I keep seeing older strategy guides that suggest going for druids with the Balseraphs. Is there something I just can't see about the druid that makes this useful enough to push the runes of kilmorph religion to get neutral, or has the druid changed since those guides were written?
Balseraphs and druids.
- Thread starter Requia
- Start date
do not forget neutral stance - you have to conver to a good religion first.
Are you sure this is right? I tried this in FfH2 (patch m) with WB and it just gave me an ordinary druid, as though I had build it. It even lost the Taunt ability so there was no advantage at all from using a harlequin.
Upgrading from a priest is much better and gives access to a divine level 3 spell, depending on religion.
Monkeyfinger
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It doesn't work anymore because Harlequins don't have chaos and mind anymore, IIRC.
I'm glad that's resolved then 
In regard of the original question, Druids are excellent troops for many civs with several useful abilities but not especially for the Balseraphs.
However, one particular use of the druids is in support of a strategy using Flesh Golems. Balseraphs are probably the best civ to make use of Flesh Golems. With Freaks and Mimics that can be a powerful way to finish a game with the Balseraphs. With puppets they can generate more Flesh Golems than they have Archmages with Body3. The promotions from Freaks or the Mutate spell can be transferred to the Flesh Golems.
Druids help with Flesh Golems in two ways. A cultist promoted to a druid will be able to cast a Kraken and these are great for building up the base strength of the Flesh Golem in a cost effective way. Then a druid can also get the promotion Command 3 and with Order religion Command 4. Sacrificing a druid with command 4 to a Flesh Golem means that 70% of the combats it wins against living enemies will capture an enemy. This is a way of getting even more exotic promotions to sacrifice to other Flesh Golems.
In regard of the original question, Druids are excellent troops for many civs with several useful abilities but not especially for the Balseraphs.
However, one particular use of the druids is in support of a strategy using Flesh Golems. Balseraphs are probably the best civ to make use of Flesh Golems. With Freaks and Mimics that can be a powerful way to finish a game with the Balseraphs. With puppets they can generate more Flesh Golems than they have Archmages with Body3. The promotions from Freaks or the Mutate spell can be transferred to the Flesh Golems.
Druids help with Flesh Golems in two ways. A cultist promoted to a druid will be able to cast a Kraken and these are great for building up the base strength of the Flesh Golem in a cost effective way. Then a druid can also get the promotion Command 3 and with Order religion Command 4. Sacrificing a druid with command 4 to a Flesh Golem means that 70% of the combats it wins against living enemies will capture an enemy. This is a way of getting even more exotic promotions to sacrifice to other Flesh Golems.
Pretty sure you can't put a kraken on a flesh golem. Beasts, animals, and non living units won't combine with it.
Edit: also, that strategy requires you sacrifice your OO hero, since you'd have to switch to RoK to get access to druids, an already leveled Hemah is not something to give up lightly, especially not with a twincast/puppet combo.
Edit: also, that strategy requires you sacrifice your OO hero, since you'd have to switch to RoK to get access to druids, an already leveled Hemah is not something to give up lightly, especially not with a twincast/puppet combo.
Animals and beasts are living and can both be sacrificed to a flesh golem, try it with the WB if you don't believe me. The Kraken is an excellent way to raise the strength of the golem. Tigers from Preists of Leaves plus the mutate spell are an excellent way to pick up lots of promotions for free, just delete the ones with bad promotions and use the good ones.
Hemah is useful but not essential for this golem strategy. I usually have archmages and liches to generate flesh golems for the Balseraphs or other civs. Also it is possible to switch to neutral alignment early in the game and then to OO (for cultists) and stay neutral until druids and archmages.
Hemah is useful but not essential for this golem strategy. I usually have archmages and liches to generate flesh golems for the Balseraphs or other civs. Also it is possible to switch to neutral alignment early in the game and then to OO (for cultists) and stay neutral until druids and archmages.
Why is Druids limited to RoK ?
that seems to be a flawed assumption.
Druids goes for neutral civs. (in the same way eidolon go for evil civ and paladins to good civs)
you can be neutral with different ways :
-originally good : go fellowship or OO
-originally evil : go fellowship or RoK
-originally neutral : stay neutral.
Once you are neutral you can stay neutral and still change into any of those religion : FoL /RoK /OO /Cult of Esus.
you can thus still build druids while being in any of those religions.
Order/empy moves anybody to "good"
Ashen veil moves anybody to "evil"
FoL moves anyone to "neutral"
OO moves good to neutral, neutral stays neutral and evil stays evil
RoK moves evil to neutral, neutral stays neutral and good stays good
CoE doesn't change alignement. (or does it makes you evil ? as anybody else see you as still having the former religion)
a nice strategy is :
convert /build the unit you want to be druid (priests or special harlequin/ranger) change to neutral through religion shuffling, build 4 druids.
next turn change to the religion you want with the alignement you want.
(even better : profite from being with those non-neutral alignement to build 4eilodon and/or 4 paladin)
in the end, you'll get 4druids, 4 eilodon and 4 pallies.
For someone evil wanting OO nice strat :
-go OO (still evil), build Hemah, build some priests...research techs : (eilodon / commune with nature)
-go Order, becomes good, lose Hemah, build some confessor, and pallies. (some 5-10turns). (hope for no other OO follower)
-go OO, becomes neutral.
1) build Hemah once again either you'll still get the former promo or he become a virgin Hemah you can build more appropriatly. as you are later in game you have more mana sources and thus can get much more free mana promotion into Hemah than earlier.
2) get some of those cultist into druids to have krakens (1-2)
3) get all other druid posts be taken by confessors : upgrade to combat V and command IV. (very nice)
even if you change alignement (good/neutral/evil) the already built pallies/eilodon/druids will still be there. but you can only build/replace those your alignement allows for.
that seems to be a flawed assumption.
Druids goes for neutral civs. (in the same way eidolon go for evil civ and paladins to good civs)
you can be neutral with different ways :
-originally good : go fellowship or OO
-originally evil : go fellowship or RoK
-originally neutral : stay neutral.
Once you are neutral you can stay neutral and still change into any of those religion : FoL /RoK /OO /Cult of Esus.
you can thus still build druids while being in any of those religions.
Order/empy moves anybody to "good"
Ashen veil moves anybody to "evil"
FoL moves anyone to "neutral"
OO moves good to neutral, neutral stays neutral and evil stays evil
RoK moves evil to neutral, neutral stays neutral and good stays good
CoE doesn't change alignement. (or does it makes you evil ? as anybody else see you as still having the former religion)
a nice strategy is :
convert /build the unit you want to be druid (priests or special harlequin/ranger) change to neutral through religion shuffling, build 4 druids.
next turn change to the religion you want with the alignement you want.
(even better : profite from being with those non-neutral alignement to build 4eilodon and/or 4 paladin)
in the end, you'll get 4druids, 4 eilodon and 4 pallies.
For someone evil wanting OO nice strat :
-go OO (still evil), build Hemah, build some priests...research techs : (eilodon / commune with nature)
-go Order, becomes good, lose Hemah, build some confessor, and pallies. (some 5-10turns). (hope for no other OO follower)
-go OO, becomes neutral.
1) build Hemah once again either you'll still get the former promo or he become a virgin Hemah you can build more appropriatly. as you are later in game you have more mana sources and thus can get much more free mana promotion into Hemah than earlier.
2) get some of those cultist into druids to have krakens (1-2)
3) get all other druid posts be taken by confessors : upgrade to combat V and command IV. (very nice)
even if you change alignement (good/neutral/evil) the already built pallies/eilodon/druids will still be there. but you can only build/replace those your alignement allows for.
Monkeyfinger
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You have your alignment changes messed up.
RoK and empyrean will both turn you from evil to neutral.
OO and CoE will both turn you from good to neutral.
FoL will never change your alignment.
RoK and empyrean will both turn you from evil to neutral.
OO and CoE will both turn you from good to neutral.
FoL will never change your alignment.
I checked with the FFH manual and it seem I made 3 mistakes :
For Empy ...
CoE : ok, th manual agrees with you but it seems strange : how could you fool the other civs if you appear as an "neutral order" ...?
that one suprises me the most: FOL : I really though one made you automatically neutral... maybe it's a RifE or Wm change...
For Empy ...
CoE : ok, th manual agrees with you but it seems strange : how could you fool the other civs if you appear as an "neutral order" ...?
that one suprises me the most: FOL : I really though one made you automatically neutral... maybe it's a RifE or Wm change...
The best druids can be obtained by playing the Elohim, ideally after conquering a dwarven city.
Pick a disciple of your favorite religion, upgrade to devout to get life I and access to useful recon promotions (mobility II or sentry II, for instance), then upgrade to tier II religious unit and finally to druid. If you picked, say, empirean and a dwarven druid, you get an earth elemental summoning, earth mana affine monster with crown of brilliance and the capability to cast disrupt undead or resurrection.
Pick a disciple of your favorite religion, upgrade to devout to get life I and access to useful recon promotions (mobility II or sentry II, for instance), then upgrade to tier II religious unit and finally to druid. If you picked, say, empirean and a dwarven druid, you get an earth elemental summoning, earth mana affine monster with crown of brilliance and the capability to cast disrupt undead or resurrection.
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