HTTT: what should I level up my loyal mage to?

cheerful coffin · Post by **cheerful coffin** » May 30th, 2006, 6:00 pm

I have a hard time of thinking what I should level up my unit to in my campaign. This is just one of them.

Red mage has an obvious potential to level up to great mage which is a level 4 unit.

White mage, on the other hand, can cure. This is especially great for backing up my cannonfodders

. However, its damage output is usually worse than red mage since its missile attack is holy.

lol this "career path" idea really makes things difficult... last time I level up my horseman to lancer since I already have a knight. But the lancer ends up sitting around doing nothing

, since my other elf units can deal loads of damage with their bows anyway

JW · Post by JW » May 30th, 2006, 6:07 pm

Make the lawful mage a Red Mage as it's useful in more scenarios and still does very good damage against Undead. As for Silver Mage v Arch, I'd probably go Arch. More damage and hp is good when you're fighting a bunch of non-magical units. (which you do quite often)

ascendant · Post by **ascendant** » May 30th, 2006, 6:15 pm

JW wrote:Make the lawful mage a Red Mage as it's useful in more scenarios and still does very good damage against Undead. As for Silver Mage v Arch, I'd probably go Arch. More damage and hp is good when you're fighting a bunch of non-magical units. (which you do quite often)

But a silver mage is very useful to kill the genral in home of the north elves, if you go for kill. (which is IMO better because you get bonus)

Sly · Post by **Sly** » May 30th, 2006, 6:29 pm

JW wrote:Make the lawful mage a Red Mage as it's useful in more scenarios and still does very good damage against Undead. As for Silver Mage v Arch, I'd probably go Arch. More damage and hp is good when you're fighting a bunch of non-magical units. (which you do quite often)

I make him a Silver cause I recall him in almost every mission beacause teleportation is very usefull.

And for the first question (White or Red) I say Red cause if you do the Isle of the Damned properly (much easier since 1.1.2), you already have a Loyal White Mage (and with a Holy melee for the same price

)

Post by **Thrawn** » May 30th, 2006, 6:38 pm

Sly wrote:
JW wrote:Make the lawful mage a Red Mage as it's useful in more scenarios and still does very good damage against Undead. As for Silver Mage v Arch, I'd probably go Arch. More damage and hp is good when you're fighting a bunch of non-magical units. (which you do quite often)

And for the first question (White or Red) I say Red cause if you do the Isle of the Damned properly (much easier since 1.1.2), you already have a Loyal White Mage (and with a Holy melee for the same price )

so true

Keelta MacRonan · Post by **Keelta MacRonan** » June 6th, 2006, 8:26 pm

Since you are in HTTT, you should go Red, because you already have elven healing units. If you are are playing full loyalist, however, then you should advance your first two or so mages to white for mobile healing.

Jew unit · Post by **Jew unit** » June 6th, 2006, 11:29 pm

psh! i went with white mage and used him so often... see i play fast and loose with my red mages but my cures i cant afford to lose, they are just so useful... and hell a loyal mage of the light.... behind three lawful units... so useful

kiet · Post by **kiet** » June 7th, 2006, 12:32 pm

JW wrote:Make the lawful mage a Red Mage as it's useful in more scenarios and still does very good damage against Undead. As for Silver Mage v Arch, I'd probably go Arch. More damage and hp is good when you're fighting a bunch of non-magical units. (which you do quite often)

And it can advance to Great Mage which is one of the few level 4 units.
With loyal it consume nothing at all and you can recruit him every scenario if you like.
Having a loyal Great Mage early can make the campaign a lot easier lateron.

Ailurus · Post by **Ailurus** » June 7th, 2006, 1:27 pm

I'd say red. Shydes are (IMO) superior to Mages of Light, and even though it can take a bit of work to get a shyde, I generally have one druid and one almost-druid going into Isle of Anduin. The only areas where MoL's beat shydes are undead killing and when backing up lawful units, but in HttT most of your units will be neutral (exception of cavalry, mainly) so illumination is not that good. Shydes on the other hand have MUCH better movement, particularly in the cave missions (where you white mages will easily fall behind your dwarves), and shydes are excellent combat support units with their slows.

Edit - as for arch versus silver, a team of silver mages can be quite effective in assassinating stuff, and running around the field wreaking havoc, but a single silver mage is, I think, inferior to an archmage, since one is not enough to assassinate. Unless you have a team of them, you would send in the mage, shoot the leader, and then watch him killed, unless you have an assault force nearby (but if you already have an assault force, why bother trying a silver assassination?). So, if you will get a lot of mages go silver, otherwise arch.

PrinceRepulsive · Post by **PrinceRepulsive** » June 7th, 2006, 2:03 pm

Disclaimer: All this is only my opinion. None of this was meant to be insulting, annoying or mean. If it came across that way, I apologise. Thank you.

One Mage? Is this a campaign? Is it HttT? Have you played the Valley of Death yet? Cause if so, you should go back a ways. I usually have about 17 (erm, 3) mages close to upgrading by the end of VoD. Then again, I played it on easy

. I usually have two upgraded at or before Elensefar. One White and one Red.
If it's not HttT, I can't help you.
It it's not a campaign, I must ask this: are you playing against Undead? Cause if not, he'd better have wose rushed you, or you're extremely lucky that you upgraded at all! If he wose rushed you (unlikely) get a Red Mage. If he is UD, get white (doh). If he is Drakes, get the healer. If he is rebels get the incinerator. If he is Knalgan, do the same. If he is Loyalists, I don't care.

Kick a Brick,
Prince Repulsive

scott · Post by **scott** » June 7th, 2006, 2:29 pm

PrinceRepulsive wrote:Disclaimer: All this is only my opinion. None of this was meant to be insulting, annoying or mean. If it came across that way, I apologise. Thank you.

One Mage? Is this a campaign? Is it HttT? Have you played the Valley of Death yet? Cause if so, you should go back a ways. I usually have about 17 (erm, 3) mages close to upgrading by the end of VoD. Then again, I played it on easy . I usually have two upgraded at or before Elensefar. One White and one Red.
If it's not HttT, I can't help you.
It it's not a campaign, I must ask this: are you playing against Undead? Cause if not, he'd better have wose rushed you, or you're extremely lucky that you upgraded at all! If he wose rushed you (unlikely) get a Red Mage. If he is UD, get white (doh). If he is Drakes, get the healer. If he is rebels get the incinerator. If he is Knalgan, do the same. If he is Loyalists, I don't care.

Kick a Brick,
Prince Repulsive

You have missed the point. He wants to know what to do with Elrian. It doesn't mean he has no other mages. I usually go with Great Mage because a free L4 is valuable, but recently I have been going for Silver Mage because the extra speed tends to help out in the back stretch of the campaign. BTW, (not that is has come up though) I currently and will always adamantly refuse to make him quick AND loyal.

cheerful coffin · Post by **cheerful coffin** » June 7th, 2006, 3:18 pm

currently I am playing on normal difficulty of HttT. I am already on the Lost General scenario. But I'm thinking of going back to Bay of Pearl, where I stupidly level up my loyal mage into white mage.

I find my white mage pretty useless. Against undead, my elven troops (avengers + a sharpshooter) can make pincusion out of them. And Kalenz at level 3 is nasty.

Against non-undead, white mage is so slow that my troops have to wait for him, thus denying me getting into strategic position at the right time. I think I'll try to make another Shyde instead.

Hmm now the question is either making him into a archmage or a silvermage. Since mages takes a lot of exp. + slow + requires some meatshields to protect him, I don't want to make a bunch of them. In fact, I only have 2 mages in the Lost General. So I guess I will make him an archmage. (sigh... SMAT sounds cool...)

Truper · Post by **Truper** » June 8th, 2006, 7:23 pm

This topic surprises me. I guess I'm in a tiny minority, but I always level up Elrian into a White Mage, without even a moment's hesitation. I just find the combination of healing and anti-undead potency too useful, and Elrian as a loyal mage too valuable to take risks with. So when the front lines are too dangerous, he still contributes with his healing powers.

PrinceRepulsive · Post by **PrinceRepulsive** » June 9th, 2006, 1:17 am

I also missed the fact that the title reads: HTTT. Lol. That alone makes half my post pointless.

And I don't know who "Elrian" is. I don't pay much attention to the names of my guys.

But assuming he's on lost general, red mage is good. I'd go Silver Mage right after that, since he can keep up with the fast units, so long as they keep taking villages. My NEXT red mage would go Archmage.

Yours,
The Repulsive Prince

Jew unit · Post by **Jew unit** » June 9th, 2006, 1:31 am

Truper wrote:This topic surprises me. I guess I'm in a tiny minority, but I always level up Elrian into a White Mage, without even a moment's hesitation. I just find the combination of healing and anti-undead potency too useful, and Elrian as a loyal mage too valuable to take risks with. So when the front lines are too dangerous, he still contributes with his healing powers.

yes there now two of us!