I am (finally) getting started with Heroes V

[Banedon]

Yeah, it's very late indeed. I've didn't even pay attention to Heroes 5 - how it worked, what skills there are, what the races are, etc - until a few days ago, and now I find out an expansion pack will be out soon T_T So I thought I'd better start this topic to kick-start my Heroes 5 knowledge. I won't be able to play for a few more days yet at least (lots of homework and all), and after that I'll want to try the campaigns, but I would sure appreciate it if someone could tell me the basics. First and foremost...

What town should I specialize in? From my experiences in the other Heroes games, I know I like powerful mid-level Ranged units with an emphasis on overall army speed. I favour Sorceress for Heroes 2 (2 good shooters, two Very Fast creatures, one Ultra Fast, one Fast) and Castle / Rampart for Heroes 3 (both possessing good shooter and a fast level 7). Heroes 4 is a bit of a flux; probably Nature (though in Heroes 4 I just rely on heroes and melee, not much of Ranged). The speed element is still there though, with Phoenixes and Mantii both moving at speed. As for magic...I generally like defensive magic (odd, innit? Fast creatures, offensive might but defensive magic).

So what race suits me back? Help appreciated.

[Shauku]

Sylvan is a clear choice for you!

They have powerful ranged creatures on levels 3 and 4 (Elves and Druids). Sylvan is the fastest Town, but therefore also a little weaker on Hit Points on earlier levels. Their Heroes get a lot of Defence though. Druid is a good caster being both Offencive and Defensive. Druids can cast Endurance (+9 to defense!) and Druid Elders cast the same spell on Expert level (+12 to defence!)

Rangers (Sylvan Heroes) will mostly learn Light Magic or Destructive magic, so you can choose either offensive or defensive magic. Your level 7 is the fastest there is, Green Dragon with initiative of 12 and the upgrade Emerald Dragon with 14!

[vhilhu]

sylvan town looks and sounds Hawaian now. a good thing, IMO.

[mr.hackcrag]

Yes, Sylvan definitely sounds like your faction. However, if you're going to start with the campaigns, I don't think you'll be able to use them for a while. You might want to try some single player maps first to get a feal of things.

Don't forget to check out the skill wheel too. It will help you a lot with getting familiar with building a hero.

[Shuyssar]

All factions are great and fun to play with! Try all of them!

[Mytical]

Have to pretty much agree with the consensus here. Sylvan has great ranged units and taking more deffensive magic with them is not a bad thing. Haven might be a decent second choice.

[Bonzer]

Which would suit you best also depends on game strategy as well as battle tactics. I found the campaign is a good "tutorial" on each of the town types, and also found new ways of playing - different build strategies, as well a different battle tactics.

I would be intersted to hear if you find you have to change your thinking by the time you reach the end.

I know whan I played a couple of SP maps "to get the feel of H5" I had my butt handed to me on a plate by the AI, and we have all heard how sloppy the AI is. By the end of the campaign things had changed...

[Banedon]

I took some time to look over Sylvan and I agree they look very much like my race - but the Emerald Dragons seem a bit weak compared to all the other level 7s in my opinion. I'd rather not have a faction that can't compete late-game (sorry Bandobras Took, but that's why I don't play Fortress much in Heroes 3).

But otherwise the race looks very attractive. I mean, Hunters with Double Shot? Without having to be upgraded? Oh my. Looks brilliant.

[BoardGuest808888]

Hi (haven't visit this forum for a while now),

Well, I believe every downs have their ups. This emerald dragon might not be the strongest creature, but it surely ranks among the speediest, not only in tactical terms, but also in strategic ones. Another plus is you can resurrect them

Sylvan's low ranks are also great at moping up the map, make it easier for you to reach late-game strength before everyone else. Sometimes you don't even need dragons to match others

[mr.hackcrag]

I took some time to look over Sylvan and I agree they look very much like my race - but the Emerald Dragons seem a bit weak compared to all the other level 7s in my opinion.

The most important stat I think is initiative, and those dragons have a lot of it. Don't worry about it too much. They will be fine.

I'd rather not have a faction that can't compete late-game (sorry Bandobras Took, but that's why I don't play Fortress much in Heroes 3).

Hydras have more staying power than any other level7. Nobody ever wants to fight them head on. Gorgons only get stronger and more relentless the more you get of them. Dragonflies grow so fast that they can overwhelm the enemy, and...

Sorry to go off topic, but Fortress great.

[gravyluvr]

I'm in the same/similar boat. I now have HOMM5 - buying on the dip and have loaded it but only played the first campaign scenario. Oddly, I took a break from it to go play a new HOMM4 map and also played a HOMM3 map. I jump around a lot.

Maybe I should try a single map with the sylvan faction too...

I favored Warlocks in HOMM1-2 and favored absolutely nothing in HOMM3 (maybe tower). I fell in love with Nature in HOMM4 and have adopted speed kills strategy so I'm guessing Sylvan's for me as well?

[Killroyan]

Banedon, you are quite wrong with the emerald dragons looking weak IMHO. First of all it is the fastest level 7 unit in the game with also the highest speed meaning this is the best first strike and strike hard unit. Especially with nature's luck you will normally get with sylvans and the breath attack you have a very good chance to take completely out 1 of the shooter stacks before anybody can act. The dragons can be devastating.

The dragons only have 2 weak points. First is their low defense. With only 27 defense it is the lowest in the game. I don't know what the primary stat of the ranger is but if it is defense then the low defense is of no problem. Second get the druids to cast expert endurance and they gain a whooping 12 def. The second is their damage with 33-57, which is the second lowest in the game. But that last point is compensated easily with nature's luck and the 2 hex attack.

Sylvan is one of the hardest factions to face if you ask me in SP.

[DaemianLucifer]

I took some time to look over Sylvan and I agree they look very much like my race - but the Emerald Dragons seem a bit weak compared to all the other level 7s in my opinion. I'd rather not have a faction that can't compete late-game (sorry Bandobras Took, but that's why I don't play Fortress much in Heroes 3).

But otherwise the race looks very attractive. I mean, Hunters with Double Shot? Without having to be upgraded? Oh my. Looks brilliant.

Actually the emerald is one of the top tier 7s.They are way faster then the rest,have some hefty HP,att and defence,and unlike the blacks,you can buff them.

[wayne]

i also agree that emerald dragons are a strong tier 7, with their speed and initiative

[Shuyssar]

I love emeralds dragons too! They are my favourite dragons in that town.

[Banedon]

Hydras have more staying power than any other level7. Nobody ever wants to fight them head on. Gorgons only get stronger and more relentless the more you get of them. Dragonflies grow so fast that they can overwhelm the enemy, and...

I disagree, but let's bring that elsewhere (and when I've more time).

They are way faster then the rest,have some hefty HP,att and defence,and unlike the blacks,you can buff them.

They are faster than the rest, but many other creatures beat them in terms of stats. If I'm not mistaken Black Dragons beat them by a mile when it comes to damage, for example...and being 'buffable' has always been a double-edged sword - you'd also be 'curseable'.

First of all it is the fastest level 7 unit in the game with also the highest speed meaning this is the best first strike and strike hard unit. Especially with nature's luck you will normally get with sylvans and the breath attack you have a very good chance to take completely out 1 of the shooter stacks before anybody can act. The dragons can be devastating.

You move your Emerald Dragons into the midst of your opponent's entire army? I don't know how Heroes 5 works, but the retaliation rule from Heroes 2,3 and 4 should hold too, right? Even if it didn't, having one unit ganged upon by your opponent's entire army hardly seems good. I generally just Wait with my fastest creature...

I really don't know much about how Heroes 5 works though. Can't wait until tomorrow, or maybe the day after, when I can finally allow myself to get started!

[DaemianLucifer]

For sylvan and dungeon,it mostly works like a blitzkrieg attack.You strike fast and hard before the enemy can regroup.When its enemies turn to retaliate,hell be too slaughtered to do any real damage.So yes,rushing your dragons in is a good idea,especially because they are being backed by hunters and druids.And though emeralds have less of a punch when compared to blacks,they act almost 50% more often,thus it evens out quite nicely.

[Lady Farquad]

The change to HOMMV is significant enough to get your butt kicked a few times before you get to know all the differences.

Go for the campaigns, they're pretty entertaining (that is until you start hanging around with bad poets and the IA starts taking hours per turn)

[wimfrits]

Sylvan is probably the easiest faction to play with.

But after your H4 experience, you'll be able to maximally benefit from Inferno's uses. And Dungeon to a lesser extent as well. More than the average player.
So I'd recommend one of those 2.

[Sir_Toejam]

I fell in love with Nature in HOMM4

well, it's OT, but me too. I really liked the mantises. plus, the entire army was so flexible in its construction - you could pick anything from water elementals to waspworts using the summoning gate.

I really liked that element of it.