FAQ for the add-on “Battles & Defence”

How do I best get started?

One tower and one unit come already researched with your purchase, so you can build right away.

Put the tower next to the path, train a few units and attack a village.

After that you know where it hurts and can research on purpose.

Why can I not build this tower?

Only researched towers appear in the build bar.

You cannot build on the path or on an occupied tile.

A new tower only works once the build time has run out.

How many towers can I build?

Your defence map holds at most 75 towers, construction sites included. The box “Your city defence” shows how many you have under Towers.

Once the limit is reached, the build bar only shows this notice. Upgrading still works, and if you dismantle a tower you can build a new one elsewhere.

What is the siege bonus?

If a player city has more than 20 finished towers, every attacking unit and the attacker’s boss get 1 % more hit points and damage to towers (breakers and boss throw) for each further tower. With 21 towers that is +1 %, with 30 towers +10 %, from 70 towers at most +50 %.

The bonus only applies to that one attack and only against player cities, not against villages, settlements and the fortress. For units it is added to your squad items.

As the attacker you see it in the city profile, in the question before the attack and in the battle report. As the defender it shows in the box “Your city defence” under Siege and in the build bar while building.

How do I reach the next era?

You need 80 % of the towers or units of the era you are in.

Level I is enough, higher levels do not count twice.

The diamond at the gate shows how many are still missing.

How do I attack?

Put your waves together in the Squad tab.

Pick a target in the Map tab and tap Start attack.

The result is decided at once, there is no marching time.

Why do I find no target?

You can attack cities whose defence is at least 70 % of your attack score.

Anyone just breached is shielded for 9 or 16 hours.

The six places are always there, three villages, two settlements and one fortress.

What is the attack score?

The attack score counts your researched unit levels and your boss with hit points and skills. It is measured in defence points: roughly the defence you can break with it.

Which player cities you see depends only on your attack score: you can attack cities whose defence is at least 70 % of it. Your own defence does not matter for this.

This way a strong attacker cannot attack much weaker cities, even with few towers of his own. You find the score top left on the world map and in the squad header; others only see your attack strength as a tier.

The info box of a player city also shows an estimated chance, from easy for you to unbeatable.

How much can be taken from me?

Only the war chest, never your whole fortune.

It holds 50 % of your Imperial income. In an attack it is first cut down to your balance and then only drops by the loot. It only falls to 0 if the loot is as large as your balance.

Nobody ever takes more than your balance.

What is the unit bounty?

A payment from the system in fights between player cities: a share of the training cost of the units involved, 25 % for the attacker and 35 % for the defender. It comes on top of the loot from the war chest, not out of it.

The defender gets it for every attacking unit that falls, 1.5 times as much for holding. The attacker gets it from 50 % breach for every unit that arrives, 1.25 times from 75 % and 1.5 times at 100 %.

Attackers get at most 3 bounties a day, the count is shown at the top left of the world map. After that you can keep attacking and taking loot, the bounty returns the next day. Villages, settlements and the fortress pay no bounty.

How do I protect my Imperials?

Build towers and place them well, that stops attackers.

What you have spent cannot be looted. New income can be looted again, though, up to the level of your war chest.

If an attacker gets through, your city is shielded afterwards for 9 hours (below 50 % breach) or 16 hours (from 50 %).

What happens to my units after an attack?

Fallen units are lost and do not come back.

Survivors return wounded and can be healed.

You only pay for what is missing on the health bar.

Why did I get no attack points?

Points only come when the target falls, so from 50 % breakthrough.

Villages and settlements never pay points, the fortress pays a quarter.

The amount follows the target’s defence, not the loot.

At the fortress the points drop with its chest. If you have already emptied it today, there are no more points there.

What are defence points?

They measure the damage your towers deal on the way to the city.

The weaker of your two paths is the one that counts.

More towers along the path, higher levels and items raise the number.

How do I get stronger?

Research is the biggest lever, it unlocks better towers and units.

On the map, where a tower stands matters more than how many you have.

Items from attacks strengthen both towers and squad.

Where should I build my towers?

Where a tower covers as many path tiles as possible.

A tower away from the path is worth no points and hits nothing.

Think of both paths, the weaker one always counts.

Do several slowers work together?

No. A unit is only slowed as much as by the strongest slower whose range it is in. Five identical slowers in one spot slow no more than one.

Only the strongest burn counts as well, and frost does not freeze a unit more often just because several frost towers stand there.

Several slowers still pay off: placed one after another along the path they make the slowed stretch longer, and if one is destroyed or shut down, the next one keeps slowing.

Does a slower also affect units off the path?

Yes. A slower measures the distance to the unit, not to the path. If a breaker walks off the path towards a tower, it is slowed as soon as it is within a slower’s radius.

The same goes for damage over time: burn, poison and frost from slowers and the burn of splash towers also hit attackers off the path. Archers target them too.

The only exception is the pull of the Interstellar splash towers: it only drags units on the path towards the impact.

What does a tower’s targeting do?

Shooter and area towers fire at the nearest target (closest to your city), the strongest, the fastest, the weakest or at a boss first.

Weakest means the unit with the least health left. Damaged enemies fall first this way.

If all enemies are equally tough and fast, toughest and fastest aim like nearest. Switching is free, you find the targeting in the tower window.

Which units should I bring?

Bulwarks in their own first wave, that way they draw the fire.

Breakers take towers out, jammers shut them down for seconds.

Looters and scouts only pay off once your squad actually arrives.

What do wave gap and path do?

Short gaps overload archers, but they help splash towers and slowers.

Long gaps let each wave fight alone, but the breakers of the first wave keep working.

The two paths are built differently, one is usually easier.

How do I get more waves?

You start with six waves of six units each. The Iron Age, the Age of Discovery, the Future and the Alien Planet each add one wave as soon as you have researched the first unit of that era. In the end you have ten waves with 60 slots.

Every new wave adds 6 slots to your roster, up to 84. Your boss still needs only 5 waves with units at its side, all others may stay empty.

What is the boss?

An animal you choose, feed and train in the Boss tab.

From level 1 your boss joins attacks as a wave of its own, throws at towers and slows them with its aura.

For the breach the boss counts as 6 units.

How does my boss get stronger?

Put imperials in the bowl, your boss eats them bit by bit and levels up. Hit points and size grow with the level.

You train aura, speed, damage and armour separately, all four may run at the same time.

Every researched unit era allows 5 more levels, up to 70. Time crystals speed up eating and training.

How do I take the boss into an attack?

In the Squad tab every empty wave has a “🐾 Boss” button. It puts your boss into that wave, where the boss marches alone.

This works from level 1. Alone, however, the boss misses its support: it needs 5 waves with units at its side. Each one missing costs you 15 % of loot, item chance and attack points. One unit per wave is enough.

If your boss reaches a player city, you get the boss bonus, at most 3 a day. Villages, settlements and the fortress pay no boss bonus. If your boss falls, food is lost and a recovery follows.

What happens if my boss falls?

20 % of the food of the current level is lost, which may also mean one level lower. After that come 3 hours 20 minutes of recovery.

During recovery an attack is possible, but hit points, armour, speed, damage per throw, aura and aura radius are 30 % lower, throw rate and throw range stay. Time crystals shorten the recovery.

At a player city the defender gets a boss bonus equal to your food loss.

When does my boss get hungry?

Only when the bowl has been empty for 24 hours. Before that a yellow note in the Boss tab warns you.

When hungry, all values are 30 % lower until there is food in the bowl again. If it is also recovering, the reductions add up: it then fights with 40 % of its values.

At the highest level only the daily need is eaten. A supply in the bowl then lasts a long time.

How do I stop an enemy boss?

Set the targeting of your shooter and area towers to “🐾 Boss first”. Without a boss in range they fire like “Nearest target”.

Boss Hunter tower items raise the damage against a boss.

Frost, pull, acid, fire and piercing work on the boss as on units. If the boss falls, you get a boss bonus equal to its food loss.

Why does my boss take less damage from old towers?

Your boss has an era lead: towers from an older era than your boss do less damage to it. One era older -15 %, two or more eras older -25 %. Towers of the same or a newer era hit in full.

Your boss’s era follows from its level: 1 to 5 Stone Age, 6 to 10 Bronze Age, 11 to 15 Iron Age, and so on every 5 levels.

As a defender this means: against strong bosses, towers of your current era help more than many old ones.

Can I switch animals?

Yes, any time and without waiting, at the bottom of the Boss tab.

You get the whole bowl back, plus 90 % of the food eaten and the training costs.

The new boss starts at level 0 and needs a name.

What is the difference between breaker and jammer?

The breaker takes a tower out for the whole battle, but it needs time at the tower.

The jammer shuts a tower down for seconds while passing by. The tower is then briefly protected and cannot be shut down again right away.

Together they are strong, the jammer buys the breaker its quiet moment.

Why did my tower stop firing in the middle of the battle?

A breaker took it out, then it stays dark for the rest of the battle.

Or a jammer shut it down, then it blinks and comes back.

After the battle every tower stands again at full strength, with no repair.

Upgrade or rather build a new tower?

An upgrade keeps the spot and the items, and the tower keeps firing during the build time.

For that you pay a 25 % surcharge on the price difference between the levels.

A new tower can be built straight at any researched level, without a surcharge. It only works once the build time is over, but you choose its spot freely.

Can I tear a tower down again?

Yes, at any time.

You get 90 % of the build value back, the items return to your inventory.

The build time is gone for good.

Can I change my map?

Yes, with the “Change map” button in the info box of the defence map.

All towers are sold at 90 %, the items come back.

Research, units, boss and attack points stay. Defence points start from zero on the new map, which is rolled again.

A map stays in place for at least 7 days. You can only change it 7 days after choosing it, until then the button tells you from which day it works.

How do I get items for the addon?

Only through attacks, they are created new and taken from nobody.

The chance rises with your breakthrough and with every scout that arrives.

The stronger the target, the better the piece.

At villages, settlements and the fortress the chance drops with their chest. Once it is empty for today, there are no more items there.

How many item slots do I have?

Every tower has two, the second opens with level II.

The squad has eight, they affect all units.

Tower items and squad items cannot be swapped.

The boss has six slots of its own, opening at level 1, 15, 24, 35, 48 and 60.

Why can I not find my addon items in the bag?

They sit in a pocket of their own.

The Battles & Defence tab in the bag switches to that pocket.

Each pocket holds 18 slots.

What can I use Time Crystals for?

For build time, research, training and healing, and for your boss also for eating, training and recovery.

One crystal is one hour, there is no cap.

The button appears while something is running.

Can I research several things at once?

One research per tree.

Defence and attack run side by side, so two at a time.

Crystals only shorten, they do not open a third slot.

Where can I see what is running right now?

The defence map shows a box for every running research, training and healing, plus one each for your boss’s recovery and training.

Each box shows picture and level, with the time left below. For training that is the time until the whole queue is done, for healing the time until the last unit is healed. Wounded units heal at the same time.

A click or tap opens the matching place: the node in the research tree, Train, the Roster or the boss.

What is the difference between village, settlement and fortress?

The village is the weakest, the fortress the strongest.

The loot rises accordingly, and the fortress brings rarer items.

Only the fortress pays attack points, and only a quarter.

Every place has a daily chest for you. Whatever you loot is missing from it until midnight, at 0:00 it is full again.

Item chance and the fortress's attack points drop with the chest. When it is empty, you get neither.

Why is a place smoking on the map?

You have emptied its chest for today.

At midnight it is full again. You can still attack it, but without loot, item or points.

For other players it stays open.

Why does a place suddenly look different?

The layouts of the places change every week.

The change runs in the night to Monday.

The layout is the same for every player.

How long am I shielded after an attack?

That depends on the outcome: if you hold completely, there is no shield. Below 50 % breach it is 9 hours, from 50 % it is 16 hours.

During that time a countdown stands above your city.

You can end the shield early: tap your own city on the world map, the button “End shield” is there.

A new city is under a founding shield for 12 hours after its first map is chosen. You can end that one early in the same place.

If you attack a player city yourself, your own shield ends right away, the founding shield too. The game tells you in the confirmation before the attack. Attacks on places leave your shield in place.

How often can I attack the same opponent?

The same opponent again after 20 hours.

Other targets you can attack right away.

Is there a daily limit on attacks?

No.

The protection time of cities limits it by itself. You can attack places at any time, but their chest is limited per day.

Can I watch a battle?

Yes, through Watch battle in the report or in the battle history.

The log stays seven days, after that you only see the result.

In the player you can pick the speed and skip ahead.

Damage numbers rise above the boss and above the towers it hits. You can turn them off under ⚙️ Settings in the Graphics tab at “Damage numbers (addon)”. That is also where you set the battle effects.

Where do I see past attacks?

In the Map tab via the “📜 Battle history” button, there under On me and By me.

The newest are on top.

Can I step into a running battle?

No, the battle is calculated in one go.

Your defence is frozen at the moment of the attack.

What you build afterwards counts for the next attack.

Can I be attacked while I am not playing?

Yes, an attack does not need you.

A battle report waits for you on your next visit.

How do I get into the ranking?

As soon as you have more than zero points.

Attack points come from fallen targets, defence points from your towers.

There are four lists: this month, last month, total and defence.

How do I get a badge?

Gold, silver and bronze for the first three places of the monthly list.

Stronghold from 63,900 defence points.

Insurmountable Obstacle for rank 1 of the defence list.

Do other players see my points?

On the map they only see your status, not the number.

In the defence list the number is shown, that is where everyone compares.

Nobody sees your balance.

Does the addon reveal anything about my portfolio?

No.

Your defence follows towers, levels, items and their placement, not your portfolio.

Only the investor name you chose yourself, your profile picture, your status and your badges are passed on.

Does the era of my city matter?

No, the eras in the tree are a different thing.

A player in the Stone Age can own modern towers and the other way round.

Does an attack itself cost anything?

The attack itself does not.

You paid beforehand for the training and afterwards for the healing.

Are there achievements for the addon?

Yes, a category of its own in the stars window.

There are stars for towers, attacks, loot, research, defence and your boss.

Four entries are secret.

What happens if I return the addon?

The Watch House and the defence map close, and you are no longer a target.

Towers, research and units stay for 90 days.

If you buy again within that time, everything is still there.

Does the addon work on a phone?

Yes, all tabs and the battle player too.

While building, the bars slide out of the picture so the map stays free.

Can players without the addon attack me?

No.

Only players with the addon attack and are attacked.

Anyone without it does not even appear on the world map.