got (unlike Dark Magic f.e) so this spellschool is very potent with Necromancers. With Master of Life you'll be able to raise legions of troops with a few castings.

Necromancer is possibly the only class I choose Enligthenment with since it boosts Defence and Spellpower in which spellpower is powerful together with Summoning Magic. Enlightenment and Summoning Magic are a great couple because of this.
But it doesn't stop there. The abilities Lord of the Undead and Intelligence are so very useful to the Necromancer that Enlightenment is an obvious choice with my Summoning Magic build. (Without Dark Magics Spirit Link I need other ways of getting Knowledge and mana).

The last skill which is unique to my Summoning Magic Necromancer is Sorcery. This skill will make me throw spells left and right which is so powerful together with Summoning Magic. The abilities I choose are Arcane Training and Mana Regeneration. They will ensure that I will never run out of mana.

Attack is a must for every Necromancer with a legion of Skeleton Archers under his command. Archery, Battle Frenzy and Tactics are all very good skills for the Undead.

Defence is powerful in this version and abilities associated with it are also very powerful. Great for Necromancers.


That was my magic type of Necromancer. Now for my might type.

Dark Magic: Mass spells are great and the higher tier spells are devastating. A must if I do not go the Summoning Magic route. The associated ability Spirit Link are a must since I don't get Enlightenment or Sorcery. Master of Pain tempting because of the Necromancers high spellpower but I don't know....

Attack is a must have skill because of the abilities Battle Frenzy and Archery. Tactics are powerful as well.

Defence capitalizes on the Necromancers high Defence skill so this skill is good with the Undead.

Luck together with Attack will make your Skeleton Archers and Vampire Lords unstoppable. Dead Mans Curse and Magic Resistance are good too.

Logistics: Yep, good'ol +30% movement points are still useful.


Experimental build: Just had the weirdest idea. A Necromancer without Summoning and Dark Magic! Instead he would have: Sorcery, Enlightenment, Attack, Defence and Logistics.

MAN! I need mores skillslots

[Dark Matter]

Logistics offer sometimes very bad new skills. Navigation and spying aber nothing for my main hero.
Defence imho is always a good choice. HP +2 is (beside Dungeon) allways a great idea to endorse your level 1 units. Dodge can save your day when fighting titans or acadamy in general.

[DaemianLucifer]

Logistics offer sometimes very bad new skills. Navigation and spying aber nothing for my main hero.
Defence imho is always a good choice. HP +2 is (beside Dungeon) allways a great idea to endorse your level 1 units. Dodge can save your day when fighting titans or acadamy in general.

What about power of speed,teleport assault,familiar ground,swift gating,death march and march of the golems?All of those are excelent.As is pathfinding.

[Gaidal Cain]

Logistics offer sometimes very bad new skills. Navigation and spying aber nothing for my main hero.

Navigation most often sucks, but it's not a pre-req for anything, so it can be ignored. Scouting is... less good than pathfinding, but an OK ability nevertheless. As DL pointed out, almost all the secondary abilitiesn are excellent, with Silent Stalker andFamiliar ground as the only possible exceptions- and even then, I find Silent Stalker to be very good- you're basically a walking lookout tower. It can save you a lot of detours.

Power of speed is an attack ability though

[Caradoc]

You never go wrong with Attack and Luck. Leadership pops up some excellent perks.

[HodgePodge]

Offense for more damage & Archery.

Defense for more protection & Vitality.

Light Magic for even more protection.

Destructive Magic for even more damage.

Logistics to outrun the enemy.

But I also like Luck & War Machines … so I need more skill slots too!

[asandir]

ahhh .... it was luck that i was forgetting, so very useful to have

[Grumpy Old Wizard]

What I pick depends on the faction. However, my favorites are logistics, attack (I love shooters) and luck. Too bad there is no drinking skill...

GOW

[asandir]

and what would such a skill deliver in terms of benefits to the hero and/or his/her units?

[DaemianLucifer]

and what would such a skill deliver in terms of benefits to the hero and/or his/her units?

Considering the warcraft heritage,it would bring evasion and flames(remember the panda )

[asandir]

and perhaps a certain amount of dutch courage?

[MrSteamTank]

Logistics is the only must for me.The rest depend on the race.Luck or/and leadership is also what I usually take.War machines are good for sylvan.Summon magic is alway nice to have,but it can be replaced by destruction or light.Dark is also nice,but Ill usually couple it with another school.Sorcery is also good,but it might get replaced by attack or defense.Enlightment I almost never use.

I ALWAYS get logistics first. It's so important. Being able to visit 30% more locations than the other heroes results pretty much in leveling 30% faster. Not to mention being able to flee and chase down enemy heroes when you encounter them.

[asandir]

i almost always pick logistics first as well, i find it oh so useful

[Sir_Toejam]

and what would such a skill deliver in terms of benefits to the hero and/or his/her units?

well, none, really.

...but it sure boosts the morale of the human player.