Open battlefields M&M: Heroes VI Guide
Last update: 11 May 2016
Many players say that battles are a core of Heroes - effective, tactical and very interesting fights from years attract millions of players from the whole world. From the result of individual battles often world's or campaign's destiny depends - understanding of war rules is a obligatory element of our plan - conquering Ashan.
Battles we can divide on those on played on open battlefield and sieges. But before detailed description of them, I'll say few words about common nature of battles.
Battles are turnbased - like in chess, players move units one after other. Units sequence is showed on the bottom panel - but you have to remember that there are some abilities, which can change this order (like freezing). About moving sequence decides an initiative.
On the contrary to King's Bounty, in Heroes VI we can't use combined actions - so you can't first move an archer and then command him to shot. Our decisions are definitive, so we have to consider them carefully.
Greater part of unites have some active abilities, which can affect the battle - individual skills we use by clicking at the icon in the left bottom corner of the screen. You have to remember that abilities consume all unit's turn (unless description says other thing). Also hero take part in battle - he can strikes enemies or use more or less deathly spells.
At the beginning usually is better to have damaging spells and at the further stages of game (when armies are really huge) - those buffing or cursing. It's iron rule - so high leveled wizards should think about re-specialization - fireballs are nothing against thousands soldiers.
Open battlefields
Most battles we will have on open battlefields - and those are very different, depends from the surrounding on which we are fighting. Regardless of place (desert, frozen lakes, meadows) our tactic should depends form our and enemy's army.
In Heroes VI objects on battlefield can be treated like a cover - but it doesn't mean much, because units have better things to do than hiding behind rocks. Additional minus of obstacles are their vulnerability - so they defending values are little. That's why we shouldn't bother about them, considering only theirs location - every stone and tree can be passed round.
So how conduct a battle? Wisely. You shouldn't charge mindlessly forward - it usually ends with our units death. Much better is defensive tactic - we should often use 'wait' and 'defend' commands. In our army we should have healers (if our race has them) and at least one troop of shooters- while the rest of our army will be waiting, they will cause casualties. On the contrary to the previous parts, in Heroes VI most shooters hasn't any penalties because of distance - damages they cause doesn't depend from how far enemy's units are.
So, if you know about healers and shooters you can ask - what the rest of army does? It's simple answer - defend those units. Of course, standing and defending isn't always the best tactic - sometimes is better to move and fight in the middle of battlefield. But crucial thing is not letting an enemy to reach our back - shooters and healers. Such situation ends rather very bad for us.
Sometimes larger charge is worth considering - every fraction has an unit perfect to that task. Haven has gryffin - creature with large movement and good attack - its role should be attacking shooters and healers behind a line. Flying on the second end of battlefield we'll weaken enemy - you have to remember that most shooters can't shot when there is an enemy unit nearby. So, even if we don't kill many units with our gryffin, lamasu or harpy, it's worth to even stand near to shooters - we get rid of them for few turns.
Summing up - we should steer battle on our rules. The best tactic is, usually, stopping enemy's charge in the middle of battlefield and defeat him with melee units supported by healers and shooters. Good idea is also to jump over the enemy's line and attacks his back - but only if it won't weaken our forces in the center of a battle.
This scheme is very easy and rather universal - but sometimes it won't work. For example battles when we don't have healers and/or shooters and enemy has lot of them. In such case we should charge quickly to the opposite side of a battlefield (some hero's abilities are very useful then). In that situation you can put the slowest unit in the middle of battlefield to attend opposite army connected with fast raid to enemy's shooters. Of course, you have to remember about unit's movement range - it takes much more time for guardsman than a gryffin - that's why first should be in the middle, and the second behind enemy's line.