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Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness Hints

Building your base

  • I don't have that much to say here.  Basically, the order I usually build things in is:

    Humans:  Town Hall, Barracks, Elven Lumber Mill, Blacksmith, Upgrade to Keep, Shipyard, Stables, Gnomish Inventor, Foundry, Oil Refinery, Upgrade to Castle, Church, Mage Tower, Gryphon Aviary.

    Orcs: Great Hall, Barracks, Troll Lumber Mill, Blacksmith, Upgrade to Stronghold, Shipyard, Ogre Mound, Goblin Alchemist, Foundry, Oil Refinery, Upgrade to Fortress, Altar of Storms, Temple of the Damned, Dragon Roost.

    You can't build all of these right at the beginning of the game, so don't fret if you can't.  You will later on.

    You may want to build a Lumber Mill before a Barracks if you're building a town from scratch, since you get lumber quicker this way.  Otherwise, it's better to follow the order specified above.

    Of course, you will obviously need more than one Farm.  Build farms as needed.  And if the battle is mainly on sea, build the sea buildings early on.  I recommend at least 4 Peasants, and as many as 10, depending on how much of the resources you need and how fast you need them.  I find that six farms can supply a good-sized army, but more is always good.  And build Towers as you see fit.  If the enemy attacks with air units, make Guard Towers.  Otherwise make cannon towers.  You can see more about Towers in the "Defending your Base" section.

    One neat thing is to speed up building of structures, is to have a Peasant "repair" it while it's being built.  This will speed up the process.   However, that's one Peasant that could be getting resources that's tied up, and it costs a bit extra, too.

    Finally, you don't NEED to build everything.  Sometimes, I get away with not making an Altar of Storms, or a Dragon Roost.  I don't always need a Refinery either.  Build as you see fit, depending on your needs.