Dominions 5 Strategy: Global Enchantments

[@phaedorattv7571]

Another excellent video! I liked how you rated the various globals on a threat scale and based on what role each global plays. Very intuitive! Here's what I thought, in rough chronological order: Mother Oak is a game-defining global and I think underrated by you, because it's reachable so early in the game and is the natural precursor to some very strong globals and useful items. An early(turn 12-15) MO by a dormant Pan or C'tis god with a regen bless is a strong indicator of late success. Gift of Nature's Bounty is an excellent thing for every nation who likes money, but is probably best for nations with many recruitable non-capital mages or nations with income:upkeep scaling problems. Vanarus, Jotunheim, and Pangaea all come to mind, as each have very expensive nations with potential upkeep issues if the game goes on, and Pangaea is such a contender for MO that if there is a Pan in the game, you should assume they'll have it. Haunted Forest is usually best when paired with Swarm casters, since each dead bug turns into a manikin. Purgatory: Skeletons check in, they don't check out. I think you're underrating Fata Morgana because in part of how turn resolution woks. Unrest reduction from non-patrollers comes at the step before income is calculate, so this gets you more cash. Mind burn is pretty likely to kill humans, because heads need less damage to cripple, so Strands is better than you think. Still a bit of a risk for your god, though. I adore how Illwinter pays such close attention to detail, like in the Looming Hell. Super awesome. Don't forget that Theft of the Sun gives Sun Guides Awe(or is it sun awe?). Not that Sun Guides are incredible, but additional layers of protection are better.

[@someoneorother3610]

A pretty good video! Very informative. You should note that boosters (and anything else other than their base magic level) don't actually apply to magic duels (such as those caused by Strands) which makes, say, an Astral 10 Pretender much scarier to deal with, though the chance of them losing is always there. Also, you didn't include Ghost Ship Armada, which is by far my favorite global despite being pretty genuinely awful. It's a legion of skeleton pirates, after all! They also have a hilarious tendency to decide to ram straight into thrones and die immediately.

[@catsareevil101]

Thank you for this it makes a lovely reference. finding and comparing individual spells in this game even with the mod inspector is such a pain and this helps so much.

[@Arbaaltheundefeated]

For me personally I would rank Well of Misery one step above the ones it shared a spot with on the threat scale since the stuff a death nation can do with a ton of death gems just... seems scarier, than what can typically be done with lots of other gems :p

[@mergele1000]

I agree, death gems seem to me to be the most valuable powerful gems on a per gem basis. I would rank WoM above the others in this tier, though not in the same tier as arcane nexus. I would also rate Eternal pyre half a tier lower.

[@alluvium1465]

@@mergele1000 Eternal Pyre is scary if you are a human nation though, because it means the caster can nuke you with Flames for the Sky every turn, literally killing 50% of your troops and and mages every time they do.

[@teakwondochest3287]

litar also eternal pyre mostly means 4-5 lanterns a turn, depending at the time of the game that can translate into a huge research increase

[@mergele1000]

Oh I am not saying EP is bad, if I have to choose between it and nothing I take it every day. I'm saying if I have to choose between it and any of the other +20 gemgens I take any of the other ones. They tend to translate into military power more directly. Research is great, but killing your enemy faster is in my opinion better.

[@angriff6466]

You really do make great videos man, keep up the good work. Would love to see more MP games from you too.

[@Mewobiba]

I think the Eyes of God should be thought of less in the context of a global and more like a mass Arcane Probing. You get it before slots are in short supply, it's cheap if you don't overcast, and just one or two turns up will give you a ton of information. If someone wants to spend 75 fire gems or even 35 pearls, let them, you got what you came for and anything beyond was just gravy. It'snot a spell you build for, but would rather use with nations that can cast it relatively easily natively, like R'lyeh or Bandar Log. And keep in mind Blindness isn't that big of a deal on astral mages, they're usually not thugs or rely on precisijus It's

[@Kaiser282]

Isn't there an item that fixes afflictions anyways? Some W/N item I think.

[@gibbcharron3469]

@@Kaiser282 Yeah, the Chalice. It's a unique artifact though, so it's not very efficient.

[@mergele1000]

I would swap the places of haunted forests and Mechanical militia. Haunted forests manikin aren't impressive fighters, sure, but having it up does add a lot of disruption into your enemies formation. It also combos well with howl which you will probably also throw up in battles if you are casting HF, as well as swarm. Mechanical Militia on the other hand.. If the enemy is raiding you with a force that can defeat your pd that force can also take some additional mechanical men. It may have an effect in 15+ pd cases but those are rather rare. Both of are probably overprized though.

[@vagrant2863]

The biggest problem with both spells is that they come too late to be relevant. As for the usefulness of Mechanical militia, it mostly depends on the Iron Fly. Since they are flying and have an AN shock damage attack (which can stun) they can interrupt thug buffing scripts. Ok for light-middle thugs and occasionally helps in picking off mages before siege battles (especially if you aren't a flier nation) or in defensive field battles. The spectrum resists of the mechanical militia also help them serve as chaff combined with their naturally high prot, lifeless, and mindless traits (no soul slay or frozen heart here). But at Enchantment 8 and Construction 9 they really aren't that useful since most games are either already decided or everyone has chaff grinders by that point.

[@masterclod]

Really liked it when u went into the lore and thematics of the game. Also loved when in another vid u said "he, she or they". love this community

[@sanneberg1728]

I found the wild hunt absolutely terrifying. I was playing MA Naza and basically all their commanders are priests. The spell wreaked the shit out of me. Many of my forts were on Forrest's as well as a bunch of thrones.

[@MrMasterCGO]

Really enjoy watching this. If you don't mind me asking, how do you find games? I had one so far and not found another since. Preferably one that will accept a very new player who doesn't know a lot.

[@PerunAU]

discord is full to bursting with games at all skill levels. I hang out on Althaeas dominions chanel (which is the largest) and General Confusions (where i get most of my games). do you need links?

[@TheAyrrow]

Hey Perun (and others) Everyone on KZbin keeps talking about Golems. How are they used as thugs? Why are they so good (teleport?)

[@catsareevil101]

You need to gear them heavily but the trick is that they are mindless and lifeless so many anti thug tactics and spells do not work( soul slay, frozen heart ect) and they never run(all or nothing every time). also horrors do not like lifeless targets so there are a few tricks there, they just need fluffing if you want anything but gear and ethereal/astral shield keeping them alive( not a option for teleport strikes so watch that). They basically exist outside most the rules for how thugs work and that can make them a nightmare counter since the things that hard counter them in gear and spells work on little other then them.

[@Broken-bj8ly]

Golems are rather curious thugs. The first thing to know, is that they are actually pretty easy to kill. They have very low combat stats, lack inherent resistances, and they can't regenerate. Fortunately golems can teleport (With a starshine cap) so they way you use them is to gear them specially to-mission (For example for counterthug missions, you use +Stat items and the best weapon against the target, for antiarmy missions you give them resistances to wharever the enemy is doing)- then you teleport, beat the enemy, and after the mission you bail before the enemy counterattacks (For this, you can either give them a couple pearls so they cast return, or you can change them into a shademail (Brought there by an scout), then sneak away. --- I mainly use them as counterthugs-gearing them for antiarmy missions is a lot harder since a good army will murder a golem even with cherry picked gear. ----- The other use of golems, of course, it's just as army battlecasters. A thicc S2 mage can do a lot of good stuff. (Like, they can cast Will of the fates with a starship+crystal coin, or just cast antimagic) Also note than for many nations a golem is their only way to protect their armies against mindhunt.

[@TheAyrrow]

Thanks both!!! You tubers mention they will use them or won’t use them but I’m pretty sure I only ever saw them in Lucid’a Don 4 MA Argatha game

[@phaedorattv7571]

@@TheAyrrow The other reason they're so universal is because they're very accessible and fairly cheap. Skullcap if they're teleporting, a frost brand to give them a way to deal damage(the aoe effect won't care about their 8 attack skill base), and a vine shield, and you have a reasonably tough thug that can take PD. If you want to kill one, forge a ring of resistance to the damage type of its brand and a moon blade or elf bane. Almost any chassis will do, including indie knight commanders. To guarantee the kill, get a luck item, and be sure to have a second commander to loot its gear.

[@someoneorother3610]

The other hard counter to Golems is anything that can cast shatter. Shatter will ruin a lone Golem's day and generally kill them in two or three casts.

[@adeptusjoker7176]

I'm shocked Burden of Time isn't at the top, but you do make a good point; it does take too long for it to kill the world.

[@Doombot221]

In the case of utterdark I think there is a scenario where certain nations might be able to weather the storm a bit. If the nation has access to alchemists they could more effectively sustain their economies. This of course means that they are expending a lot of gems each turn to stay afloat without dispelling Utterdark, but maybe some creative diplomacy could help with that--say, trading some of the alchemized gold for gems from other players without alchemists. Obviously doesn't deal with the issue of battles under darkness. Also: would second sun negate the effect of theft of the sun? Not sure if it's ever been done before, but it would be funny if that were the case

[@CantusTropus]

So, does Astral Corruption essentially turn the world into Warhammer fantasy, where all magic is incredibly risky and has a good chance to cause otherworldly horrors to pop out and murder all mages?

[@PerunAU]

yes, with the exception that there is one safe 'wind' left, if you can consider blood magic to be an equivalent to a wind in any way.

[@Kaiser282]

I feel like blood Vortex is much better for countries that get expensive blood searchers. Like Hinnom and LA Pythium. Also it sounds like an end game burn down a captured capital for gems instead of gold. I feel like strands of arcane power is better in Late age or if you can get a shite ton of astral pearls.

[@levitatingoctahedron922]

Does anyone know if Forge of the Ancients stacks with mages that already have master smith +1? By the wording it doesn't look like it would, and I can't find any info on it with a quick web search.

[@Benjaminy2k]

Very late response, but it stacks fully. It's something you cast on ULM when it's time to win, because you'll get a maximum of one turn of having it up in a game with competent people.

[@theral056]

If the mage casting Eyes of God has no eyes, will Fate of Oedipus still work? I'm thinking of the fountains particularly

[@theral056]

@darknightoftroy if you ever find out, please remember me^^ haven't found a conclusive answer yet

[@theral056]

@darknightoftroy oh that would make sense! I'm trying to remember but I'm fairly certain I cast it with a fountain before, a long time ago though!

[@Grox44]

What's the quickest way to farm gems and get gem generators going? With Vanheim nation.

[@Kaiser282]

Usually a rainbow chasis of some sort. Never played Vanheim but if it has the same problem as Mekone, then taking a pretender with High research, trying to boost your research and a few magic paths that aren't native to Vanheim for site searching (you only need 2 or 3 to get most sites) is probably your best bet.

[@teakwondochest3287]

An UW nation playing in a game with Sea of Ice almost gets to feel how annoying its like to play against an UW nation. Ooh youre sad because you cant attack anyone and cant be attacked? Well as a land nation i get attacked by uw and cant retaliate, doesnt sound that cancerous?

[@romulusnuma116]

In fairness plenty of UW nations already feel this

[@Tvalfager]

wen dominions 6?