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Concept Zhon Capital

Ruins of Kandran city of Ulasem, the capital of Zhon.

Zhon is a faction in the game Total Annihilation Kingdoms. Thirsha the Huntress is the monarch of Zhon. She can fly, which allows her to get to mana sources before anyone else, and build lodestones there.

Zhon is known for its mobility. Its greatest strength is guerilla attacks, reflecting the ethos of its sylvan culture. Repeatedly harassing the enemy and sapping away its strength till Tier 3 units come in is the way to play with Zhon.

Instead of buildings to produce its units, Zhon has build units to do so. This is strikingly different from the four other factions. This makes them smaller targets and allows them to remain mobile. A strategic advantage is that they can be used to quickly spread around the map, creating units and attacking the enemy from various sides. However, micromanagement may be needed to keep the units from getting isolated and massacred.

Zhon has a flying transport unit—the Roc bird—to move its build units around the map.

Although lacking walls and a gate, Zhon units more than make up for their seemingly less defense. Tier 1 units like the Hunter, Troll and Swamp Beast are indispensable, finding use far into advance gaming. In fact, a motley group of Hunters and Trolls/Swamp Beasts can be a challenging sortie, useful in holding tight passes or breaking through the first line, without costing too much mana in their manufacture.

Strongest fighting units[]

  • Death Totem: Zhon's only fortifying, defensive unit, the death totems shoot lighting at enemies. A bunch of totems can clear off most attacks that the enemy throws at you. They can even take out dragons easily in a group. Make sure to build campfires around them to heal them quickly.
  • Stone Giants: trebuchets with legs, these mountainous units are capable of withstanding great punishment due to very high hitpoints. They also have a long range of attack and high damage, making them a priceless unit in Thirsha's army. However, they are very slow.
  • Drakes: are stronger, costlier and do more damage than wisps, but wisps are harder to hit. A flight of drakes can come in handy anytime, turning the tables in dire straits.
  • Swamp beast: considered a tier 1 unit, with great strength. Like the other Tier 1 unit Troll, it can easily destroy watchtowers. Its amphibious utility makes it handier, easily wiping out far more costly enemy ships. Their travel speed on land is slower than other units, so its best to use them against beachheads or naval bases.

Monarch[]

Thirsha is the monarch of Zhon. She is the only monarch with the ability to fly, which enables her to get to sacred stones faster than other monarchs. She also has access to difficult terrain. Armed with a spear and a shield, with a vampiric look and batwings, Thirsha is the coolest looking head-of-state, competing only with a mermaid Kirenna. She can blast enemies with a lighting (like Elsin), or the Lightning Ball (more devastating, can take out an early dragon easily, or the Wind Wave. Some would argue that Thirsha's wave attack is the most powerful. However, she is also the monarch with the least hitpoints and can be easily finished with a mixed Tier 3 army or by another monarch.

Oddities[]

Units created after the game shipped[]

  • Swamp Beast: A slow but strong tier two unit, best used for amphibious attacks as it can swim. Good against fixed structures as well.
  • Spirit Wolf: A fast Tier 2 unit, able to turn any corpse into a smaller and weaker version of itself to add fighters to the battlefield. Mainly used for guerilla and rush attacks.
  • Giant Barracuda: a tough and strong naval unit. However, since it is able to fight only in melee, it can only fight other naval units or structures and attack ground units or buildings that are located adjacent to the shore.
  • Giant Orm: added so that Zhon, the only faction without walls, could more easily tear down its enemy's defenses. They are well-known for bringing down Lodestones with just a single hit.
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