Calabim

[Madhatter4]

Ok so Ive only played one other game of FFH2. In that game I decided to use Bannor and overall had a blast. This time around I want to play as Calabim but dont really know the basic strategy to use. Are there any guides out there that will spell out how to use this civ in the most effective mannor? I know that Vampires are the backbone of this civ but dont really know anything more than that about them.....

 

[Mewtarthio]

You could check here. Basically, you want your cities to be as big as possible. Then you make your way to Feudalism, build a Vampire, and win. Or you could hold off until Fanticism, build Losha Valas, and win. Regardless, your main strategy is simply to survive until you can eat everyone in your empire.

 

[Madhatter4]

Ok then what is the fastest way to get to Feudalism?

 

[EverNoob]

Ok then what is the fastest way to get to Feudalism?

As with other civs, your overall strategy can be quite different depending on your leader. I'd say the fastest way to get to Feudalism is to use Flauros and cottage spam. Flauros plays more like a builder in the early game. I wouldn't rush to Feudalism, Vampires are very expensive so they require a strong economy to produce. Take your time to develop your economy first.

With the more aggressive Alexis, you probably wanna delay Feudalism even more and go for Fanaticism instead. Focus on great prophets/great merchants for bulbing/great specialists. Great specialist are good for fast early expansion/conquest.

 

[TinkerJohn]

One thing to note about the Feudalism Route is that you need a lot of horseback riding traits first and basic vampires are only strength 5. I do not believe just vampires alone will make you unstoppable though they ARE very strong and upgraded fast calvary.

Once you get Feudalism you can either go back to horseback riding technology tree, or you can train in the melee combat line.

I, however, vote the religious paths as the best Vampire strategy. Not only does it give you strong spellcasters and melee units, but the two final religious techs are pre-reqs for Brujahs and Vampire Lords, the strongest of Vampire units.

Word of Warning, the vampires post is out of date with the new changes to magic and priests since the patch. The good religions are still accurate, however the three starting religions, Leaves, Runes, and Octopus, are now much better.

 

[merciary]

I beg to differ but properly upgraded vampires can win you games. Just have a few "food" cities built on rivers or near resources. When they get to a point when growth is rather slow or nonexistent or when the people get unhappy build or send in a vampire until the growth or happiness is at a manageable level a you have a instant death machine with every promotion you'll ever need. Just back them up with some mages and melee to clean up what's left. Though this is my strategy and I almost never use calvary in FFH except when causing mayhem behind enemy lines.

 

[Demus]

True about the vampires. Even though they've got a base strenght of 5 (one less than a champion), an average one in my empire has over 150 exp (yes, that's average), which means their mod. strenght at any opponent is over 15 (including bronze or iron weapon promo). After feudalism, i usually head iron weapons, next is brujahs, then vampire lords. But honestly: if you ever made it to vampire lords, you're not playing aggressive enough. Going Losha before feudalism is still a viable strategy, expecially since you'll likely be founding a religion anyway (more happy people = more farms!), and expecially with flauros founding one shouldn't be to hard.

about the cavalry: calabim aren't the most obvious choice to use them, since it's tough beefing them up to level 6 so you can vampirise them. They're still a deadly force in other civs hands though, expecially with the hippus.

 

[Zechnophobe]

Agriculture
Aristocracy
Sanitaton

Build very large cities without impacting your economy too much. You get citysize-3 xp every time you feast, so a city of about size 23 that grows every few turns (stores 60% food after smokehouse,granary,feedingpit) will let you uber up vampires quickly. A few of such cities and an empire generally devoted to growth, and you should never want for XP.

 

[Ecofarm]

Vampires are only str 5, sure, but they can upgrade to eids (if evil) and paladins (if good [order]) and carry city raider 3.

15str, city raider 3 (and you are close to bruhas tech).

With Maduros and Beasts from AV or Sphener from Order, malevolent or rightousness turn into game winning techs. A little Bruha for the final push, if needed.

I know, order vamps is silly, but I included it because it is possible.

AV (large cities via StW) ->
feudalism (vamps) ->
malevolent (upgrade vamps to eids, build maduros and beasts) ->
rage

 

[Ekolite]

Actually many people consider the Order to be the most thematically appropriate religion for the Calabim. The two best religions for the Calabim are the Ashen veil and the Order IMO.


If you want Ashen Veil, it will be for the Sacrifice the Weak civic. This civic enables all population to consume only 1 food per turn instead of 2. This can get you some *huge* cities, you're basically doubleing your population capacity provided by food, although you will still need happiness resources/religions etc to keep the population growing. StW would also allow you to convert some of your now unneeded fams into cottages to help get ahead with technology.

But....

The technology that gets you Sacrifice the Weak also summons Hyborem into the world. This is worse then it sounds, for the Calabim. When hyborem is summoned hell terrain starts to spread, this destroys useful floodplains and resources and (iirc) has a lower food yield then normal terrain.

A viable strategy might be to run AV to get some huge cities, then feed on about half of your population with vampires and convert to the Order before hell terrain reaches you. Order will turn you good which will give you the advantage of being completely rotected from hell terrain spread.

 

[kandalf]

I'm prolly being extremely dumb, but I started my first ffh game in a while, and I don't see how I can get vampires up to 15 strength. The only +strength are the 5 combat promos. Then I just went for the +40% melee ones and the city raiders.

 

[xienwolf]

Upgrading them to other Units (like Brujah) and gaining Weapon Promotions.

 

[Demus]

brujah, paladin/eidolon, vampire lords, phalanx (any T4 melee unit i'm forgetting?)

 

[Zechnophobe]

I'm prolly being extremely dumb, but I started my first ffh game in a while, and I don't see how I can get vampires up to 15 strength. The only +strength are the 5 combat promos. Then I just went for the +40% melee ones and the city raiders.

Basically,they are referring to a unit with the vampire promotion, or with the vampire set of abilities, not the 'unit-Vampire'. Anything you upgrade it to will still have all the advantages of a vampire, and it will of course get strengthened.

 

[Calbrenar]

Actually many people consider the Order to be the most thematically appropriate religion for the Calabim. The two best religions for the Calabim are the Ashen veil and the Order IMO.


If you want Ashen Veil, it will be for the Sacrifice the Weak civic. This civic enables all population to consume only 1 food per turn instead of 2. This can get you some *huge* cities, you're basically doubleing your population capacity provided by food, although you will still need happiness resources/religions etc to keep the population growing. StW would also allow you to convert some of your now unneeded fams into cottages to help get ahead with technology.

But....

The technology that gets you Sacrifice the Weak also summons Hyborem into the world. This is worse then it sounds, for the Calabim. When hyborem is summoned hell terrain starts to spread, this destroys useful floodplains and resources and (iirc) has a lower food yield then normal terrain.

A viable strategy might be to run AV to get some huge cities, then feed on about half of your population with vampires and convert to the Order before hell terrain reaches you. Order will turn you good which will give you the advantage of being completely rotected from hell terrain spread.

Depending on how badly you want it this isn't that big of deal. First off if you found Infernal Pact after making sure you cover your area in culture he will probably spawn no where near you. Second if he does spawn near you it's relatively easy to kill him quickly, thirdly 1 life mana and you can negate him doing any damage to your lands while screwing over everyone else and having a powerful ally if you help him develop.

 

[MagisterCultuum]

AV/StW is great for the Calabim--but only with Compact Enforced, Hallowed Ground, and/or No Hell Terrain.

 

[Mailbox]

AV/StW is great for the Calabim--but only with Compact Enforced, Hallowed Ground, and/or No Hell Terrain.

Or just take those extremely powerful vampires and send Hyborem straight back to hell, the rest of the AC effects aren't that crippling in the long run.

 

[Calbrenar]

AV/StW is great for the Calabim--but only with Compact Enforced, Hallowed Ground, and/or No Hell Terrain.

Again its really not that hard to keep hell terrain out of your borders. You have to slightly delay infernal pact to get the tech for life mana but the AI almost never researches AV anyways and never does so anywhere near as early as the other religions or when a human player who wanted it at all could get it.