H3: What Are the Best First Level Troops?

[Bandobras Took]

The other factions could do the same thing too. The marksman+pikeman rush, the trog rush, the squeletton transformer rush, the grand-elves rush, etc,...

Evidently. But let's say you have 10000 gold to hire heroes. That's 4 heroes. A tower hero before patches would get around 240 Master Gremlins and twelve or so gargoyles.

A castle hero would perhaps get 50 pikemen (on average) and 12-13 Marksmen, and that's only if they started with their level two structure. Otherwise you're talking 50 Halberdiers and 12 or so archers. Either way, they'll be torn apart by the Tower.

No matter what buildings the Tower started with, they could have a throng of ranged troops on the first day. Versus neutrals on large maps (AI stacks which would otherwise fight and inflict serious damage would run away from a throng of anything) or other players on small maps, this was an often insurmountable advantage.

[Gaidal Cain]

The other factions could do the same thing too. The marksman+pikeman rush, the trog rush, the squeletton transformer rush, the grand-elves rush, etc,

I think the only ones really viable rushes were first level ones. Any second level troops you got along the way were a bonus, but not as important.

And I believe part of the rush was not upgrading (all) gremlins, so that they'd work better in melee...

[Justice]

Centaurs are slightly leading with Skeletons and gnolls just behind them.

[Banedon]

On the other hand, it would take the Tower player a few turns to move over to the Castle player's territory, and if he is to force his advantage he will have to siege the castle (or wait outside claiming mines; either way the Castle player will have more than enough time to upgrade his dwellings). But in a castle siege the Gremlins will have 1/4 damage, which would give the Castle player an advantage.

I do believe the Castle player will have more than 15 Marksmen by the time the battle comes to him, too.

[Pacifist]

Well you can rush with Valeska too no?

Anyway, rushing is a poker move. Opponent has many ways to counter it. Don't forget the rushing hero will have almost no magic at all (unless a scholar comes to teach him some spells). A simple blind, cursing spells, damaging spells (with low-level heroes) can whittle the gremlins stacks very easily. It's easier to destroy 2500 gold worth of gremlins than to produce them .

[Bandobras Took]

On the other hand, it would take the Tower player a few turns to move over to the Castle player's territory, and if he is to force his advantage he will have to siege the castle (or wait outside claiming mines; either way the Castle player will have more than enough time to upgrade his dwellings). But in a castle siege the Gremlins will have 1/4 damage, which would give the Castle player an advantage.

I do believe the Castle player will have more than 15 Marksmen by the time the battle comes to him, too.

That doesn't quite hold up; if you can keep your opponent penned in his castle for four or five days, you've crippled him; especially if they're receiving no resources during that time.

[Banedon]

Theorizing here (having never faced such a rush before). It won't be 4-5 days, since it doesn't take that long to reach the required dwellings (like Upg. Fire Lake). Say it's 2-3 days. After this 2-3 days the Tower player's forced to retreat, wherupon the resources he committed to the rush would be wasted. His other heroes would certainly be useful, but they wouldn't be strong enough to claim mines and all.

[Bandobras Took]

A gremlin rush doesn't presuppose a static build; any level one hero can do the job, while you still have a main hero with a real army doing whatever it would normally do.

Also, the Gremlin rush requires nothing but gold. The question of rare resources enters more and more into the picture as the difficulty level goes up.

[Banedon]

Well without the Master Gremlins your armies would be crippled, right?

[Bandobras Took]

Not really, you're talking about the highest-knowledge class in the game. I've been trying out the Tower on Impossible difficulty, and it is viable to have your master gremlins out conquering while a hero stays closer to home and gathers a normal army, relying on magic for ranged support.

[HodgePodge]

This one was harder. For me, it's kinda a three-way-tie between Sprites, Halberdiers & Centuar Captains; but I finally went with Sprites due to their excellent speed & no retaliation.

[Derek]

Not really, you're talking about the highest-knowledge class in the game. I've been trying out the Tower on Impossible difficulty, and it is viable to have your master gremlins out conquering while a hero stays closer to home and gathers a normal army, relying on magic for ranged support.

This is a very good thing for the Tower. I had about 150 master gremlins in week two, and they were more than capable to clear out any neutral stack near me. While the Gremlin guy was out doing his thing, a different hero is at home building an army that is quite formidable. The high knowledge of of the wizard class guarantees that whatever buffs you want to use on your gremlins, haste for example, will be reusable often, and without too much worry.

[[T]osHiro]

Voted for Hobbits....

Not Frodo, but the little ones in the games does pretty heavy damage when I add Precision and Slayer.

[Mihalidis]

Would go with centaurs or gnolls...