In Heroes of Might and Magic 3, the most popular ranged unit is the Phantom Shooter. Although this unit can only be obtained in the campaign through the hero "Gru", their strong output ability still impresses some veteran players. **Hit attributes, Phantom Shooter is undoubtedly the first among level 4 and below marksman units, even if melee units are counted, Phantom Shooter is only subservient to the "Ogre" with ** values and the "Crusader" that can combo. Considering the snail-like speed of the "Ogre" and "Crusader", the Phantom Shooter can rely on his high speed to win against them, confirming his reputation as the "King of Level 4 Single Output".
Even though the durability of the Phantom Shooter is relatively worrying, their ranged damage is not affected by distance or any obstacles, and coupled with his unmatched attack power, it is natural that he will be loved by players. However, in a situation where the player has a poor economy and limited options, it is not very wise to recruit Phantom Shooters. A Phantom Archer requires 400 gold coins, which is 40% more expensive than a 225 gold elf each, nearly half a double, and the output capacity is only 20% higher than that of a big elf, that is, a quarter of the level. Even if the Phantom Archer's "Forever Straight Arrow" stunt is taken into account, its lethality is increased by 30%, which makes the Phantom Shooter not very cost-effective. Today, I'm going to talk to you about this ranged soldier that is loved by players, but the cost performance is actually very low: Phantom Shooter.
Phantom Shooter: Although the actual combat is strong, the cost performance is not as good as that of the elf?
The Phantom Shooter is a new class that only appeared in the Heroes of Might or Magic 3 expansion. In terms of strength, I am afraid that the only way to compare with the phantom archer is the "big elf" of the high-attack crispy class with 15 HP.
As we all know, the elf of the barrier can shoot twice in a row, so his floating damage of 3-5 points is naturally multiplied by 2, that is, the killing attribute of the elf is 6-10 points. Even if you don't take into account the Phantom Archer's stunts, the output attributes of the Pokemon are not as good as those of the Phantom Archer, after all, the latter has a floating kill range of 8-10 points, and the minimum damage is 20% more than that of the Pokemon. And if you include the Phantom Archer's own unique "Phantom Bow" skills, his actual combat performance is much better than that of the Elf.
But in fact, the above comparison is meaningless, because in the battle, Gru can directly upgrade his human "Marksman" and Barrier "Elf" to Phantom Shooter, and the Elf needs to spend 175 gold when upgrading to Phantom Archer, which naturally shows that the single output attribute of Phantom Shooter is stronger than that of Elf.
However, as mentioned earlier, the Phantom Shooter is really a bit expensive, in the case of **40% more than the elf, the damage attribute is only 20% higher than the elf, and it is obviously a big elf that succumbs to the barrier in terms of cost performance.
And the elf still exists as the most cost-effective unit among the ranged units, after all, his recruitment threshold is very low, and he can output twice in one round. Among ranged soldiers, if durability is also included in the cost performance, the most cost-effective is the Lizard Warrior, because he is not only rough and thick-skinned, but his comprehensive output attributes are also comparable to many ranged high-level soldiers.
Evaluation of the Phantom Archer's basic stats
If there is one Phantom Shooter's greatest strength, it must be his speed. The Phantom Archer has a speed of 9 points, and his attack priority is second only to the Titan Titan in the Tower Tier 7 in the ranged class, and he also has the perk of "damage is not affected by distance or walls". This means that in the first round of the battle, the Phantom Archer is basically guaranteed to be the first to attack the target enemy with a "straight arrow", while the other ranged units are dwarfed, and the first round directly deals up to 50% of the "half arrow" damage, which also makes the Phantom Archer have an advantage when "shooting" against other marksman classes.
Even in the face of a thick-skinned melee class, the Phantom Archer is able to ensure full "straight arrow" damage for three rounds of approaching the opposite side, with an overall output of up to 300%, which is a full 20% more damage than the mediocre 250% output of other ranged units.
But no matter how strong the Phantom Archer is, there is a fatal shortcoming that still affects his actual combat performance, and this flaw is his HP. The durability of the Phantom Shooter is really low, and even the "Marksman" with a cardboard-like defense is a little better than him. And the shame is that the output ability of the Phantom Shooter is not yet 100% able to crush the Marksman, so the fact that the Phantom Shooter is "cost-effective" is almost a certainty.
And it is precisely because of his fragile HP and defensive attributes that his magic skill of "damage is not affected by the city walls" is of little use in siege warfare. After all, in a normal battle, a round of fire in the enemy's arrow tower can kill the phantom shooter for several weeks, and all of a sudden, a few thousand gold coins are gone, and the player naturally can't accept it.
Even if it's not a siege battle, in a field battle, a "thunderbolt" of an enemy hero can instantly evaporate the number of Phantom Shooters. And because the Phantom Shooter is a neutral unit and lacks direct recruitment channels in the town, players can accumulate dozens of them and have to cherish them, and die a large number of them so easily, which also proves that the Phantom Shooter does have an "embarrassing and heavy-duty" side in actual combat.
Pros of the Phantom Shooter
As the king of single output among the level 4 soldiers of "Heroes and Heroes 3", the Phantom Archer naturally has many advantages, and his advantages can be summarized in the following aspects:
Celestial Stunt:Phantom Shooter has a magic skill, that is, its "long-range attack will not be negatively affected by distance and walls", and in battle, in addition to the two factors of distance and walls, Phantom Shooter can even be unaffected by any "obstacles" on the battlefield, so to speak, "permanent straight arrows". This perk gives the Phantom Shooter's output a huge boost, as he is able to deal constant lethal damage on the battlefield without other ranged units being subjected to "half arrows".
Output Horror:With 12 attack damage and 8-10 floating damage from a level 4 ranged unit, the Phantom Shooter can do as much damage as he does on the battlefield, ensuring that he can wipe out a large number of enemy low-level soldiers as long as he does not fall on the battlefield.
Large amount of ammunition:Phantom Shooter has the highest ammo count of 32 rounds in the game, which is in stark contrast to the dungeon "Medusa", which is scarce in ammo. Even if a battle is over, the Phantom Shooter may not have run out of ammo. In a protracted battle, the Phantom Shooter can calmly perform continuous output during the approach of enemy melee units, or engage in several rounds of "counterfire" with enemy marksman units, without worrying about running out of ammo and being forced to face melee attacks.
Match Magic:Phantom Archer has both the ** skill of "permanent straight arrow", but also the fatal flaw of "weak durability". But as long as he shoots at the Phantom Glove with the blessing of the "Hercules Shield", the Phantom Archer's fragile HP is no longer a problem, and his anti-heaven stunts and terrifying output ability can also be maximized.
Disadvantages of the Phantom Shooter
Despite his many strengths, the Phantom Shooter also has some fatal flaws, such as the following:
Poor durability:As a level 4 creep, the Phantom Shooter has only 10 defense and 15 health, which is really low, and this makes their numbers extremely depleted in battle. Whether it's a round of fire in the Arrow Tower in a siege or a "thunderbolt" cast by an enemy hero in a field battle, the Phantom Archer will be instantly demoralized. Due to their terrifying output ability, they will naturally be taken care of by the enemy, so the durability of garbage has become the biggest shortcoming of the Phantom Shooter.
Poor value for money:In the campaign, the hero "Gru" costs 175 gold to upgrade his elf to Phantom Archer, which is a good deal. However, in ordinary battles, the barrier can not recruit a god general like "Gru", and in the case of a tight economy, which is more worthy of recruitment, the phantom archer with 400 gold coins or the elf with 225 gold coins, it is natural to weigh it carefully. And the fact is that the Phantom Shooter's ** is more than 40% higher than that of the Elf, and even with the stunt of the "Phantom Bow", its output effect is about 30% better than that of the Elf. Looking at it this way, it is definitely more cost-effective to recruit elves. In fact, even compared to a class like the Lizard Warrior with a high degree of flesh and good output, the Phantom Archer will still be a bit more expensive.
Easy to be stuck in the slot:Even the Phantom Archer has the "Forever Straight Arrow" perk, as well as a speed of up to 9 points. But in actual combat, some extremely high-speed troops such as dragon flies can still easily stick to the face of the phantom shooter, in the case of being stuck, even if the phantom shooter's long-range kung fu is strong, he has to pull out a small dagger to fight hand-to-hand, and because there is no "melee damage does not decrease" ability, its output will also be greatly discounted, losing the big advantage of his high output.
Late fatigue:To say that the Phantom Shooter is easy to use means that his role in the early stage is acceptable, but in the middle and late stages, with the accumulation of the enemy's various high-level troops, the phantom shooter's damage will be inadequate. And his fragile durability will be even more lethal at this time. Fortunately, in normal battles, Phantom Shooter is generally a consumable unit that players recruit in the wild for the transition from early to mid to late stage, and his number is also difficult to accumulate, so generally no player will save him for the final decisive battle.