|
| Thread: What skills to develop for each alignment? | |
|
Solmyr
Tavern Dweller
|
posted May 07, 2002 01:39 PM |
|
|
What skills to develop for each alignment?
Is there an overview for which skills one could best develop for each might and magic of the 5 alignments?
|
|
Henl86
Known Hero
oLd SkOoL RA2 OwNaH
|
|
posted May 07, 2002 04:00 PM |
|
|
What would be usefull would be a chart of how to obtain all the different classes and their speacialities...
____________
|
|
Jenova
Famous Hero
|
|
posted May 08, 2002 09:30 AM |
|
|
Just look in the manual.. It explains all that.
As a rule, with the magic skills, the last of the three secondary skills is always optional (Charm, Summoning, Resurrection, etc..) but the other two are required in order to advance the primary so you have to pick them.
I think it's the same with the non magic skills as well, but those are actually useful so I never skimp on them.
I don't follow any 'best skill order' -- I just choose what I like most out of what I'm offered each time. Hopefully the map locations will give me what I need or want without levelling.
____________
|
|
Henl86
Known Hero
oLd SkOoL RA2 OwNaH
|
|
posted May 08, 2002 01:49 PM |
|
|
Didn't get a manual longer than like 15 pages.
____________
|
|
Jenova
Famous Hero
|
|
posted May 08, 2002 03:36 PM |
|
|
Browse the CD (disc 2) for the pdf manual.. It should be about 120 pages or so. Printing it will be a pain unless your printer has a lot of RAM (it will take ages to load each page). There is also two other pdfs worth looking at.
____________
|
|
Charis
Tavern Dweller
|
|
posted May 08, 2002 11:36 PM |
|
|
Advanced classes
One link to a web page with the advanced classes is:
http://www.strategyplanet.com/homm/heroclasses.shtml
My one comment, echoed elsewhere, is that IF you have a specific advanced class in mind, choose a hero of a class that has one of the required skills for the advanced class, and push that skill fairly heavily. Do NOT take another primary other than the second one needed. Several reasons for this, but basically it becomes very hard to get the new primary you need otherwise. Combat is an exception, as it's one offered to heroes early and often.
Example: to become a Bard (Scouting/Nature) you'll likely want to start as a Thief (Scouting) or a Druid (Nature). If Tactics gets offered, hold off on it (or at least don't take a second skill in it)
The five 'opposite' magic specialties are particularly tough, as having one magic school means you won't get offered the opposite one -- the second one must be obtained from a building or altar.
The difficulty on getting exactly what you want for the second class, and the randomness involved can make it quite difficult 8- My 'bard' druid that I specifically hoped to get became a high level GM Nature before Scouting was finally offered. An on that map several magic skills were offered for free and so he changed from bard to archmage only two levels later.
Charis
____________
|
|
Jenova
Famous Hero
|
|
posted May 09, 2002 07:27 AM |
|
|
LOL, I wish they allowed an option to lock the current 'class' you have so that learning a new skill wouldn't change your class.
____________
|
|
Sir_Elric
Responsible
Famous Hero
Having a bad hair day.
|
|
posted May 09, 2002 08:27 AM |
|
|
Quote:
Just look in the manual.. It explains all that.
quote]
Manual? What's that?
All I got was the disks!!
I'm supposed to read the PDF files or print them out!
3DO are trying to save a buck me thinks!
____________
Neverwinter Nights - "City of Melnibone"
Direct connect - ausnwn2.dyndns.org:5121
|
|
Jenova
Famous Hero
|
|
posted May 09, 2002 03:33 PM |
|
|
Well yes.. The US version comes with a manual, but any international version doesn't.
And they are trying to save money.. You know what's going on financially at 3DO, with the layoffs and all.
____________
|
|
Dark_Hunter7
Known Hero
Order, mages, lords, the RULE
|
|
posted May 09, 2002 09:33 PM |
|
|
no i dont not really hows it going at 3d0... specifically?
____________
I'm back.... yessssss
|
|
Jenova
Famous Hero
|
|
posted May 10, 2002 06:01 AM |
|
|
In short, let's just say they are having a lot of problems with funding, so they had to skimp on manuals outside of the US and had to release the game without multiplayer.
____________
|
|
DonGio
Promising
Famous Hero
of Clear Water Mountain Clan
|
|
posted May 10, 2002 10:55 AM |
|
|
I don't think you're answering the mans (or was that genies) question!
From what I understand, he wants to know which secondary skills (and thereby, class) works best with the different might and magic heroes of the different alignments (e.g. what is the most purposeful secondary skills to develop for a thief, or for a druid, or for a priest, or a death knight).
Answer well
DonGio
____________
There are 10 types of people: Those who read binary, and those who don't.
|
|
Aculias
Responsible
Undefeatable Hero
Pretty Boy Angel Sacraficer
|
|
posted May 10, 2002 12:33 PM |
|
|
Usually i like too have two heroes in my main party for the most exp i will be getting.lets I am life I will probally get the tactic,battle & scouting skills he will be a kick butt.Grandmaster Archery rocks.
My wizard will learn life spell probally battle too for defense purposes & Nobility which I think is one of the most important skills to have.& probally another magic skill too.
If I am stronghold my army alone wont need magic but If I had a choice I can manage with lv 1 spells.With my barbarian defanately battle,Tactics
I will hire a wizard with Nobility & have him keep the potion etc & also learn scouting & battle.
Nobility will rock for the creature population & if you have enough time with cages to increase population a 50% plus grandmaster nobility which is another 50% you will have a kickbutt army but thats just me yes.
____________
Dreaming of a Better World
|
|
Cat
Honorable
Supreme Hero
Gonna Get Dirrty...
|
|
posted May 10, 2002 01:02 PM |
|
|
A useful character to have early on is a Shadow Mage (Death magic and order magic) as they are permanently surrounded by the blur spell and therefore a little harder to kill.
____________
 Diwethaf Gloau Sylw y Gymreag
http://aozos.com/phpBB2/index.php
|
|
Charis
Tavern Dweller
|
posted May 10, 2002 10:33 PM |
|
|
Skill Choices by Alignment
The HoMM4 skill system is very flexible, allowing any hero to 'grow up' to
be virtually whatever he wants, with 37 advanced classes to choose from.
But the skills *offered* to the character are highly dependent on what skills
he already has, especially if he is an advanced class. This, along with the
morale penalty for mixing heroes and troops of different towns, suggests
that some skill choices are more 'natural' or efficient for each town. For example,
to become a Lord Commander you can come at it from a Knight with Tactics or a Lord
with Nobility. If your playing a life town with life troops, the Knight is the
choice that avoids the morale penalty. Also, your magic tower will give you
three schools of spells to learn.
Let's consider some strong choices for each town/alignment, might, magic, and combo.
These are *NOT* the only choices, but are some very solid ones.
*** LIFE
Might - Lord Commander Knight with strong Combat after reaching his advanced class
Magic - A Summoner Priest can travel light with the Angels and summon troops she needs
M/M - Crusader Knight and Wizard King Lord are strong choices, probably with Combat
The tactics skill is very nice for the life town as the troops rather than spells
are going to have to dish out the damage. Also, you want your crusaders, pikes and
champions to last and have more damage. Order even at low level is useful for Song of
Peace and Create Illusion. Nobility is good, but often best left for a secondary hero.
Summary: Tactics, Life, Combat, Order, Nobility, Scouting, Nature
*** NATURE
Might - Ranger Archer (Combat/Scouting) is a one man wrecking crew, GM Stealth helps.
Magic - Fireguard Sorcerer - Combat is for self protection, main emphasis on spells
M/M - Bard Druid (Nature/Scouting) can also go quickly and stealthily alone
M/M - Fire Diviner Thief - develops stealth/scouting first, then chaos magic
Nature taverns can hire Thief and Sorcerer, and their magic school has chaos skills,
which are a good complement to the summoning forte of nature. Scouting is then a common
skill. Since summoned troops are 'disposable', tactics is less critical than with
life or other towns. For solo/stealth heroes GM Combat is a must. Likewise summoning
makes nobility less critical (still useful, but less critical). If a hero runs across
a building giving Death Magic, Demonologist is a powerhouse class, but Death is never
'offered' at level-up time to a class with Nature (or vice-versa). Note! With 'Nature'
you never 'have' to take summoning if getting a sporadic satyr is too annoying.
Summary: Nature, Scouting, Combat, Chaos, Tactics, Life
*** CHAOS
Might - Ranger Thief as a solo hero, picking up Combat later
- Field Marshall Thief is a good choice for leading the troops.
Magic - Chaos alone is very useful, along with Death (Lich), Nature (Warlock) or both
M/M - Fireguard Sorcerer is fire immune, and a stellar choice for leading a dragon force
A Bard Thief is also a good choice, who will rely on summoning. Chaos magic is so
different in its use (highly direct) with either Nature or Death that any combo is
highly versatile. Tactics is nice for Chaos towns because its almost the only way to
improve the dragons in-battle due to their anti-magic nature. With only 1 dragon per
week, and high cost, nobility is helpful too (although perhaps better on a secondary hero)
Summary: Chaos, Scouting, Combat, Tactics, Nobility, Nature
*** DEATH
Might - Ninja Thief with GM Combat is an interesting choice for solo hero
Magic - Demonologist is probably the best with Death magic, but hard to get
M/M - Reaver Death Knight is a strong leader of the troops.
- Shadow Mage Necro is a solid choice, easier to become than demonologist, and the
Order spells are quite nice, even if you only get lvl 2 or 3.
- Wizard King is a choice for a garrison hero to improve production rate
Since undead aren't affected by Morale, choosing a Lord or Mage doesn't hurt.
Tactics is a good extra skill, to improve speed and to toughen vampires.
Summary: Death, Tactics, Nature, Order, Combat, Nobility, Scouting
*** ORDER
Might - Lord Commander with GM Combat is a solid choice to lead your shooter force
Magic - Monk Mage takes the natural Order/Life pairing, a good choice to lead a Genie force
M/M - Illusionist Mage takes helpful tactics, or she can push further to Archmage
In the garrison leave a low level Wizard King Lord
With no undead to command, the Life path is a better fit than death. Since targets now
retaliate vs ranged attacks, tactics is a helpful skill to have. Add GM Archery and
hero can become a key shooter stack in its own right.
Summary: Order, Life, Tactics, Nobility, Combat, Scouting
*** MIGHT
Might - General is the path combining the two most important 'Might' skills. He'll want
to push either GM Archery or Melee (or both if you like Conan). Tactics is a big help
for the Behemoths, TBirds and other stronghold creatures. If you want extra creatures,
Lord Commander is an option. Get this advanced class first THEN pump combat.
- Ranger Thief can go the GM Stealth route for a powerful hero
Magic - bah! You picked the wrong town!
M/M - If any combo with magic seems feasible at all, it's Beastmaster. The route is only
open if nature is offered from a building, or if the Barbarian becomes an advanced class
like General first and is offered magic before pumping the secondary skill. Why Nature?
Two reasons: first, with no magic school, the number of spells you'll ever learn is
limited, and the goal is to be able to summon something, anything. Second, it complements
the Conan approach nicely, by conjuring up some extra targets to distract the enemy while
he mows them down with GM Archery (or melee). And at only second level, Wasp Swarm is
a tremendous spell to have. Finally, even with no towers or spells learned you could
still be summoning elementals into your army daily with GM Summoning.
Other hybrid choices are open to taven heroes such as Lord -> Illusionist, although
learning spells will be the challenge there.
In general, choosing four or five might skills, and leaving one slot for a magic
skill to be developed to a low level, is a typical pattern for the Stronghold hero.
Summary: Combat, Tactics, Nobility, Scouting, Nature, Life
____________
|
|
Xenophanes
Promising
Famous Hero
Chief Consul to Queen Mutare
|
|
posted May 11, 2002 03:32 AM |
|
|
Wow--somebody's going to move up the Red Star ranks quickly!! I can only offer info on Chaos(I play exclusively as that). Warlocks are by far my favorite to have, and Witch Kings are helpful too--the Estates can help with Black Dragon recruiting. I realize that a Fireguard would be an excellent choice for Black Dragons, and I probably should try them out, but I'm much too insanely routinistic...
If Lupin were here, he'd say,
"No no no, Xenophanes--don't use big words. Use it, me, and Bob!"
I don't know why I just shared that little tidbit with you, but, oh well, all's well that ends well...
____________
<Dragons rule, Titans drool!>
|
| |
|
|
