Ballistics

From Heroes of Might and Magic III
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Secondary skills
Expert Air Magic.png Air Magic
Expert Archery.png Archery
Expert Armorer.png Armorer
Expert Artillery.png Artillery
Expert Ballistics.png Ballistics
Expert Diplomacy.png Diplomacy
Expert Eagle Eye.png Eagle Eye
Expert Earth Magic.png Earth Magic
Expert Estates.png Estates
Expert Fire Magic.png Fire Magic
Expert First Aid.png First Aid
Expert Intelligence.png Intelligence
Expert Interference.png Interference Horn of the Abyss
Expert Leadership.png Leadership
Expert Learning.png Learning
Expert Logistics.png Logistics
Expert Luck.png Luck
Expert Mysticism.png Mysticism
Expert Navigation.png Navigation
Expert Necromancy.png Necromancy
Expert Offense.png Offense
Expert Pathfinding.png Pathfinding
Expert Resistance.png Resistance
Expert Scholar.png Scholar
Expert Scouting.png Scouting
Expert Sorcery.png Sorcery
Expert Tactics.png Tactics
Expert Water Magic.png Water Magic
Expert Wisdom.png Wisdom
Ballistics
Basic Ballistics.png Basic Ballistics: gives control of the catapult to the hero, allowing aimed shots with increased damage.
Advanced Ballistics.png Advanced Ballistics: gives control of the catapult to the hero, allowing two aimed shots with increased damage.
Expert Ballistics.png Expert Ballistics: gives control of the catapult to the hero, allowing two aimed shots at maximum damage.

Ballistics is a secondary skill, that gives the player manual control over the catapult in a siege, increases the chances of hitting an intended wall and increases the chance of doing double damage. The castle walls as well as Drawbridge, Keep and Arrow Towers have 2 hitpoints (upon building castle standard walls are upgraded to fortified walls, which have 3 hitpoints). Additionally, at advanced and expert level of Ballistics catapults fire twice instead of just once.

It is interesting that Ballistics secondary skill does not buff Ballista. The latter works better via Artillery.

Level None Basic Adv. Expert
Shots 1 1 2 2
Chance to hit Keep (before all walls destroyed) 5% 7% 7% 10%
Chance to hit Arrow Towers (before all walls destroyed) 10% 15% 15% 20%
Chance to hit Drawbridge (before all walls destroyed) 25% 30% 30% 40%
Chance to hit intended wall 50% 60% 60% 75%
Chance for no damage 10% 0% 0% 0%
Chance for 1 damage 60% 50% 50% 0%
Chance for 2 damage 30% 50% 50% 100%

Heroes with Basic Ballistics as a starting skill:

Chance to get[edit | edit source]

Out of total 112 for Shadow of Death, and of (112 + Interference chance) for Horn of the Abyss Horn of the Abyss.
Banned skills change the probability.

Town Class Chance to learn
Town portrait Castle small.gif Castle  Knight   8 (highest)
Town portrait Castle small.gif Castle  Cleric   4 (lowest) Shadow of Death
Town portrait Rampart small.gif Rampart  Ranger   4 (lowest) Shadow of Death
Town portrait Rampart small.gif Rampart  Druid   4 (lowest) Shadow of Death
Town portrait Tower small.gif Tower  Alchemist   6
Town portrait Tower small.gif Tower  Wizard   4 (lowest) Shadow of Death
Town portrait Inferno small.gif Inferno  Demoniac   7
Town portrait Inferno small.gif Inferno  Heretic   6
Town portrait Necropolis small.gif Necropolis  Death Knight   7
Town portrait Necropolis small.gif Necropolis  Necromancer   5
Town portrait Dungeon small.gif Dungeon  Overlord   7
Town portrait Dungeon small.gif Dungeon  Warlock   6
Town portrait Stronghold small.gif Stronghold  Barbarian   8 (highest)
Town portrait Stronghold small.gif Stronghold  Battle Mage   6
Town portrait Fortress small.gif Fortress  Beastmaster   7
Town portrait Fortress small.gif Fortress  Witch   8 (highest)
Town portrait Conflux small.gif Conflux  Planeswalker   8 (highest)
Town portrait Conflux small.gif Conflux  Elementalist   4 (lowest) Shadow of Death
Town portrait Cove small.gif Cove  Captain   5
Town portrait Cove small.gif Cove  Navigator   2 (lowest) Horn of the Abyss
Town portrait Factory small.gif Factory  Mercenary   6
Town portrait Factory small.gif Factory  Artificer   8 (highest)


User commentary

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Some may find the information in this section subjective or irrelevant.

Ballistics is not something essential to everyone, but it is really useful when sieging towns, and if a map has many towns you should capture, consider using a hero with Ballistics as your starting hero, eventually improving the skill to Expert. It will make sieging a town way easier, reducing your losses, as you will destroy the drawbridge on an early stage of the battle, and the enemy's defense will worsen significantly. However, the most crucial when sieging a town is properly using your flyers, ranged units, and magic, so as to win as soon as possible and avoid major losses.

Quite useful, since it gives you first chance to cast spells in sieges (provided that the defending hero doesn't have Artillery).

Recommended for: Heroes with walker-heavy armies

While useful for breaking open the gate quickly, one also has to care to consider that it is the only battle-skill that in non-siege battle situations has absolutely no impact. Therefore, in a multiplayer game it may be better to select a more multi-situation skill upon which to invest. In single-player games, more useful, but also situational, as the AI tends to charge out of the castle if an army demonstrates any significant long-range damage abilities. It is very rare that the AI stays in the castle entirely, and that this skill is entirely necessary. I would take this if I had walker armies, and were offered an alternative skill considerably less useful (ie. eagle eye, learning).


See also: