Why am I making a Strategy post? After all, this is a straight engine test - Beta 1a. Seems pointless to make a thread on strategy when the elements underpinning that strategy will be constantly in flux from here out, not to mention bugs and exploits, right?
Here's my rationale - the elements of gameplay will shift dynamically, but the premise of the game will not. Additionally, by compiling our thoughts on what build, strategy, or tactic works we will raise level of play, which should reveal exploits and bugs that we didn't find before simply because no one had to find them to win. Finally, you have nothing to lose by sharing your secret uber-strats here, because Beta isn't ranked 
With that in mind, I'd like to get a sense of what the rest of you have seen working even in the stripped-down, rudimentary arena of Beta 1a. I'll edit in ideas that *work* with credit to the poster. I'm less interested in what's fair than what's effective in the current build. If this thread receives interest I'll update it for each iteration of the Beta. For now, think of it as a rough draft, just like the game/
I'll throw a couple out to start:
Start: 1a Edit 10/03/08 - Item prices have changed. As of 1a I generally start with 1 minor heal pot and one port scroll, or two pots if my demi has good speed. In a team game with players I know - I've written down a strategy for a waterfall start below
Builds:
Unclean Beast Direct-Damage Build - (I'm kinda loving UB, he's such a killer) Skill up your Frenzy, Latent, and then Stats and go for cooldown reduction and attack speed. At level 15 you will deliver a ridiculous amount of burst damage.
Unclean Beast DoT Build - focus on Spit, Latent, Plague, and Ooze. Get items that boost mana regen and cooldown reduction..Really good for destroying large groups of creeps and wearing down Demis. It's worth noting that you can have Ooze toggled on forever if you have high mana regen...
Any UB build should max out Drain Health ASAP, as it will keep you in the battle longer and with a bit of melee or maxed spit can kill most enemy demigods in ten seconds or less...[Anyone find out if Drain is a channelling ability? Can it be interrupted?]
When I've maxed out the rest I'll grab some points in the UB's slowing ability. Movement speed boots can also be useful, as can the Stone of Warping item.
Regulus Stats Build - 10/3/08 (Outdated in 1a?) I'm not even sure this works any more, since the items that made it most effective have been nerfed or removed. I haven't played Reg much yet, so let me know what works.
Regulas Stats Build variations -
Regulus Mine Layer Build - This has potentially come into its own in 1a, as you have access to stun mines immediately. It might be the only viable Reg build actually, but coupled with the helm that gives -10% cooldowns and stats you can really harass the enemy. BTW, have we figured out if exploding mines provide xp when Reg is across the map?
Regulus Sentinel Build - By placing an Observer Ward uplane from your Regulus, you have extended line-of-sight for long range sniping and recon. (Thanks Eoynn 9/11/08)
Rook Hit-and-Run Build - 10/3/08 Outdated in 1a? - again, not sure if this is viable. Let me know.
Rook Tower-eater Build - Using the exploitable early points available in the tower-eating skill, Rook can linger at the front of a battle zone, leaching life from enemy structures. This can be combined with nuke and passive damage bonus as well as incorporating shoulder towers, which allow you to deal damage even while your Rook is being healed. Addionally the tower-creation skill allows good damage linkage of your towers of light with your shoulder tower. (Thanks Cerzi 9/11/08)
Rook Stats Build - much like the Regulus Stats build, you concentrate your skill points in passive damage and stats, and focus on damage bonus and attack speed items. This is especially useful against other rooks. In 1a I could see this working with stacks of evasive gear, since there's a bunch of it. (Thanks Cerzi 9/11/08)
Rook Tower-Builder Build - you can build towers immediately, and at skill level two can build five at once. Couple this with cooldown reduction and shoulder towers and you can chain some impressive damage from your defensive towers up to any battle you are fighting...Looks like level three of this ability is broken in 1a?
Torchbearer Elemental Build - AoE provided by maxed Rain of Ice combined with long stun provided by Deep Freeze and Frost Nova, followed by Fire mode heavy damage in the form of Ring of Fire and Fireball. Rinse, repeat. This build is mana-intensive, so relies on mana regenerating items early, as well as cooldown reduction. 10/03/08 - this is still viable in 1a. Thoughts? (Thanks Dinotim000 9/11/08)
Torchbearer Ice Build - 10/3/08 Outdated in 1a? maxed Ice skills in combination with stun gloves and attack speed and damage bonus items (Thanks Innociv 9/11/08)
Strategies: like everything else, this will need fleshing out, but I'll put in one of my favorites:
Spawncap Locking (Waterfall) - the central flag can have gradual impact, but if you cap one of your enemy's spawn flags you will instantly reap the benefits of 50% more creeps for you and 50% less for your opponents. Locking the flag means you get that for five minutes, and you don't have to watch it until that timer runs out. At that point, you should have the game pretty much wrapped up. There are many ways to reach the spawn, but I prefer the stealth cap, as it means only one of your demis needs to be away from the front. 10/03/08 this may not be effective any longer. Anyone time the duration of the flag lock? I'm thinking 60 seconds?
9/11/08 - There seems to be some debate about the timing of central flag capture, as well as locking, as Innociv and Strikersgun have pointed out that capping early feeds creep xp to your opponents, as well as provide little benefit offensively until priest or cat-dino spawn. Thoughts, comments? 10/03/08 - In 1a the center flag is tied to the artifact shop, so you might want to grab this at some point for the items.
1a Waterfall Team Start - Edit: the original start I had posted here isn't effective in 1a, as locks are no longer viable. As a substitute, make sure in a 3 v 3 that you have one strong early player playing safety, ready to swing to one mine flag or the other to complete a cap or prevent your enemy from capping.
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What else works, guys? Post your thoughts on effective builds, tactical use of items, and strategy, and don't worry about the fact that all of this will change in a couple of weeks.
Peace, Kestrel
