Overview
Hi there. I’m the creator of the game and this is a little strategy guide I put together. It goes through everything from basic survival tactics to the more advanced strategies required to beat those hard levels found in the later part of the game. It also contains an analysis of each of the 3 skill branches. Enjoy 🙂
Tactics I – Survival Guide
This is a good place to start if you’re new to the game. This guide should take you from zero to hero in just a few minutes and give you the basic knowledge needed to take on the hordes of enemies that lie in waiting. Even if you’re breezing through the game it might be worth your time to give this a quick look. Without further ado here are the top tips for battling fur-balls of the feline, or canine variety:
Stick to Might if you’re not sure what’s what. The might branch is the friendliest for new players and you also start with 2 skills from it (Might I and Archer). If you also purchase Cavalry as soon as you reach Last Stand you should be able to survive quite easily on these 3 skills alone until you’re around level 10.
Build 3 Dojos and 2 Bells! 2 and 3 won’t do; 1 and 4 is way out! You don’t need as much gold as you might initially think and a proper understanding of this will open up some interesting advanced tactics later on. For now though, just remember that this is your basic safety play early in the game. You can’t go wrong with it. And build fast. You have enough gold at the beginning to fill all 5 building slots within seconds. Don’t waste that time admiring the landscape.
Wait for the enemy to make the first move. In the earlier levels the AI is particularly trigger happy with its troops. Use this to your advantage to get the upper hand early on. The more you play the more you’ll start valuing the importance of that first clash. Don’t lose the advantage that it can yield. In more cases than not it decides the battle. This is particularly true about the early part of the game which is a sum of small victories. You slowly push your way towards the enemy. Every extra arrow counts, every little mistake costs. It’s not always obvious for new players what they did wrong. It’s the little things. It’s how you time sending your units and how you match them up. Wait for the enemy to move first then send the appropriate counter troop. If they’re just sending archers out, don’t even send anything until they’re very close by to your walls! Don’t give them extra shots. They may look fierce throwing arrows/shuriken left and right but all they’ll be killing is boredom if you keep the battlefield empty. An archer at the far end of a lane is worth a lot more than an archer at your doorstep where close quarter combat is its only choice if you send anything its way.
Remember the strengths and weaknesses of your units:
Infantry: Beats both archers and cavalry in melee! Weak against projectiles.
Archers: Great against infantry from a distance. Very weak against cavalry. An archer shoots on adjacent lanes and also has a higher chance of critical hits when doing so! As much as possible you’ll want to position your archers on the flanks. And although it might not seem intuitive, even when the enemy is at your walls, it’s probably still more efficient to place the archer on an adjacent lane.
Cavalry: They’re fast, really fast. And they can take a beating. This makes them deadly to archers. They will lose in close combat against infantry though but they’re also good for buying you time in fights due to their slightly higher health when compared to archers and infantry. This increased endurance also makes them more resilient to explosions and lightning damage.
Consider using the tactics menu from time to time. If you see the battlefield is filled with enemy archers and your dojo has nearly completed a card open the tactics menu and make sure it’s producing a cavalry unit. If it’s not, quickly delete the currently produced card by swiping it away and replace it with a cavalry unit. One of your biggest allies is the fact that production time does not reset when you change cards! It just scales accordingly. This means you can make last second changes to your next card. And you can also queue units as well if you don’t want to check on your building all the time.
Just a quick note on the battle resources in case you’re confused: Gold is used for Might buildings and cards; Mana for Magic buildings and cards; Cookies for Martial buildings and cards. All buildings cost 100 of its corresponding resource. Building upgrades also cost 100.
Click on things! Remember that tutorial slide you didn’t read at the beginning of the game that tells you to tap and hold on cards, units or buildings for additional information? Well if you’re stuck or confused about something do that! Holding down on a unit in battle also gives you details on the various effects and upgrades it may have. This is especially useful for martial cards which have a variety of possible combinations.
That should give you enough information to keep you busy for a few hours so my advice is to go back into the game and put to good use what you’ve learnt here. Theory is one thing, practice is another. Once you’ve honed your basic skills you’ll be ready for part 2 of this guide, the cool advanced stuff. See you again when (if) you get stuck later on 😉
Tactics II – Advanced Strategies
Now you’ve probably read part 1 of the guide, went back into the game with new found enthusiasm, crushed the opponent for a few good hours and… you’re stuck again. You’ve pushed as far as you could on all paths but you can’t seem to be able to go much farther so you’ve come back. OK, time for Tactics 102.
If you haven’t done so already, get the memory crystal! It’s the easiest artefact to get in the game and the reason for that is because you’ll most likely need it! You can find it on the hill close to the beginning of the game. Basically after finishing Last Stand, head right for They Have Archers Too, then Chariots of Fire. Then get 25 orbs of any type, through any underhanded means at your disposal. This will unlock the Memory Crystal level. Play it, win it, and then read on.
The other skill branches aren’t that optional! I know, who would have thought, right? If you really want to master the game you will need to start using all 3 skill branches, or at least 2. This is where the memory crystal comes into play. It allows you to easily relearn your skills and shuffle your abilities around. There’s a small orb cost incurred when using it: This is equivalent to your current experience level, but you get to choose the orb currency for the payment. You’ll probably want to use might orbs, as they’re generally the most you’ll have a surplus of. Once that’s done you’ll get back all your skill points and orbs used in purchasing any skills up to that point! This includes the Might I and Archer skills that were unapologetically forced upon you at the beginning of the game. Now you have a clean slate and no more excuses. So don’t be afraid to experiment with skill combinations, then reset them again. The cost isn’t that high.
Now for the master class: understanding starting resources in relation to the game time limit is where everything changes. You might have noticed that you have 700 of each resource at the beginning of a game. That’s a lot of resources! It’s enough to fill all slots with buildings from one branch alone and you still have some left overs for a box of magical doughnuts. So if you were to go with one card generating building from another branch (which costs 100 of its corresponding resource) that leaves you a whopping 600 of that resource for later use. If a card’s average cost is 50 that gives you up to 12 cards from that branch before you run out of fuel. If the production time for a card is 30 seconds, it will take 6 minutes before you run out of that specific resource. The game forces a draw at minute 10 anyway so you’re probably starting to see where I’m going with this. With this approach the idea is that you’re not fighting against the AI and you’re not even fighting against the end game time as much as you’re fighting against that invisible resource clock.
Buy the “Boost Economy” skill! This gives you an extra 100 of each resource at the beginning of the game. If you’ve read the previous hint you should realize how valuable this skill is. That’s an extra minute on the clock. Since instant death mode triggers at minute 9 and gives you an additional 1000 of each resource when it does, that leaves only 2 minutes of economic recession, or even less if you take into account the possible extra dropped resources you’ve been collecting through the game up to that point.
If you go for the strategy I described above, a typical scenario would be 1 School, 1 Library, 2 Dojos and 1 Bell. Then upgrade your barracks all the way to get the extra card slots. I would avoid upgrading the other buildings as that depletes those valuable limited resources. Naturally you can go with other combinations like 2 Schools, 1 Market, 1 Dojo and 1 Library. In that case you’ll be upgrading your schools. The idea is that 2 of the buildings act as support. You won’t be using Tier 2 cards with them probably.
In end game the AI has advantages you do not. You’ll see him use 5 card generating buildings in places. Where does it get the resources from? Canine terrorist organizations? Catnip money? You can pick whichever makes you happy, but the truth is it gets resources you have no access to. But that’s OK, because you’re smarter than it and when you do beat it with the limited tools at your disposal, all the more glory to your incredible tactical skills. The point is that beating an AI with more troops and resources than you unequivocally proves one thing: your tactical superiority. Now isn’t that a goal worth fighting for? 😀
I haven’t gone into details regarding what cards you should use as you can read more on that in the specific skills thread. I do recommend that you check it out as I outline some of the best card combinations to look out for.
Coming soon: Part 3 of the guide will take a look at some exotic strategies and those much sought after artefacts as well as how to best put them to use.
Might Skills
Below is a quick analysis of the Might Branch of the skill tree.
The Might Branch represents the center section of the skill tree. It is the easiest to learn and use and is the most powerful one early on in the game. It can be described as the most offensive and fast paced of the branches. This is also why you start with Might I and Archer learnt. It is important to note that it contains most of the deployable units in the game (except for the Spirit) so it has the most cards capable of actually capturing lanes!
Might I, Archer and Cavalry are probably the most important might skills you should learn. If you could only choose 3, I would go for these. They will allow you to counter any unit efficiently and provide you with a good balance of attack, defense and speed.
The next most important might card is probably the Tower. Apart from the wall it is the only way to stop multiple incoming enemies from advancing. They’re resilient and they can be manned by archers. Any martial upgrades that archers had will be kept after entering the tower! If an archer has a defense upgrade it will also repair the tower when it’s not under siege! This is an extremely powerful tactic and allows you to create an almost perfect defense during those hard levels. The only weaknesses for towers are cavalry units, fires and explosions. Fires can be nullified with Wards though (which is the upgraded regeneration card) and self-repairing towers should withstand the odd artillery shell or cavalry unit. If you do plan on using towers then get Tower Upgrade as well. The 60% health increase it provides is essential.
Traps are also extremely useful, but like towers, they’re only truly efficient after learning the upgrade as well. Traps are best used against those scary martial units. It doesn’t matter how many badges or years of training a unit has, in front of the sharp spikes of a trap, all are equal!… except for Infantry with Defense upgrades. They’re special, so watch out for those :P. Cavalry with agility upgrades can also charge through them, though they require the use of an ability and are still vulnerable while marching.
The last remaining skill is Artillery. If you go all Might you’ll want to get it as it’s your only defense against opposing towers and big masses of angry enemies. But it is an expensive card to use. It’s most efficient when upgraded as it sets the ground on fire, but again, lightning bolts are a cheaper alternative for a very similar effect. Artillery is less useful during mountain missions as you can’t set the ground on fire, but then, that’s true for lightning too.
Unless you want to fully specialize in Might, I would avoid ever buying Might III. Skill points are a valuable resource in end game and the benefits a level 3 Dojo provides do not fully justify the price. If you do the math you’ll realize the cost reduction for might cards is negligible, as is the speed boost. As for the card slot, you should be able to get it from upgraded schools or libraries.
3 Dojos and 2 Bells is the de facto early game tactic but it still holds up well later on if you make good use of towers, traps and artillery. I would imagine it would be very hard to beat the game with just this setup though, but you’re welcome to take on the challenge and share your results with the rest of us.
If you use a Dojo as a supporting building as described in the Advanced Strategies guide then use it to create units and don’t upgrade it. If you combine it with Martial, I would use it only for Archers and Cavalry and get rid of the Infantry units altogether. This is because you can put charge upgrades on your cavalry so they’ll be able to mow down enemy infantry with no trouble and upgraded archers can pick out or power shoot any remaining opposition. Of course this strategy won’t work on every level, but it will make the enemy tremble in fear more often than not.
Magic Skills
Below is a quick analysis of the Magic Branch of the skill tree.
The Magic Branch represents the right section of the skill tree. Magic is the most versatile branch and you can use it with equal success both offensively and in a supporting role. It can turn the tides of battles having some very powerful cards. It is harder to use than might though due to the high number of spells and their various applications.
The default card that comes with Magic I is Lightning and it’s no pushover. In non-snowy terrain, it will always kill an archer and if placed correctly an infantry too. It has a radius of effect and it immolates units on impact making them run in terror. Although it does not do damage to structures, the fire it leaves behind does, making it a great counter against towers, and even traps! Its utility is restricted in snow levels as it doesn’t create a fire and the standard damage it does to units is quite small. Here you’ll want to rather use its bigger brother “chain lightning” as it does a fair amount of damage and stuns units. Plus you can draw its path making it very handy for taking out multiple units fast. Both spells are very useful in different situations and once upgraded you can use either which is a great benefit.
Regeneration is also one of the most important spells and a real game changer when used in conjunction with martial as it restores used abilities as well! Having a cavalry unit charge twice pretty much gets it to the end of the lane in no time. Add the agility upgrade on it and it will go through everything including those final walls and traps! And the regenerating unit is cured of any annoying negative effects like conversion or stunning and maintains immunity to them during the duration of the spell, which is a nice way to pass through those fires without being immolated.
Regeneration can be upgraded to the Ward, which, just like the lightning upgrade, combines both spells into one card, allowing you to pick the Regeneration variant when desired. Wards are also extremely powerful when used appropriately. Flames will not hurt allies within a ward making them a counter for those annoying fires thrown at your innocent towers! They also give spirits a huge morale boost making them even stronger than infantry while within the ward’s influence! And if that’s not enough a ward also cancels out any and all martial abilities of enemies caught in its radius and your troops also get life steal in melee! Anyway, in case it’s not obvious yet, get the ward upgrade! It’s a Tier 1 card, so you don’t need to upgrade the library, comes with regeneration included, and it’s hard to imagine a situation where it wouldn’t be useful in one way or another. This is by far my favorite magic card, especially since I’m an avid martial fan.
To round up the Tier 1 magic cards we have Soul Absorption and its upgrade. Again, both are useful. The upgrade simply allows you to collect up to 3 souls at once, which is a nice ability to have especially if you plan on using black holes to group units together and then mass murder them. Spirits are the only method of capturing lanes if you play all magic so they are a must for pure wizards. They are weak on their own but when placed in wards they become the strongest unit in the game. They are also immune to fires and stunning so you can wait for them to get into a fight and then cast lightning without regrets around them. The enemies will burn while your spirits will go unfazed.
Portal – Portals are good cards to keep around for the right situation but don’t make too many of them. It’s a good skill to learn if you can afford spending the skill point but you’ll have to use them wisely. Probably their best use is redirecting all troops from one lane to another. This is extremely useful if you’ve lost a lane as you can nullify all their units like this! They also have the ability to stun units. Basically if a unit goes in and out of portals too fast it will get dizzy/stunned. Placing a portal’s entrance and exit points next to each other would be the quickest way to achieve this effect. Another interesting property of portals is that all arrows go through it and lose momentum when coming out the other side. This means all exiting arrows will hit the ground. How is this relevant in any way other than as a piece of graphics trivia? Burning arrows will always hit the ground when exiting a portal increasing the chance to set the ground on fire, and burning ground may in some situations be more important than the arrow itself hitting the target! Portals also “teleport” the time stop ability as well so you can freeze 2 lanes with one time stop spell like this. And, naturally, they are also a great way to skip past towers and reach the enemy’s barricades within seconds. Again, a lot of subtle uses for the portal but it will be hard to use it efficiently in practice. When used correctly though it can change the tide of battle, so, if possible, keep one around in your deck for that right opportunity.
Black Hole – Sucks all units in range towards its center. Perfect for gathering all your enemies in one place and setting them ablaze. Then collect their remains with an upgraded soul absorption and you have yourself the beginnings of a small army. Conversely you can collect all the enemy’s spirits in one place and mirror them out of existence with one quick swipe. Either way, just like the portal, it’s a powerful spell when used correctly and I also recommend having one in your deck if you have a level 2 library.
Mirror – Like portals and black holes their usefulness is restricted to a handful of situations but it can make all the difference between winning and losing. This is extremely useful for instantly destroying a row of traps and towers, or duplicating them.
The last important skill here is Spell Focus. If you’ve learnt or plan to learn 10 magic skills it more than pays for itself as it almost doubles the productivity of a Torii. This means that 4 Libraries and 1 Torii might just be a valid tactic with this skill.
The typical all magic scenario would be 3 Libraries and 2 Torii. You’d use lightning to harvest a few spirits then send them out backed up by wards. Simple and effective.
Martial Skills
Below is a quick analysis of the Martial Branch of the skill tree.
The Martial Branch represents the left section of the skill tree. It is possibly the hardest to master due to its more exotic nature which makes it more prone to misuse. It requires more planning than the others and more patience but it will reward those that put in the extra effort.
Martial I gives you access to the infantry upgrade, whether you want it or not. This allows you to move infantry between lanes. The unit also regenerates fully while making the jump, and, if engaged in combat instantly kills its enemy before the leap. If used correctly it’s a very powerful skill. It can both confuse your opponent and cause some serious damage.
Both Archer Training and Cavalry Training are very useful skills. All unit upgrades should be combined with Regeneration cards as that will allow units to reuse abilities. Having a cavalry unit charge multiple times is a perversely quick way to reach the end of a lane. And archers with multiple power shots can tidy up the battlefield in seconds.
In early game Martial is dependent on Might in some form or another as quite simply you need units in order to upgrade them. If you want to free yourself of this symbiotic relationship you’ll need the Conversion skill. This allows you to convert enemies to your side, capturing them as cards. Once you have this skill it is possible to go all Martial, such as 3 School and 2 Markets. For all martial users this is a must. Naturally it won’t help you much against pure magic opponents, but then there’s probably no be-all and end-all strategy anyway. Well… except for the Martial+Abacus+Alchemy combo of course, but that’s another story.
Boost Economy – If you’ve read the Tactics guide you’ll already know this – learn it. Even if you don’t use martial at all, learn it. If I were on a deserted island and I could only take one skill with me, naturally “Might I” would be that skill. But that’s not the point. Learn it!
Attack, Defense, Agility – These are all useful. They can combine with all 3 units, and they can even be stacked with one another. Some combinations are better than others based on the situation though, but they’re all useful in a given scenario, and obviously the more you put on a unit the better. Here are however a few of my top picks:
Archer + Ability + Attack – flaming arrows, what else is there to be said. Struck units run in terror so that keeps the distance between your archer and its targets. Power shots also destroy everything they touch with the attack upgrade, including towers!
Archer + Defense + Tower – Archers repair towers while in them. If you’re playing against magic opponents the ward becomes a necessity though as they can burn your towers to a crisp with lightning bolts unless you protect them. But if you do, you’ve got an impenetrable defense.
Infantry + Agility – They gain the ability to deflect arrows! This means that your infantry has just overcome its one weakness – projectiles.
Infantry + Defense – This is a more level specific choice, but it can be very handy if the enemy has a lot of traps laid out as your infantry will just destroy them one by one. And as an added bonus it will even regenerate your own traps.
Cavalry + Ability + Agility – turns the charge into a hurricane that destroys everything. The one annoying thing with the charge is that your cavalry is still stopped by towers, traps and walls. Now you can just fly through them. Yes, even the barricades! Combine this with healing and you’ve just made the game a lot easier.
You’ll also want the Heroes skill if you can afford it as it’s a passive ability that gives you a significant bonus when you put all 3 upgrades on a unit. Here are a few examples:
Archer Heroes + Towers + Wards. An archer hero can shoot on any lane, at any distance, has flaming arrows and shoots as fast as two archers combined. It also repairs the tower in which it takes refuge. The ward is to protect it against those problematic fires, the only thing that stands between you and world domination in such scenarios.
Cavalry Heroes – They’ll just convert all enemies they encounter, what more could you want? One of these can change the whole battle.
Advanced Research – if you’re serious about the martial branch then you need this skill. In fact, if you’re serious about mastering this game you probably need this skill. This gives you access to the infamous Martial+Abacus+Alchemy strategy.
Martial III – to maximize the efficiency of Advanced Research this becomes a necessity. Let me put it like this: if you have all martial skills learnt (and let’s face it, they’re all good so why not :P) cards will generate on a level 3 school more than 3 times faster than they would by default!!!!!