Dominions Nations Evaluations ;)

[JimMorrison]

It has come to my attention that there has been some slacking among the nations, some of them simply do not contribute enough to SP and MP gaming enjoyment. So to avoid downsizing, and make sure everyone gets the bonus that was promised, I would like everyone who is able, to provide evaluations of the available nations. The purpose of this is twofold, the first is to make an easy to use chart that new players can use to shorten their learning curve, and simultaneously hasten and ease their entry into MP games. The second is to compile the opinions of all of the more experienced players regarding relative strength and weakness of the nations, to highlight where IW could give a little love, in the interest of diversity.


Now, there are some rules, please read all the rules before contributing to the thread, though stray comments are of course welcome, evaluations need to adhere to these rules:

First, we are not ranking in any attempt to make a top 10, or any other sort of arbitrary listing. There is no harm in 5 nations being tied for top or bottom, there are no winners or losers here.

Second, I want informed perspectives only. Without a broad range of experience with different nations, you cannot expect to make accurate judgements about what weak and strong actually are. While we are not here to directly compare nations to eachother, the ratings are inherently relative, within the scope of the game. For this reason, I am asking that you not rate the nations of any given age unless you can rate at least one third of the nations within that age. Because of this rule, you are not expected to submit ratings for more than 1 age, if you are not comfortable doing so.

Third, you may post if you only play SP games, there is no problem with that. Simply do not include the MP score on the nations that you rate, I won't hold it against you. If, however, you are posting MP ratings as well, I would prefer that you have an adequate body of experience in MP. I don't feel comfortable quantifying this, but if you have completed several MP games (win or lose) in any given age, and you feel confident in assigning some ratings, then please do so.

Fourth, when I begin to compile the list from the posts (since I will be averaging results, I won't tabulate on the fly, there will be a window for posting, then I will compile the chart, with occasional updates over time), I will be looking for statistical deviations. I won't be looking for certain results, there are no right answers, but if someone posts nonsense ratings that don't coincide with anyone else at all, then their post will be disregarded.


Now, each nation will be rated in 5 distinct categories:

Early Game Strength
Mid Game Strength
Late Game Strength
Ease of Learning (SP)
Ease of Use (MP)


In each category, I would ask that you rate the nation on a 1-5 scale, such that:

1 = Weak
2 = Deficient
3 = Adequate
4 = Capable
5 = Strong

Feel free to post your rating in either 1-5 form, or using the first letters, W/D/A/C/S.

[Micah]

Late game strength is so subject to things like indy mage finds and how strong your early game has been...are we just assuming we only have access to national mages and a more-or-less even position with other nations entering late-game?

[JimMorrison]

Micah said:
Late game strength is so subject to things like indy mage finds and how strong your early game has been...are we just assuming we only have access to national mages and a more-or-less even position with other nations entering late-game?

The rating is based on what you are guaranteed to have available via the provided units and spells, and a potentially competitive pretender design. You can't count on finding any specific sites, or being granted any particular hero in any given game, so it is not a quantifiable factor.

[JimMorrison]

Thank you for getting us started Chris. <3

I understand this process takes a lot of thought, and a bit of effort to contribute. But the benefit to the older players, is that if we get a good chart developed, rather than explain the same things to people in newbie posts all the time, you can direct them to this post for these comparisons. They'll get more information, and more accurate information faster, and save you forum posting time for more in depth questions.

[Meglobob]

Caelum is a nation you should avoid playing as your 1st or even 2nd/3rd nation. Hence low marks in ease of learning/use, this is mainly due to its flying units take some getting use to, the early game use of mammoths takes practice as well and learning just how good your troops are in cold 3 dominion.


EA Caelum

Early Game Strength 5
Mid Game Strength 4
Late Game Strength 3
Ease of Learning (SP) 1
Ease of Use (MP) 2

The great advantage EA Caelum has is Eagle Kings which is a excellent recruitable SC, with perfect paths for self buffing. It does however lack some magical diversity and requires luck in site searching unless you take a rainbow pretender.


MA Caelum

Early Game Strength 5
Mid Game Strength 3
Late Game Strength 3
Ease of Learning (SP) 1
Ease of Use (MP) 2

Ma Caelum is probably the weakest of the 3 ages, lacking the SC's of the EA and the better magical paths of the LA.


LA Caelum

Early Game Strength 5
Mid Game Strength 4
Late Game Strength 4
Ease of Learning (SP) 1
Ease of Use (MP) 2

I think LA Caelum is the strongest of all the ages, such a shame it shares the age with Ermor and Rlyeh. The Harab Elder is a fantastic mage with strong paths in A, E and D. This gives LA Caelum some serious power in the endgame which is lacking in the other 2 ages. The earth forging bonus is better than the MA's water forging bonus as well.

[quantum_mechani]

EA Arco 2 4 4 2 2
Ea Ermor 3 3 3 4 3
EA Ulm 2 2 4 3 2
EA Marverni 1 3 3 2 2
EA Sauromatia 3 3 3 3 2
EA TC 2 3 4 2 2
EA Mictlan 5 4 5 3 2
EA Aby 3 2 2 4 4
EA Caelum 4 3 2 2 3
EA C'tis 2 2 3 3 3
EA Pangaea 3 2 3 4 3
EA Agartha 2 3 4 2 3
EA Tir na Og 3 3 2 4 3
EA Fomoria 3 4 4 3 2
EA Helhiem 5 5 4 4 3
EA Vanhiem 4 4 3 4 3
EA Niefelhiem 5 4 5 5 4
EA Kailasa 2 3 4 2 3
EA Yomi 3 3 3 3 2
EA Hinnom 3 4 5 4 3
EA Atlantis 3 4 3 2 3
EA R'lyeh 2 3 4 2 2
EA Oceania 5 3 2 4 3

MA Arco 3 5 4 3 3
MA Ermor 5 5 5 4 3
MA Pythium 3 5 4 3 2
MA Man 3 2 2 4 3
MA Ulm 2 2 2 4 3
MA Marignon 3 3 2 3 4
MA Mictlan 4 3 3 2 3
MA TC 2 2 4 2 3
MA Mackaka 3 3 3 3 2
MA Agartha 1 2 2 3 2
MA Abysia 3 3 2 4 3
MA Caelum 3 4 2 2 3
MA C'tis 2 3 3 2 2
MA Pangaea 4 2 3 3 3
MA Vanhiem 5 5 3 3 4
MA Jotunhiem 4 4 4 4 3
MA Bandar Log 3 4 3 3 2
MA Shinuyama 3 4 4 3 2
MA Ashod 3 4 3 3 3
MA Atlantis 2 3 3 2 3
MA R'yeh 3 4 5 2 3
MA Oceania 5 3 2 4 4
MA Eriu 3 3 2 3 4

LA Arco 4 3 3 4 3
LA Ermor 5 5 4 5 5
LA Man 3 4 3 3 2
LA Ulm 2 3 2 3 1
LA Marignon 3 4 4 3 3
LA Mictlan 5 3 4 2 3
LA TC 4 3 4 3 3
LA Jomon 1 2 3 2 2
LA Agartha 3 5 4 3 3
LA Abysia 2 3 3 3 2
LA Caelum 4 4 3 2 3
LA C'tis 2 3 3 3 3
LA Pangaea 4 3 3 4 4
LA Midgard 5 4 4 3 3
LA Utgard 4 5 4 4 3
LA Patala 2 3 3 2 2
LA Gath 3 3 4 4 3
LA Atlantis 2 3 3 2 2
LA R'lyeh 4 5 5 5 3
LA Pythium 3 4 4 2 1
LA Bogarus 1 3 4 3 2

A few notes:

*As Micah says, late era strength is rather arbitrary, it almost always comes down to how well the nations have done in the earlier stags, not theoretical late game nation power.

*Ease of learning is also a bit arbitrary, some nations are cakewalk if you know basic bless tacics, but extremely challenging otherwise.

*I assumed nation power relative to other nations in their era.

*I was extremely tempted to put 6 in for some categories with LA Ermor/Ryleh, because as it is, it implies some otherwise powerful nations would be a one on one match for them.

*I consider early game approximately pre-level 4 research.

[JimMorrison]

Dear lord Quantum, that is quite impressive, and at first glance looks very well thought out, THANK YOU!

If a few more of the oldbies can do lists like this, we'll be looking at a good base for the chart. Everyone else contributes a few here and there to flesh it out, there will be a powerful reference for new arrivals to the game and the forums.

And yes, before anyone says it, I know I am setting a bad example by not posting, but I started to get my thoughts together, and I realized that I've only gotten to the true "late game" a few times, out of literally hundreds of starts. Unfortunately I either find out too late that I've failed to pull my strat together, or I am just doing too well and get bored of stomping on the AI, so I start a new one.....

[Kristoffer O]

Interesting thread. Keep up the good work!

[chrispedersen]

damn thats a lot of work just to make an opinion.

Lanka EA 5 4 4 5 5
Tien EA 4 5 5 3 5
Hinnon EA 5 5 4 2 2
Niefel EA 5 5 4 3 3
Yomi EA 1 1 4 1 3

more late

[Twan]

For the two nations I've writen guides.

Arco MA

EG 4 (elephants ftw, but you may have difficulties against some bless nations or awake pretenders)
MG 2 (no easy access to thugs or forge of gem-economy items, correct infantry but need a lot of indie archers and mages on the field)
LG 4 to 5 (depending of how many astrologers have survived, and if you have found indies mages completing the nation)

Ease of Learning (SP) :
5 (you just trample everything with ethearal elephants) or
3 (if you try to use something else)

Ease of Use (MP) :
2 (you need to master communions and script very carefully for each big battle, and diversify to summoning paths for late game ; gems may lack for that without some efforts to developp an economy)


Utgard LA
EG 4 with a good bless, 3 without (giants... but you won't have big armies of them)
MG 5 (recruitable thugs, cheap researchers, nationals can forge clams)
LG 4 (everybody have thugs or SCs now, and others have better MR than yours ; BUT you have access to the three most powerful paths for endgame to compensate, and probably an huge income from clams at this point) I would have said 5 without Ermor and Rlyeh in this age


Ease of Learning (SP)
4 (you just kill everything with ethearal double blessed giants, but the cost of the troops may be a problem, and the nation is not as good with a weaker bless)

Ease of Use (MP)
3 or 4 (not really hard to equip thugs and script mages to buff them ; but the transition to endgame may be painfull if you rely too much on your recruitables ones)