So following up from my incorrect bug report that Ruler of the Underworld might not be working (thank you for testing that, Seravy) I'd like to comment on whether this spell is good enough to be a Very Rare. In my opinion: no.
I know that 8 extra defense seems great on paper but there are just too many exclusions:
- All Chaos Channeled troops are excluded (so every Chaos wizard in the game)
- Ranged magic attacks from magicians are excluded (this is the main threat to all my shadow demons, wraiths, vampires, etc)
- All nodes, lairs, etc are excluded
- All summoned creatures are excluded (so you're not gaining much in fights against Nature wizards)
Really it's just going to be useful when fighting Life wizards, and that's pretty much it. But my real problem with Life wizards isn't even their troops, it's spam casting of Holy Word.
Anyway, this is the first game I've gotten Ruler of the Underworld and I was quite excited for it, but the reality of using the spell is that it's barely making any difference in my game. Eternal Night is a vastly better spell. Even Survival Instinct, a rare tier Nature spell, is vastly better than Ruler of the Underworld -- Death creatures need resistance much more than a very niche, situational defense stat.
My suggestion would be: keep the wraith form but dump the special defense in favor of something else that's widely applicable, like Life Steal. Niche or situational effects should not be used for Very Rares.
I know that 8 extra defense seems great on paper but there are just too many exclusions:
- All Chaos Channeled troops are excluded (so every Chaos wizard in the game)
- Ranged magic attacks from magicians are excluded (this is the main threat to all my shadow demons, wraiths, vampires, etc)
- All nodes, lairs, etc are excluded
- All summoned creatures are excluded (so you're not gaining much in fights against Nature wizards)
Really it's just going to be useful when fighting Life wizards, and that's pretty much it. But my real problem with Life wizards isn't even their troops, it's spam casting of Holy Word.
Anyway, this is the first game I've gotten Ruler of the Underworld and I was quite excited for it, but the reality of using the spell is that it's barely making any difference in my game. Eternal Night is a vastly better spell. Even Survival Instinct, a rare tier Nature spell, is vastly better than Ruler of the Underworld -- Death creatures need resistance much more than a very niche, situational defense stat.
My suggestion would be: keep the wraith form but dump the special defense in favor of something else that's widely applicable, like Life Steal. Niche or situational effects should not be used for Very Rares.
