Unit Analysis

Below is a chart that compares statistical values, given and derived between the different built combat units.
Whilst most of the values are self explanatory the derived values need some explanation.

Adjusted Cost Per Hour: The build cost per hour based on an average of the Gold, Iron and 3/4 Food cost multiplied by the number of Units built per hour. This value is for comparison purposes and includes the assumption that Gold and Iron are equally valuable and that Food is only 3/4 the value of Gold or Iron. This is an arbitrary value based on the relative ease of raiding for food.


Power Per Hour: Should be obvious, this is the primary figure I base my army build queues around in the expectation that once all my Lost Arts and Building Upgrades are complete I should be able to maintain build queues around the clock.
Power Per Upkeep: Essentially how much power do I get for each unit of food consumed. The higher the value the more powerful army I can maintain. As I don't keep hold of an army for much beyond a week this figure has a lower priority. The less full your queues are the greater weight you should give to this value.



Offence
InfantryGoldIronFoodAdjusted Cost per HourUpkeepPowerSpeedCarryBuild TimeUnits per hourPower per HourPower per Upkeep
Pikeman651751051275.0014020 512.00480.0040.0
Paladin1002501501156.2516023387.50450.0060.0
Seeker1701700566.670.7575460125.00375.00100.0
Pathfinder1604102501377.27175460115.45409.0975.0
CavalryGoldIronFoodAdjusted Cost per HourUpkeepPowerSpeedCarryBuild TimeUnits per hourPower per HourPower per Upkeep
Knight60015009001850.0022403145302.00480.00120.0
Great Lord900225013501850.0023602239451.33480.00180.0
Reaver960 2400 1440 1776.0023603250501.20432.00180.0
Priestess110011000800.001.53604239551.09392.73240.0
OccultGoldIronFoodAdjusted Cost per HourUpkeepPowerSpeedCarryBuild TimeUnits per hourPower per HourPower per Upkeep
Warlock2160540032402220.0037202527900.67480.00240.0
Necromancer3000750045002413.04390027271150.52469.57300.0
Renegade4640464001060.5721140210901750.34390.86570.0
BestiaryGoldIronFoodAdjusted Cost per HourUpkeepPowerSpeedCarryBuild TimeUnits per hourPower per HourPower per Upkeep
Wyvern60001500090003083.3341440412751800.33480.00360.0
Dragon784019600117603453.3341680316362100.29480.00420.0
Chimera3750938056202477.86490057501400.43385.71225.0
Defence
InfantryGoldIronFoodAdjusted Cost per HourUpkeepPowerSpeedCarryBuild TimeUnits per hourPower per HourPower per Upkeep
Archer703045891.67119310320.00380.0019.0
Dwarf853555716.6712213 4.513.33293.3322.0
Lost One70700560.000.730320512.00360.0042.9
Huntress140 60 90 891.67130320610.00300.0030.0
CavalryGoldIronFoodAdjusted Cost per HourUpkeepPowerSpeedCarryBuild TimeUnits per hourPower per HourPower per Upkeep
Nomad8753555351631.2521503117203.00450.0075.0
Barbarian8753555351631.2521502127203.00450.0075.0
Reiter4404400704.001.41504117252.40360.00107.1
OccultGoldIronFoodAdjusted Cost per HourUpkeepPowerSpeedCarryBuild TimeUnits per hourPower per HourPower per Upkeep
Golem3000120018002220.0034002176501.20480.00133.3
Demon3110125018752096.8234152194551.09452.73138.3
BestiaryGoldIronFoodAdjusted Cost per HourUpkeepPowerSpeedCarryBuild TimeUnits per hourPower per HourPower per Upkeep
Griffin5875235535332901.2745882267750.80470.40147.0
Undead Dragon40204020
1148.574887.542671400.43380.36221.9


Offensive
Infantry:
Pikemen - Somewhat surprisingly the first offensive unit you can build is the best. The only area it falls really short in is it's speed. At 1kph it is the slowest unit in your army but for BGs and Beacon attacks it matches or betters anything else in your army.
Paladins - When I first started playing I thought these were awesome, until I did the maths. Early game these can be better than your pikes but then they fall into a gap where pikes are better PPH and Seekers are better PPU.
Seekers - Fitting into the low consumption category are your seekers. If you are building an army for the long haul then you probably want to build these in your infantry slot. Note: They require Maranian Amulets which will probably prevent you from keeping these built constantly.
Pathfinders - A mixed unit falling somewhere between seekers and pikemen. If you are wanting to keep a constant queue of infantry these may be better than a mix of seekers and pikemen but only if you are struggling with food consumption, otherwise you'll find pikes better for their pph and ease of turnover.

Cavalry:
Knight - Eventually superseded by Great Lords you will get a lot of use out of Knights. Their high pph and speed make them excellent for filling out your offence and giving you some fast strike options.
Great Lord - I'd hold off building lots of these until their Lost Art level eclipses your Knights, then switch over. Their better ppu makes it easier to hold a greater total power and their lower speed shouldn't be an issue by these point as you will likely have regular access to Wyverns or better to do your farming and rapid response.
Reaver - I'm not really sure why these exist. I don't have access to them yet so they may be incredibly cheap to build but other than that there are better units to be spending your resources and time on.
Priestess - These are your Maranian Amulet cavalry. Build these if you're not going to be attacking in the next week. Better than Seekers in ppu.

Occult:
Warlock - The best of your occult offence. You get these before Necromancers, they are cheaper to upgrade than necros, they are a common reward from bgs and obviously have the best pph. Upgrade and enjoy.
Necromancer - Don't forget your necromancers' level entirely however. Even though I don't recommend building them you will still have a lot of them as they are the better choice of prize unit from tournaments. Level them up when you can.
Renegade - Maranian unit. These have a great ppu but will take you 10 hours of best rate Amulet production to have the rss to build just one.

Bestiary:
Wyvern - While dragons are a better unit you will still have Wyverns coming into your army through various quest and bg rewards. Their speed of 4 makes them a nice rapid response force.
Dragon - Outside of Maranian units (and Eldritch units of course) these have the best ppu, and they also build at the maximum pph. These should be your go to bestiary unit assuming they are the same level as your Wyverns.
Chimera - Unless you have bought thieves these or Wyverns should be your farming army. I prefer these over Wyverns despite their higher upkeep per carry capacity because they are both faster and less likely to be accidentally included in an attacking force. It's easier to make sure an entire unit type is kept out of conflict than remember to subtract x amount each time you attack.

Defensive
Before I break down the defensive units I'd like to point out that while pph is a good measure of defensive value a mix of unit types is still helpful as your different units will often be stronger in one or two areas than another unit, a good example are the Nomads and Barbarians. On the surface their defence is identical and so is their pph, but they have a different arrangement so having a mix based on your likely attackers is wise.

Infantry:
Archers - Slight weighting towards Infantry and Cavalry. Your first defensive unit, and will remain arguably your best defensive infantry unit for a long time.
Dwarfs - Heavy weighting towards Infantry and Cavalry. I fail to see the point of these units, their marginally higher ppu doesn't make up for their lower pph and low speed. Stick with Archers.
Lost Ones - Balanced weighting. The first units you can build with Maranian Amulets these are a great way to fill up your build queues. They will eventually be superseded by more powerful Maranian units but even then you may want to build these to even out your defence.
Huntresses - Balanced weighting. I do not have information on cost at this time so it makes it difficult to see where they fit. Slightly more powerful than Archers but their low pph puts them nearly at the level of dwarfs for long build queues.

Cavalry:
Nomad - Weighted to Cavalry and Occult. Your first cavalry unit and one you should keep building for a long time. Great pph and ppu.
Barbarian - Weighted to Infantry and Cavalry. Equal in defence to the nomad unit but slower moving higher capacity. I'd build a mix of these and Nomads to give a defence better capable for a mix of attackers.
Reiter - Balanced weighing. The Maranian defensive cavalry and probably my favourite Maranian unit. The pph isn't great dipping below 400 but it's ppu compares favourably with Undead Dragons when you also consider the cost of building and it is likely to have a much higher level until deep into the game.

Occult:
Golem - Weighted to Occult and Bestiary. Your first Occult unit and your best pph for defensive units. If you can keep a queue filled with Golems you'll be a happy player.
Demons - Heavy weight towards Occult and moderate towards Bestiary. Demons are marginally better ppu and slightly cheaper to build (adjusted cost per hour). I consider these a role filler, for those expecting attacks comprised solely of occult units.

Bestiary:
Griffins - Weak against Infantry, Strong against Occult and Bestiary. Your only primary rss based defensive unit has a great pph and the best non-maranian ppu. Always keep some of these on hand.
Undead Dragons - Weak against Infantry, Strong against Occult and Bestiary. Your only Maranian Amulet based combat unit in the Bestiary group and has peerless ppu. You will struggle to resource the building of more than one per day.


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