🛡️ Decide what the defense needs to achieve
Choose the position, how long it needs to hold and who can take over. Defending a teammate's prison, holding an event structure and buying time for another march can require different commitments.
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| The position is essential to the team objective | Assign a primary defender and a backup. Keep a reinforcement march available. |
| You only need to hold until support arrives | Set a time or signal for the handoff. Confirm arrival before the first defender leaves when possible. |
| A secondary position is drawing troops away | Tell leadership what is happening. Move only when the team has chosen which objective to cover. |
| The next attack is beyond what you can sustain | Tell the team before committing more troops. Follow its plan to reinforce, rotate or withdraw. |
🪖 Build a formation that can hold
Choose your main defender by applicable skills, troop tiers, equipment, research and ability to recover. Compare reports from similar fights. The original guide's community starting point is 40% Shieldbearers, 30% Bombardiers and 30% Shooters. Adjust it to the activity and the attacks you face.
If the front line falls early, test a survival bonus or a different troop mix. If it holds but the attacker faces little pressure, check which troops deal damage and receive your bonuses. Change one variable per test and compare losses under similar conditions.
📣 Give reinforcements a clear destination
A useful call gives the position, expected impact time and what to send. Ask reinforcers to confirm their arrival time and check available capacity. If a march cannot arrive before the hit, decide whether it should cover the next attack or stay in reserve.
Example: Your primary defender can hold until the next allied march arrives. The backup confirms arrival first, then the leader calls the rotation. If that march is delayed, update the call before anyone leaves the position.
🏥 Plan recovery before committing again
Check wounded and lost troops, healing capacity, supplies and the time until your next assignment. Read the event's current rules for losses and recovery. A defense that buys the time your team needs can be worthwhile even if the combat report shows a defeat. Review the objective and the cost together.
For Crystal Clash or Sandsea Conquest, confirm which objective matters in the current phase. Use the event plan to choose where to hold or rotate.