Nest/1.03.25

Level 1
At such an early point in the game the Nest has limited use, being restricted to producing just Eagles. However, Eagles can be useful in two ways - a replacement for Thralls in regards to building, and offering additional aerial aid to the standard Barbarian infantry - who can be easily countered by flying units with psyche effects, especially when they show up early game (Daemons and Archons via Temples). If you're playing a game where such units wont be making an appearance, then you can probably just stick to building a single Nest at this point in the game, only to obtain an Eagle or two for building purposes.

Level 2
Upgrading the Nest for Barbarians gives them access to a glorious unit - the Pegasus. Although pretty average for most races, the Barbarians can upgrade their Pegasi with amazing speed and combat that cements their position in the Barbarian army as true aerial counters. This means Eagles loose what ever use they had for aerial support, but still will be sticking around for their building capabilities. Regardless, their place in the Nest's production queue is all but over, allowing you to upgrade all Nests to level 2 and have them produce Pegasi. And as they require only gold and crystal for production, resources that the Barbarians can throw around with little care, they can be massed to a reasonable extent - only really being limited by the number of level 2 Nests present.

Level 3
The Barbarians have such a great economy that making Dragons is a breeze. Further more, with the Bloodlust research in play, they can produce their Dragons faster than any other race, too. This all makes the Nest level 3 a powerful asset to the Barbarian race. Up until this point, the Barbarians have had almost no need for their crystal and allowed for easy production of their Pegasi. But with the Dragons' expenses, the Pegasi production will take a hit. However, the Dragons still have a long build time, even with the Bloodlust skill in play, and the Barbarians will still need aerial support. This means you don't need to upgrade all of your nests, as some would still only produce Pegasi.

Level 1
At the Fey's Nest Level 1, they can get access to Lightning Hawks. Whilst they cost quite a lot, Lightning Hawks are well worth building multiple Nests for. They are incrdibly powerful flying units, capable of razing both armies and bases alike with their ranged electrical attacks. These fliers will need air-to-air or ground-to-air support however, as Lightning Hawks can only target ground-based objects.

Level 2
At Nest Level 2, the Fey get access to another powerful flier: the Pegasus. Pegasi are fast and particularly good at razing buildings, though they are also very sutiable for plowing through armies as well.

Level 3
Finally, at Nest Level 3, the Fey get access to two amazing dragon types: Swamp Dragons and Celestial Dragons. This combination of dragons is probably amongst the best in the game, possibly only narrowly getting beaten out by Undead and Plaguelords. Swamp Dragons can be used by the Fey for added base destruction, whilst Celestial Dragons can crystalize any unit and give the Fey even more Crystal. Celestial Dragons are particularly proficient against Evil units, which are probably more common than Good.

Level 1
The basic Nest can only produce Phoenixes, but the ability they possess makes building an Nest this early on in the game worth while - and that's in - "an" Nest. Phoenixes aren't designed for combat and only for map conversion. Although you'll probably produce a few of them, you wont ever be producing enough to warrent a second production building and thus a single Nest in tier 2 is fine. But keep in mind that late game they will be upgraded to produce more time consuming units, making multiples of Nests necessary at some point. Further more, their cost to upgrade is immense and the fear a Nest level 3 causes will put these building high on your enemies to-smash list, so the building needs to be placed somewhere safe and easy to protect.

Level 2
Come tier 4 and the High Elves can start to build multiple Nests (and upgrading them) for Pegasus production. However, considering how late level 2 Nests come and the desperate need for Pegasi in some match ups, building multiple Nests towards the end of tier 3 would be ideal - ready for quick upgrading and multi-production. But one should be weary of the high gold and stone cost of upgrading them, and then the further gold cost of producing Pegasi.

Level 3
Upon reaching tier 5, and spending a mammoth amount of resources, the High Elves can produce one of the most powerful and useful units in the game - the Celestial Dragon. Although Frost Dragons are also available at this time, Celestial Dragons should take priority due to their economical and offensive traits. Such is the usefulness of these traits, one should aim to pull a Celestial Dragon out as soon as they can. Just remember to upgrade a Nest that's easy to defend - the loss of all that gold and stone, as well as the time and cost lost from an uncompleted Dragon stings worse than a Giant Wasps's death-blow!

Level 1
Dragonflis are all that the Ssrathi can produce from their Nest level 1, and they're not much of a unit at all. Their stats are poor and their only note worthy skill is their ability to inflict poison. But also at tier 2, the Ssrathi can produce Snakepriests who are also able to inflict poison on aerial targets, as well as doing far more for the race in general. Because of this, the Ssrathi have very little need for Dragonflies and thus have little need for Nests when they can't upgrade them yet. However, at such an early point in the game and with only Snakepriests being their only unit to hit aerial targets, Dragonflies could be used to work along side those Snakepriests to help fend off early fliers that are resistant to fire, such as Daemons obtained through Infernal Temples or summoned by a Hero. Other than that, it's best to wait till tier 4 before building Nests, where they upgrade them to produce Pterodactyls.

Level 2
No other race meets a Nest level 2 with as much excitement as the Ssrathi. This newly upgraded Nest can produce one of the most feared flying units in the game - the Pterodactyl. Although much of their power comes from their tier 5 researches, they still possess the raw power to turn the tide of aerial combat, and can even proceed to demolish an enemy base. Because of how ridiculous they can become, tier 4 is the tier where building Nests become mandatory. The cost for building and upgrading a Nest, as well as the price for the Pterodactyls, can be a costly one indeed. Because of this, if you're not well off with resources, then it may be best to wait till your Pterodactyls are powered up before launching an assault, although, if aerial combat has demand for them before tier 5 hits, then send them off to show your enemy that their raw power is still something to be feared! Once Pterodactyls become available, Dragonflies then become extinct. As such, there is no need to produce additional Nests if you already have some on the field.

Level 3
If Pterodactyls weren't enough, the Ssrathi also get Swamp Dragons, giving them multiple options of how to tear down enemy buildings. Although the Ssrathi aren't short of answers for enemy buildings between Snakepriests and Pterodactyls, which tend to do a better job than the Swamp Dragon in that regard, its high powered splash damage that erodes armor allows it to put a swift end to infantry, too. This ability to handle all units and buildings equally well can make it stand out against its competition and merit its use. As Dragons cost gold and crystal, which clashes with Snakepriest (and even Nagas), you may find yourself holding back in the Dragon department. Therefore you wont really need to upgrade many Nests to level 3. But with Pterodactyls still useful at this point, you may still want to build and extra Nest and level that up for a Dragon production Nest.

Level 1
The Wood Elves have a very difficult game with their poor economy - one of the faults come from their inability to fill mines with workers. This means they must rely on the raw number of mines captured for reliable income, and this is where the Nest comes in. A level 1 Nest only produces Phoenixes but these units have the ability to convert buildings that can drastically help the Wood Elves economy. Because of this, building a Nest and getting a few Phoenixes out should be number one priority after reaching tier 2. Outside of converting, Phoenixes are terrible and should only be used for the converting role. Therefore there is no need to build any more than just a few at once and thus no real need to build any more than one Nest in the early stage of the game.

Level 2
The Wood Elves' Nest level 2 offers Griffons along side Phoenixes. Griffons can be used to help your Phoenixes safely get around the map to convert mines by removing enemy towers and stray enemy units. If you plan on using Griffons for this, then you wont need particularly many. Two level 2 Nests is sufficient, as Phoenixes can be quickly produced before or after your platoon of Griffons are ready, thus not really needing any more than two Nests at this point, which should help keep that hefty stone cost to a minimum.

Level 3
With the combination of free gold and crystal generated from Magic Wells and Ancient Wisps, respectively, the Wood Elves can acquire Dragons a little more easier than most other races. Because of this, you should take the opportunity to upgrade your Nests when available. As the Dragons can take over from the Griffons for aiding your Phoenixes around the map, (as well as many more tasks) their production could very well be ended, or at least drastically reduced to be produced only when you have no Dragons on the field. As such, you wont even need to build any more Nests, with the possible exception of an additional Nest level 1 just for Phoenix production.

=Gallery=