Necropolis Rating
I. Creatures - a weird mix of
very strong and plain bad units; mid-level troops are some of the best in the game, but
the rest can use a sympathy hug; mobility is good; attack/defense ratings are not;
above-average over-all cost; potentially, the best growth (Skeletons); excellent specials
make this army ... well, special; regardless, it is ill-suited for siege combat
- + troops: Skeletons can grow to astronomical
numbers; Vampire Lords are scary; Lich area attack is awesome a/st living opponents; Dread
Knights are a notch away from being (unupgraded) lvl 7 units
- - troops: Zombies should learn to
stay buried ...; Wraiths are ok as long as they don't fight something that can fight back,
i.e. almost anything; Ghost Dragons have a good special, but when the effects of that
special can be reversed by a simple Cure spell, it makes them look even more like a failed
creation
important upgrades: Vampires, Liches, Black Knights, Bone Dragons
- rating: 7
II. Special buildings -
excellent; possibly the best in the game, since they fit so well with the whole
Necromancer theme; the Cover of Darkness gives players a great advantage in multiplayer
games and even keeps unwanted computer attention away; the Necromancy Amplifier
accentuates the Necromancer's best weapon; Skeleton Transformer - even more Skeletons!;
and on top of all that, the Necropolis is one of the few towns which can sail the seas at
will
- rating: 10
III. Magic - level 5 Mage
Guild; spell restrictions: Bless, Cure, Destroy Undead, Fire Elemental, Hypnotize, Magic
Mirror, Prayer, Water Elemental; earth magic is predominant in this town, naturally, since
it enhances the undeads' performance on the battle field (yet another point of
specialization for the Necropolis)
- rating: 9
IV. Grail building - +20% to
Necromancy for all allied heroes; this is the cherry that tops the Skeleton pie
- rating: 10
V. Heroes - Death Knight: one
of the most balanced hero in the game with special like 350 gold/day and Necromancy (can
you say 100% Skeleton conversion rate?)
- rating: 7
Necromancer: the classic hero class
returns with a vengeance and more balanced than ever; with a host of useful specials like
Meteor Shower, Sorcery, Necromancy, and Animate Dead, this is a good class to develop
- rating: 8
VI. Resource requirements -
lots of everything, especially wood, ore, and mercury; the high wood and ore needs of
creature generators may interfere with the economical aspects of the town; some building
dependencies
- rating: 8
VII. Best opponent - Inferno:
the Skeleton/Vamp Lord/Dread Knight combo will win the day for the undead; with the
Inferno armies forced to tie up the powerful Lich, the hordes of slow Skeletons and
Zombies will play a significant role, while Vampires and D. Knights soak up (and dish out)
a lot of damage; Ghost Dragons can successfully tie up enemy archers for a little while,
until the heavy-hitting Devils and Efreeti are crushed under the weight of numbers
VIII. Worst foe - Castle: the
roles are switched as the Necromantic armies are the ones forced to advance; and unless
the Teleport spell is put to use, this advance will come in two seperate waves -
Vamps/Knights/Dragons first, then Skeletons/Zombies and Wraiths - which will spell doom
for the undead in most cases
IX. Final grade: 8.4
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