How to play Undead2

WORK IN PROGRESS

Undead units

Dark Adept is your answer to question: Who can do a lot of damage?

• good defenses in difficult terrains, but low hitpoints
• chaotic
• strong vs drakes and anyone in good terrain (magic attack); weak vs everyone good in melee fighting, ulfserkers are deadly to them
• Strong magical ranged attack (cold or arcane)

Vampire bat is a fast scout and village grabber.

• good defense everywhere except villages, but low hitpoints
• chaotic
• strong vs ranged attackers like mages; weak against ranged or undead melee units
• weak melee attack (blade)

Ghost is a fast moving creature. Draining attack is even stronger during the night.

• average defense anywhere, but low hitpoints
• chaotic, can be upgraded into 2 useful units (stronger Wraith or cruel nightstabber Shadow)
• strong vs living melee attackers; weak vs enemies with arcane or fire attack like mages and drakes
• strong draining melee attack (arcane), weak ranged attack (cold)

Ghoul is a solid unit, similar to skeletons - but with different resistances and poison attack.

• good defense in mountains, fungus and villages, with improved resistances
• chaotic
• strong against melee units; weak in 1vs1 fighting and on terrains with low defense
• average melee attack (blade)

Skeleton is the bulk fighter of the undead. You need them to protect other units and attack mages

• good defense in mountains, fungus and villages, with specific resitances
• chaotic, can be upgraded into 2 useful units (defensive Revenant or offensive Deathblade)
• strong against spearmen, horsemen, saurians or mages (during night); weak against woses, heavy infrandryman, drakes and mages (during day)
• strong melee attack (blade)

Skeleton Archer is something between Dark Adepts and classic Skeletons

• good defense in mountains, fungus and villages, with specific resitances
• chaotic
• strong against spearmen, horsemen, saurians, thunderers; weak against woses, heavy infrandryman or dwarvish fighters
• weak melee attack (impact), strong ranged attack (pierce)

Walking Corpse is an undead specialist. Cheap, useless against many enemies, but they can be deadly in big numbers.

• good defense in mountains and villages, but low hitpoints
• chaotic, can turn slain enemies to another Walking Corpses
• strong against severely damaged living units; weak against archers, mages, heavy infandrymen or drakes
• average plague melee attack (impact)

Starting troops - random opponent

(84 gold)

Choose a leader wisely. Good leaders might be someone with good abilities, if you wish to use him/her on the frontline in small maps. White Mage, Druid or Elvish Captain will do just fine. Good healer is more effective than shamans and can also remove poison. Leadership will make your units more powerful. You can also pick up Elvish Ranger if you are on map with lots of forest hexes.

General Undead Strategies:

Dark Adepts are your must-have units in most situations. The most dreadful attacker of the Undead is also the most pitiful defender, being the only unit in Default to have no melee weapon. Because of this you'll need a good mix of Skeletons, Adepts, and support units. Undead have access to every type of attack except fire.

A safe first turn recruit against Random would have 1 skeleton, 1 Adept, 1 Ghost, 1 ghoul and a couple more units. When you see what your opponent has, go to the appropriate section below.

The biggest aspect of Undead that you'll have to become comfortable with is almost overextending yourself at night. Your damage is so high that even Northerners can't keep up except with having more units. You'll make your first attacks with Adepts usually so that you can protect them with your advancing forces that take the place of the units they defeat. Skeletons do this best, usually, as they are your heaviest melee hitter, and at night there isn't a single level 1 unit that can take them out in one attack.

In order to get the most for your money, you should attack as dusk breaks - especially if you're second player. You'll begin your attack and your opponent will have to counter at night. If your opponent is lawful, the right time to leave the attack can be tricky. Otherwise simply retreat as night is ending. Against lawful units you may want an extra turn to get space between the two of you.

Since Undead have major resistance strengths and weaknesses every opponent will have a specific plan to counter you. This will consist of Fire and Impact units. It just so happens that Adepts are best at countering these units whether it be defensively against Fire units or offensively against Impact units. A good note is that Ghouls have 10% Fire resistance and no Impact vulnerability.

Villages

It may sounds funny, but (un)dead needs healing. Some of your units, like ghosts and dark adepts, can heal rapidly. You can take a lot of villages with very fast bats, who do not need any money from you each turn (level 0). However, they are not good at fighting. Use ghouls to fight in villages. They are resilient and can poison your enemies, so they will have to use s village. But the closest one is safely in your hands...