BUILD ORDER ANTHOLOGY
Over the following threads I will attempt to define and describe common build orders and for use in solo play in Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. It is a work in progress now so I will add things as I get the time. The BOs are commonly seen on battle.net and in professional games. The target skill level that may wish to use this compendium ranges from not only the very new, but in my opinion up to experienced or competitive players. Coupled with the suggested replays I feel the detail of these builds, complete with matchup, map and hero suggestions, is sufficient enough to follow for all types of players. Do not worry if you feel you are experiencing déjà vu, as many of the Orc build orders are quite similar with sometimes only slight differences differentiating two unique strategies. In the following article I seek to define the given build order up to the 25-35 supply mark. The setout of this compendium is explained below:
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RACE – Build Order Name – This is just a name I made up, generally very literal and to the point. Perhaps you might want to come up with your own to do with timing or something like they do with StarCraft build orders.
Matchups – Again, it is certainly not limited to these matchups but they are the favourable ones. In some cases the build does not lend itself well to other matchups.
Maps – This is by no means a complete list of maps that the build may be used on, just some that I identified as somewhat favouring this type of build for various reasons.
.
Replays – This is a list of replays I have found (generally sourced from mymym.com) that demonstrate the build order or very close to it. These are handy for expanding on any notes I include.
Heroes – Here is included suggested 1st/2nd/3rd heroes for the particular build but again it is not set in concrete.
Notes on Usage – Included is a small paragraph on what strategies to aim for in utilizing the given build but nothing detailed, just general tips.
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PART II – HUMAN BUILD ORDERS
The standard opening for any human player today is the fast expansion with militia where the map allows. This is not only beneficial in that it provides an expansion without sacrificing your unit count or creeping too heavily, but gets your hero much faster XP than many other openings. Like the classic Orc opening this can be somewhat predictable however, and creative players may time harassment perfectly to delay your expansion before the towers go up. In addition your lumber peasants are softened up to some degree, and while they are generally not targeted they would provide easy XP for a roving Blademaster if you do not wall in correctly, or easy pickings for summoned skeletons when dealing with Undead of Dark Rangers.
HUMAN – Fast Expansion Build
Matchups: HU v ORC, HU v NE, HU v UD
Maps: Lost Temple, Twisting Meadows, Melting Valley
Replays: mym21592, mym21707, mym22274, The China v Korea games yield many replays of this, as InFi and Sky seem to use this build against Orc players like Lyn a lot.
Heroes: [Archmage/Mountain King], [Archmage/Tavern Hero], [Archmage]
Notes on Usage: Don’t be afraid to let your militia tank the damage once your water elemental is banished because as lumber peasants in your walled-in base they will rarely get targeted for more damage, but pay attention as they have low HP and may die easily to higher level creeps. Aim for 3-4 towers to defend each mine to give yourself enough time to reach the expansion if it is pressed and also to deter single low-level-hero harassment of the peasants. The opening of this build is very flexible in allowing you to gain a strong, well-defended economy and being able to branch into things such as a workshop/arcane sanctums/gryphon aviaries with minor tweaking. Be sure to creep so that your water elementals can help to bulk up your relatively small early game army of footmen. Creep jacking can help prevent enemy heroes getting too strong and so able to destroy your towers quickly solo.
Against undead who has not sufficiently walled in you may opt for a paladin with fast-level up to take out acolytes by using invulnerability potions, divine shield and clarity potions to keep alive and maintain mana (use the clarity potion as soon as you use divine shield as they will last roughly the same time and will not cancel while you are invulnerable) while killing the acolytes with level2/3 holy light. If you keep this pressure on it will either stall the Undead upgrades or give you a huge economic lead with your expansion up. Careful of the Undead attempting to disrupt your creeping.
- [5/12] Build 2 peasants from your town hall.
- [6/12] Send 4 peasants to your gold mine and one to build an Altar. When the altar is finished, use this peasant to harvest lumber.
- [6/12] Just as your first peasant is about to finish being trained, take another peasant off of gold and start building a farm. Once he is finished send him to build a second farm at the choke point entrance to your base or in another convenient scouting location.
- [7/12] With the first peasant trained from your town hall, build a barracks.
- [8/12] Send your second constructed peasant to gold to bring the total to 4 on gold.
- [9/12] Send your third peasant to gold to bring the total to 5 on gold.
- [9/18] Build 3 peasants and send them to lumber
- [10/18] Your Altar should be complete and you can build your hero.
- [16/18] Make a footman.
- [19/24] Make your second footman around this time.
- [21/24] You should have around 7 peasants working on lumber at this point. Build two more peasants. Keep making footmen up to 4-5 of them and keep producing farms when required.
- [23/24] Take two footmen, your hero, and four militia from peasants off of lumber and creep your natural expansion. When these militia revert to peasants fast build a scout tower with all four. Upgrade this to an arcane tower to deter hero harassment.
- [30/30] Build your expansion using 4 peasants and get a second scout tower up when it is done. Be sure to have 5 peasants ready to start mining.
- [30/42] Build a lumber mill. Fast build it with 3-4 peasants.
- [30/42] Make sure that you maintain 4-5 footmen if they fall in combat, and be sure to have 20+ peasants at the read.
- [40/42] Ensure you have adequate towers at all town halls (2-4 at each). Upgrade to a keep and build an Arcane Vault. From here you can branch off into either dual Arcane Sanctums for casters after the keep is done, or make extra towers and build two griffon aviaries at the keep and immediately upgrade to a castle for mass griffon riders. A common option against Night Elf players at this point is to make 2 Arcane Sanctums for all 3 casters plus a Workshop for mortar teams.
HUMAN – One Base Casters/Tower Push
Matchups: HU v ORC
Maps: Twisting Meadows, Turtle Rock, Gnoll Wood
Replays: mym21420, mym21422, mym21593 (no tower push, just single casters base-swap), Other ToD games.
Heroes: [Archmage/Beast Master], [Archmage/Mountain King]. [Archmage/Pandaren Brewmaster]
Notes on Usage: An important part of this build is having a strong archmage so that your water elementals can provide enough damage and tanking to help your towers survive. To achieve this the early creeping must target specific creeps for best effect and fastest levels. If you feel you would like more summons to help kill demolishers you can get a beast master, but brewmasters work well with their flaming breath that can damage buildings and hence kill the barracks or burrows to prevent demolishers being reinforced. Harass the orc if you can to slow down any tech but be careful not to lose your AM as it is vital that is has as much XP as possible. This build works best when the Orc goes classic or some other early-mid tech so that he does not have many tier 1 units to stop it. By no means have you lost if you end up losing control of your tower contain – if you have done damage you can withdraw and creep while the orc player is busy clearing out towers and wasting money on building and repairing siege weapons.
This build can be used without the tower rush, and instead as a one-base casters build intended to go toe-to-toe with an Orc army while trying to keep ahead in hero experience. If you opt to do it this way (or the Orc has effectively scouted and countered your tower push) you should continue to creep before getting a level 5 Archmage and attacking the Orc’s base while he or she is out. Target burrows and the Voodoo Lounge first. If the Orc counters by attacking your own base you can judge whether your militia and towers will give you the edge in the race or not. Take note of whether the Orc player has a scroll of town portal or not and ensure you have one yourself to teleport out if the Orc army engages you. The Orc may also try to out-produce you with many expansions, if this is the case you must hit his base again to slow down this additional production by targeting burrows and then tech buildings. Killing peasants is not as effective here as there will be many at the other expansions and the Orc should be well off economically compared to you anyway.
- [5/12] Send 4 peasants to gold and one to build an Altar.
- [5/12] Train two peasants.
- [6/12] Build a farm and a barracks
- [7/12] With your first trained peasant, send it to help speedbuild the altar and then send both peasants to mine gold.
- [8/12] Send your second peasant trained to harvest lumber.
- [9/18] Build a Barracks and your hero.
- [15/18] Build another farm. As a general rule, build your farms 2-3 food before you reach the limit. Continue to pump peasants from here. Once you have enough, take 6-7 militia plus your hero (Archmage, generally) at an orange camp to achieve level 2.
- [18/24] Train a footman.
- [20/24] Train a second footman.
- [22/24] Build a farm. Continue to make peasants and be sure to maintain about 4-5 footmen.
- [28/30] You should end up with around 14-15 peasants at this point. It is important to keep your peasant count up as you will use them to build towers and repair them later on and many may be lost but you need enough to maintain a decent economy seeing you are on a single base.
- [30/30] Upgrade to a Keep. Make some towers at your base and remember to keep up the farms.
- [30+/36] When the Keep is about 80% done (food value varies here) build an Arcane Vault and a Lumber Mill.
- [34/36] Get a second hero, assuming you chose an Archmage first the Firelord or Beast Master is a solid second choice. Build two Arcane Sanctums using two peasants on each building. Build a farm now, too and again at 38/42 food.
- When you have trained 3 sorceresses and 1 priest and have more casters on the way, take 5-8 militia from lumber (generally take more depending on the map and terrain – the more peasants you take the faster towers are erected). You may wish to take Ivory Towers in your hero inventory, too.
- Fastbuild two towers at a time with 3-4 peasants working on each and plant any ivory towers. Place any ivory towers you have and ensure that they are placed within range of the opponent’s buildings (especially the barracks or burrows to prevent demolishers).
HUMAN – One Base Knights/Gryphon Tech
Matchups: HU v UD
Maps: Twisting Meadows, Turtle Rock, Gnoll Wood
Replays: mym21771, mym21420, mym21422, Other ToD games.
Heroes: [Archmage/Mountain King/Paladin], [Mountain King/Paladin/Bloodmage], [Paladin/Mountain King/Bloodmage]
Notes on Usage: This build is quite different to those of other Human matchups, as it is tailored to counter the popular Undead gargoyle/three hero builds and also their destroyers. While vulnerable early on, a good wall-in coupled with towers should ensure your base cannot be overrun, but be careful of early creepjacking or skeleton harassment. The 1-2 Flying Machines after the Workshop is complete are initially used as scouts, placed in convenient locations away from harm but they come into their own later as I will explain. The Gryphon/Knight combo (with Animal Training upgrade) is a strong counter to ghouls and fiends, but you will need to add dragonhawk riders if gargoyles start being massed. Your Heroes chosen should generally include the paladin and mountain king as the combination of storm bolt and holy light is very powerful in taking out enemy heroes, which form the backbone of the undead army. Similarly with the bloodmage, a banish/storm bolt/holy light combination takes down the UD heroes very fast. In the later game you can amass more and more flying machines quite quickly from the workshop and what these do is not only to discourage the upgrading of Obsidian Statues into Destroyers (effectively wasting the undead resources spent on the upgrade, a good resource trade off) and attack them where the magic attack of the Gryphons cannot, but they scout very well. The undead may be tempted to use something interesting such as banshees for Anti-Magic Shield against storm bolt/holy light but in this case your Flying Machines can be upgraded to attack these casters or the statues and stack up to do considerable damage to these units. Also, with so many flying units on the map, if the Undead player has Web on auto-cast they may waste it on Flying Machines (which will generally not be targeted, and can be repaired) instead of the hard-hitting Gryphons.
- [5/12] Train two peasants.
- [6/12] Send 4 peasants to gold and one to build an Altar. Scout with militia if playing on a three or more player map.
- [7/12] Build a farm. Keep pumping peasants one at a time.
- [8/12] Build a Barracks. The next peasant trained goes to the gold mine, next two go to gold if you scouted.
- [9/18] Build a second farm with the same peasant as from (7/12). Aim to wall off your base so that larger units cannot get in (farm next to barracks or altar means only peasants/footmen/ghouls/skeletons can get in, but not fiends or heroes).
- [16/24] Train your first footman. Build a Scout Tower.
- [21/24] Train a footman. Take the footman already built along with your hero and 3-4 militia (map dependant) and start to creep. If you are creep jacked or just to be safe you may want to upgrade to an Arcane Tower now. This will help defend against skeletons harassing your peasants.
- [23/24] Get two peasants to fastbuilt a farm and train another peasant if you want to bring your total up to 8. This number leaves a good amount harvesting lumber for higher tier units and teching while still being able to use 2 peasants to fastbuild your structures.
- [24/30] Train a footman.
- [26/30] Upgrade to a Keep as soon as you have sufficient resources.
- [26/30] Train a footman when you have enough gold after your keep upgrade. Note that you are aiming for 5-6 footmen to accompany your hero, but delaying one footman in order to buy a vital item (e.g. Boots of Speed) is encouraged, as footman are cheap and train fast.
- [28/30] Train a footman.
- [30/30] Build a farm and use 2 peasants to fastbuild a Lumber Mill. As for timing, aim to start building the lumber mill when the Keep is 50-60% complete.
- [30/36] Build 1-2 more Scout Towers as you see fit for extra defense. Upgrade these to Guard Towers.
- [30/36] Train your second hero.
- [35/36] Upgrade to a Castle.
- [35/36] Use two peasants to fastbuild a blacksmith and Arcane Vault when the caste is 10% complete or you have the funds.
- [35/36] Fastbuild a Workshop with 2 peasants when the Castle is 50-60% complete. Use 2 peasants to fastbuild a Gryphon Aviary when your Castle is around 80% complete. From here get one or two Flying Machines and start to train Gryphons and Knights when the Castle is complete. Remember to upgrade Animal Training. Choose a third hero. If the opponent is using gargoyles you may need dragonhawk riders.
Rifle build
- Send all peasants to gold, and queue two.
- Rally them to lumber, NOT gold. (You will only have 4 peasants on gold for quite awhile, so make sure you remember to take the guy who finishes the Blacksmith later, and put him on gold when he's done)
- Take a peasant from gold and START an Altar (but do NOT finish it, just start it, then immediately walk away).
- Use same peasant to START a Farm (again, just barely start it, then walk him away from it).
- Send that peasant to gather lumber, and keep making more peasants, all queued to lumber (until you get 10 food in peasants, then stop making them).
- Once you reach 100 lumber, take one lumber-gathering peasant and BUILD (not just start, but fully build) a Blacksmith. When this peasant is finished building the Blacksmith, send him to get gold, so you have 5 on gold.
- When you get to 60 lumber, take another peasant from lumber and BUILD (fully build, not start) a Barracks.
- When you get 20 lumber, take 3 peasants off lumber. One finishes the Altar you began before, one finishes the Farm you began before, and one BUILDS (not starts, but fully builds) a second Farm.
- When you get to 50 lumber, your Barracks should just be completing, so train a Rifleman, and build another Farm.
- You should then get another 30 lumber and train a second Rifleman about the time when your Altar completes.
- Train AM (or Paladin if vs UD) - you should be at 21 food (10 workers, 2 Rifles, one hero being trained).
- Train additional Rifleman as resources permit, and make 2-3 additional peasants along the way. After awhile, you should be at about 44 food.
2009/02/24
UD Build Order
BUILD ORDER ANTHOLOGY
Over the following threads I will attempt to define and describe common build orders and for use in solo play in Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. It is a work in progress now so I will add things as I get the time. The BOs are commonly seen on battle.net and in professional games. The target skill level that may wish to use this compendium ranges from not only the very new, but in my opinion up to experienced or competitive players. Coupled with the suggested replays I feel the detail of these builds, complete with matchup, map and hero suggestions, is sufficient enough to follow for all types of players. Do not worry if you feel you are experiencing déjà vu, as many of the Orc build orders are quite similar with sometimes only slight differences differentiating two unique strategies. In the following article I seek to define the given build order up to the 25-35 supply mark. The setout of this compendium is explained below:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RACE – Build Order Name – This is just a name I made up, generally very literal and to the point. Perhaps you might want to come up with your own to do with timing or something like they do with StarCraft build orders.
Matchups – Again, it is certainly not limited to these matchups but they are the favourable ones. In some cases the build does not lend itself well to other matchups.
Maps – This is by no means a complete list of maps that the build may be used on, just some that I identified as somewhat favouring this type of build for various reasons.
.
Replays – This is a list of replays I have found (generally sourced from mymym.com) that demonstrate the build order or very close to it. These are handy for expanding on any notes I include.
Heroes – Here is included suggested 1st/2nd/3rd heroes for the particular build but again it is not set in concrete.
Notes on Usage – Included is a small paragraph on what strategies to aim for in utilizing the given build but nothing detailed, just general tips.
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PART I – UNDEAD BUILD ORDERS
Somewhat in contrast to the other races the typical Undead opening build is slightly more varied with two options coming in the form of summoning a later altar to get the powerful crypt fiends very fast or summoning the altar, crypt, ziggurat and tomb of relics early on to branch into a ghoul-heavy early game build. Both options are viable in many matchups but both can be scouted readily and will tell the opponent what to expect for the next few minutes, where they can estimate the timing and perhaps hit your vulnerable acolytes while a Hall upgrade is in progress.
UNDEAD – Fast Crypt Fiends
Matchups: ANY
Maps: Lost Temple, Twisting Meadows, Terenas Stand, Secret Valley
Replays: mym18981, mym22111, mym22343, Almost any UD v ORC replay
Heroes: [Death Knight/Lich], [Death Knight/Lich/Pit Lord], [Death Knight/Lich/Dark Ranger], [Death Knight/Naga Sea Witch/Lich]
Notes on Usage: Your first fiend will be out before your hero, so you may want to use it to lure a nearby green creep camp with your fiend back to your base to damage early on without sustaining much damage to your fiend. You may want to get your nerubian tower earlier if acolyte harassment is probable. Keep scouting with summoned skeletons while creeping – this is handy to gauge the timing of the Orc player and this intel can be used to orchestrate burrow or tech building harassment, killing a burrow or forcing a cancel on a bestiary before teleporting out (or, if he has no Hex or Ensnare, simply running away).
Against Human players walling in and protection of your acolytes is a definite must, as either paladins or footmen can come and kill all of your acolytes for little economic sacrifice of their own. Be ready to teleport back whenever this seems to be happening. The best hero choices here are the DK/Lich/Dark Ranger or the DK/Naga as the naga is effective against the human player. Against humans you may want to creep earlier, too, and always get a nerubian tower even on larger maps. Stealing creep kills is also paramount to success because of the power of high level water elementals when attacking your acolytes.
- [5/10] Send 2 acolytes to mine gold, and your ghoul to mine lumber from the closest trees.
- [5/10] Build 1 acolyte. This goes to gold.
- [6/10] Build a Crypt and a Graveyard.
- [6/10] Build a second acolyte. This also goes to gold.
- [7/10] Build an Altar when you have the resources.
- [7/10] Build a ziggurat when the resources are available.
- [7/10] Build a ghoul and send it to lumber.
- [9/10] Build a Tomb of Relics. Keep in mind the positioning, as you may want to wall in your acolytes.
- [9/20] Build your hero.
- [14/20] Build a crypt fiend.
- [17/20] Build another ziggurat when you have enough gold.
- [17/20] Build a second crypt fiend. Buy a rod of necromancy when you have 150 gold.
- [20/30] Get your 3rd crypt fiend. Continue to pump fiends. You may want between 4 and 6 for now, depending on your strategy.
- [26/30] Build a ziggurat. The timing of these ziggurats is important as it is used in many undead builds and is timed right to coincide with when you require more units.
- [26/30] Upgrade a nerubian frost tower and your main to the halls of the dead. The frost tower is to help deter harassment while you are vulnerable with the halls of the dead upgrading.
- [26/30] From here continue to get fiends, and perhaps replacement ghouls or extra ghouls if your lumber is running low.
- [34/40] Upgrade to a Black Citadel and build another ziggurat. In addition to this build a slaughterhouse and choose a second hero. Get some obsidian statues, upgrade creature attack and when the black citadel is complete you can opt for a third hero.
UNDEAD – Dual Crypt, Two-Hero Ghouls to Gargs
Matchups: UD v NE, UD v HU, UD v ORC (less common, but if they get wyverns it can be good)
Maps: Echo Isles, Terenas Stand
Replays: mym22420, NGL ONE S08 replay 2939
Heroes: [Death Knight/Lich]
Notes on Usage: Creep with 2-3 and then more ghouls as much as possible and never stop creeping. With your faster army you can also creep jack well and in between battles or moving to a striking position fit in a few more creep kills.Try to keep ghouls alive here, especially as you intend to attack before a third hero you should be conservative and just aim to only engage when you are sure to do damage. Remember to upgrade a ziggurat close to your mine to a Nerubian Tower if blademaster or warden acolyte harassment is a possibility.
- [5/10] Send 2 acolytes to mine gold, and your ghoul to mine lumber from the closest trees.
- [5/10] Build an Altar, a Crypt and a ziggurat in that order.
- [5/10] Build two acolytes and send them to gold.
- [7/10] Build a Tomb of Relics. Also make your hero.
- [12/20] Build two ghouls.
- [16/20] Build a ziggurat. Creep with your Death Knight and 2-3 ghouls depending on the map and toughness of the creeps.
- [16/20] Build two more ghouls when you have the resources. Continue to pump ghouls so that you end up with around 7 ghouls in total.
- [22/30] If there is a strong chance of harassment from, say, a blademaster or warden you can upgrade one ziggurat to a nerubian tower now.
- [24/30] Upgrade to a halls of the dead. Also build another ghoul if you feel you need to and have enough gold
- [26/30] Build a graveyard.
- [26/30] Build a second crypt when your halls of the dead is about 50% complete.
- [26/30] Build another ziggurat. Notice this is again the same timing as in the crypt fiends build.
- [26/40] Build 2 gargoyles and your second hero.
- [35/40] Build a slaughterhouse for statues and pump gargoyles. Remember that exact food amount may differ depending on how many ghouls you may lose.
UNDEAD – Single Crypt, Three-Hero Ghouls to Gargs
Matchups: UD v NE, UD v ORC, UD v HU
Maps: Echo Isles, Terenas Stand, other Tavern Maps
Replays: NGL ONE S08 replay 2940
Heroes: [Death Knight/Lich/Dark Ranger], [Death Knight/Lich/Pit Lord], [Death Knight/Naga Sea Witch/Lich], [Death Knight/Pandaren Brewmaster]
Notes on Usage: Take 2-3 ghouls and creep, depending on map and how hard the green creep camp is. Don’t stop creeping with ghouls and keep leveling your Death Knight ASAP and get your 2nd and 3rd heroes as soon as possible especially against Orc. When facing Night Elf always be wary of the possibility of a Brewmaster as second hero – his flaming breath can destroy your gargoyles so use stone form to evade the drunken haze and fire breath attacks. Gargoyles are handy as spotters for meat wagons over rivers and other obstacles. Against human players gargoyles are an option but may be less favourable seeing they are easily countered by dragonhawk riders. If you can consistently keep your gargoyle count above that of the dragonhawk rider count then it can work well. Additionally, against Humans you should ensure your Hall upgrades are well timed and initiated as soon as possible. Watch for Human players trying to kill your acolytes. Walling your acolytes in with ziggurats and a nerubian tower is a must for all Undead vs. Human matchups. The Naga Sea Witch is a viable second hero against Humans. Pandaren Brewmaster may be required against Humans who amass Flying Machines, which take out your gargoyles and destroyers with relative ease.
- [5/10] Send 2 acolytes to mine gold, and your ghoul to mine lumber from the closest trees.
- [5/10] Build an Altar, a Crypt and a ziggurat in that order.
- [5/10] Build two acolytes and send them to gold.
- [7/10] Build a Tomb of Relics. Also make your hero.
- [12/20] Build two ghouls.
- [16/20] Build a ziggurat. Creep with your Death Knight and 2-3 ghouls depending on the map and toughness of the creeps.
- [16/20] Build two more ghouls when you have the resources.
- [22/30] If there is a strong chance of harassment from, say, a blademaster or warden you can upgrade one ziggurat to a nerubian tower now. This will coincide with your main upgrade.
- [22/30] Upgrade to a halls of the dead when you have enough gold.
- [24/30] Build a graveyard.
- [24/30] Build a ziggurat.
- [24/30] Now it is wise to build a 6th acolyte to sit around your goldmine and perform building tasks. Get your second hero now as well.
- [25/30] Upgrade to a Black Citadel. Note that you built an extra acolyte because acolyte harassment may be likely while you are upgrading and having 6 acolytes in combination with a nerubian tower should minimize losses due to this type of harassment.
- [32/40] Build a slaughterhouse, sacrificial pit and second crypt now if needed. Note that this says single crypt but that is because the second crypt is a whole lot later and is more for end-game pumping to get your army out faster if you require. From here you should get obsidian statues, a shade if your opponent is orc with a blademaster, gargoyles if your orc opponent has wyverns or too few raiders, and a 3rd hero (pit lord is a good choice). Later on you may want abominations in the army mix, too.
UNDEAD – Single Crypt, Three-Hero Ghouls to Fiends
Matchups: UD v NE, UD v HU
Maps: Turtle Rock, Terenas Stand, Other maps with difficult creeps
Replays: mym21771, mym22112, mym22113
Heroes: [Death Knight/Lich/Naga Sea Witch], [Death Knight/Lich/Dark Ranger]
Notes on Usage: In performing this build a player should look to keep the pressure on the Night Elf opponent with the Death Knight with Death Coil stealing creeps and slowing down creeping until enough ghouls are produced to harass or creep in a more effective manner. Aim to do some creep jacking or building harassment as soon as your ghouls are ready for combat. Being able to support a strong unit mix off two buildings is another strength here as the ghouls provide the backbone early, so try to keep them alive. Against Humans, banshees are an option to counter three-hero combinations (with holy light/storm bolt) and knights, as they can make your heroes spell immune and possess knights as you wish. Against human players in particular aim to have an invulnerability potion on your heroes at all times as holy light/storm bolt can be very damaging and you cannot afford to lose a hero. In addition, Banshees' anti-magic shield can be used to preserve your fiends against the magic attacks of the gryphons.
- [5/10] Send 2 acolytes to mine gold, and your ghoul to mine lumber from the closest trees.
- [5/10] Build an Altar, a Crypt and a ziggurat in that order.
- [5/10] Build two acolytes and send them to gold.
- [7/10] Build a Tomb of Relics. Also make your hero.
- [7/10] Scout with your ghoul if you wish (e.g. if it is a 4-player map).
- [7/20] Get your Hero (Usually Death Knight).
- [12/20] Train a ghoul. This ghoul and all successive ghouls go on to lumber duty unless otherwise specified.
- [14/20] Train a ghoul.
- [16/20] Summon a ziggurat.
- [16/20] Train a ghoul. Buy a Rod of Necromancy when your hero is about to arrive – be sure to have 150 gold saved up.
- [18/20] Train a ghoul.
- [20/30] Train a ghoul.
- [22/30] Train a ghoul.
- [24/30] Upgrade to a Halls of the Dead. Take all of your ghouls off of lumber (deposit the lumber first) and then use them to creep or harass with your hero. You should have seven ghouls by this point.
- [24/30] Train a ghoul. Send it to lumber.
- [26/30] Build a ziggurat when you have the resources. Train a ghoul.
- [26/30] Build a graveyard. To time this so that it coincides with your Halls of the Dead upgrade, build it when the halls upgrade is 30-40% complete.
- [26/40] Train a ghoul.
- [28/40] Start building your second hero.
- [33/40] Upgrade your Black Citadel when you can afford.
- [33/40] Build a crypt fiend.
- [36/40] Construct your Slaughterhouse so that again it coincides with the 30-40% completion of the Black Citadel upgrade.
- [36/40] Train your second crypt fiend. From here continue to make fiends from your single crypt and an obsidian statue from your slaughterhouse. When your Black Citadel is complete, start to pump abominations from your slaughterhouse as required. Get your third hero when possible. Against humans you may want to have Master Training Banshees if you scout the opponent going knights/gryphons/three heroes.
Over the following threads I will attempt to define and describe common build orders and for use in solo play in Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. It is a work in progress now so I will add things as I get the time. The BOs are commonly seen on battle.net and in professional games. The target skill level that may wish to use this compendium ranges from not only the very new, but in my opinion up to experienced or competitive players. Coupled with the suggested replays I feel the detail of these builds, complete with matchup, map and hero suggestions, is sufficient enough to follow for all types of players. Do not worry if you feel you are experiencing déjà vu, as many of the Orc build orders are quite similar with sometimes only slight differences differentiating two unique strategies. In the following article I seek to define the given build order up to the 25-35 supply mark. The setout of this compendium is explained below:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RACE – Build Order Name – This is just a name I made up, generally very literal and to the point. Perhaps you might want to come up with your own to do with timing or something like they do with StarCraft build orders.
Matchups – Again, it is certainly not limited to these matchups but they are the favourable ones. In some cases the build does not lend itself well to other matchups.
Maps – This is by no means a complete list of maps that the build may be used on, just some that I identified as somewhat favouring this type of build for various reasons.
.
Replays – This is a list of replays I have found (generally sourced from mymym.com) that demonstrate the build order or very close to it. These are handy for expanding on any notes I include.
Heroes – Here is included suggested 1st/2nd/3rd heroes for the particular build but again it is not set in concrete.
Notes on Usage – Included is a small paragraph on what strategies to aim for in utilizing the given build but nothing detailed, just general tips.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PART I – UNDEAD BUILD ORDERS
Somewhat in contrast to the other races the typical Undead opening build is slightly more varied with two options coming in the form of summoning a later altar to get the powerful crypt fiends very fast or summoning the altar, crypt, ziggurat and tomb of relics early on to branch into a ghoul-heavy early game build. Both options are viable in many matchups but both can be scouted readily and will tell the opponent what to expect for the next few minutes, where they can estimate the timing and perhaps hit your vulnerable acolytes while a Hall upgrade is in progress.
UNDEAD – Fast Crypt Fiends
Matchups: ANY
Maps: Lost Temple, Twisting Meadows, Terenas Stand, Secret Valley
Replays: mym18981, mym22111, mym22343, Almost any UD v ORC replay
Heroes: [Death Knight/Lich], [Death Knight/Lich/Pit Lord], [Death Knight/Lich/Dark Ranger], [Death Knight/Naga Sea Witch/Lich]
Notes on Usage: Your first fiend will be out before your hero, so you may want to use it to lure a nearby green creep camp with your fiend back to your base to damage early on without sustaining much damage to your fiend. You may want to get your nerubian tower earlier if acolyte harassment is probable. Keep scouting with summoned skeletons while creeping – this is handy to gauge the timing of the Orc player and this intel can be used to orchestrate burrow or tech building harassment, killing a burrow or forcing a cancel on a bestiary before teleporting out (or, if he has no Hex or Ensnare, simply running away).
Against Human players walling in and protection of your acolytes is a definite must, as either paladins or footmen can come and kill all of your acolytes for little economic sacrifice of their own. Be ready to teleport back whenever this seems to be happening. The best hero choices here are the DK/Lich/Dark Ranger or the DK/Naga as the naga is effective against the human player. Against humans you may want to creep earlier, too, and always get a nerubian tower even on larger maps. Stealing creep kills is also paramount to success because of the power of high level water elementals when attacking your acolytes.
- [5/10] Send 2 acolytes to mine gold, and your ghoul to mine lumber from the closest trees.
- [5/10] Build 1 acolyte. This goes to gold.
- [6/10] Build a Crypt and a Graveyard.
- [6/10] Build a second acolyte. This also goes to gold.
- [7/10] Build an Altar when you have the resources.
- [7/10] Build a ziggurat when the resources are available.
- [7/10] Build a ghoul and send it to lumber.
- [9/10] Build a Tomb of Relics. Keep in mind the positioning, as you may want to wall in your acolytes.
- [9/20] Build your hero.
- [14/20] Build a crypt fiend.
- [17/20] Build another ziggurat when you have enough gold.
- [17/20] Build a second crypt fiend. Buy a rod of necromancy when you have 150 gold.
- [20/30] Get your 3rd crypt fiend. Continue to pump fiends. You may want between 4 and 6 for now, depending on your strategy.
- [26/30] Build a ziggurat. The timing of these ziggurats is important as it is used in many undead builds and is timed right to coincide with when you require more units.
- [26/30] Upgrade a nerubian frost tower and your main to the halls of the dead. The frost tower is to help deter harassment while you are vulnerable with the halls of the dead upgrading.
- [26/30] From here continue to get fiends, and perhaps replacement ghouls or extra ghouls if your lumber is running low.
- [34/40] Upgrade to a Black Citadel and build another ziggurat. In addition to this build a slaughterhouse and choose a second hero. Get some obsidian statues, upgrade creature attack and when the black citadel is complete you can opt for a third hero.
UNDEAD – Dual Crypt, Two-Hero Ghouls to Gargs
Matchups: UD v NE, UD v HU, UD v ORC (less common, but if they get wyverns it can be good)
Maps: Echo Isles, Terenas Stand
Replays: mym22420, NGL ONE S08 replay 2939
Heroes: [Death Knight/Lich]
Notes on Usage: Creep with 2-3 and then more ghouls as much as possible and never stop creeping. With your faster army you can also creep jack well and in between battles or moving to a striking position fit in a few more creep kills.Try to keep ghouls alive here, especially as you intend to attack before a third hero you should be conservative and just aim to only engage when you are sure to do damage. Remember to upgrade a ziggurat close to your mine to a Nerubian Tower if blademaster or warden acolyte harassment is a possibility.
- [5/10] Send 2 acolytes to mine gold, and your ghoul to mine lumber from the closest trees.
- [5/10] Build an Altar, a Crypt and a ziggurat in that order.
- [5/10] Build two acolytes and send them to gold.
- [7/10] Build a Tomb of Relics. Also make your hero.
- [12/20] Build two ghouls.
- [16/20] Build a ziggurat. Creep with your Death Knight and 2-3 ghouls depending on the map and toughness of the creeps.
- [16/20] Build two more ghouls when you have the resources. Continue to pump ghouls so that you end up with around 7 ghouls in total.
- [22/30] If there is a strong chance of harassment from, say, a blademaster or warden you can upgrade one ziggurat to a nerubian tower now.
- [24/30] Upgrade to a halls of the dead. Also build another ghoul if you feel you need to and have enough gold
- [26/30] Build a graveyard.
- [26/30] Build a second crypt when your halls of the dead is about 50% complete.
- [26/30] Build another ziggurat. Notice this is again the same timing as in the crypt fiends build.
- [26/40] Build 2 gargoyles and your second hero.
- [35/40] Build a slaughterhouse for statues and pump gargoyles. Remember that exact food amount may differ depending on how many ghouls you may lose.
UNDEAD – Single Crypt, Three-Hero Ghouls to Gargs
Matchups: UD v NE, UD v ORC, UD v HU
Maps: Echo Isles, Terenas Stand, other Tavern Maps
Replays: NGL ONE S08 replay 2940
Heroes: [Death Knight/Lich/Dark Ranger], [Death Knight/Lich/Pit Lord], [Death Knight/Naga Sea Witch/Lich], [Death Knight/Pandaren Brewmaster]
Notes on Usage: Take 2-3 ghouls and creep, depending on map and how hard the green creep camp is. Don’t stop creeping with ghouls and keep leveling your Death Knight ASAP and get your 2nd and 3rd heroes as soon as possible especially against Orc. When facing Night Elf always be wary of the possibility of a Brewmaster as second hero – his flaming breath can destroy your gargoyles so use stone form to evade the drunken haze and fire breath attacks. Gargoyles are handy as spotters for meat wagons over rivers and other obstacles. Against human players gargoyles are an option but may be less favourable seeing they are easily countered by dragonhawk riders. If you can consistently keep your gargoyle count above that of the dragonhawk rider count then it can work well. Additionally, against Humans you should ensure your Hall upgrades are well timed and initiated as soon as possible. Watch for Human players trying to kill your acolytes. Walling your acolytes in with ziggurats and a nerubian tower is a must for all Undead vs. Human matchups. The Naga Sea Witch is a viable second hero against Humans. Pandaren Brewmaster may be required against Humans who amass Flying Machines, which take out your gargoyles and destroyers with relative ease.
- [5/10] Send 2 acolytes to mine gold, and your ghoul to mine lumber from the closest trees.
- [5/10] Build an Altar, a Crypt and a ziggurat in that order.
- [5/10] Build two acolytes and send them to gold.
- [7/10] Build a Tomb of Relics. Also make your hero.
- [12/20] Build two ghouls.
- [16/20] Build a ziggurat. Creep with your Death Knight and 2-3 ghouls depending on the map and toughness of the creeps.
- [16/20] Build two more ghouls when you have the resources.
- [22/30] If there is a strong chance of harassment from, say, a blademaster or warden you can upgrade one ziggurat to a nerubian tower now. This will coincide with your main upgrade.
- [22/30] Upgrade to a halls of the dead when you have enough gold.
- [24/30] Build a graveyard.
- [24/30] Build a ziggurat.
- [24/30] Now it is wise to build a 6th acolyte to sit around your goldmine and perform building tasks. Get your second hero now as well.
- [25/30] Upgrade to a Black Citadel. Note that you built an extra acolyte because acolyte harassment may be likely while you are upgrading and having 6 acolytes in combination with a nerubian tower should minimize losses due to this type of harassment.
- [32/40] Build a slaughterhouse, sacrificial pit and second crypt now if needed. Note that this says single crypt but that is because the second crypt is a whole lot later and is more for end-game pumping to get your army out faster if you require. From here you should get obsidian statues, a shade if your opponent is orc with a blademaster, gargoyles if your orc opponent has wyverns or too few raiders, and a 3rd hero (pit lord is a good choice). Later on you may want abominations in the army mix, too.
UNDEAD – Single Crypt, Three-Hero Ghouls to Fiends
Matchups: UD v NE, UD v HU
Maps: Turtle Rock, Terenas Stand, Other maps with difficult creeps
Replays: mym21771, mym22112, mym22113
Heroes: [Death Knight/Lich/Naga Sea Witch], [Death Knight/Lich/Dark Ranger]
Notes on Usage: In performing this build a player should look to keep the pressure on the Night Elf opponent with the Death Knight with Death Coil stealing creeps and slowing down creeping until enough ghouls are produced to harass or creep in a more effective manner. Aim to do some creep jacking or building harassment as soon as your ghouls are ready for combat. Being able to support a strong unit mix off two buildings is another strength here as the ghouls provide the backbone early, so try to keep them alive. Against Humans, banshees are an option to counter three-hero combinations (with holy light/storm bolt) and knights, as they can make your heroes spell immune and possess knights as you wish. Against human players in particular aim to have an invulnerability potion on your heroes at all times as holy light/storm bolt can be very damaging and you cannot afford to lose a hero. In addition, Banshees' anti-magic shield can be used to preserve your fiends against the magic attacks of the gryphons.
- [5/10] Send 2 acolytes to mine gold, and your ghoul to mine lumber from the closest trees.
- [5/10] Build an Altar, a Crypt and a ziggurat in that order.
- [5/10] Build two acolytes and send them to gold.
- [7/10] Build a Tomb of Relics. Also make your hero.
- [7/10] Scout with your ghoul if you wish (e.g. if it is a 4-player map).
- [7/20] Get your Hero (Usually Death Knight).
- [12/20] Train a ghoul. This ghoul and all successive ghouls go on to lumber duty unless otherwise specified.
- [14/20] Train a ghoul.
- [16/20] Summon a ziggurat.
- [16/20] Train a ghoul. Buy a Rod of Necromancy when your hero is about to arrive – be sure to have 150 gold saved up.
- [18/20] Train a ghoul.
- [20/30] Train a ghoul.
- [22/30] Train a ghoul.
- [24/30] Upgrade to a Halls of the Dead. Take all of your ghouls off of lumber (deposit the lumber first) and then use them to creep or harass with your hero. You should have seven ghouls by this point.
- [24/30] Train a ghoul. Send it to lumber.
- [26/30] Build a ziggurat when you have the resources. Train a ghoul.
- [26/30] Build a graveyard. To time this so that it coincides with your Halls of the Dead upgrade, build it when the halls upgrade is 30-40% complete.
- [26/40] Train a ghoul.
- [28/40] Start building your second hero.
- [33/40] Upgrade your Black Citadel when you can afford.
- [33/40] Build a crypt fiend.
- [36/40] Construct your Slaughterhouse so that again it coincides with the 30-40% completion of the Black Citadel upgrade.
- [36/40] Train your second crypt fiend. From here continue to make fiends from your single crypt and an obsidian statue from your slaughterhouse. When your Black Citadel is complete, start to pump abominations from your slaughterhouse as required. Get your third hero when possible. Against humans you may want to have Master Training Banshees if you scout the opponent going knights/gryphons/three heroes.
Orc Build Order
BUILD ORDER ANTHOLOGY
Over the following threads I will attempt to define and describe common build orders and for use in solo play in Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. It is a work in progress now so I will add things as I get the time. The BOs are commonly seen on battle.net and in professional games. The target skill level that may wish to use this compendium ranges from not only the very new, but in my opinion up to experienced or competitive players. Coupled with the suggested replays I feel the detail of these builds, complete with matchup, map and hero suggestions, is sufficient enough to follow for all types of players. Do not worry if you feel you are experiencing déjà vu, as many of the Orc build orders are quite similar with sometimes only slight differences differentiating two unique strategies. In the following article I seek to define the given build order up to the 25-35 supply mark. The setout of this compendium is explained below:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RACE – Build Order Name – This is just a name I made up, generally very literal and to the point. Perhaps you might want to come up with your own to do with timing or something like they do with StarCraft build orders.
Matchups – Again, it is certainly not limited to these matchups but they are the favourable ones. In some cases the build does not lend itself well to other matchups.
Maps – This is by no means a complete list of maps that the build may be used on, just some that I identified as somewhat favouring this type of build for various reasons.
.
Replays – This is a list of replays I have found (generally sourced from mymym.com) that demonstrate the build order or very close to it. These are handy for expanding on any notes I include.
Heroes – Here is included suggested 1st/2nd/3rd heroes for the particular build but again it is not set in concrete.
Notes on Usage – Included is a small paragraph on what strategies to aim for in utilizing the given build but nothing detailed, just general tips
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PART I – ORC BUILD ORDERS
Classic Orc Builds involve slight personal variations on the same opening, resulting in a Blademaster hero supported by 4 grunts and a Voodoo Lounge for continued harassment/creeping. The build does not diverge much across matchups or maps and is quite universal in its application when used correctly and in an intelligent manner. While this may seem like an unfair advantage, where an Orc player only need memorise one build, the opponent generally knows exactly what the Orc player is doing and so can time harassment or creep jacking perfectly or perhaps be creative in coming up with some clever counter build.
ORC – Early Lounge Classic Build (for want of a better name…)
Matchups: ANY
Maps: Secret valley, Echo Isles, Melting Valley, most maps
Replays: UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Heroes: [Blademaster/Shadow Hunter], [Blademaster/Tauren Chieftain], [Fareseer/Tauren Chieftain]
Notes on Usage: UNDER CONSTRUCTION
- [5/10] Select your great hall (manually or by ensuring your pointer is in the center of the screen and pressing backspace and clicking) and build a peon.
- [6/10] Select all 5 peons (click and drag is generally faster than double click) and send them to gold. Note that many players also select all 5 peons (or racial equivalent) and send them to gold BEFORE making the peons from their base, but both orders are roughly equivalent.
- [6/10] Take the first to return to your great hall and build an Altar in a position which allows you to block one side of your base with the addition of a burrow. Make a waypoint for this peon which will allow this peon to scout when it is done.
- [7/10] Line up 3 more peons to be built from your great hall (but not all at once or you will delay your burrow) and set the rally point to the location at which you want your burrow. When your first peon builds use it to build a burrow to wall off one side of your base. Set a waypoint for this peon to harvest lumber when it is done.
- [7/10] While the burrow is being constructed take the spare time to set your rally points and hotkeys in a favourable setup. Hotkeying your scouting peon (now building the altar) may help you a little later on.
- [8/10] Build a Barracks with the next (7th) peon to be trained in a position to allow for a wall-off with a second burrow or later on in the game if necessary.
- [9/10] Send the next peon (8th) to your gold mine. Set the rally point of your great hall to put peons on to the closest trees to you to harvest lumber. Queue up two more peons so that you end up with (5) peons on gold and (6) peons on lumber plus the scouting peon.
- [10/20] Build your hero when the altar finishes.
- [16/20] Build a grunt from your now-complete barracks. Build a Voodoo Lounge when you have 30 lumber and/or 130 gold (note that you CAN send your peons back prematurely from lumber if you count their number of swipes with the axe to get the voodoo lounge out slightly earlier, but this will delay your second burrow – the choice is up to you).
- [19/20] Build a second burrow and 7th lumber peon when you have the funds.
- [20/30] Build a second grunt now that the second burrow has finished. What you did in this time will depend on your strategy but could include things such as creeping with your hero + one grunt, harassing with your hero, or scouting with your hero.
- [23/30] Upgrade your great hall to tier 2. Build a third grunt.
- [26/30] From here you generally get some bestiary/spirit lodge combination along with a second hero and another burrow. Build up to 4 grunts and build a warmill when you can afford when the upgrade to tier 2 is underway. Build this in a location where it will maximise lumber harvest without allowing you peasants to undermine your wall-in attempts by destroying trees and creating paths into your base.
ORC – Later Lounge Classic Build
Matchups: ANY
Maps: Secret valley, Echo Isles, Melting Valley, most maps
Replays:UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Heroes: [Blademaster/Shadow Hunter], [Blademaster/Tauren Chieftain], [Fareseer/Tauren Chieftain]
Notes on Usage:UNDER CONSTRUCTION
- [5/10] Select your great hall and build a peon.
- [6/10] Select all 5 peons and send them to gold.
- [6/10] Take the first to return to your great hall and build an Altar. Make a waypoint for this peon which will allow this peon to scout when it is done.
- [7/10] Line up 3 more peons to be built from your great hall (but not all at once or you will delay your burrow) and set the rally point to the location at which you want your burrow. When your first peon builds use it to build a burrow to wall off one side of your base. Set a waypoint for this peon to harvest lumber when it is done.
- [8/10] Build a Barracks with the next (7th) peon. Send it to harvest lumber when it is done.
- [9/10] Send the next peon (8th) to your gold mine. Set the rally point of your great hall to put peons on to the closest trees to you to harvest lumber. Queue up two more peons so that you end up with (5) peons on gold and (6) peons on lumber plus the scouting peon.
- [10/20] Build your hero when the altar finishes.
- [16/20] Build a grunt from your now-complete barracks. Build a second burrow when you have 40 lumber.
- [19/20] Build a 7th lumber peon.
- [20/20] Build your Voodoo Lounge.
- [20/30] Build a second grunt now that the second burrow has finished.
- [23/30] Upgrade your great hall to tier 2. Build a third grunt.
- [26/30] From here you generally get some bestiary/spirit lodge combination along with a second hero and another burrow. Build up to 4 grunts and build a warmill when you can afford when the upgrade to tier 2 is underway (or time it so that it ends when your great hall is upgraded).
ORC – Harass/Tier 2 Tech Build
Matchups: ORC v ORC, ORC v HU
Maps: Twisted Meadows
Replays: mym21593, and many earlier Grubby replays have a similar build to this.
Heroes: [Blademaster/Shadow Hunter], [Blademaster/Tauren Chieftain], [Fareseer/Tauren Chieftain]
Notes on Usage: Against Humans, use your Farseer with spirit wolves to harass Human creeping and expansion attempts, targeting peasants and towers or weakened units and heroes. Hiring a forest troll shadow priest against a Human player can be effective in abolishing the summons. This build can work against Human even more so than with many other matchups because of the relatively weak early game for Humans where your heroes can overpower them and delay their expansion. Blademaster/Tauren Chieftain hero combination is also an effective choice against Humans as the additional melee hitting power and shockwave is strong against Human casters and the extra mobility provided by the tauren’s aura can be invaluable. Use your Spirit Walkers’ mana sparingly as it may be required for dispel, which is why a troll priest is favourable. Additional raiders (say four or five total) are also strong in countering casters and towered-up expansions. Occasionally Orc vs. Human becomes a race to destroy the bases, and when Humans have so many towers the raiders are invaluable.
Against Orc players you must have effective harassment and the Blademaster/Shadow Hunter hero combination to play it safe. Slight advantages are amplified in mirror match ups.
- [5/10] Select your great hall and build a peon.
- [6/10] Select all 5 peons and send them to gold.
- [6/10] Take the first to return to your great hall and build an Altar in a position which allows you to block one side of your base with the addition of a burrow. Make a waypoint for this peon that will allow this peon to scout when it is done.
- [7/10] Line up 3 more peons to be built from your great hall and set the rally point to the location at which you want your burrow. When your first peon builds use it to build a burrow to wall off one side of your base. Set a waypoint for this peon to harvest lumber when it is done.
- [8/10] Build a Barracks with the next (7th) peon to be trained in a position to allow for a wall-off with a second burrow or later on in the game if necessary. Send it to lumber once it is done.
- [9/10] Send the next peon (8th) to your gold mine. Set the rally point of your great hall to put peons on to the closest trees to you to harvest lumber. Queue up two more peons so that you end up with (5) peons on gold and (6) peons on lumber plus the scouting peon.
- [10/20] Build your hero when the altar finishes.
- [16/20] Build a grunt from your barracks.
- [19/20] Build a 7th lumber peon.
- [20/30] Build a second grunt now that the second burrow has finished. You should have 5-6 peasants on lumber at this food limit. Creep with your hero plus one grunt or harass the opponent’s creeping if they are Human.
- [20/30] Upgrade your great hall to tier 2. Build a second burrow when you have the resources available. Also build a War Mill now. Finally, get your second and third grunts.
- [26/30] Build a third burrow and then your choice of bestiary/spirit lodge tech. Popular options on battle.net include classic orc as described above, dual-bestiary wind riders or raiders (with proper scouting), or spirit lodges with tauren later-game. Get your Voodoo Lounge when you require it, usually around this time.
Over the following threads I will attempt to define and describe common build orders and for use in solo play in Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. It is a work in progress now so I will add things as I get the time. The BOs are commonly seen on battle.net and in professional games. The target skill level that may wish to use this compendium ranges from not only the very new, but in my opinion up to experienced or competitive players. Coupled with the suggested replays I feel the detail of these builds, complete with matchup, map and hero suggestions, is sufficient enough to follow for all types of players. Do not worry if you feel you are experiencing déjà vu, as many of the Orc build orders are quite similar with sometimes only slight differences differentiating two unique strategies. In the following article I seek to define the given build order up to the 25-35 supply mark. The setout of this compendium is explained below:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RACE – Build Order Name – This is just a name I made up, generally very literal and to the point. Perhaps you might want to come up with your own to do with timing or something like they do with StarCraft build orders.
Matchups – Again, it is certainly not limited to these matchups but they are the favourable ones. In some cases the build does not lend itself well to other matchups.
Maps – This is by no means a complete list of maps that the build may be used on, just some that I identified as somewhat favouring this type of build for various reasons.
.
Replays – This is a list of replays I have found (generally sourced from mymym.com) that demonstrate the build order or very close to it. These are handy for expanding on any notes I include.
Heroes – Here is included suggested 1st/2nd/3rd heroes for the particular build but again it is not set in concrete.
Notes on Usage – Included is a small paragraph on what strategies to aim for in utilizing the given build but nothing detailed, just general tips
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PART I – ORC BUILD ORDERS
Classic Orc Builds involve slight personal variations on the same opening, resulting in a Blademaster hero supported by 4 grunts and a Voodoo Lounge for continued harassment/creeping. The build does not diverge much across matchups or maps and is quite universal in its application when used correctly and in an intelligent manner. While this may seem like an unfair advantage, where an Orc player only need memorise one build, the opponent generally knows exactly what the Orc player is doing and so can time harassment or creep jacking perfectly or perhaps be creative in coming up with some clever counter build.
ORC – Early Lounge Classic Build (for want of a better name…)
Matchups: ANY
Maps: Secret valley, Echo Isles, Melting Valley, most maps
Replays: UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Heroes: [Blademaster/Shadow Hunter], [Blademaster/Tauren Chieftain], [Fareseer/Tauren Chieftain]
Notes on Usage: UNDER CONSTRUCTION
- [5/10] Select your great hall (manually or by ensuring your pointer is in the center of the screen and pressing backspace and clicking) and build a peon.
- [6/10] Select all 5 peons (click and drag is generally faster than double click) and send them to gold. Note that many players also select all 5 peons (or racial equivalent) and send them to gold BEFORE making the peons from their base, but both orders are roughly equivalent.
- [6/10] Take the first to return to your great hall and build an Altar in a position which allows you to block one side of your base with the addition of a burrow. Make a waypoint for this peon which will allow this peon to scout when it is done.
- [7/10] Line up 3 more peons to be built from your great hall (but not all at once or you will delay your burrow) and set the rally point to the location at which you want your burrow. When your first peon builds use it to build a burrow to wall off one side of your base. Set a waypoint for this peon to harvest lumber when it is done.
- [7/10] While the burrow is being constructed take the spare time to set your rally points and hotkeys in a favourable setup. Hotkeying your scouting peon (now building the altar) may help you a little later on.
- [8/10] Build a Barracks with the next (7th) peon to be trained in a position to allow for a wall-off with a second burrow or later on in the game if necessary.
- [9/10] Send the next peon (8th) to your gold mine. Set the rally point of your great hall to put peons on to the closest trees to you to harvest lumber. Queue up two more peons so that you end up with (5) peons on gold and (6) peons on lumber plus the scouting peon.
- [10/20] Build your hero when the altar finishes.
- [16/20] Build a grunt from your now-complete barracks. Build a Voodoo Lounge when you have 30 lumber and/or 130 gold (note that you CAN send your peons back prematurely from lumber if you count their number of swipes with the axe to get the voodoo lounge out slightly earlier, but this will delay your second burrow – the choice is up to you).
- [19/20] Build a second burrow and 7th lumber peon when you have the funds.
- [20/30] Build a second grunt now that the second burrow has finished. What you did in this time will depend on your strategy but could include things such as creeping with your hero + one grunt, harassing with your hero, or scouting with your hero.
- [23/30] Upgrade your great hall to tier 2. Build a third grunt.
- [26/30] From here you generally get some bestiary/spirit lodge combination along with a second hero and another burrow. Build up to 4 grunts and build a warmill when you can afford when the upgrade to tier 2 is underway. Build this in a location where it will maximise lumber harvest without allowing you peasants to undermine your wall-in attempts by destroying trees and creating paths into your base.
ORC – Later Lounge Classic Build
Matchups: ANY
Maps: Secret valley, Echo Isles, Melting Valley, most maps
Replays:UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Heroes: [Blademaster/Shadow Hunter], [Blademaster/Tauren Chieftain], [Fareseer/Tauren Chieftain]
Notes on Usage:UNDER CONSTRUCTION
- [5/10] Select your great hall and build a peon.
- [6/10] Select all 5 peons and send them to gold.
- [6/10] Take the first to return to your great hall and build an Altar. Make a waypoint for this peon which will allow this peon to scout when it is done.
- [7/10] Line up 3 more peons to be built from your great hall (but not all at once or you will delay your burrow) and set the rally point to the location at which you want your burrow. When your first peon builds use it to build a burrow to wall off one side of your base. Set a waypoint for this peon to harvest lumber when it is done.
- [8/10] Build a Barracks with the next (7th) peon. Send it to harvest lumber when it is done.
- [9/10] Send the next peon (8th) to your gold mine. Set the rally point of your great hall to put peons on to the closest trees to you to harvest lumber. Queue up two more peons so that you end up with (5) peons on gold and (6) peons on lumber plus the scouting peon.
- [10/20] Build your hero when the altar finishes.
- [16/20] Build a grunt from your now-complete barracks. Build a second burrow when you have 40 lumber.
- [19/20] Build a 7th lumber peon.
- [20/20] Build your Voodoo Lounge.
- [20/30] Build a second grunt now that the second burrow has finished.
- [23/30] Upgrade your great hall to tier 2. Build a third grunt.
- [26/30] From here you generally get some bestiary/spirit lodge combination along with a second hero and another burrow. Build up to 4 grunts and build a warmill when you can afford when the upgrade to tier 2 is underway (or time it so that it ends when your great hall is upgraded).
ORC – Harass/Tier 2 Tech Build
Matchups: ORC v ORC, ORC v HU
Maps: Twisted Meadows
Replays: mym21593, and many earlier Grubby replays have a similar build to this.
Heroes: [Blademaster/Shadow Hunter], [Blademaster/Tauren Chieftain], [Fareseer/Tauren Chieftain]
Notes on Usage: Against Humans, use your Farseer with spirit wolves to harass Human creeping and expansion attempts, targeting peasants and towers or weakened units and heroes. Hiring a forest troll shadow priest against a Human player can be effective in abolishing the summons. This build can work against Human even more so than with many other matchups because of the relatively weak early game for Humans where your heroes can overpower them and delay their expansion. Blademaster/Tauren Chieftain hero combination is also an effective choice against Humans as the additional melee hitting power and shockwave is strong against Human casters and the extra mobility provided by the tauren’s aura can be invaluable. Use your Spirit Walkers’ mana sparingly as it may be required for dispel, which is why a troll priest is favourable. Additional raiders (say four or five total) are also strong in countering casters and towered-up expansions. Occasionally Orc vs. Human becomes a race to destroy the bases, and when Humans have so many towers the raiders are invaluable.
Against Orc players you must have effective harassment and the Blademaster/Shadow Hunter hero combination to play it safe. Slight advantages are amplified in mirror match ups.
- [5/10] Select your great hall and build a peon.
- [6/10] Select all 5 peons and send them to gold.
- [6/10] Take the first to return to your great hall and build an Altar in a position which allows you to block one side of your base with the addition of a burrow. Make a waypoint for this peon that will allow this peon to scout when it is done.
- [7/10] Line up 3 more peons to be built from your great hall and set the rally point to the location at which you want your burrow. When your first peon builds use it to build a burrow to wall off one side of your base. Set a waypoint for this peon to harvest lumber when it is done.
- [8/10] Build a Barracks with the next (7th) peon to be trained in a position to allow for a wall-off with a second burrow or later on in the game if necessary. Send it to lumber once it is done.
- [9/10] Send the next peon (8th) to your gold mine. Set the rally point of your great hall to put peons on to the closest trees to you to harvest lumber. Queue up two more peons so that you end up with (5) peons on gold and (6) peons on lumber plus the scouting peon.
- [10/20] Build your hero when the altar finishes.
- [16/20] Build a grunt from your barracks.
- [19/20] Build a 7th lumber peon.
- [20/30] Build a second grunt now that the second burrow has finished. You should have 5-6 peasants on lumber at this food limit. Creep with your hero plus one grunt or harass the opponent’s creeping if they are Human.
- [20/30] Upgrade your great hall to tier 2. Build a second burrow when you have the resources available. Also build a War Mill now. Finally, get your second and third grunts.
- [26/30] Build a third burrow and then your choice of bestiary/spirit lodge tech. Popular options on battle.net include classic orc as described above, dual-bestiary wind riders or raiders (with proper scouting), or spirit lodges with tauren later-game. Get your Voodoo Lounge when you require it, usually around this time.
2009/02/20
DKハラスメモ
①DKのHP減らすな
②Lv1 Coil Dps 100
③裏でcreeping
④DKで無理に殴る必要なし（深追い厳禁）
⑤vs Humは農民狙い
⑥姿見せるだけでもOK
⑦ナンバリング ①DK②Ghoul
⑧骨杖（必須)、腐土(出来れば）
⑨数こなして慣れろ
2009/02/18
iAmZombie～
相変わらず、wc3何でこんなに難しいのだろう、とか思う日々。
頭禿げそうです。
いぁ～一年経過してもこれと言った、手応えつかめないし。
二ヶ月ぶりぐらいに復帰してみれば、戦術とか忘れてしまったので、
自分のBlogのログ漁りながら、禿げた頭に残ってる記憶を手繰り寄せてます。；）
ということで、今週は夜な夜なプロのリプを見てますが・・・
到底マネ出来そうに無いところが味噌。
で、最近、iAmZombieって人のrepを参考にしてます。
Ghoul orderを多用してくれるので、カナリ参考になります。
iAmZombieのrep一覧
ちなみに、頭は禿げてないです。
でも、この数年で白髪は増えましたけどね；）
頭禿げそうです。
いぁ～一年経過してもこれと言った、手応えつかめないし。
二ヶ月ぶりぐらいに復帰してみれば、戦術とか忘れてしまったので、
自分のBlogのログ漁りながら、禿げた頭に残ってる記憶を手繰り寄せてます。；）
ということで、今週は夜な夜なプロのリプを見てますが・・・
到底マネ出来そうに無いところが味噌。
で、最近、iAmZombieって人のrepを参考にしてます。
Ghoul orderを多用してくれるので、カナリ参考になります。
iAmZombieのrep一覧
ちなみに、頭は禿げてないです。
でも、この数年で白髪は増えましたけどね；）
2009/02/17
Ｔ２の攻防 メモ
T2の攻防メモ。
自分のT2アクション
vs Orcなら野獣小屋or家割 (5:30前後)
vs NEなら本陣ハラス or jack or AoL破壊 （ＡｏＬ作成が6:30前後かな？)
vs HumならExpo妨害 or Jack
対戦相手のT2アクション
orcならaco狙ってきたり、slaug狙ってきたり。BM単騎ハラス＆2nd HeroのLv上げ。
NEはcreep
HumはFootmanとAMで本陣Rush。2nd建設
vs Humとvs NEはＴ１からハラス行ってる事多いので、T2限定という訳でもない。
T2限定で言えばvs Orcの野獣小屋と家に集約されてる感。
自分のT2アクション
vs Orcなら野獣小屋or家割 (5:30前後)
vs NEなら本陣ハラス or jack or AoL破壊 （ＡｏＬ作成が6:30前後かな？)
vs HumならExpo妨害 or Jack
対戦相手のT2アクション
orcならaco狙ってきたり、slaug狙ってきたり。BM単騎ハラス＆2nd HeroのLv上げ。
NEはcreep
HumはFootmanとAMで本陣Rush。2nd建設
vs Humとvs NEはＴ１からハラス行ってる事多いので、T2限定という訳でもない。
T2限定で言えばvs Orcの野獣小屋と家に集約されてる感。
2009/02/13
Ghoul vs Orc 復習
Ghoul vs Orc 復習。（序盤）
T2早め。
DK Lv上げ。(最低でもLv2？）
Ghoul food 30
T2なったら野獣小屋or家を破壊（orcの進化完了は5分20秒。ゲーム内の時間で0:00）
T3押→slag立て→2nd Hero
しかし・・・このネタで何回目の復習やってんだよ！！！とか思う今日この頃。
いぁ～ま～おっさんは忘れっぽいのですよ；）
12月～1月はサラリーマンしてましたしね！！！
でも、今はサボリーマン；）
T2早め。
DK Lv上げ。(最低でもLv2？）
Ghoul food 30
T2なったら野獣小屋or家を破壊（orcの進化完了は5分20秒。ゲーム内の時間で0:00）
T3押→slag立て→2nd Hero
しかし・・・このネタで何回目の復習やってんだよ！！！とか思う今日この頃。
いぁ～ま～おっさんは忘れっぽいのですよ；）
12月～1月はサラリーマンしてましたしね！！！
でも、今はサボリーマン；）
2009/02/10
UDミラー で2nd DL
vs 蜘蛛相手の2nd Hero DLという選択肢。
運良く、ameさんと対戦の機会があったので試してみました。
2nd DL試してみたリプレイ
UDミラーならnuke弱いので3rd heroにlichでも問題ないでしょう。
でも、蜘蛛&dest軍団にgargが微妙路線でした・・・
結局、ghoul 蜘蛛でも良かったような気もします
Food的には
Tri Hero (DK DL Lich) (15)
aco＆偵察 (6)
Ghoul 7 (14) (frenzy）
蜘蛛 4 (12) (web必須）
箱 1 (3)
Total 50
こんな感じでしょうか？
Build time的にもgarg35秒 Fiend30秒なので蜘蛛の方がそろえやすい感じもしますしね
運良く、ameさんと対戦の機会があったので試してみました。
2nd DL試してみたリプレイ
UDミラーならnuke弱いので3rd heroにlichでも問題ないでしょう。
でも、蜘蛛&dest軍団にgargが微妙路線でした・・・
結局、ghoul 蜘蛛でも良かったような気もします
Food的には
Tri Hero (DK DL Lich) (15)
aco＆偵察 (6)
Ghoul 7 (14) (frenzy）
蜘蛛 4 (12) (web必須）
箱 1 (3)
Total 50
こんな感じでしょうか？
Build time的にもgarg35秒 Fiend30秒なので蜘蛛の方がそろえやすい感じもしますしね
2009/01/22
DK＋DL
２月の中旬ぐらいからwc3を再開する予定なのですが、
その前にvs randam(UD)をなんとかしないとヤバイ。
そもそもmacro全然決まって無いんですよね（ｗ
Ladderとかだと「ランダムUD」は面倒なので即落ちとかしてましたし・・・・；）
で、一つのmacro案として、
http://www.wcreplays.com/forums/showthread.php?t=107519
DK＋DLなんて手もありじゃない？なんて投稿を発見。
そういえば、自分はDLなんて殆ど使った事なかったです。orz
遥か昔にvs OrcでBM無双を止めるべく3rd Heroとして運用してたぐらいですが・・・
最近はvs Orcも3rd HeroはDR固定みたいになっていて全く使っていませんでした。
ちょっと2nd DLを試してみます。
で、もちろん3rd はOr Lichです。はい。
中級者ぐらいまでならsleepも有効ですしね。
その前にリアルをきっちりかたづけないとなぁぁぁ。
色々問題抱えてて、気力＆体力が本当に辛い；）
で、実はランダムUDより辛いのが腰痛・・・・
正月に会った同期もヘルニアに悩まされてるとか言ってたし、
自分も無理しないように気をつけないとって思う。
む～文章がオッサンを通り越して老人だなこりゃ・・・
その前にvs randam(UD)をなんとかしないとヤバイ。
そもそもmacro全然決まって無いんですよね（ｗ
Ladderとかだと「ランダムUD」は面倒なので即落ちとかしてましたし・・・・；）
で、一つのmacro案として、
http://www.wcreplays.com/forums/showthread.php?t=107519
DK＋DLなんて手もありじゃない？なんて投稿を発見。
そういえば、自分はDLなんて殆ど使った事なかったです。orz
遥か昔にvs OrcでBM無双を止めるべく3rd Heroとして運用してたぐらいですが・・・
最近はvs Orcも3rd HeroはDR固定みたいになっていて全く使っていませんでした。
ちょっと2nd DLを試してみます。
で、もちろん3rd はOr Lichです。はい。
中級者ぐらいまでならsleepも有効ですしね。
その前にリアルをきっちりかたづけないとなぁぁぁ。
色々問題抱えてて、気力＆体力が本当に辛い；）
で、実はランダムUDより辛いのが腰痛・・・・
正月に会った同期もヘルニアに悩まされてるとか言ってたし、
自分も無理しないように気をつけないとって思う。
む～文章がオッサンを通り越して老人だなこりゃ・・・
2008/12/13
NE Build order
01. Standard Build w/ AoW Creep
-3 Wisps on Gold
-Build two Wisps
-Altar
-Moon Well
-4th Wisp to build AoW
-Build 6th Wisp, two wisps to gold
-Build lumber wisps, until about seven
-Build Archer from AoW before Hero comes out
-AoW Creep
-Build 2nd Moon Well before AoW re-roots
-Tech
-Go from there!
02. Standard build without AoW Creep
-3 Wisps on Gold
-Build two Wisps
-Altar
-Moon Well
-4th Wisp to build AoW
-Build 6th Wisp, two wisps to gold
-Build lumber wisps, until about seven
-Build Archers
-Build 2nd Moon Well before you would produce 2nd Archer
-Tech
-Go from there!
03. Tavern Build
-3 Wisps on gold
-4th Wisp to lumber
-Build Moon Well
-Build 5th Wisp to make AoW
-Build 4th and 5th gold Wisps
-Build Lumber Wisps
-After 1st Moon Well is complete build Altar
-Build Moon Well ASAP
-Build Archers with AoW (Don't forget!)
-Build Tavern Hero
-Tech
-Go! Go! Go!
04. Huntress Build
-3 Wisps on Gold
-1 Wisp to Lumber
-Build Altar
-Build 2 more Wisps
-Build Moon Well
-Build Lumber Wisps (9)
-When at 160 Lumber, Build both Hunter's Hall and AoW
-Build 2nd AoW (optional)
-Build 2nd Moon Well BEFORE 2nd Huntress
-Build 3rd Moon Well
-Tech or mass at leisure
-Go!
05. Fast Tech Build
-3 Wisps on Gold
-1 Wisp to Lumber
-Build Altar
-Build 2 more Wisps
-Build Moon Well
-Build 4th and 5th Gold Wisp
-Build Lumber Wisps (7-8)
-Build Hunter's Hall
-Build Ancient of Wonders (optional)
-Build Ancient Protector (optional)
-Tech
-Go!
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
私はNE playerでは無いのですが。
昔に拾ったBuild memoを書いておきます。
NE初心者の方は参考にしてください。
ちなみに04.Huntress buildが初心者にはオススメ。
腕に自信がある人はAoW creepからGoGO
-3 Wisps on Gold
-Build two Wisps
-Altar
-Moon Well
-4th Wisp to build AoW
-Build 6th Wisp, two wisps to gold
-Build lumber wisps, until about seven
-Build Archer from AoW before Hero comes out
-AoW Creep
-Build 2nd Moon Well before AoW re-roots
-Tech
-Go from there!
02. Standard build without AoW Creep
-3 Wisps on Gold
-Build two Wisps
-Altar
-Moon Well
-4th Wisp to build AoW
-Build 6th Wisp, two wisps to gold
-Build lumber wisps, until about seven
-Build Archers
-Build 2nd Moon Well before you would produce 2nd Archer
-Tech
-Go from there!
03. Tavern Build
-3 Wisps on gold
-4th Wisp to lumber
-Build Moon Well
-Build 5th Wisp to make AoW
-Build 4th and 5th gold Wisps
-Build Lumber Wisps
-After 1st Moon Well is complete build Altar
-Build Moon Well ASAP
-Build Archers with AoW (Don't forget!)
-Build Tavern Hero
-Tech
-Go! Go! Go!
04. Huntress Build
-3 Wisps on Gold
-1 Wisp to Lumber
-Build Altar
-Build 2 more Wisps
-Build Moon Well
-Build Lumber Wisps (9)
-When at 160 Lumber, Build both Hunter's Hall and AoW
-Build 2nd AoW (optional)
-Build 2nd Moon Well BEFORE 2nd Huntress
-Build 3rd Moon Well
-Tech or mass at leisure
-Go!
05. Fast Tech Build
-3 Wisps on Gold
-1 Wisp to Lumber
-Build Altar
-Build 2 more Wisps
-Build Moon Well
-Build 4th and 5th Gold Wisp
-Build Lumber Wisps (7-8)
-Build Hunter's Hall
-Build Ancient of Wonders (optional)
-Build Ancient Protector (optional)
-Tech
-Go!
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
私はNE playerでは無いのですが。
昔に拾ったBuild memoを書いておきます。
NE初心者の方は参考にしてください。
ちなみに04.Huntress buildが初心者にはオススメ。
腕に自信がある人はAoW creepからGoGO
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