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This is a unit strategy guide for:
WarCraft III: Reign of Chaos - PC & MAC
This document was authored by:
GetJesse -
http://getjesse.blip.tv/
Document Version 1.04 - May 6, 2011
Originally written: Fall 2002
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|TABLE OF CONTENTS: |
|[1!].................. | Introduction | ....................................|
|[2!].................. | Humans | ....................................|
|[3!].................. | Orcs | ....................................|
|[4!].................. | Night Elves | ....................................|
|[5!].................. | Undead | ....................................|
|[6!].................. | Neutral | ....................................|
|[7!].................. | Misc. & Legal | ....................................|
|_____________________________________________________________________________|
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[1!]Introduction[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][
If you play The Frozen Throne as opposed to Reign of Chaos, then I suggest you
go check out my units guide for The Frozen Throne instead (which is also on
GameFAQs).
WarCraft III: Reign of Chaos is Blizzard's first attempt at making a real-time
strategy game using three dimensional graphics. It also introduced many new
concepts to the real-time strategy game genre and became quite popular in
competitive gaming circles.
This unit guide was originally written in 2002; since then, a lot of patches
have dropped and a lot of new multiplayer strategies have become popular (and
even more than that have fallen out of popularity). In general though, there
are some key aspects to each unit that don't change.
In this 2011 version of the unit guide, I have made a few small updates and
changed some things, but most it remains the same (largely because the basics
of the game are still the same). If you are a top ten ladder player, this guide
will not help you :-). However, average players and below average players will
find some useful advice regarding the roles of each of the units and some basic
strategies to employ, which are equally useful for both single player and
multiplayer (although there are some over-specialized single player missions
that only work with one specific strategy, but we won't get into that).
A good site for unit stats and such can be found here:
http://classic.battle.net/war3/
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[2!]Humans[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][
-=-=-=- Paladin
The Paladin is a support hero, not a battle hero. In other words, the Paladin
doesn't take damage as well as other heroes and he doesn't dish out damage as
well as other heroes. Holy Light is useful to the extreme once you get it to
level three. Six hundred hit points healed in an instant is crazy. Devotion
aura is less helpful, although its worthiness multiplies every time you add an
ally to your team; Devotion aura in a solo match is okay and Devotion
aura in an eight player game is great. The Paladin is prone to focus fire
attacks, which is one of his main drawbacks. However, there is a remedy in the
form of Divine Shield. Divine Shield couldn't have been placed on a more suited
hero. Overall, the Paladin is good to have around when using multiple heroes or
while playing a team game.
-=-=-=- Archmage
The most popular human hero. Also the one human hero that takes a lot of skill
to master properly. The Brilliance aura is most likely a given when using this
hero. You either go for Water Elementals or Blizzard. If you are new or aren't
very good at micro management, then stick with those Water Elementals. If you
are a fairly advanced player, then go with the more deadly and precise
Blizzard. Truly good players should be able to target enemy units with Blizzard
within a minimum of a two second time frame, without hitting your units or
allied units. The simple act of keeping your Archmage alive takes just as much
skill as well. If your Archmage dies an average of one or more times per game,
then you aren't using him correctly.
-=-=-=- Water Elemental
A fairly decent unit, but nothing terribly special. These are good to have
around for added anti-air damage. Especially if you don't plan on having that
much anti-air anyway. They are good at luring the AI away from your Archmage,
but a sound human at the other end will not be fooled so easily. Take caution
though, because a decent player will be able to quickly vanquish your Water
Elementals with the use of spells like Purge and Dispel Magic.
-=-=-=- Mountain King
The Mountain King, although short, will be a human player's first choice when
it comes to having a hero on the front lines. The Mountain King can take
punishment and dish out just as much. Does the enemy like to run his hero away
when the going gets tough? No problem, just use the Mountain King's Storm Bolt
and your problems with that run away hero are all solved. Your front line
troops can't take the heat? No worries, send the Mountain King up there and
give the enemy a Thunder Clap where it hurts most. Need a definitive way to
finish the game with style? Make that ol' Mountain King use Avatar when your
opponent is in his most dire of situations.
-=-=-=- Human Hero Solo Creeping
The Arch Mage is the only human hero capable of solo creeping. This is because
he has the water elemental to soak up the damage (ha, unintentional pun there).
The Paladin could use Divine Shield, but it really doesn't help that much. The
Mountain King is more capable of solo creeping than the Paladin is (with any of
his skills), but still falls short of being a complete powerhouse at it.
-=-=-=- Peasant
Use multiple peasants to speed build the town hall and a few towers at an
expansion. For me, this usually consists of five peasants, four building four
towers, and the other one working on the town hall. When the four finish the
four towers, have them help finish the town hall.
-=-=-=- Militia
Before scouting with a peasant, turn him into a militiaman, for the added
speed. If your base falls under attack, immediately turn your peasants into
militia and have them support your main army. If you wait until your main army
falls, you aren't using the militia to their full effectiveness. Using Militia
to help will end the battle faster. The more devastating a victory, the less
money your opponent will have. It costs a lot to rebuild an army.
-=-=-=- Footman
If a player decides to produce these, you can be sure that there will be many
of them. Footmen are cheap in resources, they build fast, and they aren't bad
in large numbers. As dictated by top players, it is good to use many footmen in
conjunction with the Arch Mage while creeping. With the exception of anything
in the air and anything that can slow movement speed (Dryads come to mind),
Footmen are effective at countering piercing damage units with their Defend
ability.
-=-=-=- Rifleman
Not much to say about these guys. Riflemen are good at focus firing an enemy
hero or unit. Mixing a few Riflemen in with your spell casters makes for a good
combination of units. Riflemen are probably the best unit to start out with for
human players new to the game or to Battle.net.
-=-=-=- Knight
If the enemy is without any major source of piercing damage, these guys make
great front line troops. Add the priest's Inner Fire to this unit and you've
got a fearsome damage sponge. Add the Paladin's Devotion aura to the mix and
you've got a fearsomely fearsome damage sponge.
-=-=-=- Priest
The priest is a good all-purpose spell caster to have around. Start all battles
by having all your priests cast Inner Fire on your units. When all of your
units appear to have the Inner Fire symbol over their heads (and you no longer
hear the Inner Fire casting sound), switch your priests' auto cast to heal.
Since they have already cast Inner Fire on everyone, the only thing they would
be doing afterwards is using their weak attack. So making them auto cast the
more beneficial Heal would be in your good interests. The priests Dispel Magic
is the most useful dispel spell out of all the races. This is because it is an
area of effect spell. Watch in great wonderment as the enemy summons fall to
your superior magic. Dispel Magic is also good against enemy buffs.
-=-=-=- Sorceress
If your enemy is using an army made up of mostly melee units (or entirely of)
then the Slow ability is very helpful. Having a bunch of slowed melee troops
that cannot catch up to anything is very irritating to an opponent. Equally so
is a bunch of tier three melee units that are sheep (from the ever powerful
polymorph spell). Polymorph immediately loses its use when the enemy has any
dispel spells on hand. Invisibility is less useful than the other two spells,
but is great for scouting or in conjunction with the Arch Mage's Mass Teleport.
-=-=-=- Gyrocopter
The gyrocopter makes for an interesting unit. Without upgrading anything, you
can employ the skills of this dwarf as an effective scout. Spying on the enemy
from the water, mountains, trees, or any other inaccessible piece of terrain
makes for a beneficial use. Placing a couple of these at key routes of travel
will warn you of an oncoming attack, allowing just enough time to divert
defensive forces in that direction. Less useful applications include air to air
or air to land attacks. It's okay as an anti-air unit by itself. If you
absolutely must use it for one reason or another, go ahead. Otherwise, you
should probably stick to using Riflemen for anti-air. As an air unit with a
purpose of attacking land units, stay away. The Gyrocopter does barely any
damage at all to opposing land forces, due to its low damage. However, at the
same time, it may be useful if used against the right targets. The siege damage
can be helpful at times. Then again, that's what Mortar Teams are for, right?
-=-=-=- Mortar Team
Mortars are great for use in conjunction with your army when attacking an enemy
base. Having these units pound the enemy base and draw his army away from his
static defenses will cause your opponent to lose his home turf advantage.
However, be prepared to dance back and forth. Oh yes, and the Mortar Team's
Flare is more useful than you would think. The price of researching Flare is
more than worth it for the intelligence you get on the enemy's base and army
position on the map. And if you build lots of Mortar Teams, stocking enough
flares shouldn't be a problem.
-=-=-=- Steam Tank
Certainly not the most novel unit to use, as seen by the large number of
average players who build these things over and over again on Battle.net. When
used correctly, these can be effective. Surprise is your greatest ally when
attempting to wield the might of these machines. Don't let the enemy catch
sight of your Steam Tank production, or your plan will be thwarted by the
proper counters and tactics.
-=-=-=- Gryphon Rider
Gryphon Riders are decent. I personally don't use them that much. If you are
going to use them, get them fast, and be sneaky about it. Surprise is a must.
If the other player discovers that you are building them, they are easily
countered. The gryphon rider is probably best used when combined with a mixture
of other units.
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[3!]Orcs[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][
-=-=-=- Blademaster
A good front line hero. Equally well suited to the area behind enemy lines as
well. Although lacking in hit points, you would be surprised to see how long
this guy can last. This is due mainly to his high armor rating. The skills that
the Blademaster has at his disposal are excellently made for a large number of
different situations. Creativity and aggressiveness are requirements if you are
to wield the Blademaster to his full potential.
-=-=-=- Blademaster Harassment
The Blademaster is probably the best hero to use for harassing the enemy, due
to his Wind Walk ability. A level 6+ Blademaster can be even more troublesome
with the addition of Bladestorm. Just run in to an enemy town, slash some
workers (or use Bladestorm on them), and when the enemy comes in to defend
himself, use Wind Walk to get out safely. Depending on what race you try this
against, and how much time has elapsed in the game, using this tactic can be
difficult. It is more than worth it though, because doing this will divert the
enemy's attention away from more important matters. Just make sure you don't
get your Blademaster killed. Also keep in mind that your enemy might buy a "Gem
of True Sight," which would nullify the use of Wind Walk. You will still be
able to escape fairly easily without Wind Walk, just as long as you pay good
attention to the enemy's location.
-=-=-=- Far Seer
The first choice for many Orc players. The Far Seer is a good hero, and is
probably so popular due to his versatile and general purpose nature. His spells
are simple to use, and he's safe with a ranged attack. Don't know which hero to
choose? Just get the Far Seer.
-=-=-=- The Wolves
The Wolves are overall decent units, especially when you take into
consideration that they cost nothing. Probably the most critical time of their
use is during the early minutes of the game. Micro management is essential
during this time.
-=-=-=- Tauren Chieftain
Savior for some, roving idiot for others. The Tauren Chieftain is very weak and
prone to dying during his early levels, but his strengths begin to show once he
reaches level five. Although weak in the beginning, the chieftain is a tyrant
at later levels. Level six is probably the biggest turning point. That is, as
you should know, when he acquires his resurrection skill. Don't count on it
being the winning card in your hand however.
-=-=-=- Orc Hero Solo Creeping
Depending on the map being used, all Orc heroes are capable of solo creeping
(though some more limited than others).
The Blademaster can easily accomplish this with Mirror Image. Obviously, the
Mirror Image is used to distract the creeps while the Blademaster cuts away.
The Far Seer can accomplish this with Feral Spirit. It is a simple matter of
summoning the wolves, having them attack, and allow the Far Seer to safely fire
at the creeps from behind his wolves.
The Tauren Chieftain will probably have a harder time with this (depending on
the map), but he can accomplish this by using War Stomp. Try to get in a
position that will allow the War Stomp to stun as many creeps as possible.
Stunning them with War Stomp allows the chieftain to survive longer. The best
way to solo creep with the chieftain is at night. At night you can approach the
creeps without taking damage and have enough time to position your chieftain to
maximize the effect of the War Stomp. Generally though, I would advise you to
have a couple of other units along with the chieftain.
-=-=-=- Orc Hero Creeping with Troll Headhunters
Sure, solo creeping is great. However, creeping with one or two Troll
Headhunters is even better. Even if you aren't investing into any part of the
tech tree that benefits headhunters, it doesn't matter. You are just going to
build one or two to take along with your hero. Plus, they are cheap, so it
isn't going to put a dent in your economy. Having a single headhunter come
along with your hero will make it faster and easier. That's right, a single
headhunter can make a big difference. Having two headhunters is even more
effective. Headhunters dish out a good amount of damage. This extra damage
helping out your hero makes creeping easier and faster. Sure, they have low HP,
but that doesn't matter, because headhunters will never be in any danger due to
the fact that they have a ranged attack (unless you position them horribly).
Creeps will be attacking the Blademaster and his Mirror Image, the Farseer's
wolves, and the Tauren Chieftain. Try it, it works.
-=-=-=- Peon
The lowly worker... the sad, pathetic, little Peon. When under attack, be sure
to micro manage these guys. Have a couple repair while all the others enter the
burrows. If a repair Peon comes under attack, have him enter a burrow or run
away momentarily. Other than micro management while under attack, there's not
much else that can be done with these weaklings.
-=-=-=- Grunt
The Grunts will make fine grunts in your army (do you see that?). They are the
strongest Tier 1 melee unit out of all the races. Likewise, they are also the
most expensive out of all the races, at 200 gold and 3 food supply.
Nevertheless, you can't go wrong with these guys. Grunts are extremely
vulnerable to units that slow movement, so you might want to throw in Bloodlust
to offset that threat. Also beware of the Sorceress, as Grunts are good targets
for Polymorph. If you plan on using Grunts in the long run, research the
Berserker upgrade and Pillage. Pillage will net you some free cash if you
should ever attack an enemy building.
-=-=-=- Troll Headhunter
If you plan on using these in the long run, you must have Bloodlust. Troll
Headhunters have a horrendously slow attack and need Bloodlust to help smooth
things out. The Tauren Chieftain's Endurance aura will help as well.
Researching Troll Regeneration will help to make sure that your trolls are
always at full health when a battle is due to come. Without Bloodlust, these
trolls will not stand a chance against most air units, even though they ARE
anti-air.
-=-=-=- Catapult
Catapults are a good siege unit. Bringing along a couple with an attack force
will help clear out static defenses faster (as well as the rest of the enemy's
base). Another useful utilization of these is to use them for focus fire. If
you upgrade the damage and have plenty of catapults, they are deadly when used
to focus fire.
-=-=-=- Raider
The Ensnare ability makes Raiders a useful addition to your army mix. Having
one or two around in case that pesky enemy hero decides to run away from you
could lead to an easy victory if you can quickly eliminate it before fighting
the enemy army in a big battle. Raiders also have the ability to Pillage, which
will net you some free cash; the problem is finding a good opportunity. Look
for undefended towns and expansions. Use their Ensnare ability to assist in any
attempts to escape. An interesting application for the Raiders is to use them
versus Human Steam Tanks. They will junk them and send them to the salvage yard
in no time with the Raider's Siege damage versus the Steam Tank's Fortified
armor. If you feel your Human ally is up to the challenge, have him use
invisible with your raiders. If no Human ally is around, try playing around
with a Goblin Zeppelin.
-=-=-=- Tauren
The strongest purchasable melee unit in the game (out of all the playable races
anyway). Tauren are guaranteed to tear through the enemy front lines. Unless of
course they have been possessed, had their movement speed slowed, been blown
into the air by a whirlwind, or turned into a sheep. But, other than those few
instances, Tauren are a force to be reckoned with. Watch as the massive amount
of Tier 1 melee units fall by your hoof.
-=-=-=- Shaman
Ah, the Orc Shaman. The primary Orc spell caster.
Let's start out by going over his Purge spell. This spell has three uses. The
first, removing beneficial spells from an enemy unit (while at the same time
slowing their movement speed). The second is removing negative spells from your
units. This is less useful, given that you could also remove Bloodlust from
your units and the fact that their movement speed will be slowed. So only use
it on your own units if the advantages outweigh the disadvantages (for example,
the Undead spell Cripple was placed on one of your units). The third is
probably the most useful, and that is using Purge to catch enemy units
attempting to run away.
The Shaman's second spell, Lightning Shield, is a difficult spell to use. Only
use this spell if the damage on enemy units outweighs the damage received by
your units. You have three choices when casting Lightning Shield. The first
choice you have is to cast it on your front line troops. Generally, it is
better to cast Lightning Shield on Tauren or the Tauren Chieftain (as opposed
to the smaller units). You could also do this with Raiders I suppose, but they
usually aren't the front line troops. The reason you want to cast Lightning
Shield on large units is so that the damage from the shield is spread out on
the most enemy units possible (given that most of the time large sized units
will be attacked by multiple enemy melee units). This of course will be less
effective if your opponent chooses to use large sized units as well (or chooses
to use many ranged units).
The second option you have when using Lightning Shield is to cast it on the
enemy's front line troops. This is normally less effective than casting it on
your own front line troops, but it has its moments. Again, do this only if you
are using large sized units (like Tauren), so that the damage taken by your
units will be far less than the damage the enemy takes (assuming they have
small sized units). A good time to cast Lightning Shield on the enemy front
line troops is before their troops make contact with your troops (examples
include: they are sitting idle, they are charging you). Doing this will allow
you to do damage to their troops with the shield before their troops can get
close enough to damage your troops (with the shield). Basically this means that
during the short time the Lightning Shield lasts, it will do more damage to the
enemy troops.
The third, and less hazardous option, is to cast it on the enemy's ranged units
(behind the front lines). Doing this will damage his ranged troops (obviously),
but allow your troops to not take friendly damage from the shield. This is
probably the easiest way to use the shield.
The last, and most famous, spell the Orc Shaman wields is Bloodlust. The fact
that this is an auto cast spell makes it pointless to elaborate on the uses of
this spell, so I will not bother. However, now that I think about it, turn the
auto cast feature for Bloodlust on only when you are engaged in a large-scale
battle. Leave it off the rest of the time. Doing this will prevent you from
wasting mana if your army comes upon an enemy scout. Your mana pool is needed
in a large-scale battle; it is not needed to take out a lone unit.
-=-=-=- Witch Doctor
The secondary Orc spell caster.
Place sentry wards at key enemy paths. Good opportunities to do this arise when
your army is creeping, clearing an expansion, attacking the enemy, or is simply
on the move. Before engaging an enemy in battle (in other words, you are about
to fight the enemy in a few seconds), place a sentry ward on the ground behind
your army. If you lose, this will allow you to see what his army does (if he
retreats or attacks). If you win, it will act as a precautionary measure and
allow you to see anything that heads in the general direction of your base.
Stasis wards are extremely useful. With the 1.03 patch making them not have an
effect on allied units, you can now place them in the middle of battle.
However, the amount of time that they last in the battle before successfully
activating is dependent upon the position they are placed on. Putting them in
the middle of enemy troops sounds like a good idea, but they will quickly die
off. A better place to put them would be behind the front lines. Although the
stasis ward's area of effect range makes it so that a ranged unit will almost
always be able to attack them, this is okay. Cast your wards so that it places
them in awkward positions next to your units, making it harder for the enemy to
target or recognize them. If your opponent doesn't have any ranged units, you
are very privileged and will prosper.
Healing wards, having a mere 5 HP, are frail devices. Do not fret though,
placement is key. Healing wards have a rather large area of effect, so they can
generally be set up in safer positions than a stasis ward. Set down a healing
ward so that it just barely is in range to heal your front line troops. There
is no need to place it any further, as that will just make it more vulnerable.
After battle healing is also a good application for the use of the healing
ward.
-=-=-=- Kodo Beast
I think that these beasts are mandatory in battle. More so when allies are
present. Their aura will help immensely. While a little damage added to each
unit might not sound like much, if you add it all up it comes out to be quite
an impressive amount of extra damage being dealt to the enemy. If you are
worried about losing your precious Kodo Beast, you can build two of them, but
two of these beasts take up 8 food, which isn't practical. That 4 food would be
better fed to someone else. Besides, it should be easy to micro manage your
Kodo Beast a bit to keep him alive. Disregard what I just said if allies are
present, because you will need two beasts to make sure the aura is spread out
among your units and your friendly allied units. If any enemy units get close
enough or try to attack your beast, then order him to gobble them up with
Devour.
-=-=-=- Wyvern Rider
Wyvern Riders die fast. That's okay though, because this is balanced out with
the high amount of damage they dish out to enemies. To maximize a Wyvern
Rider's effectiveness and overall efficiency, you need to... yep, you guessed
it... use Bloodlust. If the enemy sees that you are using Wyvern Riders before
you are able to build some, he will either stop you immediately with massive
amounts of Tier 1 units, or he will pre-plan and build units that counter
Wyvern Riders. In either situation, you may be able to counter the enemy's
counter.
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[4!]Night Elves[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
-=-=-=- Demon Hunter
Easily one of the most powerful heroes in the game. This darned blind man can
dish out lots of damage, especially once he reaches the second half of his
level ascension. Mana Burn will rip through and pacify any magic based hero.
Immolation will secure the Demon Hunter's place on the front line. Evasion will
ensure his survival during battle. If allowed to reach level six, it is fairly
safe to say that the game is over, especially in solo games.
-=-=-=- Keeper of the Grove
Dangerous, if used right. Negligible, if used wrong. Entangling Roots is an
excellent tool for isolating enemy units from their battle groups. Equally
useful is its ability to trap fleeing units after a battle. That's money out of
the enemy's pocket. Force of Nature is a great assest during the heat of
battle, especially later in the game when many Treants can be summoned at a
time. The Thorns aura is essentially the opposite of the Dread Lord's aura. So
if you see an Undead player with a Dread Lord using an aura, you can cancel out
the effects of that aura.
-=-=-=- Treant
Weak, at best. Even so, their assistance during battle is helpful. They deal a
small amount of damage to the enemy, but they also serve as a damage taker. It
might seem insignificant, but it is better to have damage be done to units that
cost nothing, as opposed to units that do cost resources.
-=-=-=- Priestess of the Moon
Deceiving in appearance, as well as attributes. Some tout her as weak and
feeble, while others swear by her prowess. Depends on what you do as a player,
and the circumstances of the game being played. If you have allies, the
Priestess is wonderful to have around. Her aura is of great help. If you are in
a solo or free for all game, her usefulness is dependent on what you build.
More often than not, you will be helped by her aura. As for her skills, Owl
Scout provides great intelligence on the enemy, and Searing Arrows can build up
to very significant damage when combined with certain items.
-=-=-=- Owl Scout
Recast often when you don't have any idea what the enemy is up to. That is the
worst case scenario, when you don't know what the enemy is doing.
-=-=-=- Night Elf Hero Solo Creeping
The Keeper of the Grove is probably the best hero to solo creep with the elves.
His ability to call forth Treants will provide a shield to his HP (so long as
there are trees nearby, which there usually are). The Demon Hunter would be
your second choice; Immolation and Evasion are great against creeps.
-=-=-=- Wisp
Nothing much to say about these. If an enemy hero rushes you, and the hero
targets your wisps, have the wisps use Detonate before they die. At least then
you won't give him free experience. If it's still fairly early in the game,
when no one has access to any dispel spells yet, you can use wisps to
substitute while waiting. For example, this becomes required when in an eight
player team game and the opposing team decides to build four farseers with
wolves. Yeah, definitely required in situations like that.
-=-=-=- Archer
I believe Archers to be the best anti-air unit. In massive numbers these women
warriors can tear through any amount of air units. With the benefit of the
Priestess of the Moon's Trueshot aura, you can make the archers even more
effective at anti-air. If the enemy employs the use of melee troops, it would
be wise to have some sort of damage sponge handy.
-=-=-=- Huntress
Huntresses are exceptional units. They fair especially well against massive
amounts of weak units, due to their bouncing attack. Be wary of enemy Tier 3
melee units though, because they will easily tear through Huntresses. Research
their owl ability as quickly as possible. Intelligence based around enemy
movements or expansions is quite easy using Huntress owls. They have gone
through a lot of degrading in the update patches, but they still prove to be
useful time and time again... to a lesser extent.
-=-=-=- Ballista
Not particularly useful in skirmishes (being a siege unit), but its handy to
bring a couple along to support an attack. Use Ballistas to take out the
enemy's static defenses. Ballistas are probably the least effective of all the
racial siege units.
-=-=-=- Dryads
Dryads are okay as a piercing damage unit, but that is not their sole purpose.
Their ability to slow enemy units is probably the most beneficial reason to
have them around. With this, melee units will approach slowly, and you can be
sure that enemy units will have a hard time escaping your grasp. The Abolish
Magic spell is novel, however it falls short in effectiveness. In a quick
battle, it is most useful assuming your units can do more damage than your
opponent's units without their magic in the balance. In a long battle this
ability will prove to be ineffective, as most of the time the enemy's spell
casters will have more mana, which allows them to cast their magic more than
the Dryad can cast Abolish Magic. The poison damage the Dryad does is just an
extra perk. It shouldn't make a significant difference, but it is good to have.
-=-=-=- Druid of the Wind
Faerie Fire is a good spell. Negative five defense on enemy units is great. It
can also be used as a way of spying on the enemy. Running a druid up and having
him cast it a few times (then run away) will allow you to see what the enemy
sees for a good two minutes. Whirlwind is another good spell. Taking an enemy
unit completely out of play for ten seconds is wonderful. Removing crucial
support units or buff expensive units can win a battle. The ability to
transform into a raven is an effective means of destroying air units, spying,
and escaping.
If you combine the use of the raven ability and Faerie Fire, you can perform an
interesting method of spying. Turn a druid into a raven and fly it to an area
you wish to spy on. Make him turn back into a druid form and turn Faerie Fire
on auto cast. If any enemy units are nearby, you will be able to see through
their eyes for a good two minutes. Not the most useful method of gathering
information on the enemy's status and position, but it does have its moments.
Inaccessible areas or areas blocked off by the enemy are good examples.
-=-=-=- Druid of the Claw
When not in bear form, this guy requires a little micro management due to his
lack of an auto cast spell. In large numbers, have all of them in bear form
except for two or three (maybe more if you have allies). This way you can cast
spells easily. Always use Roar before a battle begins. When the Roar spell
wears off, cast it again. Rejuvenation is a very powerful spell. Cast it on
near dead units such as your heroes, allied heroes, and any expensive units. In
bear form he makes a good Tier 3 melee unit too. Things that come attached to
any Tier 3 unit, are the vulnerabilities. So watch out for sheep and stuff.
-=-=-=- Hippogryph
The Hippogryph is an all-out, pure anti-air unit, being that he can't attack
the ground. If you see an enemy air unit attack coming, build some of these
along with Archers or Dryads. Hippogryphs are also a most valuable escort for
your Chimaeras.
-=-=-=- Hippogryph Rider
Certainly not the best air unit, but useful nonetheless. If you happen to not
upgrade anything in the creature side of the tech tree, Hippogryph Riders make
a good alternative to the other Night Elf air units. Mixing a few in with
Huntresses and Archers makes for a good combination.
-=-=-=- Chimaera
All ground units quiver at the sight of the Chimaera. All air units delight at
the sight of the Chimaera. Knowing this, you should know how to counter
Chimaeras... and how to protect your Chimaeras. If you plan on attacking an
enemy base, research the Corrosive Breath upgrade. If you feel daring, you
should have a lone Chimaera attack an enemy's expansion or main base while your
army fights his. No doubt he will be in a bad position.
_______________________________________________________________________________
[5!]Undead[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][
-=-=-=- Death Knight
When unsure of which hero to choose, get the Death Knight. His versatile skills
can help out in most any situation. Death Coil, while obviously being able to
hit the enemy, can also heal one of your units for a whopping six hundred hit
points. The Death Knight can also become a speed demon with his aura. This
makes him a highly deadly scout when combined with Death Coil, as you can
quickly eliminate enemy workers. Death Pact is his less used skill, mainly due
to ignorance, and the fact that it is less versatile and helpful than his other
two skills. Death Pact is probably only good when used to deter the enemy from
focus firing on the Death Knight. This may be counterproductive if you don't
have any skeletons available from Necromancers.
-=-=-=- Dread Lord
The melee troop supplement. His aura will help, but keep in mind it is
percentage based, so it will help Abominations more than it will Ghouls.
Carrion Swarm is a good spell, just make sure you line it up correctly when you
activate it. Sleep is a situation dependent spell, so take that into
consideration when deciding if you should use it or not. You may vie to use a
less dependent spell if the game calls for it.
-=-=-=- Infernal
What can I say? These guys are tough. REALLY tough. Don't be surprised if they
disappear quickly in a big battle though. They tend to be focus fired the
second they land. Usually the best place to aim them is on top of whatever the
lowest hit point units are.
-=-=-=- Lich
It is advisable to stay away from the Lich if you are a new player. He requires
a fair amount of prowess with WarCraft III to wield him effectively. Especially
if you choose him as a first hero. With that said, the Lich can be a good hero.
Frost Nova is definitely the Lich's bread and butter spell. Target a group of
enemy units for the most desirable results. Frost Armor can be effective with
the right units. If your army is mainly composed of Ghouls, don't bother. On
the other hand, if it's Abominations you have, go for it. Dark Ritual, like
Death Pact for the Death Knight, is rarely seen. And like Death Pact, it is
advisable to only make use of it if you plan of having skeletons during the
course of the game.
-=-=-=- Undead Hero Solo Creeping
The Undead are at a disadvantage in this particular area. None of their heroes
are capable of successfully solo creeping. The Dread Lord might be able to pull
it off with Sleep, but only against fairly easy creeps.
-=-=-=- Acolyte
The undead worker... actually, I believe he isn't really undead, he is just
serving his master, the lich king. But anyway... if it looks like a building is
sure to die during a battle, don't try to repair it, just de-summon it so that
you can attempt to salvage some resources. Unless it's a particularly important
building, then you should try to repair it. Interesting tidbit to note is that
the acolyte is the strongest worker out of all the races (in terms of
worthiness during battle).
-=-=-=- Ghoul
The cheap little undead Ghoul is probably the most efficient unit out of all
the races, if you factor in its 140 gold cost and all the upgrades it has
available to it. Great units for creeping, because you can eat the creeps'
corpses after you defeat them to regain health. Ghouls can hold their own in
the long run, but it is advised that they have some other unit types backing
them up.
-=-=-=- Crypt Fiend
Even if you don't plan on researching any of the creature upgrades, it would be
a good idea to bring about two or three of these spider things along for their
Web ability, just in case you run into some air units (creeps or otherwise).
The piercing damage might come in handy anyway. It won't falter your path of
ascension for your build order that much.
-=-=-=- Gargoyle
The Gargoyle is a wonderful anti-air unit. At the first sign of mass air units,
begin making Gargoyles. Its stone form ability makes for a good damage sponge
as well. Just pay attention to the details, and when one Gargoyle appears to be
focus fired, turn him into stone.
-=-=-=- Abomination
These monstrous undead corpse men are good at making corpses for the
Necromancers. Have a Dread Lord provide his aura during battle. Then have your
Necromancers cast Unholy Frenzy on your Abominations. Works wonders.
-=-=-=- Meat Wagon
These are probably the only siege weapons that I would consider bringing into a
battle to target enemy units, mostly due to the Disease Cloud upgrade.
Targeting enemy ranged troops behind the front lines will cover them in the
disease cloud, softening them up for when your front line troops break through
to them.
-=-=-=- Necromancer
The Raise Skeleton spell will most likely be the spell you see come out of this
guy the most (depending on your level of play). It is also the most easily
countered, especially for human players. Dispel type spells will obliterate
skeletons in no time. Even Abolish Magic and Purge can keep up with the
skeletons at a rate almost comparable to the Priest's Dispel Magic, all it
takes is a little micro management. Just make sure you cast fast enough so that
the skeletons never grow to the point where the situation gets out of hand. If
there happens to be a Goblin Merchant on the map you are playing, buy a Wand of
Negation. For all the races except the Humans, this will immediately solve any
skeleton problem that may emerge. If you choose to go for skeletons, make sure
to research the proper upgrades.
Unholy Frenzy and Cripple are the most powerful of the buff and de-buff spells.
Cast Unholy Frenzy on heroes, allied heroes, and high damage units. Does a
wonder on the enemy forces. Likewise, cast Cripple on the enemy's most powerful
units. You can cast Cripple on enemy heroes, but I wouldn't suggest it because
it only lasts for 10 seconds on heroes (as opposed to the 60-second normal
duration). If the enemy hero happens to be at level 7 or higher, then I would
suggest casting Cripple on that hero. Heroes can become quite powerful at those
levels. Unholy Frenzy and Cripple, being spells that aren't auto cast and are
only effective on certain specific units, means that you won't see many of
these spells in effect at any one given time during battle. Which means that it
will be a simple matter to dispel these spells. Keep that in mind.
-=-=-=- Banshee
Curse is great. It pretty much eliminates 33% of all the enemy's attacks. A
good spell to have during battle. Anti-Magic Shell is a unique spell. If you
don't plan on using any buffs on your units (example: you are just using the
Banshee) and your enemy is using de-buffs on your units, Anti-Magic Shell is
for you. Possession is an interesting spell. Summed up, it basically subtracts
one unit from the enemy. Not effective in the long run (due to no research
available, if it's not an Undead unit), but effective in battle and immediately
after battle (attacking enemy base). When choosing a unit to possess, make sure
the costs of that unit are more than the Banshee costs. Possessing a Footman,
for example, is not economical, as the opponent only losses 160 gold while you
lose 180 gold and 30 lumber.
-=-=-=- Frost Wyrm
I don't have much to say about these dead lizards. However, I would like to
notify some and remind others the application of its Freezing Breath. When
attacking an enemy's base (an Undead base especially), spread out your Frost
Wyrms' attacks so that they are firing at each defensive structure separately.
Don't make them focus fire on a single defensive structure at a time. If you
are able to fire at all the defensive structures at the same time: you have
managed to cut off all the damage potential that those structures have. If you
concentrate on one defensive structure at a time, you are allowing your dragons
to take damage from the surrounding structures. Plan ahead.
-=-=-=- Shade
Use them. Use them as soon as possible. Just try not to spend too much of your
time moving them around the battlefield; put them on patrol mode.
_______________________________________________________________________________
[6!]Neutral[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
Basically this section illustrates the usefulness of each creep available for
hire to each of the races during the different stages of their technology tree.
- The Key -
T = True
F = False
-=-=-=- Ashenvale Camp
* Satyr Shadowdancer *
Tier 1? Tier 2? Tier 3?
Human | T | T | T |
Orc | T | T | T |
Night Elf| T | T | T |
Undead | T | F | F |
+ Curse makes the Satyr Shadowdancer useful throughout the span of a game. The
Undead have Curse available at Tier 2, so this creep is less useful to them.
* Furbolg Shaman *
Tier 1? Tier 2? Tier 3?
Human | T | T | T |
Orc | T | T | F |
Night Elf| T | F | F |
Undead | T | T | T |
+ Rejuvenation makes the Furbolg Shaman useful throughout the span of a game.
The Night Elves receive Rejuvenation at Tier 2, so this creep is no longer
needed. The Orcs acquire Healing Ward at Tier 3, which is a better healing
spell, due to its area of effect nature.
* Thunder Lizard *
Tier 1? Tier 2? Tier 3?
Human | T | F | F |
Orc | T | T | T |
Night Elf| T | T | F |
Undead | T | T | F |
+ The Orcs will find this dinosaur to be a welcome addition. Although it costs
a hearty 5 food, it makes up for that by being useful in its ability to dish
out damage and take damage. An Orc player going completely for melee units and
upgrades will be in need of a source of piercing damage.
-=-=-=- Barrens Camp
* Centaur Outrunner *
Tier 1? Tier 2? Tier 3?
Human | T | T | F |
Orc | T | F | F |
Night Elf| T | F | F |
Undead | T | T | F |
+ This melee unit is useful in the early stages of the game, but will lose its
effectiveness as time goes on and enemy units begin to have more upgrades.
* Harpy Rogue *
Tier 1? Tier 2? Tier 3?
Human | T | T | F |
Orc | T | T | F |
Night Elf| T | F | F |
Undead | T | F | F |
+ Certainly not the best air unit, but it should make for a decent purchase if
you are looking to have a more diverse mixture of units.
* Razormane Medicine Man *
Tier 1? Tier 2? Tier 3?
Human | T | T | T |
Orc | T | T | T |
Night Elf| T | T | T |
Undead | T | T | T |
+ Healing Ward and Feral Spirit make the Razormane Medicine Man a worthy ally.
Casting Feral Spirit from multiple medicine men and unleashing a few little
Spirit Pigs will stack the odds in your favor.
-=-=-=- Cityscape/Dalaran Camp
* Rogue *
Tier 1? Tier 2? Tier 3?
Human | T | F | F |
Orc | T | F | F |
Night Elf| T | F | F |
Undead | T | F | F |
+ Not a bad unit, considering its price tag of only 140 gold. Your ghouls and
footmen will quickly surpass it in effectiveness though with the addition of
upgrades.
* Assassin *
Tier 1? Tier 2? Tier 3?
Human | T | T | F |
Orc | T | T | T |
Night Elf| T | F | F |
Undead | T | T | F |
+ A pretty good piercing damage unit. Night Elf players will quickly find them
useless, while the Humans and the Undead will find them useful until Tier 3
technologies. Orc players will discover the assassin to be an effective
addition regardless of what stage in the game.
* Kobold Geomancer *
Tier 1? Tier 2? Tier 3?
Human | T | T | F |
Orc | T | T | T |
Night Elf| T | T | T |
Undead | T | T | T |
+ Slow justifies the purchase of this creep. At Tier 3, the Humans are no
longer in need of him due to the Sorceress surpassing him in usefulness.
-=-=-=- Dragon Roost
* Dragon Whelp *
Tier 1? Tier 2? Tier 3?
Human | T | F | F |
Orc | T | F | F |
Night Elf| T | F | F |
Undead | T | F | F |
+ Besides the very beginning, this unit isn't worth hiring.
* Drake *
Tier 1? Tier 2? Tier 3?
Human | T | T | F |
Orc | T | T | T |
Night Elf| T | T | F |
Undead | T | T | F |
+ Overall, a good solid purchase. A race's natural air unit will surpass these
quickly with upgrades however.
* Dragon *
Tier 1? Tier 2? Tier 3?
Human | T | T | T |
Orc | T | T | T |
Night Elf| T | T | T |
Undead | T | T | T |
+ Dragons are the ultimate unit.
-=-=-=- Dungeon Camp
* Burning Archer *
Tier 1? Tier 2? Tier 3?
Human | T | T | F |
Orc | T | T | T |
Night Elf| T | T | T |
Undead | T | T | F |
+ With Searing Arrows on, this unit dishes out a good amount of damage for a 2
food supply cost. Throw in a buff and a helpful aura and this unit will
greatly aid your forces in battle.
* Kobold Geomancer *
Tier 1? Tier 2? Tier 3?
Human | T | T | F |
Orc | T | T | T |
Night Elf| T | T | T |
Undead | T | T | T |
+ See above note for Kobold Geomancer in Cityscape/Dalaran Camp.
* Owlbear *
Tier 1? Tier 2? Tier 3?
Human | T | T | F |
Orc | T | F | F |
Night Elf| T | F | F |
Undead | T | T | F |
+ A decent unit... works well in the beginning of the game.
-=-=-=- Felwood Camp
* Murloc Flesheater *
Tier 1? Tier 2? Tier 3?
Human | T | T | F |
Orc | T | T | F |
Night Elf| T | T | F |
Undead | T | T | F |
+ Eat corpses without having to be undead. Not a particularly strong unit, but
healing in between battle makes him last a while.
* Sludge Flinger *
Tier 1? Tier 2? Tier 3?
Human | T | T | F |
Orc | T | T | T |
Night Elf| T | T | T |
Undead | T | T | T |
+ Slow. Human players will find the Sorceress more suitable at Tier 3.
* Satyr Soulstealer *
Tier 1? Tier 2? Tier 3?
Human | T | T | T |
Orc | T | T | T |
Night Elf| T | T | T |
Undead | T | T | T |
+ Animate Dead and Mana Burn are welcome additions to an arsenal.
-=-=-=- Goblin Laboratory
* Goblin Sapper *
Tier 1? Tier 2? Tier 3?
Human | T | T | T |
Orc | T | T | T |
Night Elf| T | T | T |
Undead | T | T | T |
+ Blow up stuff. Useful unit when trying to take out an expansion quickly.
* Goblin Zeppelin *
Tier 1? Tier 2? Tier 3?
Human | T | T | T |
Orc | T | T | T |
Night Elf| T | T | T |
Undead | T | T | T |
+ Transport to inaccessible places.
* Goblin Shredder *
Tier 1? Tier 2? Tier 3?
Human | T | T | T |
Orc | T | T | T |
Night Elf| T | T | T |
Undead | T | T | T |
+ The shredder of lumber. Also makes a great melee unit.
-=-=-=- Lordaeron Fall Camp
* Gnoll Brute *
Tier 1? Tier 2? Tier 3?
Human | F | F | F |
Orc | F | F | F |
Night Elf| F | F | F |
Undead | F | F | F |
+ Not worth the cost.
* Gnoll Warden *
Tier 1? Tier 2? Tier 3?</pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
Human | T | F | F |
Orc | T | F | F |
Night Elf| T | F | F |
Undead | T | T | T |
+ Purge will provide the Undead army with a means to slow opponents and quickly
damage summoned units.
* Ogre Magi *
Tier 1? Tier 2? Tier 3?
Human | T | T | T |
Orc | T | T | F |
Night Elf| T | T | T |
Undead | T | T | T |
+ Bloodlust. The reasoning behind this should be quite obvious.
-=-=-=- Lordaeron Summer Camp
* Forest Troll Berserker *
Tier 1? Tier 2? Tier 3?
Human | T | T | F |
Orc | T | T | T |
Night Elf| T | F | F |
Undead | T | T | F |
+ Not a bad unit. If you happen to be a melee heavy Orc player, it would be
wise to purchase these whenever the chance appears.
* Forest Troll Shadow Priest *
Tier 1? Tier 2? Tier 3?
Human | T | F | F |
Orc | T | T | F |
Night Elf| T | T | T |
Undead | T | T | T |
+ Even with the Shadow Priest's low mana pool, Heal will prove to be useful in
and out of battle. The Priest and Healing Ward will provide the Humans and Orcs
with a more efficient means of healing.
* Ogre Mauler *
Tier 1? Tier 2? Tier 3?
Human | T | T | F |
Orc | T | T | F |
Night Elf| T | T | F |
Undead | T | T | F |
+ Ogre Maulers are great melee units. Buy them every time the opportunity
arises, especially if you lack melee troops.
-=-=-=- Lordaeron Winter Camp
* Ogre Warrior *
Tier 1? Tier 2? Tier 3?
Human | T | F | F |
Orc | T | F | F |
Night Elf| T | F | F |
Undead | T | F | F |
+ The Ogre Warrior is okay at first, but quickly losses its usefulness.
* Ice Troll Berserker *
Tier 1? Tier 2? Tier 3?
Human | T | T | F |
Orc | T | T | T |
Night Elf| T | F | F |
Undead | T | T | F |
+ Not a bad unit. If you happen to be a melee heavy Orc player, it would be
wise to purchase these whenever the chance appears (same as Forest Troll
Berserker).
* Ice Troll Trapper *
Tier 1? Tier 2? Tier 3?
Human | T | T | T |
Orc | T | T | T |
Night Elf| T | T | T |
Undead | T | T | T |
+ Ensnare makes having the Troll Trapper justifiable, especially for the Orcs.
-=-=-=- Northrend Camp
* Nerubian Warrior *
Tier 1? Tier 2? Tier 3?
Human | T | T | F |
Orc | T | T | F |
Night Elf| T | T | T |
Undead | T | T | T |
+ At first glance, 200 gold is very expensive for such a terrible unit. At
first glance, mind you. Bring it into battle and you will soon find out that
you are actually paying 200 gold for three units. Once the Nerubian Warrior
dies in battle, it unleashes two smaller Nerubians that continue to fight. So
that's why the description mentioned them carrying their young into battle!
* Ice Troll Berserker *
Tier 1? Tier 2? Tier 3?
Human | T | T | F |
Orc | T | T | T |
Night Elf| T | F | F |
Undead | T | T | F |
+ See above description in Lordaeron Winter Camp.
* Frost Revenant *
Tier 1? Tier 2? Tier 3?
Human | T | T | T |
Orc | T | T | T |
Night Elf| T | T | T |
Undead | T | T | T |
+ Blizzard? He has Blizzard? Awesome!
-=-=-=- Underground Camp
* Skeletal Marksman *
Tier 1? Tier 2? Tier 3?
Human | T | T | T |
Orc | T | T | T |
Night Elf| T | F | F |
Undead | T | T | T |
+ Great unit. Think of it as a "Dryad" that's available to everyone.
* Kobold Geomancer *
Tier 1? Tier 2? Tier 3?
Human | T | T | F |
Orc | T | T | T |
Night Elf| T | T | T |
Undead | T | T | T |
+ See above note for Kobold Geomancer in Cityscape/Dalaran Camp.
* Owlbear *
Tier 1? Tier 2? Tier 3?
Human | T | T | F |
Orc | T | F | F |
Night Elf| T | F | F |
Undead | T | T | F |
+ See description in Dungeon Camp.
-=-=-=- Village Camp
* Kobold *
Tier 1? Tier 2? Tier 3?
Human | T | T | T |
Orc | T | T | T |
Night Elf| T | T | T |
Undead | T | T | T |
+ The Kobold is a good unit, taking into consideration its 1 food supply cost
and mere 75 gold cost. Kobolds are effective en masse, if that's even possible.
* Murloc Huntsman *
Tier 1? Tier 2? Tier 3?
Human | T | T | T |
Orc | T | T | T |
Night Elf| T | T | T |
Undead | T | T | T |
+ Definitely a weak unit, however, ensnare is useful.
* Assassin *
Tier 1? Tier 2? Tier 3?
Human | T | T | F |
Orc | T | T | T |
Night Elf| T | F | F |
Undead | T | T | F |
+ See description in Cityscape/Dalaran Camp.
_______________________________________________________________________________
[7!]Misc. & Legal[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
GetJesse can be found on the web at:
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This document is copyright 2002-2011 Jesse Elliott, otherwise known as
"GetJesse" on the web. Do not steal or alter my work. All rights reserved.
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