Can you break cities with only druids/beastmasters?

[EverNoob]

I'm pretty much a noob when it comes to combat with druids/beastmasters.

In my current Grigori game, I'm trying to decide if going that direction is feasible. There's a good number of mana nodes to boost druids. I'm just unsure how well druids+beastmasters are at capturing cities given the -20% attack penalty and the beastmaster's lack of city raider.

Right now I'm debating if I should just go with the old standby of lightbulbed archmages, or trying the druids/beastmasters route. I wanna try something new, but I still want to win the game after all

So if anybody could tell me if capturing cities with druids/beatsmasters is doable, and how, I'd really appreciate it

If anybody cares to have a look at my game:
large cylindrical boreal map, 9 civs (3 elves), emperor, raging barbs, no AI building reqs, req complete kills, wildlands.

 

[reverend oats]

Druids and beastmasters are nice, but really can't compare with archmages. This is compounded by the fact that Grigori get Lounitarrs (sp) with the same tech. Bulb towards strenth of will.

 

[skallben]

Grigori casters got the hero promotion so they get access to a special promotion called Twincast, which basically makes you summon two of everything (Fireballs, Wraiths, whatever). You need Combat V to access it though but its worth it for sure.

A tactics I love to do with Grigori is to use Adaptive to pick Arcane once I got a decent number of Adepts out. What I do then is to get Fire and Death mana, research Archmages, get your Sorcerers full Combat and Fire, Twincast. The reason I get Death mana is that the three most advanced will after this go level Death to III and then transform into Liches. This way you can have 6 Archmages with Twincast Meteors, some serious firepower

Downside though, would be that Death mana tend to make Basium pissed at you but then that'd be in the spirit of roleplay I reckon

 

[EverNoob]

Thanks for the input. Yeah that's what my common sense is telling me too. And that's what I usually do too. Though particularly on the boreal map druids have considerable non-combat benefits with terraforming. That's essentially why I'm considering druids over archmage.

Can anybody confirm if druids can take city raider? That might just convince me to try it out.

 

[eerr]

you should do fine with a few green nodes-druids with twincast are pretty good

city raider 1 only, i think as druids are disciple-class

 

[Sureshot]

disciple hero units cant get twincast or spell extension 1&2, only arcane hero units can

 

[EverNoob]

disciple hero units cant get twincast or spell extension 1&2, only arcane hero units can

Ouch, well I guess that pretty much settles it. Archmages it is. But maybe for my next game, i'll tone down the difficulty to see what adventurer druids play like. thanks for the feedback guys!

 

[Ecofarm]

They only get city raider 1.

Fireballs are the only decent answer; however, teching ether early as well as building a mage guild(s) and adepts (I like them in bunches no more than 12 turns apart, quickspeed - at least the first batch, so they mature around the same time) will set back your beastmasters significantly. Hell, it will set back your druids significantly.

Why fireballs? Try dragging cats along with those move 2, mobility druids (and yvain 2 move mobility, and 3 move assassins, and 3 move beastmasters. Or, use the hill giants. They are great until the first time your stack gets hit - they defend first, and die defending multiple times before your fodder defends once. Aside, Grigori (restricted leaders) techs commune without getting yvain OR kithra... shame. If I could upgrade an adventurer to Baron, it might be a decent tech for grig.

With pit beasts and/or domination (Bals druids) or Crush (Dwarven druids) you might be able to take a city without bombardment, but sooner or later 100% is too much to overcome. Treants aren't exactly city killers.

ps. If the AI used stacks of assassins against cats, they would get changed. So worthless. I mean really, dead weight and wait and wait... are they almost there yet? I wish there was a bombard promotion line available to everyone.