Everybody needs friends, especially in a world that is, by turns, hostile and strange. The Aspects of Endless Legend 2 are, by and large, the faction that wants everybody to be their friend. Of course, how they make that happen is perhaps a little… iffy. If you want to master the art of winning friends and influencing people on Saiadha, read on.
Polyp, Polyp, Fizz, Fizz
The Aspects rely on a unique resource called Coral. If you’ve played StarCraft before, the easiest analogy (albeit not quite the same) would be Creep. Coral spreads after you put down a Coral Growth, upgrade a Growth to a Camp, establish a Camp by seizing a Fortress, or from a City Hall after you upgrade a Camp. It spreads on its own, and a counter in the upper left corner will tell you when the next phase of spreading will occur. It’s somewhat random in which direction it grows out, but tends to go towards Minor Faction Villages, Shallow Waters, Rivers, Lakes, and the Districts of non-Aspect cities. Its immediate effects at the start are humble; you can buy Foundation tiles for your Cities cheaper if the tile has Coral on it. It doesn’t sound like much, but it’s one of those low-key benefits that reaps big rewards later.
Mi Coral Es Su Coral
One of the more helpful functions of Coral in the early game is immediately pacifying Minor Faction Villages. When the Coral spreads to a tile that has a Village on it, the Village is pacified immediately. No fuss, no muss, nothing to do on your part. This is definitely an edge when dealing with physically stronger Minor Factions like the Blackhammers and the Sollusk. Keep in mind, however, that this can be a double-edged sword. If you went to a Village and obtained a Quest (which would pacify all the Villages in the territory), and Coral comes up under that Village, the quest gets cancelled. No quest rewards are granted if this happens, and the other Villages in the territory are not pacified, so be careful where you drop a Coral Growth.
Let’s Work Together
Because the Aspects are big on diplomacy, Influence-related topics in the tech tree should be a priority. The Tier 1 tech, Asceticism, unlocks an additional Protectorate slot, very useful for getting some quick bonuses to help out your empire in the early game. Also, there are no assimilation costs for making a Minor Faction a Protectorate, which is another big boon.
Diplomacy By Other Means
The Aspects are not a major military power, unlike the Kin of Sheredyn or the Last Lords. Their starting army units are a ranged unit and a “swarm” unit. Progressing through the tech tree will unlock a cavalry unit and a flying unit, but they’re still kind of squishy, and it doesn’t do you much good in the early game. By establishing a Protectorate over a given Minor Faction, you can build a unit from that faction. The Blackhammers have probably the best infantry-type units, though the Foundlings can produce Occultists, which can heal adjacent units when attacking.
Putting Out Feelers
Unlike other factions, the Aspects do not get any Vision radius from their Districts. This should make it possible for hostile armies to “sneak up” on Aspect cities. However, in compensation, tiles that have Coral in them do have a Vision radius, so it’s possible to see armies coming from a long way off. The more Coral out there, the more you’re able to see. Even better, the Coral basically removes the fog of war if it covers an entire territory.
Trying to conquer the world with kind words and sweet reason by themselves isn’t easy. But if anybody can do it, the Aspects are probably the best equipped to pull it off.
