Combat System
Order types, the wall bonus, the night bonus, morale, battle reports and the maths to do before you attack.
A battle resolves on the server the moment your army reaches its target. Four things decide the outcome: the strength of both sides, the wall level, the world rules and morale.
Order types
- Attack: aims to destroy the army at the target. Losses are heavy on both sides.
- Raid: focuses on resources. The army returns with as much as it can carry.
- Conquest: lowers the loyalty of the city. Requires a conquest unit.
- Support: sent not to fight but to defend an ally's city.
Once an order is given the army marches and cannot be redirected before arrival; it can only be cancelled and turned around. You can cancel armies still on the road from the outgoing orders screen.
The wall bonus
The Wall grants a percentage bonus to every defending unit, which is why on defence the wall level can matter more than troop count. That is exactly what siege engines are for: they lower the wall level and break the defensive bonus.
The night bonus
If it is enabled in the world rules, the defender gains an extra defence multiplier during night hours. The point is to protect players while they sleep. If you plan a night attack in such a world, tick the multiplier in the simulator, otherwise your loss estimate will be far off.
The night bonus is disabled in Speed Arena worlds.
Morale
In worlds with morale enabled, a very strong player attacking a very weak one is penalised. If the attacker's score is higher than the defender's, attack power is multiplied by a percentage that by default never falls below thirty per cent. The point is to stop large accounts from crushing newcomers.
When hitting a smaller target, check the morale percentage in the simulator; more often than not the same army is better spent on an equal opponent.
Battle reports
Every battle produces a report listing both armies, losses, loot taken, wall status, the night bonus and the morale percentage. You can keep reports, share them with your clan and, if you wish, publish a link for people outside the game.
Before you attack
Do not go in blind. Work through this list.
- Send spies and see the target's army, resources and wall level.
- Run a loss estimate in the combat simulator. Remember to tick the night bonus and morale.
- If siege is needed, build a separate army for it; do not mix it with fast units.
- If you are striking with your clan, line up the minutes with the arrival planner.
- Once your army is out, check your own defence. The city most often lost is the one whose army left.