Swooper
Respected Member
Probibly by far the most popular undead strategy is using the dual aura ghouls. The following discribes a very good way of doing this, and also where to go from that point on. I start the build order very strictly, but after the early stages, you can change it around a bit. Also, I'm not gonna keep telling you to build more ziggurats. While doing this, make sure to build more zigs when you need to. A big thanks to the undead player Bei, from whom I have watched alot of replays of, and some of his tactics come up here. Note also that this in intended for 1v1 play. That said, lets get started.
-First, send 2 acolites to the mine.
-Ghoul goes to lumber
-Have the remaining acolite build a crypt and a ziggurat, then go to the mine
-Build 2 acolites, sending them to the mine.
-As soon as you have 300 gold (should be about as 5th acolite is comming out), build an alter
-Right as the first zig is completed, imidiately build another zig (pull and acolite of the mine, build it, and put him back there). From this point on, Im not telling you to make more zigs. Make sure to make one BEFORE you hear the "build more zigs" message.
-When crypt is done, start pumping out nonstop ghouls (hotkey it so you don't have to keep going back to your base)
-When alter is done, get a deathknight. Use this spell order on him: Death Coil, Unholy Aura, Coil, Aura, Coil/Aura (your choice), raise dead, Coil/Aura (whichever one you didn't get).
-Keep thoes ghouls comming
---Possible variation at this point- the Fast Expo. See below if you want to try it.
-Right before the DK is done, return lumber on all your ghouls, then send them and the DK creeping. Use Death-Coil on injured ghouls. From this point on, Im going to assume that you are constantly creeping. Don't stop until theres nothing left to creep. If you see your opponent, try not to engage if you arn't sure that you will win. Preferibly run, but TP if you have to. MAKE SURE TO BUY ANOTHER TP IF YOU DON'T HAVE ONE!
-Back to the game. At some point (about 24-25 food worth of ghouls), temporaraly stop ghoul production and research cannibalize. UPGRADE TO HALL OF THE DEAD. Restart ghoul production when cannibalise is done.
-Typically, you want to have at lease 3 ghouls on lumber. Keep your crypt rallied to lumber, and accasionaly send a group of ghouls to assist creeping.
-When hall is about half done, build a graveyard.
-When hall it done, immidiately build your second hero, the Dread Lord. Its spells should be in this order- Sleep, Aura, Aura, Sleep, Aura, Infernal. If you wan't you can substitute in swarm for sleep. I like sleep, so I can surround heros with ghouls, but its up to you.
-Build acolites and get an expantion (if you did the fast expand, build more acolites and send them there).
-Upgrade to cidudel ASAP
From here on, what you do depends on your preference. I've listed a few possible variations below:
Fast Expo Variation
The Fast Expo variation will be very helpfull if you go into one of the more expencive variations. It will help you have an expantion secure so you don't have to worry about it later, but the problem is its hard to defend before its created since you don't have too many units. I still usually am able to pull this off about 85-90% of the time though. To do this, you have to be playing on a map where the mine is fairly close to your main base (so you can TP to your main base and run there if nessesary). Also, you have to be able to creep it with a level 1 DK and 5 ghouls. If you can't, stick with a later game expantion. Heres how it goes:
-Make an aditional Acolite right before your DK comes out
-Creep a mine first thing
-Immidiately build a gold mine there.
-As soon as the mines done, build 3 zigs around it and upgrade them. Your Hall should be done now, so send 4 more acolites over. If you managed all this, your gold supply shouldn't be any problem for a nice long time!
Mass Ghouls/Gargs
The only problem with massing ghouls is the anti-air. The idea of this veriation is that you keep massing ghouls while using shades to see when they make the move over to air. When they do, you start producing some gargs. Heres a good order (continuing from the main build order)
-when cidudel is half done, build another crypt and a sacrificail pit.
-Get the ghouls upgrades
-When the Cidudel is done, research ghoul freinzy ASAP!
-As soon as thats done, try testing your opponent and attack and expo if you feel like it
-Build shades, and send them over to your oponents base. MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHEN THEY MAKE THE MOVE OVER TO AIR!
-Tri-heroing isn't a bad idea here. Frost nova is pretty deadly overall.
-When you see your opponent start to get air, start producing gargs!
-Upgrade gargs if they get mass air.
-Buy LOTS of scrolls of healing. They work GREAT with ghouls.
-Don't let your opponent get a working expo, and you should be able to eventually overwhelm them.
Casters
Casters are another good form of anti-air. Your gonna want to choose 1 of the 2. Against human/orc, I would go banshees for anti-magic. Either works against other undead. Against NE, You probibly wanna stay away from this veriation, since Draids will distroy you. What you have to remember is that you are still going for your mass ghouls also, so don't neglect on them.
-When the cidudel is half done, build a temple.
-Get ghoul Frenzy!!!
-Get adept training in whatever one you are going
-Start pumping them out.
-If possible, use antimagic/unholy frenzy BEFORE the battle starts. Again, limit expos, and you should be able to overrun. If they go some big ground unit like tauren, get master training and either criple or possess.
Frost Worm variation
A risky variation, this one works against all races (against orc, this dominates). SInce your still going ghouls, this isn't a fast-teck, therefore meaning you don't get the worms as quickly as possible, but you have a very adiquate defence until you do. For this, you pretty much have to do the fast expo.
-When ciduel is half done, build a temple and a sac. pit.
-When temple is done, get: Adept necro training, ghoul frenzy, and build 2 boneyards. Tri-hero isn't a bad idea.
-Start pumping out frost worms. Frost worm attack should be your primary upgrade here. Keep your current ghoul army, but don't build any more.
-Attack when you have 4-7 frost worms. You will also need 4-6 necros. Keep the frost worms unholy frenzied at ALL TIMES!!! Use death coil as needed. If there not ready, you will kick their ass.
All of the above variations are just basic guidelines. Modify them as needed throughout the game. Remember that all of these variations are variations of a ghoul strat, so ghouls should probibly be most of your army. One last possible variation in banshees and aboms. It works well on humans, but I wouldn't suggest it on other races. If you have any comments, additions, or think I did something wrong or left something out, either reply or e-mail me at swooper@wciii.com. I'll try to get some replays up of all the variatons. Good luck all of you Undead players!
-First, send 2 acolites to the mine.
-Ghoul goes to lumber
-Have the remaining acolite build a crypt and a ziggurat, then go to the mine
-Build 2 acolites, sending them to the mine.
-As soon as you have 300 gold (should be about as 5th acolite is comming out), build an alter
-Right as the first zig is completed, imidiately build another zig (pull and acolite of the mine, build it, and put him back there). From this point on, Im not telling you to make more zigs. Make sure to make one BEFORE you hear the "build more zigs" message.
-When crypt is done, start pumping out nonstop ghouls (hotkey it so you don't have to keep going back to your base)
-When alter is done, get a deathknight. Use this spell order on him: Death Coil, Unholy Aura, Coil, Aura, Coil/Aura (your choice), raise dead, Coil/Aura (whichever one you didn't get).
-Keep thoes ghouls comming
---Possible variation at this point- the Fast Expo. See below if you want to try it.
-Right before the DK is done, return lumber on all your ghouls, then send them and the DK creeping. Use Death-Coil on injured ghouls. From this point on, Im going to assume that you are constantly creeping. Don't stop until theres nothing left to creep. If you see your opponent, try not to engage if you arn't sure that you will win. Preferibly run, but TP if you have to. MAKE SURE TO BUY ANOTHER TP IF YOU DON'T HAVE ONE!
-Back to the game. At some point (about 24-25 food worth of ghouls), temporaraly stop ghoul production and research cannibalize. UPGRADE TO HALL OF THE DEAD. Restart ghoul production when cannibalise is done.
-Typically, you want to have at lease 3 ghouls on lumber. Keep your crypt rallied to lumber, and accasionaly send a group of ghouls to assist creeping.
-When hall is about half done, build a graveyard.
-When hall it done, immidiately build your second hero, the Dread Lord. Its spells should be in this order- Sleep, Aura, Aura, Sleep, Aura, Infernal. If you wan't you can substitute in swarm for sleep. I like sleep, so I can surround heros with ghouls, but its up to you.
-Build acolites and get an expantion (if you did the fast expand, build more acolites and send them there).
-Upgrade to cidudel ASAP
From here on, what you do depends on your preference. I've listed a few possible variations below:
Fast Expo Variation
The Fast Expo variation will be very helpfull if you go into one of the more expencive variations. It will help you have an expantion secure so you don't have to worry about it later, but the problem is its hard to defend before its created since you don't have too many units. I still usually am able to pull this off about 85-90% of the time though. To do this, you have to be playing on a map where the mine is fairly close to your main base (so you can TP to your main base and run there if nessesary). Also, you have to be able to creep it with a level 1 DK and 5 ghouls. If you can't, stick with a later game expantion. Heres how it goes:
-Make an aditional Acolite right before your DK comes out
-Creep a mine first thing
-Immidiately build a gold mine there.
-As soon as the mines done, build 3 zigs around it and upgrade them. Your Hall should be done now, so send 4 more acolites over. If you managed all this, your gold supply shouldn't be any problem for a nice long time!
Mass Ghouls/Gargs
The only problem with massing ghouls is the anti-air. The idea of this veriation is that you keep massing ghouls while using shades to see when they make the move over to air. When they do, you start producing some gargs. Heres a good order (continuing from the main build order)
-when cidudel is half done, build another crypt and a sacrificail pit.
-Get the ghouls upgrades
-When the Cidudel is done, research ghoul freinzy ASAP!
-As soon as thats done, try testing your opponent and attack and expo if you feel like it
-Build shades, and send them over to your oponents base. MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHEN THEY MAKE THE MOVE OVER TO AIR!
-Tri-heroing isn't a bad idea here. Frost nova is pretty deadly overall.
-When you see your opponent start to get air, start producing gargs!
-Upgrade gargs if they get mass air.
-Buy LOTS of scrolls of healing. They work GREAT with ghouls.
-Don't let your opponent get a working expo, and you should be able to eventually overwhelm them.
Casters
Casters are another good form of anti-air. Your gonna want to choose 1 of the 2. Against human/orc, I would go banshees for anti-magic. Either works against other undead. Against NE, You probibly wanna stay away from this veriation, since Draids will distroy you. What you have to remember is that you are still going for your mass ghouls also, so don't neglect on them.
-When the cidudel is half done, build a temple.
-Get ghoul Frenzy!!!
-Get adept training in whatever one you are going
-Start pumping them out.
-If possible, use antimagic/unholy frenzy BEFORE the battle starts. Again, limit expos, and you should be able to overrun. If they go some big ground unit like tauren, get master training and either criple or possess.
Frost Worm variation
A risky variation, this one works against all races (against orc, this dominates). SInce your still going ghouls, this isn't a fast-teck, therefore meaning you don't get the worms as quickly as possible, but you have a very adiquate defence until you do. For this, you pretty much have to do the fast expo.
-When ciduel is half done, build a temple and a sac. pit.
-When temple is done, get: Adept necro training, ghoul frenzy, and build 2 boneyards. Tri-hero isn't a bad idea.
-Start pumping out frost worms. Frost worm attack should be your primary upgrade here. Keep your current ghoul army, but don't build any more.
-Attack when you have 4-7 frost worms. You will also need 4-6 necros. Keep the frost worms unholy frenzied at ALL TIMES!!! Use death coil as needed. If there not ready, you will kick their ass.
All of the above variations are just basic guidelines. Modify them as needed throughout the game. Remember that all of these variations are variations of a ghoul strat, so ghouls should probibly be most of your army. One last possible variation in banshees and aboms. It works well on humans, but I wouldn't suggest it on other races. If you have any comments, additions, or think I did something wrong or left something out, either reply or e-mail me at swooper@wciii.com. I'll try to get some replays up of all the variatons. Good luck all of you Undead players!
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