Wood Elf profile by Chronos

After the Elven Civil war, Elves were divided into three kinds. Mordaine's followers, that had started the War were exiled, and sent away from the Nothern Tundra - these were called the Dark Elves. The good elves were now divided as well, between the followers of the Moon King, who wished live in their own nation, and those that were uneasy in the lands where they had fought against their own kind. Sick of war, these Elves were lead by King Oberon and Queen Titania, and left the Northern Tundra in three fleets - they were later known as the Wood Elves.

Because they fell in love with the woods, they found solace from the wars that ravaged all other lands. They founded two nations: Solhaven, in the north east of the Isle of Dawn, where two sacred items were held - the Tree of Souls and the Orb of Souls; and Sylvemyr, in the north west of the Bay of Storms. They were both deep within forests, and are guarded closely against all intruders.

Wisp

It has been argued widely amongst the non-Elven races as to what Wisps really are. Some think they are the spirits of dead Elves, but most of the greatest scholars believe they are but small spheres of light, with enough life-strength to give life to the various trees that Elves love so much.

Wisps are above average builders - actually better than Ancient Wisps. They should be produced massively at the beginning of the battle, to later merge into Ancient Wisps.

Ancient Wisp

Regardless of their true nature, Wisps have the outstanding ability to merge into Ancient Wisps, which are much greater spheres of light, and a force to be reckoned with.

Much stronger than normal Wisps, they are usually left as base defence, but they can also provide extra fire power in an early attack. They produce Crystal at the same rate as a Level 2 Mine, so they must be made aggressively to provide all the Crystal Elves need.

Forest Guard

Forest Guards are but a cultural remain of the great Order of Iceguard from the High Elves. They are tasked to protect the outer reaches of the Wood Elven forests, and will gladly give their lives to do so.

Forest Guards do triple damage to Dwarven units, but in general are not worth their cost, since they die easily, and don't do much damage, even to Dwarves.

Gladewarden

Wood Elves, rejecting the violence of melee combat, have instead developed great mastery in the use of longbows, and are by far the best archers in Etheria. They usually hide in the trees and shoot intruders silently.

Woodrider

Unlike High Elves, Wood Elves hold their horses in greater esteem than victory, so don't use them unless greatly needed. But if so, they will defend their lands fiercely.

Woodriders do triple damage to Orkish units, so they are great at fighting Orcs, but other than that, are too expensive and slow to produce to be used as a main force. They are mostly used as a shield for the archers in open combat.

Elven Hunter

These are mounted archers, and unlike their name suggests, they are not meant to hunt animals for a living. Instead, they hunt invaders who get lost in the dense forests.

Hunters benefit from archery upgrades, and while they are more expensive than Gladewardens, they are also faster, stronger and tougher. They are a great choice if there are enough resources available.

Druid

Feeling great reverence towards nature, Wood Elves quickly began a deep study of Natural Magic, and after little time, their Druids were unmatched in all of Etheria. Now the most arcane powers of Nature protect Elven forests.

Dark Elven Sorcerors are often regarded as the most powerful spellcasters, but Druids are also very good. They cast two spells - Call Lighting and Light\Darkness. When set into a magic position, they will cast Call Lightning on a group of approaching enemies. If you mass Druids, they can terminate large groups of enemies instantly.

Sprite

High and Wood Elves are both on good terms with Fey. Even when they are not really trusted, Fey often live in Wood Elven forests; and by doing so, are eager to ally with the Elves against anything that threatens their homeland.

Sprites benefit from all the archery upgrades, and are much cheaper to produce than Gladewardens or Elven Hunters. They fly, are very fast, and cost only Crystal, which is easily provided by Ancient Wisps - they are the Wood Elven ultimate army. Once the keep reaches Level 4, they can produce these "en masse", and few enemies will resist the endless wave of Faeries...

Pixie

Pixies are also Fey, living alongside Wood Elves. However, if Elves seem ethereal and distant visions of wonder to Humans, Fey are wonderful even to the Elves. Pixies are a rarer sight than Sprites, but they are friends with the Wood Elven lords, and sometimes serve as messengers - being fast, and hard to spot in the woods.

In a Fey army, Pixies are much better than Sprites. However, in a Wood Elven army, Sprites are produced almost exclusively at the White Tree, and Pixies are hardly used.

Treant

These creatures are among the most ancient in Etheria; nobody knows exactly where they come from, or what their story is. If they or the Wood Elves know, then they are not telling... They are the shepherd of the trees, and even though they are calm creatures most of the time, they are surprisingly quick to anger if their trees are threathened.

Treants are the main melee unit of the Wood Elves - they are tough and strong, and even if slow, they are a definite "must-have". They cost only Stone, which Wood Elves don't need much of, so you will be able to produce quite a few. Their only drawback is that they are vulnerable to fire.

Ancient Treant

The most elderly Treants in a given forest are responsible for the important decisions regarding the forest. These Treants form a Council called simply "The Ancients". This council is often slow to decide, but it contains deep wisdom, and it's decisions are greatly respected by the Elves.

Ancient Treants are even slower than regular Treants, but tougher, stronger, and have the advantage that when they die, two regular Treants will grow instantly in their place.

They cost twice as much as normal Treants, and it's not advisable to build only Ancients, since they take much longer to produce, and you will probably not have all the Treants you'll need. They are also vulnerable to fire.

Phoenix

These are spirits of fire that often live within volcanoes. However, they have an affinity with Elves, and will do their bidding when they serve any Elf Lord. Unilike what many believe, Phoenixes are not immortal likeElves; whenever struck with suficient violence, they will dissappear into thin air.

Phoenixes are the only units besides Heroes and Generals that can convert buildings. They also have the fantastic bonus of being able to fly, which makes them excellent for mine gathering, as no matter how strong the enemy Hero is, he will have a hard time converting mines around the map faster than six Phoenixes! They have a weak fire attack, and are the only basic flyer, along with Lightning Hawks, that can hit ground units.

Griffon

Griffons were created by Lord Sartek shortly after the Sundering. When he was passing through the Giantreach Mountains, he encountered both lions and eagles, which he corrupted into Griffons. Despite their savage nature, Griffons were not particularly evil, and many escaped Sartek's dominion to live in wild mountains, serving other very different lords all over Etheria.

Griffons are quite a tough melee unit, and being flyers, they are ideal for destroying siege weapons that usually stay behind enemy lines, which would take ground units too long to reach.

Storm Dragon

In their research for natural powers, the Elven Druids, came to know about the great Storm Dragons. They were widely unknown, since they don't inhabit caves like most Dragons, but instead live almost exclusively in the air, hidden within violent storms. The Druids also learned to speak to them, and eventually gained the aid of some; yet as with all Dragons, they demand great treasure in exchange for their services.

Storm Dragons are good against spellcasters, since they Drain Mana with their breath. But they must have some shielding if they are going to attack massed spellcasters, as these usually have heavy ranged attacks. They are not so good against buildings and towers, but if you are facing Knights, then there is nothing better than a Storm Dragon.

Celestial Dragons

Before the Elven Civil War, and before they were forced into war by the Orcs of Kor, Elves were dedicated to the study of magic, art, and poetry. And it was in this time that they discovered the truths about the heavens above; they gained the favor of those who are beyond the reach of the eye, and the Celestial Dragons came to their aid against the growing darkness. Dark Elves split from this sacred bond, and searching for their own power, turned to the adoration of the Darkness. But High Elves and Wood Elves still honor these great creatures, and receive their aid whenever they can fulfil the complex rituals needed to call them.

Celestial Dragons are the top of Wood Elven economy - they produce 100 Crystal for each kill, so if they manage to kill 20 units (which all Dragons do easily) they have already payed back their own price, and proceed to give extra resources, doing great magical damage to your enemy in the process. They do double damage to all evil units, so if they are a threat to all races, evil ones are the most vulnerable.

Ironbark

Shortly after the foundation of the Haven of Silvemyr by Lord Oberon, the Wood Elves met the treemen - the Treants, and quickly became allies in their search for isolation from the wars of Etheria. Ironbark was the leader of the Ancients, the eldest of them all, and he pledged his aid to the Wood Elves.

Ironbark is among the strongest Titans. He is far stronger than Ancient Treants, but as with all Treants, he is vulnerable to fire attacks.

     Wood Elves are a late-game race, which means that at the beginning of the game they are at the lowest of their power, compared to other races. To begin with, build 3 Havens, upgrade one of them as soon as you can, and use the other two to make a continuos production of Wisps. Develop Ancient Wisp and the Rune of Cielos, and merge as many Wisps as you can into Ancient Wisps. Build several Trees of Life, use them to produce as many Gladewardens as possible, but give Ancient Wisps the priority. You should also be able to make some Woodriders, when you research the Rune of Animos.

     Build a Ranger's Guild and learn all the skills available, but give Bowmaster priority over Flaming Arrows. Build a Hostel and research Trade; use that to change your extra Crystal into other resources. Once you have many Gladewardens and about 10 Ancient Wisps, upgrade to Keep Level 3. If you feel confident of your strength, you could then research Manos and make Druids, but the safe way is to proceed to Keep Level 4 and research Arbos, to start making Treants. Also, build many White Trees to produce lots of Sprites, and Magic Wells to increase your Gold income.

     At this point you should have the upper hand, but if you can't win with this strength, then upgrade to Keep Level 5 and make several Nests. Upgrade them to Level 3, and make Celestial Dragons; the first Celestial Dragon may seem costly, but he pays for himself and other Dragons. Wood Elves have the strongest economy in the game, yet it comes late, having extra resources from Ancient Wisps (like all Elves), Magic Wells, and Celestial Dragons. All these extra resources may be efficiently managed to satisfy any need, with the Trade skill.