FW Strategy Guide - Caravan Guards

[ ^^ Walkthrough | ^ Strategy Guide | << Gargantuamouse ]

Adding Insult to Injury: Caravan Guards

Just as catching a Crimson Commander causes some number of each mouse to retreat, failing to catch a Caravan Guard places you at risk of mouse reinforcements arriving. Whether and how many mouse reinforcements arrive depends on factors most of which we currently understand poorly at best. Using sb+ as bait reduces the likelihood of encountering a Caravan Guard, although it does not eliminate it completely. Catch rates for Caravan Guards are not good, as no trap types are rated very effective or even effective against Caravan Guards (sob!) The following trap types are less effective, which means that they function at less than 100% of the power shown in the trap effectiveness meter. While we do not yet know whether the types farther down the list are even less less effective than the types above them, we do know that they are, at most, equally less effective (sorry, could not resist), as the order in which trap types are listed in the detail display on the adversaries page is significant.

• physical
• hydro
• tactical

Why mouse reinforcements arrive

The greater the number of friends hunting in the Fiery Warpath with you (not friends online, but friends hunting in the Fiery Warpath, as indicated in the HUD), the lesser the chance of reinforcements arriving, although there is always a chance that reinforcements will get through even with 450 to 500 friends.

How many reinforcements arrive

• Once a mouse has been defeated no reinforcements arrive for that mouse.
• In the vast majority of reported cases one of each mouse is added back in.
• When more than one of each mouse has been added back in, the same number of each mouse is added back in.
• The largest reported number of each mouse added in was six.
• The smallest reported number of each mouse added in was zero. Yup, you read that right, zero! Georgene Ang failed to catch a Caravan Guard, got the "Failing to catch a Caravan Guard mouse allowed reinforcements to arrive," checked her mouse count, only to find that no mice had been added to her wave! How could she be sure? It was the first mouse in wave three.
• You can, in fact, end up with more mice in the wave than the starting number of mice. How do we know? Heidi Lynn McKnight encountered almost exactly the same situation, only to have one extra of each mouse added. The only difference was that she was in wave one, so ended up with 36 of each mouse.

Is there a pattern to the number of reinforcements?

Many hypothesized patterns have been suggested, some of which have proven problematic. Here are a few of the more popular hypotheses:

• Missing a Caravan Guard early in a wave adds more mice than missing one later in the wave. Problem: many examples that suggest otherwise. Until we have a minimally biased data set, this hypothesis will have to wait.
• The number of mice added back in depends on where you are in a streak. Problem: so many examples of only one mouse added in despite being in a streak that this rule would have to have as many exceptions as French verbs. This hypothesis is very likely wrong.
• Only mice that have retreated can be added back into the wave. Heidi's data shoots this hypothesis down, as no mice had yet retreated from her wave.

Is there a pattern to how many mice are added to the wave? About the only thing that seems to have gathered any substantial evidence is that most of the time, one of each undefeated mouse is added. Other than that, the more we know, the less we know. Caravan Guards, the mysterious mice of the Fiery Warpath!

Retreat!!

Caravan Guards, like Crimson Commanders, retreat when you have defeated 90% of the mice in the wave. Thus in wave one, the Support mice retreat when there are 10 or fewer mice left, in wave two, when there are 18 or fewer mice left, and in wave three when there are 26 or fewer mice left.

FW Strategy Guide - Gargantuamouse

[ ^^ Walkthrough | ^ Strategy Guide | << Crimson Commander | >> Caravan Guards ]

Encountering a Gargantuamouse

After seven catches in a row, the Warmonger releases a Gargantuamouse in order to break your momentum. With each successive catch your probability of encountering Gaga increases. The probability of encountering Gaga increases by a fourth degree polynomial equation (re: dev Dave on FBF) as the streak progresses. After the ninth catch encountering Gaga is extremely likely.

A lot of confusion exists concerning how to tell when you will encounter Gaga: watch your streak counter, your trap effectiveness meter, etc., etc. None of these indicators has proven reliable to date. As best we understand it, the facts are these:

• Gaga is not released until after the seventh catch: reports of release after the sixth catch can be traced to missing journal entries, for example;
• Once Gaga has been released, the probability of encounter increases by the given equation with no further indicator.

The streak meter always changes color in the same pattern and the trap effectivess meter adjusts as would be expected: when Gaga shows up in the detail display after the seventh catch.

Gaga is not a Support mouse. The Warmonger will still release a Gaga after the Support mice retreat towards the end of each wave when you have defeated at least 90% of the mice in the wave.

Hunting Gargantuamice: How, When and Why

Trap and Base

The catch rate for Gaga with Ice Maiden and Spellbook base as reported in the forums and groups (while we wait for solid data, sigh) has been very good. Catches have also been reported with the Chrome Drillbot.

Bait

Gaga has not shown any particular preference for bait: as the purpose of Gaga is to break a streak, changing as few variables as possible makes sense.

Charm

Switching to a luck charm works well if not using a Warpath Commander Charm: with Ice Maiden, Spellbook base, Warpath Commander Charm and Lucky Golden Shield, catch rates for both Crimson Commanders and Gaga reported thus far have been very good, near to 100%. Without the Warpath Commander Charm armed, the only mouse reported caught with Ice Maiden thus far is Gaga, so it seems to make sense to switch to a luck charm.

When should I switch?

The answer depends on the larger context in which you are hunting your Gaga. If you switch to Ice Maiden before the ninth catch, you sacrifice the chance to cause 6 mice to retreat. Whether that is desirable or not depends on whether clearing the mouse or a better chance at Gaga is a higher priority. I generally switch after the eighth or ninth catch, depending on how many of the particular mouse I have left. I will switch after the eighth or even the seventh catch in order to preserve a second chance at Gaga with the same mouse. Switching does not attract Gaga. Arming a Warpath Commander Charm, however, does seem to increase your chances of attracting Gaga, as the vast majority of reports have hunters catching either a Crimson Commander or Gaga.

Best Gaga hunting opportunities?

Recall that Gargantuamice are released in response to a streak. Thus, the way to attract Gaga is to make streaks. What breaks streaks? FTAs, FTCs and catches of other mice. Late in each wave after 90% of the mice in the wave have been defeated, the support mice retreat, eliminating two of the mice that could break a streak. Scouts are significantly weaker than warriors and archers, so leaving scouts for last in waves one and two creates an optimal environment for Gaga hunting. Note that a full nine streak clears 21 mice, while an eight streak clears 14, for a total of 35 mice, the number of each type of mouse in wave one. Hmmmmm......

Is it worth it?

Gargantuamice drop one to six flameshards in addition to 25000 points and 4000 gold. Given that they can be neatly incorporated in to your hunting pattern, I think the answer is an unqualified yes. The Theurgy Wardens drop zero to ten flameshards and the Warmonger either 100 or 150 flameshards, with each trap taking huge numbers of flameshards to craft, so the extra flameshards are very necessary, especially in an area which is so poor in loot.

4th degree polynomial I'll give some examples in a future update to illustrate fourth-degree polynomials, as well as the difference between polynomial change and exponential change.

FW Strategy Guide - Crimson Commander

[ ^^ Walkthrough | ^ Strategy Guide | >> Gargantuamouse ]

Crimson Commander Strategy

After streaks, I have come to believe that Crimson Commanders are the single most important strategic element of the Fiery Warpath. I cover the mechanics of attracting and catching Crimson Commanders below; I want to start by considering the strategic role of Crimson Commanders.

As you make multiple passes through the Fiery Warpath, you gain progressively better control of impact of the Crimson Commanders. You gain this control directly through Warpath Commander charms, and indirectly through the new traps (because the new traps give you better control of streaks, and the farther you are into a streak, the greater the impact of catching a Crimson Commander.)

You can use your growing control of the Crimson Commanders to optimize your path through the Fiery Warpath, as it were. For example, with the Oasis Water Node and super mage charms, Magmarages are moderate. As Magmarages have the most points of any mice in wave three, a hunter wishing to maximize points would do well to begin with the Magmarages, as they may offer the best chance of getting a streak of nine in wave three. Whether to take that streak all the way to nine before trying to attract a Crimson Commander depends largely on how likely the hunter believes getting more streaks of more than six to be. After catch seven, you run the risk of attracting a Gargantuamouse instead. The chances of attracting a Crimson Commander rather than a Gargantuamouse decrease with each catch after the seventh, even with a Commander charm armed.

Switching to a Warpath Commander Charm before the ninth catch sacrifices substantial momentum, however, which is modeled in the game as follows. If you switch to a Warpath Commander Charm, you will attract one of two mice: a Crimson Commander or a Gargantuamouse. You will not attract the mouse you were previously hunting, therefore you sacrifice the opportunity to cause six more of that mouse to retreat for at least another six hunts. Whether the sacrifice makes sense depends on how many other mice are still in play: in wave 3 with none of the mice defeated and a goal of reaching the Warmonger as quickly as possible, switching early is clearly a good idea. In wave 1 on your last mouse, leave the Commander charms in your pocket and switch after the ninth catch as discussed in the next section on the Gargantuamouse.

Crimson Commander Mechanics

Attracting Crimson Commanders

Warpath Commander's Charms At the end of waves one, two and three, you are awarded one Warpath Commander's Charm, for a minimum of three each pass through the Fiery Warpath. The Warmonger drops zero to two Warpath Commander's Charms each catch, so that is a range of three to five charms per pass. If there is a pattern to the Warmonger's drops it has not yet emerged.

Effect of Bait Larry tells us that SB+ attracts more Crimson Commanders and experience thus far supports the scouting report. It is not as dramatic an effect as the use of Maki in the Dojo, however.

Catching Crimson Commanders

The following trap types are very effective against Crimson Commanders. While we do not yet know whether the types listed farther down the list are less effective than the types above them, we do know that they are, at most, equally effective, as the order in which trap types are listed is significant.

1. hydro
2. draconic
3. physical
4. arcane
5. tactical

Crimson Commanders are one of only two mice that have any very effective trap types in the Fiery Warpath. (The other is the Gargantuamouse, who we will explore next.)

The fact that draconic is listed second has led to a highly successful strategy when switching to a Commander's Charm after catch seven. Arm your Ice Maiden and Spellbook base (you really should not be in the Fiery Warpath without one) with the Commander's Charm. That way you are prepared for either the Crimson Commander or the Gargantuamouse.

Retreat!!

Crimson Commanders and Caravan Guards, the Support mice, retreat when you have defeated 90% of the mice in the wave. Thus in wave one, the Support mice retreat when there are 10 or fewer mice left, in wave two, when there are 18 or fewer mice left, and in wave three when there are 26 or fewer mice left. When planning a Crimson Commander strategy, keep in mind that they are not always around.

Fiery Warpath - Strategy Guide

[ ^ Walkthrough | >> Crimson Commander ]

An Elegant Design

The Fiery Warpath (FW) is truly an elegant design. Many different optimal paths exist, depending on what it is that a hunter is optimizing: points, gold, speed, types of loot and more, as well as the hunter's equipment, style of hunting and many other characteristics. You don't need to become a MouseHunt guru to do well in FW, but there are some essentials that, once internalized, will let you surf the waves repeatedly with growing confidence on each pass. My goal is to provide you with those essentials.

A new concept is introduced in the Fiery Warpath: momentum. In addition, the mechanisms of selective attraction and selective effectiveness, introduced in Zugzwang's Tower, are expanded upon. If you focus on the concepts rather than the mechanics at first, the mechanics will flow.

I assume that you have read (or at least skimmed) the rest of the walkthrough, especially the sections on waves and streaks before you read this guide. I start with an in-depth discussion of Crimson Commanders, Gargantuamice and Caravan Guards, mice which are critical to the implementation of momentum in FW. I then move on to explore the implications for strategies for each wave for various goals.

Table of Contents

1. Crimson Commander Mice
2. Gargantuamice
3. Caravan Guards NEW
4. Wave 1
5. Wave 2
6. Wave 3
7. Wave 4
8. Advice for passive hunters

Fiery Warpath - Strategies

[ ^ Contents | << Charms ]
First, some general comments.

• The Fiery Warpath is not an area in which a hunter can pick a single setup and stick with it throughout and expect an optimal (or even near-optimal) result. The screenshot below provides an object lesson in this principle: with only Desert Archers left, using charms is wasteful.
• We are all still learning our way through, so read lots of guides, take what you like and leave the rest. Enjoy the game and do what *you* think you should do.
• I am just finishing up wave 2, so the later stuff I have sorted out by collaborating with friends who are further along, an understanding of tactics in general, games in particular, etc... YMMV. :)
• Read the rest of this guide, but especially the sections on Waves and Streaks, before reading this section.

[placeholder:image]
Late in wave 1, your faithful scribe has dispensed with charms altogether and dropped back to gouda, taking advantage of knowledge gleaned from her betters. No need to scramble for every opportunity to catch a Gargantuan mouse when Theurgy Wardens will drop flameshards by the handfull.

I. Active Hunter Strategies:

Streaks are important; so is the 'demoralizing' effect of catching a Crimson Commander; and collecting loot is important as well. How to balance out these various goals?

Which mice should I target?  On the first pass through wave 1, rotate through the mice in the wave, rather than clearing all of one mouse and then moving on to the next.  Try to keep the number of each mouse you have left to capture roughly the same. Obviously, never break your own streak. On the first pass through wave 2, rotate through the archers, scouts and warriors first, as catching a crimson commander will cause cavalry and mages to retreat as well and you have no charms for those mice. You'll end up tackling some Cavalry and Mages at the end and will end up with drops for charms which you can then use in wave 3.

[placeholder:image]
In wave 2, everything is challenging!

What bait / charms should I use?  Vary your bait and charm setup depending on where you are in a streak as well as where you are in a wave.

For example: For wave 1, start out using gouda and no charm and see what you catch. Then arm the regular charm for that kind of mouse, staying with gouda through the third or fourth catch. If you have six or more of that mouse left to go in the wave, switch to the super version of the charm after the fourth or fifth catch. After the sixth or seventh catch, switch to sb+ as well....

In wave 2 (first pass through), I always armed a charm until I was done with the archers, scouts and warriors. I started out with gouda / regular charm for the first two catches, switched to the super charm after the second and switched up to sb+ after the fourth catch. This strategy was combined with ragebot / runic while using gouda, then switching to SBB when switching to SB+. The idea was that I had more invested in the streak as it progressed, so it was worth expending more resources to maintain it.

Another consideration is that sb+ affects the encounter rates for Crimson Commanders and Caravan Guards, which is a possible argument for a sb+ / regular charm setup, especially for hunters with fewer MH hunting friends. "According to the King's scouts, SUPER|brie+ is known to attract more Crimson Commanders and less Caravan Guards."

How do / Should I catch the Gargantuamouse?

Why not just always switch after 6 and avoid the Gaga? Because it drops flameshards, which we believe will be needed to craft the Oasis Water Node, Sphynx Wrath and Monstrobot. On the other hand, the Theurgy Wardens also drop flameshards by the handfull, so you will have to decide for yourself. Once we have the recipes for the new traps, I can give better guidance to this question.

You can tell when the Gaga has been released by watching your streak meter - when it turns yellow, the Gaga is loose. No need to switch setup before then for horn calls. That means that if you have a trap check coming up after your seventh catch, I'm not sure quite what you should do, as trap checks are reported at your designated time (mine is at 0:30) but do not necessarily occur at that time (hence the MouseHunt knows what is going to happen effect). Personally, I think I would be tempted to unbait for the things at present...

The chances of encountering Gaga increase by a polynomial equation (not exponential) as the streak progresses. (I'll give some examples in a future update to show what this means). A possible strategy might be to switch to, for example, a strong hydro setup if the streak meter turns yellow before the ninth catch during the first three waves (hydro being 'less effective' for both Gaga and archers, scouts and warriors), switching to your Ice Maiden (IM) after the ninth catch. With IM and Spellbook base, you have a good chance of catching Gaga. Switch to a luck charm, as you will not catch anything other than Gaga with IM armed.

What trap / base should I use?  Your trap and base depend on what wave you are in, what mice you are targeting, and where you are in a streak (see above.) A strong physical trap is your best friend for wave one, with the exception of when you target Gaga. The ragebot (Enraged Rhinobot) is an ideal trap for the active hunter, as this location rewards consistency, so the ragebot is very likely to outperform the much-beloved Chrome Drillbot, as strength is more consistent than luck. Ragebot / Spellbook base appears to be a terrific physical setup for the location. In waves two and three, you encounter mice that require hydro, tactical and arcane traps. Following the strength over luck in order to maximize streaks approach, we would pick HeatBath (hydro), Zugzwang's First Move (tactical) and ACRONYM (arcane), again paired with Spellbook Base. The Ice Maiden is the only option for Draconic against Gargantuamouse.

II. Passive Hunter Strategies:

Passive hunters will really not be able to manage streaks effectively, so our best thinking on the topic at present is to ignore charms entirely and just collect the mice in the first two waves as they come, recognizing that it will take longer that way. Passive hunters can still benefit from having lots of friends in the area at the same time as they are there, however, preventing reinforcements from arriving.

What about flameshards? You'll get flameshards from the Theurgy Wardens and they are for sale in the marketplace, whereas many items are not... Passive hunters thus have many options to collect flameshards :)