Comparing Different Units of the Same Type

[DeletedUser9601]

Has anyone found a good resource for comparing different units of the same type (eg, Sword Dancer vs. Cerberus vs. Drone Rider)?
I'm mid-way through Fairies, and curious if the Mercenary Camp makes sense. And if it does make sense, should I just focus on building the most recently researched unit (eg, slow down on Cerberus, focus on Drone Rider)?
On some level, I know the best answer is "research and build all unit types; maximize each unit's specific bonuses against the enemy." But we all know city space (and supplies to build troops) come at a cost to growth/success elsewhere in the game.

 

[DeletedUser2768]

At some point in your explorations you're going to need Orcs to negotiate provinces. Orcs are a level 20 Armory thing.

 

[SoggyShorts]

@Tedious
You can get by without a merc camp or training grounds, but for scrolls and magic dust provinces(and tournaments) dogs are way better than barbs or sword dancers.
I'd check out
http://crazywizard.info/en/bb_the_basics.html
I think he has a pretty good breakdown
Or maybe try the battle sim and unit lists at
http://www.elvenarchitect.com/units/

 

[DeletedUser9601]

At some point in your explorations you're going to need Orcs to negotiate provinces. Orcs are a level 20 Armory thing.

Thanks. I'm in Fairies and have 2 max level armories. I think I'll build a third once I get to Orcs. I almost always have 20ish troop squads ready to go; mostly I'm curious if I should move away from the standard Barracks units and opt for the specialty units in the Merc Camp/Breeding Grounds.

 

[DeletedUser9601]

@Tedious
You can get by without a merc camp or training grounds, but for scrolls and magic dust provinces(and tournaments) dogs are way better than barbs or sword dancers.
I'd check out
http://crazywizard.info/en/bb_the_basics.html
I think he has a pretty good breakdown
Or maybe try the battle sim and unit lists at
http://www.elvenarchitect.com/units/

Thanks. I'll take a look when I'm home from work (where elvenar-related sites are blocked, but the game itself isnt...)

 

[DeletedUser2768]

Thanks. I'm in Fairies and have 2 max level armories. I think I'll build a third once I get to Orcs. I almost always have 20ish troop squads ready to go; mostly I'm curious if I should move away from the standard Barracks units and opt for the specialty units in the Merc Camp/Breeding Grounds.

I have no opinion on this. I negotiate all my encounters.

 

[DeletedUser7370]

The comparison of different units of the same type can be a little difficult. For example right now my sorceress are at 2 stars, and if I have an encounter that is heavily populated with heavy range then the banshee unit with a bigger damage bonus is a better choice. But as soon as I get the research for the 3rd star on the sorceress then the additional ability will tend to make them the better choice even in a situation with lots of heavy ranged opponents.

Cerberus units are somewhat different in that their movement speed increases with each star they gain. That speed can allow them to close on archers quickly, but because they don't get a reduction in the damage from archers they are best kept for the mage fights.

In general figure that barracks troops will be your main work horses. If you have a Needles of Tempest then your barracks production speed is significantly increased and will regularly outpace the other facilities. I am about at the same point in the research and plan to delay building my mercenary camp until sometime in woodelves.

 

[Mykan]

mostly I'm curious if I should move away from the standard Barracks units and opt for the specialty units in the Merc Camp/Breeding Grounds.

While not a resource for comparison a very experienced combat veteran on beta made the below comparison, note this was sometime ago (Nov 2016) so new units like the frogs are not included

Light melee:
sword acrobat: average damage to light ranged + mage + 30% offense debuff
sinister cerberus: best for mage, average to light ranged + 20% defense debuff
venom drone rider: best for light ranged, average to mage + 20% offense debuff

Light range:
elite archer: average to mage and heavy melee + 20% defense debuff
poison dryad: best for heavy melee, average to mage + 30% offense debuff
pro ranger: best for mage, average for heavy melee + 30% defense debuff

Mage:
bud sorceress: average to heavy melee and heavy range + 50% offense debuff + 20% defense debuff
ghastly banshee: best for heavy ranged, average to heavy melee + 50% defense debuff + 40% offense debuff
blossom princess: best for heavy melee, average to heavy ranged + 30% defense debuff + 20% offense debuff

Heavy melee:
elder treant: good/best for heavy ranged(not known yet), average to light melee + 30% offense debuff
gruff orc warrior: best for light melee, average for heavy ranged + 20% defense debuff
heavy melee from merc camp not known yet, either best for heavy ranged and average to light melee, or average to heavy ranged and light melee + debuff

Heavy range:
granite golem: average to light ranged, best/average to light melee + 10% defense debuff
senior orc stategist: best for light ranged, average to light melee + 30% offense debuff
heavy ranged from merc camp not known yet, either best for light melee and average to light ranged or average to light melee and ranged + debuff

I see 15 different units usable in 15 different situation.

His last sentence is the key point, the different units can specialise in different areas. You will find certain fights favour certain units betters. Your barracks units are generally the "jack of all trades master of none" so are good multi-purpose and excel against a mixed enemy. When the enemy troops focus on one unit then the more specialised troops can be far more effective.

If you only do a little combat I would recommend sticking with the barracks only and maybe build the others for temporary production like cerberus. If you like to combat a lot then the merc camp and training grounds will be very handy. As I get the second promotions of the speciality troops they start to make a real difference in the right fight.