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#4615569 - 12/03/22 01:41 PM Re: TW: Warhammer 2 [Re: DBond]  
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Took a dive in to Tzeentch's realm. Before doing so I read about it and frankly it sounded like a nightmare, with portals everywhere leading this way and that, mistakes sending you back whence you came, chewing up the turns and allowing others to bypass you and take the soul, leaving you with nothing. The threads on reddit and elsewhere made me think this would be the realm that flipped my assessment. Now, I see what everyone was talking about sort of thing.

But after maybe four turns I was at the last level, fully healed and ready to rumble. I was able to 'reveal sigil' after each a battle and then just jumped down the portal that lit up and that was that. It all seemed straightforward, and ....easy. I hope I just got lucky, and that the player base isn't a group of brain dead morons. And we all know Total War attracts the best and brightest, so I must have been lucky smile It was too late to take on the final battle, so I'll take that up later.

My plan to follow Skarbrand around and prevent him using a portal didn't work the way I envisioned. It didn't hit me at first, but as my agents level up they get mounts. First, a warhorse and then a war bear. But the bear kills campaign map movement range, which didn't register right away and Skarbrand was leaving me in his dust. I just followed at a distance. At least I know where he is, a lot of good that does me. Anyway, after wave three ended, Tzeentch got his third soul so that's two factions I trail to. I swapped all campaign map agents back to war horses and their range returned.

Something I want to mention is allies and war coordination. Usually in Total War games I avoid striking any alliances. I think the AI is coded to become inept when the player's ally, in CA's twisted attempt to keep the player from allying the strongest factions and stomping the world. And taking allies makes mad the factions you otherwise might have not angered. So it also leads to more enemies, and the ally AI isn't going to do much to help you. So I usually forge ahead through my campaigns with the little or no alliances. But this time I went all in and allied every faction who asked, mostly Empire and Dwarfs. We are all in this together against the spawn of Chaos.

I've had some success using war coordination in other titles, like WH2. It really can be useful, but it always felt rather arbitrary, which I'm sure was due in part to the AI not being able to fill your requests. But in this run it has worked great. I don't abuse it, or ask the AI armies to do too much, travel too far or take on stronger enemies. But if they're near a settlement we should take I give them orders and they dutifully carry them out. Through turn 100 or so the evil factions to the south and west were rolling the Empire up. It appeared we would soon stand alone against the Chaos.

But the combination of war coordination and outposts has really paid off, and the Ice Court and her allies have been staging a counteroffensive, pushing back the enemy and reclaiming lost lands. It's been great. It took a long time to see any real benefit to the outposts. But eventually I began seeing Kislev units in their armies. War bears, Ice Guard, Kossars and more. This helps to bolster their ranks, of both field armies and garrisons, and the Allied recruitment mechanic allows you to get some top units even when you're not near your best recruiting provinces. It's really quite useful. In my case I've used it to get some artillery in my armies when I could not spare them to return to my recruitment centers. You need to be careful, as units you recruit from outposts are considered 'lent' to you. These units could be taken away if the alliance crumbles or the outpost is lost. You don't want to be deep in enemy territory and suddenly lose four units. So it's best used for home defense armies where the lost units can be quickly replaced.

Overall, this has been easily the most satisfying campaign for me from an alliance perspective. We are all in it together against the Chaos hordes, and for once it actually feels like it.

Finally, this campaign is so extraordinarily busy that Katarin has hit level 35 by turn 120. It's been rare for me to have characters hitting this sort of number. But when I finally found Skarbrand, I saw he is level 48! Good god man. All of the legendary lords are super high level already. I like this campaign, Realm of Chaos, and it's good I waited to pick up Warhammer 3 I think.


No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
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#4615570 - 12/03/22 02:10 PM Re: TW: Warhammer 2 [Re: DBond]  
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Nice writeup as usual, DB!

I restarted my Tzeentch campaign after I got a little bit of a feel for the faction. Their early game units are a bit squishy and recruitment is slow, so I've been playing more tall than I usually like to. I have however secured the Eastern Steppes province, which borders Cathay to the East and Norsca to the North.
To the West I have another Tzeentch faction, whom I currently have a NAP with, and to the South are some abandoned settlements. I'll grab those and gain another province.

To the SouthEast are some relatively weak Ogre factions. I have no beef with them as of yet and have no wish to have to defend that border in addition to NE (Cathay). They are also "Improving" in relationship to me, so I'll let that happen.

Norsca I'm friendly with for now, so I'll leave them be as well.

So my plan for now is to claim the 3 abandoned settlements in the "Road of Skulls" which will give me the province. I have two of the four in "Road to Damnation," and I want to get that one as well. One of these is owned by the Norsca faction that is also to the North, and one is owned by an Ogre faction.
I'll get them by using the "Transfer Settlement" power in the "Changing of the Ways." That won't give me any diplomatic blowback (at least I'm pretty sure it wont."

I'm about 20 turns in on the rebooted campaign. I see how diplomacy might be a bit more important in this game, as you noted, so I've been considering those requests much more carefully.
l


Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded — here and there, now and then — are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty.
This is known as "bad luck.”
-Robert Heinlein
#4615575 - 12/03/22 02:45 PM Re: TW: Warhammer 2 [Re: DBond]  
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Cool JC. Your ranged units are pretty good, at least as seen from the receiving end. Pink Horrors give me fits. Those barriers are also quite a neat trick. That's an interesting faction and thanks for the post.

Quote
so I've been playing more tall than I usually like to


Yeah, I think that's the way to go. I'm about 120 turns in and hold just five full provinces, and three of those are the ten-slot single cities that have no other settlements. So that's just 11 total settlements. Three singles and two four-settlement provinces. Beyond that I've taken a raze it approach, ringing in my realm with barren lands, or helping an ally to take those provinces. I've got enough to support four field armies and that's fine. Are there ten-slot cities in your region JC?


No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
#4615578 - 12/03/22 03:11 PM Re: TW: Warhammer 2 [Re: DBond]  
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Originally Posted by DBond
Cool JC. Your ranged units are pretty good, at least as seen from the receiving end. Pink Horrors give me fits. Those barriers are also quite a neat trick. That's an interesting faction and thanks for the post.


Yes it seems range and heavy magic is the key with Tzeentch. I still haven't gotten my head around the barrier. I think it's passive and I don't have to do anything to activate it but I'm not sure.


Quote
Quote
so I've been playing more tall than I usually like to


Yeah, I think that's the way to go. I'm about 120 turns in and hold just five full provinces, and three of those are the ten-slot single cities that have no other settlements. So that's just 11 total settlements. Three singles and two four-settlement provinces. Beyond that I've taken a raze it approach, ringing in my realm with barren lands, or helping an ally to take those provinces. I've got enough to support four field armies and that's fine. Are there ten-slot cities in your region JC?



No, nothing that big yet. All the provinces I've encountered have been your typical 8 slot capital w/4 slot smaller settlements. I've actually got about 8-9 settlements spread about 3 provinces, and I'm moving to grab 3 that are abandoned which will give me control of Road of Skulls province. I'm only rocking 2 armies thus far (only one of which is a full stack), need get the income up before I recruit any more. All in all I'm enjoying the game.

Being pretty new to to TW titles, the biggest thing that's been frustrating me is the actual combat. I had a hard time tracking what was going on, making tactical decisions, etc. But I think the fog is lifting a bit, and 've found frequent Pausing to be helpful. I just finished wiping out a Cathay army in a battle that made me feel like I was finally getting the hang of it.


Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded — here and there, now and then — are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty.
This is known as "bad luck.”
-Robert Heinlein
#4615586 - 12/03/22 05:31 PM Re: TW: Warhammer 2 [Re: DBond]  
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I pause a lot in combat, and it's one of the reasons I cannot play on Legendary, where you don't have this option. Well, you can pause it, but cannot issue orders, so that's out. Of course this isn't the only reason I don't play legendary smile

Composition is key I think. How you use the units is too of course, but army composition is key. I'm mostly unfamiliar with the units at your disposal, the traits they have. But in general I want to ensure I have armor piercing. And as an order faction I need anti-large because so many of the Chaos type enemies use these units, trolls and such. For me melee defense is key too, so the units can stand and take it. Shields if I can get them for missile defense. Not sure who your enemies are aside from Cathay, so maybe as Tzeentch you don't need much anti-large?

Magic is also a core thing in WH3. Matter of fact this could be considered the first run I've ever done in Total War where I am all-in on magic. I've used it plenty, but never really invested in the skills to enhance it. But in this run I have, taking skills to increase winds of magic and restoration, all the spells and over power tiers. And I use it liberally. It's fun. Katarin has a Frost Maiden in her army, who is level 31 herself. Between the two I have a number of damage spells, frostbite to slow enemies down, summons, healing and more. Battles are just more spectacular with all of this going on and it can be amazingly effective, battle-changing at times.

My current realm diver army is Katarin of course. At the mo, it is

Katarin --Mage type character with lore of ice
Frost Maiden -- support caster with lore of tempest (the academy allows you to choose the lore school and this was to offset Katarin's ice)
Ice Guard (Glaives) x 4 -- Hybrid ranged with anti-large, good stats across the board. High leadership, medium melee defense and attack. Medium armor. Special firearm ranged attack. Range is 99 with current bonuses and buffs
Ice Guard (Swords) x 4 -- Hybrid ranged with anti-infantry. Same stats as above
Streltsi x3 -- Blunderbuss unit with armor piercing, good armor and good in melee. Transferring them to another army since my infantry already covers the ranged. Range 154 with current buffs and bonuses
Winged Lancers -- Melee cav. Good charge, armor and speed. Causes fear. Shielded
Gryphon Legion -- Melee cav. Slightly more powerful and slower than the Lancers. Causes fear. Anti-infantry, shielded.
Oath-Brothers of Tor (War Bear Riders) -- Regiment of Renown. Monstrous unit. Armored, AP and anti-large. Causes fear. Unbreakable.
Dazh's Hearth-Blades (Tzar Guard - Great Sword) -- Regiment of Renown. Armored, AP, anti-infantry, flaming attacks. Has attribute to restore vigor in 35m radius. Unbreakable. Fire resistance
The Frozen Heart of Winter -- Regiment of Renown. Monster unit. Elemental bear. Can attack walls and gates. Unbreakable. Causes fear, causes terror. Passive hex abilities to reduce enemy weapon and AP damage plus speed. Armored and AP.
Little Grom artillery x 2 -- AP, armored and collision attack. Superior range. Getting 565 range with buffs and bonuses. Not a great damage dealer, but a great lord sniper. Range is about 100 more than most artillery. High shot speed. Provides leadership bonus.

That's a good mix. Armor piercing, anti-infantry, anti-large, ranged, monstrous, monster, magic and artillery. Feels like all the bases are covered with this composition. I am phasing out the Streltsi as mentioned and will replace them with probably bear riders when and if I get the chance. Only three RoRs for the Ice Court.


No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
#4615589 - 12/03/22 06:20 PM Re: TW: Warhammer 2 [Re: DBond]  
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Originally Posted by DBond
I pause a lot in combat, and it's one of the reasons I cannot play on Legendary, where you don't have this option. Well, you can pause it, but cannot issue orders, so that's out. Of course this isn't the only reason I don't play legendary smile

Composition is key I think. How you use the units is too of course, but army composition is key. I'm mostly unfamiliar with the units at your disposal, the traits they have. But in general I want to ensure I have armor piercing. And as an order faction I need anti-large because so many of the Chaos type enemies use these units, trolls and such. For me melee defense is key too, so the units can stand and take it. Shields if I can get them for missile defense. Not sure who your enemies are aside from Cathay, so maybe as Tzeentch you don't need much anti-large?


I'm still very much feeling through my enemies, but I haven't seen any large units as of yet. Besides Cathay there have been a few hordes - Khorne for sure, and I think some Chaos Warriors as well. They didn't have any large as I recall, but it's still very early in the game. Thanks for the help on army composition too. Right now I'm very limited in my unit selection (ie available to be recruited). I've only got two different melee units, so I'm taking the tankier one, an infantry missile unit, and a flying melee infantry unit that I more or less use as cavalry for flanking and attacking rear area units.

Quote
Magic is also a core thing in WH3. Matter of fact this could be considered the first run I've ever done in Total War where I am all-in on magic. I've used it plenty, but never really invested in the skills to enhance it. But in this run I have, taking skills to increase winds of magic and restoration, all the spells and over power tiers. And I use it liberally. It's fun. Katarin has a Frost Maiden in her army, who is level 31 herself. Between the two I have a number of damage spells, frostbite to slow enemies down, summons, healing and more. Battles are just more spectacular with all of this going on.


Agreed on magic here - and for Tzeentch it is a specialty. I've been taking the approach of just a few spells but spending all my points maxing them out. And of course spending points to increase winds of magic. And you are right - battles are a lot more interesting to watch with all the magic effects on top of the multicolored missiles Tzeentch has!


Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded — here and there, now and then — are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty.
This is known as "bad luck.”
-Robert Heinlein
#4615594 - 12/03/22 07:18 PM Re: TW: Warhammer 2 [Re: DBond]  
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I had a look over your roster options. Obviously I'd need to play them to be sure. Often a unit that looks fantastic on the unit card proves far less valuable in combat. And of course you'll need to build the infrastructure to recruit them. That takes time, but when you can identify ahead of time which units to target, you know which buildings to prioritize.

One thing I noticed is comments about Tzeentch's 'replenishment issues'. Not sure what this means, but you must have some sort of drag on this?

And it's hard to know which spells will be good without trying them out. Again they can look great in the description, but in practice are hard to use or hit moving targets with. However, you have one spell that looks god-tier. Firestorm Vortex? This should just obliterate skaven armies smile You'd need the right lore school of course. Your LL and heroes look really nice.

As for composition, it appears you are quite limited in AP units, which sort of sucks. However! You have lots of warp fire and that stuff is awesome. Warp fire melts armor, and helps fill that gap. If I were playing I'd be looking to get warp fire on as many targets as possible so my non-AP units kill better. Warp fire is fantastic as skaven so I'm sure it is as Tzeentch too. Kairos has it and I'd be trying to rain his spells all over the battlefield. He looks like a fantastic damage dealer caster.

With the caveat that I have no idea really, since I've only opposed them on the battlefield, not played as them, I'd be looking at these units. I think all Daemonic units get damage resistance and do not rout and are immune to terror.

-- Pink Horrors and later Exalted ones. These are the units that cause me so much trouble. Look decent in melee as well. But their ranged capability would be invaluable in a mixed comp army

-- Forsaken. Line infantry. Damage Dealer and Frenzy helps offset lack of AP and poor melee defense. Get the tech that boosts their replenishment to offset that drawback to your faction.

-- Chaos Knights. Armored and shielded. Anti-infantry. Very high armor. Hard to think of a better hammer cav.

-- Doom Knights. Flying units have great mobility and these could easily replace standard cav. Armored and shielded. Barrier. Anti-infantry. This looks like a great unit and fun to use. Easy to get at the soft underbelly of archers and artillery with units like this.

-- Screamers. Monstrous unit with both AP and anti-large. With these two traits being rather limited in your roster, I'd want some of these to fill those gaps I think.

-- Flamers. Oh man. I don't know how long you'd need to wait to recruit these things. Monstrous missile infantry. AP, Barrier, Flaming attacks. Warpfire. Sort of a glass cannon and low ammo. But as a lord sniper? yes please. Helps fill artillery gap.

You've also got what looks to be a good chariot unit but I have an irrational dislike of chariot units.

So yeah, interesting roster. A line of Forsaken backed by Pink Horrors and flanked by the Chaos or Doom Knights. Screamers and Flamers to fill out the stack and add utility. Not sure which hero is best, but I'd probably want Kairos and one hero to add magic options (pick a different lore than Kairos if possible). Identify which type of hero and get him or her in to the army early to spend the whole run leveling up.

Of course I don't know at what point in the campaign such a composition would be feasible, but I think I'd be looking to do something like this. And of course don't forget about outposts. Make allies with factions that have units you'd want to add to your army to fill gaps or factions that just have units you really like to use. For example a Skaven ally that can give you Plague Claws to give you some more AP and anti-infantry artillery.



No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
#4615600 - 12/03/22 09:09 PM Re: TW: Warhammer 2 [Re: DBond]  
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Wow, thanks for taking the time to check that out, DB! I'm very grateful for your insight!!

Right now my avail is Forsaken, which is my choice for melee, Blue Horrors, Pink Horrors, and Chaos Furies. I don't bother with the Blue Horrors, too squishy. So I"ve got Forsaken, Pink Horrors, and Furies in my armies. Again, only 20 turns in so choices are limited.
I'll be looking to add some of the others as I go.


Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded — here and there, now and then — are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty.
This is known as "bad luck.”
-Robert Heinlein
#4615604 - 12/03/22 09:42 PM Re: TW: Warhammer 2 [Re: DBond]  
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Maybe it's useful, and maybe you will like other units. But yeah, I'm happy to talk about it anyway.

Which high-tier units did your lord start with?

I looked at the Furies, and those are good and necessary in the early stages. Vanguard can be situationally awesome.They should be able to take out towers and be good anti-missile units, but I think you'll eventually want to replace them if the economy allows.

I rather like the vibe here and might give them a go myself.


No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
#4615617 - 12/04/22 01:26 AM Re: TW: Warhammer 2 [Re: DBond]  
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Those shields (blue health bars) on the Tzeench units are passive. You don't have to do anything. They fall before the actual HP and if you pull them from combat for a bit, it'll recharge on it's own. Helps with ranged and hit and run tactics for them.

#4615637 - 12/04/22 12:35 PM Re: TW: Warhammer 2 [Re: DBond]  
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Thanks wormwood! That’s what I needed to know!


Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded — here and there, now and then — are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty.
This is known as "bad luck.”
-Robert Heinlein
#4615643 - 12/04/22 02:13 PM Re: TW: Warhammer 2 [Re: DBond]  
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Yeah, those barriers operate just like a shield in Borderlands, and refill when out of combat, which just means not taking any damage for a bit I think.

In my Kislev run Khorne went four for four in rift waves. Many said that the player missing the first wave wouldn't be a problem, and that the AI don't go four for four, but it's just my luck. So I need to do an interception. If I can intercept Khorne's army outside the Forge of Souls, I can defeat him and set him back 15 turns, giving me a chance to get my fourth and beat him back to the Forge. He took that fourth soul with just one turn left in the third wave, and not enough time for him to return and win the campaign. So I've had the intervening turns to keep leveling up. But now the fifth roar is imminent and I need to get it right if I hope to win the campaign.

And level up we did! Katarin is now level 42, and our faction has a number of characters well over level 30. Never saw anything like this in previous TW runs, in any game. It's a madcap campaign as Kislev.


No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
#4615648 - 12/04/22 04:42 PM Re: TW: Warhammer 2 [Re: DBond]  
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I entered the Nurgle rift, and fought one battle. My army comp is a little weak, I didn't upgrade the Blue Horrors for Pink Horrors when I should have and am paying the price. I'll play it out though and see where it winds up.
Wish me luck!


Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded — here and there, now and then — are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty.
This is known as "bad luck.”
-Robert Heinlein
#4615653 - 12/04/22 05:40 PM Re: TW: Warhammer 2 [Re: DBond]  
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Good luck. Look for the reinforcement mechanics when you hit the final battle and you'll be fine.

How do you intercept at the Forge? When wave five happened I jumped straight in to a rift with Katarin and warped to the Forge. But I just sit there. Am I to wait for Khorne to show up? Feels like I'm missing something. And while I sit here the turns are are ticking and I still need my fourth too.

I think if I play another RoC campaign I would jump in to the Slaanesh realm first wave. Go down to the bottom and take one of those gifts which would be incredible around turn 30!

Oh well, if I don't win this one no big deal. Gives me a reason to go again.

I mentioned earlier the supporter mechanic race with Kostaltyn. I won that race and we confederated. Not much territory, which I don't want anyway. But I got him as a lord and one of his RoR bear riders. Too bad he hadn't recruited the other two RoRs or I would have double now in my armies. Plus he had three Frost Maidens, which is great and I now have 7/4 for this agent. Agent play in WH3 is quite hectic. Assault Unit, Assassinate and Block Army are all really good in a campaign like this, although mine don't have Block Army. There's so much action that just about every agent and army do something every turn.

There's a third Kislev legendary lord, Boris Ursus. He starts the campaign prisoner, encased in ice. Kiselv gets a quest to free him, and I did so and he is a great character who imparts some top faction bonuses. This also unlocks him for playable campaign starts.


No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
#4615681 - 12/05/22 01:58 AM Re: TW: Warhammer 2 and Warhammer 3 [Re: DBond]  
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Finished the Realm of Chaos campaign on turn 163. I took a few turns at the end to replenish a bit or it could have been 160. Uncannny how many campaigns go 160 turns. Played normal/normal and with large unit size. Whatever is default, 60 in an average infantry unit and 45 in cav. I left it there thinking it might help with load times, which are long-ish.

I waited at the Forge and a couple turns later Skarbrand showed up, maxed out at level 50 and with an army sporting gold chevrons across the board. He was the leading AI faction in this run, and I reckon he might not have lost a battle all game. His army was jacked. But we smoked him. He has no ranged and just got shredded closing the distance. I expected a hard fight. From there, we could hop rifts straight to the Blood God one, get our fourth soul and then to the final battle with Be'lakor. Intercepting a faction with four souls, and defeating them, no longer sets them back 15 turns, they now lose all of their souls and have to start over. That has to really suck, and Khorne was out of the race effectively. Tzeentch got four, but I beat him to the final battle. That battle was another survival, against Be'lakor and a hard one, but Kislev units rock. I really enjoyed this faction, dig the whole ice vibe. Ursun is Kislev's god and so I'm glad I picked them, the story's a good one for this faction.

I've always liked hybrid units in Total War, but rarely felt I could rely on them. Eataine's Sea Guard, or those Jinettes that Portugal and Spain had in medieval 2. Good units, plenty of utility, but master of none and rarely strong enough to do either ranged or melee well enough to justify a spot in a 20-unit stack. Kislev's however are good at both. The mid-tier Kossars and the elite Ice Guard both shred enemy ranks. Ice Guard have good range, a strong missile and great melee stats. They have Frostbite to debuff enemy speed by 30%. Katarin gets -50% upkeep for Ice Guard and I fielded four glaives and four sword units, for a mix of AP, anti-infantry and anti-large. Only drawbacks are modest armor that I had no buffs for and no shields so they are vulnerable to missiles. But as missile units themselves they could easily counter and usually had superior range. Fantastic infantry, that can handle two roles with great results. I really liked the war bear riders and the elemental bears too. The latter was essential to winning the campaign as they could lock down the enemy lords, especially the daemon princes in the survival battles. Another standout was the Little Grom artillery. It's a single dude riding a big cannon sled pulled by a pair of bears. With late game buffs and bonuses this unit had a range of 563 and damage over 600. The rounds are very fast, but no explosives or other effects, so they aren't great anti-infantry. But against single entities they are excellent. Between these and the elemental bears I could focus down enemy characters and often at very long range. Against otherwise troublesome units like Soulgrinders, the Grom artillery was awesome.

Hybrid runs throughout the roster, even the Grom units had good melee attack and defense. I prioritize melee defense, and I'll attach a couple shots which show how much I was able to buff it. One is a glaive Ice Guard and the other is the Grom.

Katarin also achieved level 50 a few turns before the end, which is madness. So much XP to be gained in this campaign. As for the Realm of Chaos I really enjoyed it. Certainly worth a go. Play again? Yeah, maybe. I wish I found the remaining factions more compelling. But as a TW campaign it's focused, frantic and fun. Playing tall is a welcome change. I think choosing Kislev made it for me, not sure I would have enjoyed it as much playing a different faction but that's just speculation.

Attached. Check out the stats for these two units. The Ice Guard ranged numbers are better than most dedicated archer units. Strong missile and great range. Average armor -- but the melee defense makes up for it -- and probably results in decent foot speed. The deltas on the right of the unit card are in comparison to the sword version of Ice Guard. And also the great stats on the Grom.


Attached Files glaives.jpggrom.jpg

No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
#4615945 - 12/07/22 01:35 PM Re: TW: Warhammer 2 and Warhammer 3 [Re: DBond]  
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NooJoyzee
After finishing that campaign I had a look about to select my next thing. When in WH3 looking at the playable options I noticed a few lords which I did not have, all Warhammer 1 and 2 DLC, so I went and grabbed all that was free, and there were several of those.

I resumed a Clan Skyre Vortex run from a year ago in Warhammer 2.Good fun. One of the free DLC I downloaded was new Regiments of Renown, and not sure if it came from that, but I drafted in a unit called Avalanche Mortars which is a Skaven Death Globe mortars unit. Wow! I fought a province capital defending siege battle, my army against a full Teclis stack and another 3/4 stack. The Avalanche Mortars were amazing. They fire multiple purple missiles which fly in a high arc, then as they fall, they burst like a cluster bomb and the bomblets then pepper all over the enemy formation. Incredibly effective against whichever unit decided to pick up the siege equipment abandoned by the last unit to be targeted by these mortars.

I also finished the Warhammer 3 prologue campaign. Veterans to the series needn't play it really, it's essentially a long tutorial. But it's well crafted and I think it's worth a go for any player. Turns go by super fast. Nice narrative, beautiful cutscenes. Kislev units. Nice work by CA here, and a great way for a new player to ease him or herself in to the game. The bigger battles are not easy though.

Another thing that caught my eye is the Silence and the Fury DLC for WH2. There are only a couple I never picked up, and this is one. Not too interested in the lizard lord, Oxyotl. But I'm intrigued by Taurox, a beastmen lord. I'm not sure there's a stronger single character in the series. Beastmen sort of sucked in the past, but CA reworked the faction and it looks like this is worth a go. Taurox gets some insane mechanics and bonuses, especially to movement and recruitment. Not really my sort of faction, but this might be too good to miss. So far, Attila is the only TW title to feature horde play that I enjoyed, but I think Taurox might be another.


No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
#4615990 - 12/07/22 05:59 PM Re: TW: Warhammer 2 and Warhammer 3 [Re: DBond]  
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A few days ago I searched melee defense. I wanted to read some opinions about which units shined here, and other related things. I found a reddit thread, and it was 432 replies. 432!, About melee defense! A discussion about the various factions and units, with opinions about which were best, how they compared. SimHQ used to be like this, long discussions about the minutiae of whatever the subject was. Rivet-counting, as it were. Those days are long gone. And while I appreciate those who do engage in these threads, I think this is the wrong forum for me. Not a new revelation, this site has been heading this way for years.

A few days ago JC made a post talking about his run. Finally, something about what others are doing. It's always seemed to me that SimHQ should have discussion about playing the games. That no longer exists for the most part. Folks post a quick comment. 'Game is good' 'Game is bad' and a video perhaps, which I don't watch. I want to read about the experience, the choices and decision making, the enjoyment or absence of. The posts and threads I write are this, my experience, opinions and details of what it is like to play the game or sim I'm talking about. EU IV, Falcon 4, Silent Hunter, Total War, Borderlands, Hitman, racing sims and on and on. But there's just not an audience here for it. For years I've posted anyway, hoping that folks were still reading, and getting something out of it. Maybe that's run its course.

I'm not seeking replies or opinions on this. But maybe you'll know the reason if I'm not around much any more. I'm offering something that no one is asking for, aside from me as this is what I hope to see from others. I won't let the door hit me smile


No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
#4616022 - 12/07/22 09:27 PM Re: Total War : Warhammer (x) [Re: DBond]  
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wormfood Offline
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Melee defense is the end all be all of infantry units in WH for most armies. Provided you have good cav or ranged to actually do damage. They just need to tie down several units and stay alive while your damage dealers do their thing. It's kinda like alot of party RPGs, they're the tanks. That's also assuming you have infantry in some kind of mixed army. Doesn't really apply to all cav or monster armies. Those, you just cycle charge and never keep them in melee to need defense.

Next is ward save, if you can get some items, spells or abilities it drastically cuts down the damage those tanky units will take.

Armor though seems to have limited value above 100.

#4616075 - 12/08/22 12:01 PM Re: Total War : Warhammer (x) [Re: DBond]  
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JohnnyChemo Offline
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If you head for greener pastures DB let me know where you'll be hanging out. Personally, I enjoy your posts quite a bit. They are one of the main reasons I come to SHQ.

My run has stalled due to real life getting busy (as per usual this time of year) so my next update will be delayed. Too bad, I was just about to have the soul battle in the Nurgle realm. So I've got that to look forward to this weekend!


Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded — here and there, now and then — are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty.
This is known as "bad luck.”
-Robert Heinlein
#4616076 - 12/08/22 12:03 PM Re: Total War : Warhammer (x) [Re: wormfood]  
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JohnnyChemo Offline
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JohnnyChemo  Offline
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Originally Posted by wormfood
Melee defense is the end all be all of infantry units in WH for most armies. Provided you have good cav or ranged to actually do damage. They just need to tie down several units and stay alive while your damage dealers do their thing. It's kinda like alot of party RPGs, they're the tanks. That's also assuming you have infantry in some kind of mixed army. Doesn't really apply to all cav or monster armies. Those, you just cycle charge and never keep them in melee to need defense.

Next is ward save, if you can get some items, spells or abilities it drastically cuts down the damage those tanky units will take.

Armor though seems to have limited value above 100.


Good to know. I never thought of melee units as just being tanks. I'll have to keep that in mind! Unfortunately, early Tzeentch melee are paper thin - Blue Horrors start with an armor of 5!


Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded — here and there, now and then — are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty.
This is known as "bad luck.”
-Robert Heinlein
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