Troop categories
| Category | Units | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Guardsmen | Spearmen, Archers, Riders (later Battle Griffins and higher forms) | The PvE backbone—they carry bonuses against monsters. Spearmen double as your best loot carriers. |
| Specialists | Swordsmen, Spies | The PvP corps—Swordsmen deal 2× damage against players. Spies are scouting-only. Unlocked via research paid in Conquest Points. |
| Engineer Corps | Engineers | Only shine against fortifications—City Walls and monster Citadel Walls. Near-useless elsewhere. |
| Siege Engines | Catapults | Required in specific tiers and counts for Citadel assaults. |
| Monsters | Trainable monster units | High base stats, no type bonuses—generalist filler that adds extra layers to any march. |
| Mercenaries | Hired, not trained | Bought or earned in events (Trade Routes exchanges, Ragnarök shop); early-game siege and epic-hunt muscle. |
| Flying units | Battle Griffins, Corax | Unlock with higher Guardsmen tiers; add a flying layer to any march. |
The muster—every unit type
The counter system
Each unit belongs to a class—melee, ranged, mounted, flying, siege—and targeting is automatic:
- Spearmen (melee) counter mounted units.
- Archers (ranged) counter infantry and flying units.
- Riders (mounted) counter ranged units.
Counter bonuses are large—roughly +40–65% at base tier and growing with tier—so matching classes against a target's weakness is the cheapest power multiplier in the game. Every monster squad lists its strengths and weaknesses in its info tab; read it before you march.
Tiers and progression
- Units come in tiers written as Roman numerals—players say G1 through G7 for Guardsmen tiers. New tiers unlock through Academy research.
- There is no in-place promotion. Lower-tier troops stay in your army and remain genuinely useful as sacrificial layers (see Combat Mechanics).
- The Army Modernization research line retroactively boosts troops you already own—the closest thing to upgrading in place, and the consensus first target for Clan Points.
- Higher tiers cost more per unit but deliver more strength per Leadership point, which is what makes them worth it—march sizes are Leadership-capped.
- Event shops (notably Ragnarök) sometimes sell guardsmen and mercenaries above your research tier—a known mid-game shortcut to fielding troops you can't yet train.
Standard compositions
| Task | Composition |
|---|---|
| Common/Rare monsters | Type-matched guardsmen exploiting the squad's listed weakness, sized for zero or near-zero losses. Find the biggest squad you can clear lossless and farm it. |
| Epic monsters | Maximum layering: every type and tier you own as equal-strength stacks, monsters and mercenaries included, flyers on top. Fodder soaks the boss; expect losses; revive only the expensive layers. |
| Citadels | The level-specific catapult tier and count, Engineer Corps for the walls, and only the troop class that citadel level favors (ranged at level 10 → mounted at 15 → melee at 20+). |
| PvP offense | Swordsmen core for the 2× player damage, layered with class-matched guardsmen. Aydae or Cleopatra leading; Amanitore for group runs. |
| Defense | Mostly avoidance: shield, dump troops in a clan Fort when offline, portals closed, resources under the Warehouse cap. Garrison only when you've chosen to fight. |
| Gathering | Spearmen-heavy for carrying capacity, led by Stror. Combat stats irrelevant. |
Try compositions in the Army Stacker—build a march, see its totals, and experiment with stack balancing before you spend real troops.
The dragon
Early on (the moment you unlock any tier-2 guardsman), a dragon appears in your city—a permanent companion that can join any march. It boosts your troops' strength and health, raises the leader's command stats so the march can carry more troops, and increases the Valor and Conquest Points you earn. It can never die, win or lose.
- The dragon runs on an energy meter that refills daily—normal monster hunts spend it, so it can't fly every march.
- It levels up by eating dragon treats, which drop from battles against epic monsters, and evolves (changing its look and power) with dragon orbs from tournaments.
- Fun field note: an enemy dragon's size and color on the map roughly reveals how strong its owner is. A small orange dragon is a growing account; a huge near-black one means run.