patch 2.06 out

Originally posted by Nagot Gick Fel:

- CotS costs 25 more points

True, Fires of Faith costs 50 Points and Diabolical Faith costs 0. Diabolical Faith has forced Turmoil.

- CotS lost most of its ability to generate extra early income through alchemy

1/4 the Ability to be exact. And Fire gems are worth what 15 gold? (Without items that is). So a net loss of 45 Gold per turn (if you always alchemize.

What you get is 2 Air, +1 Astral for that 45 Gold. Air has quite a few uses with summons/spells. And astral is good for forging, but yes probably an overall 'weaker'. Which is fine.

- Lost the wonderful flaming crossbows (Wind Guide is not nearly as effective, besides it's easier for the other Marignon themes to find air-1 mages to cast Wind Guide, it's much harder for CotS to find fire-2 mages for Flaming Arrows)

Uh, Royal Navigators have 1 random, getting 1 Earth is fairly easy and then you can make a Crystal Matrix, throw that on a High (or normal) Inquisitor ... You don't lose anything. Most of the time you are running a communion anyway and throwing in an Inquisitor isn't alot of work. It doesn't have the 'instant' access. But I use Flaming Xbows just as much as before. What you do lose is the ability to cast very many rituals like Fires from Afar or Summer Lions (if you wished.

- Diabolical Faith has access to Mind Duel-proof communion.

Yes, which is one good thing it has in it's favor. It has quite a bit against it though (while still being fun, I admit).

- (minor point, but still) Air/astral is a bit redundant: Teleport/Cloud Trapeze on the same unit. Can't really see a synergy in air+astral. At least fire+astral gave Astral Fires.

I enjoy the synergy between Air and Astral for the fact of Orb Lightning, Paralyze, Astral Healing, Antimagic, Stellar Cascades, etc.

With the Chartmaker being 90 gold vs a Witch Hunter 150 gold he's a cheap communion slave. Also base Marignon it costs 270 to try to get a Random pick while 200 with CotS.

Combine that with the fact they can quickstrike over water and IMO I feel they are much more versatile and adaptable than Base, Fires of Faith, and unless the Harliquin or Turmoil is tweaked with Diabolic Faith.