Favourite MOM race.

[Tuberski]

It's a common spell IIRC. So you do get it fairly often. Plus you can usually get it in the weaker lairs.

[captaincurt]

Being a Diplomatic Perfectionist , my favorite has always been the High Men because they are the only race able to build every building, and have the broadest mix of units (e.g. catapults, priests, magicians, Paladins, warships).

Being a warmongering builder (as opposed to a building warmonger, big difference), I hate not being able to build all buildings. Plus the happiness effects and mana generation is significant. Also, cities of no other race can grow as large as my glorious High Men metropoli.

It's nice to have those priests to remove corruption. The 6-figure magicians are fairly powerful... combined with catapults they form my late-game garrisons (while my Paladins are off vanquishing evil).

IMHO, Paladins are the best unit in the game, essentially only vulnerable to Great Wyrms, Sky Drakes and Cracks Call (unless they are flying, that is). And once you've built ultra-elites (req. Crusade global enchantment) with adamantium on Myrror... you never want to go back.

The main problem is that you have to survive long enough to actually be able to build them. But that suits my play style: expand and standoff until I can get a Paladin army going.

My main difficulty with the other races is their lack of a similar, truly killer unit. No other racial unit can compete with Magic Immunity, First Strike, 2 moves, and strong stats.

Inevitably the AI wizards build these terrible ugly monster stacks of enchanted/summoned beasties, and I have found that most other races top units are just not sturdy enough against magical threats... same regarding exploring the tougher nodes and temples/caves/ruins.

I'm spoiled on Paladins, what can I say?

I have played other races. My second favorite is the halflings... as was already mentioned, you get slingers pretty quick, and a stack of veteran slingers can chew up most early opponents, allowing you to gain advantage... but they are still vulnerable to magical foes.

One of the most fun games I played was with Trolls and Death Magic... I built up an army of undead Trolls (Black Channels --- their regeneration still works!) and almost never took a casualty.

[Tuberski]

Most of the time I use halfling slingers as garrison, a telite with magic weapons they can even hit missile immune creatures. And since on defense, they attack first, they usually wipe out stacks of paladins quite easily.

However, picking the right spellbooks for halflings makes them even tougher.

Life for crusade and lionheart.
Sorcery for magic immunity.
Also Warlord retort helps a lot as well.

[LDiCesare]

Barbarian throw weapons, but they get mowed by arrows and sling stones before they close. And first strike is about as efficient, or the draconian's fire breath.
I tend not to like klackons mainly because unless you play the klackons as your race, you don't have the happiness bonus, so all conquered cities have lots of riotting citizens. That is why I like to raze them, but yes, the beetles are quite powerful.

[player1]

Klakons are only good if that's your main race.

And their spearmen is so durable with all those shields.

[player1]

Anyway what do you think about Orcs?

They can build ALL types of buildings.

Only problem is that all of their preminum untis are a little bit medicore.

[LDiCesare]

I can't see any strategy inwhich orcs are interesting... Their best units are wyverns and magicians. They only have shamans, not priests, halberdmen, not pikemen. They can develop their cities a lot. They have very little disontent when occupying other races. But that doesn't give any edge. For magicians and fliers, you have better with beastmen, elves (both), draconians and nomads.
Elves and myrrans in addition give bonus to mana, nomads to gold, and they all have additional more powerful units the orcs lack.
Btw, I tried playing barbarians today, just to chec because I consider them total crap while aaglo seems to love them. I realize that my preference is very dependent on my strategy: I almost never cast spells on units. I usually keep mana production to 0, putting all in research and ability. Thus all races that need enhancement to be effective do not appeal me. The same is true for mana-generating races. I don't need them. But I need gold, thus dwarves and nomads. Considering my regular units are not very important, as I take over the world with heroes, the main point with the race is what else they provide (research and gold).

[Ecthy]

I can't decide between high men and dark elves.

On Arcanus, high men are next to unbeatable due to their lack of restrictions for growth and their powerful troops.

On Myrror, though, nothing beats the race that has Warlocks with thunder bolts spells. With those guys you can take out whole empires, just with a pack of them.

But since Myrran ability cost a lot of points, I think high men are more effective in the long term. Just beat some guardian spirits in a tower and get yourself a dark elve town down there - and you're there.

The other way around would be a bit hard to do, since paladins are magic resistent. But then which town has paladins

[player1]

High men magicians are good.

They have SIX mages in unit.

[Ecthy]

true, but their spell sucks. dark elves warlocks come as 4 guys only, but they have that bolt thing

[aaglo]

Ecthelion: I think that spell is called 'doom bolt' (was it 10 points damage regardless of defense)

[player1]

Originally posted by Ecthelion
true, but their spell sucks. dark elves warlocks come as 4 guys only, but they have that bolt thing

Fireball is good spell if you know how to use it.

As for dark elves. They cost 3 points, they are supposed to be good.

But,
Dwarves are better.

[aaglo]

If you want an unit with a ton of cost in mana, but nearly uninvunerable... here's the formula:

Adamantium slingers with:
lionheart
invunerability
holy armor
holy weapon
flame blade
eldritch weapon
chaos channels (desired enhancements are flight or demonskin)
righteousness

and if you have green books, you could get lucky and find/research Iron skin.

That pack is almost untouchable... wow!

[player1]

Halflings & Lionheart are great combo.

[Ecthy]

player1 - there's not too much of a chance to "use" the fireball of magicians. they just cast it without inflicting damage