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Wind Walking (Spell)
UnitEnchantment WindWalking
Realm Icon SorcerySorcery
Spell Rarity Rare
Spell Type Unit Enchantment
Casting Cost Icon Mana 250
Upkeep Cost Icon Mana 10
Research Cost Icon Research 1,040
Effects
Allows the enchanted unit (and all units stacked with it!), to Icon Movement AirFly on the overland map.
This article is about the Sorcery spell called "Wind Walking". For the innate unit ability of the same name and effect, see Wind Walking.

Wind Walking is a Rare Unit Enchantment belonging to the Icon SorcerySorcery Magic realm. For Icon Mana 250 it may be cast on a unit on the overland map to give it the Icon Movement AirFlying Movement Type, which allows it to cross any overland tile (including Oceans) at a cost of 1 Movement Point per tile. Additionally, any unit stacked with a Wind Walking unit is likewise considered to be in flight overland. Once Wind Walking is affecting the unit, it must then be maintained with a massive Icon Mana 10 per turn Upkeep Cost - making this one of the most expensive Unit Enchantments.

Wind Walking has no effect during combat. All units affected by it revert to their normal Movement Type and Movement Allowance until the end of the battle.

Effects[]

Wind Walking allows a unit, as well as any unit stacked with it, to Icon Movement AirFly. This only affects movement on the overland map - it has no effect in combat.

Flight[]

Wind Walking bestows the ability of Icon Movement AirFlight on the targeted unit. That unit may now move across the overland map at a rate of 1 Movement Point per tile - regardless of Terrain type.

Furthermore, thanks to Flying, the unit may now move across both Land and Ocean tiles.

Group Flight[]

Wind Walking does not just bestow Icon Movement AirFlight on one unit - but on all units stacked with it! When the Wind Walking unit is in an army stack, the entire stack may fly across the overland map.

The stack shares the same Movement Allowance as the Wind Walking unit. A stack containing a faster Wind Walking unit will move faster as a whole - for example when led by a Wind Walking Sky Drake or any other unit possessing a large number of movement points.

Note that if the army stack is over an Ocean when Wind Walking is dispelled or canceled, any Icon Movement GroundWalking units will Drown immediately.

No Combat Effects[]

During combat, Wind Walking is temporarily turned off. Neither the enchanted unit nor the other units on its side receive any benefits from Wind Walking. They revert to whatever Movement type they would have otherwise (or whatever movement they get thanks to other Unit Enchantments placed on them).

However, Wind Walking may still be dispelled during combat by an enemy dispelling effect. The enchantment will strongly resist any dispelling attempt, using its overland cost basis of Icon Mana 250. Nevertheless, before repeatedly sending a Wind Walker into combat against rival wizards who possess strong dispelling spells, consider this risk.

Once combat is completed, Wind Walking resumes working normally.

Usage[]

Wind Walking may only be cast on the overland map for a lasting effect. It costs Icon Mana 250 to cast, and requires an Upkeep Cost of Icon Mana 10 per turn to maintain. Failure to pay this Upkeep Cost due to lack of Mana will cause the spell to dissipate. However, as long as the spell is paid for (and not dispelled by any rival Wizard), the unit continues to be able to Icon Movement Airfly.

Like all other Unit Enchantments, Wind Walking must targeted at a friendly unit. If the desired target is in an overland army stack, clicking on the stack brings up a list of the units inside it, allowing the selection of any individual unit.

Once the spell is in effect, the unit will glow with a Icon SorceryBlue aura, unless there is a more powerful spell also affecting it.

Wind Walking may be removed by its caster by examining the unit's details and clicking the Enchantment's icon. The primary reason to do this would be in order to remove the spell's Upkeep Cost, thus conserving Icon Mana Mana for other spells.

Acquisition[]

As a Rare Icon SorcerySorcery spell, Wind Walking may become available to any Wizard who possesses at least Icon Sorcery2 Spellbooks. However, its availability during the game is not guaranteed unless the Wizard acquires at least Icon Sorcery10 Spellbooks.

Customized Wizards possessing Icon Sorcery11 Spellbooks at game creation may choose Wind Walking as one of their starting spells, in which case the spell will be available for casting immediately on the first turn.

Wizards with Icon Sorcery2 to Icon Sorcery9 Spellbooks have a random chance of being able to Research Wind Walking during the game. The chance for this spell to appear for research increases with the number of Icon SorcerySorcery Spellbooks the Wizard possesses or obtains during gameplay. With Icon Sorcery10 or Icon Sorcery11 Spellbooks, the spell is guaranteed to appear for Research at some point, if it is not already available for casting.

Wind Walking has a base Research Cost of Icon Research 1,040.

With at least Icon Sorcery2 Spellbooks, the Wind Walking spell may be acquired as a reward for winning encounters in creature Lairs, Towers, et cetera, or when conquering the Fortress of a rival wizard who has already researched this spell.

Strategy[]

Wind Walking is an excellent way to allow an entire stack to quickly cross an Ocean or rough terrain. It can therefore allow rapid surprise attacks, or allow an army to reach an otherwise hard-to-reach area with haste. This is significantly faster, and significantly cheaper, than casting the Flight spell on each unit in the stack (if it is even available at all).

Naturally, since the spell affects one specific unit, you will want to keep that unit out of harm's way if possible, to avoid having to cast it again if that unit dies. Keep mana reserves well-in-excess of the spell's maintenance cost, and watch out for enemy dispelling attempts: do not keep a Wind Walking army stack lingering over an Ocean, as this makes a perfect target for a powerful dispel that could cause any number of units in the stack to drown immediately, if they do not have the natural ability to move across oceans.

Reactivation Glitch[]

If a unit ends its turn on a map tile where a Wind Walker with remaining moves is present, it is subject to a glitch. That unit will be instantly reactivated if the Wind Walker leaves the tile, and it will have Icon Movement Ground0.5 remaining. This situation is observed in several circumstances, namely:

  • When the unit moves onto the Wind Walker's tile overland,
  • When the unit retreats from battle in an adjacent tile,
  • And finally, when the unit is transported directly from combat onto the Wind Walker's position by means of Word of Recall or Recall Hero.

Such a unit could theoretically enter multiple combats in a single turn, being continually reactivated after each one— that is, if it weren't for the fact that the unit only has Icon Movement Ground0.5 after reactivating. But with Wind Walking (Spell) and Enchant Road, a well-prepared Icon SorcerySorcerer can overcome even this, and ferry such units around to multiple battles.

There is a related glitch that occurs when a unit leaves a tile occupied by a Wind Walker with remaining moves. If the unit has already exceeded its movement allowance for that turn, it will nonetheless remain active, with exactly Icon Movement Ground0.5 remaining.

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