Note: This was written quite a while ago. Some of it is out of date, but most of it is still applicable. Obviously I still haven't gotten around to updating it. :-)
Welcome to my strategy guide. My name is Mike Ossmann, but I go by Trouvere on Boneyards and other online forums. Look for me at the 'Yards if you're interested in a match.
When I first started thinking about writing this, I wondered why I should bother creating yet another strategy guide. After all, strategy resources abound on the World-Wide Web, including comprehensive unit analyses and compendiums of useful tactics. What was missing was a complete guide to winning multiplayer games, starting with the basics of gameplay. My hope is that this will fill the void, bringing more players into the circle of worthy adversaries. After all, this is a game, and we play to have fun. The more challenging opponents we have, the more fun it is to play.
My approach to this guide is quite straightforward. In my opinion, the thing which separates the good games from the boring ones is the competency of the players. Raw talent and well practiced skill certainly make a difference, but it is basic competency that separates the interesting opponents from the uninteresting. Give me an opponent with a good attitude and a solid grasp of the basics, and we're sure to have a fun game. This is a no-nonsense guide to winning games, with a strong emphasis on the basics of gameplay.
The focus of this guide is the multiplayer duel. Plenty of help is already available online for the single player campaign, and other types of multiplayer games (e.g. 2 vs. 2) require the same basic knowledge as the duel.
I play Veruna more often than any other race, so I may be somewhat biased towards Verunan strategies or even blind to important ways of using the other races effectively. If you see me make any blatantly Veruna-centric claims (or find any other errors, for that matter) feel free to let me know.
Also, I use masculine pronouns a lot. Don't take it personally. :-)
Read The Flouring Manual! There is no substitute for reading the manual that came with the game. I'm not going to repeat what it says here, so go read it right now before you continue reading this guide. You can skip the storyline stuff if you want (though I enjoyed it), but you must read chapters three and four. If you're an experienced RTS player, some of it will be quite boring. Read it anyway.
Be aware that the manual isn't perfect; game manuals rarely are. It has a few errors, mostly due to the fact that it was apparently written before the game was finished, but it also has a great deal of useful information. Read it now if you haven't already. Then read the Readme file and the release notes for any patches that are available.
A Lodestone on a large Sacred Stone generates twice as much mana as one on a small Sacred Stone. Medium sized Sacred Stones earn half again as much as small ones. A Divine Lodestone earns twice as much mana as a normal Lodestone on the same spot. So a Lodestone, Divine or otherwise, may be earning you anywhere from 10 to 40 mana per second. Also, your monarch earns 10 mana per second, and each of your builders (Priestesses, Acolytes, Beast Handlers, etc,) earns 1 mana per second.
The build hierarchy charts which were supposed to appear in chapter five are missing. However, the unit lists in chapter two are mostly accurate, and a good third party chart is available in Zaxxon's guide.
The manual mentions that different transport units have different capacities and can hold different sized things. The details, however, are left for you to figure out. To my knowledge, no one has published a thorough transport reference as yet. I may add one to this document if none arises elsewhere.
Builders ("conjure units") are able to assist other builders in order to build faster, consuming more mana. However, with the exception of monarchs, a builder can only assist the building of something he or she is able to build alone. For example, a Beast Handler cannot help a Beast Lord create Stone Giants. Monarchs are able to assist any builder or factory; when you have mana to spare, use this ability to your advantage.
You can order builders to assist others in three different ways. First, you can tell the builder to repair the unit which is being built. Second, a builder which is guarding another builder will repair or assist the unit it is guarding. Third, a builder on patrol will repair or assist any units it encounters which require healing or are building something.
The right-click mouse interface, while preferable to some players, is somewhat inferior due to the fact that the icon doesn't change when you hold it over a target. This makes it a little harder to tell if you have actually issued the order you intended. Even if it takes some getting used to, I recommend using the left-click interface for easiest gameplay.
When a unit is executing a move order, it will not stray from its path to engage enemy targets. A few units, such as Amazon Knights and Gryphons, have the ability to fire in a different direction than their direction of travel. Because of this, as long as they are not set to passive, they will actually fire upon enemy targets as they move past them. Most other units, however, will not fire while moving unless the enemy happens to be directly in front of them, and no unit will stop to fight while executing a move order. If you want your units to stop and engage enemies while moving, you should use the FightMove command documented in the version 1.1 release notes.
When a spell caster no longer has enough mana to support the spell it is using, it will revert back to its lowest level spell. Even once it regains enough mana to cast the higher level spells, it will continue to use the lower one until told otherwise.
When shift-dragging to build long walls, be aware that the resulting walls may not be continuous. Drag the mouse slowly and double check them by holding down shift to see the ghost images. It can be hard to see the breaks, especially on north-south walls, but it's better to be careful than to have your enemy run right through a wall which you thought was intact.
Each unit has a default offensive/defensive/passive setting. For example, Swordsmen are offensive, Spyhawks are passive, and Archers are defensive when they are first created. Unfortunately it is not possible to alter these settings along with the standing orders which you can give to a factory. If you have a factory producing infinite archers and sending them on patrol, for example, it is sometimes a good idea to periodically select all of them (there are multiple ways to do this) and set them to offensive. Also, because Zhon only has builders and no factories, it is impossible to give Zhon units standing orders.
When using the area attack command described in the manual, your units will only target those enemy units which were in your line of sight at the time you issued the command. You can see exactly which ones by holding down the shift key. If you want them to engage targets in an area of the map which you can't currently see, use the patrol or FightMove command instead.
Like every other RTS game I'm aware of, TAK has resource management at its core. The player who spends the most mana has an enormous advantage in the game. Read that sentence again if you have to. How much mana you produce is not directly important; it's how much you spend that matters.
Build Lodestones early. Do not stop building them until no more Sacred Stones are available. Prevent your opponent from building Lodestones. Destroy the ones your opponent has already built and replace them with your own whenever possible.
Spend your mana constantly. Do not let your supply reach its maximum because it's "use it or lose it". Do not let your supply reach its minimum or you will find that everything takes far too long to build. If you're in danger of running out of mana, make sure your Lodestone builders are doing what they should and stop multiple builders from assisting each other (and have them go build Lodestones if possible). If you're still short on mana, then cease the production of one or more of your factories or builders until the shortage is resolved.
Sometimes you can switch a factory over to the production of less costly units while getting through a mana shortage. Be aware that the production of different units puts different drains on your mana supply, regardless of the overall cost of the unit. For example, even though Acolytes cost four and a half times as much as Titans, the production of Acolytes actually costs less mana per second due to the particularly long time it takes to produce them.
Have all your factories produce units constantly, using infinite builds whenever possible. If your factory is doing nothing, was it worth the time and mana you spent to build it in the first place?
Build a first tier factory/builder first. I've noticed that a lot of people build a Lodestone or two before starting on their first factory, but 90% of the time it's best to build the factory first. When playing Taros, resist the temptation to build an Abyss or Temple before building a Cabal. Otherwise, your opponent will attack you with first tier units (and possibly a Monarch) before you're finished your first building. This will be fatal most of the time. Build a basic factory first.
If you don't believe me, try a test game. Build a couple Lodestones, and then build your factory. Have the factory produce builders (to get more Lodestones), and build a second factory as soon as you can. Pause the game at two minutes (use the +clock command for accurate timing) and take a look at what you have. Then try a second game with the same build process, but make the factory first. On nearly every map, you will have greater assets at the two minute mark by building the factory first.
If you're still not convinced, consider what would happen if your opponent rushes you with his monarch before building anything. Would you rather have your monarch and two Lodestones when he arrives or your monarch and a factory (with enough mana to build a few fighting units)?
There are a few exceptions. On low mana maps, it can sometimes be an advantage to build a Lodestone first. On some maps (Meredoc Keys comes to mind) when playing Veruna it is best to get a Lodestone or two and then go straight for a Sea Fort. Likewise, I imagine there are rare occasions for which building an Abyss first may be appropriate. At the other end of the spectrum are extremely high mana maps (e.g. Sewers of Elam, Angvir's Maze, or Athri Cay when playing with only two players). On these maps, building infinite builders with your first factory can pay off. (On more than one occasion I've had better than +500 mana at the five minute mark. Try it.)
The rule to remember is: if there are a lot of Sacred Stones, you need to get as many Lodestone builders as you can as soon as possible. (Of course it doesn't do much good if they just stand around; give each one a queued order to build a few Lodestones.)
Preventing your opponent from getting Lodestones is also a key in the very early game. The simplest way to do this is to build Lodestones faster than he does and simply get in his way. On many maps it is beneficial to send one or more Lodestone builders into neutral or even enemy territory before building on the Sacred Stones right in your base. Be careful though; you can run out of mana quickly if all your builders are walking and none are building.
You can also send one or two first tier units out to raid your opponent's builders, early Lodestones, and/or factories. It's generally not a good idea to waste time building these raiders until you have a few Lodestone builders, but there are exceptions. It can pay off on very small maps, or, if you are playing Aramon, use a couple of Horsemen which are fast enough to ride to your opponent's region of the map before he has much of any defense.
This section is about early attacks. There are a lot of RTS players who complain about "rushing". They often set rules before games begin, such as "no attacks until 10 minutes." I won't go into great detail here, but I will say that early attacks are part of the game. (Murgatroyd made a well written and thought out post on this subject on the annihilated.com TAK strategy message board. I recommend reading it.) Attacking as early as possible puts your enemy on the defensive and forces him to play your game. A lot of professional sports players say that this is the most essential part of winning games: "Taking it to" your opponent and making him play "your game."
Most of the anti-rushers I've encountered are players who have never learned how to build quickly or perform their own rushes. If they want to play the game competitively and against the better players (which is more fun, in my opinion), then they need to learn these things. There is a reason I have included this section as part of "the basics."
An effective rush (or rush defense, for that matter) usually consists of a handful of first tier units. Try to get approximately the same number of ranged attack units as you have melee units and let the melee units lead the attack. This is almost always much more effective than having the same number of a single type of unit. I often don't attack until shortly after I have my second Enclave. If my first Enclave built five Priestesses followed by a Parrot and infinite Warriors, and the second Priestess built my second Enclave, then my second Enclave will start producing infinite Crossbowmen at about the same time as my Warriors start appearing. Within a few seconds, I have a small group of mixed units to send toward my enemy.
The early rush will not win games (unless you're playing against someone who needs to be taught a lesson). It merely buys you a seat at the table for the mid-game. If you don't attack early, you should still build as many first tier units as you would have if you had decided to rush, because this is the only thoroughly effective defense against the inevitable rush against you. Your monarch won't save you from the rush of a good player. Neither will any defensive structures you've built. There are exceptions, of course, but you will always encounter frustrating and very short games unless you get in the habit of making the early rush a part of your game.
Nothing will ruin your day as much as spending ten minutes preparing for an invasion of Stone Giants and then being surprised by a huge swarm of Dirigibles (which your opponent built with one of your own Priestesses). Well, perhaps that Ghost Ship which dropped off half a dozen Weather Witches right next to your monarch might have been worse. :)
Recon is probably the most overlooked of all the activities which are essential to winning the game. There are so many players with poor recon skills that others have developed elaborate strategies specifically to exploit this deficiency.
Every race has the ability to produce an early, cheap, and fairly fast flying scout very early in the game. Use it. Find out what your enemy is doing. Prepare for his attacks before his forces arrive. Ambush his attack forces. Wait for the moment when he leaves his monarch exposed and then assassinate him. Expose your enemy's weakness and exploit it.
Always build at least one scout early in the game to find out where your enemy is and what he is up to. If you're playing with the "map revealed" setting turned off, a scout should be the first unit you produce. Use it to reveal the map and find all the Sacred Stones.
It's usually not necessary to build infinite scouts (although it can be a good idea when you can afford it), but you should always have a few flying around, watching every corner of the map.
There are two ways to win. You must either destroy all of your opponent's units or (in some games) you can just destroy his monarch. One (or both) of these objectives is your goal. You cannot win the game by playing defensively unless your enemy is silly enough to attack with his monarch. You must take the fight to your opponent, press the attack, and destroy every last man. The only alternative is to assassinate his monarch, another offensive tactic.
I can almost guarantee that your enjoyment of multiplayer games will be heightened if you practice good sportsmanship. I certainly know that mine will, if you are playing against me. Wish your opponent good luck at the beginning of every game. "Shake hands" with him afterward by saying "good game." Don't gloat over your victories. Don't insult anyone. Don't boast.
Don't be a sore loser. Never tell your opponent he shouldn't have won, even if you lost due to a technical difficulty. Accept every loss as a learning experience and thank your opponent for pointing out your weakness. If you don't know what you did wrong, ask your opponent for advice after the game. If you ask nicely, you will often get some great pointers. If someone asks you for advice, try to be helpful.
Agree to a game speed before the game or during the first minute or two of play. Do not adjust the speed during the game unless you have agreed beforehand that it is acceptable to do so. Do not pause the game unnecessarily. There are some odd lag bugs in this game which seem to be somewhat ameliorated by slowing the speed down. Never ever try to speed up a laggy game as it will only increase the lag, make the game slower overall, and make your opponent suspect that you are attempting to cheat by exploiting lag bugs. It may seem appropriate to slow the game down when encountering lag bugs, but you should be aware that your opponent may think you are slowing the game down to your strategic advantage. It's better to be careful and ask for permission before adjusting the speed for any reason.
Don't use tactics which are considered unacceptable. These generally include anything for which there is absolutely no defense. For instance, the "Titanic" bug, while it existed, allowed those players who exploited it to create an invincible unit. Double monarch rushing in team games also falls into this category. So do tactics which simply prolong the defeat of a player who has no hope of making a comeback, such as cloaking Lokken and hiding out when all your other units have been destroyed. Such behavior will earn you little respect and very few opponents who will every play you again.
Don't assume any tactic (e.g. "rushing") used by your opponent is unacceptable. If you encounter a tactic which you feel is essentially a form of cheating, discuss it with your peers before branding it as such. If nobody agrees with you, consider changing your opinion. If you stick to your opinion against that of your peers, you should make this known to your opponent before every game.
Like all rules, the rules of sportsmanship have their exceptions. In real life, it is often fun to jaw at your opponents in a sporting match or to insult your very best friend. However, these exceptions are generally accompanied by a certain amount of humor, something that can be difficult to express in a online chat room. If you're being unsportsmanlike as a joke, make your humor as clear as possible. One good way is to use smileys. :-)
Now that you know the basics, go play some games and have a good time. Meanwhile, I'll work on the rest of this guide. There is more to come, but I thought that people would appreciate my posting the basics now instead of waiting until I finish the rest. I'll try to add to this guide on a fairly regular basis. Feel free to let me know if you have any suggestions. Here's a rough list of possible future section headers:
The following online resources are the ones which I consider essential for learning more about the game and/or sharing strategies.
The Annihilated TAK Strategy and Tactics Discussion group, currently being merged with www.tauniverse.com, is a fantastic discussion group and has been the best place to talk strategy since the game was first released.
The Stratos Group's Kingdoms Guide (aka Zaxxon's Guide) is the essential reference for all TAK players. Read it. Use the unit charts to learn about the game, and read the race strategy section which is unparalleled by any other guide.
Wolfshund's page features excellent in depth analyses of several types of units, comparing units that serve similar functions for each race.
Cavedog's TAK Strategy Forum hasn't been host to as many good discussions as Annihilated's, but it's still a good place to watch. Many players will find this Web site before looking for any others because it's the official one.
Feel free to contact me if you have suggestions for future updates.