Outside of fights, have a group of ten Necromancers with the 'Lore Keeper' trait run amongst your cities, granting 100% off construction costs, 100% research rate, and a massive 'Boost Income' bonus.
Necromancers are essential both on and off the battlefield, granting AoE regen to allies - improved further and adding a few buffs with a corpse cart mount.
Wight Kings are superb tanks with high HP, a silver shield, and a nifty anti-infantry bonus. Vampires are casters that can fight almost everything and win using their high melee stats and regen. Plus, with all the Bloodlines being playable you have plenty of even more powerful lords to choose from. Combine that with impressive melee stats and incredible mount options across the board, and Vampire Lords are among the most powerful in the entire game.
