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TheBillPN View Drop Down
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    Posted: 03 Aug 2015 at 12:48
Hello, 

Im currently trying my hand at the military in Illy, and I have had several (mostly) conflicting reports about what to do.

Most people have agreed and told me that elf bows are the best, followed by cavalry, then spears, then infantry is useless...

What i want to know is which elf bows (T1, T2), which cav etc...

Do i mix them in one town, or have towns specialized for each unit?

What do i equip to the units (crafted item-wise)? And can you equip the wrong thing? - e.g. a spear to a bow unit, as when i was looking at puzzles logic there appear to be some very bad bows and not many good ones, but some far better spears.

do you want many elite divisions? And is it better to have divisions or just one big army with all the troops? does it make a difference?

BASICALLY, I want to know how to do military in Illy, and be very good at it. Blueprints for towns would be brilliant, and explanations are necessary (use little to medium sized words, big words get annoying)

thanks
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Anjire View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Anjire Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Aug 2015 at 14:18
Basics"

Think of Military as a game of rock paper scissors in a sense so that all units have a usefulness if you are able to plan/guess correctly.

That said, there are many different approaches to military so expect a number of different answers/suggestions.  

What you need to do is answer a number of questions for yourself:

What do you want to do with military?  
How much military do you want to recruit/utilize?
How much micro-management are you willing to subject yourself to?
Are you willing to rely on others to provide a rock/paper/scissor element allowing you to better specialize?

Starting out as an elf:

You will want to recruit the following commanders in each city:   T1 bow commanders 5, T2 bow commanders 5, T1 cav commanders, T1 sword commander.  Just recruit and retire all but the 5 T2 bow commanders because you will utilize the T2 bow commanders for experience when starting off. The others it is always good to have hanging about for latter.  

Recruit t1 bows, same attack power per time as T2 bows, same or greater defense power per time as T2 bows.  Use these with your T2 commanders to attack local camps where you can either harvest the raw materials generated or team up with another player to do the collection while you focus on experiencing up your "attack" commanders.

You will want to rotate in some of your defense commanders once you've maxed the attack stats on your T2 commanders.  Don't spend any of the points for your defense commanders though - leave them at level 1 so that they can be brought combat speed use quickly when needed.   

For the most part, you will want to keep your "attack" commanders active for tournaments and just general daily experience grinds while you experiment with various aspects of military.  Familiarize yourself with terrain modifiers and practice timing.  

As for town setup - there are a number of different approaches depending on the level of independence you wish to maintain and the level of micromanagement you wish to subject yourself to.  

My suggestion is first to experiment with sovereignty and its set up to see what you are comfortable with.  Specifically, if you want to set up your sov squares and leave them be or if you are willing to lower and raise them as you need them along with changing the building structures on them.   There are number of guides to sovereignty that are helpful and necessary when your emphasize military over other aspects of the game.  

~Anjire

** Basic Overview of Rock Paper Scissors with Elf bows.  As you add in additional layers such as terrain, crafted equipment, and/or commander specialties the intricacies increase.

T1/T2 Bow basics: 

Attacking T1/T2 spears > defending vs T1/T2 spears but both are still favorable all terrain types with the exception of small forest I believe.  Not many will attack with spears but it does happen from time to  time.
Defending vs. T1/T2 bows > then attacking T1/T2 bows.  Terrain will be moot in this regards so the commander specialty, terrain and crafted equipment will effect the overall outcome. 
Defending vs. T1/T2 swords > then attacking T1/T2 bows
Attacking T1/ T2 cavalry >>>> then defending vs T1/T2 cavalry.  If you can, avoid at all costs using bows to defend vs. cavalry.   Any opportunity to attack cavalry and put them on the defensive is a good opportunity because there can as much as a 50% reduction in their strength.  





Edited by Anjire - 03 Aug 2015 at 14:46

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palmz View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote palmz Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Aug 2015 at 22:42

Terrain Modifiers

SprRgdInfCav<< Off || Def >>SprRgdInfCav
-150030Plains-150025
10-1030-10S. Forest10-1530-10
5-1525-15L. Forest5-2025-15
15025-30Buildings251520-30
0000S. Hill5550
5200-15L. Hill10100-15
50-10-20S. Mountain15150-15
1025-20-30L. Mountain 20300-30
 

 

NPC Encounter Group Sizes

 

SizeMinMax
A Few13
A Handful48
Several921
A Pack2281
Many82128
A Gathering129227
A Horde228462
A Throng463815
A Host8162,500
A Legion2,5019,999
A Myriad10,00024,999
A Sea25,00049,999
A Cornucopia50,000+




The above information was copied from a players profile I think it is accurate.

If you are happy to scout using a battle calculator is also advisable.

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Brandmeister View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Brandmeister Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Aug 2015 at 23:44
Most cities are built for one troop type, with 2-3 specialized troop buildings to cut gold expense. It's hard to beat elvish sentinels. They defend very well against archers and infantry, and are very inexpensive to build. Be wary of Trueshots, they seem to be a sucker unit with identical power/time as sentinels and 10x the cost. Anjire's advice on commanders is very good, mixing different commander types with sentinels will produce different defensive strengths, and using a Trueshot will optimize their attack power (which is moderate). Elf cavalry is very fast and also quite good. I wouldn't say their spear and infantry units are terrible, so much as I'd say that nobody can really match the specific strengths of sentinels, and your friends of other races can do a much better job with spear and infantry units.
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TheBillPN View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TheBillPN Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Aug 2015 at 12:48
do i keep one commander with levelled up attack stats, and on with levelled up defense stats, or just add them all to one commander?

so, to sum up, i can just do whatever i want and see what works?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Llannedd Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Aug 2015 at 14:23
I don't have PvP military experience in this game although I've been playing for just over a year, but here's my 2 cents worth:
1. Forget about defence unless you want to participate in tourneys. Keeping an army to defend against an incoming attack is just silly. Move the army out of the town, camp it nearby for a few days, and let the incoming attack happen. An army attack (not a siege) does not damage anything, and they'll only take a few basic res that you probably don't need anyway.
2. Look at the 8 squares around each of your towns and determine the terrain type. Those are the squares where a siege can set up. Select the best attack units for each terrain type. I determine "best" based on cost per attack point (others may use different criteria). For elves the only two units I build based on that criterion are T2 cav and T2 infantry (depending on terrain). All my units are equipped with crafted equipment specific to the terrain type. T2 archers used to be best for certain terrain types, but with the stat changes a few months ago archers are now pointless for elves, at least the way I judge things.
3. To level up commanders I only use T1 archers to attack NPCs because they're the cheapest to make.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Brandmeister Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Aug 2015 at 17:06
Every military player I know puts plains or water around their city whenever possible.

Using crafted items for anything but city defense will destroy almost all of the items. Many terrain items are more expensive than just building more troops.

Archers are necessary for defending tournament squares, city attacks, and siege operations. You can't do it all with spear units.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Anjire Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Aug 2015 at 18:08
Originally posted by TheBillPN TheBillPN wrote:

do i keep one commander with levelled up attack stats, and on with levelled up defense stats, or just add them all to one commander?

so, to sum up, i can just do whatever i want and see what works?

Ultimately, your default commander list will depend on what and how you wish to utilize the military in your city.  

This is what I suggest for a Bow specialized city: 

For leveling up your commanders, I would suggest to start off with 5 T2 bow commanders.  Once you have each with enough experience for 20 levels start cycling in your defensive commanders.  You will want at least 2 of each T1 commanders for Bow, Sword and cavalry and 1 T1 spear commander.  These you will want to experience but not buy levels.  (if you are okay with spending prestige then feel free to level them up just to help speed exp along but buy offensive stats till you are ready to reset them).    You will want them obtain enough exp to  level up to 45-60 levels.  

Ultimately your goal is to have enough levels on each of your T2 commanders to reach level 65 and your T1 commanders to reach level 40.

To set up your city for rapid experience:

You will want to claim Sov to increase your military recruitment speed to at the minimum keep pace with your losses.
You will need a bowyer and brewery of high enough level to keep pace with your losses.  Alternatively, you can purchase bows/beer but I suggest making your own.
If you plan on harvesting your kills, You will need skinners and or cottages as needed.  

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Defending against attacks.  There is always an opportune moment to spring a "surprise" defense on an attack.  For the most part the best defense is moving your army out of your city and weathering the loss of some basics.  99% attacks against a city will be done with cavalry so as an elf you never want to pit your bows against them on defense.  I would suggest against camping your army outside instead send your army on a journey to feint attack a square a long distance away such that it will return when you will log on next.  (rinse and repeat)  If you camp your army on a square or in an allies city they can be targeted and attacked without the added benefit of your walls.  

To defend against a cavalry attack - Combine all the following: 

Walls level 15 or higher
Use spear troops in elite squadron sizes
Assign them to a Maxed out vs Cavalry T1 Cavalry commander (+5% more defense)
Equip your spears and cavalry commander with crafted items that maximize defense vs. Cavalry.  
(If you have the prestige make sure to spend it on Cavalry defense)

Even if your defense force is wiped out all crafted equipment will be dropped into your city include any gear from the attacker.  




Edited by Anjire - 04 Aug 2015 at 18:10

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Brandmeister View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Brandmeister Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Aug 2015 at 19:00
I sell pikes and reinforced chainmail for that very purpose. With the crafted item power boost, the casualties are quite impressive.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Antivirus Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Dec 2019 at 01:31
I have to respectfully disagree with  Llannedd at least in part with his number 1.
An incoming attack can do damage to your city other than the standard siege. All an attacker has to do is add a few siege engines to his attacking army and you have a "drive By" siege. A hit and run which will level down some buildings.
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