Tips for Sorcerer?

[Vorp]

So I read topic called "Tips for Archdruid?" which I found quite interesting and I wanted to see if people can come up with something similar for Sorcerer. So guys, any ideas? This class seems very complicated to me, because of how how supports only deal one type of damage which is easy to gain resistance against, such as machines are 100% resistance against human supports, how just having 12 resistance on a unit can make apprentices deal almost no damage, how his summons get easiy outnumbered due to how limited casting points are and how summons struggle against enemies with high resistance or shock protection such as Horned God or King Shock Serpent, how Sorcerer has no way of healing his racial units, so they end up dying when trying to clear resource sites and so I lose more than I get, how slow his produced units are on the map, how wisps and phantasm warriors easily get killed by just some elemental damage dealers such as reanimators and spells like hornet swarm, and how weak produced racial units(except supports) of sorcerer are, how powerful spells like chaos rift and static electricity can be just disjuncted.

When I try to play as a Sorcerer and compare to say, Dreadnought, I just see that as a Dreadnought I end up having a rather big and strong army of golems, musketeers and some cannons by turn 40, which I know I can easily replenish even if it dies, but as a Sorcerer not only I have a much smaller army which usually has some combo of phantams warriors and apprentices, but it's also much harder to replenish. I also end up having much less cities with Sorcerer due to reliance on building research and mana buildings while as dreadnought all I really need is to get a single class building, put a spell (+20 production) and with some happiness bonus together with builder's hall I can produce a golem per turn in that city. The same is much harder to achieve as Sorcerer. Supports, even racial ones, cost 90 and are hard to produce for one turn, but even if that is done, all it takes is just some big resistance and supports are just walking corpses in battle. Building regular racials such as infantry seems like not a good idea either as they are very-very weak when compared even to golems. So far I see lots of problems when playing as Sorcerer.

[Bob]

I think you're underestimating the strengths of a Sorcerer a bit compared to the Dreadnought. Dreadnought gets Mana Fuel Cells yes, but that spell costs 20 mana per turn to maintain, it's a very expensive spell in early game, especially when you also have to support spy drones and want some more mana for battle spells. The Sorcerer also gets very fast research with Arcane Study which they get early on, and more mana than anyone else with Magical Structures. Research those, research Phantasm Warriors, and get CP up with Sorcery. Phantasm Warriors are there to fight physical damage dealers. Swordsmen, cavarly, archers, those kinds of units, and they're common. Phantasm Warriors are great shields to protect your fragile support units. And don't be shy for using Wisps in battle either, their stunning and phasing abilities can be quite handy and they're fairly cheap.

Later on you get stunning supports, and with that the Sorcerer can really ramp it up, stunning supports are just really really good. The ability to immobilise dangerous enemies from afar is very strong.

[Nefrogitis]

Sorcerer has a spell similar to convert, where it can convert phantasm/spiritual units early in the game. This gives it a huge advantage early on. Your units can paralyze, and that means you can raid very strong sites earlier than your opponent and gain valuable items and a lot of experience to level up your troops.
The Dreadnought class is easy to beat early to mid game, but it gets harder as the game progresses. Take advantage of that and plan to eliminate your opponent before he can swarm you with strong units with high resistance mid to late game.
The sorcerer class is average mid to late game. It's not bad, it's just average. Try to incorporate other units to make up for your lack of dealing good amount of physical damage.

[Lacho]

It depends which race you play, for example the Dwarf Priest and the Halfling Brew Brother do get some healing abilities, but more importantly the apprentice gets mend magical being.
Early game your Wisp and Phantasm will do the fight while your other units attack from afar. Later in the game, as you progress, your summons get stronger and you can place them next or into to your main army giving you the ability to obtain a Doom Squad faster than other clases. Simply overwhelm those problematic leaders like Dreadnoughts from the start.
With the exception of a rare random summon from an Archdruid, the Sorceror has an advantage to obtain the paragon and sage quest.
Also if you do auto combat, place your support units in stacks with faster units, like cavalry or flyers to guarantee the support units stay behind, otherwise if same speed all will march front.
Pairing elemental units with certain apprentices makes a great combo, for example Frostling Witch+Air Elemental but avoid Frost Elementals with Brew Brothers.

I like the combo of Sorceror + Air Mastery, forgoing Hellfire and Disintegrate. Air elementals take care of lots of stuff that give problems, like Juggernauts and Tigran Manticores. Horned Gods are a problem if don´t have Fire Damage dealing units, but in the end those encounters should be scarce (or sparce?) as the archdruid can´t outcast the sorceror.

The most obvious combo is Fire Master/ Draconian Sorceror, but Goblin Destruction Master/Water Adept is not bad.

[Stardustfire]

I play Kitty Sorcs, sure the phasing for supports is wasted than, because the kittys get it as racial as well, but there racial supports are insane with all the sorc enhancements. a unit shooting with 2 dmg types and the ability to stun, and using the same dmg types in close combat again with stun chance. u need it more tanky and physical dmg? shapeshift them and u get a physical dmg bullwark that still can stun (they get melees after the shapeshift but still count as support unit, takeing with them all enhancements)

when u find them the 2 buildings that make them better nothing can stop u with only this furry t2 units. each one that falls comes back after battle, and better stats are never wrong.

Fire Mastery and Scout?/Explorer? dam what was the English Name? (the T3 Sphinx counts as Irregular)

[Iguana-on-a-stick]

Sorcerer isn't a class I'm very experienced with, but when I play I'm most fond of Frostling sorcerers: they get teleporting, stunning, freezing tier 3 Ice Queens with an area effect attack that can stun (and/or freeze) anyone they touch. Cool in both senses of the word.

Frostling White Witches are also good support units that deal two damage types, and can add a powerful buff to your troops as well as stun enemies. Plus, combat-wise, you have the Royal Guards (to protect your supports) and Mammoth Riders (if you need to deal some physical damage.) Royal Guards + White Witches make for a cost effective and powerful combo, later on.

In general, I find that sorcerer late game relies quite a lot on racial units. You can only summon so many, after all. Therefore, it makes sense to pick a race whose units can stand on their own.

It's also worth to consider your specialisations carefully. You're going to cast a lot of spells, after all. One specialisation I'm fond of for sorcerers (though not so much Frostling ones) is Earth Mastery. All their summoned units as well as gold medal apprentices float. Earthquake hits all non-flying/floating units for heavy damage. Carnage is guaranteed. Plus, Earth Elementals are much tankier than Node Serpents, and more cost effective than Eldritch Horrors.

Alternately, Fire Mastery + Dwarves can be very good: Tough, fire immune tier 3 infantry and healing, fire-immune tier 2 support + hellfire. Add Fire Elementals as required. It's not often you see Dwarf sorcerers in fantasy, but it's surprisingly effective. Rather slow on the map, though.

Against the AI, you'll probably be able to get age of magic up without too much difficulty.That's when things get really fun: summon a stack of phantom warriors/elementals/Serpents per turn, move your capital and teleport entire armies across the map, or bury hostile cities/stacks in strategic spells like City Quake and Lightning Storm.

All in all, I don't have too many good tips for playing sorcerers, since I'm not that good with them, but I can assure you that late game with all that magic is a lot of fun.

[Goofballer]

Elves make for fantastic sorcerors. Very powerful range units with ethereal summoned units for melee. Racial governance levels fit well too.

[Stardustfire]

@You if u only judge by the racial range units u can say Elves are fantastic for every class....
and because normal range units get not one combo with the class skills they NOT so great as Sorc..

[Goofballer]

I should explain what I mean about elves in more detail. The combination of apprentice, storm sister, and archer makes for a really impressive ranged force. More important than that though are the elves racial governance levels that really benefit sorcerors.

[Stardustfire]

storm sisters have a big disadvantage that OP already named, only single Lightning Dmg, welcome to a world where Lightning Immunity exist. and the racial gives them: MORE lightning dmg.

[Gloweye]

Elves are a bit odd with Sorc for that reason. High potential, but you're quite restricted in damage. That's a good reason to pick Fire Adept. However, storm sisters with some RG upgrades have the potential to outclass any other ranged support in terms of damage. You'll basically get free seeker, which gets only more fun with the other Sorc support upgrades. Then again, they basically get nothing at Gold Medal because they'll already have inflict stun.

It really cuts both ways there. Some synergy, some redundency.

When Sorc on water heavy maps (you're doing good there, but Frostling is perhaps stronges due to swimming supports), look for Sanctuary of the Deep. It's a treasure site that lets you build Sirens, which are supports. They have a 20-damage breath attack and Dominate, and you'll give them projectile resistance, phase, and inflict stun on that breath attack. Shame they're water-bound.

[Obnoxio]

I really like Draconian fire master with all Draconian heroes for bonus mana and outfitted with flying mounts. Stacks of flyers can reach rear cities of enemy while Phantasm Warriors are like tanks against physical damage enemies. Combo of fire plus shock damage is nasty.
Goblin destruction master is maybe my 2nd favorite sorc. with blight damage and volunteer forces to save gold.