A couple of questions

[ksenagos]

First of great mod.(period)

1)I haven't played for about a year or so(version 2.something)
Now i m about to start a new campaign with 3.2 and i was thinking HE or gondor or isengard .Which one did you enjoy the most?Any other fun campaigns.(i like the HE but their settlements are scattered)

2)I ve played some custom battles but i still haven't figured out which one is better:Eldar Sword or Eldar spear(overall). Obviously the first is a shock troop and the second a spear unit and must be used accordingly but in general which one do you prefer,how do you use them in an open field battle,what is the role of each unit in your games?

[ElvenKind]

I prefer HE, don`t worry about their regions, hold Rivendell with few Eldar spearmen(which will be available for recruitment at 2nd barracks event or 2nd Military Report) and put Mithlond as capital city. Silvan Elves are good too, prepare for lot of battles if u play with them. Elves have those Heavy spearmen which are excellent for holding the line, plus the best TATW archers, Eldar, and Silvan heavy Archers, they change the tide of battle. Keep 1 or 2 cavalry in army for chasing routing enemies and attacking flanks, general is always welcome in the army, if u lose him, it can be a problem. Spearmen should have their special ability turned on, I prefer to make a bow like battle line with them around my archers and general.

[ksenagos]

put Mithlond as capital city

This was one of the first things i did back in 2. with the HE.Actually the HE was quite an easy campaign even in vh/vh. Gondor on the other hand totally different story(i got the beating of my life when i besieged Minas Morgul and the scripted garrison appeared next turn)

[ElvenKind]

This was one of the first things i did back in 2. with the HE.Actually the HE was quite an easy campaign even in vh/vh. Gondor on the other hand totally different story(i got the beating of my life when i besieged Minas Morgul and the scripted garrison appeared next turn)

If u feel like a Warrior, then choose a faction with lot of possibilities for battles, Gondor is among them, for example, I played Silvan Elves a lot and sometimes had couple of BIG battles during AI`s turn. And turn after turn....

[ksenagos]

So what about my second question.Eldar sword vs Eldar spear(not 1v1 but campaign-wise)which one do you(plural) use more and how?In prolonged engagements the lack of shield and the lower defense value makes swordsmen less resilient BUT they hack down enemies wayyyyyyy faster

[=NF=Flimmeister]

I use the spearmen more then the swordsmen. The reason is that i always go for the Eldar Archers as soon as possible. They are very good in doing the Swordsmen's job after they shot down most of the enemy army. I still have two or three of them in my armies for flanking and shock troops (also against trolls)

[ElvenKind]

See my first post from above and u will see who I prefer. Swords are better if u are besieged, they kick ass in battles on city walls, put them where ladders and siege towers are supposed to arrive. Elven spears, open battles are their domain.

[FriendoftheDork]

Just to chime in, swordsmen usually do well against spearmen, archers, while spearmen are good vs cavalry, trolls, mumakil, spiders. Eldar Spearmen are probably so good at holding the line because of their great defensive stats (armor and defense skill), but in a one vs one against orc raiders/snaga stalkers the Eldar Swordsmen should do better.

[ksenagos]

I ll have to agree with you that spears deal better with "cavalry" BUT

swordsmen usually do well against spearmen

...
Let s say we have a sword and shield unit vs a spear and shield unit, same attack and defence.Usually the swords will win bc the spear units have way more weapon delay(15-30vs 45-90) but in TATW spear and sword units have 0-15 delay which makes spearmen more usefull(for the cavalry bonus).
The way i see it when comparing the two HE units in particular is in fact comparing dismounted feudal knights against zweihanders from MTW

[FriendoftheDork]

I ll have to agree with you that spears deal better with "cavalry" BUT ...
Let s say we have a sword and shield unit vs a spear and shield unit, same attack and defence.Usually the swords will win bc the spear units have way more weapon delay(15-30vs 45-90) but in TATW spear and sword units have 0-15 delay which makes spearmen more usefull(for the cavalry bonus).
The way i see it when comparing the two HE units in particular is in fact comparing dismounted feudal knights against zweihanders from MTW

So swordsmen don't have an inherent bonus vs spears anymore? That's not to my experience, as Orc raiders eat Orc Warband for breakfast. Stats are nearly the same, but one has swords the other spears.

[ksenagos]

Maybe it has do with the animation then(still they have +2 armor 4vs2)

[FriendoftheDork]

Maybe it has do with the animation then(still they have +2 armor 4vs2)

Hmm after some testing it seems orc warband (with armor upgrade) and goblin infantry are fairly well matched. Goblins barely won when we charged eachother on grassy plain, but when set on defense the spearmen won the day (possibly because of less fatigue).

[Makus]

The eldar are best used in confjunction with eachother. In defensive scenarios use the spearmen as your main line and send swordsmen through the gaps or around the flanks to slaughter the enemy, and in offensive situations use the spearmen the rush the enemy line (their shields mean they can handle missile fire) and engage, while again sending your swordsmen through the gaps or around the flank