Tactics

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Secondary Skills
 Air Magic
 Archery
 Armorer
 Artillery
 Ballistics
 Diplomacy
 Eagle Eye
 Earth Magic
 Estates
 Fire Magic
 First Aid
 Intelligence
 Interference Horn of the Abyss
 Leadership
 Learning
 Logistics
 Luck
 Mysticism
 Navigation
 Necromancy
 Offense
 Pathfinding
 Resistance
 Scholar
 Scouting
 Sorcery
 Tactics
 Water Magic
 Wisdom
Tactics
Basic: allows the hero to rearrange their troops within 3 rows of the commanding hero before combat. It negates one level of an enemy hero’s Tactics skill.
Advanced: allows the hero to rearrange their troops within 5 rows of the commanding hero before combat. It negates two levels of an enemy hero’s Tactics skill.
Expert: allows the hero to rearrange their troops within 7 rows of the commanding hero before combat. It negates three levels of an enemy hero’s Tactics skill.

If two opposing heroes both have Tactics, the following applies:

  • Same level of Tactics:
    • Cancelling each other out, neither hero may arrange their army before combat
  • Tactics Advanced Tactics (2) vs Tactics Basic Tactics (1):
    • 2 - 1 = 1, therefore the hero with Advanced Tactics instead "gains" Basic Tactics, and the hero with Basic Tactics may not arrange their army before combat
  • Tactics Expert Tactics (3) vs Tactics Basic Tactics (1):
    • 3 - 1 = 2, therefore the hero with Expert Tactics instead "gains" Advanced Tactics, and the hero with Basic Tactics may not arrange their army before combat
  • Tactics Expert Tactics (3) vs Tactics Advanced Tactics (2):
    • 3 - 2 = 1, therefore the hero with Expert Tactics instead "gains" Basic Tactics, and the hero with Advanced Tactics may not arrange their army before combat

Heroes with Tactics as a starting skill:

Chance to get

Out of total 112 for The Shadow of Death, and of (112 + Interference chance) for Horn of the Abyss Horn of the Abyss.
Banned skills change the probability.

Town Class Chance to learn
Castle  Knight   7
Castle  Cleric   2
Rampart  Ranger   5
Rampart  Druid   1 (lowest)
Tower  Alchemist   4
Tower  Wizard   1 (lowest)
Inferno  Demoniac   6
Inferno  Heretic   4
Necropolis  Death Knight   5
Necropolis  Necromancer   2
Dungeon  Overlord  10 (highest)
Dungeon  Warlock   1 (lowest)
Stronghold  Barbarian   8
Stronghold  Battle Mage   5
Fortress  Beastmaster   6
Fortress  Witch   1 (lowest)
Conflux  Planeswalker   8
Conflux  Elementalist   1 (lowest)
Cove Horn of the Abyss     Captain   6
Cove Horn of the Abyss     Navigator   4
Factory Horn of the Abyss     Mercenary   8
Factory Horn of the Abyss     Artificer   3


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Overview

  • The battlefield is 15 hexes wide (and 11 high).
  • Usually, you need a creature with at least 13 speed to be able to reach a 1-wide creature on the exact other side in one turn. Apart from neutral or upgraded Dragons, only the following creatures can do this: Phoenix, Archangel, Arch Devil, Firebird, Efreet Sultan, Dragon Fly. Silver Pegasi and Haspids are 2-wide and have Speed 12 so they can attack a creature on the exact other side immediately as well. Angels with Speed 12 are able to attack if the creature on the exact other side is 2-wide. Ayssids, Scorpicores, Red Dragons, Thunderbirds and Wyvern Monarchs are 2-wide and have 11 Speed. They can thus reach the exact other side if the creature is also 2-wide.
  • With Basic/Advanced/Expert Tactics, the distance is reduced to 11/9/7 hexes which means 11/9/7 speed is needed to immediately reach the other side (1 less if the creature you attack is 2-wide).

With upgraded creatures and Expert Tactics, all your creatures can strike immediately except:

Note that Haste gives on Basic/Advanced/Expert level +3/5/5 Speed. Tactics lets your army start 3/5/7 hexes farther ahead. Expert Haste allows less creatures to strike immediately than Expert Tactics. With Haste and Expert Tactics, any creature can immediately reach the other side to strike.


Tactics is a helpful skill if used properly. It becomes really valuable on advanced and expert levels, allowing ranged units to shoot without a penalty (while it's a double-edged sword since enemy shooters will do it as well), and fliers with mediocre speed, e.g. basic Griffins, to reach the opposite battlefield edge in one turn. The latter is especially vital when sieging a town. Tactics may help to save your troops from a strong and fast enemy stack, to defend your shooters, and to avoid dragons' breath attack, Liches' death cloud, and spells like Meteor Shower which damage multiple stacks adjacent to each other.

Tactics is one of the best secondary skills in the game. At expert level, it allows a hero's army to advance 7 hexes, which is almost half of the battlefield's total length of 15. This also allows hero to arrange his troops most in suitable way for his army's capabilities. Furthermore, hero may take full advantage of the obstacles on the battlefield as a tactical element. Also a valid action is to "turtle" the troops, meaning that arrange the melee units to protect the ranged units. Combining Tactics with speed increasing spells like (mass) Haste or (mass) Prayer, allows even the slowest army to reach enemy lines on the first round of combat.

The downside of the skill is, that same level Tactics cancel each other out. When heroes with the same level in the skill confront each other, neither of them may benefit from the skill, and therefore have one secondary skill less to utilise during the combat.


See also:

Angel
20
20
50
200
12
Move
Flying
Size
1
Growth
1
5019
3585
Cost

3000

1

Flies. +1 Morale. Hates Devils.
Ayssid
11
8
6–10
30
11
Move
Flying
Size
2
Growth
645
478
Cost

325

Flies. Ferocity.
Crusader
12
12
7–10 (x2)
35
6
Move
Ground
Size
1
Growth
4
588
588
Cost

400

Demon
10
10
7–9
35
5
Move
Ground
Size
1
Growth
4
445
445
Cost

250

Dendroid Soldier
9
12
10–14
65
4
Move
Ground
Size
1
Growth
803
765
Cost

425

Binds enemies in place.
Dragon Fly
8
10
2–5
20
13
Move
Flying
Size
1
Growth
8
312
250
Cost

240

Dispels beneficial spells after attack. Weakens enemies.
Efreet Sultan
16
14
16–24
90
13
Move
Flying
Size
1
Growth
2
2343 Horn of the Abyss1848 Shadow of Death
1802 Horn of the Abyss1584 Shadow of Death
Cost

1100

Flies. Immune to Fire Magic. Hates Genies. Natural Fire Shield (Basic).
Firebird
18
18
30–40
150
15
Move
Flying
Size
2
Growth
12 (+1) Horn of the Abyss Shadow of Death
4336 Horn of the Abyss4547 Shadow of Death
3097 Horn of the Abyss3248 Shadow of Death
Cost

2000 Horn of the Abyss1500 Shadow of Death

Halberdier
6
5
2–3
10
5
Move
Ground
Size
1
Growth
14
115
115
Cost

75

Immune to jousting bonus.
Haspid
29
20
30–55
300
12
Move
Ground
Size
2
Growth
1
7220
5554
Cost

4000

2

Iron Golem
9
10
4–5
35
5
Move
Ground
Size
1
Growth
6
412
412
Cost

200

Red Dragon
19
19
40–50
180
11
Move
Flying
Size
2
Growth
1
5003 Horn of the Abyss4702 Shadow of Death
3762
Cost

2500

1

Dragon. Flies. Breath attack. Immune to spells level 1–3.
Scorpicore
16
14
14–20
80
11
Move
Flying
Size
2
Growth
2
1685 Horn of the Abyss1589 Shadow of Death
1248
Cost

1050

Skeleton
5
4
1–3
6
4
Move
Ground
Size
1
Growth
12 (+6)
60
75
Cost

60

Thunderbird
13
11
11–15
60
11
Move
Flying
Size
2
Growth
3
1106
869
Cost

700

Zombie
5
5
2–3
20
4
Move
Ground
Size
1
Growth
8
128
160
Cost

125

Angel
20
20
50
200
12
Move
Flying
Size
1
Growth
1
5019
3585
Cost

3000

1

Flies. +1 Morale. Hates Devils.
Archangel
30
30
50
250
18
Move
Flying
Size
2
Growth
1
8776
6033
Cost

5000

3

Flies. +1 Morale. Hates Devils. Resurrects allies (100 Health per Archangel).
Crew Mate
7
4
2–4
15
5
Move
Ground
Size
1
Growth
155
155
Cost

110

Seaman
8
6
3–4
15
6
Move
Ground
Size
1
Growth
174
174
Cost

140

Demon
10
10
7–9
35
5
Move
Ground
Size
1
Growth
4
445
445
Cost

250

Horned Demon
10
10
7–9
40
6
Move
Ground
Size
1
Growth
4
480
480
Cost

270

Devil
19
21
30–40
160
11
Move
Teleporting
Size
1
Growth
1
5101
3759
Cost

2700

1

Teleportation. -1 enemy Luck. No enemy retaliation. Hates Angels.
Arch Devil
26
28
30–40
200
17
Move
Teleporting
Size
1
Growth
1
7115
5243
Cost

4500

2

Teleportation. -2 Horn of the Abyss-1 Shadow of Death enemy Luck. No enemy retaliation. Hates Angels.
Dwarf
6
7
2–4
20
3
Move
Ground
Size
1
Growth
138
194
Cost

120

20% chance to resist a hostile spell.
Battle Dwarf
7
7
2–4
20
5
Move
Ground
Size
1
Growth
209
209
Cost

150

40% chance to resist a hostile spell.
Firebird
18
18
30–40
150
15
Move
Flying
Size
2
Growth
12 (+1) Horn of the Abyss Shadow of Death
4336 Horn of the Abyss4547 Shadow of Death
3097 Horn of the Abyss3248 Shadow of Death
Cost

2000 Horn of the Abyss1500 Shadow of Death

Phoenix
21
18
30–40
200
21
Move
Flying
Size
2
Growth
12 (+1) Horn of the Abyss Shadow of Death
6721
4929
Cost

3000 Horn of the Abyss2000 Shadow of Death

1

Gnoll
3
5
2–3
6
4
Move
Ground
Size
1
Growth
12 (+6)
56
70
Cost

50

Gnoll Marauder
4
6
2–3
6
5
Move
Ground
Size
1
Growth
12 (+6)
90
90
Cost

70

Gorgon
10
14
12–16
70
5
Move
Ground
Size
2
Growth
3
890
890
Cost

525

Mighty Gorgon
11
16
12–16
70
6
Move
Ground
Size
2
Growth
3
1028
1028
Cost

600

Griffin
8
8
3–6
25
6
Move
Flying
Size
2
Growth
351
324
Cost

200

Flies. Retaliates twice.
Royal Griffin
9
9
3–6
25
9
Move
Flying
Size
2
Growth
448
364
Cost

240

Flies. Unlimited retaliations.
Lich
13
10
Shots
12
11–13
30
6
Move
Ground
Size
1
Growth
3
848
742
Cost

550

Power Lich
13
10
Shots
24
11–15
40
7
Move
Ground
Size
1
Growth
3
1079
889
Cost

600

Ogre
13
7
6–12
40
4
Move
Ground
Size
1
Growth
4
416
520
Cost

300

Ogre Mage
13
7
6–12
60
5
Move
Ground
Size
1
Growth
4
672
672
Cost

400

Pegasus
9
8
5–9
30
8
Move
Flying
Size
2
Growth
5
518
407
Cost

250

Flies. Enemies pay 2 extra spell points per spell.
Silver Pegasus
9
10
5–9
30
12
Move
Flying
Size
2
Growth
5
532
418
Cost

275

Flies. Enemies pay 2 extra spell points per spell.
Skeleton
5
4
1–3
6
4
Move
Ground
Size
1
Growth
12 (+6)
60
75
Cost

60

Skeleton Warrior
6
6
1–3
6
5
Move
Ground
Size
1
Growth
12 (+6)
85
85
Cost

70

Troglodyte
4
3
1–3
5
4
Move
Ground
Size
1
Growth
14 (+7)
59
73
Cost

50

Infernal Troglodyte
5
4
1–3
6
5
Move
Ground
Size
1
Growth
14 (+7)
84
84
Cost

65

Wyvern
14
14
14–18
70
7
Move
Flying
Size
2
Growth
2
1350
1050
Cost

800

Flies.
Wyvern Monarch
14
14
18–22
70
11
Move
Flying
Size
2
Growth
2
1518
1518
Cost

1100

Flies. Poisonous.