As i think Kraxis are the +8 defense under 50% hp with +10 accuracy/+20 dodge fortify ability guys, capitilizing on this could be an option.

The way to go would be level 3+ fortress cities with impulse (=act first in combat) and either bows or mage staves + little armor (maybe so that +20 weight perk are enough to keep medium or even light encumberance)+ dodge items (some cloak, some jewels give dodge)+maybe fire/ice damage items + 2-3 dodge boosting perks (especially the one with +10 dodge -5 weight)

On turn 1 of battle (edit:move backwards as far as possible), fortify, then just attack.

that way one has durable distance attackers, which avoid the high costs of heavy armor.

Use a sword for free counter attacks
~ K

Damn, I typed a long detailed answer and the stupid forum ate it    I'm saving this one in Word but it won't be the same advice as I can't remember everything I thought of first time round. I really hate wasting 45 minutes of effort like that. Grrrr!  Stupid forum.

You are correct to think in terms of early, mid and late game units. The technologies and resources change a lot as the game progresses and it makes sense to design your units accordingly.  3 man units you build in the early game will be outclassed in the late game even if they are high level and you upgrade their weapons and armour.  A 5 or 7 man unit out of a high level fortress is what is needed for the late game, powerful and easy to replace if you have the resources.  So conserve resources and plan on disposable early units is the strategy I use.

In the early game I make sure to build scouts and use simple troops like militia or spearmen with shields and leather armour to supplement my champions if they need support to clear areas.  I don’t invest a lot of military resources (iron, crystal, horses or wargs) in these troops as they are expected to be killed or even disbanded to save maintenance.  One early unit that is worthwhile to design for the long term is a mounted scout.  I give him a spear and a horse and they make a great addition to any stack.  The extra visibility and movement through rough terrain is great for scouting and grabbing champions.  In war I use them on their own to grab enemy outposts and to spot incoming enemy stacks plus they can fight with a stack if needed although they’re not great fighters they do attract a lot of attention.  If they get damaged in the combat I send them out to scout while they heal.  They are cheap, cheerful and very useful troops.

I guess the mid game starts once I have 4 man units, roads to outposts and my fortresses have barracks and armourers and are size 3 for the special building.  It is now worth spending military resources on units that can stay around for most of the game and which will allow easy clearance of wildlands or wars with the AI armies and the harder quests.  I will use whatever is available including free units (Pancras archer or Sand golems) and my champions but the trained units fall into two categories, shooters and melee and they have distinct requirements.  I like to have 2 or 3 shooters in a stack of 6 or 7 units and the rest champions or melee units.  I like all my champions and my trained units to be mounted at this stage for faster movement (tactically and strategically) and as long as I have mounts will only build infantry for sacrificial stacks or a garrison.

My favourite shooters at this stage are cold mages mounted on wargs (for dodge and +2 initiative) and with amulets giving +2 initiative, and +3 cold and +3 fire damage. For shooters the best size 3 building in the fortress is the Strike Garrison which give impulsive allowing them to shoot at the start of combat.  They do require a lot of crystals (19 per figure in my design) but the elemental damage bypasses ordinary defences and makes their firepower deadly.  They don’t need much armour and rely on dodge to stay out of trouble.

If crystals are in short supply then I rely on archers and upgrade to longbows for shooter support.  Without crystals nearby concentrate first on researching warfare shooting techs and avoid the magic technologies that need crystals until later.  Longbows are not quite as good as mages as their damage is resisted by the opponents defence.  If you have a few crystals or can trade for some then adding an amulet is good (once you research that magical tech) although I would concentrate on researching techs that allow bigger stacks and more figures per unit to increase firepower.  The Hearts of Fire enchantment can be useful for adding fire damage without needing crystals.

For mid game melee troops I like to use lancers and mace cavalry.  With the current rules it doesn’t seem worth using other weapons although swords become viable in the late game. For melee the best size 3 building in the fortress is the Watchtower which gives them the Charge trait allowing them to move +3 at the start of combat and have +3 attack, which can be deadly against many opponents. Depending on what resources are available I will usually design them with some mail (for extra resistance to cutting damage) but not so much that they lose initiative. The horses give +20 weight carrying and if extra armour is needed I usually add traits to compensate.  Lancers get a spear (upgradeable) and some armour (usually not upgraded) and maybe some amulets and traits to increase initiative or damage (e.g. cold amulet).  Mace cavalry usually start out with a shield and the Lightning hammer (trade for crystals if you don’t have enough) and traits to increase initiative and defence.

Late game is when I usually have plenty of resources and several fortresses available and a powerful economy (from captured cities) so designing units is highly variable and I try out all sorts of stuff.  The key is to get the War College in my best fortress and to save gold to money pump out the best units through it. Meanwhile the other fortresses build supporting units. By this time I have stacks of 9 units and hopefully 5 or 7 man units and late game weapon and armour techs.

JJ

I like max settings on everything, Challenging AI/World Difficulty and lots of quests.  And I focus on my champions doing quests and troops like the wolf/sand golem/beasts charmed by beast collars.  And I use Steal Spirit to get as many magic skill levels for my Sov as possible (which is easy with Adventurer's free heroes). <evil grin>

It really comes down to what resources you were lucky enough to find, and what your blood/faction bonuses are.

Krax is my favorite pre-made faction because one handed spears rock and its one of the few factions that doesn't NEED anything. You can play a complete game without crystal and metal if you have too. Since spears partially bypass armor and are not effected by the extra cut/crush protection of later armors short spears and short pikes will continue to be effective even if they are not ideal.

Early game my basic troops are : Strength; short spear + wood shield; and leather armor. If you have the resources upgrade to bronze shields and put them on wargs. If you don't have wargs and have horses you can throw a little more armor on without hitting medium weight. They are cheap enough that losing them isn't an issue, and because of the armor piercing they can take on armored enemies that would make other early game troops struggle. They are useful as main combat forces well into midgame, and still useful as garrisons for the rest of the game. All spears have the same weight, and have their own weapon category. So they are easy to upgrade.

For mid to end game I use : Strength; Muscle; best spear I have the resources to build + bronze shield; leather helmet + Chain breastplate/gloves/greaves/boots. If you have excess crystal you can add a fire cloak and frost amulet/rings. If you are drowning in crystal I would add the initiative amulet and belt as well. You'll notice that these are pretty much the same as the early game troops; but with heavier armor. So if you don't have any metal just keep pumping out the same troops you started with.

Defender and Warrior champions can make your cheap troops much stronger. If you are able put one of each with as many support traits as you can in your armies do it.

A couple ranged troops are nice if you have the resources for ether of them. Mages are better, but archers only use metal.