Favorite class/race combo

[Luzilyo]

Just a Thread for people to post their favorite class/race combinations and a short explanation why.

My personal favorite is Frostling Necro with Grey Guard master. Frostling Necro because I think thematically the two fit together very well, and Grey Guard master because I often prefer to remain neutral and not lean too much towards the good or evil side, not only in this game but also in many other games.

I am aware that such a thread already exists
https://steamcommunity.com/app/226840/discussions/0/540740500843325203
but these days it is always a question of whether to choose bad style and open an entirely new thread for the exact same topic that is already covered in an existing one - completely ignoring the search function - or to get scolded for "necroing". This time I opted for poor style.

[pierrealain66]

Long live the poor style.

My favorite human necro master shadow and either adept destruction or adept ... you know the one that give boost to population.

With mods, I go human necro master shadow, master destruction and adept boost to population. Of course I make sure the other AI get thematically cool mastery that fit with their thematic style.

I need to find a way to make this game work. I have to find out which mod is making the game cash :(

[ROE]

So far, Dwarf Sorcerer Shadow Master, or Tigran Warlord with whatever.

[Phirestar]

Tigran Rogue - favorite race and probably favorite class, so it’s the perfect combo for me. Plus they have some synergies, as well.

Halfling Dreadnought - I just like the idea of the short, pudgy race of halflings commanding huge machines of war. You can basically imagine them using those machines as meat shields (or industrial shields, in this case).

[Flushing]

I am not ranking them, but these are some of my favorite Race Class Combos.

1. Dwarf Sorceror - Works remarkably well because Dwarves have one of the best support units with forge priest, which has an independant heal and a strong T3 unit with Firstborn. They work well with Sorceror because Sorceror is heavily reliant on support units and is lacking in high value production units, in that they only have one as a Class.

2. Dwarf Dreadnaught - Forge priests and Firstborn are 100% fire immune; therefore, they will take no damage when you use unstable mana core to damage every other unit on the field during late game. This combo is huge. The combo is also thematically on point.

3. Human Theocrat - Their priests get a double heal and their evangelists have range. Their T3 knights and T3 exalted are both strong and different, so no wasted units. The combo is thematically on point.

4. Orc Sorceror - Same reason as Dwarves, you get a great support unit and T3, and Sorceror is heavily reliant on high value production units, since they only get one.

5. Halfling Warlord - Halfling have extremely weak racial units; whereas the Warlord Class units are the opposite. All Warlord Halfling Warlord class units will benefit from luck, some get fireworks, and other unique abilities that make the combo uniquely fun and strong. I recommend playing the starting missions from the Golden Realms campaign to experience this combo in action.

6. Halfling Necromancer - Again, you get the luck mechanic but also a way to have a permanent luck advantage with the Necromancer, which will always keep your luck above the minimum. Also, nourishing meal heals undead, so you will end up with a double heal for your ghouls (nourishing meal plus heal undead), which is essential as ghouls do not regen health.

7. Dwarf Necromancer - Forge Priest and Firstborn do not have any fire weakness, most ghouls do. As such, Dwarf Necromancer counters a primary Necromancer weakness.

8. Frostling Sorceror - Frostling have 2 racial support units because their T3 counts as support; therefore, their Frost Queen (T3) unit takes advantage of the Sorceror's unique research that buffs all support units. Frostling also have very strong Racial Units, which again Sorceror needs because it has only 1 production unit. The frostling mammoth rider is probably the best T2 production unit in the game and you get it extremely fast.

9. Orc Theocrat - Orc has a strong support unit, with bane fire and throw curse. It combos extremely well with the evangelist's conversion. Also, similar to human, their T3 class and race units do not overlap and both are strong.

If nourishing meal affects machines, then I would also say Halfling Dreadnaught. Also, they have the only unique Golum in the game, which is changed to the Party Robot, which can heal your stacks with nourishing meal.

[Iguana-on-a-stick]

I like Goblin Necromancer for their Butcher/Reanimator combo.

The butchers can stack triple life-stealing (with Shadowborn) and up to quadruple damage channels. (Physical, shock from Shadowborn, Blight from Goblin racial governance and/or Power Ritual, and Spirit from a Pillar of the Sylites.)

The reanimators can do their whole weakening and raising cadaver dance, but more importantly with Lesser Reanimate they can resurrect any Butchers that do die. Or eachother, if need be.

And if you're lucky enough to find a Forbidden Sanctum, the reanimators can get native resurgence.

These guys are essentially immortal, and because they're all tier 2 they're great value for money.

I also like the idea of conquering the world with an army of zombie goblins.

[GreyHuntr]

Human Dreadnought Grey Guard because I am boring.

[Flushing]

Originally posted by GreyHuntr:

Human Dreadnought Grey Guard because I am boring.

Hey, as far as I can tell the only thing boring about the Human race in AOW3 is that Triumph dared to call them "Human."

If they called them anything else the whole boring factor goes away.

Let's be honest. Frostlings are Human Nords in AOW3, but they're sexy because they're called Frostlings. In AOW2 they were some goblin dwarf hybrid.

AOW3 Humans should been called High Men, First Men, Saxons, Westerosy, Mariners, virtually anything but human.

They're a great race in AOW3, and the only reason I hestitate to play them is because of the name.

Like Dwarves they have many armored race units, arguably the best T3 in the game, and one of the only support units with an independant heal .

In my opinion, they easily are the best Theocrats in the game. Knight has Monster Slayer, Dragon Slayer, Armored, Shield, Charge and Devastating Charge, and Counts as Cavalry so should easily be produced with +1 rank out the door, and with Dreadnaught all knights have pistols, it's amazing,

I would consider Dreadnaught Knights to be 3.5, easily..

Have you seen what they do to most T4 units?

[Phirestar]

Originally posted by Phirestar:

Tigran Rogue - favorite race and probably favorite class, so it’s the perfect combo for me. Plus they have some synergies, as well.

And speaking of, I decided to start a new match with my Tigran Rogue leader. (Been getting bored of my Human Archdruid game, because I'm still way too slow to start attacking the rival empires. I am a very defensive/turtling type of player, even in other games, so I'm in need of learning how to be more aggressive.)

I'm playing on the Unifier victory condition, and I've set some self-imposed restrictions on myself. The two main rules are that I am restricted to my own racial / class units (and anything I'm able to charm/seduce), and I can only engage with enemy / independent cities through strategic spells like Seed of Distrust, Incite Revolt, etc., or attacking them with the intention of razing them to the ground. (I can also only acquire new cities under my control by rebuilding razed ones using settler units.) This means that slaying the other leaders and destroying their throne cities is my only way of winning the game. The goal is to keep as much of the map out of the control of everybody as possible, and to sabotage the opposing empires as much as I can.

I'm looking to play into the theme of Rogue, where I'm somewhat avoidant to direct engagement unless "necessary", and instead I'm more focused on slowing and inhibiting the other leaders from being able to light their Unity beacons. A pest lurking in the shadows and being a general nuisance, if you will. There's five empires in total, counting mine, and I set the requirement to 3 beacons. I dunno if that's a good number, or if that might be too much / too little; I guess we'll see. There are two Tigran leaders on the map, admittingly, so that's only four main races outside of whatever the RNG decided to roll us. I did lower City / Dwelling spawnrates to Few, as well, which was probably stupid timing to make that decision, thinking about it now.

It seems like a neat idea to me. And it'll help me explore more of the game's mechanics, because up to this point I've really only played Empire Building mode with the normal "kill everyone else" condition. I haven't tried the alternate victory conditions, and I haven't messed with too much of the stuff you can do on the strategic layer.

[Iguana-on-a-stick]

Originally posted by Flushing:

I would consider Dreadnaught Knights to be 3.5, easily..

Have you seen what they do to most T4 units?

Dreadnought Knights are good units, but I still remember the first time I took them up against Warlord Knights in a late-game match.

I outnumbered them two to one and it still was... not pretty.

(Warlord had extra hitpoints from Thoroughbred Mounts, martial arts, and First Strike from Global assault.)

[Flushing]

Originally posted by Iguana-on-a-stick:

Originally posted by Flushing:

I would consider Dreadnaught Knights to be 3.5, easily..

Have you seen what they do to most T4 units?

Dreadnought Knights are good units, but I still remember the first time I took them up against Warlord Knights in a late-game match.

I outnumbered them two to one and it still was... not pretty.

(Warlord had extra hitpoints from Thoroughbred Mounts, martial arts, and First Strike from Global assault.)

Warlord man, whatcha gonna do. I play Warlord when I want to total domination.

Even their spells are insane. Couple that with a totally necessary T4 summon from Eternal Lords.

People say the trick is to beat them early, my berserkers say come at me bro.

[Jonathan Hunt]

Dreadnaught Human

[Flushing]

Originally posted by jonathanhunt:

Dreadnaught Human

Yes

[Flushing]

Does Nourishing Meal heal machines and undead, I forgot.

I am 99% sure that ot heals undead.

I am 75% sure that it heals machines.

I am 50% sure that it heals everything.

[Iguana-on-a-stick]

Undead yes, Machines no. (How do you feed a cannon sausages again?)

For the undead, I am assuming the nourishing meal contains a lot of brains.

[Flushing]

Originally posted by Iguana-on-a-stick:

Undead yes, Machines no. (How do you feed a cannon sausages again?)

For the undead, I am assuming the nourishing meal contains a lot of brains.

I feel that it's good to know nourishing meal has it's limits.

I just thought party robot was helping his brothers.