The main rule: pick units against the enemy army. Spearmen hit riders and air twice as hard, area mages beat crowds, fast riders break archers, beetles absorb arrows, ghosts barely take swords and the battle mage hits undead 30% harder. Armor works as 10 / (10 + armor).
How armor works
Damage to a unit is multiplied by 10 / (10 + armor):
| Armor | Damage multiplier | Damage reduced by |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | ×1.00 | 0% |
| 1 | ×0.91 | 9% |
| 2 | ×0.83 | 17% |
| 3 | ×0.77 | 23% |
| 5 | ×0.67 | 33% |
| 6 | ×0.63 | 38% |
| 8 | ×0.56 | 44% |
Lines have armor 5. Armor can be raised by an upgrade (+1 per level) and removed by the Marsh witch's hex (−2 for 4 seconds) or a skeleton archer's arrow (ignores 2).
Special damage rules
- Spearman: ×2 to riders and air, the only melee unit that can hit flyers.
- Battle mage: ×1.3 to undead, chain lightning through three targets.
- Ghost: physical damage to it ×0.5, magic ×1.5.
- Armored beetle: arrows and stones (ranged physical damage) deal half.
- Stone golem: nearly immune to arrows, ×2 to lines.
- Catapult and coffin cart: ×2.5 to lines, helpless up close.
- Gryphon rider: the first hit on the weakest archer or mage ×1.5.
- Bone rider: archers near the target shoot 25% slower.
- Marsh witch: hex (armor −2, attack −15% for 4 seconds) over an area.
Who beats whom: roles
| Role | Good against | Bad against |
|---|---|---|
| Brawler | unprotected archers | area mages, riders |
| Ranged | slow targets, tanks, air | riders and flanking wolves |
| Tank | everything physical | magic, siege |
| Support | strengthens a group | anyone who reaches it |
| Rider | archers, mages, support | spearmen (×2), a dense line |
| Mage | crowds, undead, armor | riders and air |
| Siege | lines | anything that runs fast |
| Air | archers, mages, siege | spearmen and ranged damage |
If the enemy has X, take Y
| If the enemy has | Take | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Many riders (knights, wolves, bone riders) | Spearmen (Kingdom), beetles (Wilds), ghosts (Pale Court) | ×2 damage to riders; armor 5; physical ×0.5 |
| Many archers | Riders (knight, wolf, bone rider), beetles | they arrive fast; half damage from arrows |
| Crowds of cheap units | Area mages: battle mage, shaman, lich | lightning through 3 targets, clouds, dust burst |
| Air (gryphon, wyvern, dragon) | Spearmen, archers and mages | ×2 to air; ranged damage reaches air |
| Siege (catapult, golem, cart) | Fast riders, air, the spell | siege is helpless up close and slow |
| Armored tanks | Marsh witch, skeleton archers, mages | they remove or ignore armor |
| Undead | Battle mage (×1.3) | bonus against undead |
| Mages and archers in the rear | Wolves, gryphons, knights | they go around the line and hit the rear |
Faction matchups
- The Kingdom vs the Wilds. Armor and Formation against a fast pack. The Kingdom should not stretch the line and should use spearmen against wolves; the Wilds should speed up, flank with wolves and strip armor with the witch.
- The Kingdom vs the Pale Court. The battle mage and spearmen against skeletons. The Pale Court needs ghosts in the front line and archers that pierce armor.
- The Wilds vs the Pale Court. Shamans and the witch work on skeletons, but the Ghost absorbs scamp swords. The lich and dragon are strong against crowds of scamps.
- Mirror. The economy decides: whoever built workshops and upgraded the castle first holds the mine and is stronger late.
Detailed pages: the Kingdom, the Wilds, the Pale Court.
FAQ
What is the best answer to air?
Spearmen (×2 damage to air, the only melee that can hit it) and ranged damage: archers, throwers, mages. Siege weapons and golems cannot hit air.
How does armor work?
Incoming damage is multiplied by 10 / (10 + armor). Armor 3 reduces damage by 23%, armor 5 by 33%, armor 6 by 38%. The army armor upgrade gives +1 per level and the Witch’s hex removes 2.