Some quick questions about optimal gameplay?

[shaosc3]

I recently just started playing this game and was wondering about the below questions:

1. I only have 1 fully-stacked unit for attacking, but for exploration, questing, harvesting, it's all done with 1-unit stacks for now. It feels more efficient, but is there any problem with this approach?

2. When it comes to moving the mage tower, is it better to keep moving it toward a certain direction, or try to cover as much ground as possible by moving it in a circle, gradually uncover the map outward (a bit north, a bit east, a bit south, a bit west)?

3. Related to the above question, I'm playing on the "Explorer" difficulty, can I take my time to explore as much as possible and do all quests?

4. Is there a limit to how far a lodge need to be from the main tower? Do people usually keep them relatively close or the lodges can be relatively far?

5. There are some wolves / goblins which I started with, but even after leveling them, I can see that eventually there'd be more powerful units. Is it okay to let them die at some point? I usually reload whenever any unit dies, and it's getting harder to keep them alive in battles.

[Tiasmoon]

Gathering time is based on number of units in the stack that have harvest/mining. So you'll be able to gather resources faster if you have a larger stack. The extra resources glyph also cant be stacked so its 1 per stack. That means its more efficient to have larger groups doing the gathering. Assuming you are using artificer or bought the glyphs from a shop.
Personally I'm using 2 stacks of 3/4 workers (or other units) for gathering.

You dont use the mage tower to uncover the map. You should only move it to places where you know you can get good resources.

I havent played super long yet myself, so not sure. However im playing at second highest difficulty and like 60 turns into the game game progression hasnt gone up too much. So you should probably be fine at explorer.

Lodges can be placed at any distance. You want to place them to grab resources your tower would take too long to reach, or otherwise place them at permanent resources structures.

Your starter units dont cost gold or mana in upkeep. So there is no reason to kill them. But you dont have to keep using them in battle either. Its a good idea to select +gold or other skills on level up, that way you can always just let them afk somewhere to generate resources for you. Or use them as scouts or gatherers (if you put glyphs on them)

[Kaysoky]

Originally posted by shaosc3:

1. I only have 1 fully-stacked unit for attacking, but for exploration, questing, harvesting, it's all done with 1-unit stacks for now. It feels more efficient, but is there any problem with this approach?

For harvesting a stack of 4 is usually ideal, since you can harvest any resource in a single turn (assuming all 4 units have the appropriate skill). This can be quite useful in areas with wandering enemies, since you can often get away with a single turn of harvesting, but not 2-4.

For questing, I often need to use my primary stacks, since many quests include battles.

Originally posted by shaosc3:

2. When it comes to moving the mage tower, is it better to keep moving it toward a certain direction, or try to cover as much ground as possible by moving it in a circle, gradually uncover the map outward (a bit north, a bit east, a bit south, a bit west)?

Unless you have a ludicrous domain range, exploration is better done with units. Until you get the upgraded flying spire spell, it is usually better to keep your tower rooted around resources. Flying should be limited to instances where your resources have run out and you have to relocate.

Alternatively, if you need to crack a particularly difficult Circle Mage, you can move your tower into enemy domains (lodges cannot be constructed inside enemy domains) to extend the domain buffs into those battles.

Originally posted by shaosc3:

3. Related to the above question, I'm playing on the "Explorer" difficulty, can I take my time to explore as much as possible and do all quests?

For the most part yes. Obviously if you sit around for 30 weeks without doing anything, you'll get destroyed. But if you are generally doing something, you should be fine.

Originally posted by shaosc3:

4. Is there a limit to how far a lodge need to be from the main tower? Do people usually keep them relatively close or the lodges can be relatively far?

In early game, I use lodges to supplement my income. But in mid-late game, I place lodges next to landmarks permanently. This also lets me get Fast Learner Militia from Sevenkeeps (no upkeep units with +1 to research when in a lodge) and put them into lodges. Landmarks are spread pretty far apart, so my lodges end up quite far from the tower.

Originally posted by shaosc3:

5. There are some wolves / goblins which I started with, but even after leveling them, I can see that eventually there'd be more powerful units. Is it okay to let them die at some point? I usually reload whenever any unit dies, and it's getting harder to keep them alive in battles.

Your starter units are very nice to keep around because they don't cost upkeep. As mentioned in the post above, you can use them to scout or gather. But you can also put them next to cities and shops. This lets you check shops on a weekly basis without needing to send units to each city you meet.

[CosmicAcidGuru]

Originally posted by shaosc3:

1. I only have 1 fully-stacked unit for attacking, but for exploration, questing, harvesting, it's all done with 1-unit stacks for now. It feels more efficient, but is there any problem with this approach?

Yes, it's a good approach. Start a 2nd fully-stacked army once you can afford it.
Concerning workers going alone or in stacks of 4: Especially on higher difficulties, enemy armies will chase you off much more than on easier levels. If you get attacked twice on a day, you will lose all 4 workers. That's why I go with single-unit stacks for workers. I've also become more cautious with moving workers into uncleared areas. So quite a lot of time, I let them sit idle for 1-2 rounds over risking battles.

Originally posted by shaosc3:

2. When it comes to moving the mage tower, is it better to keep moving it toward a certain direction, or try to cover as much ground as possible by moving it in a circle, gradually uncover the map outward (a bit north, a bit east, a bit south, a bit west)?

You will want to move your tower to places that require your tower to be there. Like large Allfire Nodes and Shaper Secrets. That will keep your tower busy for quite a bit. Use your apprentices' lodges to get income.
If you get the Instant Castle spell, it's perfect to place next to landmarks, because they don't deplete and you might actually only need a very small radius.

Originally posted by shaosc3:

3. Related to the above question, I'm playing on the "Explorer" difficulty, can I take my time to explore as much as possible and do all quests?

At a certain point, the other mages will send titan armies to attack your tower. This start between week 15 and 20. So you need to defend against those. So either you need to keep defending. Or you need to take out your enemies.

Originally posted by shaosc3:

4. Is there a limit to how far a lodge need to be from the main tower? Do people usually keep them relatively close or the lodges can be relatively far?

there is no limit. In the very early game, I places lodges at spots for income. After a while, I might consider placing lodges in spots that give me city faction. If your apprentice dies, he will respawn at his/her lodge. So it's handy if the lodge is near his/her current fighting area. Sometimes I build a lodge 3-4 days after building the last one, so maybe even before the locations have depleted.

Originally posted by shaosc3:

5. There are some wolves / goblins which I started with, but even after leveling them, I can see that eventually there'd be more powerful units. Is it okay to let them die at some point? I usually reload whenever any unit dies, and it's getting harder to keep them alive in battles.

[/quote]

yes, it's valid to let them die. But you could also place them in your secondary/tertiary army if you can afford the upkeep and that army is strong enough to still achieve some stuff. You could also give them mining/harvesting glyphs and use them as workers.