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{{Secondary skills}}
{{Secondary skills}}
{{Secondary skill
{{Secondary skill
  | B_effect = gives control of the ballista to the hero, allowing one shot with a 50% chance to inflict double damage.
| width = 380px
  | A_effect = gives control of the ballista to the hero, allowing two shots with a 75% chance to inflict double damage.
  | B_effect = gives control of the ballista and defense towers to the hero. The ballista has a 50% chance to inflict double damage.<br />{{wh}}{{-}}[[HotA]]: + control of the cannon, which inflicts additional damage to fortifications.
  | E_effect = gives control of the ballista to the hero, allowing two shots which inflict double damage.
  | A_effect = gives control of the ballista and defense towers to the hero. The ballista shoots twice and has a 75% chance to inflict double damage.<br />{{wh}}{{-}}[[HotA]]: + control of the cannon, which inflicts double damage and additional damage to fortifications.
  | E_effect = gives control of the ballista and defense towers to the hero. The ballista shoots twice and inflicts double damage.<br />{{wh}}{{-}}[[HotA]]: + control of the cannon, which inflicts triple damage and maximum damage to fortifications.
}}
}}


'''Artillery''' is a [[secondary skill]] that gives the hero manual control over [[war machine]] [[Ballista]] during [[combat]] and control over the [[arrow towers]] when defending a town during siege. Basic Artillery provides a 50% chance that ballista inflicts double damage. For Advanced Artillery this is a 75% chance and for Expert Artillery a 100% chance. Advanced and Expert Artillery also enable the ballist to [[double attack|shoot twice]] in a row, instead of once.  
'''Artillery''' is a [[secondary skill]] that gives the hero manual control over [[war machine]] [[Ballista]] (or [[Cannon]]{{-wh}}) during [[combat]] and control over the [[arrow towers]] when defending a town during [[siege]]. Artillery provides control over the arrow towers also in the original game, even though it is not mentioned in the in-game description of the skill. It is interesting that [[Ballista]] is controlled by Artillery secondary skill rather than [[Ballistics]], which is responsible for [[Catapult]].


'''Heroes with Artillery as a starting skill:'''
"Double damage" in the skill description does not mean that the final damage is necessarily duplicated, as it might also be increased by other factors, such as high [[Primary skill#Attack skill|Attack skill]] - compare [[Damage#Damage calculation of creature stacks|damage formula]]. Due to the additive nature, the resulting damage will never be twice more than with this skill.
* [[Arlach]] the [[Overlord]] (basic)
* [[Christian]] the [[Knight]] (basic)
* [[Gerwulf]] the [[Beastmaster]] (basic)
* [[Gurnisson]] the [[Barbarian]] (basic)
* [[Ignissa]] the [[Planeswalker]] (basic)
* [[Pasis]] the [[Planeswalker]] (basic)
* [[Pyre]] the [[Demoniac]] (basic)
* [[Vokial]] the [[Death Knight]] (basic)
* [[Zubin]] the [[Battle Mage]] (basic)


'''Heroes with Ballista as specialty:'''
'''Heroes with Basic Artillery as a starting skill:'''
* {{Arlach}}  
* {{H2|Ignissa|Planeswalker}}
* {{Christian}}
* {{H2|Pasis|Planeswalker}}
* {{Gerwulf}}  
* {{H2|Vokial|Death Knight}}
* {{Gurnisson}}
* {{H2|Zubin|Battle Mage}}
* {{Pyre}}
* {{Torosar}}


== Discussion ==
'''Heroes with Ballista as a specialty:'''
Though not the worst skill, Artillery is of limited use. Whereas it may be useful early on in the game, at least on resource-poor maps of impossible difficulty, later on it usually provides considerably less bonus [[damage]] to a hero's army than do [[secondary skill]]s such as [[Offense]] or [[Archery]] (see Figure 1). Moreover, given that a [[ballista]] has only 250 [[health]] and acts last during the combat round, it may be destroyed in battles even before it can inflict any significant damage. Another disadvantage of Artillery is that the ballista is not deployed when attacking [[creature bank]]s or defending against a siege. However, the control that Artillery provides over [[arrow towers]] in sieges can be valuable, also because it enables the defending hero to cast the first or last [[spell]] in each round.
* {{H2|Torosar|Alchemist}}


'''Recommended for:''' Heroes in the early game with high attack (especially [[Barbarians]]), since a high attack skill increases the Ballista's damage considerably. Artillery is also a superior skill for secondary heroes whose only purpose is to defend towns, as Artillery gives control of the [[Arrow Tower]]s during a town siege. However, be cautious of using this skill on main heroes if you think that you will be playing a long game, since Artillery quickly becomes weaker the longer the game goes on.
'''Heroes with Ballista as a specialty and {{PAGENAME}} as a starting skill:'''
* {{H2|Arlach|Overlord}}
* {{H2|Christian|Knight}}
* {{H2|Gerwulf|Beastmaster}}
* {{H2|Gurnisson|Barbarian}}
* {{H2|Pyre|Demoniac}}
* {{H2|Ranloo|Death Knight}}{{-wh}}
* {{H2|Morton|Mercenary}}{{-wh}}


{| align=right cellspacing=3 style="border:1px solid grey; font-size:90%; width:150px; float:left"
'''Heroes with Cannon as a specialty and {{PAGENAME}} as a starting skill:'''
| align=center | [[File: ArcheryVSArtillery.png|670px]]
* {{H2|Jeremy|Captain}}{{-wh}}
|-
| '''Explanation''': Imagine that on Week 1 Day 2 you have a [[ballista]] and 12 [[Grand Elf|Grand Elves]] (7 from your town and 5 from your heroes). If your hero has 5 [[attack]], would his army deal more damage with Advanced Artillery (e.g., a level 2 [[Gurnisson]]) or with Advanced [[Archery]] (e.g., a level 2 [[Jabarkas]])? Figure 1 shows that in this case you need at least 17 [[Grand Elf|Grand Elves]] for Advanced [[Archery]] to do more damage than Advanced Artillery on [[grass]] (see I). With only 12 [[Grand Elf|Grand Elves]] and a [[ballista]], Advanced Artillery may in this stage therefore help you most to advance your hero and kingdom. However, imagine that on Week 2 Day 1, you buy 19 extra [[Grand Elf|Grand Elves]] (14 from your town and 5 from a tavern hero) and that your hero, after gaining some levels, now has an [[attack]] of 9. Would this hero with an army of 31 [[Grand Elf|Grand Elves]] and a [[ballista]] benefit more from Expert Artillery or Expert [[Archery]]? Figure 1 shows that because this hero has more than 16 [[Grand Elf|Grand Elves]], Expert [[Archery]] is the better choice here (see II). This demonstrates that later on in most games Artillery rapidly becomes less useful than [[Archery]] (or [[Offense]]), An exception may be maps on impossible difficulty with insufficient money to recruit extra troops, which allows heroes with Artillery to gain and possibly maintain a notable advantage.


'''Note''': The Figure is also valid for armies with other ranged units than Grand Elves (e.g., 7 [[Grand Elf|Grand Elves]] on [[grass]] equal 8 [[Medusa]]s on [[subterranean]]). Special circumstances such as [[morale]], [[hero specialty|hero specialties]], archery artifacts, [[spell]]s and ranged units getting killed or blocked during battle are not factored in.
=={{hota}}==
|}


''' Effects on cannon:'''


'''Figure 1''': ''Required Number of Ranged Units for Archery to Deal More Bonus Damage than Artillery Does as a Function of Hero’s Attack and Skill Level''.
With Basic Artillery or Advanced Artillery the cannon does randomly 1 or 2 points of damage to [[fortifications]]. With Expert Artillery the cannon always does 2 points of damage to fortifications. With Advanced Artillery the cannon does double damage and with Expert Artillery triple damage to enemies. As opposed to ballistas, cannons always shoot once.
 
==Chance to get==
{{Secondary skill chance explanation}}
{{ZET SEC SKILL CHANCE TABLE| 5| 2| 6| 1 (lowest)| 4| 1 (lowest)| 5| 4| 5| 3| 8 (highest)| 1 (lowest)| 8 (highest)| 4| 8 (highest)| 1 (lowest)| 8 (highest)| 1 (lowest)| 5| 1 (lowest)| 6| 6}}
 
{{fanopinion|
Artillery is useful if you have access to [[Ballista]], and even better choice would be selecting a hero with this speciality as your "number one", especially on small maps. If the [[Blacksmith]] of your home town doesn't produce Ballistas, but you have an opportunity to get it (by capturing a town with Ballista, on the map, or building a [[Ballista Yard]] in a [[Stronghold]]), Artillery is a good choice. Moreover, it allows you to fully control the town's defense (as sometimes [[arrow tower]]s kill enemy's least valuable troops, i.e. neither ranged nor flying). High price of a Ballista is "the other side of the medal". A secondary hero may learn Artillery so as to shoot wandering creatures and weak enemy troops, avoiding melee attack and thus decreasing losses. Always learn Artillery if you rely much on [[Blind]] spell, as otherwise Ballista may shoot blinded creatures, making them able to fight.
 
The only redeeming feature of Artillery skill is that while defending a siege, it gives the defending hero control over the [[arrow tower]](s). Sometimes more valuable than the damage of the towers is the chance of defending hero to cast the first spell in each round. Additionally, heroes with Artillery specialty start with a ballista, which can be useful in the combat as the AI sometimes attacks it wasting an otherwise possibly harmful attack on the "free" ballista. However, purchasing a ballista for this purpose is typically purposeless unless the kingdom has plenty of gold to spare.
 
The problem with Artillery skill is the ballista, which is not only ineffective but also expensive, weak and possible risk factor during combat. An example of the ineffectiveness is that even if the hero has Expert Artillery, Expert Archery, Attack skill value of 20 and the target is within range, the ballista only deals approximately 200 damage against a neutral stack of Archangel. Moreover, the ballista has only 250 [[health]] and acts last during the combat round, which means it  may be destroyed in battles even before it can inflict any damage at all. Another major disadvantage of ballista is, that in a combat it may provide creatures with [[breath attack]] an opportunity to attack troops behind ballista without fear of [[retaliation]]. Not to mention the fact, that ballista is not deployed when attacking [[creature bank]]s or defending against a siege.
 
When playing on 200% difficulty (eg., the setting usually reserved for competitive games), players start with minimal resources. In this instance, heroes that start with Artillery can be a godsend, especially if your town lacks ranged units by default and you cannot afford to upgrade units during the first few turns. Because of their large pool of hitpoints, you can kite a single flying stack around, out of danger, while the artillery softens the enemy stacks to the point where your stack can one-shot them.
 
Also, Ballista/Cannon specialty can be very strong on campaign heroes as they start with a ballista and good stats on subsequent scenarios and can usually start clearing the map with no additional troops
}}<!-- end of fan opinion -->
{{secondary skill 'see also'}}


[[Category: Secondary skills]]
[[Category: Secondary skills]]
__NOTOC__
__NOTOC__

Latest revision as of 15:13, 20 November 2024

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
Artillery
Basic Artillery: gives control of the ballista and defense towers to the hero. The ballista has a 50% chance to inflict double damage.
Horn of the Abyss HotA: + control of the cannon, which inflicts additional damage to fortifications.
Advanced Artillery: gives control of the ballista and defense towers to the hero. The ballista shoots twice and has a 75% chance to inflict double damage.
Horn of the Abyss HotA: + control of the cannon, which inflicts double damage and additional damage to fortifications.
Expert Artillery: gives control of the ballista and defense towers to the hero. The ballista shoots twice and inflicts double damage.
Horn of the Abyss HotA: + control of the cannon, which inflicts triple damage and maximum damage to fortifications.

Artillery is a secondary skill that gives the hero manual control over war machine Ballista (or Cannon Horn of the Abyss) during combat and control over the arrow towers when defending a town during siege. Artillery provides control over the arrow towers also in the original game, even though it is not mentioned in the in-game description of the skill. It is interesting that Ballista is controlled by Artillery secondary skill rather than Ballistics, which is responsible for Catapult.

"Double damage" in the skill description does not mean that the final damage is necessarily duplicated, as it might also be increased by other factors, such as high Attack skill - compare damage formula. Due to the additive nature, the resulting damage will never be twice more than with this skill.

Heroes with Basic Artillery as a starting skill:

Heroes with Ballista as a specialty:

Heroes with Ballista as a specialty and Artillery as a starting skill:

Heroes with Cannon as a specialty and Artillery as a starting skill:

Horn of the Abyss[edit | hide | hide all]

Effects on cannon:

With Basic Artillery or Advanced Artillery the cannon does randomly 1 or 2 points of damage to fortifications. With Expert Artillery the cannon always does 2 points of damage to fortifications. With Advanced Artillery the cannon does double damage and with Expert Artillery triple damage to enemies. As opposed to ballistas, cannons always shoot once.

Chance to get[edit | hide]

Out of total 112 for 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   5
Castle  Cleric   2
Rampart  Ranger   6
Rampart  Druid   1 (lowest)
Tower  Alchemist   4
Tower  Wizard   1 (lowest)
Inferno  Demoniac   5
Inferno  Heretic   4
Necropolis  Death Knight   5
Necropolis  Necromancer   3
Dungeon  Overlord   8 (highest)
Dungeon  Warlock   1 (lowest)
Stronghold  Barbarian   8 (highest)
Stronghold  Battle Mage   4
Fortress  Beastmaster   8 (highest)
Fortress  Witch   1 (lowest)
Conflux  Planeswalker   8 (highest)
Conflux  Elementalist   1 (lowest)
Cove Horn of the Abyss     Captain   5
Cove Horn of the Abyss     Navigator   1 (lowest)
Factory Horn of the Abyss     Mercenary   6
Factory Horn of the Abyss     Artificer   6


User commentary

[Show user commentary]
[Hide user commentary]
Some may find the information in this section subjective or irrelevant.

Artillery is useful if you have access to Ballista, and even better choice would be selecting a hero with this speciality as your "number one", especially on small maps. If the Blacksmith of your home town doesn't produce Ballistas, but you have an opportunity to get it (by capturing a town with Ballista, on the map, or building a Ballista Yard in a Stronghold), Artillery is a good choice. Moreover, it allows you to fully control the town's defense (as sometimes arrow towers kill enemy's least valuable troops, i.e. neither ranged nor flying). High price of a Ballista is "the other side of the medal". A secondary hero may learn Artillery so as to shoot wandering creatures and weak enemy troops, avoiding melee attack and thus decreasing losses. Always learn Artillery if you rely much on Blind spell, as otherwise Ballista may shoot blinded creatures, making them able to fight.

The only redeeming feature of Artillery skill is that while defending a siege, it gives the defending hero control over the arrow tower(s). Sometimes more valuable than the damage of the towers is the chance of defending hero to cast the first spell in each round. Additionally, heroes with Artillery specialty start with a ballista, which can be useful in the combat as the AI sometimes attacks it wasting an otherwise possibly harmful attack on the "free" ballista. However, purchasing a ballista for this purpose is typically purposeless unless the kingdom has plenty of gold to spare.

The problem with Artillery skill is the ballista, which is not only ineffective but also expensive, weak and possible risk factor during combat. An example of the ineffectiveness is that even if the hero has Expert Artillery, Expert Archery, Attack skill value of 20 and the target is within range, the ballista only deals approximately 200 damage against a neutral stack of Archangel. Moreover, the ballista has only 250 health and acts last during the combat round, which means it may be destroyed in battles even before it can inflict any damage at all. Another major disadvantage of ballista is, that in a combat it may provide creatures with breath attack an opportunity to attack troops behind ballista without fear of retaliation. Not to mention the fact, that ballista is not deployed when attacking creature banks or defending against a siege.

When playing on 200% difficulty (eg., the setting usually reserved for competitive games), players start with minimal resources. In this instance, heroes that start with Artillery can be a godsend, especially if your town lacks ranged units by default and you cannot afford to upgrade units during the first few turns. Because of their large pool of hitpoints, you can kite a single flying stack around, out of danger, while the artillery softens the enemy stacks to the point where your stack can one-shot them.

Also, Ballista/Cannon specialty can be very strong on campaign heroes as they start with a ballista and good stats on subsequent scenarios and can usually start clearing the map with no additional troops

See also:

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