Carl's Rise of Legends Guide
Sawu,the Dark Alin
General Information:
Sawu is a corrupted glass genie. He wields dark glass magic in battle and comes with a free dark glass spider with each level he gains. While his attacks aren't stunning in strength, even at his highest level, like most heroes in Rise of Legends he does possess some interesting abilities which can turn the tide of the battle in your favor. For each level Sawu reaches he provides +10 timonium income for your nation, up to a maximum of +50. This bonus is not in effect when Sawu has been killed but can be renewed when you summon him back into your army. It's important to note that despite the fact that Sawu is a glass unit he does not benefit from upgrades at the glass citadel.
First, let's have a look at Sawu's stats:
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As you can see, his attack strength is not very impressive but he does full damage to all unit types. Note that his mana values are somewhat inflated from what they would be because of my building magus districts in my cities. If you're going to use sawu you will want to build some yourself, for they improve the maximum mana, mana regenration rate and the cooldown period between spell casting for all heroes.
Now let's have a look at Sawu's spells, the most useful feature about him.
Glass Shards
Mana Cost: 300
This spell creates whirling shards of glass which surround Sawu and are flung rapidly in the air in the area around him. They are mostly useful when Sawu is surrounded by enemies using melee attacks. You can also use them to mow your way through infantry but be warned that Sawu will take damage from trampling enemies so it might not always be a good idea to use this spell.
Summon Marids
Mana Cost: 600
Sawu summons a group of marids which increase in number as the spell gains levels. Marids are not powerful at all but can help you in your fight as they might draw some of the enemy's fire that could otherwise be directed at a more important unit. Marids don't last long after being summoned. They have a timer before they'll disappear and you'll have to wait for the spell to cool down to cast it again. Here's a look at the stats of a marid (note that they do NOT benefit from glass citadel upgrades).
Air/Ground Attack: 8 / Siege Attack: 4.4 / Range: 13 / Health: 190
They look like fodder, mostly. Fortunately they are decent at taking down infantry when they focus fire on them. You can get a maximum of four of these to help you at a time. Having to choose, I'd probably pick this spell over glass shards.
Glass Prison
Mana Cost: 750
Now on to the good stuff! Glass prison is the kind of spell that when used effectively can really change your fate in a large battle. Glass prison traps enemy units in thick glass. The spell has a wide area of affect but can only trap a level-dependent number of units with a single casting. Use this not on the infantry that are attacking you but on the big stuff that's causing you trouble. Try to center it on some nasties and watch the enemy squirm. Note that units trapped in glass can be freed by destroying the glass surrounding them. They're automatically freed after a certain length of time passes (about a minute). This should be enough time for you to get reinforcements to the battle site or kill off the unfrozen enemies so that when the others are freed they'll find themselves quite overwhelmed. This spell is highly recommend although it does have a rather long cooldown period (magus districts will improve that).
Summon Giant Spider
Mana Cost: 1000
Sawu's ultimate spell is best saved for rough spots (or to create one for the enemy!). It has the longest cooldown period of all his spells, quite appropriately. When cast, Sawu summons a giant spider to aid your army in battle. This unit is one of the strongest in Rise of Legends. The spell costs one thousand wealth to research. It can be upgraded to summon an elder giant spider at the additional cost of another 2000 wealth. Is it really worth spending the other 2000 wealth to get the badder spider? Let's have a look:
Giant Spider: Ground Attack: 50 / Air Attack: 30 / Siege Attack: 54 / Range: 16 / Hit Points: 3000
Elder Giant Spider: Ground Attack: 60 / Air Attack 40 / Siege Attack: 64 / Range: 16 / Hit Points: 4000
While the Elder is a good deal more powerful than its counterpart, it's probably not worth the additional 2000 wealth unless you need to spend the resources to also increase Sawu's level. Otherwise, the wealth would probably be better spent summoning some fire elementals to help you take care of enemy heroes and other large foes. The giant spiders have excellent trample damage and can walk right over infantry. Use this spell wisely and it will be a great friend to you.