If I understand right, the current release (and perhaps the next few) is a 'treat' where we all get to hyper-test these units, as they are put into play.
Narhiril never promised LoFR as an 'easy' mod to play or survive.
I suspect that the 'whups' reactions are going to include disasters that are going to wipe forts, just like the 'whew' reactions are going to make units that can save them... and that there may be this quick and dirty path that kills many-a-fort and that slow and safer way that kills few, but results in fewer megaunits and likely at ungodly costs.
I trust Narhiril's innate balance-sensing mechanisms/balance training. This mod's not let me down yet, and I don't see that coming. To many diverse divine creatures? To much variety in this mod of variety? I suspect once it's all done and created, these diverse critters are gonna be scattered few and far between, possibly for reasons that are very in theme and very hard for us to imagine yet.
This is correct. Wavebreakers are currently a sort of "preview" release. Their costs will be sharply increased in the next update (sometime this week).
To keep ritual units few and far between, here's how I'm planning to work this...
TIER THREE
-Elemental ritual units will cost a large amount of resources for each transformation attempt (similar to how emberlights work right now, though I can probably improve efficiency a bit).
-Elemental ritual units will require very different resources. It will be easier for a fortress with steady access to trees and fuel to create emberlights, whereas a fortress more adept at mining out gems will find earth units easier to acquire. Diversifying your forces has its benefits, but is more difficult to set up.
-Units of the five primary Old Gods will require an immense initial resource investment, after which their transformation rituals will be either quite cheap or free (as is the case with wavebreakers right now - you unlock the sacred bath and then use it as many times as you like). To compensate, these rituals will be
quite dangerous. Items to make these rituals safer will be available, but extremely costly.
TIER FOUR
-Advanced units of the five primary Old Gods will require an immense initial resource investment, after which their transformation rituals will be either quite cheap or free. To compensate, these rituals will be
extremely dangerous. As in, tantamount to a death sentence, at best, or a fortress-ending calamity at worst (if adequate precautions are not taken). If you are lucky, you will be rewarded with an awe-inspiring greater servant of the Old Gods - i.e. a Hand of Armok, a Voice of Pel, a Bringer of Mercy, etc.
Is it really good to have such a wide variety of divine creatures? Makes them less mysterious and rare, and more common and 'meh'. I was excited about the Zalkor and Temanent soldiers, as well as the Armok creatures. Paragons are cool. But those earth guys and archer dudes are really just 'meh'.
Also, with Wavebreakers being able to fulfill the role of limitless ammo archers, emberlights as glass cannon artilleries, lacerators and HoA as tanks and damage dealing, earth guys as crowd control, archer dudes as elite archers - what on earth do I still need normal soldiers with pimped up crossbows and magnet guns for? The technology tree is obsolete!
I'd advise, Narhiril, to make the divine creature ceremonies expensive. I mean, earlier someone managed to set the wavebreaker ceremony on repeat and get the civilian population of all wavebreakers to break sieges. This is awesome and practical, but doesn't really seem like it's intended.
Anyway, just my opinion.
You'll need normal soldiers because ritual units are not going to be enough to save you. As I make ritual units harder to get, the tech tree will be much more viable for general defensive capabilities - especially because if the balance of power shifts too far in your favor, I have a bunch of ways to make the enemies harder.
Remember, the shedim aren't even done yet, and they're all sorts of nasty.