PORTFOLIO OF UNITS FOR THE D2 SAGAS by ZOLTAN

1. I think it's just substantial to diversificate in the "portfolio of units", e.g., the Incubus unit is great if you have to beat very strong enemies who are immune to mind attacks, but since it's slow (initiative=20), a Modeus (initiative=40) would be of greater use against enemy wizards. A Defender of Faith is a great unit, too, but sometimes you would rather need the Great Inquisitor, because it is immune to mind attacks. Other examples : Phantom Warrior vs Dark Lord; Death vs Archlich; Hierophant vs Prophetess.

2. All this can be achieved if you have another branch's unit in the beginning of the scenario given to you as a "standard" (e.g. Angel) and/or if you can buy them at a mercenary camp, and you just build another branch. But latter is not likely to happen, especially with strong units. It is more likely that you can start the 2nd scenario of the Empire campaign say, with a Knight (level 2), and not an Imperial Knight (level 3). So you get a L2-creature which is weaker than the L3-unit of the another branch (Inquisitor), so it is meaningless to build another branch just because you have a "specimen" from the other one. I mostly pick the stronger fighters, not the mind/elemental-resistant ones : the Knight-branch of the Empire and the Zombie-branch of the Hordes. Sometimes there is no "clear" choice: the Death unit of the Hordes is immune to weapon and to death spells, it is fast, and makes lots of damage - although it reaches only one enemy unit, but the Archlich unit all of them. Latter is slower and it is not immune to weapon.

3. You can easily win with this strategy : 2 or 3 heroes with all possible types of units running together, eventually exchanging between the parties. This makes the adventure-spells more effective, too : you put a Weapon Ward on a party, engage in combat, give them to another leader, another combat, etc. You can put wards, shields, damage-boosters on them, make them drink beneficial potions, and burn everything in your path with multiple leaders. Of course, this works especially if the density of enemy parties on the map is big, so you don't have to travel between them so many.

4. The "portfolio diversification" works if you have some (eventually different) immunities/wards or simply faster units than the enemy (but latter is not likely to happen).

-ZOLTAN