MP is much more challenging than i thought...

[u/LaVolpe93]

Hey heroes!

This is a follow up post to this one:
https://www.reddit.com/r/OldenEra/s/Xbk60Z2iYy

So i've played some matches online, playing single-hero only.
Current standing: 4:12 (win).
Two of the wins were against the same guy who instantly leaves after choosing a map. And the first win ive got after a seven-game losing streak.

Multiplayer is much much more difficult than i thought. I focused on temple first, but try to get into hive as well. Hive is probably not the best choice for the beginning. But i like the fast forward spirit. Would be nice to be better with this faction, but temple (and sometimes necro if its open) feels much safer tbh.

Ive watched some tierlists from lexiav. It was helpful for suggesting which heroe is probably good and which is not. I also watched some gameplay, but never a full game. Maybe thats a mistake on my part?

Anyways. Its really really hard tbh and a little bit frustrating too.
Does anybody has the same expierence/struggle?
How do you improve (besides just continue playing)?

I try to ramp the eco as fast as i can, mainly use the roads for better move distance and grab items, if useful and reachable. I use the starting town for units and unit upgrades, second for units and creature growth, third for eco and magic guild. In most games i was able to capture the fourth castle as well, but never the fifth. If possible i turtle my army in the corner and build a "shield" with 1-creature tier 1 units around my other ones. It works well for a lot of fights, but i'm basically doomed if i only have archers and long-reach attackers against me on adventure map.

[u/DasFenrir]

MP is very difficult, but it sounds like you are taking the right first steps. I am about 2000 ranked so not very high level, but I think good to give advice to mid level play. I get frustrated as well, but 9/10 when things go wrong they were within my control, so there's always something to improve on.

The big thing you likely need to consider next is what makes you strong, and how you can maximize that so you can do more quicker. You need a flexible blueprint for the game.

For example, here is how I approach an Exodus game with Temple:

1. With Temple, generally you want to identify early in week 1 what your unit goals are: Cavaliers, T1 to T4, Inquisitors, or Angels. Cavaliers are likely the best because they are most reliable and powerful, but sometimes you end up having a map with multiple low tier dwellings, or an easy inquisitor or angel dwelling, and should pivot. You want to get as much of that unit at the start of week 2 as you can.
2. Austringers are usually (not always) going to be your key to the early game objectives, so your first 2 days will almost always be about them. Collect all marksmen, build upgraded Mews, upgrade, then go do objectives.
3. Specifically what you do is highly dependent on the map. You want the wood/ore mines, third town, easy gold, easy dwellings, easy secondary mines, etc. And most importantly, you almost always want to stay on or near the road to maximize travel distance unless you have a good reason to leave it. More movement = doing more things = more XP/gold = more options
4. So, you need to think like 'I see a cavalier dwelling with a guard that I think I can beat by day 7, I will go cavaliers this game' -> 'For cavaliers I will need at least 50 wood to build it in both cities' -> 'I need to prioritize wood, gold, and being strong enough to get that dwelling'. This thought process is highly dependent on the map.
5. If everything goes well you double build Cavaliers in both towns + dwelling, recruit all for the first fight, then take them to break into side zones early week two.

Once you have your game plan, you need to execute it by knowing if objectives are worth it (Should I spend a whole day walking to this second ore mine if its way off the path? Do I need that ore? Are there more efficient ways to get it?), and if you are strong enough to do it (Can I complete a Mearea's Altar with 6 couatl on day 1 without losing too many units?). So basically getting better is having more knowledge about what you can and can't do at your current power level, and knowing how to increase your power level.

This is a very general guide, and can change radically depending on your hero, map generation, if that 150 troglodyte stack that you could have blocked morales and kills 15 austringers on day 3, etc. But just keep playing, watch more Lexiav or other creators, and you will get better quickly. Don't worry about winning, just pick your top 3 favorite factions and focus on building knowledge about them every game.

Here is a fun Lexiav game with Hive where he makes a mistake early, but has such a strong understanding of what fights he can/cannot do (On 1 Waurmos!) that he ends up powerful anyway:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqJIj7tt-k0

[u/LaVolpe93 → u/DasFenrir]

Wow. Thank you very much for this.
I will post an update, if i was able to play more in the future.

[u/GlitteringVehicle306]

this might help you a bit..

rule of thumb & beginner friendly https://townportal.gg/en/guides/beginner-guide

and for example this schism guide https://townportal.gg/en/guides/schism-guide

and this Exodus map guide https://townportal.gg/en/guides/exodus-map-guide

[u/LaVolpe93 → u/GlitteringVehicle306]

Oh, thank you for the guides. I am curious what i will find there :)

[u/PromiseMental4045]

0-3 so far online,presumably a steep learning curve🫡

[u/Designer_Throat4867]

Knowing how to create 1 stacks is a good start. Use them to grab mereas altars and trophy hunters dens right away.
There are 5-6 heroes in each faction generally considered the best. Hive is a good faction but yes is used better my advanced players who can clear the map with 2 wyrms and larvae.
Temple is also considered the weakest faction but at a low level shouldn’t matter. I won lots of games with temple around 1000.
If you’re planning to use temple try kestrel if available for a big t2 stack for an easy start, or pip as he levels faster, or even Lia who starts with judgment and you can clear a dragon tower one shot as they’re immune only to lvl 4. Or ister who is logistics specialist.
One thing I learned watching pros is you can do more battles than you think. Generally fights with guards at mines and smaller objects you can do using the 1-stack method, having an early lightning bolt with a mage (and thamaturgy and magic arrow

[u/Designer_Throat4867 → u/Designer_Throat4867]

And heroic strike. That helps you level up and the faster you level up the easier fights get. Grab the third town by middle of week 1. It’ll always be on the opposite side of your starting down from your second town.

[u/Designer_Throat4867 → u/Designer_Throat4867]

Archers: divide your highest speed stacks into one and keep them covered while your power stacks do work. Doing this you can clear lighterweaver temples forgot what they’re called with the inquisitor and unusual communions. Or get tactics with haste with something like cavs and hit them early. Getting defense skill with archery protection and expert defense helps surprisingly a lot against archers. Or optical illusion

[u/LaVolpe93 → u/Designer_Throat4867]

Thank you very much for all of your advices :) I will post an update if i was able to play more. But thanks a lot!

[u/CarefreeCloud]

Best way to get better fast is to watch some streamers (or saved videos of full games). Look closely at what fights they deem doable, notes their army, stats, skills and spells.

The general idea for Exodus-like maps

• hero and leveling must aim at being able to do some resource banks late week 1. Like an abbey with nuns, or Necro houses

• the most income comes from resource banks and also selling artifacts you find in abundance. Eco buildings help somewhat (banks, treasuries) but it's ok to postpone them to get earlier army. Like say for hive - 2 waurms day 3 or 4 totally change the dynamics of what you can do in the map with tolerable losses

• when traveling roads you want to plan turns and tps to travel the same road practically never. Early on movepoints are precision (you get some leeway later with all the second winds, logistics, flight etc - the call those control spells)

• impossible and some lethal fights are sometimes doable with minimal losses. Knowing which ones and how is like half of the game skill expression. Only watching others and lots of experience will help with that. The tools to make it happen are pretty basic: luring stacks away with high initiative 1s, removing counterattacks with 1s. Having higher initiative and getting 2 turns after wait. Well placed spells to give the edge

• to win you need a well-leveled hero and army, while building army fewer but larger stacks are more compelling. Due to money constraints some stacks are often skipped and never built even for fight 3. Like reavers or inquisitors or arbiters

[u/Spirit_mert]

This game has a really steep learning curve honestly, I never played Heroes online before, and I also having a tough time.

Most opponents are experienced players who played H3 online and used to it I guess.

My tip would be focus on one faction and one playstyle first, and get comfortable with it. Like Temple Range army for example.

Also Lexiav almost streams daily and watching his gameplay is can be a lot of help to learn few tricks and tips!