The Elemental Empire is an empire in the Stick War series. Making their first appearance as a cameo in Stick War II: Order Empire, the Elementals are largely thought to be a fragile but powerful force to be reckoned with, relying on nature for the source of their weaponry.
History
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This article or section contains significant spoilers. |
Beginnings
When V chose to create Inamorta as his final resting place, he decided to create "children" in order to not remain heartbroken. He created the children from his likeness, with the children being the Earth and Water Elementals. For millions of years, the two elementals expanded and populated while V watched, impressed at this. However, inevitably, the two elementals soon got into conflict as the population reached beyond capacity, with the Water claiming the ocean and the Earth claiming the trees. They fought ferocious battles which expanded the borders, but despite their grievances, they were unable to live without one another.
V was furious at what the two elementals had turned into, as they had a perfect world and twisted it into warfare and destruction. V decided to create the Fire Elementals as entities that would punish anything that disobeyed his commands. But the Fire Elementals, born from hate and spite, bred evil into Inamorta, and the three elementals soon became uncontrollable for V. The Fire Elementals eventually took over the land and sea and set the entire world ablaze.
While V was afraid to create a fourth elemental as he believed it would only make things worse, he had no choice but to create the Air Elementals, as the Fire Elementals were a "curse" for him. This time, V's thoughts were benevolent and pure, with the Air Elementals thought to be loyal and the cure for all of the chaos in the world. Unlike the other three elementals, the Air Elementals enforced V's law and fought for a peaceful world.
Despite this, the Fire Elementals remained stubborn and only worshipped themselves, and would not allow themselves to be policed by the Air Elementals any further. The Fire Elementals used the other elements to make their powers grow, and seeing the creation of the Air Elementals, they tried to do something of their own. While they wanted to be Gods like V, their only magic was hate, causing them to create the Chaos Empire.
The new Chaos Empire could live and die and unlike the other elementals, had a true soul in them. Their love of life and fear of death made them too powerful for anyone to control. As a result, the Air Elementals were unable to stop them at their borders and prayed that V would bring in freedom, justice, and importantly Order. Since the hate of the Fire Elementals burned so hot that nothing could survive, V had a choice to either destroy it all and or make himself alive.
In one final act before he'd come down and strip his Godly powers, he created the Order Empire with a single magic flower.
Stick War II: Order Empire
First imprisoned by the Chaos under Medusa's order, the Elementals were left free after she met her end at the hands of the Order Empire. From there the Elementals fought their own battles, now against any empire that stood in their way.
Stick War III
After Medusa's defeat, the Order army under Zilaros and King Zarek discovered the imprisoned Elementals, and one Fire Elemental offered to show them a mysterious map. While Zarek took the offer, the Elementals would only give them the map upon being freed. After some discussion, the Order leaders agreed to free the Elementals, and the Fire Elemental led Zarek and Zilaros down into the bowels of the Chaos Empire's fortress, down a passage opened by a Treature. Shortly after obtaining the map, however, Zarek was attacked by the Marrowkai, and the Elementals took their chance - a Fire and Water Elemental grabbed the map as Zarek was held hostage by the Marrowkai, merging to create a massive explosion that tore the map in three, and each Empire left the encounter with a third of the whole.
Military
The Elemental Empire has a different military from the other empires. There are four basic Elementals which can combine to form advanced units.
Most of these advanced units are spellcasters which powerful AOE abilities, which must be managed and used effectively to guarantee victory.
Basic Units
Earth: Light Melee
The Elemental Empire's basic melee unit. Earth starts off in a humanoid form, with a black body and transparent head with an outer black and inner brown outline. Within its head are three, small, floating rocks.
This unit's attack speed is slow, but are notably able to stun without any research and at little cost. The Earth Elemental costs 150 gold and takes 4 seconds to finish training. One unit takes up two population.
Earth can transform into the Elementals' economy unit, the Chompler.
Chompler: Worker
The Chompler is the economic unit for the Elemental Empire. Unlike other empires, it is not trained. Instead, the Chompler is the alternative form of the Earth Element. It takes roughly 5 seconds for an Earth Element to morph into this worker.
Similar to other empires, the Chompler serves as the economic backbone. It supplies the majority of resources required to maintain the Empire's army. The Chompler is not able to build structures, differentiating from its counterparts' abilities to build the Miner Wall and Miner Tower.
The Chompler's health and speed can be improved by researching the Miner Hustle technology from the Elementals' Gold Keep.
Water: Support/Scout
The Elemental Empire's basic support, scout, and healer unit. Water starts off in a humanoid form, with a black body and transparent head with an outer black and inner light blue outline. A pool of water constantly sways in its head.
This unit rushes at an enemy unit and morphs into ice to freeze the enemy. It will only unfreeze when the Elemental or the unit it has frozen dies, or if the Elemental is ordered to do so via commands like Garrison and Hold. The Water Elemental costs 350 gold and takes 12 seconds to finish training. One unit takes up two population.
Water can also suicidally explode, healing all nearby friendly units and curing them of any DoT.
Air: Air Light Ranged
The Elemental Empire's basic aerial ranged unit. The air unit starts off in a humanoid form, with a black body and transparent head with an outer black and inner cyan outline. Lightning is present in its head and changes colors from white to cyan, to dark blue, and reverse.
This unit can target any enemy within its range, even units behind others, allowing for deadly accuracy. It claps and brings down powerful lightning strikes, but its attack speed is significantly slower than most other ranged units. The Air Elemental costs 400 gold and takes 20 seconds to finish training. One unit takes up three population.
Despite its accuracy, this Elemental roughly has a three-second retargeting speed. This significantly dampens its ability to kite, leaving the Air Elemental vulnerable. The long retargeting speed can be avoided by targeting the enemy unit before the Air starts its attack animation, although it's only plausible for the first attack.
Fire: Ranged
The Elemental Empire's basic ground ranged unit. Fire starts off in a humanoid form, with a black body and transparent head with an outer black and inner red outline. A controlled fire is lit up in its head.
On the battlefield, the unit is slightly hunched, with a fireball in its hands. It attacks its enemies by launching its fireballs and applying the burn DoT. The Fire Elemental costs 450 gold and takes 16 seconds to finish training. One unit takes up three population.
This unit deals little in damage, primarily relying on its burn DoT to kill off enemies. Fire functions most like an archer, with the ability to kite.
Advanced Units
The four basic Elemental units can combine to form more powerful and advanced units. Five of the combinations cost 100 mana, whereas two of them cost 0 mana. None of the combinations cost gold. Commands such as Hold stop the combination process. Combinations also cure DoT. The advanced unit's health depends on the basic units' health average.
Charrog: Melee/Tank
The Elemental Empire's advanced tank unit with nine bars of health, an astonishing number in comparison to other units with the same role. The Charrog is different for it comes with abilities without the need for research. It can burn multiple enemies using the Radiant Heat ability and can escape, or jump and stun with the Burrow/Unburrow ability.
If used well, the Charrog can easily wreak havoc with its combat prowess. The Charrog is formed by a combination of the Earth and Fire Elementals, costing 100 mana to combine and 600 gold in total.
Cycloid: Air/Support/Melee
The Elemental Empire's advanced aerial unit that acts as a support unit as well. Unlike other aerial units, the Cycloid uses melee attacks, contrasting the ranged arrows of the Albowtross and Eclipsor units. It starts off with the ability Protect which casts a protective, but temporary shield over any friendly unit—even itself—that reduces the damage dealt. Upon research, it can also stun multiple units via a Tornado attack.
The Cycloid can often turn the tides by protecting your vulnerable spellcasters and adding extra defense to your tanky units. Its Tornado attack is also useful against most enemies. The Cycloid is formed by a combination of the Air and Water Elementals, costing 100 mana to combine and 750 gold in total.
Infernos: Spellcaster
The Elemental Empire's advanced offensive spellcaster. Right from the get-go, the Infernos can summon a flaming dragon called Vastolis, which rises from the ground, stuns and damages multiple enemies in an area. Its Fire Rain spell also deals some damage but most notably, applies the burn DoT. Fire Rain can be upgraded to become a Meteor Shower for much more significant damage.
The Infernos is a well-rounded spellcaster that maintains a great balance between DoT and overall damage, a good investment for its price. Infernos is formed by a combination of the Air and Fire Elementals, costing 100 mana to combine and 850 gold in total.
Treature: Heavy Caster and Scorpling: Light Melee
The Elemental Empire's advanced heavy spellcaster that also serves as an area-control and defense unit. The Treature can summon Scorplings, creatures reminiscent of the Minion units in Stick War and Stick War: Legacy, to protect itself. However, this ability leaves the unit immobile, although it can still use spells like the Death Blossom, which drains the health of enemies and stuns them via a spike root.
Players often use the Treature as a Secondary Castle that defends crucial points on the map (e.g. the middle tower). The Treature is formed by a combination of the Earth and Water Elementals, costing 100 mana to combine and 500 gold in total.
V: Spellcaster/Melee
The Elemental Empire's ultimate unit. V starts off with two spells, Flash and Possess. Using Flash allows V to quickly teleport to a location within its range. Meanwhile, Possess lets V take control of one enemy unit, but is made immobile and cannot attack on its own while controlling the unit. Once researched, the technology Clone Level 1 can create two controllable clones of V. The copies aren't that tough or strong, but can be upgraded to Level 2 which increases those parameters, although individually, they are still not as strong as the original. All of V's abilities save for Flash cost 50 mana.
The V itself can deal very high damage, killing an archer in 2 hits. This, coupled with its unique and powerful abilities, makes V a formidable opponent in battle. The V is formed by a combinations of all basic Elemental units, costing 100 mana and 1,450 gold in total.
Other Units
Scorch
The Elemental Empire's offensive miscellaneous AOE spell. Scorch is the combination of the Water and Fire Elementals, costing 0 mana and 800 gold. Upon formation, the combined Elementals explode, damaging and stunning multiple units at once. It also inflicts burn damage and a very high knockback effect.
Scorch generally becomes less effective as the match progresses.
Blind Gate
The Elemental Empire's supportive miscellaneous spell. Blind Gate is the combination of the Earth and Air Elementals, costing 0 mana and 550 gold. Upon formation, the combined Elementals disappear, erecting two tree trunks at the location of their intersection. Connecting these trunks is a blue haze, almost holographic. However, more importantly, these tree trunks become the boundaries of the enemy's Fog of War.
Blind Gate can be a very effective tool against real players, capable of catching them off guard. Do note that once the Elementals disappear, they themselves no longer light up your Fog of War.
Trivia
- The Elemental Empire has the largest amount of trainable units in the entire series.
- Although technically it has the same ammount as two require other units to obtain them.
- It previously required Membership to play, but was made free on the 5th anniversary of Stick Empires.
- The Elemental Empire also has the largest amount of spellcasters.
- In the opening cutscene of Stick War III, the Earth and Water that fused into a Treature are later seen de-fusing, indicating that they can undo their fusions. For balance purposes, this does not appear in gameplay.
- Elemental is the only empire with no special duel animations.