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    Your Elvenar Team

Scouting strategies

Iamaita

Well-Known Member
I’m a new player, currently approaching the end of chapter IV. I have been reading forum posts about over scouting, and I am hoping someone can clarify a couple things. Before I started googling, my understanding was that you should try to limit scouting to the number of provinces needed to complete each chapter
1) avoid overpaying in either goods or troops to complete each province and
2) to avoid running into the orc wall ahead of schedule.

Then I found this:

It’s a lively discussion between advanced players about the advantages and disadvantages of a never stop scouting strategy. The basic argument for is that
1) the expansions make it worth it,
2) the orc ring isn’t that big of a deal if you know it’s coming,
3) having more trading partners is incredibly beneficial,
4) and scouting time increases so significantly that if you don’t do it early it takes much longer to progress later in the game.

The part that I am the most confused by is they seemed to equate scouting provinces with earning expansions without factoring in the costs of completing each province. Is there actually any advantage to scouting provinces that you have no way to clear? Is aggressively clearing provinces a viable strategy for progressing faster?

I would love to hear different perspectives, especially from late chapter or multi-city players.

thanks!
 

ajqtrz

Chef - loquacious Old Dog
First, speed is way too overrated. This game has a lot of other things you can do and since there is an end to the chapters (one wonders how many players have finished the last chapter and are just waiting around for the next one), what are you going to do then? But, given your questions, here's my view.

"Over-scouting" is only a problem if you are in a hurry. Taking things at a less aggressive pace does mean you won't become a "big player" as soon, but it's going to take a long time anyway AND my personal experience with scouting is that it is a LOT cheaper if you keep the provinces at medium or below. Once they turn hard or very hard in the middle chapters you can easily struggle to find the resources to keep pushing forward.

As for the advantages in trading partners generally you will find anyone large enough to help you in that will be in your fellowship OR large enough to have discovered you and will take your trades even if you haven't discovered them yet. The key to trading for the small player is post a lot and post often. The larger players in your fs and neighborhood will supply quite quickly (unless you are in a dead neighborhood, in which case you will need to find a good fellowship).

Scouting times do increase but that's just a matter of being in a hurry. If you take things at the games pace (there is such a thing) you will find, generally speaking, nothing too taxing and you won't run into "orcs needed here but I don't have the ability to make orc" problems.

Expansions may be worth it but usually you will find that if you are keeping things at a steady pace AND are and efficient city builder you can find the space you need without pushing the expansion pace. I use elvenarchitect to plan my city and actually have, on occassion, left up to 4 expansions unused because I didn't need the room (that was in about chapter 7).

So, like the first paragraph suggests, don't be in a terrible hurry and it will all work out. That's my take on the matter, anyway. Others may be more right than I and have a different take.

AJ
 

GlamDoll

Well-Known Member
That's my take on the matter, anyway. Others may be more right than I and have a different take.
I am not more right, but I do have a different take...sort of.
What I mean to convey is this:

It (at least speaking only for myself here), really depends on your over all strategy for the game & how you want to spend your time playing, as the months & years roll by.

So, for myself, it is two-fold on what I take into consideration regarding scouting...

A: I make sure I have 4-5 provinces scouted but untouched. Why? I play the Events & at times pay some in $, and those scouted Provinces come in real handy for quests that want you to complete encounters and/or gain relics.
B: I will & have over-scouted at times, because I wanted the extra grid space for an Event building. Because of my game play/strategy, I often skip many tournaments & most all of The Spire, so I can stockpile the troops/Orcs/Resources I need, to either fight or neg. said Provinces. (I also build & level Ancient Wonders, etc, to help facilitate my endeavors). The extra everything I get from all of them help with my over all plan & goal.

EZ/GlamDoll
 

Ashrem

Oh Wise One
The part that I am the most confused by is they seemed to equate scouting provinces with earning expansions without factoring in the costs of completing each province. Is there actually any advantage to scouting provinces that you have no way to clear? Is aggressively clearing provinces a viable strategy for progressing faster?
I'm in the don't scout too much camp, but the cost of clearing provinces is essentially inconsequential because you are only using things you make for free and have very few other things to do with them anyway. If you are fighting, the only cost is supplies, which are even less valuable.

I too keep around a dozen scouted-but-not-cleared provinces for events.
 

GlamDoll

Well-Known Member
I too keep around a dozen scouted-but-not-cleared provinces for events.

Thank you for that insight...

My scout times are getting up there & I need to up my game on that, or I will not have enough encounters in the near future with events.
 

Iamaita

Well-Known Member
Good information so far everyone. Thank you!

I think I will start to scout ahead a little more but not too far... chapter requirements plus a few extra for events. The number of extra will probably increase as I level up.
 

NightshadeCS

Well-Known Member
In my first city, I was slightly over-scouted, but not so much that I ran into provinces that required orcs before I was able to produce them. I just felt an urgent need for MORE SPACE!!!!

In my second and third cities, now that I have a better grasp of how to efficiently lay out my city, I actually am pretty under-scouted. I reach the end of chapters and realize I need to complete a dozen provinces to open the chest. I'm trying to break myself of that habit, but one only has so much time. I am hoping that once the tourney becomes slightly less time-consuming, I will correct my procrastination on provinces. ;) ;)
 

juniperknome

Well-Known Member
count the expansions from scouting and research they are the same up till after chapter 5. any one that tells you there is some way out advantage over scouting is just being silly . seams counter to the game but you will get faster and way easier advancing in the game keeping the scouting inside the chapter of research. there is the dreaded block at 460 no more expansions i did not over scout till i hit chapter 16. and as mentioned scouting ahead and leave the provinces until they are needed at the advance scout or for contests is a good idea.
 

juniperknome

Well-Known Member
btw if you are concerned with earning expansions keep the magic academy going around the clock crafting at my level i earned two free expansions 5000 and 5500 diamonds total 10500 from the magic academy
 

GlamDoll

Well-Known Member
any one that tells you there is some way out advantage over scouting is just being silly .

According to you, I am guilty...Let's take a look, shall we?

I just unlocked Ch 11, Halflings recently. I have completed 285 Provinces. (5 more than I need to unlock Ch 12).
With Events between now & then, I will probably have completed over 330...as a guess-timate.
(Which will be more than enough Provinces to unlock Ch 13-14).

I still have a few Provinces I can scout that are Very Easy. It doesn't get any better than that.
Advantages for me to continue playing the way I have been?

I get to unlock more Province Expansions til I reach the 460 cap.
I get Mana every time I scout, thanks to Enar's AW.
I have Provinces for encounters & relics as quests ask for them during Events.
I will have extra space in my city for more AWs, Event buildings & so on.
This will add to all the advantages that I currently have in my city...

Speaking of which, I will let it speak for itself (See GlamDoll's city...Mirage) & everyone can draw their own conclusions on whether it gives me a 'way out' advantage or not...

If it doesn't, then I AM guilty of being silly & will take it as a major compliment!

EZ/GlamDoll
 

Ashrem

Oh Wise One
way out advantage
According to you, I am guilty
I think the operative words are "way out." It's a personal choice and anyone who says you're wrecking your game picking one over the other is exaggerating. You can succeed doing either strategy and just have to play a little differently (more or less space, and some others small choices to be made.) there's nothing about that which says you are silly for following the other strategy.
 

Iamaita

Well-Known Member
lol... It sounds like it really is a matter of play style / preference. Maybe I will start a new city and play a couple different ways to see which way I like the best. :) Thanks again for all the feedback!
 

Clusseau

Active Member
Having scouted a province does not require that you win it.
Having unlocked expansions does not mean that you must place them.

Time is perishable. Time that your scout spends on the bench cannot be recovered.

Having open provinces during events is certainly a good thing, but it has become much less important in recent events.
My choice is to explore constantly. Then on weekends, with some hours left on most boosts used in tournament, i comb through available battles to see which ones i'm prepared to fight. Those i cant win are saved until i can, or perhaps until i cater them for a quest.

Daily Seeds, Dragon Abbey, Maze -(others?) gain strength from number of completed provinces.
 

ajqtrz

Chef - loquacious Old Dog
There may be two ways to measure "over-scouting." First, you could say that when you move from one chapter to the next if the number of provinces you have scouted is X more than you needed, you have over-scouted. The "X" of course could be 1 to whatever. At some point you get way, way ahead of what you need to open the next chapter. In my case I've been 40 or so provinces ahead in the later part of the game but it doesn't seem to impact things, or if it does there may be no way for me to tell. The other way of "over-scouting" is related but easier to spot as it increases the cost from very easy on up to very hard. I've not experienced "very hard" since about chapter 6 but "very hard,", as it says, "very hard" and thus, expensive. In my opinion if you have many "hard" or above you are probably a bit ahead of where you should be. The desire for more space in the middle game especially, I think, drives this so making a truly efficient city as you learn and grow is probably the "solution" to the need for space more than scouting more provinces. At least that has been my experience.

So two ways to measure, related to each other, and one which can really impact the game. Just my observations.

AJ
 

Iamaita

Well-Known Member
AJ that’s great advice I think. And I think that’s what I will pass on to a new chapter one player in my fellowship. If you start running into hard and very hard provinces, slow down on scouting and work on something else.

From my very limited experience so far it seems like very early in the game waiting to scout can make a huge difference in how long it takes you to actually complete a province. If you wait until the scout costs are lower, you are saving resources that can be spent more productively elsewhere either in upgrades or tournaments. Maybe later in the game, this isn’t as much of a problem. But for those of us chapter four and below, it seems like it is more efficient to stay relatively close to the chapter requirements. As exceptions, I can see maybe going after an extra province if you want to add another of that type for an upcoming tournament or if you are really close to a much needed expansion.
 

juniperknome

Well-Known Member
chapter 11 is the last advance scout after that there little to no advantage or disadvantage of over scouting. before that every advance scout lowers scouting 25%. Scout cost is directly proportional to army size and catering cost. count the expansion from research and from scouting they are the same until the higher chapters . you will progress way faster concentrating on research and only scouting as needed. It is wize idea to scout to the end of the chapter before any squad size upgrades are done.
 

Deleted User - 4646370

Guest
After chapter 5/6, if you just scout the minimum your fights will be very easy/easy. My advice is at this point, keep continuously scouting unless your fights are becoming hard/very hard. This allows keeping getting supplies from Tome of Secrets, which is an important source of supplies. Also, this avoids underscouting : entering chapter 15 needs 40 more provinces than entering chapter 14, which can take longer to scout than the time it takes to do chapter 14 if you do it with Portal Profits.
 

Ashrem

Oh Wise One
chapter 11 is the last advance scout after that there little to no advantage or disadvantage of over scouting. before that every advance scout lowers scouting 25%. Scout cost is directly proportional to army size and catering cost. count the expansion from research and from scouting they are the same until the higher chapters . you will progress way faster concentrating on research and only scouting as needed. It is wize idea to scout to the end of the chapter before any squad size upgrades are done.
12. And then 15.
 
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