• Spiked Barricades

  When this ability is researched it gives your buildings a huge arsenal of spikes that protrude from every side of your buildings. These spikes do damage to any melee/fighter units that attack them. You can research this a few more times to make the spikes larger and more harmful to the enemy.

Advice

Researching this would probally be a waste of money during the early stages of the game, depending on what circumstance you run into. I've used this many of times when I had no units left, and my enemy maybe had 3 units attacking me. The thing is, the 3 units will die before destroying atleast one building. This is a lifesaver in some situations, letting you get back on track and rebuild for the next attack.

• Pillage

  This is a great researched ability especially when gold hunting becomes scarce. Every time Peons, Grunts, and Raiders attack an enemy building gold piles up in your favor.

Advice

This is a good all around ability, I'd research it in the middle part of the game - if your not rushing. Researching this ability early in the game will set your expanding behind, and would make you look just plain ignorant.

• Protective Burrows

  Ok, so this building serves as food, what else can it do? This is a last defense building enabling your peons to rush into the burrows and throw spears out of them that damage land and air units. ( Don't forget the ranged attack! )

Advice

O darn, you're about to die, and all you have is weak peons vs a few units. Believe me, hope is not lost thanks to this ability. This is the best last defense mechanism of any race. So use it! Don't Abuse It.

-Overall Summary-

Obvisously the orcs have the strongest ground force of any race, even their magics aid their destructive ground force. All these guys are is melee, melee, and melee. Oh, what about their air? It sucks. I sometimes prefer the orcs for good reason, making me the ultimate rushing power there could be, I'll stick with em when it comes down to thick and thin.

-Special Tactics-

Below is a picture of a tower defense with the orcs. As you can see the orc structures are build in a specific way. The watchtowers in the back, orc burrows in next, and completely outside lies the barracks. This is a good walling in defense line, however a space between the burrows is left, so you do have outter access. Believe it or not, this tower defense is extremely good against computer, confusing the AI on whether to attack the watchtowers, the burrows, or the barracks. This leaves your base way behind the watchtowers keeping it nice and cozy.

Here's the same concept but in a entire melee base form:

In this base format it centers all the focus attention straight through the center, however when the enemy charges the center, they'll be bambarded not only by the watchtowers but by your quick handed from the center baracks. Even though magic poses a threat in this situation, lining peons behind the watchtowers for repair will take control of that problem. Do be reminded that not every map can support a layout such as this. Some maps might not have such a small opening, or the trees are too thin for all around defense.