General Advice When Starting Out

[Zuyx]

I am new to the game and series, so don't have a lot of experience. Just wondering what is some useful information that is helpful to know when starting out to help improve.

Sorry if there is a topic like this already.

[Qurqirish Dragon]

I know you'll think this isn't helpful, but:
Play on easy, so you have lots of resources to start with. Play a few individual scenarios before the campaigns (but do the first campaign scenario before this, since IIRC that is a "tutorial" level), and try different strategies (explore thoroughly vs. expand rapidly, go for strong troops vs. upgrade lower level vs. improve magic) to see how they work, and which you prefer. Play with the haven faction, since that's what you'll start with in the campaigns. After a few games, go to the campaign.

There are strategy articles on CH if you want that, but try developing your own playstyle first, and use those only if you start to get frustrated (since the point is to enjoy the game, right? )

[cjlee]

I am new to the game and series, so don't have a lot of experience. Just wondering what is some useful information that is helpful to know when starting out to help improve.

Sorry if there is a topic like this already.

The following is known to experienced players and probably terribly helpful to a newbie:

1) This being close to an RPG game, always identify the roles your troops play and respect these roles.

You have 'damage dealers' who usually act fast and hit hard but get hurt bad, you have 'tanks' who can take a lot of damage but don't hit hard, you have healers and supporting spellcasters, etc.

These are not rigid classifications, because conditions of battle may vary forcing you to change tactics.

Best example is the griffin/ battle griffin. In some battles, you only field battle griffins and use their battle dive to kill enemies without casualties. Your hero will be casting divine guidance and haste nonstop.

In some battles, you should park them next to archers and defend nonstop, using their unlimited retaliation to fend off all attackers. Your hero should cast Retaliation Strike followed by healing spells.

In other battles, you send griffins to the middle of the battlefield to distract the enemy.

If a stack is good at hurting, send it forward. For instance, always charge your paladins who are designed to be more dangerous thanks to their jousting bonus.

Keep your healers, such as archangels, behind unless you can hit the enemy with minimal losses. This also applies to paladins' lay hands. Sometimes you really need to use lay hands to remove dangerous spells like puppet master, so your paladins don't move.

Squires are slow and do little damage, but can 'shield other'. Keep them next to your ranged units and don't send squires forward.

2) In Heroes V, ATB/ initiative is very important. If you can act fast and keep acting before the enemy, you can do a heck lot of damage with an inferior army. Most factions do their best to increase troop initiative via morale, artifacts, etc.

I've played games where my troops could move many times more than the enemy. (e.g. Freyda with Windrider specialty can haste her griffins to Initiative of 26, so against slowed zombies with speed of 4, those griffins are really dangerous. Even facing a legion of zombies with a few battle griffins, you can battle dive them to death without falling asleep of boredom.)

[red255]

check out the skill wheel provided on this site.

It provides detailed information on skills and what they do.

https://www.celestialheavens.com/520

Retribution is generally very good, races sometimes suck without having a leader lead them from that race.

For instance Academy (artificer), Fortress (runemagic), Stronghold (rage), Infernal (gating) make the units from that race ALOT better.

Dark Magic is really powerful, especially if you are running Undead. Puppeteer and vampirism are godlike. Curse of the netherworld. Frenzy, blindness, mass slow, Mass confusion, Mass decay, corrupted soil.

Light magic is useful if you are running a party of minor units Fast ones, the ressurection keeps them from getting wiped out. and mass haste and righteous might and other things is useful. Storm wind keeps most things away from your tiny archers. For a turn at least. tribes adding the divine vengence, which becomes useful after a while in pitched sieges.

Summon magic is also reasonably useful for undead. especially if you got a haven hero training an additional 20 monks a round per haven turning them into Liches. of course if you do that you could just use sorcery's level 3 spells (level 4 with a book of power) So yeah, Phantom forces is great, Phonix is pretty good. but I'd probably just use sorcery for this.

Destructive magic? I don't really like, except for warlock. I suppose deep freeze works, delays the stack with master of ice, and allows your archers to destroy it with the increased damage.

Attack. Great skill, especially combined with leadership for retribution. battle frenzy, archery.

Leadership. Great skill for retribution allowing. also good for empathy. aura of swiftness and sitting in town getting resources heros.

Luck. Pretty solid skill. I started really liking it, but I'd rather retribution, and artifacts (Lion Crown + golden horseshoe) running +4 luck the morale set bonus gives you empathy effect. does it stack with empathy? but yeah, if it it makes your hero move faster AND your units move faster, and do +40% damage Leadership beats luck.

Sorcery. Useful for a caster, cheapens spells, grants access to phantom forces and other level 3 spells. Not essential again unless you are a caster, but its not horrible.

Defense is also solid mainly for a minor size army for vitality. Doesn't combo with other skills so its only mildly useful.

Warmachines is mildly useful for the +3 ranged attack, mixes with flaming arrows and triple ballista. I wouldn't generally take the skill, but it CAN be highly annoying.

Enlightenment is useful if you can manage a mentor, which allows you to get your secondary heroes up to snuff. Its handy, but not required, although the +Stats and 50% more mana really helps a caster.

Logistics, for pathfinding and swift mind are pretty solid on a main hero, because otherwise its near impossible to chase anyone down who is running away.