I'll begin by describing each monster, outlining a few recommendations on how to best use it and assign a rating of 1 to 5 stars. The rating represents how useful that monster is when it is compared with all other monsters, not how powerful each monster is in single combat. Thus, Golems may be the toughest Eldrich meat-shield monster, but they are still not very efficient when compared to Kobolds, for example.
Bane Spiders
Average Copper attack (master): 3.9 damage, 2.0 range (+0.5 range/damage)
Average Silver attack (master): 4.2 damage, 4.2 range (+1.0 R/D)
Average Gold attack (master): 6.1 damage, 2.3 range (+1.5 R/D)
Average Diamond attack (master): 6.4 damage, 4.5 range (+1.5 R/D)
Bane Spiders are not great monsters. Their large size makes them difficult to spawn and maneuver, their damage is comparable to a skeleton or beastman of the same level, and they are easy to kill. The reinforcement counter hurts Bane Spiders badly, because they are among the weakest and cheapest of monsters.
Bane Spiders are generally only worth spawning in two situations. If you can maneuver the Master Spider into a position where it can web a ranged or magic support hero and either prevent them from making full attacks on their turn or fleeing a dangerous area then the Spiders can net you an extra kill. Otherwise, spawn them only when beasts are your most advanced monster class and they can focus their attacks on a weaker hero (they'll probably be wearing the Wizard's Robes, unfortunately.) Spiders generally lack the punch to seriously damage the party's tank, so always use their high speed to move next to and attack weaker heroes.
Beastmen
Copper (master): 4.5 damage (7 damage)
Silver (master): 6.4 damage (10.4 damage)
Gold (master): 7.4 damage (11.9 damage)
Diamond (master): 7.7 damage (12.2 damage)
Beastmen aren't what they used to be. Master Beastmen can inflict fearsome damage and their command ability is great, but they're paper tigers. Even a Master Beastman will go down to single swing or blast. This wasn't a big disadvantage in normal descent, but most of the RTL cast is tough enough that they'll be able to throw more than just one punch before they succumb, making the damage gap between Beastmen and the tougher monsters more narrow than it might otherwise appear. That's not to say that Beastmen aren't good anymore- it's just that they've lost their status as kings of the jungle. Beastmen are still great spawns due to their ability to injure or kill the party tank, who is typically worth a lot of XP to you.
Beastmen are usually very poor choices for dungeon setup- because of their slow speed and few HP, they don't usually survive to attack even once before they are all slain. It's also good to note than bronze level rank-and-file beastmen are quite bad (though the Masters, as always, are wonderful) compared to their Silver and Gold versions. Beastmen are, probably, the biggest argument for upgrading the Humanoid monster category.
Beastmen are worth spawning if you can make a full attack against a hero and avoid getting the Master killed by guard attack before he can swing. They are also useful to augment a big horde of monsters with the BeastMaster's command bonus, though you'll have to make a painful choice about whether to throw him into combat for his exceptional damage or keep him back for his excellent command ability.
Avoid spawning beastmen if they cannot attack a hero that turn.
Blood Apes
Copper (master *berserk): 4.4 damage (4.9 damage *6.4 damage)
Silver (master *berserk): 4.7 damage (5.7 damage *7.7 damage)
Gold (master *berserk): 6.6 damage (8.1 damage *10.6 damage)
Diamond (master *berserk): 6.9 damage (8.4 damage *11.4 damage)
The Blood Ape is the monster that has benefited most from the increase in monster toughness introduced by RTL. Because their health and armor are so high (4 armor & 18 health for a normal Silver Ape!), heroes will have a very difficult time chewing through them with shop or copper items. The damage output of Bronze and Silver apes is low, but with their high speed, great toughness, and leap attack, they should be able to reach vulnerable characters easily and survive to attack them many times.
Unless you aren't upgrading the Beast category, Blood Apes are an excellent spawn. They are best used against heroes fighting in a corridor: enter combat with a leap attack and then shift your Ape sideways in the middle of the corridor to split the party in two.
It is almost always worthwhile to add the "Jungle Drums" treachery card to your deck if you have upgraded your Beast monsters. It provides you with more HP/armor's worth of monsters than any other single overlord card in the game!
Chaos Beasts
Chaos Beasts cannot be spawned or reinforced, and are rarely seen in RTL. Their morph ability prevents average damage from being easily calculated, but Chaos Beasts are very weak at copper level and grow rapidly stronger as they are upgraded (bonus yellow dice -> morph dice and 1 bonus sorcery at each level.)
When choosing dice for Morph, use as many green dice as possible. They provide the best damage, and you can use Sorcery for range if you need to. Chaos Beasts do not compare well against Demons or Dragons, the top tier 4 monsters. They lack damage, survivability, utility, and speed. There are no notable tactics for using Chaos Beasts- just plod forward and use the red melee dice as often as possible.
Dark Priests
Copper (master): 4.8 damage (6.5 damage)
Silver (master): 6.5 damage (8.1 damage)
Gold (master): 8.1 damage (9.8 damage)
Diamond (master): 9 damage (12.3 damage)
Dark Priests are amazing monsters. Their abilities are great, their damage is amazing (and consistent), they generate huge amounts of
threat, they are easy to spawn (and you can spawn Masters without spending treachery), they have a great aura, they can attack at range, and they generate EXP for you by cursing heroes.
It's best to use Dark Priests behind a wall of tougher monsters (Blood Apes are ideal for this purpose), moving out to shoot and scooting back to let their armor boosting aura make their wall even stronger. They work nicely with the other cheap eldrich monsters, such as skeletons and sorcerers, and with the "Doom!" power card.
It's tough to go wrong spawning Dark Priests, even if you haven't upgraded eldrich monsters at all. I recommend holding onto the "Black Order" card until the heroes reach an especially tough room or choke-point, and then spawning the Master Priest just out of sight at the room's doorway. Dark Priests can tough a otherwise tough room into a real nightmare.
They work especially well with monsters that have high natural armor and lots of HP, and with other ranged monsters.
The "Dark Brothers" treachery card is very expensive, but quite powerful. Eldrich monsters do not have many decent monster treachery cards, so this might be your best bet.
Deep Elves
Copper (master): 2.5 damage, 2 pierce (3.0 damage 4 pierce)
Silver (master): 4.4 damage, 3 pierce (5.4 damage 6 pierce)
Gold (master): 4.7 damage, 4 pierce (6.2 damage, 8 pierce)
Diamond (master): 6.6 damage, 5 pierce (8.1 damage, 10 pierce)
Deep Elves were made much weaker by their transition to RTL. They can still only be spawned by the "Lone Assassin" treachery card, which is terribly over-costed, and their damage potential has been greatly lowered. The elves rely on pierce for most of their damage, but it is likely to be wasted against most targets. The elves gain in power quickly when upgraded, however.
The biggest problem with the solitary Deep Elves is that a well-placed guard order can counter their shadowcloak ability and slay them before they can make an attack. They are not particularly tough, and they have no ranged attack, so avoiding a guarding hero is very difficult.
It is rarely worth including the "Lone Assassin" card in your deck.
Edit: As noted in the discussion following this post, Frost isn't half bad. For full effect, you'll want to do 5+ damage on the initial strike, however, which means you'll need silver+ level Deep Elves. Deep Elves are very rare in dungeons and encounters.
Demons
Copper (master): 4.2 damage, 3.9 range +1 R/D (+2.5 R/D)
Silver (master): 6.1 damage, 2.3 range +2 R/D (+4 R/D)
Gold (master): 6.4 damage, 4.5 range, +3 R/D (+5.5 R/D)
Diamond (master): 6.7 damage, 6.7 range, +4 R/D (+6.5 R/D)
Demons can only be spawned by the Demon Prince's Lieutenant or found in dungeons/encounters. Their abilities are excellent and their statistics are very solid- they are toughest tier monster, and the most damaging in 1 on 1 situations. Using demons is easy- move forward and begin nuking heroes. Using knockback to push heroes through the punishing aura of a high-level demon is fun, although very difficult to set up.
Dragons
Copper (master): 3.5 damage, pierce 2 (4.0 damage, pierce 3)
Silver (master): 5.4, pierce 3 (6.4 damage, pierce 4)
Gold (master): 5.7, pierce 4 (7.2, pierce 5)
Diamond (master): 6.0 damage, pierce 5 (7.5, pierce 6)
Dragons are a great tier 4 monster, but they need to be upgraded to realize their full potential. Their damage and pierce level both grow as you upgrade the Beast monster category, which, combined with breath gives Dragons the potential for enormous bursts of damage to several heroes at once. Higher level dragons, like demons, essentially get double armor/level increases, because of Fear. Dragons cannot be spawned, but they are more common than demons in encounters and dungeons.
Ferrox
Copper (master): 2.5 (3.0)
Silver (master): 4.4 (5.4)
Gold (master): 4.7 (5.2)
Diamond (master): 6.6 (8.1)
Ferrox are more useful then they appear, thanks to their "Bleed" special ability. Each hit by a ferrox, even if it is blocked by armor,
will deal 1-3 damage. This is good, because Ferrox have an otherwise poor damage output. They are slightly tougher than beastmen, but just as slow. The main problem with ferrox is that they do not upgrade well- their bleed ability is most useful against the party tank because it ignores his armor but bleed does not increase as your Humanoid monster level increases, and their base damage never climbs high enough to really threaten the tank. Thus, you'll usually be inflicting only bleed damage with Ferrox, even if they're Gold level.
Ferrox are less efficient than Beastmen at attacking support characters, because of their lower damage. Ferrox should primarily be spawned if you are early in the campaign, you have no higher level spawns to use, or if the party tank is running low on health. Use Ferrox to attack the character with the highest armor.
The treachery card "Drinkers of Blood" is usually not worth including in your deck.
Giants
Copper (master): 4.9 (5.4)
Silver (master): 6.9 (7.9)
Gold (master): 6.9 (8.4)
Diamond (master): 7.4 (8.9)
Giants are reasonably tough and, at copper level, are the strongest tier 4 monster. They do not upgrade well compared to Dragons or Demons, however. Giants never inflict competitive damage (less than beastmen!), and they do not possess a secondary offensive or defensive ability like Sorcery or Fear to boost them at higher levels. Sweep, Reach and Stun are all solid abilities that work well together, but it can be difficult to set up a decent sweep against the heroes, due to the Giant's slow speed.
Giants are the most common tier 4 monster in dungeons and encounters, but they cannot be spawned or reinforced. Charge cards work especially well with giants, allowing you to engage heroes and lay down a decisive sweep one turn before the party's tank blocks moves out from to prevent your advance.
Golems
Copper (master): 4.2 (4.7)
Silver (master): 4.6 (5.6)
Gold (master): 6.1 (7.6)
Diamond (master: 6.4 (7.9)
Golems do not have a lot going for them. They do pathetic damage, are very slow, and do not show up very often. Their stone bodies are reasonably tough and immune to pierce, which is nice, but it's not enough to make up for their total lack of power and speed. Golems are only ever useful as screeners for other monsters who can actually inflict damage, such as skeletons, sorcerers, and (especially) dark priests. If you do choose a Golem in dungeon set up, place it far back in the level, blocking the doorway to a monster-infested room. Spawn as many ranged monsters as possible behind it, and use them to pop out and harass heroes as they approach, retreating to cover after each shot.
You can spawn Golems using the Lone Golem card, but it is terribly underpowered for its insane 3-point treachery cost. Never include it in your deck. Golems are very rare in encounters and dungeon levels.
Hell Hounds
Copper (master): 1.3 damage, pierce 2 (1.8 damage, pierce 3)
Silver (master): 3.2 damage, pierce 3 (4.2 damage, pierce 3)
Gold (master): 3.5 damage, pierce 4 (5.0 dam damage, pierce 5)
Diamond (master): 5.4 damage, pierce 5 (6.9 damage, pierce 6)
Hell Hounds benefit greatly from being upgraded, but are terribly weak at copper level. Their damage increase is low, but their pierce
level has a nice growth rate and their ability to hit multiple targets at once with their breath attack multiplies their offensive power to an acceptable level.
Hell hounds are not resilient, but they are easily spawnable and rather swift, so setting up a nice breath attack is not too difficult.
Hell Hounds should only be spawned if you can strike with the breath attacks of both hounds against at least 2 heroes.
Hell Hounds should never be spawned at copper level.
The "Dogs of War" spawn card is overpriced and should probably not be used.
Kobolds
Copper (master): 2.2 (2.5)
Silver (master): 2.5 (3.5)
Gold (master): 4.4 (5.9)
Diamond (master): 4.7 (6.2)
The primary purpose of Kobold spawns in the normal Descent game was to slow the heroes down with a lot of bodies, and to use the masters to slightly reduce the cost of your traps. With the inclusion of the reinforcement counter, the usefulness of Kobolds as a monster has been demolished.
Kobolds are not a significant threat to heroes in battle due to their low damage, weak constitution, and slow speed. Tougher monsters, such as Blood Apes, make better meat shields than Kobolds, and hiding your master Kobolds in the smaller RTL dungeon levels to get their discount on your traps is almost impossible.
Kobolds should only be spawned if you have a great deal of threat, the need for a large number of weak meat shields to block movement, and have not upgraded your Beast or Eldrich monsters at all.
The "Kobold Horde" treachery cards are not worth adding to your deck.
Manticores
Copper (master): 1.7, pierce 1, Quick Shot (2.2, pierce 2, Quick Shot)
Silver (master): 3.5, pierce 2, Quick Shot (4.5, Pierce 3, Quick Shot)
Gold (master): 3.9, pierce 3, Quick Shot (5.4, Pierce 4, Quick Shot)
Diamond (master): 5.7, pierce 4, Quick Shot (7.2, Pierce 5, Quick Shot)
Manticores are rather pathetic at copper level, dealing almost no damage with each shot. Fortunately, they are also the monster that improves the most as their monster category is leveled, increasing in both damage and pierce ratings at essentially a double rate, due to Quick Shot.
Silver-Diamond level Manticores can inflict great damage through heavy armor twice per turn, are reasonably tough, and have a great speed rating. You should avoid exposing your Nanticores to enemy attacks by moving out to fire a volley and using the Manticores great speed to return to cover before you can fall victim to a hero's battle action.
High HP screeners, such as blood apes, and monsters that provide the command ability, such as Beastmen or Nagas, are especially useful when combined with Manticores. The "Doom!" card, command bonuses, and "Rage" event cards provide double benefit to Manticores, because they fire twice per turn.
Manticores are uncommon in dungeon levels and encounters, but can be spawned via the "Lone Manticore" treachery card, which is very worthwhile if you have upgraded the level of your Beast monsters.
Naga
Copper (master): 4.2 damage, 4.4 range, +1 D/R (4.2 damage, 4.4 range, +2.5D/R)
Silver (master): 6.1 damage, 2.4 range, +2 D/R (7.1 damage, 3.4 range, +4.0D/R)
Gold (master): 6.4 damage, 4.6 range, +3 D/R (8.4 damage, 7.6 range, +5.5 D/R)
Diamond (master): 6.8 damage, 7.0 range, +4 D/R (8.8 damage, 9.0 range, +6.5 D/R)
Naga were never solid monsters in normal descent, but they have received a huge boost in RTL. Their damage potential is amazing (up to 14 for a Master Silver Naga- that's more than a Master Beastman!), they are quite tough, very fast, and provide a command aura to your nearby monsters. Their only real drawback is the rarity of Master Naga in encounters and dungeon setups. There are many options for using regular Naga in dungeons, however, and they are one of the best creatures to upgrade via the "Brilliant Commander" power card.
Nagas are best used behind a thin screen of cannon-fodder monsters, with heavier monsters and ranged shooters behind it. Once the Naga has the opportunity to engage, use it to base as many heroes as possible to prevent maneuvering, then strike and move just out of range with your more fragile melee monsters (such as Beastmen) to prevent melee retaliation against them from the trapped heroes. Another downright evil use of Nagas is combining them with the "Rolling Boulder" trap card- perfect for all of the aspiring Spider Queens out there. Grapple prevents a hero from escaping as the boulder moves inexorably forward. Bonus points are awarded if the Naga survives.
Nagas can be spawned via the "Lone Naga" treachery card, which is quite good if you have upgraded your Beast monsters.
Ogres
Copper (master): 4.7 damage (5.2 damage)
Silver (master): 6.6 damage (7.6 damage)
Gold (master): 6.9 damage (8.4 damage)
Diamond (master): 7.3 damage (8.8 damage)
Ogres in Descent have always suffered from an unfortunate trifecta of disadvantages that combine to make them virtually useless. They've got a large base and only 3 movement points, making them ponderous to maneuver and forever doomed to attack the party's tank- a foe that is typically all but immune to the Ogre's pathetic damage output. This hasn't changed in RTL, but the relatively higher toughness of the Ogre and the increased power of Undying make it a decent meat-shield to block up a room entrance and let your dangerous monsters attack through it.
Unfortunately, the Ogre's large base prevents slow monsters (such as Beastmen) from moving forward to attack the heroes and back into safety behind the ogre in one turn, but the strategy is more workable with Skeletons and Razorwings. The only way to stop these monsters from striking the heroes is through guard orders, which the ogre can disrupt through knockback. Even if you inflict no damage, you can still throw a guarding hero behind a wall (or another hero) and prevent him from taking his shot. Other goofy uses of knockback include "pit basketball", throwing a hero into a pit, hauling them out, and tossing them back into the pit, and throwing heroes through the upgraded aura of another monster (a Hell Hound or Demon.)
Ogres work best with fast and/or ranged monsters which can attack through them, event cards that can increase the Ogre's movement, and Pit traps. Ogres can only be spawned via the "Lone Ogre" treachery card, but are common in dungeons and encounters. The "Lone Ogre" card is overpriced and is not really ever worth adding to your deck.
Razorwings
Copper (master): 4.4 damage (4.9 damage)
Silver (master): 4.7 damage (5.7 damage)
Gold (master): 6.6 damage (8.1 damage)
Diamond (master): 6.9 damage (8.4 damage)
Razorwings have become top-notch monsters with their RTL rebalance. Copper level Razorwings now roll a Red and a Green die (4.4 damage), instead of a Red and a Yellow (2.5), which makes them almost twice as damaging. They still won't be a threat to the party tank, but their high speed and "Fly" ability allow your Razorwings to attack whomever you want. Just watch out for Grapple.
Razorwings work well in almost any situation. It's incredibly difficult for a party of heroes to prevent Razorwings from flying out of cover to kill the Archer or Wizard and retreating back in order to deny the party from using battle actions. The Razorwing's high armor and HP only make it more likely that they'll be able to survive "guard" attacks and repeat the process over and over again. Razorwings work best with "Tank" monsters such as Ogres and Blood Apes that can prevent the heroes from reaching the middle of a room and using ranged battle actions against your Razorwings.
Spawning Razorwings is always a good idea, if you have upgraded your Beast monster category. Even if the heroes are not currently fighting any other monsters, have your Razorwings strike once and dive back into cover a ways back in the dungeon. The heroes either need to go back to attack the Razorwings (at which point you can retreat even further back), slow down their progress with constant guard orders (stay in hiding until they begin fighting monsters on another front), or ignore the Razorwings entirely (free attacks.)
The "Death on the Wing" treachery card is decent, but it has stiff competition for beast type monster treachery . It's a fine choice,
especially at low campaign levels. At higher levels, the Manticore, Naga, and Blood Ape spawn cards are more efficient, however.
Skeletons
Copper (master): 3.2 damage, 3.5 range, 1 pierce (3.2 damage, 4.5 range, 2 pierce, +0.5 D/R)
Silver (master): 3.5 damage, 7.7 range, 2 pierce (3.5 damage, 8.7 range, 3 pierce, +1.0 D/R)
Gold (master): 3.5 damage, 8.7 range, 2 pierce (3.5 damage, 9.7 range, 3 pierce, +1.5 D/R)
Diamond (master): 5.7 damage, 5.9 range, 3 pierce (5.7 damage, 6.9 range, 4 pierce, +1.5 D/R)
Skeletons are the standard ranged monster in Descent and RTL. They do halfway decent damage, are quick on their feet, and are the
most common monster in the game.
Skeletons work a lot like Razorwings in RTL, jumping out from cover, firing a shot, and ducking back. Thanks to their great range, good speed, and small size, it's easy to spawn skeletons and take a shot against whoever you want each turn. Skeleton spawn cards are common and, unlike Razorwings, you receive a Master Skeleton with each. On top of that, Skeletons have a decent pierce growth as they level, meaning that Silver and Diamond level skeletons (but not at Copper or Gold) actually inflict higher average damage than Razorwings.
The might of Skeletons is checked by a couple of serious weaknesses. Skeletons are second most fragile monster in RTL, right after Kobolds, and they will not survive a hit without a timely undying roll. Hero guard orders translate almost 1:1 into skeleton casualties, low damage shop item blasts are lethal to skeletons, and any hero can kill 2 skeletons per turn with a battle action (provided LOS.) You'll get high damage and large numbers from your spawns, but they go down very quickly. If your heroes don't have blast, tack an extra star to the Skeleton's rating.
Skeletons work well behind tough screeners, such as Ogres or Blood Apes. Using skeletons requires only basic tactics- spawn them, move up, shoot, take cover. Skeletons will never survive an attack, so don't clump them up for blast or an opportunistic battle action. Skeletons also work well with the "Crushing Blow" power card, which allows you to destroy the Blast runes that counter skeletons so well.
Note that Skeletons do not benefit much from upgrading to Gold level.
The "Legions of the Dead" treachery card is not usually worth adding to your deck. "Dark Brothers" or "Dark Masters" are both better choices for the overlord who has invested heavily in Eldrich monsters and Monster Treachery.
Sorcerers
Copper (master): 2.0 damage, 3.9 range, +2 D/R (2.0 damage, 3.9 range, +2.5D/R)
Silver (master): 3.9 damage, 2.0 range, +3 D/R (3.9 damage, 2.0 range, +5 D/R)
Gold (master): 4.2 damage, 4.2 range, +4 D/R (4.2 damage, 4.2 range, +6.5 D/R)
Diamond (master): 6.1 damage, 2.4 range, +5 D/R (6.1 damage, 2.4 range, +7.5 D/R)
Sorcerers were one of the most dangerous and cost-effective monsters in regular Descent. In RTL, they are much less dominating. Their damage at copper level is pathetic, their armor and HP are terrible, and they are slow with poor range. Fortunately, they improve rapidly as the Eldrich category is upgraded, almost doubling in power at silver level.
Sorcerers are most efficient when they are not targeted first- use either a tough screening monster to block attacks, or other monsters
with even greater offensive punch to draw the hero's fire. Beastmen work well with Sorcerers, and a group of upgraded Sorcerers compliment a tough dungeon boss very well.
Sorcerers should be spawned if the heroes have already begun fighting a room full of monsters, especially if the room contains a tier 4 monster such as a Demon or Troll that will draw attacks away from your Sorcerers, or if they can ambush and kill one of the heroes instantly.
Never spawn copper level Sorcerers!
Sorcerers are the most common dungeon-level boss monster type, and are common in encounters and dungeons. The "Dark Masters" treachery card is overcosted, but is somewhat playable. The "Dark Brothers" card is better in most situations, however.
Trolls
Copper *bash (master *bash): 2.5 *6.4 pierce 2 (4.4 *7.6 pierce 2)
Silver *bash (master *bash): 2.9 *7.0 pierce 2 (4.7 *8.2 pierce 2)
Gold *bash (master *bash): 4.7 *8.2 pierce 2 (6.6 *9.4 pierce 2)
Diamond *bash (master *): 6.6 *9.4 pierce 2 (6.9 *10.0 pierce 2)
Trolls are the most dangerous monster you have at your disposal, but also the most unpredictable. Their "Bash" ability is almost always worth using, and gives Trolls the highest damage potential of any monster in the game (a 28 damage sweep with reach and pierce 8!)
Trolls do not become much stronger as the humanoids category is upgraded; their bash ability will either work and instantly kill whoever you're attacking, or it won't and you'll miss entirely. Trolls are ALWAYS a threat to the party, however. Even a copper level Troll will inflict about 16 damage at pierce 2 with sweep on a successful bash.
Trolls are uncommon in dungeons and encounters, but can be spawned by the "Lone Troll" spawn card, which is one of the best Monster Treachery cards in the game. Ensure that you have a "Charge", "Rage", or "Aim" card in your hand before spawning the Troll, and make sure you can attack with it on the turn that it enters play.
Monster Category Discussion
Beasts: Blood Apes, Bane Spiders, Dragons, Hell Hounds, Manticores, naga, Razorwings
Eldrich: Golems, Demons, Sorcerers, Dark Priests, Skeletons, Chaos Beasts
Humanoid: Beastmen, Ogres, Kobolds, Giants, Deep Elves, Ferrox
So, which category of monsters is the most dangerous as a whole? It depends on your avatar, but I think that it's usually worthwhile to upgrade two categories of monsters. You should always level the cheapest category for you, and probably one other.
- If your primary monster category is Eldrich, then I think Beasts are the optimal secondary category. Eldrich monsters are mostly fragile ranged attackers, and these monsters work best when screened from the heroes by a tough meat-shield. Beast monsters have great speed and toughness and count a number of the best meat-shields in the game amongst their ranks. High level eldrich monsters love being coupled with a few silver beasts, such as Blood Apes.
- If your primary monster category is Humanoid, then I think you can actually save your EXP and not level either of the other categories. Most dungeons have humanoid-only setup options, humanoid spawn cards are common, and your many sweep attack creatures benefit greatly from treachery events. Just be aware that you're going to be relying on Beastmen and Trolls for most of your damage. Get the "Lone Troll" card ASAP. If you're playing an Avatar with cheap monster treachery, I'd advise upgrading Beasts rather than Eldrich. Beast monster treachery cards are among the best in the game.
- If your primary monster category is Beast, then I think it's a difficult decision about which other category to upgrade. You do need to upgrade one, however, because there are very few beast-only dungeon setup options. I'd give a slight edge to using Humanoids as your secondary category, because many of your Beast monsters have the capability to strike multiple heroes at once via breath, leap, or quick shot, and would benefit greatly from a Beastmaster's command aura. Since Beastmen work so well with these monsters already, it makes sense to fortify them as much as secondary choice. It's interesting to note that, although Beasts have the best treachery spawn cards (and benefit the most from Dark Armor), the avatars for which beast upgrades are cheapest have the most difficult time buying monster treachery.
The general strengths & weaknesses of each category are as follows:
Eldrich
Pros: Great damage, undying monsters, ranged attacks, common in dungeons/encounters, lots of spawn cards, Demons.
Cons: Fragile, slow, very vulnerable to blast, poor treachery spawn cards, many monsters that are very weak at Copper level.
Humanoids
Pros: Toughness, very common in dungeons/encounters, monsters are relatively strong at Copper/Silver level, Beastmen do incredible damage.
Cons: Slow, no ranged attacks, high tier monsters do poor damage, generally poor damage growth as the category is upgraded. Beastmen are easy to kill.
Beasts
Pros: Fast, versatile, great toughness, good damage growth as the category is upgraded. Lots of great treachery spawn cards.
Cons: Rare in dungeons/encounters, almost impossible to field a beast-only dungeon setup, many monsters that are weak at copper level.
If you found this list to be helpful, please donate a GG or two. I'm trying to earn my BBG avatar.
If you have any thoughts or feedback, please post it. I'm curious about what all of you other overlords think about the RTL monsters.
Edited for typos, added a few more tricks, updated some formatting, and clarified some thoughts about the Beast monster category.
Edit: Discovered the nifty half-star icon! Some monster ratings modified, some additions to the Skeleton discussion.
Last edited on 2008-04-03 17:08:58 CST (Total Number of Edits: 4)
Posted Tue Apr 1,2008 11:05 pm
