- I agree Frogsguadron. Maybe I will do it and post the guide on Steam. In another way, I like the idea that it's difficult for people to read my guide. I puted some time to understand the game, and some time to writte the guide, so it's good that it's hard to profit from this effort...



- Thank you Icarius and Lyly.

Bought this game today and I would have to say that this guide really helped.



Thank you <3

I can't stop to repeat it: "Jojo_Fr, you are the most crazy freak ever. You are Endless Legend !!!"



See you one day on Auriga !

Much better with the pictures! Upvoted!

I published the guide in Steam : http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=635764665]



Super exhaustive guide lol.



Reactormonk a nice guy, helped me to correct some of the the multiple spelling mistake of this guide.



Changes :



- Images to make the guide more lisible.

- New part added : 10 : The strategy of the rush for the second level of the empire plan at turn 10 (I recommand to the persons interested by EL in his mechanis to read this part).

- New part added : 32 : The Guardians : Using them and countering them.

I read this guide very carefully, then i read it again this is masterpiece in my humble opinion, although I'm pretty much beginner in this game so I may not have any constructive criticism I believe this kind of work and dedication needs to be applauded

You have right, I will transform it into a steam compatible form.

Steam guide would be a good start. A lot of players are using the Steam forums and not ours, and they could probably learn a thing or two from your experience. What do you think?

I would like to promote my guide to a place more visible. How should I do this ?



Ask to post it on the forum ?



Writte it in a Steam Guide form ?

Edit : Don't read the guide here but read it on Steam. It's updated and nicer to read : I published the guide in Steam : http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=635764665







I am Jojo_Fr, a french player of Endless Legend. I played in solo at the beginning and sometimes I play solo to test new ideas, but I mostely play multiplayer from a long moment.



Multiplayer is really more interesting : rush, counter rush, surprise attack, teaming, etc.



When you are used to play multi, you find the solo boring and unchallenging (even if you play at the Endless difficulty level).



This guide is not over. I would like to receive any new tricks, suggestions, critics, or help to make it a better finished product.









Today, I got 1800 hours played in Endless Legend. I want to writte my experience. It like very much to analyse the things, including the games. I played others 4X before Endless Legend, and I just generalised my habitude to analyse to this game.



The guide will be very exhaustif. I put all informations I got in mind. A more synthetic guide may be writted after.







1. Which settings choose for multiplayer ?



- A.I difficulty Serious : Because if a player quit, it's good that the A.I can defend itself. If not it can be too easy to conquier it.



- Timers On : Timers are a necessity. It forces everyone to think fast. And put the maximum animation speed too, very important for the game speed.



- Empire scores Partials : It hide the scores, the power graph, unless you have an infiltrated spy. It makes the games much more paranoïd and interesting. If not, it's unpossible to count an a total surprise attack.



- Game Speed Quick : Not normal, not endless, but quick speed, because we don't have the eternity to play.



- Anomalies High : It means faster games (more prod, more dust, more science) and makes wide strategy more viable because you got more interesting spot where to settle, so you settle here. Wide strategy open more risk when you play : yours regions can been conquered or pillaged, but managing risk is very interesting.



- World shape and caracteristics : Pangea generally, because naval fight is very bad implemanted. 6 players mean 70 % landmass. You could use a small world, but it leads to high probability of close position when the game starts. And close position mean generally in Endless Legend to very early war, which is not funny.



- Region size : Normal is better, because you can more easily protect city from each others, or move units. Defense is enough hard as it is. But higher size have the advantage to "reduce" the speed of the units on the map (because more hexagones too travel). Another advantage it's it make pillage action more possibles, because extensions are farer to the city and to his defensors.



- Topographie : Few Lakes but big size create interesting strategical points. Few cliffs, because too much cliffs means that flying units have an advantage and they are already enough advantaged. And much rivers, because it leads fo faster growth, and it reinforce the rivers buildings, which today are rarely researched.



- World difficulty : Extended world lead to less close position. Ideal FIDIS : This setting seems to does not work. Luxury and ressources : normal. If not enough, too hard to make qualitative army. If too much : too easy. Idem with luxury : not enough, their effect became negligeable in the strategy. Too much : permanant boosters activated decrease the strategical use.



Monster difficulties : normal. Normal means slower colonisation, and roaming monsters to catch and devourt isolated scout. Moreover, when the world event of +50 % stats on monsters occurs, the savages regions become really dangerous, and you need to clean them with a good army. Hard difficulty may be interesting, but I think it slowdown too much, and worst than all, it leads to more manual fight against neutral armies. Manual fights are a pain in multiplayer, because others players wait. A last argument : on hard difficulty, monsters immediately siege or attack the city garrison, even when they are not from the region. Beginners players are often victims of that and don't know to manage it. So, that is better to stay on normal difficulty.



2. Where to settle your first city ?



- Let's follow a chronological order for this guide. So, you got your players, correct settings, you picked your race and now game has start. Where to settle ? This is one of the most important question, all the game will be conditionned by that, because every action made in the very early game has a very high impact on the whole game. Why ? Because if you settle in a good spot, you will exploit the titles for some turns. At this phase of the game, each single output has a great impact. In late game, settling in an high anomalies aera is really less usefull, it could be more intelligent to choose a position according to your war strategy for exemple (far to the ennemy city for exemple).



- The best spots are : highest industry, highest happiness boost, then dust, then science, then food. Food is less important because at era 1 you build some settler, and having some (too much) food is useless. Exceptions to this :



* Wild Walkers : It is more interesting to prefer hexagones with some forest than 2 anomalies good but without.

* Necrophages : The effective strategy of developpement works very differently with them. For them it may be interesting to pick an less interesting spot if you feel there are 2 or 3 villages in the region. I'll explain why in the Necrophages section.



2. Which technology should you research ?



- Parley, Forge, Luxury & Ressources extractors, Mercenary Market, Dust hotel, Library, Topography and Sewers. I don't remember the exact english name of these techs .png" alt="smiley: " title="" />.



Why this order ? Because first you need to parlet, this is crucial. Then you need production for faster settler, faster everything. Extractors because you may have some, and it's usefull for wonders and for boosters. And legenday deed about ressources are excellent to have. Mercenary market because you may want to sell hurted unit from neutral army fight. Or buying an early hero if you have some dust production. Dust hotel because dust is more important that science (I'll explain why after). Then sciences tech, then happiness tech. Happiness at last because the boost is usefull on a global output. So it's better to prioritize global output generators (with buildings) than a small output buff (create by the happiness bonus).



This order is a general direction. There are off course some cases (the situation, the race, the legendary deeds) were it's better to change this order. If you got rivers and plan to settle on rivers titles, take the river tech (of era I only, others are too expansive, give too small bonus).



3. What quest to activate and which should you do ?



- Explore the others regions and do the quest. Use your hero as an isolated unit (to do this, you need to let him with the settler. When your settler will found the ciy, you'll have your isolated hero).

* Exception with the cultist and the ardent mages. Their first hero have a natural influence / science boost and it can be better to let them govern the city until they are required for quest.



- The easiest quests are the better, unless the region is low in anomalies/ressources. Avoid the very expansive quest (or give it a low priority) : giving 10 titane for exemple, is too much, you will need this titane later, especially for wonders.



Try to do activate quests only of interesting potential regions. If you activate them on useless regions you will loose the possibility of this quest in a better region. Worst, you could have the awfull message "this tribe does not want negociate with you at the moment".



- If you have activated enough quests in interesting regions for you, you can activate quests in any region of your choice. Sometimes the quest is an auto success, and will give you the ressources award. For exemple reaching era II.



3. Where to settle new cities ?



- In the better spots, and the closest to you. I would add too : max priority to a region where the ennemy could come and stole it to you. It's very hard to conquiert a new city. It create hostilities. So it's far better to take it before him.



- Very important and ignored by noobs : In Endless Legend, you can unset a city without penalty, and get back your settler. This broken ability (In my opinion) is very usefull. You can while moving to the point you select, settle your settler each turn, and using the pacified villages and the Fidsi. Learn to exploit it at maximum.



- Generally at era I, Having 3-4 city is enough. Unless you got superb spot with happiness animalies or 3 village pacified, or minors what you want to assimiate (Silics for exemple), it's generally better to stay with 3-4 cities. Why ? The happiness reduction increase will each new city. You don't have some luxury or tech to compensate it at the moment. The cost of empire plan increase. And it's a big problem because empire plan is very important, and it's hard to produce influence.



So after this first wave of settlers, you should not continue expanding during a long moment. Going into an infinite city sprawnl is impossible in Endless Legend at early game. It became possible in mid-late game, when you have access to specifics empire plan and tech to do it.



3. What to produce in cities ?



- Priority to produciton in cities which will produce settler. Food is completely wasted when you build a settler. So granary should be build only after the calculed number of settler have been produced.



- Why dust is more important than science ? Because the cost of settler increase with the era II etc. and you don't want that before having produced the needed settlers.



- When I say to give priority to prod and dust over science, it does not mean to have the lowest science. It means to don't have too much science before have all settled. You have off course a greatr interest to build the science buildings and settler in good science anomalies spots.



- Dust is more important than science, because, in general, you progress very fast in science, but not enough in industry to builld the things. It's completely useless to have an empire with a great science but in incapacity to build the new things. But, with dust, you can engage hero, and hero can greately increase your output. Hero are not a total priority in the early game, because the cities are not much produtive and so, hero will not been usefull for their price.



But, at least, you should try to have one hero in one city. Which city ? The city where you will have your seed storage national wonder (the +5 food per citizen nationan limitated building). In this city, you will quicly have a high population, 6 at minimum. With this population and a good hero, it's really interesting to use your dust to hire this hero. Best hero for this city will generally be a necrophage governor with the Slaver skill (if you have 3 villages), or any hero with industrial rendement (especialli Exid the Chosen, which is a monster because he can add +5 i ndustrial per citizen…).



3. In which situation I should build other things than the classical era I buildings ?



- If you need units to securise against attacking centaurs quest, or vaulters quest, or rush off course.



- If you are rushed by a total surprise, you can build units but it's probably too late if you have zero unit close. But lets speak of the rush subject another moment.



- I think if you are not far from an ennemy, it can be usefull to build one scout unit. A flyer unit is the best to do that off course. One flyer unit will prevent you of any rush incoming. It can too visit ruins in the path, or even visiting quicky the ennemy land to see if garrison are filled with unit or not. If there is no unit, you are probably safe from rush, and it open the way to a possible attack. Another interesting effect : if the ennemy see one scout, he may fear your attack, and start buildings units insted of buildings. By this, he will take a considerable economic retard.



4. What to do with your hero and your units in the early game ?



- Generally, unit should continue activating quest and exploring ruins and regions.



- The hero should do that too. You should use him to finish quest if possible (more XP reward). Few heros are good at natural governor, the ardent mage hero especially, give a science boost, and if you have no roaming monster that you have to kill or quest, it's better to let him in the city generally .



- How to use heros will be explained in a decidated part.



5. What's about wonders ?



- Wonders are very interesting to build because even if you fail to achieve them you get back a fair amount of dust. This dust can be used for hiring hero. The fist era I wonder is great in a futur dust or science specialised city. The second era II wonder is good anywhere.



- It's good to prepare the coming of the wonders. If in several turns you calculed your will have enough ressources to build one wonder, you could grow your population size with the seed storage national wonder (the +5 food per citizen). When the wonder bill be available, you ll have a stronger production. As it's a race to build the wonder, that is a good thing.



- If you are in close position with someone who has the reputation to rush, it would be wise to delay the wonder construction by building one scout, or an army before the wonder. If the ennemy built the wonder, you could still invade him and steal the wonder from him (in this game, conquest and offense over defenses are too easy, so any rush are a bit lame).



6. Next : What to do about empire plan ?



- Ok, you will have your 3-4 cities in era I, you are building buildings and exploring, and the empire plan is coming. You should bank enougn influence at least for one empire plan : science or economy. If you have dust problem, it's economy. Or if you want to produce dust to hire one hero. In my opinion you should nearly always aim the eco plan, because you will (you should) have an early nation food wonder, which mean high population fast due to super growth. Any high pop city should have a hero. In preference Exid the Chosen (the overpowerd hero good to all do), or a necrophage slaver governor. Slaver give +1 food or industry for each working citizen on food or i ndustry. Heros are e

This is a lot of information. I'm still reading through it when I have a few moments here and there (and it might take me a few days to ultimately finish), but I wanted to say that this is really good stuff, Jojo. You've taken a lot of game experience and condensed it giggles, because that was funny! into a really comprehensive and awesome guide. Thank you so much for putting the effort into this. I appreciate it a lot. <3

Hats off to Jojo_Fr for taking the time to write this ! Simply amazing work !

It's very very long and probably exhaustive, but if I can give some constructive criticism, it could probably use an illustration or screenshot every once in a while, to break up the wall of text and illustrate your strategy.

- Thank you. I probably forgot several tricks because they have became so naturals that they are subconscients. ^^



- About Necrophages cannibalism over milicians or manualing Proliferators, it consums times of the others players yes but only if you are the last to finish the turn.



And generally I was not the last to press the timer button, if you remarked. Reasons are : I am a fast player, and more than that, I was generaly the host so with zero lag. And, moreoever, when I saw I wast the last on timer, I try to always make the effort to finish quicky the turn, so I auto.



- About Proliferators, I remember a trick now : if you plan to auto them, you would do better to use them with a light domination in the combat pronostic, not with a crushing domination. With a crushing domniation, the game calculate that your units kill fast the others units, and the proliferators will have only one or two target at max. Moreover, if you use one hero into the army, it's always important to stay on a light domination, because you want to have the max XP as needed.



- 70 % landmass is too big I agree (with 4 players small map 70 % or 6 players normal map 70 %). But the reason is the close position. Being at close position mean a short game generally. Because rushing is too easy and efficient in this game.

Good job! That´s a great effort, I´m sure a lot of people will improve their game considerably after reading this.



I´ll stay positive and not comment much on stuff I dislike. About the thing of eating your own militia in mp using everyone´s time, for example, I´ll just say I loved the lembas joke. ^^



Proliferators have a mostly inadequate finesse in controlling the mercenary market, it´s even funny. Anyway, if you´re taking the time to manual things and you´re willing to do anything to win, I see little benefit in pushing the game much further than era 3. By carefully targetting a different unit every battle with every proliferator you have, it´s quite easy to get a 20+ units main army by turn 30 something that´s paid by another couple of proliferators.



I agree that on 70% landmass their lack of improved movement might often be a problem - but I don´t think 70% landmass is the ideal amount for an even number of players (4/4, 6/6). It´s a good option when you have odd numbers on smaller maps (5/4, 7/6). In any case, any careful player can get to 8 movement by turn 40.





I also have to say I have a hard defining where you draw the line between "always do this, champion" and "this is way too cheesy and op".



Again, great thread, large amount of information and opinion.

38. Roving Clans



- Roving Clans belong to the group of the vanilla races. It means they don't have enough special faculties to need some special developpement. Roving Clans is the weakest race of all, mainly because they don't have enough economic bonus, and because they cannot declare war.



- Roving Clans are good to won economic or scientific victory. Economic is slow, but scientific is super slow, it's super rare to see them in a game.



- Roving Clans forces are : fast units on the map, city moving, good quest ligne and reward, market ban (and war dissuassion), market parasit and master of the mercenaries.



- Your units including your settler, are fast on the map. It's great, you can settlen doing quest faster etc. It's very comfortable to play.



- Roving Clans give me the impression of a waste. Background and features are great but not well thinked, not well adapted.



- City moving is very interesting to use, but situationnal. In some situations it will be be more usefll than the traditionnal Salt the Earth exploit (or smart trick let's say). Probably the most innovative feature of Endless Legend in my opinion. Using it allow you to produce/population grow while moving. It's rare to be able to produce something in one turn then salt, but it can occurs (in quick speed). You can move your city if you fear a rush. You can move from a region to another if needed, but you will loose the extensions (extractors etc.) so it's rare to do it. You can too just move to a safer spot inside the region.



Sometimes, I moved my entire empire. It's not a serious strategy against an imminent defeat, but it's a way to dissuad the ennemy to move on. If he sees your city dissapeard, and have another front with another player, he may decide to just negociate peace.



- The vision of the market activity is very small feature, but it may be interesting. You can see, for exemple, when the necrophage player has tarted to use proliferators. Or if a player has buy governor hero, or commander. It can gives very interesting informations about his situation and his strategy.



- The market parisitism (8 % on all market transaction) is a fully passive feature. You cannot exploit it intentionnaly in anyway.



38.1 How to use market ban



- The market ban is a very interesting designed feature. And the effect is pretty important. In late game, it's cheap to break in late game because you produce some influences. But in early game this can kill you especially for the players who rely on the market to sell units. I think the best way to use is it it's the racket. You threat a player to use it. If he does not give you what you want (as 2 techs or some dust), you ban him. Off course, the player can decide to attack you but it would not been wise, early game roving clans are super strong with their mercenaries.



- Market ban is great as a permanant threat to any aggressive players. Personnaly I absolutely avoid to declare war to Roving Clans unless I got a superbe opportunity. I know they can recruite mercenaries if they got dust, and I know they can market ban me.



38.2 Mercenaries



- Less upkeep on mercenaries, and +100 % life point is great. Mercenaries should compose most or exclusively your armies. You can lead them by hero. There is not much equipement choice wich could compensate the power of +100 % life point.



- It seems that mercenaries on the map depends on the remanining unpacified savages villages. Not sure this informations is exact. Anyway you will very probabably have enough mercenaries, due to the units selling.



- You should wait the last moment to recruit mercenaries. For some reason : you will hide your real military power graph up to the last moment you need units. You can put the recruited unit where you want, you can thus hide them from spy, or scout units. And no one will know what units you builed (If the guy know you just bought 6 Minotaurs he may think to make anti cavalery units). You don't pay the upkeep for this unit. And you generaly find on the market better unit with the passing of the time.



- And, at least, the best usage of mercenaries, it's to use them at Corsairs, to raze cities. It's maybe not very fair play but this is part of the game. It's the duty of the player to defend against this. If not, you cannot have the initiative of any war action. So don't have too much hesitation to use it. The plan is very simple : hire 2 to 6 fast unit and go to raze a city you don't like. But you are not forced to use it in this way. You may to approach with a force, then racket tech or ressources. And threat to raze the city if the guy refuse. They generally accept. This creative usage is underestimated. It's hard to resist to mercenaries in early or mid games.



You can too try to sneak mercenaries. Move them in the beginning of the turn. It's possible your opponement don't see them as your units and think it's just wandering neutral monsters. The surprise effect is garanted.



- Few people said me mercenarires as neutral armies are good to pillage improvement. I am not really convinced by the pillage feature. The ressources are too short. Maybe it come more intereting from the era 3 (the gain from the pillage increase with the time).



- It's really better to buy units solved by humans than produced by villages. These units are generally fully equiped in iron, to the current era. If you team with someone, you can even ask him to sell the units you need to the market. You could by this way, buy elite units, proliferators etc. what you desire.



38.3 Roving Clans Quest



- Their quest is interesting to follow, and the reward are balanced. You absolutely need to go at minimum to up the trade building reward. Having this percentage bonus on dust on trade road is a must have.



39 Cultist



- Cultist is the most powerfull race. Others race can be powerfull but it requires a small human skill to become a god life with cultist. It's super easy to defend one big city. As your territory is not huge, scouting it and preventing invading army is easty. Last but not leats, it's super easy to defend against spy infiltration. You can have towers, you can have detection as item, but more than all, you can round up every several rouns, if you fear an infiltration. And as you will have 100 % happiness, you will easily hurt or catch spies. Cultist are really the worst faction to fight with tthe forgottens, because they cannot pillage them, they cannot infiltrate them, and you cannot rely on a surprise attacking force (because as they got only one city, you just put units inside and near, and that is ok.



- The forces of the cultist are : one city only, converted village, less influence needed, good starting hero, good units, good quest rewarding, districts level 3 and excellent defense.



- Your first city should be a good spot : anomalies, or 2-3 villages. You can use up to 3 turns to serach a good spot. But one or two is generally enough.



- Converted village are a great feature. The increaseing of cost is conversion make you should not convert more than 3 village in the early game. When you will have glory of the empire building + your governor (your first hero) with a good level, you can go further than 3 villages. From a certain point of influence production, you should convert without limit.



- Each converted village increase the influence cost of empire plan, but not by a lot. It's still really cheaper than with others races. This is a great advantage. From the turn 10 or 20, you should have always all the empire plans activated, especially the +4 movement speed (important to securise your villages).



- The Cultist quest give good rewards, I think to the items especially. There is no reason to don't follow the quest ligne. The item wich give Free Counter + Regeneration is completely overpowerd and should be really more expansive or just simply removed. Cost is ridiculous is you compare it with the Free Counter item lately acquire in the legendary deed.



- Districts level 3 are a bonus, but not something great. With it you'll can build nice starts city formation (to exploit more hexagones but keep enough happiness).



39.1 Cultist converted village : advanced informations



- The converted villages are very vulnerables to attack, especially by flyers/ forgottens. It's very hard to protect them with efficacity against a motivated player. That is one of the reason which make you should exterminate close player in early-mid game. It's wise to convert extensively only in region near player with who you are in peace, or wich you will kill soon. If not, it's too dangerous to expose your village like that. Garrison will hold only versus few scout units, not against army leaded by hero.



- Know that the mondial event quest +50 % neutral stats has an effect over cultist units when inside a village. It's probably a bug exploit, but that is interesting to use. You got interest as a cultist, to dont do the quest (which is buggued and give zero reward…) and prevent people to use it. A cultist village with 3-6 units inside become a real danger with the quest active.



- If you plan to attack or if you fear an attack, keep units insides the villages. And the upkeep is free inside village or any garrison.



- Some people don't realise that if you got the extractors tech, villages exploit ressources and luxury from the entire gion. Precisely 1/3 of all of the region for one village. Another good reason to convert more village in mid game, without enough influence.



- You shoud try to convert villages of selected minors or selected regions. For exemple if you want quicksilver (you should), target these regions. If you want dorguesi (and you should), do it. In late game, you can aim to convert any village of any region, but before this stade you should prioriritize.



- Each converted village give you FIDSI output, and ressources. But it does not mean your FIDSI should come mainly from villages. Villages give a global ressources which you need to think about : which ressources you need (wonder, not wonder), wich luxury (dye is probably the best for the Cultist), etc.



39.2 Cultist racial technologies



- I am not convinced by the tech which give bonus to XP to creature from village. I would say it depends if you got quicksilver or not. If you got, it become interesting to research it. If not, I am not sure.



- The cultist science reserve from razing is good only if you got the level 1 or level 2 of reserve technology. To be simple : always reserach it from the moment you will succed an invasion-extermination (there is no difference for the Cultists).



39.3 Cultist extermination strategy



- The natural victory condition for cultist it's the Supremacy : razing the capital of all others players in the game. It's an easy thing : as you swarm in influence points, you can quickly reach a super high speed for your units, and use your doom stack to attack any city in the game. Generally, when you just raze one important city of a player, he will resign and quit the game. And it's rare to see playres with important garrison in all their cities. But that is something players should do against a cultist at least from the mid game. And a garrisoned force is usefull as avaiable reinforcement force for zero upkeep force.



- Why fighting the main army forces of your rival, if you can just avoid it and go raze few cities in his back ? Even if you loose your army, if you kill one important city, you won all what he loosed, and you should have time to build a new army for his next coming.



39.3 Cultist wonders



- There is only one super important wonder for the cultist, it's the wonder of the era I. +40 % science and dust works over all empire, because all villages output is centralised and enhanced by your city. As you got only one city, good production and good ressources access (with quests) you should absolutey target this wonder at maximum priority. The others wonders are interesting but very secondary.



40 Ardent Mages



- The most powerfull military force on Auriga. Except that, the core mechanisms of the faction are vanilla. Pillars are an interesting capacity to convert dust into science. Or dust short term into more dust in 10 turns. Or dust into more influence. Or, better, dust into food, excellent to rush new cities.



- Main military power of Mages are the stun spell, acquiered at era II, and reinforced by few tech about spell. This spell, used 3 times per combat, is very owerpowerd you should use it 3 times per combat, never use the others spell. As the others spell are very underpowered comapred to it, I will not speak of them.



- You won by any victory but the military victory is the best because you shoudl exploit at max the military resolution : you will use more spells, more tiers 3 glassteal/titanium weapons, and more Wings units (very OP unit).



40.1 The art of pillars



- First science pillar cost 20 dust and give you 2 science in 4 hexagone for 10 turn, so 80 science. It's clearly interesting. Second pillar cost 50 dust. It's still ok if you need to grow in science. But third pillars cost 100 dust for 80 science. Not interesting.



- Pillars cost is exponential (or geometric to be more precise). And half of the game you will only have science pillars. Try to use one pillars for two districts, to exploit more hexagone.



- From era III, you got new techs about pillars. I advise you to take it. My preference go to the influences pillars because it's hard to produce influence.



- From era IV, or with the quest ligne, you open tech to stronger pillars. Off course, use them. But there is no special trick about them. Just plant them, but not too much (something like 6 pillars maximum).



- If you plan to plant and grow new cities, the food pillars are a must have. They are at era IV, but that is the right time to plant new cities (I recommand the infinite city sprawnl in the late game : more cheap buildings, more ressources more luxury, more minors, more roads, and enough happiness and tech to support these new cities).



40.2 The Ardent Mages units



- The unique feature, ardent fire, is strange. To be really functionnal, it should mean that you have the initiative superioity in some of your units. If not, it's good to have unit with an attack bonus, but if they die fast, it's worthless. Anyway, it's a considerable power. Having +75 % attack mean really more critical strike.



- Basically, to use this feature, you should get back your hurted units, or find a way to increase the iniative of others units on the field, with the idea to make the non hurted unit hit first. In the reality, controling your units at this point is rare and difficult to do. The easiest way to exploit it is probably the stun spell.



- The ardent mage hero buff look me really useless compared to a direct strike. I have not make methodic test to look at the numbers, but I think it's a pretty bad. In comparaison, the slowdow

26. Heros : How to XP them fast ?



- There are many ways to win XP. I dont know them well, and I don't fully know them in their real mechanic. For exemple I know that producing units create really more XP for the hero than creating buildings, but I don't know why exactly how it works.



- First : fighting neutrals in being outbumbered. It is the fastest way to level up fast. But it require manual most of the time. It works really better with the drakken, wich can heal himself and have fast learning skill (+25 % XP earnerd), and give him the strengh to win the fight. This fast learner trait itself, without the heal, would make the drakken the best hero, but with that + life boost (3 for Nachampasaka) + healing and best skil make that everybody try to only use drakken. We said it but devs did not wanted to change it…



- Auto in being outnumber give bad resulst with drakken hero especially. When you begin this strategy, you can stay with one unit to assist you. But after a certain level you don't need and you should not. You can with this strategy, reach the level 8, then 12, pretty fast. In my opinion it's something broken in the game and should not be possible, because we often see level 8 and more drakken general in the mid game, wiithout having particpate yet to an important battle.



- Another good but less cheated way to level up an hero, it's to use it as governor in a high productive city, which making units. The problem is, off course, that you will not use a vanilla general commadner to the job, because you want the best governor. But, in this way, you can sometimes reach the elvel 8 for the legendary deed quest (+20 % on healf regeneration), which is a great reward.



- You can too put a gouvernor in a city and rush buildings or units. But this is very expansive. The problem it's if you use the empire plan reduction cost or the tech market and slaves, the XP reward is lesser. Lets say it can serve if you really want now to XP a hero. For exemple if you want to reach a certain level for a quest you think the ennemy may win before you.



27. Late game : What does it change ? In Era 3



- Most important tech of era 3 are : expansion disapproval reduction, dust transmuter, and the extractors. Others good tech are all the economic tech including the +3 food per exploitation. The military tech about fortification may be usefull in few strategy, where you got some city and you fear surprise attack by cultist or very fast units. You can too use it well ifyou are vaulters, which rely on few garrison in every city, but on mobile teleporting army to rescue their city. The only problem of this tech it's the buildings cost a lot.



- Era 3 give some ways to earn some dust. It's the moment where you will start to see your gold vault filled up enough to let you be able to buy one hero per turn. You should too at this phase, stop building units for market, because this is a bad source of income from the point of some units has already be solve on the market (more than 15 approximately).



- The new buildings lead off course to the idea of specialisation. The science buildings should be in your scientific (one is generally enough) city (where you have the national science wonder). The dust building can be put anywhere, if you got enough ressources or industrial power, but put them in priority in your dust cities center. The influences buildings are a must have. Beginners frequently neglect influence, but it's the most important ressource in mid and late game. So research them and priority, to try to produce only influence in one city only (so glory of the empire + 50 % influence bonus national building + the other building of the same tech).



- The tiers 1 equipement for adamantirum and palladirum is usefull if you have some ressources. You can too take only armor to equip your hero of usefull equipement (as the +1 industry per citizen adamantium item, always usefull).



- As there is an important qualitative gap between the tiers 1 adam/pala and tiers 3 iron or tiers 3 glass/titane, if you create an elite army with these new weapons (or more, with the armores too) you will have superbe advantage over your ennemy. This advantage is especially stronger if you got initiative superiority, to block the ennemy reinforcement, a superbe regeneration (sisters of mercy or legendary deed) or if you are broken lords. You can reach a point where, thanks to this superbe advantage, you could survivre to any battle. Use this large avantage to obtain continues victories.



28. Late game : Era 4



- The food technologies are useless. Food growth is exponential. Never go highter than populatino 10 or 12 if you got some spices or are necro. At this point of the game, dont focus on growth. Necros are the exception, but well'see them after.



- The military techs (more units and defense) are a must have if you are in a war risk. The extractors too, and the assimiliation bonus (another third race to assimilate).



- The military academy is a pretty useless. It increase the attack only of u nits in garrison of the city. It's very situational. I don't testesd if it workd or not.



- Others techs are very good too, as the productio bonus, and more important the strategics bonus. Strategics become at this point more important than the production, because it's better to have less units but elites units.



- The building which give +100 % booster bonus is excelllent but must be buildied according to yours boosters. If you have moonleaf as ressources, build it in your science city. If you got dragon bones and quickislver build it in the producition center. (+100 % in production and +200 % to XP of the units…).



- Guardians and anti guardians will have their own separeted part.



- The tech to open again the ruins is very good, more for the ressources than for the dust. At this phase you frequentely opened some hyperium or new superbe quests. Off course, use it when you already have opened most of the ruins of the world.



- The hyperium and mithrite equipeemnt are great, but the cost is generally very high and you won't be able to exploit them as you would like. If you got several extractors or if you are vaulters, you can reserach it, if not it's better to just reserach the sciece building or another tech which will require you these elite ressources.



29. Late game : Era 5



- This era contributes to specialise a bit further the cities, and to multiply the dust production.



- Well exploited, the tech to give commercial road will create immense amount ot dust and science. It's especially adapted to costal city, with peace treaty with others civs. Or you can use the roving clans skill in the end of the right tree skill, which open trade with any civ which you are not at peace including at war.



- Vaccination station, the military building, is great if combined with quicksilver and a good hero with the recruitement item. You can have units to very high level with it.



- Theory of security is situationnal but can be good versus some spy you can never catch. With that you should.



30. Late game : Era 6



- Reserach the Iterium Srum before all in nearly all the cases, unless you outched everyone from a long distance. You cannot fight a guy who has it, without having it yourself (+100 % lifepoint and +100 % attack). Nothing really interesting to say in this era. Tiers 2 Adama/Pala are still better than the Dust 3 equipement. If you search a fast dust victory, you can reserach the dust tech at first.



31. The useless, or very situationnal, tech



- Military science : rare to use it but the cost if very low. Can be usefull in a mid game situation where you fear an attack (espescially from Cultist, which raze your cities).



- Pillage : Only good for forgottens. I tried it with others races, it's really rare to have it usefull, the amount of pillaged ressources is low, and it's generally better to keep your forces ready for a full conquest, or in defense, than wasting them in pilllage action. Except if you need detection or if you plan to use camouflage. Great in forest, this feature can give great surprise in surprise attack of even in defense.



- Recherhce group : The effect is too reduced to be interesting.



- Tiers 1 weapons and armors: Useless except if you got somme resssources and are rushed in very early game (as vaulters for exemple).



- Era 3 : Anti pillage tech : May serve if you face a really good and active forgotten raider. Very situationnal. But it's better to just have fast armies ready to intercept any marauders.



- Era 3 : Docks : Good if you play on islands or if some of your cities are coastals.



- Era 3 : Biomechanics of Fluids : Effect too weaks, and you don't need another science buildings (very expansive for the effecti it does…).



- Era 4 : Mercenaries : May be usefull if you want to do few decisives surprise attack. As players only anticipate this when they face the roving clans, you can destroy ungarrosinned cities with that.



- Era 3 and Era 3 : The two reserves techs. They are very rarely used, because dust with empire plan give really better effect. It's still possible to use them but not much usefull when dust works so much (-20% hurring cost + Slaves and market -20 % again). And you will have tons of dust from mid games if you play well.



- Era 5 : Advanced carrières are just very situationnal, but generaly does not worth it at this stade of the game.



- Era 5 : Reserve army is too expansive for this stade of the game. And having 400 or fortification is enough to delay a direct attack for few turns. Having more for this cost will not really been more usefull.



32. Focus on Necrophages



32.1 Necrophages malus ans bonus



- Necrophages are my favorite race. They are not the strongest race but they got excellent advantages and are difficult to master.



- Necrophage malus : cannot make peace. Cannot parley. Have -1 food per hexagone.



- Necrophages bonus : +4 attack per war declared (negligeable and cosmetic bonus). +2 food per citizen per village pacified (as the super granary of the era 2). Food reserves : each 8 units (yours or of the ennemis) killed, you won one food reserve of 120 food. -50 % industry cost of districts (and they need only one population point per district). Poison. And proliferators.



- Necrophages quest ligne is the worst of all. The hero cost a lot, the building require complicated manipulation with governors, and with the garrisoned units. The quest between faction are unbalanced but the necrophages quest is so bad that it's very rare and situationnal to just at least acquiring the hero. If you compare with the Ardent Mages or the Wild Walkers, the Necro quest is a total waste of time.



- The general strategy with necrophages is going tall. You don't have advantage to take several cities in early game, because you can never pacify by quest the villages. So, unless there are exceptionnel spot (as 3 animalies at minum) or if the region is fast to reach with a settler, you should stay with the tall strategy.



- Here is the plan : first turn, divide your troops to explore. If you found a potential nice spot in another region, go to this region. If you only have a good spot in your native region, stay here. But you will need to settle soon or latter, because as Necrophages, you need to keep the goal to have a settler in a 2 or 3 villages region.



Why ? Because your main strengh is the high growth gived by the villages. So 3 villages is 3x better than one.



- How to detect a 3 villages region ? Look at the dimensions. A large region (in normal size map setting) have generally 3 villages inside. It's difficult to describte, but know that in most of the case I (so you too) detect with the shape of a region, if he will have 3 villages or not. If you found a 3 villages region turn 1, with a decent spot for a city, go plant your settler here.



- Then, clean the villages with your units. Dont loose them. Use Milicians to do the job and don't loose health points.



32.2 Gaining more food reserves : the secret technique of sacrificating your own milicians



- Each ennemy you kill, or each of your unit who die during a combat, add you one parcel of a food reserve. With 8 parcels you gain one food reserve of 120 (does not scale with the reserve technologies).



- It's crucial to exploit this bonus to have a faster growth in your new cities. And you need to compensate the -1 food per hexagone of your race.



- What most of the persons does not know it's they can use intentionnaly their own milicians units to increase their stock of cadavers. It's the most important trick with the necrophages.



- Somme minors are strongs, so strong that they will kill your miliciens easily. It's great because you need food reserves. Without this trick necrophages would have a slower start, and comparede to the others factions, I think they really need this bonus to growth faster. The bests minors are : silics and urces. You can too use deamons, haunts, and others, but you may need to use a necrodrone as the unit witch begin the fight, because if you use a forager they will target it and kill it, which you should avoid absolutely.



- So, take an isolated forager, attack a village, stay near your city to be able to use the milicians as reinforcements. Then stay on the back with your forager, but send the milicians to the units. Try to do the less harm mass possible, and maximize the damages of the monsters. With that, you will be able to attack them several times with the turns. For exemple, position your milicians not in front but behind one hexagone, and position another milicians before him. If the monsters have a hammer, they will strike in a 3 ligne, so hit your both, or 3 milicians.



- Exploit it as maximum. You can choose to don't destroy the village, but count on the spammed neutrals to exploit them. I advise you to do it but not in your 3 villages regions, which you should cleaer as fast as possible, to exploit the villages directly to have a super growth.



- If you won food reserves and if you have cities with more than 6 pop it's generally better to conserve your food reserves for futur new buildied cities. Because, 120 food, give 3 pop on a city with 1 population, but nearly nothing to a city with 6 pop and more. Using 2-4 food reserves in a new citiy will be give it an excellent start. And if you rush with dust the food builidings (including the villages off course), you can in no time reach a pop of 8-10 which you can dedicate to what you desire (dust, influence etc.).



- From the Era 2, you cannot anymore exploit your own milicians to produce somes food reserves, because the milicians start to keep their ass easily. When the mondial event of +50 % monsters stats appears, you can exploit it and use your milicians as Lembas again.



32.3 The Proliferator : Best unit of the game



- Immediately when you reached the era 2, research the proliferator. This is