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dom6:guides_and_player_improvement:early_and_midgame_magic

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dom6:guides_and_player_improvement:early_and_midgame_magic [2026/06/27 02:39]
cybertron2 created 		dom6:guides_and_player_improvement:early_and_midgame_magic [2026/07/04 05:37] (current)
cybertron2 [Midgame Magic to Watch For]
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 In dominions there’s a lot of magic – and it’s not all built equally. For this section, I’ll list some of the most impactful spells in the earlygame – at least in my opinion In dominions there’s a lot of magic – and it’s not all built equally. For this section, I’ll list some of the most impactful spells in the earlygame – at least in my opinion
  
-Notably – there is a general powerspike at research 5 – particularly evocation 5. Since there is so much magic in the game, we won’t be looking at the capstones, other than to note evocation 5 has a tonne of high impact, gem light spells.+Notably – there is a general powerspike at research 5 – particularly evocation 5. Since there is so much magic in the game, we won’t be looking at the capstones, other than to note evocation and alteration 5 have a tonne of high impact, gem light spells.
  
 This isn't designed as a comprehensive list - but rather just a list of some of the more major spells to watch for. This isn't designed as a comprehensive list - but rather just a list of some of the more major spells to watch for.
  
-Evocation 1: Star Fires, Arcane Bolt +**Evocation 1:** Star Fires, Arcane Bolt 
-Evocation 2: Solar Rays, Web, Lightning Bolt + 
-Evocation 3: Cloud of Dreamless Slumber, Shadow Bolt, Magic Duel +**Evocation 2:** Solar Rays, Web, Lightning Bolt 
-Evocation 4: Breath of the Dragon, Ephemeral Blast, Fire Cloud+ 
 +**Evocation 3:** Cloud of Dreamless Slumber, Shadow Bolt, Magic Duel 
 + 
 +**Evocation 4:** Breath of the Dragon, Ephemeral Blast, Fire Cloud 
 -- --
-Enchantment 2: Shroud of Splendor, Personal Regeneration + 
-Enchantment 3: Shroud of Bewilderment, Gift of Giant strength, Fire Shield, Regeneration +**Enchantment 2:** Shroud of Splendor, Personal Regeneration 
-Enchantment 4: Spell ward, Simulacrum, Twiceborn, Raise Dead, Cloud Trapeeze+ 
 +**Enchantment 3:** Shroud of Bewilderment, Gift of Giant strength, Fire Shield, Regeneration 
 + 
 +**Enchantment 4:** Spell ward, Simulacrum, Twiceborn, Raise Dead, Cloud Trapeeze 
 -- --
-Alteration 1: Personal Barkskin + 
-Alteration 2: Personal Mistform, Blur, Personal Stoneskin, Gift of Cheated Fate +**Alteration 1:** Personal Barkskin 
-Alteration 3: Mossbody, Group Blur, Body Ethereal, Barkskin, Earth Meld + 
-Alteration 4: Quickness, Mistform, Stoneskin, Curse of Stones, Group Barkskin, Swarm, Twilight, Arouse Hunger+**Alteration 2:** Personal Mistform, Blur, Personal Stoneskin, Gift of Cheated Fate 
 + 
 +**Alteration 3:** Mossbody, Group Blur, Body Ethereal, Barkskin, Earth Meld 
 + 
 +**Alteration 4:** Quickness, Mistform, Stoneskin, Curse of Stones, Group Barkskin, Swarm, Twilight, Arouse Hunger 
 -- --
-Const 2: Temper Armors + 
-Const 3: Assorted item forging (GSS being the standout) +**Const 2:** Temper Armors 
-Const 4: Soldiers of Steel+ 
 +**Const 3:** Assorted item forging (GSS being the standout) 
 + 
 +**Const 4:** Soldiers of Steel 
 -- --
-Conjuration 3: Phoenix Power, Summon Earthpower, Call of the winds+ 
 +**Conjuration 3:** Phoenix Power, Summon Earthpower, Call of the winds 
 -- --
-Thaumaturgy 1: Personal Luck 
-Thamuturgy 2: Mind Burn 
-Thaumaturgy 3: Group Luck 
  
 +**Thaumaturgy 1:** Personal Luck
 +
 +**Thamuturgy 2:** Mind Burn
 +
 +**Thaumaturgy 3:** Group Luck
 +
 +
 +=====The Alteration Buffball Earlygame=====
 +
 +At alteration 3-4 a great deal of nations can buff their sacred troops with their mages into ‘super-troops’. These ‘buffballs’ often define early wars - particularly when supported by army thugs (essentially mages with light gear (5-15gem total and traditionally a powerful weapon, like a Greatsword of Sharpness). The research is early enough and game-altering enough to deserve its own section. 
 +
 +//The reason army thugs can be so relevant is they generally provide armor piercing DPS, and a clean 'kill mechanism' for otherwise problematic troops. //
 +
 +Body Ethereal at alt 3 is the most defining buff spell – reducing most damage to a quarter on all affected troops from a single spell. It’s followed by Mossbody and Barkskin. At alt 4 we also get Stoneskin, Group Barkskin, Mistform and Quickness. Finally, Luck at Tham3 falls into the same category of highly powered spells - but luck is often a little awkward to research for early as thamuturgy tends to be underwhelming when compared to the other schools earlygame.
 +
 +There are other spells that can be layered on (e.g. Giants Strength, Temper Armors etc), but the core idea is that you make a small group of elite units – incredibly hard to kill. This means army thugs also benefit hugely from such a formation.
 +
 +The essential idea is this isn’t a linear boost in strength. A buff on a strong unit is worth more than a buff on a weak unit. So it follows that a buff on an already buffed unit is generally worth more than a buff on an unbuffed unit. As such – we have the buff-ball – where we layer all our best buffs onto all our best troops/thugs.
 +
 +For the most part – this is the best thing you can do at early research if your nation has good troops  and the right magic paths (and ideally troops that can fit multiple into a single tile). Although there are some specific powerful spells that can ‘keep pace’ – most of the time – the magics that can be best used against buffballs come in at research 5 onwards (big evocations being an obvious one, battlefield wipes etc). There are exceptions – but generally buffing strong units is a very good early research goal.
  
 =====Midgame Magic to Watch For===== =====Midgame Magic to Watch For=====
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   - **Skelespam variants and fatigue lines:** These generally overlap – and essentially have mages spamming raise dead, horde of skeletons, and overwhelming an army. Relief/Rigor Mortis/Quagmire/Darkness complement this and 3/4 of them are in enchantment so its an easy combo to reach   - **Skelespam variants and fatigue lines:** These generally overlap – and essentially have mages spamming raise dead, horde of skeletons, and overwhelming an army. Relief/Rigor Mortis/Quagmire/Darkness complement this and 3/4 of them are in enchantment so its an easy combo to reach
   - **Army thugs:** Often – midgame battles are won by small squadrons of ‘super-elite’ commanders, holding say a GSS and a couple defensive items. The reason this is so effective is buffs/stats tend to have an exponential effect, so having a better weapon and some better gear makes an otherwise annoying sacred much harder to deal with   - **Army thugs:** Often – midgame battles are won by small squadrons of ‘super-elite’ commanders, holding say a GSS and a couple defensive items. The reason this is so effective is buffs/stats tend to have an exponential effect, so having a better weapon and some better gear makes an otherwise annoying sacred much harder to deal with
-  - **Light Supercombatants:** Be it Invulnerability/Soul Vortex or a phoenix pyre golem, supercombatants outside of pretenders start coming online in the midgame +  - **Light Supercombatants:** Be it Invulnerability/Soul Vortex or a phoenix pyre golem, supercombatants outside of pretenders start coming online in the midgame. In higher level competitive play - you'll see a lot more variants on this. Usually, they need items from at least const5 to function at this level into proper armies. 
-  - **Remotes ramping up:** As armies get bigger and battles more important, remotes become more disruptive. Be it Mind Hunt or disease demons giving a defender fits, or a well placed call of the winds knocking out a connection tile and slowing an army – remotes+  - **Remotes ramping up:** As armies get bigger and battles more important, remotes become more disruptive. Be it Mind Hunt or disease demons giving a defender fits, or a well placed call of the winds knocking out a connection tile and slowing an army – remotes go from being a fringe tool earlier on to a powerful utility knife.
   - **Amulet of the dead scouts:** This sounds like a meme but is very much a thing. 3-4 scouts can take out PD in a province holding amulets (or the comparable G item mirror of trapped illusions) and this gives all D/G nations a source of raiding – sometimes this being their only source of stealth.   - **Amulet of the dead scouts:** This sounds like a meme but is very much a thing. 3-4 scouts can take out PD in a province holding amulets (or the comparable G item mirror of trapped illusions) and this gives all D/G nations a source of raiding – sometimes this being their only source of stealth.
-  - **BuffBalls:** Even in the midgame, buffing units to the sky remains a very effective strategy. Come midgame, this tends to incorporate units other than sacreds (like gelatinous cubes etc) +  - **BuffBalls:** Even in the midgame, buffing units to the sky remains a very effective strategy. Come midgame, this tends to incorporate powerful summoned units other than sacreds (like gelatinous cubes etc)  
 + 
  
  
dom6/guides_and_player_improvement/early_and_midgame_magic.1782527990.txt.gz · Last modified: 2026/06/27 02:39 by cybertron2

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