Neat combinations/tricks you've found

[BlankVerse]

They do remind me of the Blood Angels from Warhammer40k. At least that's how I justify it so I can sleep at night.

 

[JonathanStrange]

Well, I liked when my Elven Hero Gilden Silveric randomly got a Regeneration/Cannibalization spell that healed him a bit after a successful combat; when I combined that with Orthus' Axe for multiple attacks, some Drill promotions, I had a Hero who could safely attack more than once a turn against heavy duty units and yet end up uninjured. He was a freakin' killin' machine - though the cannibal business kind of weirded out his buds.

 

[Methuselah]

Iron orb event.

Very useful later in the game. Considering you can force it to happen whenever you want and all.

 

[travathian]

This may actually be a bug, but in a recent game I built the Mercurial Gate and decided to go ahead and switch. Myself and my allies snagged a few cities, which were given to me, so I wasn't totally useless. Then out of the blue, one of the evil civs completed Bane Divine. Well it says it replaces all Disciple Units with their level 1 equivalent, and apparently by replace it means kill. Low and behold, I ended up with 60+ angels the next turn. Talk about a stack of holy terror.

 

[Keeper_GFA]

This may actually be a bug, but in a recent game I built the Mercurial Gate and decided to go ahead and switch. Myself and my allies snagged a few cities, which were given to me, so I wasn't totally useless. Then out of the blue, one of the evil civs completed Bane Divine. Well it says it replaces all Disciple Units with their level 1 equivalent, and apparently by replace it means kill. Low and behold, I ended up with 60+ angels the next turn. Talk about a stack of holy terror.

That's pretty funny considering the name of the ritual.

 

[WarKirby]

Iron orb event.

Very useful later in the game. Considering you can force it to happen whenever you want and all.

what is this?

Not sure what you're referring to here

 

[Jet]

The necromantic orb event you get when you build your first library. I'm not sure what the preconditions are, but it appears to happen every time. When you get the event, if you have around 80 wealth you can choose to break the orb, which gives you a free tech of your choice.

If you ask me, it's completely broken. It should be a rare event, not one that happens every time. The Tower of Divination is strong enough to begin with; this thing is just ridiculous.

 

[PaleJackal]

The necromantic orb event you get when you build your first library. I'm not sure what the preconditions are, but it appears to happen every time. When you get the event, if you have around 80 wealth you can choose to break the orb, which gives you a free tech of your choice.

If you ask me, it's completely broken. It should be a rare event, not one that happens every time. The Tower of Divination is strong enough to begin with; this thing is just ridiculous.

Really, the "destroy the orb" option which lowers AC, also gives you a free tech? That can't be intentional, I mean, it's not even mentioned... and it's completely broken.

 

[Furin]

I didn't even know that, I never break that orb but instead add it for the +2 research to the library. Considering that the event happens shortly after you discover writing (unless you don't build a library at all until the endgame, but that's exploiting if you ask me) if I am not mistaken adding these 2 extra research points is breaking even with any tech you could research at that point "for free" relatively soon, and after that you still have the +2 bonus for the rest of the game. Unless your library burns down at some point.

Anyhow, one nifty thing for the clan is going ROK asap (not only for having those sweet druids later). Barrows + SOK = 1 soldier for fighting and 1 for boosting production somewhere. When you produce soldiers with a barrows only the first seems to get the full xp from the "titan" wonder anyway so you might aswell use him as "slave" somewhere...

 

[Capn Charlie]

Tons of free GP.

Sidar, and you want to found the empyrean, and build up the altar as far as you can in that city. You need to grab the Titan, and at least one great commander, which you use to build an outpost there.

Now, with the right civics you should be crapping out 24 xp disciple units every turn. These take a random number of turns to get that last 2 xp, but after ten or so turns of building them, you start to get about 1-2 level 6 units to wane every turn.

Much earlier in the game you can get death mana and build super stacks of adepts, and let them mature slowly while cranking out skeletons, but this is slow, and really I'd rather have them vomiting fireballs as mages.

Tons of fun, only played this strategy once, and in the end, the game just kept crashing too much for me to really enjoy it.

Now, it sounds overpowered, but really, if I can marshal the military and industrial might to set this up, I should have already won.

 

[Imuratep]

I didn't even know that, I never break that orb but instead add it for the +2 research to the library. Considering that the event happens shortly after you discover writing (unless you don't build a library at all until the endgame, but that's exploiting if you ask me) if I am not mistaken adding these 2 extra research points is breaking even with any tech you could research at that point "for free" relatively soon, and after that you still have the +2 bonus for the rest of the game. Unless your library burns down at some point.

I don't know but the event does not automatically happen when you have a library, but it has the chance to happen and I already had it later on though I had libraries and it got me theology and in another game mithril working...
But also in the early game it has its uses. Early firebows with Amurites are not that hard to get with that event and it changes the game quite much as you can kill everybody with them in that stage without any problems.
And not building libraries till the endgame is not an exploit, but incredibly stupid. No tech even the latest ones will be worth that loss of research.

 

[Furin]

You are right I should have put the "exploit" under brackets, I agree it would be stupid to sacrifice all that research for possible instant access to Omniscence or whatnot. I think the propability for the event happening instantly is good, as it "forces" you to take an early tech as reward but considering your point of "special" units gained by it, which are used for landgrabbing, perhaps the events reward should be changed.

 

[Sephi]

The first time in a game that you have a library and 75 or more gold, the iron orb event will trigger. So if you want the event later just keep your gold below 75.

 

[Jules.lt]

I never even considered not getting the +2 science to the library, since the free tech wasn't mentioned in the possible results...
There are indeed many possible exploits with this.
And it rewards unfun behaviour (keeping an eye on your gold at all times so it doesn't get above 75), which is never a good thing.

 

[Senethro]

I just don't build libraries. I prefer happiness improvements, so Public Baths, a temple and one military building may delay me until I have Smelting or Fanaticism at least. Thats using Aristo though, so raising happiness caps will always be useful and net me a steady return.

25% is less than you think, unless you have Philosophical.

 

[TheGreatSteve]

I didn't even know that, I never break that orb but instead add it for the +2 research to the library. Considering that the event happens shortly after you discover writing (unless you don't build a library at all until the endgame, but that's exploiting if you ask me) if I am not mistaken adding these 2 extra research points is breaking even with any tech you could research at that point "for free" relatively soon, and after that you still have the +2 bonus for the rest of the game. Unless your library burns down at some point.

It's a question of Present Value. Keeping the orb could give 5 research for all I care. It still won't match popping Sorcery 20 turns earlier as an arcane civ. Or IW as a military type. Or Priesthood as a religous. etc etc.

It's especially fun as the Sheaim. Use the Orb to pop Infernal Pact, then use the Grimoire to pop Sorcery.

 

[Sephi]

yeah, reminds me of one of my favorite combos. Use the free bard from the event to pop drama tech. Then use the free bard from drama to create a great work in the city and remove the unrest.

 

[Jules.lt]

I think that the abundance of OP events is going to eventually make me untick "Living World".
I like it for the flavour and surprise, not for unbalancing games...

 

[JFSebastian]

I agree, I think the iron orb event is broken. Its nice, but its just broken. As soon as you find out about the other option, you'll never ever choose the other one. If you made the other choice stronger, say +6 research, then it might even the choices out for the early techs, but with something like bowyers being available so soon, even those instances will be rare.

Instead, I think it should be changed so that its remains the same, but you aren't guaranteed a free tech. Just make it a % chance it might happen. Its too strong to happen every time. Perhaps this is already the case?

What does the AI do with this event?

 

[Senethro]

I would say a % chance for Iron Orb to give you a tech is worse. When the mechanic is well understood and known by everyone, its just a part of the game. Use it or lose it. Its a known reward for researching Writing. Make it random and its a worse annoyance.

A fixed quantity of beakers would be more sensible.

Honestly, a lot of the free GP events could do with higher gold costs as well.