Optimized build orders, efficient farming, deadly army compositions, and the meta-game of alliance warfare. For players who want to win, not just survive.
The first hour determines how fast you scale. Every minute without resource buildings running is production lost forever. This build order prioritizes economy first, military second — you can't train troops you can't afford.
Why no Refinery early? Fuel isn't needed until Bunker 5+ and advanced unit training. Building a Refinery in your first 8 slots wastes a slot that could be a second Scrapyard or Farm. Add a Refinery around step 15-20, once you're pushing toward Bunker 5.
There is no universal army. Different targets require different compositions. Here are the proven builds for each situation.
Camp farming is the engine of mid-game growth. The difference between a good farmer and a bad one is loot per hour — not loot per raid.
Loot per hour = (loot per raid - replacement cost) × raids per hour
This means three things matter: minimizing losses (send overwhelming force), maximizing carry capacity (bring Trucks), and minimizing travel time (farm nearby camps, use fast units when possible).
| Strategy | Loot/Raid | Losses/Raid | Raids/Hr | Net/Hr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 Militia → Lv1 (close, 5 tiles) | ~3,200 | ~380 | 2 | ~5,640 |
| 80 Militia + 10 Trucks → Lv3 (10 tiles) | ~6,000 | ~1,200 | 1.5 | ~7,200 |
| 100 Militia + 20 Snipers + 10 Trucks → Lv5 (15 tiles) | ~6,000 | ~800 | 1 | ~5,200 |
| 30 Militia → Lv3 (close fight) | ~4,000 | ~5,700 | 2 | -3,400 |
Notice: the 50 Militia vs Level 1 (massive overkill) is more profitable per hour than the risky Level 3 attempt. Overkill is almost always the right call. The exception is when you're limited on march slots — then targeting the highest camp you can efficiently farm per slot is optimal.
You can't be online 24/7. Your defense strategy needs to work while you sleep. The goal isn't to be unbeatable — it's to make attacking you more expensive than it's worth.
Layer 1: Watchtower. Information is the first line of defense. A Level 16+ Watchtower tells you exactly who's attacking, with what, and when they arrive. This gives you time to call for allied support, send your troops to safety, or spend down your resources so there's nothing to steal.
Layer 2: Wall. The Barricade Wall multiplies ALL defending troops' defense. At Level 10 (+20%), your 200 Militia defend like 240. At Level 20 (+40%), like 280. This bonus scales with every additional troop — including allied support. Walls are the highest-leverage defensive investment.
Layer 3: Garrison. Keep Militia at home. They have the best defense stats of any infantry unit. Snipers, Scavengers, and Trucks should be out farming — they're wasted on garrison duty. Leave 100-200 Militia at home as your standing garrison.
Layer 4: Alliance Support. This is the killer. 5 alliance members each sending 50 Militia to your settlement gives you 250 extra defenders behind YOUR wall. The math becomes devastating for attackers. A Level 10 Wall with 200 of your Militia + 250 allied Militia = 450 × 30 defense × 1.20 wall = 16,200 total defense. An attacker needs 4,050 attack (162 Snipers or 405 Militia) just for a 1:1 ratio.
Conquering a settlement is a multi-wave operation where timing matters more than raw power. Loyalty regenerates at 1/hour — every hour you wait between waves, you lose 1 point of progress.
Optimal timing: Send waves as fast as your armies can travel back, retrain Enforcers, and march again. For a target 15 tiles away with Enforcers (speed 4):
| Phase | Time | Loyalty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| March out | 3h 45m | 100 | Travel at Enforcer speed |
| Wave 1 arrives | +0 | 100 → ~25 | 3 Enforcers survive (75 reduction) |
| Loyalty regens | +3h 45m | ~29 | +4 loyalty during return march |
| Retrain + march | +5h | ~34 | +5 more loyalty during retrain + march |
| Wave 2 arrives | ~12h total | 34 → 0 | 2 Enforcers survive (50 reduction) = conquered |
Total conquest time: approximately 12 hours for a target 15 tiles away. Closer targets can be conquered in 4-6 hours. Far targets (50+ tiles) can take days.