Talk:Patch Downloads/@comment-44892358-20200524002425/@comment-26393217-20200526170300

You are right, summoning has been nerfed. Perhaps because some optimized heroes in MP could summon hordes of high level elementals or undead before their opponents could produce their faction T3 and T4 units.

Yet, summoned miners don't vanish; raised dead don't vanish; some fragile units summoned by spellcaster units don't vanish. Summon timers have been corrected in latest patches so that summoned units can still reach the enemy base and perform their suicide attack. Likewise, initial mana have been adjusted so that summoned healing units are still useful (i.e. able to spend 40 mana points twice).

The only difference, I'd say, is that you can't turtle anymore to build a persistent army of summoned creatures, and of course, you spend more mana. True summoners have now to summon more than they did in pre v1.03.21; heroes with a random summoning spell can't win the game anymore with that single spell if their build is not oriented toward summoning; in general, you have to plan more carefully and use these spells another way.

Let's recall the more or less obvious to help making the leap to v1.03.21 and beyond:

1) Generally, a hero can summon 2 to 3 same units at mastery level 1 in the lifespan of first summoned unit. It's often enough to wreak havoc in the enemy town at T2 stage, if they are sent against their favourite targets. They only cost mana and they make the enemy lose valuable resources.

2) Playing with the right factions, factions of natural summoners btw, you can produce a lot of summoning units, and even if their summoned pets are timed, they generate together instantly what a single hero would summon in several minutes pre-v1.03.21. It's still awesome to behold, as they deal e.g. tenfold the damage dealt with case 1) above.

3) But the right way to play summoned units is now more than ever to make them fight along with your faction units. Timer are long enough so that this doesn't necessarily mean that the hero has to go near frontline. A single elemental can draw fire and make the other units more resilient. A single undead knight is enough to make wights and skeletons shine against armoured targets. A single summoned mage can cast a wide area spell and turn the tide of a fight.