Best level 1 spell
- Macros the Black
- Druid
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- Location: Elemental Plane of Air
It's not just that, though. Slow is even without that usually more useful than haste. Barring the mass variants, usually in random fights, the monsters will be 3-4 stacks, while you have an army of 7 stacks. Casting slow 3-4 times, in that case, will give you the same result as casting haste 7 times. And another reason that slow is better than haste is that when you caste haste on one of your creatures, the enemy will target that creature to destroy it before haste can benefit it. The same strategy obviously doesn't help to counter slow.danhvo wrote:Most of us see that Slow seems to work out better than Haste, but I bet most of you never sit down to figure out why. The reason is, Slow is numerically superior. The progression for Slow is 25%/30%/35%/40%. For Haste, it's 10%/20%/30%/40%. Numerically, 25% slow is equivalent to 33% haste. Similarly, 30% slow = 43% haste. 35% slow = 54% haste. Finally 40% slow = 67% haste.
In other words, at every level, the current number for Haste just works out to be way too low.
Now you know why Haste doesn't get my vote as the best level 1 spell.
Overall, I think slow is definately the best level 1 spell.
Haste, then slow. Vice-versa, depending on the troops. The first strike or avoiding the first strike are both strategic advantages. Can't really tell appart which I'd really prefer.
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- Lord Lakely
- Round Table Hero
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- Location: The Eleventh Dimension....
Only two spells can have a powerfull grip on the battlefield: Haste and Slow. Between those, it's Slow that was picked by me, because it's tronger than Haste. Both are very good.
Eldritch arrow is good for Heroes that are both low on Spellpower and Knowledge, like Knights (actually it's a good spell only for Knights )
Anyway, Other classes benefit from this spell only once per game, and that is during week one.
The worst of them is maybe Stone Spikes. It's damage is pathetic without Slippers, and hasn't got a good damaging potential (Master of Earth doesn't exist - Thank God! can you imagine it , Mastered and Empowered Meteor Shower cast by Sinitar ?). Btw, your attention will probably go towards Lighting and Ice Bolt or Fireball, and if you finally manage to get the slippers, you'll probably use those other Earth Spells: Meteor Shower and Implosion
Eldritch arrow is good for Heroes that are both low on Spellpower and Knowledge, like Knights (actually it's a good spell only for Knights )
Anyway, Other classes benefit from this spell only once per game, and that is during week one.
The worst of them is maybe Stone Spikes. It's damage is pathetic without Slippers, and hasn't got a good damaging potential (Master of Earth doesn't exist - Thank God! can you imagine it , Mastered and Empowered Meteor Shower cast by Sinitar ?). Btw, your attention will probably go towards Lighting and Ice Bolt or Fireball, and if you finally manage to get the slippers, you'll probably use those other Earth Spells: Meteor Shower and Implosion
OH MY GOD !!!!
If we take into consideration the mass versions, then Slow is simply the best. It costs only 4 mana and has a huge initiative decrease effect. I don't even think Slow/Haste should be a level 1 spell, but oh well...
And Eldritch Arrow is also a very strong spell at early game, but I wouldn't consider the best since in the last fight it's pretty lame.
And Eldritch Arrow is also a very strong spell at early game, but I wouldn't consider the best since in the last fight it's pretty lame.
No matter how powerful one becomes, there is always someone stronger. That's why I'm in a constant pursuit of power, so I can be prepared when an enemy tries to take advantage of me.
Vote Slow since it opens up the way to the uberpowerful Mass Slow (and Mass Confusion, for that matter).
Mass Haste and Mass Divine Strength are both excellent spells too. Eldritch Arrow is an important spell here as well: you need it to clear neutrals early with the magical races. Stone Spikes is typically weak; its only real purpose is to kill Stalkers, split 1-stack units etc. before you get more powerful AoE spells like Fireball.
Mass Haste and Mass Divine Strength are both excellent spells too. Eldritch Arrow is an important spell here as well: you need it to clear neutrals early with the magical races. Stone Spikes is typically weak; its only real purpose is to kill Stalkers, split 1-stack units etc. before you get more powerful AoE spells like Fireball.
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- Jolly Joker
- Round Table Hero
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- Joined: 06 Jan 2006
This obviously does not so much depend on the spell - if you take all the spells at face value and without any skill, then Eldritch Arrow beats everything else, and that would be a good way to see this, since level one spells are coming into play early, when no or not many skill/perks have been gained.
Fire Trap is great as well, but it's really great only with levels in Summoning which is when the Light and Dark spells come into play.
With skills and abilities in play I'd prefer Haste over Slow for a number of reasons.
Fire Trap is great as well, but it's really great only with levels in Summoning which is when the Light and Dark spells come into play.
With skills and abilities in play I'd prefer Haste over Slow for a number of reasons.
ZZZzzzz....
Fire trap is very good when creeping, especially if you have master of summoning. With judicious placement of mines and your stacks, enemy walkers will literally blow themselves to pieces trying to reach you. Even more fun when they're 2X2 walkersMetathron wrote:Weakness? Really? I think of it as the worst of the bunch, but I guess that's because I just don't like the idea of taking damage, even when it is inevitable that I will be taking damage. So it's actually not as bad as I make it out be.Orfinn wrote:Though Fire Trap and Weakness are some great one also.
Especially love to carpet the whole BF with mines. "Boooom baby!"
I love doing that as well. Or rather, I love the idea of doing that, since I rarely get the chance to do it: I either specialize in Summoning Magic and don't get the spell, or get the spell when specializing would not be a specially good idea!
Not hard to imagine at all, and not very frightening either, since there already is a Mastered and Empowered Deep Freeze + Cold Death as wellLord Lakely wrote:Master of Earth doesn't exist - Thank God! can you imagine it , Mastered and Empowered Meteor Shower cast by Sinitar ?
And Deep Freeze is much better than Implosion:
1) Implosion deals only 33% more damage, not such a big difference
2) Implosion costs a lot more mana
3) Deep Freeze also has an additional effect of making the target stack take more damage the next turn
So even if they would cost the same mana, I think the Deep Freeze's secondary effect would outshine 33% extra damage anyway.
No matter how powerful one becomes, there is always someone stronger. That's why I'm in a constant pursuit of power, so I can be prepared when an enemy tries to take advantage of me.
- Grumpy Old Wizard
- Round Table Knight
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- Location: Tower Grump
Slow. The mass version can be had early and casts very fast. It will be a staple spell throughout the game.
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