Disenchant Area | ||
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Realm | Arcane | |
Spell Type | Instant Spell / Combat Instant | |
Casting Cost | 50 + up to 200 | |
Combat Cost | 50 + up to 200 | |
Research Cost | 300 | |
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Attempts to dispel all rival spells on the target overland tile. In combat, this is always the map square that the battle is taking place on. |
Disenchant True | ||
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Realm | Sorcery | |
Spell Rarity | Uncommon | |
Spell Type | Instant Spell / Combat Instant | |
Casting Cost | 50 + up to 200 | |
Combat Cost | 50 + up to 200 | |
Research Cost | 350 | |
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Attempts to dispel all rival spells on the target overland tile. In combat, this is always the map square that the battle is taking place on. Disenchant True has 3 times the Dispel Strength of Disenchant Area. |
Buggy Feature | |
As of Master of Magic v1.31, Disenchant Area is known to be malfunctioning in at least one way. Please read the Known Bugs section below. |
- Disenchant True redirects here, as it is a stronger version of Disenchant Area. The only difference between the two are their Dispel Strength and availability, as noted below.
Disenchant Area and Disenchant True are a pair of similar spells performing the same function. They are intended to allow removing ("dispelling") enemy spells currently affecting any asset within a specific, targeted map tile. Both spells may be cast on the overland map as well as during combat, for a base Casting Cost of 50.
On the overland map, Disenchant Area and Disenchant True must be targeted at a specific tile, and will attempt to remove any persistent spells (Unit Enchantments, Town Enchantments, Town Curses, and Warp Node), cast by any rival Wizard, on any assets within that map square.
During combat, Disenchants require no target - instead, it is automatically assumed to be the tile that the battle is taking place on. This extends the effect to include Unit Curses and Combat Enchantments cast by the opponent; although in this case, Town Enchantments may only be at most suppressed for the duration of the battle. They won't be actually removed, even though the game may claim so.
Both Disenchants make separate dispel attempts against each enemy spell they target, so they can remove none, some, or all of those spells. The degree of success is partly random, but it is also partly based on the Casting Cost of the Disenchants. Fortunately, their success rate can be increased by channeling more Mana into them during casting. As a result, they costs more, but also have better chances of success. Up to an extra 200 may be invested into either spell for this purpose.
Disenchant Area
- Disenchant Area is an Uncommon Instant Spell of the Arcane Realm.
Disenchant True
- Disenchant True is an Uncommon Instant Spell of the Sorcery Realm. Besides its availability, it differs from Disenchant Area only in the fact that every point of Mana spent on its casting counts as 3 for the purpose of determining its Dispel Strength. This includes both its base Casting Cost of 50, and any additional Mana invested to enhance its effect.
Effect[]
Disenchants attempt to dispel some, or all of the persistent spells currently affecting assets in a targeted area. They have a certain chance of success dispelling each spell they find, which is based on several factors, as described below. Disenchants only target spells cast by other Wizards; they don't affect the caster's own spells.
Targeted Spells[]
The enemy spells that will be targeted for dispelling depend on whether the Disenchant is cast on the overland map or during combat.
Overland Version[]
- When Disenchant Area or Disenchant True is cast on an overland map tile, it will attempt to dispel any persistent spells affecting any asset within this tile. If the targeted tile contains any rival units, the Disenchants will attempt to dispel any Unit Enchantments currently affecting those units. If it contains a Town, then they will also attempt to dispel rival Town Enchantments or Town Curses currently affecting that Town. Naturally, if the Town belongs to the caster, then only the Curses are targeted; but if it belongs to someone else, no such distinction will be made, although Town Curses that belong to the caster are exempt in this case.
- Finally, if the tile contains a magical Node cursed with a Warp Node spell, the Disenchant will attempt to lift this effect, provided that it was not placed by its caster.
Combat Version[]
- When Disenchant Area or Disenchant True is cast during battle, it will automatically attempt to dispel all persistent effects that do not belong to its caster. This includes any Unit Enchantments on enemy units, any Unit Curses on friendly units, as well as all Combat Enchantments the opponent currently has in effect. In addition, when besieging a Town, a further attempt will be made against every Town Enchantment protecting it. However, in this case, the Disenchant can't actually remove the spells unless they were also cast in combat. Instead, it will suppress their effect for the duration of the battle. This means that if the siege fails, the enchantments will also remain in place.
- Finally, if the battle is taking place in a magical Node owned by the caster and cursed with a Warp Node spell, the Disenchant will attempt to lift this effect.
Dispel Chance[]
Disenchant Area and Disenchant True have a different chance of success against each targeted spell. This is calculated through a simple formula, which combines two important factors:
Dispel Chance (%) = (Dispel Strength ÷ (Dispel Strength + Spell Cost)) × 100
For Disenchant Area, Dispel Strength equals the total amount of Mana spent on casting it. As explained earlier, this can be anywhere between 50 and 250, and is subject to the discretion of the casting Wizard. For Disenchant True, the Dispel Strengh is 3 times this amount. "Spell Cost" represents the Casting Cost of the target spell that the dispelling attempt is made against, and will vary with each individual spell - hence the different success rates for the same Disenchant cast against multiple rival spells.
The result of the formula is the exact chance, in percentage, that the Disenchant has of successfully removing the targeted enemy spell.
Modifiers[]
- There are five Wizard abilities that indirectly alter the success rate of dispelling attempts in general, which also affect Disenchants. The first one, Runemaster, aims to enhance its possessor's ability to remove rival spells. It accomplishes this by doubling the Dispel Strength in the above formula. The game's documentation suggests that that the Retort doubles the effectiveness of these spells, but this is not the case in practice; although the alteration can still be significant, and works with both the Arcane and Sorcery Disenchants - so long as they are cast by the Wizard, as opposed to one of their units.
- The other four abilities are designed to help a Wizard's spells resist being dispelled or countered. They lower the success chance by doubling the Casting Cost used in the formula. The first Retort, Archmage, applies this bonus to all of a Wizard's spells. The rest, Chaos Mastery, Nature Mastery, and Sorcery Mastery, work only for spells that belong to the Chaos, Nature, or Sorcery Realms, respectively. However, all three are cumulative with Archmage, yielding a tripled Casting Cost in the formula instead. In addition, unlike Runemaster, these effects also protect any spells cast by the Wizard's units.
Examples[]
Below are some examples of Disenchant Area and Disenchant True at work.
Example #1[]
The targeted tile contains two enchanted assets: a unit and a Town. The unit is currently under the effect of a Unit Enchantment with a Casting Cost of 70. The Town is under the effect of a Town Enchantment with a Casting Cost of 200. The Disenchants are cast at their base strength.
Example #2[]
Same conditions - the targeted tile contains two enchanted assets: a unit and a Town. The unit is under the effect of a Unit Enchantment with a Casting Cost of 70. The Town is under the effect of a Town Enchantment with a Casting Cost of 200. Except this time, the Disenchants are fully empowered.
Usage[]
Disenchant Area and Disenchant True may be cast either on the overland map or during battle. In both cases they have a base Casting Cost of 50. The casting Wizard may add up to 200 to this spell, although in combat, this is also subject to their Mana pool and remaining Spell Casting Skill. Each point of Mana added increases the Dispel Strength of the Disenchant, as explained above.
The overland version of the spells must be targeted at a specific map tile. If the casting is successful, five blue energy pillars will blaze up from the targeted tile. The animation is followed by a separate notification for each successfully dispelled effect, if any. It may be worth noting that the game will not complain if the player targets a tile with no persistent spells to dispel. Doing this will simply waste the invested Mana.
Disenchant Area and Disenchant True require no target when cast during combat - it is automatically set to the tile that the battle is taking place on. Here, they attempt to dispel all enemy persistent spells affecting any asset on the battlefield. Pop-up messages will list the names of each spell removed, although they do not explain which asset the spell was removed from (if any).
Acquisition[]
Disenchant Area and Disenchant True belong to different magical Realms. For this reason, the acquisition of the two spells is very different. While Disenchant Area is potentially available to every Wizard, Disenchant True can only be learned by those that wield Sorcery magic.
Acquiring Disenchant Area[]
As an Arcane spell, Disenchant Area may be acquired by any Wizard regardless of Spellbooks possessed. However, it can never be selected as a starting spell, and thus must always be either researched, traded for, found in Treasure, or received as a reward for conquering the Fortress of a rival Wizard who already knows it. Due to a bug though, to find this spell in Treasure in the latest official game version (v1.31), a Wizard must possess at least one of the - completely unrelated - Alchemy or Warlord Retorts.
Disenchant Area has a Research Cost of 300, although it can be researched quicker by Wizards who possess the Sage Master and/or Runemaster Retorts.
Acquiring Disenchant True[]
As an Uncommon Spell of the Sorcery Realm, Disenchant True may become available to any Wizard who acquires at least 1 Spellbook. With none, the spell can naturally not be learned during the campaign. This is the minimum requirement for it to be traded for, appear in Treasure, or be found in the spoils of victory when conquering the Fortress of a rival Wizard who already knows it.
The base chance for Disenchant True to be researchable (at some point) in the campaign is roughly 10% (with 1 book), which gradually increases with the amount of Sorcery Spellbooks possessed or found during gameplay. With 8 or more, the spell is certain to show up sooner or later, unless acquired from another source. It has a Research Cost of 350, although its research is quicker for Wizards possessing the Sage Master, and/or Sorcery Mastery Retorts; or a bookshelf containing 8 or more.
Disenchant True may also be selected as a starting spell by players who allocate all of of their picks into Sorcery books when creating their Wizard. In this case, it will be available for casting as soon as the game begins.
Strategy[]
The overland version of Disenchants can work wonders in removing powerful enchantments from enemy units and Towns, in preparation for battle or simply to waste a rival Wizard's efforts (persistent spells are often expensive). Naturally, since the spell can potentially dispel each and every Unit Enchantment and Town Enchantment affecting the target tile, it is often better to cast it on tiles containing many enchanted assets.
Alternatively, Disenchant Area or Disenchant True can be used to lift Town Curses (detrimental Town Enchantments) inflicted upon the caster's own Towns by enemy Wizards. This can be very important when an enemy spell is slowly destroying a Town or limiting its economic contribution. They are also the only methods available for removing the Warp Node spell from magical Nodes controlled by the player.
During combat, Disenchants are invaluable in removing enemy Combat Enchantments, many of which can be very dangerous. Furthermore, they are exceptionally potent in clearing away enemy Unit Enchantments and Unit Curses. The more such spells are in effect, the more reason there is to cast a Disenchant; it can potentially remove all of them with just one casting. Its worth remembering however that this spell costs a lot of Mana, even in combat, especially if the battle is taking place far from the player's Fortress.
Disenchants often make Dispel Magic or Dispel Magic True obsolete for combat use. They target all enemy spells, rather than just those affecting a single unit, and at their base Casting Cost are already as powerful as a fully-powered Dispel Magic. The only reason to cast the latter would therefore be to remove some low-level Unit Enchantments from a specific unit, conserving Mana in the process - but then the spell would be weaker too. It's worth noting though, that in the official version of the game, Unit Curses are always dispelled automatically without any roll involved. This means that even the most basic Dispel Magic will do the trick. If the enemy focuses its curses on a single unit, Dispel Magic is thus still much more Mana-efficient than a Disenchant.
Known Bugs[]
Unfortunately, there are several bugs associated with both dispelling in general, and Disenchants specifically. When dispelling Unit Enchantments that duplicate Unit Abilities, the combat Disenchants fail to remove the granted ability. For example, dispelling Guardian Wind from an enemy unit does not actually nullify the associated Missile Immunity, which will instead remain active on the unit until the battle is over. This mistake is corrected in the Unofficial Patch 1.50.
On the other hand, even this fix does not resolve the scenario where a unit gains the ability to bypass Weapon Immunity through an enchantment such as Flame Blade. In this case, if the spell is removed, the unit will still keep ignoring the immunity until the battle is over.
Unit Curses also present a problem. There are three of these (Possession, Confusion, and Creature Binding) that can transfer control of the unit to the other player. When this happens, the original owner can no longer Disenchant them, as the game thinks they own the spell, since it's a harmful spell on an enemy unit now. Worse yet, if they are dispelled by the opponent, the unit does not revert control, and is stuck with its new owner for the duration of the battle.
In addition, Unit Curses in general are bugged in that, as mentioned above, they are always dispelled automatically, instead of rolling for success like all other spells. Furthermore, dispelling the residual effects of Web from a Flying unit fails to restore this Movement Type, unless it is granted specifically by the Flight spell. However, both of these bugs are fixed in the Unofficial Patch 1.50.
Combat Enchantments have an issue as well. If they are cast by a neutral unit, such as an Encounter Zone guardian or Rampaging Monster, then they can not be dispelled at all. This is likely the result of a developer oversight, that excludes them specifically from both Disenchants, despite the fact that there are multiple different units that can both appear as neutral opponents and are capable of using such spells.
There is also one specific Unit Enchantment, Invulnerability, that can not be dispelled at all in the latest official game version. Neither overland-, nor combat Disenchants can remove it, although this error is corrected in the Insecticide (unofficial 1.40) patch for the overland versions, and 1.50 for the combat ones. Another, more generic bug is fixed in 1.50, that originally allows spells to be Disenchanted from units that had Spell Lock cast on them in combat, that should normally prevent this from happening.
There are also a few spells that are either easier more difficult to dispel than they should be. Unit Enchantments that can only be cast on the overland map have their Casting Costs stored differently by the game than those that can be combat-cast. However, this distinction is omitted from the Disenchant code which, as a result, treats these spells as if they had a target cost that is 5 times their actual Casting Cost, making them significantly harder to remove. On the other hand, the two Town Enchantments that may also be used in combat (Wall of Fire and Wall of Darkness) do not get this adjustment as they should, and are as a result much easier to remove in combat than they are overland - even if only for the duration of the battle -, while at the same time, a further bug prevents their combat-cast version from being dispelled at all.
Disenchants are also inconsistent with regards to removing Magic Vortices. They will normally ignore the caster's own, even though the more specific, targeted Dispel Magic and Dispel Magic True will both attempt to remove those as well. However, because of a logical flaw in the game design, when a Vortex is on the same tile as a unit, both Disenchants will target it twice if it belongs to the opponent, and will also try to remove it once if it's the caster's own.
Finally, there's a bug in the execution of Disenchants, which is also present in the Dispel Magic and Dispel Magic True spells. When any of these spells are used by spellcasting units, such as Heroes in battle, the game will often target the wrong side's spells for dispelling. That is, it will attempt to remove the caster's own spells instead of those that belong to the enemy. Whether this happens or not depends on multiple factors, the most prominent of which is whether the unit is in the attacking or defending army. However, in the case of the Disenchants, it may also happen that only the "global combat spell" targeting will be wrong, and the unit spell targeting is correct, or vice versa, but this requires there to be "global combat spells" to be dispelled to begin with. This bug is also fixed in Insecticide.