Newbie looking for some help

[7h30n]

Hello!

I recently started playing HoMMV and I have troubles beating the AI.

To summarize I suck at everything ... killing neutrals etc.

Could you recommend me a good town, some strategies ?

I have hamachi so if anyone is willing to teach me by playing with me, just let me now.

P.S. Sorry if I broke any (posting/topic) rules, and I hope I'm not bothering you with these newb questions

[Asheera]

You know there's the Easy difficulty which is rather... easy Maybe you should start with that

[7h30n]

Yeah but that difficulty isn't in (vanilla) HoMMV ...

Anyways besides HoMMV I do have TotE, and yes Easy is so Easy I don't consider it at all.

It's wierd how Easy and Normal are so different (atleast for me)

[Asheera]

Yeah but that difficulty isn't in (vanilla) HoMMV ...

Yes it is if you patch it

[Metathron]

Hi.

So on easy you have no difficulties, but on normal everything falls apart? What exactly gives you problems? I don't think the neutrals should be that much bigger so as to cause you considerably more grief, and the AI only starts to cheat on Hard...

[7h30n]

Well, AI rushes me quiet fast, and I lose way to much army on neutrals.

On easy I can safely amass a huge army through few weeks without him coming ...

Actually what I need are some build orders and tactics relating on how to getting rid of neutrals and what mines to get.

How should I explore the map? Go in one direction with my main hero and fighting only I can win, or go looking for mines and doing circles around the town? How many secundary heroes I need, and what to do with them?
(I usually have 2 heroes, 1 is main other is constantly travelling between the main one and the city -> transfering armies)

Rofl, and I recently discovered that when I surrender I save all the creatures.

What are hit n run tactics with Dungeon? Is it when you go with one hero, cast some powerfull spell (like armagedon) and flee/surrender ?

[KiOwA]

Hire a second hero on the first day (build a tavern if it isn't already up) and give his/her army to your primary hero. Your primary hero should do the fighting while your secondary follows behind and flags mines, picks up stuff, etc.

Pick fights only with melee neutrals, preferably slow walkers like zombies or peasants. Let them come to you, the wait button is very useful because your units only lose 1/2 of their initiative. Gang up on one stack and focus your attention on it. You can split some of your army into 1-unit stacks - use these stacks to attack an enemy unit to take their retaliation, then have the rest of your army wail on them.

[7h30n]

Hmm, this 1-stack retalition soakers is interesting.
Thanks!

What about mines that are guarded with ranged ones or fast (and upgraded) melee units. Do I wait for next week?

[Asheera]

Hire a second hero on the first day (build a tavern if it isn't already up) and give his/her army to your primary hero. Your primary hero should do the fighting while your secondary follows behind and flags mines, picks up stuff, etc.

Only that I also like to hire a third hero in week 2 day 1 to handle some traveling from the town to the main hero, etc.

[KiOwA]

Only that I also like to hire a third hero in week 2 day 1 to handle some traveling from the town to the main hero, etc.

I'd always thought if I did that I'd run out of gold too fast to keep building creature dwellings... but perhaps I should try that in future games. I've been noticing recently gold mines have a tendency to be guarded by neutral shooters

Hmm, this 1-stack retalition soakers is interesting.
Thanks!

What about mines that are guarded with ranged ones or fast (and upgraded) melee units. Do I wait for next week?

Fast melee units can be handled in a pinch, but unless your hero has good spellpower and can spam either Eldritch Arrow or better still, Ice Bolt, you're better off leaving them 'til you can rouse up some serious ranged firepower.

Ranged neutrals are a bummer to handle without loosing units - my advice is to look for easier opportunities unless they're *gasp* guarding the gold mines! Last tip, STAY AWAY from druids and hunters (Sylvan Level 3 and 4 shooters). They will eat your early army alive for breakfast.

[Asheera]

Hmm, I do have money to build dwellings, but mainly because I play with Dungeon which is not a "might" faction and doesn't need many troops to clear out neutrals (only Furies and Stalkers), the others I just let them "grow" in my castle

I don't know if Haven has enough money though...

[7h30n]

@ Kiowa

Heh, yes Druids, and those Fortress's Rune Keepers

Hmm, my preffered faction is Inferno ... so that is a problem
I like Dungeon, I guess I'll use them more

[KiOwA]

Hmm, I do have money to build dwellings, but mainly because I play with Dungeon which is not a "might" faction and doesn't need many troops to clear out neutrals (only Furies and Stalkers), the others I just let them "grow" in my castle

I don't know if Haven has enough money though...

I like to play Necropolis, the Dark Energy system is very well implemented imho. Late on the number of points available seem too few, but usually by then I don't really need the extra reinforcements anyway.

Anyway, Necros suffer from the fact that even though they're a might faction, early play necessitates heavy use of spells to support your skellies and zombies. I never have enough mana on my necromancer...

Haven is like the U.S. of A. today - just can't get enough cash. Haven buildings and units somehow seem a little more expensive, and their racial ability depends heavily on gold.

[KiOwA]

@ Kiowa

Heh, yes Druids, and those Fortress's Rune Keepers

Hmm, my preffered faction is Inferno ... so that is a problem
I like Dungeon, I guess I'll use them more

Inferno is hard to creep early with - don't worry, it's not just you. Early on, Gating is just too slow and too few units.

Oh yeah, almost forgot about the Rune Keepers - tough sons of guns. When fighting neutral stacks of them, remember to spread your units out, because their crossfire ability can make mincemeat of bunched units.

Dungeon is good, but keep an eye on your furies, because they're your best weapon and also your most vulnerable. The AI just loves to run straight for them.

[7h30n]

One more question (at least for now): How to get ultimate level of (town special) skill

Oh, and a question which hasn't been answered:
"What are hit n run tactics with Dungeon? Is it when you go with one hero, cast some powerfull spell (like armagedon) and flee/surrender ?"

[Asheera]

To get the Ultimate skill of the Hero, you'll need the Pendant of Mastery artifact AND that skill taken to Expert Level.

To get the Ultimate ability of the Hero, you don't have to do anything special, apart from taking some skills/abilities who are prerequisites for that Ultimate Ability (prerequisites are town specific and you can see them in the Skill Wheel)


Oh and Hit and Run means that you enter the Battlefield with 7 stacks of 1 Fury and cast as many destructive spells (but NOT armageddon because it will kill your Furies as well) as possible at the enemy before fleeing, thus weakening the enemy hero A LOT while you lose nothing. It's a cheap trick and abuse, and often it is "banned" by an agreement between the players.

[Wolfsburg]

For Ultimate skill clarifying check THIS out.

For Hit-and-run clarifying, try THIS out

[Asheera]

For Ultimate skill clarifying check THIS out.

Just make sure you don't take danhvo's post seriously

[7h30n]

Thanks a LOT!

Lol @ danhvo's post

[zero cool]

I have the same problem. Being somewhat new to HOMMV, I struggle with the inferno campaign mission 3. I don't have problems with neutrals much except with some elementals.

It seem that if I attack early I take to many casualties with elementals guarding the way and if I hold back to build up my army the AI just tramples me. Once I actually managed to defeat the AI army by hiding in one of my towns, lost nearly all my army. Not 4 days later an even bigger AI army came and wiped me out.

I don't know what to try next, any help would be useful. Oh, and I play on normal.