FfH 2 Manual

[Fluffypaw]

Thanks for a great manual. It has been immensely helpful

One error that cought my eye by accident, is that Varn Gosam's traits are now spiritual and creative(adaptive) instead of financial and spiritual(adaptive)

Keep up the excellent work

Fluffypaw

 

[Methuselah]

The expansive trait description still mentions the compassion civics.

 

[xienwolf]

Manual posted with updates for patch M and minor corrections mentioned lately. Pretty sure that the links won't change your zoomlevel anymore, but if they still do then it cannot be fixed.

 

[Methuselah]

Malakim description (page 56)
The only elves the Malakim had seen were the the dark Svartalfar.

Should only have one "the".


The specialist list on page 226 is missing great sage.

 

[xienwolf]

Thanks much Small Typos are the most important to have corrected IMO (bloody impossible buggers to find)

The Great Sge just wandered onto the next page since that section isn't really finished. Not really sure what I am planning to list there anyway. Probably a small strategy snippet on why you would want to focus on that Great Person type.

 

[Skitters]

Malakim description (page 56)
The only elves the Malakim had seen were the the dark Svartalfar.

Should only have one "the".


The specialist list on page 226 is missing great sage.

...shouldn't that also be the "Once Elves" rather than Svartalfar?

 

[MagisterCultuum]

No. Varn was a Once Elf, but the Elves whom the Malakim had met before finding him were their enemies the Svartalfar.

 

[kenken244]

No. Varn was a Once Elf, but the Elves whom the Svartalfar had met before finding him were their enemies the Svartalfar.

(Points out naming error)

 

[[to_xp]Gekko]

what's up with MC lately? he's been spelling SO MANY NAMES wrong. not enough FFH methinks, we need to start a "clue you don't play FFH enough" thread.

 

[orangelex44]

Okay... as promised, I've redone my previous strategy sections to the latest update. I found that there was remarkably little that needed fixing; there are three possible reasons for this. One, I was just lazy. Two, I'm forgetting things and will have to go back and fix my new mistakes. Or three, I'm lucky and my previous civs weren't really changed over the last two or three versions.

Anyway, with the highest amount of fanfare I once again present the Sidar, Lanun, and Elohim. Hopefully more will follow over the next few days.


The Sidar

The Sidar are unique even among the myriad nations of Erebus. They are immortal, and thus can easily become masters at whatever they choose to do. The Sidar Palace grants Specialists in the Sidar empire an boost in their production. Merchants, Sages, Engineers, and Bards all gain +1 to their respective specialty. This bonus applies to Great Specialists as well, which becomes especially potent with the Sidar’s other Specialist-related ability. Units that gain level 6 or higher can upgrade freely into Shades, weak combat units that can upgrade into a Great Specialist of their choice (except for Prophets).

The Sidar are not conquerors. They desire only to be left alone to pursue their own interests. However, should the need arise, they are capable of raising a potent hit-and-run army led by their Ghosts and Divided Souls. The Ghost takes the prowess of an Assassin to new levels, since a Ghost can turn Hidden at will, becoming effectively invisible until they attack. The Divided Soul is even sneakier; it can perform a special spell that creates an invisible unit for scouting. Even better, that unit can resummon the Divided Soul to it, making them awesome at getting around and scouting. It replacecs the Hunter. With planning, Ghosts and Divided Souls can devastate an enemy assault before it develops and get away with minimal losses.

Leading these elite troops is Rathus Denmora, who possesses the Nether Blade. This weapon is extremely powerful, increasing a Rathus’s strength but more importantly granting him a bonus versus other land’s Heroes. He can turn Hidden as well, making him in the running for best Assassin on Erebus (except, possibly, for that uppity Svartalfar).

If Ghosts aren’t enough to do the job, the Sidar World Spell, Into the Mist, grants all Sidar units the Hidden promotion once. In this way, their entire army can sneak behind enemy lines to unleash an assault. It should be noted that this spell doesn’t replace the Council of Esus’ special wonder Nox Noctis, since the Sidar units are only invisible until they attack.

Strategies of Note

While it may seem that the Sidar have fewer special abilities than some of the other civilizations, that’s because they don’t need any more. The power of Shades gives the Sidar the single greatest economy on Erebus, albeit with a little micromanaging. ANY city, regardless of size or location, can become a powerhouse with enough Specialists. Therefore, any strategy of the Sidar revolves around gaining and using Shades and Specialists to optimize each city.

To do this, it is critical to gain XP through every means possible. If done correctly, attacks against Barbarians and Animals can net a few Shades extremely early in the game. As time wears on, there are some Wonders that are very useful to the Sidar. These fall into two types, those that grant free XP (Ride of the Nine Kings, Form of the Titan) and those that make Sidar specialists even better (Hall of Kings, Theatre of Dreams, Guild of Hammers, Great Library). Try to get as many of these as possible; it should be easy with Sandalphon’s Industrious trait. His other trait, Defender, is also very useful to the Sidar in guarding those all-important cities.

Another creative way of gaining level 6 units is to spam Adepts. The free XP gain is slow, and upgraded Mages are powerful, but “build early and often” is a good catchphrase in this case. Priest units are another good path to get Shades; they also get free XP and the Altars of the Luonnotar give even more.

As previously mentioned, the Sidar economy is the best on Erebus. With virtually unlimited Great Specialists, all that's required is a little micromanaging. The simplest method is to build up two or three cities, but the loss of these cities can be crippling. Think about every Shade, both about what it should be and where it should go. It's very possible for the Sidar to NEVER have taxes.

While the Sidar are an obvious builder empire, a few offensive wars are not detrimental to the cause. The Sidar Ghost is more useful on attack than defense, and it is important to remember that XP gain is increased when attacking. The Divided Soul isn't necessarily great on the attack, but it's very mobile and excellent at hit-and-run when necessary. A wholesale conquest isn’t really likely, or even recommended, but a small conflict can drastically increase Shade production.

Obviously, the easiest victories for the Sidar are Cultural and Altar. Of the two, a Cultural victory is almost ludicrously easy once the Hall of Kings and Theatre of Dreams have been built and a half-dozen Great Bards planted in each city. With the Octopus Overlords religion, it becomes even easier. The Altar victory is kind of a conflict of interests; Prophets are the only Specialist that doesn’t gain a boost. However, even with all Great Person production going toward Prophets, the extra Shades from Priests allow the Sidar to get lots of other Great People anyway.

The synergy between Octopus Overlords and the Sidar has already been mentioned, but the Order and Empyrean also have good benefits. Confessors (Order priests) have the Spirit Guide promotion, which lets them preserve some of that precious XP. The Empyrean gives Dies Diei, and free XP to all Priest units.

The Sidar have a nice mix of starting Mana, as well. They get Enchantment, which is always nice for the free unit strength boost. More importantly, they get Spirit, which allows both Courage and Hope. Courage is always nice, especially when Acheron is nearby, while Hope gives even more culture to the Sidar. Finally, Shadow is a little weaker to start, but Summon Mistform makes up for Blur.

 

[orangelex44]

The Lanun

The Lanun are the undoubted masters of Erebus’ seas. They start with their unique technology, Seafaring, allowing these pirates a monopoly on Pearls, along with an extra movement point. Lanun Work Boats can create a Pirate Cove on Coast tiles, which acts as a very powerful water Cottage. Pirate Coves can’t be built within 2 tiles of each other, but are much more useful than simple Cottages. First, the basic Cove gives 2 Commerce, a defense bonus, and the ability for Naval units to change crews. The Cove then upgrades to a Pirate Harbor, then a Pirate Port, both at accelerated rates compared to Cottage upgrades. By the time a Cove becomes a Port, the tile has an extra 2 Food, 2 Hammers, 4 Commerce, 30% defense, a sight range bonus, a healing bonus, a surrounding combat bonus, and the ability for Naval units to change crews. Needless to say, the placement of Coves is vital to Lanun cities and requires careful planning.

Pirate Coves aren’t the Lanun’s only economic bonus. The Lanun also have the Sea Haven, a unique building that lowers maintenance costs, increases naval production, and also provides the same benefits as the Harbor it replaces. It also allows the production of the Boarding Party unit, a Champion replacement that has the ability to attack and capture foreign naval units, but loses the boost against Melee units. Finally, the Lanun Palace gives Sea tiles an extra Food, allowing Lanun cities to thrive even with limited land to work.

The Lanun dominance of the sea extends to their military. Along with the Boarding Party, the Lanun use Hidden Nationality Pirates to attack their enemies and friends at will. The Pirate also has a withdrawal chance and gains gold in combat. The Lanun also have the sea’s most powerful ship, The Black Wind. This is a Pirate on steroids, a Hero ship with extra strength and Hidden Nationality. The Black Wind isn’t the Lanun’s only Hero, though. Guybrush Threepwood assists his fellow pirates, and possess the same Boarding ability Boarding Parties do. When under duress, the Lanun World Spell Raging Seas can be used to wreck havoc on Erebus’ coasts, damaging units and destroying many improvements while leaving the Lanun unaffected.

The Lanun are Neutral to the gods’ conflict on Erebus, preferring to prey on everyone equally. As such, they do not possess the same religious devotion as some other peoples in the world. However, a worshipping the Octopus Overlords can provide dividends, and those who follow the Runes of Kilmorph are rewarded with gold, which is something that the Lanun very much enjoy.

Strategies of Note

First of all, the Lanun are useless when not near the sea. Their capitol MUST have enough coastline for at least two Pirate Coves to be built in order for the Lanun to survive the trials of Erebus. That being said, the Lanun can easily become an economic powerhouse very quickly, especially under Hannah the Irin and her Financial trait. However, the Lanun can just as easily become a militant nation, since Hannah also has the Raiders trait and the other Lanun leader, Falamir, is Charismatic. His other trait, Expansive, gives him some flexibility as well. So does his +2 relations with female leaders. Using either tactic is risky, and balance is key for those who wish total conquest. For those who aren’t dedicated to war, a Cultural victory is very possible under the right circumstances.

One of the main difficulties of the Lanun is deciding how many cities should be along the sea. Coastal cities generally are weak producers, and while Pirate Coves/Harbors/Ports offset this a little the Lanun still have problems with limited Hammers. Building the Heron Throne solves this for at least one city, and with good planning that is often enough by itself. Still, a few landlocked cities built to harness resources are fine, and even recommended for that production capacity. The Sea Haven’s decreased maintenance means that it’s often easier for the Lanun to settle faraway islands before expanding too far inland, though. Building a city on a perfect location that’s rather far away is much better than a substandard location that’s closer when it comes to the Lanun.

Those who want combat have many options with the Lanun. Both leaders have warlike traits, but Falamir’s relations boost with the ladies means that he is perhaps a little better for this path (love 'em, use 'em, conquer 'em). The Boarding Party’s loss of the Melee combat bonus is unfortunate, but any coastal cities are easily taken with combined Naval and land forces. The War Tortoise is an odd unit; it comes rather late in the game to help with an early rush and is at the end of the Mounted tech tree. They cannot use metal Weapons, either. However, they are defensive powerhouses and very capable of offence, especially since they can be promoted to Withdraw.

Builders can thrive with the Lanun as well. Their economic bonuses dovetail nicely with a peaceful strategy, and if combined with the Octopus Overlords religion, a Cultural victory is easily attainable with Hannah. Octopus Overlords also allows Cultists, who can cast Tsunami to further increase Lanun water power.

The Lanun start with Water, Air, and Chaos mana. All three are helpful in combat (although on the whole Water mana isn't very good until Water Elementals are available), and Air’s Fair Winds spell further increases Lanun water movement. Maelstrom is invaluable to those who neglect Siege capabilities, as well.

 

[orangelex44]

The Elohim


The Elohim possess a powerful mix of abilities that allow them to serve their ancient cause. First, they still remember the location of the world’s sacred and special places, meaning that they can plan their growing empire to avoid the Broken Sepulcher , expand toward Yggdrasil, etc. The Defender trait of both leaders allows them to keep their lands free of enemies, as does their World Spell, Sanctuary. Defender allows for a stronger, more resilient army within country borders, while Sanctuary expels all non-team units and prevents entrance for 30 turns.

As the Elohim become stronger, other abilities come into play. The Chancel of Guardians both increases city defense and can grant units the Defensive promotion, making the protective Elohim even more potent defensively. The other Elohim Unique Building, the Reliquary, grants the Spirit Guide promotion to units – making their armies even more resilient by conserving valuable XP.

When the time comes for the Elohim to leave their borders and fight the spawn of Hell and Evil, the Monk and Devout provide the Elohim with the force they need. The Monk is fast and versatile, with the rare Medic promotion, and the perfect unit to fight Evil midgame. The Devout are welcomed across Erebus and able to enter any country’s lands.

The Devout serve another purpose, in that they can Sanctify Hell terrain. Combined with the Elohim’s special Ritual, the Hallowing of the Elohim, the Elohim are the best equipped of any civilization to stem the Armageddon Counter.

The nature of the Elohim is tolerance and acceptance, and they reflect that with the Tolerant trait. Any foreign city that comes under their control retains the knowledge and ability to create most units and buildings from their homeland. This makes the Elohim a nation that is much more than the sum of its parts, being (theoretically) able to combine Orcish shock troopers with Hippus cavalry, Lanun pirates with Kuriotate centaurs.

The Elohim Hero Corlindale’s power lies not in strength, but in ability. He is a powerful Mage in his own right, with the Hero’s ability to Twincast and cast the most powerful spells on Erebus. His real talent, however, is that he can sacrifice himself to end all conflict with the Elohim, and perhaps more important, half the Armageddon Counter. Thus, Corlindale can be used as a powerful Mage, or a holy Martyr.

The Elohim are a holy nation, with many synergies with the religions of Erebus. Any religion works well with the Elohim, although the Ashen Veil and the Octopus Overlords religions offend their natural sensibilities. The Empyrean provides power without warfare, a cause close to Elohim sensibilities, but should the Elohim choose to become militant the Order can be of major benefit.


Strategies of Note


The Elohim are a very flexible nation, able to do many things well. Naturally attuned to peace, they can still war when need dictates. That being said, the most natural victories for the Elohim are the nonviolent ones – namely, the Altar of the Luonnotar and Cultural. Each Leader is tailored to one or the other; Einion Logos is Philosophical while his counterpart Ethne the White is Creative. Their unique building, the Reliquary, provides Great Prophets and Culture. Of these two strategies, perhaps the Altar is the best because it provides free XP to Disciple units, which includes Monks.

However, the Elohim are able to go conquering, and are especially powerful in the mid- to late-game. Mobile Monks can be potent attackers if backed up correctly, and once a few cities have fallen the Elohim simply get stronger due to Tolerant. Devout aren’t the most useful units on the offensive, since they lose the normal Marksman promotion of Assassins, but they are valuable in intelligence gathering. Lore-wise, this is not particularly accurate, but it is a possibility – just make sure to note the increased War Weariness.

For Magic, the Elohim start with Nature, Spirit, and Water Mana. Spirit is very useful to builder strategies, granting both Hope and Trust. Courage is also very useful spell in any circumstance. The other two are better for warlike intentions, giving some powerful aggressive spells with Channeling II or Channeling III. Water also grants Spring, perfect for desert starts. One mana type to aim for is Life; an Archmage with Life mana can cast Resurrect, allowing Corlindale to be reborn. This allows for the Hero to reuse his special ability, and restore peace/halve the AC once again. Using this tactic, however, is not without cost since Corlindale loses all promotions and must start again without any XP.

There is no religion that has particular benefit to the Elohim; they all have benefits and detriments. Those looking for a Cultural Victory should probably try for Octopus Overlords; however, this choice turns the Elohim Neutral so it should not be done without thought. Empyrean Radiant Guards can be very helpful with defense.

 

[xienwolf]

Nice, there have been a few people rallying for an update to Strategy posts, and I still haven't played. Whole break wasted on bughunts which I sent myself on

 

[far_wanderer]

I would suggest the following addition to the Sidar religion section:
Council of Esus can also be a solid choice late-game, as both Shadows and Shadowriders are both capable of reaching level 6 fairly quickly through combat without requiring you to involve yourself in a war. Shadowriders also gain strength from the Sidar's palace Shadow mana and xp from the Ride of Nine Kings.

Also, the description of Sprawling incorrectly states that you get 3 full-sized cities on Tiny maps (it should be 2)

 

[maglock]

Manual posted with updates for patch M and minor corrections mentioned lately. Pretty sure that the links won't change your zoomlevel anymore, but if they still do then it cannot be fixed.

Thanks Xienwolf. The zoom level behaves Keep up the good work !

 

[orangelex44]

Just finished this one up; as always, comments are welcome.

I played a game with these guys a couple days ago, and it was some of the most fun I've ever had with the game. Not worrying about anything but conquest, conquest, conquest... I killed three people before I was booted for "Final Five". Apparently my army of dozens didn't make up for the fact that I still was sitting at one lone city, which I suppose I agree with.

Anyway, here it is...

The Doviello

There is one word that describes the Doviello: war. That is all they’re good at, but they are possibly the best civilization for it on Erebus. The Doviello Palace gives them a 40% reduction in War Weariness. Their units can be upgraded in the field, and cheaply. They start with Lucian, a minor hero who gains no free experience but is still a major advantage in the early game. Many of their units do not require buildings to produce. Take all that together, and you have the ability to start wars early and endlessly.

The Doviello have a lot of unique units, but they have the same base unit strength as what they replace. Their true advantage is that the Doviello melee units can upgrade to stronger units cheaply and in the enemy’s lands. Slaves and Workers can become Beastmen, Beastmen can become Sons of Asena, and Sons of Asena can become Battlemasters. All their units also start with the Winterborn promotion, making all their units have a boost in Tundra and Snow.

Although the main strength of the Doviello is in their melee line, they have some very good supporting troops as well. Shamans do not require a Mage Guild to produce, making them easy to recruit in large numbers. The Javelin Thrower is the perfect choice to guard the heartland of the Doviello when the rest of the army marches.

Their World Spell, Wild Hunt, is useful either for a last-ditch defense or as a support for attackers. Just make sure you can supply the extra units.

If anyone remains after the initial bloodshed, the War Machine will easily finish them off. It comes late in the tech tree, but when the Doviello get it they become virtually unstoppable.

Strategies of Note

The Doviello are built for conquest. Any other victory is probably beyond their reach. The best plan for them is to attack, both early and often. They can’t build Libraries or Alchemy Labs, so they will always be behind the rest of the world in technology. Waiting won’t help.

The Doviello leaders have some very useful traits for their people. At first sight, it looks like Charadon is the better warrier, with Aggressive making his units stronger and Barbarian allowing him to slack a little on defense. However, Mahala is just a viable. Ingenuity makes it almost easy to keep the army upgraded, and Raiders makes it trivial.

Unlike many other civilizations, the Doviello don’t have many options for victory. Their best, and probably only, chance is to attack their nearest neighbor early. By the time Sons of Asena are available, there should be a solid core of experienced units and a full treasury from pillaging. Upgrade, and continue the attack. Don’t bother keeping many cities in the early game, since they’ll destroy your already weak economy. Keeping one or two can be useful, though, since they can start making units immediately. Keep an eye out for Copper and Iron, since it wastes time to send your units back home to be re-equipped. Leave a barren wasteland behind you.

The Doviello do have some choices to make in the technology department. They cannot afford to waste any research, ever. The obvious path to research is through Bronze Working and Iron Working, but Way of the Wicked and the Slavery it allows are very useful as well. Capturing the enemy’s Workers and Slaves, then turning them into attacking Beastmen, is very satisfying.

Religion isn’t really important to the Doviello. They generally can’t afford the time it takes to research one, so they cannot really pick and choose very well. That being said, it can be very useful for the Doviello to follow the Ashen Veil, which gives them some of the research ability they lack. Runes of Kilmorph can be nice too, since the Doviello need gold for their constant upgrading.

The starting Mana for the Doviello are Body, Chaos, and Earth. Of the three, Earth is probably the least useful, since Wall of Earth and Stoneskin are defensive spells. Chaos and Body, on the other hand, are extremely nice to have. Dance of Blades and Haste are priceless to attacking armies, and the Mage-level spells of Mutation and Regeneration are even better.

 

[Jules.lt]

In the units section p 125, the Pirate is listed as giving 10 per combat.
In the Lanun section it is correctly listed as giving 3

Also, orangelex: I don't think that you give due credit to the monsters that war tortoises are. with two of those in your stack, you have nothing to fear from any attack, save for marksmen or dragons. In fact, you would want dragons to attack you, as your tortoises are replaceable

 

[Wahngrok]

First, the basic Cove gives 2 Commerce, a defense bonus, and the ability for Naval units to change crews.

I think the crew change is not possible in coves anymore. Well at least I don't get the option there in my current game (patch n).

 

[xienwolf]

Just tested and you are correct.

 

[Creamy]

This was a great help to me learning FfH2. I especially appreciated the brief strategy section. It was just enough to get my feet wet and not too extensive to feel like a spoiler.

Thanks guys! I'm forcing my friends to read the manual as well