How to play Southern Mercenaries
Alignment
Powerful, but expensive mercenaries are lawful. Villagers are neutral, cheap, weak. Key is to use both of them, combine them, to get both good economy and fighting force.
Villagers, levels 0-2
Village Peasant - Very weak unit, weaker than anything else. Slow, terrible melee and ranged attack, low hitpoints. However, they are so cheap, that you can encircle enemies or simply pht them on the way. Peasants heal rapidly in the villages and can be upgraded to village fighters or village archers.
Village Archer 0-II - Cheap, but not that bad unit. Usable for example against orcish grunts or even drakes. They are your basic damage dealers.
Village Fighter - Another weak, but usable unit. They can do some damage, bit someone much stronger can kill them during one turn. Still, in hand to hand combat they can injure stronger enemies. Fighters are good against skeletons, mages and if near mercenary leader, they can also kill very strong enemy. Remember, when one dies, another can ran to his place (hex) and continue fighting.
Village Mage I-II - Cheap and fragile unit, usable only if you need their magic arcane damage. Surprisingly effective near leaders.
Mercenaries, levels 1-3
Elder Mage IV-V - Fire and leadership unit. Use them to make your high and low level mages more powerful.
Lich III-IV - Strong balanced melee/ranged attackes. However, they are deadly during the night, but weaker in the day. When you get a lich, you cannot change him into living unit.
Basic strategy
Southern Mages are far from perfect. They are slow, expensive and do not have a lot of hitpoints. That also means you have to use your strenghts: your only melee unit regenerates and can conceal or even teleport on higher levels, and your mages are good in attack in the correct time of the day. Also, your mages can upgrade to different type. Lawful mage I can become for example Neutral mage II and then Chaotic mage III. Based on what a player need the most in the situation.
Fire Spirit is your village grabber. However, make sure you can use them also as a "roadblock", so weakened enemies cannot flee from your mages.
Against special enemies, add these units:
- Spellcasters cannot kill anyone by themselves and they can easily die, but they can weaken any enemy. Of course, if their cursing attack is succesful. Use against high level cavalry, trolls or anyone else. It is a good idea to lose this unit, in exchange to kill powerful enemy.
- Use time of the day. Lawful mages during the day, chaotic during the night. Always use some neutral mages, that can be useful in any time.
- One of the problems you can face is a lot of cheap units, like grunts, goblins, spearmen or elvish fighters. Try to use terrain, so you will not be attacked from too many sides. Also, many times there is no chance to defend, so... attack.
- Lawful mages are good in healing. Surround them with wounded units and force battle mages to hold the line. They do not need extra healing, but they can survive longer with using curse on strongest enemies from your spellcasters.
Upgrading
High priority: Mercenary leader, very useful in this faction.
Upgrading mercenaries means to have even stronger unit, but with higher upkeep.
- Level 1 have upkeep 2
- Level 2 have upkeep 4
- Levwl 3 have upkeep 6
Upgrading villagers and nothing special. However, upkeep is free only for level 0 units and for unit designed as leader in campaign or multiplayer game.