Goal: destroy the enemy citadel. A wave leaves every 30 seconds with the units you bought using the cards at the bottom of the screen. Gold comes on its own (19 per second) and grows with workshops and the mine. Upgrade the castle (5 levels) to unlock strong units and cast the hero spell on groups of enemies.
Goal and the battlefield
Two armies meet on a long field: yours on the left (or on the right in an online battle), the enemy's opposite. Each side has three lines: the palisade (durability 720), the wall (1080) and the citadel (1560). Lines shoot at enemies nearby. When a line falls, its owner gets 8 militia to help hold the next one. Destroy the enemy citadel and you win.
Waves and placement
Every 30 seconds a wave leaves for the field. It contains the units bought before it left. Tap a unit card at the bottom: the unit appears on the placement field (the dark rectangle at your edge) in a suitable position: brawlers and tanks in front, archers and mages behind.
- Repeat places the same wave as last time (if you have the gold).
- Undo removes all placed but not yet departed units and refunds the gold in full.
- The wave size is limited by the castle level: 18 / 18 / 24 / 24 / 30 units at levels 1–5.
- Hold a card to buy several units in a row.
Gold
- Start: 200 gold. Income: 19 per second.
- Workshops (up to four): 200, 350, 550, 800 gold, each gives +3 per second.
- The mine in the center gives +4 per second to whoever holds it with an army (if both armies are nearby the mine is contested and gives nothing).
- For a killed unit you get 10% of its price, for a destroyed line 150 / 250 / 400 gold.
- You cannot hold more than 2400 gold.
Detailed analysis: Warhosts economy.
The castle: five levels
The castle is upgraded for gold (level 2: 250 · level 3: 550 · level 4: 1000 · level 5: 1600), but not before a certain match time: 1:15, 2:40, 4:20, 6:00. Each level unlocks units of the next tier, enlarges the wave and the placement field, reinforces the lines by 2% and strengthens the hero spell. Details: the castle and its levels.
Attack and armor
In the Castle window you can upgrade attack (+10% damage per level) and armor (+1 per level) of the whole army. Levels cost 60, 130, 240, 400, 650 gold and cannot exceed the castle level.
The hero spell
Each faction has its own spell, its button is next to the castle button. Press the button, then a spot on the field: a fraction of a second later the Siege volley, the Call of the pack or the Bone storm hits that area. The cooldown is 45–50 seconds.
Controls
| Action | Mouse and touch | Keyboard |
|---|---|---|
| Buy a unit | tap the card | 1–8 |
| Undo the wave | Undo button | Z |
| Repeat the wave | Repeat button | R |
| Castle window | Castle button | C |
| Spell | spell button, then the field | Q |
| Menu / pause | II button | Space or Esc |
In a battle against a bot ×2 and ×4 speed and pause are available. In an online battle against a player there is no speed-up or pause.
How a battle ends
A battle ends when a citadel is destroyed. To keep matches from dragging on, from minute 15 the front line of each side starts to decay and the towers of the lines fall silent: the army decides the outcome. More: a long battle.
What next
For beginners: the first 10 minutes. To understand who beats whom: counters. Ready for people: online battles and ranking.
FAQ
How long does a battle last?
Usually 10–15 minutes. A match is designed to finish within about 15–17 minutes: from minute 15 the front structure of each side starts to decay and the army decides the outcome.
Can I pause the game?
You can pause a battle against a bot. There is no pause in an online battle against a player: time runs the same for both, the menu opens but the battle continues. Leaving the battle counts as a surrender.
What age is the game for?
For players aged 12 and over: a fictional fantasy world with stylized graphics, no blood and no suffering. Defeated units simply fade away.