Newbie looking for advice (casual player)

[JaysynX]

Hi - I am fairly new and just starting my little village. I have about 2300 points and ranked very low so far but moving up each day! ;-)
questions:
Should I not spend too much resources on army given I can only produce very weak units, or is there a benefit to have a lot of weak units?
When should I start seeking out a fellowship? I don't think I have anything to offer as I am so small - but guessing there is that ideal point
In other like games, there are paths that once you start down, you cant go back - is that the case here also? Meaning, should I be focusing in on certain high demand skills?
Any other pieces of advice, tid-bits or comments are welcome!
thanks you!

 

[Lelanya]

You need to find a fellowship when:

You need more culture polished than your neighbors supply.
You need more trades than your neighbors supply, both in terms of trades taken and trades to take.

You are able to polish other cities, that has value.
You are able to trade.
You are able to tourney.
At early chapter 3 you are able to climb the Spire.
During the Adventure you are able to build badges.
You are able to talk to others on chat. A fellow once said, a big part of a social game is the knowledge that you are not alone. Someone else is there, for you for me, for us all.

 

[Lelanya]

Should you build troops?
Yes. Each troop has a use, is strong against the next 2 types to the right of it (in troop section mode), cycling around the beginning in the case where they hit the end, ie heavy ranged works against light melee and light ranged. Each troop type is vulnerable to the two to the left of it, in troop selection mode. Weak is relative, you see.
There are ways to improve troops, like temporary troop buildings crafted in the Magic Academy: Unleashed Unit Upgrade, which boosts their health, Enlightened Light Range, which increases damage to light ranged, and Magnificent Mage Multiplier, which increases damage to mages.
There are Ancient Wonders that do similar things as well.

 

[Alram]

Start looking for a fellowship as soon as you have a trader. The fellows can help. Just don't settle in and think you have to stay there. It takes some time to find your own playstyle.

 

[Blindsider66]

Hi JaysynX.
You will find a use for a Fellowship as soon as you begin asking questions about Fellowships. There are many benefits to joining a strong, active fellowship aside from Tournaments and the Spire. The older cities have a wealth of knowledge you can tap into. Established players can guide you in ways you might not have considered. Get yourself into a fellowship as soon as is possible, then you can decide if it was the right time or not.

Peace
Blindsider66

 

[Lelanya]

Move through the tech tree.
Don't open more provinces than needed to unlock the next chapter in research, as the difficulty scales up quickly.

Try to build only your boosted manufactories. There is an up arrow in the production. Trade for the rest.

I think, ask if you have questions because that's lots of information for now.

 

[Darielle]

The best advice Lelanya already gave you ... do not overscout. It is tempting, but don't do it. There is research that will make all the unscouted provinces easier, but the ones already scouted will stay as hard. Once you hit orange provinces, that's a warning sign that you're overscouting. You don't want to see red.

As far as a fellowship goes, take your time to find the right fellowship. Sure, you can always quit and join another one later, but I find that difficult to do, since you make friends and it's hard to leave, even when it's not a good fit. So research fellowships first, to see if you'll be happy. You can still leave and find a better one later, when your needs change, but starting off on a good foot will help.

I always suggest clicking on your score (while in game) and you'll see a "fellowships" tab. Click on that and browse through the many fellowships. Usually they will have information about the fellowship in the overview. Check them out and find a few that you really like. Write the names of at least five possibilities down.

Then go to elvenstats.com and check them out. Click on the fellowships tab and type in the name of one of the fellowships. Make sure you select the one on your world. Check them out. Most importantly, see what boosts they need. If they have too many people with your boosts, then you won't be a good fit for that group. After you find one that needs your boosts, check out other info. See if there are black triangles next to the names of players, particularly the archmage and mages. Black triangles are a sign of inactivity, so you don't want that. Finally, check out the weekly accolades down at the bottom and see if the group showed good growth that week. Check too, the history of additions/departures at the bottom of the page ... if five people left in the past week, that might make you wonder why.

When you find the perfect fellowship, or one that is close, contact them and ask to join. I think the rule is that you have to be in chapter 2 now to join a fellowship (can't remember, but I recall hearing something about that.) So definitely join as soon as you can. It will make a huge difference in how enjoyable the game is.

best of luck to you.

 

[Lelanya]

Now @Darielle you are one of my favorite people but you keep steering folks away from my US2 FS with advice like that.
My AM keeps folks for polishes, half of whom are Covid casualties, or casual players that are moving very slowly and appear inactive but are not. I also find when building a FS it's wise to hold steady at 12 to 15 actives and then add in one at a time over a period to build a good atmosphere

 

[Darielle]

Now @Darielle you are one of my favorite people but you keep steering folks away from my US2 FS with advice like that.
My AM keeps folks for polishes, half of whom are Covid casualties, or casual players that are moving very slowly and appear inactive but are not. I also find when building a FS it's wise to hold steady at 12 to 15 actives and then add in one at a time over a period to build a good atmosphere

Your fellowship is an exception to the general advice, Lelanya. There aren't many fellowships that can handle that delicate balance. I'm not surprised that yours can. New players would be lucky to fall into your capable hands.

 

[JaysynX]

Oh, thank you all for so many great replies! I guess I should find a fellowship that fits me... not intending on being a 24/7 player...but maybe a couple hours a day... or at least 3 days a week... that list of fellowships is so huge and it seems most are full or have minimum requirements I do not meet... Is there a way to advertise myself up or do I just do my work and surf through that long list? best, j

 

[Gladiola]

@Lelanya You have to have completed chapter 1 in order to be able to join a fellowship. That is not a fellowship rule. It is a new game rule. Or so I was told by support. (There does not seem to be documentation about this in the game.) There is also a new research "Neighbors" that you have to activate before you can give neighborly help. It comes after the armory/trader researches.

@JaysynX definitely don't put off making troops! I am in chapter 3 and archers are the main troops I am using right now for tournament and Spire encounters. You should be able to easily beat any "very easy" or "easy" province with archers and light melee. Know what troops work well and use the best troops you have against whatever troops you are facing. There's lots of battle advice elsewhere, so I won't go into any more details. In general, I've found archers more useful than light melee, so when you have them researched, start pumping them out full time, or as fast as you can keep up with making supplies with still having some for research.

You will eventually complete almost all the research (there are a few optional ones), so the specialization that will happen in your city will be based on 1) what your boosted good is and 2) how you decide you want to play. Your boosted good is the one identified with a "production boost" in the research tree, and you will have one boosted good in each tier of goods (basic, crafted and magical). Your first tier boosted good will be marble, steel, or planks. Gaining more relics for your boosted good will dramatically increase the good's production once you've completed the boost research. So it's a good idea to build factories for your boosted good. For example, I am boosted in marble so I have 8 marble factories and no planks or steel. I trade for planks and steel with my neighbors but mostly with my fellowship. That's a great reason to find an active fellowship as soon as you are able. If possible, look for one that has some larger players that will be able to afford to take your trades.

With regard to how you want to play, some people like the fighting aspect of the game more, while others prefer to make goods for trade and diplomacy (where you give goods to complete encounters). Probably the most efficient approach is a combination where you make some troops and fight and where you would lose too many troops when you fight or if you would lose the fight, then you use goods. But it's completely up to you (you will need at least some goods to complete researches and construct buildings). Your choice about balance will determine what buildings you have in your city, such as more armories for a fighting focus or more factories for a goods focus.

Keep asking questions, and have fun!

 

[Gladiola]

@JaysynX You can post on the forum under your world that you are looking for a fellowship. The game also offers a "suggested" list of fellowships. I find that when you are new the suggested fellowships often are full of other new players and might not be the ideal choice. I lucked into my fellowship by sending a message thanking a neighbor who took my trade, so mailing neighbors who give you neighborly help and being polite or asking for advice could net you a fellowship invitation.

 

[Crow Last Elf]

A few weeks back a neighbour of mine joined a fs and was surprised how much his small city could help the fs during the FA. I never realized they would have thought that they were too small of a city to be useful. If you are an active player, 3 times a week, you'll be welcomed into many fs.

If the fs has minimum requirements for the tourny or Spire, they are usually serious about you meeting those requirements now or "soon". But if the requirement relates to the size of your city, that is usually a soft requirement as a filled spot is better than an open spot, especially if the fs has several open spots. If you like the fs' overview, there is no harm in contacting the Archmage to apply.

You asked about "In other like games, there are paths that once you start down, you cant go back - is that the case here also? ". I feel that you can reinvent you city as you go. And the game's foundations change so that you have to adjust your city. The area I am most cautious about is investing in Ancient Wonders. They are a long term investment of kp and space, so investigating whether they are worth the space and kp is a good idea, imo.

 

[Lelanya]

@Lelanya You have to have completed chapter 1 in order to be able to join a fellowship. That is not a fellowship rule. It is a new game rule. Or so I was told by support. (There does not seem to be documentation about this in the game.) There is also a new research "Neighbors" that you have to activate before you can give neighborly help. It comes after the armory/trader researches.

Oh no!! I smell a 10th city in the works

 

[DeletedUser20539]

When should I start seeking out a fellowship? I don't think I have anything to offer as I am so small - but guessing there is that ideal point
thanks you!

JaysynX, In my opinion, a FS is very important for you. It's never to soon to get help. That's what the FS will do.
If you happen to be in Arendyll, look for a fellowship called "Daily Addictions". They have openings now and they helped me so much when I was a baby elf The Arch Mage is wonderful. (Sir Squirrel). He taught me tons and did a lot help me grow. Best of luck and "Have Fun".

 

[Lelanya]

OP is on Felyndral. Who do we know who's good there?