Overall single best node magic type?
- Thread starter strategynoob
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Jabie
Wanted in Monte Carlo...
On an island without opponents and playing a builder style game - Water and Sun for Terraforming, Nature later on, plus Life if Hell terrain is a-coming. I think Life I also gets rid of Scions Haunted Lands if you're playing one of the expansion mods.
Fireball (Fire II) is usually a necessity if I want to go on a conquest, just so I can knock the walls down. Fireball also helps soften up targets and can pick off weak units out in the open.
Fireball (Fire II) is usually a necessity if I want to go on a conquest, just so I can knock the walls down. Fireball also helps soften up targets and can pick off weak units out in the open.
Humakty
Happy Goblin
Metamagic, as It'll allow me to change my nodes around once i have sufficient numbers of mages having X magic. The all seeing eye can be really usefull is you're not empyrean, and dispel is wonderfull.
Metamagic lets you rotate mana types, but you need at least one mage to actually be able to cast dispell. After that you can replace it with something else. If you have a meta mage and some adept fodder on the node, they can give you any mana you need for promotion any turn.
When you have next to no no casters, but some extra nodes, you can turn them Enchantment for happiness boost. Or use some other passive city boost mana, like life for health, etc.
When all you have are adepts, mind mana is good, so they can make themselves useful while they learn. Two science before bonuses for one gold of upkeep - sweet deal.
When you have some mages, fire mana is great for fireballs, that are swiss knife of warfare. They can bombard, they can soften up stacks, they can kill, they can even scout or protect.
When you reached archmages level, death mana lets you have four extra of them.
Body mana is good to have on at least one adept, so you can have two moves anywhere, regardless. For living units only, though. Just don't forget to cast haste AFTER you move.
Other stuff is more situational. But sometimes can make huge difference. For example, life mages are nearly imperative when you have Sheaim on same landmass.
When you have next to no no casters, but some extra nodes, you can turn them Enchantment for happiness boost. Or use some other passive city boost mana, like life for health, etc.
When all you have are adepts, mind mana is good, so they can make themselves useful while they learn. Two science before bonuses for one gold of upkeep - sweet deal.
When you have some mages, fire mana is great for fireballs, that are swiss knife of warfare. They can bombard, they can soften up stacks, they can kill, they can even scout or protect.
When you reached archmages level, death mana lets you have four extra of them.
Body mana is good to have on at least one adept, so you can have two moves anywhere, regardless. For living units only, though. Just don't forget to cast haste AFTER you move.
Other stuff is more situational. But sometimes can make huge difference. For example, life mages are nearly imperative when you have Sheaim on same landmass.
If you only have one, then probably best to go with Fire ... (UNLESS!!! you go catapult heavy).
Even with catapults though, fire is very useful. Also, if you go catapult heavy, body is going to be less or least useful to you.
While the top 3 may perhaps be Fire, Death, and Body ... Fire is more useful against a broader array of opponents.
Death is weak and/or useless vs Demons, Undead, and Angels. Not to mention Machines (like Catapults), Golems, and other Elementals. In a battle between armies of elementals ... Fire Elementals will almost always win. (plus, Earth and Water aren't really all that great as spheres ... tho Earth 2 is "sorta" nice vs Assassins)
If you DO go catapult heavy ... then either Enchantment (better soldiers) or Fire (for extra barrage) will do nicely.
Ultimately though ... whether you have many nodes or one node ... Fire is a handy friend to have along (most utility, one might say).
So fire is the way to go.
Of course ... there can be specialized conditions where Death is by far the better choice, but those are (while easily reproducible conditions) not guaranteed conditions.
For instance ... if you can get at least 3 death mana total ... (either 3 raw or 1 palace + 2 raw), then you can go the death route and be at a clear advantage over the fire route.
Of course, if you DO go the death route, you'll have a tough time defeating Saverous ... as your summons will be nearly worthless. (or any strong Supernatural or Mechanical being).
Hence, why I voted for Fire. (although Death, Fire, Body, and perhaps ICE ... can be the 3-4 most useful spheres)
Even with catapults though, fire is very useful. Also, if you go catapult heavy, body is going to be less or least useful to you.
While the top 3 may perhaps be Fire, Death, and Body ... Fire is more useful against a broader array of opponents.
Death is weak and/or useless vs Demons, Undead, and Angels. Not to mention Machines (like Catapults), Golems, and other Elementals. In a battle between armies of elementals ... Fire Elementals will almost always win. (plus, Earth and Water aren't really all that great as spheres ... tho Earth 2 is "sorta" nice vs Assassins)
If you DO go catapult heavy ... then either Enchantment (better soldiers) or Fire (for extra barrage) will do nicely.
Ultimately though ... whether you have many nodes or one node ... Fire is a handy friend to have along (most utility, one might say).
So fire is the way to go.
Of course ... there can be specialized conditions where Death is by far the better choice, but those are (while easily reproducible conditions) not guaranteed conditions.
For instance ... if you can get at least 3 death mana total ... (either 3 raw or 1 palace + 2 raw), then you can go the death route and be at a clear advantage over the fire route.
Of course, if you DO go the death route, you'll have a tough time defeating Saverous ... as your summons will be nearly worthless. (or any strong Supernatural or Mechanical being).
Hence, why I voted for Fire. (although Death, Fire, Body, and perhaps ICE ... can be the 3-4 most useful spheres)
BvBPL
Pour Decision Maker
Body.
As other have said, the choice is largely situational. You'd want water in the desert, sun in the ice, it depends on your palace, etc, etc, but, all else being equal, haste is too good to pass up.
As other have said, the choice is largely situational. You'd want water in the desert, sun in the ice, it depends on your palace, etc, etc, but, all else being equal, haste is too good to pass up.
if it is just one mana node, I'd still say Fire.
However, if you have several nodes that you want ONE type for, I'd go with Death. (but then, it might be best to save one node for when you get Sorcery for Metamagic
)
-> unless it is your plan to only focus on one sphere. Death is the only mana type worth promoting all your nodes to a single sphere.
However, if you have several nodes that you want ONE type for, I'd go with Death. (but then, it might be best to save one node for when you get Sorcery for Metamagic
)-> unless it is your plan to only focus on one sphere. Death is the only mana type worth promoting all your nodes to a single sphere.
SillyGoat
Warlord
This. With only one node, go Meta until you have a Dispel Mage. Then convert as needed.
Eerdna
Chieftain
ICE! rare but slow is usefull stopping a melee attack for a while (indefinitly if they dont use haste or other spells) and the last spell.... Is not a spell... IS THE SPELL!!! ice 3 is easly the best spell that a mage can learn for combat
Wat.
you can't build ice nodes. the only way to get it is to have a route to letum frigus.
wow a whole year! 
Anyways, I think I'd agree Amurites are the best to get Snowfall ...
I mean sure with Puppets you can gain an extra foot or two of leverage, but with an AOE spell like that puppets would almost make it more dangerous (at least in simul)
Meanwhile the Amurites have an Archmage civ hero (I think Elohim do too) ... but the advantage of the Amurite hero is that
A) Arcane Lore can give 2 Archmage heroes with Hemah under OO
and B) you can give ALL units the ability to cast slow
slow is 30% of blind's power ... see 30% of AWESOME!!!
and multiply 0.3 awesomes by X number of fodder units, and you have Win
----> Alternatively, in pure non-tech related meta, both Elohim and Amurites have the ability to get 2 Archmages before Arcane Lore
(and Sidar can technically get 2 as well, if he wanes Gibbon and builds Hemah, or vice versa)
However, as Gibbon Goetia is only an Illusionist mage ... SNOWFALL FTW!!!!
ie, Snowfall is the best weapon for Gibbon. ever.
Anyways, I think I'd agree Amurites are the best to get Snowfall ...
I mean sure with Puppets you can gain an extra foot or two of leverage, but with an AOE spell like that puppets would almost make it more dangerous (at least in simul)
Meanwhile the Amurites have an Archmage civ hero (I think Elohim do too) ... but the advantage of the Amurite hero is that
A) Arcane Lore can give 2 Archmage heroes with Hemah under OO
and B) you can give ALL units the ability to cast slow
slow is 30% of blind's power ... see 30% of AWESOME!!!
and multiply 0.3 awesomes by X number of fodder units, and you have Win
----> Alternatively, in pure non-tech related meta, both Elohim and Amurites have the ability to get 2 Archmages before Arcane Lore
(and Sidar can technically get 2 as well, if he wanes Gibbon and builds Hemah, or vice versa)
However, as Gibbon Goetia is only an Illusionist mage ... SNOWFALL FTW!!!!
ie, Snowfall is the best weapon for Gibbon. ever.
FreeTacos
Chieftain
I usually play Lanun/emp/Mediteranean and If I only have 1 withing my first 7 coastal + 5 inland cities, it's saved til Sorcery for Meta.
Then I swap it around for fire/earth for my 4 element combat mages, and mind/spirit/earth for my inspiriation/hope/wall city dwelling mages.
/facepalm I should read threads and dates before I respond to them
Then I swap it around for fire/earth for my 4 element combat mages, and mind/spirit/earth for my inspiriation/hope/wall city dwelling mages.
/facepalm I should read threads and dates before I respond to them
Body for Haste. Melee units are just too sluggish otherwise.
In such a scenario, I'd probably not research Sorcery, waiting for Meta and using all those units to switch around the node is just too costly in terms of opportunity cost (and somewhat in wasted hammers). If I eventually get Sorcery, I'll be grateful for Regeneration as well.
Under those circumstances, even if originally planned, I would almost certainly not follow a magic-heavy strategy and consider Sorcery reasonably early a waste of beakers that could be invested elsewhere, e.g. in economy techs or the melee line.
In such a scenario, I'd probably not research Sorcery, waiting for Meta and using all those units to switch around the node is just too costly in terms of opportunity cost (and somewhat in wasted hammers). If I eventually get Sorcery, I'll be grateful for Regeneration as well.
Under those circumstances, even if originally planned, I would almost certainly not follow a magic-heavy strategy and consider Sorcery reasonably early a waste of beakers that could be invested elsewhere, e.g. in economy techs or the melee line.
metamagic is the best since you can change it to any tipe whit a mage over and over again
now ilusionist seems like a disatvantage at first but it is a huge advantage epecialy 4 flesh golem whit guardsman, if you make it strong enough the AI won't be able to kill him no mater how many units he has if he dosen't have vicars to dispell him
Now if you want to use only one go whit fire since fireball is good 4 any situation ofence and defence
now ilusionist seems like a disatvantage at first but it is a huge advantage epecialy 4 flesh golem whit guardsman, if you make it strong enough the AI won't be able to kill him no mater how many units he has if he dosen't have vicars to dispell him
Now if you want to use only one go whit fire since fireball is good 4 any situation ofence and defence
I find that fire and death or maybe entropy are all good. fire is my prefered combat magic tho, colat damage and with enough mages can roast any attacker. although death gives adepts skeletons strait off the mark, plus they are perm, but other civs get bity. I have noticed that some people like earth?? is there something i've missed??? cause it always takes me forever to get arcmages and then you can only have a few
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