07-13-2004, 05:08 PM
An altar costs 170 gold and 50 lumber to build. The hero is free. I see no reason to NOT get one. If speed is a priority, hire one from a tavern. If food is a priority, think about this: A hero costs about 80 gold worth of food buildings to supply; the total is 250 gold or so. What do you want more - a hero, or 2 ghouls?
About the "Which hero first" post, there are plenty of reasons to not get MK first. One could be that you may want to get brilliance on your archmage - difficult if he is your second hero, unless your opponent is lazy, and gives you time to creep at tier 2.5. Or, maybe you want the dual AOE power of the AM/BM combo. The paladin also comes in very handy against undead. In fact, I would safely say that any human hero is good for your first, except for the Blood Mage. He has pathetic HP, an AOE spell that small armies can easily avoid, he can't cast it more then twice, and did I mention that he is slower then the Archmage (read - dead meat).
I've already went over the orc heroes, but let me stress this again - much of the time the Death Knight is a better choice. He is essential for several reasons - his aura provides you with great maneuverability, and Death coil lets you do all of the following:
Nuke low HP units that your enemy is pulling out of the battle
Nuke low HP creeps that your enemy is fighting - trail his army (He can't cat you, thanks to your superior speed), and if he engages creeps, wait until one of them is at around 130 hp, as is being attacked - then coil it, to steal the gold, the experience, and to anger your opponent - at the same time, your army can attack-move creep. Stealing drops is also fun. (Do not try tactic against stunners, or purchasers of speed scrolls).
Healing your low HP units - denies your opponent the exp, and removes the need to rebuild your unit/slowly wait for it to heal.
Note that the undead have no way of healing (other then the slow healing on blight) until statues, and no instant healing until the tier 3 overpriced healing scroll - I'd rather use the goblin merchants for that, myself.
With the Orc, I've already went over my preferences.
As for the Night Elves - yes, they require more micro, but they have some pretty effective units. Archers, for instance should not be underestimated, as long as they have tanks. In a 1 v 1, the Demon hunter is your best choice for one, unless you have acess to a tavern, in which case I prefer the Pit Lord, or the Beast Master. A properly-microed demon hunter can stay alive (And suck up damage) for enough time for your archers to deal equal damage to the enemy. With him, I prefer immolation, as it tends to anger my opponent more then mana burn, and attracts focus fire - in which case you can run him away - all the while, your high-damaging, but fragile archers are getting free hits. Although he is a solid hero in 1 v 1 (And he's a good harasser, which is probably why you have not fully seen his uses), his use drops exponentially in team games - when large armies are involved, he's not much more then an expensive grunt. However, in 1 v 1, note that his basic attack has the highest damage per second of any other hero.
In team games, with the broadened focus on ranged units, the Priestess of the Moon is vital - her aura benefits various units. Alternatively, the Keeper of the Grove is an effective hero against orcs, as his entangle is multiplied in power against expensive units, and his thorns aura can tip the scales to your side.
Night elves require different playing tactics because of the vulnerability of their units, yet when they have the proper tanks, they are deadly.
(PS. Killing creeps to "Boost your economy" is worthless in TFT. Unlike RoC, most creeps give no more then 20 gold for killing them.)
About the "Which hero first" post, there are plenty of reasons to not get MK first. One could be that you may want to get brilliance on your archmage - difficult if he is your second hero, unless your opponent is lazy, and gives you time to creep at tier 2.5. Or, maybe you want the dual AOE power of the AM/BM combo. The paladin also comes in very handy against undead. In fact, I would safely say that any human hero is good for your first, except for the Blood Mage. He has pathetic HP, an AOE spell that small armies can easily avoid, he can't cast it more then twice, and did I mention that he is slower then the Archmage (read - dead meat).
I've already went over the orc heroes, but let me stress this again - much of the time the Death Knight is a better choice. He is essential for several reasons - his aura provides you with great maneuverability, and Death coil lets you do all of the following:
Nuke low HP units that your enemy is pulling out of the battle
Nuke low HP creeps that your enemy is fighting - trail his army (He can't cat you, thanks to your superior speed), and if he engages creeps, wait until one of them is at around 130 hp, as is being attacked - then coil it, to steal the gold, the experience, and to anger your opponent - at the same time, your army can attack-move creep. Stealing drops is also fun. (Do not try tactic against stunners, or purchasers of speed scrolls).
Healing your low HP units - denies your opponent the exp, and removes the need to rebuild your unit/slowly wait for it to heal.
Note that the undead have no way of healing (other then the slow healing on blight) until statues, and no instant healing until the tier 3 overpriced healing scroll - I'd rather use the goblin merchants for that, myself.
With the Orc, I've already went over my preferences.
As for the Night Elves - yes, they require more micro, but they have some pretty effective units. Archers, for instance should not be underestimated, as long as they have tanks. In a 1 v 1, the Demon hunter is your best choice for one, unless you have acess to a tavern, in which case I prefer the Pit Lord, or the Beast Master. A properly-microed demon hunter can stay alive (And suck up damage) for enough time for your archers to deal equal damage to the enemy. With him, I prefer immolation, as it tends to anger my opponent more then mana burn, and attracts focus fire - in which case you can run him away - all the while, your high-damaging, but fragile archers are getting free hits. Although he is a solid hero in 1 v 1 (And he's a good harasser, which is probably why you have not fully seen his uses), his use drops exponentially in team games - when large armies are involved, he's not much more then an expensive grunt. However, in 1 v 1, note that his basic attack has the highest damage per second of any other hero.
In team games, with the broadened focus on ranged units, the Priestess of the Moon is vital - her aura benefits various units. Alternatively, the Keeper of the Grove is an effective hero against orcs, as his entangle is multiplied in power against expensive units, and his thorns aura can tip the scales to your side.
Night elves require different playing tactics because of the vulnerability of their units, yet when they have the proper tanks, they are deadly.
(PS. Killing creeps to "Boost your economy" is worthless in TFT. Unlike RoC, most creeps give no more then 20 gold for killing them.)
"One day, o-n-e day..."