Looking through the forums and through google I haven't been able to find a guide for Ardent Mages. I'm not looking for how to win or best strategies. I'm just trying to figure out what things mean.

Like what is range 1 for a pillar? Are you only allowed to have one pillar at a time? Why have a -50 movement pillar if is a short range? Or does each unit moving through the pillar's area of effect gain a permanent bonus until the pillar is gone? And on and on. The manual says little, wiki says little. Is there a guide I can read through online? Thanks much for any help.

- Range 1 means that you get the hex-field with the pillar and the six fields next to it. Pillar placement can be tricky, since you can't place it on city tiles or water.

- You can place as many pillars as you want, but for each pillar already on the map, the next pillar costs more. (The pillars vanish after 10 turns and then new pillars cost the same as the first pillar again.)

- Movement pillars have a range of 2 and accelerate only in their area. (I'm not completely sure if they start with range 2 or if that was a tech upgrade)



Additionally: Pillars get stronger with each technology that increases the "arcana level" of pillars. (Not to be confused with the "arcana level" of spells, which improve battle spells.)

A technology you get while doing the faction quest also makes pillars more effective during the winter.

OffendedLiverSausage wrote:
- Range 1 means that you get the hex-field with the pillar and the six fields next to it. Pillar placement can be tricky, since you can't place it on city tiles or water.

- You can place as many pillars as you want, but for each pillar already on the map, the next pillar costs more. (The pillars vanish after 10 turns and then new pillars cost the same as the first pillar again.)

- Movement pillars have a range of 2 and accelerate only in their area. (I'm not completely sure if they start with range 2 or if that was a tech upgrade)



Additionally: Pillars get stronger with each technology that increases the "arcana level" of pillars. (Not to be confused with the "arcana level" of spells, which improve battle spells.)

A technology you get while doing the faction quest also makes pillars more effective during the winter.

Thank you. Where did you get this info? Or did you figure it out by playing the ardent mages and doing trial and error?

Trial and error.

It can be confusing at first, but then its rather straight forward. Using them to the greatest effect is a different matter, however.



(Just finished my first play-through on "normal" yesterday, so I'm hardly a well-versed player)