Schism Guide - Build Order, Skills, Army Plan, Tips and Tricks

Start of the game, leaving a city. Consider using town-portal to your off-city and upgrade T1 creature building there to have maximum Main stack:

1. Main stack of stinging-rashoth x60.

2. Off stack of cultist x20.

• You can save gold and skip buying agashoth-rider at this stage.
• Buy base rashoth from main-city, teleport to off-city, build and upgrade stack stinging-rashoth

Early game

1. Main stack of stinging-rashoth x80.

2. Main stack of concubus x5.

3. Off stack of cultist x25.

• By the end of Week 1 you can find creature dwellings or 3rd faction city.

Mid game

1. Main stack of stinging-rashoth x120.

2. Main stack of concubus x15.

3. Initiative stack of grand-shoth x10.

4. Off stack of cultist x40.

Late game.

1. Main stack of stinging-rashoth x200.

2. Main stack of concubus x35.

3. Main stack of arbitrator x20.

4. Initiative stack of grand-shoth x25.

Day 1: Creatures upgrade stinging-rashoth at main or off

Day 1: Economy (pick Astrology) at off or main

Day 2: Economy (pick Astrology) at main or off

Day 2: Economy (Bank) at off or main

Day 3: Economy (Bank) at main or off

Day 3: Economy (Marketplace) at off

Day 4: Creature buil T3 agashoth-tamer at main

Day 4: Creature build T2 cultist at off

Day 5: Economy (pick Astrology) at main

Day 5: Creatures build T3 agashoth-tamer at off

Day 6: Creature build T5 concubus at main

Day 6: Utility (Mage guild) at off

Day 7: Utility (Mage guild) at main

Day 7: Creature build T5 concubus or T4 grand-shoth at off

• Build economy buildings in captured cities, prioritizing Astrology generation.
• Avoid creature dwellings in foreign faction cities at all costs.
• If no useful economy building is available, build a Marketplace to reduce mark-up.
• When you capture your third foreign faction city, follow this order: Economy / Astrology → Bank → Marketplace if nothing better is available → creature dwellings to build T5 concubus.

Always max out abyssal-communion

Top picks:

• battle-magic, thaumaturgy, offense, defense

Good choice:

• summon-avatar, battlecraft, sorcery, logistics, nightshade-magic, arcane-magic

Situational choice:

• insight, tactics, leadership, luck

Avoid at all cost:

• siegecraft, diplomacy, economy

You can postpone selecting a skill after level-up, just close a window. If you have a bad choices, you can look for map objects that allow to purchase and learn new skills: University and Witch Hut. You can also use Hive utility building or Four Scholars Shrine map object to re-roll all learned skills, which are very rare to find. These are all known ways to improve a bad skill draft.

Week 1 progress:

1. Resource Riches (Tier 1): consider taking when needed to build economy building or to reach the Seal threshold for Tier 2.
2. Elite Ra'Shoth (Tier 1): must have consider investing at least once for +4 weekly growth strictly before end of Week 1.
3. Depths of Mind (Tier 1): optional if you need mana or unlocked second-wind from Astrology.

Week 2 progress:

1. Unfrozen Strength (Tier 1): good damage boost if you have battle-magic
2. Elite Cultists (Tier 2): good for your off-stack one-shoting potential and as a Seal threshold breaker for Tier 3
3. Depths of Mind (Tier 1): optional continue investing to increase your map scouting with more movements points from second-wind
4. Generational Wisdom (Tier 2): highly recommended at this point you are going to farm map a lot and increase your snowballing potential.

Later stages:

1. Resource Riches (Tier X): consider taking when needed to build economy building or higher tier creature buildings before end of week.
2. Planar Explorers (Tier 4): great source for Astrology points, this will give you access to shadowflight or dimension-door sooner.
3. Unfrozen Strength (Tier X): to improve your Main stack potential
4. Absolute Zero (Tier 4): provides synergy to many spells, unlocking powerful combos with thaumaturgy
5. Ice Storms (Tier 5): must have the most overpowered Law in game.

In current meta all factions follow the same order:

1. Unlock second-wind.

2. Upgrade second-wind.

3. Upgrade second-wind and now its better than exper logistics.

4. Max out second-wind and you are unstoppable map scout.

5. Unlock and max out shadowflight

6. Unlock dimension-door

• Usually the game is over before you can max out 3 neutral spells

Below stack numbers are approximate, not exact. Deviation of +/- 15% is ok.

Early game during Week 1:

1. Main stack of stinging-rashoth x70.

2. Off stack of cultist x15.

3. (Go To Choice) Trade stack of cultist 5x1

4. (Optional Choice) Trade stack of stinging-rashoth 5x1.

• Never trade your main stack.
• Saving Off stack can make it your one shot stack for Week 2.
• Watchout for abyssal-communion buff as you can trade stacks a bit.
• Be aware as cultist has long reach attack, alternate if needed.
• Optional Choice needed to generate Focus charges with ranged attacks. Spend Focus to cast Heroic Strike or Cultist Curse ability.

Mid game during Week 2-3:

1. Main stack of stinging-rashoth x120
2. Main stack of concubus x6
3. Off stack of cultist x25
4. Initiative stack of grand-shoth x10
5. Trade stack of stinging-rashoth 3x1

• Never trade your main stack.
• Kite with your Initiative stack.
• Watchout for abyssal-communion buff as you can trade stacks a bit.
• Spend Focus charges for Cultist Curse ability.

Late game during Week 3-4:

1. Main stack of stinging-rashoth x200
2. Main stack of concubus x25
3. Main stack of arbitrator x10
4. Off stack of cultist x50
5. Initiative stack of grand-shoth x20
6. Trade stack is optional for now

• You will have enough abyssal-communion to almost never trade a stack.
• Kite with your Initiative stack.
• With arbitrator inverse range ability attack at the furthest range to get +50% more damage.

Focus on your Main stacks when buying army from cities:

1. Off stack of stinging-rashoth
2. Main stack of concubus
3. Main stack of arbitrator
4. Off stack of cultist x50
5. Initiative/Main stack of unthinkable-shoth
6. Optional stack of abyssal-envoy
7. Trade stack of stinging-rashoth for focus generation or unthinkable-shoth for battlefield kiting

• Most of time you will have highest initiative, make use of double casting with thaumaturgy
• In current meta you will Wait for most army units. Because of +20% damage boost from battlecraft subskill. Because the first stack to attack would rather die and give off initiative next turn. Because attacking generates Focus charges for enemy units being attacked.
• The only potential Wait exception is arbitrator as they get +50% more damage when attacking far enemies.

Most of your army units have ability to summon army from friendly corpses. Be aware of not standing on them as it will make corpses disappear and prevent from summoning army.