Healer economy in SP (preferring l2 or l3 healers)

[taptap]

While I obviously prefer the higher levels for loyal healers (i.e. shydes and mage of light), I sometimes wonder about the non-loyal ones. While flying and illumination are powerful abilities I love to have, I now came to the conclusion (on replaying HttT on challenging) that I should better have a bunch of replaceable White mages / druids instead. Not only have I other uses for the experience, level 3 units that usually stand behind the line and do their healing job and nothing much else (but occasionally softening / finishing or slowing which can be done by the level 2s just as well) are a waste of resources.

What do you say?

[Colouredbox]

I like to have a mage of light or two as the illumination can really help sometimes.
But shydes seem a bit sucky to me so I try to get my XP to other units.

[Caphriel]

I tended to prefer druids to shydes except on maps where the shyde's extra movepoint or superior movetype would make a difference. Druids are easier to acquire than white mages in campaigns where you can recruit mages and shamans, so I also tended not to level mages into white mages very often.

[beetlenaut]

I want my healers to be as fast as possible. That means I can get by with just two in most scenarios. For that reason, I prefer shydes. For HttT I try to have one shyde and one fast MoL for the underground scenarios.

[monochromatic]

In HttT, I usually get the loyal WM, so I don't level any WMs. Most of my units are elves/dwarves, so the illumination does't help them. I use Shydes and Shamans. Druids (for me) seem to be the weaker middle tier. Although they heal as well as Shydes, they don't have a Shyde's speed and they require more upkeep than Shamans. IMO their pierce attack is not significant enough to use. And a Shaman already has a slow attack.

Also, most scenarios offer free healers that don't cost you. They're called villages. I abuse that whenever I can.

[taptap]

In HttT, I usually get the loyal WM, so I don't level any WMs. Most of my units are elves/dwarves, so the illumination does't help them. I use Shydes and Shamans. Druids (for me) seem to be the weaker middle tier. Although they heal as well as Shydes, they don't have a Shyde's speed and they require more upkeep than Shamans. IMO their pierce attack is not significant enough to use. And a Shaman already has a slow attack.

Also, most scenarios offer free healers that don't cost you. They're called villages. I abuse that whenever I can.

There is a very obvious downside to them, villages are way too slow, especially in caves.

Of course you always have the opportunity to weaken your chaotic opponents by illumination, even if your main fighting forces are neutral. Say when it is necessary to take on high level chaotic units at the wrong ToD because of turn limit or in a cave. Trying to slow a lich on good terrain (his keep) can easily lead to chain suiciding shamans, illuminating is in itself riskfree and weakens the opponent considerably before proceeding with other means. So, I admit I really love illumination but still the question is to me, whether it is really worthwile to have too much of it around, when the unit is most of the time just doing a healing job. Especially, when often there is at least one loyal MoL or Diviner available in the campaigns. Probably it really boils down to the scenario and the units you and your opponents are fielding, which movement type and what high-level abilities you need and to have a choice you have to keep my recall list balanced with enough level2 units in particular.

I appreciate the hint regarding fast healers limiting the amount of healers necessary. I found I value the quick trait higher and higher myself with increasing experience, but after all when I recruit 2 mages / 2 shamans often enough the slow one levels as well, what to do with him/her?

[Caphriel]

Turn them into red mages/sorceresses?

[monochromatic]

In HttT, I usually get the loyal WM, so I don't level any WMs. Most of my units are elves/dwarves, so the illumination does't help them. I use Shydes and Shamans. Druids (for me) seem to be the weaker middle tier. Although they heal as well as Shydes, they don't have a Shyde's speed and they require more upkeep than Shamans. IMO their pierce attack is not significant enough to use. And a Shaman already has a slow attack.

Also, most scenarios offer free healers that don't cost you. They're called villages. I abuse that whenever I can.

There is a very obvious downside to them, villages are way too slow, especially in caves.

Yes, of course you cannot depend on them entirely. But they offer free healing/income/defense. One should take advantage of that and only recruit what is necessary. For example, in HttT 'Isle of Alduin', 'both' paths to the keep are littered with villages, so a healer is really not needed. But in 'Lost General', one should have at least 2 healers in the main camp fighting the undead because there are absolutely no villages in that area.

Trying to slow a lich on good terrain (his keep) can easily lead to chain suiciding shamans, illuminating is in itself riskfree and weakens the opponent considerably before proceeding with other means.

Use Silver Mages. They reliably take out the lich or leave it at a low enough health so another unit can take the killing blow while losing very little hitpoints.