Exploits for struggling players

from Elemental Forums

     This is a quick post to help players new to the game who are having problems getting their empires off the ground.  I noticed some threads from people 100+ turns into a game, but still having a problem getting momentum behind their forces.  Here are some exploits to help get you started.  I'm calling them 'exploits', because they aren't cheats... not really.  They are just simple strategies which might get overlooked.

Neutral Kingdom Exploit

Neutral kingdoms make the world look more populated, and they exist for you to conquer with your new armies and Sovereign.  They are also great for you to level up on.  Since they exist to be conquered, there isn't much point practicing diplomacy with them, right?  Wrong!  BEFORE you take them over, drain them of their stockpiles of gold and materials.

Just open up the diplomacy screen and offer them a peace treaty.  Treaties are valuable to them, so they are willing to drain the bank for one.  Once you strip them of all their resources you can declare war on them in the same turn.  Declare war, conquer them and you have a small settlement and stockpiles of goodies to show for it.

Diplomatic Capital Exploit

Same scenario, but just offer to trade some diplomatic capital points for gold.  For some reason, some kingdoms love these points and will pay over 50 gold for one point of DC.  Use your DC points to get all their gold, then declare war on them and conquer them.

Last Man Standing Exploit

When you've just about finished off another faction, don't be to hasty to kill their Sovereign.  Once you've taken over all their cities, use diplomacy to drain them of their gold and resources.  If they trade away all their goodies, you can reduce them to wandering the countryside without the means to build any cities.  This neutralizes them as a threat and you can just ignore them for the rest of the game. 

Glass Sword Exploit

In tactical battles, the first person to land an attack has a great advantage.  So you can field an effective force, -cheaply- by using the "design" feature on your build screen.  If you are running low on gold and metal, just create a unit with nothing but a the best weapon available, and no armor.  This unit will have no defense and could be killed with a single blow.  But if you place them where they get the first hit in, then you can tear through a superior force easily.  Remember, armor costs gold and resources so leave them off!  Yeah, they look funny on the battle field with nothing but rags, but what do you care?  Anyone who sees them is about to die anyway.

Strong Man/Woman Exploit

If you're really having a hard time getting started, create a Sovereign with 15 strength, 15 health and the "Intimidating" trait.  Then outfit him with the best weapon you can from the character creation screen.  You may have to take panelties to get the points to do this, but just do it.  Choose Ugly or something.  Anyway, if you play the game ignoring magic all together, you can easily find yourself with a warrior Soverign by turn 30.  Use your level points on Strength only, and don't research anything aside from Warfare.  You will conquer towns so quickly at the start of the game that you should win by around turn 125.

Once you have a few wins under your belt, you should feel comfortable with starting a magic weilding Sovereign.

 

Thanks to the person on the forums who used the term "Glass Swords" before.  I liked it so much I use it for the name of my warriors who are outfitted this way.  Their rally cry is "Strike first, and pray that does the job.'

 

Any other suggestions?

elemental
10,591 views 12 replies
Reply #1 from Elemental Forums Top

If they're just basic strategies, why not call them basic strategies? :)

Reply #2 from Elemental Forums Top

I wanted to separate them from the normal 'basic' strategies which new players might hear.  ;P  

I mean, it's fine to suggest "keep your build queues full, keep an eye out for resources, protect caravans... etc.  These work fine, but won't give struggling players as much of a boost as "be sure to take anything not nailed down before killing your opponents." :grin:

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Reply #3 from Elemental Forums Top

How about intermediate strategies then? :)

Reply #4 from Elemental Forums Top

But the fact that this always works makes it not a strategy. It is clearly an exploit. It should be far harder to treaty someone, take all their shit, and then kill them.

Reply #5 from Elemental Forums Top

Before you attack any enemy channeler, look at his enchantments / summoned creatures list... and klick them off.

Reply #6 from Elemental Forums Top

Some people consider the Load function to be an exploit.o_O

Reply #7 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Wintersong, reply 6
Some people consider the Load function to be an exploit.
End of Wintersong's quote

 

...What? All 4x games have a load function. Those people are stupid.

Reply #8 from Elemental Forums Top

Neutral Kingdom Exploit

Neutral kingdoms make the world look more populated, and they exist for you to conquer with your new armies and Sovereign. They are also great for you to level up on. Since they exist to be conquered, there isn't much point practicing diplomacy with them, right? Wrong! BEFORE you take them over, drain them of their stockpiles of gold and materials.

Just open up the diplomacy screen and offer them a peace treaty. Treaties are valuable to them, so they are willing to drain the bank for one. Once you strip them of all their resources you can declare war on them in the same turn. Declare war, conquer them and you have a small settlement and stockpiles of goodies to show for it.
End of quote

 

I disagree on this one. Yes, you should drain them of all their gold trading resources with them and offering treaties like non-aggression pacts. But their main benefit in my opinion lies in trade and research treaties. Here you can get an amount of resources that one (additional) settlement could never provide. In my current game each of the minors gives me something like 20-25 gold and 15-20 tech research per turn. That's a lot. Way more than I could make by concquering them, as they in general have no interesting resources inside their small zones of influence ... especially if your playing Kingdom and do not profit from ogres, too.

So my advice would be to rather let them be, trade with them to your hearts content and use them as a buffer and source of revenue.

Rabenhoff

Reply #9 from Elemental Forums Top

Err, how do you open diplomacy with a Neutral Kingdom?

Reply #10 from Elemental Forums Top

Click on one of their units / units within a city and go to the "actions" interface ... as if you would e.g. want to access the item shop with a champion unit. The only available option in the case of foreign units is however "talk to", which is just what you want.

And yes, somehow they are missing in the "diplomacy" screen. Bug or feature?! My guess would be the first.

Rabenhoff

Reply #11 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting sagittary, reply 1
If they're just basic strategies, why not call them basic strategies?
End of sagittary's quote

I think being able to make and break treaties on the same turn without serious consequences counts as an exploit.

Reply #12 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Wintersong, reply 6
Some people consider the Load function to be an exploit.
End of Wintersong's quote

It depends on how you use it.  If you lose an army because you underestimated the enemy, reload the game, build up a bigger army, and then conquer him, that's effectively an exploit.