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| Sirrush... Only national summon of Arcocephale, they are tough and sacred, have an excellent MR, and are one of the very rare creatures you can summon with astral pearls. They may worth to be used if your astral income is high, but I won't say that their existence is sufficient to justify a bless strategy (or to rush conjuration 5, not the best school for Arco).
Indie Archers... Arco has no national archer, but having only low dammage troops need to recruit a lot of them, especially in midgame, hoplite + archers offer an excellent synergy. A first rank (with about 2/3 of heavy hoplites 1/3 of hyspapist) and 3 or 4 times more indie archers behind is the standard Arco army once elephants start to become obsolete. Build a fort on a province with longbowmen or other good archers if you find one. One mystic/2 has a fire pick + astral and so may be able to cast flaming arrows after a communion, it would be sad to have nobody to exploit this very powerful spell. 8.12.2.2.2. The commanders Scout... A standard scout with no leadership. Mounted Commander... Not very interesting, but may have an use even in late game if you play on a big map with clear terrains : it's your only commander with mapmove 3, and Arco don't have air magic for flying boots. He may be the only way to exploit the mobility of elephants, chariots or summoned troops (with a crown of command to lead magical beings). Hoplite/Hyspapist Commander... In theory may be used to optimize your battle scripts (as leaders with bodyguards, they allow their squads to keep cohesion as they have the speed of their kind of troop). In practice they are rather useless as it's better to use hoplites and hyspapist in mixed squads for a better morale, and to use indie commanders when your forts produce mages. Strategos... If you have to build a national non mage commander, it's probably the best choice. Their standard bonus is good to have near elephants, or your main meatshield squad. To really exploit the bonus if your army advance a script like "attack one turn, hold, attack one turn, hold, attack one turn, stay behind troops" should be used (with the strategos starting about two squares behind your troop) instead of the classical "hold"x5, "stay behind troops". Priestess... One of the strengths of Arco, the cheap priestesses are the best recruitable healers of the dominion world and in addition to their holy powers give the nation a little access to nature magic (N1, also allowing to make them very cost effective researchers with magic 3). But don't overestimate them. Troops healing is generally usefull in early game to cure the often crippled elephants, then the interest is very situationnal : if you happen to have an afflicted pretender or living thug, or some mute or feebleminded mages, healing is unvaluable ; out of that, only heal your army when you have nothing else to do (searching nature and holy sites, or even preaching, are generally better uses of priestesses than healing your meatshields). And if their nature level may find some uses on the battlefield (especially if you can give them thistle maces), mystics remain far more usefull as non-capitol mages, as they can join communions without a matrix. Mystic... The mages Arco can build everywhere have the strength and weakness to be very diversified, both in their skills and their global power. Their picks (1S + 100% SFWE + 50% F + 50% W + 50% E) mean for the same price you can get a 1/1 or a 2/1/1/1 mage, and you will often have mage with levels 1 only in 3 or 4 schools. Without astral it would mean rather weak mages, but as all have it, mystics are terrific communiants, allowing you to use about any battle spell of their elemental schools in important battles. Also, if their levels are low, three of their paths are easy to boost. One mystic / 8 has earth 2 and so can make earth boots (and then dwarven hammer). One /4 has water 1 for bracelets (1/8 water 2 to forge a robe of the sea with one) etc... As rings of wizardry can be forged by astrologers (with some S boosters) it means a mystic can reach without empowerement level of 5 in water or 4 in earth. The only path they may have difficulties to developp is fire, as even with a ring of wizardry no booster can be made. It may be a good idea to take fire (or better fire/death for the cheap skulls of fire) on your pretender. Once you have a fire booster a mystic can forge a fire/water staff of elemental mastery*, adding one more to all potential levels. Astrologer... .Capitol only mages are less diversified, but far more powerful in astral magic. They always have S3, the most interesting having level 4 (1/4) or even 5 (1/40). If you have the money, recruiting astrologers is always the priority for the capitol, you want to have as many S4 as possible as most astral spells are MR negate and extra levels give penetration bonus (and if you are lucky and end with one natural S5, keep him preciously, he'll just need one empowerement to cast wishes), The other paths astrologers can have (F,W,E) are less important, as mystics already have them (and far more chances to be level 2 in an element). Astrologers with fire are powerful in evocation even without a communion (once you have researched astral fires) so are a good choice to support your secondary armies (or for small teams of teleported mages). Those with earth once equiped with boots can summon earthpower so you have teleportable mages able to use the many e3 buffs (or gifts from heaven). The ones with water are the less interesting (but in endgame allow to summon abominations). As a secondary power, astrologers have the fortune teller ability (5% to cancel a bad event on their province), but the way this ability work don't make it sufficiently reliable to base a strategy on this (like taking misfortune without order to fund a powerful pretender -always a bad choice) but it's a good idea to send some astrologers in an important provinces with high turmoil/misfortune (or with a luck scale but ennemy dominion). (* note : there is an error in the manual this staff requires levels 4 and not 3.) 8.12.2.2.3. General View With elephants Arcocephale is a very strong nation in early game, so having a combat pretender since the beginning isn't as important as with most others. But as sacred don't justify a strong bless the nation can afford one, or prefer to take excellent scales with a sleeping or imprisoned pretender. In mid-late game, powerful astral mages and communion masters able to use BE of many paths give Arco one of the best battle magic. The main weakness of the nation is the lack of good offensive troops once elephants become obsolete, and no easy access to powerful thugs/SC. It makes Arco one of the most mage-dependant nations : to win big battles after early game Arco absolutely need to engage huge numbers of mages, and to use more gems, boosters and penetration items on the field than others, with some powerful battle spells researched since mid game. It means to shine Arco needs four things : a good number of forts build early to recruit a sufficient number of mystics, a positive magic scale (to compensate the number of mages who will be with armies instead of researching, and to make astral spells harder to resist), a good research plan and a strong gem income. 8.12.2.2.4. Research Plan 8.12.2.2.4.1 Early Game Priorities In low level magic, to reduce losses against independants, body ethereal is the best spell available, and all Arco's mages are able to cast it, so alteration 3 looks like the logical first objective. On the other hand, as elephants make expansion easy even without, you may find better to developp site searching spells first (or construction for some strategies) Thaumaturgy 2 allow to cast fire and earth site searching spells (but you need to recruit some mystics to have level 2 in these paths and don't have a starting e/f income, it may be better to wait a little to start elemental searches). Developping thaumaturgy early is anyway a good choice, as if you have to fight an early war, Paralyze is the spell to have to counter usual rush strategies (using a small number of powerful sacreds or an awake SC). Evocation 2, for Arcane Probing allow you to search astral sites without moving your mages (but as you have S3+ mages, you may prefer manual searches with an astrologer for provinces around the capitol). Evocation also allow to start to use dammage spells (star fire at level 1 won't win you battles, but in level 3 there are good spells for fire/earth mystics (magma bolts, fireball). Conjuration 3 (Voice of Apsu) is the last possibility for site searching, but conjuration is clearly not a priority compared to thaumaturgy or evocation (in midgame you'll want to have summon earthpower/phoenix power and power of the sphere, but these spells are only usefull once you have some battle magic researched), it's better to developp it in midgame. Construction is mostly usefull as an early choice if your pretender is awake and able to forge magical economy construction 2 items(hammer, clam, fetish) as soon you have the gems (or is a combat god needing gear, but an awake humanoid SC is rarely a good choice). If you don't have earth 3 on your pretender, you'll need to forge earth boots before dwarven hammers (=construction 4 and a good number of earth gems, two good reasons to wait a little to developp this school).. 8.12.2.2.4.2 Entering Mid-game More than other nations, Arco profits of a large magic knowledge. Developping all schools (but blood) to level 3 or 4 before going further is a good idea.
8.12.2.2.4.3 Late Game Once basic battle magic is researched, it's time to go for construction 6, allowing to forge starshine skullcaps, lightless lanterns and the multi-paths boosters. But I don't think it's a good idea to continue directly to artefacts with Arco, as it would slow the discovery of endgame battle spells. Researching blood 1 is a very good idea if you have access to blood amazons or other indie casters. Equiped with a booster (you can use a ring of sorcery) or empowered to level 2 one of them can join your communions as master and cast reinvigoration (ideally in round 5) suppressing fatigue for all the slaves, and you just need to find 2 slaves per fight for this. Give him a ranged weapon and use a script like : sabbath master, fire x3, reinvigoration, fire so he won't use his slaves for other purposes. Then the schools to developp are thaumaturgy, evocation and alteration. Thaumaturgy 6 give you enslave mind, the spell to have if you fight a nation with low MR powerful units (Caelum mammoths, Machaka hunter spiders etc...). If it's not the case it looks better to developp evocation first, offering at level 5 a large choice of non resistable aoe spells to spam in your communions (falling frost/fire/gifts of heaven/stellar cascades), and at level 6 astral fire and mind hunt. Once you have both level 5 thaumaturgy and level 6 evocation, your S4 mages become terrible mind hunters (equip some of them with eye of the void, spell focus, a skullcap, a rune smasher, and kill as many ennemy commanders each turn). Of course you need to be sure your ennemy don't have astral mages where you cast the spell to avoid feeblemind (but as you have healers it's not an as big problem as with other nations). Mind hunt is especially good to catch spies spreading unrest in your realm. Alteration offer the best endgame defensive battlefield enchants (will of the fates, army of gold), and I find better to go straight them than to stay with the weaker versions at alteration 6 or 7 (Marble warriors, battle fortune). Being able to cast will of the fates in decisive battles far before endgame, when the ennemies don't have such a powerful battle magic, may even worth to rush for it (skipping level 6 thaumaturgy/evocation), especially if you have found some indie air mages (and forged a crystal matrix for one of them). Armies of lucky golden fog warriors are terrific, especially combined with chained earthquakes (or rain of stones if you have a way to cast them). And with alteration 9 you also get arcane domination and wish. Another option is to concentrate on thaumaturgy instead of alteration, and go straight to level 9, to have Master Enslave as soon as possible, when the ennemies still use big armies of national troops. The spell isn't hard to cast even with rather small teams of astrologers (see 5.4), but in attack lose a lot of it's value as your opponents may counter it with antimagic (and at this stage of the game any serious opponent will have some S mages to cast it). It's why I usually prefer to go for will of the fates first, it's the only battle-winning spell with no counter at all, and usefull against both big armies and teams of thugs/SCs or mages. Construction 7/Evocation 8 may be a good secondary objective, to make a team of golems and use astral tempest with them, but I'm not really convinced it's interesting to base a strategy on this. In endgame, valuable ennemies have too high MR or too many hp to fear this spell, and golems are not hard to kill with other thugs. 8.12.2.2.4.4 End Game If you are first in research at this point, construction 8 is a logical priority, there may be some artefacts remaining (but don't hope to have a lot with my plan).
8.12.2.2.5.1 Half-reverse communion Your astral mages are already powerful and can be boosted in round one with light of the northern star. It allows Arcocephale to use it's own style of communions, using the "reverse communion" tip (see the guide to communions) but with far more masters : slaves boosted by power of the spheres and light of the northern star spam low level astral spells, and masters the classic elemental ae.
8.12.2.2.5.2 Total Exhaustion What is the common point between astral, earth, water and nature ? All these schools have spells doing stun dammage, and Arco can easily cast all of them (with alteration 4; thaumaturgy 4, evocation 5).
8.12.2.2.5.3 Opening a second front Teleport allow you surprise attack with teams of astrologers in the middle of an ennemy realm. Teleported teams of mages can be a nightmare for your opponents, especially on big maps.
Once you have taken a province, two possibilities : there are numerous ennemies around or not. If opposition looks too strong for your mages, script returning in first round (or a vortex of returning if you can cast it) to be sure to save your team, and try another province the turn after. If you think the mages can survive one turn (eventually with the help of some PD) script them for combat, build a lab and start to recruit indie commanders. Use the enslaved troops as bodyguards for the astrologers without bottles if the ennemy can use assassination spells. The next turn you can gateway an army in the middle of ennemy territory (equip some S4 astrologers with leadership items so they can carry about 60 soldiers + many magical beings eventually) and really open a second front. Split the troops between the indie commanders and other mages, so you can use the leadership gear for a second wave. The only problem may be the lack of holy magic (as you can't teleport a priest). Summon telestic animates if you think you need it (then if you can keep the province some turns, build a temple and a fort and recruit priestesses). 8.12.2.2.5.4 Army stealing Master Enslave is a risky spell to cast with medium sized communions, especially if some slaves are weak ; the high level mean many will take extra fatigue, and if the fight is long, the master(s) continuing to cast will kill some.
8.12.2.2.5.5 Fronteer labs and mobile research centers One of the national advantages of Arcocephale is a 100gp discount on laboratories, and labs are especially usefull to an astral nation, as they allow to gateway troops to their province. So, when most other nations only build labs in their forts, it's a good idea for Arco to build them in a far bigger number of provinces, especially the fronteers and strategic chokepoints.
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