Hero Selection

Without a doubt, one of the most tedious parts of the game is to train/rena heroes. Though there are many ways to build a team, I was interested in finding a minimal set of heroes that can carry through faction maps and beyond. Going through many articles (eg http://www.265g.com/webgame/201103/114573.html ) written by Athenian veterans who have reached/passed L120 maps, it seems that they more or less agree on this set of heroes to be sufficient to conquer the L110 maps and beyond, without having to spend huge amounts of gold:

Artemis/Persephone
Hecate/Lachesis
Eris
Syrinx (100k pres)
Dyonisus (190k pres)
Oneiroi (420k pres)
(Aeacus/Philotes only if you have purple weapon)

No hero is required per se, but the above set has been used to beat the faction maps by many people who did not use lots of gold.

Some people also like:
1. Aether (480k pres) for high crit damage
2. One of Metis (450k pres) or Crius (490k pres) for tanking
3. Aesclepius. Many said that healer was very helpful after Tart/Ragn. maps.
4. Asteria (500k pres) but only if you have lots of gold to get and max a purple book.

In addition, three mercs from later maps are liked by many:
1. The bugler boss (80/70/110) from Tartarus/Ragnarock. This hero is the most popular. Almost everyone trains him.
2. A tank (115/70/80) from the map after Tart/Ragn. Troop type specializes in blocking. BM increases blocking, plus it counter-attacks. Some Athenians skip this hero if they already trained a good tank like Metis/Crius.
3. A column attacker (85/115/45) from the map after Tart/Ragn. Troop type dodges and criticals. The BM attacks columns and mounts in succession (will keep firing unless morale is lowered). This is another very popular hero for players in all three factions.

The reader is encouraged to experiment with some or all of these heroes and share the experience with us.

-Edro

Is there any truth to the rumor (not sure of the correct word) that players switch to elementalists at very high levels. Your list did not include any that I saw.

SgtPepper

SgtPepper wrote:Is there any truth to the rumor (not sure of the correct word) that players switch to elementalists at very high levels. Your list did not include any that I saw.

SgtPepper

Veteran players who prefer elementalists are in the minority. And only hard-core users of gold are known to use them effectively.

I notice line strikers aren't very popular..is there a reason why column is preferred usually? I use my line striker very effectively against boar's head formations as it can crumple what is usually the dancers/buglers of an opponent. Just wondering if this will be useful later. It also works well against some formations where line strikes take out back ranks first.

Kellendor wrote:I notice line strikers aren't very popular..is there a reason why column is preferred usually? I use my line striker very effectively against boar's head formations as it can crumple what is usually the dancers/buglers of an opponent. Just wondering if this will be useful later. It also works well against some formations where line strikes take out back ranks first.

I think Edro's post was mainly focused on PvE builds. I find to do well in PvP you need high defense cloaks and strong burst damage to take out their BMs fast. In PvP, high valor defense with the ability to take out individual troops fast can help you survive much better since fights last many more rounds.

I'm training up The Oneiroi and Aether right now and should introduce them to my lineup within a few weeks.

Thank you for posting and starting this discussion.

I am not to the level most of the posters are, but would appreciate comments and input concerning my heroes.

My heroes are Bellerophon, Kratos, Pallas(was Iaso until they renamed her), Eris, and Asclepius. All have been renad several times, all now needing lv 75-78 for next rena.

The first few maps, I focused entirely on defense, but since then have transitioned to improve my offense. I use a block formation most of the time (lv 20). As you have noted, it can be very effective. Can routinely beat Hades, while having trouble with Makaria. The problem I have encountered with it, is that my offense is still not strong enough. I fight to a LOT of ties. Most of the ties end with my troops having a decided advantage on the field, but that does not matter. Opponent is not able to beat me, but my offense is not able to win either. I do not have that big hitter that can do 3-4k damage like many have. But, when I effectively block, I can do that much...

The other problem I need to overcome is my M level. I began defensively, and did not attack anyone. Now I am a higher level and find a lot that are stronger than me at this level (or that I fight to a tie). I am M14, and a long way from some of the heroes you listed.

Any advice, suggestions, recommendations - or other comments . All will be gladly accepted and appreciated. I am still learning.

Kellendor wrote:I notice line strikers aren't very popular..is there a reason why column is preferred usually? ...

For Athenians, main reason is our column striker crits, but we don't have one like Poseidon's Lotis that crits lines.

Secondary reasons: a column striker can access any of the 9 squares regardless of enemy formation. A line striker cannot access the back squares if it is obstructed. In PVP, this means Syrinx can potentially kill Maia in the first hit, but Lotis cannot if Maia is hidden in the back.

Lucky 1 wrote:Thank you for posting and starting this discussion.

I am not to the level most of the posters are, but would appreciate comments and input concerning my heroes.

My heroes are Bellerophon, Kratos, Pallas(was Iaso until they renamed her), Eris, and Asclepius. All have been renad several times, all now needing lv 75-78 for next rena.

The first few maps, I focused entirely on defense, but since then have transitioned to improve my offense. I use a block formation most of the time (lv 20). As you have noted, it can be very effective. Can routinely beat Hades, while having trouble with Makaria. The problem I have encountered with it, is that my offense is still not strong enough. I fight to a LOT of ties. Most of the ties end with my troops having a decided advantage on the field, but that does not matter. Opponent is not able to beat me, but my offense is not able to win either. I do not have that big hitter that can do 3-4k damage like many have. But, when I effectively block, I can do that much...

The other problem I need to overcome is my M level. I began defensively, and did not attack anyone. Now I am a higher level and find a lot that are stronger than me at this level (or that I fight to a tie). I am M14, and a long way from some of the heroes you listed.

Any advice, suggestions, recommendations - or other comments . All will be gladly accepted and appreciated. I am still learning.

A few things - your prestige level is horrible for your level. Prestige is THE MOST IMPORTANT thing to focus on. Many of us have said you must invest in prosperity 3 times per day. Yes it is expensive, but it simply is essential to gain high level faction heroes.

Belle can dish out considerable damage, so my guess is that his mount isn't very high. That would help with damage considerably.

Prestige heroes you can replace your starter heroes with would be:
Athena or Crius for Kratos
Syrinx for Belle
The Oneiroi for Pallas

I know my prestige is not very high, and I am working on that now. That was an error made early on from not knowing its importance. At this level, it is much harder to improve. I began the game focusing on defense, so I did not attack anyone for at least two maps. As I found out, the game does not reward you for successful defense.

The mount I have for Belle is at +2848, and for Pallas is at +2343. What level should I set for a goal for them? Cloaks for all heroes are 1100-1400. Armor is 700-1000 except for Asclepius which is still at 375. Magic tech is 85, magic defense is 100. Don't know how important those numbers are, but I keep working on them too.

I do not have any of the replacement heroes you listed on my recruitable list yet. My guess is they come with presitge, so it may take a little while there. I am constantly rena-ing at least one hero. At the moment, all heroes are lv 82 or better, and all have been renad several times. Next rena levels are 77-79 for all heroes at the moment, and I am getting ready to rena one of them again.

Lucky wrote:I know my prestige is not very high, and I am working on that now. That was an error made early on from not knowing its importance. At this level, it is much harder to improve. I began the game focusing on defense, so I did not attack anyone for at least two maps. As I found out, the game does not reward you for successful defense.

The mount I have for Belle is at +2848, and for Pallas is at +2343. What level should I set for a goal for them? Cloaks for all heroes are 1100-1400. Armor is 700-1000 except for Asclepius which is still at 375. Magic tech is 85, magic defense is 100. Don't know how important those numbers are, but I keep working on them too.

I do not have any of the replacement heroes you listed on my recruitable list yet. My guess is they come with presitge, so it may take a little while there. I am constantly rena-ing at least one hero. At the moment, all heroes are lv 82 or better, and all have been renad several times. Next rena levels are 77-79 for all heroes at the moment, and I am getting ready to rena one of them again.

I hope other top players can give their input for Lucky. I know he genuinely tries to use the advice he solicits. First thing, I would recommend making sure you invest 30 prosperity a day, every day, for at least a few weeks. On top of that, you might want to use 15 of your div on attacks which should give you 15,000 prestige per day roughly. Spend the rest of your div saving up trans from hades runs and doing some HL2 runs for laurels for tech.

Finally, defense is important, but you still need strong offense. Make sure your commissioning for red mounts for BM heroes. even a few fragments a week help you progress.